RTHK: Public backs Covid minister in Japan PM race

Japanese voters strongly support Taro Kono, minister in charge of fighting Covid-19, becoming the next prime minister, a second opinion poll said on Monday, as potential candidates prepare announcements that they will contest the leadership of the ruling party.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's shock Friday announcement that he was stepping down has thrown a ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership race set for September 29 into disarray, with an array of candidates set to vie for the top job. The LDP's majority in parliament guarantees the winner will become prime minister.

According to the survey by the Yomiuri Shimbun daily, 23 percent of respondents said Kono, the minister in charge of vaccines, was the most suitable person to take over  echoing a Sunday poll that had 31.9 percent favouring Kono.

Kono held a narrow edge over former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba, with 21 percent. Former foreign minister Fumio Kishida, who has already formally announced his candidacy, trailed with 12 percent.

A former foreign and defence minister, the 58-year-old Kono, educated at Georgetown University and a fluent English speaker, has built a popular following among young voters with an active social media presence in two languages, with 2.3 million followers on his Japanese page alone.

Kono has long been a favoured candidate for prime minister and has made no secret of wanting the job, but party elders are wary of him for his outspokenness and reputation as a maverick. Others feel he is still too young for the job.

Over the weekend, though, one TV network reported that Kono had gained Suga's backing.

With no clear front-runner at this point, the actions of Suga's predecessor Shinzo Abe are being closely watched. Abe quit the premiership last year due to ill health but still retains influence in the party's two largest factions and among conservative lawmakers.

Japanese media has reported that Abe will be backing former internal affairs minister Sanae Takaichi, who hopes to become Japan's first woman prime minister.

But Monday's Yomiuri survey had Takaichi trailing badly at 3 percent  just behind Abe himself, at 5 percent. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-09-06. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Resistance seeks talks as Taliban moves into Panjshir

The leader of the Afghan opposition group resisting Taliban forces in the Panjshir valley north of Kabul said on Sunday he welcomed proposals from religious scholars for a negotiated settlement to end the fighting.

Ahmad Massoud, head of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA), made the announcement on the group's Facebook page. Earlier, Taliban forces said they had fought their way into the provincial capital of Panjshir after securing the surrounding districts.

The Islamist Taliban took control of the rest of Afghanistan three weeks ago, taking power in Kabul on August 15 after the Western-backed government collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

"The NRF in principle agree to solve the current problems and put an immediate end to the fighting and continue negotiations," Massoud said in the Facebook post.

"To reach a lasting peace, the NRF is ready to stop fighting on condition that Taliban also stop their attacks and military movements on Panjshir and Andarab," he said, referring to a district in the neighbouring province of Baghlan.

A large gathering of all sides with the Ulema council of religious scholars could then be held, he said.

Earlier, Afghan media outlets reported that religious scholars had called on the Taliban to accept a negotiated settlement to end the fighting in Panjshir.

There was no immediate response from the Taliban.

On Sunday, the NRFA also confirmed that its main spokesman, Fahim Dashti, had been killed during the day. Dashti had survived the suicide attack that killed Massoud's father, Ahmad Shah Massoud, on September 9, 2001.

He had been one of the main sources of updates from the area as the Taliban pressed in on opposition forces, issuing a defiant series of statements on Twitter, vowing that resistance would continue. (Reuters)

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South Africa: Colloquium to explore autonomy of public varsities

The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology is set to host a colloquium aimed at building stronger links between institutions of higher learning and the public they represent.

The objective of the colloquium is to engage all stakeholders on the concept of institutional autonomy, aimed at strengthening institutions of higher learning by harnessing a healthy relationship between institutional autonomy and public accountability, committee chairperson, Nompendulo Mkhatshwa, said on Monday.

The committee has invited the South African public to participate in the colloquium on the institutional autonomy of public higher education institutions, which will be held on Friday.

The colloquium will focus on themes including Cooperative Governance in Higher Education: Successes and Failures, and Institutional Autonomy: Enablers and Impediments.

To ensure greater public participation, the committee has invited interested members of the public and all stakeholders to make submissions on the themes.

Submissions must be forwarded to akabingesi@parliament.gov.za. The deadline for submissions is 9 September 2021 at 4pm.

In preparation for the colloquium, the Portfolio Committee will this week convene a series of engagements, which will be an opportunity for all stakeholders, including the leadership of institutions of higher learning, to find the best possible way forward for the sector as a whole.

Mkhatshwa said institutional autonomy is an essential element in the governance of higher education systems, and is a way of ensuring that they achieve their purpose.

Mkhatshwa said the committee is concerned about the state of relations between the State and institutions of higher education in relation to the balance between institutional autonomy, academic freedom and public accountability.

This emerges [during] ongoing concerns by various stakeholders regarding the use of institutional autonomy and an apparent resistance experienced by various stakeholders when State interventions are required, or when student representative councils and labour critique the state of institutions and call for the implementation of transformative policies and plans.

The state of this social treaty is of concern to the committee, considering its responsibilities to strengthen legislation governing institutions, its oversight functions to strengthen and improve governance and management, and to ensure public accountability on the use of allocated resources.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: MP police pounce on rape, robbery suspect

Mpumalanga Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, has welcomed the arrest of a 23-year-old man suspected to be behind rape and robbery incidents that recently occurred at Nkomazi area in the Ehlanzeni District.

In a statement, provincial SAPS spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli, said the suspect was cornered at Matsulu by members of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) in Pienaar. He was also charged on immigration charges and appeared before the Kabokweni Magistrate's Court on Friday.

He said: According to the information at police disposal, defenceless women were allegedly raped as well as robbed of their personal belongings between April 2021 and August 2021 at both Matsulu and Kaapmuiden near Malelane. There were cases opened to that regard and the FCS Unit was assigned to probe as well as ensure that the perpetrator is swiftly brought to book.

Mdhluli said the FCS team were hard at work to apprehend the suspect when it emerged about a suspicious illegal immigrant who was roaming around the streets of Matsulu.

The details were then followed up and the SAPS members arrested him in the early hours of Thursday, he said.

During the tour of their investigation, the FCS team discovered that he is a suspect that they have been looking for, for quite some time. Then in the afternoon of yesterday, Saturday, 04 August 2021, he was charged on four counts of rape and three counts of robbery.

At the place where the suspect was arrested, police also found some items belonging to females which they (police) now suspect that the items could be that of his victims. The SAPS cannot rule out possibility of linking the man to several cases reported where women became victims of violent crimes, he said.

The suspect was today expected to appear before the Matsulu Periodical Court on charges relating to the said incidents of robberies and rapes.

Manamela in the statement further urged those who fell victims of violent crimes in the past but never reported such cases to come forward and report at their nearest police stations.

The General also appreciated the public for the information they provided as well as the swift reaction by members from FCS which led to the breakthrough and the suspect's arrest.

She concluded by highlighting that her vision of working towards eradicating Gender-Based-Violence in the province is beginning to show some positive results.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: President pays tribute to hardworking, ethical public servants

The vast majority of public servants are ethical, principled and working hard to serve the citizens of South Africa, says President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The President said this in his weekly newsletter on Monday.

He said it is important to acknowledge public servants who carry out their duties especially at a time when the public service has come under a lot of scrutiny.

The professionalism of these hardworking, ethical and principled public servants keeps our country afloat, and their good work brings hope to our people. At a time when shortcomings in the public service are amplified and bad news falls like an avalanche, we acknowledge our public servants of South Africa and their service.

It may be said that they are just doing what they are paid to do. But public service is a calling  one to which they have ably responded in order that the rights of all people in this country are fulfilled, he said.

The President acknowledged that there remains a cohort of civil servants who have erred away from serving the interests of South Africans.

Over the course of time, public servants in our country have come to be in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. We have become too used to stories of civil servants involved in maladministration, embezzlement, corruption and other forms of conduct that betray the values of the public service.

He added however, that such public servants remain in the minority.

While much is made of those that are errant and unprincipled, the vast majority of public servants understand the weight of responsibility their positions entail, and discharge their duties faithfully. During this Public Service Month (September), we pay tribute to the many public servants who continue to make a positive difference in our country every day, and whose actions and performance embodies the principle of Batho Pele, of putting people first.

President Ramaphosa added that his administration is on course to realising the transformation of the public service into a professional service with public servants whose interest is in serving the nation.

We have set ourselves the challenge of building a capable, ethical state. We remain firmly on course towards professionalising the public service and transforming it into a group of men and women who are able and committed to serving our people and their interests, the President said.

COVID-19 and the public service

He said the outbreak and continued fight against the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates that there are many public servants who carry out their duties capably and with commitment.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, civil servants have displayed courage and resilience in discharging their duties, often under the most difficult of circumstances. Despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic, they have kept the wheels of our country turning and have ensured that service delivery continued.

The President praised frontline government workers who carry out their duties despite facing challenges.

Frontline health personnel have made sure that the ill are attended to. Members of the South African Police Service have continued to serve and protect our communities. Teachers have continued to care for and educate our learners. Officials in government offices have ensured that our people continue to receive services.

The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic had brought many lessons to the fore.

COVID-19 has exposed the chasms between the planning and execution of public service delivery; and the reality of government departments still working in silos when they should be working together in a seamless, development-orientated manner. At the same time, COVID-19 has shown us what is possible if we work in a coordinated manner and manage resources effectively and efficiently, the President said.

District Development Model

President Ramaphosa said the District Development Model currently being rolled out in parts of the country aims to ensure that public servants are focussed on executing their duties seamlessly.

This adaptive service delivery modelis exactly what the Batho Pele White Paper compels us to do: establish a citizen centred Public Service that is seamless, adaptive and responsive. We call on public servants to be part of this process by identifying ways in which we can realise a public service focused on meeting the needs and advancing the interests of citizens, he said.

The President said his administration remains committed to serving the people of South Africa.

Our commitment to building a state that is ethical, capable and above all developmental necessitates that civil servants see themselves not merely as state functionaries but as development workers,said President Ramaphosa.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: New, refreshed SAA to take to the skies

South African Airways (SAA) interim CEO Thomas Kgokolo says the airline is moving into a new era.

Kgokolo was updating Parliaments Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises on the expected restart of the airline and on other matters concerning the airlines subsidiaries.

SAA is expected to resume operations on the Johannesburg-Cape Town route and African destinations, Accra, Kinshasa, Harare, Lusaka and Maputo on September 23.

When we decided on our restart, we did not thumb suck this and we are not flying for the sake of flying. It is not an ego restart. It is something that weve thought about carefully within the constraints that we have and within what we see happening in the market.

[Bringing the old SAA back] is not the intention. The intention is to bring a refreshed SAA, a new SAA. We are focused on customer excellence, we are focused on some of the low hanging fruitthat we can utilise to get back to the market. While, in the background, we are looking at the bigger redesign of SAA, Kgokolo said.

SAA has been grounded since March 27, 2020 and came out of business rescue at the end of April this year.

The airlines interim chief executive said they have embarked on careful fleet planning which bears in mind the uncertainty of the market brought on by the impact of COVID-19.

In the short term we have brought the aircraft that will be operated on power by the hourit means that as long as we are not flying, we are not paying for them. This is good in a period of uncertainty when we dont know whether lockdowns will persist or not. It allows us to contain costs. In the long term, we want to get into a sustained fleet planningso well be looking at aircraft reconfiguration going forward, he said.

Kgokolo told the committee that the chosen routes to restart SAA were thoroughly researched to determine viability.

When we looked at our datawe found that the load factors in the regional routes is good and also the yields, meaning that the prices we get out of those particular routes [are] promising as well. Of course this is not 100% risk free but it gives us an opportunity to test that particular market and also to protect our routes as well. In the medium to long term, we are going to redesign this particular route network, he said.

According to the interim CEO, cost containment is high on the list of priorities for the airline.

We are monitoring that quite closely where we are renegotiating some of the agreements especially in the I.T space [and] with some of our suppliers as well because we need to continuously keep that cost base low in order to sustain what will be happening in the market, he said.

He announced that they have considered SAA customers who had tickets before the airline was grounded and were not able to use them.

"When we were grounded, there were customers that still had tickets to fly with us and we believe that this is a good opportunity to partner with those customers as we start flying so that they can start redeeming their vouchers and start flying with us again so that we can then render that service to them again," he said.

Kgokolo added that the airline is determined to rebuild customer trust with a lot of work still to be done in order to regain it.  SAnews.gov.za

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Hong Kong: 2.3k arrested in anti-crime operation

Police arrested 2,320 people and seized cash, dangerous drugs and illicit goods worth about $390 million in an anti-crime operation jointly mounted by Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau authorities from June to August.

During the operation, Police conducted searches at about 2,000 locations including bars, amusement game centres, cyber cafes, party rooms and residential units.

It smashed illegal gambling and vice establishments as well as drug distribution centres and arrested 1,616 men and 704 women for triad and drug-related offences, robbery, illegal immigration, illegal gambling, bookmaking, criminal damage, blackmail, wounding and possession of offensive weapons.

Bookmaking records worth about $3.6 billion were also seized during the operation.

Police said it will continue to maintain close liaison and exchange intelligence with authorities on the Mainland and Macau to interdict cross-boundary triad activities and uphold public confidence in law and order.

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Hong Kong: Jab service provided at entreprise

Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip visited Wheelock & Company today to inspect the administering of the BioNTech vaccine to about 230 people as arranged by the Government's outreach vaccination service.

Mr Nip said: For the continuation of economic activities and the prevention of a new wave of the epidemic in the community, it is essential for operators of enterprises or organisations to get fully prepared and for their employees to get vaccinated or to undergo regular testing.

He urged other enterprises to follow the Government's practice to require all employees, except those medically unfit, to receive vaccination or undergo regular virus testing at their own expense.

Since the launch of the Civil Service Bureau's outreach vaccination service, the outreach service team has provided the vaccination service to enterprises and organisations 113 times, benefiting about 16,300 people.

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South Africa: Spotlight on strengthening the fight against GBVF

Efforts to get into the psyche of a violent man are not meant to excuse his behaviour, but contribute in strengthening the prevention strategy against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).

These were the remarks of KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala during his address at a colloquium on men and violence directed at women and children.

Zikalala said that while the country has raised necessary awareness against GBVF, the problem continues to manifest itself as if our collective efforts have been worthless, [and] these efforts remain crucial but inadequate, he said at the weekend.

He said paying attention to the people who commit violence against women is not an easy exercise, and it even sounds morally reprehensible and gives credence to the outcry in society that the focus must be on the victims of crime, not the offenders themselves.

But this is where research and scholarly work becomes important in helping us as society to pay attention to the gaps in our research and strategies. As social partners, our strategies and policies must always be informed by credible research.

We must be evidence-based if we hope to win this war against the vulnerable women and children of our country. And if we misdiagnose the problem, we are bound to prescribe the wrong or ineffective remedy.

The Premier also noted that all over the world, studies on rapists, women and children killers remain scant with society often hoping that once such people have been sent to jail and removed from society, the problem will go away.

In South Africa, we know very well that despite our well intentioned rehabilitation programmes in our correctional centres, we still have high levels of reoffending. As the province of KwaZulu-Natal, we are keen to know what new insights we can gather from an event like this one about men, what lead them to commit such terrible crimes, giving our country the bad name that we are the rape capital of the world.

This therefore demands that we talk to men and hear them [out] because it is them ultimately, who end [up] harming women and children. Our interest lies in the fact that we are currently involved in putting together a comprehensive social cohesion and moral regeneration strategy that will produce what we have termed the model citizen of KwaZulu-Natal.

This model citizen is one who frowns upon violence to resolve social disputes, it is a new person who respects the dignity of the next person and cherishes the humanity of others. Such a model citizen lives the values of our Constitution and makes it his duty to engineer a human rights ethos throughout society.

Majority of men detest violence against women

Zikalala said government takes comfort knowing that the overwhelming majority of South African men are good, do not rape and detest violence against women.

We are also fortunate that already, many South African men are participating in various groups and organisations fighting this scourge which has become a national shame. We call on more men to join in such efforts and for them to play a positive role in grooming up young boys to be good men who do not abuse women and children.

The male child must grow up knowing it is only human and normal to cry. To be a man does not mean to get your way through aggressive means. As fathers and leaders in our communities, we have to teach the boy child that the girl child is his equal, not an inferior or subhuman being."

The Premier also stressed a need to make use of evidence from literature and research that profiles men who beat women or those who rape them, to inform government plans and strategies.

Let us pay attention to the body of evidence and literature which carries the experiences and voices of men who perpetrate this violence. This research indicates that the profile of these men are sometimes men who grew up feeling unloved, rejected, and ignored, said the Premier.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: PIC, Steinhoff enter into settlement agreement

The Public Investment Corporation, Steinhoff International Holdings N.V. (SIHNV) and Steinhoff International Holdings Proprietary Limited (SIHPL) together referred to as Steinhoff  have entered into a settlement agreement to support the implementation of the Steinhoff global settlement.

In a statement, the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) said the proposed settlement forms part of the global settlement first announced by Steinhoff in 2019 and the ongoing, related settlement processes in the Netherlands (in respect of SIHNV) and South Africa (in respect of SIHPL).

This settlement agreement is subject to court approval which has started in the Netherlands.

The PIC, on behalf of its clients, owned 8.56% of Steinhoff shares (as at 31 August 2021), which was acquired over time, reads the statement on Monday.

In 2018, the PIC joined a group of approximately 40 institutional investors who brought damages claims against SIHNV before the Dutch court. A process of mediation ensued thereafter.

The PIC said it believes the proposed settlement was in the best interests of its clients, given the alternative cost of protracted litigation and related uncertainties, and the prospect of further diminishing share value.

It attempts to provide certainty and will allow Steinhoff the opportunity to recover as a company, to continue trading as a going concern and to avoid further job losses.

Details of the proposed settlement agreement can only be disclosed once due legal process has been concluded, said the corporation.

The settlement agreement does not preclude the PIC from pursuing further litigation against former Steinhoff directors and employees, if found responsible for the accounting irregularities and ultimate destruction of value at Steinhoff. The PIC will continue to cooperate fully and assist law enforcement agencies in respect of any criminal proceedings.  SAnews.gov.za

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Hong Kong: More jab records to be recognised

The Government announced that from September 8, it will accept vaccination records issued by India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand and Korea as recognised vaccination records for Hong Kong residents returning from Group A specified places.

Hong Kong residents holding vaccination records issued by the relevant authorities of these places in the prescribed formats can board a flight for Hong Kong from Group A specified places. The vaccines administered to the travellers must be those recognised by the Government.

Although Korea is currently not classified as a Group A specified place, the Government explained that the recognition arrangements will enable Hong Kong residents holding vaccination records issued by this country in the prescribed format to return to Hong Kong from Group A specified places.

Click here for the updated list of places that are accepted for issuing recognised vaccination records.

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Hong Kong: CE hails Qianhai, Hengqin plans

Chief Executive Carrie Lam today welcomed the central governments promulgation of plans relating to Qianhai and Hengqin development.

The plan for Comprehensive Deepening Reform & Opening Up of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zone was announced today, while the plan for the Development of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Co-operation Zone in Hengqin was released yesterday.

Mrs Lam expressed hope that with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Governments policy support, various sectors of the community will seize the opportunities brought about by the two plans and join hands in taking forward the development of the Greater Bay Area.

Following President Xi Jinpings steer on relying on Hong Kong, serving the Mainland and opening up to the world, Qianhai, positioned as the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zone, has attracted many Hong Kong enterprises, Mrs Lam said.

The promulgation of the Qianhai plan will foster Hong Kong-Shenzhen co-operation at a higher level under which the two cities can serve as dual engines to drive development in the Greater Bay Area.

The Qianhai plan has once again demonstrated the countrys key strategic planning, under which the development of the Greater Bay Area would enrich the implementation of one country, two systems, deepen reform and expand the scope of opening up, and enhance the level of co-operation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau.

She explained that with modern service industries as an entry point, Hong Kong will further promote Guangdong-Hong Kong co-operation as well as Hong Kong-Shenzhen co-operation, with a view to enhancing the citys integration into the overall national development.

Not only does the Qianhai plan give full play to Hong Kongs long-held advantages in high-end professional services, and elevate the function of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zone, but it also promotes the long-term development for Hong Kong professional services.

According to the Qianhai plan, the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zones area will increase significantly from 14.92 sq km to 120.56 sq km. It also stresses the promotion of high-level opening up in Qianhai, the fostering of innovative development of modern service industries, and the acceleration of the building of a system of modern services that is compatible with Hong Kong and international standards.

Hong Kong will capitalise on its own advantages to assist in promoting the full liberalisation of trade in services in Qianhai, greater mutual access of the financial markets and a higher level of opening up in legal matters, thereby expanding the room for development for professionals and enterprises in Hong Kong.

Mrs Lam stressed that in order to expedite high-level co-operation and identify more concrete measures for implementation in Qianhai, the governments of the Hong Kong SAR and Shenzhen have agreed to set up a high-level working group. The Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs is the convenor on the Hong Kong side.

Moreover, the Hong Kong SAR Government will discuss with relevant central ministries to achieve further liberalisation of trade in services as set out in the Qianhai plan through the Mainland & Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement.

It is also prepared to offer views and co-ordinate efforts to complement the expansion of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zone in areas of financial services, innovation and technology, legal services and business environment.

Meanwhile, Mrs Lam pointed out that the plan for the Development of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Co-operation Zone in Hengqin will create favourable conditions for the diversified development of Macau and provide facilitating measures for the development of its industries.

Since the commissioning of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai have become much closer to each other, giving rise to favourable conditions for Hong Kongs participation in the development of Hengqin.

With the support of the central government and the Guangdong Provincial Government, the Airport Authority Hong Kong is pursuing closer co-operation between the airports of Hong Kong and Zhuhai to enhance their air cargo and logistics capabilities, which will also contribute to the development of industries in Hengqin.

I am sure Hong Kongs business and professional sectors will also feel excited about this development, Mrs Lam said.

She added that the Hong Kong SAR Government will explore how the city can provide support for and contribute to the implementation of the Hengqin plan through the existing co-operation mechanism with Macau.

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RTHK: Belarus jails two leading opposition figures

A court in Belarus sentenced one of the country's most prominent opposition figures, Maria Kolesnikova, to 11 years in prison on Monday after she led unprecedented protests against President Alexander Lukashenko last year.

A defiant Kolesnikova smiled and made her signature heart-shaped hand symbol during the court hearing in Minsk, where lawyer and fellow opposition activist Maxim Znak was also handed a 10-year sentence.

During the closed-door trial authorities had accused the pair of violating national security and conspiring to seize power.

Kolesnikova, 39, is the only major leader of last year's mass protests still in Belarus and has been in custody for a year after resisting deportation by ripping up her passport.

Lukashenko, in power since 1994, has been cracking down on opponents since the protests, which erupted when he claimed victory in a disputed election.

A video from inside the courtroom showed the handcuffed pair grinning in the defendant's cage ahead of the ruling.

Kolesnikova -- who wore her trademark dark red lipstick and a black dress -- made the heart-shaped symbol with her hands, which she often did at protest rallies.

Standing next to her, Znak pretended he was inviting an audience into a theatre.

"Dear spectators, we are happy to see you," said the 40-year-old.

The EU condemned the ruling as a "blatant disrespect" of rights and Britain said it was an "assault on the defenders of democracy."

"Regrettably, these sentencings are further evidence of the regime's total disregard for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Belarus," added the US State Department.

Amnesty International said the ruling was "designed to crush the hopes" of a generation of Belarusians.

Kolesnikova -- a former flute player in the country's philharmonic orchestra -- has become a symbol of the protest movement in Belarus.

She had danced inside the defendant cage when the trial, which authorities said had to be closed because it contained state secrets, opened last month.

Last September, KGB agents put a sack over her head, pushed her into a minibus and drove her to the Ukrainian border.

She resisted the attempt to throw her out of the country by ripping up her passport.

Kolesnikova was part of a female trio of protest leaders along with Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and Veronika Tsepkalo, both of whom fled the country.

Tikhanovskaya, who stood for president in place of her jailed husband and claims she won the election, called the pair "heroes" after the sentencing.

"The regime wants us to see them crushed and exhausted. But look: they are smiling and dancing," Tikhanovskaya, who is now based in Lithuania, said on Twitter.

The office of one-time presidential hopeful Viktor Babaryko, whose campaign was managed by Kolesnikova, published photos of some of her supporters lining up outside the Minsk court.

Kolesnikova and Znak had worked for Babaryko, who in July was jailed for 14 years on fraud charges.

"Maria and Max went through all the stages of political persecution with dignity," Babaryko's office said in a statement.

It quoted Kolesnikova's lawyer as saying that she delivered an impassioned final address to the court last week about the "future of a free Belarus".

Kolesnikova and Znak were part of a seven-member Coordination Council set up in response to the disputed August election to oversee a peaceful transition of power.

Western countries have piled sanctions on Lukashenko's regime over the treatment of opposition activists.

But the moustachioed strongman has shown no sign of stepping down and maintains the backing of key ally Russia.

He is due in Moscow this week to meet with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.

According to rights group Viasna, there were 659 political prisoners in Belarus as of Monday, including Kolesnikova and Znak.

Lukashenko faced a global outcry in May when a passenger plane was forced to land in Minsk and a dissident onboard was arrested.

Belarus was again in the international spotlight in August, after an athlete said her team tried to force her to leave the Tokyo Olympics and an exiled opposition activist was found hanged in a park in Ukraine. (AFP)

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Hong Kong: HK, SZ to boost co-operation

Chief Executive Carrie Lam today led a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government delegation to attend the High-level Meeting & Hong Kong/Shenzhen Co-operation Meeting 2021 in Shenzhen.

The Shenzhen government delegation was headed by the Communist Party of China Shenzhen Municipal Committee Secretary Wang Weizhong.

The Hong Kong SAR and Shenzhen governments reviewed the achievements made since the last Hong Kong/Shenzhen Co-operation Meeting and set out the directions for co-operation in the coming year. They also witnessed the signing of a number of co-operation agreements between the two places.

Mrs Lam said: This year marks the beginning of the implementation of the National 14th Five-Year Plan, together with the enormous opportunities brought by the development of the Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong-Shenzhen co-operation is set to scale new heights.

Hong Kong will make the best use of the advantages of one country, two systems, capitalise on our business environment that is highly market-oriented, internationalised and underpinned by the rule of law, and proactively serve as dual engines alongside Shenzhen to drive development in the Greater Bay Area under the spirit of complementarity and mutual benefits.

Major achievements were seen in innovation and technology, financial services, professional services, Qianhai development, education, the medical field, youth development and investment promotion subsequent to the meeting. Steady progress was also made in other areas such as environmental protection, culture and retirement services.

On I&T, the governments signed the Co-operation Arrangement on the Establishment of One Zone, Two Parks in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation & Technology Co-operation Zone at the Lok Ma Chau Loop to take forward the joint development of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation & Technology Co-operation Zone.

Regarding legal services, the Hong Kong SAR Government is dedicated to providing development platforms for Hong Kong legal professionals in bay area cities. It will also continue to promote the Greater Bay Area Legal Professional Exam to the citys legal sector and arrange in collaboration with Mainland authorities practical training on Mainland laws for those who have passed the exam.

Following todays meeting, the two governments witnessed both the signing of a memorandum of understanding between eBRAM International Online Dispute Resolution Centre and the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration, as well as the moving-in ceremony of the Greater Bay Area International Arbitration Centre.

Meanwhile, with the central governments promulgation of the Plan for Comprehensive Deepening Reform & Opening up of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zone today, the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zones area will be increased significantly.

The Hong Kong SAR Government will discuss with relevant central ministries to achieve further liberalisation of trade in services of the Qianhai plan through the Mainland & Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement.

Additionally, the Qianhai Authority, Shenzhen Administration for Market Regulation and the local taxation authority of Qianhai jointly launched the Qianhai e-Services Hong Kong-Macao Station to provide integrated online service for business registration and tax-related matters for free to people in Hong Kong and Macau, further benefitting Hong Kong people and enterprises in Qianhai.

As for education co-operation, the Shenzhen Municipal Peoples Government and the University of Hong Kong signed a memorandum of understanding to propel the preparatory work for establishing the universitys Shenzhen campus which would promote high-level academic and research activities in the bay area.

Furthermore, the Hong Kong SAR Government encourages local school sponsoring bodies to set up schools offering the Hong Kong curriculum or Hong Kong and international curricula in the bay area.

To show support, Mrs Lam and Mr Wang officiated at the inauguration ceremony of the Shenzhen Hong Kong Pui Kiu College Longhua Xinyi School which offers the Hong Kong curriculum to Hong Kong students.

Looking ahead, Hong Kong and Shenzhen will continue to promote high-level co-operation in different areas and jointly contribute to the bay areas development and overall development of the country under the spirit of complementarity and mutual benefits.

In addition, the two governments have earlier agreed to set up 19 working groups to expedite Hong Kong-Shenzhen co-operation on all fronts.

The 19 working groups will press ahead with their work pragmatically with unsparing efforts. Progress made will be reported to the Hong Kong/Shenzhen Co-operation Meeting regularly, noted Mrs Lam.

This story has been published on: 2021-09-06. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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Vietnamese jungle man dies at 52

Ho Van Lang, who became famous after leaving behind his forest lifestyle in Vietnam's central province of Quang Ngai with his father in 2013, has died at 52 after a year struggling with cancer.













Ho Van Lang, who became famous after leaving behind his forest lifestyle in Vietnam's central province of Quang Ngai with his father in 2013, has died at 52.

Lang's younger brother Ho Van Tri told Dantri/Dtinews that Lang died from liver cancer at 7am on September 6.



"Lang died after over a year struggling with liver cancer," the brother said. "He suffered a lot of pains in his last days."



According to reports from local authorities, in 1972, Lang's father, Ho Van Thanh, a 40-year-old soldier, took his three-year-old son into a forest in Quang Ngai Province's Tra Bong District after seeing the tragic death of his wife and two other sons when the US troops bombed his house. The father and son lived in the forest for over 40 years until being found and taken out on August 7, 2013 when the father was seriously ill.













Ho Van Lang left the forest in 2013

Lang was living with his younger brother's family in Tra Bong District after his father died in 2017. They lived on farming work with modest income.











Lang used to do farming work while living with this brother



Dantri/DTiNews recently published a story about Lang being unable to afford treatment for cancer. In June 2021, the newspaper sent VND177 million (USD7,695) as donations from readers to support him.


High-risk provinces and cities urged to complete vaccination programme

The Ministry of Health has urged Hanoi, HCM City, Binh Duong, Long An and Dong Nai provinces to complete the first Covid-19 vaccine jab for all residents by September 15.



According to the ministry, those provinces and cities have been prioritised in the vaccine allocation. HCM City, Long An and Binh Duong provinces have had enough vaccines to give the first shots to all of the adult residents.





The Covid-19 vaccination in Binh Duong Province
European countries to transfer Covid-19 vaccines for Vietnam

Some European countries have pledged to transfer Covid-19 vaccines to Vietnam.



National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue had a meeting with Vietnamese ambassadors to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Germany On September 5 as soon as he arrived at Vienna-Schwechat airport in Austria. He was in Austria to attend the fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (WCSP5) in Vienna.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue had a meeting with the Vietnamese ambassadors in some European countries





At the event, the ambassadors said that they sent National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hues letter to the parliaments of the European countries to call for assistance in providing Covid-19 vaccines for Vietnam.



Vietnam has received Covid-19 donations from many European countries, including Hungary, Slovakia, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. Among those, Germany donated Vietnam 2.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine and medical equipment, including 75 ventilators and 20,000 pulse oximeters.



Slovakia has also pledged to transfer two to three million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Vietnam. Poland and Vietnam are also negotiating the transfer of three million Covid-19 vaccine along with providing Vietnam medical equipment, including ventilators, worth USD4 million.



The Czech government has also committed to transfer 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Vietnam.



The ambassadors said that in the coming time, they would continue activities to support Vietnams Covid-19 fight.



According to the ambassadors, the Vietnamese community in many European countries have helped Vietnams Covid-19 vaccine fund. For instance, Vietnamese people in the Czech Republic have donated VND1.5 billion (USD65,217) to Vietnams Covid-19 vaccine fund.



The Vietnamese community in Germany has also contributed EUR50,000 for the countrys Covid-19 fight.



Hue lauded the efforts of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad, including those in Europe, in implementing the vaccine diplomacy, asking the ambassadors to continue to work hard by all means and all channels to get more Covid-19 vaccines to Vietnam.
U.S. needs to work with China in pandemic fight: U.S. economist

Xinhua) 16:05, September 05, 2021

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- The United States must work with China to find a global solution to end the raging COVID-19 pandemic, said renowned U.S. economist Jeffrey Sachs in an interview with Malaysian media published on Sunday.

In an email interview with Malaysian newspaper the Star, Sachs said the global response to the pandemic has been wholly inadequate and one of the main geopolitical problems might have been the failure of the United States to work with China for global solutions.

"This is tragic, since China has done an excellent job of suppressing the pandemic, and the world could and should have learned a lot more from China's response," said the U.S. economist, who heads the Lancet COVID-19 Commission, which has been created to help speed up global, equitable, and lasting solutions to the pandemic.

"The United States should learn some good manners to work cooperatively with China, rather than trying to impose its will on that nation," he said.

Sachs, who is also the director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, pointed out U.S. failures to contain the disease at home.

"The culture in many societies such as the United States has put personal behavior ahead of the social good," he said. "In the name of 'liberty,' Americans have failed to follow basic rules and protocols, and the disease has therefore been allowed to run rampant in the United States."

Rich countries have also not generously shared their knowledge, especially on vaccines, Sachs said, urging greater efforts by countries and different parts of the world for coordinated responses.

Meanwhile, the global financing system has favored rich countries, providing too little support to the developing world, he added.

"We should be investing far more resources into epidemiology, disease surveillance, disease prevention, and disease treatments," he concluded.

(Web editor: Zhao Tong, Bianji)
China issues plan for building Guangdong-Macao in-depth cooperation zone

Xinhua) 08:02, September 06, 2021

BEIJING, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's central authorities have issued a general plan for building a Guangdong-Macao in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin.

The plan, issued by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, was made public on Sunday.

It said building the zone is a major arrangement to enrich the practice of "one country, two systems," and will be an important driving force for Macao's long-term development.

Hengqin is located in the southern part of Zhuhai City in Guangdong Province, just across the Macao Special Administrative Region.

The total area of the cooperation zone will be about 106 square km, according to the plan.

The plan defines the strategic position of the zone as a new platform to boost Macao's appropriate economic diversification, a new space that provides convenience to Macao residents' life and employment, a new model to enrich the practice of "one country, two systems," as well as a new high ground for building the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The plan sets the goal for the zone to fully demonstrate the strong vitality and strength of "one country, two systems" by 2035, when the goal of Macao's appropriate economic diversification will be basically realized.

NEW INDUSTRIES

According to the plan, the cooperation zone will develop new industries to help promote Macao's economic diversification.

Sci-tech research and development and high-end manufacturing will be developed.

Traditional Chinese medicine and other Macao's signature businesses, as well as industries including culture and tourism, conventions and exhibitions, and modern finance will be promoted.

Preferential policies concerning corporate income tax will be improved, the plan said, adding that measures will be rolled out to attract talent from home and abroad.

NEW HOME

The cooperation zone will be a new home for Macao residents to live and work, said the plan.

Macao residents are encouraged to find jobs there or create their own businesses. Cooperation between the zone and Macao society will be strengthened in areas concerning people's livelihood. Infrastructure connectivity will also be boosted.

HIGH-LEVEL OPENING-UP

The plan also stressed building an integrated new system with Macao featuring high-level opening-up.

Under the system, declaration procedures for outbound and inbound goods between Macao and the cooperation zone will be further simplified. Inbound and outbound travel will also become highly convenient.

Innovative measures will be introduced in terms of cross-border financial management. A highly convenient mechanism for market access will be established, and efforts will also be made to facilitate the safe and orderly flow of internet data across the border.

An organization will be jointly established to develop and manage the cooperation zone, said the plan.

Party leadership and Party building should be enhanced in an all-around manner to ensure the smooth operation of the cooperation zone. Legal guarantees should also be strengthened, it added.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Commentary: Desperate struggle of anti-China groups in Hong Kong doomed to fail

Xinhua) 08:13, September 06, 2021

HONG KONG, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- A notorious anti-China group in Hong Kong, named the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, put up a last-ditch resistance on Sunday.

In flagrant defiance of the rule of law, the organization refused to comply with police requests for relevant information and continued to attack Hong Kong's efforts to safeguard national security in an attempt to poison the public mind. However, its political tricks are doomed to fail and the collapse of anti-China groups in Hong Kong is inevitable.

As the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) said Sunday, the dissolution of the anti-China group has become a "political reality."

The group has been keen on making remarks about subverting state power and inciting hatred against the central government. Even after the enactment of the national security law in the HKSAR, it remains persistent in pursuing the so-called guiding principle of subverting state power.

The organization and its key members reportedly acted as agents of foreign forces and received overseas funds for political missions in Hong Kong.

Invoking Article 43 of the national security law, the Hong Kong police have asked the group to submit relevant materials. However, the anti-China organization smeared the legitimate law enforcement action as "abuse of power" and "unreasonable demands" in its statement on Sunday.

Its hypocrisy is palpable.

Over the past 30 years, the group has been involved in anti-China activities in Hong Kong in the name of "democracy" and has never stopped inciting hatred against the country and the ruling party and challenging the bottom line of national security. It intensified efforts to hold illegal rallies and instigate violent confrontations in the last two years.

Even worse, it blatantly lobbied foreign organizations to interfere in Hong Kong affairs, urged the United States to impose sanctions on Hong Kong, and pushed for a "color revolution." Those activities have seriously damaged the fundamental interests of the nation and Hong Kong.

No one can escape justice.

Since the national security law came into force, many similar organizations in league with overseas anti-China forces have disbanded. Hong Kong is no longer an "undefended city" in the face of foreign interference. It is the common appeal of over 7 million Hong Kong residents to deal with anti-China groups according to the law and safeguard national security and Hong Kong's peace and stability.

As Hong Kong has returned from chaos to stability, there is no room for any organization endangering national security. The anti-China group and others coming to an end is not only an inevitable historic trend but reflects the voice of the people of Hong Kong.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
U.S. navigates COVID-19 pandemic amid surging cases, rising costs

Xinhua) 08:14, September 06, 2021

A cyclist rides past a COVID-19 mobile test site in New York City, the United States, Aug. 2, 2021.(Xinhua/Wang Ying)

Despite the government's ongoing vaccination push, tens of millions of eligible Americans still have not received even a single dose. Biden said that group is prolonging the pandemic and contributing to anxieties that impact the economy, adding "this is a continuing pandemic of the unvaccinated."

NEW YORK, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Staggering into the 19th month in the fight against COVID-19, the U.S. administration is trying to clear an intergenerational anti-pandemic roadmap by announcing a plan worth 65 billion U.S. dollars to counter future pandemics, and boosting vaccination to limit the spread of the coronavirus, even if the virus is far from being tamed with surging cases and a new prevalent variant called Mu.

The 7-day average of confirmed cases of the pandemic stood at 160,901 in the United States on Friday, with its 14-day change recording an 7-percent rise. COVID-19-related deaths were 1,544 on Friday, with a 14-day change realizing a 53-percent hike, according to The New York Times.

FUTURE PLAN

On Friday, the U.S. administration unveiled a 10-year plan worth 65.3 billion dollars to help the nation combat future biological threats after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.

Since the next pandemic will likely be "substantially different" from the COVID-19, the U.S. government must start preparing now for any future viral threat, said Eric Lander, U.S. President Joe Biden's science advisor and director of the Office of Science and Technology.

The plan, released in a 27-page document titled "American Pandemic Preparedness: Transforming Our Capabilities," calls for billions of dollars to transform the ability to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to pandemics, including investments in vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, early warning, personal protective equipment, as well as global pandemic preparedness.

Particularly, the plan proposes 15-20 billion dollars to jump-start the efforts. The funds will be managed by a new "mission control" office at the Department of Health and Human Services that's closely overseen by Congress.

The future plan seems promising. Currently, however, Americans remain in the mire.

According to a recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National Poll, the number of Americans who approve of what President Joe Biden is doing to end the pandemic is at its lowest level since he took office.

"At a moving average of 154,000 confirmed cases per day nationwide, new COVID-19 infections are at their highest rate since Biden's first days in office and before vaccines were widely available. Younger people who are unvaccinated are driving the increase, and people in their 30s and 40s, as well as children, are getting severely ill and dying from COVID-19 more often than at other times since the virus emerged," the Public Broadcasting Service quoted the poll as indicating.

Facing a surging Delta, fewer Americans are unwilling to get vaccinated compared to late June and about half of Americans support more robust pandemic policies, including employer mandates for COVID-19 vaccines, it added.

Roughly two months into its fourth wave, the United States saw a decline in the recent growth rate of daily infections, suggesting that a peak is nigh, reported Business Insider on Saturday. Nationally, daily cases rose 9 percent in the last week, compared to double-digit weekly increases throughout July and early August.

"I do think that we're going to see the Delta surge wane, like others have," said Jeffrey Morris, director of biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Daily hospitalizations could decline soon, given that much of the population has some form of immunity, said Morris, adding that 62 percent of Americans are at least partially vaccinated and 12 percent have had a confirmed case of COVID-19.

VACCINATION DILEMMA

As of Saturday, the Mu variant of COVID-19, also known as B.1.621 and classified as a "variant of interest" by the World Health Organization, was present in every U.S. state except Nebraska, according to Outbreak.info, an epidemiology and genomic database from Scripps Research.

The strain is now most prevalent in Alaska where it accounts for 4 percent of 3,837 sequenced samples, and in terms of raw numbers, California has the most Mu cases at 384 out of 139,930 samples, according to the data.

Concerns about the Mu variant stem from its mutations, which may evade certain antibodies, "not only monoclonal antibodies, but vaccine-induced antibodies," said Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to the White House.

But Fauci said the Mu variant is not considered an "immediate threat" and stressed the importance of vaccination.

Currently, the Delta variant remains dominant in the United States and cases of Mu have been relatively limited.

Biden on Friday blamed the coronavirus pandemic for a surprisingly weak jobs report, calling out Americans to get vaccinated amid the spread of the highly infectious Delta.

"There's no question the Delta variant is why today's job report isn't stronger," the president said at the White House shortly after the data came out. "We need to make more progress in fighting the Delta variant."

A student prepares to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the Woodrow Wilson Senior High School in Los Angeles, California, the United States, on Aug. 30, 2021. (Xinhua)

Despite the government's ongoing vaccination push, tens of millions of eligible Americans still have not received even a single dose. Biden said that group is prolonging the pandemic and contributing to anxieties that impact the economy, adding "this is a continuing pandemic of the unvaccinated."

In the meantime, the White House has said Americans should start getting boosters of Pfizer and Moderna as of Sept. 20, but leading experts who regulate vaccinations in the United States worry that the country doesn't yet have evidence to support that move.

"If we're going to move in this direction, I want to see the data," registered nurse Lynn Bahta, who serves on the independent advisory committee on vaccines under the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said during a meeting earlier this week.

The heads of the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are now urging the White House to walk back its booster recommendation, thinking the booster rollout as "risking over-vaccination" before enough data is gained, The New York Times reported Friday.

MORE PATIENTS, HIGHER COSTS

New cases have fallen in California, but hospitalizations have not followed the same trend.

As of Thursday, 8,630 people were hospitalized with the virus across the state, more than five times of the number hospitalized on July 1, leading to some hospitals running out of intensive care beds, reported The Hill over the weekend.

Florida registered more COVID-19-related deaths than ever before: Its coronavirus death toll climbed by 2,345 people this week, 36 percent higher than last week.

As Delta spreads nationwide, hospitalizations among individuals under 18 for the virus rose nearly five-fold from late June to mid-August, according to a CDC study released on Friday. In addition, hospitalizations were 10 times higher among unvaccinated adolescents than among those vaccinated.

While the pandemic remains bleak in many U.S. states and among some groups, another harsh reality looms large for Americans: They will pay significantly more for COVID-19 medical care, because insurers are now treating the coronavirus more like any other disease, no longer fully covering the costs, The Times reported this week.

A healthcare worker wheels a patient into an ambulance outside a hospital in New York, the United States, on Jan. 18, 2021. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

Federal law still requires insurers to cover testing 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 don't meet the definition of a "medical reason" and are instead for monitoring, according to the report.

Because insurers are not required to cover such regular testing, some patients have already received testing bills as high as 200 U.S. dollars for routine screenings, said the report, adding that "some of the highest bills, however, will probably involve COVID-19 patients who need extensive hospital care now that most insurers no longer fully cover those bills."

In an attempt to avoid rising pandemic-related costs, American Airlines said on Friday that the company would not provide special leave from next month to unvaccinated employees who have to quarantine.

Also on Friday, Alaska Airlines said that it had stopped special pay for unvaccinated employee absences due to a COVID-19 infection or exposure.

The moves by the two airlines came after United Airlines last month became the first U.S. carrier to require its staff members be vaccinated against COVID-19.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
What China's economic governance tells global investors

Xinhua) 08:23, September 06, 2021

-- Entering 2021, the start of China's new five-year plan period, authorities have stepped up regulatory oversight in a number of sectors.

-- Analysts from global financial service firms viewed the regulatory measures as part of China's long-standing efforts to make growth more sustainable and inclusive, which will benefit the regulated sectors and the broader economy in the long run.

-- The regulations are conducive to the long-term growth of the Chinese economy and the capital market, analysts said.

BEIJING, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Some global investors have seemingly observed a "turn" in China's economic governance recently.

In addition to multiple anti-trust probes and data security checks on the country's biggest internet companies, regulators have imposed tough regulations on the off-campus tutoring sector and stepped up food safety checks on popular food brands.

The intensive regulations across sectors have made these investors wonder: Is there a change of course in China's policy direction? How will the regulatory moves affect the capital market and China's economic structure in the long run?

Analysts from global financial service firms viewed the regulatory measures as part of China's long-standing efforts to make growth more sustainable and inclusive, which will benefit the regulated sectors and the broader economy in the long run.

Staff members of the provincial market supervision bureau check food products at a supermarket in Hejian, north China's Hebei Province, Feb. 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhu Xudong)

CONNECTING DOTS

Entering 2021, the start of China's new five-year plan period, authorities have stepped up regulatory oversight in a number of sectors.

In April, the country's top market regulator vowed to strengthen anti-trust law enforcement, imposing record fines on the country's tech behemoth Alibaba and launching anti-monopoly investigations into internet giant Meituan.

The off-campus tutoring businesses were put on the brakes in July, when central authorities published guidelines that restricted financing for the for-profit off-campus training companies, in a bid to ease the burden of students.

The country's market regulators have also stepped up crackdowns on food safety violations, carrying out on-the-spot checks on a number of chain stores of popular food brands and urging rectifications from the involved firms.

"The regulatory moves should be framed against the broader context of China's economic transition," said Robin Xing, chief China economist with Morgan Stanley.

For instance, the anti-monopoly regulations addressed issues such as the over-concentration of market power in a few tech giants, which could squeeze the profit margins of small and medium-sized companies, he said.

"The recent policy indicated more emphasis on social equity, which will facilitate a healthier economic structure, more stable growth and happier lives for the people," said Wang Peng, an analyst with Hangzhou-based Yongan Futures.

Shi Jialong, head of China internet and new media research with Nomura, said the regulatory actions on China's internet sector were not aimed at curbing its growth, but a signal to let the big platforms channel their resources and energies away from excessive competition into research on advanced technologies.

"We believe the internet industry, known for its resilience, should be able to adapt to the environment and sustain healthy growth," Shi said.

A truck loads containers at Tangshan Port, north China's Hebei Province, April 16, 2021. (Photo by Li Lei/Xinhua)

PREDICTABLE MOVES

The emphasis of quality rather than mere speed of development has long been going on. Since the idea of "high-quality development" was highlighted at the 19th Communist Party of China National Congress in 2017, China has been restructuring its economy in an effort to make growth more sustainable and inclusive.

Battles have been waged to defuse financial risks, eliminate absolute poverty and tackle environmental pollutions. Meanwhile, the deepening of reforms on all fronts has been high on the government agenda to foster a new development paradigm.

The recent meeting of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs, attended by the country's top policymakers, once again stressed high-quality growth, while emphasizing "common prosperity" in the pursuit of it.

"If you look back, you will find that all the policies can be traced back to the development philosophy outlined in public documents," Wang said.

"Some people missed the signs or failed to fully understand it," he said.

For instance, social equity has always been a policy priority, Wang said.

China is on track to meet its 2021 growth target of "above 6 percent", with a GDP expansion of 12.7 percent in the first half of this year.

"This means the country has left enough room to push policies that are key to long-term development," said Victoria Mio, director of Asian Equities at Fidelity International.

Aerial photo taken on Aug. 26, 2021 shows a view of Xincang Village of Haining City in Jiaxing, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

BULLISH PROSPECTS

The regulations are conducive to the long-term growth of the Chinese economy and the capital market, Mio said.

Bullish on the prospects of the Chinese market, Fidelity International has applied to set up a fund management company that it fully owns. The application was approved by China's top securities regulator in August.

Other global asset management giants are increasingly becoming China bulls. In an interview with the Financial Times in August, an investment strategist with BlackRock's research unit recommended investors lift allocations to China's markets.

For Wang, investors have reasons to stay upbeat on Chinese assets.

From the financial market perspective, China's bond yield is among the highest in major economies, while its stock market valuation is lower than most developed economies, Wang said, pointing to the long-term investment value of China's assets.

"Staying confident in China and in its assets is out of question," he said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
US firms plan to expand in China, in rejection of Washington's decoupling push

Global Times) 08:32, September 06, 2021

Washington's toxic policy fails to decouple, but still poses risks

China US (Photo/GT)

Despite the US government's apparent push for a China-US economic decoupling, a majority of the top 500 US companies plans to increase investment in China, according to a latest survey, underscoring the massive US business interests in the Chinese market and the failure of Washington's toxic China policies.

Of the 41 surveyed US companies that adjusted their business in China, 28 chose to increase investment, taking up a significant 68 percent, while only 10 reduced investment, according to the survey released by the Center for China & Globalization (CCG), a Beijing-based think tank, over the weekend.

The figures are a reflection of the fact that, given China's significant advantages in industrial output, supply chain and market opportunities, there is a very little possibility for the US to be able to decouple from China and build a manufacturing sector by itself, experts said.

The report's findings were also on display at the 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), which began last Thursday and ends on Tuesday, with representatives from 153 countries and regions participating, five more than during the previous session. US companies, which make up one of the most active groups of participants, showed greater momentum in presenting their products to the Chinese audience.

In its second time attending the CIFTIS, US chip giant Qualcomm exhibited its latest 5G, artificial intelligence, extended reality and high-definition image technologies with Chinese industrial partners as part of a joint promotion of the development of the digital economy and globalization.

Alex Rogers, president of Qualcomm technology licensing and global affairs, and several other vice presidents of the company participated in online and on-site events of the CIFTIS.

Qualcomm's active participation in the CIFTIS as a multinational company fully demonstrates its determination to remain rooted in China and to promote the future development of digital services in China and around the world through cutting-edge exploration and open cooperation, according to the company.

Qualcomm representatives also discussed how to actively participate in the development of China's open and innovative economy at a higher level under China's "dual circulation" development paradigm.

Other US multinational companies also expressed their interests at the event to make further investments or expand their presence in the booming Chinese market.

In 2020, despite the epidemic and trade friction, direct investment from the US into China reached $123.88 billion, a record high, according to Statista, a German company specializing in market and consumer data.

That shows that business or investment activities should be treated differently and not politicized, He Weiwen, a former senior trade official and an executive council member of the China Society for World Trade Organization Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday.

He said that China-US trade is highly likely to break records this year and exceed the period before the trade dispute.

While US companies are strengthening their investment in China, there are also rising uncertainties posed by the US government that continue to cast a shadow over the normalization of business operations.

Changing China-US relations have had a certain impact on the business of large multinationals in China. In particular, US' punitive tariffs have increased the procurement costs for some US companies in China, according to the CCG's report.

More than half of multinationals are adopting a wait-and-see approach while maintaining their operations in China.

Similar findings came in a survey released by the American Chamber of Commerce in China, the AmCham Shanghai and Pricewaterhousecoopers last year. That report showed that China-US trade disputes had affected the supply chains of 90 percent of US companies.

If the China-US science and technology sector is "decoupled", it will be even worse for the development of the US technology industry, industry insiders said.

According to data, 94 of the 121 US top 500 companies have done business in China so far since 2018. Among them, 21 out of the 28 companies that are classified as high-tech enterprises are adjusting their operations in China, reflecting the fact that tech companies have been hit harder by the uncertainty.

The biggest risk for US companies doing business in China is the deterioration of China-US relations, He said, noting that the future of the bilateral relationship is so far unpredictable.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
4 million doses of Sinopharm vaccines arrive in Sri Lanka

Xinhua) 09:02, September 06, 2021

COLOMBO, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Four million doses of Sinopharm vaccines from China arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday, as the country is in the midst of a large scale vaccination program against the COVID-19 virus.

The country's Health Ministry said the vaccines arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport from China's capital Beijing and were handed over to Sri Lankan health authorities.

Namal Rajapaksa, minister of youth and sports, said the vaccines will be used to administer the second doses in several districts and made available to inoculate people of the 20-30-year age groups in the Western Province as well as in the Galle district in southern Sri Lanka.

State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Channa Jayasumana said the new arrival was the largest quantity of vaccines that Sri Lanka was able to procure in one consignment.

The Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka said that with the arrival of the doses on Sunday, Sri Lanka has received 22 million doses of Sinopharm vaccines from China.

According to official figures, as of Saturday, 10,017,747 people have received their first Sinopharm doses while 7,318,575 have received both jabs.

Other vaccines being administered in the country are AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Sputnik V.

Sri Lanka has detected 462,023 COVID-19 cases since March last year and reported 10,140 deaths.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese astronauts answer HK students questions from space

Chinadaily.com.cn) 09:10, September 06, 2021

Chinese astronauts on board the Tiangong space station have a real-time video dialogue with Hong Kong students on Sept 3, 2021. (Photo/Xinhua)

About 300 students, teachers and scientists in Hong Kong got a rare chance on Friday to hold a live call with three Chinese astronauts who are currently in outer space on board the Tiangong space station, and some leading Chinese aerospace experts in Beijing.

The three crew members - Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo, answered questions about their experience in space. They also showed to the students how to conduct experiments, exercise, and drink water in a weightless environment.

In the live call, aerospace experts in Beijing also shared their insights and feelings of China's manned space exploration development, and answered questions regarding the construction, launch and operation of the country's space station.

The experts included Yang Liwei, the first Chinese astronaut to enter outer space, and Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's manned space program.

The event was co-hosted by the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the HKSAR Government and the China Manned Space Agency.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Astronauts chat with students in Hong Kong

China Daily) 09:27, September 06, 2021

Chinese astronauts on board the Tiangong space station have a real-time video dialogue with Hong Kong science workers, teachers and students on Friday. (Lyu Xiaowei/Xinhua)

Astronauts on board China's Tiangong space station took part in a video call on Friday afternoon with students in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

During the live call, which lasted about 20 minutes, the three crew members of the Shenzhou XII missionMajor General Nie Haisheng, who is also the mission's commander, Major General Liu Boming and Senior Colonel Tang Hongbogreeted participants in Hong Kong and then answered questions from the students about how they conduct experiments, do physical exercise and drink water. They also showed the students different parts of the colossal spacecraft and demonstrated the functions of some equipment.

The event was co-hosted by the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Hong Kong SAR Government and the China Manned Space Agency.

Before the call, participants watched a video about the country's space station program and the Shenzhou XII mission, and listened to a speech by Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's manned space program, about the latest developments in the space station program.

Zhou and several space officials including Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut and now a senior planner, took part in the event at the China Academy of Space Technology in Beijing via a video link. They also answered questions from Hong Kong residents before the dialogue.

At the event's main venue in Hong Kong, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief executive of the Hong Kong SAR, told attendees she hoped young people in Hong Kong could be inspired by the motherland's achievements in space exploration, cherish their dreams, learn from the astronauts and brave difficulties in the pursuit of science.

Hao Chun, director of the China Manned Space Agency, said in Beijing the occasion was intended to respond to Hong Kong people's questions concerning the motherland's space endeavors, foster cooperation and communication between the mainland and Hong Kong, encourage and enable Hong Kong youngsters to know about space exploration, and inspire their patriotism and pursuit of adventure and innovation.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
China donates second batch of anti-pandemic supplies to Myanmar

Xinhua) 09:42, September 06, 2021

A medical worker prepares a dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Yangon, Myanmar, Aug. 3, 2021.(Xinhua/U Aung)

KUNMING, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a ceremony on Sunday in the city of Ruili in southwest China's Yunnan Province to donate medical supplies for COVID-19 prevention to Myanmar's Shan state.

This is China's second batch of anti-pandemic materials donated to Myanmar, after the first batch for Kachin state, worth more than 1.55 million yuan (about 240,000 U.S. dollars), reached Myanmar on Aug. 27 via Houqiao Port in Yunnan's border city of Tengchong.

The new supplies, worth approximately 2.97 million yuan, include surgical gloves, masks, hazmat suits, medicine, nucleic acid testing kits and oxygen generators. The materials will head to the destination via Wanding Port after the ceremony.

The governments of the border regions of China and Myanmar have cooperated and supported each other in fighting the pandemic, including establishing a joint prevention and control mechanism to curb the cross-border spread of the virus.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Global investment firms show continuous confidence in Chinese market: media

Xinhua) 09:44, September 06, 2021

Aerial photo taken on June 21, 2018 shows the morning view of the Lujiazui area in Pudong, east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Ren Long)

In an article examining the responses to a slate of measures China has taken to regulate the market, CNN found that "some of the biggest names in asset management say it's still a good time to invest."

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Global investment giants are showing continuous confidence in China, saying recent regulatory moves adopted by Chinese authorities are "necessary," according to a recent CNN analysis.

In the article examining the responses to a slate of measures China has taken to regulate the market, CNN found that "some of the biggest names in asset management say it's still a good time to invest."

Referring to the recent regulatory moves as "necessary and overdue," these companies said "China's growth story remained attractive."

"The case for China in the long-term is intact," Luca Paolini, chief strategist for Pictet Asset Management, an arm of Swiss private bank Pictet Group, which has 746 billion U.S. dollars assets under management, was quoted as saying in the analysis.

Aerial photo taken on Jan. 14, 2021 shows the container terminal of the Lianyungang Port in Lianyungang City, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo by Geng Yuhe/Xinhua)

Pictet isn't alone, as CNN reported, and many of the biggest names on Wall Street, including Fidelity, Goldman Sachs and BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, are also advising their clients to "keep buying, albeit cautiously."

Victoria Mio, director of Asian Equities at Fidelity International, expressed optimism in the article about the future of the world's second largest economy.

"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, the article said, are optimistic about other Chinese assets.

Paolini pointed out that the yuan has performed better than other major currencies this year, up 1 percent against the U.S. dollar. Chinese government bonds are also overperformers, returning 3.5 percent compared to a 1.1 percent loss on JP Morgan's global government bond index, a benchmark tracked by bond investors.

"Clearly, China remains fully 'investable' for foreign investors," he noted.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Xi sends congratulatory letter to 32nd congress of ICAS

Xinhua) 09:58, September 06, 2021

BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 32nd Congress of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS), which opened in Shanghai on Monday.

In his letter, Xi noted that aeronautical science and technology is one of the fields that has developed most rapidly since the 20th century and had the greatest impact on human life and production.

"The world today is undergoing a profound scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, and aeronautical science and technology is facing unprecedented development opportunities," he said, adding that it is necessary and promising to carry out global cooperation in aeronautical science and technology.

Xi expressed hope that this congress will play an active role in promoting global aeronautical science and technology cooperation and bring more benefits to people around the world.

The 32nd Congress of the ICAS is hosted by the ICAS and organized by the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese Embassy in Guinea reminds citizens of enhancing protection after coup attempt

CGTN) 10:37, September 06, 2021

In light of a coup attempt in the country, the Chinese Embassy in Guinea on Sunday advised local Chinese nationals to tighten personal security and not go out.

Gunfire was heard in the urban commune of Kaloum, downtown of capital Conakry, on Sunday morning, the embassy's spokesperson Yue Shawen told the China Media Group.

"Special forces soldiers attacked the presidential palace and took over state television, telling the nation they had dissolved its government and constitution and closed its land and air borders," he said.

Guinea's Defense Ministry said on Sunday in an official press release that "the Presidential Guard, supported by the defense and security forces, contained the threat and pushed back the group of insurgents."

The special forces announced a National Committee for Reconciliation and Development and urged the citizens to maintain normal life and work, Yue said, adding that the situation in the capital has stabilized for the time being and Chinese institutions and citizens in Guinea have so far not been impacted.

After the incident, the Chinese Embassy in Guinea immediately launched the emergency response mechanism and carried out relevant work in a steady and orderly manner, Yue said.

He said the embassy closely followed the progress of the situation, promptly released news on the embassy's website and WeChat official account, and maintained communication with Chinese citizens in Guinea.

Yue called on Chinese citizens to contact the embassy in case of an emergency.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday condemned the coup attempt in Guinea and called for the release of President Alpha Conde.

"I am personally following the situation in Guinea very closely. I strongly condemn any takeover of the government by force of the gun and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde," Guterres tweeted.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
China will not yield to external pressure on its rule of law; court evidence on Spavor and Kovrig solid: Chinese Embassy in Canada

Global Times) 13:57, September 06, 2021

Photo: Former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor (right)

The Chinese Embassy in Canada on Monday strongly condemned Canadas gross interference in Chinas judicial sovereignty, stressing that the evidence in the cases of Canadian nationals Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig is solid and that China will never yield to any external pressure on its rule of law as nationality is not a talisman for escaping the law.

On September 3, the Global Times learned from a source close to the matter that Spavor, who was sentenced in August to 11 years in prison for espionage and illegal provision of Chinas state secrets to foreign entities, was found to have taken photos and videos of Chinese military equipment on multiple occasions and illegally provided some of those photos to people outside China.

The photos and videos have been identified as second-tier state secrets. Spavor was a key informant of Kovrig and provided him with information over a long period, the source said.

China has repeatedly stated its solemn position on the Spavor and Kovrig cases. The information disclosed by relevant authorities shows the evidence in their cases is solid. China is a country under the rule of law. Anyone who breaks the law in China will be punished by Chinese law.

Chinas judicial authorities have handled relevant cases in accordance with the law on the basis of solid evidence. In this process, the two persons legal rights have been fully protected, the embassy said in a statement published on its website on Monday.

The embassys statement comes as Canada is accusing China of arbitrary detention and coercion diplomacy.

Media reported that Kovrig and Spavor had been in custody in China for 1,000 days on Sunday, and their supporters took to the streets in Ottawa and beyond.

Such accusations are totally confusing and an act of backstabbing. Canada had concocted the so-called declaration against arbitrary detention in an attempt to rally a gang to put pressure on China through microphone diplomacy. This is doomed to fail, the embassy said.

The embassy stressed that such attempts will never succeed and China will never yield to any external pressure on the rule of law.

The embassy pointed out that Canada acted as an accomplice of the US in detaining Meng Wanzhou on false accusations and suppressing Chinese high-tech enterprises. This is downright arbitrary detention and coercion diplomacy.

The Chinese embassy once again urged Canada to respect Chinas judicial sovereignty, stop making irresponsible remarks, correct its mistakes as soon as possible, and make the right decision to release Meng.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Tank repair vehicle developed from Type 15 light tank makes plateau debut

Global Times) 14:00, September 06, 2021

Type 15 lightweight tanks of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) are spotted participating in a recent exercise in a low temperature mountainous plateau region.

A new tank repair vehicle based on the Type 15 light tank has been confirmed in active service with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Tibet Military Region after it made its first public appearance in a recent plateau exercise.

Compared with its predecessor, the new repair vehicle is lighter and faster in plateau regions and can ensure sustained combat capability of tanks in such terrains, analysts said.

The PLA Tibet Military Region recently conducted a series of exercises in training sites at an elevation of more than 4,000 meters featuring long-range maneuvering, emergency repair and live-fire shooting, comprehensively honing the cooperation capability between combat and support units under combat scenarios, according to a post by the PLA Tibet Military Region on Friday.

Some photos in the post featured a tank repair vehicle providing maintenance support to a Type 15 light tank. The tank repair vehicle has the same chassis used by the Type 15 and this is the first time it has been revealed to the general public, eastday.com, a Shanghai-based news website, reported on Saturday.

The PLA used the older Type 84 tank repair vehicle, which is based on a 40 ton-class tank chassis, but the newer design, also used by the 30 ton-class Type 15 tank, is more useful particularly in plateau regions thanks to the powerful engine, the report said.

A tank repair vehicle is equipped with many types of emergency repair equipment to conduct emergency repairs and recoveries of tanks directly on the battlefield if the tanks malfunction or get hit by anti-tank weapons, eastday.com said, noting that this type of vehicle is vital in providing sustained combat capability of tanks.

The plateau-operable Type 15 tank can greatly enhance the PLA's rapid reaction capabilities in high-altitude regions as it balances fire power, mobility and protection best suited for plateau operations, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
2021 Taihe Civilizations Forum launched online, casting eye on past, present and future

People's Daily Online) 14:34, September 06, 2021

The 5th Taihe Civilizations Forum (TCF) was launched online by Taihe Institute on Sept. 5, 2021.

Wu Hailong, President of the China Public Diplomacy Association, said that while this year's forum is being held amid a changing international landscape, a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, a weak global economic recovery and dramatic climate changes, he hopes the forum participants will be able to share their insights into future trends, explore the relationships between major countries, address the existential threat to humanity posed by climate change, map out the strategies for vocational education revitalization, and guide young people in the right direction.

A Multi-pronged Approach to Carbon Peak and Neutrality

Li Junfeng, First Director of the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation and Executive Director of the China Energy Research Society, pointed out that the Chinese government has set its emission peak and carbon neutrality goal. Countries around the world should set aside their differences and seek common ground to explore a path to achieve low-carbon and sustainable growth.

Zhang Xinsheng, Senior Fellow of the Taihe Institute and Secretary-General of the Communications Science & Technology Commission of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, noted that energy conservation and emission reduction, namely, carbon neutrality, is now the biggest challenge China faces in developing information and communication technology (ICT) and digital economy. He also pointed out that ICT and digital technology can be used as powerful tools for achieving carbon neutrality.

Competition and Coexistence between China and the U.S.

Stephen Orlins, President of the National Committee on United States-China Relations, said that over the past year or two, Sino-U.S. relations and the world have both changed a lot. He was very pleased to see that this year's forum covers key topics of common interest in such fields as International Relations, Economy and Technology, and Education and Culture.

Sino-EU Relations: Enhance Understanding and Promote Cooperation

Rashid Alimov, Distinguished Fellow of the Taihe Institute and Secretary General of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (2016-2018), said that the world must adhere to multilateralism and seek solutions via global cooperation. COVID-19 has shown that we are closely connected to each other. The whole world is encouraged by Chinese people's solidarity and bravery in the battle against the pandemic. Today, we need decisive joint efforts to fight the pandemic, overcome climate change, establish mutually respectful dialogue, and build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Susan Thornton, a Senior Fellow at Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School, believes that only with constructive international relations and an effective governance system can each country seize the opportunity to tackle the looming challenges and drive our collective globalized future.

The Future of Work in the Digital Era

Yuan Ming, Dean of the Yenching Academy at Peking University and a Professor at the School of International Relations at Peking University, said that it is a huge challenge for humanity to reach a consensus on the diversity of civilizations and of today's world. How should we get across the idea that the world is a diverse place? How can such an idea help countries talk to each other, understand each other, and grow with each other? Yuan hoped that young people, who play a very important role in such matters, can do more through the Taihe Civilizations Forum.

Ismail Serageldin, Co-Chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, said that beyond the values of science, there are other values that contemporary society must adopt, such as empathy, altruism, appreciation of beauty and the arts, benign interaction with the environment, respect for and support to the rule of law, refusing poverty and hunger in the midst of plenty, and so much more. Widespread acceptance of these values could bring to our societies more goodness, beauty, liberty, equality, and justice.

Adapt Vocational Education to Socio-economic Development

Liu Jiantong, Executive Vice President and Secretary General of the Chinese Society for Technical and Vocational Education, said that the 14th Five-Year Plan has made it clear that China will increase the adaptability of vocational education. The country will promote digitization in vocational education and provide more technicians, skilled workers, and craftsmen who are in tune with the digital economy and technology to better serve the high-quality development of China's economy and society.

At the forum, which will conclude on Sept. 11, top scholars and experts from around the world will discuss five topics: "Responsibility and Opportunity- the Technology Driving Force for Peaking of Carbon Emissions and Carbon Neutrality", "Changes to and Future Trends for China-US Relations During the Biden Administration", "How to View the Current Situation and Prospects for China-EU Relations, and Enhance Mutual Understanding and Practical Cooperation", "Future of Work", and "How Vocational Education Enhances Adaptability".

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu)
China sees continued improvements in rural basic public services

People's Daily Online) 15:48, September 06, 2021

China has seen continuously improving basic public services covering education, healthcare, housing, and social security in rural areas in recent years, constantly delivering a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security to rural residents.

Liu Qingji measures his blood pressure at a health service center of a residential compound for relocated villagers in Yukou Town of Fangshan County, north China's Shanxi Province, March 9, 2021. (Photo by Liu Liangliang/Xinhua)

Thanks to the countrys intensified support for education in rural areas, 99.8 percent of compulsory education providers have met the minimum requirements for running schools, and 96.8 percent of counties nationwide have realized balanced compulsory education. The number of students who dropped out of compulsory education across the country went from over 600,000 to 682, and more students from rural areas have entered colleges and universities.

China has directed more quality medical resources to grassroots health institutions and significantly improved rural medical conditions. By the end of 2020, 509,000 administrative villages had established 609,000 health centers with 1,442,000 medical staff members, and 567 counties had built 4,028 county-level medical communities.

Housing conditions in rural areas have also been improved. Since 2013, 7.9 million rural households, or a total of 25.68 million poor people, have moved out of dilapidated houses built of materials such as beaten earth and timber and moved into proper accommodation. From 2016 to 2020, all the 9.6 million poor rural residents who had been relocated from inhospitable areas had been moved into new homes.

During the same period, China upgraded a program to boost the safety of rural drinking water that benefited 270 million rural residents, of whom 17.1 million were people living below the poverty line. By the end of last year, the countrys centralized water supply covered 88 percent of the rural population and 83 percent of rural residents had access to tap water.

Since 2012, China has achieved steady improvement in social security in rural areas, such as refining its unified systems of basic medical insurance and serious disease insurance for rural and non-working urban residents, building a sound social assistance system covering both urban and rural populations, and improving its basic living allowances system.

As a result, the countrys basic medical insurance now covers 1.36 billion people, or above 95 percent of the population.

So far, 12.13 million people with disabilities facing financial difficulties have received living allowances, and 14.74 million people with serious disabilities received nursing care subsidies. Last year, 13.41 million temporary assistance grants were disbursed, up 46.1 percent year on year.

Starting from the end of 2017, all rural subsistence allowance standards at the county level have met or exceeded the national poverty line. As of 2020, 19.36 million registered poor people across the country had been given subsistence allowances.

China has also been ensuring a balanced allocation of public resources between urban and rural areas and promoted equitable rural access to basic public services since 2012, with more resources being channeled toward rural areas.

To push forward rural and agricultural development, expenditure on agriculture, forestry, and water conservancy from the central governments general public budget increased from 1.2 trillion yuan in 2012 to 2.5 trillion yuan this year, with an average annual growth rate of 8.5 percent.

The Internet has given a big leg up to Chinas efforts to improve equality in basic public services. Online education and telemedicine, for example, are introducing higher standard education and medical resources to rural areas. Over 1,100 internet-based hospitals in the country are bringing more convenient medical services for rural residents.

Furthermore, China has improved its care service system for children, women and seniors left behind in the rural areas. There have been 56,000 child welfare supervisors in towns and townships and 675,000 child welfare directors in villages, forming a strong grassroots force for childrens care and protection. China has also built more than 20,000 nursing homes and 108,000 mutual-assistance elderly care facilities in rural areas.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
When birds sing, its like a flying-visit to heaven; they take ahold of our soul and transport us. Those who listen are reminded of their connection to nature and called back to the beauty of the present moment. There is an unspeakable emotion in a birdsong. REUGEs collection of Tabatieres features a bird automaton and its magical tune in a genuine creation. For the Geneva Watch Days 2021, the Brand proudly presents a Limited Edition: of a Green Canary execution which is crowing the Enchanting Birds line. Born in the 18th century, snuff boxes - called tabatieres in French - were a major, often bespoke personal and valuable possession. A rare few concealed a surprise behind their beautiful decorations: an automaton. A singing bird in nature is a fleeting spectacle, a momentary gift that invariably flies away, leaving the observer with the evanescent memory of beauty. By creating a singing bird automaton rather than a captured bird in a cage, REUGE wishes to pay tribute to this natural and magical gift of nature. Upon activation of a lever, the colorful animal pops out of the automaton where it was hidden from view under an oval cover. It flaps its wings and moves every joint of its small body in unison with an enchanting tune imitating the song of a Green Canary to a fault. The spectacle is so authentic that it seems like a real bird.



REUGE demonstrates its inventiveness with its recent creation, the Green Canary, which is crowing the Enchanting Birds line. It is meant as a tribute to an endangered bird. The Geen Canary owes its name to the color of its plumage. We tend to think of the canary as yellow, even though its original color is discreet, suitable for camouflage in wooded areas. It is because the Spaniards discovered it in the 16th century that the yellow domesticated canary came about, the result of successive breeding selections according to the criteria of its color, its song, but also its posture. By returning to the first bird in the lineage, REUGE wishes to respect the splendor of its song and to honor its beauty and scarcity.



The birds tune stems from an extendible bellow in leather that is stored, much like an accordion pleat, by the mechanical movements side. The most important prerequisite is that the result be airtight. If it isnt 100% impermeable, the birds song will turn into a whisper. On the other hand, the leather must be of unrivalled suppleness to allow the bellow to fold smoothly and without snagging. The craftsman's challenge is better understood when one considers the combination of these two constraints: complete airtightness applied to a 0.25 mm thin leather which guarantees its flexibility. Mastering this perilous balance requires a dexterity anchored in a tradition that very few craftsmen possess. The result is an organic sound of such purity, that with closed eyes, one could not tell the difference with an actual birdsong in nature. REUGE reproduces the melody and intonation of the green canary with virtuosity.

The motion is determined by an automaton enclosed in a transparent casing. REUGE respects the birds exact mimics, right down to pairing a tilt of the head with a flapping of the wings. The bird of la Tabatiere consists of 250 components working in perfect synergy. High precision Swiss machinery is used for the first manufacturing stage of the most critical mechanical components, when each micron makes a difference. In a second stage, they are assembled by hand in the brands Ateliers in Sainte-Croix. The bird is entirely mechanical, can be dismantled and reassembled by the craftsman without losing any of its precision or beauty. The Tabatieres lid can be disengaged, meaning that the bird retracts and stows away if someone should force the flap in the middle of the show. This mechanism is a safety device to prevent the movement from breaking in case of misuse, and it certainly brings an additional technical refinement to this masterpiece. Whats more, its now possible to halt the whole movement and freeze the bird in mid-tune if one should wish to admire it more closely. The activation and halt, on demand, of all 250 components attests to the ingenuity and know-how of the REUGE artisans. To bring together so many complex motions and features under a single mechanical movement is an absolute feet of craftsmanship and innovation. But this is what it takes to approach natures complexity. The result  especially when the tune meets the motion  is absolutely unique.



Four choices of color pairing the bird with the leather bellows are available so as to suit any aspiration. Monochrome has pride of place in the steel black execution; the bright fuchsia and metallic blue versions give the collection a chromatic boost; finally, the latest Green Canary execution brings us closer still to the natural embodiment of a canary bird. All the birds are made of titanium for the body and wings and gold for the beak. To obtain a color gradient on the body of the bird, a craftsman dips this body part in successive stages in a galvanic bath. The Tabatiere and the bird are rose gold-plated which matches perfectly with the canarys shades of green. The determination to add technicality to the heart of the craft drives REUGE in each creation. Honesty is a fundamental value for the brand thus chosing a full transparent casing so as in order to disclose the automaton movement in all its beauty. Upon activation, the observer notices the mechanical ingenuity generating the birds movement and can admire the gentle sway of the bellow conveying sound. Four conical columns delimit the Tabatieres perimeter giving the object of art a streamlined, elegant look, fundamentals of REUGEs aesthetics codes.



REUGEs contemporary execution of the Tabatiere is a game changer. Its the continuity of an age-old tradition while being forward-thinking and innovative. What was once the artifact of a bygone time becomes a modern and emotional spectacle. The automatons uncanny realism is a testimony to the brands ingenuity and know-how. The complexity behind the movement is the key to uniqueness. With this fundamental pillar, the collection of Enchanting Birds continues to evolve with its time
East Chinas Anhui province exported 130,000 automobiles from January to July, up 193.3 percent from the same period a year ago, local customs said.

Those exports were worth more than 8.3 billion yuan (about US$1.3 billion), representing a year-on-year increase of 176.2 percent, according to Hefei Customs.

In July alone, the province sold 15,000 cars overseas, up 192 percent year on year.

Latin America was the largest market as the province exported 8,600 cars to the continent, or 55.8 percent of the provincial total, in July. The export volume skyrocketed 441.6 percent from the same period a year earlier. Brazil imported 2,893 cars from the province, up 232.5 percent.

State-owned enterprises exported 14,000 automobiles, or 89.2 percent of the total, in July, up 317.3 percent, while private enterprises exported 1,585 ones, down 20.1 percent.




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.


By Sun Xingwei and Zhang Yun

Veterans retired from border troops in Ngari area of Tibet are boarding a flight from Ngari Kunsha Airport to their hometown on September 1. (Photo by Zhang Yun)

BEIJING, Sept. 6 -- A chartered flight carrying 115 veterans took off from the Shigatse Heping Airport in Tibet and headed for Chengdu, Sichuan Province, on the morning of September 1, marking the official opening of 23 air routes for transporting new recruits and veterans into and out of Xinjiang and Tibet in the second half of this year.

According to a person in charge of a military transportation dispatch center under the PLA Western Theater Command, there are currently nearly 30 civil airports built or under construction in Xinjiang and Tibet. The rapid development of civil aviation in the border areas has provided convenience for the air transportation of recruits and veterans.

It is learnt that after coordinating with airports in Urumqi, Kashgar, Lhasa, Shigatse and other places, the dispatch center has opened up 23 routes to transport recruits and veterans into and out of Xinjiang and Tibet this year, and temporarily opened 3 routes from Yinchuan, Jiayuguan, and Zhangye to Ngari. This year, all the recruits and veterans entering and exiting the Ngari area of Tibet will be delivered by air.

It is also learnt that, in addition, some airlines help to reserve tickets of regular flights to Ngari in response to the troops emergency needs. And some urgently needed military supplies could also be delivered free of charge or at preferential rates by the civil airliners.
By Guo Dan

Daito Satoshi, the abbot of Enkoji Temple in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, receives an interview at Enkoji Temple on August 20, 2021.

An extraordinary Japanese man with a slightly thin build pulled a heavy suitcase and met with the reporter in Xinhua News Agency Tokyo Bureau one afternoon in August. "There are the Combat Report about the Nanjing Massacre recorded by the Japanese themselves, and the 7-month continuous Battlefield Log related to the Japanese invasion of Nanjing. They are the only such materials left. Please transfer them to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders," he said.

The suitcase is filled with almost 20 kinds of historical materials including "Top Secret, the Combat Report of the 33rd Infantry Company Near Nanjing From December 9 to December 13 of the Showa 12 (1937)" and a pile of fragile yellow papers of "The Battlefield Log of the 11th Squadron of the 36th Infantry Company" (October 1937 to April 1938).

The man in casual clothes is Daito Satoshi, the abbot of Enkoji Temple in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. He has been collecting historical materials on the Japanese invasion of China in Japan since 2005. Over the past 16 years, he has collected more than 3,000 pieces of materials and donated them to Nanjing without compensation. This time, the Combat Report and Battlefield Log were also collected through auction in Japan, commissioned by the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

Because the materials are so precious that Daito Satoshi took a car from Nagoya to Tokyo in person, hoping that these precious historical materials can be sent to China as soon as possible.

"Combat Report is an official record of the Japanese army, and it is a log recorded on the same day. It is very credible. Among them, there are records of the Japanese invaders killing prisoners and setting fire in Nanjing. It can be said to have recorded very clearly the history of the Nanjing Massacre committed by the Japanese army. The Nanjing Massacre is not a fiction, nor a lie!" he said.

"There are some people in Japan who do not recognize the fact of the Nanjing Massacre, but these precious materials are true evidence! Although it is only a record of a 200-member troop, it can clearly show how many prisoners they killed in one single day. There should be many similar units in the process of invading Nanjing and I will continue to search for the undiscovered Combat Report," said Daito Satoshi.

Why would a Japanese monk insist on collecting historical materials on the Japanese invasion of China for China? Daito Satoshi explained why to our reporter at Enkoji Temple in Nagoya.

Daito Satoshi was born in Aichi Prefecture in 1965 and graduated from the History Department, Faculty of Letters of Nara University. "I studied history in university, so I want to know the truth about the Japanese war of aggression against China. From the perspective of historical research, I can't just refer to books. Instead, I have to do more field investigations and experience."

He went to Northeast China for a one-month investigation at the age of 20. He visited the Hushigou Massacre Memorial Hall in Yingkou and the Pingdingshan Massacre Memorial Hall in Fushun, northeast China's Liaoning Province, the site of Unit 731 of the Japanese Invaders in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, and the Fengman Massacre Site in Jilin Province.

"I was impressed with everything during my trip to China. But what struck me most was the Pingdingshan Massacre Memorial Hall. The entire village was killed and there were remains of old people and babies. It turned out that the aggression was so cruel! The shock I felt is still unforgettable. I made up my mind at that time that I must do something!"

After returning from China, Daito Satoshi began to focus on collecting evidence related to the Japanese invasion of China, conducting more comprehensive and in-depth research on the war of aggression against China, and exposing and criticizing the war crimes of the aggressors.

When asked whether he would be attacked by the Japanese right-wingers for collecting historical materials on the Japanese aggression against China and exposing war crimes, he said that his sect has held a peace exhibition in Nagoya every March for 32 consecutive years. At the peace exhibition, some right-wingers would shout "there is no Nanjing Massacre" and rudely argue with him. Daito Satoshi would not evade or quarrel, but would calmly show them evidence such as Combat Report. The attitude of right-wingers has changed a lot as a result of "speaking with evidence".

Daito Satoshi said: "For so many years, they are slowly learning history and start to have a minimum of respect for me, although only a little bit. I also regard long-term dialogue with them as my job. I will read materials about the Nanjing Massacre every year before they come so I can answer their sharp questions more accurately. I also hope that I can learn more and tell more people about historical facts more comprehensively and accurately."

Now, the precious materials that Daito Satoshi handed over to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders have been safely transported to China by Spring Airlines. After learning the news, Daito Satoshi said: "I will continue to collect these historical materials in the future. I will keep doing it as long as I can move."

This picture shows the historical materials related to the Japanese invaders sent to Tokyo by Daito Satoshi on August 5, 2021.

This picture shows the Combat Report of the 33rd Infantry Company near Nanjing From December 9 to December 13 of the Showa 12 (1937).

This picture shows the Battlefield Log of the 11th Squadron of the 36th Infantry Company.
Xi presents orders to promote military officers to rank of general

EditorLi Wei Time2021-09-06 22:21:40

Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), together with the CMC Vice Chairmen Xu Qiliang (3rd R front) and Zhang Youxia (3rd L, front), CMC members Wei Fenghe (2nd R, front), Li Zuocheng (2nd L, front), Miao Hua(1st R, front) and Zhang Shengmin (1st L, front), poses for a group photo with five military officers promoted to the rank of general at a military rank promotion ceremony held by the CMC in Beijing on September 6, 2021. (photo by PLA Daily)

By Ou Can

BEIJING, Sept. 6 -- Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), on Monday presented five military officers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) with certificates of order promoting them to the military rank of general, the highest rank for officers in active service in China.

The CMC held a military rank promotion ceremony for the five generals in Beijing, at which General Xu Qiliang, vice chairman of the CMC, announced the orders of promotion signed by Xi, and General Zhang Youxia, also CMC vice chairman, presided over the ceremony.

The promoted officers are Commander of the PLA Western Theater Command Wang Haijiang, Commander of the PLA Central Theater Command Lin Xiangyang, Commander of the PLA Navy Dong Jun and Commander of the PLA Air Force Chang Dingqiu and President of PLA National Defense University Xu Xueqiang.

General Wei Fenghe, General Li Zuocheng, Admiral Miao Hua and General Zhang Shengmin, who are members of the CMC, also attended the promotion ceremony.
Panjshir is the last remaining area of armed resistance to the Taliban's rule since they captured the other 33 Afghan provinces, including the capital, Kabul, last month in a lightning blitz as Western-trained government forces collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

Massoud's statement came in response to reports in Afghan media that said a council of religious scholars had called on the Taliban to accept a negotiated settlement to end the fighting.

"The National Resistance Front is ready to stop the war immediately in order to achieve stable peace, if the Taliban group ends its military attacks and movements in Panjshir and Andarab," the Facebook post quoted Massoud as saying. Andarab is a district in the neighboring Baghlan province and sits at the entrance to Panjshir.

Ahmad Massoud made the offer through a post on his organization's Facebook page on a day when Taliban forces claimed they had fought their way into the provincial capital, Bazarak, after seizing the rest of the province. Multiple sources also confirmed the killing of the NRF's official spokesman, Fahim Dashty, along with Massoud's cousin, General Abdul Wudood, during Sunday's fighting.

The commander of an armed opposition group in Afghanistan said Sunday he welcomed proposals from religious scholars for holding peace talks with the Taliban if they pull back their forces from his native northern Panjshir province.

But a week later the NRF, which comprises members of U.S.-trained Afghan security forces and local tribal militias, retook Andarab and two other adjoining districts in Baghlan. The Taliban denounced the attack as a breach of their general amnesty for all members and politicians of the ousted Afghan government. They repeatedly had urged NRF leaders to surrender their arms and find a negotiated settlement to the security crisis.

The talks eventually broke down, with each side blaming the other for their failure, prompting the Taliban to stage a major offensive several days ago that retook the lost ground. The advances also paved the way for the Taliban to assault and enter Panjshir, home to the country's Tajik ethnic minority and located north of the capital, Kabul.

In social media posts, Taliban officials, responding to the conditional offer of talks, said their forces were pressing ahead with the offensive to clear Panjshir of the armed resistance, adding that fighting was ongoing inside Bazarak. The claim could not be verified from independent sources, and both the adversaries have issued inflated details about their gains since the fighting broke out. Massoud's father successfully defended the province when the Taliban ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

 Taliban Government

The lack of control over all of Afghanistan has apparently prevented the Taliban from announcing a new government. The Islamist group is under international scrutiny to deliver on pledges that their system of governance will represent all Afghan ethnic groups and respect human rights, particularly those of women, unlike their previous exclusive hardline regime in Kabul.

On Saturday, small groups of women activists took to the streets in Kabul and in parts of western Afghanistan, demanding respect for their rights and representation in the new government. Taliban fighters broke up a rally of about a dozen women in the capital to stop them from heading to the presidential palace.

Footage circulating on social media showed demonstrators, who had been confronted by armed Taliban fighters, covering their mouths and coughing, with one woman saying the security guards had used tear gas to disperse the rally. "They also hit women on the head with gun magazines, and the women become bloody," said one of the demonstrators who identified herself as Soraya. "Taliban blocking protest by beatings and tear gas: unfortunately, this is pretty much on brand for a group that relies on brute force to suppress dissent," tweeted Patria Gossman, associate Asia director for Human Rights Watch.

The Taliban imposed a brutal justice system and banned women from work and prevented older girls from receiving an education when the fundamentalist group previously seized power in Afghanistan.

Taliban leaders, however, have promised to install an inclusive government in Kabul that they say will allow women to work and receive an education within the framework of Islamic law, or Sharia. Many Afghans doubt the reliability of their pledges. "It will be an inclusive strong central and sustainable system or government," Bilal Karimi, a member of the Taliban's cultural commission, told VOA on Friday.
Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong wants to visit the U.S. over Chuseok in his first overseas trip since he was paroled under a special amnesty last month.

He has applied for a visa since Koreans with a criminal record cannot take advantage of the normal U.S. waiver.

The purpose of his trip is to discuss investment in coronavirus vaccines and semiconductors. Samsung Biologics is contracted to manufacture Moderna's vaccine under license here.

Samsung Electronics also plans to build a US$1.7 billion microchip factory in the U.S. but has yet to choose a location.

The conglomerate is eyeing a large takeover of a foreign chipmaker and among the candidates is the U.S.' Texas Instruments.


Chinese fans of boy band Bangtan Boys, also known as BTS, have been banned from Weibo for 60 days for trying to raise money for member Ji-min's birthday.

The fans were punished for trying to raise money to put up birthday messages for Ji-min on airplanes and in newspapers.

The fan club, which boasts 1.16 million devotees of Ji-min, posted a photo on their fan site on Saturday of a Jeju Air plane covered with birthday messages and a photo of their idol. They had already paid for the ad, which Jeju Air will feature over the next three months to mark Ji-min' birthday on Oct. 13.

The message will also appear on boarding passes and paper cups on the budget airline, and the fans want to put similar ads into the New York Times and Times of London.
The U.S.' next defense bill for fiscal year 2022 drops a commitment to keeping troop numbers in Korea at the current level.

The bill, passed by the House Committee on Armed Services before ratification last week, will not immediately affect the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea, but leaves the way open for slashing numbers if that is deemed necessary.

The USFK's role could also be expanded from a mere presence here to deter North Korea to a key force in the U.S.' new cold war against China.

The National Defense Authorization Act previously contained a clause aimed at preventing then-U.S. President Donald Trump from reducing troop numbers below the current level, but it has been dropped in the latest revision.

But the U.S government was keen to dispel worries that troop numbers will drop significantly. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said, "The president, as he has said repeatedly, has no intention of drawing down our forces from South Korea or from Europe."

Committee Chairman Adam Smith said, "We don't need [the clause] while President Biden is in the White House."


New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally sunny. High 92F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph..

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Clear skies. Low around 70F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.
Islamabad, September 06: The great champion of Kashmir cause, veteran journalist, intellectual and Executive Director of Kashmir Media Service, Shaikh Tajammul-ul-Islam, passed away in Islamabad on Sunday night. He was 67.

Shaikh Tajammul-ul-Islam is survived by his widow and a daughter. He belonged to Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. During his student life, he led Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba in occupied Jammu and Kashmir from 1979 to 1984. As a journalist, he worked as Chief Editor Daily Azaan and Editor of several newspapers, weekly and fortnightly magazines in IIOJK. In an attempt to dilute the impact of 1975 Indira-Abdullah accord; he planned an international conference on Kashmir. Although, India had banned the event, yet the preparations for the conference reignited the spirit of freedom among the Kashmiri masses, particularly the youth. He was arrested several times by the Indian authorities for his views on Kashmir. He was forced to migrate to Pakistan in early 1990s where he worked with News Section of PTV. Later, he joined Kashmir Media Service as Executive Director in 1999 and remained associated with the organization till his death on Sunday night. Shaikh Tajammul participated in various conferences and seminars on Kashmir at local and international platforms and advocated a just and durable solution to the Kashmir dispute.

People from all walks of life including politicians, journalists, lawyers and members from Kashmiri community attended the funeral of Shaikh Tajammul-ul-Islam. Hurriyat AJK leader, Ghulam Muhammad Safi led the funeral. He was laid to rest in a local graveyard in Police Foundation, Islamabad.

Tribute to Sheikh Tajamul Islam

Muhammad Farooq Rehmani Convener All Parties Hurriyat Conferenc AJK, has expressed profound grief over the sad demise of Sheikh Tajamul Islam executive director of the Kashmir Media Service(KMS) and prayed for his eternal blessings. He said that the deceased leader of the IIOJK had dedicated his life to the cause of Kashmir and had made great contribution to the freedom struggle. He said that Sheikh Tajamul Islam served the mission in many capacities; as a writer, an intellectual and editor and contributed towards establishing a fulfleged Kashmir Media Service (KMS) to defeat Indian false propaganda designs. His death has created a vacuum in this field.He said that he was a firm believer in the ideology of freedom and would always be remembered as a personality who worked hard to achieve the goal of freedom and the right of self-determination. May Allah bless the departed soul.

(With inputs from KMS)
Investment hub in Central Luzon to cushion COVID-19 economic impact - Gordon

Senator Richard J. Gordon underscored the urgency to create new opportunities and attract more investments to expedite the country's swift economic recovery from the negative consequences of the protracted COVID-19 pandemic.

Gordon, who chairs the Senate committee on government corporations and public enterprises, renewed his call for the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 1549, or the Regional Investment and Infrastructure Coordinating Hub (RICH) of Central Luzon.

"Sa gitna ng patuloy na pagtaas ng kaso ng COVID-19 dahil sa Delta variant, patuloy na lumalalim ang ating kahirapan. In this bill, we are aiming high again for the country sa gitna ng pandemya. Sabi nga, out of every crisis, there is opportunity. We need a quick start," he said at the recent public hearing in the Senate.

SB 1549, also referred to as the RICH Bill, seeks to take advantage of the strategic infrastructures in Central Luzon as international transportation centers that connect the expansive areas in the region to attract more foreign direct investments.

The measure would serve as an economic engine of growth as well as promote and encourage entrepreneurships and create various jobs and business opportunities for the Filipino people.

Based on April 2021 Labor Force Survey, the Philippines experiences slow fiscal progress while the unemployment rate stood at 8.7 percent, rendering 4.11 million workers jobless. Poverty incidence is also stuck at 21 percent, it added.

"Ano'ng ibig sabihin nito? Lumiliit ang oportunidad ng mga tao. No jobs, no earnings. Kahit na gusto at kayang magtrabaho ng mga tao, hindi nila magawa dahil walang mapasukan, walang ma-applyan. And so, massive hunger stalks the country," he said.

To cushion the negative impact of the pandemic, Gordon pointed out that the passage of his measure presents a "golden opportunity" for the government to bring in more investments because China has started to lose foreign investors.

"Kailangan nating gumawa ng bagong oportunidad para sa mga mamamayan para makahanap sila ng sariling kabuhayan at umunlad gamit ang sariling kakayahan. I have always advocated for this my whole life: work, save, invest and prosper," he said.

"It is better to know where we are going than not know how," he added.

In the 17th Congress, Senate and House leaders had approved the RICH bill but President Rodrigo Roa Duterte vetoed it.
Press Release

September 6, 2021 De Lima seeks probe into DepEd's reported deficiencies in P8 billion fund utilization Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima urged the Congress to investigate the deficiencies in the utilization of the billions of pesos funds for the Department of Education's (DepEd's) Basic Education-Learning Continuity Program (BE-LCP) during the pandemic. In filing Proposed Senate Resolution (PSR) No. 887, De Lima cited the 2020 Annual Audit Report of the Commission on Audit (COA) for the DepEd, which revealed that the Department has deficiencies in spending 8.136 billion in funds for its BE-LCP, which affects the worsening education crisis in the country. "Despite the current health crisis in the country, the overall management process, procedures, and transactions should not be delayed, and the program should not be affected by the 'setback' to ensure the continuity of students' learning amidst the threat and uncertainties brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic," she said. "This pandemic highlighted the existing and worsening education problems in the country and it is crucial that the State protect its learners by finding solutions for these apparent lapses and gaps and also by ensuring that funds are appropriately utilized for the betterment of the youth," she added. Notably, the BE-LCP was crafted by DepEd to address the difficulty of providing quality education to students during the COVID-19 pandemic without sacrificing their health and safety. However, it was found out that DepEd had lapses in the utilization of around 3,220,873,835.58 in COVID-19 funds that were provided under the country's legislated COVID-19 Economic Rescue Plans, referred to as "Bayanihan 1 and 2". De Lima, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, noted that the audit highlighted the existence of errors and deficiencies in the self-learning module. The lady Senator from Bicol pointed out that the audit showed "the lack in planning towards the preparation of self-learning modules and procedural lapses in the checking/review and evaluation processes, thus adversely affecting the quality of the modules and the Department's objective of ensuring quality basic education." A survey conducted last December 2020 by the Movement for Safe, Equitable, Quality and Relevant Education (SEQuRE) showed that 70.9% of the teachers "do not think or are not confident that the competencies set by the DepEd under distance learning are actually being developed." Likewise, a survey conducted from June 25 to July 2, 2021 by the same group revealed that 74% of students under blended learning said that they learn less under the alternative modes of instructions as compared with the traditional face-to-face setup. De Lima filed Senate Bill No. 1872 in October 2020 proposing to exempt educational applications, gadgets, computers and e-books from value-added tax (VAT) for the principal use of teachers and students in online and distant learning.
Press Release

September 6, 2021 Sponsorship Speech for Committee Report 297

by Senator Panfilo M. Lacson

Sept. 6, 2021 More at: https://pinglacson.net/2021/09/06/sponsorship-speech-committee-report-297-for-senate-bill-2376-strengthening-afp-professionalism/ Mr. President and distinguished colleagues, it is my honor to report on the floor Senate Bill No. 2376 entitled, "An Act Strengthening Professionalism and Continuity of the Policies and Modernization Initiatives of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Providing Funds Therefor, and for Other Purposes" as embodied in Committee Report No. 297 in substitution of Senate Bill Nos. 1785, 1045, and 1370 filed by Senators Richard Gordon, Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III and Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao, respectively. The clamor for this measure has echoed from the grounds of Camp Aguinaldo to the halls of the Senate repeatedly over the years. Generations after generations of military men have clamored for this piece of legislation, most of them had long retired from the service without this measure seeing the light of day. Mr. President, in the three-and-a-half decades of six (6) past and incumbent presidents, we have had 37 Senior Officers appointed to the position of the Chief of Staff. Under the Arroyo regime, alone, the number of appointed AFP chiefs totaled 11 senior officers in less than 10 years. Former President Aquino appointed seven (7) AFP chiefs in his six-year term. Meanwhile, in the span of five years under the present leadership of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, 10 have already been appointed to lead the armed forces, each one serving a term for only a couple of months. Easily, he breached the record of the most number of appointed chiefs of staff by any president who has served in a single term. Compared to other Southeast Asian countries, the average term of duty of the AFP's Chiefs of Staff is distinctly short. In fact, it is not more than 7 months for each of the last five (5) AFP chiefs. The last five Chiefs of Singapore's Defense Force each served for three (3) years on average; Malaysia's Chiefs of Armed Forces served for 2 years and 212 days, and Indonesia's Commanders of National Armed Forces served for 2 years and 132 days. Mr. President, time and again, we see leaders of our armed forces come and go through the 'revolving door policy,' staying in the office just to warm up their seats and not long enough to implement their legacy programs. This state of things has always been a disservice to the mandates of the military leadership entrusted with the security and defense of the country. Attempts to shut the 'revolving door policy' in the AFP have been debated upon in this very hall for over a decade. During the 15th Congress, I stood on the same grounds as the principal author and sponsor of Senate Bill No. 2869 which provides for the Fixed Terms for the Chief of Staff and the Major Service Commanders of the AFP. The same bill, which was passed and approved by both Houses of Congress, was unfortunately vetoed by the late President Benigno Aquino III, based on the following grounds: one, on the matter of constitutionality, citing Section 5, Paragraph 5, Article XVI of the Constitution, mandating that laws on the retirement of military officers shall not allow for an extension of service; and two, it presented a policy issue as it curtails the discretion and authority of the President -- rightfully as the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces -- to remove the Chief of Staff from office once his full trust and confidence are lost. This substitute bill is a departure from Senate Bill 2869 as it addresses not only the incongruous revolving policy of the AFP but also the stringent restrictions of the Constitution. Essentially, the bill proposes the following: * One, fix the tour of duty of the Chief of Staff and other officers holding key positions; * Two, amend the mandatory retirement age of Officers; * Three, ensure the implementation of merit-based promotion and attrition systems that will assure the Armed Forces of a continuous pool of qualified and effective leaders; * Fourth, amend the age of commission of officers of the AFP; and, * Fifth, provide a new grade distribution of officers to ensure that we do not end up with a bloated officers' corps. Mr. President, while we accept the quick turnover of the military leaders as commonplace, we face far-reaching issues in the stability and continuity of military leadership. Short-term leadership of 'quickie generals,' so to speak, often undermines the integrity and competence of the position of Chief of Staff. It erodes short- and long-term strategic planning and development, leaving behind reforms to take root and effect meaningful change in the military. History has taught us that this revolving door policy in the AFP is attributed to the statute on mandatory retirement among our military personnel at the age of 56. From the standpoint of our uniformed men and women who take years to earn their stars and stripes, this is a precarious position. As a matter of record, they will be at least 54 or 55 years old on average to reach the top leadership posts, compelling them to leave their service without even completing the maximum tenure of 3 years, as provided for by our laws. Mr. President, Senate Bill No. 2376 seeks to change the compulsory retirement age of 56 under Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1638, as amended by PD No. 1650, by setting the mandatory retirement of the Commissioned Officers to the following: * Fifty-nine (59) years old or accumulation of thirty (30) years of satisfactory active duty, whichever comes earlier, for those in the grades of Second Lieutenant/Ensign (O-1) to Colonel/Captain (O-6) * Fifty-nine (59) years old or the maximum tenure-in-grade, whichever comes earlier, for those in the grades of Brigadier General/Commodore (O-7) to Lieutenant General/Vice Admiral (O-9) * For those occupying a key position, upon completion of the three-year fixed tour of duty regardless of age but not more than 62 years old, unless promoted to Chief of Staff or who is relieved from post and is not designated to or occupying any position in the AFP Table of Organization; and, * Those commissioned under Presidential Decree No. 1908, and those appointed in the Corps of Professors upon reaching the age of sixty (60) or completion of twenty (20) years of satisfactory active duty, whichever comes later. As for the retirement grade, we adhere to the recommendation of the DND leadership that officers and enlisted personnel shall be retired in the permanent grade they last held. Mr. President, so as not to drown you out with figures, the bill simply provides for a reasonable, realistic, and practical duration for our AFP officers to deftly fulfill their duties without having to rush to the doors just when they have attained leadership roles with their general/flag ranks. Accordingly, the fixed tour of duty of three (3) years shall be accorded to the Chief of Staff, Vice Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, major service commanders, commanders of the unified commands, and the Inspector General. These key positions rightfully deserve a sense of stability and continuity of their service which the AFP's revolving door policy is devoid of. It goes without saying that this bill provides the much-needed 'moral incentive' to our military leaders. With their appointment at the helm of the AFP, they get the chance not only to learn the ropes but to actually steer the armed forces in the right direction. The bill likewise takes particular thrust in ensuring that the position of the Superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) will be conducive to good leadership because the constant change in policy and command on this rank will be detrimental to the institution. Hence, the PMA Superintendent shall be exempt from the application of the maximum tenure-in-grade and shall be given a longer tour of duty of four (4) years, provided that he/she shall not be eligible for any other position in the AFP and be retired from the military upon the completion of his/her tour of duty. Mr. President, we emphasize that the fixed tour of duty of these ranking officers is without prejudice to the power of the President as the Commander-in-Chief to terminate or relieve these officers from their posts. The proposed bill also provides for the new tenure-in-grade or the allowable maximum year given to an officer or enlisted personnel in a certain grade or rank. Put simply, Mr. President, our military men must either "move up or move out." Officers or enlisted personnel who fail to go up the ladder on account of their own fault, failure or negligence, or lack of individual merit will be subjected to forced attrition. The proposed stricter attrition system guarantees the succession of qualified and effective leaders in the AFP. This places a premium on professionalization and merit-based promotion and weeds out lame ducks in our military circles. In consideration of the longer years that students take at the primary and secondary education because of the K-12 program, the bill also changes the age requirement for commissionship to 21 years old but not more than 28 for all officers in the Regular Force from the present 21- to 26-year-old age of eligibility. Mr. President, you and I will agree that the AFP should avoid having too many generals but with fewer soldiers to command. Hence, the proposed bill provides for a more ideal General/Flag officer-to-total force ratio of 1:1,000. Thirty (30) years ago, Republic Act No. 6975, otherwise known as the Department of Interior and Local Government Act of 1990, prohibited retired or resigned military officers or police officials from being appointed as Secretary of the DILG within one (1) year from the date of his retirement or resignation. However, no similar law prohibits retired military personnel from being appointed as Secretary of National Defense. As the saying goes, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Hence, we propose that no retired or resigned military officer may be appointed as Secretary of National Defense within one (1) year from the date of his retirement or resignation. With the transformative reform that this new retirement, separation, and procurement system entails, we must make sure that a systematic transition is in place. The transition should be clear that the provisions of the fixed tour of duty and maximum tenure in grade shall only apply to concerned military officers appointed after the effectivity of the Act or to their next promotion, respectively. A level-playing field for promotions and proper grant of separation and/or retirement benefits shall also be accorded to all officers and enlisted personnel. Genuine reforms in the military are long overdue. The military institution cannot afford to constantly hit-or-miss because of its ever-changing leadership and institutional environment. It needs continuity, stability, direction, and a sense of professionalism that the members of the Sandatahang Lakas rightfully deserve. Mr. President, let us not put to rest and lay in the legislative graveyard this much-needed bill. We must strive to breathe a new life into this measure that accords the integrity worthy of our military institution and the protectors of the people and the state. Thank you, Mr. President.
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Frances energy giant Total has signed $27-billion with Iraq to invest in four giant energy projects, reports say, citing Iraqi Oil minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar.

The deal according to Jabbar aims to reduce Iraqs reliance on fossil fuel. The company will start with an initial investment of $10 billion, CEO Patrick Pouyanne said at the signing ceremony, adding that engineering work will start immediately.

Jabbar also noted Total will invest in the first phase $3 billion in a project to inject sea water into oilfields to enhance crude recovery. The company will also provide $2 billion to build a processing plant for gas produced at the southern fields of West Qurna 2, Majnoon, Artawi, Tuba and Luhais.

The other two projects are a solar power plant and one to increase crude output from the Artawi oilfield. The planned investment is the largest in the Middle East country by the French energy giant.
Chinese ride hailing app Didi will start operating in Egypt next week from the city of Alexandria with expansion to other cities in the plan.

The company, reports say, is in the process of hiring drivers, with promises not to charge commission in their first month.

Didi, controlled by the management team of co-founder Will Cheng and President Jean Liu, dominates roughly 90% market share in China, offers a wide range of application-based services across the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa, and Russia. Its services include taxis, private car delivery, ride-sharing, buses, bikes and e-bikes, customized driving, automotive solutions, delivery, shipping and logistics, and financial services. SoftBank Group Corp, Uber Technologies Inc and Alibaba are among investors in the company.
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Li Li

lilian8006@cau.edu.cn

A SPECIAL report on South-South in Action, China-Tanzania Cooperation through Agriculture and Poverty Reduction Partnerships, was jointly unveiled Friday at the China International Fair for Trade in Services by China Agricultural University (CAU) and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC). The report shares Chinas development experience with the world and promotes the realization of sustainable development goals (SDGs) as a public good for the world.

At the release ceremony, Prof. Xu Xiuli, dean of CAUs college of international development and global agriculture, introduced Chinas Small Technology, Big Harvest (STBH) project, the China-Tanzania joint program of scaling up the maize labor intensification system in the Morogoro Region.

The project was jointly implemented by CAU and the Sokoine University of Agriculture of Tanzania, and shared two major experiences of Chinas development with seven districts and 10 villages in the Morogoro Region.

The first experience is labor-intensive technologies adapting to local conditions; the second is pro-development public management experience demonstration.

The project expanded the rural community-based poverty reduction model to 1,000 households and 10,000 mu of farmland in Tanzania. Due to the tripling crop increase, the number of participating farmers from the initial nine households climbed to 1,432 households in 2020.

In a nod to its demonstration effect, the project has been listed as a China-UN SSC Project by Think Tanks on the 40th Anniversary of the Buenos Aires Plan Action (BAPA) signed by the United Nations as a starting point of SSC in 1978, and a Global Poverty Reduction Case of Foreign Aid: Building Self-Reliant Capacity.

It was also included in the Good Practices in South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable Development - Vol.3 at the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations, and was displayed in the global contribution section of the Great Feat-China Poverty Alleviation Achievements Exhibition.

During the pandemic, constant exchanges and cooperation were ensured in a new form of SSC on the cloud by using digital tools.

Supported by the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania, Morogoro local governments in January took the initiative to hold an online awarding ceremony for the top 10 extension worker competitions under the STBH project framework.

ShenZhen Daily Sep. 6th, 2021

 
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Russian national faces trial in alleged software copyright infringement case

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

11:31 06/09/2021

MOSCOW, September 6 (RAPSI)  Russian national Viktor Zhilin, who stands charged with using pirated software at a government entity he once headed, faces trial for causing damage exceeding 2 million rubles ($28,000 at the current exchange rate), the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office told RAPSI.

Zhilin fled from justice and was hiding from Russian law enforcement agencies in Montenegro from 2011 to 2021, where he was detained and extradited to Russia.

As part of the investigation of this criminal case, it was established that from March 2002 to August 2008 Zhilin, having at the disposal of the organization he headed two licensed copies of the Autodesk ARHITECTURAL DEKTOR 2006 software product, instructed his subordinate employees to copy and install the counterfeit software product on 22 working computers, the Prosecutor Generals Office have reported earlier.

The damage to the copyright holder amounted to more than 2 million rubles ($28,000 at the current exchange rate). The ex-director was charged with committing illegal use of copyright objects committed in abuse of office on an especially large scale.
Uralchem comments on its dispute with offshore companies in High Court of Ireland

 pixabay.com

12:24 06/09/2021

MOSCOW, September 6 (RAPSI)  The High Court of Ireland (High Court) at the organizational meeting held on July 30 announced that it intends to decide if it is the proper venue to consider the claim of the offshore companies Trafalgar Developments Limited, Bairiki Incorporated, Kamara Limited, Instantania Holdings Limited against Uralchem JSC and other persons.

The adopted decision does not prejudge the outcome of the case on the merits. It concerns a procedural issue and only means that the court intends to consider the validity of the claims of the above companies. A decision on the merits of a dispute can only be taken after the main proceedings, which have not yet been initiated by the High Court. After the decision on the jurisdiction is rendered, Uralchem JSC will consider the issue of appealing against it," the press service of Uralchem said.

The litigation in Ireland is pending as to the suit lodged by four offshore companies that call themselves the majority shareholders of PJSC Togliattiazot, although in reality, as established by the judgement of the Komsomolskiy District Court of the city of Togliatti, the said companies received about 70% of Togliattiazot's shares in trust, the press service noted. The plaintiffs do not disclose to the court in Ireland in whose interests the claim is lodged and who is the ultimate beneficiary of the said shares. However, as it was established by the judement, these offshore companies were used by convicted Sergey Makhlai, his father Vladimir Makhlai, and Andreas Zivy as a place of storage of Togliattiazot shares with the aim to conceal information about the owners of the shares from other shareholders.

In July 2019, the Komsomolskiy District Court of the city of Togliatti issued a guilty judgement against the beneficial owners of PJSC Togliattiazot. Sergey Makhlai, Vladimir Makhlai, the owner of Swiss company Ameropa AG affiliated with them, Andreas Zivy, and two other defendants were convicted in absentia of large-scale fraud committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy (Article 159.4 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

The court sentenced them to prison terms ranging from 8.5 to 9 years and ordered them to compensate for the damage caused to PJSC Togliattiazot in the amount of 77.3 billion rubles (about $1 billion) and 10.3 billion rubles ($140 million) in damages to JSC Uralchem, a minority shareholder which owns 10% of shares in Togliattiazot.

The claim by the trustees of ToAZ shares against Uralchem JSC and other persons was filed in November 2016, at the final stage of the investigation of a criminal fraud case. By that time investigators had a large amount of evidence about the criminal activities of the group operating at ToAZ. It is to be noted that at the end of 2016, the majority shareholding and the property complex of Togliattiazot were already seized. Moreover, all five persons involved in the case were arrested in absentia. The managers of ToAZ were faced with the prospect of a complex litigation in the Russian Federation. The filing of a lawsuit in an Irish court may have become the result of seeking legal protection in the West for the beneficiaries of ToAZ, in case they fail in a Russian court.

It was not by chance that the owners of ToAZ decided to sue in Ireland. The fact is that one of the defendants in the Irish dispute is Eurotoaz Limited, a company registered in Ireland. In 1994, Vladimir Makhlai sold a 10% stake in the plant to the Russian-Hungarian joint venture (RHJV) Eurotoaz for $20 million. At that time, this company was 40% owned by ToAZ, and 60% of RHJV Eurotoaz was owned by entrepreneur Alexander Rovt. In 1995, Vladimir Makhlai liquidated Eurotoaz, the ownership rights to his share of ToAZ stocks were transferred to Eurotoaz Limited, registered in Ireland, with the help of which ToAZ was then selling its products on the American market.

However, this story has a continuation. Mr. Rovt, according to him, only after a few years learned that his Eurotoaz ltd was no longer listed in the register of ToAZ shareholders, then he unsuccessfully challenged this development in courts. The position of the beneficiaries of ToAZ was that Eurotoaz Ltd was liquidated on its own initiative. At the same time, the register of shareholders of OJSC Togliattiazot was kept not by an independent registrar, as required by law, but by AOZT FIK ToAZ-Invest, whose director was Yevgeny Korolev, who since 1994 held various managerial positions at Togliattiazot. That is, the issuer and the registrar conducted coordinated activities to manage the enterprise and the register of its shareholders.

In 2012, the Presidium of the Supreme Commercial Court of the Russian Federation dismissed a Eurotoaz Limited petition to be included in the register of ToAZ creditors' claims, indicating in its ruling that the Irish company did not and never had rights to the shares of the enterprise.

The Irish jurisdiction of Eurotoaz Limited now came in handy for the owners of ToAZ, because the legal proceedings in this country provide for an opportunity to satisfy the claims of one party without inviting or hearing its opponents. It is to be noted that Uralchem challenged the jurisdiction of the Irish court in July 2018, since, according to the company, a decision concerning an asset located and operating in Russia should be made by a Russian, not a foreign court.

In the framework of the lawsuit filed with the High Court it is alleged that the respondents are liable for an alleged conspiracy to cause damage to the claimants by actions aimed at depriving them of their shareholding or benefits from participation in the share capital of Togliattiazot PJSC and / or causing damage to the value of their shareholding.

Uralchem denies all the demands made by the claimants and intends to prove that those are groundless in the High Court.

In order to enforce the sentence, damages were levied on the Tomet LLC controlled by Zivy, bankruptcy proceedings against this company were started in April 2021, and in August 2021 a court declared Sergey Makhlai bankrupt and foreclosed on his property.
Felicia Frazar is the managing editor of the Seguin Gazette. You can reach her at felicia.frazar@seguingazette.com .
New York, 6 September 2021 (SPS) On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the coming into effect of the ceasefire in Western Sahara, Dr Sidi Mohamed Omar, Member of the National Secretariat and Frente POLISARIO Representative at United Nations and Responsible for Coordination with MINURSO issued the following press statement to national and international media.

The full text of the press statement:

[New York, 6 September 2021] Thirty years have elapsed since the coming into effect of the ceasefire between the two parties to the conflict in Western Sahara, the Frente POLISARIO and Morocco, on 6 September 1991, as an integral part of the UN-OAU joint Settlement Proposals that were accepted by both parties on 30 August 1988.

The ceasefire paved the way for the deployment of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) with a view to holding a fair and impartial referendum, without military or administrative constraints, in which the people of Western Sahara would exercise their right to self-determination and independence.

For almost three decades, the Frente POLISARIO remained fully committed, in good faith, to the UN peace process in Western Sahara and made tremendous concessions so that MINURSO could fully implement its mandate and achieve its ultimate objective, namely the holding of a free and fair referendum on self-determination for the people of Western Sahara.

Nonetheless, the inaction of the Security Council has allowed the occupying state of Morocco not only to sabotage the full implementation of MINURSO mandate but also to prevent the Mission from functioning in accordance with the general principles applicable to UN peacekeeping operations. The restrictions imposed by the occupying state on MINURSO, which continue to date, have seriously undermined the already eroded credibility, impartiality, and independence of the Mission.

Today, the best example of the inaction of the Security Council, which bears the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, is its failure to act robustly in the face of Moroccos serious breach of the 1991 ceasefire and its new act of aggression on the Liberated Territory of Western Sahara on 13 November 2020.

The Moroccan new act of aggression, which continues to date with complete impunity, has led to the collapse of almost thirty years of ceasefire and the outbreak of war again in Western Sahara, which could lead to the most serious consequences for peace, security, and stability in the entire region as armed confrontations between the Sahrawi Army and Moroccan occupying forces continue and intensify with each day that passes.

Moreover, although the Security Council has been including human rights components in the mandates of peace operations since 1991, MINURSO remains an anomaly in respect of its lack of any mandate in relation to human rights. Now, after thirty years of its deployment in the Territory, MINURSO is still completely unable to protect the human rights of the Sahrawi civilians and human rights activists in the territories under Moroccos illegal occupation who are subjected daily to unspeakable cruelty and barbaric and inhuman practices before the eyes of the Mission.

There is no denying the fact that the obstructionism, procrastination, and evident lack of political will of the occupying state of Morocco have practically precluded MINURSO from fully implementing the mandate for which it was established under the authority of the Security Council in its resolution 690 (1991) dated 29 April 1991.

Moreover, the occupying state, which continues to enjoy protection and patronage by some quarters, has demonstrated clearly through its unceasing destabilising and unlawful actions in the Occupied Western Sahara that it is still bent on preventing MINURSO from fully implementing its mandate and achieving a peaceful and lasting solution to the decolonisation of Western Sahara.

The Security Council should however realise that the inability of MINURSO to fully fulfil its mandate is primarily due to the failure of the Council itself to use all the powers conferred upon it by the UN Charter to ensure the full implementation of the mandate of its Mission in Western Sahara. The Council should also realise that business as usual is what has led to the present situation and the concomitant collapse of the ceasefire and return of war in Western Sahara.

The Sahrawi people, who for three decades had opted for the peaceful solution and demonstrated patience and flexibility and exercised the utmost restraint in the face of Moroccos continued provocations and aggressions, are now being brutally subjected to a new aggression by the occupying state of Morocco before the eyes of the United Nations and the international community.

In this regard, the Frente POLISARIO underscores once again that it remains fully committed to the peaceful and lasting solution to the decolonisation of Western Sahara based on the full respect for the inalienable and non-negotiable right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and independence in accordance with the objectives and principles of the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU) and relevant UN and AU resolutions.

However, the Frente POLISARIO further affirms that the Sahrawi people will never accept the fait accompli that the occupying state of Morocco is seeking to impose by force in the Occupied Territories of Western Sahara and will continue to use all legitimate means to defend their rights and legitimate national aspirations.

The time has therefore come for the United Nations and the Security Council in particular to match their repeatedly stated commitment to a peaceful, just and lasting solution in Western Sahara with concrete actions to enable the Sahrawi people to exercise freely and democratically their inalienable right to self-determination and independence.

This is the core mandate for which the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) was established thirty years ago.

Dr Sidi M. Omar

Representative of the Frente POLISARIO at the United Nations

Responsible for Coordination with MINURSO. (SPS)

090/500/60 (SPS)
The Business School of City, University of London has been renamed as Bayes Business School ahead of the 2021/22 academic year.

In June 2020, there was increasing awareness of the links between Sir John Cass and the slave trade, which made the school, and its stakeholders, reflect on whether such a link was consistent with the schools values. The school has decided that, in line with its values and principles, it needs to increase its focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, said a statement.

The decision to select Bayes as the new name followed a comprehensive and transparent consultation process, which was carried out with staff, students, alumni and partners. Thomas Bayes was a theologian and mathematician who is best known for Bayes Theorem, which suggests that we get closer to the truth by constantly updating our beliefs in proportion to the weight of new evidence. It is this idea that is the motivation behind adopting this name, it said.

Alongside the new name, Bayes Business School is addressing inequality and participation more widely. For example, over 2,000 new students will undertake inclusive teamworking workshops as part of their induction. A complete curriculum review is underway to embed ethical and socially responsible values throughout, to ensure that Bayes educates professionals and business leaders who work towards building an equitable and sustainable future.

Bayes has also instituted a scholarship programme for Black UK-domiciled undergraduate students to widen participation. This will cover all tuition fees along with an annual stipend for 10 students from the start of the 2022/23 academic year.

Professor Paolo Volpin, Dean, Bayes Business School (formerly Cass), said: Inspired by Thomas Bayes' ideas, our approach as Bayes Business School will be to have the courage to do things differently.

As a community, we will nurture diversity to stimulate new perspectives and learn from each other. On education, we will focus on teaching our students how to think rather than what to think. In our research, we will explore imaginative new angles, asking difficult questions to produce research that has ground-breaking impact on business, society and the environment.

In essence we will be always curious, always bold and always learning."

Professor Anthony Finkelstein, President of City, University of London, said: I am incredibly proud of the staff, students and alumni who have championed our collective values and have made a difficult change  exercising patience, sound judgment and practical sense. I would expect no less, but it is great to see.

Now we enter into the next phase of development of the Business School which will involve a deepening engagement with practice, the City of London and its professions, infused with the imagination and creative energy of Shoreditch and Clerkenwell.

As an institution, City is committed to seeing Bayes reinforce its position as a distinctive globally leading Business School.

Julia Palca, Chair of Citys Council, said: The decision to rename the Business School marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter and is reflective of the values we hold as a University.

It is an important part of our ongoing work to address racial inequality across City and we are committed to doing everything we can to ensure that we are a diverse and inclusive place to work and study.

As part of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strategy, Bayes established a Diversity and Inclusion Council in 2020 to lead across all aspects of its DEI work. It has also formed a Racial Equity and Inclusion Advisory Group, comprising students, faculty, professional staff and alumni from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME*) backgrounds, who are working to improve student and staff progression and experience. -TradeArabia News Service
Top Ministers and experts from all over the Arab world will come together to discuss Arab Water Security for Peace & Sustainable Development at the 5th Arab Water Forum (AWF) from September 21 to 23, 2021 at Grand Hyatt, Dubai.

More than 800 high-level participants including government ministers and undersecretaries, high government officials, public and private sector organisations from 22 countries, are expected to attend the Forum that will witness more than 50 experts discussing water scarcity and sustainable development across the region.

During the event, in both hybrid and physical form, the winners of the 2021 Arab Water Prize for Creativity and Innovation in the field of Water Science, awarded to institutions, scientists and other distinguished contributors in research and development in the field of non-conventional water resources, will be announced.

AWF is held under the patronage of the UAEs Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure, and supported by the League of Arab States (LAS) and the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of Egypt (MWRI), in cooperation with national, regional and international partners.

The confirmed VIPs to attend the event are Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, UAE; Prince Khaled Sultan Bin-Abdulaziz, Honorary President of the Arab Water Council & Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Foundation & Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz International Prize for Water; Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Minister of Water Resources & Irrigation Egypt; Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of State for Food and Water Security, UAE; Eng Wael Bin Nasser Almubarak, Minister of Electricity & Water Affairs, Bahrain; Prof Asem El-Gazzar, Minister of Housing Utilities and Urban Communities, Egypt; Eng Mahdi Rashid Al-Hamdani, Minister of Water Resources, Iraq; Serigne Mbaye Thiam, Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senegal; Tariq Abu Flika, Minister of Water Resources, Libya; Loic Fauchon, President, World Water Council (WWC); Prof Mahmoud Abu-Zeid, President, Arab Water Council (AWC); and Secretary General League of Arab States (LAS).

The Forum will shed the light on some of the key topics such as: Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus, Climate Change Impact on Arab Water Security, Water Desalination as a Strategic Option for Sustainable Arab Water Security, Sharing Water and Benefits for Peace and Development, Effective Water Governance towards Achieving Peace and Stability, Hydro-diplomacy and Water Politics in Transboundary Water Management, Riparian Partnerships in Developing and Managing shared Water Resources and Governing Laws, among others.-- TradeArabia News Service
Saudi-based Zamil Industrial Investment Company said one of its units, Zamil Air Conditioners & Home Appliances Company, has secured a contract worth SR44.1 million ($11.7 million) from Tatweer Buildings Company to supply air-conditioning systems for government schools across the kingdom.

Under this deal, Zamil Air Conditioners will be supplying more than 13,570 air-conditioning systems of diverse sizes and refrigerating capacities for schools affiliated with the Saudi Ministry of Education.

The contract is expected to have a positive impact on the companys financial results for the year 2021.

A leading industry player in the region, Zamil Air Conditioners has been a major provider of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems and solutions in the Gulf region and throughout the Middle East for nearly five decades.

It is a specialist in the engineering, manufacture, installation, repair, and maintenance of an extensive range of products, including a variety of packaged units, chillers, and room air-conditioners.-TradeArabia News Service
The Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA), the voice of the chemical industry in the Arabian Gulf, has announced that its 11th Agri-Nutrients Conference will take place virtually from September 15 to 16 under the theme Forging new avenues for a food secure future.

The conference will offer an impressive line-up of speakers including experts from the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fertilizer Association, and key agri-nutrient producers in the GCC, including Sabic in Saudi Arabia, Qafco in Qatar, GPIC in Bahrain, and many more.

Abdulrahman Al-Suwaidi, CEO, Qafco, Chairman, GPCA Agri-nutrients Committee and Member of the GPCA Board, will deliver the welcome remarks on Day 1 on September 15, and set the stage for the two-day event. A representative from FAO will deliver the first keynote address on how to Strengthen the foundation of the global food security agenda in the wake of the pandemic.

Dr Abdulrahman Jawahery, President, GPIC, and Treasurer of the GPCA Board, will also be joined by Esin Mete, Founder, MT Agri-Consulting, in a fireside chat  the newest feature at this years conference edition.

Samir Al-Abdrabbuh, EVP, Agri-Nutrients, Sabic and Vice-Chairman, GPCA Agri-nutrients Committee, will welcome attendees at the conference on Day 2 (September 16), followed by Patrick Heffer, Deputy Director General, International Fertilizer Association, who will lead the keynote session entitled How will advanced farming techniques help strengthen the GCCs self-sufficiency agenda.

The conference arrives just at the right time  more than year since the coronavirus pandemic erupted across the world, threatening one in every nine of the worlds population of chronic undernourishment  to shed light on the importance of achieving global food security and highlight the role of Agri-nutrients in supporting food production during the pandemic.

The Arabian Gulf remains an important hub globally for the production and export of agri-nutrients, with the regional industry estimated to support the food supply of 5% of the worlds population, or 350 million people across the globe . This figure is indicative of the significance of agri-nutrients for society, particularly as the worlds population is estimated to reach 9 billion by 2050, pushing demand for food to almost double.

According to the Global Food Security Index, the GCC states are ranked 31st globally in terms of the affordability, availability, quality and safety of their food, but the region still relies on approximately 85% of food imports. Building a robust and resilient ecosystem for the production of food and securing the regions self-sufficiency will require countries in the GCC to transform their strategies, increase domestic production, diversify their import sourcing partners, strengthen their supply chains and adopt more cutting-edge technologies.

Attending the 11th GPCA Agri-Nutrients Conference will afford delegates the unmissable opportunity to learn from the entire food production value chain, including technology providers, producers, academia and NGOs about the latest market innovations, the challenges facing regional producers and how they can be overcome, as well as ways and means to collaborate with technology and research partners to develop more sustainable and efficient agri-nutrient solutions.

Dr. Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, Secretary General, GPCA, commented: As we aim to bring the agri-nutrients community together to debate and discuss the challenges related to the sector and its future, we are pleased and privileged to organize the 11th edition of our well established Agri-Nutrients Conference in a virtual format and provide delegates to join us from all parts of the world and learn from the very best in the industry.

He added: There has never been a more important time to discuss food security and the role of the agri-nutrients industry to ensure growing demand for food is being met. At the same time, we are under no illusion about the challenges facing the sector, not least of which are around climate change, sustainability and carbon neutrality, and the responsibility we all share to mitigate our impact on the planet. The conference will explore all of these trends and more in great detail. Do join us to learn more. TradeArabia News Service
Wipro Limited, a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, has announced the appointment of Mohammed Areff as the Country Head & Managing Director for the Middle East.

Areff will focus on Wipros vision for business growth, localisation, brand building and significant transformational and modernisation engagements with clients in key sectors across the region.

Areff is a veteran bringing in over two decades of experience with various multinationals in the Middle East and has held lead roles in spearheading client transformations across various industries.

In his most recent role, Areff was the Regional Director of Microsoft Gulf where he was responsible for driving successful customer outcomes by leveraging technology deployments and implementations across multi-cloud environments, leveraging Data and AI, CRM, ERP, Enterprise Security, and incorporating the use of Microsofts Productivity and Collaboration tools.

He also led teams across various industry verticals providing the sales and technical specialisation on new business and premium cloud solutions. Prior to that, Areff developed extensive expertise in the Middle East Managed Services space through leadership roles at NCR Corporation and Avaya.

Areff will report to N S Bala, CEO  APMEA, Wipro Limited.

The Middle East has been a strategic focus for Wipro for over two decades, and even more so now with its growing demand for comprehensive digital transformation solutions, agility and scale, specialised technology requirements and innovation. I am excited to welcome Areff and am confident that his leadership and deep understanding of this market will lead to greater customer success and enhanced business opportunities that support our growth ambitions in this region, said Bala.

I am thrilled to be a part of Wipro and truly admire its culture, spirit of excellence and corporate values. I look forward to help strengthen our client and ecosystem relationships in the Middle East, amplify investments in local capabilities, and continue to drive positive brand perception to enable large scale and sustainable growth for Wipro, said Areff.

2021 marks two decades of Wipros presence in the Middle East. Over these years, Wipro has partnered with several leading Public and Private sector enterprises in their business transformation and digital journeys.

Recognising the regions enormous growth potential, Wipro has made numerous strategic investments in technology and domain expertise, strengthening its local presence with a diverse and tech savvy local workforce, establishing strategic partnerships and setting up offices in key economic hubs.-- TradeArabia News Service
Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) is readying to boost the emirates post-pandemic economic recovery with more than 40 business events lined up from September to December 2021, marking a 40% increase on 2020.



After setting new global industry benchmarks in 2020 by hosting a series of industry-specific hybrid event formats, the new event season at DWTC boasts a line-up of in-person editions of marquee events including Gitex Global 2021.



In what has been a challenging year for the international MICE industry, DWTC has led the way in safely reopening international large-scale events. The success of the past year is a testament to our agility, experience and enterprise as well as our long-standing commitment towards firmly positioning Dubai as a world leading MICE destination. We are excited about the upcoming season and presenting the best in business and trade to the world via Dubai, said Mahir Abdulkarim Julfar, Executive Vice President, Venue Services Management, Dubai World Trade Centre.



The DWTC exhibition season will commence with The Big Five, the Mena regions largest building and construction show, set to take place from September 12-15. For more than 40 years, The Big 5 has united the global construction community to explore opportunities in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. The Big 5 will take place live in-person alongside nine specialised events covering the full construction cycle.



Gastech Conference and Exhibition 2021 and Society of Petroleum Engineers Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (ATCE): Being held from September 21-23, these two events bring a big focus on Energy and Environment in the region. Gastech, the worlds largest exhibition and conference supporting the gas, LNG, hydrogen, and energy industry takes place for the first time in Dubai.



For 21 years Seamless Middle East has been the pre-eminent meeting place for the brightest and most innovative minds across the payments, fintech, banking, retail, e-commerce, cards and identity industries. This global two-day conference running September 29-30 will feature over 300 speakers.



The regions largest international trade fair for the beauty industry, the 25th anniversary edition of Beautyworld Middle East will take place from October 5  7. The show will host exhibitors from 54 countries and 17 dedicated country pavilions.



Gitex Global, featuring the regions premier technology and start-up events, returns from October 17-21. Gitex Technology Week and Gitex Future Stars will feature mega tech names from over 100 countries, unveiling their latest cutting edge-technology.



Taking place alongside Gitex Global, Ai Everything will highlight the biggest cross-sector tech moments during five power-packed days of networking, learning, business generation and inspiration.



Future Blockchain Summit will bring together the communitys brightest minds, most game-changing startups and powerful investors for four days of networking, investing and education centred around the most disruptive technology since the internet  Blockchain. The event will be held from October 17-20.



For the very first time, the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) will open its doors to the global space community in the UAE, the first Arab country to host the IAC since its establishment in 1950. Being held October 25-29, the 72nd IAC is being hosted by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC).



Gulfood Manufacturing (GFM), the regions leading F&B processing and packaging event is back from November 7-9. GFM will be held alongside Private Label and Licensing Middle East 2021, the Mena regions exclusive exhibition for food and non-food FMCG product mix expansion and brand placement; yummex Middle East, the Mena regions leading event for the sweets and snacks industry and Speciality Food Festival.



Held in conjunction with the 10th Emirates International Urological Conference of the Emirates Urological Society (EUS) from November 10-14, the 41st Congress of the Societe Internationale d'Urologie (SIU) will present a state-of-the-art scientific programme developed by SIUs Scientific Programme Committee.



With Arab Lab+ serving as an essential annual event for the global laboratory and analytical industry, the 2021 edition will host ArabChem, a new feature with a focus on the chemicals sector. Taking place Nov 15-17, this years Arab Lab+ will attract scientific experts, end-users and product and technology specialists.



Being held December 6-8, Gulf Traffic is the region's largest traffic and transport technology exhibition, where intelligent transport systems and smart technologies top the agenda.



The largest international trade show for the automotive aftermarket and service industry in the MEA region, the 18th edition of Automechanika Dubai runs December 14  16 with a host of new and returning features.



The 40-plus calendar line up also features events such as the Global Educational Supplies and Solutions (GESS), Arabplast, World LPG Week, The 85th General Meeting of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Careers UAE, CABSAT Middle East, Middle East Natural and Organic Products Expo and others.



As we continue to lead the MICE industry transformation in a post-pandemic world via a robust line up of upcoming events, we are confident DWTC will emerge as a key enabler in achieving Dubais vision of garnering further economic growth and diversification, concluded Julfar.  TradeArabia News Service
An exhibition titled a A Window to the Soul: Gibran Khalil Gibran, showcasing 15 of Khalil Gibrans works that have never been seen before, has been inaugurated by HH Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah.

Being held in Sharjahs iconic new cultural and literary hub, the House of Wisdom, the exhibition turns the spotlight on the globally loved and respected Gibran Khalil Gibran (1883  1931), Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist, and celebrates his life and invaluable contributions as a visual artist through a showcase of 34 of his original works. The exhibition runs for four months until January 6, 2022, a WAM report said.

Dr Sheikh Sultan, Supreme Council Member, toured the exhibition organised by House of Wisdom in partnership with Lebanon-based Gibran National Committee and The Gibran Museum.

The artistic and cultural messages of A Window to the Soul: Gibran Khalil Gibran are portrayed via delicately treated artworks in mediums of oil/gauche, watercolour and charcoal sketches.

During the exhibition tour, the Sharjah Ruler viewed a special display encompassing some of Gibrans personal belongings, such as four manuscript notebooks; his watercolor set and easel; and the galley proof and plate proof of his magnum opus, The Prophet, which has been in print continuously since 1923, and translated to more than 100 global languages.

He was also briefed on the way the exhibition has been structured under seven categories, namely, A Window; Connections: Roots and Branches; Formation; Study: Faces; Medium: Red Chalk; Method: Perspective; and finally, and The Soul.

After the exhibitions opening, the Ruler of Sharjah received a book of unpublished manuscripts by Gibran Khalil Gibran, in addition to a book of 20 paintings.

A Window into the Soul: Gibran Khalil Gibran is sponsored by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), and supported by the Barjeel Art Foundation. It is an ode to the life, works, and legacy of Gibran, one of the most influential literary and artistic figures of the modern age, and House of Wisdoms latest endeavour to enrich community experiences by bringing them closer to art and new cultural pursuits.

The opening ceremony was attended by Bodour Al Qasimi, President of the International Publishers Association (IPA), and Chairperson of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq).

A tour of the exhibition witnessed the presence of Noura Bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth; Abdullah Al Owais, Chairman of Sharjah Department of Culture; Mohammed Obaid Al Zaabi, Head of Protocol and Hospitality Department; Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA); Fouad Shehab Dandan, Ambassador of the Lebanese Republic to the UAE, and a number of senior officials.-- TradeArabia News Service
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has launched the Green Summer competition as part of 'Let's Make This Summer Green' campaign.



Dewa launched this campaign for the sixth consecutive year in June 2021, under the theme create memories that last forever, reported Emirates News Agency WAM.



The competition encourages all community members to adopt a responsible and sustainable lifestyle in an interactive and entertaining way. Participants can log into their Dewa account on the smart app and complete three levels to enter the final raffle draw for valuable prizes. The winners will be announced in end of September 2021.



Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dewa, highlighted Dewa's efforts to ensure a brighter future for future generations in a safe and sustainable environment. Dewa provides multiple tools, smart services and conservation tips to implement Dubai's strategies for protecting the environment, aligned to the Demand Side Management Strategy, which aims to reduce 30 percent of electricity and water demand by 2030.



"Dewa follows a comprehensive strategy to creatively and effectively include all society members in the conservation of natural resources, as well as promoting healthy competition. We aim to build a sustainable heritage, for not only infrastructure and sustainable services, but also sustainable practices to mitigate climate change," added Al Tayer.



"Throughout the year, Dewa launches innovative initiatives with motivational prizes so our customers can reduce consumption. Our programmes and initiatives between 2011 and 2020 have achieved cumulative savings within target groups amounting to 2.44 TWh of electricity and 6.7 billion gallons of water, equivalent to saving AED1.35 billion ($367 million), and reduction of 1.22 million tons of CO2 emissions," said Khawla Al Mehairi, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Government Communications at Dewa.



The 'Let's Make This Summer Green' campaign highlights Dewa's 'Smart Living' initiative, for customers to monitor their consumption independently, simply by logging into their Dewa accounts on the website or smart app, check their data dashboard to monitor consumption, know more about residential customer tariff slabs, get conservation tips, and develop their conservation plans.



Customers also benefit from the 'My Sustainable Living' programme to compare their consumption with similar homes, or purchase energy and water-saving devices from Dewa Store.
febc Group has announced the revolution of its business model, transforming it to a multimodal hospitality solutions company that leads global brands from inception to launch.

The announcement was made at the annual International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF) in Germany.

Using the latest technologies, febc Group provides a unique suite of services to hospitality businesses across the globe, including pre-opening activities to prepare any propertys operations for a successful launch, Food and Beverage concept creation and implementation, procurement, supply chain management and turnkey supply.

febc Groups resources are in line with each operators standards and procedures, spanning both individually owned and franchise properties.

Currently present in 12 markets - including the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe - a key global expansion area for the business is its pre-opening team who will manage the development of the critical path activities, market researches, hospitality concepts, creation of SOPs, procurement management, recruitment and operations solutions.

Driven by the idea of optimising the pre-opening budget and payroll, febc Groups new business model is efficient, offering better cash flow management for both owners and operators.

febc Group has also launched a dedicated business vertical focusing on Food and Beverage services, from concept curation through to the finer details and implementation.

With this in mind, it has also announced that former Michelin Guide Global Director and former Chief Culinary Officer at Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, Michael Ellis has partnered with the company as President of F&B and Culinary Experiences. In his role, Ellis will lead the new F&B concept division, conceptualising the latest trends, culinary styles, innovations in design and best practices.

Commenting on the business update, febc Group Chief Operating Officer, Alessandro Tedesco says: febc Group has provided procurement services and turnkey supply for the hospitality sector for more than 30 years, and we believe that the time for evolution is now. Our re-positioning to a multimodal hospitality solutions company will ensure that we meet the ever-evolving needs of our clients and remain aligned with emerging industry trends. We are proud to unveil this new succession for febc Group and welcome Michael Ellis to our team  a trusted partner who we are confident will take our hospitality solutions and F&B division to new, bolder and better heights.

With more than 35 years of Hospitality and F&B experience, Ellis will bring his visionary insight and ingenuity to febc Group, working closely alongside General Manager  Hospitality Solutions, Simone Stanco to implement creative culinary ideas, designs and concepts. Stanco presents more than 25 years of hospitality and pre-opening experiences, having launched some of the biggest hospitality brands into the Middle East and Asia markets.

Commenting on his new role, Ellis says: I have always been driven by passion and innovation, and am thrilled to be joining febc Group, a global company that is well respected and admired for its forward-thinking approach to hospitality. As the company evolves and launches new divisions, it is sure to set the benchmark for hospitality solutions across the world. In my exciting new role, I hope to reinvigorate the F&B scene across febc Groups portfolio of clients, to curate truly unique and outstanding concepts, working closely with the team bring these to life in the most remarkable way.

Since inception, febc Group has delivered hospitality services to some of the worlds most luxurious hotels, palaces, high-end residential and business units, and has worked with some of the biggest names in the market - including Accor, Hilton, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, InterContinetal Hotels Group, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group International Limited, Marriott International, The Ascott Limited and The Oberoi Group, to name a few.-- TradeArabia News Service
Help India!



The 21-year-old-victim, who was associated with the Lajpat Nagar District Magistrate office, was found murdered on August 26 at Surajkund, Faridabad. As per her family, the victim had stab wounds all over her body, including her private parts. The family has been demanding a probe into the alleged rape and murder for the past one week. In a statement, secretary of the Womens Department of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Rahmatunnisa expressed shock and demanded an immediate arrest of the culprits and ex-gratia relief to her family members.

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NEW DELHI  The secretary of the Womens Department of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) on Monday demanded an impartial probe into the alleged rape and murder of a civil defence worker in Faridabad.

The victim, who was associated with the Lajpat Nagar District Magistrate office, was found murdered on August 26 at Surajkund, Faridabad. As per her family, the victim had stab wounds all over her body, including her private parts. The family has been demanding a probe into the alleged rape and murder for the past one week.

In a statement, expressing utter shock over the brutal murder of a 21-year-old civil defence worker, the JIH Secretary Rahmatunnisa demanded an immediate arrest of the culprits and ex-gratia relief to her family members.

News reports about family members not being satisfied with the course and speed of investigation should be verified. It is a sad reality that despite so much rhetoric about Beti Bachao, we have still not created a climate in which our girls and women feel safe and secure in their workplace and outdoors, she said.

Rahmatunnisa expressed hope that the government, law enforcement agencies, lawmakers, the judiciary and concerned citizens will chalk out new policies for the protection and security of women so that they can accomplish their potential without fear of being stalked, harassed and losing their lives to crimes that put humanity to shame.
Medical syringe is seen with Moderna Therapeutics company logo

Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Moderna coronavirus vaccine

Moderna may not meet the Biden administration's Sept. 20 goal to begin administering COVID-19 booster shots to adults in the United States, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci.

On Sunday, President Joe Biden's chief medical advisor, 80, said there is a chance that recipients of the Moderna vaccine will have to wait longer than originally expected to get their third shot.

"Looks like Pfizer has their data in, likely would meet the deadline. We hope that Moderna would also be able to do it so we could do it simultaneously, but if not, we'll do it sequentially," Fauci told guest host Weijia Jiang on Face the Nation. "So the bottom line is very likely, at least part of the plan will be implemented, but ultimately the entire plan will be."

Dr. Anthony Fauci

ANNA MONEYMAKER/POOL/AFP via Getty

RELATED: FDA Expected to Authorize COVID Boosters for Immunocompromised Individuals as Early as This Week

However, there is no guarantee the Pfizer vaccine will be ready to roll out on Sept. 20. As Fauci noted in the interview, the boosters must receive the "appropriate FDA regulatory approval" and a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Fauci also said researchers are currently assessing whether the vaccines can successfully be mixed. For now, he advises against it.

"Hopefully within a reasonable period of time, measured in a couple of weeks, we will have that data. But right now, we are suggesting and hopefully it will work out that way, that if you got Pfizer, you will then boost with Pfizer. If you get Moderna, you'll be boosting with Moderna," he said.

A healthcare Worker hands in surgical gloves pulling COVID-19 vaccine liquid from vial to vaccinate a patient

Getty Vaccine

RELATED: FDA Grants Full Approval to Pfizer's COVID Vaccine

Pfizer became the first of the three COVID-19 vaccines approved in the U.S. to receive full approval for people age 16 and up. It is still under emergency approval for kids 12 to 15 years old. (Moderna's vaccine is expected to receive its full FDA approval in the near future.)

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Though he does not believe the Delta variant is more severe than the Alpha, Fauci still pointed to the strain as reason for the uptick in child cases and hospitalizations.

"The Delta variant, as opposed to the Alpha variant, is much, much more transmissible. It has an efficiency of transmitting from person to person much, much more readily than previous variants. And so many more people, including children, are getting infected," he said.

A nurse cares for a Covid-19 patient inside the ICU (intensive care unit) at Adventist Health in Sonora, California on August 27, 2021.

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RELATED: Over 80 Nev. Students Potentially Exposed to COVID After a Parent Sent Their Sick Child to School

"You'll get more children infected, and in fact when they get infected, just on a pure basis of the relative number of people that will actually get into the hospital, you're going to wind up seeing more children in the hospital," he added.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

As for the new so-called "Mu" variant, Fauci does not believe there's any indication yet regarding its response to the vaccine. That said, he said the vaccines have been "very effective against any variant that we've tested."

teen vaccine

Getty A person getting vaccinated

"So that's the good news about all vaccines. If you get the level of antibody high enough, which boosters actually do, then you can feel pretty confident that you're going to be protected against virtually any variant."

As of Sunday, 53% of the U.S. populace (175.9 million people) is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 while 62.3% (206.9 million) have received at least one dose, per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the CDC, WHO and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.
Fish and Wildlife Officials Take Action Against Chronic Wasting Disease
Why We Should Be Worried About Nineveh This Year

Against the backdrop of the 9.0-magnitude man-made earthquake that was the disastrous US pullout from Afghanistan, two Christian leaders, Pastor Johnnie Moore and Juliana Taimoorazy, convened a news conference last week under the auspices of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. With the participation of Jameel Chomer, country director of the Yazda organization, via Zoom from Iraq, we released an open letter to the president of the United States urging him not to repeat the Afghanistan humanitarian debacle in Iraq.

Signed by Chomer and Taimoorazy, founder and president of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council, it read in part:

"Mr. President, we urge you to resist pressure to withdraw all troops from Iraq. Recent blood-soaked history has shown that without such a presence, the history of Assyrians and Yazidis on their ancient lands would end."

Today, there are only a reported 2,500 US soldiers left in Iraq. But for the battered and depleted Assyrian Christians and the Yazidis, two minorities who live side-by-side peacefully, a total pullout by the US could mean the demise of two ancient peoples in the Nineveh plains.

In 2003, about the time of the invasion of Iraq, there were 1.5 million Assyrian Christians, who are among the world's oldest Christian communities, in the world. Today, there remain 150,000 Assyrian Christians in their homeland. The numbers of Yazidis shrank from 600,000 to 400,000.

The greatest disaster for both was the ascendancy of ISIS, the world's most brutal terrorist groups. ISIS was able to fill a void left by the US; a void with beheadings, murders, pillaging and rapes. That void was created when, in 2011, then-President Obama decided to remove all 45,000 remaining US forces from Iraq. On November 29 of that year, then-Vice President Joe Biden declared during an official visit to Iraq: "We are embarking on a new ... and a comprehensive relationship between the United States and Iraq as sovereign partners." Biden made the remarks after meeting with then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi officials.

Apparently, ISIS never got the memo.

The bottom line is that the US created a vacuum that enabled the terrorist group to plunder, pillage, murder and rape its way through Iraq.

Beyond the havoc and suffering it unleashed in Syria, in 2014, ISIS took the key Iraqi city of Mosul and seized towns and villages in the Nineveh plains. The Associated Press reported: "Thousands of Christians found themselves fleeing once again the militants' advance, taking refuge in Iraq's northern Kurdish region or leaving the country. Over the next few years, the extremists killed thousands of Iraqi civilians from a variety of religions. They also destroyed ... monasteries, mosques, tombs, shrines and churches in Syria and Iraq."

"The IS juggernaut and the long war to drive the militants out left ransacked homes and charred or pulverized buildings across the north. Christians in the Nineveh plains fled the IS onslaught and many of those who returned dream of resettling abroad," according to the AP.

Meanwhile, ISIS fighters attacked the Iraqi town of Sinjar in August 2014 -- home to the Yazidis. More than 30,000 Yazidi families are stranded in the Sinjar Mountains. A Yazidi lawmaker reported that 500 men have been killed, 70 children have died of thirst and women are being sold into slavery. The horrific suffering of that people was just beginning.

Throughout that period, the world also watched in horror as ISIS would broadcast the beheadings of American, British and Japanese journalists. ISIS would unleash deadly far-flung terrorist attacks from Paris and Nigeria.

Eventually, the US would rush back troops to Iraq to quell ISIS. And a semblance of stability eventually returned to the decimated areas.

Yet on July 27, Joe Biden, now president, announced the remaining symbolic US forces will be leaving Iraq again "for good." If, G-d forbid, that happens, it will take more than a prophet and a whale to save our friend Jameel Chomer from the clutches of a rejuvenated ISIS. Why should we care? Jameel served as an interpreter and cultural advisor for the US army for almost six years in Iraq and has been desperately trying to get his family to the US for years. Sound familiar?

We can only pray that President Biden and his military and foreign policy brain trust will reconsider such a move in the wake of the disaster now facing Afghanis of all faiths and sects not aligned with the Taliban's medieval brand of Islam.

If President Biden doesn't cancel that move, two historic peoples -- the Assyrian Christians and Yazidis -- will be no more. And the keys to Nineveh plains will surely be scooped up by Iran with a long coveted strategic prize -- an unfettered route to the Mediterranean Sea and a new powerful front to threaten the very existence of another people, the nation of Israel.
by Mathias Hariyadi

Despite recommendations from local government bodies and Muslim organizations, the parish of St. Mother Teresa has not yet obtained the Imb document that authorizes the construction of places of worship, from district authorities. The Catholic community is currently using the school premises. Fr Antara: "I don't understand why we are not granted it"

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - The parish church of St Mother Teresa in Cikarang has been trying to obtain a building permit from the government since 2007. The place of prayer would be built in the district of Bekasi, in the province of West Java, 50 km from the capital. Despite all the efforts made by the local Catholic community, the parish has not yet managed to receive the Imb (Izin Mendirikan Bangunan) permit required for the construction of places of worship.

At the moment, the parish, which has more than 11 thousand faithful, is using the premises of the local Catholic school (Trinity Church College), for weekend celebrations. "However, the school can accommodate a maximum of 2 thousand people," Fr. Antonius Suhardi Antara, who coordinates the St. Mother Teresa Cikarang Parish Chuch, explained to AsiaNews. "We struggled to obtain the Imb, but I do not understand why the district authorities have not yet granted it to us," continued the priest. "We have already completed all the administrative procedures and complied with all the requirements as required by law."

A number of local authorities have been recommending the granting of the permit for years. The Bekasi Interfaith Forum had issued a statement in 2014, and the local branch of the Religious Office had approved Imb's issuance in 2015.

The local Muslim community is also in favor of building the church. "We have already visited the church office in Cibatu and found everything in order," said Hajj Mohammad Athoillah Mursjid, head of the Nurul Ulum Islamic Boarding School.

"The contribution of the Catholic Church in carrying out the national vaccination program against Covid-19 has been crucial," commented Arief Widhiharto, treasurer of the Nahdaltul Ulama Islamic organization. "And the church has always helped in pest control to curb the spread of dengue," he added. "The Bekasi district authority should grant Imb instead of leaving the matter pending."

According to Fr. Antara, the foundation for St. Mother Teresa Church has already been laid near the school where the faithful currently gather. "Our goal is to provide a proper place of worship for the thousands of Catholics in Cikarang."
The Church calls on voters to choose representatives who are prepared and have "clean" hands to achieve peace, stability and national unity". The electoral commission calls on 75 countries and foreign NGOs to monitor the vote. For radical Shia leader, it is now acceptable to participate.

Baghdad (AsiaNews)  In an appeal to the Iraqi people, the Chaldean Church calls for broad participation in next months parliamentary elections. Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr also backs the vote after expressing doubts.

In a note posted on the patriarchate website signed by Card Louis Raphael Sako, the Chaldean Church urges voters to choose representatives who know "politics, the law and people's needs, who have clean hands, this in a country plagued by decades of malfeasance and corruption.

Change is needed, notes the cardinal, because "the previous elections were disappointing". What is more, many fear destabilisation and an Afghan scenario should the US pull out all its troops.

The elections, originally set for June, will now take place in October, unless they are further postponed. Voters will pick 328 members of the Council of Representatives, who will in turn elect a new president and choose a new prime minister and government.

In recent days, Jalil Adnan Khalaf, head of the Independent High Electoral Commission, said that 75 nations and international NGOs were asked to monitor the election to avoid fraud and disputes.

A crucial move came from Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr, who is now backing the election. Initially, he had called on his supporters to boycott the vote. His constituency includes millions of people and he has a paramilitary militia at his command.

Al-Sadrs change of heart appears to be his desire to help the authorities put an end to corruption after attacking for years what he called the negative influence of both Iran and the United States on the life of the country.

In a recent televised intervention, surrounded by dozens of loyalists and wearing a black turban suggesting direct descent from the prophet Mohammed, al-Sadr said that voting is now acceptable.

The Saairun (Forward) alliance[*] linked to the Shia leader is the largest group in the outgoing parliament, with 54 seats out of a total of 328.

The new electoral law supported by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi reduces the size of constituencies and eliminates unified lists in favour of single candidates. It is expected to guarantee broad success.

In his appeal, the Chaldean patriarch expressed closeness to the aspirations of Iraqis for peace, stability and national unity, noting that the government in Baghdad has the task of guaranteeing an electoral climate that allows for a free and fair vote.

Finally, Card Sako explained that various Christian groups were unable to agree on a single Christian list.

Nevertheless, we invite Christians to choose candidates according to precise criteria and we ask our Muslim brothers to vote for people who love Iraq and work for the good of its people.

[*] Alliance Towards Reforms or Marching Towards Reform.
Targeted by authorities, Jimmy Lai's pro-democracy daily stopped publishing in June. Calls for Next Digital liquidation to pay off outstanding debts. The executive never said which incriminated articles violated the law. The Tiananmen massacre vigil organising committee also accused of "colluding" with foreign forces.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - Today the board of directors of Next Digital, the holding company that owns Apple Daily, an independent newspaper founded by publishing magnate Jimmy Lai, was dissolved. The pro-democracy newspaper closed on June 24 after it labelled a threat to national security, saw a series of arrests among its managers and journalists, and the freezing of assets for 18 million HK dollars (about 2 million euros).

Due to the "climate of fear" created by Beijing's security law, the last four directors of Next Digital announced their resignation last night. They asked the authorities to put the company into liquidation in order to pay shareholders, creditors and former employees. Under orders from the city's Security Department, the Apple Daily publishing company has been unable to draw on other funds, or proceeds from the sale of its sister publication in Taiwan, to pay off its outstanding debts.

The charge laid against the Apple Daily staffers is "colluding with foreign forces." In their announcement yesterday, the four Next Digital administrators note, however, that under the Security Act "a company can be forced to close without court intervention." So far, the defendants have faced no trial and received no formal indictments.

Jimmy Lai has been in jail since December for his role in the 2019 anti-government demonstrations; he is awaiting trial (expected to begin in October) for allegedly violating the National Security Act.

Next Digital's management also points out that Carrie Lam's executive never specified which Apple Daily articles violated the Security Act. This uncertainty, Lai's company board argues, has generated fear and prompted many employees to resign.

According to its critics, the draconian security measure has such wide reach that it can be used to target all kinds of behavior. This week it's the turn of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which every year on June 4 organizes the traditional vigil in memory of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre. Police accuse the group of being supported by foreign agents. Yesterday, the leaders of the Alliance rejected the accusation, stressing that they are in fact "agents", but of the "conscience of the citizens of Hong Kong".
The discovery this morning at 4 a.m probably several hours after escape from the prison of Gilboa, in the north of the country, through an underground tunnel. Five belong to the Islamic Jihad and the sixth is a former commander of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Shin Bet, drones and molecular dogs on their tracks.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Six Palestinian detainees escaped from an Israeli maximum security prison in the early hours of today. The discovery took place at four in the morning, but the prisoners may have escaped much earlier. This is what police sources and the Jewish State media report, according to which the escaped prisoners allegedly belong to Islamic fundamentalist militia groups.

Initial information indicates that five of the fugitives belong to the Islamic Jihad movement, while the sixth is a former commander of an armed group affiliated with the Fatah party. The escapees were all cellmates inside the Gilboa prison in northern Israel; they escaped after secretly building a tunnel in the ground.

"During the night," national police spokesman Eli Levy explained to Kan Radio, "we received a number of reports about suspicious figures in the cultivated fields and from the prison service. After a quick investigation, it was discovered that the prisoners had disappeared from their cell and escaped by losing track of them." The security forces, assisted by the army and the Shin Bet (internal intelligence), immediately launched a massive manhunt, using drones and molecular dogs; the suspicion is that they tried to reach the nearby West Bank or the border with Jordan.

According to reports in several local media outlets, all six fugitives had been sentenced to life in prison for deadly attacks on Israeli targets and were considered "very dangerous." Three of them had previously attempted to escape. A police source told Channel 12 that this is "one of the most serious incidents" in the country's recent history. One of the escapees would be Zakaria Zubeidi, a former commander of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, originally from Jenin in the West Bank. The Islamic extremist group carried out bombings and targeted attacks against Israelis during the years of the Palestinian uprising between 2000 and 2005.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed tweets that the last province has fallen. The National Resistance Front denies it, claiming to still control certain strategic areas. A new government has not yet been named.

Kabul (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed announced on Twitter that this morning Panjshir province, the last stronghold of the mercenary enemy, was completely conquered.

Afghanistans new masters now claim to control all 34 provinces of the country. At a press conference, Mujahed said the War is ended, Tolo News reported.

The Talibans main opposition, the National Resistance Front (NRF), issued a statement denying that the Taliban have total control of the Panjshir.

An NRF spokesman, Ali Nazari, told CNN that opposition forces remain in control of some strategic areas of the valley, and will continue their fight against Islamic extremists.

The leader of the Panjshir fighters, Ahmad Massoud, did not release any statements. Yesterday he had appealed to the Taliban to end hostilities, declaring himself willing to end fighting if the Taliban left Panjshir.

According to the Taliban, NRF leaders have already fled abroad, noting that yesterday they killed NRF spokesman Fahim Dashti, a member of the Djamiat-i-Islam party, which opposes the Taliban.

In a video posted on telegram, the Taliban also claim to have seized the mausoleum of the Lion of Panjshir" Ahmad Shah Massoud, father of the current NRF commander, located near the city of Bazarak, the capital of Panjshir province. The video shows no NRF fighters at the site.

Notwithstanding claims of victory and post-war stability, a climate of great uncertainty reigns in the country, not only because of the active resistance in the Panjshir.

Three weeks after the fall of Kabul, and despite statements about the imminent announcement of a new government, the various groups within the Taliban are still at an impasse, especially along tribal lines.

Initially, the new government was supposed to include members of the Coordination Council, chiefly Hamid Karzai, Abdullah Abdullah, and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, created to coordinate the transition of power. Now the latter seem to have disappeared.

The only two names that seem safe for now are Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, and spokesman Abdul Ghani Baradar, who have de facto ruled the country since 15 August.
by Nirmala Carvalho

On the same Sunday, a Pentecostal clergyman was arrested in Madhya Pradesh and another beaten up in a police station in Chhattisgarh. For the Global Council of Indian Christians, a fundamental human right such as freedom of religion continue to be denied in a secular country like India.

Bhopal (AsiaNews)  Yesterday saw more violence against Indias Christian communities.

A Pentecostal minister member of an independent Indian Church was arrested in the State of Madhya Pradesh while he was leading the Sunday service in his community.

The new episode of anti-Christian intolerance involved Rev Amar Singh, in Satna, a district in the city of Amarpatan.

He was leading the prayer with about 30 members of his church, said Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), speaking to AsiaNews.

Without any provocation, a group of right-wing extremists stormed in, interrupting the prayer, made false accusations of conversion, frightening the faithful. Then they took Rev Singh to the police station.

We are alarmed by the surge in arrests in Madhya Pradesh on the basis of the new version of the anti-conversion law, George said.

Rev Singh has not been involved in any conversion activity, he explained. People are simply drawn by listening to the Word of God. Why does a fundamental human right such as freedom of religion continue to be denied in a secular country like India?

In a separate incident, another clergyman was beaten yesterday at a police station in the State of Chhattisgarh.

The assault took place in Raipur district when a mob of Hindu extremists accused the leader of the Christian community of fraudulently obtaining conversions.

A similar episode occurred last week in the district of Kabirdham, also in the state of Chhattisgarh.
The assault occurred at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday at a church in the 3200 block of Ridge Road in Westminster, the release said. The church was not identified, but the Calvary Baptist Church is located at that address. A spokesperson for the church could not immediately be reached Monday for comment.
Governor Hogan has frequently visited public schools on the Eastern Shore, but has he ever visited Baltimore City Schools? By January 2022, 28 historic school buildings will have been restored within five years. I have never seen the governor attend any of the grand reopenings of these restored schools. He has also never addressed that fact the Baltimore City has the largest amount of historic school buildings out of any district in the state. Thats because its too easy for him to throw out half-truths and red meat to fire up the anti-Baltimore debate. He is clearly not in the least bit interested in understanding the history of city schools. We all know the Baltimore City Public School System has its challenges, but ignoring them, lying about them and refusing to understand them is not the least bit helpful, Governor Hogan. We welcome your visits to our schools this school year.
There are some things we can do at St. Annes that are perfect there and same at Maryland Hall, but there are things that dont fit at either place and that was the idea behind this new studio, Green said. We had people walking by our rehearsals at the mall, and they came by to listen then buy tickets and came back and that is such a different experience.
All of us have had every aspect of our lives affected by this pandemic, so we need to be honest about that with each other and the only way to come through that narrow place into the expansive place, the redemptive place, is to locate that trauma somewhere within ourselves so that were not ignoring it, but were also not letting it dominate our sights, he said.
It was a little windy, Miller said when he was back on the ground and at home in the Carroll Lutheran Village retirement community. I never had been in an open cockpit before. You get the raw feeling of the air. You can feel the airplane flying through the air.
Police said the driver of a 2015 Acura TLX was traveling northbound on Interstate 95 near Waterloo Road just after 4 a.m. when the vehicle struck the rear of a 2014 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van, which was carrying eight passengers. The impact caused both vehicles to lose control and enter the center median where the Mercedes van overturned, police said.
I ask all Marylanders to join me in sending our deepest condolences to the family of U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Sarah F. Burns of Severna Park, and her four fellow sailors who were killed in last weeks tragic helicopter crash, Hogan wrote in the tweet. Fair winds and following seas.
Incidents of hate and bias are on the rise around the state, according to an annual report published in 2020 by Maryland State Police. In Maryland, motivations of bias are tracked by race, ethnicity or ancestry as well as religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, disability and homelessness.
Welcome to Sophi Knows. September 11 has come and gone but should stay in our minds every day. We came together as a nation and should strive for that again.
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Despite the deaths, police officers and other first responders are among those most hesitant to get the vaccine and their cases continue to grow. No national statistics show the vaccination rate for Americas entire population of first responders but individual police and fire departments across the country report figures far below the national rate of 74% of adults who have had at least one dose.
Presented as a part of DCASEs citywide Chicago In Tune series, the plan is to begin the free night of live performances with jazz music headlined by clarinetist and composer Angel Bat Dawid, followed by a dance performance by Era. Both Bat Dawid and Era star in the current projection series in Footnotes, an animated work produced by artists and filmmakers Wills Glasspiegel and Brandon K. Calhoun for Art on theMart. Next up will be four Chicago youth dance groups in a final round of performances, culminating with what DCASE is calling a surprise performance on the water before the nightly showing of Footnotes at 9 p.m., filling the south facade of the theMart, the building formerly known as the Merchandise Mart.
But the U.S. has helped a family of four American citizens to flee through an overland route, according to American official. The official would not give details of the evacuation or say which country they went to, citing security reasons and the need to preserve the possibility of using the route again. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly due to the sensitivity of the matter.
He was 4 years old and he was taken from us for nothing, Gregg said. He was brilliant. He had his whole life. He has a whole army of people that loved him. Everybody that met my son instantly took to him. As soon as you met MJ, you loved him. The short time he was here, he gained the love of everyone he encountered.
Decades later, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, led by A. Philip Randolph, became the first Black union to win a collective bargaining agreement with a major U.S. company. The Pullman porters had been barred from joining the 1894 strike because the American Railway Union, which came in to represent the Pullman factory workers, had earlier voted to exclude Black workers from joining the union.
The Jesse White Tumblers have performed at every parade, Weisman said. Started in 1959, the tumblers were created to provide a positive alternative for inner-city kids, according to a team brochure. Team members must stay away from drugs, alcohol and gangs, and maintain a minimum of a C average in school to participate. There are almost 150 members across seven units in total. Nine performed at the parade.
Not the whole book, which I didnt fully read except for portions where I needed to find the answers to homework questions. Though not a huge fan of geography, I did enjoy the feature at the end of each chapter, which was a comic strip with eight to 12 panels on the bottom half of the page. Not a lighthearted comic strip like Donald Duck or Little Lulu, but one drawn in black and white with caricatures and text that told a story about a place here or in a foreign country. An example might be eight drawings showing what happens on an Australian sheep farm that leads to wool production for the clothing industry. They were visual geography lessons for reluctant readers like me.
But that promise leaves more questions than answers, now that U.S. forces have departed with an unknown number of Americans left behind. As the administration struggles to account for and rescue those remaining Americans, as well as thousands of Afghans who worked for Americans, Frerichs case faces new dangers of being lost in a pile of other issues facing U.S.-Afghan relations  and without the diplomatic leverage or intelligence capabilities that Americas military presence offered.
A still from the documentary Police Stories shows officers Yao Baisong (right) and Wu Youyou interrogate a suspect for fraud. [Photo/China Daily]

In 2001, a 38-year-old woman surnamed Xu, who lived in Songjiang district, Shanghai, suddenly disappeared. But the police didn't know about the case until her family members reported it in 2009.

Then police immediately became suspicious of Xu's husband, surnamed Wu, since he had never reported his wife's disappearance, and rebuilt their house not long after she went missing. The police summoned Wu, but then released him due to a lack of direct evidence and the fact that their two young children needed a parent's care. As they continued the investigation, Wu accidentally died in a traffic accident and the case was put on ice.

When the Ministry of Public Security conducted an operation to investigate long-pending cases in 2020, Shanghai police checked their files. They questioned why Wu had concreted a room not long after Xu's disappearance and relaunched the investigation. After checking the house and gaining permission from Xu's son, they dug up the room and found human remains, which were identified as Xu's.

The story is recounted in Police Stories, a 12-episode documentary now in its third season, which is airing on Dragon TV and video-sharing platform Bilibili. It has achieved 8.7 points out of 10 on China's popular review site Douban since July.
Editor's note: This week's events include two exhibitions highlighting figure paintings and steampunk animal drawings respectively, as well as a stage drama starring a famous Chinese power couple. Here are three events you won't want to miss.

1, Exhibition: "The Elegant Retreat: Figure Paintings from Across the Ages in the Palace Museum Collection (Phase II)"

The second phase of the exhibition "The Elegant Retreat: Figure Paintings from Across the Ages in the Palace Museum Collection" presents 76 rarely seen paintings, with both artistic and historical value, from the museum's collection. Comprising of four phases in total, the exhibition aims to advance traditional Chinese culture and promote the research of figure paintings.

Dates: Sept.1Oct. 31

Venue: Palace Museum, Beijing

2, Drama: "Revolutionary Road"

Published in 1961, "Revolutionary Road" is the first and most famous work by American novelist Richard Yates. As the world's first authorized adaptation of the original novel, the drama features a cast of well-known stars led by real-life husband and wife Sha Yi and Hu Ke, and is produced by Huapeng Culture.



Dates: Sept. 912

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing

3, Exhibition: "Mechanical Life"

Russian artist, architect, designer, writer and author Michael Ouzikov's solo exhibition "Mechanical Life" brings together more than 30 of his steampunk mechanical animal manuscripts. Ouzikov combines various animal images with weird machines to present vivid mechanical lifeforms, allowing visitors the chance to discover the world of this talented artist.

Dates: Sept. 4Oct. 9

Venue: Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai

Cultural events of the week: Aug. 30- Sept. 5
Beijing on Sunday unveiled measures including the opening of thousands of new stores in the next five years to build itself into an international consumption center city.



In an implementation plan for this goal, issued by the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau, the city said it will carry out specific projects including those focusing on new consumption landmarks, new brands, digital consumption and the development of cultural, tourism, sports, education and medical consumption.

Over 3,000 first, innovation and flagship stores of brands from both at home and abroad are expected to open by 2025 in Beijing. The capital will also build about 10 cluster areas featuring domestic time-honored brands and incubate more than 100 new consumption brands.

Through five years of efforts, Beijing will basically become an international consumption center city with global influence, competitiveness and reputation, said Yan Ligang, head of the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau.

In July, China approved Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing to take the lead in building international consumption center cities.
China's central authorities have issued a general plan for building a Guangdong-Macao in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin.



The plan, issued by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, was made public on Sunday.

It said building the zone is a major arrangement to enrich the practice of "one country, two systems," and will be an important driving force for Macao's long-term development.

Hengqin is located in the southern part of Zhuhai City in Guangdong Province, just across the Macao Special Administrative Region.

The total area of the cooperation zone will be about 106 square km, according to the plan.

The plan defines the strategic position of the zone as a new platform to boost Macao's appropriate economic diversification, a new space that provides convenience to Macao residents' life and employment, a new model to enrich the practice of "one country, two systems," as well as a new high ground for building the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The plan sets the goal for the zone to fully demonstrate the strong vitality and strength of "one country, two systems" by 2035, when the goal of Macao's appropriate economic diversification will be basically realized.

New industries

According to the plan, the cooperation zone will develop new industries to help promote Macao's economic diversification.

Sci-tech research and development and high-end manufacturing will be developed.

Traditional Chinese medicine and other Macao's signature businesses, as well as industries including culture and tourism, conventions and exhibitions, and modern finance will be promoted.

Preferential policies concerning corporate income tax will be improved, the plan said, adding that measures will be rolled out to attract talent from home and abroad.

New home

The cooperation zone will be a new home for Macao residents to live and work, said the plan.

Macao residents are encouraged to find jobs there or create their own businesses. Cooperation between the zone and Macao society will be strengthened in areas concerning people's livelihood. Infrastructure connectivity will also be boosted.

High-level opening-up

The plan also stressed building an integrated new system with Macao featuring high-level opening-up.

Under the system, declaration procedures for outbound and inbound goods between Macao and the cooperation zone will be further simplified. Inbound and outbound travel will also become highly convenient.

Innovative measures will be introduced in terms of cross-border financial management. A highly convenient mechanism for market access will be established, and efforts will also be made to facilitate the safe and orderly flow of internet data across the border.

An organization will be jointly established to develop and manage the cooperation zone, said the plan.

Party leadership and Party building should be enhanced in an all-around manner to ensure the smooth operation of the cooperation zone. Legal guarantees should also be strengthened, it added.
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 32nd Congress of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS), which opened in Shanghai on Monday.

In his letter, Xi noted that aeronautical science and technology is one of the fields that has developed most rapidly since the 20th century and had the greatest impact on human life and production.

"The world today is undergoing a profound scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, and aeronautical science and technology is facing unprecedented development opportunities," he said, adding that it is necessary and promising to carry out global cooperation in aeronautical science and technology.

Xi expressed hope that this congress will play an active role in promoting global aeronautical science and technology cooperation and bring more benefits to people around the world.

The 32nd Congress of the ICAS is hosted by the ICAS and organized by the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
At the end of August, the first batch of cargo arrived in China's Sichuan province via the new China-Myanmar corridor. The goods started out in the Port of Singapore from where they were shipped through the Indian Ocean to Yangon, before being transported on to China via road and then rail.



Xinhua News stated the "passage connects the logistics lines of Singapore, Myanmar and China, and is currently the most convenient land and sea channel linking the Indian Ocean with southwest China." The corridor reduces the time shipping goods from the Indian Ocean to and from China by an estimated 20 days.

We now live in a world where supply chains and the delivery of goods are being severely impacted by COVID-19. Owing to the spread of the delta variant, many countries have been forced to completely shut down sectors of their economies through restrictions, which has paralyzed the flow of commerce around the world. In such an environment, it has become pivotal to strengthen existing supply chains by making them quicker, more accessible and more convenient, overcoming geographical obstacles, as well as unlocking more opportunities and bypassing disruption.

The new China-Myanmar corridor is one such example. The two countries share a border which connects through to the Indian Ocean, one of the most important maritime routes for shipping goods west from Asia. The establishment of such a corridor will therefore facilitate the shipment of cargo to and from the west, saving time and creating a faster supply chain.

The route also brings opportunities for regional development in China, especially its western regions which have less favorable conditions for growth. The railway from Sichuan now links the provincial capital of Chengdu with the Myanmar border and subsequently establishes it as a destination for the import and export of goods to Europe and the Middle East. Likewise, in doing so, the corridor now makes it faster to import through Chengdu, significantly reducing the cost of logistics thanks to a much shortened transportation distance.

Moreover, the launch of the new corridor will further connect China's southwest with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). ASEAN has become the largest trading partner of southwest China, and is also developing into the largest trading partner of Sichuan province after the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement. Countries in Southeast Asia have become popular destinations for international manufacturing, leading to rapid economic growth in the region. As such, ASEAN and southwest China will complement each other with their respective strengths.

Thus, the new China-Myanmar corridor is a firm demonstration of how the creation and linking of infrastructure is creating new opportunities for global economic recovery and growth, driving forward development in China and other countries.

Tom Fowdy is a British political and international relations analyst and a graduate of Durham and Oxford universities. He writes on topics pertaining to China, the DPRK, Britain and the U.S. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/TomFowdy.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn.
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Starting Friday, tens of thousands of representatives from some 160 countries and regions have gathered at the nine-day World Conservation Congress (WCC) in France's port city of Marseille to address Planet Earth's ecological plight.

The congress, held jointly by the French government and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) under the theme "One Nature, One Future," prepares for the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) set for October in Kunming, China.

From Marseille to Kunming, France and China are working steadfastly for global action on nature conservation.

Addressing the WCC, French President Emmanuel Macron called it "part of a dynamic" which makes 2021 a very important year, as a third global event on environment, the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), is slated for November in Glasgow, Scotland. He urged the world to "re-synchronize" the two agendas -- one for climate and the other for biodiversity.

"The urgency is to re-synchronize these two agendas, to get everyone understand that the battle for climate is linked intrinsically to the battle for preserving and restoring biodiversity," said Macron.

"We are already too late in terms of biodiversity. We must catch up," he noted.

By organizing this congress, France expects to confirm its commitment to supporting the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems, and more widely, its international role in environmental and climate issues.

Six years ago, it was in Paris that climate negotiators of 196 parties to the UN conference on climate change sealed the milestone climate pact aimed at reversing the trend of temperature rises mainly caused by carbon emissions.

China, which helped bring about some key breakthroughs during the negotiations, remains steadfast and active in addressing climate change and implementing the Paris Agreement.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, via video link, told the WCC that China's national carbon market, the world's largest in terms of the amount of greenhouse gas emissions covered, was launched recently, and China stands ready to work with all parties to build a clean and beautiful world.

On further improving global ecological environmental governance, Li called on the world to adhere to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and strive to promote the construction of a fair, reasonable and win-win global environmental governance system.

Actually this is one of the core missions of the Marseille congress. During a series of in-person and online events, states, local governments, scientists, private sector and civil society representatives will discuss the major objectives of the post-2020 global framework for biodiversity, a key milestone expected to be achieved during the COP15 in Kunming.

"Our post-2020 nature and biodiversity framework must be universal, innovative and transformative. It should support a post-COVID economic recovery respecting Nature while being just and inclusive," said IUCN President Zhang Xinsheng at the WCC opening ceremony.

"The theme of the CBD COP 15 in Kunming, China, next month is 'Ecological Civilization -- Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth.' It is the proper segue towards what we all should seek to achieve," he added.

In 2010, parties of the CBD set 20 goals during a summit in Japan's Aichi for the decade 2011-2020. "However, many of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets have been difficult to achieve," Zhang told Xinhua in an interview on the eve of the congress.

"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.

For Patrick Giraudoux, a professor of ecology at the University of Franche-Comte, "we can already wait for a lucid assessment of the status quo, which is what IUCN in Marseille will tell us, such as which species are threatened, how fast they are threatened, etc. Then there are the decisions to be taken by the governments and this will follow what will be decided at COP15."

"Practically all the governments of the great powers agree to move forward in this direction. The question is what will be done in reality," he said.

China has vowed that it will continue to work to ensure the success of COP15. The first part of the COP15, including an official opening and a high-level segment, will take place both online and offline on Oct. 11-15.

The second part, to be held in-person in the first half of 2022, will see broad and deepened negotiations towards an ambitious and practical post-2020 global biodiversity framework, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

For the post-2020 nature and biodiversity framework, working sessions and negotiations were in delay due to the sanitary context, France's Secretary of State for Biodiversity Berangere Abba told the press.

"At the end of this congress, the Union (IUCN) and France will issue a 'Declaration of Marseille,' which will write down the ambition resulting from the reflections and negotiations that will take place in the coming days," she said.

"We are very mobilized and attentive that this declaration, which will be a roadmap for the months to come and for the negotiations at the moment of COP15, is indeed the most ambitious possible," she added.
You are here: World

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Two Saudi children were injured and over a dozen houses damaged in new Houthi attacks, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday quoting the country's Defense Ministry.

The Spokesperson of the Defense Ministry Brigadier General Turki Al-Malki revealed the interception of three ballistic missiles and three bomb-laden drones launched by the Houthi militia.

The interception caused debris to scatter outside the city of Dammam, which resulted in the injury of two Saudi children and minimal damage to 14 houses, he said.

The Ministry of Defense will undertake all necessary and deterrent measures to protect its territory, the spokesperson added.

Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition that in March completed its sixth year of war in Yemen against the Houthis in support of the Yemeni government.
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The United States must work with China to find a global solution to end the raging COVID-19 pandemic, said renowned U.S. economist Jeffrey Sachs in an interview with Malaysian media published on Sunday.

In an email interview with Malaysian newspaper the Star, Sachs said the global response to the pandemic has been wholly inadequate and one of the main geopolitical problems might have been the failure of the United States to work with China for global solutions.

"This is tragic, since China has done an excellent job of suppressing the pandemic, and the world could and should have learned a lot more from China's response," said the U.S. economist, who heads the Lancet COVID-19 Commission, which has been created to help speed up global, equitable, and lasting solutions to the pandemic.

"The United States should learn some good manners to work cooperatively with China, rather than trying to impose its will on that nation," he said.

Sachs, who is also the director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, pointed out U.S. failures to contain the disease at home.

"The culture in many societies such as the United States has put personal behavior ahead of the social good," he said. "In the name of 'liberty,' Americans have failed to follow basic rules and protocols, and the disease has therefore been allowed to run rampant in the United States."

Rich countries have also not generously shared their knowledge, especially on vaccines, Sachs said, urging greater efforts by countries and different parts of the world for coordinated responses.

Meanwhile, the global financing system has favored rich countries, providing too little support to the developing world, he added.

"We should be investing far more resources into epidemiology, disease surveillance, disease prevention, and disease treatments," he concluded.
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has sent Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths to Kabul for talks with the Taliban leadership, said Guterres' spokesman on Sunday.

"At the request of the secretary-general, Martin Griffiths ... is currently in Kabul. During his visit today (Sunday), Mr. Griffiths met with Mullah Baradar and the leadership of the Taliban in Kabul to engage with the authorities on humanitarian issues," said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, in a statement.

In this meeting, Griffiths reiterated the humanitarian community's commitment to delivering impartial and independent humanitarian assistance and protection to millions of people in need, said the statement.

Griffiths emphasized the critical role of women in the delivery of aid and called on all parties to ensure their rights, safety and well-being. He called for all civilians -- especially women and girls and minorities -- to be protected at all times. He expressed his solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, it said.

The authorities pledged that the safety and security of humanitarian staff, and humanitarian access to people in need, will be guaranteed and that humanitarian workers -- both men and women -- will be guaranteed freedom of movement. The authorities pledged to cooperate with the humanitarian community to ensure assistance is delivered to the people of Afghanistan, said the statement.

Further meetings are expected in the coming days, it said.

Griffiths will also meet and convey his thanks on behalf of the United Nations to representatives of humanitarian organizations, both UN agencies and nongovernmental organizations, who remain operational in the country and have assisted 8 million people this year, said the statement.

Today in Afghanistan, half of the population -- 18 million people -- need humanitarian assistance to survive. A third do not know where their next meal is coming from. More than half of all children under 5 are at risk of acute malnutrition. A severe drought, the second in four years, will further contribute to hunger in the months ahead. Now more than ever, the people of Afghanistan need the support and solidarity of the international community, it said.
Last year I was watching an interview of a prominent figure in Jamaican politics. During her interview she briefly spoke about her Christian upbringing and her decision to get baptized as a teenager. However, I was most surprised by her assessment of her Christian journey as she could only attest to the rigours of her walk and not the Christ-given fruits of it.

I seek not to question the sincerity of her baptism, but it causes me to ponder how much we limit our journey with Christ to what we are allowed/disallowed to do. Where the fear of God is not what drives our obedience, but instead the fear of the consequences that certain sins may have on our social standing. Where our rational minds deceive us into cherry picking which sins are acceptable at a given moment.

I am not exempt from this mindset as I wrestle with it every day. Dying daily is very exhausting and sometimes I just want a break. Many times, I thought that giving in to the flesh would offer such a break but to my dismay it doesnt.

One piece combo or all-in-one special

The works of the flesh are so interconnected that it's impossible to participate in one and not the other. We can't be greedy without being selfish and envious. Satisfying our flesh opens cans of worms that we didnt bargain for.

Most times I think that if I only participate in smaller sins then I can control their consequences on my livelihood. How foolish is that thought? Don't be fooled! The desires of the flesh are to be resisted, not tamed. Our flesh often deceives us into thinking that an act of sin is just a one-piece combo when it's an all-in-one special.

But what should I do? Although I am saved, I still have the propensity to sin. In recent times, the Holy Spirit has shared some encouraging bits about how to approach my sinfulness considering Jesus gift of salvation. I would like to share these bits with you but before I do, I would like to address what should not be done.

Scaled eyes, weighted hearts

A prominent Christian speaker and poet in the US stated that in her struggle against sin, what hinders her from participating in a particular act is her unpreparedness to confess it if she was to indulge in it. This mindset has propelled her on the path of obedience. However, if we examine her statement closely, we can see the error which many of us grapple with daily.

Many of us weigh acts of sins based on people's perception of them. We scale them based on what is deemed acceptable/unacceptable to confess. This mindset has enslaved more than it has liberated.

Instead of people confessing and repenting of their sins, we are often led to pick our poison - where we are deceived into choosing lesser ways of satisfying our flesh to avoid exposure. Resulting in people choosing to stay in the closet instead of stepping into Gods marvelous light.

I struggle with porn, masturbation, and lust. I wrestle with them every single day. However, I have a good eternal father, a faithful friend in Jesus and a patient teacher in the Holy Spirit. This leads me into sharing what we should do with our sinfulness.

Do not pick your poison but be amazed by grace

Be amazed by the grace of God. His grace is sufficient for us as the Spirits power is perfected in our weaknesses. Our sinfulness should encourage us to seek him more and depend on our own strength less.

It is by seeking him that we understand Gods mind towards sin which propels us to resist sin a little more. As stated before, resisting sin is hard and exhausting, but the Holy Spirit is our promised comforter who gives us comfort when we are weary.

He is not only our comforter, but he is able to prevent us from stumbling. We have stumbled a lot, and we will definitely stumble some more. However, though we stumble, we are not under the control of anything, because of the power of the Spirit in our lives.

Our cumulative obedience to the Spirit produces much fruit. The work of God in our lives will take an entire lifetime, yet he promised to complete it. Our patience must be as integral as our intense desire to be like him.

Confession is good for our hearts, minds, and our walk

Our growing devotion to God is essential in our wrestle against sin but this must be complemented with confession. No sin cant be confessed, for there is no condemnation for us who are in Christ. Confessing our sin to other believers invites them to wrestle with us.

Don't fear confessing your sins to another. Another doesnt mean everyone or anyone but at least someone. Confession has been an integral part in my wrestle with porn, masturbation, and lust. Though confession is hard and sometimes risky, it helps, and has allowed me to make strides in my walk that I am not sure I would have made if I kept things to myself.

Confession and cumulative obedience to the Holy Spirit doesnt guarantee sinlessness in this life but produces much fruit which gives God glory.
Now that school is back in session, the whole Virginia Tech community is finally getting a taste of what college is really like in Blacksburg. The small nuances and traditions that come with living and working on such a large campus are shared throughout, and there is always something going 
Report Summary:

The report titled Portable Ground Monitor Market offers a primary overview of the Portable Ground Monitor industry covering different product definitions, classifications, and participants in the industry chain structure. The quantitative and qualitative analysis is provided for the global Portable Ground Monitor market considering competitive landscape, development trends, and key critical success factors (CSFs) prevailing in the Portable Ground Monitor industry.

Historical Forecast Period

2013  2017  Historical Year for Portable Ground Monitor Market

2018  Base Year for Portable Ground Monitor Market

2019-2027  Forecast Period for Portable Ground Monitor Market

Key Developments in the Portable Ground Monitor Market

Request for Report Sample: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/11891

To describe Portable Ground Monitor Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by countries, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;

To analyze the manufacturers of Portable Ground Monitor, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2018;

To display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers in Global, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2018;

To show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type and application, from 2013 to 2019;

To analyze the key countries by manufacturers, Type and Application, covering North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle-East and South America, with sales, revenue and market share by manufacturers, types and applications;

Portable Ground Monitor market forecast, by countries, type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2018 to 2026;

To analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.

To analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);

Todescribe Portable Ground Monitor sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.

To describe Portable Ground Monitor Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source

Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers

 InnoVfoam

 Task Force Tips

 LEADER SAS

 UTC

 Tyco

 Angus Fire

Place a Direct Purchase Order @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/checkout/11891/Single

 Elkhart Brass

 Delta Fire

 Rosenbauer International AG

 Fomtec

 Fierre s.r.l.

 Akron Brass Company

 POK

 Guardian Fire Equipment, Inc.

 Protek Manufacturing Corp

 Sa Fire Protection

Market Segment by Countries, covering

 North America (United States, Canada, Mexico) Market Revenue and/or Volume

Europe (Germany, UK, France, Russia, Italy) Market Revenue and/or Volume

Asia Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia) Market Revenue and/or Volume

Middle-East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa) Market Revenue and/or Volume

South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, etc.) Market Revenue and/or Volume

Market Segment by Type, covers

 Small Capcity

 Large Capacity

Market Segment by Applications, can be divided into

 Residential Building Fire

 Commercial Building Fire

 Industry Fire

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Medical Smart Textile Market: Information by Technology (Wearable Technology, Textile Sensors and others), by Application (Bio-Monitoring, Surgery, Therapy and Wellness and others), by End User (Hospitals and Clinics and others) and by Region (Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East & Africa) - Forecast till 2027

Market Highlights

The Global Medical Smart Textile Market is expected to register a CAGR of 7.51% during the forecast period with a market value of USD 2,105.32 Million till 2027.

Medical Smart Textile Market Key Players Analyzed for this report:

Intelligent Clothing Ltd. (UK), Google Inc. (US), Interactivewear (Germany), Gentherm (US), Schoeller Textiles AG (Switzerland), Textronics, Inc. (US), Vista Medical Ltd. (Canada), International Fashion Machines (US), and Sensoria Inc. (US).

Get Free Sample Medical Smart Textile Market Reportat: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1123

Market Overview:

According to the latest report published by Market Research Future (MRFR), the worldwide medical smart textile market is set to exhibit a CAGR of 9.5% over the forecast period of 2019-2027. The report utilizes available market data to offer a complete understanding of the medical smart textiles markets present scenario and the future state.

The medical smart textiles market has been segmented and presented in a detailed manner so that the readers can obtain a precise view of the market. The report also deals with the restraints and drivers likely to impact the market during the forecast period.

Improved scope for innovation in the healthcare sector along with the incorporation of smart devices into monitoring and tracking patients progress paves the way for higher demand of smart medical textile globally. Moreover, the burgeoning market for wearable devices can be expected to affect the global medical smart textile market positively.

Segmental Analysis

The worldwide medical smart textile market has been segmented based on application, end-user, and technology.

As per the application, the global medical smart textile market has been segmented into hygiene, surgery, therapy, drug release systems, wellness, and biomonitoring. Based on end use, the global medical smart textile market has been segmented into clinics, hospitals, and others. According to technology, the global medical smart textile market has been segmented into wearable and joining technology, textile sensors, and smart fabric technology.

Regional Analysis

Based on region, the global medical smart textile market has been segmented into Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East.

Presently, North America and South America collectively lead the global medical smart textiles market and can be expected to hold the lead over the forecast period. It can be attributed to the high level of technological competency in healthcare. In Americas, most of the market players are involved in constant technological developments in medical equipment for effortless monitoring, treatment, and diagnosis. Additionally, the increasing government aid aimed towards the wellbeing of the patient influences the medical smart textiles market positively.

Europe holds the second position in the global medical smart textile market. Like the Americas, the healthcare sector in Europe is actively focusing on innovation and technological advancements. The healthcare sector in Europe encourages productive research activities and innovation in the medical devices market that promises consistent progress of the medical smart textile market. Besides, the engagement of the market leaders in tactical collaborations and partnerships with the chemical industry plays is partly ushering in the development of novel medical smart textiles in Europe.

Asia-Pacific is viewed as a promising market for the global medical smart textile sector. This is owing to the growing incidence of diseases, wide-ranging need for innovative medical equipment, increasing application of know-how in the initial stages of diagnosis of conditions, and the increasing amount of healthcare centers. Additionally, the rising prevalence of aged population in the region contributes to further market development. India, Japan, and China are the key players in APAC. Asia-Pacific is expected to represent the fastest growing market for medical smart textiles goods during the forecast period.

The Middle East & Africa (MEA) region represents a relatively slimmer share of the global medical smart textile market, owing to the poor economic conditions and the stringent government policies.

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Market Synopsis:

Two-piece hard capsules ensure effective and efficient personalization and precision to patients. It is likely to gain traction in the foreseeable future owing to the developments in the healthcare services. As per the analysis offered by Market Research Future (MRFR), the global two-piece empty hard capsule market is set to register a CAGR of 7.32% during the projection period 2018 to 2023.

These capsules have gained popularity due to its key advantage of accurate dose management. In addition, it is also popularamongpatients who find it difficult to take tablets. Thus, the pharmaceuticals companies are shifting towards it which is projected to support the growth of the two-piece empty hard capsule market over the next couple of years.

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Healthcare sector is observing an upswing which has intensified the demand for medical facilities across the world. It is anticipated to have a positive impact on the growth pattern of the two-piece empty hard capsule market in the years to come. In addition, the changes in food pattern in conjunction with the adoption of a sedentary lifestyle has been prognosticated to boost the market growth across the assessment period.

Capsule suppliers are focusing on increasing its production capacity which is poised to favor the proliferation of the two-piece empty hard capsule market in the foreseeable future. On the contrary, the stringent regulations pose a challenge to market expansion pace in the forthcoming years.

Competitive Dashboard:

Suheung Co., Ltd. (South Korea), Capsugel (U.S.), ACG Worldwide (India), Hunan ER-KANG Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (China), CapsCanada Corporation (Canada), Shanxi Guangsheng Medicinal Capsule Co., Ltd. (China), andQualicaps, Inc. (U.S.).

Market Segmentation:

The report covers a segmental analysis of the Two-Piece Empty Hard Capsule Market Report based on raw material and end-user. By raw material, the global market has been segmented into gelatin, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), starch, and pullulan.The gelatin segment has gained the maximum popularity owing to its low cost coupled with protein content. At present, it accounts for the largest market share of 45.5% and is presumed to hold its position through the forecast period. In addition, the hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) is projected to gain popularity in the forthcoming years and exhibit a relatively higher CAGR over the assessment period.

The two-piece empty hard capsule market, by end-user, has been segmented into pharmaceuticals, health & nutrition and others.Among these, the pharmaceuticals segment is currently leading the growth of the market and accounts for 48.90% share of the market. It is forecasted to maintain its position in the upcoming years.

Regional Analysis:

The geographical assessment of the global two-piece empty hard capsule market covers Americas, Asia, Europe, and the RestoftheWorld (RoW). The market is dominated by North America owing to the availability of advanced healthcare facilities in conjunction with the presence of major pharmaceutical companies. Also, the region is technologically advanced which is anticipated to reflect on the growth trajectory of the two-piece empty hard capsule market in the region.

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Europe houses a considerable proportion of pharmaceuticals and nutraceutical companies which is projected to favor the growth of the regional two-piece empty hard capsule market. Increasing healthcare expenditure in the region is also forecasted to lead the expansion of the market.

Asia Pacific is prognosticated to scale the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The consolidation of fast-developing nations in the region is poised to aid the growth of the two-piece empty hard capsule market.

Industry News:

In February 2019, researchers at M.I.T., Harvard have collaborated with a multinational pharmaceutical company, Novo Nordisk A/S (Denmark),announced the launch of Soma,a tiny robotic capsule that injects when it lands in the stomach.
So far we predicted an influx of applicants in July because we thought people would anticipate and plan ahead, but weve not seen that happen, he said. We dont expect much to change after tomorrow, he said Friday.
Fleischer said cases of eye strain; neck, shoulder and lower back pain; even ear fatigue from too-frequent use of ear buds were the highest shes seen in more than 20 years. The aches and pains did not end up in worker comp claims, she said. She believes employees who prefer working from home balked at reporting injuries to avoid being forced to return to offices.
Behind his mahogany desk tucked into the corner of his office at the districts central office, Crispino picks up his phone to call a parent he connected with once in the spring to help her figure out child care for her son before and after school. During the call, the mom hes speaking with shares that shes getting ready to head back into the office after being able to work from home this last year and immediately needs to figure out what she can do for her child before the school year begins.
The consultants believed it too expensive and too far from some of the cities it would serve, so it was dropped. In the end, the study offered three options for improved east-west service. The first would use the existing CSX tracks; the other two call for building new stretches of track alongside the existing track. The estimated costs range from $2.41 billion to $4.63 billion, which includes the option of extending the service west to Pittsfield.
Patrick McSweeney, an attorney for the plaintiffs in one of the lawsuits, said Tuesday he had notified the high court that he will ask for a rehearing, but such requests are rarely granted. From 2016 through 2020, the court granted rehearings in just two of the 86 requests it received, said L. Steven Emmert, an appellate attorney who publishes a website focusing on appellate rulings in Virginia.
Christian L. Hill of Newport News was taken into custody Saturday and held at the Hampton City Jail, according to a police release. Hill was charged with murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and shooting into an occupied dwelling.
This program takes one more challenge away from families, Tillett said. There are so many challenges during this time for all of us making sure were safe. Families are often having childcare issues if someone has to be quarantined. There are also work challenges. Some people are still not fully back to work, which creates a financial strain on families.
Traders gave the most talented Navajo women a type of bright-colored wool yarn imported from Germantown, Pennsylvania, and encouraged them to make flags that would be easy to sell. Yet as flags also were a symbol of U.S. authority, artists sometimes tweaked their designs  by changing the rectangular shape of a flag, for example, or substituting flowers for stars.
I request people not to protest for the reopening of temples and other places. If you want to protest, protest against the coronavirus, says Thackeray.  AFP

Mumbai: Amid the BJPs growing clamour for the reopening of temples in Maharashtra, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has hit out at the Opposition party, asking it to refrain from indulging in politics and making such calls. He said that the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in the state will be based on the availability of oxygen, and it was up to the people to prevent or invite a third wave of the pandemic.

Don't play with the lives of people. I request people not to protest for the reopening of temples and other places. If you want to protest, protest against the coronavirus, Mr Thackeray said on Sunday.

Some people are in a hurry to reopen some establishments. I request them to wait for some more time because the state government doesnt want to open them and then close again if the Covid situation occurs, he added.

The CM made these remarks at an interaction with doctors from across the state, in a virtual meeting attended by members of the states task force on Covid-19 as well.

He said the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in the state will be based on the availability of oxygen and it was up to the people to prevent or invite a third wave of the pandemic. Now the government has relaxed several curbs. There is an upcoming Ganeshotsav. I want people not to be complacent, avoid crowding in order to avoid the spread of the virus and its infection. I also urge political parties to avoid crowding, he said.

According to him, the state government has strengthened the health infrastructure and it was in the midst of increasing the oxygen capacity to 3,000 MT from the present level of 1,200 to 1,400 MT to meet the demand in the wake of the third wave.

But that will take time. We may not get enough oxygen from other states if the number of cases there increase, he said. The CM said even though the second wave of Covid-19 was under control, there was a slight increase in the number of daily cases in the last few days.

The Maharashtra government has cited a letter by the Union government behind its decision to close religious places. The Union health ministry had asked it to restrict religious activities and public celebrations during the festive season amid fears of a potential third wave of Covid-19 infections.
The Chief Minister said that teachers who encourage children to ask questions are genuine teachers. (ANI)

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday announced that 5,000 teachers will be appointed in the state in the current year.

On the occasion of Teacher's Day, Bommai was addressing the Best Teachers Awards programme at Banquet Hall in Vidhana Soudha.

Speaking at the event, the chief minister said, "5,000 teachers would be recruited this year. The 21st century is the century of knowledge. The county is swiftly moving forward from knowledge to science, from science to technology and from technology to software. It is inevitable that the teachers must adjust to the speed. One can become a good teacher only if he is a good student."

The Chief Minister said that teachers who encourage children to ask questions are genuine teachers.

"The new education policy is being implemented and teachers must come out with their opinions and doubts and discuss openly on the matter. The new education policy which is student-centric must be successfully implemented," Bommai stated.

"Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was a rare leader and a rationalist. His ideal life is always an inspiration for us," he added.

The chief minister further inaugurated the 'Namma Shaale, nanna Koduge' software which is formulated to transfer the contribution made towards the development of schools.

State Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh said that National Education Policy comprising intelligence, compassion, skill and training complements the building of an independent country.

Nagesh congratulated the teachers who worked hard during the pandemic and who successfully conducted the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) exams, and remembered the teachers who lost their lives to COVID.
Telling the Centre that it was testing the courts patience for showing no respect for its judgments, the top court gave the Centre time till September 13 to come back with its response. (PTI)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday expressed extreme disappointment over the Centre dragging its feet and not filling up the vacancies in various tribunals despite its August 16 order to face consequences if the appointments are not made within 10 days.

Heading a bench also comprising Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice L. Nageswara Rao, Chief Justice N.V. Ramana also took exception to the Centre bringing back in the Tribunal Reforms Act the same provisions that were struck down by the court in July this year on the appointment and tenure of judicial members of tribunals.

We don't want confrontation with the government and we are happy with the way Supreme Court judges were appointed. These tribunals are collapsing with no members or chairperson," CJI Ramana said. You are emasculating tribunals by not filling vacancies, said Justice Nageswara Rao.

Telling the Centre that it was testing the courts patience for showing no respect for its judgments, the top court gave the Centre time till September 13 to come back with its response.

In an unequivocal message to the Centre, the court said, It is clear that you don't want to respect the judgments of this court. Now we have the option to stay the Tribunal Reforms Act or close down tribunals or we ourselves appoint the people or the next option is initiate contempt of courts act. These are three options.

Noting that the new Tribunal Reforms Act verbatim carries the provisions that were turned down by the top court, Justice Chandrachud said, The Tribunal Reforms Act is a replica of the provisions struck down. We cannot have Madras Bar Association 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 This will continue and the Act will be passed which will be a replica of the earlier one. Also you need to clear appointments which are already cleared and in the pipeline.

The top court had on July 14, 2021, by a majority judgment of 2:1 set aside the provisions of the Tribunals Reforms Ordinance notified on April 4, reducing the term of members of various tribunals from five to four years.

The majority judgment by Justice L Nageshwara Rao and Justice Ravindra Bhat had held that the change violates the express direction given in an earlier judgment fixing the members' term at five years, while Justice Hemant Gupta dissented with the minority judgment and had dismissed the petition by the Madras Bar Association which had challenged the provision affecting the terms and conditions of tribunals members.
Chennai: Black flag demonstrations would be held across Tamil Nadu on September 20 to condemn the BJP-led Centre, the ruling DMK and its allies said here on Sunday.

The move is part of the proposed nation-wide joint agitation of the Opposition parties between September 20 and 30 against the Centre for its "anti-people, and anti-democratic" stand over several issues including its "refusal" to withdraw the three farm laws, the parties said.

As per decisions taken last month in a meet of opposition parties chaired by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, black flag protest demonstrations would be held in Tamil Nadu, a joint-statement of the DMK, Congress, the Left parties, MDMK, IUML, VCK, MMK, KMDK and TVK said.

The protest demonstrations would be held in front of the residences of party workers and leaders, the statement said, adding "let us protest together, let us guard the secular, democratic Indian republic".
Bandi Sanjay attributed his success to his father being a teacher. He said he had learnt to always think about the country and Dharma because of his father and by regularly attending RSS meetings.  DC file photo

HYDERABAD: BJP state president and MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Sunday crossed the 100-kilometre mark of his Praja Sangrama Yatra near Velchal village in Vikarabad district. It is nine days since he, accompanied by party activists and senior leaders, has started his padayatra. Women welcomed the BJP chief with traditional Bonalu at Mamdanpally.

Reacting to completion of his 100-km mark, Bandi Sanjay said: I have been away from my family members since last one month due to padayatra and Parliament session. My family members understand the situation and cooperate. As BJP activists, we always believe in universal family and work for society, country and Dharma. Incidentally, his family members met him on Sunday

Continuing his scathing attack against TRS, the BJP chief said Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao realised he would face a shameful defeat in Huzurabad by-election. On the pretext of Covid-19, CM KCR favoured postponement of the Huzurabad by-poll, he remarked. He asserted that whenever held, BJP will win Huzurabad by-election with a thumping majority whatever the hurdles created by TRS.

On occasion of the birth anniversary of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the MP garlanded the portrait of the former President of India at the Mamdanpally camp. He also honoured many teachers on the occasion of Teachers Day. Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind, BJP national vice-president D.K. Aruna, former minister Chandrasekhar and former MP Rathod Ramesh were among those who participated in the padayatra.

Bandi Sanjay attributed his success to his father being a teacher. He said he had learnt to always think about the country and Dharma because of his father and by regularly attending RSS meetings.

There should be one school per kilometre in the state, in contrast to KCR regimes wine shop or bar per kilometre, he observed. He said teachers who have retired are not being replaced by recruiting new teachers. Teacher posts have been cut down further by closing existing schools, he remarked.

The BJP chief mocked the Chief Minister saying if Narendra Modi works for 18 hours, KCR sleeps for 18 hours. He maintained that his padayatra is aimed at overthrowing the corrupt TRS government. Criticising AIMIM, he said even Muslims have realised that the Majlis party is using them for its political benefits. There is no development in Old City and Metro Rail has also ignored it, he pointed out.
The DMK representative wanted the commission to increase the number of booths in view of the present situation to help prevent crowding.  Representational image/PTI

Chennai: Gearing up for the next round of rural local body elections in the nine newly carved districts, the Tamil Nadu Election Commission met representatives of various political parties to discuss the modalities.

The AIADMK representative had objected to the Election Commissions plan to extend the poll timing and make it 7 am to 7 pm in view of the Coronavirus threat, saying that extending the hours could be detrimental to the smooth conduct of the elections.

He had wanted the polling to be closed by 6 pm. All those who attended the meeting insisted on the installation of CCTV cameras at all polling booths and ensuring a three-tier security.

They had recalled past instances when the polls had been rocked by violence, leading to the courts ordering re-elections. The representatives demanded the early announcement of dates since the Election Commission had not yet done that.

The DMK representative wanted the commission to increase the number of booths in view of the present situation to help prevent crowding.

Election Commissioner V Palanikumar presided over the meeting, which was primarily called to seek the opinion of the political parties in holding fair and free elections.

In the coming round of elections, polls will be held for panchayats and district panchayats, for which people will have to vote for ward members and presidents, in the districts of Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur, Tirunelveli and Tenkasi.
KPCC president K Sudhakaran said use of 'sir' and 'madam' were remnants of the British colonial rule and were therefore, undemocratic. (DC Image)

Thiruvananthapuram: Taking cue from the Mathur village panchayat in Palakkad district, which banned use of colonial honorifics like 'sir' and 'madam' in its office premises, KPCC president K Sudhakaran on Sunday said the Congress would be implementing the same in all the panchayats being ruled by the party.

The announcement was made by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president and Member of Parliament K Sudhakaran in a press release.

Sudhakaran said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should take necessary steps to avoid the use of 'sir' and 'madam' in all government offices and the police in Kerala.

He said that the DCC presidents of the 14 districts have been instructed to lead the efforts to bring about this change in the state.

The move by the UDF-led Mathur Panchayat was a model for the whole country at a time when democracy and civil liberties were being neglected by the central and state governments and the police were questioning the dignity of the common man on a daily basis, he said in the release.

He said use of 'sir' and 'madam' were remnants of the British colonial rule and were therefore, undemocratic.


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The Afghanistan disaster  Trump or Biden?

By Mark Alexander



In the wake of our nation's disgraceful and disastrous retreat from Afghanistan (AFG), which I detailed in " The War Is NOT Over ," there is a lot of deliberate obfuscation about the difference in the Afghan exit plan negotiated by Donald Trump and that executed by Joe Biden . Of course, Biden's Beltway cadres and their Leftmedia parrots are leading that disinformation campaign.

The line goes something like, The longest war is over, the exit happened under Biden, but it was Trump's fault because he negotiated with the Taliban, thus he bears responsibility. But thanks to Biden, America's longest war is over and it would have ended badly regardless.

That is a colossal dumper full of pig manure.

Typical of the leftists' rhetoric is this from Juan Williams, Fox News's perfunctory peddler of Biden's party-line tripe: "I think this is a bold headline day for America that forever war is over. I think we accomplished the goals that we set when we went in there 20 years ago, that Afghanistan was not used as a terrorist launching site. The American people want this war over. And when you think about the 13 heroes whose bodies came home this weekend ... you know what, those people died in a good cause. They are the last people who will have died in this, you know, America's longest war..." (Killed by terrorists harbored by the Taliban.)

In fact, assuming the American citizens Biden abandoned behind enemy lines get out safe, this war is far from over for the Afghan allies we left behind, some 80,000 of whom were already approved "special immigration visa" holders, and who will now be targeted for extinction. And this war is far from over for those who will become targets of violence perpetrated the Taliban's terrorist surrogates worldwide in the coming years.

Williams then invoked the blame-spreading: "I think that when you look at this, and you're looking at four presidents, you look at President [George W.] Bush, who chose to go in there and didn't know how to get out. You look at President [Barack] Obama... He really didn't know how to get out. Trump negotiating with the Taliban. And now, President Biden underestimated the strength of the Afghan government. There are a lot of mistakes here."

Let's clear up who is responsible for the deadly exfil "mistakes."

In recent days, Biden has repeatedly attempted to blame-shift his AFG failure to Trump.

Asked who was responsible for the Kabul bombing and AFG cluster, Biden correctly said , "I bear responsibility for, fundamentally, all that's happened of late."

Predictably, he qualified that response: "But here's the deal: You know  I wish you'd one day say these things  you know as well as I do that the former president made a deal with the Taliban..."

That was a lie. Trump's exit plan was with the Afghan government but included terms that the Taliban had to meet.

Ironically, moments later, Biden attempted to defend his own coordination with and dependence on the Taliban by insisting the bombing was ISIS-Khorasan (ISK), not the Taliban. He lied about this distinction.

For the record, this is the same Sunni Islamist Taliban who, according to the Department of Defense (DoD), just released " thousands " of Sunni Islamist ISK terrorists from Bagram Air Base just 30 miles north of Kabul a week earlier, and the same Taliban whose leader proclaimed last week that Sunni Islamist Osama bin Laden had no connection to the 9/11 Islamist attack on our country.

And recall that the Taliban "head of security" in Kabul, Khalil Haqqani , is a U.S. government-designated terrorist and has a $5 million bounty on his head . What could go wrong?

Political analyst Rich Lowry describes Biden's remarks last week as "the arsonist bragging about how many fires he has put out," and notes , "Honor has always had an enormous influence on human affairs and the conduct of governments  until, evidently, the advent of President Joe Biden in the year 2021."

Biden and his cadre spent the last month speaking of the Taliban as if they were some trustworthy and legitimate government entity, rather than the amalgam of violent Sunni Islamist terrorists who invaded Afghanistan from Pakistan after the Soviet retreat  and have now rapidly reconstituted. There is virtually NO degree of ideological separation between the so-called "Taliban government" thugs and their surrogate terrorist groups, just doctrinal differences. And there is now no doubt that the more violent Sunni ISK Islamists (also from Pakistan) and Sunni al-Qa'ida Islamists have risen just as rapidly as surrogates under the Sunni Taliban protectorate. To insist that ISK and al-Qa'ida are not under the Taliban umbrella is a distinction without a difference.

Then, defending his decision to abandon Americans behind enemy lines, Biden again blamed Trump while taking credit for "the extraordinary success of this mission." "Extraordinary success"?

Biden insisted : "My predecessor, the former president, signed an agreement with the Taliban to remove U.S. troops by May 1, just months after I was inaugurated. ... The previous administration's agreement said that if we stuck to the May 1st deadline that they had signed on to leave by, the Taliban wouldn't attack any American forces. ... But if we stayed all bets were off, so we were left with a simple decision. Either follow-through on the commitment made by the last administration and leave Afghanistan or say we weren't leaving and commit another tens of thousands more troops going back to war. That was the choice  the real choice. I was not going to extend the war."

Then, after making sure to mention the retreat plan "was based on the unanimous recommendation of my civilian and military advisors  the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and all the service chiefs, and the commanders in the field," he then added, "I take responsibility for the decision."

To be clear, as I noted in " Biden's Afghan Blowup ," Trump's drawdown plan had two primary and finite conditions: First, that the Taliban had demonstrably cut their ties with al-Qa'ida, ISK, and other terror groups, and second, that they successfully negotiate and maintain peace with the AFG government.

With Trump gone, the Taliban summarily discarded those conditions and ousted the AFG government. And why wouldn't they? Obviously, they had no fear of Biden enforcing those terms. Former Director of National Intelligence Rick Grenell concurs: "The Taliban onslaught started coming once Joe Biden got into the White House. The Taliban knew they couldn't make the move when Trump was in office."

According to seasoned political analyst Brit Hume, "If you believe the Biden administration's claim it was bound by the Trump-Taliban deal and thus had to get out fast," you need to get your facts straight.

Referencing an investigative report published a week earlier, " Was Biden handcuffed by Trump's Taliban deal in Doha? " the authors concluded: "U.S. officials made clear at the time that the agreement was conditions-based and the failure of intra-Afghan peace talks to reach a negotiated settlement would have nullified the requirement to withdraw. One day before the Doha deal, a top aide to chief U.S. negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad said the agreement was not irreversible, and 'there is no obligation for the United States to withdraw troops if the Afghan parties are unable to reach agreement or if the Taliban show bad faith' during negotiations."

Hume noted: "The president is fond of saying, 'Well, we were bound by the Trump administration's deal with the Taliban.' In fact, when that deal was struck in February 2020 [our negotiators] made it very clear that this was conditions-based and if the Taliban did not [meet those conditions] we were under no obligation to remove our troops. One of the key provisions of that deal was that the Taliban and the Afghan government would negotiate a [peace agreement]. They never did that."

Hume concludes, "On that score alone, Biden was not obligated to pull our troops out."

In one particularly devastating summation, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) made clear who failed: "The President made the decision to trust the Taliban. The President made the decision to set an arbitrary August 31st deadline. The President made the decision to abandon Bagram Air Base. The President made the decision not to expand the perimeter around Karzai International Airport. The President made the decision to undermine our NATO allies. The President made the decision to break our word to our Afghan partners. The President made the decision to tell one lie after another as the crisis unfolded. The President made the morally indefensible decision to leave Americans behind. Dishonor was the President's choice. May history never forget this cowardice."

National Review's senior political analyst Jim Geraghty outlined the disastrous sequence of events from Biden's claim six weeks ago: "The likelihood there's going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely." That comment sure didn't age well.

Commentator Tammy Bruce observed: "Biden says Taliban was in its strongest position ever when he came into office. ... Then how is it that he insisted just a few weeks ago that the Taliban we're not going to take over the country?"

Barack Obama's former senior adviser, David Axelrod, concluded: "You cannot defend the execution here. This has been a disaster. ... It is heartbreaking, it is depressing, and it's a failure. And he needs to own that failure." (Recall that during last year's Demo primary, Obama said, "Don't underestimate Joe's ability to fk things up.")

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich observed: "We have not seen a president this incompetent. We haven't seen a president surrender to an enemy in the way that Joe Biden has. And he's allowed a seventh-century tribal group to defeat the most powerful country in the 21st century. It's an astonishing outcome."

Fact is, Trump was this nation's strongest domestic and foreign policy leader in decades.

Anyone  ANYONE  who believes that the resurgence of the Taliban and their ISK and al-Qa'ida thugs would have occurred under a second Trump term is so deeply deluded as to be in a state of complete denial.

When Trump left office, we had about 3,000 troops left in AFG. There had not been a military death in over a year until last week, when 13 Americans were murdered  the worst loss of American lives in a decade .

For context, the U.S. has about 750 military base sites in almost 80 countries. We have almost 54,000 personnel in Japan and 26,000 in South Korea. In Europe we have 35,000 Americans in Germany, 13,000 in Italy, and 9,000 in the UK. In the Middle East, we have 4,000 personnel in Bahrain, 1,800 in Turkey, 1,500 in Saudi Arabia, and 1,100 in Kuwait.

But only one country has sponsored a terrorist attack on U.S. soil , and that was AFG. Trump's conditions for removing most of our remaining military personnel from that nation was a good plan. Then Joe Biden happened.

Given the resurgence of the Taliban, there is now a very real renewed threat of terrorist assaults on American soil and Americans abroad. Recall that Biden's director of national intelligence warned him in April that the Taliban rise would result in an imminent and perilous threat to the continental U.S.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was clear about the looming national security threat . He noted, "This is one of the worst foreign policy decisions in American history, much worse than Saigon," because the withdrawal from Vietnam did not signal a significant threat to Americans. To that point, he added: "Just because we decided to stop fighting doesn't mean the terrorists go away. So they're still out there. They're invigorated. They're emboldened. They're excited about the success they see in bringing America to its knees in Afghanistan."

Former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton was very clear about that threat: "This was a known. By canceling the insurance policy of having American and NATO forces fighting the terrorist ... in Afghanistan, made it less likely we would have to fight them in the streets and skies over America. What has happened here is seen as a Taliban victory over the United States ... and has given terrorists all over the Middle East a huge psychological boost. ... There are many reports of foreign terrorist fighters already coming into Afghanistan ... and we are going back to the pre-9/11 environment."

So we leave the AFG theater after two decades with the Taliban thugs in a much more powerful position than when we arrived in 2001. In great measure, they are far more dangerous and deadly because of billions of dollars in U.S. military equipment Biden left behind .

Secretary of State Tony Blinken put a smiley face on it: "A new chapter of America's engagement with Afghanistan has begun. It's one in which we will lead with our diplomacy. The military mission is over. A new diplomatic mission has begun."

Laughably, Biden's State Department spokesman issued this directive: "The Taliban needs to meet its commitments and obligations in Afghanistan on freedom of travel, respecting basic rights of the people, upholding its commitments on counterterrorism, not carrying out reprisal violence against those who stayed, and forming an inclusive government."

Or what?

Biden's ineptitude, and that of his feckless administration, is epic, reckless, and deadly.

As I outlined previously:

The intermediate concern of Biden's failure is the consequences for tens of thousands of Afghan allies, civilians, and families whom Biden abandoned. As the Taliban firms up its organizational structure and returns to its extremist tyrannical control, the bloody purges will be underway. The extended concerns are that Biden has reseeded the al-Qa'ida and [ISIL](https://patriotpost.us/alexander/38936] turf, putting the U.S. homeland at risk of another terrorist attack. The consequences of Biden's now-obvious failure as commander-in-chief have immediate and dire implications for our national security that extend far beyond the borders of Afghanistan. Biden's AFG retreat will embolden far more powerful tyrants, notably our near-peer adversaries China and Russia , and of course Iran and North Korea are on the move.

Power does not tolerate a vacuum.

The catastrophic failure of our AFG mission and retreat was certainly not because of any deficit of courage and commitment from our warfighters, but abject dereliction of duty by Biden's senior military leaders .

But the buck stops with Biden. The catastrophe in AFG was not, first and foremost, the plan; it was the man. The Taliban, ISK, ISIL, and al-Qa'ida all feared Trump  none fear Biden. But even most of Biden's conservative media critics have yet to wake up to that reality as they keep focusing on his failed plan.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley just couldn't figure this out: "There was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days."

However, what Milley, SecDef Lloyd Austin, and the rest of Biden's Beltway high command failed to see was the red flag right in front of them the whole time: Joe Biden. And it is because the Taliban had no fear of Biden that this evil overran the Afghan government and its people in just days. Again, with Trump gone, the Taliban summarily discarded all the conditions he set for withdrawal and ousted the Afghan government.

Back in 2010, even Osama bin Laden declared that then-VP Biden should not be targeted , because if he became president, he would "lead the US into a crisis."

For Biden's boundless ineptitude, we will pay a price much higher than the disaster we left in Afghanistan.

Last week, before the Kabul bombing, our national security analyst, Gen. B.B. Bell (USA, Ret.), strongly condemned Biden's disgraceful exit from AFG, noting his "shameful presidential dereliction of duty" and declaring emphatically that not only should Biden's military leaders resign, but also: "He should be impeached and removed from office immediately, and criminal charges should be considered." That clarion call is even louder now.

Finally, amid all the exit fanfare from feckless Joe Biden and his inept senior military and diplomatic cadres, I was deeply moved by a single sentence that sums up what was conceived as an orderly troop drawdown under Donald Trump, but devolved into a disgraceful and deadly retreat by Biden.

"In what f***ing world was it a good idea to just hand over a country to these people?" Those words were from Operation Enduring Freedom combat veteran and former Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw (R-TX).

Crenshaw and many other AFG war veterans are deeply concerned about the fate of Afghan security force allies with whom they worked. The Taliban has been brutal in its slaughter of those allies , thousands of civilians . and journalists as they advanced to Kabul.

The purge has just begun.

Notably, a few days ago when Crenshaw and other congressional veterans attempted to name, on the congressional floor, their 13 military brothers and sisters, they were blocked by Democrats.

Combat veteran Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), who was severely wounded in AFG, protested: "We took a moment of silence with pretty much all Republican veterans, then asked to be recognized to read names [of those killed]. [Democrat leaders] did not acknowledge us, and just closed the House down." Combat veteran Greg Steube (R-FL) also protested: "House Democrats just refused to recognize Republican veterans on the House Floor to read the names of our fallen service members in Afghanistan. That's how far our nation has fallen."

Finally, let me emphasize that the objective of Biden's compressed Afghan exit schedule has been, for months, to time the exit in order to provide him a political "I got the troops out" victory lap ahead of the 20th observance of the 9/11 Islamist attack on our nation.

There will be NO victory lap.

There WILL be more Islamist attacks against the U.S. and our people and installations abroad.

The Taliban will celebrate 9/11 in our abandoned Kabul embassy.

Brace yourself, America.

Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post.
Woke companies must wake up on ESG By Paul Driessen

Growing numbers of companies, banks, universities and investment houses are adopting Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards and disclosure rules. Theyre pressured to do so by activists, legislators and regulators. Many expect to get rich via taxpayer-subsidized renewable energy projects. Nearly all hope to greenwash their reputations, by claiming theyll make the world a better place, by reducing fossil fuel emissions, and thus planetary temperatures and extreme weather events. They recently got a boost from the US House of Representatives. It voted 215-214 party-line to pass a bill supporting Securities and Exchange Commission plans to impose new ESG rules requiring publicly traded companies to disclose climate risks allegedly caused by oil, gas and coal production and use. Some think the SEC might now give greater scrutiny to ESG climate claims and misconduct, but that seems unlikely. Regardless, woke organizations need to wake up to climate, renewable energy and ESG realities. The ever-more-hysterical climate and weather claims have been roundly debunked by Dr. Roy Spencer , Gregory Wrightstone , Marc Morano , Steven Koonin and others . But whats truly outrageous about ESG is the way it studiously ignores the massive, widespread damage inflicted by pseudo-renewable energy. Wind and sunlight certainly are clean, renewable and sustainable. But harnessing their highly dispersed, unpredictable, weather-dependent energy to meet humanitys huge and growing energy needs absolutely is not. That requires lands and raw materials that are anythingbutrenewable  using fuels and processes that are absolutely not clean, green, ecological or sustainable. Because they fail to recognize this, ESG programs are dishonest, even fraudulent  and must be reformed, investigated or scrapped. Wind, solar and battery land and raw material requirements are astronomical. Onshore wind turbines require nine times more metals and minerals per megawatt than a modern combined-cycle gas power plant. One onshore 3-MW turbine foundation needs 600 cubic yards (1,500 tons) of concrete, plus rebar. Offshore wind requires 14 times more materials per MW. Just the 2,100 850-foot-tall offshore turbines (30,000 megawatts) that President Biden wants to install by 2030 would require 110,000 tons of copper , plus millions of tons of steel, aluminum, fiberglass, cobalt, rare earth metals and other materials. At an average of 0.44% copper in ore deposits worldwide, the copper alone would require mining and processing 25 million tons of ore, after removing 40 million tons of overburden to reach the ore bodies! Add in materials for solar panels, more onshore and offshore wind turbines, backup battery systems, electric vehicles, transmission lines, and all-electric home heating and cooking systems  to run the entire USA, Europe and world  and the green energy transformation would require hundreds of billions of tons of metals, minerals and plastics, trillions of tons of ores, trillions of tons of overburden, and thousands of mines, processing plants and factories. Nearly all these operations employ fossil fuels. Americas laws and attitudes make mining in the United States nearly impossible, even to support ESG-certified green energy facilities. That means most mining and processing will be done in Africa, Asia and Latin America, increasingly by Chinese companies. The manufacturing is done increasingly in China, which is why that country is building more coal-fired power plants every month. Pseudo-clean-energy activities utilize hazardous chemicals and release toxic pollutants. They require vast volumes of water, often in the worlds most water-deprived regions. They cause acid mine drainage, create mountains of waste rock, and often result in vast lakes of toxic chemicals from refining the ores. Most are conducted under almost nonexistent pollution control, mined-land reclamation, endangered species, workplace safety, child and slave labor, and fair wage rules. Cobalt mining already involves 40,000 African children , as young as four! Many Chinese solar panels are made with Uighur forced labor . ESG green aspirations would multiply this slavery many times over. These travesties occur overseas  out of sight and out of mind  letting ESG activists and profiteers make incessant false claims that fossil fuel replacement energy is clean and virtuous. But when wind, solar and battery facilities are installed, adverse consequences will reverberate across the United States. Hundreds of millions of acres of scenic, wildlife habitat and coastal areas would be impacted; millions of birds, bats, tortoises and other wildlife displaced, maimed and killed. And when their short productive lives are finished, billions of turbine blades, solar panels and batteries will be sent to gigantic landfills, because they cannot be recycled; their toxic metals and chemicals could leach out into soils, streams and groundwater. The same will happen in Europe, Canada, Australia and elsewhere. Even on windy days, Mr. Bidens 2,100 monstrous offshore turbines wont meet New York State peak summertime electricity needs. Meeting just US coastal city needs would require tens of thousands of turbines. Dredge-and-fill operations associated with installing them would smother mollusks and other benthic species. Vibration noises would harm whale and porpoise navigation and communication. Their mere presence would create major safety issues for aircraft and fishing, naval and commercial vessels. A single industrial solar facility near Fredericksburg, Virginia required clearcutting thousands of acres of forest habitat. Dominion Energy is planning solar facilities on Virginia acreage totaling one-fourth of Delaware. Solar installations proposed for the American Southwest would blanket millions of acres of desert habitats. Wind and solar operations would threaten or eradicate dozens of bird and other species that environmentalists have utilized for decades to stop drilling, fracking and pipeline projects. Connecting far-flung wind, solar and battery installations to industrial centers and urban areas would require thousands of miles of new transmission lines  and still more steel, copper and concrete. Battery fires have already destroyed electric vehicles and homes. Imagine huge warehouses filled with thousands of battery modules erupting into enormous, uncontrollable conflagrations. Biodiesel projects have already destroyed important orangutan habitats , and thousands of acres of US hardwood forest habitats have been turned into wood pellets for Britains Drax Power Plant . Threatened, endangered, migratory and marine species must be protected  wherever mining, processing and manufacturing take place, and wherever renewable energy installations are contemplated. Human health impacts from infrasound and light flicker must guide decisions on how close to homes and businesses wind turbines may be installed. Reformed ESG rules  call them Environment and Human Rights (EHR) principles  must require that all these issues are addressed for every wind, solar, battery, transmission and biofuel proposal. People must know in advance how many turbines, panels, batteries and power lines are contemplated; how many tons of metals, minerals, concrete and plastics they will require; where those materials will come from; under what environmental, pollution, safety, wage and child labor standards. Companies and government agencies must certify that supply chains are free from child or slave labor. Project-specific, comprehensive and cumulative US and global environmental studies must be conducted before any projects are approved, and must include regular, independent reviews of bird, bat, reptile, whale, porpoise and other wildlife displacements, injuries and deaths. Project studies must fully assess all environmental, human health, human rights and other impacts worldwide, and must not be fast-tracked. These reality-based EHR principles will help ensure that any green future is founded on ethical standards that address all human and ecological consequences, and actually do make the world a better place. They can also help guide SEC investigations and prosecutions for ESG misconduct and fraud  and help spur much-needed mining in the United States, to reduce our reliance on China, Russia, Taliban Afghanistan and other adversarial countries for critical and strategic minerals. Paul Driessen is senior policy analyst for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (www.CFACT.org) and author of books and articles on energy, environment, health and human rights issues. Home
Fifty-five years of Star Trek  a cultural vector and Hollywood cash-cow (Part One) By Mark Wegierski

Note: This article was not prepared, approved, licensed, or endorsed by any entity involved in creating or producing the Star Trek television series or films. Star Trek, conceived by Gene Roddenberry, officially premiered on NBC on September 8, 1966, with the very psychologically appealing core of half-human/half-Vulcan science officer Spock (reason), Dr. McCoy (emotion), and Captain Kirk (the reconciler of the two). The earlier-produced pilot-episode, "The Cage" -- with Captain Pike and a female first officer ("Number One") -- had been considered as "too cerebral." ST has grown into a worldwide media super-phenomenon, despite the cancellation of the original series (TOS or "classic Trek" or "Trek Classic" to current-day enthusiasts) after only three years. In 1973-1974, there was the animated series (TAS). A year's worth of episodes were written for a proposed revival in 1978 (Star Trek II), but none were ever produced, although certain script elements from these were incorporated into later efforts. Star Trek was decisively revived with a succession of big-screen movies, beginning in 1979, and three new television series, ST: The Next Generation (TNG) (September 1987-May 1994); ST: Deep Space 9 (DS9) (January 1993-May 1999); and ST: Voyager (January 1995-May 2001). In September 2001, a new Star Trek series, Enterprise, had premiered, which came to a conclusion in May 2005. Born in the period of the Sixties' revolutions, Star Trek has evolved along with the liberal Zeitgeist. While TOS may look "old-fashioned" by today's standards, it was initially seen as very "cutting edge" and "dangerously modern." Reading about some of the problems Roddenberry encountered in getting his show underway, one is struck by what today would seem the almost unbelievable conservatism of senior television people, a group rarely thought of as conservative. Nevertheless, Roddenberry persevered in putting forth his then-radical ideas, nearly all of which (ironically) seem completely tame and uncontroversial when considered from the current-day context. For example, the first interracial kiss on network television occurred in Star Trek. (And it was actually portrayed as occurring under an alien's "mind-control compulsion." It may indeed be difficult to believe how stubbornly conservative and prudish American society appeared to be, little more than fifty years ago.) Spock's rather "devilish" appearance was also extremely controversial. The choice of the name Spock was interesting in itself. Whether deliberately so chosen, or as a curious synchronicity, it recalls the Dr. Benjamin Spock whose liberal child-rearing ideas were an important though infrequently discussed contributing factor to the whole concatenation of 1960s revolutions. One may indeed speak of both Dr. Spock's and the Star Trek Spock's "children" or "generation." (It may be somewhat amusing that on at least one occasion in TOS, Spock was addressed as "Doctor Spock" -- as he is said to have a degree in astrophysics.) The extent to which we may see TOS as "socially conservative" today shows the precipitous evolution of the spirit of the current age. One of the most obvious differences between TOS and later series was fewer aliens in the former, especially among Federation crewmembers, as well as the more pronounced national identifications of the human crew (e.g., Scotty, Chekhov, Sulu, Uhura). Some conservatives have termed the more recent Star Trek series "a freakshow." The feeling is that the parade of aliens undermines the sense of a natural human image. TNG introduced a whole new set of characters, which could easily be expressed in liberal stereotypes. Jean-Luc Picard was a far more intellectual Captain, a sort of enlightened CEO. His First Officer, Riker, was a sort of JFK clone. Deanna Troi was the psychological counsellor. Dr. Beverly Crusher was the hard-as-nails female physician. Tasha Yar was the feminist warrior. Geordi La Forge, Black and visually-impaired, was one minority figure. Data, the android, was the machine in search of humanity. The other minority was Worf, a Klingon. Although, as somewhat of a token "conservative" or "traditionalist" he often protested the liberal actions of the other crewmembers, he always seemed to go along in the end. Somewhat later in TNG's evolution, Whoopi Goldberg came on as Gainan, the all-knowing, infinitely wise Black woman. Over the decades, the Klingons had evolved, in a process very typical of Star Trek, from a villainous, imperial race (with few redeeming qualities), to something more akin to ancient warrior-societies (with a pronounced sense of honor), although, as part of the metamorphosis, they were actually initially made far more physically ugly (in the first Star Trek movie). In what is perhaps an attestation to the ultimate triviality of a show sometimes taken so seriously, one of the reasons cited for the uglification of the Klingons was a surplus in the movie's make-up budget! Another anecdote pointing to ultimate triviality was that, at one point, the Klingon ceremonial weapon was apparently copied from an earlier trading card image. (It had made a brief appearance it an earlier Trek production.) Another attestation to ultimate triviality is that many of the Klingon uniforms were based on recycled outfits from The Planet of the Apes movies (i.e., the uniforms of the evil gorilla soldiers, of which huge numbers had apparently been produced). This probably turned the portrayal of the Klingons in a more savage and barbaric direction, than otherwise might have been the case. It was a curious process by which the Klingons were physically uglified and then somewhat redeemed, as a great warrior-race. To not physically uglify them in the first place was something that would have gone against the grain of the typical American mindset. To be continued. Mark Wegierski is a Toronto-based science fiction and Star Trek aficionado. Home
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
A US Republican charged that Biden lied big time when he claimed no Americans were able to make it on the last evacuation. One complaint is that that he has not allegedly demonstrated remorse or admitted what was happening in the final days before August 31, despite getting vilified by both US parties and US allies.

What was designed to tout a historical photo op for the 9/11 anniversary has turned to utter disaster for Afghanis, Allies, citizens of left at the mercy of the Jihadis, even turned into human shields.

But some Americans would not allow it to happen, instead of getting support for their attempt they were thwarted by the US government.

The Potus lied and there is proof

According to U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin, 44, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, who backed up two trips that were called illegal by the US state department. He shot back that there is a conspiracy to prevent the further rescue of American citizens, and Joe Biden spun the narrative that American's have chosen to stay put in Kabul, reported the Daily Mail.

He added that American's have access to the airport, but get no assistance when there. Furthermore, he backed up his claims with recordings of Americans allowed to be harassed by the Taliban perimeter in the final flights from Kabul airport.

This is a sad day for our country. Americans have been stranded in Afghanistan by the Biden Administration and are now left to defend themselves from terrorists overrunning the country.  Markwayne Mullin (@RepMullin) August 30, 2021

Appeared on Fox network the Special Report with Bret Baier, exposing the the truth with recordings from Afghanistan. This US Republican charged that Biden lied big time to everyone.

Read also: Joe Biden Forsakes Afghan Interpreter Who Rescued Him in Blackhawk's Forced Landing Due to Snowstorm in 2008

Proof of the Biden administration's failure

Highlighting one with a woman and four children who were legal passport holders denied access by the Taliban, they took almost a day to try to get out.

She attempted to cajole a guard about five times to gain entry, but the guard put a gun to the defenseless woman's head, with kids looking. Rejected she left and never tried to go back, lest she might get shot.

Reports have pointed a finger at Biden's claims that Americans are allowed the Jihadis to passed unmolested, like the woman who was stopped physically. Americans are not allowed to get through.

This Mullin alleged it is another of Biden's spin that twists the truth, that Americans can get out without getting molested by the terrorist mullahs. The Potus has no interest in setting things right at the cost of legit US passports holders.

US Republicans charged that Biden lied big time and allowed the bureaucratic wall to stop his mission which the Potus failed at. The current administration wants to s

Responsible for many deaths to come

Mullin mentioned the woman and her toddle are probably dead, caught in the explosion at Abbey Gate, they've lost contact. Biden could have killed them as well; their blood is on them.

Placed the blame on the US State Department for blocking their humanitarian rescue that could have saved many, with many US citizens left at the hands of the Taliban.

There is a list of 50 who are holed up and trapped, with 50 more on the run from Kabul and hidden in secret houses, who are trying to get out but abandoned by the president. Mullin a US Republican charged that Biden lied big time to save his skin.

According to the Washington Post, Mullin's rescue mission was rejected by US Ambassador in Tajikistan who might have been directed by the State Department. State Secretary Antony Blinken mentioned less than 200 citizens are stranded, allegedly but trying to get them out.

Related article: US Drone Strike Mistakenly Kills Family, Children in Kabul Instead of a Vehicle Carrying ISIS-K Members

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President Joe Biden believes the US economy is strong enough to resist evictions and the fall in unemployment benefits. Officials argue that other safety net programs, such as the Child Tax Credit and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which Biden permanently increased earlier this summer, are sufficient to smooth things out. A White House spokesperson said on Friday that there are no plans to reconsider the expiration of unemployment benefits.

Marty Walsh, the country's labor secretary, said the country's workforce was ready for the change. According to Walsh and others, job figures are looking up, with the unemployment rate down to a respectable 5.2 percent as of Friday. However, Andrew Stettler, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, a left-leaning think group, believes that the termination of enhanced unemployment benefits is still too soon.

Stettler believes the government should have connected the expiration of the protections to particular economic recovery indicators rather than setting an arbitrary timetable. He proposes a three-month period with countrywide unemployment below 5% as a fair baseline for terminating unemployment benefits, ABC30 reported.

Demands to extend unemployment benefits rise as job growth slows

As the COVID-19 Delta variant continues to rise and job growth slows, President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats are under pressure to prolong federal pandemic-related unemployment benefits, which are scheduled to expire this weekend for millions of American workers.

Three federal unemployment assistance programs, which were initially implemented by former President Donald Trump's administration last March, will expire on Monday, with an estimated 7.5 million unemployed people losing all of their benefits. According to projections from the Century Foundation, an additional 3 million people will no longer receive a $300 weekly increase to their state-provided unemployment benefits.

Per Newsweek via MSN, individuals who are set to lose benefits have shared their stories on social media in an apparent attempt to persuade lawmakers to support an extension, while supporters of an extension have chastised Biden and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin-a moderate Democrat who has indicated he will vote against an extension in a Democrat-only budget bill-for the aid's abrupt termination.

The Biden administration and Congress believed that an aggressive vaccination rollout would help the economy rebound by September when they renewed the unemployment programs in March. However, the unexpected spread of the extremely infectious Delta variant, which currently accounts for 94 percent of all coronavirus infections in the United States, has hampered that strategy.

Read Also: Donald Trump To Announce 2024 Run for President Any Day From Now, Says GOP Rep. Jim Jordan

Congress stands firm on refusing to extend unemployment benefits

On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released statistics showing only 235,000 jobs were created in August, down from 1.1 million in July and much below economists' expectations of 733,000 jobs.

As part of the $2.2 trillion Cares Act, Congress enacted temporarily increased unemployment insurance in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the Americans Rescue Plan stimulus package, Congress extended these unemployment benefits in March 2021 until tomorrow.

Congress, on the other hand, has decided not to extend these unemployment benefits any further. Unemployment benefits are ending at the same time that another COVID-19 pandemic assistance is running out. The US Supreme Court, for example, overturned the federal eviction ban enforced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), citing a lack of congressional authorization.

The termination of the eviction moratorium and unemployment benefits might affect other federal spending, such as student debt forgiveness on a large scale. These unemployment insurance programs were always meant to be transitory, and they were linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to a comeback of COVID-19, Congress will likely allow new unemployment benefits in the future. There are no imminent plans, however, to prolong the assistance beyond tomorrow. However, Congress granted $350 billion to the states under the American Rescue Plan to offer financial assistance to those who are unemployed, as per Forbes.

Related Article: Joe Biden Blasts China for Withholding Critical Information on COVID-19 Origins After Beijing Warns Counterattack

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The Taliban occupation's terror worsens when Jihadis executes a pregnant ex-Afghan police officer in a house-to-house search. A promise not to execute Afghans does not surprise the terror organization has embarked on a vengeance campaign, leaving many in terrible danger.

Violence and death follow the Jihadis in their wake with brutality and terror after they have taken over on August 31, all over the country with a few pockets of resistance. Their dislike of dissidence of their brutal rule includes the murder of women or anyone who opposed them.

Jihadi murder spree

One of their victims is Banu Negar, who was killed a night earlier in Ghor, Afghanistan, in a horrific violent way reported by the Sun UK.

According to reports, the cruel murder that included shooting her dead, the ruthlessly Taliban's even defiling the dead woman's face. BBC got hold of the news revealed the Jihadis have only become bolder, as the current US administration ignores what the terrorists have been doing since August 31.

Negar, an ex-police officer, is on the hit list of the terror group when killed and was six months pregnant, survived by an infant son. Relatives showed pictures of her corpse on a bloody carpet on social media, and worse is the face busted up by terrorists in the shocking image.

Read Also: Taliban Betrays Promise Not to Murder Civilians As Photos Reveal Traitors Disposing Dead Bodies of Victims in Mass Graves

Extra brutality by vile Jihadis

It seems that bloodied screwdrivers were on the carpet where the corpse lay, which might have been used to mutilate the face further not satisfied in the cold-blooded execution. More shocking images have been circulating with the green walls of her home all covered with blood and the body covered in a sheet that will be bereft of Muslim burial rites if the victim is a follower of Islam. As predicted by western media, the Jihadis are looking for ex-Afghan security members or Afghanis who support the west.

She was an Afghan. She was an Afghan Police Officer in Ghor. Taliban fears women. Taliban fears educated independent women. She was killed brutally along with her unborn child. This is their blood. This is her corpse. Shameful that the world remains silent. pic.twitter.com/alQNhavOGj  Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) September 5, 2021

According to Etilaatroz, she was part of the provincial prison before the Taliban took over Kabul after August 31. Negar's death happened from 8 pm to 10 pm last Saturday, said two locals confirming the brutal slaying.

Taliban has glossed over the murder

Despite the story blowing into western media, the secretary of the Taliban's spokesperson, Bilal Karimi, has not said anything but confirmed the information. Taliban are still claiming that the terror groups statement all those who served the former administration is pardoned. But, that's been contradicted by the death squad roaming about looking for their enemies.

After being abandoned by the Biden administration, many interpreters and government servants hide or risk life and limb to get out or maybe end up dead. The Taliban did the same thing before their defeat in 2001. After 20 years, they surged back because Joe Biden agreed to their deadline, left Bagra airbase, and even got a list from the US with people on it. The ex-female police officer is one in the subsequent bloody execution on the Jihadis list.

Women will be brutalized and murdered under oppressive Taliban rule. Made into sex slaves and forced to carry children of these brutal militants, the Jihadis viciously execute a pregnant Ex-Afghan police officer is another of their atrocities.

Related Article: Cruel Taliban Burns a Woman Alive Due to Bad Cooking as Extreme Violence Spreads in Afghanistan

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Four people were shot dead by an ex-Marine gunman, who was previously stationed in Afghanistan and Iran, and later got into an encounter with sheriff's deputies shortly before he was arrested.

Authorities said that the suspect also shot an 11-year-old girl before surrendering himself after he was shot once in two separate gunfights. The two encounters resulted in dozens, or even hundreds of shots being fired inside residential neighborhoods in Polk County, Fla.

Fatal Shooting

Officials revealed that three of the four victims were identified as a 40-year-old man, a 33-year-old woman, and a three-month-old boy who was being cradled by the female. They were all found inside a home while the fourth victim, the 62-year-old grandmother of the child, was discovered at a separate home on the same property.

Investigators were not able to immediately determine the motive for the crime which occurred at about 4:30 a.m. Authorities identified the suspect as 33-year-old Bryan J. Riley, who was from Brandon, Fla. Officers arrested the gunman after a score of heavily-armed law enforcement personnel surrounded him, the New York Times reported.

During a news conference, County Sheriff Grady Judd said the suspect showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder and was equipped with body armor and camouflage during the fatal shooting. Riley had no known connection between any of the victims and the sheriff said the gunman wore "executive protection as a bodyguard and to provide security."

Read Also: Progressives Push Joe Biden to Revive Unemployment Benefits as 8.9 Million People Is Set to Lose Federal Assistance

Authorities said that the 11-year-old girl was shot multiple times and was transported to Tampa General Hospital via airlift for surgery. The victims are expected to recover while another child who was previously reported missing was found alive and well, said Judd.

Deputies interviewed the suspect after he was arrested and described himself as a "survivalist" who admitted to taking methamphetamine. Riley's girlfriend later revealed that he was suffering from PTSD and has been acting weird for the past week. The gunman allegedly said that he spoke directly to God, CNN reported.

History in the Marine Corps.

The gunman spent four years in the Corps before he was honorably discharged and spent another three years as a reserve. He previously worked at ESS Global Corp, serving as a bodyguard. While Riley's girlfriend said he was diagnosed with PTSD and occasionally depressed, he was never violent towards her.

A week ago, she said that he worked security at a church in Orlando before coming home and saying he was able to talk to God. On Saturday evening, the gunman was seen in North Lakeland and saw a man mowing a lawn, Judd said. The suspect allegedly spoke to the man and told him he needed to speak with his daughter, Amber. The gunman said God gave him a warning that she would soon commit suicide.

But the man told Riley that there was no one with the name Amber at the residence. The Sheriff's Office later received a report of the incident and sent a deputy to the neighborhood at about 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. They later heard gunshots about two miles away and discovered the man and the encounter ensued, Yahoo News reported.

Related Article: Donald Trump To Announce 2024 Run for President Any Day From Now, Says GOP Rep. Jim Jordan

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It may seem difficult right now for Congress to issue a fourth stimulus check, but that does not rule out the possibility. States have been doing all possible to guarantee that federal stimulus payments are dispersed.

President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan gave states a total of more than $200 billion to help them recover from the pandemic. Before the end of the year, states must complete distributing all of their funds. As a result, governors have already begun delivering stimulus checks to parts of their states that they believe need them the most.

Because the deadline for distributing the stimulus check money has been set for December 31, some states have already established processes that will allow them to distribute the money where it is most needed.

Which states distribute new stimulus checks?

Residents of Alaska will be eligible for additional funds through the Federal-State Extended Benefits Program, which will cover about 13 to 20 weeks of payments. Nonetheless, it will only apply to a few residents, and it will be contingent on how much money has already been claimed. California is now the first state to have issued its stimulus check using budget funds in the form of GSS, as per Digital Market News.

According to the rules, everyone earning between $30,000 and $75,000 per year is eligible for a $500 or $600 stimulus payment, with an additional $500 for families with dependent children. Residents in Colorado, on the other hand, will get $375, which will be distributed to those who have already received one unemployment payout in the previous year.

Several administrators and instructors in Florida have been given a $1,000 stimulus check, but things are still in the works. The idea in Georgia was very straightforward: administrators and full-time instructors would each get $1,000.

Per Yahoo Finance, those who received at least one unemployment benefit between March 15, 2020, and October 24, 2020, will get $375 from Colorado. Higher-income employees who get basic unemployment benefits of more than $500 per week are not eligible.

Maryland recently enacted legislation repealing all state and local taxes on unemployment benefits, as well as providing immediate stimulus payments of $500 to families and $300 to individuals who applied for the Earned Income Tax Credit.

New Mexico's state stimulus program has set aside $5 million for those who did not qualify for federal stimulus payments. The state of New York established a $2.1 billion fund for unauthorized workers who were ineligible to receive federal stimulus funds. You must be a resident of the state and have earned less than $26,208 in 2020 to be eligible.

Read Also: Two New $1,400 Stimulus Checks Are On Their Way; Are You Eligible for Both Payments?

States' cash bonuses

Many states have opted to utilize part of the federal money as teacher retention bonuses, as most schools are scheduled to start in-person this year. The incentives are also a way of saying "thank you" for the exceptionally difficult school year that most teachers endured.

Georgia has one of the most generous schemes as the governor approved $1,000 stimulus checks for all full-time teachers and administrators and $500 stimulus payments for part-time instructors. There is also a strategy in the works to provide for pre-K educators.

Although a retention incentive, similar to those offered in Georgia and Florida, has yet to be announced, Michigan did provide $500 hazard pay bonuses to teachers earlier this year. Tennessee's state legislature approved a law in June that eliminated a planned 2% increase for full-time teachers and replaced it with a $1,000 hazard pay bonus. Part-time instructors are eligible for a $500 payment. By the end of the year, all eligible persons will have received their payments.

Although the state of Texas has not approved a statewide retention bonus, several districts are assisting teachers. All district employees in Fort Worth and Arlington will see a 4% salary raise. Teachers in Denton and Mansfield will get a 2% increase. Employees in Denton will receive a $500 incentive while workers in Irving will receive a $2,000 payout when they return to the classroom in September.

Why another federal stimulus payment unlikely to happen?

A few states are using their own stimulus money or surpluses to support specific citizens, such as low-income families or teachers, with direct aid reaching over 25 million people beginning this month.

Simultaneously, many households have already depleted their third stimulus payments, which the IRS began issuing in March. Another factor that may have an impact on people's income is the termination of pandemic unemployment benefits on September 6, which will remove 7.5 million jobless individuals from the register.

According to Census survey data from late July to early August, around one in every four households in the United States struggled to pay their household costs in the previous week. Per CBS News, while some members of Congress have suggested a fourth stimulus check, it is unlikely at this time because the White House is focused on its infrastructure investments.

The Biden administration has also stated that unemployment benefits would not be extended beyond September 6; however, officials have stated that states may be able to utilize stimulus payments to prolong their programs.

Related Article: Child Tax Credit: Immigrants To Receive $300 Monthly Stimulus Checks For The First Time; Here's a Tool to Help Families to Sign Up

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A massive oil spill was being investigated off the coast of Louisiana on Sunday to determine the origin of the incident in the Bay Marchand area of the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The Houston-based Talos Energy, an oil and gas company that also operates in the Gulf, hired Clean Gulf Associates to respond to the oil spill in the polluted area in Bay Marchand, Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. John Edwards said.

Massive Oil Spill Off Louisiana Coast

The company was the one that hired the dive team that is investigating the origin of the oil spill, Edwards said. The official noted that Clean Gulf Associates was running skimmers, devices that removed oil from water, in the area to mitigate the environmental devastations they could cause.

There are multiple teams working to investigate the source and extent of the oil spill's pollution, the Coast Guard said. They will work on a recovery and source control plan after the divers discover the origin of the leak, Edwards said, NPR reported.

As the investigation of the oil spill is still ongoing, officials have not yet determined the source of the incident. While Talos hired Clean Gulf Associates to find the origin of the leak, it does not claim that the company is responsible for the oil spill. The Coast Guard also said it had no information of where the spill could have come from.

Read Also: 11 More People Die in Basement Apartments in Aftermath of Hurricane Ida's Devastating Downpour; Official Urges For More Effective Early Warning Systems

Recent satellite photos taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) showed the extent of the oil spill which was located about 3 km off Port Fourchon, Louisiana. The images showed that the source of the leak was somewhere underwater at an offshore drilling site although officials have not yet made any announcements.

Talos Energy released a statement where they said they would, "continue to work closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and other state and federal agencies to identify the source of the release and coordinate with a successful response," BBC reported.

Source of the Incident

Officials discovered two more four-inch pipelines in the area that was open and seemingly abandoned. It was not revealed whether or not the two pipelines were found to be the source of the oil spill.

Talos said that, in the last 48 hours, the rate that the oil was appearing on the surface of the water has significantly slowed down. The incident has so far kept the affected area in the waters and has not reached Louisiana's shoreline. Officials have not yet released an estimation of how much oil was in the water.

The Environmental Protection Agency deployed a specially outfitted survey aircraft to fly over the affected area on Thursday and other industrial areas. In a statement, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality said a state assessment team was sent to the Alliance Refinery and later found a spill of heavy oil.

Authorities said a levee was breached and allowed floodwaters to flow in during the recent storm in the area. State environmental officials said they have not yet determined the amount of oil spill that spread from the Phillips 66 refinery, the Associated Press reported.

Related Article: Study Discovers Mammals Evolve Faster Than Birds When Isolated in Elevated Regions

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Several Arkansas prisoners claimed they were administered Ivermectin to treat COVID-19 without their awareness. The state medical board is now investigating the prison physician who prescribed Ivermectin Antibiotics, steroids, and vitamins that were provided to them to treat COVID-19, according to many detainees at the Washington County jail.

When news surfaced last month that Dr. Rob Karas was giving the anti-parasitic to inmates, they discovered it was Ivermectin. The jail nurses began asking the prisoners if they agreed to take the medications when they were provided at that time. Several didn't, according to Edrick Floreal-Wooten, an inmate at the jail.

Karas, who is being investigated by the Arkansas state medical board, claims that the prisoners voluntarily accepted the medications, which the detainees deny. Multiple hospitalizations have been recorded by the FDA for persons who have self-medicated with Ivermectin, as per Business Insider.

Jail physician under investigation

Karas could not be reached for comment, although he did give KNWA a written statement last month. He cited "in vitro and controlled research, as well as a substantial quantity of anecdotal data" as proof that Ivermectin is a COVID-19 treatment.

After the usage of the drug was exposed during a hearing of the Washington County quorum court, the county's governing body, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas claimed it had received similar complaints from prisoners. The ACLU has asked Sheriff Tim Helder to reply by Thursday to questions about whether he has told or will tell Dr. Rob Karas and his team to stop using Ivermectin for COVID-19.

According to the ACLU, several inmates are considering filing a lawsuit to prevent the medication from being administered. The fact that detainees were not notified they were being administered the medication was deemed unconscionable by the group. Several detainees said they were told the medication was vitamins or steroids, which has called on the facility to cease administering it.

After viewing a news article about Ivermectin being prescribed to convicts, Floreal-Wooten claimed he refused to take the medicine last week. When questioned if he would have taken the medicine if he had known it was Ivermectin from the start, he said, "Never, ever. I'm not livestock. I'm a human," Daily Mail reported.

The detainees' remarks contradict the sheriff's and the jail's physician's claims that the medication was used voluntarily. The state Medical Board has launched an investigation into the drug's usage in the jail.

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US demands of Ivermectin to treat COVID-19 increase

Prescriptions for Ivermectin have increased across the US this summer, prompting health authorities in Arkansas and other states to advise against using it to treat COVID-19, citing an increase in poison control center complaints about humans taking the animal form of the drug.

Last Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning to doctors about the trend. According to the CDC, there is insufficient evidence that Ivermectin is useful in preventing or treating COVID-19; and the government has not approved its use against the virus.

The abuse of the anti-parasitic medicine Ivermectin for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 is on the rise although it has yet to be proved to be an effective treatment. Despite the lack of any legitimate scientific research supporting its usage, celebrities such as Joe Rogan have taken to social media to promote the drug, which is dangerously promoting the continued quackery.

To put the absurdity of it all into perspective, the CDC revealed that Ivermectin prescriptions had increased to 88,000 per week. Prior to the pandemic, the weekly average was about 3,600. Furthermore, the American Association of Poison Control Centers has reported a five-fold increase in the number of complaints about its usage, with the majority of calls coming from those who use veterinary formulations.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning to the public to cease misusing anti-parasitic medications as a result of these findings. The CDC issued a notice to health care professionals and the general public last week regarding reports of severe disease associated with the use of Ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19. The American Medical Association (AMA) has released a statement strongly condemning "the ordering, prescription, or dispensing of Ivermectin outside of a clinical study to prevent or cure COVID-19," as per WSWS.

Related Article: Moderna Recalls COVID-19 Vaccine in Japan Over Contamination Concern After Stainless Steel Particles Found in Vials

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Guinean President Alpha Conde was reportedly arrested by the country's military after an apparent coup unfolded where army officials suspended the region's Constitution.

In a video recording, Guinean army officer Mamady Doumbouya said, "We will no longer entrust politics to a man. We will entrust it to the people. We come only for that; it is the duty of a soldier, to save the country."

Sudden Coup in Guinea

President Conde's adviser revealed that the nation's leader was arrested and that a coup was initiated in the West African country. Authorities said that the location of the 83-year-old lawmaker remained unclear. Conde was known to have won last year's elections which were heavily disputed.

Doumbouya wore a special forces uniform during the video recording as he announced Conde's arrest and the Constitution's suspension. The troop member said that the government and all other institutions were also temporarily stopped. He later announced the shut down of land and air borders in the country in the video that has been spreading throughout the region, CNN reported.

However, the country's defense ministry said that despite the video announcement, the region's presidential guard thwarted the attempted takeover. The statements were made a few hours after heavy gunfire was heard near the presidential palace in Conakry, the country's capital.

Amid the chaotic coup, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres and the African Union have criticized the military and demanded the release of President Conde. The region is rich in natural resources but has been ravaged by years of unrest and mismanagement, which has made it one of the poorest countries in the world.

Read Also: Donald Trump To Announce 2024 Run for President Any Day From Now, Says GOP Rep. Jim Jordan

During Doumbouya's video statement, nine unnamed soldiers could be seen, some wearing red, gold, and green national flags. They said that the coup was initiated because of the government's alleged corruption, mismanagement, and poverty, BBC reported.

Suspension of the Constitution

The armed personnel called themselves the National Committee for Reconciliation and Development. The soldiers said they would make consultations to create a new Constitution after the suspension of the previous one. They said that the new ruling would be more inclusive than its predecessor.

Doumbouya, who was a former French legionnaire, was reportedly the leader of the coup conducted by an elite unit. In an unverified video, President Conde appeared to have been asked to confirm he was unfarmed by the soldiers, but the lawmaker refused to respond.

The coup involved a score of soldiers flooding the streets of Conakry, blocking major roads. Residents were dumbfounded before Doumbouya made his video announcement of the country's takeover. He said the reasons for the incident were a violation of human rights and the disrespect of democratic principles.

The 83-year-old president was first seated as the nation's leader 11 years ago in the first democratic election in the region since its independence from France in 1958. At the time, Conde committed to bringing the country and its nearly 13 million population away from the culture of corruption that has been ravaging the nation for decades. However, the president received widespread criticism last fall after seeking a third term, which some have argued was a breach of the Constitution, the Washington Post reported.



Related Article: Former Georgia DA Indicted For Allegedly Violating Her Oath, 'Showing Favor' to Suspect in Ahmaud Arbery Murder Case

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A top Republican claims the Taliban is preventing the takeoff of at least six planes authorized to rescue hundreds of evacuees from Afghanistan. The airfield in question is more than 260 miles from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, where military planes evacuated hundreds of Americans and allies during the Taliban takeover.

The would-be passengers were Afghans, many of whom did not have passports or visas and so were unable to leave the country, according to an Afghan official at the airport in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif. He stated that they had exited the airport while the matter was being resolved.

However, the leading Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee said that the group included Americans who were seated on the planes, but that the Taliban were preventing them from taking off, essentially holding them "hostage." He didn't disclose where he got the information. It was not feasible to reconcile the accounts right away, as per ABC News.

Many evacuees were left in Afghanistan after the August 31 deadline

A terrifying airlift highlighted the last days of America's 20-year war in Afghanistan at Kabul's airport to remove tens of thousands of people - Americans and allies - who were concerned about the future, given the Taliban's history of persecution, particularly of women. Many people were left behind as the final military withdrew on August 30.

The United States agreed to continue working with the Taliban's new authorities to help anyone who wished to flee, and the insurgents committed to letting anybody with the appropriate legal documents depart. Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas told "Fox News Sunday" that six planes were being used to transport American citizens and Afghan translators.

Following the withdrawal of all US soldiers from Afghanistan, the government acknowledged that it had left behind at least 100 American citizens who are now unable to flee the country.

According to the Afghan official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic, their intended passengers were staying in hotels while officials sorted out whether they would be permitted to exit the country.

He said the issue was that many people did not have the proper travel documents. Residents in Mazar-e-Sharif also reported that the passengers had left the airport, Daily Mail reported.

At least ten families were spotted waiting for a decision on their destinies at a local hotel, according to witnesses. They didn't have passports or visas but claimed to have worked for firms with ties to the US or German militaries. Others have been spotted at restaurants.

Read Also: China, Russia Ditch US Dollars in Expanded Trade Settlements in Favor of National Currencies

Taliban vows to let Afghans with proper documents leave Afghanistan

Just weeks after Taliban militants retook the nation in a rapid attack, pictures of that chaotic evacuation - including individuals clinging to an airplane as it took off - came to characterize the closing days of America's longest conflict.

Since their takeover, the Taliban have tried to distinguish themselves from their previous incarnation, which controlled the country and enforced oppressive restrictions across society in the 1990s. Work and education were denied to women and girls, men were compelled to grow beards, and television and music were outlawed.

The world is now waiting to see the new government's face, and many Afghans are dubious. Government personnel, including women, have been urged to return to work in the weeks after they gained control, but some women have been forced home by lower-ranking Taliban. Universities and institutions have been forced to reopen, but students and teachers have stayed away due to fear.

Per Times Leader, women have peacefully protested, with some even speaking with Taliban officials about their rights. However, Taliban special forces firing from the air have scattered some of them.

Afghans with passports and visas would be able to travel once the country's airports are operational, according to the Taliban's statements. More than a hundred nations signed a declaration indicating they would keep an eye on the new leadership to see whether they kept their word.

Technical experts from Qatar and Turkey have come in recent days to help open the civilian airport. Ariana Airlines, the state-owned airline, began domestic flights on Saturday and continued on Sunday. Because the airport lacks radar, aircraft are limited to daytime hours to enable visual landings, according to the official Shershah Store.

Related Article: Taliban Celebrates US Troops Withdrawal in Afghanistan; Parade Shows Plundered Military Equipment

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Following unprecedented claims that he volunteered to assist gain a knighthood for a Saudi tycoon, Prince Charles faced growing pressure to break relations with his closest aide.

Michael Fawcett, Charles' former valet, was forced to resign as the charity's CEO at the weekend after a series of allegations concerning his behavior while leading the Prince's Foundation. Fawcett, 58, was said to have volunteered to assist Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, a significant Saudi donor to Prince Charles' charity, in obtaining both an honor and British citizenship.

In a letter on paper, Fawcett stated that he was willing to help the tycoon upgrade his honorary CBE to a knighthood. Dr. bin Mahfouz has been one of the prince's most generous donors, donating more than 1.5 million ($2.08 million) to assist fund renovations of Prince Charles' homes.

Prince Charles reportedly unaware of the misconduct

Fawcett's letter and communications from fixers regarding the possibility of an accolade are said to have been unknown to the prince. Indeed, according to Daily Mail, he was initially "so shocked" by the allegations that he couldn't believe them..

The disclosures on Sunday marked the third time the future king has been confronted with controversy concerning Fawcett, who has been forced to leave from royal duty twice previously.

Leaked emails suggest Mahfouz, 51, was "promised" an honor after he donated 1.5million to Prince Charles and is interested in rehabilitation initiatives. In 2016, the prince presented him with a CBE in a private event that was not included on the royal agenda. After accusations regarding his behavior, Fawcett declined to answer questions when walking near his London home earlier today.

In the Middle East, Mahfouz's family built a fortune in hotels, property, and manufacturing businesses. Per MIRROR, it's been claimed that there were conversations in 2011 regarding the possibility of receiving an honor.

Read Also: Palace Is Furious as Queen Elizabeth's Secret Death Plans Leaked; Officials Launch Haunt for Culprit

Charity investigation added to Queen Elizabeth's debacle

Later, he met with the prince and Fawcett at Clarence House for discussions. Prince Charles assisted with the purchase of Dumfries House in 2007, and Mey is one of his Scottish vacation homes. Mahfouz is one of the prince's most generous donors, and the woodland at the Queen Mother's Highland hideaway was christened "Mahfouz Wood" in 2015.

He contributed 370,000 ($512, 524) to the charitable trust that maintains the Castle of Mey at the time, according to reports. The royals are facing a fresh claimed crisis following sex allegations against Prince Andrew, which he denies, and Prince Harry's claims about racist remarks, which have left the Palace reeling.

According to sources, Prince Charles has been informed about the investigation against Fawcett, who joined the Queen's staff as a footman in 1981.

Her Majesty should be looking forward to her Platinum Jubilee next year, knowing that her monarchy is stable and ready to transition. However, with her son, Prince Andrew, already being sought by federal authorities in the United States, and Prince Charles is now embroiled in a police investigation into a charity cash-for-honors scandal.

The debacle is just another terrible blow to Queen Elizabeth at a time when she no longer has Prince Philip as her support. Added the uncertainty of how much longer she can tolerate Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's frequent potshots from the US. The screenwriters for The Crown are the only ones who appear to come out on top in this never-ending saga, as per The Sun.

Related Article: Prince Charles' Charity Launches Investigation Into "Cash For Access" Allegations

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Dozens of protesters ravaged the streets of Thailand as the COVID-19 pandemic raises the country's death toll past 12,000.

Thousands of people have been holding anti-government protests daily in Thailand to protest the government's failing response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Once known as a virus-containing wonder, Thailand has now reported 12,855 COVID-related deaths.

Dozens of Protests

The protests, which have grown more desperate, have prompted Thai security forces to utilize more aggressive methods. In August, police had used force to break up at least 10 demonstrations. In one protest, a 15-year-old boy was rushed to the hospital and admitted to intensive care after he was shot.

In Bangkok, Thailand's capital, riot police have also begun using rubber bullets and tear gas to dismantle protests. This led civil society groups, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Manushya Foundation, to urge Thai authorities to show restraint when handling demonstrations.

"We are troubled by the disproportionate response of riot police to provocations by protesters. We are also concerned by the arbitrary detention of protest leaders who have recently faced new criminal charges and have been denied bail and detained," a joint letter addressed to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha read.

"Thailand needs to do more to protect protesters from violence and ensure that the public can safely exercise the right to peaceful assembly during the COVID-19 pandemic."

The protests come after Thai authorities on Monday morning local time announced 13,998 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 187 additional deaths in the past 24 hours. Overall, Thailand has recorded 1,280,534 cases, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.

Read Also: Progressives Push Joe Biden to Revive Unemployment Benefits as 8.9 Million People Is Set to Lose Federal Assistance

Cause of Surge in COVID-19 Cases

The rise in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are fueled, in part, by the Thai government's slow rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. The government has appointed Siam BioScience, a company whose dominant shareholder is Thailand's king, to produce the AstraZeneca vaccine domestically.

However, the company does not have any experience making vaccines. The drug maker has also reported hitting a setback in its vaccine production, according to US News.

The Thai government has also struggled to secure imported supplies of vaccines. As of Monday, only 15% of the population have been fully vaccinated against the virus, many of whom are young and rich, according to The New York Times.

Despite the country's COVID-19 crisis, Prime Minister Chan-o-cha continues to sit in his position after surviving his third no-confidence vote on Saturday, which critics the administration's poor handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The final tally showed than 208 lawmakers cast a vote of no-confidence, as opposed to the 264 lower house members who voted to retain the prime minister. There were three abstentions.

A previous no-confidence vote found 269 politicians believing he should stay in position, while 196 legislators said he should be removed. At the time, 11 lawmakers abstained.

No-confidence votes were also held for Saksayam Chidchob, the agricultural and cooperatives minister; Transport Minister Chalermchai Sri-on; Labor Minister Suchart Chomclin; and Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, the digital economy and society minister. They all survived the voting process, according to Nikkei Asia.



Related Article: Arkansas Prisoners Claim Doctor Gives Unproven COVID-19 Treatment Ivermectin to Run Secret Experiments

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At least three people were reportedly killed while three others were wounded after a shooting in Northwest Washington on Saturday, garnering criticism from city leaders who have failed to curb the District's surging homicide count.

During an interview at the scene of the crime on Longfellow Street, Police Chief Robert J. Contee III said that they have been talking about gun violence for some time. The official said the situation was not only happening in Washington, D.C., which he considered as an overall sickness that is observed in the community. The police chief said that gun violence was a plague to the region and has been making residents suffer.

Weekend Shooting

Authorities identified the three fatalities as 31-year-old Donnetta Dyson, 24-year-old Keenan Braxton, and 37-year-old Johnny Joyner. Dyson was found to be a patient services assistant working at MedStar Washington Hospital Center's operating room. The hospital revealed their relationship with the victim in a statement.

Hospital officials said, "Donnetta worked tirelessly serving our patients and the community. We send our heartfelt condolences to Donnetta's family and friends." Dyson's family was unable to be reached on Sunday.

Officials reported that the District has observed an increase of 15% to its homicide rate compared to the same timeframe last year. The number of homicides in 2020 was the highest recorded in the last 16 years, the Washington Post reported.

Read Also: At Least 4 Dead Including 11-Year-Old Girl After Afghan Veteran Opens Fire Inside Two Homes

Police continued to search for the suspects of the shooting on Saturday evening, who were believed to have driven down a road and got out of their vehicle before shooting. The criminals allegedly opened fire at a group gathered on the street. They then got into their car and quickly fled the scene of the crime.

In a Twitter post, D.C. police shared the photo of a vehicle, a black Honda Accord, that officials believed was related to the fatal shooting. Police put up a $75,000 reward for anyone who could provide useful information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects.

Law enforcement personnel did not immediately reveal a motive for the crime and initially withheld the identities of the victims prior to notifying their relatives, Fox News reported.

Surge of Gun Violence Crimes

At the time of the shooting, police officers who were in the area heard gunshots, prompting them to immediately investigate the source of the sounds. They discovered six people were shot at the intersection of Seventh and Longfellow streets.

Contee said that the wounded victims were immediately taken to hospitals while the other three were pronounced dead at the scene. The three patients were expected to recover from non-life-threatening injuries.

The police chief said, "We believe the suspects in this vehicle exited, fired shots into a crowd of individuals that were in the 600 block of Longfellow Street," while referring to the black Honda Accord.

Contee noted that police were still investigating why the suspects shot at the group of residents. He also revealed that a firearm was discovered at the scene of the crime. So far, 597 people have been the victims of shooting crimes this year, ABC News reported.



Related Article: New York Man Pleads Not Guilty in Killing 2-Year-Old Boy by Burning Genitals with Blowtorch, Suffocating, and Beating Him

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More than 127,000 new supporters have signed a petition calling for a monthly $2,000 stimulus check in the last month as the Delta coronavirus variant is pushing cases, deaths, and hospitalizations through the roof.

Stephanie Bonin, a Denver restaurant owner, launched the Change.org petition last year, urging lawmakers from the U.S. House and Senate to pass a recurring payment bill. The legislation that is being requested is to support families with a recurring payment that is worth $2,000 for adults and $1,000 for children.

Stimulus Check Petition

The petition asks for immediate distribution of the funds as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the United States. The petition has acquired more than 2,854,500 signatures as of Saturday, getting about 127,700 new supporters in the last month. It is set to become the website's most signed petition if it hits its three million signature goal.

In an interview in July, Bonin said, "The most common reason [people sign] is that uncertain feeling. We're still in uncertain times." While dozens of politicians have been calling for new stimulus checks since last May, many others have expressed their views that another relief package was not the optimal choice, Newsweek reported.

On July 30, Democratic Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar introduced a bill that would structure a federal universal basic income system. The legislation, if passed, would mark the beginning of a five-year income pilot program that would pay workers at least $1,200 monthly to adults who have less than $75,000 annual salary. Dependents would also receive half the amount that adults take.

Read Also: Progressives Push Joe Biden to Revive Unemployment Benefits as 8.9 Million People Is Set to Lose Federal Assistance

Currently, only four lawmakers have signed the legislation, Cori Bush, Dwight Evans, Jamaal Bowman, and Pramila Jayapal. In a letter sent on March 30, Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden led 21 Democratic senators calling for United States President Joe Biden to support a recurring stimulus check. They argued that the $1,400 relief payments were not enough to support low-income families amid the pandemic.

White House officials have not openly supported passing another relief package to the budget legislation, arguing that American households are receiving enough aid, including the child tax credit payments, Yahoo News reported.

Relief Payment Packages

The situation comes as 150 economists, including the former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, Jason Furman, who worked under the Obama administration, call for more recurring relief payments.

In a desperate attempt, some states are providing their own stimulus checks and relief payment packages to help residents struggling financially. In California, the Golden State Stimulus sends relief payments to residents that have reached 600,000 individuals on Aug. 27.

Some Californians may receive their payments later than others due to the current rate of distribution by the California Franchise Tax Board. A spokesperson for the agency said that recipients would see their money deposited into their bank accounts a few days after the time that they were sent. While no specific date was announced, the next round of relief payments is expected to reach about two million people in the middle of the month, the San Francisco Gate reported.

Related Article: These States Confirm New Stimulus Checks, Cash Bonuses; Is Yours on The List?

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Snowden Slams Apple CSAM: Warns iPad, iPhone, Mac Users Worldwide

Snowden slams Apple CSAM: Warning to iPad, iPhone and Mac users around the world

Apple iPhone, iPad and Mac users are facing multiple threats right now, but Apple new CSAM detection system is generating more controversy than all the others combined. Then there was another twist.

In a shocking new post, Edward Snowden delves into Apple CSAM(Child sexual abuse material) detection system, which will arrive next month on some 1.65bn active iPhones, iPads and Macs. "Apple new system, no matter what anyone says, will permanently redefine what belongs to you and what belongs to them," he said. He also shows what you can do -- for now.

CSAM detection works by matching a user image with illegal material. Snowden explained: "Under the new design, your photos do not even get to Apple iCloud servers before your phone does these searches on Apple behalf... If enough prohibited content is found, law enforcement will be notified." "Apple plans to eliminate the boundaries between which devices work for you and which devices work for them."

"Once this system goes live, it does not matter whether Apple enables end-to-end encryption or not because our iPhones report the contents before they use the key (his point is)," Snowden said. And while he cited "compelling evidence" from researchers that Apple CSAM detection system was seriously flawed, he drew attention to a larger issue:

"Apple has the right to decide if their phones will monitor users for violations, the government, but the government has the right to decide what constitutes a violation... And how to deal with it."

In addition, Snowden noted that the entire system could easily be bypassed, thus undermining the stated purpose behind its creation:

"If you are an enterprising pedophile basement Csam-tainted iPhone, Apple welcomes you to completely exempt yourself from these scans by tossing the disable iCloud Photos switch, bypassing this shows that the system was never designed to protect children, as they would have you believe, but to protect your own brand. Apple does not care as long as you keep that material out of their servers and keep Apple out of the headlines."

Snowden also noted that for those already thinking ahead, the obvious next step is for governments to force Apple to remove the "no photos upload to iCloud" option.

"If Apple shows an ability and willingness to continuously and remotely search every phone for evidence of a particular type of crime, these are questions they will not be able to answer." The answer, however, will come - and it will come from the worst MPS in the worst governments. This is not a slippery slope. It is a cliff." Oriwhiz provides comprehensive solutions for cellphones, digital devices, Computer Repair Shops with Powerful and Handy Cellcheck Repair Packaging, Repair Tools, and Repair Machines. For technical consulting or the lastest price of note 9 screen replacement, send an email to: info@oriwhiz.com

Snowden criticized Apple CSAM: Will issuing a warning to iPad, iPhone and Mac users worldwide affect the note 9 screen replacement market?

Researchers have pointed out all the ways apple could be exploited if it does not comply with the government is requirements, as well as the ways Apple could be driven out of the market. There are precedents for this. In May, Apple was accused of compromising on censorship and surveillance in China after agreeing to transfer the personal data of its Chinese customers to the servers of a Chinese state-owned company. Apple also said it provided customer data to the U.S. government nearly 4,000 times last year.

"I cannot think of another company that would be so proud and so public to install spyware on their devices... There are no fundamental technological limits on how far you can push the precedent apple has set, meaning the only limit is Apple overly flexible corporate policies, which governments are well aware of."

Interestingly, Snowden did not mention another key threat: if Apple were hacked. Creating a backdoor into such a far-reaching detection system means Apple may not know how its devices are being scanned and manipulated.

"Apple is creating a world where every product you buy should have the highest loyalty to someone other than its owner. Frankly, it is not an innovation, it is a tragedy, a disaster in the making."

So far, Apple has defended its CSAM detection system, citing poor communication. But last week, researchers who have been working on a similar system for two years concluded that "the technology is dangerous," saying that "we are puzzled to see that Apple has few answers to the difficult questions we have surfaced."

CSAM will be released next month on iOS 15, iPadOS 15, watchOS 8 and macOS Monterey. I have reached out to Apple for a comment and will update this post if I hear back.

In the meantime, I urge all Apple fans to read Snowden full post and make up their own minds.

Factors that affect the cost of note 9 screen replacement

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the consumer electronics repair and note 9 screen replacement 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 note 9 screen replacement repair and maintenance market. Branded and non-branded low-cost note 9 screen replacement 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 note 9 screen replacement problems is always more cost-effective than buying new products, thus strengthening customer trust. For technical consulting or the latest price of note 9 screen replacement, send an email to: info@oriwhiz.com

Factors affecting the price of note 9 screen replacement

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 note 9 screen replacement mobile phone accessories market, including note 9 screen replacement, is expected to reach 550 billion yuan in sales by 2022, according to a forecast by China Central Television note 9 screen replacement 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 note 9 screen replacement population and handle 45 percent of the world note 9 screen replacement 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 note 9 screen replacement 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 note 9 screen replacement charge

Technical personnel in your local note 9 screen replacement 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.

If you have a particularly old phone, it is a good idea to contact your nearest repair shop to make sure they have the parts they need to fix it.

Choosing the right supplier of the note 9 screen replacement is also important

Oriwhiz (Shenzhen Dongye Tengfei Electronic Co., Ltd) is a professional iPhone, iPad, Mac Book, Xiaomi, Huawei, Samsung, Sony, LG, Asus repair parts and repair tools supplier which has served thousands of repair shops with wholesale parts and hundreds of thousands of individual customers with the parts needed to fix their own iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and other digital devices.

Oriwhiz provides comprehensive solutions for cellphones, digital devices, Computer Repair Shops with Powerful and Handy Cellcheck Repair Packaging, Repair Tools, and Repair Machines. For technical consulting or the lastest price of note 9 screen replacement, send an email to: info@oriwhiz.com
Buying and selling fake vaccine cards have gone rampant on the messaging platform Telegram. Darknet vendors took advantage of the program's encryption features to boost its sales by 200 percent.

Millions of Americans struggle with the increase of vaccine mandates across the country. These citizens decline getting inoculated against coronavirus and have turned to ingenious ways to get "vaccinated."

For this reason, fake and fraudulent coronavirus services saw an increase in their markets.

Fake COVID-19 Vaccine Cards For Sale!

Note, however, that buying and selling fake vaccine cards is a federal crime. Government agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) work tirelessly to arrest anyone who partakes in these sales.

These criminals have taken over Telegram to hide their transactions.

Telegram is a popular messaging platform similar in function to WhatsApp, WeChat and Viber. However, Telegram offers extra and unique features, particularly with user privacy. As reported by The Indian Express, here are 10 privacy features found in Telegram:

Lock Chats: Lock specific chat conversations with a PIN or phone fingerprint sensor.

Secret Chats: End-to-end encrypted messages.

Self-Destructing Media: Deletes records of messages and accounts after a certain period of time.

Two-Step Verification: Culd be toggled on to request verification every time user login with a new or old device.

Proxy Servers: Lets users hide their IP address.

Delete Sender's Message:Private one-on-one chats allow users to delete messages of the sender, aside from their own.

Full control over group contacts: Lets users categorize their contacts in groups and customize notifications. Includes blacklist and whitelist function.

Clear Payment and Shipping Info: Lets users pay via Telegram and delete transaction details.

Complete List of Active Telegram Sessions: Full details on all devices with user Telegram account logged in. Includes function to activate or deactivate the session.

"Delete My Account" Timer: User option to delete their account and all its content permanently.

Read Also: Tax Refund Delay 2021: 2 Reasons Your Payment Is Delayed, How to Change Address If You've Moved

Telegram App Scam: Beware of Fake COVID-19 Cards

Aside from the illegal nature of these transactions, users are warned against sharing personal information. Sources from the Business Insider posed as potential buyers and learned that fake vaccine vendors ask many intrusive questions and personal details. Some of the questions asked are:

Full name

Full address

Birthday

Email Address

Current Workplace

Banking information

Notably, the vendor asked for a lot more information than what is required from a fake vaccine card. User personal data could potentially be used for other malicious activities, like identity theft or hacking bank accounts.

As reported by Business Insider, a spokesperson from the cybersecurity data firm Check Point Research said, "Advertisements being extended on social media platforms are ultimately funneling [users] to a darker, more dangerous criminal world with these vendors on Telegram, and these Telegram vendors are likely an extension of darknet vendors."

Telegram is generally a great messaging platform with many unique and helpful features. However, malicious actors have exploited these functions to commit illegal activities and new scam strategies.



Related Article: New Hacking Strategy Injects GPU Malware, Escapes Anti-Virus: 3 Ways to Protect Yourself
Researchers from the International Space Station (ISS) captured Hurricane Larry as it gathered wind and clouds over the Atlantic ocean.

Less than a week after Hurricane Ida ravaged North America, another storm has been spotted nearing the US. According to a USA Today report, Hurricane Larry is currently under Category 3 but is predicted to intensify to a Category 4 storm. If it sustains winds above 150 mph, it would become the strongest storm in the Atlantic this year.

Using resources from spaces, researchers in the ISS monitored the hurricane's movement and size.

ISS Snaps Scary Photo of Hurricane Larry From Space!

Twitter user Megan McArthur, a NASA astronaut and veteran of Space Shuttle mission STS-125, tweeted a photo of Hurricane Larry. As seen in the image, the storm is massive, taking up a significant portion of Earth's atmosphere. Megan said she hopes this hurricane "doesn't make landfall."

Here is Hurricane Larry from @Space_Station yesterday. Hoping this one doesnt make landfall. pic.twitter.com/I0PwrX858v  Megan McArthur (@Astro_Megan) September 5, 2021

Arguably, the image of the hurricane is remarkable. It shows a striking swirl of wind and clouds with a highly concentrated center. The science is further emphasized in the second image, which features thick clouds that completely cover the view of the ground. This evidently proves the strong winds happening inside Hurricane Larry.

How to Track Hurricane Larry: Forecast and Path

Online tools are now available for anyone who wants to monitor the movement of this dangerous hurricane. The website Cyclocane, in particular, reports hurricane Larry's status with different reports.

At the time of writing, Hurricane Larry has a current wind speed of 125 mph and a max predicted wind speed of 125 mph, which might peak at Monday 11 AM.

Real-time radar loop readings warn about dangerous flashflood risks from Hurricane Larry. Ocean swells, life-threatening surf, and rip conditions might ravage the east coast of Atlantic Canada and the United States by midweek. Citizens in the area are recommended to avoid beaches for the duration.

Cyclocane also posted Hurricane Larry's live tracker and satellite image loop.

Read Also: NASA Hubble Telescope Captures Picture of Rare Cosmic Event: It's a Lightsaber!

Hurricane Larry Weather: Prediction and Status

Sun Sentinel predicts Hurricane Larry to move closer to Bermuda later in its path. Using spaghetti models to forecast the storm, these are the predicted specific markers:

Monday 8 PM - Wednesday 8 PM: Hurricane Larry would move in the north-west in the Atlantic Ocean

Thursday 8 PM: Hurricane Larry would take a sharp turn going north-east, passing dangerously close to Canada

Friday 8 PM: hurricane Larry would make another sharp turn back to the North Atlantic Ocean

Multiple online sources predict this trajectory for Hurricane Larry. However, its actual status remains to be observed.

ISS Has Busy Week With Hurricane Larry

The ISS recently tweeted a very busy week with their itinerary. Aside from its highlights of flying over a hurricane, the space laboratory received a SpaceX Dragon cargo, celebrated an astronaut's birthday, and showcased two cosmonauts in their spacewalk. A quick video of the events is embedded below.

The station flew over a hurricane, new science experiments were delivered on the @SpaceX #CargoDragon, an astronaut celebrated her birthday, and two cosmonauts went on a spacewalk this week on #SpaceToGround. pic.twitter.com/Xt4M6t3bnd  International Space Station (@Space_Station) September 4, 2021

Related Article: NASA Asteroid Warning 2021: Where to Track Statue of Liberty-Sized Asteroid, Close Approach Date and More Details
An entry to the Financial Supervisory Service headquarters in Seoul / Korea Times file



Korean 'market makers' cry foul over heavy penalties



By Park Jae-hyuk



Goldman Sachs, Societe Generale and CLSA have remained cautious about the Financial Supervisory Service's (FSS) prior notification of its plan to slap a combined 48 billion won ($41 million) fine on them and six Korean securities firms for allegedly disrupting the market.



Their muted stance was in contrast to the local brokerages, which have already begun to take preemptive measures to avoid the heavy sanctions.



"We are aware of the issue," a CLSA official said Monday. "As the final decision on the sanctions has not been made, we have nothing to say at this moment."



Goldman Sachs declined to comment on the issue, and Societe Generale has yet to respond to a request for comment on the matter.



According to industry sources, the financial watchdog seeks to fine the nine "market makers," suspecting that they manipulated stock prices on the tech-heavy Kosdaq market by excessively correcting or canceling their orders.



Market makers, or liquidity providers (LPs), refer to market participants who make purchases and sales in order to keep financial markets liquid. In Korea, securities firms that have signed contracts with the Korea Exchange (KRX) have played this role.



The amount of penalties that the FSS seeks to impose on the foreign securities firms has remained unclear, but Mirae Asset Securities and Hanwha Investment & Securities are reportedly facing over 8 billion won in fines, each, while Shinhan Investment, Korea Investment & Securities, Shinyoung Securities and Bookook Securities are said to be facing up to 4 billion won fines, respectively.



"The fines seem to be too heavy for smaller securities firms," an industry insider said. "The domestic securities firms will protest more fiercely than the foreign ones, as the penalties will have a more significant impact given the amount of their earnings."



Some of the local brokerages have already hired law firms to take on the matter, having emergency meeting with other companies, according to sources.



"The domestic securities firms will voice their opinion through the Korea Financial Investment Association (KOFIA), instead of by taking actions individually," an insider from one of the six local securities firms said. "After signing contracts with the KRX, we have complied with the rules, so we consider the recent sanctions to be unfair."



The final decision on the FSS sanctions will be made after the Financial Services Commission's Capital Market Inquiry Committee and Securities & Futures Commission (review) meetings.


People stand in line to receive a coronavirus test at a testing center near Seoul Station, Monday. Yonhap



6 out of 10 Koreans support new quarantine scheme



By Lee Hyo-jin



There are growing calls here for the government to adopt a "live with COVID-19" strategy, under which social distancing measures can be eased in preparation for a new normal in which the country might have to live with a permanent presence of the coronavirus.



Unlike the current policy which focuses on bringing down the number of daily new infections, the new strategy would concentrate on the treatment of patients in critical condition, while relaxing distancing measures to enable people to return to their pre-pandemic daily lives.



According to a poll of 500 adults released by Realmeter, Monday, 58.5 percent of respondents said that Korea should adopt the new strategy around early October  34.3 percent disagreed, while the remainder were unsure.



Calls for a "live with COVID-19" strategy have been mounting especially among small business owners, who have suffered damages due to the prolonged social distancing measures that have been in place for months.



Stringent antivirus measures including a ceiling on the number of people who can meet in private gatherings, and a nighttime curfew on eateries, cafes and bars have pushed some of them to the brink of bankruptcy.









According to a coalition of self-employed individuals across the country, the combined debt held by small business owners has reached 66 trillion won ($57 billion), while 453,000 businesses have closed since the COVID-19 pandemic began.





Police officers surround a car draped with a banner calling for a boycott of the government's social distancing measures during a drive-thru rally organized by small business owners in Busan, Aug. 25. Yonhap
National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, second from right, bumps fists with a Korean resident of Austria during a meeting at a hotel in Vienna, Sunday (local time). He has been visiting the European country to participate in the World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments. Courtesy of the National Assembly
By Lee Hae-rin





A woman of Philippine nationality has been detained for allegedly beating to death the three-year-old son of her acquaintance from the United States Forces in Korea (USFK).







The Pyeongtaek Police said, Monday, that they had detained the 30-year-old suspect and are investigating the case.







According to the police, she and the USFK service member knew one another, and the latter had asked the woman to briefly mind his two sons  seven and three years old.







She is accused of beating the younger boy to death in her room, provided by a bar where she was employed, at around 7:30 a.m., Sunday. The older child was not harmed.







The bar owner discovered the victim around 8 a.m. and reported it to the police.







The police then began to search for the suspect, but she had been taken into custody at a precinct station nearby as police had received reports of the woman roaming the streets naked.







During the initial questioning, the suspect confessed to the assault against the boy but responded incoherently when questioned further.







The police stated that they will request the National Forensic Service to conduct an autopsy of the victim to determine the exact cause of death and will request the prosecution to seek an arrest warrant for the suspect.


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Less than 30 percent of women here think South Korean society is safe as they are increasingly exposed to sex crimes and other violence, a government report showed.



According to the report released by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on Sunday, only 27.6 percent of women aged over 13 years old answered they feel their society is very safe or relatively safe in a survey conducted in 2020.



The report used the results of the regular survey by Statistics Korea, focusing on categories related to women's lives.



The rate was 8.4 percentage points lower than that of men who gave a positive response to the same question.






By Chyung Eun-ju and Joel Cho





Chyung Eun-ju Joel Cho
By Kabaw Nweoo



Myanmar has been falling into the spiral of crisis since right after the Feb. 1 coup, marking the end of a young and fragile democracy which started 10 years ago. Once again the military has changed the course to repeat the rotting history, and failed to learn from the bitter past. As Winston Churchill famously said, "Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."



Once a promising economy in the region has turned into the least developed country under the decay of military rules, and the generals have failed to learn such a unique lesson.



Right before the coup, Myanmar's economy had been battling with the COVID-19 pandemic, the first and the second wave impacting similarly as in other regional countries. According to the World Bank, despite the pandemic, Myanmar's economy was expected to bounce back with a positive GDP growth rate of 1.7 percent in 2019, down from 6.8 percent in 2018.



However, those estimations were dumped by the Feb. 1 coup. A recent projection from the World Bank suggested that Myanmar's economy is expected to contract 18 percent in 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the military coup.



Consequently, around 1 million jobs are at risk and already many workers are facing low income due to reduced hours or wages. The United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) late 2020 household survey revealed that over 83 percent of households are experiencing lower incomes on average, almost halved due to the COVID-19 pandemic.



Consequently, an ill-performing country's economy will make a huge impact on the service sector, which contributed the most to the nation's economy, reaching 42 percent of the total GDP in 2019. The service sector was already experiencing the highest impact due to COVID-19.



As a result of the underperforming economy, the population living under the poverty line will likely increase from 24.8 percent in 2019. UNDP suggests that due to the pandemic impact Myanmar's poverty rate is estimated to increase 11 percent reaching 35.8 percent in 2020.



When the military took power, it assured that it will honor the investment-related agreements made by the previous government. Despite the assurance, working conditions are making it harder to operate the major businesses.



Right after the coup, Thailand's largest industrial estate developer Amata suspended 2,000 acres outside of the Yangon industrial complex project worth $1 billion. Amata is not the only one suspending the project.



Singaporean conglomerate Sembcorp has decided to halt a plan to develop an industrial park for Yangon's Hlegu Township project worth $ 230 million. Korea also stopped financing the infra projects in Myanmar due to the ongoing crisis.



In 2019, the Korea Economic Development Cooperation Fund agreed to provide Myanmar $1 billion worth of loans until 2022 to support industrialization and economic growth through various infrastructure projects.



A landmark $130 million landmark project in Yangon developed by The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, operator of the upmarket Peninsula chain, has been suspended due to the uncertainty of the situation. The major Japanese shopping mall operator AEON postponed the construction of shopping mall though the project was estimated to bring $180 million.



The country's major infrastructure development project partner Asia Development Bank halted funding the Myanmar government's development projects due to the deteriorating political situation. The $484 million project loan agreement was made under the National League for Democracy (NLD) government to construct an expressway connecting the Bago regions and the Mon State.



In an effort to lure international investment, the military junta has launched a second solar tender in May 2021 to build solar power facilities, aiming to generate up to 320 megawatts at 12 sites across the central part of Myanmar. No further information has been released since after the second tender announcement.



The winning bidders are expected to build and operate within six months after the successful bidding. No further progress has been reported. Instead, winning bidders are considering withdrawal from the solar power generation plant according to an Irrawaddy news report.



Uncertainty of the domestic circumstances leads to plunging electricity demand, and the worsening political situation is making it harder to keep up with investors' interest to secure bank loans.



The notable investment approval under the military junta is a $2.5 billion liquefied natural gas power plant project backed by Chinese companies. The power plant is projected to generate up to 1,390 megawatts of energy. According to a news report from Myanmar Now, three Chinese companies will own 81 percent of the project while Myanmar's Supreme Group of Companies will own 19 percent.



Correspondingly, the figure from the foreign direct investment is falling behind steadily due to the ongoing pandemic but it went down significantly after the coup, except for the power sector investment which received the highest amount which is thought to be the latest approval of the $2.5 billion power project.





Kabaw Nweoo is a Myanmar-based independent analyst.


Made Mohon, the operation manager of Sangeh Monkey Forest, feeds macaques with donated peanuts during a feeding time at the popular tourist attraction site in Sangeh, Bali Island, Sept. 1. AP-Yonhap



Deprived of their preferred food source  the bananas, peanuts and other goodies brought in by tourists now kept away by the coronavirus  hungry monkeys on the resort island of Bali have taken to raiding villagers' homes in their search for something tasty.



Villagers in Sangeh say the gray long-tailed macaques have been venturing out from a sanctuary about 500 meters (yards) away to hang out on their roofs and await the right time to swoop down and snatch a snack.



Worried that the sporadic sorties will escalate into an all-out monkey assault on the village, residents have been taking fruit, peanuts and other food to the Sangeh Monkey Forest to try to placate the primates.



''We are afraid that the hungry monkeys will turn wild and vicious,'' villager Saskara Gustu Alit said.



About 600 of the macaques live in the forest sanctuary, swinging from the tall nutmeg trees and leaping about the famous Pura Bukit Sari temple, and are considered sacred.



In normal times the protected jungle area in the southeast of the Indonesian island is popular among local residents for wedding photos, as well as among international visitors. The relatively tame monkeys can be easily coaxed to sit on a shoulder or lap for a peanut or two.



Ordinarily, tourism is the main source of income for Bali's 4 million residents, who welcomed more than 5 million foreign visitors annually before the pandemic.



The Sangeh Monkey Forest typically had about 6,000 visitors a month, but as the pandemic spread last year and international travel dropped off dramatically, that number dropped to about 500.





Macaques eat donated peanuts during a feeding time at Sangeh Monkey Forest in Sangeh, Bali Island, Sept. 1. AP-Yonhap
Belarus' opposition activists Maxim Znak, left, and Maria Kolesnikova attend a court hearing in Minsk, Belarus, Monday. AP-Yonhap



A court in Belarus on Monday sentenced two leading opposition activists to lengthy prison terms, the latest move in the relentless crackdown Belarusian authorities have unleashed on dissent in the wake of last year's anti-government protests.



Maria Kolesnikova, a top member of the opposition Coordination Council, has been in custody since her arrest last September. A court in Minsk found her guilty of conspiring to seize power, creating an extremist organization and calling for actions damaging state security and sentenced her to 11 years in prison.



Lawyer Maxim Znak, another leading member of the Coordination Council who faced the same charges, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.



Kolesnikova, who helped coordinate monthslong opposition protests that erupted after an August 2020 presidential vote, resisted authorities' attempts to force her to leave the country.



Kolesnikova and Znak stood trial behind closed doors, with their families only allowed to be present at the sentencing hearing on Monday.



"For many, Maria has become an example of resilience and the fight between good and evil. I'm proud of her," Kolesnikova's father, Alexander, told The Associated Press on Monday. "It's not a verdict, but rather the revenge of the authorities."



Belarus was rocked by months of protests fueled by President Alexander Lukashenko's being awarded a sixth term after the August 2020 presidential vote that the opposition and the West denounced as a sham. He responded to the demonstrations with a massive crackdown that saw more than 35,000 people arrested and thousands beaten by police.



Kolesnikova, 39, has emerged as a key opposition activist, appearing at political rallies and fearlessly walking up to lines of riot police and making her signature gesture  a heart formed by her hands.



Kolesnikova spent years playing flute in the nation's philharmonic orchestra after graduating from a conservatory in Minsk and studying Baroque music in Germany.



In 2020, she headed the campaign of Viktor Babariko, the head of a Russian-owned bank who made a bid to challenge Lukashenko, but was barred from the race after being jailed on money laundering and tax evasion charges that he dismissed as political. Babariko was sentenced to 14 years in prison two months ago.



Kolesnikova then joined forces with former English teacher Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who was running in place of her jailed husband Sergei, an opposition blogger, as the main candidate standing against Lukashenko, and Veronika Tsepkalo, wife of another potential top contender who had fled the country fearing arrest.



The three appeared together at colorful campaign events that were in stark contrast to Lukashenko's Soviet-style gatherings.



Shortly after the election, Tsikhanouskaya left Belarus under pressure from the authorities and is currently in exile in Lithuania.



In September 2020, as Belarus was shaken by mass protests, the largest of which drew up to 200,000 people, KGB agents drove Kolesnikova to the border between Belarus and Ukraine in an attempt to expel her from the country. In the neutral zone between the two countries, Kolesnikova managed to rip up her passport, broke out of the car and walked back into Belarus, where she was immediately arrested.



Just before the start of her trial last month, Kolesnikova said in a note from prison that authorities offered to release her from custody if she asks for a pardon and gives a repentant interview to state media. She insisted that she was innocent and rejected the offer.



Speaking to the AP on Monday, Tsikhanouskaya described Kolesnikova ripping up her passport as "a historic deed."



"Along with it (her passport), she tore apart all the plans of the regime," Tsikhanouskaya said.



"The regime would want to see Maxim and Maria broken and weakened. But we see our heroes and strong and free inside. They will be free much earlier. Prison terms invented for them shouldn't scare us  Maxim and Maria wouldn't want that. They would want us to remember how Maria smiles, and to listen Maxim singing," Tsikhanouskaya added. (AP)


New students form the shape of the state of Kentucky during the Wildcat Welcome Ceremony on Friday, Aug. 20, 2021, at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky. Photo by Jack Weaver | Staff
On 4 September, Brazils Presidentled a motorcycle rally through several cities in the state of Pernambuco, in the Northeast region which has traditionally been a political stronghold of Bolsonaros main rival, former president(2003-2011).

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On 3 September the constitutional chamber (SC) of El Salvadors supreme court (CSJ) issued a ruling which authorises immediate presidential re-election.

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On 24 August the US Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced new financial sanctions on three Paraguayans for corruption and money laundering, along with five associated entities for their connections to the corruption schemes. The three individuals are named asand. The sanctions were issued under Executive Order 13818 which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, targeting human rights abusers and those involved in corruption. Property in the US belonging to those sanctioned is now blocked. According to OFAC, Mohamad Hijazi runs a money laundering organisation in Ciudad Del Este, the capital of Alto Parana department on the Brazilian border, which is capable of laundering hundreds of millions of US dollars on a global scale and has close connections to Paraguayan government officials. Ahmad Hijazi is being punished for providing support to him. Doldan was identified as an intermediary working with shipments from the US for the organisation, paying bribes to port workers, customs officials and other involved parties. In a statement released on 24 August, US Secretary of Statesaid that the sanctions were necessary to protect the US financial system from abuse and to combat corruption in the Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay Tri-Border Area.

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On 3 September Mexicos right-wing opposition party, the Partido Accion Nacional (PAN), attempted to downplay a meeting some of its senators held the previous day with, the leader of Spains far-right Vox party, noting that legislators attended in a personal capacity.

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AI/ML - ML Infrastructure Software Engineer, Information Intelligence Seattle , Washington , United States Machine Learning and AI Summary

Posted: Aug 27, 2021 Role Number: 200282620 Imagine what you could do here. At Apple, great ideas have a way of becoming great products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your job and there's no telling what you could accomplish. Apple Information Intelligence team is looking for engineers to build and optimize various infrastructure pieces of our ML stack. You will get exposed to exciting technologies in areas including distributed data processing, large scale distributed training of models, latest frontier in models for natural language processing and artificial intelligence, and the most advanced techniques to scale the systems to handle billions of requests and petabytes of data per day, and much more! The system we build help to power a variety of Apple products, including Siri, Spotlight, Safari, Messages and Lookup etc. As part of this group, you will work with one of the most exciting high performance computing environments, with petabytes of data, millions of queries per second, and have an opportunity to imagine and build products that delight our customers every single day. Key Qualifications Strong coding skills

Strong background in computer science: algorithms and data structures

Excellent interpersonal skills able to work independently as well as in a team

Experience with popular training frameworks like tensorflow/pytorch for serving/training/optimization is a plus

Experience with GPU serving/optimization/training/ is a plus

Experience with model compression/quantization is a plus

Experience with distributed data processing is a plus

Experience with AWS Services such as Amazon S3 EC2 EKS / Kubernetes is a plus Description Build scalable and effective systems for serving deep learning models Build and optimize distributed training approaches for deep learning models on ML accelerators such as GPUs Build software that improves the rate of experimentation and helps people make better decisions about what to try next - Train, evaluate, and debug deep learning models for complex tasks Develop tools and services for understanding latest NLP/Image models Education & Experience BS, MS, Ph.D. in a related field , or equivalent experience




The Missouri Public Service Commission is seeking a detail-orientated, professional individual to fill an Auditor position in our Financial Analysis Department, Jefferson City office. This position is of a technical nature, requiring the ability to effectively analyze financial information and the ability to accurately prepare and present financial recommendations or testimony in utility rate cases. The employee in this position must be able to communicate analysis in an effective manner with little supervision and a degree of independent judgment. Auditors must possess a high level of competence, responsibility, professionalism and integrity. Must be familiar with general financial theories and financial practices that include general knowledge of financial models, including investment valuation and cost of capital models such as the Discounted Cash Flow Model, the Capital Asset Pricing Model, and knowledge of credit rating methodologies. Some travel possible. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a minimum of 15 earned credit hours in one or a combination of the following: Accounting, Finance, Economics, Business or Public Administration, or a closely related field; and, 24 or more earned credit hours of additional coursework in Accounting or Finance; and 0-3 or more years of professional auditing experience. Must be familiar with general financial theories and financial practices that include general knowledge of financial models, including investment valuation and cost of capital models such as the Discounted Cash Flow Model, the Capital Asset Pricing Model, and knowledge of credit rating methodologies. Good communication, interpersonal skills, and writing skills are essential. Computer experience required with a working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access software applications preferred. Starting salary will be commensurate with education and experience. Annual salary range; $41,620 - $51,038. To be considered for this position, please send application, resume and provide a copy of each transcript from all colleges/universities attended by 5:00 pm by September 17, 2021.

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Magnolia, AR (71754)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 87F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A mostly clear sky. Low 67F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
424 Center Street LLC President Amanda DiIorio said a comprehensive list of what needs to be done is still being accumulated but at the least there is a fair amount of exterior masonry work, installation of an air conditioning system, water damaged ceilings and it needs to be brought up to code.
Basically we meet with families and determine what they need, said Cheryl Hopkins, a family support specialist with YAP in Northampton and Lehigh counties. We were able to help with things like diapers and detergent. The big need the family had was to get a vehicle so they can transport the children together. What we came up with was the [GoFundMe online fundraiser], but the vehicle hasnt come through yet.
The scene looked a little different than past parades  but at least there was one. The pandemic forced the cancellation of what would have been the unions 13th annual Labor Day parade last year. And this year, with COVID-19 cases still high and an aging participant crowd, the Steelworkers decided to have a caravan rather than a walking event. More than 50 cars departed shortly before 11 a.m., sticking together through Bethlehem and then breaking into groups to cover Freemansburg, Hellertown, Allentown and beyond. A picnic back at the union headquarters followed after the parade.
Alec Bartell, a sophomore majoring in philosophy and creative writing at the University of Montana, catches up on some homework on a bench outside Eck Hall before his philosophy of aesthetics and art class on Sept. 2. While the University is not requiring vaccinations, UM is still requiring the use of face masks inside classrooms, labs and recommended in highly trafficked buildings around campus.
National

Congress to extend full support to farmers Bharat Bandh

NEW DELHI, SEP 6 (IANS) | Publish Date: 9/6/2021 1:06:37 PM IST

The Congress party has decided to extend full support to the farmers Bharat Bandh on September 27 against the three farm laws. Former party president Rahul Gandhi has been at the forefront in the support to the farmers agitation from the very beginning. He has also termed the farmers as brave.

In a tweet Rahul said, Fearless at the forefront... he is the fortune maker of India.

Congress newly appointed in-charge of agitation committee, Digvijaya Singh said, Kisan Mahapanchayat has proposed Bharat Bandh on September 27. All the non-BJP parties should try to make it a grand success.

Earlier on Sunday, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that the farmers are the voice of the country.

The Kisan Mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar on Sunday, turned out to be a massive show of strength of farmer unity as over 300 farmer unions from 15 states participated under the aegis of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and reiterated their resolve to continue with the protest. The farmers unanimously gave a call for complete Bharat Bandh on September 27 in protest against the three contentious farm laws.

They (the Centre) said that only a handful of farmers are protesting. Let them see what a handful this is today. Let us raise our voices so it reaches to the ears of those sitting in Parliament, the farmer leaders said.

The farmer leaders said that the Mahapanchayat will also prove that the agitation has the support of all castes, religions, states, classes, small traders and all sections of the society.

The SKM said in a statement, The Mahapanchayat today will make the Modi and Yogi governments realise the power of farmers, farm labourers, and supporters of the farm movement. The Muzaffarnagar Mahapanchayat will be the biggest ever in the last nine months.
State

Governor releases special cover on Naga Tree Tomato

RN Ravi releasing the special cover on the GI tagged Naga Tree Tomato on Monday. (Raj Bhavan)

DIMAPUR, SEP 6 (NPN) | Publish Date: 9/6/2021 12:34:40 PM IST

Nagaland governor, RN Ravi, released a special cover on the Naga Tree Tomato-- a Geographical Indication (GI) tagged product of Nagaland-- at Dr. Imkongliba Ao Hall, Raj Bhavan Kohima on Monday.

According to a Raj Bhavan statement, Ravi thanked the department of posts for their interest and initiatives. He said that GI tagging not only helps in recognition of the product but brings enormous benefits in terms of economic gains to the producers. Though crafts of Nagaland catch the eyes of many people around the world, Ravi stressed on the need to promote its visibility and urged the state government to identify the unique and special products of the State and push for their GI tagging.

Also, speaking at the programme, he chief postmaster general (NE circle) Amitabh Kharkwal, said that GI tag was important as it prevents unauthorised use of registered GI products. He said that the special cover would be put on display at the National Philatelic Museum in New Delhi. At the programme, postmaster general (NE-II) Som Kamei, proposed the vote of thanks.

Special covers are released by the department of posts to mark a significant event or highlight important products. Two special covers on Naga Mircha and Chakhesang Shawl were released last month.
International

Israel to impose closure on Palestinian territories during Jewish holidays

Israel military force. (File)

TEL AVIV, SEP 6 (IANS) | Publish Date: 9/6/2021 12:45:38 PM IST

The Israeli military said that it will impose a series of total closures on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip during the Jewish New Year celebrations from Monday evening to Wednesday evening.

During the closures, the crossings for goods will be shut down and passing (of people) would be possible only in exceptional humanitarian and medical cases, a military spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday. The first closure will be imposed during the three days of the Jewish new year festival.

It will begin on Monday afternoon and is expected to be lifted overnight between Wednesday and Thursday.

On Yom Kippur, known as the Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, a two-day closure will be imposed, starting on September 15, the army said.

The crossings will be shut down again on Sukkot, a seven-day Jewish festival, from September 20 to 22, followed by another closure between September 27 and 29. The military said that the reopening of the crossings is subjected to security assessment.

Israel considers the main Jewish holidays as prone to attacks by Palestinian militants and regularly closes off the occupied territories during these times.
National

Modi holds meeting with Amit Shah, Rajnath, Doval to review Afghan situation

Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah. (File)

NEW DELHI, SEP 6 (AGENCIES) | Publish Date: 9/6/2021 1:01:57 PM IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday chaired a high-level meeting to review the situations in Afghanistan where the Taliban took control of the government following the withdrawal of the US troops.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were present at the meeting which took place at the prime ministers residence.

The meeting came on a day when the Taliban claimed victory over opposition forces in Panjshir province, completing their takeover of the country. Pictures showed Taliban fighters standing in front of the gate of the Panjshir provincial governors compound after fighting over the weekend with the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA), led by Panjshiri leader Ahmad Massoud.

The Centre had last week said that Indias immediate focus in Afghanistan is to ensure that Afghan soil is not used for terrorist activities against it. Experts, however, claim that Indias concern is no longer about the revival of terror, but is strategic and military.

The potential cooperation between the Taliban, China and Pakistan could be a cause for worry for New Delhi.

On Tuesday last, the MEA said Indian envoy to Qatar Deepak Mittal had met Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the head of the Talibans Political Office in Doha, at the request of the group.

In the meeting, Mittal conveyed to Stanekzai that Afghanistans soil should not be used for anti-Indian activities and terrorism.

It was the first publicly acknowledged formal diplomatic engagement that came two weeks after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan.
Robi Axiata Limited, the countrys second largest telecommunication operator and a newly listed company on stock exchanges, has urged the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission to allow it to revise its plan for the utilisation of initial public offering proceeds.

On August 16, the company sent a letter to the BSEC for approval for an amendment to IPO utilisation, extension of time of IPO fund utilisation and waiver from condition in IPO consent letter.

Out of the Tk 523.79 crore of IPO proceeds, the company has utilised Tk 355.76 crore in network expansion and Tk 7.39 crore in IPO expenses, and the amount is 69 per cent of total IPO proceeds, according to the letter to the BSEC.

As per the IPO prospectus, the company intended to utilise Tk 515.77 crore in network expansion and Tk 8.02 crore in IPO related expenses.

According to the letter, Robi requested the BSEC to extend the timeframe for the utilisation of IPO proceeds till June 30, 2022.

The company was supposed to utilise the proceeds within six months of obtaining IPO funds as per IPO prospectus.

In the letter, it also sought permission to procure extra quality of telecom equivalent in the same/relevant/others line items with the remaining proceeds owing to cost savings, lower forex settlements rate.

The operator also wanted to use of any remaining amount in any cost line items owing to change in dynamic network planning in other/relevant cost line items.

In addition, it requested the BSEC to permit it for utilisation of any residual amount from IPO general expenses in network expansion line items.

Moreover, Robi urged the regulator to give waiver from rules regarding prior approval from 51 per cent of the public shareholders other than sponsors and directors, the letter said.

BSEC officials said that the commission was working on the issue and if the company was given permission to revise the plan, it must call a general meeting to take consent from shareholders.

Asked, Robi declined to make any comments on the issue.

Earlier on September 23, the BSEC approved Tk 523.79-crore (52.37 crore shares) IPO proposal of Robi Axiata and the company eventually commenced share trading on December 24, 2020.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-05 23:49:14|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- A notorious anti-China group in Hong Kong, named the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, put up a last-ditch resistance on Sunday.

In flagrant defiance of the rule of law, the organization refused to comply with police requests for relevant information and continued to attack Hong Kong's efforts to safeguard national security in an attempt to poison the public mind. However, its political tricks are doomed to fail and the collapse of anti-China groups in Hong Kong is inevitable.

As the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) said Sunday, the dissolution of the anti-China group has become a "political reality."

The group has been keen on making remarks about subverting state power and inciting hatred against the central government. Even after the enactment of the national security law in the HKSAR, it remains persistent in pursuing the so-called guiding principle of subverting state power.

The organization and its key members reportedly acted as agents of foreign forces and received overseas funds for political missions in Hong Kong.

Invoking Article 43 of the national security law, the Hong Kong police have asked the group to submit relevant materials. However, the anti-China organization smeared the legitimate law enforcement action as "abuse of power" and "unreasonable demands" in its statement on Sunday.

Its hypocrisy is palpable.

Over the past 30 years, the group has been involved in anti-China activities in Hong Kong in the name of "democracy" and has never stopped inciting hatred against the country and the ruling party and challenging the bottom line of national security. It intensified efforts to hold illegal rallies and instigate violent confrontations in the last two years.

Even worse, it blatantly lobbied foreign organizations to interfere in Hong Kong affairs, urged the United States to impose sanctions on Hong Kong, and pushed for a "color revolution." Those activities have seriously damaged the fundamental interests of the nation and Hong Kong.

No one can escape justice.

Since the national security law came into force, many similar organizations in league with overseas anti-China forces have disbanded. Hong Kong is no longer an "undefended city" in the face of foreign interference. It is the common appeal of over 7 million Hong Kong residents to deal with anti-China groups according to the law and safeguard national security and Hong Kong's peace and stability.

As Hong Kong has returned from chaos to stability, there is no room for any organization endangering national security. The anti-China group and others coming to an end is not only an inevitable historic trend but reflects the voice of the people of Hong Kong. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 14:31:08|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Taliban armed forces have seized eastern Panjshir province following heavy fightings on Monday, gaining control over the last province of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed.

"Our latest efforts to bring peace to the entire country succeeded as the Panjshir province is completely conquered and came under the control of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," Mujahid wrote on Twitter.

Mujahid added that the Taliban forces attacked and eliminated scores of resistance forces in Panjshir on Sunday night, while dozens fled after Taliban advances in the mountainous valley.

The Taliban spokesman said that the Panjshir people "would not encounter any discrimination" and no one would face persecution.

"We assure the Panjshir people that they are our brothers and together we will work for one country and for a common goal," he said.

In the meantime, the so-called National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) led by Ahmad Massoud denied the Taliban's claim.

"Taliban's claim of occupying Panjshir is false. The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight," a media section of the NRF tweeted.

On Sunday, Massoud said that they would engage in negotiation talks if the Taliban stops advancing to the Panjshir mountainous valley.

Fahim Dashti, a known Afghan journalist and NRF spokesman, and a former army General Abdul Wadoud Zarra, were killed during fighting with the Taliban forces in Panjshir on Sunday.

Panjshir, some 200 km in the north of Kabul, is the last province in Afghanistan uncontrolled by the Taliban since the U.S. troop's pullout from the Central Asian country in late August. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 15:17:37|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping Monday sent a congratulatory letter to the founding conference of the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In his letter, Xi noted that the founding of the center is an important move to implement his call at the 75th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to support the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which sets clear goals for national development as well as global development and cooperation.

The world is reeling under the huge impact of COVID-19. The sci-tech innovation and application of big data will help the international community to overcome difficulties and implement the UN 2030 Agenda globally, Xi said in his letter.

He expressed the hope that all sides can make full use of the platform provided by the International Research Center of Big Data for SDGs and the forum to explore ways of sustainable development supported by big data, strengthen international cooperation, and make joint efforts to contribute to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

The founding conference of the center and the opening ceremony of the forum were held in Beijing on Monday. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 20:22:06|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday that the U.S. administration must know the continuation of former President Donald Trump's mentality would only result in "maximum failure."

Addressing a weekly press conference, Saeed Khatibzadeh noted the United States should come to Vienna with a real agenda for continuing the talks over the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, commonly known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and completely fulfill its commitments under it.

"This is the sole way contributing to the restoration of the JCPOA," he stressed.

Reacting to U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley's remarks that Washington "can't wait forever" for Tehran to decide whether it wants to restart the JCPOA talks, Khatibzadeh said the United States is the one that withdrew from the deal, violated the resolution, and threatened those seeking to implement the agreement with punishment.

Iran's President Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian have sent clear messages about the continuation of the nuclear talks, he said, reiterating that the talks must safeguard the Iranian people's interests within the framework of the JCPOA.

The window of opportunity will remain open for Washington for only a limited period of time, said the spokesman, expressing hope that U.S. officials would know how to fulfill their commitments under the JCPOA.

Iran and the five remaining parties to the JCPOA started discussions over the revival of the deal after the U.S. unilateral withdrawal in May 2018. After six rounds of talks, the parties have said serious differences remain between Iran and the United States for restoration of the deal. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 23:18:17|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's central authorities have issued a new plan for further developing a cooperation zone for the southern metropolis of Shenzhen and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

According to the plan, the reform and opening up of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone will be comprehensively deepened.

The plan, issued by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, was made public on Monday.

The general plan to establish the cooperation zone was approved by the State Council in 2010.

A total of 11,500 Hong Kong-invested companies have been registered in the zone, with registered capital reaching 1.28 trillion yuan (about 198 billion U.S. dollars), according to official data released in late August.

The total area of the cooperation zone will be expanded to 120.56 square km from 14.92 square km, said the new development plan.

The new blueprint was formulated to help Qianhai better play an exemplary and leading role in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, said the plan.

By 2035, Qianhai will boast world-class business environment, and will become an engine for high-quality development with strong capability in global resource allocation, breeding innovation and leading coordinated development, according to goals laid out in the new development plan.

Qianhai will advance the development of the modern service industry, accelerate the reform and innovation of the system and mechanisms for sci-tech development, strive to foster a world-class business environment and innovate its governance model.

It will also promote free trade in services with Hong Kong and Macao, expand the opening-up of the financial sector, further open up legal affairs and promote high-level participation in international cooperation, according to the plan.

The plan will bring significant benefit to the economic and social development of Hong Kong, said a spokesperson for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council.

The content of the plan reflects the great importance that the central authorities attach to the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, as well as people's well-being there, the spokesperson noted, adding that the plan will inject new driving forces and provide new opportunities for Hong Kong's development.

"We hope the government and all walks of life in the HKSAR will seize the opportunities and make good use of the central authorities' support policies, and continuously deepen mutually beneficial cooperation between Guangdong and Hong Kong," said the spokesperson. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 23:50:04|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- A Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Monday said China hopes the United States will listen to the objective and rational voices of the international community and be a supporter rather than a saboteur of international cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the origins tracing of the coronavirus.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remark at a daily news briefing when asked to comment on recent remarks by Jeffrey Sachs, who heads the Lancet COVID-19 Commission.

Sachs said the global response to the pandemic has been wholly inadequate and one of the main geopolitical problems might have been the failure of the United States to work with China for global solutions. He also said "the United States should learn some good manners to work cooperatively with China, rather than trying to impose its will on that nation."

Wang told the press that a Swiss epidemiologist, Christian Althaus, had also said that China responded correctly to the pandemic and bought the rest of the world with one to two months to prepare.

Wang stressed that the COVID-19 response and studying its origins call for solidarity, cooperation and the spirit of science. However, some in the United States have time and again tried to politicize efforts on both fronts to deflect the blame for their own botched response.

"Such irresponsible behavior has not only cost the American people dearly, but also become the greatest obstacle in international cooperation in combating the virus and tracing the origins," Wang said.

"We hope that the United States can heed the objective and rational voice of the international community, seek solidarity instead of confrontation, take responsibility instead of resorting to blame-shifting, be guided by science instead of politics, and support international cooperation in fighting the virus and tracing the origins instead of disrupting relevant efforts," said the spokesperson. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 09:22:48|Editor: huaxia

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LAGOS, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government on Sunday condemned the takeover of power by force in Guinea.

"The government of Nigeria strongly condemns and rejects any unconstitutional change of government and therefore calls on those behind this coup to restore constitutional order without delay and protect all lives and property," Nigerian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esther Sunsawan said in a statement issued in Abuja.

Earlier, army putschists in Guinea said that they had captured the country's President Alpha Conde and dissolved the government, according to media reports.

The Nigerian government is saddened by "the apparent coup d'etat" that took place in Guinea on Sunday, as the move was in clear violation of the protocol of the Economic Community of West African States on democracy and good governance, the statement added.

The African Union and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have both condemned the coup in Guinea and called for the release of the country's president. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 14:47:57|Editor: huaxia

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KAMPALA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Experts have stressed the significance of the agricultural sector and encouraged the Ugandan youths to seize opportunities to improve their life during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Agriculture is an important sector and there is a lot of money to be made. I believe that the Ugandan youths can get a lot of opportunities in agriculture in different commodities, value chains for them to realize their dreams," Antonio Querido, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) country representative told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Querido said the youths need to consider agriculture as a business that can improve their livelihood.

A new World Bank report published recently showed that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers in the African country lost their jobs because of the devastating pandemic that forced businesses to close, which has pushed up the unemployment rate.

Many of them resorted to agriculture and exploitation of natural resources to fend for themselves and families.

At a rice farm run by Chinese firm Zhong Industries Limited in the central Ugandan district of Kalungu, over 1,000 employees from different parts of the country did not lose their jobs during the pandemic, said a local manager Isaac Ocen.

Querido said the government and other stakeholders should guide the youths to appreciate modern agriculture which is different from the "hand-hoe" agriculture practiced by their forefathers.

"We have more technology, more use of sophisticated machines like drones. The focus has to be on the business side of agriculture, how we manage to do agriculture that looks at what the market needs, and the return on investment will be high," Querido said.

The FAO expert also said a resilient agricultural system is critical for ensuring food and income security even when pandemics like COVID-19 hit.

With support for the youths, Querido said, they can be critical labor forces that can revolutionize agriculture to increased food supply and ensure income security.

Peter Muyimbo, an expert at Uganda's Ministry of Agriculture told Xinhua that several projects have lined up that the youths can embrace to improve their livelihood.

In the new financial year which started on July 1, Muyimbo said, Uganda and China have started the third phase of the China-Uganda South-South cooperation project through a tripartite agreement with FAO.

Through the project, small scale farmers in rural Uganda will benefit from the on-the-farm training to boost production. Chinese technicians and experts will continue to share skills and technology on the agronomic practices with local farmers. Local youths can take advantage of this project which could create a complete value chain with access to the market.

At the end of the second phase of the project in 2017, about 3,000 farmers were trained in cereals, horticulture, aquaculture and livestock in Uganda, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

The expert said Uganda can learn from China on how it transformed its economy through agriculture and dragged millions of people out of poverty at an unprecedented level.

"It is important that this population (youths) is lifted out of poverty. China has done it in the past 40 years," Muyimbo said.

Ocen said many youths who learned running rice farm from the Chinese have started their own farms because they have gained the skills of planting and harvesting the crops.

The sector has given them an opportunity, he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 21:40:17|Editor: huaxia

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DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The East African regional business and private sector watchdog on Monday urged the East African Community (EAC) to create and deploy regional joint army patrols for escorting and protecting truck drivers amid cross-border trade impasse over security concerns.

The East African Business Council (EABC) said in a statement that the EAC member states of Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan should convene its EAC Sectoral Council on Interstate Security in order to consider the deployment of the regional joint army patrols.

"A joint regional army patrol is a quick solution to guarantee peace and security for truck drivers, business people and their properties," said the statement issued by the EABC headquarters in Tanzania's northern city of Arusha.

According to the statement, the deployment of the army escort patrols will ease and facilitate the transportation of essential goods amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to cases of insecurity in South Sudan, especially along the Nimule-Elegu border route to Juba, over 1,056 trucks are stranded along the border, risking the spread of COVID-19 to border communities, said the statement. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 23:33:51|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Egypt achieved three Guinness records for humanitarian and charity campaigns as the world celebrated the International Day of Charity on Sunday.

During an event organized by the Long Live Egypt Fund, CEO of the Coordinating Office of Guinness Book of Records Ahmed Makled announced that the charity fund achieved three new records through its "Doors of Goodness" convoy to support the needy families.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi attended the event and inspected the convoy, which included 1,000 trucks of different sizes at a cost of about 650 million Egyptian pounds (41.4 million U.S. dollars).

The records were achieved as the convoy contained the largest donation campaign for medical devices, the largest campaign for home appliances with more than 4,000 devices, as well as a number of food donations with 1 million boxes, Makled said during the event held in the New Administrative Capital near the capital Cairo.

He noted that the Long Live Egypt Fund had previously achieved three records last November, recording the largest food aid convoy in the world with 300,000 boxes, the largest chicken donation campaign in the world with 2 million kilograms of chicken, and the longest aid convoy in the world with 480 buses.

For his part, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stressed that the Long Live Egypt Fund presented a model of cooperation and solidarity between state agencies, private sector, and civil society to care for the most disadvantaged families, adding that "charity works contribute to the eradication of poverty in all its forms, which is the core of the challenges that threaten the security and safety of humanity."

Meanwhile, Sisi suggested that charitable foundations, especially the Long Live Egypt Fund and the institutions, work to provide small and micro projects for these families, calling for providing families in the countryside with livestock, cars, and lands reclamation projects.

The convoy, which aims to help 1 million families comprising about 5 million citizens, including devices, equipment, medical supplies, foodstuffs, vegetables, fruits, and meat, in addition to about 100,000 pieces of clothes, mattresses, home furniture, and about 4,000 home appliances.

Speaking to Xinhua, the Egyptian Senate's Deputy Chairman of Industrial and Internal Trading Committee Ahmed Abou Hashima stressed the need to bring the joint efforts of the government, the private sector, and civil society to alleviate poverty and improve the living conditions of the needy families.

He pointed out that achieving three new Guinness records encourages more contributors to join the charity and humanitarian work in Egypt.

The Long Live Egypt Fund was established in July 2014 to activate the previously announced initiative by the president to establish a fund in support of the economy. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-07 05:57:15|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Monday praised the decision of the Libyan authorities to release Al-Saadi Gaddafi, son of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi who was toppled and killed in 2011, along with other officials of the former regime.

"The United Nations Support Mission in Libya takes note of the release, on Sept. 5, of Mr. Al-Saadi Gadhaffi, along with Mr. Ahmed Ramadan and six other officials of the former regime who were detained for seven or more years. Mr. Gadhaffi's release is in compliance with a legal order following his acquittal by a Libyan court in 2019," UNSMIL said in a statement.

The Mission described the releases as a significant step towards respect for the rule of law and human rights, and a positive development that can contribute to a rights-based national reconciliation process and further foster national unity.

"In this regard, UNSMIL commends the efforts of the Government of National Unity, the Presidency Council and judicial authorities, and reiterates its calls on Libyan authorities to promptly release thousands of persons who remain arbitrarily detained in facilities across Libya," the statement said.

The Presidency Council announced plans to release all prisoners acquitted by court, as part of a comprehensive reconciliation campaign in Libya. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 22:00:28|Editor: huaxia

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MARSEILLE, France, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The challenge for biodiversity conservation is how to translate the will into action, said Patrick Giraudoux, professor of ecology at the University of Franche-Comte during the ongoing 7th World Conservation Congress (WCC) held in Marseille and online.

"I have no doubt in the political will on biodiversity conservation, which is shared by all people of reason who understand the risk we take by facilitating its erosion. Now we will have to translate it into action," Giraudoux said.

The Earth suffered a 68-percent decline in global biodiversity between 1970 and 2016, according to the "Living Planet Report 2020" issued by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London.

How to bend the curve of biodiversity decline is one of the main issues on the agenda of the WCC Marseille congress, which is hosted jointly by the French government and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) under the theme "One Nature, One Future."

The congress, the first global event on environment since the COVID-19 pandemic began, brought together tens of thousands of representatives from some 160 countries and regions both online and in-person in France's port city of Marseille to address planet Earth's ecological plight.

"We can wait for a lucid assessment of the status quo, which is what the IUCN in Marseille will tell us, such as which species are threatened, how fast they are threatened, etc. Then there are the decisions to be taken by the governments after what will be decided at COP15," said Giraudoux.

COP15, the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), will be held in two parts in Kunming, China, with an official opening and a high-level segment in October and an in-person part in the first half of 2022.

The participants are expected to hold broad and deep negotiations towards an ambitious and practical post-2020 global biodiversity framework.

In 2010, parties to the CBD set 20 targets for biodiversity conservation during a summit in Japan's Aichi. Countries had until 2020 to reach the Aichi targets and then move on to create a post-2020 global biodiversity framework.

But the Aichi targets, which range from lowering species extinction rates to cutting pollution and preserving forests, have not been achieved.

One target stipulated that "by 2020, the rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests, is at least halved and where feasible brought close to zero, and degradation and fragmentation is significantly reduced."

But the "Living Planet Report 2020" found that global species abundance, distribution and composition, as well as soil health, plant diversity and insect populations continue to be on downward trajectories with no immediate signs of recovery. Land use change and species overexploitation are primary contributors to the global downward curve.

"I hope what happened in Aichi will not be repeated, that is to say, everyone leaves with good intentions but afterwards nothing happens or not enough," Giraudoux said.

The ecologist has been actively cooperating with China in the field of biodiversity conservation, especially with colleagues in Yunnan for the protection of wild elephants and Rhinopithecus bieti, a primate living at the highest elevation in the world.

In China, the protection of the environment and species has become "one of the major priorities" and public awareness is huge, he told Xinhua.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, cooperation could only continue via videoconferencing and by co-writing articles. "We are impatiently waiting for the resumption of physical exchanges on the ground," he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 22:38:36|Editor: huaxia

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GENEVA, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Montreux Jazz Festival China is set to take place for the first time this October, in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, the festival's organizers said on Monday.

The world-known Montreux Jazz Festival is held every summer on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. This year, the Chinese edition will host an eclectic line-up of artists from Oct. 5 to Oct. 8.

Montreux Jazz Festival China said in a media release that it has been working closely with the Chinese government to ensure the health and safety of all participants.

The four-day program will include live performances by artists from six countries who all live in China.

The festival will also provide recordings from artists from eight countries in 360 reality audio, and will feature videos from the Montreux Jazz Festival's archives.

Online lectures are also expected to be hosted by the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Montreux Jazz Festival was created in 1967 and has become one of the world's most renowned music events. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 23:19:49|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned the coup attempt in Guinea and called for the release of the country's president Alpha Conde.

"We demand the release of Alpha Conde and his inviolability," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that Moscow was closely monitoring the concerning developments in Guinea, and urged all political forces in the region to refrain from any action that would provoke further unrest and rather work towards a peaceful settlement.

On Sunday, Lieutenant-Colonel Mamady Doumbouya announced that his forces have arrested Conde, and dissolved the government and national institutions.

International organizations including the United Nations and some governments have also condemned the coup and demanded Conde's release. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-07 05:08:30|Editor: huaxia

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HAVANA, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Cuba is set to relax pandemic border control measures for international passengers starting Nov. 15, the island's Ministry of Tourism (Mintur) announced Monday on its website.

"The Caribbean nation will relax COVID-19 hygiene and sanitary protocols for incoming travelers," the ministry said, adding new measures will focus on monitoring symptomatic patients and temperature checks.

Cuba will no longer demand a PCR test upon arrival and COVID-19 vaccination certificates issued abroad will be accepted by customs authorities, Mintur said.

Additionally, the domestic tourism market will gradually reopen depending on the evolution of the pandemic in each region.

The decision to spur international tourism was made on the grounds that "more than 90 percent of the country's population is expected to be fully vaccinated by November," the ministry said.

Cuba on Monday registered 7,230 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and 85 related deaths in 24 hours, bringing the national total to 696,904 cases and 5,788 deaths, respectively.

The island resumed scheduled commercial flights in November 2020, when Havana's Jose Marti International Airport restarted operations after having been closed for more than seven months due to the pandemic.

At present, international passengers who arrive on the island are required to quarantine either at hotel facilities allocated by the government or isolation centers.

In pre-pandemic times, the tourism industry in the Caribbean nation accounted for more than 10 percent of Cuba's hard currency earnings.

The tourist high season in Cuba runs from mid-November to April. Enditem
INNOCENT Matongo, a Zimbabwean expatriate worker based in Boksburg, South Africa is ruing the day he decided to latch on to a get-rich-quick scheme.

After investing thousands of United States dollars in a pyramid scheme over the last few months, he was expecting the biggest pay-out of his life last month.

But just before he was due to receive the huge pay-out, everything collapsed spectacularly in front of him.

Its hard to believe but it is what it is, he told The Sunday Mail. We were duped big time; the pain is unbearable because I lost a fortune.

Imagine I was expecting a pay-out of US$20 000 on August 15, that was around the time we usually got our money reflecting in our accounts.

Matongo is among the hundreds of Zimbabweans who have been left counting their losses after a cryptocurrency pyramid scheme in which they had invested more than US$5 million collapsed like a deck of cards last week.

A Zimbabwean man using the alias Martin Mhlanga, who ran the Crypto Share Investment Scheme in South Africa, last week disappeared without a trace, leaving scores of investors in a lurch.

Mhlanga had, over the last year, pooled together hundreds of gullible clients under the scheme, promising them implausible returns on their investments.

The investors were asked to pay an initial joining fee of US$30 and a US$300 initial instalment that was then given to the individual who would have referred the new investor.

Many of the investors began sensing that something was not right last week after all the schemes WhatsApp group administrators left their groups abruptly without notice.

Crypto Shares had more than 50 WhatsApp groups in operation prior to the schemes dramatic collapse.

The Sunday Mail has gathered that trouble began on September 1 when a group of investors were supposed to receive their money. Mhlanga became evasive, giving the investors one excuse after another.

That is when it dawned on many that they had been scammed. Victims of the scam have now set up several WhatApp groups where they discuss how to recover their money or track down Mhlanga.

Matongo later on added this reporter onto one of the groups  CryproShares 16  where most of the participants admitted to be in financial distress.

One group member, with username Edina, claimed to have invested US$10 000 in July and was yet to receive her first payout.

I took all the money that I had saved and invested after convincing my husband that this might be our jackpot, but now we are at loggerheads. He says he wants the money back.

She said she now fears for her marriage. Others claimed to have contemplated suicide after news of Mhlangas disappearance started circulating on social media.

Some claimed they sold their houses, while others took massive bank loans in order to raise their initial investments. While most are already counting their losses, there are some who are still in denial, hanging on to the hope that their pay-outs will hit their bank accounts this week.

Another victim, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she had sold her car in order to join the scheme.

I am a Zimbabwean who is based in South Africa. I was supposed to get my first pay-out in August, but now Mhlanga is nowhere to be found, she said.

I sold my car for US$5 000 and took a US$10 000 loan to make it US$15 000, hoping to double the amount.

Mhlanga kept coming up with different ideas where people would invest as much as US$1 000 per week and they were promised to get a profit of US$2 000 after two weeks.

Lawyer and crypto-currency enthusiast Mr Amos Nhere said it was unlikely that the fraudster was using his real name, making it difficult for authorities to track him down.

If the investors were promised shares it might make sense to open a fraud case with authorities, said Mr Nhere. Investors should lodge complaints with stock exchanges so they can seize funds or report him to the police.

This is fraud but the problem is that it is highly unlikely that he was using his real name and no one knows who he is.

Its a bit complex. National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said cases of cyber fraud were on the increase. Cases of people being duped of their money are now rampant, he said.

This issue of cyber fraud is on the increase hence the need for people to be vigilant. An increasing number of people are losing their hard-earned money to these criminals.

Scammers usually use elaborate tactics to gain the trust of their victims in order to defraud them of their money. The scammers promise big returns, which are usually paid to the early entrants.

The schemes however, eventually collapse as the number of current investors outstrips that of new entrants.

Experts say the only constant in such schemes are the gullible investors who are blinded by the promise of quick riches.

Attempts to contact the scammer on his South African registered mobile number failed: his phone is unavailable.

His company also has no known physical address as he usually communicated with his investors virtually via WhatsApp and other electronic platforms.

A pyramid scheme is a scheme under which a person makes a payment to get the right to recruit others into the scheme for which they receive an income.

The new recruits also make payments to get the right to further recruit others and in turn receive incomes for recruiting others.

Over a period of time, a hierarchy of participants resembling a pyramid is formed with the introduction of new recruits, and increased number of participants to the scheme. Sunday Mail
THE Passengers Association of Zimbabwe (PAZ) has filed an urgent chamber application at the High Court seeking to block the police from arresting commuters who boarded pirate taxis after failing to get Zupco transport services.

The association is arguing that there is no prescribed law which criminalises the use of other vehicles other than Zupco buses.

Government recently ordered the arrest of passengers who board pirate taxis known as mushikashika and that the offenders should pay a $2 000 spot fine.

PAZ, represented by its national co-ordinator Tafadzwa Goliati, is cited as the first applicants while Charles Nyoni, who was fined for hitchhiking, and George Tsaurai, a private vehicle owner, were second and third applicants respectively in the matter.

Through their lawyer from the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, the applicants are seeking a court declaration that the arrest of passengers who board private vehicles is unlawful.

Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga, Harare top police officer Walter Tembo and Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe were cited as respondents.

The applicants argued that Zupco was failing to provide adequate transport and had created a transport crisis as hundreds of commuters were being left stranded at bus termini.

They also argued that criminalisation of boarding private transport was a violation of citizens right to human dignity and movement and administrative justice, as the parastatal was failing to avail enough buses to the citizens.

The passenger cannot be arrested for hitchhiking under sections 7(2) as read with Section 28(2) and Section 49(2) of 2016, Road Traffic (traffic Sign and Signals) regulations, 2016 unless they are a pedestrian who has attempted to pick up passengers at a point which is 500m from a regulated sign which prohibits hitchhiking, said the applicants.

The harm which is alleged in this application is ongoing for every passenger in Zimbabwe who is faced with the prospect of an unlawful operation being enforced against them. The threat is yet to happen for many and may happen to a person more than once as long as this operation continues.

They further argued that it was not prescribed by the law for a passenger to be implicated where a transport operator was not in compliance with the law.

The Road motor Transportation Act [Chapter 13:15] is very clear in terms of who is implicated where there is non-compliance with laws related to the transport services, said the applicants.

Section 7 of that Act provides that the transport operator is guilty of an offence where there is non-compliance with the law related to his service and shows that passengers do not have anything to do with the non-compliance. Similarly, section 39 of the Road Motor Transportation Act [Chapter 13:15] provides that failure to observe terms and conditions of license or the road authority implicates the driver or the conductor of the vehicle concerned.

The applicants want the respondents to pay the cost of suit at a higher scale. The matter is yet to be set down for hearing. Newsday


SOME schools around the country are demanding that pupils produce COVID-19-free certificates before they are admitted for the last term of the year following outbreaks within the first week of reopening.

Schools only resumed classes for the second and final term of the year last week following a prolonged closure due to spiking infections during winter, for examination classes while the rest of the pupils restart in-class learning today.

Other schools are providing testing facilities at the school gates to ensure that only pupils who are COVID-19-free are allowed into their premises.

Kriste Mambo Girls High School near Juliasdale on Saturday reported that it recorded nine COVID-19 cases during the first week of the schools reopening.

In a circular to parents and guardians, Sister Monica Maparura urged parents to make sure their children bring COVID-19 test results.

We would like to inform you that after receiving the examination classes, we had some learners who exhibited some COVID-19 symptoms on day five of reopening, Maparura said.

We procedurally informed the Ministry of Health. Eighteen learners, who include those who exhibited symptoms and their contacts, were tested. Nine of them tested positive. The Ministry of Healths assessment revealed that the cases were imported and not local. In view of this, the Ministry of Health has recommended that all students who are coming to school tomorrow Sunday September 5, 2021 should produce COVID-19 antigen rapid diagnostic tests so as to assist the school in implementing the relevant measures.

Teachers unions said they had received several reports of schools that were recording COVID-19 cases in the past week.

We have received reports of schools that are recording COVID-19 cases though we are yet to gather the actual figures of the affected pupils. It has come to our attention that a school in Marondera and another in Matabeleland South (province) have recorded cases of COVID-19, during the first week of the second term, Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general Raymond Majongwe told NewsDay.

The Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) also said there had been reports of outbreaks at several schools.

There is a COVID-19 case at St Marks in Mhondoro which was recorded in the past week, while a teacher at St Marks Primary School in Mhondoro again succumbed to COVID-19 in the same week, Zimta secretary-general Goodwill Taderera said, adding that there were more cases for which they would only get full details today.

During the first term this year, several schools were forced to close after recording a high number of COVID-19 cases.

According to statistics released by the Health ministry on Saturday, the country recorded 94 new COVID-19 cases, while nine people succumbed to the virus, bringing the totals to 125 425 and 4 466, respectively, by yesterday morning since the first was recorded in the country last year in March.

Health deputy minister John Mangwiro was not picking up his phone for comment. Medical and Dental Private Practitioners of Zimbabwe Association president Johannes Marisa told NewsDay that due to limited testing capacities, more pupils in schools could be suffering from COVID-19, but the cases were not being recorded.

Children have always been contracting COVID-19, but most of them have not been exhibiting symptoms, he said.

It is not surprising that several schools have COVID-19 cases. But the situation right now does not warrant for schools to be closed. This is a reminder that COVID-19 is still with us.

Learning should continue in schools, but what is important is to ensure that the situation is kept under control so that we dont get ballooning figures. There is a need to cautiously monitor the cases to ensure that all complicated cases are dealt with urgently.

Government announced last week that it had opened the COVID-19 vaccination to 14 to 17-year age groups, who constitute a significant number of school-going pupils.

But unions said only 5% of teachers had been vaccinated and have called on government to ensure that their members get the COVID-19 jabs to protect them and those pupils who have not yet been vaccinated.

Government urged parents to help in ensuring their children had enough personal protective equipment (PPE), but parents who spoke to NewsDay yesterday said they could not afford it, especially after government increased school fees by 33%.

Parents also decried private transport operators who were charging about twice or thrice the normal travelling fares yesterday.

There was chaos at several pick-up points in Harare yesterday as learners and staff jostled for transport to their schools.

Government should have organised subsidised transport fares to facilitate smooth travelling of pupils and teachers to their respective schools since private transport operators have been barred from transporting in intercity, a teacher, who was at a pick-up point behind Rufaro Stadium in Mbare, Harare, said.

We are still in the middle of the pandemic where we need to adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines of social distancing, which is not the case here.

Another parent, Charity Moyo, raised concern over governments decision to reopen schools without ensuring safety of children from COVID-19.

It is difficult for us to provide PPE for our children to sustain them the whole of this long term, Moyo said. We are financially incapable of providing enough PPE as required by government.

The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) said it planned to stage a protest today against the public transport crisis.

Primary and Secondary Education ministry permanent secretary Tumisang Thabela said she could not comment as she was travelling. She referred questions to the ministrys spokesperson Taungana Ndoro, whose mobile number was not reachable. Newsday
BUSINESS tycoon Ken Sharpe has filed a US$1 mllion defamation lawsuit against MDC Alliance vice-president Tendai Biti.

This was after Biti early this year named Sharpe as one of the elite looters bleeding Zimbabwe.

In High Court papers that amended the initial lawsuit filed on August 26, 2021, Sharpes firm Augur Investments through its lawyers Scanlen and Holderness, said Biti defamed the firms proprietor by making the baseless claims.

Sharpe is also suing the MDC Alliance party for pursuing a malicious agenda based on Bitis tweets.

On or about December 13, 2020 and on December 23, 2020, the first defendant further published two other false, malicious and defamatory statements of and concerning the first and third plaintiff in particular where he stated the following: Glyn Cohen is among a coterie of elite looters that are bleeding Zimbabwe or have bled Zimbabwe aided and abated by Zanu PF patronage system.

Sharpe claimed that in the December 12 tweet, Biti made baseless claims that could not go unchallenged.

This list includes Hamish and Simon Rudland, Ian McMillan, Lawrence Sher, Van Hoogstraten, Ken Sharpe, Sam Levy estate and the food mafia, Biti tweeted.

The desperate actions of Kenneth Sharpe and Augur Investments will not erase the truth that they looted thousands of hectares of land from the City of Harare. Under the airport agreement, land was transferred to Augur, but it never performed. Government took over the project.

Sharpe and his company dismissed the claims as malicious.

Sharpe also sued the MDC Alliance for publishing Bitis malicious and defamatory statements.

On or about December 4, 2020, the MDC Alliance associated and made common purpose with the first defendant by publishing certain comments of and concerning first and third plaintiff.

Biti is also embroiled in a legal battle with West Properties Tatiana Alishiana where he is being accused of assaulting her last year after a court appearance where the former Harare East lawmaker was representing a client involved in a dispute with Augur Investments. Newsday
MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has rubbished President Emmerson Mnangagwas claims that the ruling Zanu PF party would remain in power forever, stating that the electorate had the mandate to choose its preferred leader.

Addressing a Zanu PF politburo meeting in Harare on Saturday, Mnangagwa swore that his party would not be removed from power, stating he was confident of a resounding victory in the 2023 elections.

Chamisa is likely to face Mnangagwa for the second time in polls in 2023, after the opposition leader narrowly lost to the Zanu PF leader in the disputed 2018 elections.

Change is unstoppable, Chamisa tweeted. Nothing and nobody is permanent. Dont ever mistakenly think that you own the country. Parties dont own people. People are not objects. Nobody and no party ever ruled or rules forever except God. Zimbabwe needs leaders not rulers.

The opposition MDC Alliance leader also scoffed at Mnangagwas claims of defections of key opposition officials, saying the people paraded at the Zanu PF headquarters were not from his party.

Mnangagwa paraded before his party leadership seven members claiming to be from the Nelson Chamisa-led party including former Harare deputy mayor Emmanuel Chiroto and former Marondera mayor Farai Nyandoro, among others.

But the MDC Alliance secretary-general Chalton Hwende said Mnangagwa was panicking and desperate as the officials he paraded were not part of the MDC Alliance.

ED is panicking and desperate, keep on pressing for the #RegisterToVote2023 campaign. Most of the names of the alleged senior members I have seen for the first time, Hwende said.

They have even created a new post of secretary-general for veterans which is not in our constitution. Zanu PF is all about deception and fraud, Hwende said.

It emerged that Chiroto who was also among the alleged defectors left the MDC-T in 2015 and joined hands with the Zimbabwe People First led by former Vice-President Joice Mujuru.

Chiroto and Nyandoro reportedly rejoined the Douglas Mwonzora-led MDC-T before tendering their resignations in July this year to pursue private business

Among the defectors was former Zengeza West Member of Parliament Simon Chidhakwa who was fired from the opposition party after contesting as an independent candidate.

Former MDC Alliance Veterans Association secretary-general Charles Musimuki, who investigations revealed was suspended from the party in July, said the opposition partys continuous splits was a clear indication of lack of ideology.

Others who were paraded by Mnangagwa at the Zanu PF headquarters were Chadamoyo Solomon Machingura, Peter Chandafira and Carlos Mudzongo. Newsday
As an energetic high school sophomore, the teen was not one of the supposedly extra-vulnerable people who can get severely ill with COVID. She had been planning to get vaccinated earlier this summer, she told CNN, but then a runny nose, headaches and lost senses of taste and smell intruded.
The issue is not, as many people think, a question of whether or not there will be people in the seats. They will be there, especially where the brand is strong. The unknown is whether or not demand will be sufficient that those tickets can be sold at prices that will cover the producers huge costs  yet higher, in fact, in the face of all the COVID-19 mitigations.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that while the total number of wage and salary workers represented by a union in the U.S. fell by roughly 321,000 in 2020 from 2019  the percentage of the American workforce thats unionized actually went up, from 10.3% to 10.8%. The numbers show the economy took a hit at the onset of the pandemic resulting in a huge wave of unemployment  but unionized workers were less likely to lose their jobs.
While cops initially believed the boy pulled a gun and fired back after he was wounded, striking the cabbie with a stray bullet, investigators now dont think he ever fired and are unsure if he was armed, sources said Monday.
He loved his kids. He was looking forward to getting together. Its so crazy that hes dead and to find out it was in a police station, Johnson said. I want them to investigate and be held accountable. This is really unacceptable. he should not have died like that.
As he worried about the young translator he worked with in 2008, who fled across a border to a neighboring country with his family on foot in mid-August, he said too much money went to corrupt local leaders, warlords and contractors at the expense of regular Afghans.
Six of the seven victims who were hurt sustained gunshot wounds, but the other persons injuries were still under investigation, authorities said. All were treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a nearby hospital.
The womans three other children, ages 4 to 12, and her 40-year-old boyfriend were also at the home at the time of the shooting, the Casa Grande Police Department said in a news release. None of them were injured during the incident.
The self-described survivalist first showed up at the house around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, when he told a woman that God sent him to speak with one of her daughters. He left when she turned him away, then told two more people down the road he was looking for the daughter because God had told him she intended to kill herself.
The two incidents come just three weeks after another child had a violent encounter with a coyote in the same town. The 5-year-old victim in that attack was playing in a sandbox when a coyote approached him and bit him in the leg, police said.
Jennifer Coleman, who grew up near Richmond but was on vacation in Montana, was last heard from last Monday by text message. When she failed to pick up her dogs from the boarding facility on Tuesday, her family reported her missing.
I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret. Im resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle that has been exacerbated by these murders. I am immensely sorry to everyone Ive hurt including my family, friends and colleagues. I ask for prayers as I rehabilitate myself and my relationships.
When they got to the middle of the street, they got out of the car, Passaic resident Lady Torres told WPIX-TV on Thursday. And I dont know if they were trying to take a video but the car just started moving, and the current was so strong it just swept everyone away.
Oster noted that Wagshul does not have hospital privileges at West Chester and has never even seen the patient, 51-year-old Jeffrey Smith. The judge said he was not ruling on the effectiveness of ivermectin to treat coronavirus  an issue that is the subject of multiple ongoing clinical trials  but on whether the plaintiff has the right to require a hospital to administer an unproven medical treatment.
These Soldiers embodied the West Point motto of Duty, Honor, Country and ideals of the Army Ethic, said U.S. Military Academy 60th Superintendent Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the first African-American in that position, in a statement obtained by CNN. This monument will ensure that the legacy of Buffalo Soldiers is enduringly revered, honored and celebrated while serving as an inspiration for the next generations of cadets.
Another new law extends the number of times that workers are permitted to collect a share of employer-provided benefits even if they are not working full time, a potential advantage to gig workers and parents who are not able to fully return to the workplace.
I would suggest to Hochul and de Blasio that they actually go into a sewer like Ive been, go into a catch basin, and see for themselves the fact that they havent done any maintenance on the system, said Sliwa, the stunt-prone founder of the Guardian Angels patrol group.
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, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week. Whether or not they change remains to be seen.
Already, he is trying to turn the destruction wrought by the hurricane into a fresh argument for the infrastructure spending hes been pushing all along, telling local officials in Louisiana, It seems to me we can save a whole lot of money and a whole lot of pain for our constituents  if when we build back, we build it back in a better way.
He was able to win back just enough white men and women without a college degree from former President Trump to win the White House. Hell need to repeat the trick if he hopes to win a second term in 2024.
St. Louis: Always the same few people attacking the carriage industry  the ones that make a living doing so (Put these steeds out to pasture, op-ed, Aug 24). Susan Wagner has run a multimillion-dollar equine rescue for 25 years, average revenue of $1.4 million, with Wagner and her sister listed as the highest-paid employees and assets listed at almost $4 million. When NYCLASS introduced its fantasy about electric carriages, Elizabeth Forel vehemently rejected it and her website still lists her opinions: the electric car bill, will not happen and should not happen because it will hurt the horses and initial risks are very substantial  raising the capital to produce the first fleet on pure speculation; lack of a known market; unknown revenue expectations. Another article quotes Forel: They will not be allowed in the park, nor should they be. Imagine all the good that could have been accomplished in 15 years rather than chasing carriages. Aidan McNamara
As leaders of the New York State AFL-CIO and the New York Hotel Trades Council, we have seen firsthand the challenges that our union members and non-union workers have faced since COVID crushed our economy and decimated key industries across the state. But as difficult as things have been, this acute and immediate loss of income will be an even greater shock to families that rely on federally extended unemployment benefits and the $300 weekly supplement they receive through the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation fund. These benefits have served as an absolutely critical lifeline to many New Yorkers, especially to hotel and hospitality workers, restaurant and retail staff, office cleaners and clerical staff, as well as other workers who have not seen their jobs return.
This is a vaccine thats easy, said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and infectious disease physician. You can put it in mobile units. You can grab it and take it to someones house [for homebound patients]. And there are some people who want the Johnson and Johnson vaccine because it uses different technology and just needs that single dose. All of thats important.
Gleason and the 33-year-old female victim told Riley there was nobody named Amber there and that he should leave before they called law enforcement, the sheriff said. Deputies were then summoned and searched the area but did not find Riley. Judd said, about nine hours later, around 4:30 a.m., a Polk County lieutenant who was nearby heard volleys of automatic gunfire coming from the area of the original call.
The Afghan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said it was four planes, and their intended passengers were staying at hotels while authorities worked out whether they might be able to leave the country. The sticking point, he indicated, is that many did not have the right travel papers.
Sanford police arrested two male teenagers Monday in connection with multiple shootings over the Labor Day weekend, but the department did not say whether anyone was wounded in those incidents.
Oswego, NY (13126)

Today

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 69F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Cloudy early with partial clearing expected late. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
Fulton officials are planning to set aside $400,000 for small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. If approved, the funding would come from the $1.2 million in federal COVID-19 recovery funding the city received. Pictured above, members of the Fulton Common Council meet in April amid the pandemic.
Rome, Italy (PANA) - Despite hopes that by now the pandemic would be under control, the head of the UNs health agency told the G20 leading industrialized nations Health Ministers Meeting in Rome on Sunday that the opposite is true
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The spokesperson for the Libyan Presidential Council, Najwa Wahiba, has announced that more prisoners will be released in the coming days as part of the national reconciliation in the country
Prosecutors demand 15 years in jail for infamous Krasnoyarsk businessman Bykov

 RAPSI, Eugeny Varlamov

15:56 06/09/2021

MOSCOW, September 6 (RAPSI)  State prosecutors called on Monday for businessman Anatoly Bykov be jailed for 14 years and 11 months for masterminding double homicide in 1994, RAPSI learnt in the courtroom.

Last week, jury found Bykov guilty of organizing the murder of two residents of Krasnoyarsk, Kirill Voytenko and Alexander Naumov. The jurors also considered that the businessman did not deserve leniency.

According to the Russian Investigative Committee, in the first half of 1994, Alexander Naumov, a 23-year old member of a criminal group headed by Bykov, had a conflict with the gang leader because of unjust, according to him, dividing of the joint criminal income. Later, Bykovs car was exploded. The businessman suspected Naumov and his friend Voytenko of the blast organization and decided to kill them. He ordered his acquaintance Vladimir Tatarenkov to organize the murder; the latter in turn involved his gang members in the crime. On July 24, 1994, Naumov and Voytenko were shot dead, investigators claimed.

Bykov is also stands charged with the creation of a criminal community. Investigators allege that in the summer of 2004, Bykov ordered his acquaintance to kill a 42-year resident of Krasnoyarsk, the founder of an industrial waste utilization firm, for an award of $50,000. On January 18, 2005, the killer shot the victim dead.

According to investigators, from 1993 to 1995 Bykov, in order to seize a leading position in the criminal circles of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, to control the activities of members of criminal groups and derive material benefit from this, rallied organized criminal groups around himself, including groups led by Vilor Struganov, Vladimir Tatarenkov and others.

Subsequently, Bykov coordinated the criminal activities of the organized criminal groups, divided the spheres of criminal influence and criminal proceeds between organized criminal groups in order to commit grave and especially grave crimes.

As it follows from the materials of the case, members of the organized criminal groups, headed by Bykov, committed murders of crime bosses Anatoly Artyushkov, Vladimir Filippov and a member of one of the criminal groups in Krasnoyarsk Yuri Khonin in order to capture and maintain a leading position in the criminal circles of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
BBC, September 6, 2021

The woman, named in local media as Banu Negar, was killed at the family home in front of relatives in Firozkoh, the capital of central Ghor province.

The killing comes amid increasing reports of escalating repression of women in Afghanistan.

The Taliban told the BBC they had no involvement in Negar's death and are investigating the incident.

Spokesman Zabiullah Mujaheed said: "We are aware of the incident and I am confirming that the Taliban have not killed her, our investigation is ongoing."

He added that the Taliban had already announced an amnesty for people who worked for the previous administration, and put Negar's murder down to "personal enmity or something else".

Details of the incident are still sketchy as many in Firozkoh fear retribution if they speak out. But three sources have told the BBC that the Taliban beat and shot Negar dead in front of her husband and children on Saturday.

Relatives supplied graphic images showing blood spattered on a wall in the corner of a room and a body, the face heavily disfigured.

The family say Negar, who worked at the local prison, was eight months pregnant.

Three gunmen arrived at the house on Saturday and searched it before tying members of the family up, relatives say.

The intruders were heard speaking Arabic, a witness said.

Since taking power on 15 August, the Taliban have sought to portray themselves as more tolerant than their global reputation suggests, but incidents of brutality and repression are still being reported in parts of Afghanistan.

Human rights groups have been documenting revenge killings, detentions and persecution of religious minorities. The Taliban have said officially that they will not seek retribution against those who worked for the former government.
Posted by Liam on at 09:01 AM CST

Hey there,readers! This week on the site were exploring thecomic book storylines that developed non-canon what if versions of the original trilogy. Today, our Expand Your Mind feature will delve into the history of the series, what makes it unique, its impact on the saga, and some of the coolest related merchandise. Later on in the week, our Force Casting feature will look at how the series could be adapted as a future Lucasfilm series or film, our Timeline Breakdown piece will explore connections to other Legends material, and our Character Spotlight article will highlight a standout characters history. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube page to get Bobbys expertise in video form throughout the week.is a non-canon alternate history storyline told across three separate four-part comic series, each focused on one of the original three films. As they each change a key decision or moment in the individual film, the three story arcs dont have any shared continuity to each other, or any other canon material for that matter. Although other Legends material has been deemed non-canon later on by Disney,is unique in that it was marketed as non-canon from the beginning.picks up during the climactic final trench run. Luke Skywalker is saved by Han Solos valiant rescue and guided by Obi-Wan Kenobis Force spirit, and with all the motivation in the galaxy fires the blasts into the Death Star reactor . and misses. Although Princess Leia and the Rebel Alliance leadership are able to escape Yavin IV, theyre captured by Grand Moff Tarkin. The series picks up five years later with a dystopian galaxy with a prominent Death Star. Luke now possesses the training of Yoda and must reform the alliance and combat the combined power of Darth Vader and his new apprentice: Leia.opens in similar fashion to the actual classic, but when Hans tauntaun dies while searching through the snowy plains of Hoth for Luke Skywalker . hes too late to save his friend. Luke is dead, but passes on Yodas location on Dagobah to Han, who mistakenly believes he is destined to receive Jedi training. It's only upon meeting the veteran Jedi that he discovers that it's Leia who is now destined to save the galaxy. Han then manages to pay off his debts to Jabba, but a rival bounty hunter steals the Millenium Falcon.begins with the films iconic opening sequence . but things dont go according to plan. The rescue operation fails, C-3PO is destroyed, and while Jabba is killed, Boba Fett escapes with Han frozen in carbonite. During their rebels pursuit, Luke is captured and taken hostage by Vader and brought before Emperor Palptaine earlier. The Battle of Endor proceeds with different results. While Palpatine escapes to reamass Imperial forces, Vader also survives, now clad in white iron armor to fight alongside his children.merchandise is highly sought after by collectors, as the rare figures have only exclusively been made available in comic book packs and their depictions of the alternate characters dont appear anywhere else. There are two offerings available, both featuring versions of Leia and Darth Vader. A comic book pack ofincludes Leia in training robes with a version of Vader in alternate armor. One of the goldmines of the comic book pack line is thepack that includes Leia in an alternate poncho outfit and the super cool white armor Anakin Skywalker.is a fascinating new take on thegalaxy that does more than just provide shocks. Each version tells a complete story that culminates in a satisfying conclusion in its own right, and fans of Dark Horses rich storytelling will definitely want to check out this intriguing new spin on classic events.What do you all think? Which of thestorylines do you enjoy the most? What do you think of the white armor Anakin? What other figures would you like to see from? Let us know in the forums , and as always, may the Force be with you!
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Trinamool turncoat and now a key BJP face, Suevndu Adhiakri, who was summoned by the CID asking him to be present in their Bhawani Bhawan office on Monday in connection with the death of his bodyguard Subhabrata Chakraborty under mysterious circumstances in 2018, told the probe agency via e-mail that he would not be able to present himself because of his pre-scheduled political programs.

Confirming the email, a senior CID officer said that the agency is likely to issue fresh summons against the BJP leader. "His statement is very crucial for the investigation and it is impossible to come to any conclusion in this case without his statement. So there is a possibility that the CID will again issue a summons".

On Friday the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) summoned Adhikari at the CID headquarters here at 11 a.m. Subhabrata Chakraborty allegedly shot himself dead in a police barrack in Purba Medinipur's Contai in 2018.

As a State Armed Police personnel, Chakraborty was part of the Adhikari's security team who was then a Trinamool Congress MP.

The death of Chakraborty took a significant turn when, in July this year, after Adhikari switched camp and joined BJP, Suparna Chakraborty, wife of Subhabrata Chakraborty lodged a complaint with Kanthi police station demanding a probe into her husband's death.

A fresh probe was launched by West Bengal Police after registering the case under sections 302 and 120B of the IPC against unknown persons. CID had taken over the investigation soon after.

As a part of the investigation, a four-member CID team had raided Suvendhu Adhikari's residence in Purba Medinipur in July this year. The CID officials had reportedly arrived at the Nandigram MLA's house after interrogating and gathering information from the former co-workers of Shubhabrata Chakraborty.

Previously the CID team recorded the version of Suparna Chakraborty, who reportedly told the investigators that she was scared to report a complaint. Suparna, told the investigators that her husband has not committed suicide and "it was clear case of murder".
The US has cash funded the infamous Wuhan lab in China, that is known to deal in deadly viruses and is also the place from where the SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind Covid-19 pandemic, allegedly leaked, claimed a new book.

The book titled "What Really Happened in Wuhan: the Cover-Ups, the Conspiracies and the Classified Research" is written by Australian investigative journalist Sharri Markson.

The book claims that the controversial research to make diseases more potent was backed by Dr Anthony Fauci, US' top infectious disease expert, Markson wrote in The Times.

Markson asserted that the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) was creating a database of potentially lethal viruses with the help of Shi Zhengli, famously known as the 'batwoman', in a lab with poor safety practices and no US oversight.

In March 2018, two years before the pandemic struck the world -- probably from the same city/lab -- US career diplomat Rick Switzer along with his colleague Jamie Fouss, the US consul-general in Wuhan, led a team to inspect the WIV.

Switzer sent a cable to the State Department in April, and made clear how the National Institutes of Health (NIH), headed by Dr Anthony Fauci, was funding research at the Wuhan lab -- which included experimenting with coronaviruses, the Daily Mail reported.

Zhengli was working on China's own version of the Global Virome Project (GVP) -- supposed to be an international collaborative effort to identify within 10 years all of the planet's viruses which have pandemic or epidemic potential in humans.

The "NIH was a major funder, along with the National Science Foundation of China, of SARS research by the Wuhan Institute of Virology," read the cable, according to the report.

"In the last year, the institute has also hosted visits from the NIH, National Science Foundation and experts from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston," it added.

The book noted that despite the US's help in funding and training the lab and its technicians, only few international researchers were welcome to work inside the facility.

"So a laboratory working with the most lethal pathogens known to humankind had effectively cut off collaboration with the international community," Markson commented in the book.

WIV and Zhengli came under intense scrutiny, after coronavirus spread like wildfire throughout the world. Many governments and scientists worldwide suggested that the institute was the source of the Covid-19 outbreak, leading to multiple probes and inconclusive findings.

The US, along with the probe teams of the World Health Organisation has criticised China for not cooperating with the investigation.

However, Zhengli and the Chinese government have denied their role in the origin of Covid-19. They have dismissed the Wuhan lab leak theory as "extremely impossible" and have accused the US of "political manipulation".
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/06/2021 -- Advance Market Analytics published a new research publication on "Office Insurance Market Insights, to 2026" with 232 pages and enriched with self-explained Tables and charts in presentable format. In the Study you will find new evolving Trends, Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities generated by targeting market associated stakeholders. The growth of the Office Insurance market was mainly driven by the increasing R&D spending across the world.



Some of the key players profiled in the study are:

Allianz (Germany), AXA (France), Nippon Life Insurance (Japan), American Intl. Group (United States), Aviva (United Kingdom), Assicurazioni Generali (Italy), Cardinal Health (United States), State Farm Insurance (United States), Dai-ichi Mutual Life Insurance (Japan), Munich Re Group (Germany)

Get Free Exclusive PDF Sample Copy of This Research @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/175557-global-office-insurance-market



Scope of the Report of Office Insurance:

Office insurance is primarily centered on businesses that are run from a commercial property. Office insurance shield working premises against the costs and any loss of productivity caused by physical harm, felony or failure. When the unexpected happens, itas necessary to create sure office head is in an exceedingly position to get on with business as usual. If there's a physical workplace area, it should be insured both ways i.e.; building and contents. Lost productivity means lost earnings, missed deadlines and probably a damaged reputation. Putting an office insurance policy in place ensures business will keep running, even when the premises are out of action.



The titled segments and sub-section of the market are illuminated below:

by Application (Personal, Enterprise, Government), Insurance Coverage (Fire, Natural Clematis, Permanent Fixture, Others)



Market Trends:

Introduction of Technology Such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Others



Opportunities:

Rising Industrialization and Small Businesses

Rising Opportunity in Emerging Economics



Market Drivers:

Introduction of Dynamic Risk Modeling Techniques

Rising Demand Due to Financial Protection

Growing Awareness about the Benefits of Office Insurances



Challenges:

Presence of Numerous Insurance with Fluctuating Policy Rates

Fluctuating Economics Conditions and Government Regulations



Region Included are: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Oceania, South America, Middle East & Africa

Country Level Break-Up: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Russia, France, Poland, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Australia and New Zealand etc.

Have Any Questions Regarding Global Office Insurance Market Report, Ask Our Experts@ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/175557-global-office-insurance-market

Strategic Points Covered in Table of Content of Global Office Insurance Market:

Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product Objective of Study and Research Scope the Office Insurance market

Chapter 2: Exclusive Summary  the basic information of the Office Insurance Market.

Chapter 3: Displaying the Market Dynamics- Drivers, Trends and Challenges & Opportunities of the Office Insurance

Chapter 4: Presenting the Office Insurance Market Factor Analysis, Porters Five Forces, Supply/Value Chain, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent/Trademark Analysis.

Chapter 5: Displaying the by Type, End User and Region/Country 2015-2020

Chapter 6: Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the Office Insurance market which consists of its Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile

Chapter 7: To evaluate the market by segments, by countries and by Manufacturers/Company with revenue share and sales by key countries in these various regions (2021-2026)

Chapter 8 & 9: Displaying the Appendix, Methodology and Data Source

finally, Office Insurance Market is a valuable source of guidance for individuals and companies.



Read Detailed Index of Full Research Study at @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/175557-global-office-insurance-market
Indian wolves (Canis lupus pallipes) could represent the most ancient surviving lineage of wolves, according to an analysis of the animals newly-sequenced genome.

The Indian wolf is a subspecies of gray wolf first described by the British ornithologist William Henry Sykes in 1831.

It has a wide distribution range that extends from India in the east to Turkey in the west, with populations reported from Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel.

In India, it inhabits scrublands in three biogeographic zones that include the hot desert, the semi-arid zone and the Deccan plateau.

In the 2000s, Indian wolves were thought to number around 2,000-3,000 individuals in India, with an unknown number of individuals in a declining population in Pakistan.

However, the current taxonomy does not distinguish Indian from other Asian wolves.

Wolves are one of the last remaining large carnivores in Pakistan, and many of Indias large carnivores are endangered, said Lauren Hennelly, a doctoral student in the Mammalian Ecology and Conservation Unit in the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of California, Davis.

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.

In the new research, Hennelly and colleagues sequenced four Indian wolves, two Tibetan wolves (Canis lupus chanco), and an Indian golden jackal (Canis aureus).

They used the new data along with 30 previously published canid genome sequences to investigate their genomic distinctiveness.

They found that Tibetan and Indian wolves are distinct from each other and from other wolf populations.

Both Tibetan and Indian wolves stem from an ancient lineage that predates the rise of Holarctic wolves, found in North America and Eurasia, said Dr. Ben Sacks, director of the Mammalian and Ecology Conservation Unit in the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of California, Davis.

This study indicates Indian wolves could represent the most ancient surviving lineage.

The authors recommend 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 Dr. Bilal Habib, a conservation biologist at 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.

The results appear in the journal Molecular Ecology.

_____

Lauren M. Hennelly et al. Ancient divergence of Indian and Tibetan wolves revealed by recombination-aware phylogenomics. Molecular Ecology, published online August 16, 2021; doi: 10.1111/mec.16127
Paleontologists have unearthed the fossilized remains of large teratornithid birds at four localities in central Argentina.

Teratorns are members of Teratornithidae, a highly diversified guild of large carnivorous flying birds that lived between 25 million and 12,000 years ago.

Their fossil record is limited exclusively to North and South America. The first teratorn fossils were discovered in 1909 in famous La Brea Tar Pits in California, the United States.

Teratorns are related to living storks and New World vultures such as turkey vultures and condors.

They are among the largest flying birds that ever existed: with a wingspan of up to 7 m (23 feet) and an estimated mass of 70 kg, the teratorn species Argentavis magnificens from the Late Miocene of Argentina is one of the largest flying birds known, only rivaled by the Eocene and Neogene pelagornithids.

It is believed that teratorns originated in South America because their oldest remains were found in 25- to 5-million-year-old deposits in Brazil and Argentina, said Dr. Marcos Cenizo, a paleontologist in the Centro de Ciencias Naturales, Ambientales y Antropologicas at the Fundacion de Historia Natural Felix de Azara  Universidad Maimonides.

After this period, teratorns disappeared from the South American fossil record, but became remarkably abundant and diverse in North America until their extinction at the end of the Pleistocene period, some 12,000 years ago.

The absence of these gigantic birds during the last 5 million years in South America was a mystery  until now.

Dr. Cenizo and colleagues examined four new teratorn specimens from localities of central Argentina that range in age from the Late Middle to the Early Late Pleistocene.

The first specimen that we identified was found in the 1980s at the site of Playa del Barco, they said.

We then found two more fossils: one in Centinela del Mar Natural Reserve, close to Mar del Sud and Miramar; and the other in the Salado de Santa Fe river, near Manucho.

One more specimen was added, previously reported as a condor, which was collected between 1930 and 1950.

The new specimens are comparable in size and morphology to a previously known species called Teratornis merriami.

However, they exhibit a set of divergent characters and probably belong to new species.

The available evidence suggests that forms related to Teratornis lived in the South American Pampas around the time of the Last Interglacial (MIS 5), but they were restricted to North America during the latest Pleistocene (late MIS 3-early MIS 1), the researchers said.

The contrasting latest Pleistocene record of teratorns between North and South America is not easy to understand, especially because the supposed flight capacity of these birds did not prevent them from crossing large geographical barriers.

Although a bias in the fossil record cannot be ruled out, it is possible that the teratorns were limited in South America by paleoclimatic-paleoecological factors as yet undetermined, and/or that the northern and southern Pleistocene species had very dissimilar specializations.

The new specimens also shed more light on the paleobiology of teratorn birds.

The early assumption that teratorns were vulture-like birds with a strict scavenger or raptorial behavior was based on the presence of a sharply hooked beak, their comparable body size and superficial similarity to the condors in limb proportions and morphology, as well as its frequent associated finding with cathartids and other large carnivorous birds, the authors said.

However, the relatively weak legs and claws observed in teratorns are not consistent with raptorlike features, and the distinctive morphology of the pectoral and pelvic girdles, skull and jaws appear to be incompatible with vulture-like ecology.

Their functional affinities are closer to an opportunistic-piscivorous bird such as the ciconiiforms and pelecaniforms that swallow whole prey.

The new results were published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

_____

M. Cenizo et al. First Pleistocene South American Teratornithidae (Aves): new insights into the late evolutionary history of teratorns. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, published online July 9, 2021; doi: 10.1080/02724634.2021.1927064
Experienced retail leader Richard Umbers to join Ryman Healthcare in October

Richard Umbers has been appointed Group Chief Executive Officer at Ryman Healthcare, following an extensive global search. Mr Umbers is an internationally experienced CEO with a background in leading large businesses. His retail experience includes most recently Divisional Director of buying at supermarket retailer Kaufland in Germany, and CEO and managing director at retailer Myer in Australia. He also held senior roles at Woolworths in Australia and was managing director of Progressive Enterprises Ltd in New Zealand, now trading as Countdown supermarkets. Earlier in his career he held senior leadership roles with Australia Post and Aldi in Europe.

Mr Umbers will join Ryman in October, taking over from Gordon MacLeod, who signalled his intention to stand down earlier this year.

Ryman Healthcare Chair Dr David Kerr said Mr Umbers brings a wealth of experience in leading growth and innovation at large organisations with a strong customer focus.

We are delighted to have secured Richards services and we believe he will be a great fit at Ryman.

This is a special company with a strong culture and a team committed to the care and welfare of our residents. We believe Richard has the right mix of commercial and executive skills and qualities to continue to foster that culture and build on it to prepare Ryman for the enormous growth we see in the years ahead."

Mr Umbers is currently based in Melbourne and will join the Ryman team on October 25 and is looking forward to being based in Christchurch.

Please see the link below for details

Ryman Healthcare Limited - Media release Richard Umbers appointed Ryman Healthcare Group CEO

Source: Ryman Healthcare Limited

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/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f6398ed3990)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6398d6b888)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f6398ed3990)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6398d6b888)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f6398eb1268)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6398d6b888)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6398d6b888)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f639897b0e8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f6398e62f58)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f6398e62f58)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f63992f8ce0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6399369860)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f63992f8ce0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6399369860)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f63994f57c0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6399369860)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6399369860)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f639897a620)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f639955fe58)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f639955fe58)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
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Brazil's Independence Day special activation

CQ 7SEP September 7 - Brazil's Independance Day Special activation of ECRA's PR7CP station



ECRA, Amateur Radio Club from Campina Grande, Paraiba state, Brazil, celebrates the Brazilian National Day with special activation of its official amateur radio station, PR7CP and offers a free certificate (DIPLOMA) for all hams around the world contacting us at HF bands, local repeaters and Digital Voice DMR Brandmeister (TG 72425).



The activity starts at our National Day (September 7th) by 8:00 and ends by 18:00 Brazilian time (5:00 - 15:00 UTC) in followind bands:

-> Local repeaters and DMR (TG 72425): 8:00 - 18:00 Brazilian time (5:00 - 15:00 UTC)

-> HF SSB 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters: 13:00 - 18:00 Brazilian time (10:00 - 15:00 UTC)

-> HF CW 40, 20 and 10 meters: 13:00 - 18:00 Brazilian time (10:00 - 15:00 UTC)



To find us, look at frequencies ending with number 7, as follows:

7.007, 7017, 14.007, 14.017, 21.007, 21.017, etc (CW)

7.107, 7127, 14.107, 14.207, 21.207, 21.217, 28.407 28.427, etc (SSB)



To receive our Certificate, just contact us in any band or mode. No need to apply or ask us for.



SWL are welcome, but to receive our Certificate, please send your received contact data or an audio or video recording of a PR7CP contact to qtcecra@gmail.com. Deadline to apply is 09/12/2021.



The certificate will be available at QTC ECRA website by 09/12/2021. Please, be patient, stay tuned and check our website AFTER this date: http://qtc.ecra.club



If you have any questions, please send us an email: qtcecra@gmail.com.
Occupied El Aaiun, 6 September 2021 (SPS) - The Group for Western Sahara Resources Monitoring and Environment Protection reported the interception of three vessels of different nationalities that were about to ship 175,959 tonnes of Sahrawi phosphate, as part of Morocco's systematic looting of Western Sahara resources.



According to a statement posted on its Facebook page, the Group for Western Sahara Resources Monitoring and Environment Protection intercepted Friday two ships in front of the port of Occupied El Aaiun, which were about to pick up a shipment of phosphate delivered by Moroccan occupation authorities.



The first vessel, ILIA (IMO 9490650), was flying the Liberian flag while the second, Geneva (IMO 9731248), was flying the Swiss flag.



A third vessel, VS HAYAKITA (9760158) flying the Panamanian flag, joined the two others in the evening.



The vessel GENAVA left the occupied territories for the port of Mobjack Bay in the United States, carrying 57,587 tonnes of plundered phosphate, while the other two ships are waiting for the green light to leave for the same destination."



The group also intercepted "a new, foreseeable load of wind turbines carried by Aramis (IMO 9815329), a vessel flying the Dutch flag, for the benefit of the Spanish company Siemens Gamesa, according to the statement.



The vessel had left occupied El Aaiun on August 25 towards the port of Motril, Spain, before returning again, trying to conceal its involvement with Siemens Gamesa in the execution of projects in the occupied territories of Western Sahara to the benefit of Morocco.



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Fort Lauderdale police located the victim in the street and bleeding at about 8:20 a.m. at Northwest 10th Terrace and Northwest 8th Street.
Authorities have found the lifeless body of man, during their for search for the British musician, Jonathan 'Pix' Pickford, who was reported missing on 29 August.

Jo Ramsay-Whale, a friend of Pix, whose social media post sparked the initial hunt, posted an update this Monday (6 September) on Facebook saying, "He has been found, in the area of his van. He's not alive. Thanks to all who helped to find him x"

Pickford was well-known for singing and playing lead guitar with the band GU!R! in the Axarquia area. He hadn't been seen since he was supposed to drive from the La Vinuela area to his home on the coast in Torre del Mar.

He had been driving a white Citroen Berlingo van and accompanied by his two, large dogs, which were found in the Los Mora area, some eight kilometres from Almogia in Malaga province.

The body of the British musician was found at 10.30am on one of the banks of the La Oliva stream, in Los Moras area, some 300 metres from where his van - and dogs - were found on Friday.

The Guardia Civil will now be in charge of investigating the circumstances of Pickford's death.
Police search teams and volunteers have intensified their efforts to find a missing British musician, Jonathan 'Pix' Pickford, who was reported missing on 29 August.

Pickford, who is well-known for singing and playing lead guitar with the band GU!R! in the Axarquia area, was supposed to drive from the La Vinuela area to his home on the coast in Torre del Mar. But he didnt arrive and hasnt been seen since, although there was one, unconfirmed, sighting of him in Antequera last Friday.

He was driving a white Citroen Berlingo van and accompanied by his two, large dogs, which have subsequently been found in the Los Mora area, some eight kilometres from Almogia in Malaga province.

On Sunday, 5 September, the search for the missing man was intensified in the town and local area and involved three teams of Guardia Civil officers, units from the Local Police and Civil Protection volunteers

On the night Pickford disappeared he was wearing a black Jack Daniels t-shirt and jeans.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the National Police (telephone 900 100 091) quoting reference Jonathan Pickford 7071.
National Police officers in Malaga have arrested a 70-year-old Spanish man who is accused of causing more than 25,000 euros worth of damage, after allegedly painting coronavirus graffiti on buildings in the city.

The man, who the police consider to be a Covid-denier, is accused of painting messages such as as "Covid19 doesn't exist" and "TV is the virus" on more than a hundred facades of housing blocks, schools and commercial premises.

The damage caused is estimated at about 25,000 euros, according to the police force.

In addition to identifying the suspect, officers also traced the business where he, allegedly, bought the spray paint cans.
Spain's national weather agency, Aemet, is warning that high temperatures will return to Andalucia this Monday, 6 September, and it has issued yellow alerts for four provinces in the region.

Specifically, the mercury is expected to soar, during this second week of September, in Almeria, Cordoba, Jaen and Seville, according to the forecast, with highs of up to 38 degrees expected.

In addition, Cadiz province, is also added to the weather warning map due to rough seas and strong winds that could reach 80 kilometres per hour.

In Malaga and on the Costa del Sol, a minimum temperature of 21 degrees is expected and a maximum of 30.

Looking ahead to Wednesday, Aemet expects the summer heat to return to Malaga. In the city, maximums of 32 degrees are expected with a minimum hovering around 22 degrees.
A four-year-old child died on Sunday, 5 September, after being attacked by a dog, believed to be owned by his family, in the Cordoba province town of Lucena.

The incident happened at around 3am in the morning when the emergency services were alerted that a young child, who was sleeping on a couch, had been bitten by a dog.

The child was rushed to a health centre in the town, by a neighbour, but the on-duty doctor could only certify his death.

The National Police force is investigating the circumstances of the fatal incident.

The identity-chipped dog is in police custody until a court determines its fate.
if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...
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The transition of procurement's function from a tactical support role to an important strategic asset ensuring organisational success will come under the spotlight, when the fifth edition of Procurement Middle East opens on November 9 in Bahrain.

The two-day Procurement Middle East 2021 is supported by the Bahrain Tender Board, and held under the patronage of Shaikh Nayef Bin Khalid Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Bahrain Tender Board.

The conference was originally scheduled to run in September, however the move to November follows extensive consultation with key stakeholders, government partners, and professionals from the procurement and supply chain industries, said a statement.

It will also be held as a hybrid event this year, running under the overarching theme: From Tactics to Strategy: Building Resilient, Efficient, and Sustainable Procurement 4.0.

Dr Mohammed Ali Bahzad, Secretary General, Bahrain Tender Board, said: Having been working closely with our advisory board and event partner over the past year to deliver a brand new hybrid format that combines the best of both worlds, we genuinely think that moving Procurement Middle East 2021 to November will provide us additional opportunity to ensure that our stakeholders receive maximum benefits and exposure from Procurement 4.0.

More than 500 international delegates are expected to attend in-person and virtually, while 25-plus expert speakers will share their insights into how procurement leaders can increase their departments influence within organisations, offering a holistic orientation of business value.

As the only government endorsed procurement event in the region, Procurement Middle East will also bring together the most influential leaders in the procurement and supply chain sector to discuss impending issues and solutions, and explore innovative avenues for the development of the procurement sector.

Delegates this year can also look forward to the launch of the Bahrain Tender Boards new National Procurement System, where the government body will present an overview of its new strategy, innovations, and policies to support procurement in Bahrain with all government authorities.

In addition to multiple engaging presentation sessions, panel discussions and technology spotlight sessions and a co-located exhibition showcasing the latest innovations in the procurement transformation ecosystem, Procurement Middle East will also return with the 3rd edition of its awards programme celebrating the latest achievements and progress made in the sector.

The Procurement Middle East Awards 2021 comprise 12 categories, including the Most Innovative Technology Project, the Budding Talent Award, Procurement Hero Award and the Best Procurement Project.

Leading international suppliers of supply chain and procurement solutions will also present their latest solutions, including GEP Worldwide, a provider of strategy, software, and managed services solutions, and Lead Sponsor for Procurement Middle East.

Abdel Halim, Head of Middle East and Africa at GEP Worldwide, said: The last 18 months have accelerated digital transformation and brought forward years worth of technological capabilities. Most companies and individuals who rose above the challenges of the last year and a half and delivered during these uncertain times did so thanks to technology. I am excited to talk about these next-gen technologies and how next-gen is NOW-GEN, at Procurement Middle East 2021.

Sara Omer, Account Director for the Middle East and Africa at Ivalua, the shows Platinum Sponsor, added: I am looking forward to taking part in the Procurement Middle East conference this year.

The key theme of transforming procurement through inventory management optimization and linking the strategic upstream sourcing to tactical downstream inventory control, has always been a paradigm and a pivotal aspect of measuring successful procurement operations. It promises to be a very impactful event that will enrich the knowledge of all attending in how to improve synergy between procurement and inventory management. - TradeArabia News Service
Grandweld Shipyards has been awarded a major new contract by Specialities Construction (SCC) to build four 50 tonne BP escort tugs to operate in Shuwaikh Port for Kuwait Port Authority. The design includes Escort Notation, Z-drive propulsion and added features such as firefighting and oil recovery.

This award ensures that Grandweld has a solid order book until the end of 2022 and further cements the companys position in the market for building customised, high-quality tugboats.

It is another sign of consistent and growing demand for Grandwelds products and services following two strong years of other major ship building and repair contract announcements.

Grandweld, part of Stanford Marine Group (SMG), is one of the regions leading shipyards, and provides a fully integrated service in shipbuilding, ship repair and engineering solutions. Grandweld has built a strong reputation for delivering innovative, reliable ships that is supported by excellent after-sales service.

Grandweld utilises advanced shipbuilding technology including a highly digitised workflow that is integrated with yard systems. To ensure customer needs are met, Grandweld selected renowned international tug-boat designer Robert Allan Ltd to produce a customised version of its TRAktor 2700-Z design, while Grandwelds engineering department will produce the highly detailed 3D production design.

Elias Nassif, Founder and Group CEO of SMG, commented: "We see exciting opportunities for growth across the region. This contract win for Grandweld in Kuwait is the latest in a growing pipeline of business and is proof that Grandweld is a competitive, innovative and high-quality shipbuilder in the tug market. We look forward to building these tug-boats here in the UAE to showcase our innovative engineering capabilities and strengthen Grandwelds order book visibility through the end of 2022.

Jamal Abki, General Manager, Grandweld Shipyards, said: At Grandweld, our goal is to develop long-term, sustainable relationships with our customers based on our ability to consistently deliver innovative designs and reliable products, all with our trademark customer service. This was a tender that was highly competitive, but we secured it because of our commitment to these strong values.

Eng Mubarak Al-Woqayan, CEO of Specialities Group Holdings, said: We actually considered other yards as far afield as Europe, but Grandweld offered a compelling combination of advanced shipbuilding technology, management know-how, and a demonstrated ability to deliver premium products and service. We are confident of Grandweld's ability to deliver the tugs that meet our expectations, all within the specified timeframe. -- TradeArabia News Service
Elsewedy Electric and Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC) have announced the completion of EPC contract for four gas insulated switchgear (GIS) substations, 400/132/11 kilovolt in Sothern Iraq.

At a ceremony witnessed by officials of the Government of Iraq today in Basra, Asaad Al-Eidani, the Governor of Basra with Ziyad Ali Fadel, the Director of the General Directorate of Electricity Transmission in the South Region joined the President and CEO of Elsewedy Electric, Ahmed Elsewedy, and TTC Project Manager, Yasuhiro Hidaka, to officially inaugurate Shat Alarab substation in Basra as the last substation connected to the Iraqi grid.

The 60 billion ($546 million) EPC-plus-finance contract was signed on February 2018 under a buyer's credit agreement (export loan) between the Iraqi Ministry of Finance and The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), with a co-financed portion by The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. (lead arranger) and Sumitomo-Mitsui Banking Corporation under insurance cover by from Japans Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI).

The contract included Maysan 400/132/11kV GIS substation in Al-Amara Governorate; Al-Muthanna 400/132/11kV GIS substation in Samawa Governorate; Shattra 400/132/11kV GIS substation in Al-Nasiriya Governorate; Shatt Al Arab 400/132/11kV GIS substation in Al-Basra Governorate; and 12 x 132/33kV Mobile GIS substations.

All GIS switchgears and high voltage transformers were manufactured by Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation (Toshiba ESS) and equipment for 132/33kV mobile substations from Meidensha Corporation.

The substations are expected to provide power for a combined total of approximately 1.3 million households.

Elsewedy Electric, which designed and built the 400/132/11kV GIS substations, qualified its engineers for testing and commissioning of GIS switchgear and transformers through an intensive training in Toshiba factories in Japan and India.

Despite many challenges, Elsewedy Electric succeeded in completing each 400/132/11kV GIS substation ahead of the Contract schedule; approx. six months earlier than original schedule, where Maysan and Al-Muthanna were energised before Summer of 2020 then Shattra and Shatt Al Arab were energised before Summer of 2021.

Elsewedy Electric relied along the project on 1,200 Iraqi engineer and technicians supported by 180 Egyptian professionals, emphasising on a business model for all its projects in Iraq leveraging on the Iraqi workforce while providing on-job development and training programmes.

Completing five major challenging projects to the esteemed Iraqi Ministry of Electricity in five years while progress is ongoing in New Babil substation targeting 2022 spring reflects our strong commitment towards Iraq infrastructure development. Our products also are supplied to Iraq since 2005 and recently we committed to develop industrial park starting by factories of Elsewedy Electric serving the Iraqi market with further targets to export from Iraq to neighbouring markets, commented Ahmed Elsewedy.

Elsewedy Electric delivered Al Diwaniya 500 megawatt power plant to the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity in 2015 as EPC main contractor. Currently, in a consortium with TTC, Elsewedy Electric is building New Babil 400/132 kV substation, under Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) finance.-- TradeArabia News Service
Gellify Middle East, a multinational innovation platform managing digital transformations, has launched its Digital Intrapreneurs Fast Track (DIFT) programme for companies in the Middle East and Africa.

The DIFT programme is aimed at helping companies identify innovative ideas within their own organisation and bring products and services to market within eight weeks instead of several months.

It builds stakeholder digital awareness, enabling companies harness ideas and technologies by collaborating within the organisation and also externally with an ecosystem.

Traditionally, innovative ideas wither away in organisational silos, rarely reaching the market in time to cause disruption. The DIFT programme is specifically designed for businesses in the Middle East and will enable companies through a structured methodology to rapidly bring ideas to a viable product stage, says Massimo Cannizzo, the CEO and co-founder of Gellify Middle East.

The launch of DIFT comes at a time when businesses in the Middle East need the speed and the ability to scale innovations at a faster pace than ever before. Businesses are looking to align with the digitalisation goals of each of the governments in the region and to prepare for a future of digital and other disruptions. What better place than to look within the organisation and foster an innovation culture that will ensure a sustainable and robust innovation pipeline?, adds Cannizzo.

The DIFT programme instils entrepreneurship methodologies and skills inside companies and enables them to build relevant business models. The unique on-the-job training approach, design thinking and a digital collaboration platform along with toolkits and digital content help companies quickly funnel innovative ideas into structured projects that result in working prototypes.

Gellifys unique building blocks for driving innovation has helped B2B companies in Europe mine their own talent to rapidly create sustainable and scalable capabilities for innovations in processes and build new products and services.

These innovations are enabling the businesses to stay ahead in disruptive markets. The building blocks include using agile to implement innovative projects, design thinking, and LEGO SP combined with old style management consulting, coding and even field work. The companys network of more than 11000 innovators gives clients access to a portfolio of cutting-edge technologies that can be adopted easily to extract business value.

Many of Gellifys clients are reaping the benefits of successful corporate venturing and intrapreneurship, achieving a robust corporate culture for innovation. Using Gellifys expertise, they have built new models, developed strategic resources while also expanding existing businesses.-- TradeArabia News Service
Algeria to cease gas supplies to Spain via Morocco starting November

Algiers, Sept 6 (UNI/Sputnik) Algeria will not renew a contract for gas supplies to Spain via Morocco, but will continue exporting through a pipeline across the Mediterranean, an informed source said on Monday.

Morocco is currently being supplied with natural gas via the Maghreb-Europe pipeline, which connects Algeria with Spain. In late August media reported that Algeria would divert all its shipments bound for Spain away from this pipeline, after the relevant contract for gas exports to the country expires on October 31.

"There will be no extension of the contract," the source said.
IIT Ropar to establish agriculture & water technology innovation hub at NIT Uttarakhand

Ropar, Sep 6 (UNI) The Indian Institute of Technology Ropar (IIT Ropar) on Monday signed an MoU with National Institute of Technology, Uttarakhand (NIT, UK) for establishing a satellite centre.

The satellite centre will be set up under IIT Ropar  Technology and Innovation Foundation for the Agriculture & Water Technology Development Hub (AWaDH) established by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), India for taking up the research through the technology and innovations in the domain of, but not limited to, sustainable agriculture and water in the framework of National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM  ICPS).

Talking about this collaboration, IIT Ropar Director Prof Rajeev K Ahuja said "Agriculture and water related research and the innovations from this AWaDH SPOKE centre at NIT UK will help nation-building through Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan in Agriculture, food and water applications domain."
NASSCOM COE-IOT partners with Taiwan-India artificial intelligence technology innovation research center

Kolkata, Sep 2 (UNI) The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) CoE-IoT on Thursday announced that it has signed an intent of cooperation with Taiwan-India Artificial Intelligence Technology Innovation Research Center, Taiwans largest University and incubator of Startups under the National Chung Cheng University.

The demand for technology-based components and semiconductors in high-tech and auto sectors has increased manifold post the pandemic. Disruptions in global supply chains and uncertainties is adding to the overall challenges for the sector.

Aimed at incubation support, mentorship and market access, the collaboration between NASSCOM CoE IoT and Taiwan-India Artificial Intelligence Technology Innovation Research Center will help Indian tech startups to source hardware components from Taiwan during their prototyping or production phases.

Speaking on the occasion, Shivendra Singh, Vice President, Global Trade Development, NASSCOM said, Given the supply chain challenges, the signing of this MoU will play a critical role in enabling our countries to institutionalize industrial collaboration leading to enhancing our ability to source hardware components, increase investments and technical cooperation on an equal and mutually-beneficial basis. NASSCOM looks forward to accelerate this critical partnership by facilitating Taiwanese companies to set up in India and create business opportunities with the budding startups.

Speaking during the signing of the MOU, Sanjeev Malhotra, CEO, COE-IOT said, India's growing startup ecosystem and expansive software enterprise base coupled with the Taiwan's leadership in Semiconductors/Hardware and deep-tech, could create new possibilities and opportunities of tech innovation and growth. 

Sharing this thoughts on the day, Representative of Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) Baushuan Ger said, "I congratulate NASSCOM and National Chung Cheng University on this

promising collaboration. According to the index released by Bloomberg Economics in 2020, Taiwan ranked as having the fifth-greatest potential for economic innovation among 135 economies in the world. Given the immense potential of both economies in terms of innovation and market, I believe

it is a good start and will develop a useful channel for anyone interested in the field of AI, IoT, Big

data, AR/VR, machine learning."

Speaking on the collaboration, Dr. Shi-Ming Huang, National Chung Cheng University, said, "Given the unique strength of Taiwan in hardware manufacturing but limited market, internationalization and vision have been somewhat lacking in the startups in Taiwan. This collaboration between NASSCOM and National Chung Cheng University is a good initial step towards fostering international

collaborations among the startups across our two economies."

The MoU will further strengthen the ties between Indian and Taiwanese companies, promoting ease of doing business. This will also enable Taiwanese companies to set up business in India and enhance collaboration between the two nations to source hardware & electronic components leading to mutual success and greater market access.

The signing ceremony was inaugurated by Shivendra Singh, Vice President, Global Trade Development, NASSCOM along with opening addressal by Gourangalal Das, Director General, India Taipei Association and H.E. Baushuan Ger, Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India (TECC).

Other dignitaries included, Bhuvnesh Kumar, Joint Secretary, MeitY, JS-level person, Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, Sanjeev Malhotra, CEO, NASSCOM CoE - IoT&AI, Gagan Sabharwal, Senior Director, Global Trade Development, NASSCOM, Navratan Katariya,

NASSCOM CoE  IoT&A and Dr. Pao-Ann Hsiung, Vice Director, Taiwan-India Artificial Intelligence Technology Innovation Research Center, National Chung Cheng University amongst

others, graced the signing ceremony.

UNI BM
From 26 to 29 July 2021, as part of its ongoing support to Members, the WCO Secretariat conducted a virtual fact-finding Workshop on Risk Management for Malagasy Customs. In the framework of the implementation of the Administrations 2021-2023 Strategic Plan, this Workshop was aimed at identifying the key functions to be addressed in Risk Management. This event was made possible thanks to funding from Her Majestys Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Malagasy Customs Director of Risk Management, together with the Heads of Enforcement, Seaport operations, Airport operations and the Human Resource department, welcomed this activity, which provided them with an opportunity to identify weaknesses in terms of bridging any gaps in the system. All participants were unanimous in agreeing that Risk Management is key to their modernization, reform and WTO TFA implementation efforts.

Over a period of several months prior to the Workshop, the WCO and Malagasy Customs exchanged information on keys issues regarding the status and implementation of Risk Management features, using an advance information exchange questionnaire. The WCO experts also had the opportunity to hold discussions with officers from different units in order to identify areas for improvement.

During the Workshop, the WCO experts shared global standards and best practices for enhancing the application of Risk Management techniques in the daily duties of Customs officers.

The recommendations from the WCOs report on this fact-finding Workshop should serve to enhance the efficiency of Customs controls, thus facilitating legitimate trade in line with the principles enshrined in the WTO TFA. They will further support the participants by enabling them to participate fully in the successful implementation of intelligence-driven Risk Management within Malagasy Customs.

The Workshop report will also provide suggestions for possible capacity building initiatives to meet future challenges encountered by Malagasy Customs with the implementation of the latest technologies and tools for better managing risk at all levels of the organization.
SHREVEPORT, La - Around 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Shreveport police responded to a shooting on Youree Drive and Regal Drive, the 8300 Block of Millicent Way, and a car chase in the East Cedar Grove area.

According to police, all three scenes may be connected, originating on Millicent near the Cinemark Tinseltown. A young teen died and three others were shot, with one suffering life-threatening injuries.

Police believe there may have been a gun battle between the drivers of several. At least five cars were struck.

Police say a male juvenile was arrested for second-degree murder.

Youree Drive and Regal Drive scene

Police found a white Honda shot several times. Two victims were inside.

One was non-responsive and taken to the hospital. A third, the juvenile, was found nearby.

The juvenile ran from the vehicle and collapsed in a nearby parking lot. The juvenile was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

8300 Block of Millicent

One male juvenile was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He was grazed by a bullet.

Car chase

Police engaged in a brief car chase near Fairfield and Southern Avenue in the Cedar Grove area. Police captured one suspect while another got away on foot.

If you have any information about this case, call Caddo-Shreveport Crime Stoppers at (318) at 673-7373.

- - - - -

KTBS 3 is On Your Side and when news happens, we want to know about it. Email us at tips@ktbs.com and well check it out.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 11:39:03|Editor: huaxia

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SYDNEY, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) said on Monday that a government modelling predicted that the state would reach a peak of COVID-19 cases by mid-September.

The modelling, informed by the work of the Burnet Institute, suggested that NSW, the worst-hit state of Australia's current outbreak, would continue to record between 1,100 and 2,000 cases per day until mid-September before reaching a peak.

The modelling also showed that hospitalizations would later peak at 3,434 patients with an ICU occupancy of 947 towards the end of October and the beginning of November.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told Monday's press conference that the accuracy of the modelling would depend on a number of variables, but "if too many of us do the wrong thing, there are too many super-spreading events, we could see those numbers higher."

Berejiklian also noted that the Burnet Institute modelling's prediction for hospitalization is well below the state's surge capacity of 1,500 ICU beds.

On Monday, NSW Health recorded 1,281 locally acquired cases and an additional five deaths. There are currently 1,071 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 177 people in intensive care, 67 of whom require ventilation.

As NSW prepares for a return to in-person schooling by Oct. 25, it also announced on Monday a vaccination blitz of teachers and university staff across the state.

From Monday, educators across a variety of institutions will have exclusive access to vaccination appointments at a mass vaccination site in Sydney's west.

All NSW school and preschool staff will be required to have been fully vaccinated by a cut-off date of Nov. 8.

At the same time, the neighbouring state of Victoria reported 246 locally acquired cases on Monday, a sharp uptick from the 183 cases recorded the previous day.

Despite this, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said restrictions might ease in the state's regional areas as they have seen very few cases during the state's current outbreak. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 12:48:03|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Taliban armed forces overran eastern Panjshir province following heavy fightings on Monday, seizing control over the last province of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed.

The Panjshir Valley has been "completely captured," he tweeted. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 15:50:40|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said here on Monday that a new Afghan government will be announced in the next few days, after confirming that the group has taken over Panjshir, the only province that had remained out of Taliban's control.

Afghanistan might form a caretaker government as the preparation was underway to announce the new administration, Mujahid told a press conference.

Details and date of formation for the new government will be shared soon, he said.

He said the government will be all-inclusive and expressed hope that the people of Afghanistan will help in the country's transition.

Ex-Afghan military officials will be invited to join the security departments in the new government, said the spokesman.

He also made it clear that Taliban hopes to have strong relations with neighboring countries.

There were no civilian casualties during the fighting in Panjshir, the spokesman said, adding that electricity and the internet will resume in the province soon.

Declaring the war in Afghanistan over, he added that the Kabul airport will be fully functioning soon. He asked for patience as the group tries to establish international flights.

Meanwhile, Mujahid said he was told that Vice President Amrullah Saleh has fled to Tajikistan.

Panjshir, some 200 km north of Kabul, is the last province in Afghanistan uncontrolled by the Taliban since the U.S. troop's pullout from the Central Asian country in late August. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 16:33:46|Editor: huaxia

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ULAN BATOR, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia reported 3,766 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the sixth day in a row in which new cases surpassed 3,000, bringing the national tally to 236,079, the country's health ministry said Monday.

The ministry said that one of the latest confirmed cases was imported from abroad, and the remaining ones were local infections.

The disease has claimed 968 lives so far after six more patients aged over 20 died in the past day.

More than 18,900 COVID-19 patients are now hospitalized across the country, while around 28,900 asymptomatic or mild cases are being treated at the patients' homes, according to the ministry.

The resurgence of COVID-19 infections has continued with the highly contagious Delta variant spreading fast in most of the country's 21 provinces.

The Delta wave is expected to peak in late September, the country's health authorities said, urging the public to avoid crowded places as much as possible and always wear face masks indoors in public places.

Nearly 65 percent of Mongolia's population have been fully vaccinated since the Asian country launched a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign in late February. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 16:44:11|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- A top United Nations (UN) official has called for Australia to urgently abandon coal-fired power generation.

Selwin Hart, special adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Climate Action and assistant secretary-general, told a virtual Australian National University (ANU) forum on Monday that the climate crisis would "wreak havoc" on the Australian economy if it remains reliant on the coal industry.

"Market forces alone show coal's days are numbered, as many investors increasingly abandon it in favor of renewables, which are now cheaper in most places," Hart said in a pre-recorded speech to the ANU Crawford Leadership Forum.

"National governments responsible for 73 percent of global emissions have now committed to net zero by mid-century, and we urge Australia to join them as a matter of urgency. All Pacific small island nations have made this commitment," Hart said.

"If the world does not rapidly phase out coal, climate change will wreak havoc right across the Australian economy, from agriculture to tourism, and right across the services sector," noted the senior UN official.

The Australian government has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent from 2005 levels by 2030.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to release a longer-term emissions strategy before the landmark UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Britain, in November this year.

In February, he told the National Press Club that his "preference" was for Australia to hit net zero emissions by 2050 amid pressure from fellow world leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden and British PM Boris Johnson to formally commit to the goal.

Hart told the ANU forum that it was critical wealthy countries phase out fossil fuels by 2030.

"We are at a critical juncture in the climate crisis. If the Group of Twenty (G20) countries, including Australia, choose business-as-usual, climate change will soon send Australia's high living standards up in flames," he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 19:09:55|Editor: huaxia

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COLOMBO, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said tourism promotion initiatives with Russia and Ukraine have been launched to uplift the country's tourism industry, as the government aimed to revive the sector which was severely hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, local media reported here Monday.

Ranatunga told local journalists that Russia and Ukraine were among the top 10 countries with the highest number of tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka in recent years.

According to the tourism ministry, 24,320 tourists arrived in the country recently and of those, 250 were tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival.

Of these infections, about 150 returned to their home countries after recovery, and 100 are currently receiving treatment in the country, the ministry added.

Sri Lankan authorities said that direct flights between Sri Lanka and Russia will commence from Nov. 4, following an agreement between Russia's Aeroflot airline and Sri Lanka's Civil Aviation authority in Moscow, Russia.

The tourism ministry said that steps will be taken to hold such discussions with leading airlines around the world in the future with the aim of promoting Sri Lanka as an attractive tourist destination.

Sri Lanka's tourism sector has been one of the worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the government is now looking at ways to revive this sector which is one of the leading foreign exchange earners in the country.

An estimated 4 million people are directly and indirectly employed in the tourism sector in Sri Lanka. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-06 20:29:17|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Charmed by its "cute little fluffy face," Raunak Byanjankar, a Nepali boy aged 14, on Sunday adopted a mona monkey from the Central Zoo in Kathmandu, becoming the youngest participant in the zoo's "Adopt an Animal" campaign.

"When he heard about the adoption, he started Googling about the species available on the zoo's website and instantaneously decided to adopt mona monkey, as he was attracted by its cute little fluffy face," said Ramita Byanjankar, the boy's mother who is working as a conservation educator.

Though the Nepali capital city has been battered twice by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central Zoo, situated near the center of the city, has been continuing its rescue, rehabilitation, conservation and veterinarian services.

"To make sure that all animals are cared for with the same dedication amid the COVID-19 chaos, we have kept all infrastructural development, renovations and programs on hold," Lina Chalise, the zoo's conservation education and information officer, told Xinhua.

However, the oldest zoo in Nepal saw its revenues shrink to 80 million Nepali rupees (686,460 U.S. dollars) last year from past annual incomes of more than 140 million rupees (1.2 million dollars), as it has remained closed for ten months.

In the face of financial constraints, the zoo launched the year-long "Adopt an Animal" campaign under the theme of "Share Your Care" on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, which fell on March 3 when World Wildlife Day was marked.

The campaign was inaugurated by then Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his wife Radhika Shakya, and the pair adopted a horned rhinoceros named Biru for one year.

Recently, Nepal's Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana selected a pair of tigers named "Jagati" and "Pratab." The five-year-old "Jagati," a female, and "Pratab," an eight-year-old male, were rescued from Nepal's Chitwan National Park and Parsa National Park respectively and had been kept together since.

"We didn't know how long the COVID-19-related restrictions would last, so we decided to move on the donation mode and initiated this campaign which is not just about raising funds but also creating conservation awareness in the community," said Chalise.

"As part of this program, adopting animals of one's choice can make a big difference in the conservation, welfare and promotion of the wildlife," she added.

By initiating different programs, the "Adopt an Animal" campaign aimed to include people from different walks of life, including politicians, celebrities and the general public.

Byanjankar, the 44-year-old mother, was so fascinated by the campaign that she went on advocating it in her circle and ended up having five animals adopted by her family.

Now the family members "are showing off their adopted animals on social media platforms and asking their friends to adopt their favorite animals," she said. "As a conservationist, I feel genuinely great to see a growing number of animal lovers."

Around 50 people have already adopted different animals from the Central Zoo sheltering 997 animals of 113 species, which cost about 30 million rupees (257,420 dollars) annually.

"Most of the people think that adoption means they can take the wild animals to home, but that's not true," Chalise said. "The campaign aims to raise funds for animals, as the adopters will contribute to the feeding, enrichment, nourishment and medication of the animals for one full year and be part of the Central Zoo's efforts in wildlife conservation."

The adopters can gift an animal to their friends, parents, children or relatives. Currently, the adoption is limited to Nepali nationals, but the zoo is working to introduce an electronic payment system so that foreigners can join the campaign.

According to Chalise, foreigners can adopt animals of their choice in the next two weeks.

The adopters will also see their names listed on a "Wall of Adoption" to be built after the campaign ends, on top of a certificate, a letter of acknowledgment, and a membership enabling them to visit the zoo without an entrance fee for a year. Enditem
Sky News Australia boss Paul Whittaker says the television station will look at the issue of net zero emissions but said he was not aware of any plan by owner News Corp to limit the voices of dissenting conservative commentators on climate change.

Facing a Senate inquiry on media diversity in Australia, Mr Whittaker also denied the channel broadcast conspiracy theories and lies about COVID-19 and said it deleted a number of its videos as proactive measure because it did not understand YouTubes opaque misinformation policies.

At the Senate Committee on media diversity in Australia, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young questions Sky News CEO, Paul Whittaker about misleading COVID information broadcast on Sky News and published by Sky News on YouTube.

The TV boss was asked about a story in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age about News Corp Australias decision to embark on a campaign for countries to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and promote the benefits of a carbon-neutral economy. He said Skys involvement was limited to an upcoming documentary timed to coincide with the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow in November.

I think its a question of interpretation about saying that thats a campaign, Mr Whittaker said. From Skys point of view, were seeking to explore the policies and solutions.

News Corp Australia has been an influential player in Australias decade-long climate wars with a long-standing editorial hostility towards carbon reduction policies.

Labor Senator Kim Carr asked if Mr Whittaker was aware of the switch in the editorial position of News in regard to climate change, to which he replied: We dont deny climate change. I accept climate change is happening. The question is what is the solution and what is the cost.

Asked about News Corps plan to limit, but not muzzle, dissenting conservative commentators on the issue, Mr Whittaker said: Im not aware of any aspect of that nature.

But climate scientists say the news organisation moving to support net zero by 2050 is substituting outright climate change denialism for climate change delay.

Climate scientist at The Australian National University Will Steffen said the 2050 aim was far too late and that its necessary to hit net zero by 2040 at the very latest.

Emphasising net zero by 2050 is kicking the can down the road, its a form of soft denial and pushes down the urgency and severity of the issue, he said.

Matt Golding

Chief executive of ClimateWorks Australia Anna Skabek said she welcomed all support for achieving net zero emissions as soon as possible. But the director of Climate and Environment at the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility Daniel Gocher said the shift was too little, too late and News Corp had not committed to censoring outspoken climate sceptics.

The thing thats most telling is that News Corp has always maintained that editors make their own decisions. This new editorial decree would suggest thats not the case, and cements everything weve always suspected which is that they do interfere, he said.

Former News Corp boss John Hartigan said this was not the first time the company had taken a stance on carbon emissions, referring to the companys own push to become carbon-neutral in 2011, and that it was good to see theyre still aiming high.

Another former News Corp executive who would only speak on the condition of anonymity suspected the decision was taken to remain relevant to metro and younger audience, saying I doubt they will censor the extremities in their opinion writers, where deranged views will reign uninterrupted. It has little to do with anything other than spin and camouflage.

Committee chair Senator Sarah Hanson-Young listening to Sky News Australia chief executive Paul Whittaker appearing via videoconference. Alex Ellinghausen

Whittaker and executives from Google, which owns YouTube, gave evidence at the Senates media diversity inquiry on Monday, which was scrutinising Sky News seven-day ban from YouTube earlier this year for breaching the tech giants misinformation policies.

YouTube deleted a total of 23 videos from Skys channel on the platform for containing a range of alleged misinformation. Mr Whittaker said Sky had taken down at least 18 videos of its own accord because the tech giants policies were incapable of compliance. But he rejected suggestions by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young the network had broadcast COVID-related lies.

The deleted videos include some promoting the use of drugs hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin as unproven COVID-19 treatments. High-profile broadcaster Alan Jones has repeatedly claimed COVID-19 is not a pandemic in since-deleted videos, including one from May which triggered the YouTube ban.

Mr Whittaker said the networks presenters were justified in broadcasting views on hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin in 2020, saying there were worldwide studies into the drugs at the time. The deleted videos included ones titled: Ivermectin caused amazing improvement and another titled There is no good reason to ban two potential COVID cures.

At the time of some of these videos in 2020 that have been removed by YouTube, there were 50 studies done worldwide on hydroxychloroquine and the potential efficacy for COVID, Mr Whittaker said.

Some of these videos, Senator, were 12 minutes long. Youve got to put them in the full context of everything that was said.

Google Australias director of public policy Lucinda Longcroft said the majority of the 23 deleted videos were removed for breaching its COVID-19 misinformation policies, and two videos were deleted for violating its election integrity policy. She said Sky News had not appealed the deletion of the videos.

They have communicated to us private concerns about the process but that they have not refuted the violation of our COVID-19 misinformation policies, Ms Longcroft told the inquiry.

She said YouTube began removing misinformation about COVID-19 in March 2020 and expanded its policies to cover misinformation relating to vaccines in October. Sky News was first issued with a warning about its content in December, and then received a strike that prompted a seven-day ban in July.

Mr Whittaker said Sky was suspended before it had the opportunity to appeal the ban and described YouTubes misinformation policies as so opaque that it began to self-censor and remove videos to avoid a potential permanent ban.

On July 29, we were informed that we were subject to a strike, and we were given less than 30 minutes notice to be told that we could not upload any videos. So theres no appeal at that time because you are already suspended, Mr Whittaker said.

Sky News took the proactive approach of removing a batch of videos all published during 2020 from online platforms to ensure ongoing compliance with YouTubes arbitrary editorial guidelines.

In one since-deleted clip from August 2020, co-hosts of the Outsiders program Rohan Dean, Rita Panahi, and James Morrow, who has since been appointed The Daily Telegraphs federal political editor, gave viewers the Outsiders guide to hydroxychloroquine in which they talk up the effectiveness of the unproven treatment.

Dean, in a separate clip from September 2020, calls for Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly to resign over his stance that drug was not a proven treatment for COVID-19, saying the jury is in and the jury says categorically hydroxychloroquine saves lives and Australians must be given access to this drug.

Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, a vocal critic of News Corp, returned for his second appearance at the inquiry and said Google had been left to blow the whistle because the media regulator had failed to act.

What was the Australian Communications and Media Authority doing to earn their salary to allow this to occur? They have a responsibility here under the law because this material is being rebroadcast on free to air television, Mr Rudd said.

ACMA chairwoman Nerida OLoughlin said the regulator had received 37 complaints this year about Sky News COVID content, 24 of which were referred to the network for the consideration.

The actions of YouTube reflect that they have an algorithm, which monitors content [and] which looks into content. We do not do that, Ms OLoughlin said.

She said ACMA operated under a co-regulatory model that gives broadcasters the initial responsibility for addressing complaints, and it would be a matter for Parliament to change that approach if it believed the powers were unsatisfactory.

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Todavia estan a tiempo de ir al centro de vacunacion mas cercano. #VamosAlVacunaton pic.twitter.com/KvnWrnYxpT
Peru y Estados Unidos deben consolidar una relacion de amistad, cooperacion, mutuo respeto y asociacion con autonomia. Igual con China y la UE. La firma del convenio con @USAID por 321 millones dolares, a favor de los mas pobres, es un avance importante de la diplomacia social.
El presidente @PedroCastilloTe, junto con el titular del @Minsa_Peru, @HCevallosFlores, superviso las instalaciones del @INSN_oficial en Brena, donde constato las necesidades de esta institucion especializada y las demandas de los familiares de los menores que reciben atencion. pic.twitter.com/6bTGUmZOD1
" " The Iberian Lynx is critically endangered (the most threatened wild feline in the planet) and Sierra de Andujar in Andalusia is one of the only two places where Iberian Lynx sightings are still remotely possible. Arturo de Frias photography/Getty Images

It's well known that your typical in-shape house cat can survive a fall from a high-rise, sometimes with minimal injuries. A cat in Boston, for instance, fell 19 stories from her owner's apartment window and walked away with nothing more than a bruised chest. Cats are extraordinary survivors  not just physically agile and resilient, but also mentally tough.

To illustrate, here's a true story: One winter night a woman living in Minneapolis couldn't find her cat, Cuddles. She was distraught. As its name implied, the cat was a ball of affection who usually curled up at the foot of its owner's bed to keep it warm. After a panic-stricken day, the woman got a call from her neighbor who had just driven six hours to Chicago. After parking downtown, he heard a pitiful meowing from under the hood. When he opened it up, there was Cuddles, clinging to the battery. He'd been outside the night before, crawled up inside the car engine and taken a nap, only to wake up inside a deafening machine racing down the highway. There was nothing to do but hold on. When the woman got her cat back, she renamed it Scratch, because Cuddles wasn't cuddly again for a very long time.

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YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Third President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan has filed a libel lawsuit against Member of Parliament Khachatur Sukiasyan.

The ex-presidents lawyer Amram Makinyan said they demand Sukiasyan to retract his statements in the parliament chambers.

This is a rather comprehensive lawsuit, weve presented all substantiations with which we are sure the court will satisfy our lawsuit and will oblige Khachatur Sukiasyan to refute the information, Makinyan said.

Ruling party MP Khachatur Sukiasyan, while delivering a speech in parliament, had claimed that the former president had gambled away more than 100 million dollars.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs assistant Hikmet Hajiyev says there are ongoing discussions over additional legal mechanisms regarding the Russian peacekeeping mandate in Nagorno Karabakh.

Around 2000 Russian peacekeepers are deployed in Nagorno Karabakh in accordance with the Russia-brokered 2020 Nagorno Karabakh ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Hajiyev, who is also the Aliyev Administrations Head of Foreign Policy, told BBC that the ceasefire agreement defined a political and in some sense also a legal framework for the peacekeeping forces. As far as the additional agreements and additional legal mechanisms regarding the peacekeepers mandate, the sides have had initial contacts over this issue and some debates are still ongoing, Hajiyev said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. The Kingdom of the Netherlands is ready to assist Armenia in its ongoing reforms in the judiciary, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Armenia Nico Schermers said at the meeting with Justice Minister Karen Andreasyan.

The justice ministry reports that Karen Andreasyan and Nico Schermers discussed the cooperation between the two countries during their meeting.

The Ambassador was interested in the ministrys priorities and stated that the Netherlands is open to all proposals.

The minister presented the five big wishes connected with the justice field, directed for the reforms of Constitution, correctional and probation systems, digitization of judicial system, etc.

He stated that all these are big areas, and the reforms in these fields without the support of international partners would be difficult.

The Ambassador of the Netherlands expressed readiness to deepen the cooperation in a number of directions.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Alen Simonyan and his delegation departed for Austria on a three-day working visit to take part in the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament and the First Global Parliamentary Summit on Counter-Terrorism in Vienna, the Parliament said today.

The Conference will officially launch on September 7 in a format of panel discussions.

The topics will relate to the issues of the parliaments, human rights and their full exercise, COVID-19 pandemic, etc.

Armenian Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan will deliver remarks at the First Global Parliamentary Summit on Counter-Terrorism, presenting the study about the rights and needs of those affected from terrorism.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received today Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Khovaev, the Armenian MFA reports.

The officials discussed a broad range of issues relating to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, highlighting the importance of resuming the peace process under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

Minister Mirzoyan expressed the support of the Armenian side to the joint statements of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship after the 44-day war, which emphasized the necessity for the lasting and stable settlement to the conflict based on the well-known principles and elements.

Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the urgency of addressing the key humanitarian problems. In this context he highlighted the need for the quick and unconditional return of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives from Azerbaijan.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Suren Papikyan received the Chairman of the Management Board of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) Nikolay Podguzov and the delegation lead by him on September 6. Greeting the guests, the Deputy Prime Minister expressed satisfaction over the productive cooperation with the EDB. He noted that the cooperation between the Armenian Government and the EDB is a good basis for the successful implementation of future joint programs, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of Suren Papikyan.

Chairman of the Management Board of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) Nikolay Podguzov congratulated Suren Papikyan on assuming the post of Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, emphasizing that the joint work and efforts of the Armenian Government and the EDB open prospects for successful economic development. He added that the EDB is interested in considerably increasing Armenia's portfolio in the next 5 years, seriously considering the opportunities for economic investments.

The parties discussed the directions of economic development in Armenia, referring to specific sectoral programs. The prospects of the digital sphere, financial market, infrastructure, including road construction and railway capacity renewal and development were touched upon. The creation, launch and expansion of the "Journey without Covid-19" application was pointed out as the first successful example of the Armenian-Russian platform partnership.

During the meeting, the new ways of cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the EDB were discussed, as well as the possibility of using the state-private format in that.
There have been no positional changes on the Line of Contact.

September 6, 2021, 17:01 No Positional Changes on the Line of Contact. Artsakh Presidential Spokesperson

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 6, ARTSAKHPRESS: Spokesperson of the President of the Republic of Artsakh, Lusine Avanesyan told ''Artsakhpress, commenting on the Azeri propaganda materials spread on social networks.

"The enemy has not advanced in any part of the Line of Contact. Our soldiers have left no heights and are in their positions," she said.
It's one of the most popular ways to invest, but the ATO is watching these investors. (Images: Getty).

Hundreds of thousands of Australians began investing in the last financial year, with the Australian Tax Office warning that mistakes on tax returns related to investments can delay refunds.

The average taxpayer will receive a $2,500 tax refund , and have it paid within two weeks from lodgment.

However, the ATO is warning first-time investors that simple mistakes can prolong the process and is offering extra tips to novice investors this tax season.

Unfortunately, first-time investors often dont understand their taxation obligations, dont keep appropriate records and are more likely to make mistakes when lodging their tax returns, ATO assistant commissioner Tim Loh said on Monday.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), brokers, share registries and exchanges automatically provide information about dividend payment and the purchase and sale of shares to the ATO.

This year, some 5.8 million transactions relating to 612,000 taxpayers will be automatically prefilled, the ATO said.

However, taxpayers still need to make sure all the relevant data has been included, Loh said.

The ATO broke down the most common issues new investors face.

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and micro-investment platforms

ETFs have surged in popularity in the last year as the COVID-19 rollercoaster saw many decide to begin investing, with the ETF sector now worth more than $100 billion on the ASX.

If youve invested in one of these either directly or through a micro-investment platform in the last financial year, you will need to reflect this on your tax return.

ETFs will provide investors with a Standard Distribution Statement (SDS) which breaks down what needs to be declared on a tax return.

Generally, when an investor sells units, this statement will show the capital gains or losses that needs to be included on tax return.

However, even if you havent sold any units, you may still need to include your investment details in your tax return.

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Thats because ETFs often provide investors with the choice of reinvesting their distribution, rather than paying it out to unitholders.

Even if you havent seen your investment deliver you any cash, you will still need to declare the distribution.

Most people recognise that they must pay tax on any money earned from selling shares. But many dont realise that tax also applies to dividends and distributions, even if they are automatically reinvested into a reinvestment plan, Loh said.

What if Ive sold shares?

If you have sold shares, you will need to determine your capital gain or loss and include it in your tax return.

And, added the ATO, the definition of a capital loss is firm. It only occurs on the sale of the share: investors cannot include paper losses if the value of their share drops, but they continue to hold it.

And capital losses can only be offset against capital gains - not other types of income.

Each year we see some enterprising entrepreneurs trying to offset their capital losses against income tax applied to other income, such as salary and wages. Others attempt to offset a paper loss against actual income, Loh said.

Our sophisticated data analytics are able to spot this and we may apply penalties for investors that have intentionally done the wrong thing.

Its complicated, so keep good records

Loh admitted that taxes on investments can be complicated, but keeping good records is the best way to stay on top of your obligations.

These are the records you need to keep:

The date of purchase/reinvestment

Purchase amount/value

Details of any non-assessable payments to you

Date and amount of any calls (if shares were partly paid)

Date of sale and sale price (if you sell them)

Any brokerage costs or commissions paid to brokers when you buy or sell

Details of events such as share splits, share consolidations, returns of capital, takeovers, mergers, demergers and bonus share issues.

Details of capital losses made in previous years  you may be able to offset these losses against future capital gains

Dividend or managed investment distribution statements (Standard Distribution Statements)

Keeping good records, including dates, prices, commissions, and details of taxable events such as share splits, share consolidations, mergers, and demergers is essential to avoiding trouble at tax time, Loh said.

We want to make tax as easy as possible and using data from share trading platforms and the SDS from ETFs is a vital way that we help taxpayers avoid simple mistakes.

Errors related to CGT or income from dividends and distributions, whether deliberate or accidental, will lead to amendments. You may need to repay some or all of a tax refund and penalties may apply.

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PARIS, September 06, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GenSight Biologics (Paris:SIGHT) (Euronext: SIGHT, ISIN: FR0013183985, PEA-PME eligible), a biopharma company focused on developing and commercializing innovative gene therapies for retinal neurodegenerative diseases and central nervous system disorders, today announced that its gene therapy LUMEVOQ has been granted Promising Innovative Medicine (PIM) designation by the UKs Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for the treatment of vision loss due to Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) caused by a confirmed G11778A mutation in the ND4 mitochondrial gene.

"This is great news for those in the UK affected by LHON, as they currently have limited treatment options," said Bernard Gilly, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of GenSight. "This marks another important milestone in our preparations to make LUMEVOQ available to LHON patients as soon as possible."

PIM designation is given to a medicinal product that is likely to offer a major advantage for patients. For the MHRA to grant a PIM designation, the product must meet each of the following three criteria:

The condition should be life-threatening or seriously debilitating with high unmet need, meaning there is no method of treatment, diagnosis or prevention available, or existing methods have serious limitations

The medicinal product is likely to offer major advantage over methods currently used in the UK; preliminary evidence should be submitted based on both non-clinical and clinical data

The potential adverse effects of the medicinal product are likely to be outweighed by the benefits, allowing for the reasonable expectation of a positive benefit-risk balance

PIM designation is also an early indication that a medicine is a promising candidate for the MHRAs Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) in the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of life-threatening or seriously debilitating conditions with an unmet need. The EAMS is similar to the Cohort ATU (Autorisation Temporaire dUtilisation de Cohorte [Cohort Temporary Authorisation for use]) program in France, which simplifies the process by which patients could be treated with promising treatments ahead of market authorization. LUMEVOQ was approved for a French Cohort ATU in July 2021.

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LHON is a rare genetic disease that results in severe and irreversible vision loss that mainly affects adolescents and young adults. The ND4 mutation is the most common and results in the worst visual outcomes, with most patients becoming legally blind.1 Treatment options for LHON are limited.2

LUMEVOQ is not yet licensed in the EU or in the UK for the treatment of patients with vision loss due to Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). Its Marketing Authorisation Application is currently under review by the European Medicines Agency, with a decision expected in H1 2022.

About GenSight Biologics

GenSight Biologics S.A. is a clinical-stage biopharma company focused on developing and commercializing innovative gene therapies for retinal neurodegenerative diseases and central nervous system disorders. GenSight Biologics pipeline leverages two core technology platforms, the Mitochondrial Targeting Sequence (MTS) and optogenetics, to help preserve or restore vision in patients suffering from blinding retinal diseases. GenSight Biologics lead product candidate, LUMEVOQ (GS010; lenadogene nolparvovec), has been submitted for marketing approval in Europe for the treatment of Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), a rare mitochondrial disease affecting primarily teens and young adults that leads to irreversible blindness. Using its gene therapy-based approach, GenSight Biologics product candidates are designed to be administered in a single treatment to each eye by intravitreal injection to offer patients a sustainable functional visual recovery.

About Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON)

Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) is a rare maternally inherited mitochondrial genetic disease, characterized by the degeneration of retinal ganglion cells that results in brutal and irreversible vision loss that can lead to legal blindness, and mainly affects adolescents and young adults. LHON is associated with painless, sudden loss of central vision in the 1st eye, with the 2nd eye sequentially impaired. It is a symmetric disease with poor functional visual recovery. 97% of patients have bilateral involvement at less than one year of onset of vision loss, and in 25% of cases, vision loss occurs in both eyes simultaneously. The estimated incidence of LHON is approximately 1,200-1,500 new patients who lose their sight every year in the United States and the European Union.

About LUMEVOQ (GS010; lenadogene nolparvovec)

LUMEVOQ (GS010; lenadogene nolparvovec) targets Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) by leveraging a mitochondrial targeting sequence (MTS) proprietary technology platform, arising from research conducted at the Institut de la Vision in Paris, which, when associated with the gene of interest, allows the platform to specifically address defects inside the mitochondria using an AAV vector (Adeno-Associated Virus). The gene of interest is transferred into the cell to be expressed and produces the functional protein, which will then be shuttled to the mitochondria through specific nucleotidic sequences in order to restore the missing or deficient mitochondrial function. "LUMEVOQ" was accepted as the invented name for GS010 (lenadogene nolparvovec) by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in October 2018.

About the Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS)

The Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) aims to provide earlier availability of promising new unlicensed medicines to UK patients with high unmet clinical need. A Promising Innovative Medicine (PIM) designation is an early indication that a medicine is a potential candidate for the EAMS scheme. A PIM designation should not be regarded as a future commitment by the MHRA to license such a medicine.

1 Newman NJ, Carelli V, Taiel M, Yu-Wai-Man P. Visual outcomes in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy subjects with the m.11778G>A (MTND4) mitochondrial dna mutation. J Neuroophthalmol. (2020) 40:54757. doi: 10.1097/WNO.0000000000001045. 2 Sundaramurthy, S., SelvaKumar, A., Ching, J., et al. Leber hereditary optic neuropathynew insights and old challenges. Graefes Arch. Clin. Exp. Ophthalmol. (2020). doi:10.1007/s00417-020-04993-1.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210905005028/en/

Contacts

GenSight Biologics

Chief Financial Officer

Thomas Gidoin

tgidoin@gensight-biologics.com

+33 (0)1 76 21 72 20

LifeSci Advisors

Investor Relations

Guillaume van Renterghem

gvanrenterghem@lifesciadvisors.com

+41 (0)76 735 01 31

RooneyPartners

Media Relations

Jeanene Timberlake

jtimberlake@rooneypartners.com

+1-646-770-8858

Orpheon Finance

Retail Investors

James Palmer

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+33 (0)7 60 92 77 74
The finger-severing accident that INXS's lead guitarist says ended his career and cost him more than $1.2 million has been likened to sticking a knife in a live toaster.

Tim Farriss is suing a Sydney boat rental company and two boat owners for negligence over a 2015 accident he claims occurred when anchoring equipment unexpectedly moved, causing his left hand to become trapped under the heavy chain.

He also claims he wasn't properly warned about the equipment.

But the musician's story for how his hand ended up trapped didn't add up, the defendants' lawyer contended on Monday, asserting Farriss must have trodden on a deck button that moved the anchor chain back into the boat.

Barrister John Turnbull SC conceded the equipment, which had no guard over the chain, was dangerous but said reasonable care would keep a user out of harm's way.

"I've likened it to a toaster - your toast gets caught in the toaster ... you can't just stick a knife in there, you've got to turn it off," Mr Turnbull said.

He also denied the machine was defective.

But Farriss's lawyer urged Justice Richard Cavanagh to widen his gaze to include the entire boat trip, including Farriss driving into northern Sydney's Akuna Bay on the Australia Day weekend and being unable to find a mooring.

As Farriss dropped anchor, the equipment failed and the musician was left drifting, in wind, on a busy weekend, barrister Adrian Williams said.

"He could not sit and twiddle his thumbs, he didn't have a mooring to go to, he had to do something," he said.

The device was "obviously misaligned", the chain was prone to bunching and the defendants had not taken all steps to maintain their duty of care despite at least one earlier occasion when the anchor winch failed and had to be operated manually, he said.

"(Mr Farriss) was put in an awful position," Mr Williams said.

"What he has lost is more than a finger. He's lost the ability for his vocation as a performing guitarist. He was not done with that (career) and unsurprisingly, that's had the effect of depressing him ... all for the expense of a small amount of piping and a small amount of machinery."

Story continues

If successful, Farriss's payout could exceed $1.2 million, primarily because of a claim INXS could have toured six times after 2015.

While the court lightly debated the comeback in the context of Queen, Dexys Midnight Runners, John Farnham and ABBA, Mr Turnbull contended there was doubt INXS would have ever toured again.

"It's the evidence you don't have that rings loudest," he said, pointing to a lack of statements from bandmates Andrew Farriss, John Farriss and Kirk Pengilly on any potential.

"Where are they?"

Justice Cavanagh stressed he'd make a decision on the evidence - not speculation about other rockers' success or failure in revival tours.

He's expected to deliver his judgment in November or December.
IAA is not only the biggest motor show in Germany but one of the biggest automotive events in the world as well. Traditionally held in Frankfurt, this year, the event is taking place in Munich. Interestingly, this is the first major automotive event worldwide since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also Read: Mercedes kickstarts IAA Munich with EV offensive; previews future green fleet

Instead of vehicles, this year, the event is more concentrated on mobility, not only as a product but as a service as well. From cars to motorcycles, from electric scooters to electric bicycles have found their own place at the event.

Another angle that is shaping up the IAA 2021 is the portrayal of the climate friendliness of the auto industry. Hildegard Muller, president of the industry association VDA, which organises the bi-annual show, said last week that the goal of climate protection is guiding us. "Climate-friendly engines, the digital connectivity of transport - that's what this fair is about," she said.

The 2021 event is a far cry from what the IAA is known for. Themed around Mobility of the Future, this year's event is missing a lot of major car brands. These include Tesla, Stellantis, Toyota, Opel, Ferrari, Jaguar Land Rover etc. Besides that, the Covid-19 pandemic and threat of protests from environmental activists are other concerns for the organisers.

The event witnessed a drop of visitors to 560,000 in 2019 from 930,000 in 2015. This year, due to the pandemic and related restrictions, the number is expected to be much lower than the 2019 numbers.

Another concern for the organisers is the threat from environmental activists. The protests marred the 2019 event leaving many visitors outside of the venue. This time too, the protesters have vowed to show agitation outside the venue on Friday and Saturday, the two days when most of the visitors are expected to come to the event.

Reuters reports that to tackle the protesters, up to 4,500 police will be on-site during the event that ends next Sunday. This is going to be the biggest police presence for an event in Munich in 20 years.

Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Renault, Mini are among the car brands that are showcasing their glittering concepts and production-ready cars at the event. The majority of the concepts and production-ready vehicles being showcased at the event are electric vehicles and loaded with futuristic technologies such as autonomous driving, connected features etc.
Honda August deliveries in China down by 38.3%

Beijing (Gasgoo)- Monthly decrease of Hondas deliveries in China widened in August as COVID-19 and parts supply shortage continued to plague the Japanese automakers business.

CR-V Sport Hybird e+; photo source: Honda China

Last month, Hondas new vehicle deliveries in China declined 38.3% from a year ago to 91,694 units, 17.4 percentage points more than that of the previous month. Out of the vehicles sold last month, 17,376 vehicles were powered by the automakers Sport Hybrid high-efficient powertrain systems with dual motors.

Deliveries of Dongfeng Honda nearly halved compared with the same month of last year. The Wuhan-based joint venture delivered 39,243 vehicles in the month, falling 14.9% month over month. GAC Honda, the automakers the other joint venture in China, delivered 52,451 new vehicles in China, down by 26.27% year on year.

By the end of August, Hondas year-to-date deliveries in China increased by 9.9% from a year ago to 986,366 vehicles. During the period, the automaker delivered a total of 153,046 Sport Hybrid systems powered vehicles, jumping 40.8% compared with the corresponding span of last year.

GAC Honda delivered 479,105 new vehicles in the first eight months while Dongfeng Hondas year-to-date deliveries exceeded 500,000 to 507,261 vehicles.
NIO to open first Norway-based NIO House on Sept. 23

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- NIO's first NIO House in Norway will start business on September 23 in the country's capital Oslo, and the price of the NIO ES8 sold to Norwegian consumers will be announced at the same time, Qin Lihong, co-founder and president of NIO, said on Sept. 5.



NIO House in Wuhan; photo credit: NIO



Mr. Qin confirmed the timeline while attending the opening ceremony in Wuhan for the company's 27th NIO House in China.



The Shanghai-based EV manufacturer is famous for its thoughtful services. Under the slogan a space for NIO's users and friends, a joyful lifestyle beyond the car, the startup opens NIO Houses across China in cities' prime lots. More than a room to display the company's products, a typical NIO House is simultaneously a coffee shop open only for its users, a day care center, a library, a meeting room, and places for other social activities. NIO thinks NIO House can help it build a closer relationship with its customers.

On May 6, NIO formally announced its market entry into Norway, signaling the beginning of its overseas onslaught. The company revealed then the first Norway-based NIO House would open in the third quarter of 2021 in Oslo. After that, four NIO Spaces were set to be launched in Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim, and Kristansand next year.

NIO's flagship SUV, the ES8, is the first model exported to Norway. The first batch of ES8s was shipped from Shanghai Waigaoqiao Port on July 20, and is expected for preorder and delivery this month.

The ET7, the company's flagship sedan that has yet to begin deliveries in China, will be exported to Norway in 2022.
Wang Jun starts to serve as COO of Huaweis auto BU

Beijing (Gasgoo)- HUAWEIs Intelligent Automotive Solution Business Unit (hereinafter referred to as the BU) released a notice of personnel adjustments recently.

According to the notice, Richard ChengdongYu, CEO of the BU, remains in his position.

Ex-president of the BU, Wang Jun, took on the position as COO of the BU and president of Huaweis intelligent driving solutions production line.

Bian Honglin will serve as the CTO of the BU and the head of the BUs research and development sector.

The change, which cut the post of the president but brought no change to the BUs core team members, was just a normal adjustment to better develop Huaweis intelligent vehicle solutions business, the company said. It created a more straightforward structure of the sectors organization, with Wang Jun and Bian Honglin directly reporting to Richard (Chengdong) Yu.

Currently, Richard (Chengdong) Yu is also the CEO of HUAWEIs Consumer Business Group. HUAWEI has been facilitating the synergy between the two major units. Bian Honglin once served as the president of HUAWEIs Consumer BG Hardware Engineering and Product Development Management Group and the CTO of Consumer BG. Bians transfer to the auto BU indicated the human resources integration between the two operations in HUAWEI.

In July, Su Jing, then-head of Huaweis intelligent driving product department, was dismissed from his position due to his improper remarks about Tesla. The position has been temporarily taken on by Bian Honglin.








Gasgoo Daily: XPeng to launch new species; WM Motor August sales up by 111%

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.

XPeng to launch new species

XPeng Motor announced via its official Wechat account that it will launch new intelligent species tomorrow.

Photo credit: XPeng

WM Motor August sales up by 111%

WM Motor sold 4,346 new vehicles in August, representing an increase of 111% year on year. For the first eight months of this year, the automakers total sales more than doubled to 24,038 vehicles.

Weichai finishes layout in fuel cell batteries



Weichai Power said it has finished a comprehensive layout in the core technologies of fuel cell batteries. Its products, covering a range of 50kW to 160kW, have been launched to the market consecutively.

China NEV sales account for nearly half of global NEV sales

Chinas new energy vehicle (NEV) sales accounted for 48% of the worlds NEV sales for the first seven months of this year while July NEV sales in China took up 53% of the worlds total sales, according to Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the China Passenger Car Association.

Former Bentley design head named as Geelys design VP

Geely Auto announced that Stefan Sielaff, former design head of Bentley brand, will serve as its executive vice president of design.

Honda August deliveries in China down by 38.3%



Last month, Hondas new vehicle deliveries in China declined 38.3% from a year ago to 91,694 units, 17.4 percentage points more than that of the previous month. Out of the vehicles sold last month, 17,376 vehicles were powered by the automakers Sport Hybrid high-efficient powertrain systems with dual motors.

BYDs auto sales in Aug. zoom up 86.32% year on year



BYD Company Limited (BYD) sold 68,531 new vehicles in August, logging an 86.32% year-on-year surge and a 19.37% month-on-month growth, according to the company's latest monthly sales results.

Dongfeng Motor YTD sales edge up 7% YoY



Dongfeng Motor Group's year-to-date sales volume by the end of August 2021 was 2.1286 million vehicles, indicating a 7% increase year on year, according to the motor group.

Chinas Jan.-Aug. auto sales to surpass 16 million with NEVs share over 10%



Preliminary statistics show that Chinas auto sales and production output are expected to surpass 16 million units for the first eight months of this year, up by 10% from a year ago. Total volume of automobiles exported from January to July was 1 million units, more than doubled by 124% year on year. The cumulative sales and output of new energy vehicles (NEVs) are likely to be tripled for the first eight months, to over 1.7 million units with a market share of over 10%, the vice-minister added.

NIO to open first Norway-based NIO House on Sept. 23



NIO's first NIO House in Norway will start business on September 23 in the country's capital Oslo, and the price of the NIO ES8 sold to Norwegian consumers will be announced at the same time, Qin Lihong, co-founder and president of NIO, said on Sept. 5.




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.
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.
WASHINGTON (AP)  An inmate who was transferred to one of the most secure federal prison facilities in the U.S. was stabbed to death within hours of arriving, raising fresh questions about the governments ability to keep prisoners safe amid severe understaffing and a myriad of crises plaguing the federal prison system.

Stephen Dwayne Cannada was killed in an altercation with a fellow inmate the same day he arrived at USP Terre Haute, a high-security prison in Indiana, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The 47-year-old was stabbed repeatedly by a fellow inmate, according to the people, who could not discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
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Changma Lake in Yumen, Gansu province, contributes to a unique landscape. [Photo by Wu Xuezhen/For chinadaily.com.cn]



Pictures taken recently by a local photographer show the unique landscape of Changma Lake in Yumen, Gansu province  where the Shule River enters the Changma Gorge and the green lake and river merge.

As seen from the air, the landscape might be mistaken for an oil painting, presenting a beautiful autumn scene.

Changma Lake in Yumen, Gansu province, contributes to a unique landscape. [Photo by Wu Xuezhen/For chinadaily.com.cn]






The 23-year-old Lincoln man suspected of shooting and killing another man early Sunday was acting in self-defense, an attorney said Monday.

Lendell Harris was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony. But attorney Dick Clark characterized the 28-year-old who was shot as the aggressor in the situation.

In fact, Harris surrendered himself to the Lancaster County Jail immediately after the shooting, Clark said.

He, under his own steam, took himself to authorities after this incident and notified them, Clark said.

Lincoln Police Capt. Jake Dilsaver wouldnt confirm that Monday, nor would he release other details. But he said the department will provide more information -- including the name of the man killed -- at its media briefing Tuesday.

Officers were called to an apartment complex on the 300 block of North 44th Street at about 7:15 a.m. Sunday, where they found the man with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
She said Germany calls on the Russian government to end such activity immediately, and has made that demand directly to Russian officials  most recently during a meeting on Thursday and Friday of a German-Russian working group on security policy, at which German deputy foreign minister Miguel Berger raised the issue with Russia's deputy foreign minister.

Sasse wouldn't comment on the extent of the cyberattacks or possible damage, saying only that they are of course completely unacceptable, and that the German government reserves the right to take further measures.

In mid-July, the head of Germanys domestic intelligence agency said that since February his agency had seen activity focusing on phishing attempts on the private email accounts of federal and state lawmakers and their staff. But he said that very few of those attempts were successful, and in cases where they were successful it appeared little damage had been caused.

Germany's concerns about Russian interference have extended to the activities of state-funded broadcaster RT, whose online-only German-language service has for years emphasized divisive issues such as migration and the restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A drone operator, who also started a GoFundMe campaign, accused Carr of pretending he served in the military because of all the military camouflage he wore. Carr posted a 30-minute live YouTube video during which someone called him ridiculous. He responded by calling them a weak ass fool and challenged them to meet him on the mountain. The meeting never happened.

Through all this drama, Carr, Dares and others continued searching. They covered a tremendous amount of ground. Dares was a wreck. He lost weight, smoked and drank too much. Snow fell and Carr and Dares stopped searching, although they went back in 2019. Theyve found no trace of Sayers.

Reflecting on that time, Dares said lots of people offered to help and some followed through. But Carr was the only person who was there from beginning to end. Since that awful autumn of 2018, Dares has returned the favor. When Carr calls, Dares packs his bag and heads out as a way of paying it back to him and everyone else who helped.

Ill owe Bud for the rest of my life, he said. People can say whatever they want, that man steps up more than anybody Ive ever met, despite his faults.

  
Imagine an older lady in Naples, Italy, playing a "scratch and win" card and believing she had won. She goes to the shop with elated expectation where she purchased it to present it to the kindly tobacco shop owner for verification. Well, he verified it alright. The not-so-kindly shop owner hopped on his motor scooter with the winning ticket leaving the woman questioning the decency of her fellow citizen and out the 500,000 euros ($580,000) she would have won.

The good news is the unidentified ticket thief was detained at Rome's main airport by border police as he was attempting to fly off to Fuerteventura, a Spanish Canary Island. The bad news is the nicked game card was not in his possession and its whereabouts is still unknown.

via AP:

The older woman had purchased two "scratch and win" cards. She asked a shop employee to verify the win. The employee then passed the card to one of the shop's owners for a final check, Italian news reports said. But instead he allegedly kept the card and raced off on his motor scooter through Naples. He is now free on his own recognizance, LaPresse said. To thwart anyone from illegally cashing in, authorities at the Italian tax office which runs the "scratch and win" operation froze the entire block of card numbers that had been distributed to the tobacco shop.

The tobacco shop owner could do the right thing and let authorities know where the card is so that the lady could cash in on what is hers, but I imagine she is not holding her breath on that one.
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I love getting asked where folks should go to dinner, because answering that question is my job.

Lately, when people ask me where to experience the new hotness in Buffalo-area dining, here's what I tell them. I'm sure you have your own favorites, too, but here's mine.

Grange Community Kitchen, 22 Main St., Hamburg

My favorite restaurant in Western New York is in Hamburg. It's my No. 1 because it slays at all aspects of the day.

Breakfast sandwiches here come on a housemade croissant or biscuit. All baking is done in-house, including the rye bread for the pastrami sandwich.

Lunch can be top-flight fresh hummus with baked-to-order laffa bread. Dinner can be crispy pork ribs served on polenta with herbs and chili honey, or one of the best Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizzas in town in flavors like chorizo and corn.

Add an impeccable cocktail program and stunning desserts, and you'll understand why this Hamburg spot can be difficult to book. Plan accordingly.

Prescott's Provisions, 40 E. Niagara St., Tonawanda
Every activist can tell you when they got bitten by the bug.

For Emily Savage, it was Oct. 31, 2016, and the bug was a blacklegged deer tick carrying borellia burgdorferi, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease.

Savage was a leading Southtowns pastry chef who had devoted years to mastering croissants, vanilla-glazed palmiers and other classy sweets while developing the pastry program at Hamburgs Grange Community Kitchen, one of the areas finest restaurants.

After the bite, infected with Lyme, Savage's body had a violent reaction to white flour and refined sugar. Desperate for answers, she dove into research. I can't eat sugar or flour without feeling like absolute garbage, but I am working in a pastry shop 70 hours a week, Savage said. So how am I going to bring healthy food that I can eat to my work life, so I don't have to die when I go home?

Her search became her lifes mission, what she calls the Savage Wheat Project. Now 31, the pastry chefs life work is making satisfying baked goods she can eat herself, including getting into grain farming to grow the food she needs.

By feeding people better grain, grown locally, Savage wants to provide choices for people who get sick eating regular wheat, and everyone else. By growing her crops locally, she is one of a small group of activists working to bring back local grains, aiming to strengthen their communitys ecosystems.

Savage has painstakingly worked out recipes for bread, rolls, cookies, brownies, granola, cereal bars and more that have no refined oils, white flour or refined sugars. Since January, she has been selling her work at events and by order each week from a commercial kitchen through savagewheat.com.

Savage has been working with local farmers to grow the varieties of grains she treasures, like black emmer, turkey red wheat, spelt and einkorn. Starting from a few pounds of rare seed, planted and harvested by hand, over and over, three years into her project, Savage is the proud owner of two tons of heirloom variety grains from local fields. This is the first crop big enough to call for a combine to harvest it mechanically.

By next year, it will all be in the Western New York soil, the next step in Savages plan to heal the world through better food. Heading into her fourth year of the project, the customer response has left her ecstatic, Savage said. Its like watching a flower blossom.

Studying Lyme disease

Emily Savage grew up in a magical place, her familys land on Hunter Creek Road in South Wales.

Nature was her playground. I would wake up, run right outside, and play in the creek and outside until I had to come inside. I would go in the creek looking for salamanders, looking for bugs. My nickname is actually Bug. 

So as a young woman, it was nothing unusual for Savage to help hang a deer for cleaning that a friend brought home.

The next day she woke to find a bug on her.

Grossed out, she flushed it. Whew, she thought. Good thing that tick didnt bite me.

Ten days later, when Savage woke, I intuitively felt like something was all throughout my blood, she said.

Lyme disease, the test said. The specialist she was sent to see said the test was mistaken.

Meanwhile, Savage was suffering catastrophic symptoms as her bodys immune system struggled to cope.

I was in excruciating pain every day, Savage said. Severe memory loss. My legs were too weak and I would fall.

This was a person who routinely hoisted 50-pound sacks of flour at her job and carried them upstairs to a pastry kitchen. I had chronic fatigue syndrome, so I spent as much time as I could in bed, like a mono patient.

On her sickbed, Savage dove into studying Lyme disease, and I never stopped.

Lyme diseases immune system effects triggered her gluten sensitivity, Savage said. But heirloom flours  made from grain varieties that were common in the United States a century ago but scarce now  didnt make her sick.

Savage took a job with Thorpe's Organic Family Farm that helped her heal, spending half her day in the fields working in the sun. Meanwhile, she experimented while handling the farm's baking duties.

After extensive testing with herself as guinea pig, Savage refined her view of healthy food. No white flour, no white sugar, no refined fats. Heirloom flour doesnt act like white flour in recipes, so Savage experiments until she gets the results she wants.

Its all different, Savage said. Mixings different. Between not using white sugar and not using conventional wheat, everything you learned goes out the window.

But this baking veteran has learned a few things over the years.

I want einkorn in a soft loaf, and it works amazing, but after two days of sitting, it becomes crumbly, Savage said, pointing out a perfectly good-looking loaf. I want my bread to last a week.

Next, she will test adding some Thorpes Organic Farm potato to the einkorn dough. I want a white loaf, that people can relate to, that has that white bread fluffiness, but it's partial sourdough, and its stable, and can last a week, and you're eating ancient grains.

Adding value

The seeds that got Savage started came from Elizabeth Dyck, a trained agronomist, who has worked with farmers from numerous countries to help them make their farming systems sustainable without relying on chemicals.

One of the things that I learned early on is that small grains, and this includes the ancient wheats, are soil-improving crops. They pump organic matter into the soil. They break the cycles of pests and diseases in crops like corn and soybeans.

In most places in the Northeast, wheat and the small grains disappeared a century ago, Dyck said.

Why? Because farmers couldn't make a living growing them. So you have to add value to the small grains to make them profitable for farmers. How do you add value?

When the local food movement started with vegetables, then expanded into animal products, consumers started asking for locally grown grain, some 15 years ago, Dyck said. Bingo, that increases the value of these grains immediately.

Nutrition news on ancient grains has helped increase demand. All whole small grains have increased nutrition compared to the refined stuff, Dyck said. But einkorn, a yellowish seed that produces a yellowish golden flower, is packed with lutein. That compound has been shown, over and over, to reduce health risks like macular degeneration and high blood pressure.

Regular wheat, conventionally grown, might bring $4 for a 60-pound bushel, Dyck said. For organic wheat, the baseline price is around $15 to markets in the Northeast. The more health-conscious consumers ask for them, the better local grain fortunes will get, she said.

Dyck praised Savages plan, noting that baked goods are precisely the sort of value-added products that can help make heirloom grains more commercially viable, as well as more accessible to consumers.

'On the same page'

Greg Putney runs Rise 'N Swine Farm, 9806 Wagner Road, Holland, in his spare time after working as an overhead lineman for National Grid.

Putney raises pigs, beef cattle and chickens on a farm where the animals forage freely on open ground, unlike the factory farms that produce most of Americas meat. It's a farming method popularized in the United States by Joel Salatin of Virginia.

The results were impressive enough that Putney has expanded production over five years, to the point where Rise 'N Swine Farm decided to open its own farm store, offering retail cuts and smoked meats.

While Putney was in town at a Kiwanis meeting, he heard Savage was looking to create a commercial kitchen. His wife, Elisabeth, sent her an email, Savage came over to look at the farm, and it turned out they had much in common.

She's down that path, the whole wheat thing and saving the earth and stuff like that. We're doing the same thing, but we're doing it with animals, Putney said. We're both on the same page, headed in the same direction with what we're doing. Well, those are the kind of people I want to bring with me when I'm going.

Plans are for Savage Wheat Project to have a commercial kitchen behind the farm store by the time her wheat is ready to mill next year. She just gets it, Putney said, what we're trying to do and what she's doing.

No excuses

I have created many different menus, Savage said, paging through her recipe book. This one is by far the most different and means the most to me. I'm using lard instead of butter. I'm using all these natural ingredients instead of these other ingredients, no more excuses.

She is developing a pie crust. She is developing a cracker. I want to give people no excuse to eat crappy food, she said.

Baking, once her job, is now more of a mission. Because I know it's going to feed their taste buds, it's going to not fog their minds, it's going to help their tummies, it's going to help give them energy and they're getting all of these nutritious things that they don't even know that they're getting.

One day, Savage hopes, she will have her own farm. It would grow the herbs and other things her menu requires. Plus wheat, of course, all the varieties she needs, larger fields of others, a seed stock just in case something happened, a backup plot of all of them. They would, of course, be cultivated by horses.

Who knows? Sometimes, from a tiny seed, great things can grow.

. . .

Savage Wheat Project products are available at Healthy Living Farm, Providence Creek Farm Store, Rise 'N Swine Farm, Rose Forestry, butter meat co. Savage honey nut and honey seed bars are at Fresh Catch Poke, Metamorphosis Pilates and Thorpe's Organic Family Farm. Order online at savagewheat.com.

Send restaurant tips to agalarneau@buffnews.com and follow @BuffaloFood on Instagram and Twitter.

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 Going the extra step to explain why facts are true. What we dont want to be doing, Pace said, is saying, This is a fact. Believe us. Because that feeds the distrust, kind of that voice on high, Trust me as the mainstream media to tell you what the facts are.  Instead, Pace said, We have to show our work  and not do it with snark, and not do it by throwing shade at people who might not be inclined to believe those facts. Just doing it for purposes of information, to say to people, This is a fact, and heres all the evidence to back it up.  For example, if an AP story pointed out that there was no widespread fraud in the 2020 election, it also provided details explaining why thats true. We had to say the election results in all 50 states were validated by state legislatures, Pace said. Republican governors in key battleground states confirmed the legitimacy of the election. Donald Trumps attorney general, Bill Barr, confirmed that there was no widespread fraud.
Marissa Bonito, one of the four Lockport police officers at the scene of the fight that ended in the death of a Black man two years ago, has sued the city, trying to reverse the Police Board's decision to fire her.

The charge against Bonito, as included in the court file, was that she went on an unauthorized vacation to Brazil in March, while she was on paid administrative leave as a result of the death of Troy A. Hodge.

+2 Lockport fired officer in Hodge case four days after judge barred charges The City of Lockport has fired an officer involved in a police call that led to the 2019 death of Troy A. Hodge.

The Police Board's May 10 vote came four days after State Supreme Court Justice Frank A. Caruso ruled the city never could discipline the four officers over Hodge's death because it violated the police union contract by waiting too long to charge the four officers, including Bonito.

In a legal brief, union attorney Keith P. Byron wrote that the city "apparently decided to use any pretext, no matter how frivolous and baseless, to achieve its goal of terminating her." He noted that the union contract contains no mention of administrative leave, so there is no written policy.

In an affidavit, Bonito wrote that no one ever told her she couldn't travel, but she wrote that she had sought vacation time, expecting to return to work. The city's charge says she had been granted two weeks off in late May and late July.

Judge permanently bars Lockport from disciplining officers involved in Hodge death The City of Lockport never can bring any disciplinary charges against the four officers who were at the scene of Troy A. Hodge's death because it waited too long to do so, a judge has ruled.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has been in office for less than two weeks, but she has already appointed many of the first-string players in what she calls her "dream team"  and most of those top appointments look like her in more ways than one.

Other than State Sen. Brian A. Benjamin, the lieutenant governor in waiting, they are all women. And like Hochul, they are well-credentialed, ambitious political players who are, for the most part, well-known in the hallways of the State Capitol.

But Hochul's appointees differ from the Buffalo-born governor, too. Many are minorities. And every one of Hochul's key appointments so far hails from metropolitan New York, home to more than half the votes in the Democratic primary and general election for governor in 2022.

In other words, Hochul is assembling a team that looks like New York State in apparent hope it will help her win a full term.

What's more, as she fills out her cabinet over the first 45 days of her administration, Hochul is vowing to make a sharp cultural break from the administration of former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who resigned last month amid allegations of sexual harassment and bullying.
India Walton and Byron Brown pick up endorsements, support The mayoral campaign picked up momentum Tuesday, with incumbent Byron Brown touting support from veterans and developer Doug Jemal, while India Walton picked up Latino support with her promises for more affordable housing and less gentrification.

Civil Service Employees Association Local 815, which represents about 5,000 county employees, and AFSCME Council 35, which represents about 1,800 workers, announced their endorsements at the start of the parade route at McKinley Parkway and Dorrance Avenue, where politicians began to gather about 90 minutes before the noon start of the annual event.

Brown faces India B. Walton, who beat him in the June Democratic primary and also has the endorsement of the Working Families Party.

The four-term incumbent mayor has a history of working with CSEA units and has listened to members' concerns, said Chris Rackl, legislative and political coordinator for CSEA Region 6.

"Hes just been a great partner to deal with and we believe he cares about our issues," Rackl said.

Walton is proud of the union endorsements she has received, campaign spokesman Jesse Myerson said. Those include the Buffalo Teachers Federation, as well as workers at three Buffalo-area Starbucks locations who hope to unionize.

"We're proud to be a working class campaign, with a working class candidate, nominated by the party of workers' rights," Myerson said in a text message.

Board of Elections to mull appeal of rulings that put Byron Brown on the ballot The Erie County Board of Elections will decide Tuesday whether to appeal one or both decisions that allow Mayor Byron W. Brown to appear on the ballot in November.
They could then pursue whats known as a Purcell principle argument, taken from a Supreme Court reversal of a 2006 U.S. Court of Appeals decision to block an Arizona voter ID law, Donahue said.

In the case, Purcell v. Gonzalez, the high court ruled that election rules shouldnt be changed by courts shortly before an election because it could confuse voters and create problems for election officials trying to administer the process.

The election is about two months away, so its a good question of whether that would apply at this point. But its something that I would potentially raise, he said.

Election administrators need to finalize ballots this week and soon will be tasked with sending out absentee ballots for overseas and military personnel, Donahue said.

They have a lot of deadlines that are coming up. Two months may sound like a lot, but given that people vote in different ways now, its an issue, he said.

Donahue said its possible that higher court decisions wont be made until after the Board of Elections already has printed and mailed out absentee ballots, potentially creating more problems down the road if they reverse earlier decisions.
Accusations that the police department was attempting to protect a rogue cop went on for months, Prochut said, along with a barrage of media inquiries and the job of helping to solve the mysterious disappearance of Stacy Peterson.

I was trying to protect the department, my second family. We have a bad apple here. It was Sgt. Peterson, not a reflection of the department, Prochut said. I put a lot on my shoulders. Id tell myself, Chris youre the press guy. My jobs my life. If I fail at my job, I fail at my life. How do you come back from that? 

Prochut said he finally reached the breaking point.

I had tried therapy and medication and it wasnt working. I decided to end my life on May 1, 2008, with a firearm," he said. "It was going to be in a neighboring town in a wooded area so that my own department wouldnt have to investigate my suicide.

His plan was thwarted by his wife, he said.

Luckily she picked up on the subtle cues. She made a call to my department and said she feared I would end my life. My officers came to my house and took me against my will to the hospital, said Prochut, who held the rank of commander.
Employers are taking a range of approaches toward trying to get their employees vaccinated.

Hospice and Palliative Care Buffalo has adopted one of the most strict vaccine policies in the region. It is requiring vaccinations for all of its employees, except for those with an authorized exemption. And the agency announced its policy even before the state announced its directive for health care workers.

In the first phase, unvaccinated Hospice Buffalo employees were required to undergo Covid-19 testing twice a week. Now the second phase has taken effect, because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given full approval to the Pfizer vaccine.

Unvaccinated Hospice Buffalo workers must get their first dose of vaccine by Sept. 27, and the second of a two-dose series by no later than Nov. 1. Those employees have to keep undergoing twice-weekly testing for two weeks after completing the vaccination series. Workers who obtain an approved exemption under state guidelines wont have to get vaccinated.

As a trusted health care provider, we must do even more to protect our extremely vulnerable patients as well as our colleagues, said Dr. Christopher Kerr, Hospice Buffalos CEO. The mandatory vaccination is consistent with this obligation.
Talos said the rate of oil appearing on the surface had slowed dramatically in the last 48 hours and no new heavy black crude had been seen in the last day.

So far, the spill appears to have remained out to sea and has not impacted the Louisiana shoreline. There is not yet any estimate for how much oil was in the water.

The Coast Guard said Saturday its response teams are monitoring reports and satellite imagery to determine the scope of the discharge, which is located in Bay Marchand, Block 4. Talos previously leased Bay Marchand, Block 5, but ceased production there in 2017, plugged its wells and removed all pipeline infrastructure by 2019, according to the company.

The area where the spill is located has been drilled for oil and gas for decades. Federal leasing maps show it contains a latticework of old pipelines, plugged wells and abandoned platforms, along with newer infrastructure still in use.
Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson attend the Telluride Film Festival on September 04, 2021 in Telluride, Colorado

Vivien Killilea/Getty

It's a Fifty Shades of Grey reunion!

Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, who co-starred in the popular film trilogy, posed together at Telluride Film Festival on Saturday.

Both actors attended the Colorado festival to promote their new movies. Johnson, 31, stars in Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, and Dornan, 39, in the coming-of-age film Belfast.

Johnson sported a 70s-inspired look for the event, pairing a lacy white top with a suede brown jacket and wide-leg jeans, accessorized with sunglasses. Dornan, meanwhile, kept it casual in a navy blue t-shirt and light gray slacks.

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FIFTY SHADES OF GREY (2015) Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' - Film - 2015

Moviestore/Shutterstock Fifty Shades Of Grey

RELATED: Jamie Dornan Admits He 'Went Through a Bad Stage' Reading Negative Fifty Shades of Grey Reviews

Based on the bestselling books by E.L. James, the Fifty Shades franchise hit the silver screen with Fifty Shades of Grey in 2015, later followed by two sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, which were released in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

In the films, Dornan took on the role of Christian Grey, a young and wealthy businessman with a penchant for all things erotic, while Johnson played his love interest, Anastasia Steele.

Ahead of the release of the second movie, Johnson opened up about the trust she had to build with Dornan while filming such intimate scenes.

"Jamie and I worked so incredibly closely for so long," the actress told Vogue in 2017. "There were no inhibitions, and it was very honest, very trusting. But I mean, what a gamble! What if he had turned out to be a total d---?"

Fifty Shades Freed

Doane Gregory/ Universal Pictures/courtesy Everett Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson in Fifty Shades Freed

RELATED: Emilia Clarke Turned Down Fifty Shades Because She's 'Sick and Tired' of Being Asked About Nudity

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She continued, "There's no makeup. There are no clothes to tell you a bit about the story. There's no jewelry to give you a clue about social status. So it becomes purely about the performance."

Around the same time, Dornan discussed his distaste for his Fifty Shades character, even going so far as to say that he probably wouldn't be friends with Grey in real life.

While promoting the second Shades installment in GQ Australia, Dornan made it clear that his pack of friends doesn't include anyone quite like the uptight billionaire he portrayed.

"[He's] not the sort of bloke I'd get along with," he confessed in 2017. "All my mates are easygoing and quick to laugh  I wouldn't imagine myself sat in a pub with him. I don't think he would be my type, when it comes to choosing mates.

Belfast is slated for a Nov. 12 release, per The Hollywood Reporter, while The Lost Daughter will open in theaters Dec. 31.
In France, the names Rastignac and Rubempre serve as a kind of shorthand even today  two iconic characters who signify opposite sides of the same vice. Both prominent players in Honore de Balzacs expansive La Comedie Humaine, the ambitious parvenus are virtual nobodies of vaguely noble extraction who arrive agog in early-19th-century Paris, and compromise their way to the top. For Rastignac, the strategy works to his advantage; not so much for Lucien de Rubempre, whose swift ascent and humiliating fall are dramatically detailed in Balzacs masterpiece, Lost Illusions, laying the roller-coaster track for this sumptuous and surprisingly au courant cinematic retelling.

Adapting Balzac is no small feat for any filmmaker, and in whittling down the three volumes (and 700-plus pages) that comprise Lost Illusions to a robust two and a half hours, director Xavier Giannoli has a million choices to make. Casting was crucial  he shrewdly taps Summer of 85 discovery Benjamin Voisin to play Lucien, surrounding the gifted newcomer with top talents (including Gerard Depardieu and Xavier Dolan)  but more important was the filmmakers decision to emphasize the characters shady career as a journalist.

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Turns out, theres nothing new about fake news, and it may shock todays audiences to learn just how powerful  and how corrupt  the media was two centuries ago this year. Balzac set the tale in 1821, just as printing presses were making it possible to mass-produce misinformation, and sell-out artistes set aside their dreams of writing great literature and settled for influence instead. Money was the new royalty, and no one wanted to cut off its head, Giannolis narration-hefty screenplay informs, liberally appropriating the masters best insights  the master being Balzac, of course.

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At the time, the novelist risked negative press by exposing Paris pay-for-play print racket for what it was. Now, Giannoli gives Balzac the last laugh: Lost Illusions exposes his critics as the charlatans they were, detailing how any review can be twisted to serve an agenda  and worse, how easily the public can be manipulated. This sweeping period drama may be up to its eyeballs in costumes and carriages, but it plays with all the brio and jeopardy of a modern-day gangster movie, featuring hack journalists as its antiheroes.

Plus ca change, plus cest la meme chose, as they say, or The more things change, the more they stay the same. As the film opens in Angouleme, the idealistic Lucien fancies himself a poet, his efforts encouraged by a wealthy patron, the lovely, lonely Louise de Bargeton (a corseted Cecile de France). Louise believes in the arts, and sponsors a small collection of Luciens sonnets, dedicated somewhat indiscreetly to her  with everyone in the salon able to infer whom he means.

For a young writer, it is an enormous validation to see ones work in print, whether or not the words themselves deserve the paper. Lucien certainly doesnt lack for confidence after Louise makes the gesture of underwriting the publication of the poets Marguerites. But their special relationship  or its erotic dimension, at least  proves short-lived when Louises humiliated husband discovers her pet project, and Lucien is obliged to move to Paris to seek his fortune there.

Brandishing his mothers maiden name, Lucien de Rubempre (ne Chardon) arrives an idealist determined to write a novel, and leaves a cynic, the subject of someone elses. The space in between provides this shameless social climber a whirlwind tour of all the fame, fortune and romance a modern city can offer. For starters, Lucien receives his first invitation to the opera, then makes every wrong move imaginable at his closely watched debut: He invests in a silly-looking makeover, knows nothing of opera etiquette, and through his gauche behavior, proceeds to embarrass Louise and her even more dignified cousin, the deliciously viperlike Marquise dEspard (Jeanne Balibar), who conceals her venom behind a condescendingly courteous exterior.

The opera sequence should make you squirm as it shows the still-sincere Lucien humiliated in the snake pit of Parisian aristocracy. Americans love a rags-to-riches story, but class barriers are far less permeable in France, and the film depicts Lucien  and later punishes him for  taking a shortcut to the top. There are aspects of Citizen Kane in his story, especially in its skeptical view of the press, though the outcome is not so dire. Balzac believes in reinvention, treating Luciens Parisian experience as a moral education.

When writing fiction gets Lucien nowhere, he resorts to waiting tables, befriending a regular  newspaper editor Etienne Lousteau (a terrific Vincent Lacoste)  whos figured out how to make a living with his pen. Recognizing a more naive version of himself in the kid, Etienne takes him in and shows him the ropes. His job, Etienne explains, is to make newspaper shareholders rich and rake it in, and rake it in they do, accepting donations in exchange for articles and favors for rave reviews.

Both men are judgmental about the prostitutes they see in Paris streets, ignoring the irony that theyre even more compromised themselves, peddling their prose to the highest bidder. At this precise moment in French history, their influence is invaluable, and Etienne uses his to boost the prospects of his ingenue girlfriend  an example Lucien soon follows, trying to bury his feelings for Louise in the comforts of Coralie (Salome Dewaels), a boulevard actor making her debut on the legit stage. As a try-out piece, Etienne invites Lucien to review her show, and his conflict-of-interest assignment sets both of their careers on an upward trajectory.

An aficionado of all things theater, director Giannoli (whose version of the Florence Foster Jenkins story, Marguerite, is better than the one starring Meryl Streep) illuminates for audiences how shows fortunes were made or broken through paid applause and bribes. Two hundred years later, the practice hasnt disappeared, only gotten more sophisticated. Fascinating though Coralies world may be, she feels like a distraction to Luciens sidelined literary ambitions and his love for Louise.

Through Etienne, he meets a publisher (Depardieu) and comes to admire a rival writer, Nathan (Dolan), who serves as his conscience. Lucien finds himself in the position to destroy his rivals latest novel, but rather than whack it  for hes no better than a junior mobster at this point  he recognizes its merit and spares the book. For his other sins, Balzac doesnt let Lucien off so easily, but that one act of mercy may well be the thing that redeems him in our eyes.

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BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany wants to talk to the Taliban about how to evacuate its remaining local contract workers from Afghanistan, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday, adding it was a good sign that the airport in Kabul could be used for flights again.

The European Union's foreign policy chief has said the bloc is ready to engage with the new Taliban government in Kabul but the Islamist group must respect human rights, including those of women, and not let Afghanistan become a base for terrorism.

"We need to talk to the Taliban about how we can continue to get people who worked for Germany out of the country and to safety," Merkel said.

International aid organisations should also be able to improve the humanitarian situation there, she added.

The Taliban have yet to name a government more than two weeks after they swept back into power. Their 1996-2001 rule was marked by violent punishments and a ban on schooling or work for women and girls, and many Afghans and foreign governments fear a return to such practices.

The militants say they have changed but have yet to spell out what rules they will enforce.

(Reporting by Matthias Inverardi; Writing by Michael Nienaber; editing by John Stonestreet)
(Bloomberg) --

A unit of Guineas military seized power and suspended the constitution, destabilizing a key source of the raw material used to make aluminum.

The head of special forces in the West African nation, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, announced the takeover on state television on Sunday, imposed a curfew of 8 p.m. local time and urged the armed forces to back him. The action was taken to address financial mismanagement and corruption in Guinea under President Alpha Conde, he said, adding that the deposed leader is safe and has been in contact with his doctors.

If you see the condition of our roads, of our hospitals, you realize that it is time for us to wake up, Doumbouya said. We are going to initiate a national consultation to open an inclusive and peaceful transition.

Guinea vies with Australia as Chinas largest supplier of bauxite, which is used to make alumina and eventually aluminum. The country shipped 82.4 million tons of the mineral globally last year, according to government data. Much of that went to China, which is the worlds biggest aluminum-consuming country.

Aluminium prices on the London Metal Exchange rose as much as 1.8% to $2,775.50 a ton, the highest since May 2011, before trading at $2,749. In China, futures jumped as much as 3.4% to the highest since 2006. Chinese aluminum stocks also rallied, with Aluminum Corp. of China shares up as much as 10% in Hong Kong.

The military takeover might have a speculative impact on the price of aluminum but will have a bigger impact on the alumina price because its more immediately exposed to the event, said Tom Price, head of commodities strategy at Liberum Capital Ltd. Its an event which will create a new risk of security to supply.

Aluminum has jumped about 50% over the past year in London and is near the highest in a decade. Prices have rallied as a global economic recovery from the effects of the pandemic and Chinese output restrictions stoked demand. The energy-intensive aluminum industry has been targeted in China as the government seeks to conserve electricity and curb emissions, while a seasonal power crunch has also dented production.

Story continues

Companies including United Co. Rusal have invested heavily to extract Guineas abundant iron-ore and bauxite reserves. Rio Tinto Group, the worlds largest miner, has been looking at ways to exploit Simandou, the biggest undeveloped iron-ore deposit. Johannesburg-based AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. owns the Siguiri gold mine in Guinea, its only asset in the country.

Rusals spokesman declined to comment on the military takeover, but said it could have an impact on output. Guinea accounted for about 9% of the alumina produced by Rusal in the first half of 2021, according to the company.

The U.S. State Department condemned the coup and called for a peaceful national dialogue to enable a peaceful and democratic way forward for Guinea to realize its full potential. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also blasted the military takeover.

Leaders of two African blocs have pushed for the release of Guineas president. Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States also threatened sanctions against Guinea, Chairman Nana Akufo-Addo said in a statement.

The regional political and economic body condemns with the greatest firmness, and also demands a return to constitutional order, Akufo-Addo, whos also Ghanas president, added.

The African Union also called for its Peace and Security Council to meet urgently over the matter.

Doumbouyas TV appearance bore a resemblance to a similar scene in August 2020, when a Malian junta removed President Ibrahim Keita after blaming him for the countrys socio-economic problems. And in April, Chads army seized power after the death of President Idriss Deby.

The military takeover in Guinea on Sunday came hours after heavy gunfire erupted near the presidential palace in the capital, Conakry, in the morning.

Condes government said in a statement before Doumbouyas announcement that the presidential guard, backed by the nations security forces, had repulsed the attack by the insurgents and called for calm.

Conde, 83, was sworn in December for a third term in office, vowing to fight corruption. Initially hailed when he came to power in 2010 for ushering in democratic rule, he was allowed to run for a controversial third term last year after a referendum, backed by Russia, led to a change in the constitution.

A former educator, Conde has increasingly cracked down on opponents as opposition against his rule has grown.

(Adds aluminium price in fifth paragraph)

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BERLIN (AP)  A major maritime industry association on Monday backed plans for a global surcharge on carbon emissions from shipping to help fund the sector's shift toward climate-friendly fuels.

The International Chamber of Shipping said it's proposing to the United Nations that all vessels trading globally above a certain size should pay a set amount per metric ton of carbon dioxide they emit.

The group, representing commercial shipowners and operators covering over 80% of the world merchant fleet, didn't specify what carbon price it would support.

The shipping industry is estimated to account for nearly 3% of the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving global warming and projected to rise significantly in the coming decades.

Environmental campaigners welcomed the ICS submission to the International Maritime Organization, but cautioned that the extent of its ambition remains unclear.

We will know they are serious about real progress when they embrace a level of ambition consistent with what climate vulnerable island nations have already proposed, said Aoife OLeary, director of global transportation at the Environmental Defense Fund.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 6)  A significant number of health workers in a major private hospital in Metro Manila failed to report for work for the past two days for not receiving benefits from the COVID-19 response program, a doctor's group said.

Philippine College of Physicians president Maricar Limpin told CNN Philippines' The Source that the absence of resident doctors in the unnamed hospital significantly depleted the available workforce attending to patients amid the pandemic.

"Merong report na let us say sa isang ospital, Im not going to say anymore the name of the hospital pero let us say 'yung lahat halos ng mga bata nilang residente hindi nagreport to duty for the past two days," Limpin bared. "Dalawang araw na yan na hindi nagreport so medyo area of concern para sa amin. Dahil bakit biglang di pumasok?"

[Translation: We received a report from a hospital, I'm not going to name it anymore but almost all of the young resident doctors in that hospital did not report for duty for the past two days. That's two days so it's an area of concern for us. Why did they suddenly not go to work?]

Limpin said this was reportedly after the health workers were not given the benefits that were due them.

"It's a private hospital, its a big hospital, its a major hospital in the National Capital Region," she added.

Limpin said apart from this, a lot of health workers from major hospitals in Metro Manila are also getting sick with COVID-19 and need to undergo quarantine.

She reiterated her call on the government to implement effective measures to curb the pandemic because the current health care system is already "overwhelmed."

In an interview with CNN Philippines News.PH, Dr. Jose Rene de Grano, president of the Private Hospital Association of the Philippines, said it is understandable that some frontliners have not reported to work, given the heavy demands of the job aggravated by low compensation.

Talaga pong we just have to understand them dahil...ngayon lang nangyari na merong kasabay na pandemic na mga ganyan. Talagang mahirap po, he said, but added he believes they will eventually return once they are well-rested.

[Translation: We just really have to understand them because it is the first time we are battling a pandemic. It is really difficult.]

According to De Grano, more health workers have tendered their resignation over the past few weeks and have expressed their intention to work overseas instead. The dwindling manpower, he said, has restricted the capacity of private hospitals to accommodate more COVID-19 patients amid the surge in cases.

Last month, health workers from the biggest private hospitals in Metro Manila and other public hospitals across the country warned of protests in the form of work stoppage following the delayed release of their COVID-19 benefits.

The Department of Budget and Management has earlier released some 1.2 billion to compensate medical frontliners who attended to infected patients from December 20, 2020 to June 30, 2021.

Another 407.08 million will be charged from the 2021 Contingent Fund to complete the payment of allowances to 117,926 healthcare workers  not exceeding 5,000 per month in the covered period.
(CNN) -- Three people have died and 15 were injured in an attack on paramilitary troops in the city of Quetta in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan.

Quetta is the capital of Balochistan province near the Afghan border. The province has seen a decades-long insurgency by separatists who demand independence from Pakistan, citing what they say is the state's monopoly and exploitation of the province's mineral resources.

The District Inspector General of Police for Quetta, Azhar Akram, confirmed to CNN that the attack was caused by a suicide bomber and took place early Sunday morning at a checkpoint of the Frontier Corp, the paramilitary troops stationed within the city of Quetta.

The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the blast in a statement released to CNN.

While there have been targeted attacks by the TTP on the Frontier Corp in July, the deadliest recent assault carried out by the militant group was in April, when a blast outside a luxury hotel in Quetta killed four people and injured 12 others.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the incident in a post on Twitter Sunday.

"Condemn the TTP suicide attack on FC checkpost, Mastung road, Quetta. My condolences go to the families of the martyrs & prayers for the recovery of the injured. Salute our security forces & their sacrifices to keep us safe by thwarting foreign-backed terrorists' designs," the tweet read.

TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud appeared buoyed by the Afghan Taliban gains in an exclusive interview with CNN six weeks ago. As the Taliban closed in on Kabul, Mehsud suggested "the victory of one Muslim was surely helpful to another Muslim."

He vowed to take control of Pakistan's tribal border region, hinting it would be easier with US forces gone and the Afghan Taliban in charge in Kabul. US drone strikes killed three of his predecessors.

The number of TTP attacks In August was more than double last year's monthly average, according to figures published by the group.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Suicide attack targets soldiers in Pakistani city of Quetta"
Kimberly Camara tells her childhood stories through doughnuts: snow days spent eating champorado, afternoons learning how to cook traditional Filipino food, and meals ending with her grandmothers special leche flan.

My grandmother passed away in January 2020, said Camara. She was a huge influence on me in my personal life, even in my cooking career, because the reason I do what I do is because of her. Camara described her late grandmother, Corazon, as that lola, always in the kitchen cooking. She wanted to find a way to pay homage to her. After she passed away, I remember finding her recipe book and feeling like, oh my god, this is it. To make her recipes and continue her legacy in this way is the way to do it.

Thus, Kora was born. But Kora didnt start out as Kora, Camara said.

Kalamansi Amapola (brioche, calamansi curd, poppy cream, calamansi glaze, torched meringue, and graham crunch). Photo by KENNETH CAMARA/Courtesy of KORA

At the beginning of the pandemic, she and her boyfriend, Kevin Borja, had been part of the massive 2,000 employee layoff in New York City. Camara, who worked as a research and development cook, and Borja, a server, were left uncertain about their future. They were separated during the first three months of quarantine, where Kimberly went back home to live with her parents in Queens.

To fill in the gaps of time, she turned to baking. Like the entire rest of the world, I was doing a lot of baking, she said. I actually had this leftover brioche in my freezer. I had initially planned to make them into burger buns and just bake them off in the oven.

After she had defrosted the dough, rolled them into perfectly round balls, letting them rise one final time, she was met with an unexpected obstacle. I opened the oven door and it was filled with pots and pans as I feel every Asian household has, she described, laughing. There was just so much stuff in there and I was like, I do not feel like taking all of this out and putting it back in. So I was like, you know what, Im just gonna fry them like doughnuts.

Brioche, as a dough, is flexible  and thats what made it the perfect vessel to tell stories.

I ended up with these beautiful, fluffy brioche doughnuts, she said. On a whim, she decided to fill her doughnuts with the ube pastry cream from a birthday cake she made her friend two days prior. I took my first bite and I was like, Oh, I would sell this, and I think people would buy this. I would buy this. So I figured, let me keep myself busy.

Camara never expected Kora to grow as big as it did, even having a 10,000-person long waiting list at one time.

The Balikbayan Box tasting menu made in collaboration with King Umberto (Pistachio bombolini) and Eat Offbeat (Jalebi and rosquillas de anis). Kora made the Jian Dui (buchi-buchi) and ube flavors. Photo by KENNETH CAMARA/Courtesy of KORA

I thought it was gonna be more of a seasonal project for me during the pandemic, she said.

The menu started out with four flavors, which she initially sold through a Google form posted on her personal Instagram profile:

1. Leche flan ni Lola  Brioche doughnut stuffed with my grandmas famous flan.

2. Ube  Ube brioche doughnut, fresh ube custard, ube glaze, purple yam crisps, ube powder.

3. Halo-halo  Brioche doughnut, classic halo-halo mix-ins, cream, ube glaze, flan, pinipig, banana chip, maraschino cherry.

4. Buko pandan  pandan brioche, coconut & sago cream, pandan glaze, flaked coconut, pinipig

I knew that Filipinos would be excited about it, of course, but the reason I think other people have been flocking to Kora and getting excited about the doughnuts [is] the experience we create through giving people these doughnuts. Its a learning experience, said Camara, who said that they had always leaned into the Filipino-ness of their flavors, and to teach audiences who may be unfamiliar with them. Its a deeply emotional one too, especially for me. Every single flavor has a story behind it.

When it comes to Kora, Kimberlys approach to flavors is not about what will help them sell to customers or expand the business. Instead, she is driven by how to put a flavor out in its more delicious form, how to talk about the memories she has with them, and how to resonate with the memories other people might have with them, too.

The menu has since expanded and evolved to include flavors like itlog na pula, the turon-inspired churron, sans rival (which has Tanduay rum buttercream) and Pili & J. The flavor is inspired by Camara and Borjas own love story, which brought together Filipino pili nuts and Andean raspberry in an ode to the PB&J sandwiches of their respective childhoods.

Borja, who is Ecuadorian, has felt wholeheartedly accepted by the Filipino community, in telling these stories about universal experiences where all are able to relate. Especially as minorities living at this time, we all really do need to find where we can all mesh, he said. If that means, in our company, something as simple as leche flan, something as simple as champorado and the flavors that are influenced by other cultures and that we all share. Everyone has their own version of it, which is, again, why it makes it more beautiful because whether or not you are Filipino, you recognize it, or you recognize some version of it.

The sari-sari box with the flavors leche flan ni lola, ube, churron, keso, and halo-halo. Photo by KENNETH CAMARA/Courtesy of KORA

Where Camara handles the recipes, Borja is behind communicating these flavors in a more approachable manner, particularly to those who may not be familiar with ube or halo-halo.

Being guest-facing for so long has given me a certain ability to just take a dish and break it down and make it a little simpler, he said. I really try to find the similarities between them. For example, halo-halo is a shaved ice dessert, and me being Ecuadorian and Latino, we have a very similar concept. He often begins with learning what it is and then finds a way to make it more relatable without losing the essence of the ingredient or the flavor. So, I guess, in order to make it more approachable, it was quite easy because were already doing that through the vessel of the doughnut where obviously here in America everyone recognizes. It really was just breaking down the ingredients and explaining why theyre together in the dougnuts.

He likened the experience to tasting wine. Ive always led with that. With wine, you dont really tell someone that it tastes like apricot or it has these fruity notes. You can suggest that it imparts some sort of fruity notes, but you dont necessarily have to tell them that its pear or apple. In terms of that, its really just leading with the sincerity of what I know with the guidance of Kimberly.

Theres a story, theres a feeling for me attached to every single one of the flavors, said Camara. Theres a point of human connection there through the flavors and through the stories that are shared. Maybe its like champorado for me, and these memories that I have of coming inside on a snowy day and having a nice warm bowl of champorado. But for somebody thats not Filipino, maybe its another dish, but they can connect with the memories of something that their grandma cooked for them that was really exciting and heartwarming for them, and they can pull back from those times.

Its just being unapologetic and genuine, Borja emphasized.

Apart from Camara and Borja, who handle the ingredients, orders, and deliveries, Camaras brother, Kenneth, has taken all of Koras photos from the beginning. We do all of our shoots still out of our apartment, said Camara as she moved to a different spot during our interview to free the table up for a shoot.

A cross-section of the ube flavor. Photo by KENNETH CAMARA/Courtesy of KORA

Kora, which started as an homage to Lola Corazon, is a family business.

This has been a good way for me to express myself and to talk about my grandma, said Camara. The Leche Flan, which has been a staple in their menu since the very beginning, uses Lola Coras recipe. My Lolas Leche Flan, she calls it. The secret to Lola Coras heirloom leche flan recipe  the inspiration for Koras own recipes and vision  was not just in the proportions or cooking time. The secret to her leche flans luscious flavor and texture was in lovingly creating each one with her hands alone, she wrote on Koras Instagram.

Many opportunities have arisen for wholesale, for buying us out, Borja said. Weve had people in our inbox like, Hi, I am Prince Something from Saudi Arabia, Id love to fly you out right now, we can open two to three locations in the next six months, this can be big.

To stay true to why they started this, theyve said no to the offers.

I deeply feel like I dont wanna franchise, said Camara. I just feel like I always want to be so close to this business because of how it started and why it started.

It really does take a lot of labor to produce one of these boxes. But, I feel like right now, what keeps driving us  at least for me, on my end  is seeing those faces, said Borja. Theres nothing like seeing these people when they finally pick up and theyve been waiting two to three weeks, months, some people a whole year, and they finally get this. Its just a certain feeling and it doesnt disappoint.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines Life, September 6)  This week, read a fictional account of a Senegalese man shell-shocked by the war, watch classic films by some of our National Artists for Film, join a celebration of Filipino comics, check out a local designers new collection and a traveling exhibit that features artists from Bogota, Manila and New York.

Read At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop

David Diops Man Booker International Prize-winning book achieves plenty of magnificence. Anna Moschovakis meticulous translation captures the folktale-like prose which tells the tale of Alfa, a Senegalese soldier fighting during World War I. From the get go, Alfa is obviously shell-shocked, still reeling from witnessing his friend die in his arms. There is a certain orality to the prose, though Diop meant to write the book like a letter of a Senegalese man and his account of the war, but the way Alfa tells his tale is akin to that of a fireside retelling, complete with the gory details.

The narrator constantly mentions his name when he recalls the many events that led to his current state, as if to label himself is to bring back some sense of sanity into him. Many anti-war novels and films have depicted the debilitating effects of war but the core of At Night All Blood is Black is focused on Alfas recollection (and assessment) of his life and how he got to where (and what) he is.

Alfa's response to the war and, in a more direct way, his friends death is macabre: he dismembers the enemies and cuts off their hand as a relic from the battlefield  not so much as a prize but as a reminder of the terror from the sky of war. His fellow soldiers and his captain initially applaud this behavior. But as the hands multiply in numbers, their reaction becomes of fear and repulsion. The novel unravels the racist leanings of the colonizers, who dismiss Alfa based on assumptions on his race and as a demm, devourer of souls instead of recognizing his state as some sort of self-preservation against the horrors that they face every day in the war.

The prose manages to be luminous despite the shocking descriptions of dismemberment and death (Id walked beneath the bright moon, my arms around Mademba, without seeing that long ribbon of his intestine had escaped from my shirt knotted around his waist). At Night All Blood is Black is enthralling, especially in the last few pages, where it becomes more than just a wide-eyed account of madness as remembrance.  DON JAUCIAN

Join the Philippine International Comics Online Festival

All weekends of September, join Filipino komiks creators in celebrating the local komiks industry and placing our komiks in the international publishing scene. Some of the forthcoming events include Local comics for global platforms (Sept. 11, 10 a.m.) Maximizing the potential of your comics IP (Sept. 11, 2 p.m.), and Comics critics and scholars: why we need them (Sept. 25, 10 a.m.).

Visit PICOF on Facebook for more details on how to join the events.  CNN PHILIPPINES LIFE STAFF

Photo from FDCP/TWITTER

Watch classic Filipino films for free

In celebration of the first Filipino Film Industry month, the Film Development Council of the Philippines presents Pamanang Pelikula, eight restored films by filmmakers such as Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Nick Deocampo, and Ishmael Bernal.

Register at fdcpchannel.ph to watch the films for free. The films are available until Sept. 30.  CNN PHILIPPINES LIFE STAFF

Photo from THE DRAWING ROOM MANILA

Check out the Manila leg of the traveling exhibit Threads

Threads is a traveling exhibition which began in Maleza Proyectos in Bogota curated by Alejandra Fonseca in February 2021 and Flux Factory, Topaz Arts, and Bliss on Bliss Art Projects organized by artist Ged Merino, curator Virlana Tkacz, and poet Olena Jennings in New York in April 2021. Now the exhibit is presented at The Drawing Room curated by Carlos Quijon, Jr.

texture tendency: Threads in Manila features the works of Michelle Esquivias, King Llanza, Alfonso Manalastas, Katherine Nunez, Floraime Pantaleta, Miguel Puyat, Tekla Tamoria and Nicole Tee. The exhibit explores the entanglements of the practices involving text and textile. The Manila iteration will also feature a selection of works from previous exhibits in Bogota and New York.

The exhibit opens on Sept. 11. Check The Drawing Room Manila on Facebook or Instagram for more details or email at info@drawingroomgallery.com.  CNN PHILIPPINES LIFE STAFF

The Helen dress. Photos courtesy of BAGASAO

Dress to decompress.

Vacations not taken were the starting point for Bagasao Creative Director Joseph Bagasaos Spring/Summer 2022 collection, Oasis. A standout is the Helen dress, which can be styled multiple ways, perfect for imagined travel (or escaping the repetition of sheltering in place). Depending on how many loops you attach to the buttons it can be (1) a tent dress, (2) fit and flare and (3) a tunic. He laughs. This dress is actually moody like myself.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 5)  Former pandemic task force adviser Dr. Tony Leachon said the government may not be able achieve its revised goal to attain herd immunity by year-end.

The Health department said experts have recommended that government raise the target to "up to 90%" from the initial 70% because the new COVID-19 variants have lowered the efficacy of available vaccines.

As of end-August, nearly 14 million Filipinos or 13% of the population are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The new goal is to inoculate 100 million Filipinos by the end of the year.

READ: Govt experts increase herd immunity estimate to 90%

At the rate the countrys vaccination rollout is going, however, Leachon believes it will take longer than the government's projected timeline to reach herd immunity.

"I don't think we will achieve the targeted herd immunity, even the 50% targeted for the NCR bubble for December 2021. That is precarious at this point in time. At the rate we're going, I think we will reach the herd immunity about 85% to 90% in two years time. So that may be 2023," he told CNN Philippines.

Leachon added the government must revisit its vaccine portfolio and prioritize the purchase of brands that have higher efficacy rates amid the spread of the Delta variant.

He also raised concern on the supply of procured doses coming from the United States given the recent developments there.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had given Pfizer-BioNTech full approval for its COVID-19 vaccine for those aged 16 and older, opening the door for the vaccine to be commercially sold in America.

U.S. health officials also want vaccine booster shots to be offered starting Sept. 20, subject to the approval of the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

READ: COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to be offered to Americans beginning September 20, US health officials say

Government vaccine expert panel member Dr. Rontgene Solante remains optimistic about the revised target, but he says achieving this goal will highly depend on the arrival of vaccines.

"We still have four months to go. So, hopefully before mag-end ang year makakapag-bakuna, maski 70% (of the population) before the end of the year makukuha natin yan, that's already a good sign. Then in the first quarter next year, matapos natin yung (vaccination) ng remaining population," Solante told Newsroom Weekend.

[Translation: We still have four months to go. So, hopefully before the end of the year we can vaccinate at least 70% of the population, that's already a good sign. Then in the first quarter next year, we can finish vaccinating the remaining population.]

The government is expecting around 55 million vaccines to arrive between September and October.

No final decision on booster shots yet

The country's vaccine expert panel has recommended administering booster shots to healthcare workers and the immunocompromised.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire clarified that there's no final decision yet despite the suggestion of the panel, adding that 50% of the population must be vaccinated first before rolling out booster shots.

Infectious disease expert Dr. Benjamin Co said the government must stick to the vaccination of the priority population first before expanding the rollout.

"I think we just need to focus on what the initial plans are with the limited resources that we have. I guess by doing that, we can achieve our goals, slowly but without any background noiseIf we keep mixing and we keep adding all other variables: children, boosters, third doses and so on and so forth, it becomes a challenge to get everyone vaccinated," Co told CNN Philippines in another interview.

Leachon, meanwhile, said the country should start planning for the possibility of rolling out booster shots in the future.

"We should already put that in the equation so that we can actually demand for a higher budget. So that when the time comes that the Delta variant is here and the vaccines that we ordered may not be effective, then we have the available booster doses already," he said.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. said the government is already in talks with four vaccine manufacturers for booster shots. He added that Chinese drugmaker Sinovac also pledged to donate 500,000 more doses to the country.

Health officials and the expert panel will meet to discuss their final recommendation on administering booster shots.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9)  Malacanang chalked off on Monday criticisms from Vice President Leni Robredo and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno as politicking ahead of the upcoming national elections.

Sabihin na lang natin ang mga sinasabi ni [Lets just say that statements from] VP Leni, you need to consider in connection with her ongoing advertisement. Pulitika lang po talaga [Its just politicking], said presidential spokesperson Harry Roque in a briefing.

Over the weekend, Robredo said in her radio show that she would volunteer to lead the countrys pandemic response but lamented she wouldnt be able to do anything without blanket authority.

The spokesman reacted similarly to Morenos plea to purchase drugs like remdesivir and tocilizumab, which are used to treat COVID-19, instead of face shields.

Well, kaibigan ko po itong si Yorme pero gaya po ni VP, kandidato rin po yan. Mark my word: hindi pa po nag-aanunsiyo yan pero sigurado po ako kandidato, kaya asahan natin itong mga ganitong salita dahil kinakailangan nilang ligawan ang mamamayan, said Roque.

[Translation: Well, Yorme is my friend but like VP (Robredo), hes also a candidate. Mark my word: he has not yet announced anything but Im sure hes a candidate, so lets expect these kinds of remarks because they need to woo the public.]

Still, the Cabinet official assured that the government is currently looking for an alternative to tocilizumab while supply is running low.

READ: DOH looks at baricitinib as substitute for tocilizumab amid limited supply

Robredo has consistently offered alternative solutions to the country's pandemic crisis, while Moreno has been a critic of the government's face shield mandate. However, they have yet to announce their plans for the national elections next year.

RELATED: Robredo-Moreno for 2022? LP says no tandems for now
(CNN)  A Guinean military officer broadcasted a statement Sunday announcing that Guinea's Constitution has been dissolved in an apparent coup.

"We will no longer entrust politics to a man. We will entrust it to the people. We come only for that; it is the duty of a soldier, to save the country," Guinean army officer Mamady Doumbouya says in the video.

An adviser to President Alpha Conde told CNN that Conde is under arrest and that a coup has taken place in the West African country.

The location of the 83-year-old, who won a heavily disputed election last year, is unclear.

In the video, Doumbouya -- wearing a special forces uniform -- says they have arrested Conde and suspended the constitution, the government and all other institutions. He also announced the closing of land and air borders. The video has been widely circulated and reported by local media.

Curfew declared, former ministers summoned

In a later update that was broadcast on state TV, military officers declared a nationwide curfew and said Conde was unharmed.

"We want to reassure the national and international community, the physical and moral integrity of former President (Alpha Conde) is not threatened," a military officer said, according a translation published by Reuters. "We took all the necessary measures for him to have access to medical care and to be in touch with his physicians."

No clear evidence was provided of Conde's condition and CNN has not been able to verify the military officer's claims.

The officers went on to say that a nationwide curfew had been declared in Guinea. "The curfew is implemented from 8 p.m., nationwide, and this until further notice," an officer said, reading from a statement.

The officers also invited outgoing ministers and former heads of institution to a meeting at 11 a.m. Monday.

"Any failure to attend will be considered as a rebellion against the CNRD," they said, referring to the group's name, which in French stands for the National Rally and Development Committee.

'Sustained gunfire'

Gunfire erupted Sunday in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, in what appeared to be a coup attempt, according to multiple social media postings and witnesses who spoke to CNN.

Heavily armed soldiers were present in Conakry's Kaloum area, the site of many government buildings, according to videos shared on social media.

One widely circulating video appeared to show Conde surrounded by Guinean soldiers.

Earlier in the day, the British Embassy in Conakry warned there was "sustained gunfire in several locations of Conakry" and asked people to remain vigilant and avoid movement.

"It is time for us to understand each other, to join hands, to sit down, to write a constitution that is adapted to our realities, capable of solving our problems," Doumbouya said in the video.

Another video circulating on social media showed Guineans cheering military vehicles and waving flags in the capital.

CNN has not independently verified the authenticity of the videos.

Takeover condemned

In a statement published Sunday, the African Union (AU) condemned what it called a "power grab."

AU Chairperson H.E. Felix Tshisekedi and the chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, asked for the "immediate release of President Alpha Conde," according to the statement.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called for Conde's release, as reports of the apparent coup unfolded.

"I am personally following the situation in Guinea very closely. I strongly condemn any takeover of the government by force of the gun and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde," Guterres said in a tweet Sunday.

Conde won the presidency in 2010, taking control from a military junta that had been in power since 2008. The 2010 presidential elections were the first in the republic's 52-year history.

The apparent coup attempt in Guinea follows a successful coup in Mali in August 2020, when the military forced out the elected government.
(CNN)  Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been released from prison on medical parole due to ill health, the government's correctional services department said Sunday.

Zuma, 79, has been serving a 15-month prison sentence since July for contempt of court after defying a summons to appear at an inquiry into corruption during his time in office.

"Medical parole placement for Mr Zuma means that he will complete the remainder of the sentence in the system of community corrections, whereby he must comply with a specific set of conditions and will be subjected to supervision until his sentence expires," South Africa's Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said in a statement on Sunday.

Last month, Zuma was admitted to an outside hospital where he underwent surgeries for an undisclosed ailment, according to prison authorities.

The DCS said it was "impelled" to grant Zuma medical parole after receiving a medical report.

"Apart from being terminally ill and physically incapacitated, inmates suffering from an illness that severely limits their daily activity or self-care can also be considered for medical parole," the statement said.

The DCS appealed to South Africans "to afford Mr Zuma dignity as he continues to receive medical treatment."

Deadly violence erupted in South Africa in July after Zuma handed himself in to custody, triggering widespread protests and looting as soldiers and police struggled to restore order. It was some of the worst violence the country had seen in years.

Zuma's successor, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, said the unrest was "instigated" and that that he would not allow "anarchy and mayhem to unfold in the country."

Zuma served as president from 2009 to 2018 and was once widely celebrated as a key figure in the country's liberation movement. He spent 10 years in prison with anti-apartheid hero and former President Nelson Mandela.

But his nine years in power were marred with allegations of high-level corruption, which he has repeatedly denied.

Zuma is accused of corruption involving three businessmen close to him -- brothers Atul, Ajay and Rajesh Gupta -- and allowing them to influence government policy, including the hiring and firing of ministers to align with the family's business interests. The Guptas deny wrongdoing but left South Africa after Zuma was ousted from the presidency.
(CNN)  Heavy fighting was reported Sunday in parts of northern Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley, where rebel fighters from the National Resistance Front (NRF) have been battling a Taliban offensive.

Panjshir, a strategic slice of mountainous terrain rich with precious mineral resources around 90 miles north of Kabul, is the only region among Afghanistan's 34 provinces to remain out of the Taliban's control.

It was once a stronghold for the mujahideen fighting the Soviets and is now the seat of the resistance movement. Fighters in the province also held out against the Taliban in the late 1990s during their rule.

Taliban spokesman Belal Kareemi told CNN Sunday that the group's militant fighters have taken all districts of Panjshir province except for the capital of Bazarak and Rokha districts, which remain under NRF control.

The spokesman claimed the enemy has suffered "heavy casualties," including among their commanders, and that the Taliban hope to be able to "clear Panjsher as soon as possible." Taliban fighters are currently advancing toward Rokha and Bazarak, Kareemi added.

But resistance fighters appeared to rebut the Taliban's claims, with NRF spokesman Fahim Dashti tweeting Sunday that the Paryan district of Panjshir was "completely cleared" of the Taliban.

"At least 1,000 terrorists were trapped due to the cutting of their way out. All the attackers were either killed, surrendered or captured by locals with help from resistance fighters as they fled and retreated. Many of these prisoners are foreigners and most of them are Pakistanis," Dashti said.

Earlier Sunday, an NRF spokesman said: "We have allowed them (Taliban) to enter the valley intentionally and now they are trapped. Fighting is going on in the northern most district of Panjshir (Paryan) and the southern most district (Anaba)."

"This is a tactic we have used from our playbook from the 1980s when the Soviets entered the Valley. The NRF is all over Panjshir and the Taliban have suffered heavy casualties tonight," the spokesman added.

CNN has not been able to independently verify the overall casualty figures in the latest rounds of fighting.

More domestic flights resume

Back in Kabul, Afghanistan's Ariana Afghan Airlines resumed flights between the capital and Herat, according to its official Facebook page on Sunday.

In subsequent posts the airline also confirmed operations between Kabul and the cities of Kandahar and Mazar-i-Sharif -- which Qatar's Ambassador to Afghanistan Saeed bin Mubarak Al-Khayarin Al-Hajar witnessed, according to a Qatari foreign ministry statement on Saturday.

Also on Sunday, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) arrived in the country for a three-day trip.

"Arriving now in #Afghanistan," Peter Maurer tweeted along with a video message in which he said, "Today I'll arrive in Afghanistan where almost 40 years of conflict have caused so much suffering and misery."

Maurer said he will visit ICRC operations and talk to Afghans to better understand their short, medium and long-term needs. He added that he will talk to authorities to ensure that "neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian action will continue to be the basis" of the ICRC's work, and for further scaling and increasing of its operations.

While in Afghanistan, Maurer will also visit ICRC-supported medical facilities and rehabilitation centers for victims of violence and disease, according to an ICRC press release on Sunday.

"Before even visiting I wanted to pay tribute to ICRC's and Afghan Red Crescent's people on the ground -- who over the last decades have done everything to keep humanity at the core of their work and to counter the effect that war and violence becomes a way of life."

New education rules

Taliban talks are continuing over the formation of a transitional government but a decision from the Taliban-run education ministry Sunday is signaling life will change for civilians as the group cements its control.

The Ministry of Higher Education approved a proposal on the separation of male and female university students for the new semester, which begins Monday.

It signed off on a detailed proposal submitted by Afghanistan's union of universities, which represents 131 colleges and universities around the country.

According to the proposal, "All female students, lecturers and employees are obliged to observe Hijab according to Sharia." The hijab covers the hair but not the face.

Female and male students must enter their college through separate entrances. Mixed classes will only be allowed where the number of female students is fewer than 15, and the classroom must be divided by a curtain. Newly created classes at private universities should be separate for boys and girls, the proposal says.

There are also rules to ensure male and female students do not enter the classroom together. In addition, according to the proposal, "All universities are obliged to designate a separate area for female students to perform their prayers."

"In the future the universities should try to hire female professors for female students. In the meantime, efforts should be made to appoint elderly professors who are well-known for being trustworthy to teach female students," the proposal says.

Waheed Roshan, the Vice-Chancellor of the private Bakhtar University in Kabul, said the institution would comply with the proposal but said that for many colleges the logistics would be challenging. He told CNN that Bakhtar -- where about 20% of the 2,000 students are girls -- could hold classes for boys and girls in separate shifts. But other colleges might struggle with putting partitions inside their classrooms, Roshan said.

Mixed feelings over education changes

CNN spoke to several female students about the new regulations. Sahar, 21, who is studying political science, said she said was happy that the Taliban had not banned girls from attending higher education, but described the new rules as extreme.

"There are so many female students in Kabul who grew up in a free environment where they had the opportunity to choose what to wear and which university to attend or whether to sit in a classroom with the boys or not, but now it would be too difficult for them to adapt to these extreme rules," she said.

She said that even before the Taliban took over girls wore modest clothes and that she did not see the necessity for further restrictions. She also said she would try to resume her studies under the new rules, but wasn't sure if she could continue for long.

Ziba, another student in her early 20s in Kabul, said she was planning to abandon hopes of graduating from the university citing the fluid security situation and over concerns the Taliban might impose stricter conditions in the future. She said it was better to stay at home. She asked CNN not to use her real name.

But Mina Qasem, 19, who graduated from high school last year said that she was excited to start university. "I will put on any type of Hijab they ask me to wear as long as they keep the universities open for the girls. I am so excited to start my next chapter of life and my sister who is going to finish high school this year will also apply for one of the private universities at the end of the year."

Mina added that if girls wanted to have a voice in the future, they had to get educated whatever the circumstances.

This story was first published on CNN.com 'Battle for Afghan holdout province intensifies as Taliban advance further into Panjshir Valley'
The three appeared together at colorful campaign events that were in stark contrast to Lukashenkos Soviet-style gatherings.

Shortly after the election, Tsikhanouskaya left Belarus under pressure from the authorities and is currently in exile in Lithuania.

In September 2020, as Belarus was shaken by mass protests, the largest of which drew up to 200,000 people, KGB agents drove Kolesnikova to the border between Belarus and Ukraine in an attempt to expel her. In the neutral zone between the two countries, Kolesnikova managed to rip up her passport, broke out of the car and walked back into Belarus, where she was immediately arrested.

Just before the start of her trial last month, Kolesnikova said in a note from prison that authorities offered to release her from custody if she asks for a pardon and gives a repentant interview to state media. She insisted that she was innocent and rejected the offer.

Speaking to the AP on Monday, Tsikhanouskaya described Kolesnikova's ripping up her passport as a historic deed.

Along with it (her passport), she tore apart all the plans of the regime, Tsikhanouskaya said.
The program behind the Beef. Its Whats for Dinner campaign is under attack by some of the cattle producers who fund it. They say it is not specifically promoting American beef amid competition from imports and plant-based products.
Three area residents were injured in two separate accidents in Washington County over the weekend, according to reports from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

According to MSHP, on Sunday at 6:50 a.m., Ryan S. Moyers, 32, of Belgrade, was driving a 2008 Toyota Tacoma eastbound on Route C at Lover's Lane when the vehicle traveled off the right side of the road, over-corrected, returned to the road, then overturned off the left side of the road.

The report states Moyers, who reportedly wasn't wearing a seat belt, was ejected and taken to Mercy Hospital South with serious injuries by the Washington County Ambulance District.

His vehicle was totaled.

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On Saturday at 1:20 p.m., a 2017 Chevrolet Cruze driven by Lloyd D. Conner, 51, of Potosi, was traveling north on Route E at Bell Fountain Road when it crossed the centerline and struck the front of a southbound 2002 Dodge Dakota driven by a juvenile, 16, of Potosi.

Conner was taken to Mercy Hospital South with serious injuries by the Washington County Ambulance District.

Passenger Brandon J. Conner, 21, of Potosi, was taken to Washington County Memorial Hospital with moderate injuries by the Washington County Ambulance District. Neither were wearing seat belts.
Calvert said joining LAGERS, a state retirement plan designed for public employees, would help smaller towns compete, and not just for police officers.

LAGERS retirement can be bought in several different tiers. Pevely bought their whole city in about five years ago, at the top tier, and it cost about $3.5 million, and they backed everybody up to their start date, he said. At some point, somebody is going to have to come up with some money, or they're going to have to do some legislation and let cities group together in a group retirement fund or something because like, you could take Bonne Terre, Desloge, Park Hills, Leadwood, Bismarck, we could all contribute to the same fund and make it more palatable, and the state could offset funding.

Dedicated profession, with some perks

Having the support of the city council and administration, as well as from local community members, is where it starts, Chief McFarland said.

I brought it to (city councils) attention several months ago that we're going to have to give some sort of incentives for people to apply here, he said, adding that, one benefit his force has is that they work 12-hour shifts.
On Wednesday, Congressman Jason Smith (R-MO) visited the Farmington Regional Stockyards.

He toured their facilities and spent time discussing the current obstacles that cattle producers are facing.

Its great to see the next generation leading the way in the cattle industry, helping our producers get great prices for their cattle, said Rep. Jason Smith. The Farmington Regional Stockyard held its first sale nearly six decades ago and theyre still going strong!

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"I heard loud and clear the concern they have about the anticompetitive practices of the Big 4 meat processors, whose actions keep the prices of cattle lower. Im working in Washington to ensure all those involved in getting meat on the table  from the stockyards to the ranchers  benefit from a competitive market.

The Big Four meat processors control 80% of the meat processing market. Their market position ultimately keeps prices for cattle low. Congressman Smith wrote the Justice Department earlier this year, asking that they investigate the Big Four.
Originally, Rios current intersection with CATEC was proposed to be removed, but Hyer said the school said there needs to be some sort of access in that area, which will be included in a future update.

At Rio Road and Belvedere Boulevard, Line and Grade is proposing a Green-T intersection.

In a Green-T intersection, drivers who want to turn left from Belvedere Boulevard onto Rio Road would watch for oncoming traffic from the left and use a channelized lane to merge onto Rio after passing through the intersection. Drivers only have to look for oncoming traffic from the left instead of both directions due to the channelized lane.

It minimizes the conflict points that a vehicle might have, and by a conflict point, we mean the point that an accident could happen, Hyer said. By introducing this Green-T intersection, were allowing what could be a vehicle-crossing maneuver to become a vehicle-merging maneuver, which is a much safer maneuver for vehicles and should reduce a lot of the accidents that were seeing at this intersection.

Between 2013 and 2020, there were 19 crashes at the intersection.

Hyer said Line and Grade is working with City Church on a solution that allows it to maintain good access, while moving its entrance out of the intersection.
Kosovo has said it may temporarily shelter up to 2,000 Afghans while they process documentation on their final destination to the United States.

A U.S. official said last weekend that Kosovo had agreed to take in Afghanistan evacuees who fail to clear initial rounds of screening and host them for up to a year. That helps Washington to fix one of the security problems of the frantic U.S. evacuation from the Kabul airport.



KABUL, Afghanistan  The Taliban say they have taken control of Panjshir province north of Kabul, the Afghan capital.

The province was the last holdout of anti-Taliban forces in the country and the only province the Taliban had not seized during their sweep of Afghanistan last month.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement Monday, saying Panjshir was now under control of Taliban fighters.

Thousands of Taliban fighters overran eight districts of Panjshir overnight, according to witnesses from the area. The anti-Taliban fighters had been led by the former vice president and the son of the iconic anti-Taliban fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was killed by a suicide bomber just days before the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Its in part a reflection of an unspoken belief inside the White House that for all the scenes of chaos in Afghanistan, the public backs his decision and it will fade from memory by the midterm elections.

Instead, the White House is gearing up for a legislative sprint to pass more than $4 trillion in domestic funding that will make up much of what Biden hopes will be his first-term legacy before the prospects of major lawmaking seize up in advance of the 2022 races.

On Friday, in remarks on August's disappointing jobs report, Biden tried to return to the role of public salesman for his domestic agenda and claim the mantle of warrior for the middle class.

For those big corporations that dont want things to change, my message is this: Its time for working families  the folks who built this country  to have their taxes cut, Biden said. He renewed his calls for raising corporate rates to pay for free community college, paid family leave and an expansion of the child tax credit.

Im going to take them on, Biden said of corporate interests.

While Biden may want to turn the page, though, aides are mindful that the crises are not done with him.
Russian communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, has blocked six providers of virtual proxy networks (VPNs), which people can use to circumvent government restrictions on the Internet.

The move comes as authorities ramp up control of the Russian segment of the internet, blocking access to dozens of opposition-linked websites ahead of a parliamentary election this month, said local media reports.

Russian regulator clarified that such services include: Hola! VPN, ExpressVPN, KeepSolid VPN Unlimited, Nord VPN, Speedify VPN, IPVanish VPN  "services that violate Russian law". Four other VPN providers were also banned earlier.

"The use of services to bypass bans leads to the preservation of access to prohibited information and websites, creates conditions for illegal activities, including those related to the distribution of drugs, child pornography, extremism, and suicidal tendencies," the department said in a statement.

"Roskomnadzor has received reports from 64 industry organizations, 27 of which use the aforementioned VPN connections to ensure 33 technological processes. More than 100 IP addresses have been provided with the aim of excluding them from access restriction policies," it said.

"Using technologies against block bypass services is an effective and justified mechanism," and "the technological processes of Russian companies included on the white lists have continued their undisrupted operations amid the full blocking of the VPN services that violate the legislation of the Russian Federation," Roskomnadzor said.

The Russian government in recent years has been tightening control over the internet under the pretext of fighting extremism and protecting minors and has begun developing a so-called sovereign internet.
Telecom operators in Rwanda will be implementing new directives for SIM card registration in a move Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) said will help curb fraud.

Rwandas telecom regulator said that anyone who wishes to get a new SIM card or swap will have to go to their respective service providers' service centres, authorized agent shops, and kiosks.

In a press release, Charles Gahungu, the General Manager ICT Regulation Department at RURA, said that this new procedure will enhance SIM card security because it will include ID verifications and also taking pictures of the people buying or swapping SIM cards.

Before swapping or registering a SIM card under this new procedure, service providers must confirm that the National ID presented is the same as in the National Identification Agencys database. But thats not all. They now have to go a step further and match the face from the Agencys database to the person at their office, thus finally verifying ownership.

Literally the sim cards were being registered by only checking if the ID number exists, where the agents were able to activate the sim card as long as they had an ID number, this resulted in people having sim cards registered on their IDs without their knowledge Charles noted with concern about Rwanda SIM card registration.

RURA can now track SIM card owners, this new procedure promises to help curb fraudulent acts like mobile money scams. RURA reminded all telecom subscribers to carry out a regular check of SIM cards registered on their IDs by dialling *125#, and self-deregister any unrecognized SIM card.

Meanwhile, MTN Rwandacell Plc (MTN Rwanda), the telecommunications service provider in Rwanda, issued notice to its customers that as per directives from the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA), effective 1 September 2021, all Telecom Operators will be implementing new requirements for SIM Registration and SIM swapping.
Ghanas Minister of Communications and Digitisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has announced that the countrys national SIM card re-registration process will start at the beginning of October. Ghanaians over the age of 15 will have until 31 March 2022 to re-register their SIM cards.

As for why this is necessary, according to the news site Ghanaweb, it seems to be, among other things, down to the increased use of communication services since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the need to facilitate e-education. The Minister mentioned reduction in criminal activities and accurate data for the National Communications Authority (NCA) as potential benefits of the exercise.

Only an individuals National ID card  the Ghana card  can be used for registration of SIM cards of citizens, foreign residents in Ghana and foreigners staying in Ghana for more than 90 days. Foreigners visiting Ghana can acquire a SIM card using their passport or travel card but they can only use the SIM card for 30 days after which it will be deactivated. Foreigners intending to use the SIM card for more than 30 days will have to obtain a non-citizen Ghana card to do so.

Ghanaians can only register a total of 10 SIM cards across all networks. Foreigners will be limited to three SIM cards across all networks.

A business can register SIM cards in bulk, but to do this a shareholder or a director of the company will have to be linked personally to the registration of the SIM cards. The Minister warned against any misuse of the business registration process to allow multiple registrations.

This isnt Ghana's first attempt to register SIM cards. However, it is hoped that the Ghana card will help to guarantee a successful SIM registration this time around.
Carrier-neutral co-location data centre provide Africa Data Centres has unveiled what it call the continents largest-ever data centre expansion plan.

Ten interconnected, cloud and carrier-neutral data centres will be built across the length and breadth of the continent in what the company calls a $500 million investment in Africas digital future.

This isnt just a sub-Saharan play. The large hyperscale data centres will be built throughout Africa, including Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt in North Africa.

The project will involve building ten hyperscale data centres in ten countries over the next two years. The cost of more than $500 million is being funded through new equity and facilities from leading development finance institutions and multilateral organisations.

Africa Data Centres CEO Stephane Duproz explains that the finance for the roll-out has been provided by equity and loans to Africa Data Centres parent company, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, to fully fund the expansion.

The company says it has already begun to acquire land in the countries involved and plans to roll out very quickly. The expansion will more than double Africa Data Centres already significant footprint on the continent.

Africa Data Centres says its investment is a reflection of  as well as a catalyst for  the continued direct foreign investment into the continent and the positive growth of local organisations.

Duproz says industries especially likely to be buoyed by Africa Data Centres expansion are the banking and fintech sectors, insurance and medical organisations, the public sector, hyperscale cloud providers and content providers.

These industries, he says, are highly sensitive to data speed, security and guaranteed uptime and are exacting when it comes to reliability and trust in their providers. The SME market too, he says, has found a significant opportunity for growth by plugging into the digital ecosystems that data centres provide.

He also highlights a commitment to sustainable, clean builds. The company says it invest heavily in innovative grey water systems, waste disposal and renewable energy sources.
Pileggi learned to smock so she could make dresses for her daughters and later her granddaughters. The technique was simpler than she expected and she learned with no lessons.

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The smocking guild meets again on Thursday and regularly meets the second Thursday of each month at Piney Grove Assembly of God Church, located at 206 County Road 9 in Wicksburg.

Of course, the smocking guild does more than just smocking. Carpenter works with beginners in the group to help them learn the embroidery and smocking techniques. The guild also hopes to do demonstrations at a local library or even Landmark Park to get more local people interested in the fine needle art. The guild supplies materials, embroidery floss and even needles for beginners.

Pileggi said many needle sewing techniques are not practiced like they once were.

Just like sewing is not as common as it once was, smocking is not as common as it was once either, Pileggi said. But thats our goal is to not let it die out.

The main focus for the guild now is making enough pieces for the Wee Care Program. Smocking chapters around the country make gowns and bereavement pouches to clothe premature babies who died at birth or shortly after.
While many large wildfires have ripped through large swaths of Northern California in recent years, it's the first time in more than a decade that South Lake Tahoe residents saw a blaze get this close. As of Monday evening, 5,072 firefighting personnel were battling the Caldor Fire, which had scorched roughly 338 square miles (876 square kilometers) and is 48% contained.

The threat to the region hasn't entirely vanished, with mandatory evacuation orders remaining for parts of unincorporated El Dorado County south of South Lake Tahoe, including Meyers and Christmas Valley. And questions remain about the smoke blanketing the region and how long it may take for the clean air and crystalline waters that draw millions of tourists to the area annually to return.

Authorities warned residents, that in the absence of humans, bears had gone to town, spreading trash. The delicate balance between humans and bears has been upset, and anyone who thinks a bear may have entered their home should call law enforcement, El Dorado County Sheriffs Sgt. Simon Brown said.

Chirawat Mekrakseree said he had seen signs. of bears sifting through the trash at his restaurant on Lake Tahoe Boulevard, My Thai Cuisine.
But Riley then ran back into the house, where authorities heard more gunfire, a woman scream and a baby whimper, Judd said.

Officers tried to enter the house, but the front door was barricaded. Judd said when they went around to the back, they saw Riley, who appeared to have on full body armor.

Riley and the officers exchanged heavy gunfire, with dozens if not hundreds of rounds fired, before Riley retreated back into the home, Judd said.

Everything fell silent, until a helicopter unit noticed that Riley was coming out, the sheriff said. He had been shot once and was ready to surrender. Authorities did not say where he was shot.

Officers heard cries for help inside the home but were unsure whether there were additional shooters and feared the home was booby-trapped. Still, one officer rushed in and grabbed the wounded girl, who told authorities there were three dead people inside.

Officers sent robots into the home to check for explosives and other traps. They eventually found the bodies of Gleason; a 33-year-old woman; and her baby. The babys 62-year-old grandmother was found was in another home on the property. It's not clear when she was shot.
Cambodia exported much bigger volumes of agricultural products to Vietnam in the first eight months of this year, said the Vietnam Trade Office in Cambodia.

Cambodia exported nearly 2.4 million tons of paddy rice to Vietnam in the eight-month period, surging over 85.9 percent year-on-year. It also exported 23,230 tons of green beans to its neighbor, five times more than the same period last year.

Between January and August, Cambodia exported 355,550 tons of fresh manioc, or 75.7 percent of its total exported volume, to Vietnam. Meanwhile, it exported 869,540 tons of cashew nuts, or 99.2 percent of the total; and roughly 24.5 million tons of pepper, or nearly 100 percent of the total, to Vietnam.

Vietnam is the biggest buyer of Cambodian soya beans, maize, fresh manioc, cashew nuts, pepper and some kinds of fruit.

Cambodia earned $3.23 billion from agricultural produce exports, mainly rice, rubber, cassava, mangoes, fresh bananas, pepper, cashew nuts and corn in the January-August period, according to Khmer Times.
Passengers who test negative for Covid-19 and have received two vaccine doses should be allowed to fly on some domestic routes, the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam has proposed.

The national aviation agency has prepared a draft proposal to open regular domestic flights amid the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak with the aim of maintaining air transport, promoting economic recovery for localities and removing difficulties for businesses, CAAV director Dinh Viet Thang said Monday.

Under the draft, flights from airports in provinces and cities that are not under social distancing measures will place no limit on the number of passengers. They will only require that the passengers have a negative result from a test done within the last 72 hours.

Flights from airports in provinces and cities that are applying social distancing measures in whole or part of their areas can only carry officials and members of Covid-19 prevention and control forces. All passengers must have valid negative Covid test results.

Furthermore, passengers flying from cities and provinces that are applying total social distancing must get written consent from departure and arrival localities to fly.

The CAAV said it is collecting feedback on the draft proposal from the national carriers before submitting it to the Ministry of Transport for approval. If the proposal is approved, Vietnamese airlines will be able to operate domestic routes with no restriction on operating frequency.

Currently, the aviation industry only operates flights carrying goods and passengers on duty as well as members of the Covid-19 prevention and control force. In July, the authority had asked carriers to limit the number of flights from socially distancing localities to Hanoi based on concerns over the coronavirus threat. The Hanoi-HCMC flight route, an important one, has been limited to a maximum of two flights a day.

Vietnam has recorded 532,491 Covid-19 cases since the fourth coronavirus wave hit the country late April.
Vietnam is preparing to safely adapt to life amid the pandemic once its vaccination goal is achieved, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said Sunday.

Chinh said he has requested relevant agencies to devise plans for economic recovery and for society to safely adapt to Covid-19, among other adaptations regarding traffic, travel, production and services.

Previously on August 29, at a meeting with local authorities in 20 provinces and localities undergoing social distancing orders, Chinh said the battle with the coronavirus is long and there needs to be a plan to "live with it."

On September 1, Chinh said lockdowns cannot go on forever, and the goal should be adapting to the pandemic and reducing death rates through vaccination and drugs.

In the Sunday meeting with the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, Chinh called for the people to sympathize and to contribute efforts to fight the pandemic.

"We understand the difficulties that businesses and the people face, so we could strive to bring the country back into a new normal," he said.

Current coronavirus control measures have been derived from lessons over the past two years, the result of feedbacks from the people, scientists and other countries. But the goal of vanquishing the virus has not been achieved due to challenges in implementing such measures, Chinh said.

Localities undergoing social distancing should continue to perform mass Covid-19 testing for all their populations so that by mid-September, people in high-risk areas could be tested every two to three days, and those in other areas be tested at least once.

So far, Vietnam has vaccinated 21.4 million people with at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot. Over 3.1 million people have been fully vaccinated.

The country aims to vaccinate 70 percent of its 96 million population by next year.

The government also aims to put the coronavirus situation under control by September 15.
Ho Van Lang in May 2021 when was suffering liver cancer. Photo by VnExpress/Pham Linh

Eight years since he returned to social life after decades of isolation in the jungle, Vietnams Tarzan died Monday of liver cancer. Ho Van Lang was 52.

"He passed away at 7 a.m. this morning," Ho Van Tri, Langs younger brother confirmed.

Nearly 50 years ago, Ho Van Thanh, father of Lang and Tri, was a soldier fighting the American army. One day, he heard bombs fall on his village and rushed home in Quang Ngai Provinces Tra Bong District only to see his mother and two older sons dead.

Besides himself with grief, Thanh lost his mental balance and became violence prone. He took his wife and two younger sons, Tri and Lang to a safer place, but she was not safe from his violent tendencies.

One day, unable to control himself, he beat her up till she fainted, gathered Lang, not quite two years old then, and set off to the forest.

Thanh returned later, looking for his wife, but the villagers, fearful that he might assault her again, lied that she had died.

Since then, the father and son led a completely isolated life in the forest in Tra Xinh Commune, Tay Tra District (now part of Tra Bong District). Initially, theyd stayed near the edge of the forest, but moved deeper as people cleared forest land for farming.

Many years later, Tri, 12 years old then, went on a long trek into the forest with his uncle, looking for his dad and older brother.

Thanh could not recognize his son at first, but after the reunion, Tri visited them in their tree house twice a year. He would take some rice, salt, oil and other basic items with him.

In 2013, as Thanhs health deteriorated with age, Tri and his uncle, along with local authorities, decided to bring the father-son jungle men back to the village.

Their return to society made national and international headlines.

Thanh and Lang lived next door to Tri. As Thanh remained quiet and spent most of his time indoors, Lang learned to adapt to a new life and got along well with his brothers family and other villagers. He also worked hard on the farm.

In 2017, Thanh died of old age. Missing his father, Lang relapsed into loneliness and missed the jungle. He built a hot to live alone on the edge of a mountain near the village, meeting his brother Tri and the villagers during the farming seasons.

Last November, Lang felt some pain in his chest and abdomen; and was diagnosed with invasive liver cancer, which doctors said had reached an incurable stage.

"I am very sick now. My only wish is for my brother and his wife to find a cure for me so that I can live longer and see their children grow up," Lang said.

Lang was surrounded by his brother, sister-in-law, their children and other relatives when he breathed his last.

The family plans to hold his funeral Tuesday morning.
ELKO  The Nevada Cattlemens Association has started their annual quest for Teacher of the Year candidates and are asking for your help in soliciting nominations. The deadline for submitting nominations is Nov. 1, 2021.

Nominees must be an elementary, junior high, or high school teacher who incorporates agriculture into their regular curriculum. For example, a teacher who teaches a one-week segment on agriculture and its importance to Nevada. Current Agricultural Education teachers are not eligible.

Nominees may also include teachers considered in previous years but were not selected for the award. Nominations must include a completed NCA Teacher of the Year Application Form and an attached short essay describing why the teacher is being nominated.

The winner of this award will receive a $1,000 school supply stipend donated by Nevada Agriculture Foundation. The award recipient will also be recognized during the Nevada Cattlemens Associations annual awards banquet on Dec. 11, 2021 at the Elko Convention Center.

Anyone may submit a nomination form which is available at www.nevadacattlemen.org. For any questions, please contact the NCA office at 775-738-9214.
Ward graduates from Eastern Oregon

LA GRANDE, Ore.  Eastern Oregon University awarded 389 degrees during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Among the graduates was Paul Ward of Elko, Bachelor of Science in Emergency Medical Services Administration.

EOU extends congratulations to the class of 2021 and takes great pride in the achievement of all alumni, stated the announcement.

As Oregons Rural University, EOU serves students at its main campus in La Grande, as well as online and at 11 regional centers across the state. Visit eou.edu for more information and to apply.

Local students admitted to Utah State

LOGAN, Utah  Utah State University is excited to welcome more than 4,100 first-year college students to campus as the university begins the fall 2021 semester.

The following local students were admitted:

Kaden Konakis and Louise Neff from Elko; Samuel Tomera from Spring Creek; and McKenli Myers, Mackenzie Wachtel and Kolby Weeks from Wells.
Wendy Charlebois, former Social Work Coordinator and Instructor at Great Basin College, was instrumental in helping create this scholarship after losing her son, Luke Anderson, to suicide in 2018. When asked about the motivations behind the creation of this scholarship Wendy detailed that, The scholarship has been provided to fund a GBC social work student who has been accepted to UNR for their senior/internship year, with the hope that the community can develop more professionals who can help individuals and families who are living with mental illness and addiction.

GBC said there is an ongoing need for more behavioral health professionals in rural Nevada to assist in suicide prevention and provide overall resources in rural Nevada.

This scholarship is a great step in providing the financial resources for GBC students to finish their degree at UNR and move on to further their education before entering the workforce, stated the college.

The UNR/GBC 3+1 Social Work Program is a collaborative partnership between GBC and UNR. It is an excellent, practical, and affordable option for students seeking a four-year degree in rural Nevada.

To learn more about NNRH and their community impact visit https://www.nnrhospital.com.

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The Ada County Coroners Office brought its mass casualty refrigeration trailer to Pocatello to store some of the remains while those that could be identified were transferred to other funeral homes, who would notify families, police said.

We know there are a lot of unanswered questions about the case, Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei stated in a statement. Our department has those same questions.

Idaho State University had received anatomical donations through Downard Funeral Home dating back to 1996 and received an average of eight donations each year, ISU spokesperson Stuart Summers said. Cadavers can be kept for up to four years before being returned to the funeral home, according to the universitys anatomical donation program.

However from 2008 to 2020, ISU received nine total donations despite an exclusive agreement with Downard to handle the donations. There were two three-year periods in which ISU did not receive any anatomical donations, Summers said.

ISU entered into a relationship with the University of Utah to obtain anatomical body donations, Summers said, before setting up a donation agreement with another funeral home.
RENO  The William A. Douglass Center for Basque Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno is hosting an outdoor program and reception celebrating the Statue of the Basque Sheepherder on the Day of the Basque Diaspora beginning at 4 p.m. Sept. 8.

The event will be located adjacent to the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center on the University campus. It is free and open to the public.

The celebration will include traditional Basque music and dance as well as reflections from Michonne and Stephen Ascuaga. A brief program will honor the memory of their parents, Rose and John Ascuaga, and the many Basques who emigrated to the American West. The statue of the Basque shepherd embodies their values, spirit and stories.

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As the original owners of the Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks, the late Rose and John Ascuaga commissioned artist and Reno native Douglas Van Howd to sculpt the statue for the opening of the casinos Basque-themed restaurant, Orozko, in 1998. Van Howd is well known worldwide for his wildlife and western creations. He also sculpted the wolves statue at the entrance of Mackay Stadium at the University.
With more than one third of the 334-square-mile (866-square-kilometer) blaze surrounded, authorities allowed more people back into their homes on the western and northern sides of the fires Friday afternoon.

Mandatory evacuation orders on the Nevada side of the state line were lifted, but some areas remained on a warning status. Douglas County authorities urged residents to stay alert, saying the fire still has the potential to threaten homes.

Meanwhile, there was no timeline for allowing the return of 22,000 South Lake Tahoe residents. Authorities were taking the decision on whether to lift South Lake Tahoe's evacuation day by day.

Its all based on fire behavior," said Jake Cagle, a fire operations section chief. For now, things are looking good ... were getting close.

The resort area can easily accommodate 100,000 people on a busy weekend but was eerily empty  except for the occasional, wandering bear  just before the holiday weekend.

The wildfire dealt a major blow to an economy that heavily depends on tourism and was starting to rebound this summer from pandemic shutdowns.
A painted tree hole is seen at Zhabei Park in Shanghai, east China, Aug. 31, 2021. Zhabei Park recently made an effort to improve its appearance by cleaning and beautifying tree holes in the park with creative patterns. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)

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United States President Joe Biden will visit Ukraine, but not this year, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

"I have no doubt that President Biden will fly to the middle of the Dnipro River, and cross the Dnipro River, and land in Boryspil, and arrive in Kyiv. But this visit will not take place this year, since diplomatic practice does not provide for an exchange of visits of this level in one year," Kuleba said in the Details of the Week (Podrobytsi Tyzhnia) program on the Inter television channel on Sunday evening.

The minister noted that for now, the parties would focus on the implementation of the agreements that were reached during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the U.S.

Ukrainian diplomats are working on preparations for U.S. President Biden's visit to Ukraine, Kuleba earlier said.

Biden last visited Ukraine in January 2017 as U.S. vice president. During his visit, he took part in bilateral meetings with the fifth Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, and Volodymyr Groysman, who has been head of the government at the time.
The structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs must remain integral to effectively ensure the security of the state, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denys Monastyrsky said.

In an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency, answering the question about the expediency of separating the structural units of the ministry, Monastyrsky said: "I am not a supporter of radical divisions - the National Guard, the Border Troops - this is the wrong approach in principle, given that the system that has developed is working."

According to him, the seven-year experience of cooperation between all structures that are part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has shown its effectiveness.

As an example, the minister said that about 40% of the police and 60% of the National Guard are involved in ensuring public safety at mass events, and the degree to which the right to peaceful protest is guaranteed depends on their coordination among themselves. "If there is a failure, there will be a conflict, so you need to constantly communicate. In Kyiv, where most of the mass events take place, all forces are coordinated personally by the chief of Kyiv police. At the local level, there are responsible people, and this is all one link. And if there are two decision-making centers, then the collapse is obvious," he explained.

At the same time, Monastyrsky added that discussions on the division and reassignment of structures that are part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are not a novelty.

"Supporters of division, international partners say that it would be logical to single out these units. But if we are talking about an integral character, about the ability to ensure security, then the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs should consist of precisely these parts: the National Police, border guards, National Guard, State Emergency Service and migration service," emphasized the minister.

He summed up: "The five structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are the fist that can ensure the security of the state."
Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denys Monastyrsky has said that he personally discusses all key issues of the ministry's work with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

In an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency, answering a question about communication with the President's Office, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said: "I will reveal a secret, the inner workings of our communication. When I was offered to head the Ministry of Internal Affairs, this proposal was made by the President personally. My counter request was that I would also like to discuss key projects and processes personally with the President."

"I can confirm that during these approximately 50 days in office, I have the opportunity to discuss all key issues specifically with the president and prime minister," added Monastrysky.

According to him, in general, communication with the Office of the President takes place, as a rule, at the level of the head of the police or the deputy head of the police on coordination issues for which the Office of the President is responsible.

"The issues that are key - and such issues pass through the minister - I coordinate directly with the president," the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said.
In the Netherlands, the trial in the case of the downed flight MH17 has been resumed - the floor will be given to the relatives and friends of the victims, who intend to tell the court about their grief and the consequences of the disaster.

In the Netherlands, this process has already been called historical and unprecedented - for the first time in the history of the country's legal proceedings, more than 90 relatives of the victims will go to court. This will be the most emotional moment in the hearings.

They will speak in court for three weeks with short breaks. It is expected that not only representatives of the Netherlands, but also Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Great Britain and Indonesia will go to court. For those who intend to physically be present in the court complex, a special room has been equipped in Schiphol, those who cannot, for various reasons, attend the hearings, will speak via video link, or provide a video recording. Given that most speakers will speak Dutch, the court will provide translation from German and English.

Earlier, lawyer of the relatives of the victims Peter Langstraat suggested that if each of the relatives, wishing to speak, speaks for 15-20 minutes, plus it will take time to take a seat in the hall and additional time for possible emotional moments, then 25-30 minutes should be reserved for each. "This [speech by relatives] will be difficult not only for the speakers, but also for those present. Taking everything into account, it looks like ten people can speak per day," he said.

As reported, on March 9, at the Schiphol court complex near Amsterdam, the Netherlands, a trial began over four accused of the tragedy of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17. There were to be three Russian citizens and one Ukrainian on the dock: Igor Girkin (Strelkov), Sergei Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Leonid Kharchenko. Only one of them, Pulatov, is represented by lawyers from a Dutch firm, assisted by Russian lawyer Kutina. The trial took place in the absence of the accused.

As reported, on July 17, 2014, the MH17 flight was shot down over Donbas, killing all 298 people on board. Two-thirds of passengers are citizens of the Netherlands. Citizens of Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, the UK, Belgium, the United States, Germany, the Philippines, Canada and New Zealand were also onboard. The Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which includes law enforcement from Ukraine, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, and Malaysia, is probing the incident.

In September 2016, the Joint Investigation Group released its findings, according to which the airliner was shot down by a missile launched from a Buk air defense system, and a year ago it announced that the Buk belonged to the Russian 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade stationed in Kursk.

The JIT named Igor Girkin (Strelkov), Sergey Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Leonid Kharchenko as suspects in the MH17 crash on May 19, 2019. All of them were put on the international wanted list. They are charged with the murder of 298 passengers onboard and its crash.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov says that at the moment the president has no reason to prematurely terminate the powers of the Verkhovna Rada.

"As of today, none of them [of the three norms of the Constitution, according to which the head of state can terminate the powers of the Verkhovna Rada] has not been fulfilled. If someone wants something, this is the right of our colleagues, we have freedom of speech, democracy ... I, for example, do not allow myself to interpret the Constitution," Razumkov said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.

He also expressed hope that "colleagues, advisers, and other participants in this process would not mislead the president and push him to violate the current legislation, especially the Constitution."

"But I am sure that the president will figure it out himself and will not allow such manipulations," the speaker emphasized.

Razumkov recalled that, according to the Constitution, the president can early dissolve the Verkhovna Rada if a coalition neither has been formed, nor the Rada has been able to convene for its plenary session within 30 days, and nor the government has been formed.

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov says that at the moment the president has no reason to prematurely terminate the powers of the Verkhovna Rada.

"As of today, none of them [of the three norms of the Constitution, according to which the head of state can terminate the powers of the Verkhovna Rada] has not been fulfilled. If someone wants something, this is the right of our colleagues, we have freedom of speech, democracy ... I, for example, do not allow myself to interpret the Constitution," Razumkov said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.

He also expressed hope that "colleagues, advisers, and other participants in this process would not mislead the president and push him to violate the current legislation, especially the Constitution."

"But I am sure that the president will figure it out himself and will not allow such manipulations," the speaker emphasized.

Razumkov recalled that, according to the Constitution, the president can early dissolve the Verkhovna Rada if a coalition neither has been formed, nor the Rada has been able to convene for its plenary session within 30 days, and nor the government has been formed.
Egypt recorded 343 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, bringing the total infection tally officially to 290,027 since the outbreak began in February 2020, the Health Ministry said in its daily coronavirus update statement.

The ministry also reported 13 new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths from the virus to 16,789.

It added that 549 patients have been discharged after recovering from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 241,964.

Since early August, Egypt has seen a slow but steady daily increase in coronavirus cases.

While the announced infection daily numbers may appear low compared to the spikes being seen elsewhere in the world, many observers say they can be multiplied by 10 since they reflect only cases that test positive at the Ministry of Healths hospitals.

Egypt is currently ramping up efforts to vaccinate as many people as possible as it has yet to hit the peak of the fourth wave in late September and early October, the Health Minister Hala Zayed on Sunday.

In an interview aired at night on ON E TV channel, Zayed confirmed that ten million Egyptians had been vaccinated against coronavirus, including three million fully vaccinated citizens.

The country targets to inoculate 40 million citizens by the end of 2021.

A day earlier, Egypt received a second batch of 525,600 shots of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine (Janssen) through the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), in cooperation with the African Export-Import Bank. The Janssen doses of the second batch along with the 261,000 of the first  which are part of a 20-million-dose deal  have been designated by the ministry for travellers.

Egypt has imported millions of doses of vaccines since starting its campaign in January, including the WHO-approved British AstraZeneca vaccine, Johnson & Johnson, the Chinese Sinopharm and Sinovac, and the Russian Sputnik V, which has not been approved by the WHO.

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Egypt has urged all parties in Guinea to exercise self-restraint and abide by peaceful means and dialogue to settle the crisis in the country and reach a safe shore.

Heavy gunfire broke out near the presidential palace in Conakry on Sunday in developments that bore all the hallmarks of a coup d'etat.

An official statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry on Monday said Cairo is "following up closely and with deep concern the developments in the Republic of Guinea and the critical point which the current crisis reached in the country."

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Egypt is currently considering giving booster shots of coronavirus vaccines to citizens who were inoculated at least 6-8 months ago.

The third shot would be given before the end of the year, but the country is now prioritising those who havent received the first dose, Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed said in a TV interview on Sunday.

Egypt has been working on increasing its capacity to manufacture local coronavirus vaccines.

Egypt has produced two million shots of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine through the Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) whose manufacturing capacity reaches up to 15 million doses monthly.

The manufacturing of the Sinovac doses is part of an agreement signed between VACSERA and the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac.

Tens of shipments comprising millions of the Sinopharm, Sinovac, Sputnik, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have arrived in Egypt since the beginning of the countrys vaccination campaign in January.

The country targets to inoculate 40 million citizens by the end of 2021.

Zayed confirmed that 10 million Egyptians had been vaccinated against coronavirus, including three million fully vaccinated citizens.

Egypt, which has recorded a total of 289,684 cases and 16,776 deaths, is currently ramping up efforts to vaccinate as many people as possible as the peak of the fourth coronavirus wave is expected late in September and early October.

The Egyptian government has announced that vaccination against coronavirus will be mandatory in the education sector, but the health minister said, without determining a certain date, that the government will announce that public servants will not be allowed into workplaces without being vaccinated.

Zayed expects the completion of the education sector's vaccination in September, including of teachers, workers, and students at universities and high institutions, who number around 3.2 million individuals.

The obligatory vaccination in the education sector includes students, staff, employees and workers aged 18 or above who are involved in pre-university or university stages.

The step comes as the academic year is scheduled to begin in October with full in-person attendance.

"Teachers, workers, and students will not be allowed into universities unless they are vaccinated with at least the first jab," the health minister stressed.

As for pre-university education, Zayed added, approximately 800,000 teachers and employees out of a total of two million have registered to receive the vaccine.

"By the end of this week, up to 630,000 people will be vaccinated," the minister said.

The government will announce at a certain time that public servants will not be allowed into workplaces without being vaccinated, Zayed stated.

She noted that around 1.5 million public employees out of 3.4 million have been vaccinated.

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Since the start of the vaccination campaign, nearly 150,000 employees working in the education sector were vaccinated against Covid-19 in a span of two weeks only, representing more than 50% of the targeted in this vital sector, said Cairo Governor Khaled Abdel Aal.

The governor ordered, during an inspection tour of a vaccination center in El Nozha neighborhood on Monday, that all employees for public and private schools must get the vaccine before the start of the new school year.

Abdel Aal was following up the vaccination process and care offered to the workers to easily receive the vaccine across his governorate.

He said different kinds of Covid-19 vaccines are available as part of the state's keenness and ongoing efforts to protect people against the pathogen.

He urged citizens to register at https://egcovac.mphp.govc.eg to get inoculated as soon as possible.

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Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed during a phone call Monday with his Norwegian counterpart Ine Marie Eriksen ways of bolstering cooperation in various domains, along with the latest developments in the regional and international arenas as well as the current Palestinian conditions.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Hafez said the two sides took up boosting bilateral relations, with regard to ongoing Norwegian investments in national Egyptian ventures.

They agreed to continue coordination on issues of mutual concern, the spokesman said.

Eriksen extended an invitation to Shoukri to attend an Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) session on coordinating delivery of international aid to Palestinians, especially in light of Norway's efforts on this score, he added.

The session is to be held in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)'s upcoming meetings.

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Laden with tons of humanitarian aid, two more military planes took off from Egypt to Sudan Monday as part of an airlift that would last for several days between the two countries to help alleviate burdens on Sudanese citizens.

The aid is offered by the Defense Ministry and the Egyptian Red Crescent Society upon directives by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to support the Sudanese people at times of conflict and hardships, according to a statement by the Egyptian military spokesman.

Sudanese officials have, meanwhile, voiced gratitude and appreciation for efforts exerted by Cairo to help the Sudanese people.

Such humanitarian assistance from the Egyptian side contributes to deepening the extending historical ties between Egypt and Sudan, the Sudanese officials added.

Egypt had earlier also sent two military planes loaded with tons of humanitarian aid to Sudan, according to a statement by the spokesman on Sunday.

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A defensive President Joe Biden called the U.S. airlift to extract more than 120,000 Americans, Afghans and other allies from Afghanistan to end a 20-year war an ``extraordinary success,`` though more than 100 Americans and thousands of others were left behind.

Twenty-four hours after the last American C-17 cargo plane roared off from Kabul, Biden spoke to the nation and vigorously defended his decision to end America's longest war and withdraw all U.S. troops ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline.

``I was not going to extend this forever war,'' Biden declared Tuesday from the White House. ``And I was not going to extend a forever exit.''

Biden has faced tough questions about the way the U.S. went about leaving Afghanistan _ a chaotic evacuation with spasms of violence, including a suicide bombing last week that killed 13 American service members and 169 Afghans.

He is 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.''

Asked after the speech about Biden sounding angry at some criticism, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president had simply offered his ``forceful assessment.''

Biden scoffed at Republicans _ and some Democrats _ who contend the U.S. would have been better served maintaining a small military footprint in Afghanistan. Before Thursday's attack, the U.S. military had not suffered a combat casualty since February 2020 _ around the time the Trump administration brokered its deal with the Taliban to end the war by May of this year.

Biden said breaking the Trump deal would have restarted a shooting war. He said those who favor remaining at war also fail to recognize the weight of deployment, with a scourge of PTSD, financial struggles, divorce and other problems for U.S. troops.

``When I hear that we could've, should've continued the so-called low-grade effort in Afghanistan at low risk to our service members, at low cost, I don't think enough people understand how much we've asked of the 1% of this country to put that uniform on,'' Biden said.

In addition to all the questions at home, Biden is also adjusting to a new relationship with the Taliban, the Islamist militant group the U.S. toppled after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in America, and that is now once again in power in Afghanistan.

Biden has tasked Secretary of State Antony Blinken to coordinate 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.

``We don't take them by their word alone, but by their actions,`` Biden said. ``We have leverage to make sure those commitments are met.''

Biden also pushed back against criticism that he fell short of his pledge to get all Americans out of the country ahead of the U.S. military withdrawal. He said many of the Americans left behind are dual citizens, some with deep family roots that are complicating their ability to leave Afghanistan.

``The bottom line: 90% of Americans in Afghanistan who wanted to leave were able to leave,'' Biden said. ``For those remaining Americans, there is no deadline. We remain committed to get them out, if they want to come out.''

Biden repeated his argument that ending the Afghanistan war was a crucial step for recalibrating American foreign policy toward growing challenges posed by China and Russia _ and counterterrorism concerns that pose a more potent threat to the U.S.

``There's nothing China or Russia would rather have, want more in this competition, than the United States to be bogged down another decade in Afghanistan,'' he said

In Biden's view the war could have ended 10 years ago with the U.S. killing of Osama bin Laden, whose al-Qaida extremist network planned and executed the 9/11 plot from an Afghanistan sanctuary. Al-Qaida has been vastly diminished, preventing it thus far from again attacking the United States. The president lamented an estimated $2 trillion of taxpayer money that was spent fighting the war.

``What have we lost as a consequence in terms of opportunities?'' Biden asked.

Congressional committees, whose interest in the war waned over the years, are expected to hold public hearings on what went wrong in the final months of the U.S. withdrawal.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Tuesday described the Biden administration's handling of the evacuation as ``probably the biggest failure in American government on a military stage in my lifetime`` and promised that Republicans would press the White House for answers.

Meanwhile, the Senate met briefly Tuesday, with Vice President Kamala Harris presiding over the chamber, to pass by unanimous consent a bill that increases spending for temporary assistance to U.S. citizens and their dependents returning from another country because of illness, war or other crisis. Biden quickly signed the legislation, which raises funding for the program from $1 million to $10 million.

A group of Republican lawmakers gathered on the House floor Tuesday morning and participated in a moment of silence for the 13 service members who were killed in the suicide bomber attack.

They also sought a House vote on legislation from Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., which among other things would require the administration to submit a report on how many Americans remain in Afghanistan as well as the number of Afghans who had applied for a category of visas reserved for those employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government.

The GOP lawmakers objected as Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., gaveled the House into adjournment. They then gathered for a press conference to denounce the administration.

For many U.S. commanders and troops who served in Afghanistan, it was a day of mixed emotions.

``All of us are conflicted with feelings of pain and anger, sorrow and sadness, combined with pride and resilience,'' said Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He commanded troops in Afghanistan earlier in his career. ``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.''

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The Sudanese Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned the "misleading statements" by the Ethiopian army claiming that armed groups had entered the country through the Sudanese border to target an Ethiopian facility.

Such baseless statements have a clear purpose for political consumption, the ministry said in a statement.

Sudan is fully committed to the principles of good neighborliness and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, it added.

The Ethiopian government has repeatedly cited Sudan whenever its internal situation worsened, the ministry said.

It urged Addis Ababa to stop hostility in dealing with Sudan and to stop repeating allegations that are not supported by reality or logic against the country to achieve purposes of specific personalities and groups.

Sudan controls its whole territory and internationally recognized borders with Ethiopia, and will not allow its lands to be exploited by any party, the statement concluded.

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Guinea's new military leaders sought to tighten their grip on power after overthrowing President Alpha Conde, warning local officials that refusing to appear at a meeting convened Monday would be considered an act of rebellion against the junta.

After putting the West African nation back under military rule for the first time in over a decade, the junta said Guinea's governors were to be replaced by regional commanders. A nightly curfew was put in place, and the country's constitution and National Assembly were both dissolved.

The military junta also refused to issue a timeline for releasing Conde, saying the 83-year-old deposed leader still had access to medical care and his doctors. The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS, though, called for his immediate release and threatened to impose sanctions if the demand was not met.

Conde's removal by force Sunday came after the president sought a controversial third term in office last year, saying the term limits did not apply to him. While the political opposition and the junta both sought his ouster, it remained unclear Monday how united the two would be going forward.

It also was unknown how much support the junta leader Col. Mamadi Doumbouya had within the larger military. As the commander of the army's special forces unit he directed elite soldiers but it was still possible that others who remained loyal to the ousted president could mount a countercoup in the coming hours or days.

In announcing the coup on state television, Doumbouya cast himself as a patriot of Guinea, which he said had failed to progress economically since gaining independence from France decades earlier. Observers, though say the tensions between Guinea's president and the army colonel stem from a recent proposal to cut some military salaries.

``We will no longer entrust politics to one man. We will entrust it to the people,'' he said, draped in a Guinean flag with about a half dozen other soldiers flanked at his side.

The junta later announced plans to replace Guinea's governors with regional commanders at a public event Monday and warned: ``Any refusal to appear will be considered rebellion.``

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted that he strongly condemned ``any takeover of the government by force of the gun.''

On Sunday morning, heavy gunfire broke out near the presidential palace and went on for hours, sparking fears in a nation that already has seen multiple coups and presidential assassination attempts. The Defense Ministry initially claimed that the attack had been repelled by security forces, but uncertainty grew when there was no subsequent sign of Conde on state television or radio.

The developments that followed closely mirrored other military coup d'etats in West Africa: The army colonel and his colleagues seized control of the airwaves, professing their commitment to democratic values and announcing their name: The National Committee for Rally and Development.

It was a dramatic setback for Guinea, where many had hoped the country had turned the page on military power grabs.

Conde's 2010 election victory _ the country's first democratic vote ever _ was supposed to be a fresh start after decades of corrupt, authoritarian rule and political turmoil. In the years since, though, opponents said Conde, too, failed to improve the lives of Guineans, most of whom live in poverty despite the country's vast mineral riches of bauxite and gold.

The year after Conde's first election he narrowly survived an assassination attempt when gunmen surrounded his home overnight and pounded his bedroom with rockets. Rocket-propelled grenades landed inside the compound and one of his bodyguards was killed.

Violent street demonstrations broke out last year after Conde organized a referendum to modify the constitution. The unrest intensified after he won the October election, and the opposition said dozens were killed during the crisis.

In neighboring Senegal, which has a large diaspora of Guineans who opposed Conde, news of his political demise was met with relief.

``President Alpha Conde deserves to be deposed. He stubbornly tried to run for a third term when he had no right to do so,'' said Malick Diallo, a young Guinean shopkeeper in the suburbs of Dakar.

``We know that a coup d'etat is not good,'' said Mamadou Saliou Diallo, another Guinean living in Senegal. ``A president must be elected by democratic vote. But we have no choice. We have a president who is too old, who no longer makes Guineans dream and who does not want to leave power.''

Guinea has had a long history of political instability. In 1984, Lansana Conte took control of the country after the first post-independence leader died. He remained in power for a quarter-century until his death in 2008 and was accused of siphoning off state coffers to enrich his family and friends.

The country's second coup soon followed, putting army Capt. Moussa ``Dadis'' Camara in charge. During his rule, security forces opened fire on demonstrators at a stadium in Conakry who were protesting his plans to run for president. Human rights groups have said more than 150 people were killed and at least 100 women were raped. Camara later went into exile after surviving an assassination attempt, and a transitional government organized the landmark 2010 election won by Conde.

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Ethiopian Airlines said Monday its transport of weapons to Sudan was a "legal and commercial" shipment of hunting guns, after reports the cargo had been confiscated by the authorities in Khartoum.

Sudan's SUNA news agency had said Sunday that the weapons were seized by customs and an investigation launched after they were flown in on an Ethiopian Airlines passenger flight.

SUNA quoted officials as saying the weapons had originally been sent from Russia to Ethiopia in May 2019 and were held by authorities there for two years.

"There are suspicions that they were meant to be used in anti-state crimes, to impede the democratic transition, and prevent transition to civilian rule," SUNA reported.

Sudan has been undergoing a rocky transition since the April 2019 ouster of president Omar al-Bashir following mass protests against his rule.

But Ethiopian Airlines, the biggest carrier in Africa, said it had full documentation to prove the legality of the shipment including a letter from Sudan's foreign ministry.

"Ethiopian Airlines' shipment of weapons to Sudan is a legal and commercial transportation of hunting guns with all proper documents of the shipper and the consignee," it said in a statement.

It said the guns had been held by security authorities in Addis Ababa for a long time for verification, and that the recipient had sued the airline in a Sudanese court to either deliver them or pay almost $250,000 compensation.

Relations are frosty between Khartoum and Addis Ababa, with the two countries at odds over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile and Ethiopian farmers' use of a fertile border region claimed by Sudan.

Last month Sudan recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia, saying Addis Ababa had spurned its efforts to broker a ceasefire in the Tigray conflict.

Tens of thousands of refugees from the 10-month war in the northernmost region of Ethiopia have been crossing the border into Sudan.

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International organizations such as the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as well as some governments condemned the military coup in Guinea on Sunday and called for release of the country's president.

Earlier on Sunday, heavy gunfire was heard in the urban commune of Kaloum, downtown Conakry, in Guinea, where the Presidential Palace and several ministerial departments are located.

In the afternoon, Guinea's Defense Ministry said in an official press release that "the Presidential Guard, supported by the defense and security forces, contained the threat and pushed back the group of insurgents."

However, later in the day, Lieutenant-Colonel Mamady Doumbouya announced on national television that his forces have arrested President Alpha Conde, and dissolved the government and national institutions.

The country's borders were closed and its constitution was declared invalid in the announcement.

A video posted on social media showed that Conde was surrounded by a group of armed soldiers, but the capturing time and place of the video remain unclear.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the European Union, the AU and ECOWAS all condemned the coup in Guinea on Sunday and demanded that the rebels release Conde.

Guterres posted on twitter that "I am personally following the situation in Guinea very closely. I strongly condemn any takeover of the government by force of the gun and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde."

The 55-member AU also called for an immediate release of Conde in a statement.

Felix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who is also the current AU chairperson, and Moussa Faki Mahamat, the AU Commission chairperson, further called on the AU Peace and Security Council to meet urgently to examine the new situation in Guinea and to take appropriate measures in the circumstances.

"ECOWAS decidedly condemns this attempted coup d'etat that happened on Sunday," the community said in a statement, demanding the safe release of President Conde and other detained people.

"ECOWAS also demands restoration of the constitutional order in Guinea in order to avoid using sanctions," ECOWAS said.

The Nigerian government on Sunday condemned the takeover of power by force in Guinea. "The government of Nigeria strongly condemns and rejects any unconstitutional change of government and therefore calls on those behind this coup to restore constitutional order without delay and protect all lives and property," Nigerian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esther Sunsawan said.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell condemned in a tweet the coup in Guinea, calling on the rebels to release President Conde.

In a statement, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price also condemned the seizure of power by the military in Guinea, urging all parties to avoid violence and engage in dialogue.

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Iran on Monday "strongly" condemned the Taliban's military offensive against holdout fighters in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley, as the Islamist group claimed it had taken control of the area.

"The news coming from Panjshir is truly worrying. The assault is strongly condemned," Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters.

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Saudi Arabia intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels and debris that fell on a neighborhood near Dammam wounded at least two children, the kingdom said Sunday.

Images published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency showed glass and debris across a townhouse there, which is in the kingdom's eastern reaches and near the headquarters of the state-run oil giant Saudi Aramco. At least 14 homes in the area sustained damage, the agency reported.

The Houthis launched three bomb-laden drones and three ballistic missiles in the attack, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Turki al-Malki said.

Houthi military spokesman Yahia Sarei said in a tweet the rebels launched a military operation deep in Saudi Arabia. In a statement later Sunday, the rebels claimed they sent at least eight explosive-laded drones and fired one ballistic missile on Aramco facilities in the city of Ras Tanura, about 55 kilometers (34 miles) north of Dammam.

The Houthis also claimed they targeted Aramco facilities in the cities of Jeddah, Jizan and Najran with five ballistic missiles and two explosive-laden drones.

The rebels did not offer evidence supporting their claims.

The U.S. Consulate in nearby Dhahran sent an alert to American citizens warning them about the attack, which it described as targeting the area around Dhahran, Dammam and Khobar.

'Stay alert in case of additional future attacks,' the consulate said.

Saudi Arabia is mired in a yearslong, deadlocked war backing Yemen's toppled government against the Iranian-backed Houthis. The Saudi-led war, which began in March 2015, has seen an uptick in recent months amid a Houthi effort to capture the city of Marib.

That also has seen renewed, long-range attacks by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia. A bomb-laden drone on Tuesday crashed into the kingdom's Abha airport, wounding eight people and damaging a civilian plane.

Airstrikes and ground fighting in Yemen have killed more than 130,000 people and spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The weekend attacks on Saudi Arabia came as Swedish diplomat Hans Grundberg took up his post Sunday as the United Nations envoy for Yemen.

Grundberg said in a message to Yemenis that he accepted the post 'with the full understanding of the magnitude of the task, the complexity of the situation and the challenges that lie ahead'.

Grundberg, who served as the European Union's ambassador to Yemen for almost two years, succeeded Martin Griffiths of Britain. Griffiths recently took up his new post as U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Doha on Monday, an AFP correspondent saw, ahead of crisis talks with the Qataris after the Taliban claimed to have full control over Afghanistan.

Blinken, accompanied by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, is the most senior US official to visit the region since the Taliban's lightning takeover of Afghanistan on August 15 and the conclusion of Washington's chaotic withdrawal.

"We are thankful for Qatar's close collaboration on Afghanistan and its indispensable support in facilitating the transit of US citizens, Embassy Kabul personnel, at-risk Afghans, and other evacuees from Afghanistan through Qatar," the State Department said ahead of Blinken's arrival in Doha at 1500 GMT.

Qatar, which hosts a major US airbase, has been the gateway for 55,000 people airlifted out of Afghanistan, nearly half the total number evacuated by US-led forces after the Taliban's lightning takeover.

Before his arrival, Blinken said that in Qatar he would "express our deep gratitude for all that they're doing to support the evacuation effort" and meet rescued Afghans.

He will also meet US diplomats, who have relocated functions from the shuttered embassy in Kabul to Doha.

The State Department said Blinken would discuss with Qatar its efforts, alongside Turkey, to reopen Kabul's ramshackle airport -- essential to fly in badly needed humanitarian aid and to evacuate remaining Afghans.

The Taliban on Monday claimed total control over Afghanistan, saying they had won the key battle for the Panjshir Valley, the last remaining holdout of resistance against their rule.

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Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday that the US administration must know the continuation of former President Donald Trump's mentality would only result in "maximum failure."

Addressing a weekly press conference, Saeed Khatibzadeh noted the United States should come to Vienna with a real agenda for continuing the talks over the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, commonly known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and completely fulfill its commitments under it.

"This is the sole way contributing to the restoration of the JCPOA," he stressed.

Reacting to US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley's remarks that Washington "can't wait forever" for Tehran to decide whether it wants to restart the JCPOA talks, Khatibzadeh said the United States is the one that withdrew from the deal, violated the resolution, and threatened those seeking to implement the agreement with punishment.

Iran's President Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian have sent clear messages about the continuation of the nuclear talks, he said, reiterating that the talks must safeguard the Iranian people's interests within the framework of the JCPOA.

The window of opportunity will remain open for Washington for only a limited period of time, said the spokesman, expressing hope that US officials would know how to fulfill their commitments under the JCPOA.

Iran and the five remaining parties to the JCPOA started discussions over the revival of the deal after the US unilateral withdrawal in May 2018. After six rounds of talks, the parties have said serious differences remain between Iran and the United States for restoration of the deal.

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The group behind the annual Tiananmen Square memorial vigil in Hong Kong said Sunday it will not cooperate with police conducting a national security investigation into the groups activities, calling it an abuse of power.

Police notified the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China last month that it was under investigation for working for foreign interests, an accusation the group denied.

This is a really bad precedent of the national security (police) abusing the power by arbitrarily labeling any civil organization as a foreign agent, Chow Han Tung, vice chairwoman of the alliance, said at a news conference called to address the police investigation.

The alliance strongly denies that we are any foreign agents, Chow said. We are an organization that was founded during the 1989 democratic movement, it was founded by the Hong Kong people.

The investigation is part of a broad crackdown on Hong Kong civil society following mass pro-democracy protests in 2019. Authorities have tightened control over the city with a sweeping national security law imposed by Chinas ruling Communist Party that effectively criminalized opposition to the government. The law and other changes have forced several civil organizations to disband or seen their leaders arrested.

The annual candlelight vigil honors the students who died when Chinas military violently suppressed massive pro-democracy protests in Beijings Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.

Authorities responded in the afternoon to the groups announcement with a warning and reiterated they needed information about certain foreign agents although they did not name anyone specifically.

Endangering national security is a very serious crime. The damage is serious, said the citys Security Bureau in a statement. They added that not handing over information could lead to fines or imprisonment.

Hong Kong had been the only place in China allowed to hold such a commemoration, and in past years, tens of thousands of people gathered in Victoria Park to honor the dead. Smaller crowds gathered this year and in 2020 despite police banning the vigil, citing coronavirus restrictions on public gatherings.

Police had asked the alliance to hand over any information about groups they had worked with overseas or in Taiwan, as well as contact information. They did not mention what specific incidents prompted the investigation.

Chow said the alliance has not been able to reach a consensus on whether to disband. It plans to hold a general meeting on Sept. 25 to discuss the matter again.

In August, the prominent Hong Kong Civil Human Rights Front, made up of a slew of member organizations, said it could no longer operate and chose to disband. The group organized large protests in 2019.

More than 100 pro-democracy activists have been arrested under Hong Kongs national security law, which outlaws subversion, secession, terrorism and foreign collusion to interfere in the citys affairs. Many other activists have gone into exile abroad.

Critics say the law restricts freedoms Hong Kong was promised it could maintain for 50 years following the territorys 1997 handover to China from colonial Britain.

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A court in Belarus on Monday sentenced key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova -- who led mass protests against President Alexander Lukashenko last year -- to 11 years in prison on national security charges.

Kolesnikova's lawyer Maxim Znak was also handed a 10-year prison sentence, according to the press service of onetime presidential hopeful Viktor Babaryko, whose campaign Kolesnikova managed.

Kolesnikova is the only major leader of last year's unprecedented protests still in Belarus. She has been in custody for a year, after resisting a forced deportation by ripping up her passport.

In power since 1994, Lukashenko has been cracking down on opponents since the protests, which erupted when he claimed victory in a disputed election.

In a video from inside the court shown by Russian media, Kolesnikova -- who was handcuffed inside a defendant's cage -- made a heart-shaped symbol with her hands, which she often did at protest rallies.

She was smiling and wearing her signature dark red lipstick.

"Dear spectators, we are happy to see you," Znak, who was standing next to her, said in the video before the sentence was read out.

Kolesnikova -- a 39-year-old former flute player in the country's philharmonic orchestra -- has become a symbol of the protest movement in Belarus.

She was arrested last September, when KGB agents put a sack over her head, pushed her into a minibus and drove her to the Ukrainian border.

She resisted the attempt to throw her out of the country by reportedly jumping out of the car.

Kolesnikova was part of a female trio together with opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and another campaign partner, Veronika Tsepkalo, leading last summer's rallies against Belarus's moustachioed leader.

Tikhanovskaya -- who stood for president in place of her jailed husband -- and Tsepkalo both fled Belarus to EU countries.

Tikhanovskaya says she was the true winner of the August presidential vote.

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Britain on Monday said it would do its utmost to rescue more than 300 Afghans who helped its armed forces but are now languishing under the new Taliban regime.

Addressing parliament, Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to answer a question on how many British-Afghans remained after a hurried Western airlift was ended.

Thousands made it out from Kabul on packed Royal Air Force planes, but he said 311 people were left behind who are eligible for the UK's Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, such as interpreters.

"We will do everything we can to ensure that those people get the safe passage that they deserve," Johnson said.

The airlift was "one of the most spectacular operations in our country's post-war history", he said, vowing an "equal effort" to house and educate Afghans newly arrived in Britain.

Johnson demanded the Taliban honour commitments to allow out those wishing to leave, and to respect women's rights, if the militia wants to gain access to billions of dollars in Afghan funds frozen overseas.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks by Al-Qaeda, the prime minister pressed the Taliban in particular to prevent Afghanistan becoming a haven for extremists to launch attacks abroad.

Johnson defended the UK and Western intervention in 2001 against critics, including in his Conservative party, who say the Taliban's triumphant return to power shows the effort was in vain.

He said that later this month, he would press at the UN General Assembly in New York for consensus to hold the Islamists to account.

"We will judge the Taliban by their actions, not their words -- and use every economic, political and diplomatic lever to protect our own countries from harm and to help the Afghan people," the UK leader said.

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Universities in Kabul were almost empty on the first day of the Afghan school year on Monday, as professors and students wrestled with the Taliban's restrictive new rules for the classroom.

The Taliban have promised a softer reign than during their first stint in power from 1996-2001, when women's freedoms in Afghanistan were sharply curtailed and they were banned from higher education.

This time the hardline Islamist group have said women will be allowed to go to private universities under the new regime, but they face tough restrictions on their clothing and movement.

Women can only attend class if they wear an abaya -- a flowing robe -- and a niqab -- a face veil with a small window to see through -- and are separated from men, the Taliban said.

"Our students don't accept this and we will have to close the university," said Noor Ali Rahmani, the director of Gharjistan University in Kabul, on an almost empty campus.

"Our students wear the hijab, not the niqab," he added, referring to a head scarf.

The hardline group's education authority issued a lengthy document on Sunday outlining their measures for the classroom, which also ruled that men and women should be segregated -- or at least divided by a curtain if there are 15 students or less.

"We said we didn't accept it because it will be difficult to do," Rahmani told AFP.

"We also said that it is not real Islam, it is not what the Quran says."

From now on at private colleges and universities, which have mushroomed since the Taliban's first rule ended, women must only be taught by other women, or "old men", and use a women-only entrance.

They must also end their lessons five minutes earlier than men to stop them from mingling outside.

So far, the Taliban has said nothing about public universities.

- 'Let's engage' -

For some students, however, it was a relief that women would still be able to attend university at all under a new Taliban regime.

Zuhra Bahman, who runs a scholarship programme for women in Afghanistan, said on social media she had spoken to some of the students.

"They are happy to go back to university, albeit in hijab," she said.

"Taliban opening universities for women is a key progress. Let's continue to engage to agree on other rights and freedoms."

Jalil Tadjlil, a spokesman for Ibn-e Sina University in the capital, said separate entrances had already been created for men and women.

"We didn't have the authority to accept or reject the decisions that have been imposed," he told AFP, blaming the "ongoing uncertainty" for the lack of students.

The university posted a picture online of male and female students separated by a curtain.

Images shared on Facebook by the university's department of economics and management showed six women wearing the hijab and ten male students with a grey curtain running between them, as a male teacher wrote on a whiteboard.

- 'Everything changed' -

Usually, campus corridors on the first day of term would be packed full of students catching up after the summer off.

But on Monday, there was a strikingly low turnout at Kabul's universities, leaving education leaders wondering just how many young, talented people have fled the country as part of the "brain drain".

Rahmani said only 10 to 20 percent of the 1,000 students who enrolled last year came to Gharjistan University on Monday, although there were no classes timetabled.

He estimated up to 30 percent of the students left Afghanistan after the Taliban seized control in the middle of August.

"We have to see first if students come," he said.

Reza Ramazan, a computer science teacher at the university said women students were particularly at risk when travelling to campus.

"It can be dangerous at checkpoints," he said. "The Taliban can check their phones and computers."

For 28-year-old computer science student Amir Hussein, "everything changed completely" after the Taliban takeover.

"Many students are not interested anymore in studying because they don't know what their future will be," he said.

"Most of them want to leave Afghanistan."

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Britain said Monday it is postponing the start of post-Brexit border checks on goods going to Northern Ireland, as it seeks breathing space in its tense standoff with the European Union over trade rules.

Brexit Minister David Frost said the government would continue to trade ``on the current basis,'' maintaining grace periods that the U.K. gave itself after splitting from the EU's economic embrace at the end of 2020. He did not set a new end date for the grace periods, some of which had been due to finish on Sept. 30.

Frost said the standstill would ``provide space for potential further discussions'' with the EU over the two sides' deep differences on the Brexit divorce agreement.

U.K.-EU relations have soured over trade arrangements for Northern Ireland, the only part of the U.K. that has a land border with the 27-nation bloc. The divorce deal the two sides struck before Britain's departure means customs and border checks must be conducted on some goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K.

The regulations are intended to prevent goods from Britain entering the EU's tariff-free single market while keeping an open border between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland _ a key pillar of Northern Ireland's peace process. But the checks have angered Northern Ireland's British unionists, who say they amount to a border in the Irish Sea and weaken Northern Ireland's ties with the rest of the U.K.

One of the deferred measures, which had been due to take effect Oct. 1, would ban chilled meats such as sausages from England, Scotland and Wales from going to Northern Ireland. The ``sausage war'' has been the highest-profile element of the U.K.-EU dispute, raising fears that Northern Ireland supermarkets may not be able to sell British sausages, a breakfast staple.

The trade tensions have destabilized Northern Ireland's delicate political balance and raised tensions with the EU, which is calling for Britain to implement the deal it agreed to, and with the U.K. government, which says the rules need fundamental reform.

Britain's Conservative government is seeking to remove most checks, replacing them with a ``light touch'' system in which only goods at risk of entering the EU would be inspected.

Frost warned last week that the U.K. and the EU risked entering a long period of ``cold mistrust'' unless issues around the agreement were resolved.

The U.K.'s previous unilateral extension of the grace period angered the EU, which responded by launching legal action. The bloc has since put that action on hold, and the two sides have taken tentative steps to cool the situation. Monday's announcement by Britain was made with the advance knowledge of the bloc.

Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said he expected the EU would agree to an extension of the grace periods in order to allow for ``deep and meaningful'' talks with Britain.

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Egypt will host the third meeting of the Governance Council of the Arab Africa Trade Bridges (AATP) Programme  an Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group effort  in December and will chair the council for a year afterwards, Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said announced on Monday.

This announcement came on the sidelines of the 46th round of the IsDB Groups annual meetings, which were held in Tashkent city in Uzbekistan from 1 to 4 September.

El-Said and Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait represented Egypt in the meetings, showcasing Egypts efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures it has taken to contain its severe impacts, particularly on social and economic aspects.

In June, under the umbrella of the AATB Programme, the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation  in cooperation with the Egyptian Export Development Authority and under the patronage of Minister of Trade Nevine Gamea  launched the first training programme for exporters titled Entering African Markets in Cairo.

At the conclusion of her visit to Uzbekistan, El-Said declared that the IsDB Groups development portfolio in Egypt  which exceeds $13 billion  covers 345 projects in several sectors, including infrastructure, new and renewable energy, supply commodities, agriculture, and human capital investment.

She also noted that 290 projects that were financed by the group have been finalised.

The small and medium-sized enterprises sector in Egypt has also been getting much support from the group through the IsDBs trade and investment institutions, according to the minister.

El-Said also welcomed the inauguration of the IsDB Groups office in Egypt, stating that Egypt is among the 11 IsDB Groups member countries that have a branch of the group, which is a sign of the economic and political stability that Egypt enjoys.

In this regard, the minister said that the IsDBs member countries have been hailing Egypts Presidential Decent Life Initiative and the countrys ability to counter the pandemic.

During the meetings in Uzbekistan, Egypt managed to acquire the IsDB Groups Board of Governors approval to host the 47th round of its annual meetings in 2022.

The 46th round of the groups annual meetings focused on discussing development issues and institutional matters.

The meetings attracted more than 2,000 participants and offered an ideal platform for decision-makers to discuss challenges and explore member countries economic opportunities.

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Published in 2017, Scenes From Egypt, Photographic Gems from the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo (IFAO) is a book that contains photographs of excavations from the desert to the Nile. Translated to Arabic by Emad Adly, it took Delphine Driaux and Marie-Lys Arnette around two years to compile these photos.

It all started during a short-term contract I had signed with the Archives Department of the IFAO. Many archival documents, especially photos, were in my hands. One day I showed some of these photos to my colleague, Dr Marie-Lys Arnette, who thought they were beautiful. I suggested we publish them in a book to reach a wider public," Driaux told Ahram Online.

"Then I proposed the idea to Mathieu Gousse, director of the IFAO editorial department, who thought it was a great project. I asked Marie-Lys Arnette to take part, explained Driaux.

The book reflects upon many themes. We evoke the work of French Egyptologists in Egypt, the archaeology, techniques, and methods of the time. We talk about the scientists, of course, but also about the workers, without whom few things would be possible in this field. Some photographs have an ethnographic dimension. They bear witness to the life of Egyptians who live near archaeological sites or work with the missions, she noted.

The first photo in the book, its cover, reflects such themes vividly. Named Wadi Al-Kanayes, 1910, the glass plate negative reveals the photo of a photographer in action. The anonymous photographer is standing at the edge of a cliff, occupied with his object of photography. They named him the acrobat photographer because of his dangerous physical endeavours to take a good photo.

Other rare photos show the physical capabilities of the workers who are a great part of the excavations that are seldom revealed or celebrated. Between their ability to climb and maintain balance at the most dangerous heights, and in sheer darkness, Saadi Abbas and Omar Hussien were sitting skilfully putting up the electricity connection to be able to light up the Khanoum Temple in Esna sometime between December 1964 and January 1965.

The book also puts in the limelight the archaeologists and Egyptologists behind excavations and gives us some perspective of their thoughts and background. One of them was a woman, which was not a common sighting in excavations back in the day.

Ursula Schweizer was a Swiss Egyptologist born in 1916. In 1935, she began to study Egyptology, Classical Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Munich. She completed her doctorate in 1942 on the topic of Lion and Sphinx in Ancient Egypt. After she obtained her doctorate in 1942, she became a regular assistant at the Egyptian State Collection in Munich. After World War II, Schweitzer became an assistant at the Institute for Prehistory and Early History at the University of Basel. In 1946, she was the second woman to become a scientific member of the IFAO (after Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt). She travelled the Nile Valley as far as Sudan, the oases in the Western Desert, and the Eastern Desert as far as the Red Sea. She took part in several excavations, including in Deir El-Medina... She lectured from 1950 onwards and subsequently established Egyptology at the University of Basel. In 1954 she became a corresponding member of the German Archaeological Institute. In 1954, 1956, and 1958 she travelled again to Egypt and Sudan. In 1957, she was appointed Extraordinaria by the University of Basel. She died in 1960, she added.

Among other outstanding archaeologists highlighted in the book is Jules Couyat (1881-1965). He was attached with a doctoral scholarship to the Mineralogy Laboratory of the Natural History Museum in Paris and had obtained two degrees in natural sciences. In 1906, he became a member of the IFAO. The director of the institute at the time, Emile Chassinat, wanted him to conduct geological research. From 1906 to 1911, one of his main tasks was to explore the Eastern Desert. On this occasion, he documented many ancient sites. He also worked with Pierre Montet in the Ouadi Hammamat. In 1912, they published together the book Les inscriptions hieroglyphiques et hieratiques du Ouadi Hammamat. In 1913, he changed his name to Jules Barthoux. After his work in Egypt, he continued his career with the French Archaeological Delegation in Afghanistan.
On 6 June, CEO of the Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Hani Salem Sonbol paid a five-day official visit to Egypt, his first since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

During his stay, Sonbol met with Hala Al-Said, minister of planning and economic development, and governor for Egypt at the IsDB Group, as well as Ali Moselhi, minister of supply and internal trade, to discuss the corporations provision of $400 million to the General Authority for Supply Commodities.

He also met with Tarek Al-Molla, minister of petroleum and mineral resources, to discuss the $700 million provided to the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation, and Rania Al-Mashat, minister of international cooperation, to pave the way for further cooperation and the implementation of the $1.1 billion 2021 financing programme.

In an exclusive interview with Al-Ahram Weekly while in Cairo, Sonbol talked about the efforts needed to overcome the fallout from the pandemic and how the ITFC can help.

How does the ITFC perceive the investment and business atmosphere in Egypt?

Despite the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, economic activity in Egypt is rebounding. According to the World Bank, remittances, portfolio inflows, and external financing continue to support the countrys international reserves. The government of Egypt is committed to strengthening its pandemic-containment efforts, pushing ahead with fiscal and structural reforms, strengthening social protection, and advancing its human capital efforts, all of which provide a more stable investment and business environment.

As part of its national development strategy, the government intends to increase exports to $100 billion cumulatively within the next five years, as well as to strengthen private-sector development and tap into its productive capacities to meet the countrys economic ambitions. With the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which as the largest free-trade area of its kind stands to increase Africas exports by $560 billion, mostly in manufacturing, Egypt is well placed to be a driver of inter-regional trade with emerging African economies and surrounding regions.

The AfCFTA represents an important opportunity for Egypt, especially in supporting the countrys ambitions to build fourth-generation cities that will accommodate an estimated 30 million people, providing millions of jobs and catalysing the role of the private sector in driving growth. This is where programmes such as the Arab-Africa Trade Bridges (AATB) Programme, which aims to drive inter-regional trade and investment flows between Arab and African countries, are supporting both the Egyptian public and private sectors to identify and build stronger commercial partnerships, develop export capacity, and enhance trade potential across key growth sectors.

How are the ITFC facilities good for Egypt?

Egypt has always been an important member of the ITFC. The corporation continues to build strategic relationship with Egypt, supporting the country to meet its trade finance and development needs, enhance its export potential, help strengthen the capacity of its SMEs, and support private-sector development amongst others, with a total financing of $12 billion through five framework agreements. The most recent, the fifth framework agreement, signed in January this year for $1.1 billion, focuses on integrated trade solutions to support Egyptian entities through trade financing and trade development components, boosting the countrys export potential, developing value chains in sectors such as cotton, driving female entrepreneurship, enhancing SME growth, and providing strategic commodities for the country.

In relation to strengthening the economic participation of women, the ITFC has, in coordination with the International Trade Centre (ITC), launched the She Trades Egypt Programme within the framework of the Aid-for-Trade Initiative for Arab States (AfTIAS). Through this programme, 50 women-led SMEs from the Egyptian Womens Union Association and Egyptian Businesswomens Association will be able to take advantage of expanded trade networks and be empowered to upskill, identify new market trends, and exploit new technologies and environments such as the digital economy and virtual learning.

Furthermore, given Egypts ideal location between the Arab and African regions, the country is a major partner and governing board member of the Arab-Africa Trade Bridges Programme (AATB). Between 2018 and 2019, Egyptian companies have benefited significantly from enhanced trade relations and partnerships with African countries, particularly in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Under the AATB alliance, the ITFC also supports the Egyptian Export Development Authority (EDA) to implement a comprehensive programme for Egyptian exporters in various projects between 2020 and 2021.

Amongst these projects are capacity development workshops for furniture exporters in Cairo and Damietta, allowing them to tap into African markets. Additionally, a partnership with the Egyptian Exporters Association (EXPOLINK) is underway to organise an export incubator programme in cooperation with the Foreign Trade Training Centre (FTTC).

What kind of assistance has the ITFC extended to Egypt in relation to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis?

The ITFCs pandemic-response strategy had been part of the Islamic Development Bank Groups response programme, with a total allocation of $2.3 billion as part of its Rapid Response Initiative to support the immediate needs of member countries. The ITFCs trade finance approvals reached $605 million in the Rapid Response phase, exceeding the initial targeted allocations.

Egypt was amongst the first beneficiaries for emergency funding through the provision of $200 million to the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) to cover the Egyptian governments immediate needs for basic strategic commodities, including food staples.

In addition, the ITFCs ongoing trade solutions agreements as part of the 2021 development plan for Egypt are all geared towards protecting the continuity of trade to sustain the Egyptian economy by building the capacities of important export sectors such as SMEs, strengthening the economic participation of women through trade, and building stronger value chains in sectors such as cotton, all of which contribute to the governments ongoing pandemic-containment measures.

How has Egypt benefited from the AfTIAS?

Egypt is a vital member of the AfTIAS, having played a key role in the establishment of the first phase of the programme and directly contributing to the supervision of 28 projects geared towards driving foreign trade between the Arab countries. During the first phase of the AfTIAS, the Egyptian trade ecosystem benefited from nine initiatives aimed at facilitating trade, addressing non-tariff measures, building export capacity, and enhancing the role of women in trade.

Egypt also contributed to the design of the second phase of the AfTIAS, which included addressing priorities to overcome the negative effects of the pandemic on Arab trade. The government has committed $1.25 million to improving the capabilities of export development institutions and strengthening access to foreign markets, as well as strengthening the participation of Arab countries in global value chains. This sum will also go towards improving the skills of youth and women and drive SMEs in the e-commerce sector, digitise commercial operations in vital foreign-trade sectors, and address barriers to accessing Arab and international markets.

How do you see the impact of Covid-19 on intra-Arab trade and on trade between Arab and African countries?

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown just how important programmes such as AfTIAS and AATB are in ensuring ongoing trade and investment flows and safeguarding economies. Now more than ever, Arab and African countries should embrace greater trade integration and cooperation and build regional supply chains to boost local industries and exports. Under the two programmes, several key initiatives have already been held this year to drive trade continuity.

As part of the AfTIAS, the first-ever International Virtual Exhibition for Madinah Dates was held, aimed at increasing internal and external demand for the provinces dates and enhancing their competitiveness on the global market. Over 35 exhibitors, date-export companies and government agencies participated in the event. More than 90 business-matching meetings between exhibitors and potential buyers from targeted international date markets were also held. Additionally, an agreement with the Arab Tourism Organisation (ATO) laid down a general framework for cooperation and coordination to support the development of the tourism sector in the Arab region, especially in view of the impacts of Covid-19.

In terms of securing Arab-Africa trade, earlier this year the ITFC alongside the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC) and the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) hosted a webinar for over 1,000 development institutions, sovereign funds, banks, investment and private equity companies, and key government and corporate sector representatives. Held under the AATB programme, the event set out to identify channels to bridge the gap between regions by leveraging the programmes investment, trade, and insurance pillars to drive business opportunities across key industries such as agro-food, health and pharmaceuticals, building and construction materials and equipment, and machinery and electrical equipment.

Another AATB initiative was the launch of the Market Access Requirements Programme for African Markets in partnership with the Export Development Authority (EDA) to enable Egyptian exporters to access African markets across industries such as building materials, chemicals, medical and pharmaceuticals, engineering, printing, packaging, paper products, and furniture. Target African markets include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Rwanda in the East, along with Senegal, Cote dIvoire, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, and Guinea in the West, and South Africa, Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe in the South.

In March, a workshop was held for over 70 furniture-exporting companies in Damietta aimed at facilitating knowledge-transfer on the technical requirements, export-planning, and marketing services required to effectively access African markets.

Both the AfTIAS and AATB programme platforms will continue to address the need for enhanced trade integration and identify opportunities to protect trade continuity in these key regions.

How can the Arab countries deal positively with challenges in the near term and beyond?

The Covid-19 pandemic revealed the priority sectors that are critical to the development and recovery of the Arab countries. Prioritising healthcare and inclusive human capital through the creation of decent and sustainable jobs is integral to building the resilience of communities. There is immense opportunity to increase dialogue with the private sector and identify ways to overcome various challenges.

Earlier this year, as part of the AfTIAS programme a roundtable was held on post-Covid-19 economic recovery through inclusive job creation. The virtual roundtable highlighted key areas of intervention, ranging from poverty alleviation to inclusive job creation, enhancing stability in fragile states, and curbing migration.

Over the course of the year, additional workshops will be held for the private sector to provide it with a wider understanding of the Arab market and identify opportunities for enhanced trade collaboration in these challenging times.

What were some of the additional outcomes of your five-day visit to Cairo this month?

One of the most important outcomes was the signing of a partnership agreement with the Egyptian Exporters Association (EXPOLINK) to support young entrepreneurs seeking trade and trade-finance opportunities in Egypt and beyond under the umbrella of the AATB. The partnership agreement comes in response to the conditions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic to enable Egyptian exporters to enter new markets and grow their competitive edge, particularly understanding the requirements of electronic exports and their importance to targeting a larger number of potential customers around the world. The programme also supports entrepreneurs in identifying future export trends and handling various issues related to shipping, customs, electronic contracts, and transactions.

The training programme for exporters on Entering African Markets also successfully concluded last Thursday in Cairo. Organised by the ITFC in cooperation with the Export Development Authority under the AATB programme, this was the first in a series of initiatives to train Egyptian exporters on tangible mechanisms to access African markets and benefiting representatives from 50 companies from the targeted exporting sectors in many fields.

The workshop helped to spotlight opportunities for trade in Africa, forge an integrated export strategy for the African market, understand the legal landscape of the continent, and map opportunities across Africas diverse countries and cities.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 17 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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KYODO NEWS - Sep 7, 2021 - 07:59 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

A 49-year-old man in Japan died last month after he was administrated a dose of Moderna Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine that was among batches later recalled from use by its distributor in the country, the health ministry said Monday.

Moderna and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. said last Wednesday they would recall three lots of the vaccine after stainless steel contaminants were found in some vials.

The man's dose came from one of the three lots that had also contained doses used on two men in their 30s who died in Japan after receiving their second shots in August, the ministry said. No foreign matter has been confirmed in either of the vials.

The 49-year-old man, who was allergic to buckwheat, received his second shot on Aug. 11 and his death was confirmed on the morning of the following day, according to the ministry.

It said any causal relationship between his inoculation and death remains unknown.

When announcing the recall, Moderna and Takeda said, "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."

The cause of death in the three cases is still being investigated.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 6, 2021 - 20:38 | Japan, All

Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi on Monday went on board the British aircraft carrier the Queen Elizabeth in Japan at the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo.

Kishi's inspection of the state-of-the-art carrier is intended to demonstrate the robust ties between the two nations as Tokyo and London deepen their defense cooperation in response to China's military buildup and assertive territorial claims.

"I felt Britain's strong desire for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region," Kishi told reporters. "By boarding the vessel, we were able to widely publicize the further development of defense cooperation with Britain at home and abroad."

Britain has been stepping up its engagement in the region, partly propelled by Beijing's attempts to undermine democracy and human rights in Hong Kong, a former British colony.

The carrier strike group led by the Queen Elizabeth, commissioned in 2017, is making its first port call in Japan.

It is Britain's largest aircraft carrier, capable of carrying up to 40 aircraft, including British and U.S. F-35B advanced stealth fighter jets, according to the Royal Navy.

While inspecting the fighters, Kishi said he also held talks with the group commander, who was with the country's ambassador to Japan on the ship, stating his determination to enhance cooperation.

Since Thursday, the strike group has been conducting joint exercises with Japan's Self-Defense Forces, as well as vessels from the United States, the Netherlands and Canada, in a veiled counter to China's rising assertiveness in the East and South China seas.

Before Kishi visited the aircraft carrier, he also inspected the Dutch frigate Evertsen, which is part of the strike group.

The group, which left Britain in May and arrived in Japan on Saturday, is scheduled to leave the U.S base later this week.

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By Noriyuki Suzuki and Naoya Fujisawa, KYODO NEWS - Sep 6, 2021 - 18:07 | All, Japan

Toyota Motor Corp. is aiming to become a world leader in smart city technology with its ambitious project to build Woven City, a fully-connected, human-centered city at the base of Mt. Fuji.

The coronavirus pandemic has prompted a rethink of how people move and live, and reinforced the need to create technology that supports "happy, healthy" human life, Toyota Chief Digital Officer James Kuffner said.

"Woven City is not meant to be a technology bubble where the technology stays only within Woven City. It's really meant to be a place where we incubate it, test it, accelerate it, and then export it all over the world," Kuffner said in a recent interview with Kyodo News.

For countries like Japan, it is an urgent task to address the challenges posed by the graying of society such as mobility and healthy living. In Woven City, autonomous buses will transport people and smart homes with sensors will check the health of their residents.

Sustainability is also another key theme across the globe in the struggle for decarbonization to bring carbon dioxide emissions to net zero before or by 2050.

"If we can build something that has value in a place like Japan and the cities of Japan, I think it can be valuable everywhere," said Kuffner, a former Google engineer who now serves as CEO of Woven Planet Holdings Inc., a Toyota subsidiary in charge of the project.

Now under construction at the 175-acre site of a recently closed Toyota subsidiary plant in the central Japan prefecture of Shizuoka, Woven City will serve as a "living laboratory" for self-driving vehicles, delivery robots, smart homes and artificial intelligence, according to Toyota.

With its partial opening slated for as early as 2024, the city will initially have roughly 360 residents such as seniors, families with children and inventors and the number is expected to increase to over 2,000 including Toyota employees.

The project is open to partners and Toyota has received over 4,700 applications from companies and individuals from areas including agriculture, healthcare and education as of June.

Kuffner said the project is unique because it allows people with innovative ideas to test new technologies "at scale," get feedback from residents and improve them -- an example of "kaizen" or continuous improvement, a core principle pioneered by Toyota in pursuit of building a lean production system.

The world's biggest automaker by volume has been accelerating its drive to transform itself into a mobility company, putting more focus on software in the era of connected, autonomous, shared, and electric vehicles, or CASE.

Toyota President Akio Toyoda has personally invested in Woven Planet and stressed the importance of partnerships and collaboration to achieve mobility for all. The smart city project is an integral part of the company's drive.

Kuffner was part of Google's initial engineering team to develop the U.S. tech giant's self-driving car before joining the Toyota Research Institute in 2016. He became a member of the Toyota board in 2020 amid the automaker's software push.

Woven Planet has bought the self-driving division of U.S. ride-hailing company Lyft Inc. and also Carmera Inc., a U.S. automated mapping firm.

Toyota, a pioneer in fuel cell vehicles, plans to have the entire ecosystem in Woven City powered by hydrogen and has agreed with Japanese energy company Eneos Corp. to work toward realizing a hydrogen supply chain, from production and delivery to actual use at the site.

Globally, tech giants like Google LLC, Apple Inc., and Amazon.com Inc. are also serious about smart city development.

Despite the promises of smart cities, skeptics express concerns about huge amounts of personal data that are collected via sensors and other devices and analyzed. Data security and protection of privacy are seen as hurdles to clear before establishing communities that adopt smart city technology.

Kuffner said Woven City would have "very well thought-out architectures" to ensure good privacy and security, adding that trust goes hand in hand with transparency.

"Toyota has a tradition of building products and services that have earned people's trust and that's what we would like to do going forward with this project," the chief digital officer said.

"Our dreams are big. We have a huge gap between the current reality and our dream," he said. "But we are climbing the mountain and we have a beautiful Mt. Fuji to inspire us."

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KYODO NEWS - Sep 6, 2021 - 22:37 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

The Japanese government is eyeing an extension of the COVID-19 state of emergency for Tokyo, neighboring and some other prefectures past its Sept. 12 end date, having deemed the strains on the health system have not eased enough to lift restrictions on business activity, sources said Monday.

The emergency declaration could be extended by around two to three weeks, the sources said. But with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga having announced his resignation, it could be stretched by about one month to allow his successor as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, to be chosen Sept. 29, to decide when the measure ends.

A total of 21 of Japan's 47 prefectures are currently under the state of emergency, with people being asked to avoid crowded areas and restaurants told to stop serving alcohol and close by 8 p.m.

Only some are expected to see the measure end on Sept. 12 as scheduled, and even then will likely shift to a quasi-state of emergency with some restrictions remaining in place, the sources said.

Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said Monday extending the state of emergency in his prefecture is "unavoidable."

Suga, who is stepping down as LDP leader after his term ends Sept. 30 amid criticism over his handling of the pandemic, is set to consult with members of his Cabinet including health minister Norihisa Tamura and Yasutoshi Nishimura, minister in charge of COVID-19 response, over the coming days before making a formal decision on the extension as early as Thursday.

Tokyo, one of the hardest hit areas, confirmed 968 daily coronavirus cases on Monday, marking the first time since July 19 the count has fallen below 1,000, but concerns persist over the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

The daily figure was down significantly from the 1,853 cases confirmed Sunday, although infection numbers tend to be lower on Mondays as fewer tests are conducted on weekends.

One of the sources said hospitals in Tokyo, Osaka and Aichi, home to Japan's three biggest metropolitan areas, continue to be strained by the large number of COVID-19 patients and that any decision on extending the state of emergency should also apply to surrounding areas.

The seven-day rolling average in Tokyo stood at 2,414 per day, down 34.9 percent from the previous week. The number of people suffering from severe symptoms increased by three from the previous day to 267.

The capital, which hosted the Olympics from late July and just finished staging the Paralympics, saw over 125,600 new coronavirus cases in August, almost triple the previous monthly record infections logged in July.

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KYODO NEWS - Sep 6, 2021 - 15:38 | All, Japan, World

The Japanese government lodged a protest with local authorities in a central Berlin district after it was decided a statue symbolizing Korean "comfort women" would remain in place for an extra year, the top government spokesman said Monday.

"This is not acceptable. We have strongly protested it," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said in a regular news conference.

The statue symbolizing Korean women forced to work in Japanese wartime brothels was erected last September in a public space by a pro-South Korean civic group. It was initially planned to stand for only one year.

While Tokyo has repeatedly urged the Mitte district in the German capital to rescind the permit allowing the statue to stand in the area, the district said last October it would allow it to remain for the time being and that it hopes Japan and South Korea can reach a compromise on its presence.

The district assembly passed a resolution in December supporting the permanent installation of the statue.

Kato said the government will continue to seek the statue's removal, saying, "There are multiple cases in which attempts (to install statues) ended after we took various actions to gain people's understanding."

Such statues have been increasingly set up by pro-South Korean civic groups, including near Japanese diplomatic compounds in the South Korean capital Seoul and the port city of Busan.

Issues stemming from Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, including reparations for wartime forced labor, have hampered the maintenance of friendly ties between the Asian neighbors.

Japan maintains the two countries settled their wartime issues when they sealed a bilateral agreement in 1965, but many in South Korea believe Tokyo has not been held responsible adequately for its militarist past, including the comfort women issue.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 6, 2021 - 09:45 | All, Japan

A plan has emerged within the Japanese government to enable female members of the imperial family to keep their royal status even if they marry a commoner, sources with knowledge of the matter said Sunday, thus maintaining their branches of the family.

The current rules require female royals to give up their imperial status when they marry a commoner, causing the family to become progressively smaller.

The dwindling number of imperial family members has again become a focus ahead of the expected marriage later this year of Princess Mako, 29, a niece of Emperor Naruhito, to her boyfriend Kei Komuro.

The imperial household includes the emperor's family and four branches. Under the current patrilineal imperial succession rules, Princess Mako's brother Prince Hisahito, 15, is second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne and the only heir of his generation.

The plan floated within the government intends to keep the branch numbers unchanged by retaining married female members or through the adoption of male heirs from former branches of the imperial family who abandoned their status in 1947, according to the sources.

That means Princess Aiko, 19, the only child of Emperor Naruhito, 61, and Princess Kako, 26, Princess Mako's sister and the other daughter of the emperor's brother Crown Prince Fumihito, 55, would likely remain in the imperial household even after marriage.

The plan also contemplates maintaining two other imperial family branches by allowing princesses to retain their status.

The aim of keeping the current branches is to create an environment in which the imperial family can support Prince Hisahito.

The government says it would seek to make sure the will of female members will be fully respected under the plan and carefully study its feasibility, the sources added.

"Unless we secure a certain number of imperial family members this way, we won't be able to have enough royals who can support Prince Hisahito," one government source said.

The branch led by Emperor Naruhito's uncle Prince Hitachi, 85, third in line to the throne, would explore the adoption of male heirs from the 11 now-abolished collateral branches who share with the imperial family a common ancestor some 600 years ago as the prince and his wife have no children.

Of the current 18 imperial family members, including former Emperor Akihito, 87, and former Empress Michiko, 86, who no longer perform official duties, 13 are women. With the expected departure of Princess Mako, the number of unmarried women would fall to five.

A Japanese government source said last week Princess Mako is expected to marry Komuro by year-end and may start a new life in the United States, where Komuro intends to pursue a legal career.

The plan to retain married female members is in line with discussions held by a government panel of experts to address the shrinking imperial household.

In July, the panel presented two options -- allowing female members who marry commoners to retain their imperial status and male heirs from former branches to be adopted into the imperial family by revising the 1947 Imperial House Law.

The panel also said in an interim report that its members agreed to maintain the current order of succession.

Even though opinion polls suggest overwhelming public support for allowing women or those descending from a female member of the imperial family to ascend the throne to secure a stable succession, conservative elements have been staunchly opposed to such an idea.

Reflecting conservative resistance, the plan excludes the possibility that female members could establish branches after marriage, which could pave the way for female monarchs or female-line emperors.

Government sources said last month the expert panel is considering not granting royal status to husbands and children of female members who would remain in the imperial household after marriage.

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KYODO NEWS - Sep 6, 2021 - 17:15 | World, All

A Kyoto-themed shopping street in China's northeastern port city of Dalian suspended operation late last week amid growing criticism on the internet that Japan has been engaged in a "cultural invasion," state-run media reported.

The Global Times, a tabloid of the ruling Communist Party, said that there was controversy over the shopping street with the theme of the Japanese ancient capital, now a popular tourist spot, as Dalian was "previously colonized and deeply traumatized by the Japanese invasion." The street was just opened in late August.

Japanese culture has become popular in China in recent years. Many Chinese, however, are thought to basically harbor negative feelings about Japan against a backdrop of anti-Japanese education by the Communist-led government, foreign affairs experts said.

"Could it be another form of cultural invasion? We should raise the alarm," the newspaper quoted a social media user as saying.

In September 2020, a Japanese-style shopping street also began operation in China's southern province of Guangdong, but it was forced to be reformed under increasing criticism.

The shopping street in Dalian, costing about 6 billion yuan ($927 million), was developed by a local real estate agency in the city, according to the Global Times.

The newspaper quoted the operator of the "Little Kyoto" street as saying that trial operations had ended and it will tackle problems that emerged in the process.

Japan invaded a huge swath of China before the end of World War II that lasted until 1945. A large number of Chinese people, meanwhile, visited Japan before the novel coronavirus pandemic, making them interested in Japanese culture, including anime.

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New Delhi:

A researcher was killed and three others were injured in a suspected hydrogen cylinder explosion in a laboratory at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore on Wednesday. The deceased has been identified as Manoj Kumar, 32, and the three injured are Karthik Shenoy, Naresh Kumar and Athulya Uday Kumar.

According to sources, the researcher with a start-up company died during a shock wave at their laboratory at Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Three others, who were injured have been taken to a private hospital. Though the nature of explosion and its cause were yet to be established, it was suspected that the incident occurred due to a blast in a cylinder containing some gas, the police said.

"Forensic experts would ascertain the actual cause of the accident but it seems like a cylinder blast," said Assistant Commissioner of Police Niranjan Raj Urs told news agency PTI

The sources said the explosion occurred around 2.20 pm at the research laboratory of Aerospace Departments Laboratory for Hypersonic and Shockwave. Four people from a start-up company, being incubated at IISc, were at the laboratory at the time of incident. Atulya, Karthik and Naresh Kumar were severely injured and rushed to Ramaiah hospital where they are reported to be in a critical state.

Watch | BREAKING VIDEO: Explosion at IISc Bangalore, researcher killed

Super-Wave Technology Private Limited (SWTPL) is an Indian Institute of Science initiative, promoted and managed by its Directors Prof KPJ Reddy and Prof G Jagadeesh, both professors of Department of Aerospace Engineering, IISc Bengaluru. The company is engaged in research in the area of shockwaves and its applications in various fields and has several patents to its credit, according to its official website.

IISc Bangalore is ranked in top 100 of the 2019 Times Higher Education World University Rankings table for engineering and technology subjects. In the recently released subject rankings, IIT Bombay found its place in the band of 151-175 for the same category.

"This is to inform that we have received three patients from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore on 5th December, 2018 with complaint of accidental blast around 2.15 pm," Ramaiah Memorial Hospital said in its statement. The hospital added, "All the patients are critical and require surgical intervention and ICU care."

Here is the hospital's full statement:





The Indian Institute of Science was established in 1909 by a visionary partnership of industrialist Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, the Maharaja of Mysore and the government of India, according to its official website.

Since its inception, the institute has laid a balanced emphasis on the pursuit of basic knowledge in science and engineering, as well as on the application of its research findings for industrial and social benefit.

In the words of its founder, JN Tata, the objectives of the institute are "to provide for advanced instruction and to conduct original investigations in all branches of knowledge as are likely to promote the material and industrial welfare of India."

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

Debt-laden private airlines Jet Airways is in talks with Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways on a rescue plan, as reported by Reuters. Executives from Etihad and Jet Airways met some of the latters bankers in Mumbai in the recent past to discuss ways to address its cash flow issues and evaluate the carrier's future business plan, the sources said as quoted by the news agency. However, no deal has been finalised yet. Etihad had come to Jets rescue in 2013 as well by buying 24 per cent stakes in the carrier.

The Naresh Goyal-founded airlines is in a severe cash crunch and owes money to vendors and lessors. It has also not been able to pay salaries to its pilots, senior executives resulting in the cancellation of flights. To reign in the crunch, Jet has cancelled flights on non-profitable routes and has also decided to do away with complimentary meals for economy class passengers travelling on domestic routes under two more fare categories. Following three consecutive quarterly losses, the full-service carrier has simplified its sub-fleet, reduced sales, distribution and maintenance cost.

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Though India is one of the worlds fastest-growing airlines markets, Jet Airways has constantly faced the brunt of the falling rupee, rising jet fuel prices, intense price wars by low-cost carriers.

However, according to sources, Etihad might be wary of the rescue deal this time around as it has lost money in other airline ventures such as Alitalia and Air Berlin.

According to CNBC-TV18, Naresh Goyal has assured pilots that there will be no delays in the payment of salaries from April 1, 2019 onwards.

The airline is aiming to achieve cost savings of over Rs 2,000 crore over the next two years through strategic initiatives, chief executive officer Vinay Dube had said after the second quarter earnings.

Also Read | Jet Airways removes free meals from two more economy class fares

Jet Airways has already realised cost savings of over Rs 500 crore during the first half of the fiscal owing to these cost-rationalisation measures, Dube had said.

Jet and Etihad did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment, Reuters said.

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New Delhi:

The Taliban abduct at least 40 passengers in Afghanistan's Dara-e-Soof district in Samangan province on Sunday morning, said Mohammad Munir Rahimi, Samangan police spokesman. He added the passengers were on their way to Balkh province, according to Tolo News.

According to the report, the incident took place in Khushk Dara village in the district around 10 am, said Rahimi. He said Taliban resorted to taking hostage the passengers to convince the drivers to pay them taxes. Rahimi added that efforts are being made for safe release of the hostages.

This is a report of report of abduction of passengers coming from Afghanistan in less than a week.

On Tuesday, the Taliban abducted at least 25 passengers who were travelling from Balkhab district of Sar-e-Pul province to Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province.

Details are awaited...

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New Delhi:

Akshay Kumar's 2018 movie, Padman awoke millions of women and men alike to break free from the taboo of menstruation and the need for menstrual hygiene. The movie, which was a source of inspiration for all, was a hit even among the social sphere and public figures took to social media posting pictures themselves with a pad on one hand in what they call #PadManChallenge, spreading the awareness even further. And this chain of inspiration proved very much alive as a 13-year-old Dubai-based girl is said to have adopted 250 girls from rural Maharashtra and donated sanitary napkins to them.



According to reports, the 13 year-old girl, Riva Tulpule, is said to have been inspired by the movie Padman, a biopic based on Arunachalam Muruganantham who was said to have devised low cost sanitary pads for women in rural areas villages.

Also Read | You can now buy a bottle of fresh air for Delhi's air pollution



Riva Tulpule, whose family hails from Maharashtra managed to collect funds for the cause in Dubai in the last few months. Around Diwali time, Riva appealed to people in Dubai to donate money for the cause and within a short span, she managed enough sum to buy sanitary pads for 250 girls, she said.



She is said to have flown down to India last week and distributed about one-year stock of sanitary pads to girls from schools in Sahapur taluka on .



"I saw Padman some months back and came to know about problems faced by girls during the days of their periods. I immediately decided to do something for girls living in villages in India, specially Maharashtra," she said.



The Class 8 student said she also discussed her idea with Konkan Graduate's constituency MLC Niranjan Davkhare during his visit to Dubai, and he encouraged her to take it forward.

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The napkins were distributed by the teenager at a function organised by Davkhare's NGO 'Samanvay Pratishthan', which works for social causes.

"Riva Tulpule a 8th Standard student from Dubai, this Diwali decided to do something special & took up an initiative to adopt 250 girls from rural Maharashtra and support them with full year of Sanitary Pads....," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator said in a tweet.
New Delhi:

A day after Jet Airways cancelled at least 14 flights to various destinations, the Indian international airline on Monday issued a statement rubbishing reports of differences with staff, adding that the company continues to enjoy the complete support and cooperation of all its employees. Speculations had been rife that the private career, controlled by Naresh Goyal has been facing a shortage of pilots since August and has not hired new ones due to a severe cash crunch. The airline, however, in the statement, said that the flights were cancelled due to an unforeseen operational circumstance, and not pilot non-cooperation.

Issuing a statement over the inconvenience, a Jet Airways spokesperson said, "The Company continues to enjoy the complete support and cooperation of all its employees, including pilots and engineers, individually and through their respective representative bodies, who have extended their solidarity and full support to the airline. The airline would like to reiterate that the reason for the cancellations of December 2 flights was due to an unforeseen operational circumstance, and not pilot non-cooperation, as is being unduly speculated".

Read | AAI asks SpiceJet to clear Rs 20 crore dues by November 30



"Jet Airways has a transparent and open culture and employees as well as the management regularly engages through various forums to discuss and resolve matters of mutual concern via internal, defined, consultative processes. The management is in regular dialogue with the pilots and other teams to discuss and resolve on-going issues including disbursement of salaries. As stated earlier, Jet Airways is committed to meet its obligations and has been progressively addressing this issue with the employees," the statement read.



"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 added.

"The Company continues to have adequate pilots and runs a safe and reliable scheduled operation with rising on-time performance. The airline regrets the inconvenience caused to its guests," Jet Airways concluded.

Read | Cash-strapped Jet Airways in talks with interested parties for stake sale, funding

Sources, however, said that the private carrier has been defaulting on salary disbursement to its senior management and has partially paid to these staff for September while the full salaries of October and November remain unpaid.

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New Delhi:

In a big setback to President Maithripala Sirisena, a Sri Lankan court on Monday barred Mahinda Rajapaksa from acting as Prime Minister. Sirisena had appointed his former rival, Rajapaksa, in place of Ranil Wickremesinghe in a controversial decision that sparked a constitutional crisis in the county.

The Court of Appeal temporary halted Rajapaksa and his Cabinet from functioning in their positions in response to a case filed by 122 legislators against the disputed government. The court will next hear the case on December 12 and 13.

"According to the interim relief, Rajapaksa and his disputed government have been prevented from acting as PM, cabinet and deputy ministers," said a lawyer, who was present at the hearing.

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He added that the court was of the opinion that "irreparable damage" could be caused if persons not entitled to do so sit as prime minister and cabinet ministers.

More than 120 parliamentarians of Wickeremesinghe's United National Party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and Tamil National Alliance last month filed a petition in the Court of Appeal challenging Rajapaksa's authority as the prime minister.

Sri Lanka was plunged into a political crisis after Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe on October 26 and replaced him with Rajapaksa. Wickremesinghe, who dubbed the move as a "constitutional coup", refused to vacate his official residence, saying he was the lawful prime minister and that the president has no constitutional right to replace him.

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His request for a floor test to prove his majority in the House has been turned down. He cited the 19th amendment to the Constitution in which the president has been barred from sacking a prime minister or dissolving parliament before the expiry of its four and a half years term. After Wickremesinghe's sacking, Sirisena suspended parliament until November 16.

On November 9, Sirisena dissolved parliament, paving the way for a general election to be held on January 5, nearly two years ahead of its time. The Supreme Court overturned Sirisenas decision to dissolve Parliament and halted the preparations for snap polls.

Prior to the crisis, Wickramasinghes UNP had the backing of 106 parliamentarians, while Rajapaksa and Sirisena combine had 95 seats.

Rajapaksa has, so far, failed to prove his majority in Parliament.

(With PTI inputs)

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Mumbai:

Cash-crunched Jet Airways has decided to do away with complimentary meals for economy class passengers travelling on domestic routes under two more fare categories as the full-service airline looks to trim costs. The revision in fare offerings will be effective for tickets booked from December 21, for travel starting January 7, Jet Airways said in a release Monday.

The carrier currently offers five fare options in the economy class - light, deal, saver, classic and flex - for customers booking flights on domestic routes.

In addition to the light and deal categories introduced earlier, Jet Airways will offer two more categories under economy travel saver and classic, Jet Airways said in a release.

The latest revision in complimentary meals would be available only for economy passengers who booked their tickets under the flex option, the release said.

The airline will continue to offer complimentary meals across saver and classic fare options to those passengers who have made bookings prior to December 21, it said.

Read | Jet Airways issues statement over cancellation of flights, refutes reports on 'pilot non-cooperation'

Jet Airways frequent flyers, holding platinum and gold card membership, will also continue to avail on-board complimentary meal facility as before, the airline added.

It had in 2016 introduced a tier-based flexible fare system.

The Naresh Goyal-led Jet Airways is seeking to reduce costs in several areas in its efforts to turn itself around.

The areas include sub-fleet simplification, reduction in sales and distribution and maintenance cost, route rationalisation, renegotiation of contracts with vendors, among others, following three consecutive quarterly losses.

The airline is aiming to achieve cost savings of over Rs 2,000 crore over the next two years through strategic initiatives, chief executive officer Vinay Dube had said after the second quarter earnings.

Read | Jet Airways apologises for failing to pay salaries, seeks time for repayment

Jet Airways has already realised cost savings of over Rs 500 crore during the first half of the fiscal owing to these cost-rationalisation measures, Dube had said.

Amid cash paucity, it has been defaulting on salary payments to its senior management, pilots and engineers. The airline has also grounded many of its aircraft and has been trimming workforce to cut cost.

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New Delhi :

The family members of Bulandshahr policeman Subodh Kumar Singh, killed by cow vigilantes, has lambasted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and alleged police conspiracy in the incident. Singh, the inspector of Shyana, was shot dead allegedly by a mob protesting against the "cow slaughter" in the area. Reacting to the incident, sister of the Shyana police station SHO claimed that his brother was murdered in the cold blood because of his involvement in the investigation of 2015 Dadri mob lynching in which a Muslim man Mohammed Akhlaq was killed by bricks and sticks on suspicion of storing beef at his home.

My brother was investigating Akhlaq case and that is why he was killed. Its a conspiracy by Police. He should be declared martyr and memorial should be built. We do not want money. CM only keeps saying cow cow cow, sister of the deceased cop said while slamming the UP CM for "keep chanting the name cow."

Abhishek, son of the deceased Shyana inspector, said that his father wanted him to be a good citizen who doesn't incite violence in the name of religion. "My father wanted me to be a good citizen who doesn't incite violence in society in the name of religion. Today my father lost his life in this Hindu-Muslim dispute, tomorrow whose father will lose his life?" he asked.

Also Read | Instead of taking care of his state, UP CM spewing venom in Telangana: Congress on Bulandshahr violence

The cold-blooded killing of the policeman in Bulandshahr by cow vigilantes has once again brought back the horror of 'Jungle Raj' (lawlessness) in Uttar Pradesh. The cop died of a gunshot allegedly fired by a mob protesting the cow slaughter in the area. The postmortem report of the policeman has confirmed that he died of a gunshot injury by a .32 mm bore bullet on his head, according to news agency ANI.

"Spell of violence and anarchy" in Uttar Pradesh: Opposition slams Yogi Adityanath

The killing of a senior police officer by cow vigilantes, leave aside the several incidents of lynching, has given enough ammo to the opposition parties to attack the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government.

Reacting to the incident, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav said that the state of Uttar Pradesh is going through the spell of violence and anarchy under the rule of BJP government.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal also slammed the Uttar Pradesh chief minister over the Bulandshahr incident and said that instead of taking care of his own state, Yogi Adityanath was busy spewing venom in Telangana.

It is a shocking state of affairs how a mob killed a police officer investigating the Akhlaq case (2015 Dadri mob lynching). Who gives these people the authority to take law in their hands? Instead of taking care of his state, Yogi is going to Telangana and spewing venom, ANI quoted Sibal as saying.

Read More | Bulandshahr: Slain inspector Subodh Kumar Singh was investigating officer in Akhlaq lynching case



Key accused still on the run

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh police ADG Anand Kumar said that a bullet has been recovered from the body of Shyana SHO Subodh Kumar Singh. He said that while the main accused Yogesh Raj is still absconding, four people in connection with the murder has been arrested so far.

"Four people have been arrested. I don't know about the organizations yet, but the main accused in the violence is Yogesh Raj who has not been arrested till now Bulandshahr," Kumar said.

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New Delhi:

Albert Einsteins famous handwritten 'God letter' is expected to be put up for auction in New York on . According to reports, the letter where the Nobel Prize physicist is supposedly believed to have penned down his battle of conscience surrounding the concept of religion and his own Jewish faith is reported to fetch somewhere around $1.5 million.



The 1-1/2 page letter, written in German to philosopher Eric Gutkind, is regarded by many as Einsteins clearest account that flips and turns his views in the universal search for the meaning of life.



Christies auctioneers said on Thursday that the so-called God Letter, which was sold by a private collector would be placed on public exhibit in San Francisco and New York ahead of the auction.

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In the letter, Einstein did not exclude the religion to which he was born into-Judaism. But, he, at the same time also wrote that he did not believe in the radical claim that Judaism was chosen above others, like most religion themselves claim.



He wrote, For me the unadulterated Jewish religion is, like all other religions, an incarnation of primitive superstition. And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong, and in whose mentality I feel profoundly anchored, still for me does not have any different kind of dignity from all other peoples. As far as my experience goes, they are in fact no better than other human groups, even if they are protected from the worst excesses by a lack of power. Otherwise I cannot perceive anything chosen about them.

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The word God is for me nothing but the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of venerable but still rather primitive legends. No interpretation, no matter how subtle, can (for me) change anything about this, Einstein wrote.



Peter Klarnet, a books and manuscripts specialist at Christies, said the letter concerns themes that have been central to human enquiry since the dawn of human consciousness, and it is one of the definitive statements in the Religion vs Science debate.



Christies placed a $1 million to $1.5 million estimate on the letter.

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Bhubaneswar:

The Odisha government on Tuesday decided to grant pardon to Abhijit Iyer Mitra, who is lodged in jail for allegedly making derogatory remarks against the state, its people and culture, officials said.A The decision came following Mitra's prayer to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to consider withholding sanction to prosecute him in certain criminal cases pending against him, a home department official said.



"He (Mitra) has appealed to the chief minister to accept his apology and contrition in having wounded the sentiments of people of Odisha without intention," the official said.



Mitra had further mentioned in his representation that in consideration of his unconditional apology in having hurt the sentiments of the people of Odisha "unintentionally without malice and mal-intent", the Odisha Assembly pardoned him on November 17.

Special Secretary to Government of Odisha: The Government has decided not to accord sanction of prosecution in cases where prosecution has been sought for and also decided to take steps to withdraw other cases pending against Abhijit Iyer Mitra by following laid-down procedures. pic.twitter.com/AINqjNBFJc a ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2018

"Taking into account his representation, the government decided not to accord sanction of prosecution in cases where prosecution has been sought for and also decided to take steps to withdraw other cases pending against him by following laid-down procedures," the official said.



The Delhi-based journalist and researcher was arrested on October 23 after he posted a video on his Twitter handle, allegedly criticising Odisha, Lord Jagannath, Konark temple and the Odisha lawmakers.



Two cases were registered against Mitra at Saheed Nagar Police Station in Bhubaneswar and Konark Police Station in Puri district.



He was arrested under various sections of IPC, Information Technology Act and Ancient Monument & Archaeological sites & Remains Act.



In his petition to the state government, Mitra requested the chief minister and the chief secretary to withdraw the sanctions prosecuting him under Section 196 of the CrPC.



He also apologised for the video saying he didn't intend to hurt the sentiments of the people of Odisha.



The Odisha Assembly had on November 17 pardoned Mitra after he tendered an unconditional and unreserved apology for his statement against the lawmakers.



The assembly accepted the recommendations made by a House Committee which was set up to enquire into the question of alleged breach of privilege relating to the statement made by Mitra.



The committee was set up on September 20 following concerns expressed by MLAs cutting across party lines.



Mitra, who has been lodged at the high-security Jharpada Special Jail in the state capital, was admitted to a hospital in Bhubaneswar after he complained of illness on December 2.

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New Delhi:

Russian Soyuz spacecraft has landed one astronaut each from the US and Canada and a cosmonaut from Russia, on the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft was launched on Monday from cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Soyuz has Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, NASA astronaut Anne McClain and the Canadian Space Agency's David Saint-Jacques on board.



Saint-Jacques and McClain were on board for the first time, while Kononenko has already logged 533 days in space and this trip will be his fourth mission.

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McClain, Saint-Jacques and Konenenko docked to the space station's Poisk module at 12.33 p.m. after a four-orbit, six-hour journey, and opened the hatch between the two spacecraft at 2.37 p.m., and are adjusting to life, NASA said in a statement on Tuesday.



Minutes after take-off, Roscosmos said the capsule was in orbit. NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine meanwhile thanked the US and Russian teams "for their dedication to making this launch a success".



The three crew members will also conduct experiments in forest observation, robotic refuelling and satellite deployment.



On Monday, the cosmonauts on board brushed aside any possible safety concerns, saying the risk was just part of the job. "We are psychologically and technically prepared for blast-off and any situation which, God forbid, may occur on board." "We feel very ready for it," NASA astronaut McClain said. Canadas Saint-Jacques, 48, described the Soyuz spacecraft as incredibly safe.



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The new arrivals to the ISS will join the European Space Agency's Alexander Gerst, NASA's Serena Aunon-Chancellor and Russia's Sergey Prokopyev, who have been in orbit since June but are due to fly back to Earth on December 20.

The first failed mission raised concerns about Moscows Soviet-designed spacecraft, however, Russias Rocosmos space agency has confirmed that the previous aborted mission was caused by a faulty sensor.

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New Delhi:

Union Minister Uma Bharti has decided not to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, according to reports. The move comes days after her party colleague and Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made a similiar announcement, citing her health issues.

Bharti served as the Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation from May 26, 2014 to September 1, 2017 before being appointed as Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation.

"When I had a talk with Amit ji (BJP president Amit Shah) in 2016, then also he said I should not resign. So, the party will take the decision on this. But I will only work for Ganga ji and Ram for 1.5 year," news agency ANI quoted Bharti as saying.

I am suffering from knee and back problems, and to recover, I will take some rest. I will not fight elections for the next three years, she had told reporters in Bhopal in February this year.

Bharti was Madhya Pradesh chief minister for a little less than a year in 2003-4. She had last week said that her party does not have a patent on the Ram temple and called all parties to come together to build the temple in Ayodhya.

Reports suggest the BJP leader would take a break from active politics to focus on the issue of Ram Temple and cleanliness of the river Ganga. According to the Union minister, there is a need to build a positive environment for an ordinance on construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The need is build consensus among all parties. The issue of Ram temple is connected with the harmony of this country, therefore, the issue must be resolved at the earliest, she said.



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New Delhi:

Rubella vaccination at a local school in Uttar Pradeshs Shahjahanpur has caused a medical emergency to many students. Immediately after the vaccination, around 30 children were hospitalized on Thursday. The students complained of having headache and giddiness after receiving the vaccines at school.

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All the children were below the age of 12. Chief Medical Officer Dr R P Rawat stated that the kids were administered the vaccine at the Saraswati Shishi Mandir in the Kotwali police station in Shahjahanpur.

The kids were immediately rushed to the district hospital after they complained of headache and giddiness. Some of them were discharged after first aid. The CMO in a statement revealed that the condition of a child was turning serious.

District Magistrate Amrit Tripathi said an inquiry has been ordered into the incident to ascertain if all necessary precautionary measures were taken by the medical team.

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Earlier in October, at least 25 school students were taken ill after being administered measles vaccine at Sahabad ME Madrasa under Katlicherra revenue circle in Assams Hailakandi district, officials said. Hailakandi Deputy Commissioner Adil Khan had earlier stated that the students were administered measles rubella (MR) just after the mid-day meal following which several of them complained of nausea, fever, stomach ache and vomiting.
Tokyo:

Rings of gas surrounding supermassive black holes are not simple donut shapes, but dynamic fountains of gaseous matter, according to a study that may prompt re-writing of astronomy textbooks.

Based on computer simulations and new observations from the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) in Chile, researchers have concluded that the gas expelled from the centre interacts with infalling gas to create a dynamic circulation pattern similar to fountains.

Most galaxies host a supermassive black hole, millions or billions of times as heavy as the Sun, in their centres.

Some of these black holes swallow material quite actively. However, astronomers have believed that rather than falling directly into the black hole, matter instead builds up around the active black hole forming a donut structure.

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Takuma Izumi, a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), led a team of astronomers that used ALMA to observe the supermassive black hole in the Circinus Galaxy located 14 million light-years away from the Earth in the direction of the constellation Circinus.

The team then compared their observations to a computer simulation of gas falling towards a black hole made with the Cray XC30 ATERUI supercomputer operated by NAOJ.

This comparison revealed that the presumptive donut is not actually a rigid structure, but instead a complex collection of highly dynamic gaseous components.

First, cold molecular gas falling towards the black hole forms a disk near the plane of rotation. As it approaches the black hole, this gas is heated until the molecules break down into the component atoms and ions.

Some of these atoms are then expelled above and below the disk, rather than being absorbed by the black hole. This hot atomic gas falls back onto the disk creating a turbulent three dimensional structure.

These three components circulate continuously, similar to a water fountain in a city park.

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Previous theoretical models set a priori assumptions of rigid donuts, said Keiichi Wada, a theoretician at Kagoshima University in Japan, who lead the simulation study and is a member of the research team.

Rather than starting from assumptions, our simulation started from the physical equations and showed for the first time that the gas circulation naturally forms a donut, Wada.

By investigating the motion and distribution of both the cold molecular gas and warm atomic gas with ALMA, we demonstrated the origin of the so-called donut structure around active black holes, said Izumi.

Based on this discovery, we need to rewrite the astronomy textbooks, he said.

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New Delhi:

The BSE Sensex pared initial gains on Monday to end modestly higher at 36,241 points on profit-booking at higher levels amid mixed global cues. The stocks witnessed an early morning euphoria owing to Saturday's G20 Summit, where US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping negotiated a 90-day trade war truce.

The BSE Sensex, however, gained 46.70 points to end at 36,241 continuing its rising streak for the sixth straight session on Monday. The market sentiment took a hit from a sharp surge in crude oil prices and depreciation in the rupee against the US dollar. In a similar move, the broader NSE Nifty edged up by 7 points to close at 10,883.75.

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Of the Sensex 30-stock pack, 20 scrips ended in the green and 10 fell. Sun Pharma turned out to be the biggest loser, down 7.52 per cent, YES Bank, for the second consecutive day, topped the leaderboard.

Broader markets BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices ended in the green, with a gain of 0.46 per cent each. In the BSE sectoral landscape, healthcare, energy, auto and capital goods all traded in the red. The healthcare was the worst hit, down 1.21%. Also, BSE utilities bagged the maximum gains by rising 2.66 per cent.

The rupee, on the other hand, dropped by 88 paise, its biggest single-day loss in more than three months, to close at 70.46 against the US currency, snapping its four-day rising streak.

Read | Jet Airways issues statement over cancellation of flights, refutes reports on 'pilot non-cooperation'

India's economic growth slowed to 7.1 per cent in the September quarter as consumption demand moderated and farm sector displayed signs of weakness.

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New Delhi:

A massive fire broke out in Aarey forest area in suburban Goregaon of north-west Mumbai on Monday, according to reports. The mishap took place around 6:21 pm this evening at an open plot behind Infinity IT Park adjacent to Arun Kumar Vaidya Marg in Goregaon which is in the vicinity of Aarey Colony, the biggest green lung in the metropolis. Several fire engines and two water tankers have been rushed to the spot and put out the flames which escalated to level three by 8:05 pm. However, no casualty has been reported into the incident till late evening.

"Mumbai: Fire breaks out in forest area opposite Gokuldham near Goregaon, firefighting operation underway," the news agency ANI earlier reported.

Mumbai: Fire breaks out in forest area opposite Gokuldham near Goregaon, firefighting operation underway pic.twitter.com/mFLExCvTwi  ANI (@ANI) December 3, 2018

Read | Mumbai: 1 killed after tanker bursts into flames in Wadala

According to fire brigade officials, the fire, which was confined to trees and dry leaves, about 3-4 kilometres of forest was damaged due to the same.

Grieving the loss of the forests, activist Zoru Bhathena said, Although there might be no human casualties but there might be a huge green cover loss. Also, it is likely that there may be many animals and birds stuck in the forest fire. The cause also needs to get investigated as it may be an attempt to encroach the land by later claiming it to be a barren land".

Read | Fire at Chartered Accountants of India building in Delhi

However, Adivasis and cattle were evacuated from the forest area and the disaster control room officials confirmed that no one was stuck in the fire.

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New Delhi:

Meghan Markle and Kate Middletons rumoured feud has reportedly escalated. According to reports, the battle between the two royal parties has forced Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to spend away from Kate and William. This new report of a rift in the royal household has come just days after Kate had reportedly shut Meghan up after she was rude to her staffs. Kate, who is the Duchess of Cambridge, reportedly told Meghan, "Thats unacceptable, theyre my staff and I speak to them." This was the first instance when the two fell out.



According to British Tabloid reports, the rift between Meghan and Kate is believed to have started even before Meghans wedding in May. A number of detrimental stories have recently appeared in the UK press that has focused on a growing hostility between the Duchess of Sussex, 37, and the Duchess of Cambridge, 36.

Also Read | Einstein God Letter of 1954 to be auctioned



feuds are however no new occurrence in the royal household. Last year, Prince Harry had reportedly accused Kate and Prince William of not being welcoming enough to Meghan. Prince William was reported to have tried to break the ice by arranging an invitation to be sent to Meghan and Harry to spend with them at their country home near Sandringham, Anmer Hall, which didnt work.



With the feud between the two parties happening all over again, the British tabloids issued a statement saying that Prince Harry and Meghan are to spend their away from the Cambridge couple so as to avoid the similar situation.

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As of now, Meghan and Harry will be spending their with the Queen at Sandringham while William and Kate will join the Middleton family at Bucklebury Manor in Berkshire instead. The Royal household, however, has dismissed the rumours stating that the House of Sussex and the House of Cambridge will spend day together with the Queen.
Kabul: The Taliban, a terror group, has begun an exercise to form a government in Afghanistan. The process has reached its final stage on Monday after all speculation. The Taliban has also sent invitations to allied countries for the event during the formation of the government. Invitations have been sent by the Taliban to Turkey, China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar. All these countries have been consistently supporting the Taliban and now that the government is being formed, they have also been called.

All of the countries that the Taliban have invited, except Qatar, have some kind of a treaty with the United States. The talks that the US held with the Taliban were also held in Doha, Qatar. The Taliban have already declared the Return of the United States as their victory. On the other hand, the US cold war with China-Russia continues, with the US imposed a series of sanctions on Pakistan-Iran. At the same time, things had worsened during the Trump administration with Turkey.

The Taliban government is set to be formed at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Kabul (Kabul). Mullah Baradar could be made the head of the Taliban government, while Mullah Hibtullah Akhundzada could be made supreme leader.

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The UN General- Secretary Antonio Guterres condemned Sundays apparent coup in Guinea and called for the release of President Alpha Conde. In a tweet, Guterres said on Sunday that "I am personally following the situation in Guinea very closely. I strongly condemn any takeover of the government by force of the gun and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde."

Guinean special forces staged a coup on Sunday, arresting the president, in the latest political upheaval to roil the impoverished west African country. We have decided, after having taken the president, to dissolve the constitution, said a uniformed officer flanked by soldiers toting assault rifles in a video sent to Armed Police Force (APF). The officer also said that Guineas land and air borders have been shut and the government has been dissolved.

Another video sent to AFP by the putschists showed a rumpled-looking President Alpha Conde sitting on a sofa, surrounded by troops. He refused to answer a question from one soldier about whether he was being mistreated.

Earlier on Sunday, residents of the capital Conakrys Kaloum district, the government quarter, reported hearing heavy gunfire. A Western diplomat in Conakry suggested the unrest may have started after the dismissal of a senior commander in the special forces, provoking some of its highly trained members to rebel.

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Baghdad: Iran has been furious over a drone attack by the Pakistani Air Force in Panjsheer, Afghanistan. Iran says it is thus wrong to be attacked by any external force and should be investigated. The Northern Alliance in Panjsheer (Panjshir) in Afghanistan has been constantly fighting against Taliban militants. On Sunday, the Northern Alliance (NA) claimed that the Pakistan Air Force attacked Panjsheer areas with drones and supported the Taliban.

On Monday, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman strongly condemned the attack. He paid tribute to the Afghan leaders who died in the attack. It is worth noting that the Taliban have been trying to capture Panjshir for quite some time. But Taliban militants are constantly being challenged here by northern alliance fighters. Meanwhile, the Taliban claimed to have captured Panjsheer.

However, the Northern Alliance has denied the claim. It was the Northern Alliance that disclosed the assistance being provided by Pakistan. The Northern Alliance had earlier appealed for a ceasefire but was rejected by the Taliban. However, the Taliban also said it wants to discuss and resolve any issue.

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Tehran: In a statement on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said that Iran will support the people of Afghanistan from "possible attempts of foreign dominating powers to create insecurity and instability.

On behalf of the Iranian nation, Qalibaf called for the preservation of the rights of people of "all races, languages, and religions," and the establishment of universal and lasting security in Afghanistan, it said. "Whatever the Afghan people want is what Iran wants, and we are hopeful and sensitive regarding the future of our dear neighbor," Qalibaf said in a speech in the chamber on Sunday.

The recent flight of Afghanistan officials which Qalibaf described as "US puppets" and the smooth deployment of the Taliban across the country, he added, are the result of the Afghan people's "widespread discontent" with 20 years of US occupation. Earlier on August 28,

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had vowed Iran's support for the people of Afghanistan, adding that Iran's policy regarding the Afghan government will depend on Kabul's approach towards Iran.

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Kathmandu: Recently, some Communist leaders in Nepal were found involved in incidents of blowing up an effigy of Indian PM Narendra Modi and shouting slogans against him due to the death of a Nepali youth who was illegally entering India. Nepal's home ministry has issued a statement warning such leaders and citizens. The Nepal government termed such acts as derogatory and said Nepal wants to be friends with India and will not tolerate such incidents.

The entire case relates to the death of Nepali youth Jai Singh Dhami, who was trying to enter India at Gasku in Dharchula in July. However, he died after falling into the Kali river adjoining the Pithoragarh border district of Uttarakhand. Now, protesters in Nepal allege that SSB is responsible for the death of the youth. They are alleging that when Jai Singh Dhami was crossing the river through a wire, the SSB cut the wire. However, SSB has denied the allegation. Among the protesters are those from the Youth Wing and the Student Wing of the Communist Party in power.

In a statement on the same incident, Nepal's Home Ministry said that in the last few days, activities like sloganeering, dharna demonstrations have come to light to malign the image of the PM of the neighbouring friendly nation. The ministry's statement does not reveal the identity of any leader's statement. But such incidents have been termed as condemnable and shameful.

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Hyderabad: Due to poor drainage system in Dammaiguda, flood like situation arises
Kabul: The Taliban claimed on Monday that it has captured Afghanistan's Panjsheer Valley. There was a war between the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan and the Taliban. Meanwhile, it is alleged that Pakistan Air Force has assisted the Taliban in Panjsheer Valley. Pakistan dropped bombs here with drone strikes, which helped the Taliban succeed. According to former Samangan MP Zia Arianzad, Pakistan has set smart bombs in Panjsheer through drones.

This led to the killing of Ahmad Masood's spokesman Fahim Dasti Panjshir, who was leading the war against the Taliban, during the war with the Taliban. Along with Fahim, Ahmed Shah Masood's nephew and former chief Mujahideen commander General Sahib Abdul Wadood Zor were also killed in the war. The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, in its Facebook page, explained the death of the duo and wrote, "With deep touch and regret, we lost two dear brothers and allies and fighters today. Fahim Dasti, head of Aamir Saheb Ahmad Masood's office, and General Saheb Abdul Wadood Zor, nephew of Afghanistan's national hero, in the war against the fascist group. Congratulations on your martyrdom!"

Afghan journalist Freud Bejan also tweeted that Fahim Dasti was killed in Panjshir. Last month, Fahim Dasti had said that the resistance forces in Panjshir were fighting against the Taliban not only for the province but also for Afghanistan. "We are fighting not just for one province but for the whole of Afghanistan," he said. We are concerned about the rights of Afghans, women, minorities. The Taliban will have to assure equality and rights. "

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Chhattisgarh: Mob thrashes 'pastor' in the police station, Know why
NEW DELHI: The Taliban have nominated Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund as the new head of state, according to senior leaders, as per news report. They said the new government was likely to be installed on Wednesday, "or may get delayed for a few more days", The News International reported.

Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund is currently the head of the Taliban's powerful decision-making body, Rehbari Shura or leadership council. He belongs to Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, and was among the founders of the armed movement, the report added.

A senior Taliban leaders statement on the appointment read as follows: "Ameerul Momineen Sheikh Hibatullah Akhunzada had himself proposed Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund as Raees-e-Jamhoor or the new head state of Afghanistan. Mullah Baradar Akhund and Mullah Abdus Salam will work as his deputy.,"

" Hasan Akhund worked for 20 years as head of Rehbari Shura and earned himself a very good reputation. He was foreign minister and then made deputy prime minister when Mullah Mohammad Rabbani Akhund was the prime minister He is a religious leader rather than a military background and is known for his character and devotion," said another Taliban leader.

Islamic militants attack Iraq checkpoint, 13 policemen killed

Northern Alliance launches gorilla war against Taliban

Nepal warns protesters not to burn effigy of PM Narendra Modi
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Africa Diesel Generator Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Power Rating (Up to 100 kVA, 100-350 kVA, 350-750 kVA, 750-1000 kVA, 1000-2000 kVA, 2000-3000 kVA, Above 3000 kVA), By End Use, By Country, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028

New York, Sept. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Africa Diesel Generator Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Power Rating, By End Use, By Country And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06134860/?utm_source=GNW



Africa Diesel Generator Market Growth & Trends



The Africa diesel generator market size is expected to reach USD 8.36 billion by 2028. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2021 to 2028. The rise in demand for these products is being witnessed with the easing of lockdown restrictions in countries in Africa, which will increase the demand for diesel generators from this power range over the forecast period.



Above 3,000 kVA diesel generators are mainly utilized by large-scale industries involved in metal production, food and beverages, mining, and automobile manufacturing. Major vendors such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and Caterpillar provide diesel generators in this power rating range which are capable of providing emergency power supply and continuous power supply in case of unexpected power outages.



The banking sector came under the essential category during the pandemic, which resulted in the normal operation of banks in countries of the African region. However, construction of new banks and renovation in existing banks was on hold in the majority of the countries owing to restrictions on construction activities during the pandemic and fund diversion by banks to financially sustain the pandemic.



Diesel generators in tourism sectors are utilized in hotels and resorts.Diesel generators are majorly utilized for providing backup power supply in case of short or longer-duration power outages.



However, diesel generators also account to be a source of continuous power supply in tourist places which has no access to grid power. Hotel owners generally opt for diesel generators over other backup power supply options owing to low capital cost and easy availability of diesel.



However, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a reduction in demand from this power range due to the closure of automobile manufacturing, mining, and construction activities as per the mandate of lockdown imposed in various countries.The rise in demand for medical equipment such as ventilators and necessary medicines has resulted in high demand for diesel generators from the pharmaceutical and medical equipment manufacturing industries.



Additionally, the lifting of lockdown in various countries has resulted in starting of industrial activities which are expected to boost the growth of this power segment over the forecast period.



Africa Diesel Generator Market Report Highlights

 In terms of revenue, the up to 100 KVA segment accounted for a prominent share in the market in 2020 and is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period

 The up to 100 KVA power rating segment dominated the market and accounted for more than 57.50% of the revenue share in 2020

 In 2020, South Africa accounted for more than 16% revenue share in the overall market. The government is taking various structural reforms to facilitate growth in the country over the forecast period

 An increase in urbanization in the country has driven water management and demand for housing projects in Algeria. Further, the government has set a goal to build around 55 new dams in the country by 2030 for achieving a water storage capacity of around 12 billion cubic meters

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06134860/?utm_source=GNW



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ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




Key Prominent Players Covered in the Automotive V2X Market Research Report Are Denso Corporation, Aptiv, Infineon Technologies AG, Continental AG, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., Autotalks Ltd., Cohda Wireless, Kapsch TrafficCom, Savari Inc., Lear Corporation, LG Electronics, Ford Motor Company, Robert Bosch GmbH, NXP Semiconductors, Harman International

Pune, India, Sept. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global automotive V2X market size is anticipated to hit USD 7,351.9 million by 2028 from USD 628.9 million in 2021 and exhibit a CAGR of 42.1% during the forecast period. Automotive vehicle-to-everything enables vehicle-to-vehicle communication in real-time and enables vehicles to communicate with their surroundings. The growing demand for autonomous vehicles and the increasing digitization of vehicles are anticipated to fuel the market growth. Fortune Business Insights has presented this information in its report titled, Automotive V2X Market, 2021-2028. The market size stood at USD 529.6 million in 2020.

Automotive V2X technology can detect congestion-causing factors and help vehicles to mitigate the congestion on the road. The technology can help in the reduction of supply chain delays by detecting road blockages. This will facilitate more efficient transportation and increase economic savings. The economic savings owing to V2X technology are likely to accumulate growth for the market.

Significant Industry Developments of the Automotive V2X Market Include:

November 2020: Subaru Corporation and Softbank Corp. successfully verified the world's first on-site merging vehicle assistance that uses Cellular V2X and 5G.





Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/automotive-v2x-market-103320





Increased Traffic Safety Benefits to Accumulate Growth for the Market

According to the report published by WHO in 2018 on road safety, more than 1.3 million fatalities occur every year due to vehicular traffic-related incidents. The V2X technology can help reduce these numbers as the technology can detect any potential threat and alert the driver accordingly. The increased traffic safety benefits through the employment of this technology are likely to boost the automotive V2X market growth.

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V2X technology can detect any congestion on the road and alert the driver to act accordingly. This increases the economic savings and makes the transportation system more efficient. As per the U.S. DOT, approximately USD 871 billion can be saved in the U.S. using this technology. Hence, the economic savings gained through the technology are anticipated to boost the growth of the market.

Additionally, the increasing digitization of vehicles and the increasing investments to make vehicles smarter are expected to fuel the market growth. However, the technology's high setup and testing costs are likely to impede the growth of the market.





Click here to get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this market.

Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/automotive-v2x-market-103320





Asia Pacific to Gain the Largest Share due to the Increasing Demand for Autonomous Vehicles

Asia Pacific is anticipated to hold the largest portion of the automotive V2X market share. China and Japan are projected to lead the technology development in Asia Pacific. The increasing demand for autonomous vehicles and the development of efficient V2X technology is anticipated to drive the market growth.

Europe is expected to exhibit stellar growth in the global market due to the increased research initiatives, collaborative testing, and industrial consortiums for V2X communication. The development of intelligent transport systems and the implementation of these systems is expected to fuel market growth.

North America is projected to witness robust growth in the upcoming years due to major automakers' escalating deployment of the technology.





Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/queries/automotive-v2x-market-103320





List of Manufacturers in the Automotive V2X Market include:

Denso Corporation

Aptiv

Infineon Technologies AG

Continental AG

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Autotalks Ltd.

Cohda Wireless

Kapsch TrafficCom

Savari Inc.

Lear Corporation

LG Electronics

Ford Motor Company

Robert Bosch GmbH

NXP Semiconductors

Harman International





Get your Customized Research Report:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/automotive-v2x-market-103320





SECONDARY RESEARCH IS CONDUCTED TO DERIVE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

Details such as revenues, market share, strategies, growth rate, product & their pricing by region/country for all major companies

Details in relation to prevalence, incidence, patient numbers, distribution of patients, average price of treatment, etc.

Number of end user facilities by region/country and average annual spending or procurement of devices by type of end user facility

Number of procedures and average price of procedures

Replacement rate and pricing of capital equipment

Market dynamics in relation to the market under focus  Drivers, restraints, trends, and opportunities

Market & technological trends, new product developments, product pipeline.





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Our reports contain a unique mix of tangible insights and qualitative analysis to help companies achieve sustainable growth. Our team of experienced analysts and consultants use industry-leading research tools and techniques to compile comprehensive market studies, interspersed with relevant data.

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NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESSWIRE / September 5, 2021 / Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, the former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors with losses in excess of $1,150,000 that they have until September 7, 2021 to file lead plaintiff applications in securities class action lawsuits against DiDi Global Inc. ("DiDi" or the "Company") (NYSE:DIDI), if they purchased the Company's securities between June 30, 2021 and July 21, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period") and/or pursuant to the Company's June 2021 initial public offering. These actions are pending in the United States District Courts for the Central District of California and Southern District of New York.

What You May Do

If you purchased securities of DiDi and would like to discuss your legal rights and how these cases might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-didi/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in these class actions by overseeing lead counsel with the goal of obtaining a fair and just resolution, you must request this position by application to the Court by September 7, 2021 .

About the Lawsuits

DiDi and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period and/or in the Registration Statement and Prospectus issued in conjunction with the initial public offering, violating federal securities laws.

On July 2, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China ("CAC") stated that it had launched a cybersecurity investigation into the Company to protect against potential risks to national security and the public interest, also requiring the Company to halt new user registrations during the review period. On this news, the Company's share price fell $0.87, or approximately 5.3%, to close at $15.53 per share on July 2, 2021, on unusually heavy trading volume.

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Then, on July 4, 2021, the Company disclosed that the CAC had ordered the removal of its smartphone app from online app stores because it "had the problem of collecting personal information in violation of relevant PRC laws and regulations," and that the takedown "may have an adverse impact on its revenue in China." Then, on July 5, 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported that the CAC had requested that the Company delay its initial public offering and urged it to review its network security weeks before its IPO.

On this news, the Company's stock price fell $3.04 per share, or 19.6%, to close at $12.49 per share on July 6, 2021, on unusually heavy trading volume.

The first-filed cases, filed on the same day, are Espinal v. DiDi Global Inc., et al., 21-cv-05807 (S.D.N.Y.) and Franklin v. DiDi Global Inc., et al., 21-cv-5486 (C.D. Cal).

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking to recover investment losses due to corporate fraud and malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.



Contact:

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner

lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com

1-877-515-1850

1100 Poydras St., Suite 3200

New Orleans, LA 70163

SOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/662850/Didi-Global-48-Hour-Deadline-Alert-Former-Louisiana-Attorney-General-and-Kahn-Swick-Foti-LLC-Remind-Investors-of-Deadline-in-Class-Action-Lawsuits-against-Didi-Global-INC--DIDI




Europe Gamma Butyrolactone Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Purity (Industrial, Electric Capacitance), By Application (Electrical, Petroleum, Pharmaceutical), By Country, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028

New York, Sept. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Europe Gamma Butyrolactone Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Purity, By Application, By Country And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06134861/?utm_source=GNW



Europe Gamma Butyrolactone Market Growth & Trends



The Europe gamma butyrolactone market size is expected to reach USD 1.4 billion by 2028. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 2.7% from 2021 to 2028. The market is majorly driven by rising demand for electronic products, organic chemicals, and other major application industries.



The rising demand for semiconductors in television sets, refrigerators, washing machines, Light-emitting Diode (LED) bulbs, and computers and the increasing use of electrical batteries in electric vehicles, mobiles, and flashlights due to surging demand for compact and technologically advanced devices, can provide lucrative opportunities for manufacturers of electric capacitance class gamma butyrolactone during the forecast period.



Gamma butyrolactone demand in France is primarily driven by the growing usage of organic products due to rising awareness about the adverse effects of consuming harmful chemicals. Expanding agricultural sector is likely to boost the demand for agrochemicals, thereby, benefitting the market.



The key raw material suppliers include manufacturers of 1-4 butanediol and catalysts.Globally, butane prices depend on the price trend of crude oil.



Therefore, volatile crude oil prices may result in high fluctuation in butane prices over the forecast period.Petroleum derivatives are highly dependent on crude oil pricing and downstream demand.



Government regulations have an equal impact on the overall profitability of manufacturers of the chemical compound.



The market in this region is dominated by large multinational corporations such as BASF SE, Ashland, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, and LyondellBasell Industries Holdings B.V. Product manufacturers such as Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, LyondellBasell Industries Holdings B.V., BASF SE are involved in selling their products through third-party distributors in Europe.



Europe Gamma Butyrolactone Market Report Highlights

 In terms of revenue, electrical application accounted for the highest share of more than 36.0% in 2020 on account of increasing demand for semiconductors in the manufacture of a variety of goods electronic goods

 As of 2020, France accounted for the highest revenue share of 28.3% due to the growing agricultural sector in the country

 As of 2020, the electric capacitance product segment accounted for the highest revenue share owing to its growing penetration as a solvent in the manufacturing process of semiconductors

 The rising demand for semiconductors in refrigerators, Light-emitting Diode (LED) bulbs, computers, and other technologically advanced devices can provide lucrative opportunities for manufacturers of electric capacitance class gamma butyrolactone

 Growing construction activities in France, Italy, the U.K., and Spain is poised to reflect steady market growth over the coming years

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06134861/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




NEW YORK, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The " Flowmeter Calibration Market by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025 " report has been added to Technavio's offering.

Latest market research report titled Flowmeter Calibration Market by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025 has been announced by Technavio which is proudly partnering with Fortune 500 companies for over 16 years

The flowmeter calibration market is estimated to grow by USD 31.45 million during 2021-2025. However, the growth momentum is expected to decelerate at a CAGR of almost 6% during the forecast period.

Market Dynamics

The market is driven by factors such as the use of calibration to eliminate the uncertainty of flowmeters and the safety guidelines to ensure adherence. However, unreliability issues will hinder growth.

The increasing demand for flowmeters will have a positive impact on the growth of vendors. On the other hand, high downtimes associated with calibration services will challenge growth.

Company Profiles

Some of the companies covered in this report are ABB Ltd., Azbil Corp., Badger Meter Inc., Brooks Instrument LLC, Emerson Electric Co., Fluke Corp., Honeywell International Inc., Schneider Electric SE, Siemens AG, and Yokogawa Electric Corp.

Competitive Analysis

The competitive scenario provided in the flowmeter calibration market report analyzes, evaluates, and positions companies based on various performance indicators. Some of the factors considered for this analysis include the financial performance of companies over the past few years, growth strategies, product innovations, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.

Market Segmentation

By End-user, the market is classified into oil and gas, water and wastewater, mining and minerals, chemical, and others. The market demand from the oil and gas segment will be significant during the forecast period.

By Geography, the market is analyzed across Europe, North America, APAC, MEA, and South America. North America will have the largest share of the market.

Related Reports on Industrials Include:

Global Field Devices Calibration Services Market - Global field devices calibration services market is segmented by end-user (process industries and discrete industries), type (temperature and humidity calibration, electrical calibration, pressure calibration, and mechanical calibration), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA).

Download Exclusive Free Sample Report

Story continues

Global Temperature Calibrators Market - Global temperature calibrators market is segmented by product (benchtop and portable), end-user (OEMs, TPSP, and in-house maintenance team), and geography (Europe, North America, APAC, MEA, and South America).

Download Exclusive Free Sample Report

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2020

Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

Five Forces Analysis

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by End-user

Market segments

Comparison by End-user

Oil and gas - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Water and wastewater - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Mining and minerals - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Chemical - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by End-user

Customer landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Overview

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

ABB Ltd.

Azbil Corp.

Badger Meter Inc.

Brooks Instrument LLC

Emerson Electric Co.

Fluke Corp.

Honeywell International Inc.

Schneider Electric SE

Siemens AG

Yokogawa Electric Corp.

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: media@technavio.com

Website: www.technavio.com/

Report: www.technavio.com/report/flowmeter-calibration-market-industry-analysis

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SOURCE Technavio
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will probably decide by the end of the year how much state aid U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla will receive for its planned battery cell factory near Berlin, an economy ministry spokesperson said on Sunday.

The European Union in January approved a plan that includes giving state aid to Tesla, BMW and others to support production of electric vehicle batteries and help the bloc to reduce imports from industry leader China.

The EU's approval of the 2.9 billion euro ($3.45 billion) European Battery Innovation project, which includes more than 40 companies, follows the launch in 2017 of the European Battery Alliance to support the industry during the shift away from fossil fuels.

Tesla plans to invest 5 billion euros in its battery cell factory at Gruenheide near Berlin to complement its nearly finished electric car factory at the same location, according to estimates from the German economy ministry.

The unusually high investment volume means that the U.S. car manufacturer can count on German state subsidies of 1.14 billion euros, Tagesspiegel newspaper reported on Sunday.

This chimes with a February report by Business Insider, which said Tesla stands to receive at least 1 billion euros in public funding from Germany for setting up its battery cell factory near Berlin.

The economy ministry spokesperson said there was no final sum yet because talks with the carmaker and the European Commission are ongoing, adding that a final decision is likely before the end of the year.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk last month said he hoped the first cars at its planned gigafactory in Gruenheide could be built in October or soon afterwards.

Tesla has pushed back the expected opening of the gigafactory to late 2021, blaming German bureaucratic hurdles. The plant has also faced local resistance because of environmental concerns.

Story continues

Economy Minister Peter Altmaer last Thursday said that carmaker Opel will receive a 437 million euro government grant for its battery cell factory in Kaiserslautern as part of the wider European initiative to create a homegrown battery industry.

($1 = 0.8416 euros)

(Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by David Goodman)
DUBLIN, September 06, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Global Tequila Market 2021-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global tequila market is forecast to witness growth at a CAGR of 4.71% over the forecasted period of 2021-2028.

Factors such as growing preference for premium tequila, the launch of new experimental flavors, and changing perception of tequila owing to its health benefits are driving the market's growth. In recent years, there has been a growing demand for innovative and exotic flavors by consumers. As a result, players are introducing new flavors to meet the growing demand. For instance, Dulce Vida Spirits added a new line of flavored tequilas, including lime and grapefruit.

However, the dependency on the US and Mexico, rising raw material costs, and anti-alcohol campaigns are impeding the tequila market's expansion.

The global tequila market encompasses the regions of North America, the Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. Asia-Pacific is anticipated to witness the fastest growth rate in the tequila market. The rise in population in the region has created several opportunities for vendors. For instance, the wide population base in China and India has the highest potential for spirits and alcohol. Additionally, the surge in disposable income, lifestyle changes, and increasing adoption of western culture are influencing the demand for tequila across the region. Furthermore, premiumization, trade pacts, and rising e-commerce platforms are another set of factors widening the market's growth in the APAC region.

The leading companies in the tequila market include Diageo Plc, Asahi Group Holdings Ltd, E and J Gallo Winery Inc, Constellation Brands, Jose Cuervo, Beam Suntory Inc, Brown Forman Corporation, Tequila Centinela, La Martiniquaise, Pernod Ricard SA, Anheuser Busch Inbev, Bacardi and Co Ltd, Sazerac Company Inc, and Luxco Inc.

Story continues

Bacardi and Co Ltd produces and markets a wide range of spirits and wines. The company provides its products under a portfolio of multiple brands, including Bacardi, Dewar's, Martini, and Grey Goose, among others. It has operations across numerous regions, including Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe, and North America. Additionally, it has over 29 production facilities comprising botting, distilling, and manufacturing. Bacardi is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Global Tequila Market - Summary

2. Industry Outlook

2.1. Impact of Covid-19 on Tequila Market

2.2. Key Insights

2.2.1. Tequila Brands Supporting Women Empowerment

2.2.2. Tequila's Evolution as a Drink

2.3. Porter's Five Forces Analysis

2.4. Market Attractiveness Index

2.5. Vendor Scorecard

2.6. Key Market Strategies

2.7. Market Drivers

2.7.1. Growing Preference for Premium Tequila

2.7.2. Introduction of New Experimental Flavors

2.7.3. Changing Perception of Tequila Due to Health Benefits

2.8. Market Challenges

2.8.1. Over-Reliance on the US and Mexico Due to Concentrated Production

2.8.2. Rising Raw Material Costs

2.8.3. Anti-Alcohol Campaigns

2.9. Market Opportunities

2.9.1. Rising Number of Tequila Startups

2.9.2. Influence of Cristalino Tequila

3. Global Tequila Market Outlook - by Product

4. Global Tequila Market Outlook - by Distributors

5. Global Tequila Market - Regional Outlook

6. Competitive Landscape

6.1. Anheuser Busch Inbev

6.2. Asahi Group Holdings Ltd

6.3. Bacardi and Co Ltd

6.4. Beam Suntory Inc

6.5. Brown Forman Corporation

6.6. Constellation Brands

6.7. Diageo plc

6.8. E and J Gallo Winery Inc

6.9. Jose Cuervo

6.10. La Martiniquaise

6.11. Luxco Inc

6.12. Pernod Ricard Sa

6.13. Sazerac Company Inc

6.14. Tequila Centinela

7. Research Methodology & Scope

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ovuunj

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(Bloomberg) -- A military junta that seized power in Guinea said it plans to establish a unity government pending a transition to civilian rule, urged mining companies to keep operating and reassured them that their existing agreements with the state will be honored.

A government of national unity will be set up to lead the transition, coup leader Colonel Mamady Doumbouya said in an address to members of the toppled administration on Monday. The curfew in mining zones has been lifted to ensure continuity of production, and ports remain open for exports, he said. Air links have also been restored.

Special forces led by Doumbouya seized power on Sunday after detaining President Alpha Conde, whod held power since late 2010. The 83-year-old leader has so far resisted pressure to resign, according to two people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because they arent authorized to speak to the media.

Doumbouya will present himself as the leader of the transition, the people said.

The coup leader has ordered members of a presidential security unit to confine themselves to a barracks outside the capital city of Conakry, and banned former officials from leaving the country. He also instructed the secretaries-general of Guineas ministries to take over the role of ministers, and the governors of the regions to be replaced by military commanders.

There were no signs of unrest in Conakry overnight in response to the military takeover by the junta.

Guinea is a key global supplier of bauxite, an ore thats processed into alumina and then aluminum, which is used in cars and cans. The bulk of the West African nations bauxite exports are sent to smelters in China, the biggest producer of the metal. Guinea shipped 82.4 million tons of the mineral globally last year, according to government data.

China and Russia on Monday joined the United Nations and the U.S. in condemning the coup.

China opposes coup attempts to seize power and calls for the immediate release of President Conde, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters in Beijing on Monday. We hope all parties can be cool headed and exercise restraint, keep in mind the fundamental interests of the nation and people, address the relevant issue through dialog and consultation and safeguard peace and stability in the country.

Story continues

Leaders of two African blocs have also pushed for Condes release. The Economic Community of West African States threatened sanctions against Guinea, while the African Union called for its Peace and Security Council to meet urgently over the matter.

Financial Mismanagement

Condes overthrow was necessary to address financial mismanagement and corruption in Guinea, and the deposed leader is safe and has been in contact with his doctors, Doumbouya said on Sunday.

The coup has upended a decade of stability in Guinea, and will be of concern to other African leaders, according to Eric Humphery-Smith, Africa analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.

While the feeling among many Guineans is jubilation, make no mistake that this is two steps backwards for both the countrys democracy and economy, he said in emailed comments. Recovering what until now was a stable and predictable operating environment is anything but a given.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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DUBLIN, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Neurovascular Devices Market - Forecasts from 2021 to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

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The global neurovascular devices market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.96% over the forecast period to reach a market size of US$3.416 billion in 2026 from US$2.133 billion in 2019. Neurovascular devices are used as an aid in the treatment of various neurovascular disorders such as brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), and carotid artery disease. Growth in the market may be attributed to the upsurge in the number of patients suffering from neurovascular diseases and also rising preference for the minimally invasive devices owing to the quick healing time, fewer complications, and short hospital stay.



Increasing geriatric population



The demand for neurovascular devices is expected to surge due to the rise in the geriatric population, globally. According to the data given by the United Nations, there were around 703 million people, that were aged 65 years or over in the year 2019. The report also stated that the number of older people, worldwide, is expected to double to 1.5 million in the year 2050. An aging population is expected to put significant financial pressure on old-age support systems. During aging, a certain number of factors which include, automatic dysregulation, arterial stiffness, blood-brain barrier, and neurovascular uncoupling are expected to define the dynamics of local perfusion and brain blood flow. The atheromatous disease is a common factor among old age people. With the rise in neurological and neurovascular problems, the demand for neurovascular devices is expected to surge in the coming years.



Rising incidences of the neurovascular diseases to augment the market growth



The increasing population coupled with the rising geriatric population at the risk of neurovascular diseases will boost the market for neurovascular devices during the given time frame. As per the data by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (US), 7.4 million people suffered from a stroke in the US. Unhealthy lifestyles have increased the prevalence of the diseases such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and high blood cholesterol which have further raised the chances of cerebrovascular disorders, thus, boosting the growth of the neurovascular devices market for the treatment of the disorders. Advancement in the field of neurovascular disorder treatment such as the use of embolization for cerebral AVMs and internal carotid artery stenting for intracranial atherosclerotic disease will also bolster the market growth during the forecast period. However, the growth of the market might be restrained due to the high treatment cost and lack of trained professionals.



The Asia Pacific to be a lucrative market for Neurovascular Devices



Geographically, North America is estimated to hold the major share in the neurovascular devices market. The major factors driving the growth of the market in the region are the growing and quick adoption of neurovascular devices coupled with the favorable reimbursement policies. Rising awareness among the population regarding neurovascular devices will also boost the market in the region. Asia-Pacific will present a lucrative opportunity for neurovascular devices owing to the rising patient base suffering from diseases such as stenosis, AVM, and strokes along with the improving healthcare infrastructure. Stroke is a major cause of death in the region. According to the data from the National Centre for Healthcare Quality Management in Neurological Diseases in China and other major institutes, the total death rate in China for cerebrovascular diseases was 149.49 per 100,000, and it accounted for more than 1.5 million deaths in the year 2019. Stroke is also a major concern in India. According to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, stroke has become the fifth major cause of death in the country in 100,000 population. These developments are expected to accelerate the demand for neurovascular devices in the region, in the coming years.

Story continues

Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction



2. Research Methodology



3. Executive Summary



4. Market Dynamics

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis



5. Neurovascular Devices Market Analysis, By Type

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Embolization Devices

5.3. Angioplasty and Stenting Devices

5.4. Neurovascular Access Devices

5.5. Neurothrombectomy Devices



6. Neurovascular Devices Market Analysis, By Applications

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Stenosis

6.3. Arteriovenous Malformation

6.4. Stroke

6.5. Aneurysms

6.6. Others



7. Neurovascular Devices Market Analysis, By End-User

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Hospitals

7.3. Ambulatory Surgical Centers



8. Neurovascular Devices Market Analysis, By Geography

8.1. Introduction

8.2. North America

8.2.1. United States

8.2.2. Canada

8.2.3. Mexico

8.3. South America

8.3.1. Brazil

8.3.2. Argentina

8.3.3. Others

8.4. Europe

8.4.1. UK

8.4.2. France

8.4.3. Germany

8.4.4. Italy

8.4.5. Others

8.5. Middle East and Africa

8.6. Asia Pacific

8.6.1. Japan

8.6.2. China

8.6.3. India

8.6.4. Thailand

8.6.5. Taiwan

8.6.6. Indonesia

8.6.7. Others



9. Competitive Environment and Analysis

9.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

9.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness

9.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations

9.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix



10. Company Profiles

10.1. Penumbra

10.2. MicroVention Inc.

10.3. Stryker

10.4. Evasc Neurovascular Enterprises

10.5. Acandis GmbH

10.6. Memry Corporation

10.7. Phenox GmbH

10.8. Spartan Micro Inc.

10.9. Johnson & Johnson

10.10. Shape Memory Medical Inc.



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/lvjutl

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Cision

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SOURCE Research and Markets
SANTIAGO, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Minera Lumina Copper said on Sunday that it had reached an agreement with workers at its Caserones mine in Chile on a three-year collective contract, ending an almost month-long strike.

Minera Lumina Copper, controlled by Japan's JX Nippon Copper, said in a statement that a deal had been struck with 98% of members of the Lumina workers' union voting in favour of its latest offer, resulting in a contract being signed on Saturday.

"The company values the willingness to engage and reach an responsible agreement that both meets the expectations of workers and ensures that Caserones can be a secure and sustainable operation into the future despite the significant challenges that it faces," the company said in a statement.

Workers at Caserones went on strike at the start of August after collective wage negotiations and government-led mediation foundered.

Copper prices soared to record highs this year, handing unions in Chile and elsewhere additional leverage in labor negotiations with large global miners.

Caserones, a comparatively smaller mine in Chile, produced 126,972 tons of copper in 2020. (Reporting by Aislinn Laing; Editing by Sandra Maler)
North America Rainscreen Cladding Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Raw Materials (Fiber Cement, Composite Material, Terracotta, Ceramics), By Application, By Country, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2028

New York, Sept. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "North America Rainscreen Cladding Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Raw Materials, By Application, By Country And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06134869/?utm_source=GNW



North America Rainscreen Cladding Market Growth & Trends



The North America rainscreen cladding market size is expected to reach USD 54.9 billion by 2028. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.3% from 2020 to 2028. Increasing demand for enhanced moisture management and energy-efficient solutions for commercial buildings are expected to drive the market.



The market growth can also be attributed to the shift in the trend toward protecting exterior walls and the growth in the construction of non-residential buildings, which include offices and institutions. Moreover, the growing demand for single-family and multi-family housing units coupled with increasing trends for energy-saving structures are expected to support the market in the projected time.



Ceramic and composite material panels are widely used in the rainscreen cladding industry.Composite materials are gaining high growth owing to the factors such as high durability, lightweight, and low cost.



Insulation materials are used to provide thermal insulation to the building. Also, the materials provide the moisture control system in the rainscreen cladding structure.



Technological development in the assembly and installation processes by prominent players set a benchmark and heighten the competitive scenario by making it difficult for other players to penetrate the market. However, many players are unable to provide solutions for complex building designs, especially in cases when the manufacturing of cladding is tricky.



North America Rainscreen Cladding Market Report Highlights

 The metal segment is expected to witness a revenue-based CAGR of 7.2% from 2020 to 2028, owing to the products superior fire resistance property and durability

 The office construction application segment dominated the market and accounted for the largest revenue share of 31.3% in 2020. The segment is anticipated to ascend at a CAGR of 6.6% in the projected time

 The U.S. accounted for the largest revenue share of 78.8% in 2020 owing to a wide demand for rainscreen products in office construction and commercial buildings across the country

 The COVID-19 outbreak in Mexico impacted the manufacturing and construction operations in 2020. Moreover, low construction spending in the country has slightly impacted product demand

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06134869/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




Privateum

Privateum

Privateum

Austin, Texas, Sept. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Privateum Initiative (PVM), the only private, secure, global, and sustainable financial crypto platform has successfully listed on its first exchange with its utility token, $PVM. PVM trading started on August 27th on XT.com. Hours later, PVM token soared to 158%, securing a spot among the exchange's top gainers. The listing represented a crucial step forward, with the token's value rising from $0.7402 ending $1.58 with almost 3 million in volume within 24 hours.

We are very pleased with the success of our PVM token first day listing on our first exchange, said Gevorg Airapetian, Co-Founder and CTO of Privateum. We want to thank all our supporters and key partners, Luna PR, Enke Systems, amazing community members, professional team and everyone who believed in our idea, and trusted our experience.

Previously, $PVM, a BEP-20 token developed to support ecosystems development, was only tradable on PancakeSwap and 1inch. However, investors now have more options to buy PVM. PVM quadrupled its price in the last four months. With a market cap of over $130 million, the PVM token is currently trading at $1.69 as of this writing.

It's rare to see a listing go so well, but that was our expectation after partnering with Privateum and understanding what they are capable of. We look forward to watching their success," said Ada Too, Co-Founder at XT.com Exchange.



Privateum Initiative is the only legally protected, secure, and environmentally safe cooperative crypto platform, which developed its utility token to guarantee holders direct access to the private asset management resources, transaction services, and partners business network.



In comparison to certain lobbying structures, banks, and well-known hedge funds, legal entities like cooperative institutions provide multiple advantages such as consolidating the purchasing power of its members, increasing competitiveness, enhancing market presence stability and boosting public advocacy for the protection of financial liberties.



Story continues

As a cooperative ecosystem, Privateum offers a decentralized alternative with global technology and no transaction fees. Audited by Cetik, the platform operates under a consortium blockchain to provide a legal solution of secure and non-traceable private asset management. In this regard, PVM token holders have exclusive access to Privateum's partner ecosystem's private asset management resources, transaction services, and commercial network.



"Our PVM token first-day listing has been a tremendous success for a first exchange listing. I want to express my gratitude to our supporters, community members, and professional team, who believed in our vision and trusted our expertise., said Alex Shtern, Co-Founder and CEO of Privateum. We are proud of our hard work, meticulous architectural decisions, innovative design enhancements, necessary security due diligence, and, most importantly, our dedicated community who supported us towards this significant achievement.



Privateum selected XT exchange due to the demand for a credible exchange aligned with the project's deep technology capabilities, platform security, and stability.

About XT.com

XT.com is a Hong Kong-based company that was founded in July 2018. Quickly becoming a leading currency trading service provider globally, the exchange takes a microservice approach to develop matching engines and ensure operation maintenance to support fast and secure OTC transactions.



XT.com was the first trading platform to provide interest-free leverage, which helped the exchange expand its customer base. Furthermore, the exchange offers a considerably low transaction fee and multi-regional support for languages such as Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, etc. XT.com has a significant presence in over 100 countries and currently serves over 1 million members worldwide.



XT.com is the world's first Social Infused Exchange that provides financial security, a high-performance matching engine, and a community trading model.

About Privateum

The ONLY Private, Secure, Global, and Sustainable FinTech Crypto Platform.



Privateum is an innovative financial crypto platform that brings together legal entities, financial partners and individuals. It provides its members with a secure and private way of exchanging funds, services and goods within its cooperative ecosystem operating on Binance Smart Chain and private Ethereum network.

To know more about Privateum, visit their website, Twitter, Medium, and Telegram.







Media Contacts

Brent Brightwell

Privateum

b.brightwell@privateum.com

https://www.privateum.org/

Disclaimer: All investment strategies and investments involve the risk of loss. Nothing contained in this article should be construed as investment advice. Any reference to an investment's past or potential performance is not, and should not be construed as, a recommendation or as a guarantee of any specific outcome or profit

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LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson will address lawmakers on Monday about Britain's withdrawal from Afghanistan, amid criticism of the handling of the evacuation and failure to predict how quickly the Taliban would sweep through the country.

The United States and Britain withdrew from Afghanistan last month, and Johnson's foreign minister Dominic Raab has admitted that both countries misjudged the Taliban's capacity to seize control. The Taliban took Kabul on Aug. 15.

Johnson has faced stinging criticism from lawmakers for intelligence and leadership failures over the fall of Kabul, and he has admitted that the decision by the United States to withdraw left Britain with little choice but to pull its own forces.

Some who served in Afghanistan have spoken of their anger and grief about what has happened, and Johnson will say that, despite the Taliban's rapid return, the efforts of a 20-year campaign were not in vain.

"Thanks to their efforts, no terrorist attack against this country or any of our Western allies has been launched from Afghanistan for twenty years," Johnson will say in a speech to parliament when it returns from summer recess, according to extracts released by his office.

"They fulfilled the first duty of the British armed forces - to keep our people safe."

Johnson's office said that he would announce an additional 5 million pounds ($6.93 million) in funding for charities that offer support to veterans.

($1 = 0.7213 pounds)

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
We are trying to find a cost-effective solution to provide space while we get through this redevelopment process, she said.

Genworth, one of the Richmond regions largest private employers with about 850 local workers, didnt give a timetable for the redevelopment plans nor any further details, including potential development partners. We look forward to updating our stakeholders in due course, she said.

Genworth is subleasing 88,000 square feet in the eight-story building at 6603 W. Broad St. in Reynolds Crossing, which is across from the headquarters for Altria Group Inc., the parent company of Philip Morris USA. Altria for years had used that building, which was built in 1968 and renovated in 2007.

Genworth didnt say how long it would sublease that space.

Genworth had planned to reopen its offices on Sept. 7, but said in early August that plan had been pushed back until at least October because of the rapid spread of the more contagious delta variant of the COVID-19 virus.

The company continues to monitor local COVID-19 trends and has not yet identified an opening date for the Reynolds Crossing space, Rein said.
But the nearby 23rd United States Colored Infantry hurried forward to Catharpin Roads intersection with Orange Plank Road, skirmished with the rebels and forced Rosser to withdraw.

The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, also known as the Battle of Spotsylvania, was the second major battle in Grants 1864 Overland Campaign, which led 11 months later to the surrender of Lees Army of Northern Virginia in the village of Appomattox Courthouse.

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The Spotsylvania combatthe costliest battle of the campaigninflicted nearly 32,000 casualties on the two armies.

It followed the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness in Orange and Spotsylvania counties. Grants army disengaged from Lees army and headed southeast, where Grant tried to lure Lee into battle under more favorable conditions.

Elements of Lees army outpaced the Union army to the critical crossroads of Spotsylvania Court House, where Lees forces began entrenching, the Department of Historic Resources said. Fighting occurred on and off from May 8 through May 21, 1864, as Grant tried various schemes to break the Confederate line.
AMSTERDAM (AP)  The European Union's drug regulator said Monday that it has started an expedited evaluation on whether to recommend a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech.

The European Medicines Agency said in a statement that it's considering whether a third dose of the vaccine should be given six months after people age 16 and older have received two doses, to restore protection after it has waned.

EMAs experts are carrying out an accelerated assessment of data submitted by Pfizer and BioNTech, including results from an ongoing trial in which about 300 healthy adults received a booster shot about six months after their second dose.

Pfizer has already submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administer for authorization of a third dose and the U.S. government said last month that boosters would likely be available in late September. Israel has already started administering booster doses and similar plans are under consideration in other countries for vulnerable populations, including Britain, France and Germany.
PLATTSMOUTH  The Cass County Sheriffs Office is asking the public for any information on the whereabouts of a Buccaneer Bay resident last seen on Friday afternoon.

According to Sheriff William Brueggemann, deputies from his department at around 10 a.m. on Saturday responded to a report of a missing person, identified as John Zarkowski, 72, who lives on Ridgeway Road.

A family member said that Zarkowski was last seen on Friday around 4:30 p.m. at that residence.

It is believed Zarkowski left that residence in the early morning hours of Saturday driving a 2018 White Chevrolet Tahoe, Nebraska license plate 20T188, according to Brueggemann.

Clothing description of Zarkowski is unknown, but its believed he is shoeless and without his phone and wallet, according to Brueggemann.

A search of the area was conducted and a statewide broadcast was issued, the sheriff said.

On Sunday, various agencies, including Cass County Emergency Management and the Plattsmouth Volunteer Fire Department, along with volunteers, were organized and the search area was broadened, the sheriff said.

Zarkowski is a white male listed as 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, with gray hair and blue eyes.

Please forward any information to the Cass County Sheriffs Office at (402) 296-9370.

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Data from both Bryan and the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department show that about 20% of recent COVID deaths are among vaccinated patients.

As of Thursday, Lancaster County had reported 30 deaths since Aug. 1, six of whom were vaccinated. Bryan had 40 deaths in August, eight of whom were vaccinated, Trapp said.

However, he said there is a definite trend with deaths among the vaccinated. They are older, and they often have serious underlying health conditions.

For example, Trapp said, the average overall age of Bryan's 40 August COVID deaths was 64, but the average age of the eight vaccinated people who died was 77.

At the same time, he said the number of young unvaccinated patients that Bryan is seeing is concerning, with people in their 40s, 30s and even 20s being hospitalized.

"It's really critical, critical illness," Trapp said. "That's making it hard on the nurses, that they're so young, and it's making it hard on the critical care team."

It's also making it hard on the hospital, because younger patients tend to want more aggressive treatment when it's needed, such as ventilators, in the hopes of getting better, he said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Doha on September 6 for Afghan crisis talks and to thank Qatar's leaders for their help so far and work to ensure more evacuations from Afghanistan.

Qatar has played a key role in the evacuation of Americans and Afghans in a massive airlift that was the final act of the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan. A U.S. military base in Qatar was the first stop for about half the people flown out on U.S. military planes after the Taliban seized power on August 15.



Its capital, Doha, is where the United States has set up its diplomatic operations for Afghanistan and where Afghans who worked for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul await transfer to the United States along with thousands of others.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was also scheduled to travel to Doha, where he and Blinken were expected to engage in talks reportedly aimed at getting trapped Americans out of Afghanistan.



Neither Blinken nor Austin was expected to meet with members of the Taliban, which also has a diplomatic mission in Doha.

An unnamed official traveling with the U.S. delegation told Reuters that the first four Americans since the declared end of the withdrawal on August 30 had been evacuated from Afghanistan, adding that "the Taliban did not impede them."

The official said the four marked "the first overland evacuation facilitated by the State Department" since the Taliban takeover.

More than 100 Americans, and possibly hundreds, were said to remain.

The founder of a small U.S. NGO active in Afghanistan complained on September 6 that between 600 and 1,300 people, including girls from her group, were still waiting near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif, some of them for up to a week.



Marina LeGree said those stranded individuals included 19 Americans, although none were from her group.



"It's been seven days and nothing's moving," LeGree told AFP. She said six chartered planes were waiting to evacuate what some have dubbed "the NGO group."



"The Taliban are simply not letting anything move," LeGree said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson meanwhile declined to say in an address to parliament how many British-Afghan nationals remained in Afghanistan.

But he acknowledged 311 Afghans who worked as interpreters or other functions still there who are eligible for the U.K.'s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and said "we will do everything we can to ensure that those people get the safe passage that they deserve."

Blinken was also expected to visit diplomats, troops, and other U.S. government employees in Doha "who are doing truly heroic work around the clock to keep this process moving forward as quickly and humanely as possible."

Blinken plans to fly to Germany after his stop in Doha.

Austin is making a wider visit to the Gulf region taking in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

Blinken, who spoke at a briefing at the State Department on September 3, said the U.S. government continues to "maintain channels of communication with the Taliban on issues that are important us, starting with the commitment to let people leave Afghanistan should they choose to do so."

The United States has pledged to continue efforts to see that they are able to get out either on flights or over land and has said the Taliban's pledge to allow freedom of travel will be closely watched.



Blinken told reporters he had not seen anything final on the details of the Taliban's government and declined to comment specifically about it, but he said the United States expects "inclusivity" and a government that "makes good on commitments that the Taliban have made," especially regarding freedom of travel.



He stressed that while the make-up of the Afghan government under the Taliban was important to Washington, it is more important what the government does.



He noted that the Taliban is seeking sanctions relief and the ability for its leaders to travel freely, and it would be hard to see how the group would get that it fails to uphold its own pledge on freedom of travel.



"We're in very, very active coordination with like-minded countries around the world so that we're all -- we continue to work together and use the leverage and influence we have to hold the Taliban to the commitments it's made," he added.



Blinken will travel from Qatar to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, which is a temporary home for thousands of Afghans who are in the process of immigrating to the United States.

Blinken and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas are scheduled to co-host a virtual ministerial meeting on Afghanistan while in Germany. All 20 nations expected to participate have a stake in relocating and resettling Afghans.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
KABUL -- The Taliban has imposed a new dress code and gender segregation for women at private universities and colleges in Afghanistan, in line with a decree issued to educational institutions and obtained by RFE/RL.



All female students, teachers, and staff must wear an Islamic abaya robe and niqab that covers the hair, body, and most of the face, according to the extensive document issued by the Taliban-run Education Ministry on September 5. The garments must be black, the text added, and women must also wear gloves to ensure their hands are covered.



Classes must also be segregated by gender -- or at least divided by a curtain -- according to the order, which added that female students must be taught only by other women. But it added, though, that "elderly men" of good character could fill in if there were no female teachers.



Since seizing power after the collapse of the internationally recognized government in Kabul last month, the Taliban has said "women and girls will have all their rights within Islam."



The militants have attempted to project a more moderate image and reassure Afghans and the world that it has changed. During its brutal regime from 1996-2001, the Taliban oppressed women and severely restricted girls education.



But the Talibans new rules -- which came into effect on September 6 as private universities reopened -- highlight how women's lives are set to dramatically change under the rule of the hard-line Islamist group after the gains of the past 20 years.



'Clear Sign Of Repression'



The new changes like gender segregation in schools and universities are clearly creating more fear and a culture of discrimination against women and girls, said Samira Hamidi, an exiled womens rights activist who fled Afghanistan due to threats by the Taliban.



Women wearing black veils do not represent Afghan culture, she added. It is a clear sign of repression in the life of women and girls."



Before the Talibans return to power, Afghan women studied alongside men and attended classes with male teachers. There was also no dress code that forced women to cover themselves.

WATCH: Taliban Militants Use Tear Gas, Fire Warning Shots As Women Demand Equal Rights

But women are now confronted with a new, harsher reality.



Photos widely shared by Afghans on social media showed men and women at Ibn Sina University, a private institution in Kabul, separated in classes by a curtain. Many of the women pictured wore black robes and hijabs, although their faces were visible -- an apparent violation of the new dress code.

According to the decree issued by the Taliban, women should wear an abaya, the figure-shrouding outer garment, and niqab, a cloth that covers the face except for the eyes.



Maryam, a woman from the southeastern city of Khost, told Radio Azadi that many women were ready to wear a hijab, which covers the head. But she said the all-encompassing niqab or burqa would not be acceptable to Afghan women.

'Good Behavior'



The Taliban also imposed the wearing of burqas in the 1990s.



The Talibans decree also said men and women should use separate entrances and exits at universities and colleges.



"Universities are required to recruit female teachers for female students based on their facilities," the document said.



If it is not possible to employ female teachers, then institutions "should try to hire elderly men teachers who have a record of good behavior."

WATCH: Afghan Women Speak About Taliban Rule On Radio Azadi Call-In Show

While women must study separately, they are also required to finish their classes five minutes earlier than men to stop them from meeting outside.



The documents also stipulates that women must remain in waiting rooms until their male classmates have left the building.



Despite the new restrictions, the Taliban permitting education for women is a positive, said 18-year-old Salgy Baran, who received the highest score in Afghanistan on her university entrance exams this year.



The Taliban must deliver on what they promise, she told Radio Azadi, referring to the militant groups pledge to protect womens rights, including the right to education. Our university professors must be encouraged and appreciated, and we must be optimistic about the future."



Violating Women's Rights



But others are not convinced that the Taliban has changed and will permit women to exercise their right to education and work.



After the U.S.-led invasion, university admission rates soared in Afghanistan, particularly among women. Millions of girls of all ages also flocked back to school, though the gains in female education were mainly restricted to the cities.



Women also played a role in public life as ministers, members of parliament, and provincial officials. They also had the right to vote and work outside their homes.



When it previously controlled Afghanistan from 1996-2001, the Taliban forced women to cover themselves from head to toe, banned them from working outside the home, limited education only to pre-adolescent girls, and required women to be accompanied by a male relative if they left their homes.

The Taliban has, thus far, reimposed many of the same repressive laws and retrograde policies that defined its extremist former rule.



In Kabul, the Taliban has advised women to largely remain indoors. The militants have dismissed female journalists working for state-run television. The Taliban has also ordered many former female government workers not to return to work even as their male colleagues went back. Many girls schools have also remained shut in the capital.



Scores of women have staged protests in Kabul, the western city of Herat, and the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif in recent days, demanding equal rights.



Protest organizers said Taliban militants violently dispersed a crowd of women who had taken to the streets of Mazar-e Sharif on September 6 to call for their rights to be preserved and their inclusion in the new government.



Dozens of women held placards with slogans such as Violation of womens rights = Violation of humans rights and We want political participation at all levels, according to photos shared on social media.
Javier Baez went 4 for 4 with a home run, Kevin Pillar hit a grand slam that capped a game-sealing, six-run ninth inning, and the New York Mets withstood another rally from the Washington Nationals to earn a 13-6 victory
Pikes Peak region and Colorado Springs-area hikers need not travel far to catch Colorado's signature aspen displays in the fall. Here are some favorites:

Seven Bridges

The Seven Bridges trail, a little more than 1 miles one way, follows North Cheyenne Creek through a shady forest. Once youve reached the seventh bridge, you can continue on to reach Jones Park, where youll find aspen-filled meadows.

If you go: Park atop North Cheyenne Canon Park, above Helen Hunt Falls. The trail, marked No. 622, starts a little more than a half-mile west of the parking lot.

The Crags

The beautiful rock formations of The Crags for which this trail is named arent the only reason to bring your camera. The roughly 4-mile round-trip hike offers stunning views of Pikes Peak, distant mountain ranges and colorful foliage aplenty.

If you go: Heading south on Colorado 67 from U.S. 24, be on the lookout for the sign pointing to the dirt track on your left.

Mueller State Park

Check out the parks 55 miles of trails and upward of 5,000 acres of meadows and forests. For the best aspen views, hike the 5-mile Cheesman Ranch Loop.

cheesman 5.JPG Pikes Peak looms in view between the aspen trees on a perfect fall day along the Cheesman Ranch loop.

If you go: Head south on Colorado 67 from U.S. 24 and turn right into the park. Daily admission is $9 per vehicle. No dogs.

Cheyenne Mountain State Park

Another sprawling state park, with a spectacular new destination to behold. Should you take on the 15-mile round-trip trek up Dixon Trail to the top of the mountain, youll be rewarded with a seemingly endless aspen grove. Much gentler options are the Blackmer and Sundance loops.

If you go: Take Colorado 115 south past South Academy Boulevard and turn right into the park. Daily admission is $9 per vehicle. No dogs.

Lovell Gulch

Woodland Park residents are spoiled by this 5-mile loop of Lovell Gulch, starting pretty much right from town. The trail meanders tranquil meadows and rises to spectacular views of Pikes Peak. Aspens accompany you the whole way.

If you go: Going west on U.S. 24 through Woodland Park, turn right on Baldwin Street at the McDonalds. Continue straight until the city maintenance buildings; turn left for the trailhead parking lot.

Catamount Ranch Open Space

This Teller County preserve is a slice of paradise at the end of Edlowe Road, the left turn going west on U.S. 24. Explorers have multiple loop options, including a route to North Catamount Reservoir. At last visit, we leaf-peeped along Elder-Fehn Trail, making it an out-and-back trip of about 6 miles.

If you go: Going west on U.S. 24 through Woodland Park, before reaching Divide, see the left turn for Edlowe Road (also County Road 28). The pavement ends at the open spaces dirt parking lot.

Rainbow Gulch

Reached off Rampart Road, Rainbow Gulch is an easy 4-mile out-and-back trail high in Pike National Forest  with added mileage if you decide to continue on the shores of Rampart Reservoir.

If you go: In Woodland Park, turn north onto Baldwin Street at McDonalds. After about 3 miles, turn right onto Loy Creek Road. After 1 miles, turn right onto Rampart Range Road. In 2 miles, see the trailhead and parking area to your left.

Lost Creek Wilderness Area

For something more adventurous, set a course to Lost Creek and the Springs nearest wilderness area. The drive alone will leave you breathless. Then there are the trails splashed in aspen. The Goose Creek trailhead is a good launch point.

If you go: On U.S. 24 west, continue through Florissant and Lake George. Turn right onto County Road 77. After about 7 miles, turn right onto Matukat Road, which becomes Forest Road 77, which becomes Forest Road 211. Another 11 miles to trailhead. High-clearance/four-wheel drive vehicle recommended but not required.
A Gazette investigation shows an increasing number of soldiers, including wounded combat veterans, are being kicked out of the service for misconduct, often with no benefits, as the Army downsizes after a decade of war.
El Paso County Search and Rescue, along with the Sheriff's Office and members of the Colorado Springs Fire Department, were at Rampart Reservoir on Sunday searching for a possible missing paddle boarder.

Initial calls were received after a witness said they saw a paddle boarder go under water. According to the witness, the person did not resurface.

Firefighters, deputies and El Paso County Search and Rescue were on scene, and the reservoir is closed. CSFD heavy rescue drivers were in the water searching for the missing person.

Read more at kktv.com.
When it comes to water, you can call Brian Jackson immersed, from the swamps and vast nameless bayous of southern Louisiana to the babbling waters of Clear Creek near his home in the town where he grew up.
He had another embolization on Sept. 10, 2019, followed by surgery the next day. This time the doctors cut under his upper lip and went under the cheek muscle and through his nose to his brain to successfully remove the tumor.

I believe in prayer, Raines said at the time. Going into the surgery, they said more than likely there would be eye damage and to be prepared for a spinal leak. The roof of his mouth and left side of his face might never have any feeling again.

But everything was good. He had 20/20 vision, and you couldnt tell he had a tumor on his optic nerve.

Walker didnt even have to use planned radiation pills because the surgeons got all of the tumor.

Although there were a few bumps along the road in his recovery, such as an infection, he remained upbeat at that time and said then, I am so used to being in the hospital that I am not afraid anymore. Ive had so many IVs I cant remember them.

Community support

During that time, the family received an abundance of community support, including fundraisers by both Galileo and George Washington high schools and through Facebook.
No date has been scheduled for a hearing on Mountain Valleys request for an injunction that would keep protesters away from its blasting sites. The subpoenas to Facebook demand that the social media giant produce the requested information by Sept. 17.

When someone sets up a page on Facebook, they are given the option of whether or not they want to be publicly identified or not. Appalachians Against Pipelines chose the latter, it said.

Usually when a subpoena is issued, Facebook will inform administrators of its pages, Schwartz said. It is then up to the individuals to challenge the subpoena.

One administrator of the Facebook page had not heard anything from the company by Friday, a spokesperson for the group said. Facebook had not responded by Friday evening to two emails sent by The Roanoke Times.

Appalachians Against Pipelines has been a vocal critic of the pipeline, which has come under fierce fire for its use of eminent domain to take private property, failures to control muddy runoff from construction sites, and contribution to climate change.
Delaney Armenti and Heaven Turner, both students at Sweet Briar College, made the trip to attend the rally because they were disturbed when they saw online what had happened to Harper.

I think for me personally, being a person of color and going to predominantly white schools, I feel this oppression  so when we get opportunities to advocate and stand up, and any moment we can get, we should rise above and show that the Black community is here to support others, Armenti said.

It's wrong. That's really it. You know, he's a 15-year-old boy and he had his teeth [chipped]. Its wrong, Turner said.

Amber Harper, Tilors mother, said she was encouraged to see so many young people in attendance.
It puts him on the spot, said Bob Holsworth, a longtime political commentator in Richmond who said abortion could become a bigger issue in this governors race than it was in 1989, when Democrat Doug Wilder used it to defeat Republican Marshall Coleman.

He wont be able to dodge and duck on it any longer, Holsworth said, because the Texas situation will force Youngkin to say exactly what he would do on executive orders and legislation he would support on the issue.

Youngkin, who throughout the summer had been elusive about how exactly he would wield the power of the governors office, is now headlining his campaign with an ambitious plan for tax cuts, including a tax rebate of $300 per person and $600 per couple. Its unclear if the plan is politically or financially feasible, but it could nevertheless prove attractive to middle-class voters.

He also has pitched a proposal to limit local real estate property tax increases that Holsworth said could have the same appeal to suburban voters as Republican Jim Gilmores no car tax pledge did in 1997, when he defeated Lt. Gov. Don Beyer in the governors race.

Its the no car tax pledge of 2021, Holsworth said, and he is hoping to appeal to suburbanites who are ticked off about rising [property] assessments.
Can we first just say how bizarre it is?

Yes, its invasive, and hypocritical, too, and well get to that soon enough. But first, let us spare a moment for how purely, intensely and prodigiously strange it is.

As youve likely heard, Texas new anti-abortion law, which the Supreme Court refused to block on Wednesday night, bars termination of pregnancy after six weeks  long before a woman generally even knows shes carrying  with no exception for incest or rape. But it imposes no criminal sanctions.

Rather, it deputizes ordinary citizens into a statewide anti-abortion posse. Henceforward, if Joe suspects someone has in any way helped a woman end a pregnancy, he can sue that person for $10,000. Doesnt matter if Joe knows the woman or has any connection whatsoever. If Joe thinks a doctor performed an abortion, or a boyfriend paid for an abortion, or a neighbor simply gave a woman a ride to get an abortion, Joe can sue them  though not the woman herself  for 10,000 bucks.

Thus does Texas become a surveillance state. Thus is the right to privacy trampled into the mud. Thus is a womans bodily autonomy, a right enshrined into law in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, betrayed.
Large swells, minor flooding and life-threatening rip currents from Hurricane Larry are threatening the North Carolina coast which began Monday morning.

The National Hurricane Center is tracking the Category 3 storm as it approaches Bermuda. Though it is not expected to make landfall in the United States, Larry is powerful enough that it will be felt along the East Coast.

Hurricane Larry was 1,065 miles southeast of Bermuda at 5 a.m. Monday morning with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. The storm is expected to pass near the island this week, then change directions to the northeast, toward the North Atlantic.

The National Weather Service has issued weather advisories along the North Carolina coastline.

As of 8 a.m. Monday, rip current advisories were issued for Carteret and Onslow counties, Ocracoke and Hatteras islands and the northern Outer Banks.

In those areas, swells from Hurricane Larry are expected to bring life-threatening rip currents and, beginning Tuesday, rough surf that is expected to peak Thursday and Friday.
The book was commissioned in the memory of Idan Greenstein, a Binghamton University junior from Greensboro majoring in electrical engineering and member of the BU Pep Band. Greenstein came home from New York at the start of the pandemic to quarantine with his parents in Greensboro. He died in Chapel Hill as the result of a motorcycle accident.

His parents wrote the first letter with the help of a scribe more than a year ago. They sat with Klein on Sunday to write the last three, including the twelfth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which is called "lamed" and makes the sound of "l" as in "library."

Steven Greenstein said a prayer and Valerie Greenstein placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Out of something so tragic, something really special," Valerie Greenstein later said.

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Also at the event was Idan Greenstein's niece, who is just a few days old.
It brought up a host of simple, but confusing questions: Why? And why now?

After so many years of political divisions in America, its sometimes difficult to remember how much common ground we share. We all agree that all children deserve access to a high-quality, free education. We all agree that it should prepare students for real life and equip them with tools for success.

We do that at Gate City Charter Academy. Other public schools in Guilford County and across the state can say the same, of course.

If you took the five-mile drive from Gate City to one of the other elementary schools nearby and had the two principals share their goals for their students, theyd likely be similar. They might have different approaches, but ultimately, they want to be able to provide what it takes for students to learn and grow socially, emotionally and intellectually, no matter what it takes. So why is one of these schools being singled out for funding cuts? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

This separate treatment is even more confusing given the policies, procedures and contingency plans that all schools are having to put in place to deal with COVID-19. We need Congress to help us make student and parent lives easier, not harder.
The following Monday the Missoulian recorded that the Spanish flu had infected the post and 25 men had been "quarantined for examination." The disease traveled quickly in wartime, with troops moving easily by train and concentrated in places like Fort Missoula. Montana lost a recorded 4,187 people, then about 1 percent of its population, to the flu.

Maclean adds how churches curtailed services for weeks during the height of the pandemic to protect their congregations, but saloonkeepers, though, kept their doors open until near the end of the pandemic. In the years-long process of developing Home Waters, he had no inkling that history would repeat itself just as the book was coming off the press.

Mixing the lore of his own family with the environmental history of Lewis and Clarks exploration of the Blackfoot and the geology of Glacial Lake Missoula prompted Maclean to call his new book a chronicle rather than a memoir. Its higher purpose, he said, was to encourage readers to protect the places like Montana trout rivers that they love, and prevent them from being loved to death.

Weve got real problems that need unending effort to fix, and we dont have much of that now, Maclean said. If someones encouraged by reading Home Waters to help preserve this, I would consider that an enormous success.

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DECATUR  The Decatur-based Children's Museum of Illinois is set to receive a $200,000 subsidy from the city, offering the institution a lifeline as it attempts to find its footing following the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Decatur City Council will consider an ordinance Tuesday authorizing the use of a portion of the city's American Rescue Plan allocation for the museum.

Most of the nearly $17 million in ARP funds received by the city have been allocated toward major infrastructure and neighborhood revitalization initiatives.

But, as early as June, city officials identified the museum as a possible candidate for federal stimulus funds. Lee Enterprises in March documented the challenges facing children's museums during COVID-19, as they often fell through the cracks when it came to aid programs.

Assistant City Manager Jon Kindseth said the ordinance was "a recognition by the city that, essentially, if we don't step in and give them some funding, then who's going to?"

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"We recognize that the Children's Museum is an important entity for the city of Decatur and for the local economy," Kindseth said. "It is one of the things that draws people here as well as keeps people here. And so the city did not want to see that facility closed because they have no other financial backing."

It's been a challenging 18 months for the museum, which shuttered in mid-March 2020 and reopened in April 2021. But even after opening its doors, attendance has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels, said museum president and CEO Abby Koester.

"People are still hesitant about being out in public, especially with their children," Koester said. "We do have a bunch of restrictions, which some people don't necessarily want to follow, so that kind of limits our numbers too. So we're still in the recovery phase. We're not back to normal like many other industries and other businesses in town."

Koester said the museum is a unique entity. It's a nonprofit but typically relies on admissions and memberships for about 60% of its revenue. This obviously took a hit in 2020, with Koester estimating the total revenue loss at about $350,000. The museum's budget is typically just under $500,000, she said.

The museum received $55,000 from the federal Paycheck Protection Program and a $45,000 Business Interruption Grant from the state. Koester said they have applied for other grants and have also received help from donors.

Koester said the city funds "will help us make sure that we're around for another 30-plus years."

"These funds will really put us on the right track to recovery so that we are in a good place when we finally can recover and we're not still trying to tread water and try to catch our breaths," she said.

Per the agreement with the city, the museum had to submit a plan for long-term financial sustainability and will have to document how the funds are spent.

The interactive museum is geared toward children ages 2 to 10. It opened in 1990. It moved to its current 20,000-square-foot building in Scovill Park in 1995.

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Last year was a win for youth voter participation. We saw the highest-ever turnout for young voters, with half of 18- to 29-year-olds casting ballots. (Only 39% did so in 2016.)

But 2020 also made it clear that we have a lot of work to do. Changes to voting laws add confusion. Political differences and polarization add tension. And while we should celebrate the record-high 50% youth turnout, that means 20 million young people still didn't cast ballots.

Higher education institutions are in a unique position to engage young people, but civic engagement is often seen as beyond the purview of colleges and universities. This is a massive missed opportunity, for both higher ed institutions and our democracy.

Here are three reasons your campus should invest in voter engagement:

1. You're a trusted messenger and the first touch point for the newest, youngest voters who still cast their ballots at the lowest rates.

Who are "young voters"? The label (often 18-29, sometimes 18-34) is a bit of a misnomer. When your age bracket combines people straight out of high school who have never been eligible to vote before with those who might be 10 years into their careers, you gloss over critical nuances in behavior and needs.

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Newer voters, lower turnout. The newest, youngest voters (18-19) are consistently turning out at lower rates than slightly older peers. Forty-six percent of 18- and 19-year-olds cast their ballots in 2020, and in some states the gap was especially wide: In South Dakota, only 12% of people in that age range voted, compared with 30% of their peers under 30.

Be there at the beginning. Colleges and universities have a unique opportunity to improve this voting rate, thanks to unmatched access and influence over this age demographic. Students often depend on colleges for everything from meals to their social life, and they trust higher ed institutions more than the media. That means there is a clear path to bake civic engagement into the processes students are already doing for the first time. Registering for classes? Get registered to vote too.

2. Your incoming students expect you to deliver on meaningful community and social purpose.

Values matter more than ever. Generation Z will be prospective students for the next decade. They are more compassionate, empathetic and issue-driven than previous generations  and that means they have heightened expectations for the communities they join.

Brands and employers, across sectors, are adapting for a generation that prioritizes social causes. Only 19% of Gen Z would work for a company that doesn't share their values.

This generation does the same calculus when deciding where they'll spend their next two to four years. Is it a community that reflects what they care about?

3. Civic engagement drives better academic outcomes and alumni engagement

Beyond the voting booth. Investing in civic engagement doesn't just strengthen democracy  it also has a positive impact on academic and institutional performance. Research shows a statistically significant relationship between civic engagement programs and academic success.

Engaged students do better. Why? Students who participate in civic programming gain higher-order skills, such as critical thinking, and have more emotional intelligence.

Students who are civically engaged are also more likely to finish their degrees, pursue further higher education and become community leaders.

Through civic engagement programming, you can help students be productive members of society by ensuring they leave college armed not only with specific academic skills but with a deep understanding of that society.

Rachel Konowitz is co-founder and chief operating officer of Motivote.

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The Cybersecurity Advisors Network (CyAN) APAC invites you to a special, free online forum on the cybersecurity implications of space and satellite technology, on Thursday September 9, from 6pm to 7pm AEST.

Satellites, Space and Cyber Threats is a special free online forum that will feature three expert panellists who will share their perspectives from the standpoint of technical threats, cyberlaw and international conventions governing the military and civilian use of space.

Between 6pm and 7pm on Thursday, September 9, 2021, the event will consider:

The feasibility of attacking satellites and space-based infrastructure

What a day without space might look like

The crucial role space technology plays in critical infrastructure/national security/military activities

How the multifaceted and ubiquitous nature of space impacts upon governance structures and decision-making

The need to develop appropriate whole of Government policies/strategies for space, also recognising its close intersection with cyber technology

Does international law apply to the activities of nation-states in cyberspace?

To what extent does international law prohibit malicious cyber activities against critical infrastructure?

What are the difficulties around attributing cyber attacks/malicious cyber activities to nation-states?

Recent research around autonomous cyber capabilities  what are these and what kinds of legal issues do they raise.

CyAN International VP and CEO of Icon Cyber, Peter Coroneos described the genesis of the event: Steven Freeland and his partner Donna Lawler were recently talking to me about how their space law practice was seeing an increase in clients awareness and concerns around cyber threats.

"Around the same time, one of our CyAN members, Scott Jeffries, quite independently mentioned he thought thered be an appetite to explore this dimension of cyber security. It seemed to me more than a coincidence that practitioners on both sides of the cyber and space professional divide should be asking the same kinds of questions.

"In short, the timing seemed right to pull together an event where we could explore both the technical and legal issues around cyber threats on space infrastructureand more importantly what this means for world peace and societies.

The panel will feature:

Emeritus Professor Steven Freeland  international authority on space and international law

Steven Freeland is Emeritus Professor of International Law at Western Sydney University and Professorial Fellow, Bond University. He also holds Visiting or Adjunct positions at various other Universities/Institutes in Copenhagen, Vienna, Toulouse, Hong Kong, Montreal, Kuala Lumpur and London. Prior to becoming an academic, he had a 20-year career as an international commercial lawyer and an investment banker. Steven was recently appointed by United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) as Vice-Chair of a 5-year Working Group looking at the 'exploration, exploitation and utilisation of space resources'.

He is a Member of the Advisory Board of the Australian Space Agency and has been an advisor to the Australian, New Zealand, Norwegian and several other Governments on issues relating to national space legislative frameworks and policy. Steven has represented the Australian Government at UNCOPUOS meetings. He has authored approximately 300 publications on various aspects of International Law and presented over 1500 expert commentaries on national and international media outlets worldwide on legal/geopolitical issues. He has presented conference papers and keynote speeches in over 40 countries.

Edward Farrell  Principal Consultant, MercuryISS; Advisor, HackHunter, Industry Fellow, UNSW

Edward Farrell is a technical security consultant with over fifteen years experience in information security, technical and IT operations security ranging from enterprise wide security management to the secure design and implementation of networks. He has also brought from his previous experience a substantial amount of knowledge in the fields of computer network defence as well as network architecture and design. These core skills, alongside an extensive experience as a consultant, set the foundation for his career in information security.

Dr Samuli Haataja  Senior Lecturer at Griffith Law School, Griffith University

Dr Haatajas research explores law and emerging technologies with a focus on cyberspace and public international law. He published his book Cyber Attacks and International Law on the Use of Force: The Turn to Information Ethics with Routledge in 2019, and he has published in various international law and technology journals. He is also a member of the Program on the Regulation of Emerging Military Technologies (PREMT) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Society on Social Implications of Technology (IEEE SSIT).

Panel Moderator:

Peter Coroneos, International Vice President, Cybersecurity Advisors Network

Peter is an industry leader, activist and policy innovator. As an internationally recognised authority on cyber policy, Peter was invited twice to the White House to brief Obama Administration cybersecurity leadership. He was principal architect of the icode anti-botnet mitigation scheme which covered 92% of the Australian user base and in its subsequent US derivative, around 276 million US broadband users. Through CyAN, he champions innovation in critical cyber skills, capacity building and behavioural change while supporting the business, professional and personal development of the organisations members. He also serves as CEO of Icon Cyber.

Satellites, Space and Cyber Threats

The event is called Satellites, Space and Cyber Threats and is a special free online forum that will be held between 6pm and 7pm on Thursday, September 9, 2021. Registration is essential to attend this free event, so please register now!
CHICAGO  Years in the making, the visitor center and state historic site grounds at the Pullman National Monument have officially opened to the public.

Chicago's first national monument marks the site where Pullman passenger railroad cars were built; employees lived nearby in the neighborhood on the city's South Side Side. The sprawling Pullman company factory closed in 1982. The National Park Services' visitor center features exhibits on worker demonstrations that helped plant the seeds of the modern labor movement. For instance, Black railroad workers won a significant labor agreement in the 1930s that helped lead to worker protections.

Robert Bushwaller, a Historic Pullman Foundation board member, was encouraged by the crowd on Saturday. Some drove vintage cars to mark the opening day during the Labor Day weekend.

"The public support has been better than expected," Bushwaller told the Chicago Sun-Times. "The turnout is tremendous. They remember so much from how it used to be and want to see if it still tasted that way, and they've been satisfied."

Former President Barack Obama designated the factory and surrounding area a national monument in 2015. Restoration and revitalization at the site has been ongoing for years.

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GOP objectives

Most Republican legislative leaders are fine with the federal pandemic relief assistance ending, considering they supported an early end to North Carolinas participation in those programs that 26 conservative-leaning states approved in June and July.

On May 26, North Carolinas two U.S. GOP senators  Richard Burr and Thom Tillis  sent a joint statement to Cooper in which they said that the employment shortage caused by exorbitant federal unemployment benefits is a real and serious threat to North Carolinas recovery.

In June, Sen. Chuck Edwards, R-Henderson, said that while he recognized there is an appropriate time for federal UI benefits, the recovering state economy is signaling that they should expire by no later than Sept. 4.

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Edwards said at that time he was trying to help break a habit of those individuals drawing UI benefits when they could be working. He said the reality is that they would have to go back to work after Sept. 4 regardless.

The legislature approved Republican-sponsored Senate Bill 116, which would have required DES to withdraw early from the federal programs.
FARMINGTON, Conn.  Investigators continued to review evidence from a fatal plane crash in a Connecticut suburb left four people dead earlier this week, and a preliminary report on the accident is expected to be released within the next two weeks.

The Cessna Citation 560X took off from Robertson Airport in Plainville, a few miles away, Thursday morning and crashed into a manufacturing company building. The flight was headed to North Carolina.

The preliminary report will contain factual information about the plane, pilots, weather conditions and other factors, but a final report detailing the cause of the accident could take a year or more to complete.

Maria Noel was working at her desk in a building adjacent to the one where the crash occurred, and said she heard a loud boom and saw her computer screen flicker. She and a co-worker ran to the window.

"We saw the flames shoot out. The flames and the smoke were so intense," Noel told the Hartford Courant.

Farmington police said the pilots aboard the small jet were William O'Leary, 55, of Bristol, and Mark Morrow, 57, of Danbury. Thirty-three-year-old Courtney Haviland and her husband, 32-year-old William Shrauner, also died.
But appearances can be deceiving. Spotted lanternflies will cover trees and congregate in the air  and their honeydew cover decks and play equipment, officials warn.

Residents in Pennsylvania report hundreds of these bad bugs that affect their quality of life and ability to enjoy the outdoors during the spring and summer months, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

U.S. infestation could cost billions

Pennsylvanias agriculture agency added eight new counties to its Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine list in March, bringing the states total to 34 counties.

The economic impact could total in the hundreds of millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs for those in the grapes, apple, hops, and hardwood industries, the agency said.

Meanwhile, various estimates put the potential economic damage in the billions of dollars, for the U.S. as a whole, according to the USDA.

Spotted lanternflies may be killed with insecticides on grapevines, but they are expensive and limited due to recurring infestation, the USDA said.

Now scientists with the federal agricultural agency are attempting to develop sustainable pest management strategies.
If you see the state of our roads, if you see the state of our hospitals, you realize that after 72 years, its time to wake up, he said. We have to wake up.

Observers, though say the tensions between Guineas president and the army colonel stemmed from a recent proposal to cut some military salaries.

On Sunday morning, heavy gunfire broke out near the presidential palace and went on for hours, sparking fears in a nation that already has seen multiple coups and presidential assassination attempts. The Defense Ministry initially claimed that the attack had been repelled by security forces, but uncertainty grew when there was no subsequent sign of Conde on state television or radio.

The developments that followed closely mirrored other military coup detats in West Africa: The army colonel and his colleagues seized control of the airwaves, professing their commitment to democratic values and announcing their name: The National Committee for Rally and Development.

It was a dramatic setback for Guinea, where many had hoped the country had turned the page on military power grabs.
DUBROVNIK, Croatia (AP)  Beaches along Croatia's Adriatic Sea coastline are swarming with people. Guided tours are fully booked, restaurants are packed and sailboats were chartered well in advance.

Summer tourism has exceeded even the most optimistic expectations in Croatia this year. Once fearful that the coronavirus pandemic would discourage people from traveling, Croatia's tourism industry was caught by surprise.

"It's much better  it's almost like 2020 never happened," said Josip Crncevic, a tour guide in Dubrovnik, a southern city known for its Old Town and nightlife that is Croatia's most popular destination.

The Balkan country experienced four years of war in the 1990s, but before the pandemic had become a top vacation spot for European and American visitors who appreciated its small towns and scores of islands offering natural beauty, local seafood and recreation in comparatively uncrowded settings.

The success of the summer season carries strong implications for Croatia's economy, which is among the weakest in the European Union. Tourism accounts for up to 20% of gross domestic product, and visitor spending is essential to the incomes of locals who rent lodging or run other tourism-linked businesses.
Govt-and-politics

editor's pick topical featured

Sarpy farmers who value conservation easement disappointed by Ricketts' critique

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD Cloisters on the Platte, right, and the water tower of Eugene T. Mahoney Park can be seen from the north side of Dean Feddes land south of Gretna. LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD Hay waves in the breeze on the north side of Dean Fedde's land south of Gretna.

Dean and Wayne Fedde know their Sarpy County farm like its a family member. They know the lands stories, the names of people whove laid claim to it since the mid-1800s, the animal and tree species that survive on it.

Wayne and I grew up on this farm and the farm of our grandparents, Dean Fedde said. We were taught a deep respect for the land and for the nature upon it.

The brothers purchased the farm, which borders Schramm Park just south of Gretna, from their aunt in the early 90s.

As development crept closer to home, they turned to a conservation easement to ensure their land retains its rural identity. Now, theyre watching with alarm and disbelief as Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts campaigns against conservation programs and tools theyve relied on for years.

Its just harming a lot of potential farmers and ranchers that would do a conservation easement, Dean Fedde said. Hes got them all in fear of any government programs.

Conservation easements, which have been used in Nebraska and the U.S. for decades, are voluntary agreements that keep land in private ownership while an organization, typically a nonprofit or government entity, monitors the land and can enforce the easements requirements.

The Feddes were offered a permanent conservation easement, which permanently limits how land can be used, by the Nebraska Land Trust in 2010, according to Dean Fedde.

When the trees in the cedar windbreak they planted in the mid-1990s werent so tall, the Fedde brothers could look northeast from one of their fields and see the main impetus for accepting the Land Trusts offer. Their grandparents farm, once situated diagonally from the land the brothers farm today, was sold and broken up into parcels that now hold five homes.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD The homestead on Dean Fedde's land, built in 1876, south of Gretna.

The Feddes easement sets limits on what can happen on much of their property. They can farm it and do other things like hunt on it and put up fences. But the land cant be developed, and only a pocket of it can be built upon.

Dave Sands, the Land Trusts executive director, said making this decision is a big deal.

Conservation easements are a huge decision for a landowner, because youre determining the future of your land, he said. So, we encourage landowners not to make the decision lightly.

But Dean Fedde said it was an easy choice for them. They saw their lands future as a road with two permanent forks: It gets developed and stays that way, or they act and keep it in agriculture forever.

We can protect it forever, or its going to be gone forever, Dean Fedde said. Thats the two choices I see right now  because its coming.

Agriculture is shrinking in Sarpy County, the fastest-growing county in Nebraska. In 2010, there were about 89,572 acres of agricultural land in Sarpy County, according to data provided by Assessor Dan Pittman. This year, there are 78,722 acres  a 12% decrease over 11 years.

And that may not offer a full picture. Land thats in agriculture  say, along Nebraska 370 or U.S. 6  may have already been purchased by a speculator whos continuing to grow beans or corn until they develop it or sell it to a developer.

Best way to put it is, every piece of land is in the path of development, Pittman said.

From the Fedde farm, theres a view of the Cloisters on the Platte, a religious retreat center founded by Joe Ricketts, the father of Gov. Ricketts.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD A field of hay is seen on the north end of Dean Fedde's land south of Gretna.

The governor has criticized permanent easements while detailing his opposition to President Joe Bidens goal to conserve 30% of the nations land and water by 2030, often referred to as 30-by-30. Thats a nationwide goal, not a state-by-state goal.

Temporary easements may be appropriate, Ricketts has said, but hes opposed to perpetual easements  entering a permanent easement means surrendering control of the land forever and stunting future generations flexibility in managing it, he has argued. However, he has stopped short of supporting state intervention to halt such easements.

During his monthly radio show in July, the governor said concerns about how such easements affect property taxes and future development possibilities need to be weighed against the rights of private landowners to direct what happens to their property.

We want to strike a balance between personal property rights and the public good here, Ricketts said.

Broadly, Ricketts has framed the 30-by-30 initiative as a threat to landowners. He signed an executive order in June directing state agencies to take any necessary step to resist the initiative.

In a statement issued Thursday, Ricketts said he wants Nebraska farmers to look closely at any federal contract.

We expect the federal government to look for more ways to leverage existing programs to exert more control over our land and water to achieve the goals of radical environmentalists, he said.

Less than one-half of 1% of acres in Nebraska  or 176,066 acres out of more than 49 million  are under a conservation easement, according to the National Conservation Easement Database. If a county has zoning in place, the local government can deny an easement if it conflicts with a previously approved land use plan or a previously announced plan for government land use.

One point Ricketts often makes is that an easement can impact taxes. Since it limits what a property owner can do with their land, it might reduce what someone is willing to pay for it and decrease its taxable value.

But the Feddes dont pay a penny less than they did previously in property taxes, Dean Fedde said.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD The southeastern border of Dean Fedde's land is seen south of Gretna.

When people try to throw all conservation easements into one basket, Sands said, its a huge mistake. Every easement is different, and every organization wielding them differs, too, he said. The Land Trust preserves working farms and ranches, and mainly focuses on the Pine Ridge area and the Lower Platte Valley from Fremont to Plattsmouth.

Theres always more people who would like to sell conservation easements than there are funds to purchase them, Sands said.

For their easement, Dean Fedde said they hired an appraiser who valued their land at two different amounts: if it sold for development and if it sold for agriculture. The difference between those numbers was the value of the easement: $750,000, according to Dean Fedde. They wanted to use the one-time money to expand their farm, he said, but no neighbors wanted to sell and they used it to purchase agricultural land in Saunders County instead.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service offers two types of easements, said Brad Soncksen, assistant state conservationist for programs at the agency. Soncksen is responsible for the implementation in Nebraska of conservation programs in the Farm Bill that President Donald Trump signed into law in 2018.

One type is agricultural land easements, which, like the Feddes easement, protects current land use and farming operations. An authorized entity, such as the Land Trust or a local government, holds title to those easements, Soncksen said.

The other type of easement is a wetland reserve easement, for which the agency works directly with landowners. That type of easement primarily restores converted wetlands to their original state to create wildlife habitat, according to Soncksen, and can be perpetual or last for 30 years. Generally, those areas are not the most highly productive agricultural land, he said.

Both programs are 100% voluntary, Soncksen said.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD A wild turkey walks through Dean Fedde's land south of Gretna.

Similarly, John Denton with Nebraska Ducks Unlimited said landowners approach the organization with interest in easements.

A lot of them have a conservation ethic and really want to protect their land as crop and habitat at the same time, he said. And were able to do that.

Ducks Unlimited, a waterfowl and wetlands conservation organization, holds 35 easements across 11,000 acres in the state, according to Denton, manager of the organizations conservation programs in Nebraska.

Ricketts' order on 30-by-30 conservation effort is short on actual roadblocks Gov. Pete Ricketts said his order is aimed at stopping a "land grab." But the fine print in the order limits its scope.

Primarily, the lands are along the Platte River corridor, he said. And, in most cases, cropping or at least grazing is allowed on the lands, as long as the wetland isnt being drained. The organization wants the lands to stay working lands, because it doesnt want to be seen as taking highly productive lands out of production, he said.

The governor has raised concerns about existing conservation programs that arent permanent, too, saying contracts with the Conservation Reserve Program are a way the federal government could expand its control.

Through that program, known as CRP, farmers idle land and plant species to improve environmental health in exchange for a yearly rental payment from the federal government. In 2019, nearly 1.1 million acres were enrolled in CRP in Nebraska, federal data shows, and the program sent about $72 million in rental payments to Nebraska farmers.

According to the USDA, Nebraska has 44.9 million acres in farm operations. So, CRP land would have accounted for about 2% of it.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD Terraces on the north side of Dean Fedde's land are seen south of Gretna.

The Feddes also participate in CRP. They have three 10-year contracts with varying expiration dates that include 32.58 acres, according to Dean Fedde. The first includes field borders and areas prone to erosion. A few years later, they added isolated acres that were difficult to access and at risk of being eaten by wildlife, and they applied for their third, Dean said, when he realized his responsibilities would limit the time he could dedicate to their time-consuming organic operation.

Ag Secretary Vilsack questions Ricketts' opposition to new conservation plan "I just don't see why ... unless it's trying to create a political issue," the secretary of agriculture said in a telephone interview.

Those acres are a mix of prairie grasses, legumes and wildflowers that boost sustainability while offering wildlife a place to nest, he wrote in an email. The land attracts pollinators for their grain and alfalfa fields, and insects that feed the birds. The field edges now filter rainwater run-off and snowmelt and protect the hillsides from erosion. The borders also serve as a barrier between their organic farm and a neighbors conventional operation, he said.

Theyve received about $180 an acre per year in rental payments, Dean Fedde said. When they signed one of the contracts that will soon expire, Fedde said the payment was $140 an acre  this time, theyve been quoted $265 an acre.

The Feddes recognize certain programs wont make sense for everyone, but they hear the governor question those tools and take it personally. They are proud of their land, and they hope theyre not the only ones who appreciate the preserved view of their land, which is visible from local attractions that include a restaurant at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park.

You can either see our treetops, or you can see a series of rooftops, Dean Fedde said.
An Omaha pair have been sentenced to more than a decade each in federal prison for conspiring to sex traffic minors in the Omaha and Lincoln area, as well as Iowa and Texas.

Lauryn "Lola" Besta, 22, and Darien Brewer, 30, both pleaded guilty.

Acting United States Attorney Jan Sharp said an investigation by Homeland Security and the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office determined that from January 2016 through January 2019, the pair worked together to recruit, transport and entice four minor girls, under 18, to engage in commercial sex.

Besta and Brewer introduced them to the lifestyle by providing them drugs and alcohol.

They often referred to the minors as the Bunny Gang.

Sharp said Besta and Brewer would instruct the minors how to advertise, solicit and charge for commercial sex acts in Nebraska and elsewhere.

They posted ads on internet sites, coordinated meetings and drove the minors to hotels, motels and other locations.

The minors paid a portion or all of the proceeds to Besta and Brewer.

Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Besta on Friday to 11 years and 10 months of imprisonment.
Thomsen said she likes to emphasize relationship-building among her students, who might miss out on some of the social elements of in-person learning. She often allows her classes to break off into separate chatrooms during class so they can talk with their peers, for example, and she can privately message students to check on them.

Students who are in quarantine cannot opt in to the program, which Thomsen understands.

"We already created such a classroom dynamic," she said. "It would be really difficult to come in because we've already established those relationships."

She feels like the remote program is a good solution for students who might struggle with in-person interaction or have anxiety. Thomsen even works with a social worker and counselor within the program to identify those students who might need help.

LPS, which has placed greater emphasis on the benefits of in-person learning, has no plans to continue the program after this school year.

"I think most people, all things considering, want students in school," said Fries, who is also an associate principal at East.

But for now, as uncertainty surrounding the delta variant swirls and masks return to the classroom, the virtual school has served a serious need.
When the trees in the cedar windbreak they planted in the mid-1990s werent so tall, the Fedde brothers could look northeast from one of their fields and see the main impetus for accepting the Land Trusts offer. Their grandparents farm, once situated diagonally from the land the brothers farm today, was sold and broken up into parcels that now hold five homes.

The Feddes easement sets limits on what can happen on much of their property. They can farm it and do other things like hunt on it and put up fences. But the land cant be developed, and only a pocket of it can be built upon.

Dave Sands, the Land Trusts executive director, said making this decision is a big deal.

Conservation easements are a huge decision for a landowner, because youre determining the future of your land, he said. So, we encourage landowners not to make the decision lightly.

But Dean Fedde said it was an easy choice for them. They saw their lands future as a road with two permanent forks: It gets developed and stays that way, or they act and keep it in agriculture forever.

We can protect it forever, or its going to be gone forever, Dean Fedde said. Thats the two choices I see right now  because its coming.
Barry was asking that the state share the unredacted report with his expert on clinical testing so he could reach an opinion as to whether the redacted information was trade secrets or information commonly known in the field.

He argued the court needed something more than just the records to help decipher the meaning and make the determination.

Nomi Health, an interested party in the case, offered a sealed affidavit to explain to the judge what is in the unredacted validation report.

And at the hearing, Assistant Attorney General Christopher Felts argued against Barry's request, saying the court didn't need to resort to expert testimony.

"If this document and what was in it and what Nomi is doing with this program were ascertainable by proper means and was readily available, then the relator wouldn't be spending all of the time and expense and effort of trying to use mandamus to get access to this information," he said.

Attorney David Lopez, who represents Nomi Health, said the point of the trade secret wasn't the components, but rather the sum of the parts.
You forget your restaurant is creating memories in peoples lives, Chris Marsicano said. A lot of people are sad to see us go, and they got a lot of good memories.

Dave Marsicano said besides the fish fry, the supper club also has been known for its ribs, prime rib and pasta.

It use to be steaks and chops and stuff like that, but we brought in a lot of new items, Dave Marsicano said. Since we announced we are selling, the prime rib has been flying out the door, because people say, I got to get the prime rib one more time.

Chris Marsicano said customers also have enjoyed the view of Delavan Lake, which can be seen from the back of the supper club.

The view has drawn them in over the years, Chris Marsicano said. They enjoy the food and they enjoy the socialization with the staff.

Challenges during the past year

Chris Marsicano said operating the supper club during the past year has been difficult with regulations that have been placed on dining establishments because of the coronavirus.

The government has made it harder to run your business with all the different regulations and rules that have come into play, he said.
Outsiders are tapping into some genuine concerns, but the framing of the issues are largely regularized by national groups, said Jeffrey Henig, a professor at Teachers College at Columbia University, who has written on the nationalization of education.

But the advocates and their outside backup argue theyre harnessing real outrage and working to counter the disproportionate influence of liberal groups in schools.

Theres a misconception out there that this is part of some national right-wing agenda, said Amber Schroeder, a 39-year-old parent of four who is helping lead the Mequon recall. Were the ones pushing back on our own here against an extreme liberal agenda by the teachers union.

The political tracking website Ballotpedia counts about 30 active school board recall efforts nationwide. Some are focused chiefly on disputes over anti-racism training and education in schools, often labeled critical race theory. Others were prompted by debates over school policies on transgender students and pandemic public health measures.

Local parent activists are quick to claim credit for that work, and the outside groups offering legal help, research, organizing tools and media training are often reluctant to discuss their role.
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
Cost for charging your car at home

The cost of electricity is more stable than the cost of gasoline, but that cost varies state-by-state. According to the most recent data, the residential average per kilowatt-hour ranges from 9.9 cents in Idaho to 32.3 cents in Hawaii. The national average is 13.3 cents, which is only about 2 cents more than it was a decade ago. To find your states average, check the U.S. Energy Information Administrations website (eia.gov) for a state-by-state list of the average cost per kilowatt-hour.

Your states average is just that, however. What you pay is determined by your utility company and the plan you use. Electricity cost usually rises with your consumption and varies depending on the time of use. A kilowatt during the day at peak hours or at months end is likely to cost more than one during nighttime off-peak hours or at the beginning of the month. Look at your latest utility bill, or check your utilitys website to see the current rates.

To estimate your cost of charging at home, multiply your vehicles kWh/100 miles figure by the electric rate for the time of day youll most often be charging. That figure will tell you the cost per 100 miles.
The Riverside plays quieter, acoustic, original music.

And we really appreciate the time to connect and share with people, Jeanson said. We like to swap stories with the audience and tell people about the songs. And I feel that ability to tell stories is often lost in a venue where you just have to go from song to song.

The Riverside formed about 10 years ago while Jeanson attended Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts school in Santa Barbara, California. He met his future wife at the college and Lorien Jeanson performs on mandolin. The couple just had a baby so Lorien might not be traveling with the group on this tour.

We try hard to make it work, to put on a full, great show with what we have, Jeanson said. Were very do-it-yourself. We cant afford a drummer so I play a kick drum and a tambourine with my feet. Thats just a small example. Or someone might drop off and play a shaker. It just depends. We want to keep the personnel to four or five members.

Throughout the years, The Riverside has included a rotating roster of friends in the band  with Jeanson and his wife at the core.
While containers of imported components are delayed in distant harbors, waiting for railroads and trucks to carry them to Kearney, the crew at Blueprint  from top to bottom  has gotten creative.

As they prepared for the Labor Day holiday, Kloepping and Tappan said theyre grateful that management has tried hard to maintain 40-hour paychecks. They said theyre excited that management welcomes everyones ideas so they can boost quality and efficiency, shave costs and increase customer satisfaction  all keys to maintaining Blueprints growth.

Solving supply chain problems has become a large challenge, said Saldivar and Blueprint owner Norris Marshall.

Weeks ago when the first problems surfaced it was difficult finding anyone who could answer Blueprints urgent questions. Were the shipments still aboard ships or were they taken off the ships? If so, where were they and who was in control?

Marshall said the detective work created a trickle of containers, but enlisting help from Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer may have freed more containers. Blueprint wont ever know for certain, Marshall said, but it was soon after Ricketts and Fischer were contacted that Blueprint learned more containers are on the way.
Meanwhile, officers heard cries for help inside the home, but were unsure whether there were additional shooters and feared the home was booby-trapped. A brave sergeant rushed in and grabbed the 11-year-old girl who had been shot at least seven times.

She told deputies there were three dead people inside, Judd said, adding that she was rushed into surgery and was expected to survive.

Deputies sent robots into the home to check for explosives and other traps. When it was clear, they found the bodies of Gleason; the 33-year-old mother; the baby; and the babys 62-year-old grandmother, who was in a separate home nearby. Authorities released only Gleasons name, and did not say if or how he was related to the other victims.

Authorities declined to say how many times the victims had been shot or where they were in the home, but said they were all hiding and huddling in fear. The family dog also was shot to death.

Authorities said Rileys girlfriend of four years, whom he lived with, had been cooperative and was shocked, saying he was never violent but suffered from PTSD and had become increasingly erratic.
Having a head start is what could make that possible, Otto said.

You have to have five years of experience welding. I started when I was 16 at Chief, he said. I get a degree, then I can do it in four years. By the time Im 20, I should be able to test.

In the nearer future, the Surgeons of Steel are planning another trip to Texas.

In November, when we do go back to Houston, were trying out some different stuff underwater, Otto said. We also got invited, us five, to Arclabs, which is a welding school down there. Theyre going to hold a high school event, and were going to be able to do a demo for high school students. Its going to be crazy, because of the high schools ... teaching other high school students ...

Holley mentioned Otto returning to GISH Academy of Technical Sciences as a presenter after graduation, sharing his passion with students who could be the next industry influencer.

Hes just kind of taking this by the horns through this welding influencer path, he said. Thats something that we dont directly just say, hey, go out and do this, but hes taken upon himself and has the confidence to lead other students and other people around the world in this journey that hes on.
Sally has made a significant impact for Westby students since 2002, providing at least 15,000 hours of service to make a difference in their education. Sally typically volunteers 20 hours or more per week during the school year. Her commitment to her students continues after leaving school for the day, as you can often find Sally at the town library researching the challenges children face and how they might impact their ability to learn. She strives to apply the knowledge to best serve her students, saying her greatest joy is seeing how the children she works with progress from her help.

Sally works with almost every classroom through the third grade at the school and she typically has between 10-15 specific students each year. The difference she makes for her students is tangible. Her students have had a success rate of over 90% in achieving the goals set by the school since 2017. While she has certain students assigned to her each year, the teachers at Westby note that all of the students benefit from her as a positive role model and through the encouragement she brings as she helps students with academics and social and life skills.
Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy in western Wisconsin are getting vaccinated against COVID-19 for free if they choose, among other precautions to prevent spread of the virus.

The Department of Defense shared photos of refugees receiving shots of the vaccine at Fort McCoy, located 40 miles east of La Crosse and the Mississippi River. Pfc. Riley Tiedt is seen wearing a plastic face shield, a face mask, blue gloves and a military uniform preparing and administering vaccines for several Afghans at a facility in Fort McCoy on Friday.

Fort McCoy has not yet allowed the media to enter the military base, but has been providing photos and videos of its operation to welcome refugees into Wisconsin. Gov. Tony Evers and several Wisconsin lawmakers toured the base at the end of August.

All Afghans and U.S. residents coming from Afghanistan are tested for COVID when they first arrive to the U.S. and have the option to get a COVID-19 vaccine either at the airport when they first arrive or at Department of Defense facilities, such as Fort McCoy, according to a fact sheet from the Department of Homeland Security.

The U.S. government continues to take every precaution to stop the spread of COVID-19, and other diseases, consistent with CDC guidance, the Department of Homeland Security said.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Polands parliament voted Monday to uphold the state of emergency along the border with Belarus that was declared last week amid migration pressure.
Ethio African Grocery Store has opened near Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster.

The store at 1027 Dillerville Road features bulk flour, rice and spices imported from Ethiopia, including teff flour for making injera bread and berbere spice blend used in many Ethiopian dishes. Other bulk items include lentils, beans and corn meal.

The store also carries Ethiopian coffee as well as cookware, trays and cups for serving it the traditional way.

Ethio African Grocery Store is owned by Tekalign Chafo, who is helped by members of his family. Chafo opened the store after he lost his job at the QVC distribution center in West Hempfield Township when it closed last year. Chafo is good friends with the owners of Awash Ethiopian Cuisine, an Ethiopian restaurant also in the Dillervile Square shopping center.

Ethio African Grocery Store takes a spot that was previously the Tobacco & Vapor Vault, and before that was a Subway restaurant.
Kalpesh Vakil had to close large swaths of the 317-room Wyndham Lancaster Resort over the summer because he was unable to find enough staff to operate the entire East Lampeter Township hotel.

Vakil, co-owner of Lancaster Countys second largest hotel, had hoped to add 40 employees to his 60-person workforce. However, he managed to find just 12, including a handful of students, despite nearly doubling the hourly pay for certain positions.

As a result, he said he had to turn down more than 1,000 room-nights of bookings at the Lincoln Highway East hotel, losing the chance to generate an estimated revenue of more than $250,000.

But Vakil said he believes the situation will be resolved by itself because demand for rooms is weaker in the fall, and the recent end of the extra $300 weekly federal unemployment benefit will hopefully motivate people to seek work at his hotel.

Despite what one tourism official said will be a continuation of a strong summer into the fall, lodging and restaurant operators said the issue over the summer wasnt finding customers, it was meeting the demand with enough labor.

Before the pandemic, some managers might be saying goodbye to seasonal employees with fall approaching and setting schedules for full-timers for the new season. Not this year, according to Al Duncan, CEO at Thomas E. Strauss Inc., which owns and operates Millers Smorgasbord, Amish Inn & Suites and other tourist-friendly destinations.

Duncan said he largely skipped hiring seasonal or part-time employees this summer and chose to shorten operations at restaurants like Millers Smorgasbord to five days a week. Thats meant sacrificing about a third of the revenue Strauss restaurants could generate if they were fully staffed, he said.

Well have the number of seats open, on the days that were open, where we can provide the level of service that we can be proud of, Duncan said.

He said he believes the pool of service workers is just not growing fast enough, and pointed to a decline in immigration over recent years.

There's just not enough people, and that's not going to change in the near-term, Duncan said.

About 90% of his employees are full-time, Duncan said, a higher share than before the pandemic.

The best of our best people are still with us, he said.

Looking at the situation week to week

Edward Harris, president and CEO at Discover Lancaster, said hotel operators just saw their best summer since 2018. And some of those good times should continue into the fall, thanks to the county's bevy of outdoor autumnal activities for families.

When I speak with (hotel operators) about fall  at least on paper at the moment  they feel good about bookings on weekends, Harris said. Weekdays, on the other hand, theyre not as bullish.

The county has a formidable lineup of fall attractions that include music and harvest festivals, and the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, and Harris said Discover Lancaster is promoting the area to New Yorkers and Philadelphians as a fall oasis for activities like leaf-peeping and apple-picking.

The options for a weekend getaway here come at a time when the COVID-19 delta variant has increased concerns of transmission in indoor spaces.

Were fortunate that we do have a range of things to do outside this fall, and I think thats why we're seeing some of the momentum likely to continue, especially on weekends, Harris said.

Of course, in the pandemic age, circumstances can change quickly.

There's a lot of things to look forward to in the fall, Harris said. But at the same time, we're listening and looking at the situation week to week, like we have been throughout the pandemic.

Dutch Wonderland will move to a weekends-only schedule in the fall, per usual, said Jeff Eisenberg, director of marketing.

The company has raised starting wages by $3 for school-age and adult workers to $12 and $12.50, respectively, but a major help to keeping the gates open has been an increase in scheduling flexibility for staff, Eisenberg said.

If a student only has three hours after school or on a Saturday to provide support for other staff, Eisenbergs company will make use of that, he said.

We've had team members who have said I can be available 12 to 3, specifically just to come in to assist with breaks, Eisenberg said.

I just am left scratching my head a little bit

Geoff Cardell, owner of Pepper Lane Fudge & Sweets at Kitchen Kettle, said hes spent the last three months trying to hire a third full-time employee, and becoming increasingly frustrated when the applicants he gets dont show up for scheduled interviews.

Theyre taking the time to apply on these job boards, but theyre not following up with interviews, and I dont know why, he said. I just am left scratching my head a little bit.

At Tanger Outlets, 36 stores are still looking for employees, representing more than half the retailers in the East Lampeter Township shopping center.

The stores, especially now, are still looking to hire seasonal and holiday help since the college kids went back to work, said Monica Trego, Tangers general manager.

Kitchen Kettle Village in Intercourse is hosting two job fairs in September to boost staffing levels, and make up for high school and college kids going back to school. But job applicants remain below the 2019 level, said Lisa Horn, a manager at the center.

Meanwhile, other businesses are fighting to keep the people they have.

We have been understaffed even before Labor Day, and with the kids going back to school, its only amplifying it, said Phil Weaver, co-president and CEO of Shady Maple.

Between its East Earl Township smorgasbord and grocery store, Shady Maple has had 700 employees, but is now managing with around 650, Weaver said. Its been especially hard to hire  and keep  cooks for the smorgasbord, even though starting wages have been increased to nearly $15 an hour, he said.

Employees are unbelievably finicky. I can have an employee here for one month and if they get a job somewhere else for another dollar (an hour), they go, Weaver said. Were all sort of stealing employees from each other right now.

Weaver said business typically slows down for a couple weeks after Labor Day, but will return to near summer levels in October, by which time he hopes he hopes he can have enough staff to meet the demand.

Thank God we are closed on a Sunday -- and will always be closed on a Sunday. And for us that is a big help in recruiting people because that is at least one full day you dont have to work, he said.

Staff writers Chad Umble and Tim Mekeel contributed to this story.
On this Labor Day, the annual celebration of the achievements of American workers, Lancaster Countys economy is still struggling to replicate one of its biggest feats  being the home of more than 260,000 jobs.

Job growth in the county remained tepid in July, new state statistics show, with the number of filled positions here rising a mere 0.5% from June, leaving it well short of its pre-pandemic norm.

Lancaster County was the location of 247,400 jobs in July, putting it 14,100 jobs below the number it had in early March 2020, days before the pandemic hit later that month. That shortfall equates to a 5.4% deficit.

COVID-19s arrival, which led the state to order widespread business closings, slashed the number of jobs here to 211,600 in April 2020. Then, as the pandemic lessened, businesses reopened and jobs rebounded in kind, surpassing 240,000 in August 2020.

But for the past year, the number of jobs has been mired in the 240,000s, noticeably below the pre-pandemic norm. The job gap persists while thousands of positions are open across the county.

One factor is that some people are still not willing to go back to work yet, said Lancaster resident Adam Ozimek, chief economist for Upwork, a global platform that connects freelancers and businesses looking to hire them.

This is due to a combination of factors, including childcare responsibilities, fear of COVID and expanded unemployment compensation, he explained.

Local economist Naomi Young, director of the Economic Development Company of Lancaster Countys Center for Regional Analysis, described the July job growth as modest, noting it came before COVID-19s delta variant reached its current potency.

We are focused on the fall employment numbers to signal if the labor market can recover, Young said.

The state Department of Labor & Industry, which issues the monthly report, defines jobs as filled nonfarm positions, either part time or full time. The number is seasonally adjusted to filter out the effect of temporary ebbs and flows caused by the business cycle.

Lancaster Countys anemic job growth is not unique. Instead, its identical to the statewide pace of month-over-month job growth (up 0.5%) and comparable to the national pace (0.6%), according to the state Department of Labor & Industry.

While the number of jobs in the county was slightly better than June, the countys unemployment rate got slightly worse, rising to 4.7% in July  though second best among the states 18 metropolitan areas, trailing only Gettysburgs 4.3%. The local rate had been 4.6% in June.

The rate went up because the number of unemployed people in the county increased by 300 to 13,000.

It seems odd that both the number of jobs and the number of jobless people grew, but it was made possible by an upturn in the size of the labor force (the number of people either working or actively looking for work). It rose by 400 to 276,500.

But, as Ozimek noted, many countians remain on the sidelines. The size of Lancaster Countys labor force in early March 2020, prior to COVID-19s arrival, was 286,500  or 10,000 more than now, according to state statistics.

Taking a closer look at how employment here is recovering, consider the number of jobs in each of the countys 10 economic sectors. Only two  construction and financial activities  have equaled or surpassed their pre-pandemic levels. The leisure-and-hospitality sector remains the hardest hit.

Heres a breakdown by sector. The first figure is the number of jobs in that category in July 2021, followed by the one-year change from July 2020 (when the recovery was in its early months), followed by the two-year change from June 2019 (before the pandemic).

Construction, mining and logging: 19,300  up 900 from July 2020 and up 400 from July 2019.

Education and health services (includes colleges, business schools, trade schools, public schools, hospitals, doctors offices, retirement communities, rehabilitation facilities, mental health providers, childcare centers, child and youth service providers): 44,100  down 500 from July 2020 and down 1,800 from July 2019.

Financial activities (includes banking, lending, insurance, leasing, real estate): 9,700  up 200 from July 2020 and up 400 from July 2019.

Government (includes federal, state and local): 17,400  down 100 from July 2020 and down 400 from July 2019.

Information (includes publishers of newspapers, books, periodicals, software; broadcasters; telecom firms; recording studios): 2,300  down 100 from July 2020 and down 400 from July 2019.

Leisure and hospitality (hotels, restaurants, bars, food service, dinner theaters, museums, amusement parks, performing arts companies and independent writers, artists and performers): 23,600  up 4,100 from July 2020 but down 4,000 from July 2019.

Within the leisure and hospitality sector is the subsector of food services and drinking places (bars, restaurants, caterers, dining halls, school and workplace cafeterias): 14,700  up 1,100 from July 2020 but down 2,900 from July 2019.

Manufacturing: 36,400  up 1,400 from July 2020 but down 1,000 from July 2019.

Other services (repair and maintenance of cars, appliances, electronic equipment etc., barber shops, nail salons, beauty salons, funeral homes, laundries): 12,200  up 1,000 from July 2020 but down 500 from July 2019.

Professional and business services (includes lawyers, accountants, engineers, computer services, consultants, researchers): 25,800  up 1,600 from July 2020 but down 800 from July 2020.

Trade, transportation and utilities (includes rail and air transportation, freight trucking, school and charter buses, pipelines, retail trade, wholesale trade, warehousing and utilities): 58,100  up 1,900 from July 2020 but down 1,800 from July 2019.

Within the trade, transportation and utilities sector is the subsector of retail trade: 28,500  up 300 from July 2020 but down 1,100 from July 2019.
There has been considerable debate about whether the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 should be termed a "riot, an "insurrection, a protest that turned violent, or something else.

The Scribbler is not going to choose a dog in that fight, at least not on this page. But it might be instructive to consider how the terminology used to describe a violent event in the history of Lancaster County has changed over time.

Originally, the deadly confrontation at Christiana in 1851 was called the Christiana tragedy for reasons the Scribbler will discuss below. Then, for well over a century, almost everyone settled on Christiana riot. In recent years, Christiana resistance has become more popular.

Next Saturday is the 170th anniversary of the encounter at Christiana, so this is an appropriate time to discuss how it has been described over the years.

First, heres a capsule account of what happened on Sept. 11, 1851.

Four young men who had been enslaved by Maryland farmer Edward Gorsuch escaped to Lancaster County in 1849. Two years later, following passage of the federal Fugitive Slave Act, Gorsuch tracked down these men at a farm near Christiana.

Gorsuch traveled to Christiana to retrieve his property. He found the men guarded by a former slave named William Parker, other free Blacks and white abolitionists.

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 compelled citizens to assist in the capture of slaves who fled their owners. It also provided for a fine of $1,000 and six months in prison for anyone who interfered with federal authorities seeking to enforce the law.

Parker and his compatriots ignored this law and confronted the group from Maryland. They killed Gorsuch and wounded his son and several others. Thirty-eight men were charged with treason under the law. At trial, no one was found guilty.

Early accounts of the incident called it the Christiana tragedy, largely from a white point of view. Christiana obviously was a tragedy for the Gorsuch family. It also seemed to be a tragedy for pro-slavery southerners who expected citizens to obey and courts to uphold the law.

As Thomas Slaughter points out in Bloody Dawn, a brilliant 1991 examination of the event, anti-slavery forces in the North also saw Christiana as a tragedy because it associated abolitionists with violence; and free Blacks saw it as tragedy because it turned many whites, North and South, against them.

Riot soon became the primary descriptor of the incident, again from a white point of view. Blacks had rioted against and killed a slave owner seeking to reclaim his property. Sometimes rebellion was used in place of riot, once again placing the emphasis on Black disobedience.

In recent years, resistance as often as not has replaced riot, thus finally viewing the incident from a Black perspective.

An elaborate map of Underground Railroad and anti-slavery sites in Christiana and surrounding areas, published by the Charles Bond Company and the Christiana Historical Society in 2006, explains the change from riot to resistance.

Resistance often replaces riot, notes the maps text, since the citizens involved in thwarting the slave owners and federal agents in 1851 were resisting a law widely believed to be unjust and unconstitutional.

Similarly, characterization of the tumultuous events of Jan. 6 may evolve over time, depending on whose viewpoint prevails.

Jack Brubaker, retired from the LNP staff, writes The Scribbler column every Sunday. He welcomes comments and contributions at scribblerlnp@gmail.com.
Tucker Carlson Admits, Biden Is Getting the Trump Treatment from His Own Military for Afghan Pullout

Sept. 5, 2021 (EIRNS)Fox News celebrity Tucker Carlson, in a piece derived from his Friday TV commentary, pointed to the screaming irony that President joe Biden is doing what Trump promised in Afghanistan, and is now being Trumped for it by his own military. Carlson emphasized the significance of the Reuters report of Aug. 31 based on the leak of Bidens last phone call with then-President Ashraf Ghani on July 23.

First, we know that this conversation took place because the Pentagon or State Department leaked it to Reuters. Why would they do that? Because whatever his faults, Biden did pull American troops from Afghanistan and they hate that. So they leaked an audiotape of the President speaking to another head of state. Thats illegal. You cant conduct statecraft if people are leaking the content of your conversations. Yet they are doing that to get back at him because he broke the rules. He stopped permanent war. He did it ineptly, but he did it.

Although Carlson doesnt get anywhere near mentioning the key role of the British in fostering the attacks on Biden (as they did on Trump), the significance of his remarks stand out when compared to the unadulterated neo-con lunacy coming from the likes of his colleague, Sean Howling Hannityand from Donald Trump himself, for that matter.

Carlson went on to accuse the military leadership of lying about the war in Afghanistan for 20 years, and observed that, in response to being privately and publicly humiliated by Trump in July of 2017, they made it their mission to undermine civilian control of the military.

Keep in mind, that is not how democracy is supposed to workmilitary leaders report to the people you elect. Again, thats not what happened, Carlson wrote. Stories began leaking about the President, President Trump, ignoring classified intelligence about Russian bounties in Afghanistan. Where do you think those stories came from? They came from the Pentagonit was payback. Then the military refused to pull troops out of Syria and Afghanistan, even though they were ordered to do so by the elected President of the United Statesagain no civilian control of the military.

Carlson also reported that military leaders, like General Milley, along with their co-thinkers in the media, celebrated when Biden became President, asserting that the adults were now back in charge. But now,

they look especially absurd in light of what weve just seen in Afghanistan. These days, Joe Bidens friends in the Pentagon and the foreign affairs desk at NBC News no longer think hes an adult. He abandoned American citizens and got thirteen Americans killed, and suddenly they seem a little ashamed. Plus, hes turned his back on the neo-con project and thats the greatest offense of all.

Carlson asserted that adults means people are willing who pretend that everything is going fine when in fact it is not going fine.... So if youre wondering why Americans are so confused that Kabul fell in an afternoon and the Taliban controlled the country we occupied for 20 years, maybe its because they thought we were making progress, he stated.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2021

Can The West Learn? What Afghanistan Needs Now!

by Helga Zepp-LaRouche

Sept. 5, 2021 (EIRNS)The catastrophic failure of NATO in Afghanistan, and with it the policy of 20 years of wars of intervention, couldnt be more dramatic. It is not only that the war was lost; it is paradigmatic for the whole spectrum of misconceptions of the Western liberal system. It is therefore to be welcomed when President Biden announces that the withdrawal from Afghanistan marks the end of the entire era of the use of American military power with the aim of remaking other countries. But if this reorientation only means that we will no longer busy ourselves out in the boondocks with the endless wars, but instead will concentrate all forces on the new challengesnamely the confrontation with Russia and Chinathen the lesson from this shameful disaster has not been learned and we are embarking on an even worse catastrophe. But the wound is still fresh, the shock of defeat has shaken the whole Western world and the chance exists for a completely new approach.

A Brown University project to ascertain the costs of U.S. wars since September 11th, for which we are about to mark the 20th anniversary, has calculated that the total costs for the military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, etc. are $8 trillion and at least a million people have lost their lives. This breaks down to $2.3 trillion for the Afghanistan war, $2.1 trillion for the Iraq/Syria war zone, $355 billion for military operations in Libya, Somalia, etc., $1.1 trillion for Homeland Security programs, and $2.2 trillion for the upcoming care of U.S. veterans who were deployed in these wars, a large number of whom suffer from secondary physical and mental illnesses. At least 15,000 U.S. military personnel and roughly the same number of international NATO troops were killed. Around 70 million people are refugees from these wars. Hundreds of thousands of troops were deployed, an unknown number of civilians perished, and the majority of the troops were essentially occupied with protecting themselves in a hostile environment. They had just as little idea of those people and their culture at the beginning of the 20 years, as at the end of it, as was known to the public no later than with the publication of the Afghanistan Papers in 2019.

The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is appalling. World Food Program Director David Beasley, who visited Afghanistan last week in August, announced that 18 million Afghans are starvingmore than half the populationand 4 million are at risk of starvation next winter without massive help. The WHO fears a medical disaster in view of the scarcely existing health system in the midst of the COVID pandemic, and only around 1 million people are vaccinated so far. Can the people of Western countries have any idea what kind of suffering the Afghan population has had to go through in the past 40 years of war, and must still endure at this point in time?

In view of this almost unimaginable tragedy, it is downright absurd and deliberately misleading that in the context of the endless wars one still speaks of nation-building. What was built in Afghanistan when half the population is starving? If the U.S.A. and other NATO members had invested only 5% of their military spending in the real economic development of Afghanistan, this horrific debacle would never have occurred.

Modern Health System and Agriculture

So far it has not been apparent that there is any real rethinking in the United States or Europe. Because this would not mean merely that one is willing to talk to the Taliban, but that one is correcting the entire premise of the policies of the last 20 years. If Biden is serious about ending the entire era of the wars of intervention, then U.S. troops must finally comply with the vote of the Iraqi Parliament, which demanded their withdrawal in January 2020. Then the murderous Caesar Act sanctions of the U.S.A. against Syria must be ended immediately, which to this day contribute to holding over 90% of the population to a standard of living below the poverty line. Beyond that, especially during a pandemic, we must end the policy of sanctions against all countries; they have no UN mandate, and they only strike at the poorest sections of the population and often kill them.

What the U.S.A. and the European nations have to do now, if they ever want to regain credibility with respect to values and human rights, is to offer real help to the Afghan government that is being formed, e.g. by building a modern health system. One of the things that is urgently needed now is a whole system of modern hospitals, in connection with a system for the training of doctors, medical professionals and a training program for young people who can help the population in all rural areas to familiarize themselves with the hygiene measures required in a pandemic. With the help of partnerships, such a system could be linked to medical centers in the United States and Europe, as is already in place with other countries in the developing sector.

In view of the famine, in addition to the airlift that David Beasley of the WFP is setting up from Pakistan, which can bring food into Afghanistan, a comprehensive offer of agricultural support is needed urgently. If we are to stop the farmers from falling back to the cultivation of poppy plants for the production of opium out of sheer necessity, then the development of agriculture, integrated into the general economic structure, must be supported. With the agreement concluded with the Taliban in 2000, the former UN drug commissioner Pino Arlacchi demonstrated that the abolition of drug cultivation is possible and that the religious convictions of the Taliban can be met.

Provided that the sovereignty of Afghanistan and the new government is absolutely respected, and it is guaranteed that such aid in building up agriculture is not mixed with a political agenda, various pilot projects based on the model of Jawaharlal Nehrus green revolution could be started with the regions that are ready to do so. There are committed young and older farmers in the United States and Europe who would be willing to participate in such a peace mission to improve agricultural production in Afghanistan in such a way that the famine can be permanently eradicated. In view of the repeated droughts, such programs would of course have to go hand in hand with irrigation programs and general water management.

An Aid Coordinator Who Is Trusted

It must first and foremost be about helping the Afghan people in a gigantic emergency that they did not cause themselves, and this is only possible if a basis of trust is established with the new government, regardless of all ideological reservations. The Committee for the Coincidence of Opposites therefore proposes that the U.S. and European governments choose the person to coordinate such an aid program, who has shown in the past that such a policy can work: namely, Pino Arlacchi. It would guarantee that Afghanistans sovereignty would be respected and that no attempt would be made to impose Western standards, since he has already won the Talibans trust in the past.

Such a redefinition of policy towards Afghanistan naturally also means completely turning away from thinking in geopolitical categories, rejecting the idea of politics as a zero-sum game in which the rise of China and Asia are automatically understood as the decline of the West. With his visit to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the new head of government, Abdul Ghani Baradar, signaled that his government is counting on cooperation with China and the integration of Afghanistan into the New Silk Road. The Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, has proposed an international conference for the countrys economic development to discuss which projects must have absolute priority in order to overcome the emergency.

If the West has learned anything from the millennium defeat in Afghanistan, then it must cooperate impartially with Russia, China, and neighboring countries in Central Asia, Pakistan, Iran and India in building not only Afghanistan, but all of Southwest Asia. The slogan to end the endless wars, which got Tony Blair so excited, is not imbecilicwhat is imbecilic is the policy of colonial wars of intervention he proposed. This was not only moronic, but criminal and murderous, and has destroyed the lives of millions of people or plunged them into unspeakable suffering. The architects of this policy should be held accountable.

But if the cycle of violence and revenge is to be overcome, then a new policy must be on the agenda: The new name for peace is development, as Pope Paul VI once said. Afghanistan is the one place where the United States and China can begin a form of cooperation that can be a baby step toward strategic cooperation putting humanitys common goals in the foreground. Ultimately, its realization indicates the only way that the end of mankind in a nuclear Armageddon can be prevented.

In any case, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer does not seem to have learned anything from the severe defeat, if all she can think of is the demand for more military independence for the EU. The lack of skills of which she speaks does not only refer to the failure of European resistance to the U.S.-driven withdrawal from Afghanistan. If the self-induced decline of the West is to end, we need an honest analysis of why the neo-colonial liberal social model has failed, and above all we need a renaissance of our humanistic and classical culture. Our attitude towards the construction in Afghanistan is the test case of whether we are able to do so.

(This article was translated from the front-page lead of the German weekly newspaper Neue Solidaritat for issue No. 36, Sept. 9, 2021.)


The Brazilian scientists were in disbelief after seeing the results.

They tested different models to re-check their information. But all returned the same.

The country with the most freshwater resources in the world had lost 15 percent of its surface water since 1991.

There has been slow water loss in the Brazilian-owned part of the Pantanal. The Pantanal is the worlds largest warm-climate wetland. It covers an area of between 140 thousand and 195 thousand square kilometers over three countries. Today, water coverage in the Pantanal is only 25 percent of what it was thirty years ago.

And the scientists findings are only up through 2020. This years drought has been Brazils worst in ninety years.

When we got the first results, we wondered if there was a problem with the math, said Cassio Bernardino. He is a project manager for the environmental group WWF-Brazil. He took part in the study along with Brazilian universities and local partners like the Amazon Environmental Research Institute. It also included international cooperators such as Google and The Nature Conservancy.

The group used artificial intelligence to study 150,000 satellite images of all surface water across Brazil, including lakes and rivers.

And their numbers were correct.

The ongoing drought has already raised energy costs and food prices. It has also dried out crops. And it has increased the risk of wildfire for large parts of forest.

Specialists warn of possible electricity shortages. President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday said hydroelectric dam reserves are at the limit of the limit.

Brazil is quickly losing water that feeds industries, energy generation and agribusiness, Bernardino said.

Evaporation is a part of the natural process that can lessen water resources. This is especially true in areas with low water levels like the Pantanal wetlands. But the scientists believe something else is happening.

Experts have warned human activity is affecting the worlds weather patterns. It is causing extreme events to happen more often, such as severe droughts and floods.

The cutting and burning of forest and the building of large hydroelectric factories and dams for watering crops all affect natural patterns, said Mazeika Patricio Sullivan. He is an ecology professor at Ohio State University.

Sullivan is a wetlands expert who has studied water systems in the United States, South America, Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. This is not just happening in Brazil. Its happening all over the world, he said.

Sullivan said an estimated 90 percent of South Americas wetland area has disappeared since 1900. That number is nearly 40 percent in North America, he said. Many kinds of wildlife need wetlands. Wetlands also slowly release water into rivers, which prevents flooding.

In Brazils Amazon rainforest, water evaporates then travels on air flows to provide rainfall far away. But some climate experts say if too much forest is destroyed, the Amazon will start an irreparable process of becoming a savannah.

There are more immediate causes for worry, like possible power shortages this year. Hydroelectric reservoirs have had ten years of lower-than-usual rainfall. Reservoirs in the Parana River area have never before been so overused, one worker said [this month].

The Parana River and its connected water bodies supply fresh water to some 40 million people. That includes the large city of Sao Paolo and several states. Fishing communities and farmers also depend on these water bodies.

On August 25, Brazils energy minister, Bento Albuquerque, called a press conference to deny the possibility of limiting water. At the same time, he told companies and people to reduce power usage.

At the current rate, blackouts are likely to happen this year, especially during high-usage hours, said Nivalde de Castro. He is with the electricity industry studies group at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Brazils decreasing water resources may also worsen fires that people set each winter to clear land. The fires then burn out of control.

Last year, more than 25 percent of Brazils Pantanal was on fire. It was the worst yearly damage since officials began keeping records in 2003.

The Pantanal has strong ability to restore itself if given the chance to do so without repeated burning events. A series of fires [in the past week] caused concern among local people.

Once again, the threat of fires is back, said Angelo Rabelo. He is president of a local environmental group that manages a protected area of about 300,000 hectares. Last year, 90 percent of his land was damaged by fires.

For Rabelo and others, those fires were a wake-up call. He formed a full-time private firefighting team of seven people  the Pantanals first. They are better trained and have so far been able to respond faster than government fire fighters, before fires get out of control.

But in areas without roads, moving on smaller rivers can be a problem because of low water levels, Rabelo said. That means firefighters could soon have trouble reaching some fires. And, even if they can, less water is available to put them out.

We need to start thinking about the water loss and wildfires together, said Sullivan.

Im Dan Friedell. And Im Alice Bryant.

The Associated Press reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

data - n. facts or information used usually to calculate, analyze, or plan something

drought - n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain

artificial intelligence - n. an area of computer science that deals with giving machines the ability to seem like they have human intelligence

evaporation - n. the act of changing from a liquid to a gas

pattern - n. the regular and repeated way in which something happens or is done

ecology - n. a science that deals with the relationships between groups of living things and their environments

reservoir - n. a usually artificial lake that is used to store a large supply of water for use in people's homes and in businesses

blackout - n. a period when lights are off because of an electrical power failure




Monday, September 6, is Labor Day this year in the United States. The day to celebrate working people became a federal holiday in 1894. U.S. President Grover Cleveland signed the law making the first Monday in September a holiday.

Because Labor Day started so many years ago, many Americans do not think about the meaning of the holiday. Instead, it is a day to enjoy free time with friends and family. It is also considered the unofficial end of summer.

Many children go back to school after Labor Day, and many traditional summertime businesses, like amusement parks and ice cream shops, reduce their hours after Labor Day.

In 2021, however, people around the U.S. thought a lot about the way they make a living. That is because the COVID-19 health crisis changed many things in the U.S. Many businesses shut down or had employees work from home starting in March 2020.

Many office workers feel as if they are better off working at home because they do not have to spend time getting to their work place each day. They now have more time to spend with family and do fun activities.

But people who own manufacturing and food businesses are in trouble. There are shortages of some products because factories were shut down. Drinking places and restaurants are having trouble finding workers. Now, some restaurants are paying workers more money and offering extra pay to people who start jobs.

In Washington, D.C., the owner of Busboys and Poets, a popular restaurant and bookstore, recently announced every employee would earn at least $15 an hour. Andy Shallal is the owner. He told a local television station that he will also help his employees go to college and get better medical care.

During the health crisis, workers are thinking of finding new jobs or going back to school. A study by the Washington Post and George Mason University in Virginia found that about 30 percent of workers under 40 are planning to change jobs soon.

Other workers tried to organize in 2021. For example, people who work for online seller Amazon in the southern state of Alabama tried to form a labor union earlier this year. Unions are organizations of workers who negotiate as a group to ask their employers for more money, better conditions or more time off.

Ruth Milkman is a professor at the City University of New York. She studies labor. Milkman said more people are interested in being in unions today than before.

You know, among young people, and especially college-educated young people, unions are cool again. You know, theres a real interest, that we havent seen for quite some time, in organizing.

One reason for that is the difference in income between the highest paid workers in the U.S. and the average worker.

Liz Shuler is president of the AFL-CIO, a big organization made up of 56 labor unions. During a recent event organized by the Christian Science Monitor newspaper and shown by the television network C-SPAN, she spoke about income inequality. She said it takes Jeff Bezos, the former head of Amazon, seven seconds to earn the amount of money that the average Amazon worker makes in one year.

Thats not right. There should be a way for workers to come together and actually get their fair share of the wealth that theyre creating for companies like Amazon.

Workers protested for fair pay and other protections in the early days of the labor movement in the U.S. The Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938 established a minimum wage. The last time the federal minimum wage was raised was in 2009. Some local governments in the U.S. want to make $15 the minimum wage. However, the AFL-CIO believes the minimum wage should be closer to $24.

The Congressional Budget Office does research for Congress. It reported in February that if the U.S. were to raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2025 it would result in the loss of about 1.4 million jobs. But the office said about 900,000 people would no longer be considered poor.

President Joe Biden spoke about raising the minimum wage during his presidential campaign. But an increase was dropped from the recent $1.2 trillion spending deal passed by Congress.

Some labor advocates say the best way for workers to earn more money is to unionize. However, they say laws in the U.S. make it easy for businesses to interfere with employees who want to form unions. Labor unions want politicians to vote for a bill called the Protecting the Right to Organize Act.

Jonas Loeb is the Director of Communications for IATSE, a union that represents people who work for theater, movie and television productions. He said although people seem to support unions, it is often hard for employees to come together and join one.

Just because people want to join and form unions, doesnt mean that they will be able to, right? And this is why I think what happens next hinges so much on what happens in Washington.

Milkman believes that the average person has a good opinion of unions, and has sympathy for low-paid workers and their problems.

But, she warned, gains made by workers during the coronavirus crisis may not last long.

Once the labor market is no longer one of a shortage of low-wage workers, I think you can assume that employers will cut wages.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

How should Americans think about work this Labor Day? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________

Words in This Story

amusement park n. a place with games and rides such as roller coasters

union n. an organization of workers formed to protect the rights and interests of its members

minimum wage n. an amount of money that is the least amount of hourly pay permitted by the law

advocate n. a person who argues for or supports a cause or policy

hinge v. to depend on; to be decided by something

assume v. to think something is true without knowing that it is true
A large, randomized study done in Bangladesh offers strong evidence; surgical masks were also more effective than cloth masks. An informative news account here; an excerpt:

Among the roughly 178,000 individuals who were encouraged to wear them, the scientists found that mask-wearing increased by almost 30 percent and that the change in behavior persisted for 10 weeks or more. After the program was instituted, the researchers reported an 11.9 percent decrease in symptomatic Covid symptoms and a 9.3 percent reduction in symptomatic seroprevalence, which indicates that the virus was detected in blood tests....

"A 30-percent increase in mask-wearing led to a 10 percent drop in Covid, so imagine if there was a 100-percent increase  if everybody wore a mask and we saw a 100-percent change," he said.
When Jeff Olson met a guy in Hoyt Park and caught a ride with him to Texas in 1981, he was a 19-year-old Madison West High School graduate with a backpack in his lap and $150 in his pocket. When he returned 15 years later, he was a trained horticulturist and the founder of a successful Dallas tree care business that trimmed and removed trees for the likes of future president George W. Bush and business magnate Ross Perot.

When he moved back to Wisconsin with his wife and kids, hed sold the company. He planned to take a year off to consider his options; he liked working with trees, but the years hed spent climbing had worn him out. After so long away, he was eager to spend a winter deer hunting.

But on a hunting trip in Barneveld, on that first winter back home, he fell from a deer stand. The accident left him paralyzed from the chest down  and unsure what was next.

I didnt know what I could do, Olson said. It's really common when you (have) a spinal cord injury that you dont know what you can and cant do. He started selling off his chainsaws, and he gave others to friends.

But soon he was getting around in an all-terrain electric wheelchair and a secondhand van with hand controls. He started to broker tree care jobs, quoting a job and then selling it to another company. He even devised a way to load and unload his stump grinder onto his trailer on his own, so that he could take solo jobs doing stump removal.

He started asking his friends to give back his saws. It was like, Wait a second, I can do this, Olson said. He began a new company, Arbor Systems, in 2002.

Through a mutual friend, he met Chris Heise, a 19-year-old whod come down from Rhinelander to study at Herzing University. Heise had worked summers for his uncles tree care business, and he was looking for part-time tree work.

Soon, they were a two-man team, with Heise climbing the trees and Olson hauling brush in his power chair. I taught everything I knew to him, and he just excelled, Olson said.

Olson set up shop in the basement of a Verona barn, where the rent was cheap. After two years as a two-man crew, Arbor Systems added employees and equipment, always looking for ways to minimize the climbing and strain on the workers.

I try to take as much of the labor out of it as possible, buy the best equipment, Olson said.

The business moved to the south side of Madison and eventually to Oregon. When a neighboring lot went up for sale around 2009, the company bought it, and together Olson and Heise began planning for a workshop with enough space to keep the companys growing arsenal of machinery out of the elements.

We built pretty much our dream shop, Olson said, looking around the space. Today, the company runs $1 million of equipment each day, Olson said. Theres the wood chipper that can handle a 20-inch tree limb and the truck that can hold 24 yards of wood chips. Theres a DitchWitch skid steer that does the heavy lifting. Theres also a 30-inch wood planer and a kiln out back, additions that let the company turn some of the trees it removes into two-by-fours and wide wood planks of walnut, cherry and cedar.

We couldn't bear to see it go to waste into firewood, Olson said.

Once a year, a friend of Olsons comes by with his mill, leaving behind a massive stockpile of lumber. Some boards lean against one wall of the shop, while more lay drying on racks and in the kiln behind the shop.

At first, they milled just for fun, using the wood for their own hobby projects: cutting boards, end tables, dining tables and picture frames. But as the pandemic triggered a lumber shortage, the two wondered if there might be a market for their wood. On a whim a few months back, Heise put a post on Facebook.

In a matter of about three hours we had almost 30 people that were willing to meet to take a look at the wood we had, Heise said.

From that post alone, they sold a couple thousand dollars worth of lumber, Olson said. Looking ahead, hed like to expand that side of the business. Maybe on slow days they could even build furniture to sell, Olson said.

Were usually not slow, though. Thats the downside. Our honesty and integrity has built a pretty strong business.

These days, Olson drives around in a van with a license plate that reads TREGUY, meeting with customers and giving quotes year round. Heise can usually be found up a tree or atop a bucket truck, leading the crew of four to five. The workshop and equipment are all paid off, Olson said. And after years of investing everything he made back into the business, he finally started paying himself about eight years ago.

Heise, 36, said its impressive to see the way the business has grown over the last two decades. Olson, meanwhile, thinks Heise deserves a lot of credit.

I couldn't have done it without him, Olson said. We literally built it together.

When Olson, 58, retires, Heise hopes to buy the business. I want to be able to continue what we started, Heise said.

The four questions

What are the most important values driving your work?

Olson: The love of trees, or the knowledge of trees. And the camaraderie that you build within a team. This year, more than any, I think, I really have such a strong team. Building a team is really gratifying, to have a group of guys that love what they're doing.

Heise: Friendship, and just the communication that we all have between us (that) really makes everything go efficiently.

How are you creating the kind of community that you want to live in?

Olson: Educating people on trees and the do's and don'ts. And being honest about it. We love to educate. Thats kind of the driving force of the business.

Heise: Increasing the health of the urban forest and giving people a better understanding of what trees in our community actually give in benefit to everyone.

What advice do you have for other would-be entrepreneurs?

Olson: Give everything you have into it, and then you can build anything you want. Put your heart and soul into it. The more positive energy you put forth, the more positive energy youll get in return.

Heise: Take your time, think it through. Make sure you have a good game plan before you jump into something, and make sure you have quality people that are wanting to help you. And follow through with what you tell people.

Are you hiring?

Olson: No. Ive been really lucky to have a couple of guys step up this year that are just phenomenal. I mean, if I found the perfect person that wanted to work with us, I wont say no. But I'm not going out to hire right now.

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But that's just a beginning, the labor organization adds, holding out hope that Congress can deliver the pending infrastructure bills before the end of the year, including the massive bill aimed at human infrastructure, which includes goals long sought by labor: expanded pre-kindergarten education, family leave, child tax credits, health care expansion and climate change initiatives, for starters. And, of course, the passage of the so-called PRO Act that would level the playing field to give unions a decent chance of organizing new work places.

While Biden is supporting the bill  it's already passed the House  the prospects of getting around a sure Senate filibuster are dim at best. But, labor feels, at least it's a start that has brought public attention to the unfair advantages big businesses and management have to defeat organizing campaigns and elections. And at least it now has a champion in the White House rather than a staunch opponent.

But with less than eight months into his term, labor advocates have been most pleased with the new president's appointments. Firing Peter Robb, Donald Trump's general counsel for the National Labor Relations Board, and a number of other anti-union appointees in the Department of Labor, is seen as a big first step.
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MADISON, Wis. (AP)  As the CEO of Madison Boats, Tyler Leeper is highly invested in ensuring the many water bodies that define Madison stay healthy.

Decades of rising chloride levels are threatening more than just Leepers bottom line.

We come down here for dinner, we come down here to recreate, we come down here for exercise, said Leeper, who is also the general manager of Wingra Boats. Our lakes are the center of our community.

Since the 1960s, the lakes and streams shaping the Madison landscape have been getting saltier, with one clear front-runner  Lake Wingra. Wingra, the drainage basin for much of Madisons West Side, has a chloride concentration of over over 100 milligrams per liter. While chloride concentrations in Lake Wingra are just over one-quarter of the state surface water standard, the levels continue to rise, increasing 200% since the 1980s.

The majority of the chloride entering Madison lakes comes from road salt, an issue the city has been trying to address since the late 1970s through reduced salt-use and de-icing alternatives. the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Gov. Ralph Northam, D-Va., a pediatrician, has suggested that a baby who survives an abortion should be kept comfortable and resuscitated and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother. Does this not infanticide?

The definition of penumbra is revealing: the partial or imperfect shadow outside the complete shadow of an opaque body. If that sounds unclear when applied to the Constitution, thats because it is. Then-Justice Harry Blackmun, who used the word, clearly was not a textualist in the way Antonin Scalia was. It appears he read his own bias into the Constitution when he could find no justification for abortion elsewhere.

Judges reading into the Constitution their own biases, even prejudices, has long been a problem. It is a power the Founders never intended the courts and especially the Supreme Court to have.

The Texas law will still be challenged in other ways, as will a Mississippi law the Supreme Court has decided to hear this fall. That law, if passed, would ban most abortions after 15 weeks.

National Right to Life, which tracks figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Guttmacher Institute, estimates more than 62 million abortions have occurred since 1973, and the number of abortions each year has been steadily declining.
TWIN FALLS  Although south-central Idahos unemployment rate continues to fall, reaching 2.9% in July 2021, local staffing companies are struggling to find workers to fill postings.

Today, if I had the people, I could fill about 180 openings and that is just in the Magic Valley, said Brenda Hedrick, branch manager for Ascend Staffing.

Ascend Staffing is currently working with 27 companies to help them find workers.

If you are willing to work, and you qualify for that job, you dont leave without a job, Hedrick said.

She has worked in staffing for almost three decades and has never seen anything like the current situation. In the past few months, more workers have been applying. However, Hedrick worries that will change if COVID cases continue to rise.

The Magic Valley had 2,369 job postings in July of 2021 and 2,970 unemployed workers, according to Bonang Seoela, south-central regional economist for the Idaho Department of Labor.

The job postings estimate comes from an analytics company that uses data from multiple job sites and removes double posted jobs.

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The school board had been scheduled to address masks near the end of the meeting, during the Board Matters section of the agenda, but voted to move that section to follow the public comment portion directly so that the people in the audience could be there for it without having to sit through the rest of the meeting.

Strayer said she was taking notes on the parents comments and intends to address those concerns individually.

Not all students are alike, she said, and some will need more masks breaks than the standard. We always make accommodations based on individual needs.

There are several individual issues here, Strayer said. The first step in dealing with any concern is to talk with the teacher, and then with the principal, and if youve done that, then you call up here, and we are all glad to talk to you and help with these problems because we agree that a child cant sit in class from 8 oclock in the morning until 3:30 in the afternoon wearing a mask.  We want to work with everyone. I dont want to hear anyone saying they have a sick child from wearing a mask all day and they had a doctors note.

Board member Francis Zehr said in various visits to schools he has seen mask breaks, and if students arent getting mask breaks, that will be rectified.
In all 7,046 have tested positive in McDowell County. There have been 54,600 tests conducted, 47,265 negative results and 289 tests are pending results. Presently, there are 724 individuals in quarantine, 6,232 out of quarantine and 90 deaths. McDowell Countys 14-day positivity rate is 30.0%.

"Healthcare resources continue to be strained," states Emergency Services Director William Kehler. "The EMS system in McDowell is under enormous pressure due to the high volume of COVID-19 patients calling 911. On Friday afternoon, Mission Hospital McDowell and Rutherford Regional Hospital were both on diversion while Mission Hospital in Asheville would only accept critical patients from EMS. The diversion at Mission Hospital McDowell was canceled shortly before 11 p.m. on Friday with Mission Hospital in Asheville canceling their directive to EMS on Saturday morning. The strain that is being placed on healthcare resources affects everyone, not just COVID-19 patients. Please get vaccinated and wear a mask in public to help stop the transmission of COVID-19 that is ongoing within our community."
"People would drive by and blow their horns or drive by with one of Tupac's songs blasting from their car radio. It was intense," she continues. "And you knew that this time was different because of the looks on the faces of the people when they would walk out of the hospital. I watched them come and go, and you saw the worried looks on their faces. You just knew that this time was different."

Still, there was hope.

On the Thursday after the shooting, talk began to circulate that, although Shakur had allegedly lost a lung, he was recovering from multiple surgeries.

"We all sort of got word that everything was going to be OK," Frederic recalls, "that he just may pull through this  another one  but life was going to be different for him."

The very next day, Tupac Shakur was removed from life support by his mother, Afeni Shakur.

"We were like, 'What?'" Frederic remembers. "I think we were all just shocked. 'What? He's gone?'"

A DEAFENING CODE OF SILENCE

It wasn't for a lack of witnesses.

Fourteen shots were fired  and at least that many eyeballs saw it all go down.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

New research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress suggests that the seemingly innocuous environment of an office can cause asthma in some workers.

The study found a variety of triggers from printer toner and cleaning products to poor ventilation and mould circulating in air conditioning. It also found that employees with asthma brought on by office work left their jobs and, if employers did not make changes to tackle the problem, this was more common.

Researchers say that their work provides another reason for allowing home working to continue beyond COVID-19 restrictions, to benefit office workers' health and help businesses retain staff.

The study was presented by Dr. Christopher Huntley, from Birmingham Regional Occupational Lung Disease Service at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust in the UK. He said: "Any work environment can induce occupational asthma if it harbours a respiratory sensitiser. This is a substance that triggers an irreversible allergic reaction, such as paint spray or dust. We usually think of an office as a safe environment, so it's possible that when asthma is diagnosed in office workers, occupational causes may be overlooked. As a result, there has been very little research on this issue.

"However, we have been diagnosing increasing cases of occupational asthma in patients who work in office environments, as well as detecting clusters of cases in specific offices."

Dr. Huntley and his colleagues studied the cases of 47 office workers with occupational asthma that had been reported to the Birmingham Regional Occupational Lung Disease Service. The majority had had their asthma confirmed by serial peak flow monitoring. This measures the fastest rate patients can breathe air out of their lungs. Seventeen of the patients had also been tested and found to have lungs that react strongly to a test for sensitive airways.

The researchers identified three main categories that were causes of occupational asthma in the office workers. These were: triggers found inside the office (printer toner, floor tile adhesive, mould and cleaning products), triggers coming from the office ventilation system (mould in air conditioning and ventilation shafts that had been installed incorrectly) and triggers from the office's immediate environment (nearby workshops, paint and vehicle fumes).

They also investigated whether employers made any adjustments to support office workers with occupational asthma and what workers did as a result. Their most striking finding was that when employers failed to act, workers were 100 times more likely to quit their job.

Dr. Huntley said: "Although we only looked at the patients who were referred to our service and this is a relatively small study, it is still one of the largest studies reporting occupational asthma in office workers. We discovered some key causes to be aware of in an office environment, but there will certainly be others.

"If a worker develops occupational asthma, workplace adjustments can and should be made to improve asthma symptoms and help retain staff."

Dr. Huntley says that there have been fewer new referrals for patients with occupational asthma during COVID-19 restrictions and that those already suffering with occupational asthma have seen improvements while working from home. He adds: "Working from home has been useful for patients in both establishing their diagnosis and as a form of non-pharmacological treatment. Allowing workers with occupational asthma to continue working from home may help keep office workers in their jobs as they require fewer sick days."

Arzu Yorgancoglu, who was not involved in the study, is Chair of the European Respiratory Society Advocacy Council Chair and Professor in Pulmonology at Celal Bayar University, Turkey. She said: "Because we tend to think of office environments as relatively safe, compared with other occupational settings where exposure to pollutants may occur, it is likely that there are more patients out there with undiagnosed office work-related asthma.

"For office workers with asthma who experience an unexplained deterioration in their symptoms, this study highlights the importance of identifying and removing any potential occupational triggers. Where we see clusters of work-related asthma in offices it is vital to investigate the underlying cause, as the causes may be surprising."

Explore further Flour identified as the main cause of occupational asthma in France

More information: Abstract no: PA1904 "Occupational Asthma in Office Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study", by Christopher Huntley et al; Presented in session, "Occupational rhinitis and asthma" at 13:15-14:15 CEST on Monday 6 September 2021. Abstract no: PA1904 "Occupational Asthma in Office Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study", by Christopher Huntley et al; Presented in session, "Occupational rhinitis and asthma" at 13:15-14:15 CEST on Monday 6 September 2021. k4.ersnet.org/prod/v2/Front/Pr  ?e=262&session=13568
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

New Caledonia will impose a new coronavirus lockdown starting Tuesday after three new cases were confirmed in the South Pacific French territory that had been declared "COVID free," officials said.

Local authorities ordered strict travel restrictions at the start of the pandemic to avoid an outbreak that would overwhelm hospitals on the islands.

Previously just 139 positive COVID-19 cases had been recorded among the population of around 290,000, and no deaths.

But vaccine hesitancy among the indigenous Kanak population means many people remain vulnerable.

Just 30 percent of residents are currently vaccinated, compared with 73 percent having at least one dose for France overall.

The government announced last week that vaccination would now be mandatory for all adults.

"The virus is spreading and it's likely that several dozens of Caledonians are now infected," said the territory's president, Louis Mapou.

Schools and universities will be shut for the next 15 days, and face masks will be required outside.

People can go out only for work or for essential activities such as medical visits, or for a maximum one hour of sport within one kilometre of their homes.

Flights to and from the territory, as well as intra-island flights, are suspended indefinitely except for medical personnel.

Already anyone arriving to New Caledonia has to quarantine for 15 days at government-requisitioned lodgingsa rule that prevented President Emmanuel Macron from visiting when he travelled to nearby French Polynesia in July.

Explore further Virus reaches previously COVID-free New Caledonia

 2021 AFP
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Daniel Wilkinson survived two tours of duty in Afghanistan but died of gallstones, deteriorating slowly as his under-equipped doctors looked on helplessly.

Wilkinson, 46, lived only 90 minutes by car or 30 minutes by helicopter from Houston, renowned for its top-flight hospitals. The problem is the Texas health care system has been utterly overwhelmed by people suffering from the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

In this wealthy state, 14,700 people were hospitalized as of September 1, just below a record set in January as a winter COVID wave wreaked havoc across America.

"In the previous surges, we kept a little over 750 patients. Right now we've been running between 820 and 850 patients, so the hospitals are quite full," said Roberta Schwartz, executive vice president of Houston Methodist Hospital, which is actually a group of hospitals.

Things are so bad that a conference room at one of the facilities is being used to treat patients.

So rural health facilities are being forced to keep patients they are not equipped to care forlike Wilkinson.

He was admitted August 21 to the only hospital in his county, a block from his home in the town of Bellville, population 4,000.

The clinic did not have the equipment to remove his gallstones, so it tried to organize a transfer by helicopter to another hospital.

"Our staff and our physician worked nonstop for over six hours trying to get him that transfer to a tertiary care center anywhere," said Daniel Bonk Fache, the CEO of Bellville Medical Center.

"Our emergency room doctor at that time actually went on Facebook trying to get him transferred," said Bonk Fache.

A doctor near the Texas capital Austin offered to take in Wilkinson, then called back five minutes later to say there was no room at his hospital.

Find a bed, somehow

"We get a few calls every day from rural hospital leaders that are just frantically trying to find a place to send these patients," said John Henderson, president of the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals. Sprawling Texas has 158 such facilities, more than any other US state.

Henderson said Wilkinson's case was not an isolated one.

"I would say every day this week we've had a situation that didn't end well and resulted in a patient's death," said Johnson.

Hospital staff feel powerless and overwhelmed by the frantic search for hospital beds somewhere bigger and more equipped.

"We 'lose' a nurse essentially every day, because that nurse has to call all of the hospitals in the surrounding areas to prove that we are doing our due diligence to get them elsewhere," said Renee Poulter, who manages the nursing staff at the Bellville clinic.

"And that takes hours, hours if not the whole day spent phoning every hospital in the great state of Texas to see if anyone will accept your patient," she added.

The Bellville facility is not designed to have an intensive care unit but like many, out of necessity, it had to fashion one.

"We have a critical, ICU-level COVID-positive patient at our rural facility that we have been taking care of for 11 days because we cannot find him a higher level of care," said Poulter.

To help them, Texas is providing these uber-busy rural hospitals with respirators, oxygen and other means of stabilizing their patients. It is also bringing in nurses from other states.

Two such helpers showed up last week in Bellville, one coming from Pennsylvania and the other from Alabama, each working six shifts per week.

In one of the clinic's rooms, a 72-year-old local woman named Carmella finishes a meal while her husband keeps her company, a day after she suffered a heart attack.

"They did jump in and did as much as they possibly could, but they are just swamped. They tried to transfer me. I heard some of the phone calls. And nobody would take me," said Carmella, who did not give her last name.

"From what I understand, nobody's leaving here," she said. "It's a sad situation."

Carmella did eventually get better and was able to go home.

Others have not been as fortunate.

 2021 AFP
rofessor Brian Foy said ivermectin was designed to combat parasitic worms and insects that can infest humans and other animals. Theres no scientific evidence that ivermectin has evolved to target a virus, he said. Credit: CSU Photography

Colorado State University Professor Brian Foy has been studying ivermectin for nearly a decade, long before it became a hot topic in the United States.

He's leading a team of international scientistsincluding researchers from the country of Burkina Faso in West Africa, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the U.S.to study the use of ivermectin to reduce cases of malaria in several villages in Burkina Faso. Malaria affects more than 200 million people worldwide and kills 445,000 people, mostly children, each year.

Earlier results from the team's first clinical trial in Burkina Faso were promising, showing a 20% reduction in malaria cases in young children. Foy said the ivermectin being used in these clinical trials is approved by regulatory agencies in mostly tropical countries to prevent river blindness, or onchocerciasis and strongyloidiasisconditions caused by parasitic worms.

He sat down recently with SOURCE to discuss what's happening in the U.S. with ivermectin and provided an update on his malaria research.

Q: What's the difference between diseases like river blindness or malaria, which are caused by parasites, and COVID-19, which is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus?

Foy: The organ systems affected by these diseases and symptoms are completely different between these parasitic diseases and COVID-19. Also, the parasites causing these diseases are living, cell-based organisms and therefore much bigger and far more complex than viruses. Viruses like SARS-CoV-2 aren't cells. They infect your own body's cells and coopt the cells' protein "machinery" to make more viruses.

Ivermectin was specifically designed to combat multicellular invertebrate organisms, things like parasitic worms and insects that can infest humans and other animals. There's no scientific evidence that the class of natural, bacteria-derived chemicals that ivermectin is derived from evolved to target a virus.

Given the current lack of evidence of ivermectin's effect against SARS-CoV-2, no doctor should be prescribing ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19. It's not approved to treat humans for anything other than strongyloidiasis in the U.S.

Q: You've been studying Ivermectin for a decade at this point. What's it like to have more people talking about this drug, while at the same time, unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformation being spread?

Foy: We've gotten to the point where people don't believe scientists, regardless of what they say, which is frustrating to us all.

When the pandemic started, scientists thought: We must test everything we can against SARS-CoV-2. It was clear, early on, that this was a deadly virus, and we had nothing to combat it. That's why anyone can now visit ClinicalTrials.gov and see that there are around 30 clinical trials registered or ongoing to study whether ivermectin has any clinical activity against COVID-19 in the U.S.

But now we have excellent and safe vaccines to prevent hospitalization and death, and really good monoclonal antibody treatments if you get COVID, and both have been tested repeatedly in huge, randomized clinical trials. Even if the best-ever study results came out on ivermectin, it's not going to be close to the more than 90% effectiveness we're seeing with vaccines.

Drugs typically do not work as well against viruses like SARS-CoV-2 compared to biologics and vaccines, and especially a drug like ivermectin that was developed in the 1970s and was never specifically developed against this virus.

It's flabbergasting to me that there's still talk about ivermectin now, compared to a year ago. It doesn't make sense.

Q: What's the status of your malaria work in Burkina Faso?

Foy: Results from the first trial were published in The Lancet in March 2019. We recently completed a follow-up study, giving ivermectin to more than 3,000 people.

We are giving them a higher dose of the drug and using it in combination with other antimalarial drugs. Right now, we are cleaning the database before we "unblind" the results and learn who got the placebo compared with who got the treatment.

That trial is one of five additional phase 3 clinical trials that will be conducted across Africa and Southeast Asia.

Q: What is missing from the current dialogue about the use of ivermectin?

Foy: What people don't understand about science is that it is ultimately based on community consensus among the scientific experts, and that consensus is constantly being challenged and re-tested by these experts to see if the data underlying the consensus holds up over time.

Science is not about one person jumping up and talking to members of Congress or tweeting or speaking at a public meeting about their own opinions. You can always find that one person.

The consensus against the use of ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID is clearly there, but we have these social platforms that allow people to have loud voices. They might have a political or monetary agenda, and a lot of people, unfortunately, listen to that loud voice or voices.

Science doesn't work that way. Many scientists and engineers work together and in competition to discover new ideas and invent new things from the discoveries, like your cell phone. Similarly, we biologists, physicians and others have worked together and in competition to create these new vaccines but also to test old drugs like ivermectin through rigorous procedures. We know, generally, what works and what doesn't work.

To ensure things work in humans and are safe, we try to do unbiased trialslike the one I'm leading where we randomize the participants into the different treatment groups, and we don't yet know who got the placebo or the treatment until the trial is completed and the data logged. Once the data is published, other scientists can see the data and analyze it themselves and criticize it. It's unfortunately a slow process, but it must be devoid of risks.

People want an answer now, but they don't realize we have to be conservative with the process. This is all part of gaining consensus in science; an anecdote provided by a few loud voices is not science.
Researcher Gustaf Lyytinen tests the effects of using e-cigarettes on the small blood vessels. Credit: European Respiratory Society/Gustaf Lyytinen

Using e-cigarettes containing nicotine causes an immediate increase in the formation of blood clots and a deterioration in the ability of small blood vessels to expand and dilate, as well as raised heart rate and blood pressure, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress.

Researchers say these effects are similar to those caused by smoking traditional cigarettes and with long-term use, they could result in heart attack or stroke.

The study was presented by Gustaf Lyytinen, a clinician at Helsingborg Hospital and researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. He and his colleagues carried out detailed experiments with a group of 22 women and men aged between 18 and 45 years who were occasional smokers but otherwise healthy.

Each volunteer was tested before and after taking 30 puffs from an e-cigarette containing nicotine, and before and after 30 puffs from an e-cigarette not containing nicotine. These two sets of tests were carried out on separate occasions, at least one week apart.

On each occasion, the researchers measured volunteers' heart rate and blood pressure and collected a blood sample before they used the e-cigarettes, then 15 minutes after use and again 60 minutes after use. Researchers also carried out tests to measure any impact on the circulation of blood through the body's tiny blood vessels, before volunteers used e-cigarettes and 30 minutes afterwards. These tests use a laser to visualise how well blood vessels in the skin are able to dilate and therefore regulate the supply of blood around the body.

Close up of equipment used to test effects of e-cigarette use on small blood vessels. Credit: European Respiratory Society/Gustaf Lyytinen

Comparing the results of the tests, researchers found that using e-cigarettes containing nicotine created a set of immediate short-term changes in the volunteers. Dr. Lyytinen and his team discovered an average 23% increase in blood clots after 15 minutes that returned to normal levels after 60 minutes. There were also increases in volunteers' heart rates (from an average of 66 beats per minute/bpm to an average of 73bpm) and blood pressure (from an average of 108 millimetres of mercury/mmHg to an average of 117mmHg). Researchers found that the volunteers' blood vessels became temporarily narrower after they used nicotine-containing e-cigarettes.

These effects were not seen after volunteers used e-cigarettes that did not contain nicotine. Nicotine is known to increase levels of hormones such as adrenaline in the body, which in turn can increase the formation of blood clots.

Dr. Lyytinen said: "Our results suggest that using e-cigarettes that contain nicotine have similar impacts on the body as smoking traditional cigarettes. This effect on blood clots is important because we know that in the long-term this can lead to clogged up and narrower blood vessels, and that of course puts people at risk of heart attacks and strokes."

Jonathan Grigg, who was not involved in the research, is Chair of the European Respiratory Society Tobacco Control Committee and Professor of Paediatric Respiratory and Environmental Medicine at Queen Mary University of London, UK. He said: "The damage caused by smoking traditional cigarettes, including the effects of nicotine on the body, are well-known. E-cigarettes are relatively new, so we know much less about what they do to the body.

"This study suggests that e-cigarettes containing nicotine can make clots form in users' blood and make their small blood vessels less adaptable. This is a small study, so we'd like to see more research looking at these effects.

"Some people may use e-cigarettes when attempting to quit smoking because they are marketed as being safe, but this study adds to the growing evidence on the harmful effects of e-cigarettes. Other aids to quitting smoking which are evidenced-based and recommended by ERS, such as patches or gum, do not result in the lungs being exposed to high concentrations of potentially toxic compounds."

More information: Abstract no: OA2576 "Electronic cigarettes containing nicotine increase thrombotic activity and impair microcirculation", by Gustaf Lyytinen et al; Presented in session, "Tobacco and nicotine research during the pandemic" at 14:45-16:15 CEST on Monday 6 September 2021. Abstract no: OA2576 "Electronic cigarettes containing nicotine increase thrombotic activity and impair microcirculation", by Gustaf Lyytinen et al; Presented in session, "Tobacco and nicotine research during the pandemic" at 14:45-16:15 CEST on Monday 6 September 2021. k4.ersnet.org/prod/v2/Front/Pr  ?e=262&session=13559
In this Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 file photo, a health worker prepares Pfizer vaccines during the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Pamplona, northern Spain. In a statement Monday Sept. 6, 2021, the European Medicines Agency says it has started an expedited evaluation on whether to recommend a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech. Credit: AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos, File

The European Union's drug regulator said Monday that it has started an expedited evaluation on whether to recommend a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech.

The European Medicines Agency said in a statement that it's considering whether a third dose of the vaccine should be given six months after people age 16 and older have received two doses, "to restore protection after it has waned."

EMA's experts are carrying out an "accelerated assessment" of data submitted by Pfizer and BioNTech, including results from an ongoing trial in which about 300 healthy adults received a booster shot about six months after their second dose.

Pfizer has already submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administer for authorization of a third dose and the U.S. government said last month that boosters would likely be available in late September. Israel has already started administering booster doses and similar plans are under consideration in other countries for vulnerable populations, including Britain, France and Germany.

The World Health Organization has pleaded with rich countries not to use booster doses until at least the end of September, saying there is no scientific data that proves the shots are necessary. It says COVID-19 vaccines would be put to better use in developing countries, which have received fewer than 2% of the more than 5 billion doses administered.

Several studies have showed that protection from authorized COVID-19 vaccines against the highly infectious delta variant drops months after people have been immunized, but the shots still offer strong protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death.

The Amsterdam-based EMA said it expects to make a decision about whether or not to recommend a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine in the next few weeks.

It said it was also reviewing the use of a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna in people with weak immune systems. It said those people might need an extra dose "as part of their primary vaccination" programs.

Explore further Pfizer seeking FDA OK for COVID-19 vaccine booster dose

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Finland's last coronavirus restrictions will be lifted once 80 percent of over-12s have been fully vaccinated, the government said Monday, a target it expects to reach by October.

"Our aim is to open up society and keep it open," Prime Minister Sanna Marin told reporters in Helsinki after a cabinet meeting on the country's coronavirus strategy.

"The advancing vaccination coverage is our key to achieving that," Marin said, adding that restrictions will be lifted gradually as the virus situation improves.

The EU's most sparsely populated nation, Finland has maintained some of the bloc's lowest levels of infection throughout the pandemic, though cases have risen sharply in recent months, particularly among unvaccinated groups such as the young.

The public health authority, THL, reported over 130,000 total infections and 1,036 COVID-related deaths on Monday in the Nordic country of 5.5 million, and said 53.2 percent of the population had been fully vaccinated.

Restaurants and bars in areas of higher transmission currently face reduced opening hours and capacity limits, while some local authorities recommend people work remotely and wear masks in indoor public spaces.

Earlier on Monday the government proposed an end to the two-metre social distancing rule which currently applies to large gatherings and cultural events, with the change likely to be approved by parliament in the coming days.

Explore further Finland declares state of emergency as COVID cases rise

 2021 AFP
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Melbourne researchers have led a global collaboration to develop a simplified blood test that increases the overall screening efficiency for type 1 diabetes (T1D).

As a disease that requires lifelong treatment of insulin, T1D can affect individuals of all ages. Current screening methods to identify those who are at risk are costly and logistically difficult.

The study, led by researchers from the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) and WEHI showed that a single finger prick blood test could be used in place of the current method of multiple venous blood samples during a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test.

Alternative diagnostic method makes testing easier

In T1D, the pancreas stops making insulin because the cells that make the insulin have been destroyed by the body's immune system. Without insulin, the body's cells cannot turn glucose into energy.

People with type 1 diabetes depend on daily insulin injections to replace the insulin the body cannot produce and must test their blood glucose levels several times a day.

Researchers analysed data from four different studies, from participants aged two to 45 years and in their first and second stage of the disease.

The group of researchers, from Australia, Sweden, Canada, United States and Germany, compared a large number of oral glucose tolerance tests from 3,500 people throughout the course of many years.

The study, led by RMH endocrinologist and WEHI clinician-scientist Associate Professor John Wentworth found the simple blood test was able to provide the same information and was far less invasive, particularly for young children.

"For several years, we have believed that multiple blood samples increased the accuracy of the oral glucose tolerance tests," he said.

"What we found, is that the blood sample taken two hours after the glucose drink predicted a clinical diagnosis with high accuracy."

"Information collected from the study is expected to lead to improved screening efficiency and early diagnosis and treatment for type 1 diabetes."

Explore further A1c test misses many cases of diabetes

More information: Naiara G. Bediaga et al, Simplifying prediction of disease progression in pre-symptomatic type 1 diabetes using a single blood sample, Diabetologia (2021). Journal information: Diabetologia Naiara G. Bediaga et al, Simplifying prediction of disease progression in pre-symptomatic type 1 diabetes using a single blood sample,(2021). DOI: 10.1007/s00125-021-05523-2
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A new study led by Dr. Beth Parkin, senior lecturer in psychology from the Cognitive Neuroscience Group at the University of Westminster, has discovered that a substantial proportion of people with Parkinson's disease have precise deficits when learning from instructions, and these problems are associated with differences in brain functioning.

New collaborative research conducted by Dr. Parkin at Westminster and a team led by Professor Adam Hampshire at Imperial College London examined the brain activity and behaviour of people with Parkinson's disease, age matched controls and younger adults. The team found that the patients who showed problems learning new rules did so because of deficits early in the learning process when new representations are bound or encoded in memory. However, once memories are made, these people did not have problems with forgetting.

The study, published in Brain Communications, investigated these deficits further using multiple brain scanning techniques including functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) which shows where blood flows in the brain, as well as MR Spectroscopy which shows the chemical composition of the brain. People with Parkinson's presenting problems learning new rules showed abnormalities in brain activity at the point when new memories were being made. These included reduced activation in regions associated with learning in the frontal, parietal, and anterior caudate parts of the brain. These problems were also associated with lower levels of GABA in the prefrontal cortex, which is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter or chemical messenger in the brain.

Parkinson's disease causes varying problems of memory and mental functioning both in terms of type and rate of decline, therefore a deeper understanding of these problems is crucial as they predict decreased quality of life in those effected. An inability to learn new rules from instructions are central to a person's functioning as this ability is ubiquitous in everyday life, as making use of explicit instructions is the most efficient way to learn novel goal directed behaviours.

The researchers hope that this work could aid the development of personally tailored treatment approaches. For example, bespoke therapies could be designed that target the specific neural systems disrupted determined by a detailed characterisation of cognitive impairments.

Talking about the research, Dr. Beth Parkin said: "These findings not only tell us about the brain mechanisms underpinning the cognitive problems experienced in people with Parkinson's, but they also have clinical implications. In particular, the problems detected here are likely to interfere with other clinical assessments of mental functioning, as they all rely on the patient's ability to learn from instructions. Therefore, we recommend the assessment of instruction-based learning as an important first step before other neuropsychological assessments are undertaken."

Explore further Parkinson's discovery points to possible future treatment approaches

More information: Beth L Parkin et al, Dissociable effects of age and Parkinson's disease on instruction-based learning, Brain Communications (2021). Journal information: Brain Communications Beth L Parkin et al, Dissociable effects of age and Parkinson's disease on instruction-based learning,(2021). DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab175
The rescue committee has also fostered several local partnerships. UM, Missoula County Public Schools, Clearwater Credit Union and Lifelong Learning Center all help people get their footing in the community.

Funding comes from the U.S. Department of State as well as donations from community members and businesses. Airbnb is one of the partners of IRCs headquarters and has given money, which has made a notable difference in finding temporary housing for people, Fahey said.

The services provided by us and our partners have really improved, he said.

Since the U.S. announced its withdrawal from Afghanistan, IRC Missoula has helped special visa immigrants make their way to Northwestern Montana.

A group of small, young Afghan families, nine people in total, have been trickling through IRCs resettlement process in recent weeks and are now getting settled into housing in northwestern Montana.

In addition to monetary and supply contributions, Fahey encourages Montanans to go beyond donations to create communities where refugees feel welcome and safe.

So far with the people coming from Afghanistan, Fahey says IRC has seen an outpouring of support from people across the state.
Theres no nice way to put it. Hundreds of Montanans are now getting sick and dying thanks to the anti-science, anti-mask, anti-vax messages propagated by the insane rhetoric of Republican politicians under the false rubric of personal responsibility and freedom. But as the costs to society continue to rise exponentially while the more lethal, more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 runs rampant, we should call it just what it is  FreeDumb  and its killing us.

You dont have to dig very far back to recall the insane advice of the former president that people could inject bleach or put a strong light inside the body to kill the virus responsible for COVID. Unfortunately, he didnt follow his own medical advice when he contracted the disease. Instead he got the best, most expensive treatment available to save his worthless butt while those who believed his sham died gasping for their last breaths. When the U.S. death toll topped 600,000, almost all on Trumps watch, one may have expected anyone with a shred of intelligence to realize the COVID pandemic was deadly serious, in every meaning of the word.
Working Montana families are the backbone of our state.

From teachers and police officers to pipefitters and nurses, union workers play an enormous role in our lives: keeping us safe, taking care of us and building the infrastructure we need to thrive.

As we celebrate Labor Day this year, I am reminded of the struggles the labor movement has fought and won on behalf of working women and men all across this country, and the work we still need to do to meet their needs.

Montana played a central role in the labor movement, and that legacy is felt everywhere you look, from safer workplaces and a 40-hour work week, to improved gender equality and health benefits. The early success of the movement helped transform Montanas economy, and led to greater opportunity for everyone.

But its a legacy under threat. Montana workers are facing an uphill battle to fight for safe working conditions and liveable wages on the other side of a pandemic that upended our economy and put essential workers' lives at risk. These conditions  on top of skyrocketing costs for housing, child care and mental health services  are keeping Montanans out of the workforce and hurting our working families.
A Mexico City statue of Christopher Columbus was defaced last September (AP)

A statue of Christopher Columbus is to be permanently removed from Mexico Citys most prominent boulevard.

The statue, which has for decades held pride of place on the Paseo de la Reforma, will be replaced by a memorial to the countrys indigenous women, mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced.

A Mexico City statue of Christopher Columbus was defaced last September (AP)

The Columbus statue was removed before last years Columbus Day, known as Day of the Race, reportedly for restoration.

It had been repeatedly defaced by activists who denounced Europeans conquest and suppression of Mexicos indigenous peoples.

The mayor said the 19th-century bronze statue would be shifted to a worthy but less prominent location elsewhere in the city.

She said the European vision of the discovery of America, was often associated with Colombus, even though civilisations existed for centuries before his arrival in the Americas in 1492.

Of course we recognise Columbus. But there are two visions, Ms Sheinbaum said.

Theres another vision from here, that in reality a European arrived in America, who made an encounter between two places, and then came the (Spanish) conquest, she added.

Statues of Columbus were a source of tension for activists during widespread protests by the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States last summer.

According to CBS News , at least 33 Columbus statues were removed across the US last year.

Reuters reported that Ms Sheinbaum is a close ally of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who came to power with the promise to defend poor and indigenous communities.

The Associated Press reported that when the statue was removed last year, Mr Obrador said that Day of the Race was a date that is very controversial and lends itself to conflicting ideas and political conflicts.

Former Mexican president Felipe Calderon took to Twitter to criticise the statues removal.

"To disappear, remove monuments and other architectural and artistic elements that are part of the great identity of Mexico City, without even asking citizens, it seems arbitrary to me, Mr Calderon said.

Story continues

This year marks the 700th anniversary of the founding of Tenochtitlan  the former capital of the Aztec empire and what is now Mexico City  as well as the 500th anniversary of its fall to the Spanish conquistadores, and the 200th anniversary of Mexicos final independence from Spain.

An estimated 55 million people died between 1492 and 1600 in the Americas, many due to disease, war and famine. Columbus has been accused by protesters of enabling a genocide of indigenous populations.

Ms Sheinbaum said she is hopeful that the replacement statue Tlali would be erected by this years Day of the Race on October 12.

Read More

Judge rules Columbus statue in Philadelphia can remain

Harriet Tubman statue to replace Christopher Columbus in New Jersey
Daily coronavirus infections are more than four times what the U.S. was seeing on Labor Day last year, or a 316% increase, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. And daily deaths are almost twice as high.

Blame the highly contagious delta variant and a swath of Americans refusing easily accessible vaccines that most of the developing world is furiously scrambling to obtain.

Hospitalizations are up 158% from a year ago, U.S. Health and Human Services data shows. The result: Some U.S. hospitals are getting so crowded with COVID-19 patients that physicians may soon be compelled to make life-or-death decisions on who gets an ICU bed.

"We are perilously close," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, told CNN. "You're going to have to make some very tough choices."

The crisis has arrived in Mississippi, the state with the nation's lowest vaccination rate at 38%. At the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the emergency room and intensive care unit are beyond capacity, almost all COVID patients. Risa Moriarity, executive vice chair of the hospital's emergency department, described a logjam with beds in hallways and patients being treated in triage rooms.

"You leave work at the end of the day just exhausted by the effort it takes to (dig) that compassion up for people who are not taking care of themselves and the people around them, Moriarity said.

 Mike Stucka

The number of COVID-19 cases among children are on the rise amid the delta variant's surge and the start of a new school year.

Also in the news:

Alabama hospital officials are planning a statewide moment of silence at noon Tuesday to remember the more than 12,000 Alabamians who have died of COVID-19.

Five federal courthouses in eastern Michigan will fully reopen Tuesday for the first time since COVID-19 restrictions were put in place in March 2020.

West Virginia had one of its worst weeks as the number of positive cases neared a seven-day record. The 6,705 confirmed statewide cases for the six days ending Saturday already surpassed the previous weeks total and represented the fourth-highest for any week, according to state health data.

Story continues

Most of New Zealand will move out of lockdown Tuesday except for the largest city of Auckland, which will remain in the strictest type of lockdown until at least next week. New Zealand reported its first COVID death in over six months on Saturday.

Nursing homes in Maryland are seeing another rise in coronavirus cases despite Gov. Larry Hogan's order that all nursing home employees have at least one vaccine dose. Facilities that fail to comply will be subject to fines.

Greece has begun administering vaccinations outside churches in a pilot program as a means of encouraging more people to get the shots.

 Today's numbers: The U.S. has recorded more than 39.9 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 648,900 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Global totals: More than 220.9 million cases and 4.57 million deaths. More than 175,9 million Americans  53% of the population  have been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

 What we're reading: After 18 months of the pandemic, hospitals find themselves in a prolonged battle against a relentless enemy, fighting with tired, disheartened and depleted troops. Many states have lost hundreds to thousands of hospital workers to burnout, early retirement and job transfers. Read more here.

Keep refreshing this page for the latest news. Want more? Sign up for USA TODAY's Coronavirus Watch newsletter to receive updates directly to your inbox and join our Facebook group.

First responders not rushing to get vaccinated

Police officers and other first responders are among those most hesitant to get the coronavirus vaccine. No national statistics show the vaccination rate for Americas entire population of first responders, but individual police and fire departments across the country report figures far below the national rate of 74% of adults who have had at least one dose. Its a stark contrast from the beginning of the vaccine rollout when first responders were prioritized for shots.

San Francisco firefighter Christopher Salas, 58, has nearly 28 years on the job. He plans to retire early instead of acquiescing to the citys ultimatum to get vaccinated or get terminated. He said he believes in personal choice.

Im not an anti-vaxxer, he said. I have all my other vaccines. Im just not taking this one.

Bobby Ford got vaccinated, twin Billy Ford didn't. Here's what happened

Bobby and Billy Ford were identical twins and inseparable as youngsters growing up in Williamsburg, Virginia. In 1993, Bobby opened Bobbys Auto Service Center, where Billy eventually joined him. Bobby got vaccinated, Billy refused. When COVID ran through the shop this summer, Bobby was sick for three days. William H. Billy Ford, 59, died Aug. 14.

He changed his mind" on vaccinations after becoming ill, Bobby said of his brother. It was too late for him.

 Laurence Reisman, Treasure Coast Newspapers

No vaccination? No in-person treatment, Florida physician says

A Florida doctor said she will no longer treat primary care patients in person who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine. Linda Marraccini, a family medicine doctor in South Miami, sent a letter to patients informing them that because the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for general use by the Food and Drug Administration, unvaccinated individuals will no longer be allowed to attend in-person appointments at her practice.

"This is a public health emergency  the health of the public takes priority over the rights of any given individual in this situation," Marraccini wrote in the letter, obtained by NBC Miami. "It appears that there is a lack of selflessness and concern for the burden on the health and well-being of our society. "

 Emily Adams

COVID takes toll on battle to limit hospital infections

Federal agencies and health care systems have spent years working together to reduce hospital-acquired infections and increase overall patient safety in the USA. From 2018 to 2019, there was up to an 18% decrease in central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections and certain surgical site infections among acute care hospitals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A new study from the agency shows the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to undo that progress.

As COVID has done in so many other areas, it has had unintended impacts in all of our health care delivery and that extends to health care associated infections, study spokesperson Dr. Arjun Srinivasan, associate director for the CDCs Healthcare Associated Infection Prevention Programs, told USA TODAY. Read more here.

 Adrianna Rodriguez

Moderna's booster shots may not be ready by Sept. 20

Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday that booster shots for those who received Moderna's vaccine may still be awaiting the green light from regulators on Sept. 20. That's when Biden said anyone who wants a third dose of vaccine will be able to get one if they are eight months out from their second shot. Moderna filed initial data for booster-shot authorization Wednesday and may not get cleared by Sept. 20.

"We were hoping that we would get both products, Moderna and Pfizer, rolled out by the week of the 20th," Fauci told CBS. "So the bottom line is very likely, at least part of the plan will be implemented, but ultimately the entire plan will be." Read more here.

In-person learning shut down in 1,000 schools since start of academic year

At least 1,000 schools across 35 states have closed for in-person learning because of COVID-19 since the beginning of the school year, according to Burbio, a New York-based data service that is tracking K-12 school reopening trends. Schools listed in the company's tracker have closed for anywhere from one day to several weeks. Most temporarily moved to remote learning. Others temporarily closed with no instruction. And a small number delayed the start of school or shifted into hybrid learning, according to Burbio.

The rising number of closures comes amid a battle over mask mandates in schools and a surge in pediatric COVID-19 cases largely because of the highly contagious delta variant.

Amazon, Reddit take steps in fight against COVID-19 misinformation

Last week was another reminder of how widely misinformation spreads, and how tech companies are scrambling to push back. Reddit shut down a popular anti-vaccine subreddit that had been connected to pushing misinformation about the pandemic and vaccine. The platform also placed 54 other COVID-19 denial communities under a quarantine, which means posts won't appear in search results on Reddit, and users must explicitly approve entering the subreddit before seeing any of its content.

Meanwhile, Amazon said it plans to block some autocomplete results linked to ivermectin  an anti-parasite drug the Food and Drug Administration has advised people not to take to treat COVID-19  after it appeared once users started typing "iv" into the search bar. Read more here.

 Brett Molina

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New infections are up 316% from last Labor Day: COVID news
Drug charges brings 2-3 year sentenceA one time resident of what is known as the Opry House in Morganton, pleaded guilty in superior court to possession of drugs before Judge George M. Fountain of Tarboro and was given a 2-3 year active sentence.

The suspect was arrested on May 26 by Deanes Short of the Morganton Police Department. At the time, a large quantity of what was believed to be mescaline, but was later identified as LSD following a lab test in Raleigh, was found in Wrights possession.

The suspect told the court he had taken drugs before, including marijuana, and in one instance, LSD, but since his arrest in May, had not taken any more.

Short told the court that the suspect had told him upon his arrest that he had paid between $90 and $100 for the drugs.

The suspect stated in court that he believed at the time that he had purchased mescaline, which he explained was a derivative of peyote. He would not disclose his supplier.

Litterbug

defendant fined $10The Lake James Fire Department organized a highway cleanup project for residents of the Lake James community in late August, which won third prize in a roadside clean-up contest.
Those patterns could change, particularly after the past two years of severe, pervasive fires that were not accounted for in the study, said Margaret Walls, a senior fellow with Resources for the Future who co-authored the study. She thinks the potential for smoke could factor into future plans.

"In the past, maybe you just went. You didn't think about the smoke," Walls said. "You used to be able to say, it'll be all right around the Grand Canyon. Not anymore."

When the Boundary Waters in Minnesota's Superior National Forest was closed last month, Farquhar was one of hundreds of paddlers who lost out. The outfitters who rent canoes, sell supplies and help them plan their trips also were hit hard.

Typically, the parking lot of Sawbill Canoe Outfitters is full of cars in August and all its roughly 200 canoes are in the wilderness, said Clare Shirley, the third-generation owner. Despite a blue sky and no smell of smoke recently, the boats were all on their racks late last month and the parking lot was nearly empty.

"It's very, very quiet around here, which is eerie," said Shirley, who estimated she was losing tens of thousands of dollars. "We're definitely missing out on a big chunk of our peak season."

Farquhar has pivoted once again. He and his friend were fixing up a canoe last week for a trip to the Debsconeag Lakes Wilderness Area in Maine. The state's forest service designated that area with its lowest rating for fire danger.

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GOP has lost decency

I find the GOP leadership disgusting. They are not pro-life  they are anti-abortion period. Some want to prohibit wearing a small piece of cloth over your face, yet they are willing to reach into a womans uterus. Outlawing legal abortions will not stop abortions. What outlawing legal abortions will do is force women into illegal abortions resulting in more womens deaths and mutilations. A woman dying of a botched abortion is not pro-life.

The GOP is not pro-life. They do nothing to prevent mass shooting deaths and school shooting deaths of innocent children. They want to build walls to keep people out; walls also keep people in (remember the Berlin wall). They do not want to feed the poor  they want to reduce the food stamp allotments. They do not care about hungry, starving children. The GOP prefers to believe the Regan era myth about the lazy welfare queens who keeps on pumping out babies to keep the welfare checks keep rolling in. That is completely untrue.

The GOP is not pro-life. They do nothing about capital punishment. Trump relished his power to speed up executions and have them carried out before he left office. The GOP wants to keep people who were arrested on marijuana or other minor drug charges in prison for excessive prison sentences, even though marijuana is now legal in several states.
Governor must act

We are lucky to have had Gov. Bullock who did a good job of keeping COVID out of Montana early on when it was spreading around the country.

Now, with loosened rules and mandates, we are beginning to experience more COVID outbreaks that have created problems with ICU availability and staffing at Helena and Billings hospitals. We are also being surrounded by states with even worse problems.

Let's take Idaho for example. Republican Gov. Brad Little described a heartbreaking scene at a St. Lukes ICU: "It was nearly filled with unvaccinated patients, average age 43, who contracted COVID-19 ... all were struggling to breathe ... He went on to say, "Please choose to receive the vaccine to protect lives, help our exhausted medical staff, keep health care access available to all of us and keep our workforce healthy and keep our kids in school."

And of course, we have all heard about the increased COVID rates in neighboring states of South Dakota and Wyoming. So, we are in fact, being surrounded by COVID.
Randy Newberg, the Bozeman-based host of the hunting series Fresh Tracks with Randy Newberg, says in the film that hes backed away from the controversy surrounding corner crossing, despite vocal support of a bill in the 2013 Montana Legislature that sought to enshrine the activity in law.

At the time, advocates said corner crossing would provide access to about 800,000 acres in Montana.

Every attorney has told me this does represent civil trespass, Newberg said in the film. As someone who believes strongly in our constitution, someone who believes property rights are absolutely paramount to the society, the economy, the way of life that weve built, I cant bring myself to do it. I have that much respect for private property rights.
Everyone thinks they have to do everything by themselves, Ottrix says. No, you hire help. The most successful people build really, really good teams.

3. Formalize your business plan

If youre already freelancing, you probably have a good sense of how much you can earn per item or per client, Hall says. But you may not have a formal business plan that translates those numbers into enough money to make a living.

If your family needs you to make $100,000  How many clients is that? How many engagements is that? How many rocking chairs is that? Hall says. That business plan is your map.

Weil recommends new business owners aim to pay themselves twice as much as they need for monthly obligations like rent or mortgage payments, food and utilities. On top of that, youll need enough revenue to cover business expenses and taxes. About 30% of your revenue after expenses should be set aside for quarterly tax payments, Weil says.

4. Prepare your personal finances
MUSCATINE  Muscatine residents should get ready for a fight  and a pretty delicious one at that!

On September 18 from noon to 8 p.m., Muscatine will hold its first Food Truck Fight in Riverside Park, where more than 10 local and regional food trucks will battle it out for the crown. Attendees will vote for their favorite and a winner will be named.

The Food Truck Fight originated in LeClaire in 2017 through BRB Live, an event production company based in the Quad-Cities. It has expanded to Colorado and Illinois and now Muscatine. Admission costs $10, with kids 12 and under getting in for free, and a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Riverside Park Amphitheater project.

Jodi Hansen, director of strategic initiatives of Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Bobby Ray Bunch, owner of BRB Live, contacted the chamber at a time when it was searching for events to attract visitors to the Muscatine area.

We sought events in the performing and visual arts, food, wine and beer festivals, recreational events, and cultural events areas, Hansen said. Being familiar with BRB Lives efforts in LeClaire, we thought this event would be a great fit for Muscatine.
Nurses speak at the emergency service of the hospital in Papeete, Tahiti island, French Polynesia on Aug.20, 2021.
Cell Cs former head of IT is accused of masterminding a scam that siphoned R357.3 million from the mobile network operator over the course of eight years, Mail & Guardian reported.

This follows reports from earlier this year that the IT executive and an accomplice were arrested for alleged fraud and corruption.

They allegedly colluded with a director of a contracted entity responsible for IT and network service provider and falsely inflated invoices, the South African Police Service stated.

In response to the article, Cell C said that the R357 million figure quoted in the report is actually the total value of orders over that period.

The quantum of the fraud is estimated at R130m, Cell C stated.

The Mail & Guardian reported that National Prosecuting Authority documents show that, between January 2012 and January 2020, Mohamed Adamjee allegedly orchestrated 83 transactions to defraud Cell C.

According to Adamjees Linkedin profile, he was at Cell C for more than 18 years, starting as a service delivery manager in January 2002.

He then served as a senior IT manager from 2006 to 2010 before becoming the executive head of IT in November 2010.

Court documents from a South Gauteng High Court judgement handed down on 16 October 2020 name Adamjee and his former coworker, Adriaan Pillay, as alleged co-conspirators in the scam.

Pillay served under Adamjee at Cell C until July 2014, when he resigned after disciplinary proceedings were pending against him.

Cell C told the court it discovered collusion between Adamjee and Pillay in March 2020 via the procurement of IT goods and services through two entities  Cornastone Enterprise Systems and Techno Genius CC.

Through Adamjees influence, Cell C would contract with Cornastone as its preferred supplier for the required IT goods and/or services not knowing that Cornastones quotes are exaggerated, the judgement stated.

Throughout this period, Pillay was the sole director of Techno Genius, and he and Adamjee each also held a 50% beneficial ownership of a company called House and Home Refurbishments.

Following the judgement, the police arrested two men linked to Cornastone in April this year  Manuel Teixeira and Lufuno Nevhutalu.

Texeira is the former sales director, and Nevhutalu the former CEO of Cornastone.

All four men will face 83 counts of fraud, the Mail & Guardian reported.

They are all out on bail of R50,000 each and have indicated that they would plead not guilty on all counts.

Citing a well-placed source, the Mail & Guardian reported that the amount would go beyond R357 million, possibly over R500 million, as investigators probed the case further.

Cell C declined to comment on this, saying that it was inappropriate for it to do so while the matter is before the courts.

Mail & Guardian also reported that Adamjee bought a Toyota Hilux and a Yamaha superbike among many other toys and gadgets, and helped close friends and family members with debt repayments using the funds he allegedly misappropriated from Cell C.

According to the report, Adamjee used his private email account to communicate with his alleged co-conspirators.

These emails were reportedly intercepted by Cell C executives and handed over to investigators, and will be instrumental and securing a conviction.

In the October 2020 judgement, Cell C said that it was concerned about Adamjee and Pillay destroying evidence related to the alleged procurement fraud.

Cell C said it discovered an email sent from Adamjees Gmail account to Cornastone related to the Techno Genius payments in May 2020.

This led the company to unearth the alleged fraud and come to the belief that Adamjee used his personal email accounts to correspond with Pillay and Techno Genius over these activities.

Cell C was concerned that the accused would delete WhatsApp and email messages that could be used as evidence against them.

It sought and obtained a ruling to place the evidence in the custody of the police, and for their bank accounts to be frozen.

The judgement noted that Pillay is alleged to have interfered with this order by deleting 3GB of data from his email account, prompting Cell C to seek an extension of the order. This was granted with a punitive cost order against Pillay.

MyBroadband tried to contact Cornastone for comment, but calls to its listed number went unanswered.

Mohamed Adamjee did not respond to a request for comment.

Cell Cs chief legal officer, Zahir Williams, said that the company has a zero-tolerance approach to illegal and unethical conduct.

The company also previously told MyBroadband that the fraudulent activity extends to other former employees.

Williams stated that they would not hesitate to take appropriate action where there is evidence of wrongdoing.

Cell C acted swiftly to involve law enforcement authorities to investigate incidents of serious workplace fraud and leading to the arrest of suspects who are now facing criminal prosecution, he said.

Regarding questions about how they secured the email evidence from Adamjees personal account, William said that it is not appropriate for Cell C to comment on matters of evidence that the prosecution is dealing with.

The matter is before the courts, and Cell C is co-operating fully and working with the relevant prosecuting authority and will allow the law to take its course in this case.
Apparently, in government, there is an activity known as walking the dog  a strategy intended to keep self-serving politicians, officials and stakeholders quiet, and to calm them down when they are getting agitated and fidgety for some of the action.

Of course, there is some excitement at the prospect of sniffing out the territory on a brisk walk, with the anticipation that something big is on the cards. But this is inevitably short-lived, and things soon revert back to the normal and more leisurely state of inaction.

Mission accomplished.

There are some examples of this in the coal and nuclear energy sectors of South Africa. The media and the public need to be careful not to be bamboozled by the noxious smoke and mirrors, sometimes radioactive, that emanate from these quarters in their excitement.

2500 MW of new nuclear power?

Following a meeting by the board of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) on 26 August 2021, there were breathless public statements to the media by officials at the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) regarding a decision by the Regulator in respect of 2500 MW of new nuclear power in South Africa.

The Regulator was said to have concurred with a so-called Section 34 ministerial nuclear determination in terms of the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA). Some in the media fell for this hook, line and sinker. The nuclear energy sector was ecstatic, asserting that the procurement of 2500 MW of new nuclear power in South Africa would now commence.

However, in the days following the board meeting, Nersa seemed to be acting very coy  firstly about clarifying exactly what it was that the board had concurred with, and secondly, whether this was even a concurrence by Nersa after all, as opposed to a conditional concurrence that was still subject to a number of suspensive conditions.

Of course, the independent Regulator was treading a very delicate line  to at least give the appearance that the noisy nuclear sector had got its way, while covering all political bases and legal angles, protecting its fragile reputation, and taking care not to become the scapegoat for scuppering the nuclear ambitions of a fractious Minister.

However, on 3 September 2021, Nersa finally succumbed to the growing pressure to release full details of its actual decision on 26 August 2021, with the reasons for decision (RFD) to follow in due course. In so doing, the tricky game that Nersa was having to play became clearer.

Suspensive conditions?

Contrary to the public statements and media interviews by DMRE officials, written details of the board decision reveal that Nersa has in fact not yet concurred with the Section 34 determination per se, but that such concurrence is still subject to a number of suspensive conditions which have not yet been met.

The precise wording of Nersas decision of 26 August 2021 in respect of the suspensive conditions indicate that the Energy Regulator has decided:

To concur with the commencement of the process to procure the new nuclear energy generation capacity of 2500 MW as per Decision 8 of the Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity 2019  2030  subject to the following suspensive conditions:

Satisfaction of Decision 8 of IRP 2019  2030, which requires that the nuclear build programme must be at an affordable pace and modular scale that the country can afford because it is no regret option in the long term; Recognition and taking into account technological developments in the nuclear space; and To further establish rationality behind the 2500 MW capacity of nuclear. A demand analysis aimed at matching the envisaged load profile post-2030, with the generation profile that would be needed to match that load profile, is required. This will assist to determine the capacity and the scale at which the country would need to procure nuclear.

It is thus clear that Nersa is only concurring with Decision 8 of the current Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity, IRP 2019  2030, to commence preparations for a nuclear build programme to the extent of 2500 MW, with this itself being subject to the suspensive conditions listed.

The Regulator is not concurring with the commencement of a request for proposals (RFP) for new nuclear power in South Africa, nor is Nersa giving the green light to any new nuclear construction programme.

Not so fast please!

It goes without saying that any public procurement must still comply with the requirements of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and the Constitution. As such, National Treasury remains a gatekeeper through the requirement for a positive outcome to a detailed cost-benefit analysis, and the requirement for National Treasury to establish the affordability of any such procurement.

It is still far from resolved as to the technology to be used for a nuclear new-build programme in South Africa. Would these be giant pressurised water reactors (PWRs) such as the Rosatom VVER 1200 units? Or small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) that still have to be developed, piloted, commercialised, licenced and proven elsewhere in the world?

The suspensive conditions even indicate that the very rationality of a 2500 MW nuclear new-build programme still needs to be established through long-term demand forecasting for the period post 2030 in order to determine the mix of the generation capacity required to meet that demand.

Finally, as no new-nuclear power is provided for in the current IRP in the years to 2030, it is clear that any new nuclear procurement can only commence, at the earliest, after an updated IRP has been considered by governments social partners, approved by the Cabinet, and promulgated.

1500 MW of new, clean, coal-fired power?

A further example of walking the dog may be found in ongoing suggestions by the Minister and his officials at the DMRE that clean coal technologies can be deployed for the 1500 MW of new coal-fired power listed in IRP 2010  2030, in the two tranches of 750 MW each scheduled for 2023 and 2027 respectively.

However, experience with the 2014 Coal Baseload IPP Procurement Programme has shown that new coal-fired generation cannot be financed in South Africa. Recent research by internationally renowned coal power plant expert Dr. Ranajit (Ron) Sahu also shows that clean coal technologies are not economically viable, and in any event, cannot be deployed in the timescales required.

Analysts suggest that the ongoing empty promises of clean coal-fired generation capacity for South Africa may simply be intended to keep noisy coal-sector stakeholder groups quiet in misguided, optimistic hope.

The 9600 MW nuclear fleet?

Yet another case of walking the dog was detailed in an article in Daily Maverick on 26 August 2021. In the article, former Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas reveals that there was a general understanding in government that the 9600 MW nuclear deal with Russia, being pushed in 2017 by then-President Jacob Zuma and Energy Minister David Mahlobo, would be terrible for South Africa.

According to Jonas, President Ramaphosas instruction was to walk it as long as possible. He [Ramaphosa] said that by the time we have to make a decision, Zuma will be gone. He told us to find everything in the book to delay.

A question arises as to whether the upsides of dog walking really outweigh the downsides. It is hard to give a clear answer to this question, but it would seem that our President clearly prefers walking the dog to dealing firmly with self-serving elements within the party circle.

However, a poorly-founded but nagging question keeps popping up as to what Vice-President DD Mabuza was really up to during his extended five-week leave of absence in Russia in July 2021?

Putin would likely be a big, vicious dog, ready for a fight, and not easily controlled on the walk  actually more of a bear than a dog. And I would hate to be walking a grumpy bear!
SpaceX is set to launch its first-ever commercial crew on a three-day journey around the Earth next week.

The Inspiration4 crew will undertake the journey in the Crew Dragon spacecraft to conduct research and raise funds for St. Judes Childrens Research Hospital.

Falcon 9 will send the reused Dragon crew capsule with a crew consisting of four private civilians into space on 15 September.

Teams from SpaceX and Inspiration4 met on 2 September to begin Flight Readiness Reviews on the Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon spacecraft, ground systems, recovery aspects, and crew training.

#Inspiration4 and @SpaceX have completed our flight readiness review and remain on track for launch! Read more about launch details and potential timing here: https://t.co/Wj7hSWDOXZ pic.twitter.com/X8L9ZKk8Wl  Inspiration4 (@inspiration4x) September 3, 2021

The Inspiration4 crew, which has spent the past six months training for the occasion, consists of:

Mission Commander  Jared Isaacman

Mission Pilot  Sian Proctor

Medical Officer  Hayley Arceneaux

Mission Specialist  Chris Sembroski

Isaacman, the founder of Shift4 Payments, purchased the flight and donated three seats to inspire humanity and raise funds for St. Judes Childrens Research Hospital.

The crews preparation consisted of centrifuge training, Dragon simulations, observations of other SpaceX launch operations, Zero-G plane training, altitude training, and additional classroom, simulation, and medical testing, Inspiration4 said.

Roughly three days before launch, the 24-hour launch window (beginning at midnight UTC) will be narrowed to five hours based on weather conditions at launch, along the ascent corridor, and at landing sites.

An alternate launch opportunity is available on 16 September in case of weather disruptions.

The operation will take off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with the intention of reaching the same altitude as the Hubble Space Telescope, 540km.

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 crew will be presented with incredible views of Earth through the domed window that replaces the docking station used in previous flights.

Once at altitude, the crew will orbit the Earth for three days before landing in the Atlantic Ocean.

Inspiration4s goal is to inspire humanity to support St. Jude here on earth while also seeing new possibilities for human spaceflight, Jared Isaacman said.

Each of these outstanding crew members embodies the best of humanity, and I am humbled to lead them on this historic and purposeful mission and the adventure of a lifetime.

Now Read: SpaceX will launch Dogecoin funded satellite to the Moon
archivos de los protestos globales

North West Colombia is almost destined for economic development and for a canal project between the Atlantic and the Pacific ocean. Considering the increasing flow of goods and trade in times of economic globalisation, such development projects become enormously important. Like in the times of the Spanish conquerors 500 years ago, there is no hesitation to displace and to literally eliminate the resisting local population and social movements, in order to impose these important economic interests. It's Christmas 2000 in Jurado, in an Emberra indigenous community close to the Pacific coast. Like probably millions of people at this time, Amando Achito is at home spending his time with his family and friends. Paramilitaries enter his house at 6:30 am and shoot him dead with 4 bullets. On their way out, the paramilitaries make sure they are heard by shooting in the air. They also take the radio equipment, which is necessary for communication, with them. Armando was an indigenous leader and for years had been organising resistance around therecognition of the right to live and the self-determination of the community. This community just so happens to be exactly where the interoceanic canal is planned. The message is clear: anyone organising resistance will be threatened with the same punishment, leave before the next one gets killed. Sometimes an entire village is threatened. A few days before, not far from there, in the North of Cauca, 6000 people, mostly from Black Communities were forced to flee. The number of displaced and fleeing people is estimated around 2 million, half of them from Black Communities. There were 3.000 victims of murder like Armando Achito in the last year.

Like Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeanos' often used quote: "Latin America's problem is not its poverty but its wealth". The strategic geopolitical position of Colombia is unquestionable, it is like a natural trade platform of the world market. The country has access to both oceans and is the natural bridge between North and South America. The importance of this corner of the planet had already been recognised by the Spanish conquerors who investigated possibilities of connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In 1903 the US orchestrated the separation of Panama from Colombia in order to maintain control of this region. The Panama canal was always just one option among several possibilities of interoceanic connections. Other possibilities in Mexico, Nicaragua and Colombia have been considered for decades. It was not until the Panama canal opened in 1914 that neighbouring countries dropped their own projects. The Panama canals works with a system of locks and it was recognised 30 years ago that it had limited capacities. This led to the other interoceanic options being reconsidered. According to the national and international investors, which set up several planning commissions, once control of the Panama Canal was handed over from the US to the Panamanian government, it wouldn't be long until other interoceanic connections were available.

Now that time has come. In times of economic globalisation the technically outdated Panama canal has become a hindrance for the increasing flow of goods. Although today the usual capacity for ships is 250.000 tons, ships exceeding 60.000 tons cannot pass the canal. Smaller cargoes also run into traffic jams at the canal locks, and have to put up with waiting fore several days. In other words, the canal has become the nightmare of advocates of 'just in time production'. Geopolitical relations have also evolved substantially. The South East Asian market and production locations in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea .... and especially China, as an upcoming market and WTO member, have become increasingly important. Colombia is not only becoming extremely important in terms of crossroad of trade paths but also as a production location offering cheap labour force finalising products that will be sold on markets all around the world. This view of neoliberal development is perfectly in tune with the vision of a FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas), which will be negotiated for the 3rd time in Quebec, Canada, in April 2001 at the Summit of the Americas when 34 heads of State will meet. It also corresponds to the expectations of the Latin American governments who wish to attract further foreign investment in the sweatshop industry. Economic developments are pushing for the construction of a new canal and the development of the area. Generally the construction of an efficient interoceanic canal refers to a so called "dry canal", which includes modern train and road connections between huge harbours on the Atlantic and Pacific coast. Hector Mondragon, a Colombian economist threatened with death several times and living underground protected by indigenous and farmers communities, draws particular attention to four 'land-river-harbour' connections and the developments around them:

the interoceanic 'dry' canal Atrato - Truando (named according to the neighbouring rivers) with its connections to the trainway Medellin- Buenaventura and the motorway from the Pacific to Medellin and Pereira. the Uraba - Maracaibo motorway and the connection Antioquia - Venezuela. the connection of the Orinoco and Meta rivers with the city of Buenaventura. the connection of 'rio de la Plata' river - Amazonas - Napo - Putumayo - Tumaco with a huge harbour in Puerto Asis.

"the largest violent displacements have taken place around the first two zones (A+B). A major process of expropriation is underway along the canal route and around the Uraba - Maracaibo motorway. Large amounts of land are being bought, and this is followed by a large presence of paramilitaries who are financed by the land buyers. Between 1985 and 1994, around 700.000 people were affected by displacement. Between 1995 and 1999 the number of displaced exceeded one million (89.000 in 1995, 181.000 in 1996, 257.000 in 1997, 308.000 in 1998 and 225.000 between January and September 1999). Even the government admits that 381.755 people were displaced between 1996 and 1998. Consequently the number of displaced between 1985 and 1999 exceeds 1,7 million people."

Mondragon also draws the attention to the 425 massacres per year and talks about 'social genocide'. "You must start using this word" he said to EU parliamentarians in a hearing at the EU parliament in December 2000. Colombia does not have the necessary capital to finance the constructions, so mixed private and public funding becomes necessary. Foreign multinationals and investors are attracted with promising investment conditions. Environmental and social consequences are ignored - no wonder, this is a billion dollar business. The Asociacion de Ingenieros del Valle estimates the profits of the canal to be around 1,314 billion US dollars per year, the Sociedad Geografica de Colombia estimates even 1,878 billion US dollars per year. (Periodico 1997).

This development includes several megaprojects which plunder natural and genetic resources. The region of Choco is full of gold, platinum, silver, bauxite, manganese, radioactive cobalt, zinc, chrome, nickel, copper, exotic wood and large fishing resources. The oil resources in Colombia are enormous. It is not surprising then to hear business people announcing: "we want to turn this region into a giant enterprise." (Colombia - monthly report 1997, pg 4).

The population living between the oceans is under fire from the paramilitaries. It lives mainly from agriculture in a region that is considered one of the poorest and most marginalised in Colombia. 70% of the population has no access to medical care, the average life expectancy is 55 years. The situation of the communities in the region of Choco ( 90 % afro-colombians, 5% indigenous Kuna, Embera, Wounan, Noanama and Katia and 5 % whites and mestizos) is particularly bad; hundreds die of curable diseases every year. But the hardest attack on the life of this population is still the activity of paramilitaries. These obviously work hand in hand with the government and the corrupt oligarchy. The situation has been accentuated enormously since the Colombian government under president Pastrana, and pushed by the USA, decided to implement the so called Plan Colombia. This 7 billion US dollar 'Plan' to finally stabilise the country is officially meant to put an end to the drug business and to stimulate 'democracy' through 'social programmes'. But the economic interests are obvious.

The peasants, indigenous and especially the black communities of this region are leading a daily resistance against these megaprojects, the neoliberal developments and the displacements. Their resistance is mainly a cultural one for the recognition of their autonomy, right to self determination of the land on which they live and the right to live forms of life which are in opposition to capitalism. These rights were even codified into the Colombian constitution after a large process of social struggle in the early nineties. The Black Communities have made use of these laws and obtained titles for collective ownership of several regions and autonomous administration. But the economic interests are too important and the aim is to silence the region between the oceans, even if that means a graveyard silence.

These developments are still rather unknown in the industrialised countries. The indigenous and black communities have just started making contacts in Europe and North America, informing about their situation and reaching out to the crystallising anti-capitalist movement which has articulated around protests against institutions like the WTO, IMF, WB. The Black Communities are calling on these grassroots organisations in Europe and North America to join their struggles and to create their own autonomous areas in these regions. They propose also to create 'security zones' around the areas subject to megaprojects. These would consist of a direct mass presence of international activists, which could also allow displaced people to return to their lands instead of living in slums in the cities. The idea is to live together with the Black Communities, learning from each other, leading a resistance for a self determined life and against one the cruellest forms of expression of capitalism, neocolonialisation, the environmental destruction and the killing of people in the name of economic interests. Representatives of the Black Communities are currently visiting groups in Europe and North America in order to inform about their situation and to lay the political and logistical ground for such an 'acompanamiento' (accompany).
Community Workshop where Demographer will provide a brief presentation to the public and solicit input from the public regarding proposed district boundaries

Following the presentation, members of the public are invited to draw their own maps during hands-on exercises and provide feedback

Presentation on the process begins at 6:30 p.m.

Drop by any time between 6:30 p.m.  8:00 p.m. for hands-on exercises to draw maps
Limited visitation seasons at northern parks like Glacier, as well as competitive reservations at popular parks like Yosemite, could lead campers to brave the smoky conditions rather than forego a trip altogether, the authors said.

Those patterns could change, particularly after the past two years of severe, pervasive fires that were not accounted for in the study, said Margaret Walls, a senior fellow with Resources for the Future who co-authored the study. She thinks the potential for smoke could factor into future plans.

In the past, maybe you just went. You didn't think about the smoke, Walls said. "You used to be able to say, itll be all right around the Grand Canyon. Not anymore.

When the Boundary Waters in Minnesota's Superior National Forest was closed last month, Farquhar was one of hundreds of paddlers who lost out. The outfitters who rent canoes, sell supplies and help them plan their trips also were hit hard.

Typically, the parking lot of Sawbill Canoe Outfitters is full of cars in August and all its roughly 200 canoes are in the wilderness, said Clare Shirley, the third-generation owner. Despite a blue sky and no smell of smoke recently, the boats were all on their racks late last month and the parking lot was nearly empty.
He (all of the major Republican contenders are male) could issue proclamations, pardon state prison inmates, appoint judges to vacancies and fill a vacant U.S. Senate seat, but thats about it without approval from a hostile, Democrat-dominated Legislature.

In some respects, the most intriguing impact of a recall would be on Newsoms political career, which at one time seemed destined to include a bid for the White House.

His recall, if it happens, would result from a low turnout of Democratic voters and a high turnout of anti-Newsom Republicans. However, in the public at large and among all registered voters, he still enjoys fairly strong support, recent polling has found.

That anomaly suggests that Newsom could, if he wishes, simply turn around and run for a second term in 2022 with a strong probability of success. Thus, Newsom could still be governor until 2027, but even so, his pathway to the White House remains uncertain.

President Joe Biden probably will run for re-election in 2024, and if he doesnt, Vice President Kamala Harris would be the presumptive favorite, at least among Democrats. If Newsom is serious about seeking the presidency, therefore, he would need a parking place to await an opening in 2028 or beyond.

That place could be in the U.S. Senate.
The Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were used by the government to justify invasions of Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Libya, Somalia and Pakistan.

Twenty years and two million or more lives later, most of those engagements are still going on. We just withdrew from Afghanistan though, although plenty of questions remain, such as whether military contractors were left behind.

Afghanistan, which did not attack the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, and were willing to extradite Osama bin Laden if the U.S. could prove his guilt, was ready to surrender in October 2001, but that didn't matter because it was never about bin Laden. It was about the money that could be made from minerals like lithium and to prevent a pipeline from Iran to China from being built.

Our children shouldn't be sent to kill other people's children so that billionaires can boost their earnings.

Join us in Napa at Veteran's Memorial Park at 2 p.m. on Sept. 11 and help us create the Napa Institute for Peace, a non-partisan organization that advocates for peaceful policies and opposes military interventionism. We hope that everyone can join us.
Politico: European Commission chiefs classified speech found in trash

Biden: Extreme weather events will cost more than $100bn in damages this year

Newspaper: Armenia authorities agree to opposition proposal to hold parliament session on Goris-Kapan road issue

Newspaper: Armenia authorities send Karabakh Security Council chief as envoy to imprisoned opposition MP

Energy security expert: Artsakh economic growth averaged 10.5% since 2000

UN General Assembly 76th session kicks off in New York

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
YEREVAN.  At 2:55am on September 4, a woman called the police, and reported that her house in Yerevan had been attacked with a weapon.

The police informed Armenian News-NEWS.am that minutes later, a second call was received from the same woman, and she reported that her brother's dead body was in front of the house.

The police found the body of Samvel Vardanyan, 45, at the scene.

Also, the law enforcement found out that on the same day at 2:45am, a 26-year-old man from the same district had shot Vardanyan twice with a gun.

He was found, and then taken to a police stationas a murder suspect.

The weapon used in this crime was found at the scene, and a gun was found on the roof of the house.

Forensic examinations have been ordered.

An investigation is underway.
The Tigray region in northern Ethiopia is now experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in years. 5.2 million people are at risk of hunger, according to the BBC.

According to the newspaper, the problem lies not in the lack of resources, but in the fact that the government troops waging military operations in Tigray are not letting in cordons with humanitarian aid. So, even though there are about a hundred trucks with food at the customs, since August 22, the country's authorities have not allowed a single car to pass.

At the same time, the government of the republic denies that it has imposed a blockade of the region.

Millions of people are now dependent on our ability to reach them as soon as possible with food, medicine and other critical items in this situation, said UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ethiopia.
Edward was devastated when his sister, Sarah, called him and told him their grandmother died. He never imagined she would also plan on taking almost everything, leaving him only an old blanket...

Grandma Sandy is dead. Are you coming to the funeral? Sarah said coldly through the phone.

Sarah, how can you speak so callously? Of course, Im coming to the funeral, Edward told his big sister. She probably asked because it was hard for Edward to move around with his disability. He was in a car accident several years ago and lost both legs.

Edward grabbed an old blanket from his grandmother's house. | Source: Shutterstock

Since then, his family lived on his wifes paycheck, which was not much. Gianna worked hard, but she also had to help him and mostly raise their two kids. Edward had not been able to find a proper job, but he was currently waiting for a work-from-home offer.

Sarahs news was devastating. He loved his grandmother dearly, and unlike everyone else in the family, she tried her best to help his family after the accident. She didnt have a lot of money but babysat the kids often.

Well, whatever. She was old already. Anyway, Im calling to tell you to get here fast, or Im taking almost everything, Sarah added.

What do you mean? Get where? Edward asked, confused.

Sarah was sorting and taking everything valuable. | Source: Pexels

Her house. Im here sorting through stuff, and Im taking most of it now. Maybe I can get something out of it, Sarah explained.

You cant do that! Edward yelled through the phone.

Yes, I can. She left no will, and we were her only direct relatives. Also, Im keeping the house because you already have one. Im being nice and telling you to come here if you want anything before I sell them, Sarah finished and hung up.

Gianna drove Edward to his grandmothers house, but when he got there, Sarah didnt let him take anything. No, I called dibs on that already, she said when he grabbed a random vase. It didnt matter. Owning these things would not soothe the pain of losing their grandmother.

Edward took interest in his grandmother's old blanket instead. | Source: Pexels

How about this? Edward asked, grabbing an old blanket with a beautiful pattern. He remembered when he and his neighborhood friends would use it to build a fort with his grandmother's dining room chairs.

Oh, that old thing? Sure, Sarah said dismissively. Edward took it and told his wife it was time to leave. He didnt want to spend one more minute in that house, watching his sister callously sort through their grandmother's things for her personal gain.

I cant believe Sarahs attitude, Gianna said on the car ride home.

I know. She was never the warmest person, but this is justdisgusting. If our parents were here, they would be so disappointed, Edward added. But they let the subject go and continued with their lives. He finally landed a job that allowed him to work from home.

Their Native American friend, Chenoa, thought the blanket could be special. | Source: Unsplash

Everything was looking up for their family after all these years of worry. Gianna also decided to hang the blanket in their room because the intricate woven pattern was beautiful. Im going to save up some money, and we can frame it, she said.

He loved his wife because she could appreciate the little things like that. One day, her friend, Chenoa, visited them, and Gianna showed her the blanket. OMG, that actually looks Navajo! her friend said.

"You think so? I think Edwards grandmother had it for ages. She might not have known, Gianna added. But Chenoa was Native American. She would definitely know.

Thats definitely a Navajo blanket, and it looks old but well-preserved. Can I take a picture? Theres a man on the reservation who can identify Navajo anywhere. Ill text him, Chenoa explained.

They auctioned it off for a huge amount. | Source: Unsplash

A few minutes later, the man replied and confirmed that the blanket was, in fact, authentic and appeared to be antique. Edward and Gianna invited the man over, and he explained that it could be a blanket from the 1800s.

This is serious. You two might have stumbled upon a precious antique, the Navajo expert told them.

So they took the blanket to an antiquarian who confirmed this too. This could be worth between $200,000 and $500,000...maybe more, he explained.

Upon learning this, Edward and Gianna decided to place the blanket for auction despite its big sentimental value. The fact is, life is unpredictable, and they needed the money so their kids would be safe. But they didn't expect how the auction would turn out.

Sold! For 1.5 million dollars! the auctioneer yelled. Edward and Gianna looked at each other, dumbfounded. They were now millionaires.

Sarah demanded money and was arrested for trespassing. | Source: Unsplash

Their big win reached the local newspaper which wrote a story about it, and Edwards entire family, including Sarah, found out. I demand half that money, Edward! Or I will sue you! Sarah screamed at him.

You kept everything for yourself, Sarah. You dont have a case. This is our money. Goodbye, Edward said.

Edward was right. Sarah didnt have a case, so she started harassing them for the money. This urged Edward to have her arrested for trying to break into their home. He also filed a restraining order against Sarah and got her to stop harassing them.

In the end, Edwards family thrived, thanks to that money. The kids had college funds, and he started his own business.

What can we learn from this story?

Dont underestimate the value of anything. Not every old blanket in your grandmothers basement will be worth $1.5 million, but Edward and Gianna saw its real value.

Not every old blanket in your grandmothers basement will be worth $1.5 million, but Edward and Gianna saw its real value. Greediness leads to nothing. Sarah might have kept everything, but she lost the most precious item in the end, and her hate led to a criminal record.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who was in a coma for 17 years and missed her life.

This account is inspired by our reader's story but written by a professional writer. All names have been changed to protect identities and ensure privacy. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.
NSW sees another record day of Covid infections

NSW sees another record day of Covid infections

Australia, struggling to quell its worst wave of Covd-19, reported 1,756 infections on Saturday, another record high, and officials warned that worse is yet to come, urging people to get vaccinated.



Most of the cases were again in New South Wales, which has been fighting an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant since mid-June. The state reported 1,533 new cases and four further deaths.



Neighbouring Victoria reported 190 cases, the Australian Capital Territory 32 and Queensland one. Recent daily infections are running about double the levels of Australia's previous worst wave of the pandemic a year ago.



Believing this outbreak cannot be eliminated - a successful strategy used by states and territories in earlier waves - New South Wales and Victoria authorities have focussed on speeding inoculations to make the cases less virulent.



Although infections in Victoria, in its sixth lockdown, dropped slightly from Friday's 208, health authorities said the outbreak has not peaked.



"The overall trend is a slow and steady increase. That's why vaccination is so critical, as is following the rules," Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told a press conference.



New South Wales, the most populous state and home to Sydney, expects more than 1,000 new cases a day for at least two more weeks, with hospital admissions likely to peak in October. On Saturday, health officials said 137 of the 173 people in intensive care in hospitals were not vaccinated.



Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, together home to nearly 60% of Australia's 25 million people, have been under strict lockdown for weeks.



That is expected to continue until 70% of the population has been fully vaccinated. At the current pace, Australia may reach that threshold in late October or early November.



Only about a third of those aged 16 and over have been vaccinated, although the pace has picked up considerably, with the federal government racing to secure more Pfizer shots.



Australia has recorded just under 60,000 COVID-19 cases and 1,036 deaths, far fewer than many comparable countries. (Reuters)
Mu variant seems less transmissible, says David Hui

David Hui said the Mu variant appears to be less infectious than Delta. File photo: RTHK

Government pandemic adviser David Hui said on Monday that it appears the Mu variant is less infectious than Delta  but he stressed there's not enough data to draw a conclusion at this stage.



The World Health Organisation recently listed the Mu Covid strain as a variant of interest, and around 5,000 cases from 39 countries have been reported so far.



"There's not a large number of cases - except for Colombia and Ecuador. But recently, there's already no cases found in Colombia. So it appears the [Mu] variant has already spread to other places," Hui told a Commercial Radio programme.



The Chinese University professor said it seems the Mu variant  discovered in January  is less contagious than Delta, which spread across some 160 countries in roughly the same time frame after it was found.



Hui said inoculated people could still contract the new mutated coronavirus, but vaccines are still effective in lowering the risks of death and serious infections.



But a leading microbiologist from the University of Hong Kong, Ho Pak-leung, said data showed that the coronavirus is becoming more drug resistant.



He said as the Mu variant becomes more common in Europe and the US, Hong Kong can expect to see more imported cases as well.
Germany's new ambassador to China dies

Jan Hecker had just taken up his post on August 24. File photo: AFP

German ambassador to China Jan Hecker has died, barely two weeks into the job, the European nation's foreign office said on Monday.



Hecker, 54, a foreign policy adviser to Chancellor Angela Merkel, had just taken up his post on August 24, the embassy in Beijing said in a posting on its social media Wechat account.



The cause of death has yet to be confirmed.



"It is with deep sadness and dismay that we learned of the sudden death of the German ambassador to China," Germany's Federal Foreign Office said on its website.



Hecker had appeared "happy and all right" when he hosted an event about German artist Joseph Beuys at his Beijing home last Friday, a guest at the event said. (Reuters)
UK again extends NI post-Brexit grace periods

Lorries at the port of Belfast in Northern Ireland. Photo: AFP

Britain plans to further extend post-Brexit grace periods on some goods imports to Northern Ireland, Brexit minister David Frost said on Monday, in a move designed to give London and Brussels more time for talks about trade with the province.



The fate of British-ruled Northern Ireland was the most contentious issue in Britain's negotiations over its exit from the European Union, which was completed on Dec. 31, and it has continued to cause friction.



To avoid imposing a hard border on the island of Ireland, Britain agreed to leave some EU rules in place in its province of Northern Ireland and accept checks on goods arriving there from elsewhere in the United Kingdom.



London has since said the arrangement is not working and wants it changed, while the EU rejects renegotiating the treaty.



"To provide space for potential further discussions (with the EU), and to give certainty and stability to businesses while any such discussions proceed, the government will continue to operate the protocol on the current basis," Frost said in a written ministerial statement.



"This includes the grace periods and easements currently in force," he said.



The European Union took note of Britain's plans, but said it was not pursuing further legal steps against London.



"At present, the Commission is not moving to the next stage of the infringement procedure launched in March 2021, and is not opening any new infringements for now," the bloc's executive said in a statement.



Officials in London and Brussels have been trying to prevent the dispute from escalating into a full-blown trade war.



The European Commission agreed in July to freeze legal action against Britain for making changes to the protocol that Brussels says breach the Brexit treaty.



London has now indicated it would prolong grace periods, suspending new checks on cross-channel trade due to kick in within weeks.



Ireland is a key player in post-Brexit trade talks and Irish deputy prime minister Leo Varadkar, speaking after a meeting with British Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove, said he expected the British move to lead towards attempts to reach a more permanent solution.



"The expectation is that the United Kingdom will announce a further extension of the grace periods, not just in relation to Northern Ireland but also imports from the EU and Ireland into the UK," Varadkar said in an interview with Irish state broadcaster RTE.



"It is important that we use the period of any extension that may occur really to get down to business and to try to put in place more permanent ... arrangements to make sure that the protocol is made more workable," Varadkar told RTE.



But Varadkar warned that any more permanent solution secured between London and Brussels would have to be within the confines of the existing agreement.



Varadkar said Gove had told him that Britain "doesn't want to walk away from the protocol but does want to make it more workable".



Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said last month he believed the issues could be resolved with the right political will. (Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About 1,000 people, including Americans, have been stuck in Afghanistan for days awaiting clearance for their charter flights to leave, an organizer told Reuters, blaming the delay on the U.S. State Department.

The confusion was the latest flashpoint following a chaotic U.S. military withdrawal completed after Taliban Islamist insurgents seized power in Kabul on Aug. 15, after the Western-backed government collapsed.

Exasperated by the delays, the organizer said the State Department had failed to tell the Taliban of its approval for flight departures from the international airport in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif or validate a landing site.

"They need to be held accountable for putting these people's lives in danger," said the organizer, who sought anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Reuters could not independently verify the details of the account.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, challenged the idea that Americans were at risk, saying the U.S. government "has not confirmed any Americans are in Mazar-i-Sharif trying to leave from the airport."

Asked about charter flights, a State Department spokesperson did not address specific accusations but stressed the United States did not have personnel on the ground and so lacked a reliable means to confirm the basic details of charter flights.

That includes verifying the number of U.S. citizens and others aboard, the accuracy of the rest of the manifest or "where they plan to land, among many other issues."

The spokesperson added, "We will hold the Taliban to its pledge to let people freely depart Afghanistan."

Earlier on Sunday, the senior Republican on the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, Mike McCaul, told "Fox News Sunday" that six airplanes were stuck at Mazar-i-Sharif airport with Americans and Afghan interpreters aboard, unable to take off as they had not received Taliban clearance.

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He said the Taliban were holding passengers "hostage for demands," but multiple sources disputed that account, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Another Republican U.S. representative, Mike Waltz, called on the State Department to work with non-government groups he said were trying to clear charter flights to evacuate Americans and Afghans at risk.

There were manifested charter flights "available, funded, and ready to fly" people out, Waltz told Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a letter, citing remarks of several NGOs.

The United States' two decades-long invasion in Afghanistan culminated in a hastily organized airlift that left behind thousands of U.S.-allied Afghans. Washington completed the withdrawal on Aug. 31.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Deborah Feldman. Courtesy image

Deborah Feldman is the author of the best-selling memoir Unorthodox, about her escape from the strict Orthodox Jewish community she'd grown up in. Exodus, Revisited, an expanded version of her followup memoir, has just been published.

The Periodic Table by Primo Levi (1975).

Levi had a gift for approaching interactions between people much in the same way that he studied interactions between chemicals in his official vocation. The stories in this wide-ranging collection serve as a compendium on humanity in all its states, both devastating and uplifting in scope. Buy it here.

Native Realm by Czeslaw Milosz (1959).

In this dense yet gripping work, Milosz combines the literary elements of the personal memoir with rich ribbons of historical and philosophical exposition. The result is not just the story of a remarkable life, but also a treatise with sweeping geographical and chronological reach. Buy it here.

Maybe Esther by Katja Petrowskaja (2014).

I adore this elliptical exploration of a complex ancestral past, which illustrates how one family history can tell us so much about the world we come from, and how it has shaped the one we live in today. Petrowskaja's language is languid in a powerfully seductive way; even as she wanders in the darkness, we remain anchored by the intensity of her voice. Buy it here.

In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova (2017).

This is a more recent but no less compelling example of an author delving into mysteries of the past  in this case a century of family history  to illuminate the present. Here the language is forceful and assured, and the many sharp twists and turns are navigated with masterful agility. Buy it here.

Shame by Annie Ernaux (1998).

I've devoured all Ernaux's books, and this is the one I recommend as an entry point. With Ernaux, it always boils down to how shame functions as the ultimate tool in a social system designed to keep everyone in their place. Here, we also learn that refusing to accept that shame is the most empowering act. Buy it here.

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Returning to Reims by Didier Eribon (2009).

Eribon is considered an heir to Ernaux, but this is more of a sociological manifesto in the French tradition, braced with the underpinnings of a memoir. The stance is vulnerable yet unapologetic, and the book helps us understand how the identity forced on us by our origins may haunt us long beyond our own awareness. Buy it here.

This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.

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Lucelly Gil is one of the forgotten victims of 9/11: an immigrant cleaner who spent months clearing up rubble from the World Trade Center and developed cancer apparently from the toxic dust, but who remains unrecognized.

At 7:00 am on September 15, 2001, the Colombian entered the immense ash cloud left by the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York. She would collect debris there for up to 12 hours a day, every day, for six months.

Twenty years later, the 65-year-old is still a undocumented migrant and lives with the consequences of that herculean effort: she is a breast cancer survivor, a common illness for women who worked at the site, has lost movement in one arm and suffers depression.

For eight months after the attacks, tens of thousands of people -- many of them immigrants -- cleaned Ground Zero and nearby damaged buildings.

They removed 1.8 million tons of rubble from the area and were paid between $7.50 and $10 an hour, just above the minimum wage at the time.

They didn't know it then but the exposure to asbestos and other toxic materials brought the risk of cancer, asbestosis and a host of respiratory illnesses, as well as post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression.

"I don't like to remember Ground Zero anniversaries," Gil said tearfully at a recent session of the 9/11 Latino cleaners support group Fronteras de Esperanza, or Borders of Hope, which still meets two decades on.

She remembers that after working so many hours, sometimes finding human remains, she would go home and thought she was still cleaning.

"I almost freaked out," Gil recalled.

- 'Injustice' -

Gil, like all the cleaners spoken to by AFP, cannot work because of illnesses believed to be derived from the 9/11 operation. They dream of becoming legal residents so they can receive benefits and live without the threat of deportation.

In 2017, a then-Democratic representative from New York even introduced a bill regarding this but it was never debated in Congress.

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"That the people who cleaned do not have papers is an injustice because they lost the most precious thing, which is health," Rubiela Arias, another cleaner, told AFP in the modest room she rents in Queens with the help of her son.

The now 57-year-old Colombian has been fighting for years for the Hispanic cleaners to be legally recognized.

She herself was at the site and has since suffered from various respiratory and stomach illnesses, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental ailments.

More than 2,000 cleaners, rescuers and police officers died from illnesses linked to 9/11, according to the federal victims' compensation fund.

Many undocumented cleaners, including some who were ill, have been deported in recent years, according to social worker Rosa Bramble, who has led Fronteras de Esperanza on a voluntary basis since 2010 from her office in Queens.

Others returned to their countries to die, because they were sick and could not work to support themselves.

"Here they couldn't pay rent," said Bramble, a professor at Columbia University and who is of Venezuelan origin.

Most of the 9/11 cleaners have full medical coverage through the World Trade Center's federal health program, but many have not received compensation for their illnesses.

That is the experience of Franklin, a 50-year-old undocumented Peruvian cleaner with various respiratory ailments who decided to return from New York to Lima in 2019 to say goodbye to his ill mother, whom he had not seen for two decades.

- Financial hardships -

When he tried to return to the United States to take up the medical treatment guaranteed by the WTC health program in which he had been accepted -- and to claim financial compensation -- the US embassy in Lima denied him a visa.

In June he twice tried to cross the border between Mexico and the United States illegally with the help of traffickers, but was deported to Mexico both times.

"I practically gave my life to clean Ground Zero and I don't think it is fair that they are repaying me this way," he told AFP by phone from Juarez city where the traffickers kept him before his third attempt, which was successful.

Some workers who sued New York City and the companies that employed them were able to get compensation. Additionally, in 2011, Congress approved maximum payments of $250,000 for a cancer linked to 9/11.

Gil received $40,000 in 2018, but without being able to work, the money quickly ran out.

"We as Latinos were discriminated against in relation to the other workers on 9/11," she said.

Rosa Duque, a 56-year-old Guatemalan cleaner who has difficulty breathing, says the cleaners are "in oblivion" and must be given permanent residency.

"When we volunteered to go to work they didn't ask, 'Are you a citizen?' 'Are you a resident?'" she said.

lbc/pdh/bgs
The Taliban on Monday claimed total control over Afghanistan, saying they had won the key battle for the Panjshir Valley, the last remaining holdout of resistance against their rule.

Following their lightning-fast victory in mid-August over the former Afghan government's security forces and the withdrawal of US troops after 20 years of war, the Taliban turned to fighting the forces defending the mountainous Panjshir Valley.

As the Islamist hardliners claimed victory, their chief spokesman warned against any further attempts to rise up against their rule while urging former members of the security forces to join their regime's ranks.

"With this victory, our country is completely taken out of the quagmire of war," chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

"Anyone who tries to start an insurgency will be hit hard. We will not allow another," he later added at a press conference in Kabul.

The Taliban published a video of their flag being raised over the governor's house in Panjshir -- underscoring a historic win that has seen the anti-Taliban bastion defeated for the first time during 40 years of conflict.

It remained in the hands of resistance fighters during Soviet rule, a subsequent civil war and the Taliban's first regime of the late 1990s.

The National Resistance Front (NRF) in Panjshir -- made up of anti-Taliban militia and former Afghan security forces -- on Sunday acknowledged suffering major battlefield losses and called for a ceasefire.

But on Monday the group said in a tweet that its fighters were still present in "strategic positions" in the valley.

The NRF includes local fighters loyal to Ahmad Massoud -- the son of the famous anti-Soviet and anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud -- as well as remnants of the Afghan military that retreated to the Panjshir Valley.

As Taliban fighters amassed in the valley, Massoud on Monday called on Afghans in and out of the country to "rise up in resistance".

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- Taliban government -

The Taliban are yet to finalise their new regime after rolling into the capital Kabul three weeks ago at a speed that analysts say likely surprised even the militants themselves.

As they undertake a mammoth transition into overseeing key institutions and cities of hundreds of thousands of people, Mujahid said an interim government would first be announced, allowing for later changes.

"Final decisions have been taken, we are now working on the technical issues," he said at a press conference.

Afghanistan's new rulers have pledged to be more "inclusive" than during their first stint in power, with a government that represents Afghanistan's complex ethnic makeup -- though women are unlikely to be included at the top levels.

Women's freedoms in Afghanistan were sharply curtailed under the Taliban's 1996-2001 rule.

This time, women will be allowed to attend university as long as classes are segregated by sex or at least divided by a curtain, the Taliban's education authority said in a lengthy document issued on Sunday.

But female students must wear an abaya (robe) and niqab (face-veil), as opposed to the even more conservative burqa mandatory under the previous Taliban regime.

However, some universities in Kabul remained closed on Monday and those that did open saw a drastic fall in the number of students -- some who complied with the new rules, and others who resisted.

Afghans are also facing a host of other challenges, including looming financial and humanitarian crises, although the Taliban on Sunday pledged to guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers and aid access in a meeting with the UN humanitarian chief.

- Flurry of diplomacy -

The international community is coming to terms with the new Taliban regime with a flurry of diplomacy.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived Monday in Qatar, a key player in the Afghan saga.

Qatar, which hosts a major US military base, has been the gateway for 55,000 people airlifted out of Afghanistan, nearly half the total evacuated by US-led forces after the Taliban takeover.

Shortly before Blinken's landing, an official disclosed that four Americans had left Afghanistan by land to an undisclosed neighbouring country with Taliban knowledge, in the first departures arranged by Washington since its chaotic military pullout.

Blinken will also speak to the Qataris about efforts alongside Turkey to reopen Kabul's airport, which is necessary for flying in humanitarian aid and evacuating remaining Afghans.

Blinken will then head Wednesday to the US air base in Ramstein, Germany, a temporary home for thousands of Afghans moving to the United States, from which he will hold a virtual 20-nation ministerial meeting on the crisis alongside German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday pledged to "do everything we can to ensure" safe passage out of Afghanistan for over 300 Afghans eligible for relocation for their work with British forces but who were left behind in the evacuation efforts.

burs-ecl/je/sw/bfm
The province is the most prominent example of resistance to Taliban rule in Afghanistan

The leader of the Afghan resistance group waging an intense battle against the Taliban in the Panjshir Valley has said he is open to enter peace talks.

Ahmad Massoud said he supported a plan, put forward by religious clerics, for a negotiated settlement, and called on the Taliban to end their offensive.

Earlier, reports suggested the Taliban had rapidly gained ground in Panjshir.

The province, north of the capital Kabul, is the most prominent example of resistance to Taliban rule.

The Islamist group took control of the rest of Afghanistan three weeks ago, taking power in Kabul on 15 August following the collapse of the Western-backed government.

In a post on Facebook, Mr Massoud said the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), which includes former Afghan security force members and local militias, would be prepared to stop fighting if the Taliban ceased their attacks.

There was no immediate response from the Taliban.

Panjshir, a rugged mountain valley, is home to between 150,000 and 200,000 people. It was a centre of resistance when Afghanistan was under Soviet occupation in the 1980s and during the Taliban's previous period of rule, between 1996 and 2001.

The NRF said its spokesman Fahim Dashti and a commander, Gen Abdul Wudod Zara, had been killed in the conflict, while a prominent Taliban general and 13 bodyguards had also died.

Earlier, the Taliban said their forces were now in the provincial capital, Bazarak, where they inflicted "numerous casualties", though this was disputed by the NRF.

Meanwhile in Kabul, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths met Taliban leaders and urged them to protect all civilians, especially women, girls and minorities. He was pictured with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the founders of the Taliban movement.

A UN spokesman said the Taliban leaders had given a commitment to allow humanitarian access to all people in need and to guarantee freedom of movement for all humanitarian workers, both men and women.

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According to the UN, 18 million Afghans, nearly half of the population, are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Mullah Baradar (first from right) alongside Martin Griffiths and other Taliban leaders in Kabul

In other developments:

US Republican House member Michael McCaul accused the Taliban of stopping Afghans and Americans from leaving Afghanistan via Mazar-i-Sharif airport. An NGO confirmed it had people waiting to board one of the flights though the Taliban denied the claims

Taliban militants shot dead a pregnant policewoman, named as Banu Nega, in Ghor province, according to witnesses. The Taliban said they had no involvement in the death and were investigating the incident

Also on Sunday, the Taliban gave more details of how segregation of the sexes will be enacted in universities. In an extensive document, the new authorities said men and women must be separated, if necessary by a curtain.

Ideally, women will be taught by women but if none are available then "old men" of good character can step in, AFP news agency reported. Female students must wear an abaya, or robe, and niqab, or face veil.

Since taking power, the Taliban have sought to portray themselves as more tolerant, but incidents of brutality and repression are still being reported in parts of Afghanistan. On Saturday, Taliban officials broke up a demonstration by dozens of women in Kabul demanding rights.

Human rights groups have also documented revenge killings, detentions and persecution of religious minorities. The Taliban have said officially that they will not seek retribution against those who worked for the former government.
SheKnows

Theres been a lot of debate regarding how interested Melania Trump is in politics, especially with her husband, Donald Trump, eyeing another presidential run in 2024. While some supporters believe she will happily cosign whatever makes the former president happy, her ex-spokesperson, Stephanie Grisham, indicates that there was very little interest on the former first []
(Getty Images)

US Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Chuck Schumer joined New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to tour flooded homes in Queens as residents cleaned up the damage from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

Residents in hard-hit Woodside dried photographs on sidewalks, pumped out standing water and walked alongside lawmakers and FEMA officials as they surveyed damage  collapsed walls, water-logged furniture and piled-up debris in their homes, flooded within minutes as the storm pummelled New York City on 1 September.

These are the memories that families have, Senator Schumer told reporters on 6 September. Those things show the emotional impact, as well as the financial, devastating impact.

The governors of New York and New Jersey announced on Monday that both states have been granted federal aid through major disaster declarations under Joe Bidens administration, freeing up FEMA funds for unemployment assistance and for people without insurance coverage to repair their homes, among other measures.

Its so incredibly important to acknowledge that what just happened is an immense, catastrophic trauma  psychologically, medically and in terms of what happened to peoples possessions and their homes, said the New York congresswoman, whose district encompasses Queens and the Bronx.

Federal funding is going to be an incredibly important step for families, homeowners and renters, she told reporters.

Mayor de Blasio said city agencies will be going door to door to help people sign up for FEMA assistance, and he urged lawmakers to commit to infrastructure spending that addresses the severity of the climate crisis.

This is what climate change looks like, he said. Its going to take a massive investment both to stop the pain that people are feeling and also whats happened to our environment, but its our only choice.

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Senator Schumer stressed that Congress must pass a bipartisan infrastructure spending bill  which passed the Senate last month  as well as a $3.5 trillion budget proposal that Mr Schumer said contains the cure to combat climate disasters rather than merely address the symptoms.

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The president also is expected to visit flood-ravaged Queens neighbourhoods on 7 September.

At least 13 people in New York were killed in the floods  most of the victims were immigrants living in illegally constructed lower-level units without legal approval for residential spaces, according to the citys Department of Buildings.

Five of the six properties where people died in the floods were illegally converted basement and cellar-level apartments. Four of those addresses are in Queens.

Illegal conversions include altering a building into apartments without permits or city approval. Those units often do not include emergency exits, have illegal gas and electrical work and a lack of ventilation and light.

As of this month, the city has collected more than 8,000 complaints this year for suspected illegal apartment conversations. Some estimates put the number of illegal conversions at more than 100,000.

Idas destruction  killing 60 people across several states, destroying thousands of homes, and leaving more than 1 million Americans without power  has aggressively underscored proponents urgency for Congress to pass a federal budget and infrastructure spending bills that combat climate change and harden infrastructure like drainage, sewer systems and levee protection to withstand more-severe storms, among the many, many issues we need to start addressing, Ms Ocasio-Cortez said.

In the immediate aftermath of New Yorks floods and during his visit to Louisiana to tour damage in the state, the president linked Ida and its devastation to the climate crisis and called for more federal spending to strengthen power grids, water systems and other infrastructure.

Advocates in Louisiana, New York and New Jersey have also called on officials to act on state and local proposals to curb the impacts of the climate crisis and its collision with growing inequalities in housing and transportation that have made the impacts of climate emergencies more lethal.

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As thousands of South Lake Tahoe residents who fled Californias Caldor Fire were cleared to return to their homes this weekend, officials warned there may be an unexpected threat waiting for them: bears.

The delicate balance between humans and bears has been upset, Sgt Simon Brown of the El Dorado County Sheriffs Office told reporters, per the Associated Press.

With humans away for more than a week, the local bears became bolder, making more appearances in centrally located, urban neighborhoods than they usually do. In addition to humans being away, its possible that habitat and food source destruction from the wildfire may have compelled the bears to seek refuge in the urban areas, according to SFGate.

Traffic flows along Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe, California, on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021. (Photo: Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group via AP)

The bears have been strewing garbage around and, in some cases, entering homes uninvited. South Lake Tahoe Police Chief Dave Stevenson told local news station KCRA that the department had gotten reports of 17 break-ins this week, and 15 of them turned out to be perpetrated by bears.

Sgt. Brown told SFGate that its not a crime for bears to break into homes. And while law enforcement cant arrest the animals, they will try to lure them away from homes, he said.

Bear expert Toogee Sielsch has warned that returning residents should be cautious if they notice any indications a bear could have entered their home  because the animal could still be inside.

When you come home and if you find that it looks like a windows open or doors open and something has accessed into your house, dont rush in and definitely dont block that spot, Sielsch told KCRA. It might be a wild animal that has made ingress into your house because that spots the only way theyre going to know to get out of your house.

Authorities lifted the mandatory evacuation orders for South Lake Tahoe and the surrounding areas on Sunday afternoon, downgrading them to a warning as firefighters managed to contain more of the Caldor Fire. Officials noted that the threat of the fire was not totally gone, and that the air remained smoky and especially hazardous to those with health issues.

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The rapid growth of the Caldor Fire, which began on Aug. 14, led to the U.S. Forest Service closing nearly all national forests in the state through Sept. 17. Multiple state parks around California have also been fully or partially closed in the wake of a dozen large fires burning across the state.

Though wildfires have historically been a natural  and even beneficial  feature of the Western landscape, human-caused climate change and a legacy of counterproductive forest fire suppression have combined to create massive, deadlier and more destructive blazes. European settlers who colonized the U.S. and Canadian West largely implemented the practice of extinguishing wildfires  rather than letting smaller, less intense fires run their course  leading to a large buildup of flammable vegetation across the region. And a warming climate has led to significantly hotter and drier conditions in which big fires can ignite much more easily.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
AUSTN, Texas (AP)  Hudson Card was solid, and occasionally great, in his first career start as the Texas quarterback.

Now he has to duplicate that effort on the road, at night, in front of a hostile sellout crowd in a legacy rivalry that will soon be reborn when Texas joins the Southeastern Conference. After beating No. 23 Louisiana-Lafayette 38-18, No. 21 Texas plays at Arkansas (1-0) this week.

It will be an experience. I know their crowd will be jumping," Card said Monday, two days after throwing for 224 yards and two touchdowns and running for another score in his starting debut.

A second-year freshman from nearby Lake Travis, Card has heard plenty about the bygone days of the old Southwest Conference, the rivalry with Arkansas, and the Game of the Century  the No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in 1969 also known as The Big Shootout"  that set up a Longhorns national championship.

The programs have met only a handful of times since the Razorbacks went to the SEC in 1992, but the matchup is full of lore among the old-timers around both programs.

I know this rivalry goes way back, Card said. "It's the first time we've played them in a while. It will be cool to bring it back, especially in the next couple of years when we go to the SEC."

The official timetable for that move is several years away, although many believe it could happen much sooner. Card's more immediate future with the Razorbacks is Saturday night in Fayetteville, where Arkansas will have its first sellout since 2017.

Any team would like the security blanket of having a quarterback with more than a few road games under his belt. Card will have to deal with a true road environment with screaming fans and momentum swings for the first time.

Card didn't show any nerves in his first start in front of about 80,000 at home. He shook off a 3-and-out series on Texas' first possession to lead a touchdown drive on the second.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian trusted Card early to go for it on fourth down at midfield, and Card scrambled out of pressure for a first down. He then called an audible to set up his first career touchdown pass, a 18-yard toss to Bijan Robinson.

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When a play breaks down, it calls for something like that, Card said of his drive-saving scramble. Obviously, it's pass first and try to get the ball in the playmaker's hands, but if something breaks down, being able to do that is good.

Card's 3-yard touchdown run in the third quarter put Texas ahead 28-12.

It's always been a dream of mine to be the quarterback here, Card said. To live it was pretty special.

The only slipup was not asking to keep a game ball from his first career start and win.

Honestly, it didn't cross my mind, Card said.

Sarkisian picked Card as the starter over fourth-year quarterback Casey Thompson, who had spent three seasons behind Sam Ehlinger. Thompson played the fourth quarter against Louisiana-Lafeyette and led two scoring drives.

Sarkisian said he's confident Card will handle the pressure of a road environment at Arkansas.

It's another new' for him, right? He played his first game here, in front of a crowd we had, and now the next new is going on the road and playing a good opponent and dealing with that hostile environment," Sarkisian said. I can't predict the future, but we'll do everything we can to make sure he's in the right frame of mind.

___

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
The Daily Beast

via FacebookIn a stunning turn of events, a South Carolina man was charged Tuesday with shooting troubled attorney Alex Murdaugh in the head in an assisted-suicide plot to secure $10 million in insurance moneyjust three months after Murdaughs wife and son were murdered.The alleged conspiracy was laid out in court documents released after Curtis Edward Smith, 61, was collared for the botched Sept. 4 shooting, which Murdaugh, 53, survived.Mr. Murdaugh supplied Mr. Smith with a firearm and direc
Child-on-child sexual abuse more than doubled in the two years up to March 2019, a report said. (Getty)

Reports of child-on-child sexual abuse more than doubled in the two years to 2019, police statistics have revealed.

Figures obtained by the BBC Panorama programme showed there were 16,012 reported cases of sexual abuse between people under 18 from April 2018 to March 2019.

This was more than twice the amount in 2016/2017, when 7,866 cases were reported to police.

In one in 10 cases, the alleged abuser was aged 10 or under.

Read more: Some religious groups catastrophically failed children

There were 14,915 cases in 2019/2020, and there were still 10,861 reports of child-on-child sexual abuse in 2020/2021, despite months of school closures because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The BBC said 34 out of 43 police forces in England and Wales responded to a Freedom of Information request asking for the number of sexual offence reports, including rape and sexual assault, where both the alleged perpetrator and victim were under 18.

The online offence of non-consensual sharing of private sexual images or videos was not included in the figures.

The alleged perpetrator was aged 10 or under in 10% of the reported cases, with boys the alleged abusers around 90% of the time. Eight of 10 alleged victims are girls.

Labour MP and former teacher Emma Hardy told the programme: I still think that those figures might be an underestimation of the extent of the problem, because not all cases ended up going to the police.

Not all things are reported."

Dr Rebekah Eglinton, chief psychologist for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, told Panorama that unwanted touching, as well as being pressured into sharing nude photos, had become a part of everyday life for children "to the point where they wouldn't bother reporting it".

The online offence of non-consensual sharing of private sexual images or videos was not included in the figures. (Getty)

She said sexual violence is now completely normalised through social media platforms and through access to online pornography.

Childrens minister Vicky Ford told Panorama: Weve strengthened (guidance) every year, specific advice on keeping children safe and education from sexual abuse.

Story continues

She said the government had also launched safeguarding partnerships between schools, the police and social services to help schools tackle the problem.

The Welsh government told the broadcaster that guidance had been issued to support schools in creating a safe learning environment for children.

Panorama: Whos Protecting Our Kids? will be broadcast on BBC One on Monday at 7.35pm.

Watch: Report finds child abuse prevalent in many religious groups
By Dominique Patton and Nayara Figueiredo

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese beef importers said on Monday the suspension of exports by top supplier Brazil due to two cases of mad cow disease has had no immediate market impact, with some still making purchases in anticipation of a quick resumption of trade.

Brazil said on Saturday it had confirmed two cases of 'atypical' mad cow disease in different states, and was suspending beef exports to China as part of a prior agreement on the issue with its top buyer.

Despite Brazil's dominant 40% share of China's beef imports, prices had not moved by Monday and some importers were still looking for deals.

"We're still buying, factories have to keep up their stocks," said Grace Gao, general manager at Dalian-based importer Goldrich International.

In Brazil, the fourth-largest beef processor Frigol said on Monday it would furlough workers at one of its plants for 15 days, with a source with knowledge of the matter telling Reuters the move was in response to the export suspension.

Frigol's press office said the furloughs were due to a seasonal slowdown in Israeli demand and declined to comment on a possible connection to China exports. The company did not immediately give details about how many were furloughed

'Atypical' mad cow is considered to be of lower risk than the classical form of the disease, as it occurs naturally and only sporadically in older cattle.

'Classical' mad cow disease, or BSE, is transmitted by contaminated feed and has been linked to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in people.

Brazil previously suspended exports for 10 days in 2019 after reporting an 'atypical' case.

"I assume the Chinese government won't ban imports," said Pan Chenjun, senior analyst at Rabobank. "Brazil is so important."

China's customs authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brazil has shipped more than 500,000 tonnes of beef to China from January to July this year, or 38% of China's total imports, Chinese customs data show, putting it far ahead of No.2 supplier, Argentina, which supplied just under 300,000 tonnes.

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Global beef supplies are very tight and prices are already at record levels, added another large Chinese beef buyer.

"If this only lasts 15 days, there will be no impact at all. Brazil is still producing, and it takes two months to ship meat here anyway," he added, declining to be identified because he is not permitted to talk to media.

While China's imports of pork are falling because of a recovery in domestic supply, Chinese demand for beef continues to grow.

Ireland, a smaller beef supplier to China, reported a case of 'atypical' mad cow disease in May last year. It has not yet been able to resume exports.

(Reporting by Dominique Patton in Beijing and Nayara Figueiredo in Sao Paulo; Editing by Richard Pullin)
BEIJING (AP)  Chinese singer and actor Lu Han, a former member of popular K-pop boy band EXO, said Sunday he would cut ties with Swiss luxury watch brand Audemars Piguet after its CEO referred to Taiwan as a country in an interview.

China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, objects to any reference to the self-governing island as a country. Under the one-country policy, other countries have diplomatic relations with either China or Taiwan, but not both.

In a video circulating online, the watch brand's CEO Francois-Henry Bennahmias referred to Taiwan as an ultra-modern, high-tech country in an interview.

Lu has been an ambassador for Audemars Piguet since 2018. A statement posted by Lu's studio said he and his team urged the watch brand to apologize in both Chinese and English but failed to reach an agreement with the company, leading Lu to cut ties.

National interests are above all else, Lu Han and Lu Hans studio will defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the statement read.

It wasnt immediately clear what the source of their disagreement was. Audemars Piguet on Saturday had posted a Chinese statement on Weibo apologizing for its error.

We apologize for the recent incorrect statement. Audemars Piguet has always adhered to the one-China position and firmly safeguarded Chinas national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the statement read.

Celebrities in China are often pressured to conform to values espoused by the Chinese government or face repercussions.

Celebrities such as Fan Bingbing and Zheng Shuang have been fined heavily for evading taxes, and popular actress Zhao Wei last week had her name removed from credits of films and TV shows she had starred in without explanation.

In March, over 30 Chinese celebrities cut ties with brands such as Nike, H&M and Adidas after state media criticized the brands for expressing concerns over the use of Xinjiang cotton following complaints of abuse and discrimination against ethnic minorities in the region.

More than 1 million members of the Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities have been confined to detention camps in Xinjiang, according to foreign governments and researchers.
Non-profits have sponsored open-air classes in some places to bring children back to school

The prolonged closure of schools in India has led to "catastrophic consequences" for poor children, according to a recent survey.

Only 8% of the children sampled were studying online regularly and 37% were not studying at all, the survey found.

Primary and upper-primary schools in India have been closed for 17 month to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The survey, supervised by leading economists, spoke to 1,400 children across India in August.

Researchers focused on households in relatively deprived villages and slums, where children generally attend government-run schools.

"The picture that emerges from the survey is absolutely dismal, especially in rural areas," says the study, conducted by nearly 100 volunteers in 15 states and federally administered territories.

The survey found that nearly half of the children sampled were unable to read more than a few words.

And few children were studying online: 24% in cities, and just 8% in villages.

One reason was a large number of these households had no smartphones - only about half of the households in the villages owned one.

Even among those who did own a smartphone, only a third of the children were studying online in cities and about 15% in the villages. Only 9% of the children surveyed had their own phones.

Another major hurdle, especially in villages, was that schools were not sending online study material or the parents were not aware of it.

"Most parents feel that their child's reading and writing abilities have gone down during the lockdown," the survey said.

More than 90% of underprivileged parents who were surveyed wanted schools to reopen as soon as possible.

India is among a handful of countries where primary schools have not reopened.

"An all-out reopening might not be advisable for now, but asking children to attend schools in batches once or twice a week would be a good start," economist Reetika Khera, one of the lead authors of the survey, told the BBC.
Australia celebrates Father's Day on the first Sunday in September

Australian families separated by state border closures have celebrated Father's Day with hugs and emotional greetings across barricades.

Queensland shut its border to neighbouring New South Wales (NSW) in July after a wave of Covid cases in Sydney.

Scenes on Sunday from Coolangatta, a border suburb, showed the emotional impact on families kept apart.

Dozens of people lined the boundary, which runs through the middle of town.

Police crews guarding the border didn't stop people from embracing but handed out masks to those gathered.

Local media showed images of mothers handing babies to fathers across the barrier, and many people leaning over for teary embraces.

People brought balloons, pets, food, drinks and even picnic chairs to settle in for a family catch-up.

Dozens of people lined the Queensland-NSW border

People take selfies over the border barricade

Australia celebrates Father's Day on the first Sunday in September.

One man from NSW said he had tears in his eyes upon seeing his infant daughter for the first time in weeks.

"She almost didn't recognise me when we first got there. I've only seen her through the phone on FaceTime," Bradley Church told The Australian newspaper.

His wife told the newspaper they were considering moving from Queensland to NSW because they didn't know how long the border would be closed.

States have frequently closed borders to suppress the virus during the pandemic.

Queensland has been criticised for rejecting applications from people wishing to enter for compassionate reasons, such as visiting sick relatives, though some exceptions have been made.

Its policy has been criticised for its impact on other people too, including those who need urgent medical care across the border.

But Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has defended her state's hard borders, noting they have worked to keep the virus out.

"Tonight people will go to their cafes, pubs and local restaurants," she said on Friday.

"Essentially Queensland is open. NSW has stay-at-home orders, Victoria has stay-at-home orders."

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Many parts of New South Wales, including state capital Sydney, are in lockdown as case numbers top 1,200 a day.

Melbourne and Canberra are also in lockdown due to Delta variant outbreaks.

As vaccinations ramp up, Australia is planning on reopening society when 70% of the over-16 population is jabbed.

But Queensland - as well as another Covid-free state Western Australia - have pushed back at the national plan, saying they don't want to endanger their citizens.
The death toll from Hurricane Ida on Sunday climbed to at least 68. Many are sill without power, and in Louisiana, recovery is a question of, "where do you begin?"

Adding to the devastation: a significant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 100 miles south of New Orleans.

A week after Ida slammed the Gulf Coast, much of New Orleans is still in the dark and drying out after deadly flooding and high winds. Barrier Island Grand Isle is uninhabitable.

"Hopefully we get started getting this cleaned. We're gonna take one day at a time," one resident told CBS News. Supplies aren't the only thing for residents to worry about. There's more bad weather on the horizon. "Even if it's a tropical storm, we're in no state to receive that much rainfall at this time," said Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards at a press conference.

A bent stop sign in a storm damaged neighborhood after Hurricane Ida on September 4, 2021, in Grand Isle, Louisiana. / Credit: Getty Images

Louisiana is ordering the closure of seven nursing homes following the discovery that some residents of these facilities were evacuated to a makeshift shelter at a warehouse. At least seven have died.

State health officials said conditions in the warehouse were unhealthy and unsafe.

"To think that they would just put these people in a warehouse and leave them like that. I mean, like they're not even human," one family member, Carol Stovall, told CBS News.

The owner of those nursing homes, Bob Dean Jr., spoke with CBS affiliate WAFB-TV last week.

"We only had five deaths within the six days, and normally, with 850 people, you'll have a couple a day," he said. "So we did really good on taking care of people."

Hundreds of thousands remain without power. People in this Bridge City neighborhood outside of New Orleans are being told it will be several more weeks until power poles will be repaired.

Meanwhile, recovery efforts are still underway in the Northeast, where at least 51 people died, as well. Donations have been non-stop in Piscataway, New Jersey.

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Volunteers, many of them neighbors, are banding together. Kamuela Tillman helped organize one drop-off,

"To come today and be able to drop food off and get texts from these families saying they got vouchers, that's relief," Tillman said. "We are an amazing community that is extremely diverse and we celebrate that."

Theresa Sidnauth and Renald Louisville were rescued by boat with their 2-year-old son. For them, the supplies couldn't have come at a better time.

"Cleaning supplies mean so much to us. We don't know where to start or end. Gives us a means to an end," Sidnauth said.

On Sunday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy told CBS News' "Face the Nation" that his state needs upgraded infrastructure and is counting on federal aid.

"We had rain in many communities in two or three hours that were equivalent to what they normally get in a month or two," he said. "And this, sadly, we think is part of what we're going to be facing. More frequency and more intensity."

At least 27 people died in New Jersey as a result of the remnants of Ida. At least six are still missing, according to Murphy.

In New York, where at least 17 people died, police released footage of an attempted water rescue during the storm inside a flooded basement in Queens. Three people, one a toddler, drowned.

President Biden is scheduled on Tuesday to come to New Jersey to survey the damage. Residents hope that means more help is on the way.

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(Bloomberg) -- Deutsche Telekom AG will use proceeds from the sale of its Dutch unit to acquire a greater stake in T-Mobile US Inc., deepening its shift to the U.S. market where it leads the industry in the next generation of mobile technology.

Warburg Pincus and Apax Partners will purchase T-Mobile Netherlands for 5.1 billion euros ($6.1 billion) from Deutsche Telekom and venture partner Tele2, which owns a 25% stake, the private equity firms said Tuesday. Bloomberg reported on Monday that the German company was nearing a deal and that the private equity consortium was a strong contender.

Deutsche Telekom will use some of the proceeds to help fund a deal with SoftBank Group Corp. to increase its holding in the U.S. The Japanese company said it will acquire a 4.5% stake of Deutsche Telekom and sell some of its T-Mobile US shares. The deal will leave Deutsche Telekom with a 48.4% stake in T-Mobile US, just short of its goal to acquire a majority holding.

The German companys Chief Executive Officer Tim Hoettges also said in a conference call on Tuesday that Deutsche Telekom will take action on its 12% holding in the U.K.s BT Group Plc sometime in the next year.

T-Mobile US accounts for nearly two-thirds of Bonn-based Deutsche Telekoms sales. The unit raised its forecast for subscriber growth in July and plans to build out capacity, targeting new businesses such as driverless taxis.

Deutsche Telekom shares rose 0.5% to 17.98 euros at 10:32 a.m. in Frankfurt trading. The stock has gained 20% this year. SoftBank shares closed 9.9% higher.

Share Swap

SoftBank will swap part of its T-Mobile US stake for an initial 225 million shares of Deutsche Telekom. The German company will then use $2.4 billion of proceeds from the Dutch sale to pick up another 20 million T-Mobile shares, according to a statement.

Deutsche Telekom intends to offset potential dilution to earnings per share through share buybacks in the medium term, Hoettges said on the call.

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For Warburg and Apax, their purchase will be one of the largest transactions in the European telecom sector this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Warburg Pincus and Apax previously teamed up in 2019 to take U.K. satellite company Inmarsat Plc private in a $3.4 billion buyout deal. The value of Tele2s stake is about 860 million euros.

The sale had also attracted interest from Apollo Global Management Inc. and Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambanis Reliance Industries Ltd., Bloomberg News has reported.

Private equity firms are often drawn to telecom assets as they can gain control of underlying infrastructure, which offers steady long-term returns. In May, the Dutch telecom group Royal KPN NV said it had rejected an unsolicited high-level approach from investment firms EQT AB and Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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2021 Bloomberg L.P.
(Reuters) - The European Union has called for the immediate release of Belarus protest leader Maria Kolesnikova after she was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Kolesnikova and her fellow oppositionist Maxim Znak, who got 10 years, were tried behind closed doors on unfounded charges, a spokesperson of the EU's executive Commission said on Monday.

"The EU deplores the continuous blatant disrespect by the Minsk regime of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Belarus," the spokesperson said in a statement, adding the EU would continue its efforts to promote accountability for the brutal repression by the Belarusian authorities.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee and Sabine Siebold)
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP)  Thousands of wildfires ignite in the U.S. each year, and each one requires firefighters to make quick decisions, often in difficult conditions like high winds and lightning.

Crews and managers must determine when to bring in aircraft, what time of day is best to battle flames, whether to evacuate residents and even if certain fires should be extinguished at all.

In the West, which sees many of the country's largest fires, they do all this amid the backdrop of prolonged drought and other climate change-induced conditions that have made wildfires more destructive. Other challenges include a century of reflexive wildfire suppression and overgrown forests, experts say, and communities that have crept into fire-prone areas.

Russ Lane, fire operations chief for the Washington state Department of Natural Resources, explains how some key firefighting decisions are made:

WHY DO FIRE MANAGERS LET SOME WILDFIRES BURN?

Sometimes fires fit a beneficial land management goal, like when they burn in a wilderness area or national park.

Fires are part of the natural forest cycle, and "at times thats the right approach, said Lane, who is in his 35th season as a firefighter, much of that spent in western Oregon. He joined Washington's natural resources agency in 2019.

Also, wildfires sometimes burn in areas where it is unsafe to put firefighters.

WHEN DO FIRE MANAGERS DEPLOY AIRCRAFT?

Planes or helicopters are used if a wildfire is burning too intensely to send in ground forces, or if aircraft are the best way to deliver water or retardant, Lane said.

You want to hit a fire quick so it stays small, Lane said.

The goal is to keep them from erupting into megafires. Cal Fire, Californias firefighting agency, keeps an average of 95% of blazes to 10 acres (4 hectares) or less.

But Lane said aircraft alone are usually not enough to extinguish a fire. It takes boots on the ground."

Aircraft also can face numerous visibility limitations when trying to make water drops on a wildfire.

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HOW HAS TECHNOLOGY HELPED?

When it comes to early detection, one innovation is replacing fire lookout towers staffed by humans with cameras in remote areas, many of them in high-definition and armed with artificial intelligence to discern a smoke plume from morning fog. There are 800 such cameras scattered across California, Nevada and Oregon.

Fire managers also routinely summon military drones to fly over fires at night, using heat imaging to map their boundaries and hot spots. They can use satellite imagery to plot the course of smoke and ash.

WHAT IS THE BEST TIME OF DAY TO ATTACK A BLAZE?

Generally the heat of a summer day is not the best time to fight wildfires.

We are pretty successful in the morning, late evening or overnight, Lane said.

ARE WILDFIRES HARDER TO BATTLE IN TIMBER OR GRASSLANDS?

Dry lightning puts dozens of fires on the landscape, Lane said, and weather is a major factor in their spread.

Wildfires in grassland tend to grow more quickly, and are more susceptible to expanding when there are high winds, Lane said. Fires in timberlands dont grow as fast, but they are more difficult to extinguish.

With grass, a little rain and it goes out, Lane said.

HOW TO SAVE HOUSES WHEN FIRES ARE CLOSE?

Lane said the building material used on a house, and the nearby vegetation, are big factors in determining if a house can be saved when fire approaches.

Houses with wooden roofs and lots of flammable vegetation around them are hardest to save. Usually a fire crew will spray water around a house to protect it.

Sometimes they will burn out the vegetation around a house to starve an approaching wildfire. If the homeowner keeps brush well away from a home prior to a fire that is a big help, Lane said.

WHERE DO FIRE NAMES COME FROM?

Usually a fire is named by the first unit of firefighters on the scene. Most of the time the name reflects a nearby geographic feature, such as a creek or valley.

California's massive Dixie Fire, for instance, was named after the road where it started on July 14.

WHY DO FIREFIGHTERS SPEND SO MUCH TIME DIGGING LINES?

Every fire has to have a dirt trail around it, Lane said. Thats to separate the fuel from the fire.

Firefighters also get help when the flames burn toward a river, a rocky area or a road. Separating fuel from fire is what stops them, he said.

WHO LEADS A PARTICULAR FIREFIGHTING EFFORT?

Wildfires get one of five ratings, with Type 5 the least dangerous and Type 1 the most dangerous. More than 95% of all fires are smaller Type 4 or 5 wildfires and are quickly put out by local firefighters.

Larger fires, like the ones the Washington state Department of Natural Resources responds to, are assigned an incident commander, said Janet Pearce, agency spokeswoman.

The commander creates a set of objectives, which guides the command and general staff. An operations section chief then devises the strategy for the operational firefighting effort.

WHEN DO YOU ORDER RESIDENTS TO IMMEDIATELY EVACUATE?

Emergency managers consider fire behavior, predicted weather and the amount of time it will take to evacuate, when making the decision to order people to leave, Lane said.

They also consider the availability of shelters and the potential for harm or loss of human life.

Occasionally, an order is given to shelter in place. This is typically done when there is either no time to escape an oncoming fire, or it would be more hazardous to evacuate than remain in place, he said.
Avid_creative

A gunman killed four people near Lakeland, Florida, Sunday morning, officials said.

The suspect surrendered and was taken into custody after two gunfights with police.

The suspect has been identified as a former marine and veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A former marine sharpshooter and veteran of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars shot and killed four people near Lakeland, Florida, on Sunday morning before exchanging gunfire with police and surrendering, officials said.

The victims included a mother, 33, and her 3-month-old baby boy, who she was holding at the time she was found, as well as the baby's grandmother, 62, and a 40-year-old man, who officials have identified as Justice Gleason.

An 11-year-old girl was also shot multiple times but is expected to survive, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. The family dog was also killed.

There was no known connection between the suspect and the victims.

The suspect was taken into custody after being shot in a gunfight with sheriff's deputies, Judd said. He has been identified as 33-year-old Bryan Riley, who Judd said served four years as a marine before being honorably discharged.

Riley was deployed to Iraq in 2008 and Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010, where he was designated as a sharpshooter, according to Judd.

Riley's girlfriend told police he had post-traumatic stress disorder and that she had seen him depressed before but not violent. However, in the past week, he had been telling her that he was speaking directly to God.

Judd said police received a call about a suspicious vehicle on Saturday night near the crime scene. The man in the vehicle, now believed to be Riley, had told a person in the neighborhood that God had sent him there to speak to a person named Amber who was going to commit suicide.

The person told Riley there was no one named Amber there and that they would call law enforcement if he didn't leave, Judd said. Deputies responded, but did not find Riley or the vehicle.

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Nine hours later, around 4:20 a.m., deputies heard gunfire and received calls about an active shooter. When they arrived at the home, they saw Riley outside in camouflage, but they did not see a firearm, and he ran into the house, Judd said. There were also glowsticks laid out and forming a path up past the house.

Deputies then heard gunshots, as well as a woman screaming and a baby whimpering, so they entered the home and found Riley wearing a bulletproof vest and other body protection as well, Judd said. Riley engaged the deputies in multiple shootouts, during which he was shot once. He eventually surrendered, walking out of the home with his hands up.

Judd said when Riley was being transported to the hospital he told police he was taking methamphetamine and was saying things like "you know why I did this."

Officials are still investigating and processing the crime scene, where Judd said there were some concerns about the potential of booby traps.

Read the original article on Insider
Tessy Antony

Diana Kottmann Tessy Antony and Frank Floessel

Former princess of Luxembourg Tessy Antony just welcomed a baby boy!

The former royal, who was married to Prince Louis of Luxembourg from 2006 until 2019, revealed on her Instagram page Thursday that she welcomed a son named Theodor with Swiss businessman Frank Floessel, whom she married last month.

Tessy's eldest son Prince Gabriel, whose father is Prince Louis, shared the exciting news in a video message, saying that his brother Prince Noah, Frank's daughter Julia and he now "have a little baby brother."

Tessy captioned the video, "Frank, our children and I are happy to announce that our little bean has arrived. Theodor is healthy and a very active little man We are over the moon with joy. "

RELATED: Former Princess of Luxembourg Tessy Antony Remarries Ahead of Welcoming Baby with New Husband

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The couple married in Zurich on July 23, with the bride sporting ruffled white dress with a black belt over her baby bump for the low-key ceremony.

"We said Yes  ," she wrote on Instagram with a number of photos from the special day. "Some sneak peaks for all of you from this absolutely beautiful day today! Thank you all for the kind, beautiful, loving and supportive messages."

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Prince Louis of Luxembourg recently shared his own relationship news. In April, the Grand Ducal Court of Luxembourg announced that Prince Louis was engaged to French lawyer Scarlett-Lauren Sirgue.

Louis's parents, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, said in a statement: "We are very happy to announce the engagement of our son, Prince Louis, to Miss Scarlett-Lauren Sirgue. [Louis's sons] Princes Gabriel and Noah join us in surrounding the new couple with all our affection. We wish them immense happiness."

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Tessy, 35, shared a message of congratulations on her Instagram story after the news was announced.

"Finally its out too," she wrote alongside with a portrait of the couple. "Gabe, Noah, Frank and I are so happy for you both and wish you only the best and much happiness."

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is welcomed upon his arrival by Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director of Protocol Ambassador Ibrahim Fakhroo, at Old Airport in Doha, Qatar September 6, 2021 (REUTERS)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Doha on Monday to support ongoing efforts to pull the remaining Americans and its at-risk allies out of Afghanistan.

Mr Blinken said he would also be visiting Germany on the trip to thank US partners for the outstanding support theyve given to safely transit US citizens, Afghans, and other evacuees from Afghanistan.

The visit came as a State Department official said four more Americans had been taken safely out of Afghanistan over an unspecified land border.

On Sunday, planes that were ready to evacuate American citizens and green card holders out of Afghanistan were being denied permission to leave by the Taliban.

CBS News reported that charter flights were ready to depart from the Mazar-i-Sharif airstrip in northern Afghanistan and had permission to land in Doha.

The Taliban is basically holding them hostage to get more out of the Americans, a source told CBS News.

The US military has evacuated 120,000 Americans and Afghan allies since it announced its withdrawal from the country after a near 20-year occupation and war.

While plans for the evacuation began some time ago, the US military did not anticipate the speed at which the Afghan government would fall.

On August 30, Mr Blinken announced the airlift phase of the operation had been finished, but efforts to withdraw remaining Americans was continuing.

Weve gotten many out, but many are still there. We will keep working to help them. Our commitment to them has no deadline.

An estimated 2,000 US Embassy contractors and immediate family members remain stranded in Afghanistan, some of the many vulnerable Afghans who slipped through the cracks of the hasty departure.

President Joe Biden has blamed the rapid Taliban takeover on the Afghan military and government, and called the withdrawal an extraordinary success.

However, Republicans have castigated Mr Biden over the way the operation was handled.

After facing a barrage of criticism over the evacuations, Mr Bidens approval rating dropping from 50 per cent in June to just 44 per cent last week.

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Twice a week, a group of state leaders gather to hear the painful stories that just keep coming.

A corrections officer told them how his colleagues slept on cots in their garages and icehouses in their driveways to avoid contaminating family members. One Cub Foods meat cutter described getting COVID and fearing he would die, lose his pension and leave his family with nothing. A former COVID unit nurse said while she was called a hero, the praise didn't protect her from exposure or prevent her from having to take on a second job to cover her bills.

"Take care of us the way you would have wanted us to take care of your families if you had gotten sick last year," the nurse, Rachel Hanneman, told the panel.

In meetings, Zoom calls and letters, Minnesotans have laid their personal stories of the pandemic's toll before a panel of legislators and state agency commissioners. From nursing home staff to child care providers to court employees, the workers have made their case for a portion of the $250 million that Minnesota designated for people who have done essential and risky work as the coronavirus battered the state.

After hearing dozens of pleas, the state's Frontline Worker Pay Working Group has a Monday deadline to piece together a plan to distribute the dollars. They are poised to blow past that deadline as the group remains divided along political lines over who should qualify for the "hero pay," or whether certain workers should see a greater portion of the limited aid.

The group's members said they agree on many things: people should apply for the dollars, state staff should approve applications, the money should not be subject to state income taxes or disqualify anyone from other state aid programs. But many key questions remained unanswered on Thursday, when the working group wrapped up its last meeting ahead of the Monday deadline.

Members said they will continue working to reach a deal before a special legislative session expected later this month, where lawmakers intend to sign off on their plan.

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Republicans want to give significant sums to workers who had prolonged face-to-face contact with people who had COVID, such as nurses, long-term care facility staff, personal care assistants and first responders.

"Those folks who we know assumed so much risk and burdened so much of the emotional hardship of COVID as well as they cared for these patients with COVID and those who passed away, I want to make sure what we're doing is meaningful for them," said House Deputy Minority Leader Anne Neu Brindley, R-North Branch. She said if they try to spread the $250 million across a wide group of people, "We're looking at an award that feels much more like a token."

Democrats counter that the pandemic's toll was widespread and it's hard to pick who is most deserving of the many groups that have asked for help, including child care providers, meatpacking plant workers and custodians. Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, said while nurses and long-term care staff did critical work, people from other sectors were also at risk.

"It just really concerns me, considering the testimony we've heard from many of our front-line workers that were not in those areas but were absolutely in harm's way and dealt with that very high risk every single day," Frazier said.

Dan Gorman, a corrections officer at the Stillwater prison, was one of many who shared their industry's COVID challenges. He described prisons as "a petri dish for a virus like this," with so many people living in one place with stale air. More than 1,000 employees at corrections facilities have tested positive for COVID-19, he said.

"Our exposure is a documented fact and we deserve to be involved in whatever front-line worker pay this group recommends," Gorman said, adding that he has colleagues who spent months recovering from COVID and others who have yet to fully recover.

DFL legislators suggested a maximum bonus of $1,500 per person, but said people would likely get smaller sums because so many are seeking aid. Neu Brindley said $1,000 is a more realistic number.

How much money workers will get could be based on the number of people who apply for the dollars  a tally working group members said they do not yet know. The group discussed excluding people earning above a certain amount, but has not yet set a threshold.

Minnesota has additional dollars from the federal American Rescue Plan that legislators could devote to front-line workers in the future, said House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley. He said they should apply the initial $250 million dollars to a broad group of people and offer another round of worker bonuses next year.

However, Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, said it is not "very fair or straightforward" to imply that Minnesotans should not worry about getting a smaller amount this time because more money might be coming.

Winkler also suggested that during future legislative sessions they should devote ongoing money  not just one-time bonuses  to low-paid health care staff to address workforce shortages in places like nursing homes and hospitals.

Zahnia Harut said that is critical to prevent a "staffing catastrophe" in long-term care. She has felt the worker pinch as nursing director for Affinity Residential Care, which has a number of assisted living locations around the Twin Cities serving clients with mental illness. Almost all of her staff, many of them caregivers for family members at home, left in early 2020 after a COVID outbreak.

She sent her 7-year-old daughter, who has a heart condition, to live with her parents two hours away. She couldn't hug her for two months.

"Without providers like us, care for seniors and the disabled would have suffered immensely. We are the glue that kept the entire system together," Harut wrote in a letter to state officials. "I ask that you prioritize our workforce when considering bonus pay for front-line workers."

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BERLIN (AP)  Germany has protested to Russia over attempts to steal data from lawmakers in what it suspects may have been preparation to spread disinformation before the upcoming German election, the Foreign Ministry in Berlin said Monday.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse said that a hacker outfit called Ghostwriter has been combining conventional cyberattacks with disinformation and influence operations, and that activities targeting Germany have been observed for some time.

She said that, ahead of Germany's parliamentary election on Sept. 26, there have been attempts - using phishing emails, among other things  to get hold of personal login details of federal and state lawmakers, with the aim of identity theft.

These attacks could serve as preparations for influence operations such as disinformation campaigns connected with the parliamentary election, she told reporters in Berlin.

The German government has reliable information on the basis of which Ghostwriter activities can be attributed to cyber-actors of the Russian state and, specifically, Russia's GRU military intelligence service, Sasse said. It views this unacceptable activity as a danger to the security of the Federal Republic of Germany and for the process of democratic decision-making, and as a severe strain on bilateral relations.

She said Germany calls on the Russian government to end such activity immediately, and has made that demand directly to Russian officials  most recently during a meeting on Thursday and Friday of a German-Russian working group on security policy, at which German deputy foreign minister Miguel Berger raised the issue with Russia's deputy foreign minister.

Sasse wouldn't comment on the extent of the cyberattacks or possible damage, saying only that they are of course completely unacceptable, and that the German government reserves the right to take further measures.

In mid-July, the head of Germanys domestic intelligence agency said that since February his agency had seen activity focusing on phishing attempts on the private email accounts of federal and state lawmakers and their staff. But he said that very few of those attempts were successful, and in cases where they were successful it appeared little damage had been caused.

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Germany's concerns about Russian interference have extended to the activities of state-funded broadcaster RT, whose online-only German-language service has for years emphasized divisive issues such as migration and the restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Chancellor Angela Merkel recently denied during a visit to Moscow that her government had exerted political pressure to block the station's request for a regular broadcast license, which was turned down last month by authorities in neighboring Luxembourg.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Monday accused Germany of trying to suppress the channel, claiming that it says what the German media dare not say.

In the Sept. 26 vote, Germany will elect a new parliament that will determine who succeeds Merkel. She is not seeking another term after nearly 16 years in charge. The outcome is wide open, with polls showing the main parties fairly close together.

___

Daria Litvinova in Moscow, and Frank Jordans in Berlin, and contributed to this report.

___

Follow APs coverage of Germanys election at https://apnews.com/hub/germany-election
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.
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Greeces center-right government has created a new ministry to address the impact of climate change and named former European Union commissioner Christos Stylianides as minister.

Stylianides, 63, who served as commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management between 2014 and 2019, was appointed in the wake of wildfires that burned more than 1,000 square kilometers (385 square miles) of forest on the island of Evia and in southern Greece.

Intense heat waves in southern Europe in July and August  described in Greece at the worst in decades  fueled deadly wildfires in Turkey as well and blazes in Italy, France, and Balkan countries.

The appointment was announced Monday after a previous candidate, former armed forces chief and defense minister Evangelos Apostolakis, withdrew, citing the lack of promised cross-party consensus for the new post.

As minister of climate crisis and civil protection, Stylianides will head firefighting, disaster relief and policies to adapt to rising temperatures resulting from climate change.

I have accepted (the position) with the full awareness of the challenges and expectations that come with it. The consequences of climate change have overtaken us, and we must accelerate major change without delay, Stylianides said. Disaster prevention and preparedness is the most effective weapon we have. A former Greek Air Force chief, Gen. Evangelos Tournas, was named as deputy minister. In July, the City of Athens appointed a chief heat officer, senior climate scientist Eleni Myrivili to help protect residents from increasing temperatures. Government officials acknowledged mistakes in handling resources while battling the fire in Evia, where the most widespread damage was caused, but also blamed climate change for the steadily worsening weather conditions.

Before serving as commissioner, Stylianides was the European Union's head coordinator for the bloc's response to the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa.

Stylianides, who is a Cypriot national, will be awarded Greek citizenship before being sworn in Friday, government spokesman Yiannis Economou said. ___

Follow all AP stories about climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/Climate
(Bloomberg) -- The biggest landlord in Hong Kongs most expensive office market expects demand to withstand concerns about political clampdowns and pandemic setbacks.

Hongkong Land Holdings Ltd. said leasing demand is robust for its dozen interconnected office blocks in the heart of the citys financial district known as Central, executive director Raymond Chow said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. Business hasnt been affected by the introduction of the national security law or tightened quarantine rules, Chow added.

In reality we dont see the leasing demand subsiding at all, Chow said. What we see is a lot of corporates now are elevating and going back to quality.

Hongkong Lands optimism stands in contrast to the overall performance of the rental industry in Central. The vacancy rate in the upscale district rose to 9.6% at the end of July from 5.7% a year ago, according to data from JLL. Office rent prices in the area fell 3.3% in the first seven months of the year, JLL said.

Foreign banks have been downsizing in the past year due to hybrid workplace arrangements and cost-saving measures. The governments strict quarantine rules have also raised concerns from business groups that theyre threatening Hong Kongs status as a global business hub.

Hong Kongs office sector will remain a tenants market in the next 12 months, Rosanna Tang, head of research in Hong Kong for Colliers International, said on Bloomberg Television on Monday. The firm forecasts a correction in office rents in 2021 before recovering from 2022 onward.

Hongkong Lands office properties are among the most prestigious in the city with tenants including JPMorgan Chase & Co., KPMG and Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd.

To maintain its competitiveness in a slow market, the century-old company has been creating new services. In an uncommon move, Hongkong Land recently opened a flexible working space to capture the demand for agile workplace leasing.

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Going forward, it aims to offer health and wellness amenities to its tenants to match their changing lifestyle, according to Chow.

In the office space now, there is a convergence of how people want to live and how people want to work, said Chow. Its almost a situation where you need to have these facilities in the ecosystem.

(Updates with researchers comment in the sixth paragraph)

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Police guard the area around Countdown LynnMall after a violent extremist took out a terrorist stabbing attack before being shot by police on September 03, 2021 in Auckland, New Zealand. Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

New Zealand has been trying for years to deport a man who injured seven people in a mass stabbing, said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

He was previously arrested twice, and police found ISIS propaganda in his apartment both times.

The man was appealing his deportation and authorities were legally unable to keep in him jail.

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New Zealand had been trying for years to deport an ISIS supporter who injured seven people in a supermarket stabbing spree last week, said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at a press conference on Saturday.

The attacker had been served a deportation notice in 2019 after his refugee status was revoked, said Ardern, but a drawn-out legal process allowed him to remain in New Zealand even while authorities knew he intended on carrying out a terror attack.

Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen, a 32-year-old ethnic minority Tamil from Sri Lanka, grabbed a knife from a supermarket shelf on Friday and attacked seven victims, placing three in critical condition, before being shot dead by police who were monitoring him.

Samsudeen arrived in New Zealand in 2011 on a student visa seeking refugee status, which he was granted in 2013, per court documents made public on Sunday.

He became a person of national security interest in 2016 after uthorities noticed him sympathizing on Facebook with terrorist attacks and violent extremism, according to court documents.

During their investigation, authorities also discovered that Samsudeen's refugee claim was based on a fraudulent document, prompting them to revoke his refugee status, according to Ardern.

Court documents also show that Samsudeen was arrested in May 2017 at the Auckland International airport when police believed he was about to fly to Syria. Police searched his apartment and found a hunting knife and ISIS propaganda.

According to the NZ Herald, Samsudeen had told a fellow worshipper at a mosque he would commit a "lone wolf" terrorist attack if he was unable to go to Syria.

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He was later released on bail, but was arrested again in August 2018 after purchasing another knife. Police also found more material relating to ISIS propaganda in his apartment.

Samsudeen was served a deportation notice while in jail. He appealed against it under New Zealand's Immigration Act, saying he would face "arrest, detention, mistreatment, and torture" if he were to be sent back to Sri Lanka.

In July 2021, he finished his sentence related to the 2018 arrest and was released while awaiting his deportation appeal. New Zealand's immigration agency wanted to keep him in jail, concerned that he would be a risk to the community, according to Ardern.

"It was incredibly disappointing and frustrating when legal advice came back to say this wasn't an option," she said. Because of his appeal and circumstances, Samsudeen was likely to be considered a "protected person" under the country's Immigraton Act.

Authorities also knew that Samsudeen wanted to carry out a terrorist attack and looked into charging him under the country's 2002 Terrorism Suppression Act, but the charges were rejected because planning an attack isn't a crime in New Zealand.

"Agencies used every tool available to protect innocent people from this individual," said Ardern. "Every legal avenue was tried."

After his release, authorities ordered police to monitor him constantly, deploying 30 officers to watch him for 50 days until the attack happened, reported The Guardian.

Police commissioner Andrew Coster said at the Saturday press conference that the officers monitoring Samsudeen kept their distance from him because he had a "high level of paranoia" toward their surveillance, and therefore took two minutes to get to him after he started his stabbing attack.

Ardern said her government is pushing for a new anti-terrorism law that will broaden the definition of terrorist activity and criminalize the planning of terror attacks. She also said that the attack on Friday should not be pinned on any one community.

"It was carried out by an individual, not a faith, not a culture, not an ethnicity, but an individual person who was gripped by ideology that is not supported here by anyone or any community," she said.

"He alone carries the responsibility for these acts. Let that be where the judgment falls."

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A Kansas City, Kansas man has been arrested and charged in a fatal shooting that happened Saturday night in the 2200 block of Silver Court, according to police.

Darnell D. Walker, 34, faces a charge of first degree murder in the killing, Nancy Chartrand, a Kansas City, Kansas Police Department spokeswoman, said in a statement Monday. Walker is being held in Wyandotte County Jail on $250,000 bond, police said.

Police were called to the site of the shooting around 10:30 p.m. Saturday and found one man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to an area hospital and died there.

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Police identified the victim as 27-year-old Travis Eugene Bowman of Kansas City, Kansas.

Detectives believe the shooting stemmed from an argument over a missing Amazon package that had been delivered to the apartment of Bowmans sister, Chartrand said. Police say the two men were involved in a physical altercation before shots were fired.

The homicide is being investigated by the departments Major Case Unit. Police are asking anyone with information to call the anonymous TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).
In the weeks after officials in the Florida Keys shut the island chain down because of the then-new COVID-19 pandemic, Mike Forster began mobilizing to feed those he knew would be among the most in need. Restaurant workers.

Starting with organizing a shipment of 10,000 pounds of meat from frozen food giant Cargill Protein for Keys food banks in April 2020, Forster then began offering free meals to servers, bartenders, cooks, bussers and other Keys wait staff out of his popular Islamorada eatery, Mangrove Mikes.

Unfortunately, I think well have a very good turnout, Forster said just days before he was set to launch the service.

That effort led to a larger endeavor of creating a nonprofit to feed those in need up and down the 120-mile archipelago, which was starved of tourism, its number one industry.

Mike Forster and Michael Rempe stand inside a truck containing donated meat from Cargill Protein in April 2020.

Early Monday morning, Forster, 61, succumbed to pneumonia caused by COVID-19, his friend Tony Hammon said.

Mike left this earth at 4:15 this morning, Hammon posted on his Facebook page.

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Forster was currently a Monroe County commissioner. He served five terms on the Islamorada Village Council, and was mayor twice.

Born in Virginia Beach, Forster grew up in South Florida and attended Gulliver Preparatory Academy in Kendall. He moved to the Keys in 1990 where he managed and owned several restaurants before opening Mangrove Mikes.

He was equally known as one of the Keys most popular leaders in the hospitality industry and even more so for his charitable efforts in raising money for those who were sick, or the families of community members who had died, or when the Keys were hard hit by disasters like Hurricane Irma in 2017 and COVID-19.

Islamorada loses one of the kindest most loving members of the community. He was a friend to all and gave back everything he could to those in need. He will be missed dearly, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, former U.S. congresswoman whose district included the Keys, wrote on social media Monday.

Monroe County Mayor Michelle Coldiron released the following statement:

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Mike passionately gave his all to the Florida Keys. He fed everyone with food, with love, with encouragement, with positive words, and with hugs. He considered us all one Keys family. Mike never said, we cant do it, but always lets figure out how we can. He passionately fought for all to have a quality of life to sustain living in the Keys with housing, fair wages, and protection of the environment. He showed his love for the Keys environment and people with all of his heart and soul. Rest in Peace, my friend.

Forster is not only remembered as a ceaseless advocate for people in need in the Keys, he also accompanied Hammon, who is pastor emeritus at Island Community Church in Islamorada, on several missions to Uganda.

Mike Forster is seen here with several children in a village in Uganda, where he went on several annual missions to help poor children.

Hammon said Uganda became another calling to Foster, where he began a program to provide shoes to poor children in the African nation.

We put shoes on children who never had shoes on their feet before, Hammon told the Miami Herald/FLKeysnews.com Monday.

Hammon kept the Keys informed of Forsters condition almost daily ever since he was transferred from Mariners Hospital in Tavernier on Aug. 20 to Baptist Hospital in Kendall, where he was placed on a ventilator and sedated two days later.

Forster, who was vaccinated, according to his family and friends, showed signs of improvement as the days went on. However, last Wednesday, Hammon told his followers that the situation took a turn for the worse. Forster still required 100% oxygen from the ventilator and continued to be sedated.

That means his lungs have been severely damaged, Hammon wrote on Sept 1.

Soon after news of Forsters death broke, tributes on social media were nonstop.

I am speechless and heartbroken this morning. My True friend, community leader and Mr. Everything passed away this morning from complications after a battle with COVID, Bobby Dube, an officer and spokesman with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in the Keys, wrote. The Keys will never be the same! This man had the biggest heart and ALWAYS gave back to our community  high school, fund raisers, fishing tournaments, etc. He was especially supportive of all law enforcement and first responders and his generosity over the years was over the Top. RIP Mangrove Mike!

Forsters loss was felt in South Florida beyond the Keys. The University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame issued a statement on Monday mourning his death. Forster partnered with the group through Mangrove Mikes for its Keys fishing tournaments, and he hosted the events as part of his duties as Islamorada mayor.

He was a great guy to be around and enjoyed life to the fullest. He will be greatly missed. Rest in Peace, Mike, the group said in the statement.

Forster is survived by his three sisters and one brother, his sister Jo-Ann Forster said.

He never married, she told the Herald. Too busy looking where he could make a difference.

Forster was also a devoted owner of two Vizsla dogs, Henry and Joy, named after his friends, legendary Islamorada backcountry fishing guide Hank Brown and his wife, Joy. Hank died in 2016 at the age of 86, and Joy passed in 2019.

However, Jo-Ann Forster said her younger brother became like family to many in the Florida Keys, including the staff and customers at Mangrove Mikes. They are also his survivors, she said.

I so admire him for that. He really did know what was important in life, and you see it in all the posts and calls and tears. He left Miami as a kid knowing what he wanted, Jo-Ann Forster said. Money was not on the list. He had a fishing rod in his hand when he was about 3 or 4, and thats all he needed to know about where he was headed. He loves the water and fishing and the serenity that surrounds that. His legacy will live on and all that love him and his family.
Dramatic video shows the rescue of a 47-year-old man who fell nearly 30 feet down into a storm drain in New York City.

NYPD and FDNY first responders saved the man whose forehead was slashed and leg was injured.

He was hospitalized and expected to survive.

IDA REMNANTS BRING DEATH, DESTRUCTION TO NORTHEAST, DAYS AFTER STORM SLAMMED GULF COAST

"As we got down there he was conscious, he was talking to us, he expressed pain in his ankle region," said Kenneth Logallo of the NYPD, according to WABC-TV. "As soon as we got the equipment needed down there, we packaged him up and then the guys up top ... all the help was excellent."

Investigators found the mans brother at the scene who told authorities his brother had a history of mental illness and had called him after the fall left him trapped.

The victim allegedly was scaling a ladder of a water shaft near a Queens highway on Sunday morning.

"You would never find this place. It was in the middle of nowhere, an old water shaft with a stream running down the bottom of it," said FDNY Special Operations Chief Patrick Ginty, the New York Daily News reported. "Just an open shaft."
Parents Advocating For Safe Schools have filed a lawsuit against the state of Minnesota and its governor Tim Walz (Getty)

A parent group has launched legal proceedings against the state of Minnesota and its governor after he declined to issue a mask mandate in schools, according to reports.

The group, named Parents Advocating For Safe Schools, filed a lawsuit against Governor Tim Walz and the state that argues schools being open without mask rules endangers students and impacts their constitutional right to adequate education during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The groups lawyer, Marshall Tanick, said the group is made up of parents from across Minnesota and live in districts without mask mandates.

According to the lawsuit, the group wants Mr Walz to call for a peacetime emergency and bring in an executive order stating masks ought to be worn in all state funded schools. They argue not doing this is an infringement on students rights and is discrimination against disabled students.

We are hopeful that the court will recognise that subjecting students, teachers, staff and visitors to schools to dangerous, hazardous situations where masks arent required deprives the students of the ability to have an adequate education as guaranteed by the state constitution, Mr Tanick told The Star Tribune.

In a statement by the group, Dr Loucresie Rupert, a psychiatrist and parent involved in the legal action said: We believe that mandatory masking is essential to the safety, health and well-being of our children, as well as staff members at schools, and those visiting school sites.

In 2020, Mr Walz was able to deploy emergency pandemic powers to initiate safety measures in educational establishments, although now the matter has been devolved to local districts. In some areas in Minnesota, such as the Twin Cities metro area, masks have already been mandated, although this is not the case in other parts. In lieu of mandates, they have issued recommendations to wear a mask.

Minnesotas departments of health and education have issued advice about the need for mask mandates, based on findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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Last month, a report from the CDC found an unvaccinated and masked teacher in California infected with Covid-19 spread the virus to 26 of her pupils. Those sat nearest to the teacher were more likely to test positive from the virus.

In light of their findings, the report said safety measures needed to be implemented in schools for a safe learning experience. These included routine testing, good ventilation and wearing face masks, along with being vaccinated. Everyone in the US over the age of 12 is eligible to be vaccinated against covid.

Dr Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, mirrored similar sentiments at a press briefing in August.

Evidence has repeatedly demonstrated that multi-layer prevention strategies, such as vaccination for all children and adults who are eligible, masks for all students, teachers, staff and visitors, ventilation, cohorting and physical distancing and screen testing, working to prevent the spread of covid in schools, she said on 27 August.

In response to the lawsuit, a spokesperson for the Minnesota governor told the Star Tribune in a statement: As a former high school teacher, Gov Walz will always prioritise the health and safety of Minnesota students, and he expects the Legislature to help him.

According to his office, they are reviewing the complaint and intend to work with all relevant parties to keep kids safe.

A date for a hearing has not been set yet, according to MPR News.
A curtain divides male, female students as Afghan universities reopen. Social media handout/via Reuters

A curtain separates women and men who share classes at universities in Afghanistan, photos show.

The images are among the first to surface since college courses resumed after the Taliban takeover.

Reuters reported that other classrooms are imposing even stricter divisions between men and women.

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Some universities in Afghanistan's largest cites have resumed classes but are now segregating students according to sex, photos and interviews obtained by Reuters show.

Classes were on hiatus after the US ended its 20-year war in Afghanistan and after the Taliban quickly overtook its capitol city, Kabul, three weeks ago. Some students are now back in the classroom, though photos on social media show that the Taliban has already imposed changes to seating arrangements.

Two photos showed men and women in the same classroom but separated by gray curtains. The women in the photo are wearing head coverings and long robes.

Students in Kabul, Kandahar, and Herat told Reuters in interviews that women are also being taught separately or confined only to certain parts of campus.

Students attend class under new classroom conditions at Avicenna University in Kabul, Afghanistan, on September 6, 2021, in this picture obtained by Reuters from social media. Social media handout/via Reuters

The last time the Taliban was in power, from 1996 to 2001, girls were not allowed to attend school. The Taliban also forbade women from attending university or going to work.

"I really felt terrible when I entered the class," Anjila, a 21-year-old female student at Kabul University told Reuters. "We are gradually going back to 20 years ago."

Women sat separately from men before the Taliban takeover, but didn't have any physical dividers between them.

The Taliban has said that women will be able to keep participating in society under Islamic law, but Afghan women have been protesting in recent weeks, fearful they'll lose their rights and freedoms.

Abdul Baqi Haqqani, the acting minister for the Ministry of Higher Education, said last week that women could go to college but had to be taught by female professors and separated from male students.

Story continues

Video: Kabul cafe provided 'safe space' for women

Read the original article on Business Insider
WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz on Monday condemned prison sentences imposed on Belarusian opposition figures Maria Kolesnikova and Maxim Znak.

Kolesnikova and Znak were sentenced to 11 years and 10 years in prison, respectively, leading to an outcry from Western countries.

"The decision of the Belarusian authorities ... deserves firm condemnation. This is an open crushing of human rights and another step intended to intimidate Belarusian society. This repression should not go unanswered," Przydacz said on Twitter.

Polish President Andrzej Duda expressed solidarity with Kolesnikova and Znak. "Poland demands the unconditional release of all political prisoners. These people are imprisoned for fighting for an independent and democratic Belarus," he tweeted.

(Reporting by Anna Koper; Editing by Peter Cooney and Mark Heinrich)
Photograph: Allison Bailey/Rex/Shutterstock

William Brennan, the great US supreme court justice, liked to greet his incoming law clerks with a bracingly simple definition of constitutional doctrine: five votes. You cant do anything around here, Brennan would say, wiggling the fingers of his hand, without five votes.

Underscoring the truth of Brennans hardboiled definition was the courts 5-4 ruling this week (with Chief Justice John Roberts in dissent alongside his three liberal colleagues) to let stand a Texas law that turns ordinary citizens into de facto bounty hunters empowered to sue anyone who performs or aids and abets an abortion on a woman past her sixth week of pregnancy. True, the single-paragraph unsigned majority opinion emphasized that in letting the Texas law take effect the court was not ruling on the statutes ultimate constitutionality.

Related: Texas now has abortion bounty hunters: Sonia Sotomayors scathing legal dissent

And yet. As Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a passionate dissent, Presented with an application to enjoin a flagrantly unconstitutional law  a majority of justices have opted to bury their heads in the sand. President Biden powerfully joined those critical of the courts decision. Declaring that the ruling promises to unleash [..] unconstitutional chaos, Biden promised to work to protect the constitutional right to abortion first recognized in Roe v Wade.

How might the president do so? Back in April, Biden empaneled a bipartisan commission of scholars, lawyers and jurists tasked with exploring the issue of court packing. The commission is scheduled to submit its report later this fall, which returns us to Justice Brennans five wiggling fingers.

There is nothing magical about the number nine, the present size of the supreme court. The constitution provides that there shall be one supreme Court, but says nothing about the courts size or composition; these are matters left to Congress. In the early decades of the nation, Congress changed the number of justices six different times, from as few as five to as many as 10, before settling on nine in 1869. In 1937, Franklin Roosevelt, frustrated by a reactionary supreme court that resisted his New Deal initiatives, proposed expanding the supreme courts bench to 15. Congress correctly rejected that court-packing plan as an attempt to manipulate the court to generate specific outcomes.

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Biden, however, could now fairly and legitimately propose expanding the number of justices from nine to 11. Such an expansion would counterbalance the abuse of constitutional rules that enabled the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett and the installation of the hardcore conservative bloc responsible for the Texas decision.

This is not to say the effort would be successful. Assuming Biden could find support in the House, expanding the number of justices would require Democratic senators to first eliminate the filibuster, something that Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema staunchly oppose. And we know that Republican lawmakers, led by Mitch McConnell, would accuse Biden of dangerously politicizing the court.

To which we may respond: pah-leeze. After all, it was McConnell who, in the wake of Antonin Scalias death nine months before the 2016 election, announced: The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next supreme court justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.

Armed with a rule of his own creation and a Republican Senate majority, McConnell flagrantly refused to grant a hearing to Merrick Garland, Barack Obamas nominee to fill the supreme court vacancy ultimately filled by Trumps choice, Neil Gorsuch.

As the Texas ruling underscored, this is a court far more conservative than the nation whose constitutional meanings it is meant to protect

But when Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, six weeks before the 2020 election, McConnell suddenly pronounced a new rule. It turns out the American people should not have a voice in the selection of supreme court justice in an election year when the incumbent president is a Republican.

The confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett did more than install a supermajority of conservatives in the court. The locus of power on the court shifted from the more mainstream conservatism of Justice Roberts to the more ideological and rigid extremes of Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.

As the Texas ruling underscored, this is a court far more conservative than the nation whose constitutional meanings it is meant to protect. And it is a court that owes its composition to the triumph of anti-democratic processes, in which a majority of its members were nominated by a president who lost the popular vote and/or were confirmed by a bloc of senators elected by a minority of voters.

In proposing the addition of two additional justices, Biden could hardly be charged with tit-for-tat politics or with further politicizing the court. Conservatives would continue to enjoy a 6-5 majority, but with Justice Roberts, a stalwart institutionalist, serving as the swing vote. Were Biden to succeed, such an expansion would make the court more legitimate, not less.
By Elaine Lies

TOKYO (Reuters) - Taro Kono, Japan's minister in charge of fighting COVID-19 and a top choice of voters for Japanese prime minister, may also pick up the backing of a popular ruling party heavyweight in the race for party leader, broadcaster TV Asahi said on Monday.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's shock Friday announcement he was stepping down has thrown a ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership race set for Sept. 29 wide open, with an array of candidates - including two women - considering runs.

The LDP's majority in parliament guarantees the winner will become prime minister.

Former foreign minister Fumio Kishida, 64, is the only candidate to throw his hat into the ring so far.

Kono has yet to formally declare his candidacy but media reports say his intention to run is strengthening.

Former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is popular among LDP grassroots members, is considering backing Kono instead of running himself, TV Asahi reported, without citing sources or further details - a move that could significantly increase Kono's chances of winning.

Kono sidestepped the issue at a Monday news conference on Japan's vaccination drive, saying only that in the case he did run he would make sure it had no impact on his current duties, including a vaccine rollout in a nation where not quite half have been fully inoculated.

Ishiba, 64, had such strong support among rank-and-file party members in the past that he defeated Suga's predecessor Shinzo Abe in the first round of a 2012 leadership race. He lost in a later round, when only lawmakers could vote, and has since lost two more leadership contests.

Two public opinion polls over the past few days have said Kono is the top choice of voters to assume the premiership, with 23% telling the Yomiuri Shimbun daily in a poll published Monday that they favoured him.

But he was just a hair ahead of Ishiba at 21%.

A former foreign and defence minister, the 58-year-old Kono, educated at Georgetown University and a fluent English speaker, has built a popular following among young voters with an active social media presence in two languages and 2.3 million followers on his Japanese page alone.

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Kono has long been a favoured candidate among voters for prime minister and has made no secret of wanting the job, but party elders are wary of him for his outspokenness and reputation as a maverick.

Others feel he is still too young for the job, though media reported at the weekend he had secured Suga's backing.

Kishida was seen as the likely heir when Abe quit last year due to illness, his low-key, soft-spoken style typically lands him low in voter surveys - such as the Yomiuri's, in which he trailed at only 12%.

Unlike last year's leadership race, when Suga emerged the winner, this time ordinary party members at the prefectural level will also be able to vote, making the outcome harder to predict.

Potential candidates spent a busy weekend meeting with other lawmakers, sounding them out for support, media said. Each needs to gather 20 supporters by Sept 17 to become a formal candidate, with the vote on Sept 29.

Should the results be close, a second round would be held with only lawmakers allowed to vote.

Abe's actions are being closely watched since he, as Japan's longest-serving prime minister, still retains influence in the party's two largest factions and among conservative lawmakers.

Japanese media has reported that Abe will be backing former internal affairs minister Sanae Takaichi, who hopes to become Japan's first woman prime minister.

But Monday's Yomiuri survey had Takaichi trailing badly at 3% - just behind Abe himself, at 5%.

(Additional reporting by Antoni Slodkowski and Ju-min Park; Editing by Michael Perry)
Amazons Jeff Bezos and Virgin Galactics Sir Richard Branson have already reached the edge of space in their respective spaceships. But could they do it multiple times a day? Stefan Powell can.

Or at least it looks like hell soon be able to. Powell is the CEO of the Dutch-New Zealand company Dawn Aerospace, which last month conducted five successful flights of its Mk-II Aurora, which is on track to reach low-space orbit in 2022. The test flightsto 3,400 feetallowed the company to assess the airframe and avionics on the a 16-foot long, 165-pound mighty might.

The company is also developing a rocket engine, which will go into the Mk-II early next year and allow it to take off from a conventional airstrip, reach low-space, land on the same strip, then do the whole thing againseveral times in the same day if desired. Like Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, space tourism could be part of Dawn Aerospaces distant future.

Mk-II will also be used to capture atmospheric data for weather and climate modeling, and to conduct scientific research and technology demonstrations, Powell told Robb Report, but its not the end game. Mk-II serves as a technology demonstrator for our two-stage-to-orbit-vehicle, the Mk-III.

The larger craft will arrive a few years later, but it will be able to haul a 550-pound payload, allowing it to haul satellites, cargo and potentially astronauts into space. Like the Mk-II, it will be able to make several trips a day. The size and reusable nature will keep costs down and provide unprecedented access to spaceand even an environmentally beneficial alternative.

Our industry is heavily reliant on vehicles that fly to space once, or that are partially refurbished over weeks or months, Powell says. Many launch companies are pursuing mass-manufacturing for lower and lower price points, rather than pursuing cost savings through reusability.

Powell points to the automotive world. If you could only use your car once, or a handful of times, before disposing of it, it would hardly be considered sustainable or economical, he says. Our teams view is that its no longer acceptable that launch hardware is discarded when the vast majority of its carbon footprint is in its production. Instead, were looking to apply the high reusability of aircraft to the space industry.

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A white nationalist who came to prominence during former President Donald Trumps first campaign for office now says hes an outcast in the small Montana town where he moved to run a white supremacist think tank.

Richard Spencer, one of the most prominent leaders of the American white supremacist fringe, is reportedly persona non grata in the township of Whitefish, home to fewer than 10,000 residents, and finds himself unable to find seating at local restaurants and bearing the brunt of a social backlash resulting from an antisemitic campaign against a local real estate agent that he himself instigated.

The revelations were published in The New York Times on Sunday, which interviewed residents of Whitefish including Mr Spencer himself, who unlike in the past seemed eager to avoid public confrontations relating to his political views.

During the 2016 election and throughout much of Mr Trumps presidency, Mr Spencer headed the National Policy Institute, a white supremacist organisation that has since shuttered, leaving its website offline. He now faces lawsuits over his participation in allegedly organising the Charlottesville 2017 Unite the Right rally which drew neo-Nazis and other white supremacists to the town and sparked massive battles with counter-protesters.

In January of 2017 as both pro-Trump supporters and counterprotesters descended on Washington DC for the inauguration of the 45th president, Mr Spencer was famously struck in the face by a masked person while giving an interview to reporters on the street. The masked individual was never apprehended.

Mr Spencer confirmed to the Times that he had faced the reality of being refused service at some restaurants in town in the past after a dispute between him and the real estate agent, Tanya Gersh, spilled onto neo-Nazi websites including The Daily Stormer and resulted in a wave of hateful messages aimed at Ms Gersh and some of the towns Jewish residents.

That situation quickly exploded in the normally sleepy town, and resulted in many of the towns residents hanging paper menorahs in their windows or offering other shows of support for the Jewish residents in their communities. In one instance, nearly 10 per cent of the towns total population attended an anti-hate rally in freezing winter weather.

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There were menorahs in every window in Whitefish, Ms Gersh told the Times. The mayor added that the last time he saw Mr Spencer was at a local restaurant, where he was summarily booed by a number of patrons as he entered.

Richard Spencer wanted this to be his happy vacation place where he could play and have fun, and people would just live and let live, the towns rabbi, who was one of those targeted with antisemitic attacks emanating from The Daily Stormer, told the Times. Then he started suffering social consequences for his hatred.

Others told the Times that he was being refused service in some restaurants.

The towns elected mayor, John Muhlfield, told the Times that the towns decision to loudly rebuke Mr Spencers views in a unified manner was the only way to stop such views from spreading within local communities.

You have to act swiftly and decisively and come together as a community to tackle hate and make sure it doesnt infiltrate your town, he said.

Read More

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By Conor Humphries and Tim Hepher

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Boeing faces a standoff with one of its biggest customers after Ireland's Ryanair said it had ended talks over a purchase of 737 MAX 10 jets worth tens of billions of dollars due to differences over price.

The rare decision to go public over big-ticket airplane negotiations comes after months of wrangling that had already delayed a deal for the largest version of the 737 MAX when Ryanair re-ordered a smaller model in December.

A large new Ryanair order would provide a boost to the U.S. planemaker as it rebuilds confidence in the MAX, grounded for 20 months until November after two fatal crashes. It would also speed a tentative industry recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Europe's largest budget carrier is already the region's largest MAX customer with 210 of the 197-seat MAX 8-200 on order. It has dangled a fresh order potentially worth $33 billion at list prices for up to 250 of the 230-seat MAX 10.

Even after steep industry-wide discounts such a deal would still be worth well over $10 billion, analysts estimate.

But last week, Ryanair Group Chief Executive Michael O'Leary poured cold water on chances of a quick deal, saying he would be surprised if agreement was reached this year.

On Monday, he said talks had collapsed.

"We are disappointed we couldnt reach agreement," O'Leary said. "However, Boeing have a more optimistic outlook on aircraft pricing than we do, and we have a disciplined track record of not paying high prices for aircraft."

Boeing also vowed to exercise discipline.

"Ryanair is a long-standing partner. We value their business and are committed to supporting them," a Boeing spokesperson said. "At the same time, we continue to be disciplined and make decisions that make sense for our customers and our company."

Ryanair shares rose 1.8%. U.S. markets, where Boeing is listed, were closed for the Labor Day holiday.

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HIGHER VALUES

While Ryanair has nominally ended talks, analysts said it is gambling that public pressure will lure Boeing to the table with an improved offer as the planemaker juggles the fallout from the MAX crisis, uncertainty over COVID-19 and industrial woes.

Boeing, however, appears to believe the market is finally moving in its direction after winning a series of orders including 150 MAX 10 from United Airlines.

Industry experts say Ryanair is one of two budget kingpins alongside Southwest that can insist on best prices from Boeing.

The spread of COVID-19 variants and public acceptance of the MAX will help determine whether prices have further room to fall or whether Ryanair, one the industry's toughest negotiators, has missed the bottom of the market for the largest MAX model.

"MAX values have increased very slightly as inventory declines," said Rob Morris, chief consultant at Ascend by Cirium. "We are hearing less about some of the low prices."

The MAX 10 has yet to enter service but estimated values for the slightly smaller MAX 9 have risen 2% recently, though are still 9-10% below levels before the MAX crisis, he said.

Despite the rift with Boeing, O'Leary has repeatedly played down the prospect of a dramatic defection to rival Airbus due to a long waiting list for its hot-selling A321neo. The two companies have had tense relations in the past.

On Monday, O'Leary did however pointedly refer to the fact that other Boeing customers had done deals with Airbus.

Britain's Jet2 last week closed a deal for 36 A321 neo aircraft worth about $4.9 billion.. Delta, which buys from both suppliers, in August added 30 A321neo to its order book with Airbus.

Still, industry sources said Airbus may be wary of diluting what it sees as a price advantage for its A321neo by getting dragged into a price war over Ryanair that few expect it to win.

"It is likely Boeing and Ryanair will eventually cut a deal," one industry veteran said.

Airbus declined comment.

(Reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Edmund Blair, Jane Merriman and Carmel Crimmins)
Students in South L.A. leave high school as police respond to a shooting Thursday. A male student, 16, who was struck in his left leg outside the football field of Santee Education Complex is being treated at a hospital, L.A. School Police said. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

A 16-year-old male student was shot and wounded after school outside the football field of Santee Education Complex, a high school south of downtown Los Angeles, school police said.

Some students fled when shots rang out, leaving behind backpacks and other belongings; others immediately tried to aid the student, said Sgt. Rudy Perez, a spokesman for the Los Angeles School Police.

The injured student is in stable condition at a local hospital after a gunshot wound to his upper left leg, Perez said.

Soon after, a second person was grazed by a bullet in front of a nearby primary center campus. But it was not immediately clear if there was any connection between the shootings, police said.

The first shooting happened soon after school ended at 1:45 p.m. on an early dismissal day. School police were alerted by Los Angeles police at 1:55 p.m. that shots had been fired near the school. The LAPD officers were farther away from the campus than school police, Perez said.

A nearby school police officer in a patrol car responded  part of a safe passages program to keep students more secure on their way to and from campus, Perez said.

The student was struck while on the sidewalk outside the football field. Numerous students were in the area at the time. Two football games, a junior varsity and varsity contest, were scheduled for later today, starting at 5 p.m., and it is common for students to gather near the football field beforehand, he said.

A preliminary investigation suggests the shooter might have been in a sedan that was driving by, police said.

The officer at the scene applied a tourniquet to reduce the bleeding from the single gunshot wound. Fire department personnel soon arrived to take over medical treatment. Los Angeles police also arrived within five to 10 minutes, Perez said.

In previous years, a school police officer would have been assigned full time to Santee  each high school had its own officer. The school board last year approved steep reductions to the police budget and ordered officers to be removed from campus.

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Officers on campus have been replaced by school climate coaches. The Santee climate coach may have been one of the first to report the shooting, Perez said.

Santee has an enrollment of about 1,700 students in grades nine through 12; 98% are from low-income families; 21% are learning English. Also on-site is the Frida Kahlo Continuation High School.

In a recent school climate survey, 63% of Santee students said they feel safe at school, slightly higher than the district average for high school, according to information collected by the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The second shooting in the area occurred about 25 minutes later in front of Maple Primary Center, which serves kindergarten and first-grade students. A male adult was grazed in the back by a bullet.

Perez said the wounded man does not appear to have a connection to the school.

The Primary Center is about a mile south of the high school on Maple Avenue.

Perez said he did not have information about whether the two shootings might be connected.

The varsity football game, with Belmont High School, was moved to the Roybal Learning Center, just west of downtown.

Both schools were placed on lockdown  for about an hour  until officers determined there was not an ongoing threat to students or staff.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Singaporean Mandopop singer Stefanie Sun. (Photo: IMC Global Live)

Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun's agency has dismissed rumours that she was blacklisted by Chinese authorities as false.

Amid a recent crackdown by the Chinese government against what it perceives as an unhealthy entertainment industry, an unverified list of Chinese celebrities had been circulating online, apparently a list by China's National Radio and Television Administration that includes stars who will be blacklisted by authorities for holding foreign non-Chinese citizenship. A blacklist implies that they would not be able to perform or make TV appearances in China.

This list initially cited seven celebrities (Jet Li, Nicholas Tse, Liu Yifei, Mark Chao, Zhang Tielin, Wang Leehom and Wilber Pan), but singers Stefanie Sun and Wei Wei were later added to the list.

Some netizens questioned Stef Sun's appearance on this list, since, unlike most of the other celebs on the list, the Singaporean Mandopop singer has never been a Chinese citizen, although she is popular in China.

On Saturday (4 Sept), Sun's management gave Apple Daily a simple response to talk of her being blacklisted: "False rumours."

Fake and unverified news often spread on Chinese social media platforms like Weibo.

Crackdown on celebrities

China has gone on a blitz against celebrities that the government perceives as undesirable.

Two weeks ago, actress-producer Zhao Wei, who shares a reported billion-dollar fortune with her husband Huang Youlong, was seemingly "cancelled" by the government with no reason announced  her TV shows were all deleted from Chinese media platforms like Tencent Video and iQiyi.

Before that, actor Zhang Zhehan, who had suddenly gained popularity over boys' love TV series Word Of Honour, was censured after a scandal broke over old photos of him at Japan's war memorial Yasukuni Shrine. Social media platforms deleted his accounts and corporate brands terminated their endorsement contracts with him. Zhang had reportedly been signed with Zhao's company, but it's unclear what the reason for Zhao's blacklisting is, as she was linked to previous incidents that could have earned the government's displeasure.

Watch more Lifestyle videos:
(Reuters) - The Taliban claimed victory on Monday in the last part of Afghanistan still holding out against their rule, declaring that the capture of the Panjshir valley completed their takeover of the country and they would unveil a new government soon.

Pictures on social media showed Taliban members standing in front of the gate of the Panjshir provincial governor's compound after days of fighting with the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA), commanded by Panjshiri leader Ahmad Massoud.

"Panjshir, which was the last hideout of the escapee enemy, is captured," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a news conference.

Massoud did not concede defeat, saying his force, drawn from the remnants of the regular Afghan army as well as local militia fighters, was still fighting.

"We are in Panjshir and our Resistance will continue," he said on Twitter. He also said he was safe, but gave no details on his whereabouts.

The steep valley north of Kabul was long famed for holding out against attack, including both by Soviet troops in the 1980s and the Taliban during their previous rule in the 1990s. It was the main redoubt of the Northern Alliance resistance fighters who toppled the Taliban with U.S. air support in 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

The Taliban assured the people of the valley - who are ethnically distinct from the mainly Pashtun Taliban - that there would be no "discriminatory act against them".

"They are our brothers and would work together for a joint purpose and welfare of the country," Mujahid said.

CURTAINS IN CLASSES

The Taliban have repeatedly sought to reassure Afghans and foreign countries that they will not reimpose the brutal rule of their last period in power, when they carried out violent public punishments and barred women and girls from public life.

But more than three weeks after they swept into Kabul, they have yet to announce a government or give details about the social restrictions they will now enforce.

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Asked whether the United States would recognise the Taliban, U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House late Monday: Thats a long way off."

Teachers and students at universities in Afghanistan's largest cities - Kabul, Kandahar and Herat - told Reuters that female students were being segregated in class with curtains https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/curtain-divides-male-female-students-afghan-universities-reopen-2021-09-06, taught separately or restricted to certain parts of the campus.

One female student said women sat apart from males in university classes before the Taliban took over, but classrooms were not physically divided.

"Putting up curtains is not acceptable," Anjila, the 21-year-old student at Kabul University, told Reuters by telephone.

"I really felt terrible when I entered the class ... We are gradually going back to 20 years ago."

HUMANITARIAN AID

Inside Afghanistan, hundreds of medical facilities are at risk of closure because the Western donors are barred from dealing with the Taliban, a World Health Organization official said.

The WHO is trying fill the gap by providing supplies, equipment and financing to 500 health centres, and was liaising with Qatar for medical deliveries, the UN health agency's regional emergency director, Rick Brennan, told Reuters.

U.S.-led foreign forces evacuated about 124,000 foreigners and at-risk Afghans in the weeks before the last U.S. troops left Kabul, but tens of thousands who fear Taliban retribution were left behind.

About 1,000 people, including Americans, have been stuck in northern Afghanistan for days awaiting clearance for charter flights to leave, an organiser told Reuters, blaming the delay on the U.S. State Department. Reuters could not independently verify the details of the account.

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said the agency had registered 300 children who had been separated from their families during the chaotic evacuations from Kabul airport.

"Some of these children were evacuated on flights to Germany, Qatar and other countries ... We expect this number to rise through ongoing identification efforts," she said in a statement.

Inside Afghanistan, drought and war have forced about 5.5 million people to flee their homes, including more than 550,000 newly displaced in 2021, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Western powers say they are prepared to send humanitarian aid, but broader economic engagement would depend on the make-up of the Islamists' new government in Kabul.

China's ambassador to Afghanistan promised to provide humanitarian aid during a meeting with senior Taliban official Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanifi in Kabul on Monday, Tolo news reported.

China has not officially recognised the Taliban as Afghanistan's new rulers, but Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi last month hosted Mullah Baradar, chief of the group's political office, and has said the world should guide the new government rather than pressure it.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin meanwhile met Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, as Washington seeks to build a consensus among allies on how to respond to Taliban rule.

Blinken also spoke on Monday with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, and thanked him for Kuwait's assistance with evacuations, the State Department said.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by James Oliphant and Stephen Coates; Editing by Peter Graff, Lincoln Feast and Simon Cameron-Moore)
The Taliban said Monday it had "conquered" Afghanistan's Panjshir province, Afghanistan's last holdout of resistance against the country's new rule  a claim opposition fighters dispute.

Driving the news: There's been heavy fighting in the valley, north of Kabul, between the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan and Taliban fighters since U.S. forces left the country last Monday. The NRFA called for a ceasefire Sunday, per AFP.

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The group told the news agency that if "the Taliban stop its military operations in Panjshir" and withdraws its forces, the NRFA "will direct our forces to refrain from military action."

Yes, but: NRFA leader Ahmad Massoud said in a statement Monday the Taliban's "claim of occupying Panjshir is false" and that "NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight."

The big picture: The Taliban swept to power in the rest of Afghanistan last month, after former President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

People in the region resisted the Taliban in the 1990s and Russian fighters in the 1980s.

Massoud is the son of Northern Alliance commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was killed in 2001.

What to watch: Massoud said in a statement Sunday that the NRF had "in principle agree to solve the current problems and put an immediate end to the fighting" and negotiate with the Taliban.

"To reach a lasting peace, the NRF is ready to stop fighting on condition that Taliban also stop their attacks and military movements on Panjshir and Andarab," in the southern part of Baghlan province, he said.

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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  The Taliban said on Monday they have taken control of Panjshir province north of Kabul, the last holdout of anti-Taliban forces in the country and the only province the Taliban had not seized during their blitz across Afghanistan last month.

Thousands of Taliban fighters overran eight districts of Panjshir overnight, according to witnesses from the area who spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing for their safety. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement, saying Panjshir was now under control of Taliban fighters.

We tried our best to solve the problem through negotiations, and they rejected talks and then we had to send our forces to fight, Mujahid told a press conference in Kabul later Monday.

The anti-Taliban forces had been led by the former vice president, Amrullah Saleh, and also the son of the iconic anti-Taliban fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud who was killed just days before the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

Meanwhile in northern Balkh province, at least four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people seeking to escape the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan have been unable to leave the country for days, officials said Sunday, with conflicting accounts emerging about why the flights werent able to take off as pressure ramps up on the U.S. to help those left behind to leave.

An Afghan official at the airport in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, the provincial capital, said that the would-be passengers were Afghans, many of whom did not have passports or visas, and thus were unable to leave the country. Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters, he said they had left the airport while the situation was being sorted out.

The top Republican on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, however, said that the group included Americans and that they had boarded planes but the Taliban were not letting them take off, effectively holding them hostage. Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas told Fox News Sunday that American citizens and Afghan interpreters were being kept on six planes. He did not say where that information came from and it was not immediately possible to reconcile the two accounts.

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The final days of Americas 20-year war in Afghanistan were marked by a harrowing airlift at Kabuls airport to evacuate tens of thousands of people  Americans and their allies  who feared what the future would hold, given the Talibans history of repression, particularly of women. When the last American troops pulled out on Aug. 30, though, many were left behind.

The U.S. promised to continue working with the new Taliban rulers to get those who want to leave out, and the militants pledged to allow anyone with the proper legal documents to leave.

Experts had doubted that resistance to the Taliban in Panjshir, the last holdout province, could succeed long-term despite the areas geographical advantage.

Nestled in the towering Hindu Kush mountains, the Panjshir Valley has a single narrow entrance. Local fighters held off the Soviets there in the 1980s and also, for a brief time, the Taliban a decade later under the leadership of Massoud. He was one of several former mujahedeen leaders who had ruled Kabul between 1992-96 but turned their guns on each other, leading to the 1996 arrival of the Taliban.

Massouds son Ahmad, in a statement Sunday called for an end to the fighting. The young British-schooled Massoud said his forces were ready to lay down their weapons but only if the Taliban agreed to end their assault. Late on Sunday dozens of vehicles loaded with Taliban fighters were seen swarming into the Panjshir Valley.

There has been no statement from Saleh, Afghanistans former vice president who had declared himself the acting president after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Aug. 15 as the Taliban reached the gates of the capital. The Taliban subsequently entered the presidency building that day.

The Talibans lightning blitz across the country took less than a week to overrun some 300,000 Afghan government troops, most of whom surrendered or fled.

The whereabouts of Saleh and the young Massoud were not immediately known Monday.

Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, sought to assure residents of Panjshir that they would be safe  even as scores of families reportedly fled into the mountains ahead of the Talibans arrival.

There is no need for any more fighting, Mujahid said at the press conference. All Panjshir people and those who live in Panjshir are our brothers and they are part of our country.

The Taliban had stepped up their assault on Panjshir on Sunday, tweeting that their forces overran Rokha district, one of the largest in the province. Several Taliban delegations have attempted negotiations with the holdouts, but talks failed.

Fahim Dashti, the spokesman for the anti-Taliban group and a prominent media personality during previous governments, was killed in battle Sunday, according to the groups Twitter account. He was also the nephew of Abdullah Abdullah, a senior Kabul official of the former government involved in negotiations with the Taliban on the future of Afghanistan.

Mujahid denied Dashti died in battle with the Taliban, and claimed he was killed in an internal dispute among two commanders in Panjshir, without offering any evidence to support that claim.

Mujahid also told reporters that the Taliban would announce a new government within days  one that would be inclusive, he said, without elaborating. Once the government is formed, members of the former Afghan army and security forces would be asked to return to work, he added.

We need their expertise, he said. Members of the previous Afghan security forces would then join with Taliban fighters to form a single army, Mujahid added. Taliban fighters in civilian clothes riding in pickup trucks through Kabul would be replaced with Taliban men in uniform.

Asked what rights women would have under the Taliban, Mujahid promised all women would eventually be asked to return to their jobs.

The Taliban have claimed unspecified security reasons are behind the current slow pace of return of Afghan women to their workplace and also behind restricting women to their homes, unless accompanied by a male guardian. But many who remember their rule are skeptical.


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday condemned the "politically motivated conviction and shameful sentencing" of Belarusian opposition figures Maria Kolesnikova and Maxim Znak.

"These sentencings are further evidence of the regimes total disregard for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Belarus," Blinken said in a statement.

Kolesnikova, one of the leaders of mass street protests against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko last year, was sentenced on Monday to 11 years in prison, leading to an outcry from Western countries.

Kolesnikova and Znak, another senior opposition figure, were charged with extremism and trying to seize power illegally. Both denied wrongdoing.

Slamming "the politically motivated conviction and shameful sentencing," Blinken called the charges against the two "bogus" and said they did not have a fair and public hearing by an impartial tribunal.

The United States reiterates its call for "for an end to the campaign of repression against the people of Belarus for exercising their human rights inside and outside Belarus and for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners  including Ms. Kalesnikava and Mr. Znak," he said.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington;Editing by Matthew Lewis and Peter Cooney)
Sep. 6ALBANY  Offensive tackle Trent Brown of the New England Patriots is making a positive impact on kids in his Georgia hometown by donating to Communities In Schools of Georgia in Albany/Dougherty County through his TB77 Cares Foundation. Brown played football in his junior year at Westover High School in Albany and graduated in 2011.

The money will be spent on completing a basic needs closet that will include supplies, uniforms, shoes and undergarments for students who otherwise may not have even the bare essentials to attend class with confidence and succeed in school.

"It means everything to me to give back to my community in Georgia through my TB77 Cares Foundation," Brown said in a statement. "There are so many variables that affect a child's ability to receive the full education they deserve, and I'm grateful to help put ease to those struggles. My hope is that getting students the resources they need, whether that's through material goods or tutoring and development programs provided by Communities In Schools of Georgia, helps them not only stay in school, but thrive."

When basic needs aren't met, children may become embarrassed by personal lack of cleanliness or access to appropriate clothing and will struggle to meet academic expectations. What sets Communities In Schools apart is a holistic approach to addressing both the academic and non-academic needs of students. Working with school leadership and staff, CIS site coordinators  who are based inside schools  identify supports that schools need but don't currently have.

"We are so appreciative of the donation given to Communities In Schools of Georgia in Albany/Dougherty," Communities In Schools of Georgia Regional Program Manager Simone Turner said. "This is such a great honor."

In addition to school needs assessments, site coordinators identify students at risk of dropping out and find the right supports to ensure they stay on track to graduate. To learn more, visit cisga.org/albany-dougherty.

Communities In Schools fuels potential so every student can take charge of their story and define their success for life. The agency connects students with caring adults and community resources that help them see, confront, and overcome barriers standing between them and a brighter future.
(Bloomberg) -- Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. is planning to sell shares in its drilling unit in what would rank among the largest initial public offerings in the United Arab Emirates.

The company will offer at least 7.5% of Adnoc Drilling, it said on Monday. An IPO could value the business at up to $10 billion, Bloomberg reported earlier this year, citing people familiar with the matter. In 2018, when Baker Hughes bought a 5% stake in Adnoc Drilling, that deal valued it at about $11 billion, including $1 billion of debt.

Given the valuation, a sale of that size could raise about $750 million and Adnoc said it may increase the amount of stock on offer. It will be the second IPO of one of the groups subsidiaries after the share sale in its retail fuel unit for $850.8 million in 2017.

The proposed listing comes as Abu Dhabi tries to revive IPOs on its bourse. The bourse, known as ADX, is offering sweeteners that include flexibility on the minimum stake size required for share sales and promising to reduce or forgo listing fees.

Satellite operator Yahsat listed in July, and sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co. is poised to select underwriters for a potential offering of Emirates Global Aluminium that could value it at more than $15 billion, people with knowledge of the matter said last week. Adnoc has also started preparations for a potential IPO of its fertilizer joint venture Fertiglobe.

Asset Sales

Abu Dhabi, which holds most of the oil in the UAE, is using its energy assets to draw in global investors along with their funds and expertise as the nation puts cash into efforts to diversify the economy. While the UAE plans to keep selling oil for decades its trying to build out industries like technology, manufacturing and tourism to prepare for a world in which hydrocarbon demand is falling.

The UAE is the third-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, behind Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Adnoc is pursuing a strategy of attracting investors and raising cash from minority stakes in its businesses.

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Regional energy powerhouses like the Saudis are also selling energy assets and trying to wean themselves off an overwhelming reliance on crude for government income. The kingdom recorded the worlds largest IPO when it sold shares in Saudi Aramco in 2019.

With governments and companies looking to go green and cut oil use, Saudi Arabia and the UAE see their huge reserves of low-cost crude and natural gas supporting chemicals and hydrogen production and establishing them among the last suppliers of crude.

Adnoc Drilling IPO Offer Details:

Offer period to start on Sept. 13 and end on Sept. 23 for retail investorsWill represent 1.2 billion sharesThere will be three tranchesFirst for individuals and others investors: offering closes on Sept. 23Second for qualified institutional investors: offering closes on Sept. 26Third for Adnoc employees and UAE national retirees: offering closes on Sept. 23Announcement of final offer price: Sept. 27Expected date of listing: Oct. 3First Abu Dhabi Bank, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, JPMorgan are joint global coordinatorsEFG-Hermes, Emirates NBD Capital, International Securities, Merrill Lynch International and Societe Generale are joint bookrunners

(Updates with details throughout.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
TOKYO (AP)  Japan's defense minister on Monday welcomed the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth as it made its first Japanese port call, saying the involvement of European nations in the Indo-Pacific region is key to peace and stability as China's military strength and influence grow.

Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi met the strike group's commander, Commodore Steve Moorhouse, on board the carrier.

The ship arrived at the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka near Tokyo on Saturday. Japan is seeking to expand its military cooperation beyond its traditional alliance with the United States as China's navy expands and increasingly presses its territorial claims.

The Queen Elizabeth participated in a joint exercise with warships from the United States, the Netherlands, Canada and Japan before arriving in Yokosuka. The exercise was part of efforts to achieve a free and open Indo-Pacific vision led by Washington and Tokyo.

European countries' interest in (China's) unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas ... contributes to the peace and stability in this region," Kishi told reporters. I expect the port call will contribute to a further development of Japan-British defense cooperation."

Japan has become increasingly worried about Chinas growing military influence in the region as well as Beijings escalating tensions with Taiwan and rivalry with the United States. Japan has repeatedly protested to China over its increased activity near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which are also claimed by China, which calls them Diaoyu.

After arriving in Yokosuka, Moorhouse tweeted that the strike group's interaction is part of Britain's commitment to strengthen our diplomatic, economic and security ties in the Indo-Pacific. He said it will take ties between Japan and Britain to a whole new level.

The Carrier Strike Groups presence embodies the United Kingdoms support for the freedom and security of the regions vital trading routes, and for an international system that benefits all countries, Moorhead said.

The strike group departed from Britain in May. Commissioned in 2017, the HMS Queen Elizabeth is Britains largest and most powerful warship. It is capable of carrying up to 40 aircraft such as F-35 stealth fighters, according to the Royal Navy.
STATELINE, Nev.  From the casino where she works, Nathalia Bonifacio watched the world flee. Thousands of tourists, homeowners and workers who keep the economy humming along Lake Tahoe streamed out of town in the last two weeks as a wildfire roared closer through the Sierra Nevada.

But not her.

Where could she run to? Bonifacio, 21, a college student from the Dominican Republic, had landed in the United States three months earlier to work at one of the high-rise casinos that flank the Nevada shoreline of the mountain lake. She had no family here. She could not afford a hotel room in the nearby towns, jammed with more than 20,000 evacuees.

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So as ash from the Caldor fire snowed on Lake Tahoe, Bonifacio and a handful of other workers stayed behind. They have since become an unsung pit crew working the countrys highest-priority wildfire, feeding and refueling thousands of firefighters arriving here to battle a blaze the size of Dallas.

Eight miles from charred front lines of the fire, a cluster of Vegas-style hotels on the California-Nevada border has morphed into a base camp for emergency workers. With boutique hotels and alpine lodges shuttered on the California side of the border, fire trucks now occupy valet parking spots in the Nevada-side casinos. Exhausted fire crews accustomed to camping in the woods trundle takeout pizza up to their rooms.

While hundreds of hotel employees joined the mass evacuation from Tahoe, skeleton staff who decided to stay now serve quesadillas and iced coffee to hundreds of emergency responders filling the rooms. They check in guests and pick up trash. They send up clean sheets and towels to replace linens suffused with ash. They endure the smoke wafting through the hallways like some phantom guest.

Its a disaster, said Bonifacio, whose asthma is aggravated by the smoky air.

Some of the remaining staff are managers and lifelong residents from Tahoe and surrounding towns. Others are immigrants from Southeast Asia and Latin American college students on temporary visas who come to do the unglamorous work of washing dishes and changing sheets.

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Between shifts, the remaining workers gaze out the window as smoke strangles the lakes diamond waters. They trade rumors about how the fire might have started (its cause is still being investigated) and reassure anxious relatives back home that they are not in danger.

Bored after nearly a week indoors, they kill time watching movies, chatting with friends on WhatsApp and roaming the carpeted casino floors where slot machines glow idly and brassy Rat Pack tunes play on a loop for nobody.

The signs thanking firefighters in peoples yards around Tahoe do not mention the backstage support from workers like Bonifacio. But she and others who stayed said the past week stuck in a fire zone had made their workaday routines more meaningful.

Rescuers, firefighters, police  were helping these people, said Odan Maria, a Dominican college student who works as a dishwasher.

Not that it has been easy.

The smoke stings their eyes, and Bonifacio said she has barely been outside over the past week as firefighters raced to herd the fire away from the cabins and condos and businesses around the lake.

Firefighters have made steady progress containing the fire with the help of lighter winds, and Sunday night lifted evacuation orders for South Lake Tahoe, California. The fire, which has destroyed nearly 700 homes, had been 44% contained by Sunday evening, Cal Fire reported.

Bonifacio had never lived through a wildfire when she joined dozens of other young Dominicans who signed up to spend a summer beside Lake Tahoe as part of a temporary work program. She was eager to earn $14 an hour, money she was saving for medical school and to send back to her family.

On Aug. 30, as the blaze charged toward the largest towns beside Lake Tahoe, she decided not to board the buses whisking other hotel employees out of town.

Bonifacio and a few Dominican friends threw everything they owned into suitcases and retreated from their apartments to the hotels where they work as dishwashers, cleaners, cashiers and delivery workers. The casino hotels were not shutting down and offered free rooms to workers who stayed on.

On the ground floor of the MontBleu Resort Casino, Ulycees Beltran spent another evening taking dinner orders from firefighters coming off the line. In a town where people once enjoyed flights of microbrew and Dungeness crab sandwiches after days paddle boarding in the lake, Beltrans half-priced menu of nachos and burgers now represented the beginning and end of Tahoes culinary scene.

His husband and two dogs fled to Los Angeles, but Beltran decided to stay. He was powerless to control whether the fire swarmed through South Lake Tahoe and destroyed the home he had bought 15 years ago, but he could at least slip on his black face mask and feed people.

We cannot go anywhere, but at least we can come in and help, he said. Im OK and my familys OK. Theyre safe. Im working.

Tim Tretton, general manager at the MontBleu, said the hotel was fulfilling our obligation to serve those who are protecting our community. Across the street at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, the staff has organized movie nights and delivered food to evacuees outside the fire zone, said Eric Barbaro, the hotels marketing director.

There hasnt been a day off, he said.

Nearly every business along U.S. 50, the main road through South Lake Tahoe has been locked and dark for more than a week. Red NO VACANCY lights hummed outside empty motels one recent morning.

And then there was American Gasoline, where Stefka Dimitrova was rushing to unload a shipment of diesel canisters. Dimitrova said she had emigrated from Bulgaria decades earlier in a time of economic turmoil, and refused to flee the mountain home and gas station she had owned for nearly 20 years in South Lake Tahoe. When the fire swept through, she turned on her sprinklers and started sleeping in a trailer just beside the gas pumps.

What happens if somebody drives by and needs gas? she asked. Everybody needs help.

She is doing a brisk business in beef jerky, chewing tobacco and cold coffee, and the out-of-town firefighters, unaccustomed to Tahoes chilly nights, are snapping up knit hats. Everyone wants gas and fuel for their generators.

On Friday morning, as Dimitrova set out a pot of coffee, George Sandoval, a privately employed firefighter, pulled up on his way to clear brush around homes.

Most of them dont know Im open, Dimitrova said.

On the 15th floor of her hotel, Bonifacio and three friends are sharing a two-bedroom suite and wondering the same question as the thousands who fled: When will all this be over?

Though they are still getting paid, the banks are shut down and they cannot send money home. Bonifacio has been getting anxious about finding a ride to Reno for her return flight Sept. 11. She has yet to visit a government office and fill out the paperwork to arrange another summers work.

Weve lost so much time, she said. Maybe next year itll be different.

 2021 The New York Times Company
Smoke rises to the sky after a Nato airstrike in Tripoli, Libya, in 2011 (EPA)

At least 22,000 civilians have been killed by US-led airstrikes in a number of countries in the Middle East and Africa over the last two decades of the forever wars, according to an approximation by a conflict monitor.

Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, London-based organisation Airwars released its estimate of civilian deaths  that it said could be as high as almost 50,000.

Since 2001, when the US-led war on terror was launched after the attacks in New York and Washington DC, US actions likely killed at least 22,679 civilians, and as many as 48,308, according to Airwars.

The numbers take into account civilians that died during occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as bombing campaigns against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (Isis), and targeted strikes in Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen.

The deadliest year  when looking at the minimum total death toll  was 2003, when at least 5,529 civilians were reported to have been killed by alleged US strikes, almost all during the invasion of Iraq.

The next deadliest year was 2017  Donald Trumps first year as US President  when at least 4,931 civilians were likely killed, the vast majority in alleged coalition bombing of Iraq and Syria.

When looking at the maximum possible death toll, the deadliest year was 2017. Airwars said that as many as 19,623 civilians were killed by US or coalition strikes that year against Isis.

The vast majority of civilian harm  97 per cent  occurred during the occupation of Iraq between 2003 and 2009, the 20-year-long occupation of Afghanistan, and the bombing campaign against Isis militants.

The Talibans return to power last month saw the official end of the US occupation of Afghanistan after all troops withdrew last week.

The occupations peak was in 2011, when more than 100,000 US troops were stationed there. In Iraq, troops numbers peaked at 166,000 in 2007, though forces withdrew by 2011.

Story continues

The report from Airwars cited data from several sources, as the US Department of Defense does not publish full counts of civilian casualties recognised by the agency.

Airwars cites statistics from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Bureau of Investigative Journalism, The Nation, and the volunteer project Iraq Body Count.

The Independent has contacted the US Defense Department for comment on the Airwars report.

In recent days, officials have stressed that the US military goes to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties during operations.

An official with US Central Command told Airwars that the information you request is not immediately on hand in our office as it spans between multiple operations/campaigns within a span of between 18 and 20 years when asked about obtaining data for the report.

No military on the face of the earth works harder to avoid civilian casualties than the United States military, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said during a news conference when asked about the possibility of civilian casualties in the final Kabul strike, which he did not dispute.

We take it very, very seriously. And when we know that we have caused innocent life to be lost in the conduct of our operations, were transparent about it.

US President Joe Biden has vowed in recent days that just because US ground troops have exited Afghanistan does not mean that America has ceased pursuing Isis-K and other militant groups, leaving open the possibility of more airstrikes and the devastation that typically follows.

To Isis-K, we are not done with you yet, Mr Biden said on Tuesday, while promising to enact a tough, unforgiving, targeted, precise strategy against the Afghanistan-based terror group.

Read More

Afghanistan news live: UK into final hours of evacuation mission

Who are Isis-K?

Pen Farthings animals could die of heat at Kabul airport

Fighting rages in Afghanistans Panjshir Valley as Taliban and resistance claim military gains

MPs launch inquiry into governments Afghanistan policy after catastrophic withdrawal

Isis-K: Terrorist group that claimed Kabul bombing is threat to UK, warns former army general

US airstrike targets Islamic State member in Afghanistan
(Corrects name in paragraphs 4 and 5 to Tri, not Tung)

HANOI(Reuters) - Vietnam jailed a man on Monday for five years for breaking strict COVID-19 quarantine rules and spreading the virus to others, state media reported.

Le Van Tri, 28, was convicted of "spreading dangerous infectious diseases" at a one-day trial at the People's Court of the southern province of Ca Mau, the state-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

Vietnam has been one of the world's coronavirus success stories, thanks to targeted mass testing, aggressive contact tracing, tight border restrictions and strict quarantine. But new clusters of infections since late April have tarnished that record.

"Tri travelled back to Ca Mau from Ho Chi Minh City ... and breached the 21-day quarantine regulations," the news agency said.

"Tri infected eight people, one of whom died due to the virus after one month of treatment," it added.

Reuters did not immediately reach the Ca Mau court for comment.

Ca Mau, Vietnam's southernmost province, has reported only 191 cases and two deaths since the pandemic began, much lower than the nearly 260,000 cases and 10,685 deaths in the country's coronavirus epicentre, Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam is battling a worsening COVID-19 outbreak that has infected more than 536,000 people and killed 13,385, the vast majority in the past few months.

The country has sentenced two other people to 18-month and two-year suspended jail terms on the same charges.

(This story corrects name in paragraphs 4 and 5 to Tri, not Tung)

(Editing by Peter Cooney)
Well, this is bizarre, isnt it? Maggie Nelson said as she emerged from the back door of a house in Oakland. Meeting you, outside, in these circumstances, she laughed. Welcome to this house that isnt mine!

She had no idea how bizarre it was. From her beautiful 2009 prose-poem Bluets to The Argonauts, a dazzling 2015 memoir using her romance with trans artist Harry Dodge to offer an auto-theory of gender and desire, Nelson has become a legendary figure among a certain subset of readers: a generation grappling with the art and identity in a post-9/11 world, striving under a capitalist system that has largely failed them. A fan base encapsulated in this Tweet : Being a depressed millennial who went to an elite college means I can spot a copy of Maggie Nelsons Bluets from a mile away.

Walking into the backyard of the house that wasnt hers (Nelson lives in Los Angeles and teaches at USC) was akin to making a pilgrimage to an oracle, a childlike empress of letters. We were meeting to talk about her new book, On Freedom, her 10th, and her first in six years. Nelson popped inside to put her dog away. She made me a cup of tea. It was almost too much. Im going to try to not cry, or fangirl-out on you too much, I warned her. She laughed. Thank you, she said, thats very nice.

Bluets had sent me on a frenzied journey through her earlier work: Jane: A Murder and The Red Parts, books about Nelsons aunt, who was murdered before she was born, as well as a few books of poetry. But On Freedom's progenitor is 2011s The Art of Cruelty. I had wanted to write this book at least since the subject [of freedom] emerged as an unexpected subtext in that book, Nelson explains. Subtitled Four Songs of Care and Constraint, it is a discussion of freedom divided into four realms: art, sex, drugs and climate.

Concepts like art, cruelty and freedom are a lot to wrap ones head around. Yet Nelson bounds across knotty subjects like #MeToo, sex positivity, addiction, queer theory, anxiety and carceral feminism without tiring of the painstaking work of untangling controversies. Seeking purchase among them, I flailed around for answers as Nelson nodded and murmured mm-hmm, like a teacher waiting for the student to arrive at their own understanding.

Story continues

Questions about freedom feel urgent, even life-or-death. During the pandemic, the concept has been distorted: antivaxxers freedom to forgo the personal and social benefit of inoculation, their freedom to spread contagion by not wearing a mask. Trumpisms freedom of expression to rush the Capitol, deny climate change, grab women wherever they like. But thats only one kind of freedom, and after reading Nelson, your understanding of the word, and of humanity itself, will expand in surprising directions.

We began with #MeToo and her mention of Monica Lewinsky, who publicly wrestled with the movement. Sure, my boss took advantage of me, but I will always remain firm on this point: it was a consensual relationship," she wrote in Vanity Fair in 2014. Four years later she took to the same magazine to align herself with #MeToo  to a point. "'This' (sigh) is as far as Ive gotten in my reevaluation, she concluded. The (sigh) in Lewinskys account is what matters for Nelson. Lewinsky here demonstrates how such resistance can coexist with gratitude for feminist solidarity, insight, and protest, because it can, Nelson writes.

Her position struck me, I told her, as complicating the simplistic narrative of a (usually male) aggressor and a (usually female) victim.

Oh, Nelson said, blushing. I dont mean to make a judgment of #MeToo.

Her section on the AIDS epidemic is another attempt to rescue familiar concepts from the banality of slogans, of binaries. She quotes art historian Douglas Crimp, in a letter explaining why gay men might choose to have unprotected sex at the height of AIDS: I have a simple answer. We are human.

In that chapter, Nelson explained, I was really trying to excavate the non-tinny version of sex positivity and re-tether it to queer history. She writes, Visitors to my high school in San Francisco in the 1980s didnt come to our assemblies to talk about consent; they came covered in Kaposi sarcoma to tell us the facts known and unknown about HIV.

When I asked whether there was an explicit connection between a policing of sexual desire in #MeToo and the experience of gay men in the AIDS era, Nelson adamantly demurred. Queers know better than anybody about people doing sex wrong, she said. But I certainly cant speak to a gay male experience.

And when I asked about these people  the COVID and climate-change deniers in her section on climate, what were they seeking freedom from? Anxiety?  she looked up, eyebrows raised.

Id put it slightly more generously that a denial of vulnerability is still a psychic response  its one possible response  to deny that its happening or say that its Gods will, she said. Vulnerability is hard for everyone to bear, and I think people are frightened.

There was a pause while I stopped to consider Nelsons empathy for those who have been putting the rest of us at risk.

The Barnard Center for Research on Women has this great series of videos called No One Is Disposable  you should watch them, she said. I really believe that: that no one is disposable. That is the centerpiece of abolitionist feminism and abolitionist thinking.

It struck me like a gong. On Freedom isnt a book about morality but about abolition in the abstract sense: defunding the cop in your mind. Nelson wants her reader to move past seeing individuals, or even humanity itself, as good or bad. On Freedom asks us, in the face of anxiety and uncertainty and in defiance of a mass culture of blame-seeking, to move past our lust for punishment into a place of acceptance.

Nelson calls L.A., where she has lived since 2005, a fun place to hide out. Its fun to be more immersed in forms of art that arent about writing. And being married to an artist is like being a spy in the house of love. But I lived in New York from 17 until I was 33. It will always be home.

This is among the reasons she closes On Freedom by thinking back to her time in New York  specifically to the day she finished her oral exams for graduate school, just a few weeks after 9/11. One exam topic was a quotation from Ralph Waldo Emerson: This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it. Sitting in the exam room, and sitting now with all the horror and chaos of the past three years, Nelson wondered, How is this time a very good one? and What would it mean to know what to do with it?

It was a question I labored over as I left our interview  feeling a bit rattled, and questioning my own tolerance of nuance and indeterminacy. In a section on Buddhism, Nelson refers to a remark the teacher Pema Chodron made about her own teachers: "The environment was safe, but the teachings were threatening. One could say the same about Nelson. I looked back up to the deck where wed been sitting, but the oracle had slipped away.

Ferris most recent book is Silent Cities: New York.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Actor Michael K. Williams, best known for his television roles in The Wire and Boardwalk Empire, was found dead on Monday afternoon.

Williams, 54, was found dead by his nephew in his Brooklyn apartment in New York City. Authorities discovered drug paraphernalia in Williams's apartment, according to the New York Post.

MARY TYLER MOORE STAR ED ASNER DIES AT 91

The Flatbush native actor was best known for his role as Omar in the HBO television series The Wire. The actor also played the role of Robert in 12 Years A Slave, the winner of the Academy Award Best Film of 2013.

Rapper and poet Saul Williams expressed his sorrow over Williams's passing, sharing his gratitude for the time he spent with him.

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"For years Wikipedia listed Michael K. Williams as my brother," Williams wrote on Twitter. "Neither one of us chose to correct it, instead we took it at its word. 'Were brothers, yo.' He shared poems with me. We broke bread & kicked it whenever we could. A deep & sincere connection. A beautiful spirit."

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Original Location: The Wire actor Michael K. Williams found dead in NYC apartment
Honda Motor will start selling electric vehicles in the North American market made with over 50% of the same parts as General Motors cars, Nikkei has learned, the latest shift in an auto industry forced to realign by environmental and other pressures.

The Japanese automaker plans to provide GM with design information on its EV platform -- the base structure on which the body and key components are built.

Since a car's platform to a large extent determines its engineering, the automakers will be building very similar EVs under this partnership.

Carmakers, under increasing pressure to reduce the environmental impact of their products, are accelerating their push into electric vehicles. The need to keep costs down while transforming their lineups has pushed many industry players to collaborate in order to survive.

Honda is developing its e:Architecture platform for midsize EVs that are expected to hit North American showrooms by the late 2020s. GM will use the same platform.

In return, GM will share information on the development of its larger electrics.

The companies will sell EVs that share over 50% of their components in terms of cost. Only exterior and interior designs will differentiate the partners' vehicles.

In general, developing one EV model requires about 50 billion yen ($455 million), with batteries alone accounting for about 40% to 50% of the production cost. Converting production lines to cater to EVs costs about 10 billion yen to 15 billion yen per factory.

By sharing EV platforms, Honda and GM will be able to standardize motors, batteries, inverters and other key components. This kind of collaboration will bring cost savings through ordering large quantities of the same parts.

GM has vowed to phase out fossil fuel-powered cars and sell mostly zero-emission cars and trucks by 2035. Honda also is transitioning away from gasoline and diesel, with plans to sell only battery-powered and fuel cell vehicles by 2040.
Kathmandu [Nepal]: Nepals Ministry of Home Affairs has warned of stern action against those staging protests targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said it will not allow anyone to go against any foreign nation.

Terming the protests reprehensible and disgraceful it warned of legal action against all those who attempt to take the law into their hands.

In a release issued on Sunday afternoon, the ministry stated that the activities of chanting slogans, holding demonstrations and burning effigies to tarnish the image of the neighbouring friendly nations prime minister have caught the attention of the Home Ministry.

Calling the protests as an attempt to defame the prime minister of a neighbouring country, the ministry has urged people not to hamper Nepals relations with any country by staging agitation against their leaders.

The government of Nepal is trying its best to improve its relationship with friendly countries and will not allow anyone to go against any foreign nation. We urged everyone not to do anything that can hamper our relations with any country by staging agitation against their leaders, the release read.

The home ministrys warning comes after some members of the student union affiliated to the CPN (Unified Socialist) party staged protests and burned an effigy of PM Modi.

They staged a protest against an incident that happened in late July when personnel of the India-Nepal border guarding force Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) allegedly cut off an improvised cable crossing while a Nepalese national was using it to cross the Mahakali River.

According to reports, the Nepalese youth Jaysing Dhami fell into the river and has been missing since then.
Armed Forces seize power in Guinea, in an apparent coup d'etat

Guinea, Mon, 06 Sep 2021 NI Wire

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Military forces on Sunday ousted the long-serving Guinean President, in a military coup. The forces told the nation that it had dissolved its government and constitution, and also closed its land and air border.



Doumbouya, a former French legionnaire, draped in Guinea's national flag and surrounded by other armed soldiers on national television, claimed that the army would rewrite the constitution together.



While the United Nations have condemned the coup that took over the West African nation by force, the armys unit head Mamady Doumbouya claimed that the country's poverty and endemic corruption had driven his forces to remove President Alpha Conde from his position.



On Sunday morning, Conakry heard gunfire erupt near the Presidents residency. Which were followed by videos being released on social media, which showed the President, Alpha Conde in a room surrounded by the army special forces, after few hours.



In a response to the forced takeover, the West African regions economic bloc threatened sanctions against the, now military-run state of Guinea. The US Department of State also issued a statement condemning the event at Conakry. The statement also said Violence and any extra-constitutional measures will only erode Guineas prospects for peace, stability, and prosperity. These actions could limit the ability of the United States and Guineas other international partners to support the country as it navigates a path toward national unity and a brighter future for the Guinean people.



The US state department urged all the parties in the Guinean dispute to forego violence and any unconstitutional efforts. It tried through the statement, encouraging a process of national dialogue to address the concerns peacefully and democratically, for the country to achieve its full potential.



The President is known to be taken by the military force commanded by Doumbouya, to a discreet location.



In a video statement released by the military leader Doumbouya, addressing the people of the nation said that the social and economic situation in the country, the dysfunction of the republics institutions, the instrumentalization of the justice system, the disregard for peoples rights, the disrespect of the democratic values, the constant politicization of the public administration and poverty and endemic corruption lead to the Guinea's republic army through the National Rally and Development Committee (CNRD), to take responsibility of the people of Guinea, declaring the government and constitution invalid and closing of the international borders.



The Statement also asked all other military units to unite and respond to their legitimate aspiration. It asked all units to remain at their bases and resume usual activities,



President Condes re-election for the third term, where he had changed the constitutional law to allow him to stand again, was met with violent protests from the opposition. In recent weeks the government increased taxes to replenish the state treasury and raised the price of fuel by 20%, which only further frustrated the people.



The response of the International community to the military coup has been of concern. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he strongly condemned any takeover by force and called for the immediate release of President Conde. The Economic Community of West African States threatened to impose sanctions. While the African Union said that it would urgently meet and take appropriate measures. Nigeria which is a dominant power in the region also asked for a constitutional order to return.



However, videos on social media showed people of Guinea who have been rather frustrated with President Alpha Conde rule, especially in his controversial third term, celebrating the apparent coup d'etat by the military forces, which removed the President from his office.



- Supratik Mitra (06/09/12)

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"Testing our Patience" SC to the Centre

New Delhi, Mon, 06 Sep 2021 NI Wire

The top court of India criticized the government on Monday, concerning the delay in the appointment of the vacancies in Tribunals and also on enacting the Tribunal Reforms Act, which is identical to the earlier law which has already been struck down by the Supreme court.



The bench of CJI N V Ramana and Justice D Y Chandrachud and L N Rao said the Centre is not respecting its judgement and the circumstances are testing the patience of the top court. The bench told the centre, "You are emasculating the tribunals".



CJI Ramana found the government's delay upsetting, while also pointing out that it was happy with the speedy clearance by the government to the appointments of judges at the apex court. The bench also pointed out that it does not understand the reason for such a delay when the clearance of 9 Supreme Court judges was given just 7 days after the recommendation reached it. The bench asked the centre, "Why is it taking one and half years to appoint tribunal members and chairpersons.



Although the CJI mentioned that he is not looking forward to a confrontation with the government, if nothing is done the court will have no choice on the matter. The only options it would have would be either closing down the tribunal or take over the appointment of the tribunals and initiate contempt, if the government fails to act on it, he said.



Solicitor general Tushar Mehta wanted to adjourn the matter till Thursday since Attorney general K.K Venugopal was unavailable, and was bombarded with questions by the bench instead.



Justice Chandrachud pointed out to Tushar Mehta that the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) are important to the economy of the country. Without members or chairpersons, cases are not being heard, which is creating a critical position.



If orders are not met with action by the government, the court has pointed out the following options, staying the Tribunal Reforms Act, closing down Tribunals, appointing people to fill up vacancies in the Tribunal themselves, and initiating contempt of court proceedings.



The court had given time of 10 days, on August 16th, to make the appointment to the Tribunal, cautioning the centre with repercussions, if the same was not done. Now, further hearing on the matter will happen next Monday.

-Supratik Mitra (06/09/21)
Our meat lab is very similar to what Id think a small local locker would be like, Grunklee said.

Interest in the program has grown and Grunklee thinks its due, in part, to more people wanting to know the origin of their food. That trend is visible at some restaurants, where chefs source food locally and often list on the menu the farms where produce and animals were raised.

For a lot of people at these lockers, they know the producer, Grunklee said. I might buy a pig from them, take it to the locker for processing. I get to see how that pig is raised. I get to see the condition its in. Not only is the food safe for them, but its produced in a way they feel comfortable with.

The Edgewood Locker, with 59 full-time employees, has been doing small-scale meat processing since 1966. Located in Edgewood, on the border of Delaware and Clayton counties, the locker processes beef, pork, venison, goat and lamb for custom orders and retail, said co-owner Baili Maurer, who also is on the artisanal butchery task force.

Earlier this year, the locker started an apprenticeship program that combines hands-on work with courses at Hawkeye. Their first apprentice, Brenden Pape, started this spring on a program expected to take about two years.
September 11, 2001: The Day that Changed the World is a poster exhibition recounting the events of September 11, 2001, through the personal stories of those who witnessed and survived the attacks. Told across 14 posters, this exhibition includes archival photographs and images of artifacts from the 9/11 Memorial and Museums permanent collection. Papillions Sump Memorial Library will host the exhibition for the month of September. The posters are along the east windows that can be viewed both from inside and outside the library. The Springfield Memorial Library will host through Sept. 18. This poster exhibition has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
The same pattern holds for sectors of the economy hit hardest by COVID-19. Leisure and hospitality jobs, such as waitstaff and cooks, accounted for roughly 1 in 4 of all jobs lost in 2020. Hiring rose 2.3% in those industries in states that kept the federal benefit, compared with 1.55% for other states.

This is consistent with a growingnumber of studies that show no correlation between the higher unemployment payments during the pandemic and lagging job growth.

We wont know whether the trend continued until the state-by-state employment breakdown is released in mid-September. But for now, the evidence doesnt support the claim that benefits keep folks at home.

Jobless Americans still need support

We do know that people who want to work are still being prevented from doing so because of COVID-19.
Photo: Graeme Jennings-Pool/Getty Images

Labor Day exists to celebrate the American worker. And this year, as the pandemic drags on, its a day to mourn, too. Essential workers have sacrificed their well-being and, in some cases, their lives to keep the country running. But essential work is just a label; there are no policies or regulations that protect the people who perform this work. Its a pressing issue for Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and his department.

Formerly the mayor of Boston, Walsh also headed the Greater Boston Building Trades coalition and is a second-generation member of the Laborers union. He now faces a tough task: Under the leadership of Walshs predecessor, Eugene Scalia, Donald Trumps Labor Department was routinely antagonistic to workers rights. Walsh must rebuild the department and shore up workers rights as far as his remit allows  a challenge he tells us hes prepared to take on.

Why is this Labor Day such an important milestone for workers?

The last year and a half has imposed unprecedented challenges for Americas workers, and we continue to navigate rebuilding our economy. While weve gained over 4 million jobs since the start of the Biden-Harris administration and recovered 75 percent of our workforce, we still have a steep hill to climb. Workers of color and immigrant workers were disproportionately devastated by the pandemic and worked on the front lines to help keep us safe, fed, and moving forward. Not only are we deeply grateful but our entire country has a new understanding and appreciation of the work these people do every single day, no matter what.

What challenges did you inherit from the previous administration, and how did they make conditions more difficult for the American worker?

The previous administration severely weakened enforcement power in worker-protection agencies like the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and even scaled back efforts to provide overtime pay for more workers and protect retirees funds. Whats more, the previous administrations handling of the pandemic left millions of workers worse off. Over the last nine months, we have issued 18 final rules, both rescinding prior rules and implementing new ones, in order to improve the health, safety, and economic security of workers.

What, in your mind, characterizes a pro-worker presidential administration?

A pro-worker presidential administration empowers workers morning, noon, and night. This means ensuring access to quality, affordable child care, a seat at the table and safe working conditions on the job, and the ability to save for retirement, get medical care, and put food on the table. President Biden has been unequivocal in his goal of building a more equitable, resilient workforce and in his support for labor unions and collective bargaining. From supporting the Protecting the Right to Organize Act to a $15 minimum wage, this administration recognizes that its not enough to simply say workers are important  we must respect the value our workers bring to our communities and put it into action.

What can the Labor Department do to facilitate new organizing among workers?

The department under President Biden has been clear: If workers want to join a union, that is their choice and their choice alone, and they should be able to organize without fear of retaliation. Early on, the president asked me to serve as vice-chair of his Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment. Vice-President Kamala Harris is the chair. Its the first time in U.S. history that the president directed his Cabinet to encourage and promote union organizing. We are looking at ways every single agency of the government can take action to help workers who are trying to organize and bargain. In the Labor Department, were looking at all the ways workers efforts to organize get blocked or undermined and how we can ensure a more level playing field. And were working with unions we partner with in the Registered Apprenticeship Program on how to bring more diverse workers into these opportunities.

Going forward, what are the departments priorities?

As secretary of Labor, my priorities are focused on bolstering worker power and ensuring all workers have a voice and the ability to support their families. This includes ensuring that all workers have fair pay, health care, and unemployment benefits, ensuring safe workplaces and a secure retirement, and investing in career education and job training. These are not just policies to me  these are real, tangible needs for millions of Americans, and I will continue fighting for them.

As COVID persists, what challenges remain for workers, and what can the department do to help?

Thanks to a bold, aggressive vaccination plan by the Biden-Harris administration, workers across the country have been able to return to work while keeping themselves and their communities safe. However, there are still many challenges facing our workforce. Chronic underinvestment in our child-care system has left many families without the care infrastructure needed to balance both work and family. In addition to the $39 billion for child-care centers included in the American Rescue Plan, its critical that the care-economy investments in the Build Back Better Agenda are maintained. We cannot discuss infrastructure without discussing care for our children, seniors, and people with disabilities.

It is also critical that we invest in workforce training. The pandemic has forced many workers to reexamine the trajectory of their careers as well as the skills needed to be successful. The department funds nearly 2,400 American Jobs Centers all over the country providing free help for career needs like skills assessments and resume building, and they can help people find education and training, certifications, and more. The presidents proposed $100 billion in workforce development would be transformative for the American workforce, allowing us to create up to 2 million new apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship slots. We are already working to diversify both the participants and the industries involved. Its a key pathway into the middle class.

Earlier this month, you told Bloomberg that you hadnt yet had a conversation with Wage and Hour Division nominee David Weil about the classification of gig workers. Have you since had this conversation with him? Do you agree with him that drivers for companies like Uber and Lyft should be considered employees?

David and I agree that misclassification of employees is a pervasive issue that not only robs workers of the benefits they deserve but also costs our economy hundreds of millions of dollars a year. While legitimate independent contractors are an important part of our economy, the misclassification of employees as independent contractors denies workers access to critical benefits and protections the law provides. With the emergence of ride-sharing apps and other opportunities for employment, it is absolutely possible to provide worker protections in a new economy. The technology changes, but the fundamentals of fairness dont.

How would you say you plan to balance the need to regulate business with the project of helping the economy recover from the pandemic?

Supporting workers is good for businesses, too. When workers have access to good benefits, good wages, and safe workplaces, it yields positive results for their families and their employers. Over the last several months, Ive traveled to almost half of the states across the country speaking with businesses and workers, and everyone wants the same thing: an equitable recovery that puts businesses and workers in a better position than they were in going into the pandemic.

The pandemic ignited a new interest in so-called essential work. But what can you and the department do to make sure essential work actually gets treated like essential work?

Let me be clear: Essential workers carried this entire nation through a pandemic and economic devastation. These workers, who are disproportionately workers of color, are now seeing wage increases that are long overdue. We know this upward pressure on wages could be short-lived, so we must continue implementing policies to increase worker power in the long term. Our appreciation for essential work cannot be limited to the pandemic  its time to respect and reward workers for their contributions to our nation through better wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces.

What can the department do now to protect workers rights from future administrations that are hostile to workers?

Now more than ever, workers need the federal government to provide protections to ensure their voices are heard. We have already begun the work of overturning regulations and implementing a pro-worker agenda, but there is a lot of work to do. For example, our Wage and Hour Division has recovered more than $148 million in back wages since the start of the administration, and were continuing to prioritize protecting workers rights and ensuring they get the wages theyve earned. Weve invested $2.8 billion in job training and employment services for Americas workers since the beginning of the year, including $90 million to support training and employment opportunities for workers displaced by the pandemic.
yikes i wonder what happened

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Huh I wonder what happened?



"Mongkok is a super, busy packed area of HK and it's super humid and hot rn"



If it due to covid issues....I could see that. Long shoots with heat and humidity can very much get to people if that is the case too.



"Kidman arrived in Hong Kong from Australia in the second week of August to commence filming of Expats, an Amazon TV series based on a novel by author Janice Y.K. Lee. She was exempted from the citys stringent quarantine rules, stirring controversy about the purported special treatment the government had granted her.



Wang, who was not excused from quarantine, arrived in Hong Kong earlier this year."



Hmm if she was exempt (which I don't think she should've of) I'd probably be nervous too.



I've never heard of Nicole being disruptive on set so I'm curious to see what happened?



Edited at 2021-09-06 04:13 am (UTC)

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Yeah unless Im missing something Ive always thought she had a pretty decent reputation??

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Yeah same. But scriptedending take below mentions that she really ask a lot of questions about her characters which could lead to creative conflicts.



I wonder if it was that?

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I remember when* Lulu had to do the 3 week hotel quarantine when she arrived (she posted pics daily on Instagram during it). The fact that Nicole didn't have to is bullshit tbh!



Edited at 2021-09-06 05:36 am (UTC)

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Damn, that can't be good.



I saw a Q&A with Karyn Kusama when Destroyer came out, and she was gushing over Nicole championing female directors, and talking about how committed she was to getting the character just right. But iirc, she also talked about how Nicole asked a lot of questions to try to understand the character/scene, and made a lot of strong choices about her character, so I could see grounds for potential conflict.

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Oof. This is the first I've heard of her in a confrontation on set. Though there was a debunked rumor she despised Amber on the set of Aquaman.



The only other time I know of is The Stepford Wives where she (and everyone else) argued with Frank Oz because it was a miserable time.

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Isn't Frank Oz a very openly misogynistic piece of shit? Him and Herbert Ross. Dickswabs who do films about women while openly loathing them, like Steel Magnolias. And James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment, etc.), and like every male director actually...

Never mind, 99% of them are misogynistic assholes and/or rapists, thank you women celeb memoirs.

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He very well may be. I don't know.



Wasn't Steel Magnolias based on the directors life? Like iirc his sister was Shelby and they hired the actual nursing staff that looked after her in the hospital for the hospital scenes

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I also remember a feud with her and Julia Roberts on the film Secret in Their Eyes and people were wondering if it was really Nicole being difficult or Julia being difficult or both.

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Gotta ask -- were those rumors about her & Amber promoted by the Depp stan brigade? Bc they're obsessed with getting her fired and all.

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If she did leave HK, I'm interested to see the difference in response to Nicole vs the response to John Boyega.

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Thats so strange. She always has such a good rep to work with. Wonder what happened..



Though, I do no longer trust her because shes so close to Rupert Murdoch/his and Wendys kids godmother with Hugh. Sally would never let Gillian act like such a fool!



{edit} maybe Im giving her WAY too much credit but I just realised, I wonder if she became his friend due to wanting to protect herself from Scientology spreading lies in the press.. weirder things have happened. Hmmmm.



Edited at 2021-09-06 05:11 am (UTC)

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Did Lulu make fun of Keith Urban's Peppermint Patty hairdo? Nicole HATES that. His hair is a taboo subject.

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lollll Read this in Cam Tucker's voice ("Yeah, you're not being very helpful, Peppermint Patty.")



Edited at 2021-09-06 12:44 pm (UTC)

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There's been a huge amount of local anger over her quarantine exemption. While there's a lot wrong with Hong Kong's strict entry rules (21 days of quarantine in unventilated hotels where people have actually caught covid), giving her the chance to opt out of rules that everyone else has to follow isn't a great look. Especially when it's to film a show about privileged expats.



(Things would be very different if Hong Kong people were being encouraged to take the vaccine - at the moment Hong Kong's vaccination rate is among the slowest in the developed world, and old people were actually advised not to take it. Community transmission has been effectively zero for months, life has stayed pretty normal, and there haven't been any full lockdowns or a lot of deaths. But there's no way HK can open up to the rest of the world any time soon with its current approach - and all it takes is one rogue Delta case to start another wave and harm the most vulnerable.) Apparently she wasn't a fan of the cramped filming conditions: https://twitter.com/stegersaurus/status/1434363811109105667?s=20 There's been a huge amount of local anger over her quarantine exemption. While there's a lot wrong with Hong Kong's strict entry rules (21 days of quarantine in unventilated hotels where people have actually caught covid), giving her the chance to opt out of rules that everyone else has to follow isn't a great look. Especially when it's to film a show about privileged expats.(Things would be very different if Hong Kong people were being encouraged to take the vaccine - at the moment Hong Kong's vaccination rate is among the slowest in the developed world, and old people were actually advised not to take it. Community transmission has been effectively zero for months, life has stayed pretty normal, and there haven't been any full lockdowns or a lot of deaths. But there's no way HK can open up to the rest of the world any time soon with its current approach - and all it takes is one rogue Delta case to start another wave and harm the most vulnerable.)

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I dont know what to make of her exemption. I havent read much about it and I may be giving her too much credit or a pass but I had wondered if she arranged special treatment by a) already being vaccinated and b) quarantining but in her own luxury digs instead of an unventilated hotel.

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she's a movie and tv star. that's it

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she didn't quarantine at all, which is part of why everyone was so mad at her. she arrived and went shopping

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People who have been vaccinated still have to quarantine (for two weeks instead of three if they're coming from a low-risk country, but still). And there are a few extremely swanky hotels that offer quarantine, amid some real shitholes. At-home quarantine used to be an option for diplomats, but that was ended after a few breakthrough cases were picked up.

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i've heard the exemption she got is actually fairly common for work purposes. like some* people who are coming to HK for work get this exempt pass under the conditions that they go straight to work and straight home after. but nicole didn't do that and went shopping very publicly, which is the actual problem.



Edited at 2021-09-06 07:06 pm (UTC)

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Man, Nicole has been showing her ass. Shes filmed like at least four projects in the past year, flying all over the world and probably flouting covid restrictions, but then gets mad when she doesnt get enough space for herself? Smh

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...and in the meantime, she'll reportedly go to the UK to shoot the Aquaman sequel.  isabella steger (@stegersaurus) September 5, 2021



LOL if this is true... girl you're probably a 100000% more safe from covid in hongkong than the uk LOL if this is true... girl you're probably a 100000% more safe from covid in hongkong than the uk

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I'm pretty sure the HK government is strongly encouraging everyone, including the elderly to take the vaccine - it's just that lots of people don't want to take it because of misinformation.

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So what was the point in flouting the covid restrictions?



I dont understand why yall are being so nice to her

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Not up to date on stuff you're referring to, but beyond the obvious (nostalgia, pretty, white) I know ppl will always have a soft spot for her bc she escaped TC and the CoS..

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It could be because she flew in from Australia and is fully vaccinated. She is from Sydney though, which had about 200 cases a day in early August, so its likely because shes famous.



*Edited to add: I met her once, she had a booger up her nose and I didnt tell her.



Edited at 2021-09-06 11:21 am (UTC)

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I like Nicole and I like Lulu so I hope there were no assholes in this situation 

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Going full method as an expat huh

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I was ready for juicy drama until I saw the director 

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Yikesss. I wonder if she will be recasted or lulu will be forced to film in australia

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Hmmm



If it is because she didnt get a trailer and got a tent instead well Boohoo. Thats normal especially if this is a lower budget film.



But if its not, Im curious to what this is because I love Lulu so much!

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it's a high budget prestige tv series, not an indie film

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Ahhh ok. Thank you for the info.

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HATE when people get exemptions from hotel quarantine etc just bc they're rich or famous or connected. some citizens can't even get into the country. and if they do do the quarantine it's in a nice place or they privileges no one else would.

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Just a few weeks ago Oilprice reported that India is nowhere near ready to kick fossil fuels. As the countrys population continues to grow and more and more Indians join ranks of the middle class, the countrys energy demand is set to far outpace its renewable energy capacity. In fact, its going to take all of the fossil fuels as well as renewable energy the nation has just to keep up with demand. Now, new reports are showing that as Indias economy recovers from the coronavirus pandemic and the nation eases restrictions, the nations energy demand has skyrocketed so quickly that India is scrambling to import coal as their own producers come up short.

Nearly a fifth of the entire global population lives in India. While the rate of growth has slowed down considerably in recent years, the subcontinents population continues to expand. Whats more, each year more and more Indians are enjoying more disposable income and access to goods and services than ever before, driving up the subcontinents voracious hunger for energy in any form.

In fact, because Indias demographics are much younger compared to China and the US, Indias middle class could be the largest in the world (in terms of numbers of people) by 2025, the Financial Express reported earlier this year.

All of this is to say that every move that India makes in terms of energy and emissions has an enormous impact on the worldwide struggle against climate change at a time when global cooperation has never been more important to mitigate the worst impacts of global warming. Last month the United Nations (UN) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a code red for humanity with a new devastating report that we have now reached the point of no return in terms of climate change. Human activity has already irreversibly changed weather patterns and altered the climate, but its still possible to avoid the worst impacts of catastrophic climate change if world leaders and industries work in earnest and with urgency to cut emissions down to zero as quickly as possible.

And now, against this grim backdrop, Indias coal consumption is skyrocketing. As the dirtiest fossil fuel, the elimination of coal from the global energy mix is paramount for mitigating the worsening of the greenhouse effect. As Indians move out of social isolation and back into their daily routines, however, the demand for energy is so great that the government has urged utilities to start importing coal from other countries, as several major power plants teeter on the edge of running out of fuel completely.

According to data from Indias Central Electricity Authority, more than half of the 135 coal-fired plants were facing less than a weeks supply of coal before running out, and 50 plants had fewer than three days worth of fuel left. Six plants had already run out of coal entirely.

India is the second largest importer of coal despite having the world's fourth largest reserves, and coal powers over 70% of the country's electricity demand, Reuters reported this week. Whats more, overall electricity generation rose 16.1% in August, while coal-fired power output rose 23.7% from a year earlier.

While the Indian government has been trying to cut down on coal imports, that aim has proven impossible as the economy -- the third-largest in Asia -- continues to expand. India primarily imports coal from Indonesia, Australia, and South Africa. Indian electricity markets benefited greatly earlier this year from the trade spat and unofficial coal boycott between Australia and China, buying up huge volumes of the discounted Australian coal initially intended for Chinese markets. But even those stockpiles are not enough to keep up with demand.

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The oil-dependent South American country Ecuador, which left OPEC in January 2020 to avoid production quotas, has embarked on an ambitious plan to double its oil output. The tiny Andean nation with a population of nearly 18 million has struggled for years to grow its hydrocarbon sector as a means of bolstering a fragile economy that has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic with its 2020 gross domestic product shrinking 7.5%. For decades, Ecuador has struggled to boost oil production with heavy-handed regulation, frequent environmental catastrophes, and endemic corruption weighing heavily on industry operations. After a surprise electoral victory, where millionaire banker Guillermo Lasso defeated leading socialist candidate Andres Arauz, a sense of optimism over the outlook for Ecuadors beaten-down petroleum industry emerged.

Last month, Lasso signed Executive Decree 95 (Spanish) authorizing various actions to expand Ecuadors flailing oil industry and bolster production. This forms part of the presidents plan to rebuild Ecuadors shattered economy by doubling the Andean countrys crude oil output, although he has his work cut out for him. During June 2021 Ecuador pumped on average 473,555 barrels of crude oil per day which was 8% lower than the same period a year earlier and significantly less than the one million barrels per day targeted by Lasso. Ecuadors petroleum output has essentially been stagnant for decades with its June 2021 production not much higher than the 420,000 barrels per day pumped during 2003.

Source: Ministry of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources.

Ecuadors proven crude oil reserves have also flatlined, remaining stuck at around eight billion barrels since 2016.

The key to significantly increasing Ecuadors petroleum output is attracting urgently needed investment in the Andean countrys beaten down hydrocarbon sector. Under the changes implemented by Lassos predecessor Moreno, state-owned petroleum companies Petroamazonas and Petroecuador merged to simplify operations and unlock synergies as part of the effort to rationalize the hydrocarbon sector. Moreno also embarked on a series of industry reforms aimed at attracting greater private investment. Among the most important developments was the reintroduction of production sharing contracts to replace the flat fee service agreements that former President Rafael Correa ushered in during 2010 to replace them. This was because production sharing agreements allow oil companies to access reserve-based lending, thereby giving them greater capital to develop their operations. Correas fee-based contracts were a major deterrent to petroleum investment causing it to fall by a whopping 44% between 2010 and 2017 according to government numbers.

Lasso announced the introduction of risk-sharing agreements which will allow petroleum companies to recoup a portion of the capital invested to develop energy assets from oil sales. Those contracts also offer greater operational independence and financial upside than existing agreements. This decision, Ecuadors national government in Quito hopes, will act as a powerful incentive to attract urgently needed private investment in Ecuadors beaten-down hydrocarbon sector. Lasso also proposed creating a new crude oil grade for export aimed at attracting new customers.

A serious problem is that Ecuadors two main export crude oil varieties Napo and Oriente are heavy and sour which is makes them increasingly unpopular among refiners, particularly in Asia, because they are more difficult and costly to process. The declining popularity of heavier sour crude oil grades, notably in Asia which is a global shipping hub, was further accelerated by the January 2020 introduction of IMO2020 which sharply reduced the sulfur emissions of maritime fuels.

Napo is heavy and very sour with an API gravity of 19 degrees and 2% sulfur content, while Oriente is a medium sour variety with an API gravity of 24 degrees and a sulfur level of 1.4%. Oriente accounts for around two-thirds of Ecuadors oil exports with the remainder comprised of Napo. Any move by Quito to introduce a lighter sweeter export variety will boost oil exports, particularly to the key Asian refining market, where China surpassed the U.S. during 2020 to become the worlds largest refiner.

Quito is also working on boosting production from existing oilfields operated by national oil company Petroecuador. The state-controlled energy company is drilling wells in the Sacha oilfield, one of Ecuadors most important, to bolster petroleum output by around 3,000 barrels per day which will see the field on average pump over 640,000 barrels each day. Petroecuador is also subject to a series of reviews aimed at identifying how to improve operations and eliminate corruption with the company embroiled in a series of bribery scandals over the last decade.

To reduce community dissent, notably within Ecuadors Amazon Basin where most oil reserves and industry operations are located, Lasso announced the introduction of a sustainability fund. The fund, he claims, would see some petroleum revenue spent on social programs within the communities close to Ecuadors oilfields which are some of the Andean countrys poorest. Those communities have also been subject to significant environmental degradation with oil spills and flaring regular occurrences in Ecuadors Amazon.

The SOTE and OCP pipelines were fractured by landslides during April 2020 spilling nearly 16,000 barrels of crude oil into the Coca River and surrounding countryside. This was Ecuadors worst spill in decades and crude oil threatened to contaminate the water supply of the city Coca and flowed into the Napo River a tributary of the Amazon. Due to further land subsidence in the region, Petroecuador is working on diverting segments of the SOTE pipeline and similar work is being conducted on the OCP pipeline which is owned by a private consortium of foreign energy companies. This should lessen the risk of further pipeline ruptures which not only caused substantial environmental damage but led to Ecuadors April 2020 petroleum output plunging to 208,602 barrels daily.

Lassos oil industry initiatives will build on the reforms undertaken by his predecessor Moreno and make investing in Ecuadors troubled hydrocarbon sector far more attractive for foreign energy companies. The introduction of risk-based production sharing agreements is a key step in securing the required investment and boosting oil production. Quitos latest reforms will also lead to greater industry efficiency while dialing down community opposition, further enhancing the investability of Ecuadors petroleum industry. Nonetheless, reaching one million barrels per day within five years is an ambitious and potentially unachievable target. Ecuadors ailing petroleum industry has been impacted by corruption scandals, environmental catastrophes, and heavy-handed state intervention for over a decade. Those events have discouraged foreign investment and led to a sharp deterioration in performance and the viability of industry infrastructure, including crucial oil pipelines and refineries.

By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

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Saudi Arabia slashed the official selling prices (OSPs) for its oil exports to Asia in October more than expected in a move seen as the worlds largest crude exporter trying to keep and boost its market share while Asian fuel demand is recovering from a dip in recent weeks.

Saudi Aramco lowered its OSPs for the Asian markets for all the grades it sells. The cuts, the first in three months, range from $1.00 to $1.30 a barrel. Arab Light, the flagship crude grade of the Kingdom, will be selling in Asia at a $1.70 a barrel premium over the Oman/Dubai benchmark in October, after a massive $1.30 cut from the September price of $3.00 above Oman/Dubai, off which Middle Eastern exporters price their crude bound for Asia.

The pricing of Saudi crude oil generally sets the trend for the pricing for Asia of other Gulf oil producers such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Iraq, and Iran. The pricing of Saudi Aramco affects as much as 12 million barrels per day (bpd) of Middle Eastern crude grades going to Asia.

The Saudis left the prices for the United States and Europe unchanged from September and slightly cut the prices for the Mediterranean region, by $0.10 for all grades loading in October, according to a price list Reuters has compiled.

Last month, Saudi Arabia had raised the prices for crude oil loading for Asia in September in a widely expected move tracking stronger Middle East oil benchmarks.

This months price hike for Asia, however, took traders by surprise early on Monday, when oil prices were losing more than 1 percent as some participants interpreted the deep cuts as a sign that Saudi Arabia is concerned about demand in Asia.

Others believe that the aggressive price cuts are a move to win back Asian customers who, spooked by the recent high OSPs in long-term contractsunder which the Saudis sell all their oilhave turned to the spot market and to other countries for cheaper crude supply.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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In a stunning turn of events, the Taliban swept across Afghanistan seizing the capital Kabul nearly three weeks ago and taking control of the country in a campaign that lasted little more than a week. The Taliban leadership regained power after being driven from Kabul by U.S. troops who invaded Afghanistan as part of the war on terror declared in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Regardless of negotiations with the U.S., the Taliban stepped up its campaign to seize government territory after President Bidens April 2021 announcement of an 11 September 2021 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. forces. This was the longest war fought by the U.S. as it engaged in flawed nation-building efforts to rebuild the resource-rich war-torn Central Asian country, which became a refuge for terrorists after being ravaged by more than four decades of war.

The rapid collapse of the U.S.-installed Afghan government in the face of a renewed Taliban campaign along with the radical Islamic movements lightning seizure of power took many observers by surprise. These developments are stoking fears of greater regional insecurity and the potential for Afghanistan to slip into civil war while becoming a sanctuary for terrorists as occurred after the Soviet 1989 withdrawal. While Afghanistan is not a major hydrocarbon producer, its proximity to the Middle East, the worlds largest oil-producing region, and China, the worlds second-largest petroleum consumer means greater instability could impact oil prices.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Afghanistans mean undiscovered oil resources total around 1.6 billion barrels of crude oil, 562 million barrels of natural gas liquids, and 15.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Those numbers pale in comparison to neighboring Iran which has proven oil reserves of 208.6 billion barrels and, despite U.S. sanctions, is OPECs fourth-largest producer, pumping on average over 2.4 million barrels per day during July 2021. The Taliban have long held considerable enmity toward Iran. The radical Sunni Islamic insurgents view Shiite Muslims as heretics and have actively persecuted Afghanistans minority Hazara community who are Shiite Muslims and the Central Asian countrys third-largest ethnic group. That stance combined with the long-running schism between the Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam makes Iran a natural enemy for the Taliban. In fact, during their last stint in power, from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban murdered 9 Iranian diplomats at Tehrans diplomatic mission in the city of Mazar-i-Sharaf. That nearly sparked a war between the radical Sunni Islamic movement and OPECs fourth-largest oil producer, the regions leading Shiite nation.

The Talibans unexpected victory will add further political turmoil to the long-running rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia for control of the Middle East. Both regional powers have been locked in a series of lengthy proxy wars as the battle for regional supremacy with conflict-riven Yemen a top hotspot. The rise of a Shiite-led Iraq after the U.S. invasion tipped the scales firmly in the favor of Iran with the two countries, which combined are responsible for 6.5 million barrels of crude oil per day or 24% of OPECs total output, becoming closely allied.

Saudi Arabia and its key regional ally, the United Arab Emirates, have contributed military forces and sizable funds to an anti-Houthi collation in Yemen but appear incapable of winning the war, with the Iran-backed Houthis steadily gaining ground since the conflict began. Events in Yemen, including the Houthis ability to grind down the Saudi led coalition, which saw Riyadh develop an exit strategy and propose a peace deal, further strengthened Teherans regional standing.

The rapid victory of the autocratic and extremist Taliban in Afghanistan sent a clear message to various Islamist movements on both sides of the Sunni-Shiite divide, proving that they can defeat secular governments and install favorable authoritarian regimes. It makes the U.S. appear impotent and unable to protect its Middle East interests, nor regional allies such as Lebanon where a fragile Washington supported government is in power. This will likely embolden Iran-backed Shiite militant group Hezbollah to sweep aside Lebanons secular administration and replace it with an internationally recognized pro-Hezbollah government. It will also encourage the Houthi rebels in their fight for complete control of Yemen, further adding to regional instability. If Saudi Arabia fails to effectively broker a peace deal in Yemen, there is every likelihood that a resurgent Houthi movement will continue attacking the Kingdoms energy and transport infrastructure, including Red Sea shipping lanes. That has the potential to disrupt the operations of the worlds largest oil producer Saudi Aramco, although most Houthi attacks have had little if any material impact on global oil supplies.

Another notable development is that the rapid collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Kabul and Washingtons shambolic withdrawal has strengthened Russia and Chinas positions in Central Asia. This is important for both powers because the region which is comprised of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Afghanistan as of 2019 had estimated proven reserves of 31 billion barrels of oil and 826 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

An expansionist Kremlin fixated on restoring Russias global power status has for some time has been eying the potential of rebuilding its Central Asian empire. That, along with sharply diminished U.S. regional prestige and the threat posed by a radical Islamic Afghanistan, will provide the Kremlin with the political leverage required to consolidate its relationships with neighboring Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. This will not only give Moscow greater political hegemony but also boost access to the vast oil and natural gas resources of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The Kremlin believes this will strengthen its hand when dealing with OPEC, China, and the European Union while bolstering Russias access to vital oil and natural gas resources.

By mid-2021, China appeared to be betting on a Taliban victory and had established a working relationship with the radical Sunni militants. Not only do the latest events bolster Beijings standing in Central Asia but they also give the energy-hungry economy greater access to regional energy resources, which in recent years have come under greater Chinese control. China is believed to control nearly a third of Kazakhstans oil production, while Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan supply large volumes of gas to the worlds second-largest economy. It is thought that up to half of Central Asias oil and natural gas production is exported to China, with the East Asian economic giant controlling many of the pipelines in the area. Beijings growing regional influence and ability to lever political leaders for its own ends will reduce Chinas dependence on Middle East oil imports, thereby enhancing its energy security.

While these developments are a blow for Washington and key regional ally Saudi Arabia, a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan will act as a counterweight to Irans growing regional influence. That is a particularly important development with the Biden administration weighing up whether to reinstate the nuclear deal with Teheran and roll back sanctions which would strengthen Irans regional position.

The Taliban swept to victory and imposed its rule over a shell-shocked and war-weary Afghanistan which has been locked in a grinding never-ending conflict that started with the Saur Revolution in 1978. It is Pakistan and Iran which face the greatest threat from a resurgent Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, although it could also impact India, China, and Russia.

While the direct impact of a resurgent Taliban on global oil production is negligible, with Afghanistan possessing estimated recoverable oil resources of 1.8 billion barrels and negligible petroleum production, it will further destabilize a volatile region that is at the center of world oil production.

By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

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When construction began on the second Nord Stream pipeline that was going to double the volume of natural gas ships to Europemost of it to Germanythe European Union wasted no time in voicing its opposition to more Russian gas.

Led by Ukraine, which fears the transit fee losses that Nord Stream 2 would bring, and the Baltic States and Poland, which are too reliant on Russian gas supplies already, this opposition led to legal battles and threats of sanctions if Russia tries to use the pipeline as a weapon against other countries, according to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The project also attracted the attention of the new global gas export giant, the United States, for which the European market is a most lucrative one thanks to its repetitively stated desire to diversify gas supply sources.

The U.S. slapped sanctions on the Russian participants in Nord Stream 2 and threatened their Western European partners with sanctions, too. Germany opposed this, for which reason Nord Stream 2 has proceeded and is now nearing completion. And yet, Europe is facing a gas crunch this winter and is eager to see Nord Stream 2 go live.

Earlier this year, when Gazprom fulfilled its gas deliveries to Europe per long-term contracts, it was not enough to fill Europes empty storage and prepare it for winter. Ukraine immediately took the opportunity to accuse Moscow of blackmail, but the EU, in an unusual move, disagreed.

Related: 3 Bullish Catalysts For Oil This Fall

There were no indications of specific behaviour by any of our suppliers to drive up prices, one EC official told the Financial Times in July. The current situation is a reflection of global market dynamics. All EU regions now have access to more than one source of gas, so are less vulnerable to supply squeezes coming from an individual supplier, he added.

Its a love-hate relationship of the purest kind. Europe has been desperate to diversify its gas suppliers, but the only diversification it has achieved is via liquefied natural gas and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, which at the time it was put into operationlast yearit was years behind schedule.

Yet the TAP, which carries Azeri gas, has only a fifth of the capacity that either Nord Stream pipe has: it can move 10 billion cubic meters annually, which equals 2 percent of Europes gas consumption. Also, most of the gas TAP brings into Europe goes to Italy. The pipeline could be expanded, but this is in the future.

Meanwhile, Europe is facing a gas shortage that prompted an executive from the UKs Centrica, the utility that owns British Gas, to warn that Britons are facing higher electricity bills this winter and some businesses might be forced to curb activity, not only in the UK but in Europe, too.

We havent seen a price situation like this before. If you cant attract supply the only alternative is to cut demand to balance the market, Cassim Mangerah told the FT earlier this month. If we do see a supply crunch this winter the other way to balance the market is through economic activity. If prices are really high then some gas-dependent businesses in the UK and Europe may simply decide not to produce.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is still calling on Europe to stop Nord Stream 2 despite assurances from Chancellor Merkel personally that she would not allow Gazprom to deprive Ukraine of the transit fees it receives now for the Russian gas it ships via other pipelines to Europe.

So, Europe resents Russian gas for the influence it gives a country that the EU considers unfriendly, to put it mildly, but at the same time, it is increasingly thirsty for gas because of a prolonged winter last year that drained its reserves. That winter was unfortunately followed by a busy Asian summer that saw LNG cargoes getting diverted from Europe to Asia because Asian buyers were ready to pay higher prices. And here comes the twist: even if the attempts to stop Nord Stream 2 fail, the new pipe will not lead to an increase in European gas deliveries from Russia.

The reason is simple: whenever the pipeline starts, Gazproms planned deliveries to Europe for full-2021 are set at 183 billion cubic meters. And with or without Nord Stream 2, this figure will remain unchanged, the state company said at the end of August. The new pipe could ship an additional 5.6 billion cubic meters, the head of Gazproms finance department said during an earnings call. But this wont make a big difference.

So, is Russia already wielding the gas weapon that the EU and Ukraine have feared for years? That may well be the case, according to some observers, per a recent article by Energy Intelligence Vitaly Sokolov. On the other hand, Gazprom is sticking to its long-term contract commitments to Europe, so it would be difficult to accuse the company of deliberately cutting supplies. There are no cuts.

Chancellor Merkel said recently that in twenty-five years, Europe will no longer need Russian gas. That would certainly make the continent a lot more energy independent and remove a major headache that is keeping officials in Brussels awake at night. As long as it happens.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Saudi Arabia had intercepted a ballistic missile attack on facilities owned by state oil major Aramco in the Eastern Region, Reuters has reported, citing the Saudi defense ministry.

Earlier reports said Aramco facilities in Dharan had gone on lockdown because of a suspected attack.

The Iran-affiliated Yemeni Houthi group claimed responsibility for the attacks on Sunday, saying it had used ballistic missiles and drones.

Ras Tanura, which is home to extensive oil infrastructure, was not the only target of the attack: the Houthis also targeted Aramco property in the southern Saudi provinces of Jizan and Najran, according to the rebel groups spokesman who claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Aramco oil facilities are understandably a preferred target for the Houthis, which Saudi Arabia is trying to oust from Yemen after they removed the Saudi-affiliated government of the country in 2014 and has since then assumed power in most of Yemen. The Yemeni war, which has resulted in the worst humanitarian crisis in modern times, is widely seen as a proxy war between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The Saudis most often intercept the Houthi attacks but not always. The most notable attack that the Yemeni rebel group claimed responsibility for was the September 2019 attacks on Saudi Aramcos oil facilities, including an oil field and a processing plant

That attack cut off 5 percent of the daily global supply for weeks, sending oil prices soaring. But Saudi Arabia and the United States said at the time that it was Iranand not the Houthisthat was responsible for the attack, even though the Yemeni group again claimed responsibility for the strikes.

Since the start of the Yemen war, several attempts have been made at reaching a ceasefire agreement, but so far, all have failed, locking the Saudis and the Houthis in a stalemate.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Gazprom Neft, the oil arm of Russian gas giant Gazprom, is starting to settle payments for the jet fuel it supplies in China in yuan, instead of in U.S. dollars, the companys Alexander Dyukov has said.

Russian oil firms have sought for years to shift away from U.S. dollar payments for deliveries, while China intends to make the yuan a more widely used currency internationally.

Analysts say the settlement of jet fuel payments in yuan is also part of a broader strategy of the Russian companies to diminish the risk of U.S. sanctions against them.

As of September, Gazprom Neft is starting to move settlements for jet fuel of aircraft flying to and from China away from the U.S. dollar and in either Russian rubles or Chinese yuan, Dyukov said on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Friday.

We begin in September and we can move all aviation fuel settlements in China into yuan by the end of the year, Dyukov said, as carried by Russian news agency TASS.

Gazprom Neft is not the first and only Russian oil firm looking to move away from the U.S. dollar in transactions for oil deliveries.

Two years ago, Russias largest oil company Rosneft set the euro as the default currency for all new exports of crude oil and refined products, as the state-controlled giant looked to switch as many sales as possible from U.S. dollars to euros in order to avoid further U.S. sanctions against it.

Russia and China will increasingly use the ruble and the yuan in bilateral trade, especially in energy, Yang Jin, a Russian affairs specialist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told South China Morning Post on Monday.

It can expand the international influence of the yuan and the rouble  and help resist the external risks of sanctions, Yang told the outlet.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany is set to be completed within days and come on stream, Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

The European Union (EU) and the United States have opposed the controversial Nord Stream 2 project from Russia to Germany, concerned about Russia using gas sales and its gas monopoly Gazprom as a political tool. Poland, several other EU countries, and the United States have seen Nord Stream 2 as further undermining Europes energy security by giving Gazprom another pipeline to ship its natural gas to European markets. Germany has looked at the project from a business perspective mostly.

Now we see simply a frontal attack, despite everything, on Nord Stream 2, although everyone understands, and the Americans have already realized that it will be completed in a few days, it will start working, Russias Lavrov said today, as carried by Russian news agency TASS.

The U.S. is looking to pitch its liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Europe, despite the fact that it is more expensive and has generated emissions in the production and liquefaction, Lavrov said on Monday.

In the middle of August, Gazprom that Nord Stream 2 may supply 5.6 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe this year.

The operating company behind the project, Switzerland-based Nord Stream 2 AG, told Reuters on August 19 that construction was 99 percent complete.

The Fortuna pipe-laying vessel from Russia is working on the final part of the construction, Nord Stream 2 AG told Reuters.

Earlier reports from German news outlet Deutsche Welle suggested that the construction works for the pipeline are expected to be completed on August 23.

At the end of July, one of the western investors in the project, Austrias OMV, said that Nord Stream 2 could begin shipping gas as soon as this year.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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TotalEnergies has inked a deal with the Iraqi government to invest $27 billion in the country's energy industry over 15 years, the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the deal.

According to the WSJ's sources, among the projects considered would be a seawater injection project aimed at boosting the rate of oil recovery at several fields in southern Iraq as well as a solar farm project. The initial sum TotalEnergies will invest in Iraq is $10 billion.

These projects should help improve Iraq's highly unreliable electricity supply, which is plagued by shortages that cause unrest among the population. It could also reduce its dependence on imports of natural gas from neighbor Iran, for which Baghdad has several times come under fire from the United States.

Currently, Iraq imports a third of the electricity and natural gas that it consumes from Iran and has accumulated debts of some $6 billion for the energy it purchased.

"This is the largest investment in Iraq by a Western company," said Iraqi oil minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar Ismail, as quoted by the AFP. "Implementing these projects is the challenge we face now."

According to the AFP, the collaboration will see the output from the Artawi field increase from 85,000 bpd to as much as 210,000 bpd. It will also reduce flaring and direct the gas that would have otherwise been flared to electricity production.

The gas recovery project will see associated gas collected from five Basra oil fields, including Ratawi, West Qurna 2, Majnoon, Luhais, and Tuba, and processed at a rate of 600 million cu ft daily, Argus reported. The result will be some 12,000 bpd of condensate and 3,000 tons daily of liquid petroleum gas.

As for the solar project, the AFP cited an unnamed Iraqi source who said the plans are to build a 1-GW solar farm at the Artawi field. According to the Iraqi government, electricity produced at solar farms "costs 45 percent less than that produced by traditional power stations".

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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State-and-regional

Door-to-door effort in South Omaha succeeds in boosting vaccinations

Diana Ignaceo answers her door on a sweltering August morning, not expecting to see firsthand why South Omaha has increased its vaccination rate more than almost anywhere else in Nebraska this summer.

Mary McConnaughey and Eddie Nunez are standing on her front steps.

Jazari Kual, Flatwater Free Press Mary McConnaughey and Eddie Nunez, OneWorld vaccine outreach employees, knock on a door in a South Omaha neighborhood to offer residents the COVID-19 vaccine.

Nunez tells her in Spanish that they are from OneWorld, the nearby health center, and they are going door to door to talk to residents in her largely Hispanic 25th Street neighborhood about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Have you been vaccinated? he asks. She hasnt.

Would you like to be? We have a vaccine for you right here, he says, pointing to a refrigerated bag on McConnaugheys shoulder.

I think I want the vaccine, Ignaceo says. But my children say its more dangerous than the virus, she says, repeating a false claim.

OneWorld has made vaccination as easy and omnipresent as possible to the residents in three South Omaha ZIP codes. It has invested time, money, creativity and sweat equity to convince a sizable chunk of residents, many of them dubious and some downright hostile, to get vaccinated.

That is why the OneWorld employees stay put on Ignaceos front steps. Its why McConnaughey offers a solution as Ignaceo starts to punch numbers into her cellphone.

Does your daughter speak English? Can I speak to her, too?

Si, Ignaceo says, and hands McConnaughey her phone.

This summer, vaccination in Nebraska has morphed into a public health version of hand-to-hand combat, where medical providers go person to person, holding intensely personal conversations and trying to correct rampant vaccine misinformation.

Family of Omahan who died of COVID asks people to get vaccinated in his memory Relatives of Omahan Mike Leick have a request of people who have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19: Please get your shots, in memory of Mike.

In some places, like South Omaha, this is happening widely. And working.

Since mid-May, the area served by OneWorld has moved the needle more on vaccinations than almost anywhere else in Nebraska, according to data released by the Douglas County Health Department and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

More than one of every eight residents in the area OneWorld serves were newly vaccinated between May 15 and Aug. 15.

We simply werent going to sit behind the scenes and wait for people to come to us, says Jennifer Mayhew, OneWorlds director of operations. Not when we can be proactive and do something to prevent this loss of life.

Majority of UNL campus is fully vaccinated against COVID Data from UNL's voluntary vaccine registry shows the majority of students, faculty and staff have gotten their COVID vaccination shots.

In other parts of Nebraska, the summer push hasnt been nearly as effective.

In the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department, a four-county area touching the South Dakota border, only 5.3% of residents got vaccinated during the same three-month period. The same percentage got vaccinated in the North Central District Health Department, which covers a giant swath of the Sandhills. In the Loup Basin Public Health Department, a nine-county area in the middle of the state, 5.4% of residents got vaccinated.

There is zero question that we need to be out in the community engaging more, doing even more, says Dr. Andrea Jones, a family medicine physician with Nebraska Medicine who has co-directed months of vaccine outreach. We have to do that until we get these vaccination numbers where we need them to be.

Jazari Kual, Flatwater Free Press Eddie Nunez and Mary McConnaughey, employees of OneWorld Community Health Centers, talk to a passerby as they go door-to-door in a South Omaha neighborhood, offering residents the COVID-19 vaccine.

OneWorld can teach the rest of the state that success takes money and manpower, follow-up and follow-through. It takes a population willing to listen, and skilled outreach specialists who know how to listen, too.

On a recent Saturday, OneWorld set up a vaccine pop-up clinic in front of Chiltepes, a popular Guatemalan restaurant.

More than a dozen people, many Guatemalan-American, show up soon after the pop-up clinic opens at noon.

With COVID cases nearly doubling over past 2 weeks, Nebraska's curve looks like last fall's Nebraska's COVID surge is continuing, with cases nearly doubling over the past two weeks. The increase in cases over that time ranks fifth highest in the nation.

When the number of walk-ins slows, two OneWorld outreach specialists leave their post on foot, turn the corner and wade onto South 24th Street. They begin to strike up conversations with every person they pass.

As the outreach employees talk to another person, and another, several truths become clear: Most of the people they encounter already know OneWorld. They have received care there. The community health center has built-in trust it can leverage to get people vaccinated.

Another truth: These outreach employees arent shy. They have been trained to speak plainly. They know how to listen and how to gently correct misinformation.

This type of successful outreach seems unthinkable in other parts of Nebraska, where a lack of resources makes the process more difficult.

The Panhandle Public Health District is a sprawling 11-county, 15,000-square-mile district in western Nebraska. One out of every 421 Panhandle residents has died of COVID during the pandemic, making the virus far deadlier in this region than it is nationally.

Yet just over a third of the Panhandles residents are fully vaccinated. Its one of the least-vaccinated health districts in Nebraska.

They will put a chip in your body. Once you have a shot you become magnetized. Every story you can think of, I have heard it, says Kim Engel, director of the Panhandle health district. The misinformation is coming at people nonstop on social media, and its negative against vaccines, and thats all they are hearing.

The health district and area medical providers have fought back, holding weekly press briefings, educating local politicians, hosting pop-up clinics at county fairs and making walk-in vaccination easy at hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.

It hasnt had the intended effect.

Between May 15 and August 15, 7.4% of Panhandle residents got vaccinated. Thats roughly half the percentage in two South Omaha ZIP codes during that same time frame.

Part of the problem is staffing. Engels health district has only a half-dozen employees working full time on COVID-19, duties that include contact tracing, staffing a 24-hour hotline and distributing vaccines to area hospitals. Her district is huge  its a three-hour drive from one corner to the other.

UNMC research confirmed COVID is airborne, but masks provide protection Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center were the first to report back in July 2020 that the virus that causes COVID-19 was present in small particles exhaled by infected people.

This difference between the Panhandle and South Omaha also may be driven by demographics. National polling shows that many white, rural conservatives who remain unvaccinated are staunchly opposed to vaccination, while many unvaccinated Black and Hispanic Americans report they still are open to the idea.

Federal and state money can help. The Panhandle health district soon will get two new employees who will do vaccination outreach after receiving a state grant, Engel says.

Government funding also helped OneWorld hire extra outreach staff and start a program that allows residents to schedule at-home vaccination appointments. Its buying things like the refrigerated bag that EMT Mary McConnaughey has flung over her shoulder as she does vaccine outreach in South Omaha.

Jazari Kual, Flatwater Free Press McConnaughey, an EMT and vaccine outreach worker for OneWorld, gives a first dose of the Pfizer vaccine to Diana Ignaceo.

Back on Ignaceos front steps, McConnaughey has taken Ignaceos cellphone and is speaking to her daughter. She answers questions and tries to combat false information.

She tells the daughter  and Ignaceo, also listening to the conversation  that the delta variant is filling up hospitals, and more than 95% of the people hospitalized arent vaccinated.

McConnaughey hangs up the phone. She has failed to convince the daughter.

But as she hands the cellphone back, Ignaceo nods. Shes ready to get her shot.

She sits down on the front steps and the EMT pokes the Pfizer vaccine into her arm. Mary McConnaughey talks to her about the side effects, and urges her to stay hydrated in the heat. Then she sits silently with Ignaceo for a few moments, gently stroking her arm and patting her shoulder.

Brave, mami, she tells her. Brave.

The clock is ticking toward noon. McConnaughey and Nunez have been on Ignaceos front steps for nearly a half hour.

True, they have vaccinated a single person during that time, just one among many Nebraskans who remain unvaccinated and more at risk from COVID.

But they have vaccinated Diana Ignaceo. And when she gets her second dose, Ignaceo will likely be safe.

McConnaughey groans as she finally gets up from the front steps. She brushes the dust off her medical scrubs and waves goodbye to Ignaceo.

OK, she says, smiling. Whos next?

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.
Grinvalds also said smaller steps could be taken, including moving recruiting  the so-called red zone, when sexual assaults are more likely to occur  to the spring from the fall, requiring additional monitoring to ensure that chapters are following campus guidelines on alcohol use, and adding non-Greek members to governing councils to inject an outsiders perspective. UNL has historically been supportive of the Greek system  Chancellor Ronnie Green was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho, and has sat on the organizations national board  and has previously taken steps to assuage members and alumni who voiced concerns after a wave of suspensions. Since then, several fraternities have ended the pledge process to cut down on hazing and banned hard liquor at events to prevent binge drinking. Membership in Greek houses increased from 3,617 students in 2013-14 to almost 4,400 students last year, down slightly from a recent peak of 4,454 in the 2019-20 school year. Those trends generally mirror UNLs overall enrollment.
Her son told her that it made him uncomfortable.

Vacek said shes sympathetic to students who are experiencing gender confusion and having a rough go, and I absolutely want to be sensitive to that.

But introductions can be handled without bringing up gender identity, she said.

Theres no need to insert gender into it at all, Vacek said. I dont remember having to introduce myself as Hi, Im Abby, and Im a girl. 

It just seems like theyre introducing an idea that is, for most people, confusing, and especially at that age, extra confusing, she said. And you might get kids questioning something they were never questioning before because they didnt know they had a choice.

She believes that the teacher had good intentions, for the most part, but didnt think through the consequences.

Michelle Vavra, whose 14-year-old son is in eighth grade at Buffett Middle School in the Omaha Public Schools, said several teachers asked him for pronouns.

She said her son was asked to fill out a questionnaire. It asked what pronouns he preferred, giving examples of he/him/his, she/her/her and they/their/theirs.
It was not exactly manna from heaven, but dozens of Open Door Mission guests turned their faces skyward Sunday as a LifeNet Omaha helicopter filled with food donations landed on the shelters campus.

Its really a different and fun way for donations to arrive, Open Door Mission CEO Candace Gregory said. Our guests dont usually, or maybe ever, get a close-up look like this at helicopters.

LifeNet Omaha, an air ambulance service founded in 1978, hosted a Fill the Helicopter food drive at the Hy-Vee Supermarket at 156th Street and West Maple Road from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The helicopter, two pickup trucks and three cars were stuffed with food before going to the shelter, at 2702 N. 22nd St. in east Omaha.

We are thankful to LifeNet Omaha for hosting this food drive for National Hunger Awareness Month, to not only bring awareness to the issue, but to actually go the next step by hosting a food drive, Gregory said. We have seen a 50% increase in food insecurity since the start of the (COVID-19) pandemic throughout our whole community.

Two helicopters were parked at the Hy-Vee store for the event, an on-duty vehicle and a new twin-engine EC-135 P2+ to carry the food donations.
Organized labor members had a day in the sun and the limelight Monday in Omaha, courtesy of the 43rd annual SeptemberFest Parade.

Steamfitter Jordan Sedlacek, 26, was among the thousands who marched in the festivities as thousands more cheered them on. He said it was a day to appreciate what unions do for American workers, such as pay and working conditions.

Weve got to step back and thank the unions for all that, Sedlacek said. Were all a big family, and we all stick together for the whole deal.

An estimated 6,000 union members walked in the annual parade, said Brad Bird, business manager of Steamfitters & Plumbers Local Union 464. More people than he expected took advantage of a perfect morning to watch.

We were all surprised with how many people were along the streets this morning, with it still being kind of a pandemic, said Bird, whos 45 and has walked in Omahas Labor Day parade since he was 8.
Does your daughter speak English? Can I speak to her, too?

Si, Ignaceo says, and hands McConnaughey her phone.

This summer, vaccination in Nebraska has morphed into a public health version of hand-to-hand combat, where medical providers go person to person, holding intensely personal conversations and trying to correct rampant vaccine misinformation.

In some places, like South Omaha, this is happening widely. And working.

Since mid-May, the area served by OneWorld has moved the needle more on vaccinations than almost anywhere else in Nebraska, according to data released by the Douglas County Health Department and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

More than one of every eight residents in the area OneWorld serves were newly vaccinated between May 15 and Aug. 15.

We simply werent going to sit behind the scenes and wait for people to come to us, says Jennifer Mayhew, OneWorlds director of operations. Not when we can be proactive and do something to prevent this loss of life.

In other parts of Nebraska, the summer push hasnt been nearly as effective.
Tomasz Siemoniak, deputy leader of the main opposition party, Civic Platform, said there was no doubt that Poland has external opponents seeking to weaken it, a threat he said should never be taken lightly. But the former defense minister argued there was no justification for the state of emergency now. He accused the ruling authorities of using it to distract from rising prices, scandals and problems in the health system.

Morawiecki said at an earlier news conference that migrants trying to enter into Poland illegally from Belarus are being provided with food and money by the Belarusian security services.

While thousands of migrants have been pushed back or put in closed centers for immigrants, the main focus for weeks has been around 30 people stranded on the Poland-Belarus border.

The International Organization for Migration in Geneva said it is deeply concerned about the dire conditions they are in, saying they are facing extremely harsh conditions, with limited access to drinking water and food, medical assistance, sanitation facilities and shelter.

Prolonging this unacceptable situation poses a grievous threat to the migrants lives and health, the IOM said.
BLOOMINGTON  COVID has caused a lot of "hurry up and wait" for colleges and universities, but Illinois Wesleyan University President Georgia Nugent said she is excited by many of the new programs the school has underway.

Having all students back on campus is already bringing a big change for the college and a new energy, Nugent said. While many students were on campus last year, most classes were still online.

You didnt perceive the same life on campus because a lot was virtual, so people were much more in their rooms on Zoom, she said about last year.

Nugent started in the summer of 2019 as an interim president and was hired to the permanent position that November. She was able to visit two alumni events, and then college had to change fundamentally in response to the pandemic.

Things are still slightly off, Nugent said, as the pandemic continues. IWU has had to adapt its approach to classes already this fall, after having more than 80 people test positive in the first two weeks of classes, between Aug. 23 and Sept. 3. The school is monitoring for two weeks, while asking professors to increase social distancing in their classrooms and move classes online if that is not possible. Administrators will reassess after two weeks.

The school is also having to take a "wait and see" approach for events like homecoming, Nugent said. She is worried about the effect Labor Day weekend might have on transmission of the virus.

Despite the uncertainties and continued restrictions brought by the pandemic, the school does have some new opportunities it plans to roll out this year, Nugent said. That includes naming an inaugural director for the IDEA Center, as well as beginning planning for a new building to house the center. The new center is meant to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among students, Nugent said.

The school has also been renovating the first floor of the Ames Library to create the Center for Engaged Learning, a result of student surveys which showed interest in having a more centralized location for resources like tutoring and writing help.

The idea is really to create for the student a kind of one-stop shopping, that those things that are extracurricular possibilities, academic support possibilities, youll just know that you can go to the Center for Engaged Learning and youll be able to access everything right there, Nugent said.

One program that is not new but that seems to be showing results, and which Nugent expects will have a continued impact, is a set of scholarships funded by the Illinois Wesleyan Associates, a booster group of alumni and local businesspeople. The fund allows IWU to give $30,000 a year to all students who graduate from McLean County high schools and who qualify for admission. The school has seen a significant increase in local students, though exact numbers will not be available until mid-September, after the universitys census day on Sept. 13.

Broader trends, too, are bringing changes to IWU this year, Nugent said. The school is joining a consortium of around 100 liberal arts colleges to provide additional online courses that can supplement a liberal arts education and prepare students for more specific fields like accounting or supply chain logistics.

Those seem unfamiliar to us (as a liberal arts school), but as I say, theyre really stacked onto what is the liberal arts curriculum that we value so much, Nugent said.

Wider partnerships are a newer development for small colleges, Nugent said. Around five years ago, schools started to reassess how partnerships could benefit students. At Wesleyan, that has included a new partnership with Heartland Community College to increase transfers, and Nugent hopes to pursue partnerships with other community colleges as well.

Thats a big change; traditionally liberal arts colleges have not been welcoming to transfers, and that has really changed across the country, and thats a good thing, she said.

Nugent also believes there is a strong community of education in Bloomington-Normal. She anticipates more collaboration with Illinois State University in coming years as well.

In the current higher education environment, it makes sense for there to be more collaboration and () less competition, she said. Now among these three entities, there isnt exactly competition, because were such different types of institutions.

Contact Connor Wood at (309)820-3240. Follow Connor on Twitter: @connorkwood

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BLOOMINGTON  Even as entire industries halted and pieces of the economy crumbled over the last 18 months because of the coronavirus pandemic, roads were still maintained, garbage collection continued and education went on.

Behind the preservation of those essential public services and others were workers  and backing their health and safety amid fluid state-imposed mandates and measures, was organized labor.

That relationship characterized the theme  "Labor, Stronger than Ever"  of the 2021 Bloomington Labor Day parade, as more than a dozen area trade unions, hundreds of their members, heavy construction equipment, marching bands, nonprofit organizations and local politicians marched through downtown Bloomington to Miller Park.

"Throughout all of the challenges every worker has faced in the last year, we've come back stronger," said Renee Nestler, representative for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31. "We've had to be creative; we've had to be patient; we've had to be flexible; we've developed new skills and had to do things differently through the whole year."

The pandemic especially spotlighted where employers were lacking in areas of on-the-job work safety and fair wages, Nestler said. And in those cases, unions stepped in to advocate for employees.

"Keeping workers safe has been very important this past year and will continue to be going forward," Nestler said. "Wages have lagged behind  we want workers to be paid what they're worth and they've certainly demonstrated it over the last year."

AFSCME represents more than 90,000 active and retired employees, including 165 city of Bloomington employees through Local 699.

Overall, Nestler said the organization has seen a boost in membership and involvement in the last 18 months because local chapters have served as sources of information on regulations and as negotiators in impact bargaining.

"We're trying to protect jobs and protect lives on the job," Nestler said.

That primary role of the union spans more than a century, and Labor Day, which first became an official federal holiday in 1894, does too.

Monday's parade also marked the city's 130th celebration of the event  Bloomingtons first Labor Day Parade was in 1891, after Illinois declared it a state holiday  and its return after the pandemic canceled the 2020 march.

Celebrating Monday his 44th year as a coordinator of the parade and his 56th year in labor was John Penn, vice president of the Midwest Region of Laborers International Union of North America.

Pointing to the massive $2 trillion infrastructure plan pitched this year by President Joe Biden and Gov. J.B. Pritzker's $45 billion Rebuild Illinois capital program signed in 2019, Penn said he was optimistic about both the comeback and the future of labor.

"We've got great growth coming," said Penn. "We're gonna have a lot of work and if you look around here, you look at these young men (and women), we're bring in a lot of young apprentices  all the trades are."

Penn said that after four years under former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and former President Donald Trump, construction tradespeople are "now paving streets, pouring sidewalks and building buildings, which is what we're supposed to be doing."

And what the state does next to create jobs, finalize a clean energy plan and "can or can't do in rebounding from COVID" depends on labor and management forces coming together, said state Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington.

"Labor is very important in that entire movement," Brady said.

One model of the ideal economic development-labor symbiosis is on display in the Twin Cities, where new homes continue to go up and major players like Rivian Automotive keep expanding through the hands of local laborers, said Normal Mayor Chris Koos.

Working people in the community  "they built this community, they built Bloomington-Normal and have a long history of quality workmanship and dedication," Koos said.

"There's an incredible amount of work being done in this community right now and I think Rivian is taking the lion's share of skilled labor finishing out that plant," Koos said. "I think we're going to see this kind of activity for the next five to seven years."

Contact Timothy Eggert at (309) 820-3276. Follow him on Twitter: @TimothyMEggert

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BLOOMINGTON  YWCA McLean County has extended the nomination deadline for its 32nd annual Women of Distinction Awards to noon on Friday, Sept. 10.

The virtual event will be livestreamed at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21.

Applications for the Kaitlyn Erdman Memorial WINGS scholarship will also be accepted through Sept. 10.

"The decision to extend the nomination timeline for Women of Distinction and WINGS Awards was made due to an overwhelming number of requests for more time to thoroughly complete nominations," read a YWCA news release. "In light of the effect that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on jobs, particularly on women in the workplace, these awards are even more impactful as the YWCA works to support and honor women and their accomplishments."

Nomination categories include the following: Business/Education, Community Leadership, Human Services, Mission Impact, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math), Promise, and Community Key.

WINGS Award scholarship recipients are given up to $1,500 to pursue professional development; the funds can be used to cover tuition, workshops, conferences, seminars and related expenses.

To nominate a Woman of Distinction, apply for a WINGS Award or learn how to become a sponsor, visit www.ywcamclean.org/womenofdistinction. Nomination forms are available for download or to submit online. Call (309) 662-0461, ext. 272, with questions, or email awhitworth@ywcamclean.org.

Contact Robyn Skaggs at (309) 820-3244.

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Just when we were getting a handle on delta, here comes mu.

The World Health Organization this week spotlighted a new and worrying COVID-19 variant it says might be resistant to vaccines. The mu strain accounts for a tiny fraction of all coronavirus cases in the U.S.  Illinois has detected only 18, according to the outbreak.info database  but like the delta variant that has become omnipresent, mu has properties that could make it more transmissible.

So how worried should we be?

WHO pointed to Colombia, where mu was first detected in January and has since grown to account for 39% of that nations COVID-19 caseload. The variant has also been found in 38 other countries.

Ramon Lorenzo-Redondo, research assistant professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said Colombias number could be misleading. The country has done relatively few genetic examinations of its virus cases, he said, so the high percentage of mu might not reflect the true situation.

The noise can still be pretty high, he said. Or it can mean that there are outbreaks indicating that this variant is emerging in the country in some local regions.

But Elena Navas-Nacher, an epidemiologist from Colombia who founded the Chicago-based Global Health Beat Foundation, said the variant has taken a harsh toll on the country. When she visited this summer, she said, intensive care units were 90% full.

The most recent peak has been very lethal, collapsing the medical systems in various (cities), including Bogota and Medellin, which are the largest and most sophisticated, she said. In small towns, it has been a disaster.

The caseload has since plunged, which Navas-Nacher attributes to a vigorous vaccination program in the South American country. But she noted that Ecuador, Colombias next-door neighbor with a mu prevalence of 13%, has seen cases rise.

Globally, WHO said, mu has declined to the point where it makes up less than 0.1% of COVID-19 cases. But Dr. Mark Dworkin, associate director for epidemiology at the University of Illinois at Chicagos School of Public Health, said that doesnt mean the variant is a goner.

We cant determine whats going to happen in terms of a strain changing, he said. We are learning which strains outcompete (the others) and at which times they do. So it could be that mu will pick up. It could be that mu will never gain a strong foothold.

State officials confirmed that mu has been found in Illinois, but said the consequences of its appearance remain unclear. They noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not listed it as a variant of concern.

Delta is one of those concerning variants, and is a demonstration of how quickly a mutated form of the virus can worsen the pandemic.

The strain wasnt detected in Illinois until mid-June and now accounts for nearly all new cases. Dr. Jonathan Pinsky, medical director of infection control and prevention at Edward Hospital, said delta is responsible for the states spiking caseload that began in midsummer.

Though delta can infect vaccinated people, very few end up severely ill or hospitalized, he said. If mu were to become more prevalent, he said, he expects a similar outcome.

Im really not concerned that we would see a problem with our vaccines with this variant, based on what we know about variants with similar mutations, he said.

Despite deltas prominence, Gov. J.B. Pritzker expressed cautious optimism at a Thursday news conference that the pandemic might be easing in Illinois.

A few days strung together in a row could give you hope but not necessarily tell you what the trend is, so were watching these numbers closely, he said. Certainly over the last few days, when put together and averaged, it seems like things are flattening, and thats a really good piece of news for all of us.

Dr. Chethra Muthiah, an infection control specialist with NorthShore University HealthSystem, said the tried-and-true methods of curbing the spread  getting vaccinated, masking indoors and continuing to follow public health guidance  apply to the mu variant as well. But Lorenzo-Redondo said the strains appearance here shows that defeating the pandemic requires worldwide solutions.

If we only vaccinate the U.S. or Europe, we wont solve the problem because other variants will emerge in other parts of the world, he said. We need a global effort to end infections everywhere.
100 years ago

Sept. 6, 1921: Sheriff Morrison finally got his man, courtesy of police in Louisiana, Missouri. Mack Shelper, a suspected car thief, jumped from a speeding train the other night as Morrison was returning him from Oklahoma. Police found him, still in handcuffs, in a barn this weekend.

75 years ago

Sept. 6, 1946: A lunch-hour fire destroyed three buildings on Main Street in Bellflower. Village men fought the blaze with a bucket brigade until other volunteers showed up from Gibson City and Saybrook to relieve them. They saved another house, although it was scorched by the heat.

50 years ago

Sept. 6, 1971: A new OK Appliance Store will open on Four Seasons Road to replace the store at 110 South Center. The downtown store will be torn down to make way for the new Law & Justice Center project. Owner Orville Kant (the OK in the name) hopes to open Nov. 1.

25 years ago

Sept. 6, 1996: From the business page: Burpos Boutique, an upscale womens wear store, is moving downtown from the east side. Also, GrapeVine Specialties, a new wine and cheese store, will open at Brandtville in about three weeks. And local home sales were up in August.

Compiled by Jack Keefe; jkeefe@coldwellhomes.com.
Insurance group, Hollard Ghana with subsidiaries Hollard Insurance and Hollard Life Assurance has been named Brand of the Year, 2021 at the prestigious Ghana Insurance Awards held at the plush 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.



Recognised Brand of the Year, the unconventional insurance group andarguably the nations favourite insurer, is known for its vibrant brand personality. Hollard Ghana is also recognised for its effort to make accessibility a standard of service delivery with its innovative products, multichannel visibility, and relatable financial communications.



On being named Insurance Brand of the Year, the Group Head of Marketing and Corporate Affairs at Hollard Ghana, Cynthia Ofori-Dwumfuo said:



We are deeply grateful to benationallyrecognised as Insurance Brand of the Year. Our purpose is to enable more people to create and secure a better future and this drives everything we do at Hollard. Considering Ghanas low penetration of insurance and as a caring brand, we are passionate about increasing insurance awareness through unconventional partnerships and innovations. For us it's no longer business usual.We put customers first by offering appropriate products to suit Ghanaian insurance needs.Whether we are enabling financial inclusion through digital channels like Araba Hollard, fostering a happy Team Hollard or keeping our partners and customers fulfilled by delivering as expected, our brand is approachable, real, and mindful. We choose excellence by presenting ourselves innovatively, its the Hollard way.



Cynthia expressed gratitude to all who are contributing to the ongoing gains being made by the Group and pledged to keep up the good work.



Thanks to our customers, partners and Hollardites for driving our continuing impact as Ghanas favourite insurance brand.Many thanks also to Xodus Communications Limited and the able board for this recognition Cynthia added.



Hollard Ghana also picked up two other awards:



Fastest Growing Life Insurance Company of the Year  HollardLife Assurance

Two-time Commercial Line Insurer of the Year  HollardInsurance

About Hollard Ghana



The countrys favourite insurance group is Hollard Ghana, with subsidiaries Hollard Insurance and Hollard Life Assurance. The group combines its deep local knowledge of the market having previously operated in Ghana for 25 years as Metropolitan Insurance with the world-class expertise of an international insurance brand in 18 countries across the world. With feet firmly planted on Ghanaian soil but headquartered in South Africa, Hollard delivers innovative insurance solutions customized to the unique risks Ghanaians face. Hollard offers various life and general insurance products including funeral, personal accident, motor, business, travel, home, and more; and can be reached via the following means: 0501603967 (Hollard Insurance) and 0501533698 (Hollard Life).



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









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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More than 1.2 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United States arrived in Ghana on Saturday morning.



US Ambassador Stephanie Sullivan, Deputy Minister of Health, Honorable Mahama Asei Seini, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Honorable Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, and the UNICEF Country Representative to Ghana Ms Anne-Claire Dufay received the vaccines at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra.



Delivered through COVAX, the donations are part of the Biden-Harris Administrations global efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Ghanas Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service will oversee vaccine distribution nationwide.



These vaccines will save lives here in Ghana. Vaccines, along with other preventive protocols, will help control the pandemic and slow the development of new variants. We stand with the Government of Ghana in its fight to stop the spread of COVID-19, said Ambassador Sullivan.



The United States has worked closely with Ghana since the start of the pandemic and has contributed over $30 million to support public health efforts and the COVID-19 response in Ghana. These funds are addressing the immediate and medium-term effects of COVID-19 on the health, agriculture, and education sectors, including the hard-hit private sector.



The 1,229,620 doses donated to Ghana by the United States through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) today are part of the Biden-Harris Administrations commitment to share the U.S. vaccine supply with the world. The United States has already donated and delivered more than 125 million doses to more than 80 countries and economies worldwide. As we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic at home and work to end the pandemic worldwide, President Biden has promised that the United States will be an arsenal of vaccines for the world.



The United States and USAID will continue to support Ghanas COVID-19 vaccination efforts, including future donations. USAID will also support vaccine preparedness efforts, including transport of vaccines to health facilities, detailed planning, and social and behavior change activities to encourage uptake of WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines.



About USAID



USAID is the lead U.S. Government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. USAIDs activities and strategic partnerships support Ghana in becoming more self-reliant and advancing an integrated approach to development. It promotes accountability, sustainable systems, and inclusive development.







Source: graphiconline.com









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The Minister for Health, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has charged members of the new Medical and Dental Council (MDC) Governing Board to work assiduously to make Ghana and the Health Ministry proud.



He was happy that the 10th MDC governing board, which has been fortunate to have a reinstatement of some of the 9th board members come in with huge experience from the previous board.

This, according to Mr. Agyeman-Manu, will be very profitable and helpful, being optimistic that they will perform excellently.



The new MDC governing board is chaired by Prof Paul Kwame Nyame, with Dr. Constance Addo-Yobo, Dr Ernest Yorke, Mrs Rebecca Bantey, and Mrs Stella Otema Badu, representing Dental, Medical, Physician Assistants and Certified Registered Anaesthetists, and the Attorney-Generals Department respectively as members.



The rest were Prof Margaret Lartey, Training Institutions, Hon Mahama A. Seini, Ministry of Health, Mr Samuel Adjapong, a lay male representative, H. E. Cecilia Gyan Amoah, lay female representative and Dr Divine Ndonbi Banyubala, Acting Registrar of MDC and Secretary to the Board.



Chairman of the Board, Prof Paul Kwame Nyame in his acceptance speech noted that the Board has a youthful executive with several opportunities for innovation and transformation.



They will be buoyed up by other not-so-young members who bring along a bank of institutional memory, with lifetime working experience," he said.



Prof. Nyame expressed his appreciation to Hon. Agyeman-Manu for inaugurating the Board and said the constitution of the Board demonstrates a deep appreciation of the history, vision and mission of the MDC.

Source: Peace FM









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The waste management company, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, has assured Ghanaians that the collection of medical waste at the vaccination centres in the ongoing national vaccination programme go through treatment before finally disposed of.



According to the Zoomlion General Manger, Accra Zone, Mr Ernest Morgan Acquah, the treatment of the medical waste is crucial in preventing their workers who collect them from contracting any infectious viruses or bacteria causing diseases.



These medical waste are hazardous so they undergo treatment before we put them at the final disposal site. And that will also ensure that scavengers are not infected with any infectious disease, he said.



Mr Morgan Acquah gave the assurance on Saturday, September 4, 2021, when he briefed journalists at the Nima Government Hospital in Accra on Zoomlions role in the nationwide vaccination programme.



According to him, Zoomlion, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS), was ensuring that medical waste collected at the vaccination centres were properly treated and safely disposed of.



As part of our job, we have provided them [the vaccination centres] with bins. And with these bins we have segregationone for general waste and the other for medical waste, he said.



Zoomlion, he continued, has also provided specialised vehicles and workers who move to the vaccination centres to pick up the medical waste to the final disposal site.



When they pick up the medical waste, these waste go through treatment before we put them at the final disposal site. This is being done to prevent the workers picking up the medical waste from being infected or scavengers who often go on scavenging spree at dumping sites from the risk of being infected, he noted.



To facilitate their operations, Mr Morgan Acquah disclosed that his company has procured a number of autoclaves, adding that with these autoclaves what we do is when we pick up the medical waste from the centres, we have specialised vehicles that pick up the waste then we go to the centres that we have the autoclaves and we put in the medical waste. The waste go through heating and after heating, some are burnt before we do disposal, he explained.



He indicated in the Greater Accra Region, Zoomlion and its partners are undertaking the operation in about 43 centres.



From the Nima Government Hospital, the Zoomlion medical waste team moved to the Rock Hospital, Odorkor, where residents who had already had their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine were being given the second jab.

Source: 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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Special Forces Group Commander Colonel Mahamady Doumbouya confirmed the takeover of power from President Alpha Conde on Sunday on state TV and pledged to oversee a peaceful transition.



Little is known about Col Doumbouya's early life, except that he is a Malinke like President Conde and hails from Guinea's eastern Kankan Region.



-He was based in Forecariah, western Guinea, where he served under the bureau of territorial surveillance and the general intelligence services.



-Col Doumbouya reportedly attended the War College in Paris, France.



-He has 15 years of military experience that includes operational missions in Afghanistan, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Central African Republic and close protection in Israel, Cyprus, UK, and Guinea.



-The colonel is said to have "brilliantly completed" the operational protection specialist training at the International Security Academy in Israel, the unit commanders' training course at Senegal's Infantry Application School, the staff officer training in Gabon's Staff College of Libreville (EEML) and at the War College in Paris.



-He served as a legionary in the French army until 2018 when President Conde asked him to return to Guinea to lead the GFS, established that year.

Source: BBC









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The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Right Reverend Professor Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante has called on Ghanaians and Africans in general to do away with what he calls political witchcrafting and support progressive and innovative agenda of sitting governments.



He has therefore called on Ghanaians across the political divide to support the governments Agenda 111 project as a means to improve healthcare delivery in Ghana.



Agenda 111 is the construction of one hundred and eleven district, specialized and regional hospitals across the country initiated by the current government.



The Moderator lamented about how some people are opposing the Agenda 111without thinking through how it will benefit the whole nation and Africa at large.



My biggest surprise Mr. Chairman, is given the poverty that we live in, if someone offers to build 111 health centres and hospitals how can some people be angry and oppose such an innovative and progressive agenda, he said.



The Moderator made the statement at the official opening of the upgraded Assin Praso Presbyterian Health Centre into a Hospital status on Tuesday 31st August, 2021.



The Moderator said it is unfortunate that some Ghanaians allow politics to eat too much into their affairs to the extent that they will bring down and destroy any progressive vision of any government.



This is political witchcrafting, which I define as any political spirit or agenda that will pull people down or destroy any innovative and progressive ideas for the people of Africa.



According to Rt. Rev. Prof. Mante when he was elected Moderator, he visited the Assin Praso health centre and he was excited about the facility and said to himself that, he would be happy to see the facility upgraded to a hospital by the time he finishes his tenure.



He implored staff of the new hospital to be professional in their work and see their work as a ministry in a Christian context.



The Moderator said the role of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana within the mandate of Jesus is preaching, teaching and healing and therefore would use this mandate to transform society.



He gave a history of the Church as a health care provider in Ghana, added that the Presbyterian Church of Ghana currently has 55 health facilitates making it the third largest provider of health services in Ghana.



The Executive Director of Christians Hospital Association of Ghana, Dr. Peter K. Yeboah said the association would continue to support the development of the country by helping the churches to establish health facilities in remote areas of the country.



He commended the Presbyterian Church of Ghana as a major provider of health services in Ghana having pioneered the Agogo Presbyterian Hospital as the first Christian Hospital in Ghana.



He said the location of the Assin Praso Presbyterian Hospital would position it as the Good Samaritan facility. He called on the Government to continue the strategic partnership of the Church in health care delivery in the country.



The Manager of the Hospital, Mr Noah Tetteh in a brief history of the facility said it was started as a Primary Health facility in 1982 and later upgraded to a health centre. He said over the years, the Church through its local and foreign partners managed the health facility and at various points upgraded the facilities.



He said the facility has both male and female wards, children wards, surgical theatre, Outpatient Department and residence of a Medical Doctor and other staff. With a staff strength of one hundred and five professionals, the hospital treats an average of thirty five thousand patients a year.



Present at the functioning were chief of Assin Praso and Assin Jakai, Nana Owodu Aseku X, and several other chiefs, the Acting District Chief Executive for Assin North, Hon. Ohene Andoh, Member of Parliament for the area Hon. Joseph Quayson, and people from all walks of life.

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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National Communications Director of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Buaben Asamoa, has urged Ghanaians to support President Nana Akufo-Addo's '1 District, 1 Factory' (1D1F) policy.



President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo says Ghana is ready to partner entities under the 1D1F initiative to create more jobs.



"Our country doesn't believe in discrimination . . . be it a Ghanaian or foreign business, we are prepared to support, under our 1DIF, to grow our local economies," the President said during his commissioning of the third phase of KEDA Ghana Ceramics Company.



Keda (Ghana) Ceramics Company Limited, formerly called Twyford Ghana Ceramics, is located in the Shama District of the Western Region.



Yaw Buaben Asamoa was optimistic the initiative will ensure local producers gain power to produce more commodities for both local and foreign consumption.



Speaking on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo' programme, Mr. Buaben Asamoa revealed that Ghana loses over 1 billion cedis into importation of rice annually, therefore called on Ghanaians to support the President with his vision of industrialization to discourage imports.



"We import rice at 1.6 billion cedis a year. If this money was to go into the pockets of our farmers, won't their lives change? Wouldn't they be able to build houses in their farms? Couldn't they buy cars? Would they not be able to send their children abroad for further studies?'', he stated.



He stressed, "Let's support and admit the 1D1F will enhance our progress".





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo has promised to resolve the ongoing impasse between the Italian global oil company, Eni Ghana and the Ghanaian wholly owned international oil company, Springfield Exploration & Production (SEP).

Unitise



This followed the inability of the two companies to comply with a directive to link (unitise) their neighboring discoveries, located in their contract areas.



Government issued the directive for the two companies to unitise more than a year and half ago.



Many interventions to resolve the situation has proved futile. Eni Ghana, for instance, has dragged Ghana to the London Tribunal for attempting to force a wholly owned Ghana upstream company, Springfield E&P on it.



President Akufo-Addo while responding to a request by the Paramount Chief of Eastern Nzema Traditional Council and President of the Nzemamanle Council, Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III, to address the issue between the two companies, said he is personally committed to ensuring that the issue is resolved amicably.



I am still very upset that matters we have been discussing have become the subject of arbitration with notice of arbitration coming in, he said.



President Akufo-Addo said he had had two separate meetings with the parties, all aimed at finding a common ground to deal with the matter without any litigation.



But I want to assure you that we would continue to discuss and find an amicable solution  therefore let me say that the request by the President of the Nzemamanle Council, Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III, is a request that sits very well with me and I will be doing my very best to make sure it happens, he said.



The chiefs welcomed the Presidents resolve to ensure the resolution of the case.



Presidents Western Regions tour coincided with the Ellembelle Business Expo, which saw all the oil companies operating in the Western Region and other financial institutions exhibiting their products.



President Akufo-Addo opened a business expo and also took a tour, visiting all the various stands at the Expo, including Eni Ghana and Ghana Gas.



The impasse



In April 2020, the then Minister of Energy, Mr John Peter Amewu, in accordance with Section 34(1) of the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act, 2016 (Act 919), directed ENI and Springfield to execute unitisation with respect to the Sankofa field in the OCTP and Afina discovery in the WCTP contract areas.



Prior to the directive, the minister had been satisfied by a geophysical and geological analysis in March 2018, which showed that the Sankofa Cenomanian Reservoir extended into the WCTP Block 2 contract area.



The situation saw the industry stakeholders calling on the government to encourage the companies to use arms length dialogue and common-sense approach to resolve the differences between the companies to produce oil from the straddling fields.



Ministry's action



The current Minister of Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, earlier this year told the Daily Graphic that until recently, when the parties resorted to the court to resolve certain issues, the government was engaging the parties to speed up the process towards unitisation.



That notwithstanding, the minister said, the ministry was committed to ensuring that the issues were resolved expeditiously to enable the unitisation of the fields for optimum recovery of petroleum from the fields for all parties.



He said the ministry was working hard to ensure that there was optimum recovery of petroleum through activities that conformed with international best practice.



The 30 per cent, appeal & arbitration



In May this year, the Commercial Division of the Accra High Court ordered the operators of the Sankofa Oil Field to preserve 30 per cent of all the revenues which will be accrued from the field until the final determination of a legal dispute relating to it.



Per the order of preservation, the 30 per cent revenue must be paid by the operators, (Eni Limited and Vitol Upstream Limited) into an account agreed by all the contesting parties, which was appealed by Eni Ghana but lost.



Eni Ghana then filed a suit at the International Tribunal in London, United Kingdom, to challenge a directive by Ghana's Ministry of Energy, asking them to unitise Sankofa offshore oil field and Afina oil block operated by Springfield E&P, a wholly Ghanaian upstream player.

Source: graphiconline.com









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The Reverend Father David Ocran, the Parish Priest of the Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Cape Coast, Sunday advised Christians to pay particular attention to the Gospel and not things that can lure them into sin.



Its unfortunate that we remember gossips but not Gods word. Let a friend at work or church tell us, you see that lady, she never irons her attire, we will keep that in mind and take a keen look at her anytime we come across her. But it is just too bad we cannot remember Gods commandments that way, he said.



Rev. Fr Ocran said this on Sunday while delivering the homily at a Mass Celebration of the Church.



He said Christians could pay attention to things that would not bring any improvement in their relationship with God, instead of allocating quality time to Gods word and works.



Rev Fr. Ocran said Christians often engaged in activities that made them deaf to Gods words and incapable of doing His will such as the love for money, physical pleasure, and statuses.



He advised the public to mend their ways and allocate a special place in their hearts to the word of God as he prayed for Gods blessings over the land.



Rev. Fr. Ocran said Christians must bring their families, neighbours and friends together and help fill the hearts of those in distress with joy by supporting them emotionally and financially.



Dont allow the challenges of the world to draw you away from God. You have to be steadfast to see His glory, he said.



The congregation prayed for Gods rain on their labour to yield good fruits, peace over families and the nation, healing for the sick, and support for the needy.

Source: GNA









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The Ghana Journalists Association's (GJA) national and regional elections are scheduled for Sunday, October 3, 2021.



This follows an out-of-court settlement with Madam Caroline Boateng, a member of the Association, who initiated a court action against the GJA President & Others over their stay in office after the end of their term.



Their tenure of the executives ended on 17 November, 2020.



A statement signed by Mr Kofi Yeboah, General Secretary of the Association, and copied the Ghana News Agency, said the Plaintiff and the Defendants signed the Agreement, which was procured under the auspices King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, the Ga Mantse.



It said the parties agreed that "the GJA elections shall be held one month after the signing and coming into force of the Agreement today, Friday, September 3, 2021".



The statement said that meant the "stayed national and regional elections shall now be held on or before October 3, 2021," with the parties further agreeing that the handing over and swearing-in of new executives shall be held within two weeks after the declaration of election results.



It said the "Parties submit that within one week from the date of the Agreement, the GJA 2021 Elections Supervision Committee shall be established, made up of a representative each of the aspirants for national office positions and each of the regions, to work with the Elections Committee of the GJA to conduct the elections".



Consequently, the statement said aspirants for the national office positions and the regional branches were expected to submit the names of their nominees to: The Chairman, GJA Elections Committee, Ghana International Press Centre, Accra, before the close of work on Monday, September 6, 2021.



It said the Committee shall ensure that a voters' register of members in good standing (GJA members who have paid their dues up to date), including retirees and past executives, shall be generated or compiled from the records of the GJA Secretariat, and such members shall cast their own vote.



The statement said within its mandate, the Committee shall submit for publication by the Elections Committee a calendar of activities for the elections and ensure the non-interference in the election process by the GJA Executive or National Council or anybody whatsoever.



It said the parties further agreed that the Elections Dispute Adjudication Committee (EDAC) of the GJA shall be empowered to be responsible for all election-related disputes and that in the event of disputes unresolved by the EDAC, same shall be referred to mediation pursuant to the ADR Act, 2010 (Act 798) with a mediator appointed by the President of the Accra Bar within 48 hours of delivery of the dispute to the Accra Bar President.



The statement said the Agreement indicated that such disputes or appeal shall be submitted within 48 hours to Counsel for the Parties for onward delivery to the President of the Accra Bar to be resolved within 24 hours of the appointment of the mediator.



It said the parties agreed that, "they shall be bound by an absolute confidentiality clause to this Agreement, and these terms shall be subject to the usual default clause."



"That these terms of settlement embody the entire understanding of the Parties in respect of the matters contained in, or referred to it, and there are no promises, terms, conditions or obligations, oral or written, express or implied, other than those contained in these terms of settlement," the Agreement provided.



It stated that the parties, having agreed "to compromise their differences and to settle this case amicably, do hereby execute this Agreement and that any duty or obligation of any party herein that may become outstanding for whatever reason(s) shall not remain undischarged."



The GJA held its last elections on Friday, September 29, 2017 and the new executives were inaugurated into office on Friday, November 17, 2017.

Source: graphiconline.com









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The Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr Kobby Asmah, recently had an exclusive interview with the late former government and global Statistician, academic and the Omanhene (paramount chief) of the New Juaben Traditional Area in the Eastern Region, Daasebre Prof. Oti Boateng, at his palace, on his roots-based model of development for the country and Africa as a whole.



The model places a lot of premium on inclusivity rather than exclusivity. Prof Oti Boateng sadly passed away on August 9, last month after 29 years as Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional Area.



Below are excerpts of the interview.



Kobby Asmah: You have spoken a lot about how Ghana and by extension Africa can quicken its pace of development. One key panacea you have not shied away from and consistently endorsed is the roots-based development plan you have developed for Ghana and indeed for the entire African continent. All along, Ghana and Africa have largely been following the Western model of development.



Why the root based model? Can you please expatiate a bit on this development model that you always espouse?



Daasebre Oti Boateng: The roots-based model has been developed because the Western model has not worked for Africa. It is alien for Africa because it is winner takes all and again it is each man for himself and God for us all. So, I have developed this roots-based model, which includes all the citizens. It is all about inclusivity rather than exclusivity.



It involves all communities in the development process; it doesnt leave anybody behind.

Remember, development is for all of us. It is not for any section of the people. It is not for the government alone. The government alone cannot do it. The government needs the support of the citizens of the community.



Kobby Asmah: What are the fundamental underpinnings of this model?



Daasebre Oti Boateng: There are three sectors in the roots-based development  the private sector, the government, then the citizens; so, you have three pillars to support the root based development in equal parts.

That is why we have got the community development to support government and the private sector.



Kobby Asmah: Now, in terms of the three pillars, have the communities shown their preparedness for that kind of task?



Daasebre Oti Boateng: Of course, the roots-based development infrastructure, which is the bottom-up development architecture, strongly has the community involvement.



The model, has in every community, what we call the Community Development Council (CDC). So, it is from the community itself tailor measured development programmes emanate and it is the, same communitys that own the development process.

So, the idea of them rejecting the process does not even arise at all, but we have never heard of this before from the government or the private sector. They decide something from the top, come to the community level, and they say you do this, you do that from afar. This does not work anywhere and doesnt work at all!

What really works is for the community themselves to have and own their own community development governance and to decide for themselves what is good for them.



Kobby Asmah; Has this model worked anywhere?



Daasebre Oti Boateng: This is what we are doing in New Juaben and it is working and everybody is happy.



Kobby Asmah: Daasebre, the truth of the matter is that as you are rightly espousing the need for the involvement of the community in the development process, it is equally so depressing that as you walk and drive around, you see individualistic tendencies  each for himself, God for us all attitudes. Why do you think are we where we are?



Daasebre Oti Boateng: This is so because of the colonial heritage of exclusive development, but we are changing it and must change it. Rome was not built in a day. If you read the book on the root based development model, you will find they are implementing roots-based development.

It will tell you that development is not reckoned in weeks or years, but it is reckoned in decades.

So, Rome wasnt built in a day. Dont deceive yourself that from tomorrow everything will change. You need to change the perceptions of people. That is why I have written the book. We will drive education into the populace to change their mindset so that what they are doing, they will be conscious of it. Gradually, systematically we shall get there. Where there is a will there is a way.



Kobby Asmah: Ghana is over 60 years and we are still struggling to meet the basic needs of the citizenry including potable water, food, shelter and even access to toilet facilities,



Daasebre Oti Boateng: We are where we are because in 1957 nobody dreamt of the roots-based model. It is now that through constant feedback interaction, through my own experiential knowledge, from inside and from without, I have been able to come up with a model.

Weve got to work with the model and now I have come out with a solid model that has received a worldwide award  it is a global model and we are doing it and we are zooming in at a time. So, if we didnt see the light in 1957, now I, Oti Boateng have developed the light.



Kobby Asmah: Why must we think that this model will work?



Daasebre Oti Boateng: It has taken a lot of logic, a lot of gusto, a lot of impetus, a lot of fillips to reach where I am and it is by commitment and it is already working..



It will work because it is solidly engraved in all the communities. It is owned by all the citizens of the country as compared to the winner takes all  149.9 per cent of the populace are excluded in governance. That is not good, but here all the communities  every community has got its own community development plan.



They own it, it belongs to them so they will not part it away. If you are in a family, are you going to throw the family away? You are part and parcel of the development process, so the idea of it not working does not even arise.



Kobby Asmah: What is driving you in this enterprise?



Daasebre Oti Boateng: If you read chapter three of the book on implementing the roots-based model, the whole chapter is called the genesis of the whole roots-based model. That genesis will tell you that it is the Yiadom Hwedie family structure that brings the impetus in me.

Really, it is Nana Adakwa Yiadom who actually killed Ntim Gyakari when he was demanding a whole lot of things including gold filled in his brass pan. The brass pan is in there.



We went to the Feyiase War, we spearheaded the Ashanti War against Denkyira and we won in 1701. It is all in there. That has ingrained in me the boldness, the gusto, the impetus to really move and then get something done.



So, it is the Yiadom Hwedie spirit which is driving me. And then there is also the Chilean earthquake of February 2010. I was in Santiago where I experienced this Chile earthquake and I nearly died.



From there it inculcated in me the need to develop a disaster reduction philosophy. So, I developed a theory for disaster risk reduction. In August 2010 I went to Cambridge, delivered a paper and it got approbation from all scholars of the world.

I developed this further into the roots-based model so it is a longish period. Rome was not built in a day so it took me 10 years to reach where I am.



Kobby Asmah: Daasebre, amazing story, but I want to find out from you. What has been the fault lines providing the very basics of everything for the people?



Daasebre Oti Boateng: I wrote a paper on population census  the need to use data. The need to do scientific studies to know where the fault lines are in order to know where to fix it, because if you dont know where the fault lines are, how are you going to fix them?

We also have to have a maintenance culture. If you fix a road, it is necessary but not sufficient. You have not finished; you have got to develop a maintenance culture to maintain that road at periodic intervals.

So, weve got to inculcate this idea into us. It is not a joke. It is education. Systematic education. Dont worry why we are where we are but the important thing is that from now, we are going to change it.

The status quo antics should cease. Weve got to develop a new model, thats all.



Kobby Asmah: Thank you so much for this insight that you have shared with us but going forward and just concluding, what would you say Ghana must do going forward?



Daasebre Oti Boateng: You see the roots-based model book has all the ingredients. The change of attitude, the community development governance, how to love your neighbour, how to include every citizen in the development structure.

It doesnt take a general election then you are excluded or you are included. That one will be out. You are always part of the development process. Inclusivity in development. With this we shall go forward.



Kobby Asmah: So, in 2024, as we embark on another major national elections, what advice will you give to Ghanaians?



Daasebre Oti Boateng: It is yet too early to give the 2024 advice, since it is a stochastic process and several things are going to come into the equation. But we are monitoring; let us wait and see. Once it approaches, we shall give appropriate advice.



Kobby Asmah: Thank you Daasebre.

Source: graphiconline.com









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National Organizer of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Yaw Asani Tano has chastised the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana for describing critics of Agenda 111 as "witches".



Rt. Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante urged Pastors who want to exorcise witchcraft to tackle persons who are against the agenda 111 project because their attitude smacks of witchcraft.



"Weve allowed politics to dominate our lives to an extent that we do not have good hospitals . . . if someone says he is coming to construct 111 hospitals and you are angry about it, you are a witch. For the pastors who want to exorcise witchcraft, deal with those critics, he intimated.



But speaking in a panel discussion on Neat FM's 'Me Man Nti' programme, Yaw Asani Tano asked the Presbyterian Moderator to get his "facts right" because "no one has taken a stand against Agenda 111 . . . all we're saying is that the promise on health is one too many".



" . . no one has said the agenda 111 initiative is bad and so he should get his facts right . . . if you're not a politician, you're not a politician. Don't poke your nose where it doesn't belong. Even if you would criticize, do it constructively, don't come and call us witches. If you can't put the government right then please keep quiet," he criticized.



Listen to him in the video below





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, has served notice that he is not ready to declare the Assin North Constituency seat vacant despite the 28 July 2021 express order of the Cape Coast High Court that annulled the 2020 Parliamentary election in that constituency.The position of the Speaker is contained in a letter addressed to the Registrar of the General Jurisdiction Court, Law Court Complex, Accra and signed by the Clerk to Parliament, Cyril K.O. Nsiah, acknowledging service of the court order on the Speaker of Parliament.Speakers rationalThe basis for the Speakers decision according to the letter is that, prior to the receipt of this process, Mr. Speaker had received certified true copies of documents from the lawyers of James Quayson, Member of Parliament for the Assin North Constituency filed in respect of an appeal against the judgment of the High Court, Cape Coast and an application for the Stay of Execution of the said judgment of the High Court, Cape Coast.On the face of the certified true copies received by Mr. Speaker, the matter in question is still sub-judice and has thus not been concluded by the Courts with competent jurisdiction on the matter. In the circumstances, Mr. Speaker is not clothed with the legal basis to make a pronouncement on the matter and can thus not declare the occurrence of a vacancy in the House pursuant to the 1992 Constitution and the Standing Orders of the House, the Clerk to Parliaments letter read.Cape Coast High CourtThe Cape Coast High Court in its judgement in the matter of the Election Petition of Michael Ankomah-Nimfah vrs. James Quayson, Member of Parliament for the Assin North Constituency restrained James Gyakye Quayson from holding himself as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Assin North.Election petitionOn 30 December 2020, a resident of Assin North, Michael Ankomah-Nimfah, filed a parliamentary election petition at the Cape Coast High Court challenging Quaysons eligibility to be a Member of Parliament.He argued that the MP was not eligible because at the time he (Quayson) filed his nomination to stand as a parliamentary candidate, he was still a citizen of Canada.Such an act, he argued, was against the express provision of Article 94 (2) (a) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 9(2) of the Representation of the People Act 1992 (PNDCL 284).Reliefs soughtAmong other reliefs, the applicant wanted the Cape Coast High Court to declare the nomination filed by Quayson illegal, void and of no legal effect.He also sought a declaration that the ECs decision to clear Quayson to run as a parliamentary candidate was illegal, void and of no legal effect.Another relief the applicant sought was an order restraining Quayson from holding himself out as the MP-elect for Assin North and another order cancelling the parliamentary election that took place in Assin North on 7 December 2020.Court injunctionOn 6 January this year, Justice Boakye issued an interlocutory injunction against Quayson restraining him from holding himself as the MP-elect until the final determination of the election petition. This in effect barred the MP from being sworn in.Quayson showed up in Parliament the same day to vote in the election to select the Speaker of Parliament, and for him (Quayson) to be sworn into office as MP.The Clerk to Parliament initially refused to allow him to take part in the election, but the NDC parliamentary leadership argued that Quayson had not been served with the court order and was, therefore, not aware of any injunction restraining him from holding himself as the MP-elect.After many arguments, the Clerk to Parliament allowed Quayson to vote and also to be sworn into office, with the caution that he (Quayson) would bear the consequences of that action.The Cape Coast High Court also overruled an objection by lawyers for Quayson, seeking to have the Presiding Judge, Justice Kwasi Boakye, recuse himself from the case which sought to annul the MPs election.Quayson polled 17,498 votes against 14,793 by the New Patriotic Partys Abena Durowaa Mensah in the 7 December 2020 parliamentary election.

Source: UTV/asaaseradio.com









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The Economic Community for West African States, ECOWAS, has condemned the military takeover in the Peoples Republic of Guinea.



In a statement issued by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Chairman of ECOWAS, the bloc has expressed its unhappiness over the overthrow of President Alpha Conde by some military personnel in Conakry.



ECOWAS notes with great concern the recent political developments which have occurred in Conakry, capital of the Republic of Guinea. ECOWAS condemns unreservedly the attempted coup of Sunday, September 5, 2021.



ECOWAS demands respect for the physical safety of the President of the Republic, Professor Alpha Conde, and his immediate and unconditional release, as well as that of all arrested persons. ECOWAS also demands a return to constitutional order on pain of sanctions.



ECOWAS reaffirms its objection to any unconstitutional political change. We ask the Guinean defense and security forces to remain in a constitutional posture, and express our solidarity with the Guinean people and their Government the statement states.



Mamady Doumbouya, a colonel in the Guinean Army, led the coup detat which led to the arrest of the sitting president with the coup plotters declaring a takeover of the administration of the country.









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Three leading members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Eastern Region have called on all stakeholders in the party to bury their differences and work assiduously for the party to chalk a landslide victory in the 2024 general election.



They, therefore, urged electoral area coordinators, station and constituency executives, patrons and council of elders to intensify their political campaigns in order to break the eight-year jinx which both the governing NPP and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) had not been able to achieve since 1992.



Delegates conference



The Eastern Regional Youth Organiser of the NPP, Mr Jerry Osei Poku, the Members of Parliament (MPs) for Asene-Akroso-Manso and Akyem Achiase, Mr George Kwame Aboagye and Mr Kofi Ahenkorah Marfo, respectively, made the call at the Asene-Akroso-Manso constituency delegates conference at Akyem Manso.



He advised members of the party to bring on board all members, who were apathetic to the electioneering process in 2020, to campaign vigorously towards the partys victory on December 7, 2024.



Abusive words



Mr Osei Poku urged NPP members to refrain from the use of abusive and provocative language during their political campaigns.



For his part, Mr Aboagye admonished NPP members to highlight the numerous achievements of NPP in all nooks and crannies of the country to convince the people to vote massively for the party in the upcoming general election.



He said the sod had been cut for the construction of the district hospital at Canaan as part of the governments agenda 111 project.



Mr Marfo advised NPP members to adopt innovative ways to convince more Ghanaians to vote for the party in the 2024 general election.



The constituency chairman, Mr Frank Anim Bediako, commended party members in the constituency for their hard work in winning the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2020 and urged them to work relentlessly to achieve the double feat in the 2024 polls.



Endorse nominee



He advised party members to endorse any of the four candidates who contested the position of district chief executive when the President made the nomination in no time.



Mr Bediako announced that he would not contest as the party chairman again next year









Source: graphiconline.com









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The chairman of the Council of Elders of the Peoples National Convention (PNC), Colonel (retd) Luri Bayorbor, has called on feuding factions in the party to stop the media war and take it cool.



It is a party problem. Let us come together as a family and resolve whatever differences we have on the table, he said.



Speaking in an interview with the Daily Graphic yesterday, Col. Bayorbor said there were due processes to be followed in the party and if one felt unjustifiably treated or had a problem with the leadership, the Council of Elders existed to play a mediating role to resolve any problem within the party.



Context



The leadership of the PNC and the General Secretary of the party, Ms Janet Nabla, have been embroiled in fierce disagreement following an announcement by the party last Saturday that Ms Nabla had been suspended for "gross misconduct, incompetence, and insubordination."



The party said the decision was taken after an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held at the GNAT Hall on Saturday, August 28, 2021.



But in a counter, three members of the party petitioned the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party to impeach the partys leader, Mr David Apasera, and the chairman of the party, Mr Moses Dani Baah, for alleged financial malfeasance and misconduct.



The petitioners, embattled General Secretary, Ms Janet Nabla; Youth Organiser for Ashanti Region, Muniru Seidu Mohammed, and Communications Director for North East, Mamuna Yidana, said the petition was in pursuant to Article 49(a)(4) to remove from office, the leader David Apasera and the chairman Moses Dani Baah.



Membership



Speaking to the issues, Col. Bayorbor said the issuance of threats in the media would not resolve any problem, adding that, if you are suspended, follow the procedures to have it reverse but not to be issuing threats.



We need people to join us and not for the members to leave the party. There is too much noise in the media space and it is not good enough, he stated.

Col. Bayorbor said he was very much disappointed at the developments in the party.



He said the Council of Elders would take up the issue next week to resolve whatever challenges the party was facing as of now.



Please, let reason prevail. Think more and talk less, he admonished the parties involved in the brouhaha.



Impeachment



Mr Apasera told the Daily Graphic that it was only the Disciplinary Committee that received and investigated petitions or complaints against any member of the party.



He said it was only after its investigations that the committees report, together with its recommendations, were sent to the NEC for a final decision to be taken.



The petitioners must go back and look at the partys constitution to follow due process, he stated.









Source: graphiconline.com









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Deputy Communications Director of the NPP, Mame Yaa Aboagye has condemned comments made by Mr. Barker-Vormaqor, the leader of Fix the Country group for a post on his Facebook page where he seemingly glorified the coup and unconstitutional act in Guinea.



She described his post as an unfortunate remark and a threat to peace and stability in this country.



In spite of our disagreements, in our current democratic dispensation a coup detat can never be justified, how much more being celebrated, she stated.



Guinean Special Forces staged a coup on Sunday, capturing President Alpha Conde and announcing a nationwide curfew "until further notice" as well as the replacement of governors by the military.



As the world is still in shock over the unfortunate events, some members of the biggest opposition party are excited with the current situation in Guinea.



Barker-Vormawor on his Facebook page (Barker H Vogues), welcomed the coup in Guinea saying Neho! I welcome the news of a military coup in Guinea. Still waiting on confirmation of its success. Hopefully a new transition process is put in place quickly. Guinea shall work again.



Mame Yaa Aboagye expressed disappointment in Barker-Vormawor, calling on him to retract and apologize to Ghanaians.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The Peoples National Convention (PNC) is expected to meet tomorrow, September 7, 2021, to hold a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to discuss a petition brought before it by some of its members to impeach the partys leader, Mr David Apasera, and chairman, Mr Moses Dani Baah.



In a petition filed by the General Secretary of the party, Ms Janet Nabila; PNCs Youth Organiser for Ashanti Region, Muniru Seidu Mohammed, and the partys Communications Director for North East, Mamuna Yidana, they accused Mr Apasera and Mr Dani Baah of financial malfeasance and misconduct and also unlawfully suspending the General Secretary of the party, Janet Nabila.



Rebuttal



But the partys chairman, Mr Dani Baah, has urged members of the party to disregard any notice of a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Kumasi on Tuesday, September 7, 2021.



In a statement, he said the PNC constitution stipulated in clear unambiguous terms under Article 45 how NEC meetings could be convened, with all the circumstances spelt out.



About a week ago, on Saturday, August 28, 2021 the party held a NEC meeting in Accra at the GNAT Hall and discussed crucial issues of concern to the growth of the party, including a unanimous decision to suspend the General Secretary who has persistently sought to destabilise the party front from the headquarters down to the constituencies. Since then, there has not been any urgent need for us to call another NEC meeting with such close proximity, Mr Dani Baah noted.



It is no more in doubt that there has been some turbulence in the party lately but I assure you that the leadership shall navigate the party out from troubled waters to safe lands. If there is any need for a NEC meeting, I shall not hesitate to convene one as soon as possible, the PNC National Chairman emphasised.



Context



The leadership of the PNC and the General Secretary of the party, Ms Janet Nabla, have been embroiled in fierce disagreement following an announcement by the party last Saturday that Ms Nabla had been suspended for "gross misconduct, incompetence, and insubordination."



The party said the decision was taken after an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held at the GNAT Hall on Saturday, August 28, 2021.



Speaking to the issues last Friday, the Chairman of the Council of Elders of the PNC, Colonel (retd) Luri Bayorbor, called on the feuding factions in the party to stop the media war and take it cool.



Col Bayorbor said there were due processes to be followed in the party and if one felt unjustifiably treated or had a problem with the leadership, the Council of Elders existed to play a mediating role to resolve any problem within the party.

Source: graphiconline.com









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A court in Belarus on Monday sentenced key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova who led mass protests against President Alexander Lukashenko last year to 11 years in prison on national security charges.



Kolesnikovas lawyer Maxim Znak was also handed a 10-year prison sentence, according to the press service of onetime presidential hopeful Viktor Babaryko, whose campaign Kolesnikova managed.



Kolesnikova is the only major leader of last years unprecedented protests still in Belarus. She has been in custody for a year, after resisting a forced deportation by ripping up her passport.



In power since 1994, Lukashenko has been cracking down on opponents since the protests, which erupted when he claimed victory in a disputed election.



In a video from inside the court shown by Russian media, Kolesnikova who was handcuffed inside a defendants cage made a heart-shaped symbol with her hands, which she often did at protest rallies.

She was smiling and wearing her signature dark red lipstick.



Dear spectators, we are happy to see you, Znak, who was standing next to her, said in the video before the sentence was readout.

Kolesnikova, a 39-year-old former flute player in the countrys philharmonic orchestra, has become a symbol of the protest movement in Belarus.



She was arrested last September, when KGB agents put a sack over her head, pushed her into a minibus, and drove her to the Ukrainian border.



She resisted the attempt to throw her out of the country by reportedly jumping out of the car.



Kolesnikova was part of a female trio together with opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and another campaign partner, Veronika Tsepkalo, leading last summers rallies against Belaruss moustachioed leader.









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Himan Bold Patriots Congratulates Mrs Barbara Oteng Gyasi On Her Appointment as chair of the Governing Board of the Minerals Commission.



The Himan Bold Patriots, and everyone on board, were overly thrilled when the news hit on our doorstep. Our hopes were high even in days of yore because we saw the possibility of this coming aboutespecially when hardwork and perseverance are involved solidly. And by such a stand, the truest and diligent leaders are not always forgotten. They are rewarded, come what may.



We, Himan Bold PatriotsA group of NPP youth worked assiduously for the NPP within Prestea Hunivalley Constituencywould like to extend a heart of gratitude to the unflagging president of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his first-class eyes which runs into the earth to discover, appreciate, and appoint those who truly put effort into their work.



On every occasion, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has worked hard since he came into power, and when such a person discovers the good in you, then it is of no doubt that it is verite and fact-basedwhich means the person duly deserved it. Thanks very much, Mr. President for appointing Hon. Barbara Oteng Gyasi as the Chairperson of the Minerals Commission Governing Board.



Barbara Oteng Gyasi is a lawyer by profession and the Former Member of Parliament of Prestea Huni-Valley constituency of the Western Region of Ghana (2016-2020). She was appointed Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and she is committed at promoting the set-up of the gold museum in the constituency. At a later date, she was appointed Minister of Tourism and Creative Art and she has really played hard, engaging stakeholders and everyone to revamp the sector. With such concerted effort and earnest input, what disallows her from her recent appointment?



On record, she is well thought of and regarded as the Member of Parliament who had performed better and better than all the previous MPs, even though she lost the 2020 election to Hon. Robert Wisdom Cudjoe. However, that did not stamp out her zeal, she continued to work hard which earned her this appointment.



We, Himan Bold Patriots, would humbly like to congratulate you, Hon. Barbara Oteng Gyasi for the new role. You have proved yourself long ago and we know youll work hard, as expected of you. You are a great gem who touched our hearts by your deeds, and everyone in the constituency, and the country at large. A true leader, we must say. We wish you the very best! Serve well, as usual. We look forward to even more successful news about you, which you are very much capable of. Once again, congratulations, Hon. Barbara Oteng Gyasi. Himan Bold Patriots love you!





Signed



Kwame Kyei Addo



Chairman-Himan Bold Patriots

Source: Peacefmonline









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Russia on Monday called for the immediate release of Guinean President Alpha Conde, who was ousted by soldiers on Sunday following a coup. Moscow has a long history of relationship with Conakry which goes back to trade and economic cooperation during the Soviet times.



"Moscow opposes any attempt at unconstitutional change of leadership," the foreign ministry said in a statement. "We demand the release of Mr Conde and a guarantee of his immunity. We consider it necessary to return the situation in Guinea to constitutional norms as soon as possible."



It also announced that the visit of the Guinean Foreign Minister Ibrahima Khalil Kaba to Moscow, scheduled for Sept. 7, was canceled amid the situation in the West African country.



Conde, in power for more than a decade, was detained by soldiers led by Col. Mamadi Doumbouya, who accused the president of personalizing politics and not doing enough to improve the country's economic and social conditions.



Soldiers have also summoned Conde's ministers and top government officials to a meeting on Monday, adding that failure to attend would be considered a "rebellion".



The move was protested by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who strongly condemned "any takeover of the government by force of the gun" and called for "the immediate release of President Alpha Conde."













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Former South African President, Jacob Zuma has been released from prison on medical parole due to his ill health, the government's correctional services department has announced.



Zuma, 79, has been serving a 15-month prison sentence since July 2021 for contempt of court after refusing to appear at an inquiry into corruption during his time as president.



Last month, Zuma was admitted to an outside hospital where he underwent surgeries for an undisclosed ailment, according to prison authorities. Back in July, deadly violence erupted in South Africa after Zuma handed himself in to custody, triggering widespread protests and looting as soldiers and police struggled to restore order.



Zuma is accused of corruption involving three businessmen brothers close to him Atul, Ajay and Rajesh Gupta- and allowing them to influence government policy, including the hiring and firing of ministers to align with the family's business interests.



"Medical parole placement for Mr Zuma means that he will complete the remainder of the sentence in the system of community corrections, whereby he must comply with a specific set of conditions and will be subjected to supervision until his sentence expires," South Africa's Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said in a statement on Sunday, September 5.



The DCS said it was "impelled" to grant Zuma medical parole after receiving a medical report.



"Apart from being terminally ill and physically incapacitated, inmates suffering from an illness that severely limits their daily activity or self-care can also be considered for medical parole," the statement said.



The DCS appealed to South Africans "to afford Mr Zuma dignity as he continues to receive medical treatment."



Zuma served as president from 2009 to 2018 and was once widely celebrated as a key figure in the country's liberation movement as he spent 10 years in prison with former President Nelson Mandela.









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A stalwart and a regional chairmanship hopeful of the New Patriotic Party in the Ashanti Region, Oheneba Kofi Adum Bawuah, has congratulated the rank and file of the party in the region for a peaceful and successful 2021 Constituency Annual Delegates Conference.



The NPP from 21st August 2021, began it Constituency Annual Delegates Conference in all 275 constituencies in Ghana.



Speaking to the Daily Ghanaian Guide newspaper, Oheneba Kofi Adum Bawuah expressed his delight in the discipline manner that characterized the conduct of the delegates conference in the the Ashanti region. He hailed the executives at the polling station and the constituency levels for a good job, not leaving out the regional executives.



I am confident that with the energy and enthusiasm of our polling station and constituency executives, the region is poised for breaking the 8 in 2024, he said to the Daily Ghanaian Guide.



He used the opportunity to call for unity and harmonious coexistence in the party. When we foster unity, we will conquer and make breaking the 8 a reality in 2024, Adum Bawuah posited.



Oheneba Kofi Adum Bawuah is the son of the late and first Aboafuohene of Asante (Prof Adum Bawuah then the first African Professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in the USA) , enstooled by the late Asante King Otumfuo Opoku Ware. Analysts find his evidential service to NPP as the former National Organizer of the New Patriotic Party, USA branch, from 2005-2008, a member of the Ghana Democratic Movement in UK/Germany from 1985-1990, the youngest founding member of NPP USA in 1992 and his over 29 years service to the Party in Ghana is an enviable record.



He has played major roles in the campaign activities and electioneering of the late Prof Adu Boahen, President Kufour and President Nana Akufo Addo. He is the Chief Patron of Patriotic Ambassadors Movement (PAM) which worked in canvassing for grassroot votes in the 2016 and 2020 general elections.



During the 2021 Delegates Conference, the group donated boxes of nose mask to the Ashanti regional organizer of NPP. Oheneba Kofi Adum Bawuah, therefore, is a symbol of unity, respect, selflessness, service and honesty which Ashanti NPP needs at this moment.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Chinas embassy in Guinea issued security warnings to its nationals in the West African country after special forces claimed to have seized power over the government in an apparent coup.

The Chinese mission called on its citizens in the country to be vigilant after gunfire broke out in the capital Conakry early on Sunday and soldiers claimed on state television they would rewrite the constitution and dissolve the government.

The Chinese embassy once again reminds Chinese citizens in Guinea to remain calm, temporarily refrain from going outside, pay attention to the surrounding situation and increase safety measures, it said on Monday. Please contact the embassy if there are any emergencies.

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.

Alpha Conde, president of the Republic of Guinea (centre), is detained by army special forces in Conakry. Photo: EPA-EFE

The elite army unit said it had detained the nations longest-serving president, Alpha Conde, and announced it would enact a nationwide curfew and close the countrys borders. While the Guinean defence ministry said it had repelled the takeover from the presidential palace, Condes status was not immediately clear.

The events in Guinea have sparked widespread concern in the region and abroad.

Chinas foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in a regular briefing on Monday that Beijing opposed the coup and requested the immediate release of Conde.

We call on all parties to stay calm and restrained and act in the fundamental interests of the Guinean people, using dialogue and consultation to resolve the relevant issues to safeguard domestic peace and stability, he said.

The Economic Community of West African States  the 15-country bloc in West Africa  threatened it would enact sanctions over the attempted coup. The African Union said it would meet urgently to discuss taking appropriate measures in the circumstances and United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres condemned any takeover of the government by force in Guinea.

Story continues

In a statement on Sunday, the US condemned the events in Conakry. It said violence and extra-constitutional measures could limit the ability of the United States and others to support the country.

The apparent military coup comes after Conde secured a controversial third term in October, despite a constitutional two-term limit, that sparked violent protests in the country. His main opposition candidate, Cellou Dalein Diallou, alleged fraud in the election results.

Yue Shaowen, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Guinea, told Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Monday the mission would closely monitor the situation and promptly publish updates on the embassys website and WeChat account.

At present, the situation in the capital has temporarily stabilised, he said. Currently, the situation for Chinas institutions and personnel in Guinea is also generally stable, and we have not had any incidence reports.

China has key investments in the West African nation, including projects under its Belt and Road Initiative and heavy investments in massive iron ore reserves in the countrys Simandou mountains. Chinese companies have invested billions in mineral extraction in the region, including in Guinea, Ghana, Zambia, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to meet its heavy demands for machinery and electronics manufacturing.

Additional reporting by Catherine Wong

More from South China Morning Post:

This article Embassy in Guinea urges Chinese to stay alert after apparent coup first appeared on South China Morning Post

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The left panel shows the Orion Nebula observed with the Hubble Space Telescope, picking out the area around HH204. In the right panel, we can see in detail the structure of HH204 and of its apparent companion, HH203. In this panel, the images by the Hubble Space Telescope taken during 20 years and artificially highlighted with different colours show the advance of the jets of gas through the Orion Nebula. Credit: Gabriel Perez Diaz, SMM (IAC).

An international team led by researchers from the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) has uncovered, with a high degree of detail, the physical and chemical effects of the impact of a protostellar jet in the interior of the Orion Nebula. The study was made using observations with the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and 20 years of images with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The observations show evidence of compression and heating produced by the shock front, and the destruction of dust grains, which cause a dramatic increase in the gas phase abundance of the atoms of iron, nickel and other heavy elements in the Orion Nebula. The results were recently published in the Astrophysical Journal.

The Orion Nebula, one of the known and brightest objects in the night sky, is the nearest region of massive star formation to Earth, and it has a complex and extensive gas structure. Some of the newborn stars within it emit jets of gas at high speed which, when they impact their surroudings, produce shock fronts which compress and heat the nebular gas. These impact zones are bow-shaped, and are called Herbig-Haro objects, after their discoverers, the U.S. astronomer George Herbig, and the Mexican astronomer Guillermo Haro.

These objects have been observed previously in many dark nebulae, where the cold gas is neutral, and its main source of energy is the heat generated by the shock. However, the jets of gas in the Orion Nebula are immersed in a large radiation field produced by the most massive stars in the Trapezium of Orion, situated at the centre of the nebula. Due to this radiation the gas within the shock front and also the gas compressed after it has passed through, is warm and ionized, and this allows us to measure precisely the physical conditions and the chemical composition of the jet.

The research carried out by a team of astronomers in Spain, Mexico and the United States, led by Jose Eduardo Mendez Delgado, a doctoral student at the IAC and the University of La Laguna (ULL), has uncovered the complex relations between the ionic abundances of the gas and its physical conditions in HH204, one of the most prominent Herbig-Haro objects in the Orion Nebula.

On the left the Orion Nebula is shown from the Hubble Space Telescope, the area where HH204 is located is highlighted. The structures of HH204 and its apparent companion, HH203, are shown in detail on the right. Images from the Hubble Space Telescope taken over 20 years and artistically highlighted in different colors show the advance of gas jets through the Orion Nebula. Credit: Gabriel Perez Diaz, SMM (IAC).

"Our work shows that in the shock front of HH204, the gas abundances of heavy elements such as iron and nickel are increased by up to 350% compared to the values usually found in the Orion Nebula, and this allows us to determine the proportion of other chemical elements more accurately, which contributes to an improved knowledge of the chemical evolution in the solar neighbourhood," explains Jose Eduardo Mendez Delgado, the first author of the article.

"As well as the heavy element enrichment in the gas phase, we have observed a heated post-shock zone which comprises a very small fraction of the gas, and which lets us understand the different layers of the structure of the Herbig-Haro object generated by the impact of the shock front," says Cesar Esteban, and IAC researcher and a co-author of the article.

"The origin of HH204 appears to be associated with one of the most brilliant and star-formation-rich zones of the Orion Nebula, the regions called Orion South, although there are many interactions of gas which appear to feed it from several directions," adds William Henney, a researcher at the Institute of Radioastronomy and Astrophysics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and a co-author of the article.

"Thanks to the images of the Hubble Space Telescope we have shown that HH204 is propagating at an angle of 32 degrees with the plane of the sky, which lets us observe the compression of the gas transversely as we approach the shock front," points out Karla Arellano Cordova, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, and a co-author of the article.

"We have seen that the impact of these objects can be important when determining the local physical conditions in ionized nebulae. In fact, if we don't take these effects into account we can make incorrect determinations of the chemical composition of the ionized nebulae, which are fundamental techniques for understanding the chemical evolution of the Universe," sums up Jorge Garcia Rojas, an IAC researcher and a co-author of the article.

More information: J. E. Mendez-Delgado et al, Photoionized HerbigHaro Objects in the Orion Nebula through Deep High Spectral Resolution Spectroscopy. II. HH 204, The Astrophysical Journal (2021). Journal information: Astrophysical Journal J. E. Mendez-Delgado et al, Photoionized HerbigHaro Objects in the Orion Nebula through Deep High Spectral Resolution Spectroscopy. II. HH 204,(2021). DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac0cf5
Sergei Kud-Sverchkov shows Aidan Cowley the reading from the Terraspec Halo. This handheld-instrument uses visible and near infrared wavelengths to identify minerals. The Electronic Field Book is an all-in-one, easy-to-use platform. This plug-and-play device is more than a means to take notes or check information on a tablet. The device can record every step of the expedition and link the samples to places, and to other sets of samples. Every interaction with the scientists is also stored in the system. Credit: ESAA. Romeo

Finding and collecting the best lunar samples will be a major task for the next astronauts on the moon. ESA's Pangaea training campaign launches today to equip astronauts with a geologist's eye on the moonhumanity's next space destination to help us understand more about our solar system.

The course has come of age in its fourth edition with a greater focus on Earth's only natural satellite. "There has never been a better time to run this course now that we are going to the moon with NASA's Artemis missions," says Loredana Bessone, Pangaea's project lead.

From selecting a landing site and planning a lunar expedition to the search for local resources, Pangaea is "an excellent foundational course to prepare astronauts for collecting rocks on the moon and to understand why we are going back," says training coordinator Samuel Payler.

Explorers of tomorrow

Participants of this year's campaign are ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins and EAC engineer Robin Eccleston. Background lessons are followed by field trips to the Italian Dolomites, the Ries crater in Germany and the volcanic landscapes of Lanzarote, Spain, to unravel lunar and martian features on Earth.

A big fan of adventure expeditions, Andreas is looking forward to becoming a competent field scientist. "Any human mission to the moon will have geology as one of its primary goals. This makes this course very relevant, especially for the next class of ESA astronauts," he says.

Kathleen is part of the group of Artemis astronauts and could become the first American woman to land on the moon. This microbiologist has spent a total of 300 days on the International Space Station and became the 60th woman to fly in space in 2016.

The Pangaea team is very motivated to train them "to be partners in moon science and not just astronauts executing orders from Earth. They will build realistic lunar missions with us," explains Samuel.

Credit: Sirio Sechi

Getting betterand more realall the time

Pangaea 2021 gets more real and visual with new tools. "We are bringing in virtual reality for 'augmented science' and more efficient operations," says Francesco Sauro, Pangaea's technical course director.

Back to the moon and then onto Mars. Participants will wear a virtual reality headset to immerse themselves in a real martian landscape. Together with images and dozens of 3D maps, the trainees will see a combination of ground truth information and satellite images with the PLANetary MAPping project (PLANMAP) running behind the scenes.

"The crew will feel closer to a real planetary expedition and will choose their own path. It is quite a unique and powerful lesson, never done before in Pangaea," explains Francesco.

ESA is also developing a digital tool for efficient lunar expeditions. The Electronic Field Book (EFB) is an all-in-one information system that works on hand-held devices, a sort of space tablet, used to record science in remote environments. The app helps astronauts identify minerals, record each step of the space sortie, communicate with scientists on Earth and integrate inputs from microscopes and 360-degree cameras.

Three sites, one mission

Some of Europe's top planetary scientists are giving lessons during this geological, astrobiological and operational field-training course. "We have improved our training flow with lessons increasing in complexity as the participants build up their geology knowledge," adds Francesco.

The instructors will also talk about the diversity and tenacity of life and how to detect it during future planetary missions. Amid strict COVID-19 safety guidelines, participants will also learn about planetary protection. "How to collect samples and prevent contamination is paramount," states Samuel.

Explore further Making space exploration real  on Earth
Superb fairy-wren eggs (photo A Katsis, Flinders University). Credit: A Katsis, Flinders University

Ever wondered why birds are born to peep, chirrup and sing? Surprisingly international avian experts have shown this to be true, literally, after finding fluctuations in bird species' heartbeat responses to their parents' callsfrom inside the egg.

Using non-invasive techniques, a study led by Flinders University's BirdLab research group found evidence of prenatal auditory learning in embryos of three vocal learning species (superb fairy-wren, red-winged fairy-wren and Darwin's small ground finch) and two vocal non-learning species (little penguin and Japanese quail).

"Vocal production learning is only believed to occur in seven lineages of birds and mammals including humans," says senior scientist Flinders Professor Sonia Kleindorfer, who is also based at the University of Vienna.

"This research will hopefully inspire more study into the remarkable capacity of animals to learn sound," Professor Kleindorfer says.

"By moving the time window for sound learning to the prenatal stage, this research direction opens pathways to measure neurobiological downstream effects of early auditory experience on behavior and information processing."

The Flinders University researchers measured the vocal learning concepts in embryo behavior and response to sound in ovo using change in heart rate as the response variablewell before birds hatch and start making complex calls or songs several months or even years after birth.

Darwins small ground finch, one of 17 Darwins finch species on the Galapagos Islands (photo D Colombelli-Negrel, Flinders University). Credit: D Colombelli-Negrel, Flinders University

"By studying the capacity for sound learning in embryos, we are paving the way to new inroads into evolutionary and developmental timescales," says first author in a new Royal Society publication Dr. Diane Colombelli-Negrel.

"Long before actual vocalization, we found that these tiny songbirds were also discriminating towards non-specific sounds and capable of 'non-associative' (not from parents) sounds, building on the complexity of vocal learning in songbirds."

Professor Kleindorfer says there are many forms of vocal learning but vocal production learning by far stands out as a hallmark achievement in just seven Orders (primates, songbirds, parrots, hummingbirds, cetaceans, pinnipeds, bats), and among primates, "only humans can do it".

"As a result of the rarity of vocal production learning, animals have been grouped into so-called 'vocal learners' (those that learn to imitate a vocalization from a vocal tutor) and 'vocal non-learners' (animals that produce vocalizations without imitating a vocal tutor)."

Red-winged fairy-wren (photo Lyanne Brouwer). Credit: Lyanne Brouwer

Little Penguin, Troubridge Island, South Australia (photo D Colombelli-Negrel, Flinders University). Credit: D Colombelli-Negrel, Flinders University

Superb fairy-wren near Adelaide, South Australia (photo A Katsis, Flinders University). Credit: A Katsis, Flinders University

Red-winged fairy-wren male (photo Marina Louter). Credit: Marina Louter

Notably, the study's focus on whether embryos could habituate or grow accustomed to another bird's call found this was common to both vocal learning and non-learning bird species and may be more widespread than previously thought.

The BirdLab group is how exploring in-nest calling by mothers in seven fairy-wren and grasswren species. Each female produces variable combinations of vocal elements, each species has different combinations of element types during the calls, and some vocal element combinations are better at eliciting sound learning in embryos, the research indicates.

The paper, Prenatal auditory learning in avian vocal learners and non-learners (2021) by D Colombelli-Negrel, ME Hauber, C Evans, AC Katsis, L Brouwer, NM Adrean and S Kleindorfer has been published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (Biological Sciences).

More information: Prenatal auditory learning in avian vocal learners and non-learners, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (Biological Sciences), DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0247 Prenatal auditory learning in avian vocal learners and non-learners,
Credit: Nicholas Youngman

Scientists have discovered that the humble blue-tongue lizard is largely resistant to the venom of the deadly red-bellied black snake, while giant carnivorous monitor lizards which feed on Australia's most venomous snakes are not.

The surprising finding was revealed after University of Queensland scientists compared the effects of various reptile blood plasmas when exposed to the venom.

UQ Ph.D. candidate Nicholas Youngman said mammalianand particularly, humanreactions had been heavily investigated, but very little was known about snake venom effects on other reptiles.

"It was a shock discovering that the eastern blue-tongue, along with the shingleback, showed resistance specifically to red black snake venom," Mr Youngman said.

"Since their resistance was so specific to only this snake species, it seems these lizards have evolved a special plasma componentknown as a serum factorin their blood."

"This prevents specific toxins in red-bellied black snake venom from clotting the lizards' plasma, which would lead to a rapid death in most other animals."

"This resistance doesn't mean they're completely immune, but it would give them a greater chance of survival, allowing them to escape or fight back."

"Much like how a COVID-19 vaccine doesn't mean you don't get sick at all, it just means you are less likely to die."

The research team analyzed the effects of seven different Australian snake venoms on the plasma of two species of blue-tongued skinks and three species of monitor lizards that would interact with these snakes in the wild.

Associate Professor Bryan Fry, who heads UQ's Venom Evolution Lab, said the results also revealed that monitor lizardsor goannaswere not resistant to the snake venoms.

"You'd think that a goanna would be significantly resistant to the venom of any snake it was hunting and eating, but that isn't the case," Dr. Fry said."

"Snake venom can only cause harm to goannas if it's injected into its body by the snake's fangs, it can't be absorbed directly through the skin."

"Goannas are heavily armored and their scales act like medieval chain mail, with each containing a piece of bone, meaning venomous snakes' fangs struggle to pierce this armor."

"Sounlike the slow, vulnerable blue-tongue lizardthere's no pressure for goannas to evolve resistance; natural selection has invested in their armor and it's clearly working for them."

"These two divergent forms of resistance are fascinating examples of evolutionary novelty."

The research has been published in Toxins.

Explore further How snakes got their fangs

More information: Nicholas J. Youngman et al, Evidence for Resistance to Coagulotoxic Effects of Australian Elapid Snake Venoms by Sympatric Prey (Blue Tongue Skinks) but Not by Predators (Monitor Lizards), Toxins (2021). Nicholas J. Youngman et al, Evidence for Resistance to Coagulotoxic Effects of Australian Elapid Snake Venoms by Sympatric Prey (Blue Tongue Skinks) but Not by Predators (Monitor Lizards),(2021). DOI: 10.3390/toxins13090590
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

For months, the city of Needles has endured not just scorching hot weather but the possibility that its single water well could fail, a potentially life-threatening risk for this Mojave desert community of 5,000 residents.

Yet over recent weeks, word arrived that state officialsflush with billions of dollars in surplus tax revenueintend to hand over $2 million to pay for a new well that could be operational later this year. City officials are now breathing easier, even as they prepare for high temperatures this Labor Day weekend of 111 degrees.

Needles is one of the hottest cities in the nation and one of the poorest in California. It has faced what City Manager Rick Daniels calls a "life and death" situation after state officials notified the city that three of its four wells failed to meet state water quality standards.

The city is so short of cash that it didn't have money for a new well and was instead relying on its single good well that barely met demand. The well failed in late August, after an electronic control panel was fried in a power outage, and the city nearly ran out of water. The city has only 24 to 36 hours of water in storage tanks. City water technicians worked around the clock and restored the pump as reserves were nearly exhausted.

After the Los Angeles Times wrote about the city's risky situation in July, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, along with state legislators, began to put some political heat on the California State Water Resources Control Board to speed up conditional approval for emergency funding the city had sought.

"We got our grant, it is glorious," Daniels said.

Until Feinstein and others weighed in, the state board was asking that the city modify an environmental report for the new well before they would process the grant, Daniels said. At best the city thought the grant might not come for at least a year, playing blackjack with the residents' safety.

"We are just a microcosm of the state," Daniels said. "There has to be hundreds of small rural towns across the state that are in or will be in our situation. Small towns can't afford staffs of engineers, grant writers and lawyers to deal with these regulations."

The drought has exacerbated the water supply problems of many communities, putting the lowest-income cities at a disadvantage.

Jay Lund, codirector of the University of California, Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and a member of the National Academy of Engineering, said the state has about 9,000 regulated public water utilities and many of them are facing serious problems. It is a tough task to ensure there are no cities or towns that have failing water systems.

"You never will," he said. "There are so many of them and you can afford to fix only a few of them at a time. Even if you try your best, you will miss some problem. There aren't enough resources to fix everybody's problem, especially when you get into a drought."

Lund estimates that as many as 100 public water systems face the threats that Needles faces. "California is a big state and there are a lot of problems," he said.

Needles received help in navigating the state's thicket of regulations from a nonprofit coalition of labor unions and contractors, known as Rebuild SoCal Partnership. It attempts to help smaller cities deal with the state's complex laws governing infrastructure issues.

"Things are falling apart in the state," said Dave Sorem, an engineer on the group's board and a vice president of a Baldwin Park construction company, who went out to Needles to advise them on the problem. "A lot of agencies don't have a clue about what is happening in small cities."

Indeed, Daniels, the city manager, said none of the state water officials who were dealing with the city's requests have ever been to Needles. The county seat is more than 200 miles away and the state senator lives in the Central Valley. Daniels said the situation reminds him of the Jimmy Buffet line, "Don't try to describe the ocean if you've never seen it."

Indeed, the city is hotter than many renowned municipal ovens, like Phoenix, Las Vegas and Houston. The daily high temperature in August never went below 100 degrees and topped out at 122 on Aug. 4.

The Colorado River flows through town and the city has rights to 1,272 acre feet of water each year. It has historically operated four wells, but starting last fall the water board notified the city that three of the wells were contaminated with naturally occurring minerals, manganese and iron, that exceeded state standards. Then it ordered a corrective action plan in May, which the city said it could not afford.

Manganese is regulated as a secondary contaminant, based on its esthetics. It causes stains and a bitter taste to water. But toxicologists believe manganese causes neurological disorders, particularly in children, and say it will eventually be regulated as a health hazard.

The new well will be 150 feet to 300 feet deep, located upriver in an area where some private wells have low levels of manganese, Daniels said. It will be connected by a new 16-inch main, running 2,700 feet to the city's water system. The city hopes to have the well online within three to four months.

When the new well is running, the city will have a 48-hour reserve capacity, still under the seven-day reserve recommended for large municipal systems in Southern California. Ultimately, the city would like to build another water tank to supplement the three it currently uses, Daniels said.

Among the heavy water users in the city are 14 marijuana growing facilities, which also contribute a fair amount to city finances through cultivation taxes and a 10% local excise tax on production. The city puts tax receipts back into upgrading the water system, Daniels said. For example, Needles is trying to replace aged and leak-prone pipes made of cast iron, asbestos cement and copper. Last year, the system sprung 200 leaks and in one case dumped a half-million gallons of water onto I-40, forcing a partial shutdown.

Needles Mayor Jeff Williams said the few local residents who know about the situation have been understanding. "Luckily, we didn't have to distribute bottled water," he said.

Explore further Study: Involving the public in water policies is key to successful municipal water systems

2021 Los Angeles Times.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Climate change-related disasters are worsening the vulnerabilities of women and girls as essential health services including family planning get overlooked during such times, a report says.

The report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says that events such as extreme storms make it difficult to access sexual and reproductive health services, leading to increases in child marriage, gender-based violence, unintended pregnancies and risk of maternal death.

"During climate emergencies, we often witness a disruption of service deliveries," says Angela Baschieri, population dynamics adviser at the UNFPA East and Southern Africa regional office.

"This includes access to health facilities for childbirth, access to family planning and other lifesaving interventions. These impacts are particularly important to the less fortunate and the vulnerable."

The report reviewed key climate change documents known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and evaluated how gender and health issues, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, were considered in national climate action frameworks, plans and strategies.

The review reveals critical gaps in countries' national climate policies and proposes adaptation measures to respond to the impact of climate change on women and girls, offering hopes of achieving good health and gender equality.

Researchers assessed 50 NDCs from five UNFPA regions: the Arab States, Asia and Pacific, Western and Central Africa, East and Southern Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to Baschieri, domestic violence, rape, trafficking, early and forced marriages, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse are some of the types of gender-based violence common in humanitarian emergencies.

She adds that increasing drought means women and girls travel longer distances to collect water and firewood, exposing them to sexual and gender-based violence.

In Zimbabwe, which has suffered years of successive drought, women account for 65 percent of people involved in fetching water, compared to 35 percent men, according to its Nationally Determined Contributions for 2021.

Women and girls in African countries such as Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Uganda, already hit hard by climate change, often suffer devastating impacts from cyclones and severe drought, says Baschieri.

In Mozambique, following Cyclones Idai and Kenneth in 2019, UNFPA-led assessments showed increased risks for women and girls, including gender-based violence.

"Many women were separated from family and community networks and had lost their livelihoods and support systems," Baschieri says. "Girls, who are unable to attend school if they are displaced, for instance, risk being married off early by parents who can no longer afford to look after them if they have lost their livelihoods."

Baschieri urges governments across Africa to integrate sexual and reproductive health and rights into climate-resilient health systems and disaster risk reduction plans, and provide opportunities for young people.

"Climate policymakers must take targeted and bold actions to ensure that the foundation of climate policies is based on some of these key elements," she explains.

Tijani Salami, a Nigeria-based sexual and reproductive health rights advocate, agrees that climate change disasters have affected health services, and sexual and reproductive health rights.

"This is an age-long problem that has been overlooked, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa," says Salami, a principal medical officer at the Nigeria-based Federal University of Technology Minna.

"In any disaster, health services of people in such communities are affected generallybut unfortunately the practice has always been that when responses commence, sexual and reproductive health for women and girls are neglected."

African governments, he says, need to increase investment in sexual and reproductive health and create platforms that address the needs of women and girls affected by disasters.

"In the long term, we should build resilient communities that can mitigate health impact when climate-induced disaster happens," he adds.

Provided by SciDev.Net
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The German government said Monday it supports plans for a North Sea spaceport that would be used to launch small satellites into space from Europe.

Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said the government would act as an "anchor customer" for the floating launch site off the German coast.

"We want to strengthen the national space program," he said at an event marking the signing of cooperation agreements between the German Offshore Spaceport Alliance and four European rocket manufacturerstwo from Germany, one from the Netherlands and one from Britain.

Siegfried Russwurm, head of the Germany industry association BDI, said a spaceport in the North Sea would make it easier to launch satellites into polar and sun-synchronous orbits.

There are more than 20 spaceports around the world already, but European space companies currently rely mostly on launches from Russia's site in Kazakhstan, French Guiana in South America and from the United States.

Explore further Russia launches UK telecom satellites into space

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Dr Lanna Cheng collecting specimens with a dip net at the entrance of Cooks Bay. Credit: Anthony Smith

The open oceans are harsh and hostile environments where insects might not be expected to thrive. In fact, only one insect group, ocean skaters, or water striders, has adapted to life on the open seas.

How these insects evolved to conquer the high seas, however, was not known.

Now, a study of the genetics of skaters provides a clue. The answer has to do with when major currents in the eastern Pacific Ocean came into existence with each species of skater evolving to match the unique conditions of those currents.

Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego examined the genetics of three ocean skater species collected with dip nets across the eastern Pacific between Hawaii and Peru. The results of the study revealed that the skaters became specialised on different current systems, as those currents changed into their modern configurations.

The findings could unravel the mystery of how each skater species came to occupy habitats vastly different from those of other insects, and also deepen our understanding of how climate change affects ocean-dwelling organisms.

"It is amazing how the ocean skater's genetic history is closely tied to that of our oceans," said study leader Dr. Wendy Wang, an entomologist from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at NUS. "The open ocean is an extremely hostile environment, with direct sunlight throughout the daytime, strong winds and limited food. The abilities of their body covering or cuticle to protect their internal organs from heat and ultraviolet damage, and to survive violent storms and find food in this unique habitat where no other insect could demonstrate their unique ecological roles in the ocean. These characteristics make them fascinating subjects of study for materials science and extreme biological adaptations."

The research team first reported their findings in the journal Marine Biology on 5 September 2021.

Linking genetic data with climatic changes

Ocean skaters live their entire lives perpetually running about on the surface film of the open seas, enduring lashing storms and feeding on tiny prey trapped on or just below the ocean surface. Currently, there are five known oceanic species of the genus Halobates. While information about where they can be found are well-established, little is known about their genetic variation, and how physical factors like ocean currents, temperature and winds affect their distribution.

The research team conducted a genetic study of three of those skater species collected from offshore Mexico to Peru, and as far out to sea as Hawaii. Most of the specimens were skimmed from the ocean surface with dip nets by Dr. Lanna Cheng, a marine biologist at Scripps Oceanography, and study co-author. Dr. Cheng is a world expert who has devoted her research to Halobates, and she has been studying the genus for almost five decades.

A male Halobates splendens specimen. Credit: National University of Singapore

Dr. Wang led the gene sequencing and genetic analysis of nearly 400 specimens across the three species. The researchers uncovered distinct genetic variations among the species that illustrate very different stories of population growth and development during ancient times.

The oldest of them, Halobates splendens, was found to have expanded its population nearly a million years ago. The other two younger species, Halobates micans and Halobates sobrinus, were found to have increased in abundance 100,000 to 120,000 years ago.

These formative dates match past climate events. H. splendens is now found in the rich, productive waters of the cold tongue that originates off the coast of South America as the Peru current. Climatological data showed that this physical feature of cold surface water came into existence a million years ago, just at the same time as the period of growth in the genetic diversity and populations of H. splendens.

The other two species H. sobrinus and H. micans were determined to have diversified in the warm, relatively unproductive waters of Central America. The populations of both species expanded when El Nino climate patterns caused warm ocean water to move into the eastern Pacific Ocean. The El Nino effects were especially strong in the habitats of both H. micans and H. sobrinus about 100,000 years ago, coinciding with the time these species developed their modern genetic patterns and population sizes.

"With no apparent physical boundaries in the open ocean to stop them, Halobates can skate practically from the coast of California across the entire Pacific Ocean to Japan and beyond," Dr. Cheng said. "Two of the species studied in this paper, H. sobrinus and H. splendens, however, have never been found to venture beyond the eastern Pacific Ocean and we didn't know why. This paper gave us the clue from their ancestry."

Scripps Oceanography's Professor Richard Norris is a paleontologist who, for the study, matched the expansion of ocean skater populations to the time periods when the fossil record suggests the modern currents first formed.

"The genetics show that the three species we studied each had periods of population growth that fit eerily well with geological evidence for when the current systems they live in came into existence," said Prof Norris. "Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised, since it is common for marine creatures to specialise on particular ocean conditions, but these skaters live on top of the ocean. Apparently, even the character of the sea spray and water surface film is different enough between currents to matter to these guys."

Dr. Wang said, "The findings of our study highlight the deep influence of climatic conditions on marine populations. The results also contribute towards understanding the fates of ocean-dwelling organisms as ongoing climate change accelerates in the coming decades."

To expand their knowledge, the researchers will continue to examine the population dynamics of this enigmatic marine insect by studying their genomes.

"Drawing on the key insights from this study, together with our ongoing work, we aim to connect the evolutionary origins of various Halobates species, and uncover how they came to occupy the surface ocean and coastal habitats in present day," said marine biologist and co-author Assistant Professor Huang Danwei from the NUS Department of Biological Sciences, and an alumnus of Scripps Oceanography.

Co-author Mr. Marc Cheng said, "Having genetic data is especially useful for organisms such as the ocean skaters which we are studying as we are unable to observe them ethologically in their natural environment to track their population." He is a doctoral student at NUS who is using DNA sequencing methods to uncover the genetic basis to life on the sea surface.

Explore further Sea skaters are a super source of inspiration

More information: Wendy Y. Wang et al, Distinct population histories among three unique species of oceanic skaters Halobates Eschscholtz, 1822 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerridae) in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, Marine Biology (2021). Journal information: Marine Biology Wendy Y. Wang et al, Distinct population histories among three unique species of oceanic skaters Halobates Eschscholtz, 1822 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerridae) in the Eastern Pacific Ocean,(2021). DOI: 10.1007/s00227-021-03944-6
Southern California hummingbird foraging nectar from a flower. Credit: David Rankin/UCR

In less time than it takes to read this sentence, hummingbirds can catch a whiff of potential trouble. That's the result of new UC Riverside research showing, contrary to popular belief, the tiny birds do have an active sense of smell.

Researchers have known for some time that vultures have a highly sensitive sense of smell, with some species being compared to "airborne bloodhounds." This is due in part to their large olfactory bulbstissue in the brain that controls smell.

However, hummingbirds' olfactory bulbs are, like the rest of their bodies, extremely small. Earlier studies were unable to demonstrate that hummingbirds showed a preference for the smell of flowers containing nectar. In addition, flowers pollinated by birds generally don't have strong odors, unlike those pollinated by insects. For these reasons, scientists did not previously believe the birds possessed the ability to smell things.

UCR scientists have now shown for the first time that not only can hummingbirds smell insects, but also that scent may help them stay out of danger while looking for nectar to eat. A paper describing their experiments has now been published in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.

"This is pretty exciting, as it is the first clear demonstration of hummingbirds using their sense of smell alone to make foraging decisions and avoid contact with potentially dangerous insects at a flower or feeder," said Erin Wilson Rankin, associate entomology professor and study co-author.

Hummingbird and bee sharing a flower. Credit: David Rankin/UCR

For their experiments, the researchers allowed more than 100 hummingbirds to choose between two feeders, either sugar water alone, or sugar water plus one of several chemicals whose scent signaled the presence of an insect. There were no visual differences between the two feeders offered in each of the experiments.

Tests included the scent deposited on flowers by European honeybees, an attraction chemical secreted by Argentine ants, and formic acid, a defensive compound produced by some Formica ants which is known to harm birds as well as mammals.

"If a bird has any exposed skin on their legs, formic acid can hurt, and if they get it in their eyes, it isn't pleasant," Rankin said. "It's also extremely volatile."

The hummingbirds avoided both of the ant-derived chemicals, especially the formic acid. However, they had no reaction at all to the honeybee scent, which is known to deter other bees from visiting flowers.

To ensure it was the chemical itself the birds were reacting to, and not simply a fear of new smells, the researchers did an additional test with ethyl butyrate, a common additive in human food.

Hummingbird and bee sharing feeder resource. Credit: David Rankin/UCR

"It smells like Juicy Fruit gum, which is not a smell known in nature," Rankin said. "I did not enjoy it. The birds did not care about it though and didn't go out of their way to avoid it."

Rankin said the study raises new questions about the underrated importance that scent plays in birds' foraging decisions and specifically, hummingbird foraging.

Ashley Kim, first author on the paper and current ecology doctoral student at UC San Diego, was based in the Rankin Lab at UCR while participating in this project.

"This research made me understand the importance of studying the basic biology and natural history of animals that are commonly overlooked," she said.

Kim's participation was supported by the National Science Foundation, through its Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, which helps undergraduates get hands-on experience conducting research.

Rankin typically studies trophic interactions, or as she explains it, the science of "who eats who" in nature. "Hummingbirds and insects might be competing for floral resources," she said. "Their foraging decisions help us understand how the ecosystem functions, and any actions that ultimately might be needed for conservation."

Explore further Hummingbirds found able to understand numerical order

More information: Ashley Y. Kim et al, What is that smell? Hummingbirds avoid foraging on resources with defensive insect compounds, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (2021). Journal information: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Ashley Y. Kim et al, What is that smell? Hummingbirds avoid foraging on resources with defensive insect compounds,(2021). DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03067-4
In this June 30, 2021 file photo a container ship leaves the Port of New York and New Jersey in Elizabeth, N.J. A major maritime industry association on Monday backed plans for a global surcharge on carbon emissions from shipping to help fund the sector's shift toward climate-friendly fuels. Credit: AP Photo/Seth Wenig, file

A major maritime industry association on Monday backed plans for a global surcharge on carbon emissions from shipping to help fund the sector's shift toward climate-friendly fuels.

The International Chamber of Shipping said it's proposing to the United Nations that all vessels trading globally above a certain size should pay a set amount per metric ton of carbon dioxide they emit.

Environmental groups welcomed the proposal to the the International Maritime Organization, a U.N. body, but cautioned that it doesn't specify what carbon price would be supported by the group, which represents commercial shipowners and operators covering over 80% of the world merchant fleet.

"We will know they are serious about real progress when they embrace a level of ambition consistent with what climate vulnerable island nations have already proposed," said Aoife O'Leary, director of global transportation at the Environmental Defense Fund.

The shipping industry is estimated to account for nearly 3% of the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving global warming and projected to rise significantly in the coming decades.

The Marshall Islands and the Solomon Islands, two nations with large shipping fleets whose territories are severely threatened by climate change, have suggested a carbon levy starting at $100 per ton.

"This proposal sets out how to practically create a market-based measure for the global shipping industry, in order to quickly move towards an effective price," said Guy Platten, the secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping. "Rather than make guesses for PR purposes, we want to come to a number that will decarbonize the sector without disenfranchising huge proportions of the developing world on the way."

The group said it opposed piecemeal regional measures, such as those proposed by the European Union, and called for the money generated from the levy to go into a climate fund that would subsidize clean alternatives such as hydrogen until they come competitive with conventional fuels.

Explore further World shipping industry agrees to halve carbon emissions by 2050

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Fact-checking works to reduce false beliefs across the globe, according to a new study conducted in four countries.

Researchers found that fact-checking worked with little variation in Argentina, Nigeria, South Africa and the U.K., and the positive effects were still detectable two weeks later.

Even more encouraging, there was no evidence of a "backfire" effect of fact-checking, said Thomas Wood, co-author of the study and assistant professor of political science at The Ohio State University.

"When we started doing misinformation work about five years ago, it was the consensus that correcting misinformation wasn't just ineffective, but that it was aggravating the problem and making people more entrenched in their false beliefs," Wood said.

"We found no evidence of that in these four countries. What we did find was that fact-checking can be a very effective tool against misinformation."

Wood conducted the study with Ethan Porter, assistant professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University. The research was published Sept. 6, 2021 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The researchers worked with fact-checking organizations in the four countries that are part of the International Fact-Checking Network, an organization that promotes nonpartisan and transparent fact-checking. They evaluated five fact-checks that were unique to each country and tworegarding COVID-19 and climate changethat were tested in all four countries.

The fact-checks in each country, done in September and October 2020, covered a broad range of misinformation, including local politics, crime and the economy.

Some of the 2,000 participants in each country received only the misinformation, while others received the misinformation followed by the actual corrections used by local fact-checking organizations in response to misinformation.

They then rated how much they believed the false statement on a scale of 1-5.

In each country, members of a control group did not receive any misinformation or corrective statements, but simply rated how much they believed the statements.

When compared to misinformation, every fact-check produced more accurate beliefs, while misinformation didn't always lead to less accurate beliefs when compared to the controls.

Results showed that fact-checks increased factual accuracy by .59 points on the five-point scale. Misinformation decreased factual accuracy by less than .07 on the same scale.

"Misinformation is far less persuasive than corrective information, by and large," Wood said.

In three of the countries (South Africa, Argentina and the U.K.), the researchers returned two weeks later and asked participants how much they believed the false statements they evaluated earlier. Results showed that the positive effects of fact-checking were still robust two weeks later.

Two topics were tested in all four countries. One involved climate change, testing how much people believed the false statement, commonly shared at the time, that there were two years of record-breaking global cooling between 2016 and 2018. Another tested the false statement, which was widely shared near the beginning the COVID-19 pandemic, that gargling saltwater would prevent infection with the coronavirus.

Results showed that exposure to the climate change misinformation did not uniformly lead to people being less accurate on that issue.

But the misinformation regarding COVID-19 did lower accuracy in three of the four countries and had the largest misinformation effects found in the study. However, the fact-checks did help boost accuracy on this issue.

All participants also completed measurements of their political beliefs, to see if that influenced how they were swayed by fact-checks.

Results showed that participants' reactions to fact-checks were connected to their beliefsbut in no case did an ideological group become more inaccurate because they were exposed to a correction.

"Some corrections didn't improve the accuracy for some ideological groups, but they didn't provoke any instances of backfire," Wood said.

"Overall, the beliefs of adherents of the left, center and right alike were made more accurate by fact-checks, even when topics were politically charged."

Wood noted that studies suggesting that fact-checking can backfire were mostly done in the United States and countries like itwhat researchers call WEIRD samples, for Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic.

People in countries with these WEIRD populations, where political ideology plays a strong role in beliefs, may behave somewhat differently from those in other parts of the world. In fact, in this new study, the corrective effects of fact-checking were smallest in the U.K., which is the most WEIRD country of the four, Wood said.

"People in less ideological countries are going to be more factually adherent," he said.

But still, Wood emphasized that this study showed that fact-checking was valuable in four countries that were diverse among racial, economic and political lines.

"Fact-checking is a powerful tool," he said.

These results will be especially important as the COVID-19 vaccines become more accessible in places like Africa, he said. While dangerous misinformation about vaccine safety and efficacy may also follow there, this study suggests a rigorous program of fact-checking on social media and elsewhere could be effective at battling falsehoods.

"These populations may be even more receptive to corrections of misinformation than those from richer, more industrialized countries where ideology is more important," Wood said.

Explore further Google boosts support for checking coronavirus facts

More information: The global effectiveness of fact-checking: Evidence from simultaneous experiments in Argentina, Nigeria, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences The global effectiveness of fact-checking: Evidence from simultaneous experiments in Argentina, Nigeria, South Africa, and the United Kingdom,(2021). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2104235118
In this Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, file photo, firefighters are lit by a backfire set to prevent the Caldor Fire from spreading near South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Thousands of wildfires burn in the U.S. each year, and each one requires firefighters to make quick decisions, often in difficult conditions like high winds and lightning. Crews and managers must determine when to bring in aircraft, what time of day is best to battle flames, whether to evacuate residents and even if certain fires should be extinguished at all. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File

Thousands of wildfires ignite in the U.S. each year, and each one requires firefighters to make quick decisions, often in difficult conditions like high winds and lightning.

Crews and managers must determine when to bring in aircraft, what time of day is best to battle flames, whether to evacuate residents and even if certain fires should be extinguished at all.

In the West, which sees many of the country's largest fires, they do all this amid the backdrop of prolonged drought and other climate change-induced conditions that have made wildfires more destructive. Other challenges include a century of reflexive wildfire suppression and overgrown forests, experts say, and communities that have crept into fire-prone areas.

Russ Lane, fire operations chief for the Washington state Department of Natural Resources, explains how some key firefighting decisions are made:

WHY DO FIRE MANAGERS LET SOME WILDFIRES BURN?

Sometimes fires fit a beneficial land management goal, like when they burn in a wilderness area or national park.

Fires are part of the natural forest cycle, and "at times that's the right approach," said Lane, who is in his 35th season as a firefighter, much of that spent in western Oregon. He joined Washington's natural resources agency in 2019.

Also, wildfires sometimes burn in areas where it is unsafe to put firefighters.

WHEN DO FIRE MANAGERS DEPLOY AIRCRAFT?

Planes or helicopters are used if a wildfire is burning too intensely to send in ground forces, or if aircraft are the best way to deliver water or retardant, Lane said.

"You want to hit a fire quick so it stays small," Lane said.

The goal is to keep them from erupting into megafires. Cal Fire, California's firefighting agency, keeps an average of 95% of blazes to 10 acres (4 hectares) or less.

But Lane said aircraft alone are usually not enough to extinguish a fire. "It takes boots on the ground."

Aircraft also can face numerous visibility limitations when trying to make water drops on a wildfire.

HOW HAS TECHNOLOGY HELPED?

When it comes to early detection, one innovation is replacing fire lookout towers staffed by humans with cameras in remote areas, many of them in high-definition and armed with artificial intelligence to discern a smoke plume from morning fog. There are 800 such cameras scattered across California, Nevada and Oregon.

Fire managers also routinely summon military drones to fly over fires at night, using heat imaging to map their boundaries and hot spots. They can use satellite imagery to plot the course of smoke and ash.

WHAT IS THE BEST TIME OF DAY TO ATTACK A BLAZE?

Generally the heat of a summer day is not the best time to fight wildfires.

"We are pretty successful in the morning, late evening or overnight," Lane said.

ARE WILDFIRES HARDER TO BATTLE IN TIMBER OR GRASSLANDS?

In this Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, file photo, a firefighter lights a backfire to stop the Caldor Fire from spreading near South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Thousands of wildfires burn in the U.S. each year, and each one requires firefighters to make quick decisions, often in difficult conditions like high winds and lightning. Crews and managers must determine when to bring in aircraft, what time of day is best to battle flames, whether to evacuate residents and even if certain fires should be extinguished at all. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File

Dry lightning puts dozens of fires on the landscape, Lane said, and weather is a major factor in their spread.

Wildfires in grassland tend to grow more quickly, and are more susceptible to expanding when there are high winds, Lane said. Fires in timberlands don't grow as fast, but they are more difficult to extinguish.

"With grass, a little rain and it goes out," Lane said.

HOW TO SAVE HOUSES WHEN FIRES ARE CLOSE?

Lane said the building material used on a house, and the nearby vegetation, are big factors in determining if a house can be saved when fire approaches.

Houses with wooden roofs and lots of flammable vegetation around them are hardest to save. Usually a fire crew will spray water around a house to protect it.

Sometimes they will burn out the vegetation around a house to starve an approaching wildfire. If the homeowner keeps brush well away from a home prior to a fire that is a big help, Lane said.

WHERE DO FIRE NAMES COME FROM?

Usually a fire is named by the first unit of firefighters on the scene. Most of the time the name reflects a nearby geographic feature, such as a creek or valley.

California's massive Dixie Fire, for instance, was named after the road where it started on July 14.

WHY DO FIREFIGHTERS SPEND SO MUCH TIME DIGGING LINES?

"Every fire has to have a dirt trail around it," Lane said. "That's to separate the fuel from the fire."

Firefighters also get help when the flames burn toward a river, a rocky area or a road. "Separating fuel from fire is what stops them," he said.

WHO LEADS A PARTICULAR FIREFIGHTING EFFORT?

Wildfires get one of five ratings, with Type 5 the least dangerous and Type 1 the most dangerous. More than 95% of all fires are smaller Type 4 or 5 wildfires and are quickly put out by local firefighters.

Larger fires, like the ones the Washington state Department of Natural Resources responds to, are assigned an incident commander, said Janet Pearce, agency spokeswoman.

The commander creates a set of objectives, which guides the command and general staff. An operations section chief then devises the strategy for the operational firefighting effort.

WHEN DO YOU ORDER RESIDENTS TO IMMEDIATELY EVACUATE?

Emergency managers consider fire behavior, predicted weather and the amount of time it will take to evacuate, when making the decision to order people to leave, Lane said.

They also consider the availability of shelters and the potential for harm or loss of human life.

Occasionally, an order is given to "shelter in place." This is typically done when there is either no time to escape an oncoming fire, or it would be more hazardous to evacuate than remain in place, he said.

Explore further New technology propels efforts to fight Western wildfires

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Federal authorities are responding to a 14-mile-long oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico discovered in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, according to the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office.

The spill, which consists of a 4-mile black sheen and a 10-mile rainbow sheen, is located in federal waters off Port Fourchon, Louisiana, Coordinator Sam Jones said.

"That's big," Jones said in an interview on Saturday. "It's the biggest one out there."

The crude is believed to be coming from a pipeline owned by Houston-based oil and gas exploration company Talos Energy Inc., the Coast Guard said in a statement, adding the agency was in the preliminary stages of investigation.

Talos Energy said it's leading a response to the spill, which it said was coming from an unknown source in an area where it ceased production in 2017.

"Extensive field observations indicate that Talos assets are not the source," the company said in a statement. "Talos will continue to work closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and other state and federal agencies to identify the source of the release and coordinate a successful response."

Talos said it deployed two 95-foot response vessels to conduct oil recovery operations at the site as well as an additional vessel and divers to help locate the source.

Jones said his agency had received 265 reports of spills and other incidents related to Ida, including 32 that appeared to be serious. Among them were two underwater pipelines, apparently transporting gas, and a gas well that blew in Three Bayou Bay in Jefferson Parish. The agency is investigating who owns those assets, Jones said.

Multiple releases of crude have been reported in the Gulf of Mexico, including one near an offshore rig in the gulf, according to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.

The agency has reported more than 100 incidents of spills and other toxic releases as Ida's environmental impact in a petrochemical corridor packed with hazardous-chemical plants and refineries begins to become apparent.

"The type of accident we are seeing is preventable and shouldn't be allowed to happen," said Naomi Yoder, a staff scientist at Healthy Gulf, a New Orleans-based environmental group that has reported several spills to authorities in the wake of Ida. "Is it something we are going to be able to repair or is it something that will be a very long-term process?"

Hurricane Ivan in 2004 triggered an underwater oil spill that is still leaking, she said.

Explore further Russian investigators probe big Black Sea oil spill

2021 Bloomberg L.P.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Research has warned that massive destruction of tropical forests combined with climate change are pushing the Amazon towards a 'tipping point' which would see tropical forests give way to savannah-like landscapes.

Should 80 percent of the Amazon be declared a protected area by 2025?

The world's top conservation body is on Sunday poised to decide whether its 1,400 members can vote on this controversial proposal, put forward by indigenous groups.

Submitted under an emergency provision to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the measure calls for a "global action plan" to halt rampant deforestation and the destructive extraction of precious minerals and oil.

Over the last two decades, the Amazon has lost roughly 10,000 square kilometres every year, according to assessments based on satellite data.

"That's the emergency, not just for us but for humanity," Jose Gregorio Diaz Mirabal, a leader of the Curripaco people in Venezuela, told AFP at the Congress venue in Marseille.

For the first time in the IUCN's 70-year history, indigenous groups have a separate status alongside government agencies and national or international NGOs.

Diaz Mirabal submitted the Amazon proposal for the newly admitted organisation COICA, which represents more than two million indigenous people in nine Amazon nations.

"We have been neglected, and now we have a voice and will exercise that voting right," he said.

'Territory of humanity'

Recent research has warned that massive destruction of tropical forests combined with climate change are pushing the Amazon towards a disastrous "tipping point" which would see tropical forests give way to savannah-like landscapes.

This would not only drastically change the region's climate, but have an impact on global climate systems as well, scientists say.

Rates of tree loss drop sharply in the forests where native peoples live, especially if they hold some degree of titlelegal or customaryover land, other research has shown.

IUCN officials are reviewing the COICA measure, along with 20 others proposals submitted after the deadline last year, "to make sure they are both 'new' and 'urgent'," said Enrique Lahmann, a senior administrator.

"Both criteria are required."

A decision will be announced late Sunday or Monday, his office said.

While the vote, which would be held in the coming week, would not have legal weight, it demonstrates the strength of feeling among indigenous groups.

In an emotional press conference, Diaz Mirabalflanked by indigenous leaders from French Guiana and Ecuadorimplored world leaders to take head of his message.

"We are asking governments to help us protect our territory, which is also the territory of humanity," he said. "Because if the Amazon rainforest disappears, people will die everywhere, it's that simple."

"It is crucial to stop extracting the oil, the gold, the uranium," he added. "This is wealth for Europe, the United States, Russia, and China, but is poverty for us."

Explore further Conservation meet mulls plan to protect 80% of Amazon

 2021 AFP
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

It is known among aviculturists that cockatiels imitate human music with their whistle-like vocal sounds. Yoshimasa Seki, a professor of Psychology Department of Aichi University, examined whether cockatiels are also able to sing in unison, or, line up their vocalizations with a musical melody so that they occur at the same time.

Three hand-raised cockatiels were exposed to a musical melody of human whistling produced by Dr. Seki. All the birds learned to sing the melody. Then, two out of these three birds spontaneously joined in singing during an ongoing melody, so that the singing by each one of the birds and the whistling by the human were nearly perfectly synchronous.

Then, Dr. Seki began two experiments using a playback of the melody of the whistling to examine whether the birds actively adjusted their vocal timing to the melody. First, A playback sequence was presented after a bird started singing. The melody was composed of the two parts; the first half and the second half separated by a long pause. Thus, the birds changed the pause duration of their own song to synchronize the vocal timing with the melody of the playback; when the latency of the playback was longer, the pause of the singing was longer. Second, a playback sequence was presented when a bird was not singing to observe whether the bird begins to sing following the playback, and how he modulates his vocal timing to synchronize with the playback of the melody. One of the birds joined in the singing from the middle of the melody by skipping several initial notes to synchronize his vocal timing with the playback. The lack of the initial notes was never observed when the bird sang songs spontaneously during the experimental period; the bird always began singing from the beginning of the melody.

The results reveal that the birds actively adjust their vocal timing to playback of a recording of the same melody. This means cockatiels have a remarkable ability for flexible vocal control, similar to that observed in human singing.

Explore further Duck species can imitate sounds

More information: Seki Y (2021) Cockatiels sing human music in synchrony with a playback of the melody. PLoS ONE 16(9): e0256613. Journal information: PLoS ONE Seki Y (2021) Cockatiels sing human music in synchrony with a playback of the melody.16(9): e0256613. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256613

Provided by Aichi University
Two diamond shaped, rubble-pile asteroids have been observed near Earth, and were photographed by unmanned spacecrafts in 2018 and 2019. Scientists at OIST and Rutgers University have used a simple model normally reserved for the flow of grains to explain their unusual shape. In this image, a photograph of one of the asteroids, Bennu, is shown on the left. On the right, a simulation using the model is shown. As can be seen, the shape of the simulation matches that of Bennu. Credit: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology

Scientists from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) and Rutgers University have used simple concepts from granular physics to explain the curious diamond shapes of two "near Earth" asteroids.

Asteroids are rocky bodies that orbit the sun. What makes them fascinating to researchers is that they are made up of leftover materialsthe matter that didn't get absorbed into the larger planets when the solar system formed, around 4.6 billion years ago. Thus, they can shed light on the early days of the solar system and the formation of the planets. Most asteroids are trapped in the asteroid belt, a region between Jupiter and Mars. This distance from Earth makes them difficult to study. But, occasionally, an asteroid will escape and drift closer to Earth, making it possible to photograph them up close using an unmanned spacecraft.

This is what happened with these two diamond shaped asteroidsBennu and Ryugu. Both Bennu and Ryugu are classed as rubble-pile asteroids, which means they are made up of many smaller pieces of rocky material that are loosely held together by gravity. Essentially, they're just grains that interact with each other, like the sand on our beaches.

"Previous models have attributed these diamond shapes to the forces caused by the rotation, which resulted in material being driven from the poles to the equator. But when the asteroids were simulated using these models, the shape was flattened or asymmetric rather than diamond, so we knew something wasn't right," explained Dr. Tapan Sabuwala, lead author of the paper published in Granular Matter and researcher in OIST's Fluid Mechanics Unit. "We found that these models were missing a key ingredient, the deposition of material. And a simple granular physics model, normally used for the deposition of grains like sand or sugar, could predict the observed shape."

Imagine pouring sand or sugar through a funnel. A cocktail of different forces will ensure that it forms a conical pile (like a party hat). Granular physicists can predict the shape of the pile based on the different forces that act on the grains. Dr. Sabuwala, alongside Professor Pinaki Chakraborty who leads the Unit and Professor Troy Shinbrot from Rutgers University, transferred these ideas to the asteroids.

Dr. Sabuwala explained how, on these asteroids, gravity is oriented differently compared to that experienced by a sandpile on the beach. "We had to factor this into our model, alongside the fact that the asteroid's rotation also plays a significant role," he said.

So, instead of the conical shape seen in the accumulation of grains on Earth, the forces at work on the asteroids produced diamond shapes. The centrifugal force, caused by rotation, decreased near the poles of the asteroids, causing material to accumulate there, and resulting in their distinctive elevated appearance. Another important distinction of this model (when compared to previous ones) is that it suggests that these rubble-pile asteroids did not start as a sphere and deform into a diamond shape. Rather, the accumulation of debris caused the diamond shape to form very early on in the formation of the asteroid, and any subsequent reshaping was minimal. Furthermore, the notion that the diamond shapes were cast during the early stages of the asteroid formation, while at odds with previous models, is consistent with recent observations.

The researchers went on to show the accuracy of this model through simulations and found that the simulated asteroids formed the distinctive diamond shape, further supporting their theory.

"We have used simple concepts of how grains flow to explain how these asteroids assumed their curious shapes," said Professor Chakraborty. "That simple ideas can illuminate complex problems is, to us, perhaps the most delightful aspect of this work."

Explore further Asteroids Ryugu and Bennu were formed by the destruction of a large asteroid

More information: Tapan Sabuwala et al, Bennu and Ryugu: diamonds in the sky, Granular Matter (2021). Tapan Sabuwala et al, Bennu and Ryugu: diamonds in the sky,(2021). DOI: 10.1007/s10035-021-01152-z
Dr Hawke says the team will track the animals after their release to make sure they are settling in to their new environment. Credit: Platypus Conservation Initiative

UNSW researchers are teaming up with WWF Australia, Taronga Zoo and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to bring platypuses back into the Royal National Parkan area where they haven't been seen in almost 50 years.

The iconic Australian mammalfamously known for its duck-like bill and egg laying abilitywas last recorded in the park in the 1970s, when a devastating chemical spill on the highway washed into park streams and likely wiped out resident platypuses.

This loss is part of a worrying trend that has seen platypuses decline across much of its traditional range due to habitat destruction, river regulation, predation by invasive species, and an increased frequency and severity of droughts and fires due to climate change.

"Our aim is to introduce an initial group of 10 platypuses back into the park late next year," says Dr. Gilad Bino, leading the project from UNSW's Centre for Ecosystem Science (CES).

"We'll monitor how they settle in, with the hopes their population will start to grow and reestablish in the area and allow people a place to come and appreciate this unique animal."

NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean says this project will help ensure the platypus' future.

"The platypus is seen nowhere else on the planet and like so many of our other iconic native species its future is uncertain. Unfortunately, we have some of the worst extinction rates anywhere in the world and we have to make sure the platypus never makes that list," he says.

"With this initiative and through the leadership of some of our best minds at UNSW, the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF), Taronga Conservation Society Australia and National Parks are joining forces to ensure the platypus' future."

Researchers will begin this new project by surveying rivers in the 16,000 hectares of Royal National Park and nearby Heathcote National Park to identify suitable habitat and confirm, as is suspected, that all the platypuses have gone.

"Platypuses are hard to see and are mainly nocturnal, so we have to survey and assess the condition of all the rivers and creeks in the park," says Dr. Bino. "This will allow us to verify the absence of platypus and it also means we can check which part of the rivers are suitable for reintroducing new individuals."

The team will survey other platypus populations across NSW to find out where the species are going well and where animals could be sourced from for their reintroduction. Credit: Platypus Conservation Initiative

The team, working with WWF and Taronga, will also survey other platypus populations across NSW to determine where the species is doing well and where animals could be sourced for reintroduction into the rivers of Royal National Park and Heathcote National Park.

A mixture of 10 male and female platypuses will be released in the second half of 2022 with the support of animal health staff from Taronga Zoo. Platypuses will be fitted with acoustic tagsa technology the UNSW team has pioneeredso researchers can track their progress and any breeding activity for up to two years.

"We are planning to track the animals and their use of habitats in the river to make sure they survive and hopefully start reproducing soon after," says Dr. Tahneal Hawke, a scientist on the UNSW team.

"There's a great opportunity to learn about their use of the river habitats of Royal National Park at the same time."

A recent study led by UNSW found the parts of Australia where platypuses live has shrunk by at least 22 percent in the past 30 years.

"Platypuses are to our rivers what koalas are to our forests, but there's a risk they will disappear if we don't talk bold steps to reverse their decline," says Rob Brewster, WWF-Australia's Rewilding Program Manager.

"This project will combine rigorous scientific monitoring with on-ground action to return platypuses to rivers they once called home."

Platypuses have been successfully reintroduced to areas in the past, including rivers in Victoria between 2004-2006. A population was also established on Kangaroo Island between 1928-1946 and found to be still hanging on in a recent survey after the devasting 2019-2020 bushfires.

"Platypuses are resilient animals, but it's vital that we develop the capability to actively manage populations and do a better job at protecting their freshwater homes," says CES Professor Richard Kingsford.

"We want future generations to see platypuses in the rivers of the Royal and Heathcote National Parks and all the way down the east coast of Australia."

Explore further Survey finds encouraging platypus numbers on Kangaroo Island
Fig. 1. The abstracted interface models between phase A and phase B. a: the sharp Gibbs interface model; b: the uniform interface model; c: the diffuse interface model. h is the interface thickness.  is the order parameter in the interface, which is a function of location h. Credit: ZHANG Lianhai

The state variation and phase transition of non-uniform water in soils play an important role in hydrothermal process simulation in cold regions, the formation and decomposition of hydrates, exploring water and ice in Moon, and others changing questions related to aqueous interfaces.

Recently, the charactering of soil water state got increasingly focused on in soil science, but there still exists poorly understanding in its non-uniform nature.

Researchers from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) recently tried to propose a theory framework to further characterize the non-uniform nature of soil water and its phase transition dynamics.

They introduced the static and dynamic theory methods of non-uniform water based on diffuse interface model to analyze non-uniform water state dynamics and water density and the pore water pressure.

Result clarifies the concepts of pore water state, pore water pressure and matric potential in classical soil mechanics.

The researchers also proposed that the phase transition theory of non-uniform water was proposed and found the generalized Clausius-Clapeyron equation (GCCE) is consistent with Clapeyron equation in nature.

Furthermore, they showed that spatial non-uniform of interface water and its phase transition have a competitive advantage for key issues such as spatially non-uniform of soil-water density, questions of GCCE, pressure melting, promoting effect of substrates on hydrate formation and others.

Fig. 2. The schematic diagram on two different phase transition modes. The blue cell and the blank cell present the phase transition volume space (PWSwPT) and the rest of pore water unassociated with but affected by phase transition (PWSaPT), respectively. The cell size denotes the pore water volume associated with relevant process. In the Clapeyron mode, the specific volume of water is less than that of ice due to constant mass (Mi = Mw) and changed volume (Vw < Vi) during phase transition, as shown in Eq. (35). In the GCCE mode, the effective volume of water is equal to that of ice due to constant mass (Mi = Mw) and constant volume (Vs + Vw = Vi) during phase transition, as shown in Eq. (38). Credit: ZHANG Lianhai

These results highlight the role of substrate-water unit in soil science and provide a theory basis for engineering and environmental sciences relative to frozen soil.

Relevant results have been published in Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, titled "Spatial state distribution and phase transition of non-uniform water in soils: Implications for engineering and environmental sciences."

Explore further Scientists reveal effects of water on 660 km discontinuity in the deep Earth

More information: Lianhai Zhang et al, Spatial state distribution and phase transition of non-uniform water in soils: Implications for engineering and environmental sciences, Advances in Colloid and Interface Science (2021). Lianhai Zhang et al, Spatial state distribution and phase transition of non-uniform water in soils: Implications for engineering and environmental sciences,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2021.102465
RBSDV infection-induced autophagy in L. striatellus midguts at various days post-feeding. Credit: Zhejiang University

Rice viruses are prevalent in many rice-growing countries and often cause serious damages to rice production. Among them, the rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV), transmitted by the small brown planthopper Laodelphax striatellus, causes tremendous losses in China's grain yields every year. Therefore, discovering the transmission mechanism of RBSDV is of immense significance for its effective control.

The research team led by Prof. Wu Jianxiang and Prof. Zhou Xueping from the Zhejiang University College of Agriculture and Biotechnology published an open-access article entitled "Rice black-streaked dwarf virus P10 promotes phosphorylation of GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) to induce autophagy in L. striatellus" in the journal Autophagy.

The research team discovered that the early phase of RBSDV infection in L. striatellus can induce autophagy, leading to the suppression of RBSDV invasion and accumulation while inhibiting autophagy can promote RBSDV invasion and accumulation and thus improve the mortality rate of RBSDV-infected L. striatellus. This indicates that autophagy, as an innate immune response, plays a crucial role in the battle against RBSDV invasion.

Furthermore, the main capsid protein (also known as P10) of RBSDV alone can induce autophagy in both Sf9 and L. striatellus cells. Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H), pull down, Co-IP assays confirmed that RBSDV P10 can interact with GAPDH in vivo and in vitro. Further experiments indicated that Sf9 cells expressing RBSDV P10 can promote the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), resulting in GAPDH phosphorylation and relocation of GAPDH from the cytoplasm to the nucleus.

Meanwhile, RBSDV invasion or feeding recombinant expressed RBSDV P10 can also promote LsAMPK phosphorylation, leading to LsGAPDH phosphorylation and the translocation of the phosphorylated LsGAPDH from the cytoplasm to the nucleus to activate the autophagy pathway in L. striatellus. Co-IP and in vitro phosphorylation assays showed that AMPK interacts with GAPDH, phosphorylated AMPK can phosphorylate GAPDH, and silencing AMPK genes can inhibit the occurrence of GAPDH phosphorylation, translocation of GAPDH into the nucleus and autophagy.

This study reveals that RBSDV invasion or RBSDV P10 can induce AMPK phosphorylation, which can lead to GAPDH phosphorylation and the translocation of phosphorylated GAPDH into the nucleus. Once inside the nucleus, phosphorylated GAPDH can activate autophagy to suppress virus infection. "Our research illuminates the mechanism by which RBSDV induces autophagy in L. striatellus, and indicates that the autophagy pathway in an insect vector participates in the anti-RBSDV innate immune response," said Prof. Wu. "This will provide new insights into RBSDV control."

A working model of RBSDV P10-induced autophagy in L. striatellus cells. Credit: Zhejiang University

Explore further Discovery of a mechanism for efficient autophagosome formation

More information: Qi Wang et al, Rice black-streaked dwarf virus P10 promotes phosphorylation of GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) to induce autophagy in Laodelphax striatellus, Autophagy (2021). Qi Wang et al, Rice black-streaked dwarf virus P10 promotes phosphorylation of GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) to induce autophagy in Laodelphax striatellus,(2021). DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2021.1954773

Provided by Zhejiang University
There is increasing international alarm over the sheer volumes of fossil-fuel based plastics entering the environment.

The pollution, emissions and clean-up costs of plastic produced in 2019 alone could be $3.7 trillion, according to a report released Monday by wildlife charity WWF, warning of the environmental and economic burden of this "seemingly cheap" material.

There is increasing international alarm over the sheer volumes of fossil-fuel based plastics entering the environment, as microplastics have infiltrated even the most remote and otherwise pristine regions of the planet.

In its report, WWF said societies were "unknowingly subsiding" plastic, with their estimates for the lifetime costs of 2019 production equivalent to more than the gross domestic product of India.

"Plastic appears to be a relatively cheap material when looking at the market price primary plastic producers pay for virgin plastic," said the report Plastics: The cost to society, environment and the economy, produced for WWF by the consultancy Dalberg.

"However, this price fails to account for the full cost imposed across the plastic life cycle."

It estimated that unless there was concerted international action, a projected doubling of plastic production could see costs rocket by 2040 to $7.1 trillion.

The analysis looked at factors including the greenhouse gas emissions in the production process, health impacts, waste management and estimates of the reduction in the economic "services" of ecosystems on land and in water.

Since the 1950s, roughly 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced with around 60 percent of that tossed into landfills or into the natural environment.

Tiny fragments have been discovered inside fish in the deepest recesses of the ocean and peppering Arctic sea ice.

The debris is estimated to cause the deaths of more than a million seabirds and over 100,000 marine mammals each year.

"Tragically, the plastic pollution crisis is showing no signs of slowing down, but the commitment to tackle it has reached an unprecedented level," said Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International, in a statement.

'More plastic than fish'

The report comes as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) meets in the French port city of Marseille, with one motion under consideration calling for an end to plastic pollution by 2030.

Earlier in September the European Union threw its weight behind calls for a legally-binding international agreement to reduce plastic pollution, during UN-hosted talks in Geneva.

The UN Environment Programme has said the planet is "drowning in plastic pollution", with about 300 million tonnes of plastic waste produced every year.

The proposed resolution is due to be discussed during the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi next year.

France's minister in charge of biodiversity, Berangere Abba, said if the world failed to act there would be "more plastic in the oceans than fish" by 2050.

Explore further Video: A sweet solution to plastic pollution

 2021 AFP
Hui Wang, Guarini 21, a postdoctoral researcher, and Miles Blencowe, the Eleanor and A. Kelvin Smith Distinguished Professor in Physics, have described an experiment that could allow researchers to produce and detect light in a vacuum, as demonstrated in the illustration below. Credit: Robert Gill

Black holes are regions of space-time with huge amounts of gravity. Scientists originally thought that nothing could escape the boundaries of these massive objects, including light.

The precise nature of black holes has been challenged ever since Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity gave rise to the possibility of their existence. Among the most famous findings was English physicist Stephen Hawking's prediction that some particles are actually emitted at the edge of a black hole.

Physicists have also explored the workings of vacuums. In the early 1970s, as Hawking was describing how light can escape a black hole's gravitational pull, Canadian physicist William Unruh proposed that a photodetector accelerated fast enough could "see" light in a vacuum.

New research from Dartmouth advances these theories by detailing a way to produce and detect light that was previously thought to be unobservable.

"In an everyday sense, the findings seem to surprisingly suggest the ability to produce light from the empty vacuum," says Miles Blencowe, the Eleanor and A. Kelvin Smith Distinguished Professor in Physics and the study's senior researcher. "We have, in essence, produced something from nothing; the thought of that is just very cool."

In classical physics, the vacuum is thought of as the absence of matter, light, and energy. In quantum physics, the vacuum is not so empty, but filled with photons that fluctuate in and out of existence. However, such light is virtually impossible to measure.

With science already demonstrating that observation of light in a vacuum is possible, the team set out to find a practicable way to detect the photons.

In the researchers proposed experiment, illustrated here, a postage stamp-sized synthetic diamond membrane containing nitrogen-based light detectors is suspended in a super-cooled metal box that creates a vacuum. The membrane, which acts like a tethered trampoline, is accelerated at massive rates, producing photons. Credit: Animation by LaDarius Dennison

The theory, published in Communications Physics, predicts that nitrogen-based imperfections in a rapidly accelerating diamond membrane can make the detection.

In the proposed experiment, a postage stamp-sized synthetic diamond containing the nitrogen-based light detectors is suspended in a super-cooled metal box that creates a vacuum. The membrane, which acts like a tethered trampoline, is accelerated at massive rates.

"The motion of the diamond produces photons," says Hui Wang, Guarini '21, a postdoctoral researcher who wrote the theoretical paper as a graduate student. "In essence, all you need to do is shake something violently enough to produce entangled photons."

The study, which was supported by the National Science Foundation, is the first to explore using multiple photon detectorsthe diamond defectsto amplify the acceleration and increase detection sensitivity. Oscillating the diamond also allows the experiment to take place in a controllable space at intense rates of acceleration.

"The photons detected by the diamond are produced in pairs," says Hui. "This production of paired, entangled photons is evidence that the photons are produced in a vacuum and not from another source."

The detected light exists in microwave frequency, so is not visible to the human eye, but Blencowe and Wang hope that the work adds to the understanding of physical forces that contributes to society in the way other theoretical research has. In particular, the work may help shed experimental light on Hawking's prediction for radiating black holes through the lens of Einstein's research.

"Part of the responsibility and joy of being theorists such as ourselves is to put ideas out there," says Blencowe. "We are trying to show that it is feasible to do this experiment, to test something that has been until now extraordinarily difficult."

Explore further Scientists make sound-waves from a quantum vacuum at the Black Hole laboratory

More information: Hui Wang et al, Coherently amplifying photon production from vacuum with a dense cloud of accelerating photodetectors, Communications Physics (2021). Journal information: Communications Physics Hui Wang et al, Coherently amplifying photon production from vacuum with a dense cloud of accelerating photodetectors,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s42005-021-00622-3
That was in part the result of attempts to Christianize parts of Europe by purging towns and villages of pagan and nonconformist, nonreligious practices  including tattooing. As Catholic churches expanded their influence via missionaries and campaigns of assimilation beginning in A.D. 391, tattoos were frowned upon as un-Christian.

Not like us

As Western colonizers pushed into places like Africa, the Pacific Islands and North and South America in the 1400s and 1500s, they found entire groups of native peoples who were tattooed.

These tattooed individuals were often pointed to as proof that the untamed natives needed the help of good, God-fearing Europeans to become fully human. Tattooed individuals from these cultures were even brought back and paraded through Europe for profit.
Warren County reported 45 additional COVID-19 cases over the weekend and was monitoring 176 active cases of the virus as of Monday.

The county reported 23 new cases on Monday and 22 on Sunday. Fifty-seven people recovered during that same time period.

All but seven of the current active cases involve mild illness. Six people are in the hospital. Two are in critical condition and four are in moderate condition. One person is moderately ill outside of the hospital, officials said in a news release.

All of the new cases reported on Sunday and Monday involved community spread of the virus. Six people were quarantined before testing positive of the virus.

Warren County Health Services said the county is continuing to see large number of new cases stemming from out-of-state travel, exposures in households and workplaces and among children under the age of 12 who are too young to be vaccinated.

Warren County also released a geographical breakdown of the active cases. Queensbury has the highest with 65, followed by Lake Luzerne with 22, Warrensburg at 18, Lake George with 16 and Glens Falls with 15.

Warren County had a positivity rate of 2.4% and a weekly average of 4.9% as of Sunday, according to the state website.
Hierodeacon Nikolai (Ono)

Hierodeacon Nikolai (Ono) comes from an old family of priests of the Japanese Orthodox Church. His great-great grandfathers namePriest John Onois often mentioned in the diaries of St1. Nicholas of Japan. We talk with Fr. Nikolai about his family and Orthodox churches of Japan and Russia.

Hierodeacon Nikolai (Ono). Photo: mospat.ru

Fr. Nikolai, please tell us about your family.

On my fathers side, my family was Samurai. They lived in the city of Sendai in northeast Japan. My great-great grandfather, Ono Syogoro Sigenobu, was the last Samurai in our family. He was baptized with the name of John by St. Nicholas of Japan in 1871 and became one of the first Christians in the Japanese land. Later, John Ono was ordained a priest, was engaged in missionary work, and was the dean of the church in the city of Osaka. My great grandfather and grandfather likewise received baptism and were parishioners of the church in Kyoto.

My father is also called John. Since there are no Orthodox educational institutions with government licensing, he studied in the theological department of a Protestant university in Kyoto, and after graduating he entered the Orthodox Ecclesiastical Seminary in Tokyo. After graduating from the seminary my father was ordained a deacon, then in 1990 to the rank of priest, and served in the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Tokyo, which is known as Nikolai-do. After that he was sent to the Church of the Annunciation in Kyoto (the cathedral of the Western Japan Eparchy), where he served as dean for about 20 years. After Kyoto, my father was once again summoned to serve in the Tokyo cathedral, where he carries out his obedience to this day.

Have any old Orthodox holy items been preserved in your family?

We have a photograph of St. Nicholas of Japan with his autograph, which the holy bishop himself gave to my great-great grandfather as a present.

Tell us about your life in Tokyo and Kyoto.

I was born in Tokyo in 1989, and lived on the property of the Tokyo Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. The residence of the Primate of the Japanese Orthodox Church is located in that same place. I often had occasion to see the reposed Metropolitan Theodosius (Nagasima), who would sometimes treat me to sweets.

Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Tokyo (Nikolai-do)

When I was 3 years old, my whole family moved to Kyoto, as they assigned my father to be dean of the cathedral of this historical capital of Japan.

After we moved we lived there permanently, and I went to school and university there. It was only in the fall of 2011 that I moved again to Tokyo, where my father was assigned in 2010.

The Orthodox church in Kyoto is one of the oldest in Japan. Could you tell us about the history of this parish and contemporary parish life?

The majority of the parishioners of the Annunciation Church in Kyoto are third-, fourth-, or even fifth-generation Orthodox. The church choir is also made up of parishioners. They have choir rehearsals once a month. We have a parish council and sisterhood, and we publish a newspaper.

The parish began with lectures about Orthodoxy held in one of the buildings in the center of the city. At first these lectures were temporarily led by my great-great grandfather, Fr. John Ono, then by Hieromonk Sergius (Stragorodsky), the future Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia. Then the Church of the Annunciation was builtin a different place but likewise in the city centerand was consecrated in 1903 by St. Nicholas of Japan. In 1986 the Kyoto city government recognized the church as part of the citys cultural heritage.

Russian parishioners also attend the church, and foreign students from other Orthodox countries. Sometimes non-Orthodox Japanese also come, including young people. Most of them are simply interested in the unusual architecture in the center of Japans historical center, but some of them begin to come to church regularly and are baptized. Approximately once a year students from a Protestant university come on an excursion.

Do you remember His Holiness Patriarch Alexy IIs visit to Kyoto?

At that time, in May of 2000, when I was 10 years old, His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, accompanied by the Chairman of DECR2, Metropolitan Kirillnow His Holiness the Patriarchmade the first Patriarchal visit in the history of the Japanese Orthodox Church. He headed the liturgy and enthronement of Daniel, Archbishop of Tokyo and Metropolitan of All Japan, in the Nikolai-do Cathedral in Tokyo.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy in the Cathedral in Kyoto in 2000, with Fr. John Ono, Matushka Sarah Ono and their childrenAlexy (in monasticism Nikolai) and Lyubov (Charity).

His Holiness the Patriarch also visited the Annunciation Cathedral in Kyoto, where my father was serving then. The (now) reposed Patriarch served a moleben, took a tour of the church and its revered sacred objectan altar Gospel given by St. John of Kronstadt with the inscription of St. Nicholas of Japanand talked with the parishioners. The church was full of priests and parishionersnot only from our parish, but also from other churches in the Western Japan Eparchy.

Do Japanese young people know about Orthodoxy? Are the fundamentals of the Christian Faith taught within the scope of academic subjects in schools and universities?

I graduated from the law department at Kyoto State University. It seems to me thatat least at the baccalaureate levelthey dont offer subjects in Christian theology. There is only History of Western Philosophy, and, within the framework of this subject it talks mainly about Catholic or Protestant thinkers. Young Japanese know that Catholicism and Protestantism exist; a few know that Orthodoxy also exists, orin literal translation from the Japanesethe Eastern Orthodox Church. Orthodoxy is written about in the high school world history textbook, but this is a very short description, and the narration is written from the point of view of the West.

Unfortunately, few people know St. Nicholas of Japan. But the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Tokyo is known to all as "Nikolai-do," that is, Nicholas's Church. The old church in Hakokate is also quite a famous landmark.

Have you been able to see many of the Orthodox churches in Japan?

I lived in the churches of Tokyo and Kyoto. We used to visit the churches in Osaka and Kobe, since they were close to our church in Kyoto. I have been to the church in Sendai three times: once, I accompanied a delegation headed by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, who visitied Japan in 2012 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the repose of St. Nicholas of Japan, Equal-to-the-Apostles.

The visit of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to the Cathedral Church of Sendai Eparchy, September 15, 2012.

It was the second Patriarchal visit in the history of the Japanese Church.

How long have you been in Russia?

I've been living in Moscow for two years now. I'm in the second year of the Master's program of SS. Cyril and Methodius General Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies, created in 2009 by the decision of the Holy Synod and on the initative of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. The rector of this school is Metr. Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. The program we have is substantial and intensive. Special attention is paid in our courses to the study of foreign languages, in particular, English. The professors of General Church Postgraduate Studies work at the Department of External Church Relations. The subject Inter-Orthodox Relations especially interests me. The professors of this discipline are people working in DECR, who are acquainted with the most pressing issues in this area.

Besides the study of the required subjects, I am writing my Masters thesis on Vladimir Losskys book Outline of the Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church. In my work I wanted to show to what extent this book has interest and is topical for the Orthodox faithful of Japan.

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokalamsk and Fr. Nikolai (Ono) after his tonsure.

Where do you serve?

Being a hierodeacon, I serve in the Moscow church named after the icon of the Mother of God Joy of All Who Sorrow on (Great) Ordynka (Street).3 After my arrival in Russia I became the subdeacon of the dean of this church, Vladyka Hilarion. And there, on April 30, 2013, I was tonsured a monk by His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill; and on May 5, 2013, on the day of Holy Pascha, I was also ordained by him to the rank of hierodeacon. The priests, helpers, and parishioners of this church are good, kind people. The Synodal Choir sings splendidly. For me, this church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God is beloved and dear, and holds a most important place in my heart.

I also like the Novospassky Stauropegial4 Monastery, whose vicar is Vladyka Savva. I live in this monastery. Thereas in the church on Ordynkathey received me very well. There they sing beautifully. I like the frescoes in the monastery churches very much.

I have been in many other monasteries and churches in Moscow; I have visited St. Petersburg, Diveyevo, Rostov-on-the-Don, and other Russian cities. I especially liked St. Petersburg and Diveyevo.

1. The original Russian has sviatitel, which is used as the title of a saint-hierarch.

2. DECR  Department of External Church Relations

3. Great Ordynka Streetone of the main streets across the Moscow River from the Kremlin, named after the Great Horde. In addition to the Church of the Mother of God Joy of All Who Sorrow, the Martha-Mary Convent of Mercy, founded by New Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth, is there, open and working, and the Tretyakov Gallery is nearby.Trans.

4. A stauropegial monastery or church is independent of the local bishop; it is directly under the Patriarch or Synod.
On February 11-22, 2016, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia will visit Latin America. His Grace Bishop John of Caracas and South America talked to the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate about how Orthodox Christians live in the region. It is well known that South America was the first to receive Orthodox faithful, including Greeks, Slavs and Serbs, in the second half of the 19th century. In the 20th century those who could not come to terms with Bolshevism in Russia found refuge here. These included officers of the White Army, the names of whom are even today remembered with gratitude. What did our ancestors do to deserve such reverence, how will parish life change in the next 20 years, what problems are being faced today by Orthodox Christians in Latin America? These were the topics discussed by Bishop John.

The Waves of the Russian Immigration.

Your Grace, over the 30 years that you have served the Russian Orthodox Church, many great events have taken place which we could not have imagined. How do you see Orthodoxy in Russia and in South America 20 years from now?

Twenty years is a very long time in my opinion. On the other hand if we look at some 20 years into the past, when we celebrated the thousandth anniversary of the baptism of Russia, no one thought that the Iron Curtain would collapse so suddenly, that communion would be restored between the two branches of the Russian Orthodox Church and that they would reconcile. That is why everything that is happening in Russia I look upon with great hope, in this respect I am an optimist. The rebirth of Orthodox Christianity in Russia today can be compared with the times of Holy Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, since now what we are seeing is a second baptism of Rus. If we look at what happened after the first baptism, people simply followed their prince, without a full understanding, for people were generally illiterate, but they received Christianity with a pure heart, were baptized, thereby opening themselves to the grace of the Holy Spirit. And a few generations later, it already became known as Holy Russia.

The sons of Prince Vladimir, Boris and Gleb, also became saints. St Anthony of the Caves left for Mount Athos and returned, bringing with him the idea of monasticism. If that was possible then, when people were less literate, then today when we already remember Holy Russia, a great deal of literature literature is now readily available, then it is much easier than at that time for Orthodox Christianity to flourish. I hope this occurs in the next 20 years.

You had the opportunity to meet with various generations of Russian immigrants in South America, how are they different from each other?

The first wave were refugees of the White Army. The second wave included those who did not wish to return to the USSR after World War 2, refugees who lived on occupied territories and later fled to the West from the approaching front. For instance in Latvia, 10% of the population became refugees. These included Soviet prisoners of war, and those who were forcibly brought to the West to work for the Germans. They all understood quite clearly that all they can expect in their homeland was exile and prison camp. The third and fourth waves were those who left by their own volition. The third wave was mostly the Jewish immigration. This didn't mean that they were Jews themselves, but could be included among Jews through marriage or by one of their parents. And among them were many Orthodox Christians, and many actually became believers.

The first and second waves always struggled to preserve their Russianness, they always looked to Russia with hope, that even if they couldnt, at least their children or grandchildren could return to the homeland. Today our churches are attended by the descendants of the first wave of emigrants. Among them is one venerable but very bold man who was born in Russia before the Revolution. His name is Valentin Vasilievich Khasapov, who is 96 years old, and lives in Buenos Aires.

Another interesting point is that the children of the first two waves of emigres preserved the Russian language, and speak Russian well. Compare them to those who arrived 10 years ago, who swallow their consonants, you hear Spanish words creeping into their sentences, it's remarkable. But they don't come to our churches in great numbers. I have not yet met members of the third wave in Argentina. It doesn't mean they don't exist, I simply haven't met any. There are many representatives of the fourth wave of immigrants who attend churches of the Moscow Patriarchate here.

I serve in the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Buenos Aires and also serve as a simple priest, taking confessions and administering communion, since we don't have enough priest; for this reason I have a greater opportunity to meet with my flock.

How large is your flock in numbers?

On a Sunday we have some 30 people, on Pascha, several hundred. There are few young people, the average age is 40 and older. In addition to Russians, Argentinians also come to church, one of them now studies in our Seminary in Jordanville. We conduct services on weekdays, the main 12 feast days, including all-night vigil. But if a holiday falls on a weekday, there are very few attendees because everyone has to work. That is why on a weekday I often serve in my home.

The low number of our parishioners can also be explained by the fact that a schism wrought great damage upon the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia in Latin America. This is how it happened: in 2007, a group of Orthodox clergymen and laity in Latin America went to schism which was caused by an Agafangel, a former bishop of ROCOR. He refused to recognize the Act of Canonical Communion between the Church Abroad and the Moscow Patriarchate. Defrocked for his schismatic act, Agathangel declared himself metropolitan and first hierarch of the Church Abroad. Some of the parishes of South America joined him including those in Brazil, some in Argentina and other countries. All of these schismatics are led by so-called Bishop Grigory of South Paulo and South America. Having been formerly defrocked, Protopriest George Petrenko, who became a widower, was tonsured a monk with the name Grigory. I am studying this question now why this schism is finding support in Latin America specifically, but I still don't know the answer.

For instance, I can find a common language with Old-Rite Believers and I can agree with them on certain things, because their schism was ecclesiastical, all the points of contention are centered on church matters. The reasons for this schism here are political, psychological and socio-psychological. Plus there is a general mood of resistance which reigns in the minds and hearts of the people of Latin America. In particular, schismatics still insist that the Russia of today is the continuation of the Soviet Union, that the Russian Orthodox Church includes agents of the KGB, etc. We have no contact with these schismatics now, although we are open to dialogue and wish to explain to them why the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion with the Moscow Patriarchate in May 2007 was the right thing to do, and is not a betrayal or a apitulation.

But they will hear none of that. As a Bishop, my main challenge now is to heal the schism, to return the flock and the churches themselves. For instance, Holy Trinity Cathedral in Buenos Aires is occupied by schismatics. I need to lift the level of ecclesial life of the flock, for they left the Church.

But all is not lost. This situation is in Chile gives me great hope. Most of the Orthodox Christians there are Chileans who converted to Orthodoxy from Catholicism.At first glance, this could seem strange, for the Catholic Church is very powerful in Chile, and they are serious about religious education. Still, former Catholics have told me that they converted to Orthodoxy in the search for true faith, and Orthodoxy answers their spiritual needs. But generally the people of South America have the reverse tendency: people leave the church, have mixed marriages, assimilate, and their children, as a rule, though they may be baptized into Orthodox Christianity, do not preserve their faith.

It is very important that in Chile, our priest, who is Chilean by birth, is an active missionary. In the churches of the Moscow Patriarchate, most of the parishioners are also Chilean. We don't have a church in Santiago, the schismatics have taken it. But we did set up a chapel in an apartment and conduct divine services there. The Orthodox community in Chile is more active than in Argentina. We are now building a church dedicated to St Silouan of Mt Athos in Concepcion, the second largest city in Chile, where our priest lives. Orthodox Arabs donated land for a church, and Russians, Chileans and several Serbs donate their money. This will be the only Orthodox Christian Church in the city. Its rector is Protopriest Alexei Aedo.

How many parishes does your diocese contain?

These are conditional figures. Some of our parishes, as I said, are in schism now. But we still consider them ours. We also have communities where services are held very rarely, once a month or even once a year. We have six parishes in Venezuela, but only two priests. In Chile we have three communities, one priest and one deacon, while in Argentina we have three active parishes, among them the cathedral. We have one parish in Paraguay. A priest from Russia was recently sent there. Brazil has five active parishes which went into schism, as did the sole Church in Uruguay.

Maybe turning to Spanish as the language of divine services will help you attract a larger flock from the local populations. You said in particular that in Chile they serve in Spanish.

Yes, in Chile they serve in Spanish. But when I serve there, the words I intone are in Church Slavonic, and the flock understands this, while the rest of the service is performed in Spanish. By the way, they use Russian and Greek musical chants as well there.

I would like to discuss one problem. This relates to the descendants of Russian immigrants who were born in Argentina and don't understand Church Slavonic. For this reason they don't want to go to church, where they serve in Spanish, because they think that as people of Russian stock, nothing really ties them to Russia. I think the question of converting to the Spanish language in divine services is only a matter of time. When you asked about the future of Orthodoxy in Latin America, it's possible that our existence here will include wall-to-wall services in Spanish.

Antiochian Orthodox Christians already switched to Spanish. They have four dioceses in South America. In Argentina and Chile, they switched to Spanish, in Brazil to Portuguese, but in Venezuela they still serve in Arabic. If our Spanish liturgical language will be adopted by the Russian, Greek and Serbian communities, they will likely united within one church, because the divisions by national nationalistic traits in this regard, I think, will be pointless. I think that we need to switch to Spanish, but I am not the person to do this, since I am not that proficient in Spanish.

In one interview you talked about the perspective of working with Old-Rite communities.

This is a matter worthy of study. In South America, especially in Brazil and Bolivia, there are many Old Rite faithful. Uruguay also has Old-Rite believers. In practice they do not have a priesthood, but they don't aver that the grace of priesthood has been removed from the world. I want to get to know them and I hope to draw them to join under my omophorion.

How is your spiritual authority organized?

We have so few clergymen, and they live so far apart from each other, that we have few options. In Moscow you will find several churches being built on a single street. The distances do not give us the opportunity for our clergyman to get together, to discuss common spiritual matters. Internet conferences are difficult to convene, since many of our priests are of an older generation and they are unaccustomed to the technology. But of course if a priest has some questions on the spiritual ministry of his flock, we resolve them directly by telephone. Often these are matters pertaining to family life, where spouses belong to different churches, Catholic and Orthodox.

Your grace, do you feel the presence of God in your own life?

I feel that the natural state of mind is that when God is present within us, we don't pay attention to this, but we suddenly realize when He departs. But I wish to say another thing. In South America I often sense that people feel that they are on the outskirts of civilization. Not only because they do not live well, but because they are geographically removed from the rest of the world. I observed that in Argentina one does not sense the religious nature of people, while in Chile, it is the opposite, they are very persistent in their search for the true faith. Although Argentina has mostly Catholic, among the same Catholics is the idea of liberation theology. This is a South American phenomenon, when politics begins to replace faith.

I think that plays a large role in our schism, but among Catholics this is a leftist viewpoint, and with our people it's a right-wing attitude. They consider themselves to be monarchists, but with a sort of fascist tendency. For instance they always support military dictatorships, they are hostile towards Russia, which in their point of view still is run by communists.

Russian Names in the Pantheon of Heroes.

How big is the influence of Russian culture in Latin America, considering that in the 1920s, many Russians emigrated there?

Fighting Belyaev and the other Russians on the Bolivian side were German officers headed by General Hans Kundt. The Bolivian army was numerically superior to the Paraguay army, but they lost. The names of the Russian officers who died in those battles are engraved in plaques in the National Pantheon of Heroes. Last September in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, in the cemetery, a special Russian section was established where the remains of the Russian officers were reinterred who fought for the country, including officer Vasily Orefiev-Serebryakov. He died exactly 80 years ago, one year before victory, leading the storm of Boqueron Fortress, which the had been Bolivians occupying.

I was instructed to lead the process of reinterment together with representatives of the Paraguayan government and military. The Russian ambassador to Paraguay, Grigory Mashkov, spoke at the event. It was a solemn ceremony: a military band played, an official salute by Paraguayan soldiers wearing the uniforms of the Chaco War. General Elvio Flores spoke on behalf of the Paraguay Army, who stressed that the White Russian officers always served as first class warriors. This is true for the Russian soldiers who fought for Paraguay, their second homeland, which adopted them, and gave them haven and employment.

What would you like to wish for the Orthodox Christians of Russia?

I hope that they strengthen in their Orthodoxy, become the salt of the earth, to drive to obtain the Spirit of peace. If even a few people stand firm in their faith, this cannot but influence all those around them. If a person confesses Christianity, but does not live as a Christian, he turns others away from the faith.

Each one of us must preach the Gospel through our actions. Not everyone is called to preach with the word, but each one must serve as an example in life, to live by the gospel. It is said Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Background.

The South American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia by territory is one of the largest Orthodox dioceses in the world, enveloping all of South America. At one time, the Russian Church Abroad had several dioceses here: Argentina-Paraguay, Brazil, Chile-Peru and Venezuela. But as the years went by, the flock diminished, and all of these ecclesiastical territories were united with its center in Buenos Aires.

The first Orthodox Christians arrived on the continent in the 1860s and settled in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. These were mostly Syrians and Lebanese Christians, who came from the Ottoman Empire. In the 1880s, Greeks began to arrive in Argentina, as well as Serbs, Romanians and Bulgarians. In 1887, the Orthodox Christians of Argentina appealed to Russian Emperor Alexander III to open an Orthodox Church in Buenos Aires. With the participation of the Russian ambassador to Argentina and Uberprocurator Pobedonostsev, a church was opened in 1888, and Priest Mikhail Ivanov was appointed its Rector.

At first it was located in a private house, and a portable iconostasis was brought from Madrid. In 1889, the first Orthodox Liturgy was celebrated here. The first Orthodox Church on the continent was built in Buenos Aires in 1898-99, and in 1901 it was consecrated in honor of the Holy Trinity. Funds for the construction were donated by Empress Maria Feodorovna, Father John of Kronstadt, Sergei Botkin, Ivan Samarin, and believers from many other countries. Today there are Orthodox churches on the continent belonging to the Antiochian, Serbian, Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches.
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The Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum opened in 1997, and the first year of the AirFest was in 1996. That first event was a one-day fly-in and pancake breakfast, said Bruce Fournier, who has been the museums manager for 12 years. Proceeds from that show helped fund a lot of the renovations to Hangar No. 1, which houses the museum's artifacts. Its now evolved into a four-day affair on Labor Day weekend.

Hangar No. 1 was built by the U.S. Navy during World War II following Japans attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The purpose was to train dive-bomb pilots.

These were young men, 18 or 19 years old, that would train here, go to the Pacific (Ocean) for the remainder of the war, Fournier said.

There were 42 trainees who died during that time, and one of the many things funded with proceeds from the AirFest is a memorial to them, Fournier said. Also funded is the upkeep of the hangar, which is on the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places. Its entirely made of wood.

Ive been told its the largest wooden hangar east of the Mississippi (River), Fournier said. All wood. During the war effort, they needed steel in materials for the war effort, so thats the reason this is made mainly out of Douglas fir. Its shipped in from Washington state.

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Interviewed after the meeting, Evan Sanchez, the other principal in Authentic City Partners, said the plan is to demolish the building by the end of the year and start construction as early as possible in 2022.

The total project could cost close to $5 million, he said.

The CRDA functions as the land use board for Atlantic City within the tourism district. Sanchez, who was not at the meeting, said he hopes the proposal will be approved by the full CRDA board in October.

Sanchez said the new property would not be completed for next summer and was reluctant to give a timeline for when it might be, citing the uncertainties of construction projects.

Architect Bill McLees of Somers Point said he designed the building to combine a modern look and contemporary materials with elements of classic Atlantic City architecture.

The project would be taller than the existing building. Its part of the area known as the Orange Loop, a collection of restaurants, bars, music and other attractions on St. James, Tennessee and New York avenues named for the color of those blocks on the classic Monopoly board.
ATLANTIC CITY  The state hopes to give the go-ahead for some type of COVID-related bonuses for employees of the city within two weeks, a spokesperson for the state Department of Community Affairs said.

Last week, the DCA, which has taken over city finances under state law, prevented the city from making the planned $3,500 payments per worker that Mayor Marty Small had said would go out Thursday. He planned to use about $6.6 million of the $32 million in federal funds the city is getting in COVID relief.

The state and City of Atlantic City administration are working diligently together to ensure the programs the city stands up are allowable under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) guidelines, while simultaneously meeting the citys greatest needs, DCA spokesperson Lisa Ryan said Friday in an email response to questions.

We are hopeful this can be accomplished for some version of the proposed stipends within the next couple of weeks, Ryan said.

Small announced Aug. 19 that all city employees who were on the payroll during the worst of the COVID epidemic would get the payments.

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Global leaders have spent these last critical weeks asking themselves: What went wrong in Afghanistan? Theyd be better off asking: What did we do wrong in Afghanistan?

To get a sense of how badly the foreign intervention went off-course, you could do worse than to scroll through the Twitter feed of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, known as Sigar. This group, created by Congress, oversaw the nearly $145 billion the U.S. has spent on reconstruction programs in the country.

In the hours leading up to the Aug. 31 deadline for the U.S. troop withdrawal, Sigar dropped some truth bombs. Like this: U.S. prioritized tangible projects on which money could be spent and success claimed more quickly, over less tangible types of programming with potential to be more enduring, such as capacity building. This trend would last more than a decade.

And this: Rather than reform and improve, #Afghan institutions and powerbrokers found ways to co-opt U.S. funds for their own purposes, which only worsened problems U.S. programs meant to address. When the U.S. government refused opportunities to reconcile with defeated Taliban and declined to implement an inclusive, post-conflict peace process, the Taliban soon rebuilt itself as a powerful insurgency.
Democrats currently hold a 220-212 majority (there are three vacancies), meaning it takes 217 votes to pass anything, assuming everyone votes. Barring GOP support, the speaker can only lose a maximum of three Democrats and still prevail.

The Senate has already taken its first steps on both measures. The first House step came when it passed its version of the Senates framework for the $3.5 trillion budget resolution. It set the parameters for the so-called reconciliation measure through which the Democrats plan to fund Bidens major domestic proposals with a simple majority.

Approval came after nine Democratic moderates said they wouldnt vote for the budget resolution unless the House first passed the infrastructure bill. Pelosi reiterated that the House wont consider the infrastructure measure until the Senate passes its version of the reconciliation bill  but she mollified the moderates by agreeing to debate the infrastructure bill on Sept. 27, regardless of whether the Senate has acted.

She also said the House would work with the Senate to pass a reconciliation bill that will pass the Senate. That means it wont approve more than is acceptable to the two moderate Senate Democrats  West Virginias Joe Manchin and Arizonas Kyrsten Sinema  who have balked at the $3.5 trillion price tag.
Were glad to see the counties and state will be prepared for early voting on secure machines at special polling ahead of Election Day in November.

The Legislature passed the necessary bill in the spring, Gov. Phil Murphy signed it and the Atlantic County Board of Elections quickly began testing the electronic registration books that would make it possible.

This was a pretty tight deadline for choosing and acquiring new hardware, and ensuring it and the pertinent software integrated smoothly with the troubled state computer system.

Here at the start of September, all systems are go. The electronic poll books not only will allow people to vote at any of the six special sites set up for early machine voting, theyll also enable poll workers to provide each voter with the ballot choices specific to their election district.

At first it looked like Atlantic County might be tripped up by a political dispute over where to put the 5th District early voting site. Democrats preferred more geographically central Buena Vista Township where they have an advantage; Republicans wanted the districts largest city of Hammonton, where they are strong.
Still, it seems to us that on this Labor Day weekend, as we recognize the American worker, it is past time for members of Congress, working with the states, to dedicate themselves to the task. The nations unemployment system during this pandemic has been a lifeline. And we certainly hope we never see an occasion that it will be as taxed as it has been the past year and a half. Still, this emergency has demonstrated the systems weakness. Congress stepped in and providing the funding needed to keep workers afloat during the pandemic. Now, it needs to lead the way in reforming the system so its retooled for the future.
"We reconstruct the event through our own lens, and part of that lens is very social," Batcho says. "You would think that the memories would be more cohesive and homogeneous. It turns out that it's much more complicated than that."

***

May 31, 2002, less than a year afterward. former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani tells high school students in Shanksville at their commencement: "A hundred years from now, people are going to come and want to see it. And they are going to want to know what happened."

Sept. 11, 2016, the 15th anniversary. President Barack Obama says: "Fifteen years may seem like a long time. But for the families who lost a piece of their heart that day, I imagine it can seem like just yesterday."

That fundamental tension  it feels like yesterday, yes, but it is also becoming part of history for the long haul  is what confronts us in the coming days as many revisit and consider 9/11 and commit their own acts of remembering.
Perhaps because he won Iowas 2016 GOP caucuses, Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, the BBQ Bash headliner, had nothing but praise for them.

There is a culture of civic participation that is extraordinary, he said. Iowans of both parties take seriously their responsibility every four years to vet the candidates.

They stand in a Pizza Ranch and they ask you about who you are and what you believe. And they don't take a 30-second sound bite. They want to drill in, Cruz said.

When Iowa Republicans and Democrats are vetting candidates they're not just doing it for themselves or their families or even their communities. They're doing it for the whole country, he said.

Voters in Texas take their responsibility seriously, too, Cruz said, but in a state of 29 million people it's not possible for everyone to be able to vet candidates the way everyone in Iowa does.

Meanwhile, the future of the Iowa Democratic Partys first-in-the-nation caucuses is undecided. A combination of jealousy with the attention Iowa gets from being first, criticism that Iowans are too old, too white and too rural and the disastrous 2020 caucuses when the state Democratic Party could not report timely results have led to a renewed push to knock Iowa from its first-in-the-nation perch.
Black drivers are disproportionately stopped and arrested, and they have their cars searched at higher rates than any other race statewide and in the Richmond region, according to a Richmond Times-Dispatch analysis of a trove of recently released traffic stop data from 314 law enforcement agencies across the state.

In Virginia, drivers who are Black are 1.6 times more likely to be stopped than white drivers based on their respective populations. And once stopped, Black drivers are 1.6 times more likely to have their car searched than white drivers, and 1.3 times as likely to be arrested.

The data is collected as part of the new Virginia Community Policing Act passed by the General Assembly last year. It requires every law enforcement officer in the state to document the details of the stop, including who they stopped, where, why and what happened. The first year of data was recently made available and covers 878,190 stops from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

While our analysis is based on state and locality populations, the data release doesnt specify whether the driver stopped was a resident of Virginia or the locality where they were stopped.

While accounting for less than 20% of the states population, Black drivers made up 30% of all stops in Virginia, 43% of all vehicles searched and 37% of all arrests during traffic stops. Black drivers were also behind the wheel in 40% of all stops in which a person was searched, but the data doesnt differentiate whether it was the driver or a passenger who was searched or their race.

Though white drivers accounted for more stops (551,798) than Black drivers (268,311), they were stopped nearly proportionately (63%) to their share of the states population (60%).

The stop data and census data consider ethnicity and race separately, meaning a person can identify as both white and Hispanic. This makes comparisons between the two data sets impossible.

Here is more of the analysis from Ali Rockett and Justin Morrison of The Times-Dispatch.

Reason for stops broken down by race and result of the stop, statewide

Traffic violations accounted for nearly 84% of all 878,190 stops in Virginia, as indicated by the largest section of the middle gray bar. Other reasons for stops included: equipment violations; calls for service; checkpoints; and Terry stops, which are commonly referred to as stop-and-frisk and allowed if there is a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. But in nearly 4% of stops, police officers, sheriffs deputies, state troopers and agents from various regulatory agencies failed to provide the reason they stopped a driver. Those stops are captured under the categories of missing, N/A or other.

For each reason provided by law enforcement, we analyzed how often they arrested the driver, wrote a citation, took no action, gave a warning or did not indicate what action they took. These actions are broken down into shades of red.

Drivers were most likely to get a ticket or summons when officers didnt indicate the reason for the stop. Tickets were issued in 67% of stops for a traffic violation, and that rate is nearly consistent across all races. Calls for service resulted in the most arrests. Overall, less than 2% of total stops statewide ended in an arrest.

A vehicle or person was searched in less than 3% of all stops statewide.

The police data doesnt differentiate whether it was the driver or a passenger who was searched. Because the passenger could have been a different race, we couldnt draw conclusions based on the information as provided.

Top violations, statewide

Speeding was the most frequently cited violation for all stops statewide and in the Richmond region. Five different statutes dealing with speeding were among the top 10 violations cited by law enforcement officials.

Stops by gender and race, by locality

More motorists were stopped in Chesterfield County than in any other locality in the state except Fairfax County, Virginias most populous locality. Chesterfield is the states fifth-largest locality by population. Each bubble charts size is based on the number of stops in that locality.

Despite Henrico Countys and Richmonds larger populations, Hanover County had the second-most stops in the metro region.

The outer ring depicts the gender breakdown of stops, showing that men are more frequently stopped than women, regardless of race, as shown by the inner circle, across all four localities.

Population vs. stops by race, statewide and by locality

Across Virginia, Black drivers are pulled over disproportionately when compared with the population. This is also true for stops in the region.

In Chesterfield, Black drivers are 2.3 times more likely to be stopped than white drivers. In Hanover, its 5.2 times more likely that a Black driver will get pulled over by law enforcement than a white driver. The rate is the lowest in Henrico, where Black drivers are still pulled over 1.6 times more often that white drivers. And in Richmond, they are 2.4 times more likely to be stopped than their white counterparts.

Once pulled over in the region, Black drivers account for a larger portions of arrests (55%) and vehicle searches (64%) than any other race.

Population vs. stops by ethnicity, statewide and by locality

Hispanic drivers made up 9.3% of stops statewide, just under their 10.5% share of Virginias population.

Similarly, in Henrico, 5.8% of all drivers stopped were Hispanic, below their 6.6% share of the countys population.

In Richmond, Hispanics made up a lower percentage of drivers stopped  6.7%  than their comparative population  about 10.5%.

In Chesterfield, Hispanic drivers accounted for 12.4% of stops; they make up 11% of the countys population. And in Hanover, where 3.6% of the population is Hispanic, 5.6% of drivers stopped were identified as Hispanic.
The Monument Avenue statue of Robert E. Lee, a symbol of Confederate glorification that became the epicenter of calls for racial justice in Richmond, will be removed from its pedestal Wednesday morning.

The 21-foot-tall bronze statue of the Confederate general atop a horse will be removed in pieces 131 years after it was first erected.

The administration of Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday that preparations will begin Tuesday evening, when crews will install protective fencing along Monument Avenue and Allen Street. The statue itself will be removed Wednesday morning. On Thursday, crews will remove the plaques at the base of the statue and replace a time capsule believed to be at the site.

The Lee statue is the last Confederate icon along Richmonds Monument Avenue to be removed.

In Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy, the removals have signaled the rejection of Confederate glorification  a movement that sought to perpetuate discrimination against Black people while denying that a key impetus for the Civil War was the defense of slavery.

Virginias largest monument to the Confederate insurrection will come down this week, Northam said in a statement Monday. This is an important step in showing who we are and what we value as a Commonwealth.
As a Red Cross volunteer, the next day I contacted the Atlanta Chapter to see if they needed help. Since my supervisor would not allow me to deploy to New York City with the Red Cross, I gave speeches at Centennial Park and other events around Atlanta following 9/11 to talk about volunteering for the Red Cross and what its like to be deployed following a disaster.

The next year I moved to Richmond and joined the Virginia Department of Emergency Management when the Ready Virginia efforts were underway to prepare Virginians for natural and man-made disasters.

Dawn Eischen, 51

Chesterfield County

Stuck in France

After a two-week vacation in a farmhouse in Provence, France, on Sept. 11, 2001, we were in the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport waiting for our 5:15 p.m. United Airlines flight 911 back to New York. The international gate was at the very end of the terminal and separated from other gates. At approximately 4 p.m. there was an announcement in French which we thought was the signal to board our flight.

Most people got up to move toward the gate when a young man shouted, Wait! All flights to the United States have been canceled indefinitely.
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FLORENCE, S.C.  Florence City Councilwoman Pat Gibson-Hye Moore did not realize when she called Billy D. Williams one or two weeks ago that their conversation would be the last time they spoke.

Williams, the representative from District 1 on the Florence City Council from 1988 to 2010, died Saturday at the age of 78.

Billy was a really nice man, Gibson-Hye Moore said by phone Sunday afternoon. I think it was last week or the week before, I called him on the phone and he answered and he talked for a minute and he sounded rather weak and he gave the phone to his wife [Anita].

Gibson-Hye Moore said she told Anita that she would pray for Billy but added that she had no idea that the brief conversation with Williams would be the last time they would speak.

That Gibson-Hye Moore and Williams were even friends might surprise some Florence political observers, because Gibson-Hye Moore often clashed with Williams and the late Ed Robinson on community issues.

But, she said, the two never mixed politics and friendship.
Tamil Nadu's housing shortfall accounts for 6.66 pc of the national deficit

Manila [The Philippines], Sep 6 (ANI): The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a 150 million dollar (about Rs 1,095 crore) loan to provide access to inclusive, resilient and sustainable housing for the urban poor in Tamil Nadu.

The state is vital to India's economic growth, contributing 8.54 per cent to the country's gross domestic product. Economic opportunities have increased rural-urban migration in the state, which already has one of the highest urbanisation rates in India.

Tamil Nadu has a population of more than 72 million, nearly half of which are living in urban areas. The rapid urbanisation and growth in the urban population will require adequate urban infrastructure and services, including housing.

"Tamil Nadu's housing shortfall accounts for 6.66 per cent of the national deficit and when mapped against income levels, low-income households bear most of the shortage," said ADB Principal Safeguards Specialist for South Asia Ricardo Carlos Barba.

"The aim is to provide vulnerable and disadvantaged households access to inclusive, safe, and affordable housing infrastructure and services," he said in a statement.

Through the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board, the project will construct housing units in nine different locations and relocate about 6,000 households vulnerable to natural hazards to safer locations.

It will also help Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Town and Country Planning develop regional plans to map the state's economic and infrastructure development including affordable housing, environmental protection, disaster risk management and gender.

A portion of ADB's assistance will be invested by the state government as equity into the Tamil Nadu Shelter Fund to catalyse private sector financing and support investments mainly in industrial housing and working women's hostels for low-income and migrant workers.

In addition, ADB will provide a 1.5 million dollar (about Rs 11 crore) technical assistance (TA) grant from its Technical Assistance Special Fund to support the capacity building of government agencies responsible for delivering affordable housing and regional planning in Tamil Nadu.

The TA will document successful approaches to affordable housing delivery, including the graduation programme for vulnerable relocated beneficiaries, that can be adopted in other cities and countries. (ANI)
HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM  Media OutReach - 6 September 2021 - Central Retail Vietnam, a leading multi-format and multi-category group, which owns and manages many hypermarkets and supermarket such as GO!, Big C and Tops Market, has suggested working with Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade to partner with the People's Committee and local authorities of districts & wards to deploy BIPBIP application, an online grocery shopping platform that is user-friendly to order, easy to pay, and convenient to track shipments.













As Ho Chi Minh City residents are requested to remain in their homes for over 2 weeks, the local authorities and voluntary forces have been trying many ways to fulfill the grocery shopping needs of the most crowded city in Vietnam.





However, the diversity of demand has created difficulties. Manual order forms for fixed combos managed by leaders of blocks or wards, redundant tasks and inefficient operation processes have left mistakes in ordered items, delivery and payments.





Via BIPBIP app, people can directly purchase a great number combo selections starting at only 120,000 VND. This partnership not only helps Ho Chi Minh residents to be more assured when shopping, but also reduces the workload for local authorities.





The districts of Binh Tan, Go Vap, 2 & Tan Phu are the first locations to apply and guide residents to use BIPBIP app as an additional method to purchase products for their families. Regardless of the short roll-out period, BIPBIP has received a great response.





Not stopping here, Central Retail Vietnam is working with more district authorities to expand the coverage of BIPBIP even further.





Olivier Langlet, Central Retail Viet Nam Group CEO, said. "Through the combination of applying technology solutions and strong quality grocery sourcing capability with affordable pricing, we are trying every day and committed to supporting our community to easily access a supply of quality necessity-products during this social isolation period."

Story continues

BIPBIP provides ONLINE GROCERY SHOPPING  ANYWHERE, ANYTIME from Central Retail Vietnam with over 20,000 best-selling items from BIGC/GO! or TOPS MAKET.





Many payment methods are available and secure. The customer services are available in many methods such as in-app, a hotline, fanpages and Zalo official accounts.





Customers can use any method, are guaranteed to arrive at the correct addresses thanks to cooperation with local authorities.





For further detail please contact:

Yen Tran, Community specialist

yen.thihong.tran@vn.centralretail.com

#CentralRetailVietnam

#BIPBIP




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Kabul [Afghanistan] September 7 (ANI): A group of women held a protest in Balkh province on Monday calling to preserve the achievements of the past 20 years and demanding women's representation in the future government in Afghanistan.

These developments came as the Taliban is expected to form government in the near future.

The protestors expressed that Afghan women should have active participation in the government and added that "the new government will be senseless without women," The Khaama Press reported citing protesting women.

A video posted by Tolo News also showed these women carrying placards and raising slogans demanding to include women in the government.

Earlier on Friday, Afghan women activists also staged a protest in Kabul, seeking equal rights and ensuring decision-making roles for them in political life in the country that has been taken over by the Taliban.

The Taliban on Sunday said that the new Afghanistan government is expected to be announced soon and it will be "an inclusive government." The Taliban, which captured Kabul on August 15, has been delaying the announcement of the government formation in Afghanistan over the past few days.

While the group has not issued a statement over it yet, reports have emerged claiming that the government formation has been delayed due to differences between the Taliban and the Haqqani network over power-sharing.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the top Taliban leader who is set to head the new Afghan regime, was injured during the clash and is currently getting treated in Pakistan. (ANI)
Canada: Indian diaspora in Vancouver protests against NDP leader Jagmeet Singh

Vancouver [Canada], September 6 (ANI): A large number of people from the Indian diaspora in Vancouver got together to express their concerns about New Democratic Party (NDP) leader and MP Jagmeet Singh's silence on the attack on the Hindu community in Canada.

This protest comes amid the national election in Canada scheduled for September 20.

On Sunday, a group of people came together to raise their voices against Jagmeet Singh before the election in his constituency. Activists walked to his office with banners criticising Singh.

"Why Jagmeet is quiet on Air India bombing? Why Jagmeet never goes to temples and why he is quiet on the attack on Canadian Hindus in Brampton on Independence Day. The Hindu community especially feels unsafe under his leadership," said one of the protestors.

Protesters also held posters stating that "Jagmeet Singh's family attacks Hindus and roam free in Canada."

Furthermore, the demonstrators have expressed plans to organise frequent protests in this regard. So far, Jagmeet Singh's office has not responded to the accusations.

Criticising the recent attacks on the Hindu minorities in Canada, people of Indian origin have been calling Jagmeet Singh to protect all Canadian citizens including Hindu-Canadians.

In recent months, the Indian diaspora in Canada has organised multiple rallies, calling for stronger India-Canada ties.

Earlier this year, India had requested the Canadian authorities to ensure the safety and security of its citizens following reports that threats have been given by separatist groups to the Indian community after they held a "Tiranga rally" in support of farm laws. (ANI)
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Cairo [Egypt] September 7 (ANI): An Egyptian court on Monday sentenced seven Pakistani nationals to death for smuggling over two tonnes of heroin by sea.

The decision came after police recovered narcotics worth approximately 2.5 billion pounds that were smuggled in through the Red Sea in 2019, Pakistan Observer reported.

Two Egyptians and one Iranian national has also been sentenced to the same punishment.

According to reports, all suspects were discovered with narcotics in concealed storage of the vessel, including almost 100 kilogrammes (220 pounds) of crystal methamphetamine, Pakistan Observer reported.

Death sentence or 'capital punishment is legal in Egypt with over 44 executions were carried out in 2016, 35 in 2017, and 43 in 2018.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights groups have criticised Egypt's "significant spike" in documented executions, which has increased by more than thrice. (ANI)
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Islamabad [Pakistan] September 7 (ANI): Flour Mills Association Chairman Asim Raza on Sunday warned the Pakistani authorities against an acute shortage of wheat in the Punjab province.

Raza informed that a few days of stock of wheat is left with the private sector and also urged the government to release stocks of wheat immediately, Express Tribune reported.

The price of wheat has crossed Rs 2,150 per maund in the country while the rate of a 20-kilogramme bag of flour reached Rs 1,200 from Rs 1,150, Raza informed while addressing a news conference in Lahore.

"Only a few days wheat stock is left in the private sector. Wheat should be released immediately and distributed evenly," Raza said.

Earlier in June, Pakistan's Punjab Food Department issued a notification for tightening its grip on the supply of wheat and its products with a watchful eye on the price of flour, which is a politically sensitive commodity.

In April, it was reported that the Pakistan government has decided to import four million metric tons of wheat this year to meet the domestic consumption requirements.

The authorities have alarmed the shortage of wheat in Punjab earlier in June as well. (ANI)
Nationalist Buddhist monks in 2020 demonstrated in support of firebrand anti-Muslim monk Ashin Wirathu, who has now been released from prison, in front of a court house in Yangon (AFP/Sai Aung Main)

Myanmar's junta said on Monday it had released a firebrand anti-Muslim Buddhist monk jailed by Aung San Suu Kyi's toppled government on sedition charges.

Ashin Wirathu -- once dubbed by Time magazine as the "Buddhist Bin Laden" for his role in stirring up religious hatred in Myanmar -- was released after all charges against him were dropped, a statement said.

He was "receiving treatment at a military hospital" it added, without give any details on why he had been hospitalised.

The 53-year-old has long been known for his nationalist anti-Islamic rhetoric -- particularly against the stateless Rohingya Muslim community.

In 2017, Myanmar's highest Buddhist authority banned him from preaching for one year over his tirades.

After the ban expired, however, the pro-military preacher once again became a regular at nationalist rallies, where he accused the government of corruption and fumed against its failed attempts to re-write the junta-scripted constitution.

He had been facing charges for attempting to bring "hatred or contempt" and of "exciting disaffection" towards the then-government of democracy leader Suu Kyi.

Myanmar has been in chaos since the February coup and a military crackdown on dissent that has killed more than 1,000 people, according to a local monitoring group.

The State Administration Council -- as the junta calls itself -- last month cancelled the result of November elections, which Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won in a landslide.

Coup leader Min Aung Hlaing has justified his power grab by claiming massive electoral fraud in the polls.

Detained since the coup, Suu Kyi faces charges including flouting coronavirus restrictions and illegally importing walkie talkies -- which could see her jailed for more than a decade.

bur-rma/sw




SCO summit: Modi to discuss terrorism in Pakistan

06 Sep 2021: SCO summit: Modi to discuss terrorism in Pakistan's presence

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reportedly focus on India's concern over terrorism in Afghanistan in the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on September 16-17. However, PM Modi will not be visiting Tajik capital Dushanbe, where the summit will be held, and address the summit virtually instead. Notably, before the SCO meet, Modi will also virtually participate in the BRICS summit on September 9.

Details: India unlikely to be excessively hostile toward Pakistan

Even though Modi will talk about terrorism in the presence of Pakistan, India may not want to position itself as excessively hostile to its neighbor, The Times of India reported citing sources. While India believes Pakistan sponsors terrorism, the former also thinks that its neighbor's close ties with Russia and China, and influence over the Taliban, are important for stability in Afghanistan, TOI reported.

Modi: PM Modi will not name Taliban: Report

Despite India's reservations about the Taliban's links with Pakistan-based terror groups, PM Modi is unlikely to name the group in his statement. This is in line with India's statement on Afghanistan at the UNSC and UNHRC. India is reportedly hopeful about the Taliban's positive response to the concerns expressed by India and it wants to take a "watch and watch" approach.

Fact: Taliban assured it will 'positively address' India's concerns over terrorism

Earlier, while establishing the first diplomatic contact with the Taliban, India had reportedly flagged its concerns over the use of Afghanistan's territory by terrorists. Notably, the Taliban representative had then assured India that "these issues would be positively addressed."

India: India unlikely to send official for anti-terror exercise in Pakistan

Pakistan has proposed a visit by Indian authorities to participate in an anti-terror exercise, which is a part of the SCO protocol. However, Indian authorities are reportedly not very enthusiastic to participate in the exercise as it feels it is futile it do such an exercise in a country that harbors terrorists. Notably, the proposal requires India to send three officials for the event.

Story continues

Recent News: Differences between India and Russia, China growing at UNSC

Separately, China and Russia have abstained from voting a UNSC resolution on Afghanistan that India saw as addressing its concerns related to terrorism. For not naming ISIS and ETIM, active in China's Xinjiang, the resolution was perceived by Moscow as an "inclination to divide terrorists into ours and theirs." Russia also slammed Western countries for trying to shift blame US' failure to the Taliban.

Background: What is the SCO?

Created in 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), or Shanghai Pact, is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance that aims to maintain peace, security, and stability in the region. The members include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan. Reports suggest that the main agenda of the SCO summit in September will be the consequences of US actions in Afghanistan.

The news article, SCO summit: Modi to discuss terrorism in Pakistan's presence appeared first on NewsBytes.

Also see: PM Modi to visit US, meet President Biden this month

Read more on India by NewsBytes.


Honduran presidential candidate Xiomara Castro wants to establish ties with Beijing if she wins power (AFP/Orlando SIERRA)

Taiwan warned Honduras on Monday against "flashy and false" promises by China after the Latin American nation's main opposition party vowed to switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing.

Honduran presidential candidate Xiomara Castro earlier said she would "immediately open diplomatic and commercial relations with mainland China" if she wins elections in November.

Castro, the wife of ousted former president Manuel Zelaya, is the candidate for the main left-wing opposition Liberty and Refoundation Party.

Honduras is among only 15 countries that maintain formal relations with Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if needed.

"Our side reminds Honduras that promises by the Chinese government are usually flashy and false, and they are consistent ploys to sabotage Taiwan's diplomatic relations with our allies," Taipei's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said it was closely monitoring the situation in Honduras and vowed to continue to strengthen their 80-year-old bilateral ties.

Beijing has ramped up pressure on Taiwan since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen because she rejects its stance that the self-ruled democratic island is part of China.

China has poached seven of Taiwan's diplomatic allies, including three in Latin America -- Panama, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.

Taiwan's deputy foreign minister Alexander Yui said in an interview with Honduran media last month that many promises from Beijing were unfulfilled and had left some countries in severe "debt traps".

Latin America has been a key diplomatic battleground for decades between Taiwan and China since they split in 1949 after a civil war.

Most recently, Taipei has accused Beijing of trying to lure away its allies in the region with "vaccine diplomacy" using promises of badly needed coronavirus shots.

Honduras' chief cabinet coordinator Carlos Alberto Madero told the Financial Times in May that his country wished to maintain ties with Taiwan but access to vaccines was "much more urgent than anything else... This puts us in a very difficult situation".

aw/axn
President Alpha Conde was captured on Sunday

The leader of the coup which ousted Guinea's President Alpha Conde has said a new "union" government would be formed in weeks.

Col Mamady Doumbouya told ministers who served in Mr Conde's government that there would be no witch-hunt against former officials.

President Conde remains in detention, but his fate is unclear.

The UN, African Union and regional body Ecowas have condemned the coup and called for a return to civilian rule.

"I strongly condemn any takeover of the government by force of the gun and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted.

Col Doumbouya, who heads the army's special forces unit, did not say on Monday when the new government would be in place.

"A consultation will be launched to set down the broad parameters of the transition, and then a government of national union will be established to steer the transition," he said in his statement.

He told former ministers that they could not leave the country and had to hand over their official vehicles to the military. He also announced the reopening of land and air borders.

After the meeting Col Doumbouya drove around the capital, Conakry, which has been tense since Sunday when heavy gunfire was exchanged near the presidential building for several hours.

The BBC's reporter in the city says crowds chanted the military leader's name.

"They were just happy. Some people undressed and shouted 'Doumbouya, Doumbouya, Doumbouya' and 'freedom, freedom, freedom,'" Alhassan Sillah reported.

It captures the feeling of many who are relieved that President Conde has been deposed, he said.

Col Doumbouya also urged mining companies to continue their operations in the country, adding that they would be exempt from the ongoing nationwide curfew.

Story continues

Guinea is one of the world's biggest suppliers of bauxite, a necessary component of aluminium. Following the coup, prices of aluminium climbed to their highest in more than a decade due to concerns over supplies.

How did the coup happen?

In a broadcast on state TV on Sunday night, a group of soldiers said regional governors had been replaced by military commanders, and the ousted 83-year-old president was safe but in detention.

Col Doumbouya said his soldiers had seized power because they wanted to end rampant corruption, human rights abuses and mismanagement.

Young men celebrated the military takeover on Sunday

President Conde was re-elected for a controversial third term in office amid violent protests last year.

The veteran opposition leader was first elected in 2010 in the country's first democratic transfer of power.

Despite overseeing some economic progress, he has since been accused of presiding over numerous human rights abuses and harassment of his critics.

Mamoudou Nagnalen Barry, a founding member of the opposition National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), told the BBC that he had mixed emotions about the coup, but that he mostly welcomed it.

"I will say that I'm sadly happy with what happened," he said.

"We don't want to be happy with a coup, but in certain circumstances like [the ones] in Guinea now, we will say we are really happy with what is happening because without that, the country will be stuck in [the] endless power of one person who wants to stay in power forever."

Mr Barry added he hoped the soldiers would hand power back to civilians.

Guinea's coup is the fourth time West Africa has witnessed an attempt to undermine democracy in the region since August 2020.

There have been two military takeovers in Mali and a failed attempt in Niger.
These people are dying. Im holding them in their last breath, Wolverton said.

She and others said they are dismayed and discouraged that people dont believe the medical experts. People are dying needlessly, they said.

Elliot, 50, said that when she first became a nurse, if your doctor told you to do something, you did it.

Now, she said, many people believe these doctors dont know what theyre talking about.

Those interviewed said it doesnt do any good to argue with those who reject vaccinations. Instead, they try to relate what they know and where to look for reliable information. The vast majority of those in the hospital, they said, express regret that they didnt get vaccinated.

What we dont want them to feel is any sort of shame, said Jones, the infectious disease physician. We want them to share their story, to get the vaccine, and urge others to get the vaccine.

But she admitted that its getting harder to push back because youre just fatigued, its hard to rally the troops.
ORANGE CITY, Iowa -- A judge has denied a defense request to move the retrial of a Sioux County murder case to another county.

District Judge Jeffrey Neary ruled Friday that he was aware of publicity that accompanied Gregg Winterfeld's first trial and the decision to grant him a new trial, but no evidence pertaining to the media coverage was entered into the official record for him to consider.

"There is no evidence at this time to suggest that (Winterfeld) will not receive a fair and impartial trial with the upcoming retrial of this matter," Neary said in his ruling, filed after a Friday hearing in Sioux County District Court.

Winterfeld remains scheduled to stand trial Oct. 5 on a charge of second-degree murder for the May 9, 2020, shooting death of Grant Wilson.

In June, Neary granted Winterfeld a new trial because of an error made while choosing the jury for his first trial, which ended in April with a jury finding him guilty of second-degree murder. Winterfeld, 71, of Spirit Lake, Iowa, had been charged with first-degree murder, but the jury found him guilty of the lesser charge.

Defense attorney Brendan Kelly had filed a request for a change of venue in July.
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"We've just had good camping numbers," Heissel said. "Guys at the parks said every week is like Fourth of July weekend."

Numbers were down at Salix-area parks at Snyder Bend and Brown's Lake. Snyder Bend's lake was drained to kill invasive fish species, and the water at Brown's Lake was low because of drought and lower Missouri River and ground water levels. Still, some campers still showed up, and cabins often were filled.

Heissel said the summer's camping numbers won't be tallied until after the parks are closed on Oct. 1, but he can tell that park use was up substantially.

"I just know from the revenue I've seen coming in that we're up," he said.

Heissel attributed the increased attendance to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last summer, camping was one of the few activities people could safely enjoy while many other recreational activities were shut down or limited. Looking for something to do, many people bought campers and tents and hit area parks. They continued to put that new gear to use in 2021.

"They discovered a new hobby and a new activity they hadn't been doing," Heissel said. "We're seeing that carry over."
MIAMI (AP)  El Salvador is betting that this week's pioneering adoption of Bitcoin will spur its economy, especially one of its most crucial sources of revenue: money sent home by Salvadorans in the United States.
NEW YORK (AP)  Millions of jobless Americans lost their unemployment benefits on Monday, leaving only a handful of economic support programs for those who are still being hit financially by the year-and-a-half-old coronavirus pandemic.

Two critical programs expired on Monday. One provided jobless aid to self-employed and gig workers and another provided benefits to those who have been unemployed more than six months. Further, the Biden administration's $300 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit also ran out on Monday.

It's estimated that roughly 8.9 million Americans will lose all or some of these benefits.

While the White House has encouraged states to keep paying the $300 weekly benefit by using money from the stimulus bills, no states have opted to do so. Many states even opted out of the federal program early after some businesses complained that they couldnt find enough people to hire. The data have shown minimal economic benefits from cutting off aid early in those states.

Economists Peter McCrory and Daniel Silver of JPMorgan found zero correlation between job growth and state decisions to drop the federal unemployment aid, at least so far. An economist at Columbia University, Kyle Coombs, found only minimal benefits.
The morning after one of the most intense tornadoes recorded in New Jersey history all but demolished the largest dairy farm in the state, owners Marianne and Wally Eachus looked at each other and just cried.
NEW YORK (AP)  The October illegal campaign contribution trial of an associate of Rudy Giuliani  and a guilty plea set to occur this week by a second associate  puts a spotlight on Giuliani as a criminal probe of the former mayor and his dealings with Ukraine move closer to a decision on whether he'll face arrest.

A judge last week refused to delay the Oct. 12 trial of Lev Parnas and Andrey Kukushkin on charges that they made illegal campaign contributions to U.S. politicians. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Meanwhile, a review of electronics materials seized in raids on Giuliani continues before prosecutors decide whether his dealings with Ukrainian officials while he worked as a personal lawyer for then-President Donald Trump required him to register as a foreign agent.

A decision on whether to charge Giuliani with a crime is unlikely to occur before a former federal judge finishes the court-appointed task of separating privileged materials from other data pulled from 18 phones taken during raids of Giulianis home and law office earlier this year. Some phones belonged to employees of the former New York mayors firm.
Henry DEsposito, who leads construction research at the real estate services company JLL, said the toughest challenge in rebuilding now is the delays in acquiring drywall, glass, steel, aluminum and other materials.

A lot of the materials that you would need for any project and especially something this urgent  youre not able to get on site for weeks or months, DEsposito said.

Sobol, in the course of his career, has ridden out some of the biggest hurricanes to strike Louisiana, including Betsy in 1965, Camille in 1979, Katrina in 2005 and Ida last week. On Friday, he received a text from a client who had hired Big Easy for home renovations. The client wanted to know whether the initial cost estimate still stood.

I said, You can probably add 10%,' "Sobol said.

And now the project will likely take nine months instead of six.

Were having to jump through hoops," said Robert Maddox, owner of Hahn Roofing in Boyce, Louisiana, 200 miles northwest of New Orleans. Were having to pay more for labor. Were having to pay more for supplies. Were having to bring supplies in.

The insurance companies that are footing the bill for many of the hurricane repairs, Maddox said, can pose an additional burden.
We are normalizing the conversation and getting to a place where people can talk openly about these issues, she said.

Mia Soulliere, a fourth-year student from Omaha and the president of the Panhellenic Council, the governing body for sororities at UNL, said the goal is to turn recent events into lasting, positive change.

Greek organizations are designating representatives to the university's Center for Advocacy, Response and Education from each chapter, and working on policies that would create mandatory education and training requirements for members  changes the Greek leaders say are necessary.

It will be up to future Greeks to keep the momentum moving forward, Soulliere said, and ensure any changes become ingrained in the system.

The Greek members said they want to be leaders in addressing the issue of sexual assault on campus, and said they would hold accountable those organizations found to be in violation of campus policies and state law.

But they were skeptical of calls for more oversight from the university, which recognizes their houses as residences but doesnt exercise control over the activities there.

Grinvalds said UNL needs to step in if it wants to get serious about addressing sexual assaults on campus.
Burglars and other bad actors are going to have even less ability to get away with something in downtown Fort Dodge.

Thats because very soon a camera system will be keeping an unblinking eye on activity downtown 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

On Aug. 23, the City Council hired Iowa Fire Control, of Fort Dodge, to install the system at a cost of $195,176.29. Everything is to be set up by Oct. 20.

The system is being paid for in part by Main Street Fort Dodge. It is perhaps a little different from the usual Main Street initiatives that focus on historic preservation and economic development to create a more vibrant downtown. But it is also a project very in tune with the big picture of Main Street projects. After all, deterring crime is a pretty good way to create a more vibrant downtown.

The concept of security cameras often prompts criticism that somehow they will be used to invade peoples privacy. The reality is that such cameras already exist in all kinds of places. Many private businesses have them inside and outside of their buildings. What is happening now is that a camera system will be able to view a bigger area, rather than just the sidewalk outside one business.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand  New Zealand reported its first coronavirus death in more than six months on Saturday, while the number of new cases continued to trend downward.
'Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch has said that actors should not have to explain their sexual history before taking on a role.
The opening number of Schmigadoon! is one that any classic musical fan will recognize very quickly. That unmistakable Schmiiiig-a-doon is a direct reference to the title song from Rodgers and Hammersteins Oklahoma, a show that defined the musical play for decades. From its boisterous opening number to its loving parodies of theaters most iconic songs, Schmigadoon! is a love letter to classic musicals. But the shows devotion to classic theater is also the source of its biggest blind spot.

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Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key star as Melissa and Josh, a long-term couple whose relationship has settled into the doldrums. On a retreat meant to help rekindle their lost spark, they step across a misty stone bridge and find themselves in the land of Schmigadoon, and inside an honest-to-goodness Golden Age musical, complete with a cast of familiar archetypes. But while Schmigadoon initially seems like a dream come true for Melissa, a diehard musical theater fan whos struggled to get Josh to pay attention to Singin in the Rain, she realizes that actually inhabiting the world of a decades-old show isnt all its cracked up to be. The cheery, welcoming Mayor Menlove (Alan Cumming) is deep in the closet, though the hints at his love for men are laughably obvious. And the town scold, Mildred Layton (Kristen Chenoweth), isnt just a meddlesome biddy. Shes clearly racist, aghast that Melissa and Josh are an interracial couple.

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The shows attempt to get under the skin of the classic musical bears a lot of similarity to Daniel Fishs 2019 revival production of (what else) Oklahoma! But its awfully timid by comparison. Fishs revival was a dramatic reimagining that held nothing back. Gone were the lush orchestral stylings and soaring, crystalline vocal performances. Instead, the production was stripped-down, stark, and a little unnerving. When the cast came out for the final reprise, originally intended to be a moment of triumph, many of them were covered in blood. It cut right to the heart of the most quintessential classic musical and turned it into something unfamiliar. And yet Fishs Oklahoma! kept Rodgers and Hammersteins original work intact. It just also laid bare what was always underneath.

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Schmigadoon! makes a halfhearted attempt to go the way of the Oklahoma! revival, mostly through embodying and then subverting classic character archetypes. The first to take center stage is town rapscallion and carnival custodian Danny Bailey (Aaron Tveit), who is basically Carousels Billy Bigelow. Tveit imbues Danny with ample charisma as he sings his way through multiple swaggering pastiches, which is enough to woo Melissa into an ill-considered one-night stand with him. After that, Danny disappears from the show for a while, returning to punch some sense into Josh, and then declares in the final episode: Im tired of being a rapscallion. Its time everyone knew: Theres really no way to win the ring toss.

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Its the sort of revelation that makes you wonder: Is that it? Its funny in its relative mundanity, but it feels off because the original Billy Bigelow is emphatically not a good person. In Carousel, he abuses his wife and spends the second act atoning for his lifes sins. Danny Bailey, on the other hand, may be a bit of a philanderer and a con artist, but he hasnt done anything really bad. His playful charm doesnt belie anything more insidious than a mild jealous streak. Unlike in Fishs Oklahoma, theres nothing that forces us to realize that there was always something not quite right under the surface. In Schmigadoon, everyone means well, and everyone can be redeemedeven Mildred Layton, who is repeatedly implied to be a Nazi (you know, like in The Sound of Music).

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Series star Ariana DeBose has talked about how one of Schmigadoons strengths is that it spotlights diversity where ordinarily there might not be any. DeBose, who is Afro-Latina, plays town schoolmarm Emma Tate, who most strongly resembles Marian from The Music Man and Anna from The King and Iroles that have historically been played by white actresses. Actors of color like Jaime Camil and Ann Harada also play prominent roles among the people of Schmigadoon. But to what end? The actors may be minorities, but the stories theyre telling are still rooted in whiteness. Though all the character archetypes in the show are plucked from somewhere or other, casting actors of color in recycled roles and calling it diversity feels especially shallow. Theres no cultural specificity to their characters, nor any discussion of the racism they may face within the town, even thoughas proved by Mildred and her gaggle of disapproving ladiesthat sort of discrimination exists. In fact, Emma Tate, Camils Doc Lopez, and Haradas Florence Menlove all end up graciously stepping aside so their respective romantic interests can live their truths.

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When she steps into Schmigadoon, Melissa approvingly notes that the town employs colorblind casting, the term frequently used for when an actor of color plays a traditionally white role (although that implies that whiteness is the default). But the concept of colorblind casting as an easy fix has been scrutinized in recent years as casts become more diverse but creative teams and producers do not. Hamilton, which may well be one of the biggest musicals in history, has come under fire time and time again for its use of diverse faces to tell white stories.

This all begs the question: Who is allowed to make musicals? Who is allowed to define the medium?

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Its not just the composers of Golden Age musicals who show an overwhelming lack of diversity. In the 2010s, 10 of the 11 winners of the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical were white. The aforementioned Hamiltons creative team mostly consists of white men. Even the most recent Broadway revivals of Once on This Island and The Color Purple, both shows that very specifically tell Black stories, were helmed by white directors.

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The problem doesnt seem to be getting significantly better anytime soon. Theres a stark divide between the state of musicals and the state of plays in the upcoming Broadway season. All seven new plays debuting on Broadway this fall were written by Black playwrights. But the new musicals, including one about Princess Diana and an adaptation of the movie Mrs. Doubtfire, come from overwhelmingly white creative teams. (According to a recent study, almost 94 percent of Broadway directors in the 201819 season were white.) In December, a new revival of The Music Man will begin performances with Hugh Jackman in the title role. Its Marian the Librarian, unlike Schmigadoons, will be white.

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The theater community loves to think of itself as uniquely progressive. Schmigadoons final song is called How We Changeand it may sound lovely, but its incredibly vague. What are all these characters actually changing from? What are they changing to?

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In the end, Schmigadoon! is part of the same problem that modern musical theater is still muddling through. It acknowledges that early musicals were rife with racism, misogyny, and homophobia, but its afraid to condemn its characters for embodying those values. It doesnt know how to criticize musicals while still loving them, a dichotomy that any musical fan who also wants the industry to improve must grapple with. Schmigadoon! wants to reassure us that change is possible, yet is ultimately unwilling to confront why that change is needed in the first place.

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In the finale of Fishs Oklahoma, the lyrics are cheerful but the faces are grim. That conflict lies at the heart of how we now look at classic musicals and the impact theyve had on musical theater, for better and for worse. When classics are revived, its become increasingly common for the productions to make minor changes in order to be more palatable for a modern audience. But you cant pick and choose which parts of a musical to celebrate and which to sweep under the rug. All the lyric changes in the world cant erase the misogyny baked into Kiss Me, Kate. Shallow changes like gender-flipping the main character or casting actors of color in certain roles just dont feel like enough anymore. Marginalized people need to be in control of their own narratives, rather than being used as tokens in a vague promise for diversity. And the theater industry needs to stop being afraid to acknowledge its own checkered history.

Classic musicals defined an entire art form. Theres a reason theyre so beloved, and it would be absurd to call for them to be abandoned entirely. But if theyre going to be embedded in the fabric of musical theater forever, then we shouldnt shy away from putting the ugly parts of them on display. We should strip the lacquer from them to see them as they really are. Maybe once the industry finally confronts its past, we can begin to envision a better future.
The nation will observe Labor Day this coming Monday, allowing millions to enjoy the waning days of summer, as well their last chance to wear white pants without earning a tsk tsk from Miss Manners. How did this early September holiday get its start?

Though President Grover Cleveland declared Labor Day a national holiday in 1894, the occasion was first observed on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City. A parade was organized by the citys Central Labor Union, a branch of the Noble Order of the Knights of Labor, a secretive labor union founded in 1869 by a clique of Philadelphia tailors. Historians still debate over whom, specifically, to credit with the idea of a holiday dedicated to the workingman. Some say that Labor Day was the brainchild of Peter J. McGuire, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor. Others argue that Matthew Maguire, the CLUs secretary, was the holidays mastermind and that he doesnt receive proper credit because he ticked off the mainstream labor movement by running for vice president on the National Socialist Labor Party ticket in 1896.

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According to Ted Watts The First Labor Day Parade, the September date was chosen because it coincided with a Knights of Labor conference in New York, thus guaranteeing a sizable turnout for the festivities. Though the event wasnt particularly festive, at least by todays standards: It resembled a protest far more than a parade, with CLU members required to march in support of the eight-hour workday. (Those who ditched faced fines.)

The CLU held the event again the following year on the same date. In 1884, however, the organization shifted gears and mandated that Labor Day take place annually on the first Monday in September. In 1887, Oregon became the first state to make Labor Day an official holiday, with Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York quickly following suit.

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For a while, Labor Day had stiff competition from May 1. In 1884, the American Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions declared that, by May 1, 1886, the eight-hour workday should be in effect across the land. When legislators and employers failed to comply in time, the result was a general strike and the bloody Haymarket Riot in Chicago, which caused the deaths of eight police officers and led to the hangings of four labor activists.

Bonus Explainer: May 1 wasnt forgotten, however. In the 1920s, it became known in the United States as Loyalty Day, and its still observed with an annual presidential proclamation that asks all government officials to take the not-so-outlandish step of flying the U.S. flag above their buildings.
The Justice Department said it would protect women who seek abortions in Texas as it continues to seek ways to challenge the state law that bans most abortions. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that DOJ would use a federal law known as the Freedom of Access to Clinical Entrances Act, or FACE Act, to protect those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services.

The Texas law, which bans abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest, allows anyone to file a lawsuit against a person who helps someone obtain an abortion. The department will provide support from federal law enforcement when an abortion clinic or reproductive health center is under attack. We have reached out to U.S. Attorneys Offices and FBI field offices in Texas and across the country to discuss our enforcement authorities, Garland said.

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Garland said the Justice Department will not tolerate violence against those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services, physical obstruction or property damage in violation of the federal law that protects those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services. He also said federal prosecutors are urgently exploring ways to challenge the Texas law.

Despite the promises from the Justice Department, access to abortion services is already limited in Texas. Since the law went into effect, providers have been forced to cancel procedures and deny care while some clinics have stopped providing abortion services as a whole.

Abortion rights activists are warning that the threats to reproductive freedom across the country after the Texas law was allowed to stand extends beyond abortion. Its important to realize that the attacks on abortion are not the endgame for the anti-choice movement, said Kristin Ford, the acting vice president of communications and research for NARAL Pro-Choice America. It is not the sole focus for their efforts or their vision for what the future of this country looks like. Bills that seek to define life at the moment of fertilization could affect access to contraceptives and in-vitro fertilization procedures, activists warn.
The Taliban claim to have captured the Panjshir Valley, the last holdout province that had yet to fall under their control. The Taliban alleged to have completely conquered the region after two weeks of fierce fighting. If the allegation is true, it means the Taliban control every one of Afghanistans 34 provinces. But the National Resistance Front in Afghanistan, the anti-Taliban group battling the Taliban in Panjshir Valley that is in part led by former Vice President Amrullah Saleh, denied the allegation. The resistance is still all over the valley, a spokesman said. NRFA leader Ahmad Massoud said in a statement Monday the Talibans claim of occupying Panjshir is false and that NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight.

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Despite the claims of resistance, witnesses tell the Associated Press that thousands of Taliban fighters took over eight Panjshir districts overnight. Photos posted on social media show members of the Taliban standing in front of the gate of the compound of the Panjshir provincial governor and another one appeared to show Taliban fighters raising their flag in the provincial capital. Panjshir, which was the last hideout of the escapee enemy, is captured, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at a news conference. There were reports Monday of multiple casualties among resistance fighters, including some high-ranking leaders.

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In a statement Sunday, Massoud said resistance forces were ready to drop their weapons if Taliban ended its assault. But he later wrote a long message saying the Taliban had carried out a fierce assault despite their promises of wanting a peaceful settlement. They began a full-scale military offensive on our people which led to numerous victims, among them my close family members, he said. He also appealed to Afghans, whether inside or outside the country, to rise up in resistance for the dignity, integrity and freedom of our country!

English translation of HE @AhmadMassoud01, leader of the National Resistance Front, message: pic.twitter.com/kUgGaxbTcD  National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (@nrfafg) September 6, 2021

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If the Taliban does manage to hold on to its control over Panjshir it would be both a strategic and symbolic victory. The Taliban never managed to fully take control of Panjshir when they ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and it was where the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan began. Fighters in Panjshir also held off several attacks from the Soviets in the 1980s. The Taliban took pains Monday to try to reassure the Panjshir population that they had nothing to fear. We give full assurance to the honorable people of Panjshir that they will not be discriminated against, Mujahid said. They are all our brothers, and we will serve a country and a common goal.
The huge infrastructure package that recently passed the Senate allocates billions of dollars for expanding affordable internet access nationwide, raising the question of who and where should get that money. No recipients have been named yet, but low earth orbit satellite networks like Starlink might be one option federal agencies, state, and local governments consider. These networks have recently gotten attention for their potential to connect people in rural areas too hard to reach or capital-intensive for terrestrial service. (Theyre also getting attention from angry astronomers who dont want their views of the night sky ruined.) The technology is promising, enough that one of these networks, SpaceXs Starlink, won $885.5 million in federal funding in 2020 from the Federal Communications Commissions Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.

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Now, Starlink is petitioning to win even more federal money, asking to be recognized as an affordable service provider that could be reimbursed for providing service to low-income households in the country. But problems with its service suggest the federal government should step back from further bankrolling the company for the sake of expanding access until Starlink demonstrates that it can actually fulfill the promises it makes about the service.

Since 2018, SpaceX has been launching small satellites into space to create a satellite internet service it says is faster than what standard satellite companies currently offer. (Incumbent satellite providers like Viasat and HughesNet currently offer median download speeds 10 times slower and upload speeds 20 times slower than median speeds available through an at-home, fixed broadband connection.) This summer the company reported that there are about 90,000 people using Starlink as beta testers, and that half a million people total have either placed an order or put down a deposit to try the network. Service currently costs $99 a month with a $499 upfront cost for equipment, and deposits for preorder are fully refundable. The goal, Elon Musk recently shared, is to improve service, increases users, and generate around $30 billion in revenue, at which point SpaceX will sell or go public with Starlink and use the money to finance SpaceXs Starship system, Musks plan to transport people from Earth to the Moon and Mars.

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Looking at these numbers, its easy to see Starlink as an ambitious project that could bring much-needed, high speed service to rural areas. Third-party speed tests show that the median download speed of Starlink service can range from 40.36 to 93.09 Mbps, two to four times higher than speeds advertised by incumbent satellite providers HughesNet and Viasat. Beta testers on the Starlink subreddit are enthusiastic about service, sharing their experiences installing equipment and the speeds theyve experienced, and helping one another troubleshoot. But theres so much thats unknown about the network and its service.

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To start, the service remains in its infancy, with little data on its performance or financial solvency. While beta testers and Starlink fans have shared information about their personal experiences with the service, the company itself has yet to release any data about service locations, speeds, or its reliability. But we do know that beta-testers have experienced regular outages anywhere from eight minutes to 90 minutes that remain unexplained. Theres also the question of whether the company can remain in business. SpaceXs president shared this summer that the company currently loses money on consumer side equipment, and while noting that costs of producing satellite equipment are projected to go down, she didnt specify whether cheaper production costs would also mean savings for the end user.

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Information about Starlinks previous winning bids for federal money also raises questions whether the company just says things to get money. In its winning bid for Rural Digital Opportunity Fund money, Starlink also argued that the company was uniquely positioned to serve hardest-to-reach rural Americans. However, public interest group Free Press revealed that at least $11 million of the $885.5 million Starlink received in December 2020 is designated to serve random urban locations like traffic islands, giant storage tanks in urban industrial parks, and other places in densely populated cities with multiple other options for high-speed internet. This is despite Starlinks CEOs own admission that the network is ill-suited for people who live in areas with high-speed cable or fiber service. Furthermore, theres been no information from Starlink yet that the network is specifically available in the rural areas it purported it would serve with Rural Digital Opportunity Fund funds.

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Still, the company is now arguing that it should receive federal funding as an affordable internet service provider with Lifeline, a federal program to help low-income households afford telecommunications service. Again, Starlinks beta service costs $99 a month, plus an upfront cost of $499 for the user terminal/satellite dish, mounting tripod, and router. These service costs are actually comparable to those charged by incumbent satellite providers who advertised much slower service in rural areas, and in some ways an improvement, as Starlink does not currently cap or penalize data usage. But the current Lifeline support is $9.25 a month, less than one- tenth of the monthly cost of Starlink. Even with the subsidy, its unlikely that people living at or below 135 percent of the poverty line will be able to pay the upfront cost of a satellite dish, let alone afford $89 a month for internet service.

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Theres therefore little evidence that Starlink qualifies for federal funding, or that it even needs federal support to continue expanding its network. In fact, the company initially spurned government subsidies, arguing that technology and private sector investments would better bring internet service to unserved and underserved populations than federal funding. Rather than continuing to bankroll Starlink, the federal government should focus on supporting locally-based and/or municipal solutions to ensure more equitable access to the internet, and support and reform federal programs that do make internet service affordable for those who need support.

One immediate (and cost-free) action that the government can take is to make it legal for communities to build their own networks in places where private companies refuse to build out broadband infrastructure. These networks serve more than 900 communities today, bringing fast-speed, affordable internet that expands social and economic opportunities to underserved communities, ensuring that schoolchildren remain connected to online school and other virtual learning opportunities, saving hundreds of dollars for residents in service costs and fees. At least 20 states restrict or prohibit public communications initiatives and public-private partnerships like community or municipally owned and operated broadband networks. Monopolistic private providers like Comcast have also spent millions to keep these barriers in place. These companies are especially concerned with competition from public networks than with new private companies like Starlink since public networks, less concerned with turning a profit for investors as they are in expanding access, cant be as easily priced out. Big Telecom most recently was successful in lobbying to drop language supporting municipal broadband networks that had initially been discussed for the recent $65 billion infrastructure bill. Passing a bill like the Community Broadband Act of 2021 would allow communities and local governments to decide for themselves whether operating their own broadband network would be the best way to expand internet access and catalyze local economic development.

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The government should also continue making internet service affordable through aggressive support of existing federal programs like Lifeline and the Emergency Broadband Benefit. High prices affect everyone, not just those in rural areas, but also low-income, Black, Brown, and other people of color in cities, as well as the Indigenous and those living on tribal lands. The average cost of connectivity in the United States today, according to recent research from my organization, New Americas Open Technology Institute, is $68.38 a month (New America is a partner with Slate and Arizona State University in Future Tense.) Beyond keeping the subsidy amount high enough to significantly reduce internet bills for low-income households, there are a number of ways the federal government and in particular the FCC can reform and strengthen aspects of both Lifeline and EBB programs to ensure everyone can afford service.

While improvements in internet speed and user costs from next-generation satellite technology could help reduce dependency on fixed fiber broadband, it will likely not replace broadband completely. Instead of focusing on an unproven silver bullet solution to the problem of the digital divide like Starlink, policymakers should work to improve broadband competition and make getting online affordable for all. Itd be a shame to throw money into ferrying people into space while people struggle to even get online here on Earth.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Parents accused of abuse in Spain denied access to their children



A modification to the Civil Code aims to protect children in Spain who have witnessed abuse in the home

After a reform to the Civil Code in Spain which took effect on Friday September 3, parents who are involved in proceedings for crimes of gender violence will no longer be guaranteed visitation rights for their children. The Senate made the decision to reverse article 94 of the Code, meaning that anyone convicted of such a crime that has visitation orders in place will see them revoked.

In such cases, the judge is allowed to authorise visits if they are in the best interest of the child, and only once the parent-child relationship has been thoroughly evaluated by experts.

The change to the current law was sparked after the lifeless bodies of two young girls were pulled from the sea in Tenerife , having been kidnapped by their father who failed to return them after his court-approved visit.

From this month, the parents of children that are believed to have witnessed or experienced domestic abuse will no longer be given automatic rights to visitation, with the aim of reducing the chance of vicarious violence, whereby abusers exert pressure on minors to turn against the other caregiver.

The shocking fact is that the vast majority of murders of minors in Spain since 2013 by parents or caregivers occurred after separations or divorces.

A figure that hasnt yet been included in these horrific statistics is the murder of a two-year-old boy which occurred on August 24 in a hotel in Barcelona, as the childs father, believed to be responsible for his death, has yet to be located.

According to the latest macro-survey of violence against women, more than 1.68 million children live in homes where their mother has been attacked by their partner or ex-partner and in 51.7% of the cases, the mistreatment of the mother has been accompanied by child abuse.

Image: Archive
Spain will try all possible means to evacuate more Spaniards from Kabul



The Spanish government has committed to rescuing as many refugees from Afghanistan as possible

The central government of Spain has vowed to try all possible means of evacuating more Afghan collaborators who remain at the mercy of the Taliban regime in Kabul , after the military group announced that it intends to maintain diplomatic relations with all countries, including the United States.

If the sentiment from the Taliban holds true, Spain believes that it could continue evacuating staff who worked for the Spanish embassy and different military contingents over the last 20 years via commercial flights out of Kabul.

Failing this, the more risky option of crossing refugees into neighbouring Pakistan, Iran or Turkmenistan via the land borders will have to be considered. The Spanish government has cautioned that such as move would be very delicate if an agreement is not soon made between the Taliban and nearby embassies.

The last option, which would land Spanish rescuers in an extremely precarious situation, is to attempt some kind of military operation in extremis after flying an aircraft from another allied country into Afghanistan. As dangerous as this may sound, it must be remembered that the Taliban doesnt have access to any sort of land-to-air missiles or even radars capable of detecting foreign aircraft. However, this move, eerily similar to Hollywood disaster blockbusters, is one which the Spanish government wants to avoid at all costs.

Image: Archive
Street parties throughout Spain overwhelm local police



Gatherings of thousands of youngsters in public places in Spain often descend into violence

The relaxation of Covid restrictions and night-time curfews coupled with balmy weather and summer holidays has led to a massive upsurge in the number of botellones  gatherings, usually of young people, drinking on the streets  which local police forces are struggling to contain. These informal parties, which were already a problem in many municipalities pre-pandemic, now threaten to overwhelm large and small towns alike, with typical resort areas being the hardest hit.

According to the Andalucian authorities this summer officers have faced levels of aggression from revellers that they have never experienced before. In the small town of Almonte in Huelva, 50 police officers routinely patrol the streets. This is usually sufficient for the 25,000-strong population, but in the summer months more than 250,000 people can flock to Playa de Matalascanas and the village of El Rocio, where the local police force cannot hope to control the situation.

In Seville, the penalty for attending these gatherings has been increased from 100 euros to 300 euros with precisely zero effect. The problem has reached a point where it has actually caused the collapse of the 092 emergency telephone number in the Andalucian capital, and a dedicated line for the reporting of botellones had to be set up so that residents with emergencies could get through to the regular number. The president of the municipal police union described the situation as chaos and explained that, most worryingly, the illegal gatherings have now started extending well beyond the weekend.

In Barcelona, where street drinking has been banned since 2006, thousands of people recently descended on the Espanya Industrial park and at 3.00 in the morning, eight riot control vans had to be deployed to clear the area.

Local officers have despaired over what they believe is a fundamental lack of support from the Guardia Civil and National Police, and they fear that only the end of the summer holidays and the resumption of the academic year will put a stop to the street gatherings.

Image: Emergencias Sevilla
Seven-year-old mistake. Highways will cross but not connect

The public procurement for the junction started only last week.

The D1 and D4 highways between Bratislava and Senec will soon cross but they will not be interconnected. This means vehicles cannot access one highway from another.

After the remaining parts of the D4 highway are open for use, it will not be possible to connect the highway to the D1. Transport Minister Andrej Dolezal considers the situation a mess, claiming the root of the problem goes back to 2014.

He did specify how long it will take to finish the D1 and D4 junction.

We will know the date of completion only once we evaluate applicants' offers, Dolezal added, as quoted by the SITA newswire. In the past, he said the construction would take about 1,000 days, approximately three years.

Price not the only criterion

He also admitted that shortening the construction time could be more expensive. He recalled a recent statement of the general director of the National Highway Company (NDS) Juraj Tlapa, who said that a conservative estimation would be that the D1/D4 junction would be finished in five years.

Smart highway system in Bratislava is bad news for public transport, mayor says Read more

The National Highway Company launched the public procurement for the D1 Bratislava-Triblavina extension on September 3, the minister confirmed.

The estimated price of the project, including the junction of the D1 and D4 highways, is 127.1 million without VAT.

Applicants for the procurement should be motivated to shorten the time of the construction of the D1/D4 junction near Bratislava. The price of the construction will not be the only criterion when evaluating the offers.

D1 will rise above D4

During work on the D1/D4 junction within the D1 extension, traffic will be redirected from the D1 to detour routes in three lanes that need to be prepared, according to the minister. Subsequently, part of the D1 will rise above D4 and the detour routes will then need to be rebuilt. "It will burden traffic," Dolezal admitted.

"Reconstruction of the D1 highway is necessary to ensure the intersection with the D4 motorway, added Eva Zgravcakova, spokesperson for NDS, as quoted by the SITA newswire.

Traffic will be transferred from the current highway to detour routes along the branches of the future D1 / D4 junction. It will consist of the D1 road replacement, including a level lift, and the construction of new bridge crossroads between the D1 / D4 leading under D1," noted Zgravcakova.

6. Sep 2021 at 11:54 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Ex-general prosecutor rejects charges. One third of districts with stricter rules. More people allowed to register for papal visit. More in todays digest.

Good evening. The Monday, September 6, 2021 edition of Today in Slovakia is ready with the main news of the day in less than five minutes. We wish you a pleasant read.

Ex-top prosecutor stands trial

Dobroslav Trnka at court. (Source: SME)

For the first time ever, Slovakias former general prosecutor is standing trial.

The proceeding with Dobroslav Trnka started at the Bratislava I District Court on September 6. He is accused of abusing the authority of a public official for hiding the recording of the Gorilla file, leaked in 2011 and describing potential corruption practices between politicians and businesses, in his safe. If the judge finds him guilty, Trnka may spend two to 10 years in prison, or even more.

According to the charges, he received the recording from mobster Marian Kocner, who is currently serving a prison sentence for forging promissory notes case and facing charges in several other cases, including the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova.

Trnka has rejected a plea bargain, and claimed he is innocent.

The trial is set to take place tomorrow, then on September 13 and 14.

For a deeper insight into the current affairs, check out our Last Week in Slovakia, published earlier today. You can sign up for the newsletter here.

Deputy general prosecutor stops another investigation

Deputy General Prosecutor Jozef Kandera (Source: TASR)

The General Prosecutors Office decided to stop the second investigation in less than a week, applying paragraph 363 of the Penal Order, which allows for the extraordinary intervention of the general prosecutor.

First, the deputy of the General Prosecutor, Jozef Kandera, acquitted former SIS director Vladimir Pcolinsky of corruption-related charges.

This time, he has stopped the investigation launched by the National Criminal Agency (NAKA) that concerned the manipulations of witnesses.

According to the information of the Sme daily, NAKA had hints that people with links to the Slovak Information Service (SIS) intelligence agency had contacted the Interior Ministrys inspection service, asking them to manipulate the cooperating defendants in order to bring false accusations against the members of the Ocistec (Purgatory) team, which had launched investigations in several corruption cases lately.

Kandera cited paragraph 363 again, questioning the basis of the investigation and saying that there is no concrete evidence.

The Police Corps Presidium did not want to comment.

If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription. Thank you.

Coronavirus and vaccination news

101 people were newly diagnosed as Covid positive out of 13,726 PCR tests performed on September 5. The number of people in hospitals has increased to 112 people . The vaccination rate is at 43.46 percent , 2,390,168 people have received the first dose of the vaccine. More stats on Covid-19 in Slovakia here.

were newly diagnosed as Covid positive out of 13,726 PCR tests performed on September 5. The number of people in hospitals has increased to . The vaccination rate is at , 2,390,168 people have received the first dose of the vaccine. More stats on Covid-19 in Slovakia here. Altogether 23 districts are in the orange tier as of today, up from last weeks 14. This means that they need to follow stricter measures, which for example introduce some entry limitations for regimes enabling all people and people with a confirmation of negative test/recovery from Covid/vaccination.

as of today, up from last weeks 14. This means that they need to follow stricter measures, which for example introduce some entry limitations for regimes enabling all people and people with a confirmation of negative test/recovery from Covid/vaccination. The conditions for events for the public attended by Pope Francis during his mid-September visit to Slovakia have changed. They are now open also to people who have not been vaccinated, but have a negative Covid test result or recovered from the disease, while everybody needs to register at www.navstevapapeza.sk.

Picture of the day

Slovakia wrapped up the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games with a gold medal in para-shooting, won by the most successful Paralympic athlete, Veronika Vadovicova. The country collected 11 medals in total.

Veronika Vadovicova won the gold in para-shooting. (Source: Roman Benicky, Slovak Paralympic Committee)

Feature story for today

It is not enough to create good strategies; it is more important to stick to them and pursue long-term visions to ensure Slovakia remains competitive in the changing world, says Ronald Blasko, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham). In his view, a consensus is needed between the coalition and the opposition to make sure reforms do not change after each election.

Read more in our interview, which touches on topics like Slovakia's Recovery and Resilience Plan, the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and what Slovakia should do to attract new investments.

Blasko: It is sad to hear Slovakia is unable to spend EU funds Read more

In other news

PM Eduard Heger (OLaNO) will allocate 300,000 from his reserve for the Teach for Slovakia project, which trains non-teachers to teach in various communities with the aim of improving the education sector and help children to succeed.

from his reserve for the project, which trains non-teachers to teach in various communities with the aim of improving the education sector and help children to succeed. The bells in Catholic churches across Slovakia will ring on Sunday, September 12 at 12:00 to invite adherents to pray for Pope Francis, who will arrive for his official visit to the country later that day.

will ring on to invite adherents to pray for Pope Francis, who will arrive for his official visit to the country later that day. The average nominal monthly wage of an employee in Slovakia amounted to 1,202 in the second quarter of 2021 , up by 10.5 percent annually. It was the most rapid growth since the last quarter of 2004, according to the Statistics Office.

of an employee in Slovakia amounted to , up by 10.5 percent annually. It was the most rapid growth since the last quarter of 2004, according to the Statistics Office. 849 people went bankrupt in August 2021 , up by more than one quarter compared to the year before. It has been the second highest number of personal bankruptcies in Slovakia this year, shows an analysis of CRIF  Slovak Credit Bureau.

, up by more than one quarter compared to the year before. It has been the second highest number of personal bankruptcies in Slovakia this year, shows an analysis of CRIF  Slovak Credit Bureau. Several areas in central and northern Slovakia may experience a very chilly night today and tomorrow morning, with temperatures falling to -1 to -4 degrees Celsius.

Also on Spectator.sk today:

Seven-year-old mistake. Highways will cross but not connect Read more

Vantage Point: Vysne Ruzbachy and Veterny vrch Read more

How a healing wildflower has mutated into a 'magic broom' Read more

If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.

6. Sep 2021 at 19:24 | Radka Minarechova
Highalator (p, 1:48f, $674,724), the warrior son of Somebeachsomewhere with 43 wins, will stand the 2022 season at Schwartz Boarding Farm in Berne, Indiana, as announced jointly by Charles Dombeck, co-owner of Highalator, and Alvin Schwartz.

Highalator, a full brother to Pennsylvania Stallion Series champion South Beach Star (p, 1:48.1f), is the first foal of the brilliant Western Terror mare Higher And Higher (p,1:49.1f), who herself earned $922,475.

Highalator, a significant free-for-all and open class winner on all sized tracks, brings to Indiana the prolific Somebeachsomewhere siring line, responsible for this years brilliant first crop stallions Downbytheseaside and Huntsville.

Highalators initial fee will be $3,500.

(Highalator ownership and Schwartz Boarding Farm)
Andino was assigned to 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Wurzburg, Germany. The local young man died of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad. He was awarded the Army Achievement Medal and received a posthumous Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for valor.

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Andino is buried in the church cemetery at Bethel Baptist in Reva.

The Memorial Bridge over Mountain Run on Evans Street in front of Yowell Meadow Park bears a plaque with the names of the two Culpeper service members who died in the name of freedom after 9/11.

Now more than ever, it is so important that we come together as Americans to show support for those whose service, courage, and sacrifice, help keep America free, according to a release.

Wreaths Across America has gathered from 9 to 10 a.m. every Tuesday, since 9/11, to raise the American flag and say the Pledge of Allegiance from the Freeport Flag Ladies Monument in Jonesboro, Maine. This is near the tip lands where the balsam is harvested to make veterans wreaths for placement on National Wreaths Across America Day each December.
ALMA  It was too damn short, said Donald Woodruff about his Dream Flight.

Woodruff was one of two World War II veterans who took to the skies Friday morning over Alma.

Woodruff, 99, and John Hawley, 96, are residents at Good Samaritan Society-Alma, and they were selected to participate in Dream Flights Operation September Freedom.

The mission is to honor World War II veterans by giving them a ride in a restored Boeing Stearman biplane beginning Aug. 1 through Sept. 30.

Since finding out they would be able to take the flight a few weeks ago, the men have been eager for the day to come, said Erica Little, activities director at Good Samaritan Society.

Its so awesome. We are so excited everything worked out, Little said.

As pilot Scott DeLong landed the airplane at Alma Municipal Airport, both men couldnt take their eyes away from the aircraft. Both men have a history of flying planes, whether it was in the military, for business or enjoyment.
The lawsuit he filed said that the Knights of Aksarben had transferred all rights to the stock show name and logo in April and that the Looses and Harder have failed to respond to requests to voluntarily turn over the rights to the name and logo.

Trent Loos has shared a stage with Gov. Ricketts more than once. He joined the governor at a McCook rally opposing President Joe Bidens 30-by-30 conservation program and at a governors news conference in 2019 to pitch property tax relief. Ricketts appeared on a podcast produced by Loos in July. Loos was recently appointed by the governor to the commission that oversees the state Capitol. Loos said he had served as announcer of the Aksarben Stock Show after it moved to Grand Island. But he lost his job when Harder was fired.

He said his group had filed for the rights to the Aksarben Stock Show name because the State Fair Board had discussed dropping the event.

Our only intent was to preserve the history and heritage of the Aksarben show for families like ours and keep it alive, Loos said. He added that Nebraskans 4 Youth Livestock doesnt have any current plans to use the name and logo.

So why not return it and avoid an expensive lawsuit pitting lawyers from two high-priced firms, Rembolt Ludtke of Lincoln and Kutak Rock of Omaha?
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's order for a customized, personal desk from a state prison work program will cost nearly $9,000 after modifications such as brass embossing, a gun drawer with leather inserts, and a footrest were added to the order.

The governor's spokesman Ian Fury said Friday that taxpayers won't be saddled with the bill because it's a personal order for Noem and that the initial bid for the black walnut executive desk ranged from $5,000 to $6,000.

Dakota News Now, citing unnamed corrections officers, reported that the bill had run to $9,000 after the modifications, which included increasing the length of the desk to 100 inches to allow two people to work side-by-side. The corrections officers alleged that prison officials had ordered the bill be discounted by $3,000.

Fury disputed that the governor would receive a discount. He said Noem would pay the full amount of the final bill.

He said the order had always been a personal purchase for the governor but that she may use it in her official office.

She wanted a new desk, Fury said.
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The project could benefit the town by supplying detailed records that can be referenced for projects including preservation or economic development.

If there is any federal money being used for projects in town, that has to go through a review to make sure its not impacting any historic structures. This lays the groundwork of whats here, Thomas said. It wont necessarily lead to this, but if homeowners are interested in listing on the national register, something like this kind of lays the groundwork for that. Listing on the national register doesnt put any regulations on the homeowner, but it does open them up to different tax credits and things like that.

The last time Taylorsville was surveyed was in 1986. Architectural historian Vicky Mason recorded various historic houses, schools, churches and buildings for a two-county project that included Caldwell County. Many buildings in Taylorsville were too new at the time to be included on the 1986 survey. The survey Thomas is doing will include structures from that survey, as well as other buildings that have never been surveyed.

Theres been interest at the local level. Alexander County put together a Historic Preservation Commission in 2019, Thomas said. They have been working with us, so that is one of the reasons we are here.
A Chinese military satellite, Yunhai 1-02, has become the latest victim of orbital debris. Yunhai was launched and began functioning in late 2019 and suddenly went silent in March 2021. At first it was believed that Yunhai broke up because of an internal explosion or collision. It was later confirmed that Yunhai was hit on March 18th by a fragment from a 1996 Russian satellite launch in which several large fragments from the final stage of the SLV (Satellite Launch Vehicle) remained in orbit rather than falling back to earth and burning up as they entered the atmosphere. That Russian ELINT (electronic intelligence collection) satellite, Tselina-2, weighed 3.2 tons and used batteries and solar arrays to maintain power and operate for at least a year in an orbit 850 kilometers above earth. Yunhai was not destroyed by the collision but was seriously damaged. The collision generated several large pieces of new debris. The Yunhai 1-02 is still emitting signals but is believed to be useless for its intended function.

The piece of space junk that hit Yunhai 1-02 was estimated to be 10-50 cm (4-20 inches) wide and had not been detected earlier and tracked, as had five other fragments from the 1996 SLV incident. Other fragments were suspected but could not be detected and tracked. When a satellite is damaged or destroyed by an untracked fragment it is often possible to determine which identified batch (swarm) of debris it came from and this was apparently the case with debris from the 1996 SLV.

Since the 1990s there have been improvements in preventing dangerous fragments from satellite launchers and satellites that have ceased to be useful. This is in addition to equipping satellites with a deorbiting system that will reliably move it to a lower orbit so it will enter the atmosphere and burn up.

Collisions like this confirm the growing need to find, track and report orbital debris as well as satellites. That effort has been going on for decades and generates more and more international cooperation. For a long time the major satellite producers (the U.S., China and Russia) did not reveal all they know. Despite that there is a growing need for as complete a debris database as possible to be maintained and made public. For example, in early 2013 Russia reported that one of its satellites was hit and damaged by debris from a Chinese satellite that China had destroyed in a 2007 anti-satellite weapon test. This is only the second time that an active (still operational) satellite was hit by orbital debris. The last time was in 2009 when an American satellite was hit by a dead Russian satellite. Since then, owners of active satellites have paid more attention to where all the space junk (debris) is up there, and it is more common for active satellites to move out of the way of oncoming concentrations of debris. This consumes precious fuel, which is normally used to maintain a low flying satellite in the proper orbit. When the fuel is gone, so is the ability to move and the usefulness of the satellite.

The loss of Yunhai 1-02 is the first since the 2009 loss of an American Iridium satellite, which supplies satellite phone service and was at an altitude of about 770 kilometers over central Russia. The Iridium satellite was hit by a dead Russian communications satellite, the one-ton Cosmos 2251 which was equipped with a nuclear power supply. Launched in 1993, the Russian bird could not be moved, nor could the Iridium which, while active, was not equipped with thrusters for movement. The Iridium satellite was one of sixty, so satellite phone services were not interrupted because of the systems spare capacity. The collision turned the two satellites into 600 bits of trackable, and very dangerous, debris.

The first such satellite loss to debris was in 1991 when a dead satellite ran into debris from another and created more debris. There have been two deliberate collisions since then. In 2007, China launched a "killsat" that maneuvered into the path of a dead Chinese weather satellite and destroyed it. In 2008, the U.S. Navy used one of its Aegis equipped warships to destroy a malfunctioning U.S. spy satellite with an anti-missile missile. Russia and China have since called for such U.S. activity to be outlawed. These three counties are responsible for putting the majority of satellites into orbit and generating most of the orbital debris up there.

Since the late 1950s, humans have been putting objects into orbit and there is a rapidly growing collection of junk up there. Currently, there are about 130 million pieces of debris smaller than ten mm (millimeters) or .4 inches) in orbit. These are large, and fast, enough to damage operational space satellites and even kill astronauts in space suits. Most of this tiny debris is no larger than a bit of flaked paint, and other objects the size of a grain of sand or small pebble. Even the tiniest of items, like some paint chips or frozen drop of rocket fuel, moving at high speed, create visible, if not very damaging, evidence of collisions. Occupied spacecraft or space stations alert inhabitants when such tiny objects hit the hull or other equipment, like solar arrays. Too many of these encounters with microscopic objects can cause real damage while weakening the satellite or space station in question.

Over 900,000 objects 10 mm (.4 inch) in size have been identified and these are more dangerous. The smallest of these can disable a satellite, or damage a spacecraft, mainly because these objects collide at very high speed (9-10 times faster than a bullet) when the two objects are coming from different directions.

There are nearly 35,000 objects 10 centimeters (4 inches) or larger in LEO (low earth orbit). All of these can do some catastrophic damage to satellites or spacecraft. The millions of objects smaller than 10mm are responsible for many satellites failing early because of cumulative damage from getting hit by several of these micro-objects. There are over 2,500 commercial and military satellites up there, most of them still operational and a growing number of the nano (very small) sats. Also called cubesats, they take advantage of smaller and lighter components and the ability of SLVs to deliver over a hundred nanosats into orbit at one time.

There are a growing number of dead satellites in LEO with orbits degrading so slowly that it may be decades before they get low enough to be pulled into the atmosphere and burn up. The nanosats are in the lowest LEO orbits and not capable of moving themselves lower when the useful life ends. Instead, the nanosats are low enough to more quickly drift earthwards and into the atmosphere at about a hundred kilometers above earth where gravity and atmospheric friction begins burning them up.

Because of increased cooperation and openness by the major space satellite producing nations, most of the details of how the Yunhai 1-02 debris damage was caused came from the recently created U.S. Space Force, which has several components that monitor orbit space and track debris. Russia and China have also become more forthcoming about these incidents and space debris in general. In mid- 2018 Russia announced the revival of its Cold War global network of ground-based observatories that monitored all orbiting objects. Russia had deactivated these observatories in the 1990s after the Soviet Union dissolved and formed 14 new nations. Russia has arranged to revive some of the observatories in former parts of the Soviet Union as well as ones it maintained in foreign countries (Bolivia and Mexico). Russia will expand the network with new observatories in eastern Russia. This network tracks more than 5,000 objects, including spacecraft and new satellites.

This observatories decision follows one in mid-2016 when Russia announced it was going to make public its database of known objects in orbit around the earth. This would include all its own satellites as well as non-Russian satellites it had located and was tracking. Russia proposed that other nations who put satellites in orbit do the same and let the UN manage this master database. Russia pointed out that the database it is putting online lists 40 percent more objects than any publicly available American database and that this is largely because Russia has more telescopes and radars watching orbital space plus observers operating from locations all over the largest nation on the planet.

The United States has a classified database of all satellites it knows about, including their status (active, inactive, and when some are about to plunge to earth). The United States did not jump at the opportunity to join this unclassified master database because that would mean revealing satellites that have managed to keep their location secret. The U.S. is more concerned about not letting China know where it's hidden satellites are. Russia is no longer able, because of shortages of cash and tech, to put up as many satellites as it did during the Cold War. The U.S. sees China as the new threat and has already accused China of putting secret anti-satellite devices in orbit. China and Russia are allies and the U.S. does not trust either of them to keep their promises. Russia is pitching this database idea to the UN as a positive step in policing international agreements to not weaponize space. None of the other nations that can put satellites up trust China either but Russia has nothing to lose and much to gain by making an issue of its proposal in the UN. The activity of Kosmos-2519 and its sub satellites over the last year show that Russia is still a contender in the area of killsats (killer satellites) and efforts to control what goes on in orbital space.

Despite the continued secrecy about some satellites, all three nations are more willing to share debris data and warnings. There are a lot of people keeping an eye on this clutter. The U.S. Air Force Space Surveillance Network, which tracks objects 10mm and larger, stopped sharing all of its information in 2004, for national security reasons. That changed when the newly created U.S. Space Force absorbed the Air Force Space Surveillance Network and much else in 2019. The Russian Space Surveillance System is known to use radar to track over 5,000 objects in low orbit. Until recently the Russians have never shared this data completely or regularly. Filling in the gaps are two international organizations, IADC (Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee) and ISON (International Space Observation Network). IADC is a government operation, whose members include the U.S. NASA and the equivalents in Russia, China, and several other major nations. Like most government organizations, not all data is shared.

ISON is a non-government organization, and they come up with some of the most interesting stuff. ISON comprises 18 scientific institutions, 18 observatories, 25 telescopes, and over a hundred professionals. ISON does not, as far as anyone knows, withhold data because of any national security concerns. ISON work is monitored, and complemented, by the efforts of thousands of amateur astronomers and orbital addicts who connect via the Internet and constantly scour the orbital space for new objects and dangerous movements by existing ones.

ISON has already spotted more than 200 larger (over 10mm) objects that have never been reported by any of the government organizations. The Internet based amateurs are often the first to spot a lot of this new activity, mainly because they have more eyeballs, and, in some cases, impressive optical equipment searching the skies.

When someone spots an object headed for a maneuverable satellite, the owner is alerted and the bird is moved if possible. This has happened several times in the last few years. The number of dangerous objects up there increases 10-20 percent a year. That's even with many of them falling into the atmosphere and burning up each year. Apparently, no one was able to predict the 2009 collision between Cosmos 2251 and the Iridium bird, nor the more recent collision, largely because the high speed of these objects, and slight instability of their orbits can turn an expected near miss into a direct hit.

Now its not the accidental encounters you have to worry about but the deliberate ones. While satellite spotters eventually locate and identify anything put up there few objects are observed 24/7. The Russians could simply pick a time when a target satellite was least likely to be observed and send in their maneuverable spy sat to do whatever it needs to do and then change orbit and disappear for a while. Such deliberate encounters are a larger worry than accidental ones. These maneuverable satellites are described as built for repairing or refueling existing satellites. They can also be used to push dead satellites into a lower orbit that will force it into the atmosphere and burn up. These maneuverable satellites can be used to spy on satellites of other nations and make excellent killsats that do their work without causing debris. There is no similar tool for eliminating all those orbital fragments, which are a danger to everyones satellites.
The Orel, one of Russias elderly Oscar II (Antey) class SSGNs (cruise missile carrying nuclear sub), had an embarrassing power failure on July 30. This happened while leaving the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak. This is the 240-kilometer-long straight that has some narrow passages that involve moving through territorial waters (less than 22 kilometers from the coast) of Denmark or Sweden. International agreements allowing innocent passage of warships through the Skagerrak require that submarines do so on the surface and escorted by a Danish or Swedish warship. In this case the Orel and a Russian destroyer were escorted by a 246-ton Danish patrol ship with a Russian navy tug nearby. The Orel suddenly lost power and began drifting towards a Danish Island at about three kilometers an hour. Orel is a behemoth on the surface, displacing 14,000 tons and not the kind of ship you want running aground in your neighborhood.

The Danish patrol boat offered to help evacuate crew or render any other assistance. The Russians declined and said their sea-going tug would arrive shortly and several Orel crew, wearing life jackets, were seen on the forward deck, apparently preparing the sub to be towed. None of that was necessary because the Orel soon regained power, at least enough to move slowly out of the Skagerrak where it apparently fixed whatever powerplant problems it was having and was able to submerge and continue underwater to its base off the Russian northwest coast.

The Oscars were the last class of Russian nuclear subs put into service before the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. The Oscars were considered more reliable than earlier nukes but suffered from shipyard accidents and one (the Kursk) was lost off the north coast in a 2000 accident. The cause was apparently crew mishandling of a malfunctioning torpedo that detonated while the sub was still submerged. The Kursk sank but 28 of the crew survived in an intact compartment for several days. The navy lacked modern submarine rescue equipment and refused such help from Britain, which had some of the most advanced rescue gear in the world. The Kursk was subsequently raised to the surface and taken to a shipyard for examination and dismantling. This disaster caused Russia to equip its navy with modern submarine rescue gear, now stationed at the two main submarine bases; one on the northern coast and the other in the Russian Far East. The refurbishment plans for the Oscars were updated to deal with some of the problems discovered during the Kursk investigation.

The Orel, and two other Russian nuclear subs and several other Russian and foreign warships had been in Saint Petersberg to celebrate the 325th anniversary of the Russian Navy and participate in a naval parade.

The Orel was one of the last Oscars to complete its refurbishment in 2017, before budget cuts forced the navy to make unpublicized adjustments in the program to upgrade the remaining eight (Oscar II) class SSGNs so that the twenty-four 7-ton P700 high-speed carrier killer missiles would be replaced by 72 smaller 3M54/14 (Kalibr) cruise missiles that weigh two tons each. The 24 P-700 silos were modified to carry three Kalibrs each.

Kalibr is like the American Tomahawk and that approach, the Russians discovered, was cheaper, more reliable and allows more missiles to be carried. That made it worth refurbishing some of the remaining Cold War era SSGNs. Back in 2015, the Russians announced that it would spend $180 million each to modernize the eight remaining Oscar II SSGNs in order to extend their service lives twenty years. With the 2017 announcement that price went up to $250 million per Oscar II. At that point experience firing Kalibrs at targets in Syria demonstrated the wisdom of these conversions.

Russia had long planned to convert their Oscar II subs from carrier killers'' to cruise missile bombardment vessels. In 2001 Russia decided to rebuild eight of the Oscar IIs so they could carry a variety of missile types along with having the subs refurbed to extend their service lives. Known as the Antry-class in Russia and the Oscar IIs in the West, each of these subs was designed to carry 24 large anti-ship missiles for use against aircraft carriers and other large warships. The Russians now agree that carrying more, but smaller missiles, it is possible to overcome the anti-missile defenses of enemy surface ships. What is lost in range and warhead size will be made up with better target detection and countermeasures technology as well as the ability to hit more land targets or smaller warships in one attack.

The Oscar class boats were worth keeping in part because their design went through a long and expensive development process. Designed in the early 1970s, the first two began construction in 1975 and 1979 and entered service in 1980 and 1983. These were the only two Oscar I (Granit) type ships. While building these two and during several years of initial use a lot of problems were noted and fixed. The remaining twelve boats were obviously different, had better performance and were called Oscar II. Three Oscar IIs were in service when the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991. Construction continued on six more and by 1997 eight were in service. Eventually twelve Oscar IIs were built. One, the Kursk, was lost in 2000 to a well-publicized accident. Another was converted to be a special projects sub. Two were put in reserve until the navy could afford to refurbish them. This left eight available for the cruise missile conversion and all but two have completed that process.

The Oscar II class boats have eight torpedo tubes (four 650mm/25.6 inch, four 533mm/21 inch) and twenty-four SS-N-19/P-700/Shipwreck/Granit missiles. These anti-ship missiles have a range of 550 kilometers, a speed of 1600 kilometers an hour, and a 750 kg (1,650 pound) high-explosive warhead (or a nuclear warhead of 350 or 500 kilotons as an option). The Oscar's crew of 107 contains 48 officers. That's because of the high degree of automation and the need to offer officers pay and accommodations to attract the technical talent required to keep these boats going.

The Oscar's are expensive to operate and because the United States and Russia are no longer at each other's throats, especially on the high seas, the Oscars were scheduled for retirement by 2010, as their nuclear reactors came due for refueling. The decision to refurbish the Oscar IIs indicates that the navy believed it could not get money for replacement boats. The government promised new subs, but many admirals didn't want to take a chance by retiring the Oscars and found like-minded people in the government who agreed to fund the refurb program. That was enough to keep eight Oscar IIs in service into the 2030s. After that there will probably be no more boats the size of the Oscars, but smaller, cheaper, more reliable and just as lethal.
Editors note: Information is provided by the Cowlitz County Corrections Department and local law enforcement agencies. Each individual named in this report is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Burglary  Woodland Police Department officers Friday arrested Mitchell Hunt, 27, city of residence unknown, on suspicion of second-degree burglary and malicious mischief. Hunt allegedly broke through the window of U.S. Bank early Friday morning. Kalama Police Department and bank security assisted in the response and Hunt was arrested without incident.

Stolen vehicle  Longview Police Department officers Saturday arrested Matthew Bartow, 32, of Longview, on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle.

Assault  Kelso Police Department officers Saturday arrested Franklin McJunkin Jr., 39, city of residence unknown, on suspicion of second-degree assault.

Assaults

1600 block of Minor Road, Kelso. Friday. Neighbor attempted to hit woman with truck. Caller said the driver has a history of harassing her and her children.

800 block of Pacific Avenue, Kelso. Friday. Assaulted by shirtless man.
Locast, a service that streamed local TV for free in about three dozen U.S. cities, suspended its operations Thursday after losses in court against the broadcast industry. Cowlitz County residents could access the service since March to stream live over-the-air broadcasts of Portland news, sports and sitcoms.

The owners of the countrys major broadcast TV networks  ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox  sued Locast in 2019, saying it violated their copyrights, and asked for the service to be shut down. The 39 broadcast stations available in Cowlitz County included Portland affiliates for ABC, CBS and NBC, as well as MeTV, CourtTV and The CW.

New app offers free streaming TV to Portland broadcast market; faces court challenge from networks A free service called Locast allows locals to watch live Portland-area broadcast TV online, but pending litigation may cut access short.

Locast has held that because it is a nonprofit, it found a legal loophole in copyright law  it can stream the networks of ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox without paying them. The companies that own the networks make billions annually in fees from cable companies that pay to include them in TV packages.

But a federal judge in New York ruled on Tuesday that Locast isnt protected by that exemption from copyright law. He said Locast is effectively charging users and using that money to expand its service, which he said isnt allowed under the law.
The plan includes $110 billion to build and repair roads and bridges and $66 billion to upgrade railroads. It also includes about $60 billion to upgrade the electric grid and build thousands of miles of transmission lines to expand use of renewable energy and nearly $47 billion to adapt and rebuild roads, ports and bridges to help withstand damage from stronger storms as well as wildfires and drought.

If we're going to make our country more resilient to natural disasters, whatever they are, we have to start preparing now," said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.

Cassidy, a lead negotiator on the bipartisan bill, has touted the infrastructure legislation as a boon to hurricane-prone states such as his. Im sure hoping that Republicans look around my state, see this damage and say, If theres money for resiliency, money to harden the grid, money to help sewer and water, then maybe this is something we should be for,'" he told CNN.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Justice Department said Monday that it will not tolerate violence against anyone who is trying to obtain an abortion in Texas as federal officials explore options to challenge a new state law that bans most abortions.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department would protect those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services under a federal law known as the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

Garland said in a statement that federal prosecutors are still urgently exploring options to challenge the Texas law. He said the Justice Department would enforce the federal law in order to protect the constitutional rights of women and other persons, including access to an abortion.

The federal law, commonly known as the FACE Act, prohibits physically obstructing or using the threat of force to intimidate or interfere with a person seeking reproductive health services. The law also prohibits damaging property at abortion clinics and other reproductive health centers.
"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.
Anything that has to do with the Sun has fascinated humanity for ages and this applies to a solar storm too. The Sun's power as a source of immense energy is revered and therefore, it catches everyone's interest. That applies to most things about the Sun, positive or negative. Among the negatives is something called a solar storm. So, what is a solar storm and how does it affect humans and the infrastructure on Earth, especially Internet? Read on to know it all in brief.

Solar storms have been in the news for quite some time and researchers have highlighted their potential to wreak havoc on Earth. Notably, a large enough solar storm can impact the electric and electronic infrastructure, which not only includes the satellite systems but also long-haul fibre-optic cables on the Earth that make the Internet possible. In short, a solar storm has the potential to bring down the electric grid as well as the Internet and that eventuality will be catastrophic in terms of loss of lives as well as cost.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? Check Mobile Finder here.

What is a solar storm? As NASA explains it, a solar storm is created by a variety of eruptions or ejections of energy from the surface of the Sun. These include flares, prominences, sunspots, and coronal mass ejections or CME. They all involve sudden releases of stored magnetic energy, which accelerates the hot gases near the surface or in the corona of the Sun. Sometimes these particles head straight to the Earth flowing along the Sun's magnetic field into interplanetary space. When the material collides with the Earth's magnetic field and gets trapped in radiation belts, it can dump particles into Earth's upper atmosphere that cause the magnificent lighting colours in the sky - the Aurora.

What is the danger from a solar storm? The same charged particles can produce their own magnetic fields which can modify the Earth's magnetic field and affect compass readings. The changing magnetic fields can also induce electricity in long pipelines, or produce electrical surges in our power grids leading to brownouts and blackouts. A solar storm can also disrupt the working of satellites, telecommunications and navigation systems. They can also cause power grid failures and regional blackouts.

Recently, a research paper published by Indian scientist Sangeetha Abdu Jyothi of the University of California, Irvine and VMware Research talked about the extent of damage that can be caused by a solar storm. In her paper, Jyothi said that a solar storm could damage certain segments of submarine cables that make possible the uninterrupted running of the Internet. The researcher revealed that some critical parts of these cables can be damaged by a solar storm. If that happens, then the US is highly susceptible to disconnection from Europe, while Europe is in a vulnerable location but is more resilient due to the presence of a larger number of shorter cables. Asia, on the other hand, had a relatively high resilience with Singapore acting as a hub with connections to several countries.

The greatest danger from a solar storm is its impact on a certain critical part of the long haul under-sea cables. These have accompanying conductors that connect repeaters in series along their length called the power feeding line. These conductors are the weak link that will be hit and cause, what she called, would be an internet apocalypse.

Is a solar storm dangerous to humans? Fortunately, they arent dangerous to human beings, but only if we remain on Earth. Humans are safe on Earth because most of the solar radiation is absorbed by Earths atmosphere and so it doesnt have an impact. However, in space, CMEs in large doses can prove to be fatal to unshielded astronauts.
As previously speculated, the Huawei nova 9 is indeed coming soon with an official release date. Set to launch in the Chinese market first, as usual, the nova 9 will be unveiled on 23 September 2021.

But that's not all, Huawei also confirmed that the previous nova 9 design leaks are spot on. As you can see from the image, the phone will have a quad rear camera on the double ring design module and the nova logo on its rear. It will also come with HarmonyOS as expected, which will be a 2.1 version according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

To recap some of the tech specs, the nova 9 is said to be featuring a 4500mAh battery pack with 66W super fast-charging technology. Rumours have it that there could also be a nova 9 Pro variant but with a 4000mAh battery that supports a 100W super fast-charging technology. Perhaps the most interesting one of all is the fact that the nova 9 series is a 4G-based smartphone only.

Before you know it, the Huawei nova 9 series will be unveiled in a blink of an eye. Until then, do stay tuned for the official news coverage only at TechNave.com.
'The system of multinationals' taxation, which is over 100 years old, is not suited for a 21st century globalised economy,' says Joseph Stiglitz.

Nobel economics prize laureate Joseph Stiglitz praised international backing for a global tax on corporations but said the minimum rate agreed by governments to battle "the dark side of globalisation" remains too low.

More than 130 nations have supported a plan to introduce a tax floor of at least 15 percent aimed at preventing countries from competing to offer the lowest rates in order to attract multinationals seeking to minimise their tax bills.

"It's a fantastic initiative," Stiglitz told AFP on the sidelines of the Ambrosetti Forum, an economics conference next to the scenic Lake Como in Cernobbio, Italy.

"The system of multinationals' taxation, which is over 100 years old, is not suited for a 21st century globalised economy," he said.

The global tax reform was agreed in negotiations led by the OECD and at a meeting of finance ministers of the Group of 20 wealthy and developing countries.

Final agreement is expected in the run-up to the G20 leaders' summit in Rome in October, with hopes the reforms can be in place by 2023.

But the American economist said 15 percent is "too low".

"I think it should be 25 percent, but politics is the art of compromise. I hope they do at least 20 percent," he said.

'Dark side of globalisation'

The United States, France and Germany are among the powers that have backed the imposition of a minimum rate to end a "race to the bottom".

But some nations are opposed to the plan, most notably Ireland, which has lured the likes of Apple and Google to its shores with a 12.5 percent rate.

"The system we have now is open to abuse and that is one of the reasons why the effective tax rate is so much lower than the official rate," Stiglitz said.

"The race to the bottom in which Luxembourg and Ireland played a role undermined global solidarity, it undermined the global economic system, it is part of the dark side of globalisation."

He said the agreement has also put an end to a "terrible tax war" that started under the Donald Trump presidency which slapped retaliatory tariffs on wine and other EU products in response to digital taxes imposed by France, Spain and others on US tech companies.

It "would have been a disaster if that kind of tax war proceeded," Stiglitz said.

Stiglitz vs Austerity

The 78-year-old academic, who was a senior economic adviser to President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, touched on another one of his favourite bugbears: austerity.

Stiglitz warned that the European Union should not return to its belt-tightening ways after the bloc rolled out a massive, 750-billion-euro ($890 million) fund to bring its 27 members out of their coronavirus-induced economic crisis.

"Europe came together and did the 750 billion European Recovery Fund which was the kind of thing that they should have done during the euro crisis in 2010," he told AFP.

"They provided the money without the austerity conditionalities they did in 2010," Stiglitz said.

During the eurozone debt crisis, European leaders imposed austerity measures on Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Cyprus in return for bailouts.

The EU has dished out the first tranche of the rescue fund over the summer.

"But my impression is that there is not a high level of trust to get the second tranche," Stiglitz said.

He said it was a "good thing" that conditions were not set to get the first batch.

"They gave some money because of the urgency," he said.

"But if they fall back in the old way of being excessively tight on the conditionality and not give the second tranche because they will say 'you didn't do this or that', some of the old problems could re-arise."

With German Chancellor Angela Merkelan austerity championbowing out, "maybe the new German government will also be more flexible", the economist said.

But, he added, "That's still an open question."

Explore further G20 endorses historic global tax reform

 2021 AFP
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Scientists from the Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering at Osaka University used generative adversarial networks trained on a custom dataset to virtually remove obstructions from building facade images. This work may assist in civic planning as well as computer vision applications.

The ability to digitally "erase" unwanted occluding objects from a cityscape is highly useful but requires a great deal of computing power. Previous methods used standard image datasets to train machine learning algorithms. Now, a team of researchers at Osaka University have built a custom dataset as part of a general framework for the automatic removal of unwanted objectssuch as pedestrians, riders, vegetation, or carsfrom an image of a building's facade. The removed region was replaced using digital inpainting to efficiently restore a complete view.

The researchers used data from the Kansai region of Japan in an open-source street view service, as opposed to the conventional building image sets often used in machine learning for urban landscapes. Then they constructed a dataset to train an adversarial generative network (GAN) for inpainting the occluded regions with high accuracy. "For the task of facade inpainting in street-level scenes, we adopted an end-to-end deep learning-based image inpainting model by training with our customized datasets," first author Jiaxin Zhang explains.

The team used semantic segmentation to detect several types of obstructing objects, including pedestrians, vegetation, and cars, as well as using GANs for filling the detected regions with background textures and patching information from street-level imagery. They also proposed a workflow to automatically filter unblocked building facades from street view images and customized the dataset to contain both original and masked images to train additional machine learning algorithms.

This visualization technology offers a communication tool for experts and non-experts, which can help develop a consensus on future urban environmental designs. "Our system was shown to be more efficient compared with previously employed methods when dealing with urban landscape projects for which background information was not available in advance," senior author Tomohiro Fukuda explains. In the future, this approach may be used to help design augmented reality systems that can automatically remove existing buildings and instead show proposed renovations.

The research was published in IEEE Access.

Explore further Virtual demolition

More information: Jiaxin Zhang et al, Automatic Object Removal With Obstructed Facades Completion Using Semantic Segmentation and Generative Adversarial Inpainting, IEEE Access (2021). Jiaxin Zhang et al, Automatic Object Removal With Obstructed Facades Completion Using Semantic Segmentation and Generative Adversarial Inpainting,(2021). DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3106124
Glynn County held remembrance services Saturday for events that happened 20 years ago far away in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania but which drew the nation into war and cost the lives of local people.
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End-to-end encrypted email service provider ProtonMail has drawn criticism after it ceded to a legal request and shared the IP address of anti-gentrification activists with law enforcement authorities, leading to their arrests in France.

The Switzerland-based company said it received a "legally binding order from the Swiss Federal Department of Justice" related to a collective called Youth for Climate, which it was "obligated to comply with," compelling it to handover the IP address and information related to the type of device used by the group to access the ProtonMail account.

On its website, ProtonMail advertises that: "No personal information is required to create your secure email account. By default, we do not keep any IP logs which can be linked to your anonymous email account. Your privacy comes first."

Protonmail Homepage

Despite its no IP logs claims, the company acknowledged that while it's illegal for the company to abide by requests from non-Swiss law enforcement authorities, it will be required to do so if Swiss agencies agree to assist foreign services such as Europol in their investigations.

"There was no possibility to appeal or fight this particular request because an act contrary to Swiss law did in fact take place (and this was also the final determination of the Federal Department of Justice which does a legal review of each case)," the company said in a lengthy response posted on Reddit.

Put simply, ProtonMail will not only have to comply with Swiss government orders, it will be forced to hand over relevant data when individuals use the service to engage in activities that are deemed illegal in the country. This includes monitoring IP addresses from users in "extreme criminal cases," according to its transparency report.

"Proton must comply with Swiss law. As soon as a crime is committed, privacy protections can be suspended and we're required by Swiss law to answer requests from Swiss authorities," ProtonMail founder and CEO Andy Yen tweeted, adding "It's deplorable that legal tools for serious crimes are being used in this way. But by law, [ProtonMail] must comply with Swiss criminal investigations. This is obviously not done by default, but only if legally forced."

If anything, ProtonMail users who are concerned about the visibility of their IP addresses should use a VPN or access the email service over the Tor network for additional anonymity.

"The prosecution in this case seems quite aggressive. Unfortunately, this is a pattern we have increasingly seen in recent years around the world (for example in France where terror laws are inappropriately used)," the company said.

Update

In a blog post titled "Important clarifications regarding arrest of climate activist," Andy Yen said the company "can be forced to collect information on accounts belonging to users under Swiss criminal investigation. This is obviously not done by default, but only if Proton gets a legal order for a specific account."

Updated Protonmail Homepage

Furthermore, in a revision to its privacy policy, ProtonMail now explicitly spells out that it will be forced to log users' IP addresses if found in violation of Swiss laws 

"By default, we do not keep permanent IP logs in relation with your use of the Services. However, IP logs may be kept temporarily to combat abuse and fraud, and your IP address may be retained permanently if you are engaged in activities that breach our terms and conditions (spamming, DDoS attacks against our infrastructure, brute force attacks, etc). The legal basis of this processing is our legitimate interest to protect our Services against nefarious activities. If you are breaking Swiss law, ProtonMail can be legally compelled to log your IP address as part of a Swiss criminal investigation."

Note  The headline of the article has been revised to reflect that ProtonMail can enable logging of IP addresses pursuant to Swiss court orders.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Officials in New Orleans will thoroughly inspect senior living apartments in the city in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida after finding people living in buildings without working generators, which left residents trapped in wheelchairs on dark, sweltering upper floors, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Monday.

Hundreds were evacuated Saturday and the city later said five people had died in the privately run buildings in the days after the storm. The coroner's office is investigating whether the deaths will be attributed to the hurricane, which struck land nine days before.

The managers of some of the homes for seniors evacuated out of state without making sure the residents would be safe after the storm, New Orleans City Council member Kristin Palmer said at a news conference.

Theyre hiding under the loophole of independent living, Palmer said. Its not independent living if theres no power and youre in a wheelchair on the fourth floor.

The city is creating teams of workers from the health, safety and permits, code enforcement and other departments. Their first focus is to make sure the senior homes are safe and evacuate people if necessary, Cantrell said.
YORK  A case against Johnny D. Rimpley, 36, of York, involving strangulation and assault has been bound over to York County District Court.

In early August, the York Police Department was dispatched to York General Hospital, on the report a woman had been assaulted and was in the emergency room.

The woman told the investigating officer she had been assaulted by Rimpley with the assault starting the night before and continuing into that next day.

The affidavit filed with the court indicates the woman said he also took her to a rural area and assaulted her in his vehicle.

The investigating officer says in the affidavit he saw a large bruise on her arm, which the woman said was a result of Rimpley allegedly punching her.

The officer also witnessed she had bruises and swelling on both right and left temples above her eyes, as well as bruises up and down both legs, both front and back, which the alleged victim said was a result of Rimpley kicking and hitting her.
As we celebrate Labor Day and essential workers amid a viciously resurgent pandemic, we ought to match our rhetoric with some concrete protections for these workers  you know, all those warehouse employees, meatpackers, farmworkers and supermarket staff that industry groups love to thank online while doing little, if anything, for them in the real world.

Were talking basic things like fresh N-95 masks for all workers, face shields wherever needed, adequate physical distancing, free regular testing for COVID-19 and paid sick time for every worker who needs it  all recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.

The problem is that President Joe Biden has abandoned his own executive order, issued on his second day in office, to protect workers health and safety during the pandemic. Biden pledged to enact a new infectious disease rule to protect workers  which the Trump administration refused to do  by last March. Three months later, in June, he finally signed a narrow rule that only covers health care workers  leaving out tens of millions of workers who toil daily in dangerous conditions where COVID-19 infections have spread like wildfire.
After hearing of the release of the three detainees, she posted the following on social media Sunday evening.

We were overjoyed for the three individuals and their families who were reunited yesterday. However, we are heartbroken and outraged that many, many others were deported or transferred instead of being returned to their communities and families, Tally wrote. We mourn with those families who heard the news that their loved ones would not be returning home to them and to the men and women who were transferred.

While the loss of a federal contract at the facility is expected to have an economic impact on the region, immigration advocates say the move is a step in the right direction.
The first step to getting the Illinois and Michigan Canal in Ottawa refilled is fixing the conduit leak under La Salle Street, a group of city officials decided Thursday.

One of the partners at IMEG, the engineering firm that worked on the canal project, said further course of actions can be decided once the leaks location is confirmed and a cause of the leaks is figured out.

Arnie Bandstra, the president of the Ottawa Canal Association, said there was good representation from everyone involved in the project at the meeting and while an immediate solution wasnt reached, the participants learned of steps that will be taken going forward to fix the leaks, remove the weeds and get the sump pumps taken care of.

I think there was pretty much a consensus that we can easily take care of the cat tail problem, so that will be taken care of, Bandstra said. We have good confirmation from people with experience that we can handle the algae problem once we get water in the canal, thinking ahead to next year.

Ottawa Mayor Dan Aussem said the meeting went well and will help the city get the canal to the state the council originally planned on.
The men were given the award in 2011 by former President Barack Obama.

All four men joined the Marines as part of the same class of seniors of Herrin Township High School in Colp, according to The Southern's archives. After returning from the war, Mosley worked in Colp as a pastor and the rest moved from the area.

Mosley was one of the last survivors of the four in 2017, and said during a May ceremony that year covered by The Southern: I hope that you will read the history of the Montford Point Marines, so you will know the history of what we went through, Mosley said. They are not here to tell you about the abuse, but I am.

At Mondays ceremony, Jim Gentile, president of Colp Pride, said Taylor, who couldnt make it to the ceremony, is now the last survivor of the four.

As part of the day's ceremonies, the Colp Pride committee announced upgrades to the cemetery and memorial areas around town that would be provided by donations and benefactors including the Knights of Columbus and Dr. Omar Ahmad.

This is a place for you to come and pray on bended knee and be thankful for the men and women who protect our liberties, Gentile said. There's nothing wrong with getting on bended knee and thanking God for these men and women who picked up arms and make us a free nation.

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Hundreds of volunteers showed up to help take down over 7,500 flags that were part of the Flags of Valor display honoring members of the milit
The New Hampshire Public Health Association (NHPHA) is pleased to announce that it has welcomed Joseph Lascaze, the Smart Justice Advocate for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire, to its Board of Directors for a two-year term.

In his current role, Mr. Lascaze collaborates with community members, lawmakers, and key stakeholders to identify systemic problems within the community and strategize how we can both create equitable systems for communities of color and end mass incarceration, with a holistic approach to combatting injustice to improve community health for all people.

Mr. Lascaze believes we can do better for communities that have been historically marginalized, mistreated, or left without a seat at the table. Josephs deep knowledge of the criminal justice system and understanding of the experiences of those directly impacted, as well as lessons learned from his time serving on the Governors Commission on Law Enforcement Accountability, Community, and Transparency (LEACT), have taught him that the best way to formulate lasting solutions is not to shy away from our differences but rather to confront those differences head-on and do the work to find common ground.

As a lifelong resident of New Hampshire, Joseph is deeply invested in building a future for the Granite state where all citizens are afforded the same opportunities and second chances regardless of their background or the color of their skin.

About NHPHA

NHPHA is a statewide membership organization composed of professionals and others who have an interest in public health. For over 25 years, it has brought together members who share a common goal of making sure that New Hampshire citizens live, learn, work, and play in safe and healthy environments. For more information, visit nhpha.org or call 603-228-2983.

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McCarthy offered Rep. Jim Banks and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan to serve as Select Committee members, but Pelosi rejected these nominations, leaving Kinzinger and Cheney as the only two Republicans on the committee among seven Democrats, even though the committee was originally intended to be bipartisan.

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So far, the letter has only accumulated 16 signatures from lawmakers who are considered close supporters of Trump and who have perpetuated the former presidents unfounded allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert and North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn were all signatories, in addition to a number of other House Freedom Caucus members.

Even among the far right in the House, however, there appears to be division over Cheneys and Kinzingers seats on the committee. The House Freedom caucus has over 40 members, but the letter received less than half of their signatures.

Cheney has not yet spoken to McCarthy about the letter, according to a spokesperson from Cheneys office.

When Cheney and Kinzinger were first named to the committee, there was an initial push to oust the two, but McCarthy did not act.
Maybe thats really what our elected politicians dont like. Im just guessing because the rhetoric regarding why they are voting NO has been pretty hazy.

It is funny that many people get their backs up when we say union jobs. Did you just do that? But those same people relax when we say good-paying jobs with good benefits. News flash: Those two jobs are one and the same, because when we use our collective voice on the job, we negotiate over these things.

Its no coincidence that Wyoming  with the lowest percentage of union workers in the country  has one of the highest rates of workplace fatalities every year, as well as the largest pay gap between men and women in comparable jobs. When were organized, we win fair and equitable pay, safe working conditions, and a share of the profit generated through our hard work.

The 40-hour workweek in Wyoming is basically a luxury for our professional workforce, and sometimes isnt even available for those workers. Many workers must work two jobs just to make ends meet. A new teacher I know works a second job in retail in hopes of saving for a down payment for a house. Some people might applaud her industry, but the news made me heartsick. Its just another example of an economy that needs fixing.
I have a vague memory of when I was three years old tumbling off of a horse. I remember that my nose was bleeding, and my grandpa as well as my dad jumped off of their horses to aid me. My grandpa had given me a handkerchief for my nose, and I remember being hoisted right back onto the horse to finish helping gather the cows. I have been surrounded by horses, cattle, and agriculture my whole life. Living and working on the ranch has built my character and progressed my own learning. When I think of life after high school, I cant imagine ever removing myself from agriculture.

In 4th grade, my whole class had an essay assignment about Wyoming. I remember researching and discovering that the word Wyoming roughly translates to a Native American word meaning dry and windy, and for the most part, this translation has rung true for my entire life. Because of that fact, I have gained an interest in problem solving on the ranch, and one of my greatest role models in this department has been my grandpa, with his unusual skill of being able to fix anything from pivots to 1964 mustang convertibles. I pick up everything I can from him, but Im afraid Ill never be half as handy as he manages to be. Im just now finishing a trigonometry course, and Ive discovered a love for problem solving and the application of math. Engineering is one of the many male-dominated fields in America, but I think it may be my calling. When I see myself as an adult, I think of discovering how to most efficiently harness river water to water a field, and how to use tractor power in the most reasonable way. Wyoming is an agricultural state, and yet very few students in my class are actively pursuing careers in ag. For example in my small, rural school, I am the only student immediately involved in farming and ranching. When I grow up, I want to be part of the change that will help keep the agriculture industry alive, because it has to be. The entire world depends on agriculture, and as a student and as a person I want to make a change. I plan on using the Hathaway scholarship to benefit my future education and making the most of the agricultural and math classes offered in my school.
While conceding that political patronage is a major factor in appointments to State enterprises, retired permanent secretary Arlene McComie says it has to be considered that those people must know what it means to govern.
It is said, You can find a Trini anywhere.

And this may be true, such as on board a US military ship.

Trinidad-born logistics specialist, Officer Nadia Francis, is on board the US Navy vessel Burlington which is currently in T&T on a three-day trip to conduct joint training with the Coast Guard.
The eyes and ears of employees and employers alike are intensely focused on the industrial relations battle between Republic Bank and the Banking, Insurance and General Workers Union (BIGWU) and, by extension, the trade union movement, regarding the banks position: unvaccinated workers are required to pay for Covid-19 tests every two weeks.
The regulators charged that the investments were unregistered securities under state law, and that sales of U.S. military pension or disability benefits are illegal under federal law.

Last October, the commission ordered Smith & Cox and its principals to pay restitution of about $2.6 million and a $105,000 fine, but the company appealed the decision and that action is pending in Maricopa County Superior Court.

In the recent case, regulators found that AE Wealth had learned of the state action against Smith & Cox, which changed its name to Cornerstone Wealth Management, in September 2019 but failed to disclose that and continued to allow Smith & Cox to act as investment advisor to its clients for eight months.

Chris Radford, president of AE Wealth Management, said that after the state filed its action and the company learned more, the company terminated the advisors involved and gave affected clients the option to move their assets freely without penalties.

We take these incidents very seriously; as a result, we are also refunding all advisory investment fees charged to the affected clients, Radford said in an email.
Former Tucson Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Steven Moeckel is coming home next weekend to help the St. Andrews Bach Society close out its 2021 concert series.

Having Moeckel, concertmaster for the Phoenix Symphony and the Santa Fe Opera orchestra in New Mexico, on a Tucson stage is reason enough to celebrate. But throw in a world-premiere of a work that Moeckel commissioned during the pandemic and the celebration takes on a whole new level of wow.

During next Sundays concert with harpist Stephen Hartman, Moeckel will perform the premiere of The Unreal Dwelling After Basho, composed by Phoenix Symphony double-bassist Glenn Stallcop.

Moeckel said the piece perfectly summed up the frustration and anxiety he was feeling in the summer of 2020, not long after learning that the Phoenix Symphony had called off its 2020-21 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A huge part of my personality was taken away from me by this pandemic and by not being able to perform and connect with people, said Moeckel, who has been performing since he was 4. This piece reflects those feelings 100 percent.
PHOENIX  Arizona appears to be on the verge of having as many people working as there were before the economy tanked last year because of COVID-19.

The latest figures from the Office of Economic Opportunity, which reflect the employment situation in July, show the state has recovered 94% of the 331,500 jobs shed since April 2020.

That was good enough to be the third-largest recovery among all states.

And the situation is even brighter among private sector employers, with the state at 98% of the number of people working before the pandemic.

Doug Walls, the labor market analyst for the agency, said he cant make predictions of what the figures for August will show and whether the state will get out of the red in terms of employment. Those numbers will be released in mid-September.

But he said the signs are promising.

We have had some good employment momentum really over the last 12 months after the initial declines in employment, Walls said. We have seen a steady increase in hiring across all 11 industry sectors across all seven metro areas around the state that the datas available for.

Still, he cautioned, trend lines go only so far.
Grawe said the rise in out-of-state students bucks the initial hypothesis that the pandemic would keep more prospective college students closer to home. Instead, the shutdown of campus tours and test-optional policies many universities, including the UA, have temporarily adopted likely encouraged more applications to more selective schools.

If youre a student and youre not able to visit the campus, you might be drawn more to the school with the name, Grawe said. On the testing front, you might get some students who say, I would normally be concerned about not having the test scores to get into the University of Arizona, but if I dont have to take the test, maybe this year is the opportunity for me to catch the eye of the admissions office and show them other parts of my portfolio.

To some degree, that analysis appears to have borne out at the UA, where in-person campus tours and recruitment events were on pause until March 2021  after many would-be students had already submitted their applications for this school year.

Virtual recruitment
Authorities exchanged heavy gunfire, with dozens if not hundreds of rounds fired, before Riley retreated back into the home, Judd said.

Everything fell silent, until a helicopter unit alerted authorities on the ground that Riley was coming out, the sheriff said. He had been shot once and was ready to surrender.

Officers heard cries for help inside the home, but were unsure whether there were additional shooters and feared the home was booby-trapped. Judd said a brave sergeant rushed in and grabbed the injured girl, who told deputies there were three dead people inside as she was rushed into surgery.

Deputies then sent robots into the home to check for explosives and other traps. When it was clear, they found the bodies of Gleason; the 33-year-old mother; the baby; and the babys 62-year-old grandmother, who was in a separate home nearby.

Authorities released only Gleasons name, and did not say if or how he was related to the other victims, but a womans Facebook page shows many photos of Gleason with the woman, a baby boy and his big sister. One photo posted Saturday, showing Gleason smiling as he held the baby, was captioned Tall like Daddy.
In fact, he said, it might even be considered necessary and good business for employers to get rid of workers who do not comply.

Selden said that during the first round of COVID, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration began inspections and investigations in cases where they saw people working in close proximity to one another, not socially distanced and not using protective gear.

Even in Arizona there were some reviews of working conditions on whether or not employees were being subjected to hazards based upon the adequacy or inadequacy of the preventive measures that have been adopted, he said.

He pointed out that OSHA regulations impose a duty on employers to provide a workplace free of recognized hazards that could cause the risk of death or serious injury.

Working in proximity to people, or where youre going to be exposed to customers who could potentially be COVID positive, that could be one of those conditions, Selden said.

All that leads to the question of whether a worker fired for refusing to be vaccinated or wear a mask can collect benefits.

There are multiple factors in state and federal law to determine who is eligible, said Tasya Peterson, a DES spokeswoman.
Whether you're looking for WWII flight suits, midcentury furniture or "He-Man" action figures, these Tucson antique fairs have something for you. Here is what to expect through the rest of 2021.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  The United Arab Emirates announced on Sunday a major plan to stimulate its economy and liberalize stringent residency rules for foreigners, as the country seeks to overhaul its finances and attract visitors and investment.

The nation's plan to lure foreign talent over the next decades reflects an emerging contrast with the other sheikhdoms of the Persian Gulf that are growing increasingly protectionist as they try to diversify their oil-bound economies.

Now marking its 50th anniversary, the UAE is seeking to accelerate its economic and social reforms to rebrand for a post-pandemic future. Portraying the country as a liberal, bustling trade and finance hub, the government promised to pour $13.6 billion into the economy in the next year and $150 billion by 2030. Specific projects have yet to be announced, but $1.36 billion has been earmarked for Emirates Development Bank to support the industrial sector.

We are building the new 50 years economy, Thani al-Zeyoudi, the minister of state for foreign trade, said in an interview, adding that free trade and openness have long made UAE a major global entrepot. Anyone who is trying to be more conservative and trying to close their markets, the value is going to be only in the short term, but in the long term, theyre harming their economies.
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.

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.
A Tulsa 18-year-old who has been free of state murder accessory charges barely a year was arrested in connection with another homicide last week.

Marland Lamont Hill is the first person police have arrested in connection with the shooting death of 15-year-old Steven Sinclair.

Sinclair, Tulsas second-youngest homicide victim this year, surfaced at a hospital with a gunshot wound to his lower torso just before 10 p.m. Aug. 29, and later died there.

Hill reportedly told detectives he was at the scene when his friend Sinclair was shot, the report states. Hill said he called Sinclairs family for help.

About 30 minutes earlier, two people had reported that they had been shot at while leaving a home the 5600 block of North Garrison Avenue. Neither was struck, according to an arrest and booking report.

Police think Sinclair was wounded during the shooting on Garrison.

Hill was booked into the Tulsa County jail on a felony murder complaint and two complaints of shooting with intent to kill. He remained there Monday in lieu of more than $1 million bond. He has not yet been charged, according to online court records.

Detectives say the investigation is ongoing.
The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education recently awarded the Regents Business Partnership Excellence Award to Broken Arrow Public Schools and Northeastern State University for their collaboration on BAPS Early College High School program.

Launched in 2019, BAPS Early College High School program allows students to take high school level courses at NSU-Broken Arrow and start college-level courses as juniors. Participants can earn up to 30 college credits by the time they graduate from high school.

Bond election: Early walk-in voting is available Thursday and Friday at the Tulsa County Election Board for Collinsville Public Schools bond proposal.

The $10.4 million package includes classroom additions and cafeteria expansion at both the districts early childhood facility and Upper Elementary School; new locker rooms, dugout and restrooms at the high schools softball field and additions to the Terry Due Multipurpose Building.

Election Day is Sept. 14.
We joined the Capitol Police to uphold the law and protect the Capitol community, the group of officers said in a statement released by their lawyers. On Jan. 6 we tried to stop people from breaking the law and destroying our democracy. Since then our jobs and those of our colleagues have become infinitely more dangerous. We want to do what we can to make sure the people who did this are held accountable and that no one can do this again.

The documents requested by the House committee this week are just the beginning of what is expected to be a lengthy, partisan and rancorous congressional investigation into how the mob was able to infiltrate the Capitol and disrupt the certification of Democrat Joe Bidens presidential victory, inflicting the most serious assault on Congress in two centuries.

Committee members are also considering asking telecommunications companies to preserve phone records of several people, including members of Congress, to try to determine who knew what about the unfolding riot and when they knew it. With chants of hang Mike Pence," the rioters sent the then-vice president and members of Congress running for their lives and did more than $1 million in damage, and wounded dozens of police officers.
Authorities in District 7, one of the two districts in Ho Chi Minh City that claim to have the COVID-19 epidemic under control, plan to allow essential goods and street businesses to reopen from September 20, with certain conditions required such as full vaccination.

Hoang Minh Tuan Anh, chairman of District 7, reported the plan to Nguyen Van Nen, secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, during a working session on Sunday morning.

The plan is meant to gradually resume the operations of different types of business and speed up socio-economic development in the new normal period.

The first business models to be resumed will be those selling essential goods and street businesses, with a reopening schedule from September 20 to October 20.

Those businesses must meet requirements set out by local authorities, including full vaccination for staff.

Approved businesses can be open from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm every day.

The districts administration also proposed tax exemption or reduction for businesses in 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 to help them recover after the long operation hiatus, as well as support packages for workers and rapid antigen test kits for household businesses in the first month upon resumption.

In addition, the district brought forward a policy for production enterprises to use public land lots managed by the government for one to two years in order to build temporary accommodations for workers.

In his remarks, secretary Nen hailed the district for having met requirements of epidemic prevention and control and welcomed its proactive, creative initiative for business reopening.

The city's Party chief emphasized that the reopening must be done carefully, step by step, without risk-taking and complacency as the epidemic is still complicated.

He asked the district authorities to continue COVID-19 testing, treating infection cases, vaccinating people, and taking care of their livelihoods according to the set plan.

The city will give the district priorities to implement the plan, Nen said.

The secretary also commended the land lending idea as a justifiable proposal and vowed to consider it on the basis of compliance with the law.

On Thursday, authorities declared that the COVID-19 epidemic has been kept under control in Cu Chi District and District 7.

Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City is still the gravest coronavirus outbreak site in Vietnam, recording over 251,000 cases since the fourth wave emerged in Vietnam on April 27.

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Philippine Airlines will return 22 aircraft, mostly Airbus and Boeing jets, to lessors as it pursues a financial restructuring programme to survive after the pandemic has decimated global travel, executives said on Monday.

Philippine Airlines last week filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States, allowing it to continue operations and generate fresh capital.

With the company not expecting a return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024 to 2025, the carrier will return 22 aircraft to lessors, Philippine Airlines President Gilbert Santa Maria told a news conference.

Philippine Airlines will end with 70 aircraft after cutting about a quarter of its fleet of 92 planes.

The flag carrier has also negotiated with Airbus for the postponement of the delivery of 13 narrow-body Airbus aircraft, with an option to cancel some orders beyond 2026 to 2030, said Nilo Thaddeus Rodriguez, the company's chief financial officer.

After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Philippine Airlines said on Friday it was pursuing a financial restructuring plan.

"The chance that this will fail is very small," Santa Maria said.

The proposed rehabilitation plan will cut $2 billion in borrowings. It also includes $505 million in long-term debt equity and debt financing from the airline's majority shareholder, PAL Holdings Inc., and $150 million of additional debt financing from new investors, the company said.

PAL Holdings is partly owned by Japan's ANA Holdings Inc.
Serious congestion occurred on many streets in Hanoi on Monday morning as the capital began implementing a new pandemic response strategy, which imposes different levels of social distancing based on the transmission risk level of each area.

From 6:00 am on Monday, all districts in Hanoi are categorized into three zones where social distancing measures are applied differently.

In Zone 1, also referred to as the 'red zone,' all residents must stay where they are as the area faces a high risk of COVID-19 transmission.

The prime ministers Directive No. 16, which bans gatherings of more than two in public, is implemented in this zone.

Congestion occurs at a COVID-19 checkpoint in Hanoi, September 6, 2021. Photo: Huu Thang / Tuoi Tre

The PMs Directive No. 15, which promulgates more relaxed regulations such as the prohibition of gatherings of over 10 except in hospitals and offices, is enforced in Zone 2 and Zone 3.

In order to restrict travels to and from the 'red zone,' 39 checkpoints have been established along local streets.

However, severe traffic jams occurred at many of these checkpoints on Monday morning.

Congestion occurs at a COVID-19 checkpoint in Hanoi, September 6, 2021. Photo: Huu Thang / Tuoi Tre

According to the observation of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters on Vo Nguyen Giap Street in Dong Anh District, many commuters without valid travel passes were forced to turn around.

Residents are required to present the new version of travel passes with QR codes in order to go through these checkpoints.

However, those with the old version were also allowed to go as this is the first day the new regulation has been applied.

Congestion occurs at a COVID-19 checkpoint in Hanoi, September 6, 2021. Photo: Huu Thang / Tuoi Tre

On Cau Dien Street in Bac Tu Liem District, serious gridlock also happened as all commuters had to undergo administrative inspection at a checkpoint there.

More lanes were opened and more officers were mobilized to examine residents documents but the situation did not improve much.

The traffic jam started at 7:00 am and was only alleviated at around 8:30 am.

Congestion occurs at a COVID-19 checkpoint in Hanoi, September 6, 2021. Photo: Huu Thang / Tuoi Tre

A similar situation was also recorded at the checkpoint at Vinh Tuy Bridge, which connects Hai Ba Trung and Long Bien Districts.

Hanoi has recorded 3,775 local COVID-19 infections since the fourth wave hit the country on April 27.

The capital had imposed strict social distancing regulations in all districts for 45 days before the new strategy was applied on Monday.

Commuters without a valid travel pass are required to turn around at a checkpoint in Hanoi, September 6, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Congestion occurs at a COVID-19 checkpoint in Hanoi, September 6, 2021. Photo: Huu Thang / Tuoi Tre

An officer checks travel documents of commuters in Hanoi, September 6, 2021. Photo: Chi Tue / Tuoi Tre

An officer checks travel documents of a car driver in Hanoi, September 6, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Officers examine commuters travel passes at a checkpoint in Hanoi, September 6, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

An officer checks travel documents of commuters in Hanoi, September 6, 2021. Photo: Chi Tue / Tuoi Tre

Cars line up in front of a COVID-19 checkpoint in Hanoi, September 6, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

A COVID-19 checkpoint in Hanoi, September 6, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

A travel pass is showed on a smartphone in Hanoi, September 6, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

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All students in a district in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong have been required to stay home after a sixth grader tested positive for COVID-19 on the first day of the new school year.

An official from the Bureau of Education and Training in Dak RLap District, Dak Nong Province confirmed on Sunday that all activities at 47 schools in the locality had been suspended.

This means that approximately 18,000 students in Dak RLap must stay home from Monday until further notice.

The decision came after T.D., a sixth grader at a local boarding school, tested positive for COVID-19 during the opening ceremony of the 2021-22 school year on Sunday morning.

He underwent two rapid tests at his school, with both results returning positive.

His confirmatory test via the real-time RT-PCR method also came back positive.

Students attend a school year opening ceremony in Krong No District, Dak Nong Province, September 5, 2021. Photo: Duong Phong / Tuoi Tre

D. has been brought to the local COVID-19 treatment facility, while all teachers and students of the boarding school have been requested to remain on the campus as part of pandemic response measures.

Competent authorities have collected samples of about 200 residents in Bubia Village, where the sixth grader resides, for COVID-19 testing.

Dak Nong Province has recorded 302 local coronavirus infections since the fourth wave hit Vietnam on April 27.

Provincial authorities allowed local schools to organize the school year opening ceremony in the traditional way on Sunday, but the number of students participating in the ceremony at each school had to be 100 at the most.

The ceremonies lasted for only 30 minutes, and all students were required to come home following the events.

The province has more than 180,000 K-12 students in the 2021-22 school year.

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The Ministry of Health reported 12,477 locally-acquired coronavirus infections in Vietnam on Monday, together with over 9,700 recoveries and 311 fatalities.

The local cases were recorded in 39 provinces and cities whereas the nation registered four separate imported infections, the health ministry said.

The ministry had documented 13,101 domestically-infected patients on Sunday.

It detected 8,099 of the new cases in the community, with the remaining found in isolated areas or centralized quarantine facilities.

Ho Chi Minh City logged 7,122 local infections, Binh Duong Province 2,194, Dong Nai Province 871, Long An Province 857, Tien Giang Province 234, Kien Giang Province 201, Tay Ninh Province 134, Khanh Hoa Province 97, Dong Thap Province 95, Da Nang 63, and Hanoi 42.

Vietnam has documented 532,490 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 is hit the hardest with 258,536 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 134,627, Dong Nai Province with 29,420, Long An Province with 25,942, Tien Giang Province with 10,805, Dong Thap Province with 7,517, Khanh Hoa Province with 6,953, Da Nang with 4,651, Hanoi with 3,817, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with 3,707.

By comparison, Vietnam confirmed a combined 1,570 locally-transmitted infections in the previous three waves.

The health ministry announced 9,730 recoveries on Monday, bringing the total to 301,457.

The toll has risen to 13,385 fatalities after the ministry recorded 311 deaths on the same day, including 233 in Ho Chi Minh City and 39 in Binh Duong Province.

Vietnam has confirmed 536,788 patients since the COVID-19 pandemic first struck it early last year.

Health workers have administered around 22 million vaccine doses, including 567,105 shots on Sunday, since inoculation was rolled out on March 8.

About 3.3 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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Dwellers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and live in relatively safe areas of Binh Duong Province, currently a coronavirus epicenter of Vietnam, will be given passes that allow them to go outdoors during the ongoing social distancing order.

It is part of the provincial authoritys decision to ease travel restrictions announced at a meeting on Sunday and set to commence one day later.

The relaxing of the movement curbs, which have been in place in Binh Duong since late June, is effective in four green zones,' namely Dau Tieng, Bau Bang, Phu Giao, and Bac Tan Uyen Districts.

As per Binh Duongs classification, areas are divided into four categories of green, yellow, orange, and red zones, with the warmer colors indicating the higher risks of COVID-19 spread.

With the new regulations in place, residents in green zones who have got fully vaccinated against COVID-19 would be granted a green card that allows them to travel outside, while those who have received only one jab will be given a yellow card, which means they would still have to obtain a valid coronavirus-negative test result in order to go out, according to Nguyen Van Loi, secretary of the Binh Duong Party Committee and head of the local Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

People who have yet to get immunized would not be permitted to go outside, the official added.

The rollout of the relaxed measures would be divided into two phases.

While the first phase, lasting from September 6 to 9, restricts civilians movement within their respective districts, the second from September 10 to 15 will permit cross-district travels, with traffic distributed to multiple routes.

The measures would also reduce the number of COVID-19 checkpoints in 'green zones,' officials stated.

In the meantime, areas declared 'red zones' in Binh Duong, namely Thu Dau Mot City, Di An City, Thuan An City, Tan Uyen Town, and Ben Cat Town, will keep up with their elevated social distancing fiat, which requires all residents to stay home unless for essential duties.

The province is pushing forward with its vaccination drive, currently administering one million doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine it received from Ho Chi Minh City in early September.

Local authorities are striving to contain the virus by September 15 in order to bring the province to a new normal state, and are urging residents to take at least one COVID-19 jab, emphasizing that the best vaccine is the first one to arrive.

With an adult population of 1.5 million people, Binh Duong would require a total of 3.2 million COVID-19 jabs to provide every one of them with at least two doses, local officials estimated.

As of 4:00 pm on Sunday, the province had administered nearly 200,000 Sinopharm doses, bringing the total number of distributed shots to 1.3 million and vaccine coverage to nearly 50 percent.

About 46,000 people have been fully vaccinated with two doses in the province.

With 3,540 new COVID-19 cases recorded on Sunday, Binh Duong has logged 132,433 infections since the fourth wave emerged in Vietnam on April 27, out of which 79,000 have recovered, while 1,097 have been confirmed dead, according to the Ministry of Health's data.

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Vietnam's coronavirus epicentre, Ho Chi Minh City, and capital Hanoi must vaccinate all of their adult residents with at least one shot by Sept. 15, the ministry of health said on Sunday.

Vietnam has one of the lowest coronavirus vaccination rates in the region, with only 3.3% of the country's 98 million people fully vaccinated with two shots, and 15.4% with one shot.

The country is battling a worsening COVID-19 outbreak that has infected more than 520,000 people and killed 13,000, the vast majority in the past few months.

Ho Chi Minh City, the country's business hub, accounts for half of the infections and 80% of the fatalities.

The cities must "mobilise all capable forces including private medical facilities, to vaccinate people at full capacity", the ministry said in an emergency dispatch.

Government data showed 88% of Ho Chi Minh City's adult population of 6.97 million have been inoculated with at least one shot. The rate is 53% for Hanoi's adult population of 5.75 million.

The ministry also set the Sept. 15 deadline for the southern industrial provinces of Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Long An to vaccinate all of their adult populations.

It said Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong and Long An have been allocated enough vaccine doses for the vaccination drive.

Vietnam has so far received 33 million coronavirus vaccine doses, and it expects to receive 17 million more by the end of this month, the government said late on Sunday.

Vietnam could be facing a lengthy battle against the coronavirus and cannot rely on lockdown and quarantine measures indefinitely, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said last week.
The British version of Pooch Perfect, hosted by Sheridan Smith, has been axed after just one season.

The series which was developed in Australia was produced by Beyond International-owned Seven Studios UK.

The BBC told Digital Spy: Pooch Perfect brought plenty of light relief to viewers during lockdown and whilst the show wont be returning for another series, wed like to thank Sheridan, the judges, animal experts, groomers and pet owners plus the entire team at Beyond Productions for bringing such joy to our screens at a time when we needed it most.

The BBC also defended the show following concerns raised by the RSPCAs head of companion animals Dr Samantha Gaines, who said that the show runs the risk of perpetuating the idea that dogs are ours to objectify.

The BBC released a statement saying that the care and wellbeing of the dogs was of the utmost importance to the programme makers, adding that there were always an RSPCA-approved animal welfare consultant, a grooming consultant, and a vet present on set.

Rebel Wilson, who hosted a single season in Australia, will also host a US version with Lisa Vanderpump.
She has a long history of Australian TV drama, and even Childrens TV, but Justine Clarke never managed to make an appearance in The Flying Doctors.

When the Crawfords drama was on air she was busy playing teen Roo Stewart on Sevens Home & Away.

I watched it, she tells TV Tonight. I was a big Rebecca Gibney, Peter OBrien fan. That was a ship that I totally loved.

Its extraordinary the reach that show had internationally, and how much influence it had on overseas recruitment.

Theres no denying how many people you speak to, particularly internationally. People who have come to Australia as a doctor or nurse so many people have been influenced by it.

What I love is when it has a broader reach and purpose

What I love is when it has a broader reach and purpose, beyond drama. Not that theres anything wrong with just watching something (just) really good.

Clarke was the first cast member signed for RFDS, having worked with producer Imogen Banks on Tangle. Prior to the series she flew with the Mt. Isa branch of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, on a clinic run to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander patients.

As Base Manager Leonie Smith, she takes a senior role in the series.

Being the Base Manager I didnt do much flying. Having said that, they made this extraordinary set of the inside of the of a plane which is so accurate to what they like inside. So the crew and cast spent a lot of time in the studio.

You realise how deep everybodys connection actually is

Leonies at a point in her life where she has the time to invest in everybody in her workplace. As you get further into the show, you realise how deep everybodys connection actually is with each other.

When you first meet her, you dont really know what her connection is to everybody around. But her wingman and best friend is Rhiannon Emerson (Kate Mulvaney), who is the sister in law of Stephen Peacockes character.

Through the series she deals with losing her main support person the person whos been there for her and, and how she readjusts and continues to find her way forward on her own terms without her closest colleague.

Filming on location in Broken Hill was not without its challenges, including with COVID disruption. But while the isolation had an unexpected upside, Clarke maintains that the elements were the most difficult part.

We had all manner of seasons during our time there.

There was an actual dust storm while we were there

There was an actual dust storm while we were there, trying to shoot through it. Its so rare for people from the city to actually be in one. And it was absolutely freezing cold when we first arrived. There was a lot of rain, which was fantastic for all the stations, but not so great for a show that was set in a drought, she continues.

And then it was extraordinarily hot. We were there for three months.

No one could go home. Usually, everyone would be flying in and flying out, having contact with their real lives. But it was old school. We were all stuck out there together, which I think helped the camaraderie and just the kind of the style, I suppose.

Its been part of my life forever

Having also fronted SBS documentary series Australia Come Fly With Me, Clarke concedes she is an avgeek, which she attributes to so much travel, starting with Home & Away commitments.

We were on planes every other weekend. Ive always been on them. As an actor youre constantly travelling, and as a musician. I suppose its just drawn to it because its been part of my life forever. Were all global citizens. Its a big part of all our lives. I think its only recently that weve stopped to really assess how much weve relied on them and used them, now that theyre all grounded.

The only planes Ive been getting on were Rex planes to Broken Hill!

RFDS double episode 8:30pm Wednesday on Seven.
The Australian Film Television and Radio School has today announced the Atlas Shorts Screen Excellence Scholarship.

Valued at $10,000, it will be awarded to one student commencing the Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production in 2022 awarded to assist with living expenses.

The successful applicant will be chosen by a selection panel comprised of AFTRS staff and Atlas Shorts Founder and CEO Karim Ford Sarhan.

During these unprecedented times, were committed to creating new opportunities for independent filmmakers. The Atlas Shorts Screen Excellence Scholarship seeks to nurture outstanding, emerging creative voices who might not otherwise have adequate support to persist with their dreams as aspiring visual storytellers, Karim said. We encourage applicants from all walks of life to apply.

Nell Greenwood, CEO of AFTRS, said, To inspire creativity and innovation, AFTRS encourages enrolments by students from diverse backgrounds. To help achieve this ambition, the School partners with the industry to offer scholarships that recognise excellence and assist with the costs associated with higher education. We are delighted that Atlas Shorts has provided this generous scholarship and thank Karim and his team for their contribution and commitment to screen excellence and education.

Atlas Shorts is a fast-growing technology company that aggregates and delivers the worlds best short films and digital media to libraries and classrooms worldwide to assist students, educators and patrons achieve learning outcomes and reach their full creative potential. Founded in 2017, Atlas Shorts is on a mission to give greater access to independent content and visual media, prevent IP wastage and help pave a path towards sustainability, assisting filmmakers and visual artists to make a viable living.

Applications close Monday, 25 October 2021.
eep marine seabeds are fragile and poorly understood: total darkness, very cold, high-pressure, limited food filtering down from the surface (AFP/Nicolas TUCAT)

The world's top conservation forum will vote this week on whether to recommend a moratorium on deep sea mining, with scientists warning that ecosystems degraded while dredging the ocean floor 5,000 metres below the waves could take decades or longer to heal.

The proposed ban is among a score of measures deemed too controversial to be decided remotely ahead of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Congress, meeting through Saturday in Marseille.

A "yes" vote by IUCN members -- some 1,400 national agencies, NGOs and indigenous groups -- is a commitment "to support and implement a moratorium on deep seabed mining".

The measure also recommends greater oversight of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), an intergovernmental body that regulates the extraction of precious minerals from seabeds beyond waters falling within national exclusive economic zones.

Parts of the ocean floor are rich in minerals, including so-called polymetallic nodules composed mostly of copper, manganese, cobalt and nickel -- metals increasingly in demand for electric vehicle batteries.

But there's a catch: these fist-sized rocks are generally found on seabeds four to six kilometres below the surface.

Commercial mining at those depths does not currently exist, but there are several companies investing in the technology that would make it possible.

The ISA -- mandated by the UN to regulate mineral-extraction from the high seas "for the benefit of humanity as a whole" -- has approved 30 licenses for exploration.

"The threat is very imminent," said Matthew Gianni, co-founder of a coalition of deep sea conservation NGOs, adding that mining could begin within two years.

- Fragile seabeds -

One major player in the industry working with the South Pacific island states of Nauru, Kiribati and Tonga that has environmental watchdogs on high alert is The Metals Company, based in Vancouver.

"Polymetallic nodules are the cleanest path toward electric vehicles," the company website claims.

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Areas in which it is licensed to explore could yield enough nodules to supply more than a quarter of a billion new electric vehicles, it said.

Because the rocks are 99 percent composed of the sought-after minerals and unattached to the sea floor, they should be easier to collect and produce little heavy metal pollution, the website said.

Environmentalists disagree.

Deep marine seabeds are fragile and poorly understood: total darkness, very cold, high-pressure, limited food filtering down from the surface, they say.

"We are only now starting to get to know these ecosystems and still don't really understand how they work," said Pierre-Marie Sarradin, who leads research on deep ecosystems at Ifremer, a top marine research centre in France.

Scientists at JPI Ocean, a European consortium, have discovered that zones with lots of polymetallic nodules are also richer in biodiversity.

The ISA has set up a number of protected areas, but scientists say they are not representative of the zones likely to be mined.

One thing scientists do know is that when these seabeds are disturbed, recovery is very slow.

- Carmakers cautious -

In one zone where the ocean floor was scraped 30 years ago "the ecosystem has still not returned to its initial state", said Sarradin.

"It is also hard to measure the impact on fixing carbon, an essential process in the fight against global warming," he added.

How mining will affect neighbouring areas, or even disturbances linked to the noise and light, are likewise unknown, especially as there are few details about the technology that would be used.

"Nodules take two million years to reform, and animal life that depends on them cannot be restored," said Katja Uhlenkott, a doctoral student at Carl-von Ossietzky University in Germany.

Several major car manufacturers have taken a cautious position on seabed mining despite the potential for supplying an essential component of one of their fastest growing markets.

BMW, Google, Samsung SDI and Volvo have all pledged not to use minerals extracted from deep-water seabeds, or to finance deep-sea mining.

For Farah Obaidullah of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, made up of more than 80 NGOs and policy institutes, the solution for car makers remains on land.

The sought-after metals can be recycled, and new battery technologies are in the pipelines, she said.

Mining conditions on land are "currently horrendous," she acknowledged. But they can be improved.

"No one is going to go six kilometres under the sea to monitor things and say 'you are not doing things right'," she noted.

Once industry has a pathway to the deep ocean "we will be completely overwhelmed", Sarradin said.

laf/mh/lc
Shipping containers sitting at Nansha Port on June 8, 2021 in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province of China. Qian Wenpan/Nanfang Daily/VCG via Getty Images

Increased consumer demand and COVID-19 lockdowns have pushed freight prices and delays to new highs.

Since most toys and other gifts are manufactured overseas, the result will impact holiday shopping.

Stores may not have what you want in stock, and prices will likely be higher.

Eytan Buchman is the chief marketing officer at Freightos.com.

This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Santa has always delivered. But this Christmas, a brewing global supply chain crisis may leave parents scrambling, and it's because of what happened when COVID met freight.

67% of toys are manufactured in Asia - compared to only 7% in the United States. Gifts for adults are no different. In the first quarter of 2020, two-thirds of all cell phones were manufactured in China. Before Santa's chimney visit, an intricate and unseen network of ocean liners, airlines, and trucks is responsible for delivering everything from Christmas toys to hoarded toilet paper across the ocean to the stores that bring it to your front door.

Watch: How Christmas lights go from pieces of wire to the decorations on your tree

Yet due to COVID-19, this intricate network - also called the supply chain - has been put to the test. A perfect storm of unprecedentedly high demand for goods, port lockdowns, typhoons, and travel restrictions has made importing incredibly challenging for companies of all sizes. The result is looming inventory shortages and product markups as the world gears up for the holidays.

How did we get here?

Quite simply, Americans started buying more stuff. The pandemic triggered a radical increase in goods consumption as we stayed at home instead of spending on services and travel. On an individual level, this played out on most peoples' Amazon credit card statements. On a macro level, it sparked an e-commerce explosion, while US imports spiked in the first quarter of this year, trouncing the first quarter record in 2018 by 5%. While demand increased, the infrastructure that makes everything run smoothly was absolutely pummeled.

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It hit air cargo first

The airplanes we fly on also carry a third of global trade below their decks. Air cargo is key for time-sensitive or expensive goods like cellphones, computer chips, and flowers. When COVID hit, passenger travel dropped like a sack of bricks, but demand for essential goods spiked. More goods needed to be shipped, but available space dropped by 80%.

As importers scrambled to secure space on planes, air cargo prices skyrocketed 400%. Some airlines converted passenger flights into cargo flights. For example, an Israeli airlift was implemented to contend with pre-Passover egg shortages, with cartons of eggs safely buckled into seats. When air cargo demand stabilized in October, it was at a much higher baseline than before the pandemic.

Ocean cargo was next

5,000 container ships capable of moving close to 25 million containers are the backbone of global trade. Before the Ever Given propelled container shipping to the headlines, ocean cargo was already squeezed.

It started with containers in the wrong places. The consumption surge caught many by surprise, with container shortages at Asian origins making transpacific shipping harder. This got worse as demand to ship goods increased. The shortages led to congestion and delays, which aggravated the problem.

It's a tough nut to fix; it takes years to build a container ship, making it difficult to accommodate supply and demand swings. When demand is low, balancing is done by basically parking ships at port; last year about 9% of container ships were idled to reduce operating costs. Today, nearly every ship is in use, but it's still not enough to keep up with the current demand.

It was once a common quip that shipping a container of goods around the world for a year was cheaper than putting them in storage. In fact, rates were so low - about $1,300 per container - that just five years ago, a top ten global ocean liner went bankrupt. That's changed.

Today, ocean freight rates are 14 times higher - $18,425 per container. Combined with trucking price increases, the cost of importing a 40-foot container from a factory in China to a warehouse in the United States increased from $8,410 to $25,334. The higher shipping costs will mean higher Christmas gift costs, especially for larger goods. For example, container price increases may account for more than a $1,000 increase for a couch.

Graph shows the cost of shipping a 40-foot container from China to the US. The cost has skyrocketed in recent months. Freightos

All sold out  at higher costs

Demand may have stretched infrastructure to its limit, but COVID shutdowns snapped it. The hits kept coming: from a COVID breakout in Vietnam that shut down manufacturing, roving shutdowns across airports and seaports in China, the Suez Canal blockage - and the months it took to loosen the congestion - all made it supremely difficult to move goods like Christmas toys.

Global trade is teetering on the brink of massive trade challenges that have extended beyond the realm of freight professionals. Epic congestion means it takes much longer to get goods, with the average ocean freight shipment from China now taking 70 days instead of the previous 44 days, stealing a month of holiday prep time from toy manufacturers. In many cases, only larger companies have the relationships or volume to book shipments, so the boutique toys you were planning on buying might not be in stock.

When those toys do make it across the Pacific, consumers will have to pay more. Larger companies are investing massively in buying their way out of the crisis; Home Depot recently chartered their own ship and Peloton famously put bikes on airplanes to meet demand. Smaller businesses don't have that luxury; a recent Freightos Group survey of small businesses found that nearly half of small businesses plan to increase prices to compensate for rising costs. It's gotten bad enough that it's become a key priority for the Biden administration.

So what can the run-of-the-mill holiday shopper do? Hit the shops early, focus on homemade crafts, maybe send an ecard, or opt to buy locally this year. Either way, a (socially-distant) nod of gratitude to the next truck driver or logistics professional you see would be in order. The fact that this is the first time global freight is really hitting consumers is a testament to how well this incredibly intricate global freight machine works - even during COVID.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Watch: What if Santa really delivered presents in one night?
Burkina Faso once more in mourning after jihadist massacre More than two million people in the Sahel have been displaced by jihadist violence, according to UN figures

The impoverished Sahel state of Burkina Faso was plunged once more into mourning on Thursday, as the toll of people killed by suspected jihadists the day before climbed from 49 to 80, including 65 civilians.

The national flag was lowered to half-mast for three days of mourning at the parliament, presidency and government offices in the capital Ouagadougou, an AFP journalist saw, while the heavy casualties raised fresh doubts about the country's armed forces.

Several television and radio channels changed their programming, mostly broadcasting songs paying tribute to the defence and security forces.

Newspapers and online media placed a black edging of mourning around their front pages, although some raised pointed questions over the country's security crisis.

"Over the past five years, the days have come and gone but look the same to the Burkinabe public," said the online outlet Wakatsera.

"The flags are raised and then almost immediately dropped to half-mast to mourn new dead, civilians and/or troops, in attacks by armed individuals who are usually never identified," it said.

"This time, the mourning will last 72 hours. What about tomorrow?"

- Bloody toll -

The landlocked country has been battered for the past six years by jihadist attacks from neighbouring Mali -- the epicentre of a brutal insurgency that began in 2012 and has also hit Niger.

Thousands of soldiers and civilians have died in the three countries, while according to UN figures, more than two million people have fled their homes.

In Burkina Faso itself, the toll stands at more than 1,500 dead and 1.3 million displaced.

In Wednesday's attack, 65 civilians and 15 gendarmes were killed near the town of Gorgadji in Burkina's Sahel region, communications minister and government spokesman Ousseni Tamboura said late Thursday.

The location is in the so-called three-border area, where the frontiers of the three countries converge -- and gunmen linked to Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State roam.

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The security forces killed 58 "terrorists" and the rest fled, according to the government, which on Thursday offered its "congratulations to the defence and security forces" for the action.

- Struggling military -

It was the third major attack on Burkina troops in the past two weeks, placing a spotlight on the country's poorly equipped and ill-trained armed forces against a highly mobile foe.

Since the start of August, more than 90 people have died in attacks in the north and northeast of the country.

Overnight on June 4, gunmen killed at least 132 people, including children, in the northeast village of Solhan. It was Burkina's deadliest attack in the history of the insurgency.

"With each new attack, we say we've hit bottom, but then another one comes along, reminding us that there is always something worse," said Bassirou Sedogo, a 47-year-old businessman.

"We observe national mourning, but we also wonder how an ambush against a military convoy... can leave so many casualties.

"If they can kill so many civilians who are under escort, that means no one anywhere in the area is safe from these killings."

The police and volunteers in the Gorgadji attack had been providing a security escort for civilian victims of preceding assaults who were going back to their homes elsewhere in the region, the authorities say.

On Niger's side of the "three-border" region, more than 450 people have been killed since the start of the year.

On Monday, armed men arriving on motorbikes killed 37 civilians in the village of Darey-Daye as they worked in the fields. Four women and 13 children were among the dead.

ab/stb/ayv/ri/tgb/sst
On the eve of a public inquiry into a controversial new coal mine planned in Cumbria, an MP who was among other local Conservative MPs supporting the project is now calling on the government to drop it.

Dr Neil Hudson, the MP for Penrith and the Border, whose constituency lies across the Lake District  a few miles east of the proposed site  has made a submission to the inquiry warning the world is changing and in the light of the recent extreme weather events and the IPCCs climate report, suggests the government instead invests in expanding Cumbrias renewable energy sector.

The public inquiry, starting on Tuesday, will play a major role in deciding whether to give the go-ahead to the UKs first deep coal mine in 30 years.

If given the green light, the new mine will extract up to 2.78 million tonnes of coking coal a year until 2049.

The coal will be used for the steel industry, with around 85 per cent of it exported to other countries.

The inquiry will ultimately make a final recommendation to the planning secretary Robert Jenrick, with a final decision expected next year.

In his submission, seen by The Independent, Dr Hudson urges the government to cancel the project and says the UKs hosting of the Cop26 climate summit in November, was a real opportunity to set an example to the world if we do this.

He said: I had previously signalled my support for the project with my fellow Conservative Cumbrian MPs. However, on reflection I now believe that the project should not go ahead.

The world is changing and we are witnessing ever increasing adverse weather events leading to catastrophic floods and fires; we just need to look at the western North America, Greece and Italy in terms of fires just now, and the recent catastrophic flooding in mainland Europe this summer.

Over 200 people died in catastrophic flash floods affecting parts of Germany, and Belgium in July, while severe flooding also hit Italy, France, Turkey, Oman and China.

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His submission continues: The publication this month of the IPCC report makes stark reading and we need to act collectively as a world to fight climate change. Accordingly, with these developments and the changes in circumstances in mind, on reflection I do not think we should be progressing with new coal exploration, even for coking coal.

The UNs Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, released last month, warned current failures of governments to slash greenhouse gas emissions means it is now code red for humanity, and drastic action must be taken.

I ask that the government now acts to cancel this project, Dr Hudsons submission continues. With our leadership of the Cop26 we have a real opportunity to set an example to the world if we do this.

As well as outlining his support for greater investment in renewable energy, he also says there is a lack of local support for the mine, despite the job opportunities it would bring.

He says: From a constituency viewpoint I can also confirm that the vast majority of constituents who have contacted me about the mine are against the project going ahead, suggesting a lack of support from this area.

Friends of the Earth is one of the main groups opposing the mine at the forthcoming inquiry. The organisations climate campaigner Tony Bosworth told The Independent: We welcome Dr Hudsons Damascene conversion, and thank him for speaking out against the mine.

He is right that the need for urgent and substantial emissions cuts mean that coal mining must end, and that the government needs to prioritise the creation of new green jobs.

Hopefully, Dr Hudsons conservative colleagues in Cumbria, who still back this mine, will also reflect on the dire climate emergency we are in and end their support too.

A government spokesperson told The Independent: The UK was the first major world economy to pass a net zero emissions target into law.

Coal has no part to play in our future power generation and will be phased out by 2024  a year earlier than planned, which is on top of important steps we are taking to decarbonise industries that still rely on coal.

The public inquiry into the Whitehaven mine will begin tomorrow (7 September) and it would not be appropriate to comment further.

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111-year-old Georgian woman Leonila Gvajava has recovered from coronavirus and will leave Tbilisi Republican Hospital later today, doctors say.

They said that the woman, who was placed in the hospital along with her 80-year-old daughter, was very determined to defeat the virus and has completed the full course of treatment.

Her daugher is in stable condition, Agenda.ge reported.

Georgia has reported 1,120 new cases of coronavirus of 16,149 tests, 4,905 recoveries and 61 deaths in the past 24 hours. 38,391 people are infected with Covid-19 in the country at the time of publication.
The leader of the Afghan opposition group resisting Taliban (the movement banned in Russia) forces in the Panjshir valley north of Kabul said on Sunday he welcomed proposals from religious scholars for a negotiated settlement to end the fighting.

Ahmad Massoud, head of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA), made the announcement on the group's Facebook page. Earlier, Taliban forces said they had fought their way into the provincial capital of Panjshir after securing the surrounding districts, AFP reported.

"The NRF in principle agree to solve the current problems and put an immediate end to the fighting and continue negotiations," Massoud said in the Facebook post.

"To reach a lasting peace, the NRF is ready to stop fighting on condition that Taliban also stop their attacks and military movements on Panjshir and Andarab," he said, referring to a district in the neighbouring province of Baghlan.

A large gathering of all sides with the Ulema council of religious scholars could then be held, he said.
The single-component Sputnik Light vaccine has been approved for the use in Armenia, the Russian Direct Investment Fund said in a press release on Monday.

"RDIF today announced the Russian single-component Sputnik Light vaccine against coronavirus has been approved by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia," the organization said.

Sputnik Light is the first component of the Sputnik V vaccine. Immunization with Sputnik Light will help Armenia to significantly reduce the infection rate in the country and create herd immunity in a short time frame. In February 2021 the two-dose Sputnik V vaccine was also approved in Armenia, RDIF said.

"Sputnik Light is safe and highly effective as demonstrated by the real-world vaccination data in a number countries. In particular, the data from the Ministry of Health of the Buenos Aires province (Argentina) shows 78.6-83.7% efficacy among the elderly. In Paraguay Sputnik Light is 93.5% effective during the ongoing vaccination campaign according to the countrys Ministry of Health," according to the press release.

Thanks to its safety and efficacy, single-component Sputnik Light vaccine is now both used on standalone basis and also studied in combination with vaccines from other producers in a number of countries, RDIF noted.
The information shared in the Armenian media about the deliberate burning of pastures in the border areas by the servicemen of the Azerbaijani army is another lie of the Armenian officials and is slanderous in nature, according to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

"We declare once again that such information is unfounded and has nothing to do with the Azerbaijani army," the ministry said.
The Taliban (outlawed in Russia) are interested in establishing relations with Russia, Iran and Pakistan, formed Taliban field commander and now the leader of Afghanistans High Council of Salvation Mohammad Akbar Agha said.

"We should establish broad relations with Moscow, since it is in the interests of both the Taliban and Russia," he said. "Iran and Pakistan are also the countries we want to establish relations with. They need us and we need them."

The Taliban have no objections against having a US embassy in Kabul but Washington is afraid of it, Mohammad Akbar Agha said.

"Before the United States invasion of Afghanistan there was a possibility to have good relations with Washington. But after their invasion and their crimes <> relations have worsened," he said.

According to the politician, "there are chances that [diplomatic] relations between the United States and the Taliban will be established." "I think the Taliban will not be against opening the US embassy in Afghanistan. But the United States is afraid of the current situation in the country and most likely there will be no embassy for some time," he said.
Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained four supporters of the ISIS terrorist organization (outlawed in Russia), who were plotting attacks in Ingushetia, in particular against law enforcement officers with the use of explosive devices, FSB Public Affairs department said on Monday.

"Russias Federal Security Service, together with the Investigative Committee, the Foreign Ministry and the National Guard of Russia, foiled the activities of supporters of the ISIS international terrorist organization, involved in the preparation and execution of terrorist crimes in the Ingushetia Region," the FSB Public Affairs department noted.

The FSB reported that the perpetrators established contacts with ISIS members on the Internet "in order to coordinate their activities in terms of engineering and executing terrorist crimes, including attacks on law enforcement officers, using improvised explosive devices and bladed weapons as well as the dissemination of terrorist propaganda among Russian citizens."

According to the FSB, small arms and bladed weapons, improvised explosives, and incendiary devices along with components and tools for their manufacture were seized from the detainees. The police also found correspondence between the perpetrators and the ISIS members, confirming their criminal intentions, TASS reported.

The Investigative Committees press service mentioned that criminal cases were initiated against four residents of Ingushetia under Part 2 of Article 205.5 (Participation in the activities of a terrorist organization), Clause 5 of Part 33 of Article 205.5 (Aiding in the participation in the activities of a terrorist organization) and 205.6 (Failure to report a crime) of the Russian Criminal Code. Two residents of Ingushetias Sunzha were among the detainees, who took an oath of allegiance to IS leader. Two other perpetrators agreed to cooperate in terms of participating in searching camps for the hidden location of IS members, storage means for committing a crime, plotting crimes and other tasks of the terrorist organization. All four of the Ingushetia residents were arrested by the court.
Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev said in an interview with the BBC that "some issues are still being discussed" regarding additional legal mechanisms related to the mandate of the Russian peacekeeping forces in Karabakh.

He noted that the actions and operations of the Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh were carried out in accordance with the Trilateral Declaration signed by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia on November 10, 2020. Hajiyev said this trilateral statement laid "political and, to some extent, legal groundwork" for the peacekeeping forces.

"As for additional agreements and additional legal mechanisms on the peacekeepers' mandate, the parties established initial contacts, and some discussions are still ongoing," Hajiyev said.

"The entire Karabakh is the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, the international community recognizes the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, and in accordance with November 10 statement, peacekeeping forces were temporarily deployed in parts of the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan," he said.

According to him, restoration work is underway in all the liberated territories. "The main task that we are facing now is to carry out construction and restoration work in these territories. Over the past 30-40 years, no country in the world has overseen such reconstruction projects," Hajiyev said.
Rosh Hashanah is a holiday, which marks the beginning of the year in the Jewish calendar. It is one of the most important Jewish holidays.

This year, Rosh Hashanah (the new year 5782 in the beginning of creation according to the Jewish calendar) is celebrated on September 6 and 7. It is being celebrated from sunset on September 6, a Jewish calendar dates begin with the night beforehand.

In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, "head of the year", it begins on the first day of Tishrei in the Jewish calendar). Tishrei usually occurs in mid-September  early October on the Gregorian calendar.

The holiday is celebrated for two days, which are called 'yoma arichta' (a long day). No work is permitted on Rosh Hashanah except what is needed to prepare food.

According to tradition, God judges all creatures during the 10 Days of Awe between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, deciding whether they will live or die in the coming year. At this time, Jews mast examine past deeds and repent for their sins. These days they also should ask forgiveness of their friends they've wronged. In this regard, Rosh Hashanah is not a holiday in the usual sense of the word. Celebratory attributes express not the joy, but hope for the mercy of the Most High.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a congratulatory message to Russia's Jewish community.
Russia is waiting for an explanation from the European Union regarding the principles of forming customs duties to eliminate carbon emissions, Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

"We asked the EU to explain themselves. We are waiting for a reaction," he said.

The minister stressed that the "carbon tax" directly contradicts the WTO rules.

Earlier, the European Commission proposed an extensive action plan to completely eliminate carbon emissions in the EU by 2050, which will require a complete restructuring of the EU economy. In particular, the EC came up with a proposal to introduce customs duties on imports of iron and steel (including pipes and rails), as well as aluminum, cement, fertilizers, and electricity to the EU. According to the EC plan, there will be a transition period from 2023 to 2025, when importers will have to report quarterly on the actual emissions associated with goods imported into the EU and any payments for carbon emissions abroad. Companies will start paying customs duties only from 2026.

At the same time, payments of Russian exporters on the EU carbon tax may amount to $6.4 bln by 2030, and in 2026 will be at the level of $1.8-3.4 bln, according to a study by consulting company BCG.
The Afghan constitution will be either rewritten or amended under the new government, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said on Monday.

"As soon as the system [of the government] is approved, we will begin work on the constitution, it will be either rewritten or amended," Mujahid said at a press conference.

Afghanistan's constitution was approved in January 2004 and signed by then-president Hamid Karzai. The constitution consists of 162 articles.

Earlier in the day, Mujahid said that the Taliban took full control of Panjshir (a claim that the country's resistance forces have denied) and that the war in Afghanistan is over. He added that the composition of the new government can be announced in the next few days.

He also said that several countries, including Turkey, China and Russia, will be invited to a ceremony where the new Afghan government is to be announced.

Mujahid added that the Taliban plans to invite the former Afghan military to join the security departments in the new government.
Taliban (the movement banned in Russia) spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said Germans are welcome in Afghanistan and that the group hopes Berlin will open diplomatic ties.

In an interview published Sunday, Mujahid told the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag that the militant group now in control of most of Afghanistan would like diplomatic relations and financial support from Germany.

"We want strong and official diplomatic relations with Germany," Mujahid told the paper.

In addition to diplomatic relations, the Taliban also seek financial support, humanitarian aid and cooperation in health, agriculture and education from Germany.

Mujahid said Germans were always welcome in Afghanistan. He added even added that Germans had once been viewed as a positive influence in Afghanistan.

"Unfortunately, they then joined the Americans. But that is forgiven now," DA cited Mujahid as saying.

Germany closed its embassy in Kabul with the Taliban's victory and relocated Ambassador Markus Potzel to Doha, Qatar, but the German government remains in contact with the Taliban.
Senior Taliban (outlawed in Russia) officials met in Kabul on Sunday with the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs Martin Griffiths, who promised to maintain assistance for the Afghan people, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, head of the Taliban's political office and other officials met Martin Griffiths as Afghanistan faces a potentially catastrophic humanitarian crisis caused by severe drought and a collapsing economy.

"The U.N. delegation promised continuation of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, saying he would call for further assistance to Afghanistan during the coming meeting of donor countries," Shaheen said on Twitter.

Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world, has been plunged into crisis by the abrupt end of billions of dollars in foreign aid following the collapse of the Western-backed government and the victory of the Taliban last month.

Shaheen said the Taliban assured the U.N. delegation of "cooperation and provision of needed facilities," Reuters reported.
Two more consignments of the Chinese-Uzbek vaccine against coronavirus ZF-UZ-VAC2001 have arrived in Uzbekistan from China, according to the press service of Uzbek Ministry of Health.

Uzbekistan received 1.5 million doses on Sunday morning, and another 3 million were delivered early Monday morning.

The total volume of ZF-UZ-VAC2001 vaccine purchased by Uzbekistan amounted to 18 million doses. In total, over 22.44 million doses were delivered to the country, including 460,000 doses of the Russian "Sputnik V", 986,400- AstraZeneca (free under the COVAX program) and 3 million Moderna (provided free of charge by the United States).

In total, since April 1, when the mass vaccination began, more than 15 million doses of vaccines have been applied; more than 2.12 million people have received a full course of vaccination (two or three doses, depending on the type of vaccine).
The whole universe hidden in the VR glasses, magnificent images shown on transparent screens, unmanned aircraft applied in seeding and fertilization..., sci-tech exhibition has become the new hot spot in the China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) in recent years.

Innovative technology intriguing

The upcoming 18th China-ASEAN Expo is using technological innovation as the "key variable" to deduce the optimal solution for China-ASEAN to deepen digital economic cooperation, specifically:

- There are more exchange activities in sci-tech and digital economy. During the 18th CAEXPO, China-ASEAN Technology Transfer and Innovation Cooperation Conference, China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Summit will be held to pragmatically accelerate the construction of China-ASEAN Information Harbor.

- Technology becomes more "hard-core" and innovation adds vitality. The 18th CAEXPO will continue to set up the Hong Kong section, and the technological power from the Greater Bay Area is actively becoming an important part of the domestic and international dual circulation. The exhibition will take interactive and experiential display as the core, and participants can experience the unique charm of Hong Kong in an "immersive" way through interactive games and physical display.

- The exhibition section for engineering machinery and transportation vehicle will also be set up in the 18th China-ASEAN Expo.

Technological innovation is promoting the vigorous development of China-ASEAN two-way investment cooperation. According to Ren Hongbin, Assistant to the Minister of Commerce of China, as of the end of June this year, the total cumulative mutual investment between China and ASEAN countries exceeded US$310 billion. Emerging areas such as high-tech, digital economy, and green economy have become the new growth point.

More expectation on digital economy

At the 17th CAEXPO, 86 international and domestic investment cooperation projects and a number of major digital economy projects were signed, and a batch of projects has been initiated.

In the 18th CAEXPO to be held on September 10-13 this year, digital economy will build in the limited exhibition space a broader trade "space", as well as setting up intelligent "bridges" benefiting all countries.

This years CAEXPO will upgrade the original electronic and electrical section to information technology section, and display of innovation application in digital economy will be added. 140 economic and trade activities will be held either online or offline during the Expo, focusing on industries such as digital economy. It is hoped that a number of representative projects for chain construction, strengthening, supplementation, and extension will be signed, so as to comprehensively improve the quality of contracted projects.

On-line CAEXPO offers more opportunities to communicate

A year-round on-line CAEXPO is built, providing services such as 3D exhibition halls, data traceability, online international conferences and business negotiations, etc. This "one-stop" service platform for cooperation and exchanges built at the 17th CAEXPO is very impressive.

The model of "physical exhibition + On-line CAEXPO" adopted in the 18th CAEXPO will organize online and offline economic and trade activities and guide more businessmen to participate in online matchmaking meeting. On-line CAEXPO will be running throughout the year to provide enterprises with regular economic and trade promotion services.

Online exhibitions and economic and trade activities for Lao PDR, the Country of Honor, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, etc. are advanced; functions such as "online display", "online conference", and "online negotiation" will be improved; live promotion conferences, product launches, and "one-to-one" video matching activities, etc., will be held; online exhibition will be throughout the year, and economic and trade promotion services will be provided on a regular basis. On-line CAEXPO has revitalized the 18th CAEXPO with more opportunities to communicate.

Wang Lei, Secretary-General of the China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat, said that on-line CAEXPO is an innovative move to respond to the impact of the epidemic and to promote China-ASEAN digital economic cooperation.

Relying on the platform of CAEXPO, the China-ASEAN Economic and Trade Center is unveiled in Nanning, aiming to build a "one-stop" service platform for China-ASEAN economic and trade cooperation through the model of "physical platform + internationalization + marketization", exploring continuously the potential of China-ASEAN trade.

PV
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the industrial real estate market is still bustling with many merger and acquisition (M&A) deals and an increase in new industrial land areas.

ESR Cayman, the largest logistics real estate platform in Asia-Pacific, has teamed up with BW Industry Development to set up a joint venture to develop a 240,000 square meter land in My Phuoc 4 Industrial Zone (IZ) near HCM City.

The cooperation marks ESRs joining the Vietnamese market, a move which helps it expand in Southeast Asia.

KCN Vietnam Group, a newcomer in the market, has bought a 250 hectare land bank with investment capital of $300 million. The company plans to develop high-end factories and warehouses for lease, stretching from Bac Giang, Hai Phong and Hai Duong in the north to Dong Nai and Long An in the south.

Regarding M&A activities, Boustead Projects has reached an agreement on acquiring 49 percent of shares of Logistics KTG & Boustead. If the deal succeeds, the cooperation will bring 13 real estate projects worth $141 million in total, including 840,000 square meters of land area and 550,000 square meters of leasing area.

Jinko Solar and Fukang Technology from Hong Kong and Singapore are the biggest investors, investing $498 million and $270 million, respectively, in Quang Ninh and Bac Giang.

John Campbell from Savills Vietnam noted that the northern part of the country received most of the new investments registered in the manufacturing sector, worth $1.97 billion, or 64 percent, in the first part of the year.

Meanwhile, the southern region received $728 million, or 23 percent and the central region $395 million, or 13 percent.

Bac Giang had the highest newly registered capital ($589 million), followed by Quang Ninh ($569 million) and Bac Ninh ($222 million). Binh Duong province in the south ranked fourth with $208 million.

Hong Kong had the highest registered foreign direct investment (FDI) capital in the manufacturing sector, with $852 million, or 27 percent. Singapore was second with $655 million, or 21 percent, followed by China $549 million, or 18 percent, and South Korea $330 million, or 11 percent.

Investment boom

According to Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), Vietnam now has 370 Industrial Zones with total area of 115,200 hectares. Of these, 328 IZs are operating outside economic zones (EZs), 24 IZs are within coastal EZs and 8 IZs within bordergate EZs. The projects employ 3.6 million workers.

Tens of IZs in 13 cities and provinces were approved in the first quarter, which promises to provide thousands of hectares of land to investors in the next few years. Bac Ninh is the locality with the highest number of projects, 5 IZs.



These include the 209 hectare Que Vo III IZ with investment capital of $121 million, and the 250 hectare Gia Binh II with the investment capital of $172 million developed by Hanaka Group.

Quang Tri province also has new projects, including the Trieu Phu IZ, covering an area of 529 hectares. The other large IZs include Quang Tri IZ (481 hectares), capitalized at $90 million, developed by a joint venture of VSIP, Amata City Bien Hoa and Sumitomo.

Vinh Phuc is planning to develop new IZs with total land area of 500 hectares, including Song Lo, Tam Duong 1, Thai Hoa  Lien Son  Lien Hoa.

Other projects are in the provinces of Hai Duong, Vinh Long, QUang Nam, Thua Thien-Hue, Nam Dinh and Nghe An.

In the south, Dong Nai plans to develop three more IZs with total area of 6,475 hectares to ease the overload of existing IZs. These include Long Duc IZ (3,253 hectares), Bau Can  Tan Hiep (2,627 hectares) in Long Thanh district, and Xuan Que  Song Nhan (3,595 hectares in Cam My district.

The three IZs have been approved by the Prime Minister and added to the overall plan on hi-tech IZs by 2020 with a vision until 2030.

As of June 20, 2021, Vietnam had attracted $15.27 billion worth foreign investments. The manufacturing and processing sector attracted $6.97 billion worth of capital, which accounted for 45 percent, with 273 new projects, capitalized at $3.09 billion, and 286 projects which registered additional capital of $3.38 billion.

Total FDI capital in the production sector decreased from $8 billion to $6.97 billion in H1 2020 and newly registered capital in the production sector from $3.57 billion to $3.09 billion.

However, in the first half of the year, production capital was $3.38 billion, still higher than the $3.23 billion of the same period last year.

John Campell said that social distancing and travel restrictions had made it difficult for industrial real estate developers to seek clients.

Duy Anh

Investment will double in 3-5 years in regional logistics, industrial real estate: JLL Investments in logistics and industrial real estate in the Asia Pacific will double in the next three to five years as investors look to increase exposure to the asset class, Jones Lang LaSalle has forecast in a recent report.
According to Vietnams Trade Counselor in Germany Bui Vuong Anh, two-way trade between Vietnam and Germany reached $16 billion in 2019 and $15.2 billion in 2020.

Vietnam's export turnover to Germany in 2020 increased by 7.85%, with $11.3 billion, making Vietnam the largest partner of Germany in Southeast Asia and the third in Asia.

In 2020, Vietnam earned $196.6 million from exporting fresh and processed meat and fish products to Germany, accounting for less than 1% of Germany's import demand (approximately $26 billion); $303 million from fresh, processed fruit and nuts, accounting for 2.7% of Germany's import demand (about $11.2 billion); and $429 million from tea, coffee and spice products, accounting for 10% of Germany's import demand (about $4.1 billion).

These statistics come from the German statistics agency.

According to Bui Vuong Anh, the potential of the German and EU markets is still huge.

The growth

If taking advantage of opportunities and legal frameworks such as the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the joint committee mechanism on Vietnam-Germany economic cooperation, Vietnam's agricultural products have an opportunity to deeply integrate into this relatively picky market. In particular, taking advantage of the local distribution channel developed by the Vietnamese community is an advantage.

According to data from the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, thanks to the EVFTA, export revenues of many key agricultural and forestry products of Vietnam from the EU in the first half of 2021 grew significantly compared to the same period of 2019. Specifically, export revenues from rubber products reached $61 million, up 56.91%; rice $5.2 million, up 3.73%; rattan, bamboo, sedge and carpet products $70.5 million, up 33.75%; vegetables and fruits $63.8 million, up 12.5%.

According to data of the General Department of Customs of Vietnam, export of goods to Europe reached $29.17 billion in January-July, up 18% year on year, including $22.81 billion from the EU, up 17%.

With a population of over 500 million people and a total GDP of 16,452.07 billion euros, the EU is one of Vietnam's largest trading partners and the second largest export market after the United States. However, export of agricultural products such as fresh fruits to Europe is still limited.

For export of textile-garment and footwear to the EU, according to the Import-Export Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic affected demand for non-essential goods, including these products. Thanks to the implementation of the EVFTA, exports of these products gradually recovered in the last five months of 2020 and the early months of 2021.

Luong Hoang Thai, Director of the Multilateral Trade Policy Department, affirmed that Vietnam's participation in one of the new-generation trade agreements such as the EVFTA with a major partner like the EU has created many opportunities for the country to access many fields of potential.

Cooperation with the EU in high-tech agriculture has high potential, through which Vietnam can receive the transfer of high-tech solutions in agriculture, manufacturing and processing agricultural products. The EVFTA and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) are opportunities for Vietnam to access the potential of the EUs capital and technology.

The Vietnam Trade Office in Belgium and the EU said that EU consumers are more interested in the Vietnamese market as the advantages brought by EVFTA become more apparent.

The implementation of EVFTA has helped many types of goods of the two sides enjoy tax reductions and exemptions under a certain roadmap. The year 2021 is considered an important milestone when Vietnamese fresh fruits such as litchi and longan are directly exported to Western European countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, and the UK.

Exports of agricultural products to the EU will begin to recover after the COVID-19 epidemic is controlled. This is a favorable time to promote the export of Vietnamese agricultural products to this market.

In the coming time, coconut and coconut products, jackfruit products, processed fruits and vegetables, dragon fruit and passion fruit, and organic agricultural products will be exported to the EU, conquering this picky but important market.

Luong Hoang Thai, Director of the Multilateral Trade Policy Department, affirmed that Vietnam's participation in one of the new-generation trade agreements such as the EVFTA with a major partner like the EU has created many opportunities for the country to access many fields of potential.

Cooperation with the EU in high-tech agriculture has high potential, through which Vietnam can receive the transfer of high-tech solutions in agriculture, manufacturing and processing agricultural products. The EVFTA and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) are opportunities for Vietnam to access the potential of the EUs capital and technology.

The Vietnam Trade Office in Belgium and the EU said that EU consumers are more interested in the Vietnamese market as the advantages brought by EVFTA become more apparent.

The implementation of EVFTA has helped many types of goods of the two sides enjoy tax reductions and exemptions under a certain roadmap. The year 2021 is considered an important milestone when Vietnamese fresh fruits such as litchi and longan are directly exported to Western European countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, and the UK.

Exports of agricultural products to the EU will begin to recover after the COVID-19 epidemic is controlled. This is a favorable time to promote the export of Vietnamese agricultural products to this market.

In the coming time, coconut and coconut products, jackfruit products, processed fruits and vegetables, dragon fruit and passion fruit, and organic agricultural products will be exported to the EU, conquering this picky but important market.

Standardizing products, building trust with partners

Pham Van Hien, Director of LTP Import Export B.V. in the Netherlands, said that it is necessary to improve cultivation, ensure sustainability, meet globalGap certification and offer a large output of agricultural produce.

The import of a few tons of agricultural produce per season has not made a clear impression in Europe and is unprofessional with supermarket chains and stores in Europe," said Hien.

According to Hien, Vietnamese agricultural products not only compete with Thailand and China but also Central and South American countries. It takes only eight days to ship agricultural products from the Americas to the EU by sea, so the products have good quality. Some agricultural products of Vietnam, though, have to be transported by air, which makes them expensive.

In July, we imported Son La longan, but the rate of rotten longan was still high. Recently, we received a lychee container shipped by sea. The quality was still very good, and the price is one third cheaper than shipping by air. So that's a positive sign," Hien said.

Hien also noted the stable quality of agricultural products. Since July 2019, this company has imported Vietnamese rice varieties that have won international awards. European consumers have had Thai fragrant rice for 30 years, but in recent years they have known more about Vietnamese fragrant rice. Unfortunately, the quality of Vietnamese fragrant rice is unstable.

Can Thanh Trung, Kome Company - representative of the importer of Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products to Japan  said that both stable product quality and price are very important in the Japanese market.

Luong Bang
The Covid-19 pandemic caused turbulence in Vietnam's labor market in 2020.

For the first time in 10 years, Vietnam's economy witnessed a serious decline in the number of participants in the labor market and the number of employed people. The average income of workers also fell. The indicators of unemployment and underemployment both increased sharply in contrast to the decreasing trend in recent years.

Although there was an increase in the proportion of the labor force in urban areas in recent years, 66.9% of the labor force in Vietnam was concentrated in rural areas.

Citing the Labor and Employment Survey Report 2020 of the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, the average labor force of the whole country in 2020 was 54.84 million people, down 924,000 people from the previous year. The labor force consisted of 53.6 million employed people and more than 1.2 million unemployed.

Although there was an increase in the proportion of the labor force in urban areas in recent years, 66.9% of the labor force in Vietnam was concentrated in rural areas.

About 40.9% of employees work 40-48 hours/week and it is a worrying figure that up to 30.9% of employees worked more than 48 hours/week. The number of employees working less than 20 hours/week accounted for a low proportion (6.6%). The proportion of employees working under 35 hours/week was 21.8%.

Another concern is that the proportion of trained labor force in the country was still low. Out of a total of 54.82 million people aged 15 and over in the national labor force, only about 13.2 million people were trained, accounting for about 24.0% of the total labor force. There were more than 41.6 million people (accounting for about 76.0% of the labor force) who were not trained to achieve a certain level of technical expertise.

Thus, the human resource of Vietnam is young and abundant, but the level of skills and technical expertise is still low.

The income gap between the group of people with a "university degree or higher" and the group "without professional and technical training" is about 1.5 times. The group of people with a "university or higher degree earned more than 8.7 million VND/month, while the group without professional training earned only 5.7 million VND/month.

This shows that if trained, laborers will create more added value to themselves, their families and society.

Female workers were disadvantaged more than men

In 2020, the country had more than 1.2 million unemployed people; of which the urban area accounted for 52.9%, 5.6 percentage points higher than in 2019. The number of women accounted for 56.1% of the total unemployed, 8.3 percentage points higher than the previous year. Thus, when the labor market experiences an incident, urban workers are affected more than rural workers, and female workers are more disadvantaged than men.

The unemployment rate of people of working age (men aged 15-59 years and women aged 15-54 years) in Vietnam in 2020 was 2.48%.

Young people aged 15-24 years old accounted for 35.4% of the total number of unemployed people. In 2020, the youth unemployment rate (7.21%) was 4.4 times higher than the unemployment rate for people aged 25 and over (1.63%).

Like many other developing countries in the world, unemployment is often much higher in urban areas, while underemployment is common in rural areas, the General Statistics Office commented.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the issue of social security for the unemployed workforce in urban areas is also a matter of concern, especially in big cities.

Notably, of the unemployed, the data shows that the proportion of the group of people with a "university or higher degree was the highest (20.7%) followed by the group of people with a "secondary and high school degree" with 19.0% and 16.7%.

The group with the lowest rate of unemployed people was unschooled/primarily trained with 1.6% and 4.6%, respectively.

The group of people with the highest rate of unemployment were those with a university degree or higher, possibly because they are trying to find a job that matches their training level.

The group with "secondary and high school degree" also had a relatively high rate of unemployment, possibly due to the fact that many students who have just graduated from lower and upper secondary schools continued their studies and were not ready to enter the labor market.

According to the General Statistics Office, this situation is due to the fact that the group of workers with low professional qualifications are often willing to do simple and unskilled jobs with low wages while those with higher education level try to find a job with a more suitable income.

This partly reflects the job quality of Vietnam's labor market, which is still low, and unable to meet the needs of workers with high professional and technical skills.

This is something Vietnam needs to pay attention to in order to attract more high-quality foreign investors.

Luong Bang
Hanoi will tighten the check of travel permit from September 8 as part of efforts to ensure strict implementation of social distancing measures to prevent the spreading of COVID-19 pandemic.

Hanoi will tighten travel regulations from September 8. (Photo: VNA)

A new form of travel permit having QR code will be put into use on September 8, which is required to go through checkpoints in the city.



Stronger communications will be conducted to ensure all residents understand the regulations, while strict punishments will be given to those who deliberately violate the pandemic prevention and control rules.



The capital city has been applying social distancing measures since July 24 amid complicated pandemic developments.



People in the city are asked to stay at home and only go outside in necessary cases like business trips, working at essential businesses (State agencies, factories, essential shops and service providers), buy food and medicines, or emergencies such as medical issues, fires or natural disasters.



Masks are mandatory in public. People must maintain a distance of two metres in public, and must not congregate in groups larger than two outside of hospitals, workplaces, or schools.



People are required to submit health declaration forms via website www.tokhaiyte.vn or Ncovi and Bluezone apps. Those who have symptoms such as fever, coughing or difficulty breathing must contact local medical establishments for further instructions.



Non-essential services and businesses remain close.



As of September 5, the capital had recorded a total of 3,520 COVID-19 cases since April 27, with 2,855 logged from July 24, the day social distancing was started.



The city had administrated more than 3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to local residents.

Source: VNA
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son has sent an open letter to the people of Ho Chi Minh City, calling for them to perform quick self-testing for Covid-19 to contribute to the city's fight against the epidemic.

Illustrative image

According to Mr. Son, given the rapid and intense transmission of the Delta strain, testing is the key to identifying the source of infection. Testing is especially important in the strategy to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

HCM City has been applying large-scale testing. However, due to the city's large population and limited human resources, the ability to repeat testing to completely eliminate the infection source is still limited. In some places, the sample collecting sites do not ensure biosafety, which can pose a risk of infection to both medical staff and the people.

On behalf of the Ministry of Healths special task force in HCM City, Deputy Minister Nguyen Truong Son has called for HCM City people to perform quick self-testing on their own.

The Ministry of Health and HCM City Department of Health have provided instructions on self-testing with pictures and video clips. You can ask the medical staff to guide you at first, or refer to the instructions on the media and social networks," the deputy minister wrote in the letter.

He also suggested that local medical facilities help people perform tests by themselves with rapid antigen tests.

He said that people's quick test results will be valuable information to assess the epidemic situation, and are "bricks" that contribute to building "fortresses" against the epidemic in wards and communes in the city.

All anti-epidemic measures are being taken drastically and urgently. Your quick self-testing along with the City's Covid-19 prevention methods will be an all-out attack. When we work together, we are sure that the city will soon be at peace," the Deputy Minister said.

Trieu Duong
Waco businessman Tom Wright travels Interstate 35 almost weekly, craving the lasagna and the crab fondue at Pignettis Italian Restaurant in Temple.

Waco needs something like this, a high-class, upper-end, five-star restaurant, said Wright, whose construction company bears his name.

Heeding his own advice, Wright persuaded Pignettis owner Clinton Harrell to consider a second location about 30 miles up the interstate, in the former Phoenix Ballroom on South Third Street that Wright recently acquired.

I probably get asked once a week, When are you going to open a place in Waco? Harrell said. This is the right location and the right timing. Its a beautiful building, the wood and the decor fitting the ambience we have in Temple.

Pignettis has created a loyal following under the ownership of Clinton and Lydia Harwell. It features fusion cuisine, borrowing from Italian, American, Hispanic and Spanish favorites.

I wasnt looking for a place, honestly, but Mr. Wright comes to Pignettis every other week, at least, and his place is in the dead center of everything happening in Waco, said Harrell. It seemed like a no-brainer.
Officials say the signing of the deal was pushed ahead by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi ahead of national elections next month despite reservations from ministry technocrats who harbor doubts that Total is serious about executing the seawater element.

The Oil Ministry and the (state-owned) Basra Oil Company have doubts that Total is serious about the seawater project. They think they will push for the oil field and gas hub projects and delay the rest, said an industry official with knowledge of the contract negotiations. An official with BOC expressed the same concern. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the press.

Industry and ministry officials have warned that adequate water supplies for reinjection is not guaranteed amid shortages and there is no other alternative in place.

The contracts with Total mirrors another multi-project deal that had been under negotiation for years with U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil. But following years of painstaking talks the deal fell through.

The Total deal also comes as other oil companies plan their exit from Iraq. Exxon announced this year it would be selling its shares from West Qurna 1 oil field. The oil minister has also said that British Petroleum will spin off development of the Rumaila oil field, the country's largest.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Harold Wilken is a steadfast believer in letting nature take its course. Under his watch, Janies Farm Organics in Danforth, Illinois, has transitioned from conventional farming practices  such as the use of pesticides and GMOs  into a 100% organic operation growing yellow and white hybrid corn, soybeans, wheat and rye, and he couldnt be prouder.

Down on the farm

Raised in a farming family that dates back several generations, Wilken was riding tractors with his dad at the tender age of 2 years old.

His great-grandfather founded what would today be considered an organic, biodiverse farm on Illinois land in 1882. After learning the industry through years of working in the fields, Wilken decided it was time to break away and start his own farming operation in 1982; he would pursue traditional growing methods for the 23 years that followed.

I rented a piece of land from an older lady who was willing to give a young farmer like me a chance, he says. When I took my first herbicide bill to her, she looked at it and told me that if I could just figure out how to do things the natural way, she wouldn't have to pay it. Her words were very prophetic, and theyve stuck with me through the years.

Opting to go organic

Wilkens decision to take the farm in an organic direction came about as a result of several life-changing events that occurred in quick succession. Already disillusioned with GMOs and losing faith in conventional farming practices, he was directly sprayed with dangerous pesticide chemicals when a hose broke in 1990, leading to health issues.

Then, in 2001, Wilkens beloved daughter Janie passed away in a tragic car accident at age 15.

When Wilkens neighbor Herman Brockman sent a condolence letter and offered him the opportunity to transition his adjacent acreage into an organic farm, it seemed like a sign.

Thereve been lots of unexplained coincidences that I credit to Janie putting together for me on the other side, Wilken says. I think back on the things that have happened in the 20 years since shes been gone and the people whove helped us get through it, and it really all started because of Hermans letter.

Wilkens initial move toward organic farming was met with skepticism from some of his peers and even within his own family due to concerns about reduced yields, increased weeds and other worries.

My father started using pesticides back in the 1960s, and he thought they were the saving grace of agriculture, Wilken says. He passed before I completed my first transition crop, but he definitely did not approve of my decision.

Feeling there had to be a better, more natural way to go, Wilken attempted non-GMO crop rotation for a few years, but it wasnt until he went fully organic in 2005 that he finally began to feel a true sense of peace.

The soil was just dead, he says.

It takes 36 months from the last application of herbicide to cycle out enough for the land to be considered organic, but I think it takes more like 60 months to really restore the soil to good health through crop rotation and cover cropping. These practices are what add nutrients; increase water absorption; prevent erosion; and suppress weeds, insects and soil-borne plant diseases.

Ready, set, grow

Since 2005, Janies Farm has flourished from its original 700-acre footprint into 3,200 acres of land co-owned by a group of farmers who work collaboratively to support the organic movement. Together with his son, Ross Wilken; nephew, Tim Vaske; and neighbor, Ryan Wolfe, Wilken currently owns a 450-acre spread on which he grows his organic crops.

Janies Farms growing season continues nearly year-round, starting with putting in cover crops as early as January and planting corn in mid-May through wheat harvest beginning in July until the last corn is picked in November. The organic products ultimately find their way to distributors, large and small food companies, breweries and distilleries, often personally delivered in a truck driven by Wilken himself.

For the mill, we service a customer radius in an area about four and a half hours out from the farm, going as far as Ann Arbor, Detroit, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and a bit into Louisville, he says.

Through a recent partnership with Tom Luhrs Family Farm in Imperial, Nebraska, Wilken and his team hope to expand the selection of heirloom variety grains Janies Farm can offer to its customers even farther.

Run of the mill

While loading a semitruck with wheat for a trip to New York in 2016, Wilkens own wheels started turning as he contemplated his next move. The following year, a broker contacted him looking for someone to mill flour, which planted more seeds of inspiration.

After installing custom, Danish-made Engsko machinery, Janies Mill started stone-grinding whole-kernel flours in 2017.

In another serendipitous twist, Herman Brockmans daughter, Jill, came on board to manage the mill; and his other Chicago-based daughter introduced Wilken to Hewn Bakery in Evanston to do some product testing and development, laying the foundation for a productive business relationship that continues to this day.

When we started out, we were doing 3 or 4,000 pounds of flour a week, Wilken says. Now, were producing between 5,000 to 7,000 per day. Our wholesale efforts are growing, and we did a booming retail package business during the pandemic. Were so proud that were able to provide jobs on the farm and in our mill that help keep our rural community healthy economically, environmentally and socially.

What lies ahead

Looking toward the future, Wilken is aiming to double the Janies Mill production capacity and keep looking for markets that allow the farm to work directly with customers. As the demand for transparency increases and savvy consumers want to know more about the origins of the food theyre eating, he hopes that more farmers will join the organic movement.

The landowners have got to be the ones who change the landscape, he says. As some are now taking over family farms, theyre coming to the realization that they want to work with people who are conscious of land stewardship and reflect their values.

Wilken would also like to see leaders within the farming community devote more time and attention to the bigger picture of transitioning soil from conventionally treated to organic.

I think well do the environment more good by getting land transitioned from conventional to organic than by taking organic acres to the next level, like in regenerative agriculture, he says. Then well really start to see a benefit to the environment.

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Potential New Parallel Lode Identified at Youanmi

Perth, Sep 6, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - West Australian focused gold exploration and development company, Rox Resources Limited ( ASX:RXL ), in conjunction with its joint venture partner Venus Metals Corporation Limited ( ASX:VMC ), is pleased to provide an update on drill results from the Youanmi Gold Project near Mt Magnet, WA, in the OYG JV area (Rox 70% and Manager, VMC 30%).Drilling continues at Youanmi, with diamond and RC rigs operating at the OYG JV and regional aircore drilling progressing on the Regional Joint Ventures (Rox 50% and Manager, VMC 50%).The highlights of this round of results include 4m @ 45.5g/t Au from 341m, including 1.33m @ 129.3g/t Au from 341.75m intersected in RXDD022 and 16m @ 4.22g/t Au from 56m, including 3m @ 16.4g/t Au from 66m and 3m @ 4.1g/t Au from 203m intersected in RXDD024 at Junction (Table 1, Figure 1*).Rox Managing Director Alex Passmore commented: "We are very pleased to report strongly mineralised intersections in a newly identified structure near the Youanmi mine and up-sequence from the main-lode ore body. This an exciting development as it lies within a previously untested area.In addition, extension and infill drilling at Junction continues to deliver highgrade results that will contribute to resource growth at Youanmi and is likely to add ounces in crucial areas that will improve project economics."New High-Grade Hanging Wall Shoot IdentifiedDrilling at Youanmi has intersected high-grade mineralisation in a newly defined position in the hanging wall to the main lode structure (Figures 1 and 2*). RXDD022 was targeting hanging wall mineralisation in an area between the Bunker Pit and the Youanmi Main lode. Encouragingly RXDD022 intersected 4m @ 45.5g/t Au from 341m which highlights the significant potential for further discovery in this area.The Bunker Lode, previously mined as an open pit in a hanging wall position is open at depth and together with this new zone mineralisation increases the likelihood for economic mineralisation to be developed in this area.Follow up drilling is planned to test this new high-grade hanging wall shoot.Junction DrillingDrilling at Junction is focused on both extensional and wider step out drilling into untested areas at depth.New results from extensional drilling include:- RXDD024: 16m @ 4.22g/t Au from 56m, including 3m @ 16.4g/t Au from 66m and 3m @ 4.1g/t Au from 203m; and- RXRC398: 3m @ 15.17g/t Au from 108m and 3m @ 3.35g/t Au from 204mThese results are likely to see an increase both tonnes and grade in this area in subsequent resource estimations.Two step out holes were drilled over 100m from historical drilling in an area previously untested by drilling (Figure 3*).Results from wider step out drilling include:- RXDD014: 0.51m @ 15.93g/t Au from 381.09m, 4.63m @ 3.7g/t Au from 549m, 3.1m @ 1.9g/t Au from 624.9m; and- RXDD014W1: 0.87m @ 15.4g/t Au from 596m and 2.72m @ 2.61g/t Au from 278.32m.As a first pass into this area, the results are encouraging and confirm continuity of Youanmi Main Lode structure at depth. Future drilling will test along strike targeting areas where N-S trending conjugate structures intersect the Youanmi Main Lode that will likely result in thickening of mineralised zones. The intersection of these structures is where the major accumulations of gold are found at Youanmi.Drilling remains on track to deliver further increases in the Youanmi gold resource. The identification of highgrade mineralisation at Junction and the new hanging wall zone continue to demonstrate the potential for new discoveries at Youanmi and continue to build confidence in the exploration strategy.Results are pending for 13 RC and 11 diamond holes in addition to 13,000m of aircore undertaken on regional prospects. Drilling is ongoing.*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Venus Metals Corporation Limited

Venus Metals Corporation Limited (ASX:VMC) is a West Australian based Company with a focus on gold and base metals exploration. The Company aims to increase shareholder value through targeted exploration success on its projects.

The Company's major gold project is the Youanmi Gold Mine, located 500km north east of Perth. The Youanmi Gold Mine is now jointly owned by Venus Metals (30%) and Rox Resources Limited (70%) (OYG JV); Indicated and Inferred Resources of the mine is 1.7 million ounces of gold.

Exciting new discoveries at the Youanmi Gold Mine have been made at the Grace prospect in footwall granites where very high grades of free milling gold have been intersected, including 25m @34.7g/t Au from 143m (RXRC 287) and 13m @60.49 g/t from 181m (RXRC 239). The Grace Prospect may substantially add to the Youanmi Gold Mine resources.


Mereenie Development Well WM28 Completed

Brisbane, Sep 6, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Central Petroleum Limited ( ASX:CTP ) ( FRA:C9J ) ( OTCMKTS:CNPTF ) advises that WM28, the second development well in the Mereenie Development Programme was completed on 6th September 2021.Key points- WM28 has been successfully completed as a dual zone production well (Pacoota-1 and Pacoota-3) with good flow test results and is expected to be tied-in to the gathering network by mid-September.- Sustained flow rates were also encountered while drilling through the shallower Stairway Sandstone interval:o Increases confidence that extensive sections of the Stairway Sandstone could be productive at Mereenie.o Potential to double the Proved and Probable (2P) gas reserves at Mereenie if the existing 108 PJ of 2C contingent gas resources attributed to the Stairway Sandstone can be upgraded (54 PJ net to Central).WM28 was successfully drilled to a depth of 1,332m and completed as a selective dual zone gas producer, accessing both the upper reservoir (Pacoota-1) and the lower reservoir (Pacoota-3) in a crestal location. The Pacoota-1 was air-drilled, cased and perforated whilst the Pacoota-3 was air-drilled and left open hole to maximise flowrates. Based on rig flow tests, the combined Pacoota-1 and Pacoota-3 gas flow rate once online is expected to be at the high end of the range anticipated.In addition, virgin reservoir pressures and sustained flow rates were observed from a 34 metre vertical intersection of the Upper Stairway Sandstone during drilling (Figure 2*). A rig flow test of the Upper Stairway maintained a production rate of 0.6 mmscfd over a period of 50 minutes with minimal decline observed. The well continued flowing at similar rates for 19 hours while drilling ahead before penetrating the next productive interval in the Pacoota-1. Whilst the Stairway is typically considered to be tight, the presence of natural fractures provides sufficient permeability which can be exploited through deviated or horizontal drilling techniques (as occurs in the Pacoota at Palm Valley).The successful flow test in the Upper Stairway provides a good indication of the presence of open natural fractures at WM28. This is consistent with fracture modelling which indicates a high likelihood of natural fractures (predominantly vertical) in the crestal region of the Mereenie field. Significant flows obtained while drilling through the Stairway have also been recorded in prior development wells, indicating there could be extensive portions of the Stairway amenable to commercial production with horizontal wells. Further Stairway appraisal would target those areas with evidence of good flows (such as WM28) to reduce the risk of encountering mineralised fractures, as was the case in the prior Lower Stairway appraisal well, WM26.There is currently 108 PJ of 2C contingent resource booked in the Stairway (54 PJ net to Central). Further appraisal of the Stairway using horizontal drilling techniques to better access the vertical fracture network could deliver significantly higher flow rates and convert this resource into reserves. The 2P reserves at Mereenie would approximately double if all the 2C resource currently attributed to the Stairway could be converted to 2P reserves, which would increase the field capacity, production plateau and economic life of the Mereenie field.Given WM28's good Stairway results and the high-value associated with brownfield economics, Central intends to work with its Mereenie joint venture ("JV") partners to progress possible Stairway appraisal opportunities for this material resource.Works are underway to connect WM28 to the gathering network, with the well expected to be online by mid-September. The rig will return to WM19 (previously recompleted) to attempt shut-off of water production believed to be sourced from a lower interval that is not contributing gas flow. After that, the rig is intended to return to WM27 to complete it as a Pacoota-1 producer. The JV has resolved not to proceed with the Pacoota-3 side-track due to concerns regarding localised hole instability encountered in the first attempt. Although WM27 will no longer be able to accelerate recovery from the Pacoota-3, the JV expects that the reservoir at this location will still be adequately drained by other wellbores over the field life. Based on test results to date, the recompletion and drilling program has already increased Mereenie wellhead capacity to over 40 TJ/d (100% JV), easily meeting economic hurdles for the investment.Further updates will be provided as the programme progresses and at an investor presentation to be held shortly after the release of Central's 2021 Annual Report and financial results later this month. Details of the date and time of the presentation will be advised later this week.*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Central Petroleum Limited

Central Petroleum Limited ( ASX:CTP) is a well-established, and emerging ASX-listed Australian oil and gas producer. In our short history, Central has grown to become the largest onshore gas producer in the Northern Territory (NT), supplying industrial customers and senior gas distributors in NT and the wider Australian east coast market.

Central is positioned to become a significant domestic energy supplier, with exploration and development plans across 180,000 km2 of tenements in Queensland and the Northern Territory, including some of Australia's largest known onshore conventional gas prospects. Central has also completed an MoU with Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) to progress the proposed Amadeus to Moomba Gas Pipeline to a Final Investment Decision.

We are also seeking to develop the Range gas project, a new gas field located among proven CSG fields in the Surat Basin, Queensland with 135 PJ (net to Central) of development-pending 2C contingent resource.
We at Environmental Education of New Mexico (EENM) and the Wild Friends program couldnt agree more with the words of outgoing Public Education Department Secretary Ryan Stewart about the need for outdoor classrooms (Journal Aug. 23). The necessity of outdoor learning has never been more evident, and outdoor classrooms provide a bipartisan, common-sense solution to support healthier kids, schools and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

EENM and Wild Friends partnered during the 2021 Legislative Session to support the successful bipartisan passage of Senate Memorial 1, sponsored by Sen. Siah Correa Hemphill, D-Silver City, in support of outdoor classrooms. Wild Friends students, through their award-winning civics education program at the UNM School of Law, drafted the memorial to create an Outdoor Classrooms Interagency Task Force, including the N.M. Public Education Department, to establish and expand outdoor classrooms across the state. EENM offered expertise and support as the only statewide organization that advances advocacy, collaboration and leadership to ensure every New Mexico child has daily equitable access to the outdoors and environmental learning.

Investing in outdoor classrooms today will provide a healthier alternative to allow teaching and learning to occur in the open air, which reduces the transmission of COVID-19 for all of our students, teachers and local communities. Outdoor learning is an evidence-based approach directly in alignment with the New Mexico Public Education Departments vision, Students in New Mexico are engaged in a culturally and linguistically responsive educational system that meets the social, emotional, and academic needs of ALL students. There are numerous documented benefits of outdoor learning including the following:

 Improved health and well-being

 Increased connections with community

 Interest in civic action

 Academic skills including critical thinking and problem solving

 Enhanced academic achievement

 Motivation and increased enthusiasm

Additionally, by establishing outdoor classrooms on school grounds across New Mexico, we can not only support students in outdoor learning during the school day but provide outdoor spaces that families and communities can use during non-school hours to immediately address the lack of access to parks and other open spaces in many neighborhoods around the state.

In fall 2020, along with our network of over 160 organizations serving 280,000-plus New Mexican students preK-12th grade, EENM drafted New Mexicos state-wide Outdoor Learning Guidance that was adopted by NMPED as part of school reentry planning. We also launched the outdoorlearningnm.org website to provide resources and support for parents, families, teachers and school administrators for outdoor learning and outdoor classrooms and have kept this updated to continue to support the overwhelming interest we have received in outdoor learning during this time.

We at EENM and Wild Friends are ready to work with the NMPED to provide the experience and expertise to support successful outdoor classrooms and outdoor learning at scale. Learn more about how you can get involved by visiting eenm.org.
Roth IRAs have many great benefits.

Todays article will discuss the benefits and the reasons you should invest in a Roth IRA. This is part one of a two-part series. Next Mondays article will discuss many different ways you can fund a Roth IRA.

Traditional IRAs became available in 1974 and were touted for their tax-deferral benefits. You contribute to a 401(k), 403(b), or traditional IRA while you are working, and the money you contribute is not taxed as income that year. This is the reason your contributions are termed pre-tax.

The money grows tax-free until you retire and need to withdraw the funds. Investors were also told they would likely be in a lower tax bracket when they retire.

Ah, but theres the kicker! When you withdraw funds from a traditional IRA, all the money (your contributions, plus the earnings over the years) is 100% taxable as income in the year you withdraw it. But many retirees are not in a lower tax bracket than while they were working. Traditional IRAs just kick the bucket down the road, requiring you to pay the taxes later.

In my view, traditional IRAs are not wonderful. Tax deferral is nice  until you start taking withdrawals, and the withdrawals are all taxable as income. (There is no preferential tax rate on withdrawals from traditional IRAs.)

The taxation during retirement can also cause Social Security benefits to be taxed at a higher rate. Another negative feature is that if you leave your traditional IRA to a spouse  or to children or grandchildren  they will pay taxes when they take withdrawals. The IRS insists that someone will pay the taxes after those years of tax-deferral. It is unavoidable. As they say: Nothing is certain except death and taxes.

Roth IRAs

to the rescue

Roth IRAs became available in 1998. They are one of the greatest gifts Congress has given investors in over 25 years. Lets review the benefits:

Withdrawals are tax-free: When you contribute to a Roth IRA  or Roth 401(k) or 403(b)  you are investing money that is being taxed as income that year. However, when you withdraw the money (possibly many years later), the contributions and all the earnings over many years are tax-free; 100% tax-free.

You can access your contributions at any time: Lets assume you are 40 years old, and you contribute $6,000 per year to a Roth IRA for eight years. Your account grows from the $48,000 invested to $80,000 after eight years. You can withdraw your contributions (up to $48,000) at any time without penalties. The contributions are available to you as needed. This is because those contributions were after-tax. The earnings have restrictions on when they can be withdrawn, but not the contributions.

Roth IRAs do not have Required Minimum Distributions like traditional IRAs do. Traditional IRAs require you to start taking withdrawals by age 72 (current retirees started at 70.5, but the age was increased recently). The required minimum distributions (RMDs) are determined by an IRS chart that typically starts at approximately 3.7% in year one and increases each year as you get older. These RMDs are fully taxable in the year they are withdrawn. Roth IRAs do not have RMDs, thereby allowing an investor to let the money grow and compound over many more years.

Roth IRAs can keep your income tax rate lower in retirement: Because RMDs are not required from Roth IRAs (as they are with traditional IRAs), and withdrawals from a Roth IRA during retirement are tax-free, your income tax can stay at a lower rate, thereby minimizing the taxes on your Social Security benefits.

Roth IRAs are not taxed when left to children or grandchildren  unlike traditional IRAs. A negative feature of former President Donald Trumps tax changes effective Jan. 1, 2020, (called The Secure Act), will adversely impact nonspouse beneficiaries of traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs. Instead of allowing a stretch (withdrawals over the beneficiarys lifetime), the funds must now be withdrawn within 10 years after the original owners death. For traditional IRAs, the beneficiary must pay taxes on the withdrawals. For inherited Roth IRAs, the withdrawals are not taxed. (Note that spousal beneficiaries will still receive the stretch. Nonspouse beneficiaries must follow the 10-year rule).

Roth IRAs are an excellent estate planning tool: For many years, investors could bequeath their taxable account to a spouse, children or grandchildren, and the beneficiary received a step-up in basis to the assets value on the date of death. President Joe Biden has suggested that this benefit should end for wealthy investors. Because Roth IRAs are not taxable to the beneficiary, they are not at risk of any new rules that would eliminate the step-up in basis.

Roth IRAs are great for teenagers and 20-somethings: Although the Roth IRA is primarily a retirement tool, it is also powerful for young people because of the many years they have for the account to compound tax-free. To contribute to a Roth IRA, a person must have earned income on a tax return (this eliminates young children and most retirees). For teenagers, the earned income could be from a part-time job.

Parents and grandparents can contribute on behalf of the young person: Lets assume a teenager or college student has more than $6,000 of earned income. The parent or grandparent can contribute $6,000 to a Roth IRA that is owned by the young person. You will be helping your child or grandchild with a jump-start to financial security. As mentioned before, the contributions can be withdrawn by the young person without penalties or taxes at any time for any reasons, such as a down payment on a home or for starting a small business. Or the full amount can be left for retirement, where it has over 40 years to grow and compound.

The Roth IRA is an important tool in an investors tool box. With traditional pensions being eliminated and the future of Social Security being debated, most young people feel like safety nets provided to past generations of Americans are disappearing. On top of that, tax rates will likely increase. Building a significant tax-free Roth IRA is wise. I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the Roth IRAs many great benefits!.

As a side-note, when I wrote about Roth IRAs in the early 2000s, there were always skeptics that predicted Roth IRAs would lose their tax-free status. This has not happened in 23 years. Could it happen? Yes. Is it likely? I dont think so. There have been reports that if the tax benefits are reduced, old Roth IRAs would likely be grandfathered under the old rules.

There are many ways to build a Roth IRA, and that will be next weeks topic.

Donna Skeels Cygan, CFP, MBA, is the author of The Joy of Financial Security. She has been a fee-only financial planner in Albuquerque for more than 20 years, and is the branch manager for the Mercer Advisors office in New Mexico. Contact her at dscygan@gmail.com.
Albuquerque police on Sunday afternoon said they had located the relatives of the 2-year-old boy found alone near Central and Juan Tabo early Saturday.

Police had been seeking the publics help in identifying the boy found walking along Central at 4 a.m. He spoke both English and Spanish, but wouldnt tell investigators his name, said Rebecca Atkins, a police spokeswoman.

The toddler is safe and in the custody of the Children, Youth and Families Department, she said.

Police didnt immediately provide additional details about the case.

Earlier in the day, police had made public grainy surveillance video, which investigators thoughts might show the boy and his guardian, walking in the dark just prior to him being found.

When a man found him, he was only wearing a grey T-shirt and a Mickey Mouse diaper. He otherwise appeared to be well taken care for, Atkins said.
Gabby Monsivais spent a lot of time at work over the last year checking a home security camera feed on her cellphone.

The Albuquerque resident wasnt on the lookout for burglars or vandals. Instead, Monsivais, a single mother of two, had her camera trained on her son, Tristan  a fifth-grader struggling to keep up with remote learning. Off-camera, Monsivais daughter, Triana, now 15, did schoolwork in her own room. Meanwhile, Monsivais herself was at work, managing Dions Commissary, which churns out food products for the companys restaurants  not work, by the way, that can be done remotely.

It was really challenging and stressful, Monsivais said.  It was multiple checks, multiple phone calls with the kids, multiple  (times) just looking at the camera, making sure it was working.

This Labor Day, a holiday set aside to recognize contributions workers make to our community, Monsivais story highlights a struggle thats playing out on local and national levels  for workers, for single parents and for women. Parents across the state and country were forced to get creative to find ways to get their children to digital classrooms. More than 2.3 million women dropped out of the workforce altogether from February 2020 to February 2021, compared with 1.8 million men during the same period, according to a report from the National Womens Law Center.

Monsivais has worked hard to get where she is now. The 35-year-old, born in Mexico but raised in Albuquerque since she was 11, started at Dions as an administrative assistant about 12 years ago. She worked her way up to the general manager position at the commissary and now oversees about 65 people at the facility, which produces bread, cookies, brownies, salad dressings and fruit cups, as well as pizza dough for some Dions locations.

When the pandemic hit New Mexico, the commissary wasnt shut down  Thank goodness, because I needed a job, obviously, Monsivais said.

But while some working parents were able to call on relatives to help oversee school-age children or figure out how to balance remote school with their own remote work, Monsivais didnt have those options. Her family members all work. Her ex-husband, a truck driver, isnt really involved.

So Monsivais did what she had to. She stocked up on easily prepared frozen meals and school supplies, filled her sons phone with alarms set to try to keep him on track throughout the day, and got her camera system up and running.

And she kept going to work  which was going through its own roller coaster of constantly changing safety precautions.

Like so many other workplaces, the commissary went through masking, new hand-washing requirements, installation of hand sanitizing stations AND frequent regular cleaning at the facility  even shift separating to allow teams to work without being in contact with one another. Workers were encouraged to call in sick rather than come to work with so much as a headache  which meant Monsivais was dealing with tricky scheduling more often to keep production moving.

As the pandemic wore on, Monsivais family life evened out somewhat. She and her kids started a Friday movie night. They bought board games and puzzles and doubled down on family activities.

It kind of brought the family together, Monsivais said.

Her kids got to attend the tail end of the school year in-person and are back in the classroom now.

Monsivais said shes appreciated the support shes gotten at work while shes juggled work with taking care of her kids. When her son was sent home from school with a runny nose recently, the company didnt just let her leave to pick him up  her boss spent time trying to help her find a place where her son could get a COVID-19 test in short order.

I love that they do care, she said.

As a manager, Monsivais said, she knows shes asked a lot of her staff for the past 18 months, but Monsivais said the staff has mostly rolled with the changes and restrictions.

Praise to them, because they never complained. They did what we asked them to, and they understood it was for their own safety and everyone elses, Monsivais said.  It was stressful, but  we got through it.  In a way, because, I mean, its still not over.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

After months of delays, the Metropolitan Detention Center launched a program to provide buprenorphine to those in jail who are already using it to treat their opioid addictions.

The buprenorphine maintenance program can provide an average of 22 inmates per day with the medication. Those who are eligible are identified through the jails intake screening process, according to a spokesman for Bernalillo County.

Maintenance of buprenorphine medication-assisted treatment will ensure that individuals who are engaged in community-based recovery efforts can continue to receive supports while incarcerated at MDC and will subsequently support successful reentry upon release, Evan Gonzales, a spokesman for the countys Department of Behavioral Health Services, wrote in a news release.

Recovery Services of New Mexico  a treatment organization run by BayMark Health Services  received a contract to provide the medication at the jail late last year. The county signed a two-year contract agreeing to pay the organization just under $250,000 for services and $312,400 for the medication itself. Gonzales said that because the contract is set up as a fee-for-service model no invoices were processed before Wednesday, when the program began.

Recovery Services has been providing another medication-assisted treatment  methadone  in the jail for years. However, methadone and buprenorphine arent interchangeable for patients.

According to the contract, Recovery Services initially said it could begin providing buprenorphine in late 2020, but the start date was pushed back repeatedly.

A county spokesman told the Journal in May it was projecting that the program could begin in June, but even at that time a representative from BayMark seemed unsure. She blamed delays on challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Gonzales said more recently that delays came from the New Mexico Board of Pharmacy.

The circumstances for delivery of buprenorphine to patients is very unique and a new approach for the (Board of Pharmacy) to conceptualize and provide approval, said Patrice Trisvan, a senior vice president with BayMark Health Services. The Board of Pharmacy required certain policies and procedures to be clarified in order to heighten their level of comfort for this project to be implemented. This process took longer than expected, but the end result is that all invaluable stakeholders have the belief that this will be a safe, effective program to treat patients with opioid use disorder who are incarcerated at MDC.

For now, Recovery Services will provide buprenorphine only to those who had already been using the medication before they were locked up. However, Gonzales said, the county will explore expanding the program to start people on the treatment.

Dr. Bill Wiese, the former chair of the countys Addiction Treatment Advisory Board, said he thinks the jails should have started providing buprenorphine years ago.

Furthermore, he said, a program that doesnt start new patients on the treatment is akin to not starting a diabetic on insulin in the jail if they hadnt already been taking the medication.

Its no different, from a medical point of view, he said. There is a difference from a public health point of view. This would have extraordinary public health benefits.  If theyre not induced, youre missing an opportunity to get someone with a serious chronic disease with social consequence as well starting on medical therapy.

He said that although medication-assisted treatment might not be successful for all patients, a substantial portion will be able to use it to turn their lives around.

That its not happening is a medical travesty, Wiese said.

Medication has been used to treat opioid addiction for decades. Methadone was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1972, and suboxone, which contains buprenorphine, was approved in 2002.

Ed Hunt, vice president for correctional services at BayMark Health Services, said the buprenorphine maintenance program is an extension and expansion of a partnership between the jail and Recovery Services dating back to 2009.

This was one of the nations first public-private partnerships to offer opioid treatment of this magnitude within the confines of a correctional institution, Hunt said.

New Mexico had the 12th-highest rate of drug overdose deaths in the country in 2019, according to Bernalillo County. Gonzales said prescription opioids and heroin have been among the most common drugs causing overdose deaths for the past several years.

Medication-assisted treatment has proved to be clinically effective to significantly improve patient survival, increase retention in treatment, decrease illicit opiate use and other criminal activity among people with substance use disorders, and increase patients ability to gain and maintain employment, Gonzales said.

Bernalillo County Manager Julie Morgas Baca said the countys trailblazing efforts to introduce medication-assisted treatment into the jail has provided opportunities for the county to learn from its efforts and support others who want to start similar programs.

Individuals incarcerated at MDC are primarily part of our most vulnerable populations and are experiencing a high need for substance use supports, and although incarcerated, we have an obligation to offer behavioral health supports to all community members, Morgas Baca said. This collaborative approach between our detention facility and community-based providers ensures that we are maximizing resources and effectively supporting the community.
PROMOTIONS

John JD Keller has been named senior vice president of Comcasts Mountain West Region. This region encompasses New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Tucson and parts of Idaho. Keller received his bachelors degree in communications from the University of Utah and a masters degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix. He served in several senior leadership roles in the security service industry before joining Comcast as senior vice president for the Comcast Twin Cities Region, where he worked for four years. In his new role, Keller will be responsible for customer experience, sales, operations and financial performance for the region.

Dave Lynch has been named state president for the American Association of Retired Persons New Mexico. Lynch has served as the AARP Las Cruces president since 2015. He also served for several years on the AARP Executive Council, a volunteer advisory board to the AARP state office. In this new role he will now manage the executive council. In 2018, Lynch was inducted into the AARP New Mexico Hall of Fame for his work in Las Cruces. In 2020 he was named in the New Mexico Andrus Award for Community Service, the states top volunteer award. As state president, Lynch hopes to expand AARPs presence in smaller towns across New Mexico.

WELCOME Marian Lucero-Garcia has been hired as the director of contact center services at LQ Digitals new Albuquerque location. Albuquerque-born Lucero-Garcia has more than 12 years of experience leading contact centers, and has led teams of more than 300 employees. She previously worked as a service operations manager at Convergys Corp. in Rio Rancho and for Concentrix in Las Cruces as site director. LQ Digital is a digital marketing firm headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lydia Ninham has joined New Mexico Voices for Children as a state tribal policy fellow through the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Ninham received her juris doctor and an Indian law certificate from the University of New Mexico School of Law. She also has a masters in social work and a bachelors in American Indian studies from the University of Minnesota. She is originally from Minnesota and previously worked with American Indian students in Minneapolis Public Schools. Ninhman interned with the Minnesota Department of Human Services, focusing on American Indian mental health policy, and has also interned with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Southwest Regional Office in Albuquerque. She is an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation and a direct descendant of the Red Lake Nation. Alex McCausland has been hired as the graphics and social media manager at New Mexico Voices for Children. McCausland is from California and moved to Albuquerque in 2019 to complete his bachelors degree in English and journalism at University of New Mexico. McCausland worked as a freelance photographer at the Deli LA, a Los Angeles-based music magazine, and as editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo at UNM.

APPLAUSE George Dave Giddens has been selected by his peers for inclusion in the 28th edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This is Giddens ninth year of recognition by the organization. He earned both a bachelors degree and juris doctor from the University of Kansas. Giddens has been practicing law since 1983 and is the founder and managing shareholder of Giddens + Gatton Law, P.C., and focuses primarily on commercial real estate and bankruptcy law in Albuquerque, Carlsbad, Clovis, Rio Rancho, Roswell and Santa Fe.

ETC.

Burt & Company CPAs, LLC, has announced the acquisition of Gordon and Hale, PC, CPAs. Gordon and Hale has been providing a wide range of tax, accounting, payroll and consulting services in Santa Fe for 42 years, and will continue after the acquisition. Burt & Company will be bringing on six Gordon and Hale team members, including the firm partners, the firm administrator, a part-time tax preparer and two bookkeepers.

Anpao Duta Flying Earth has joined the All Faiths Childrens Advocacy Center board of directors. Flying Earth is executive director for the NACA Inspired Schools Network, which assists communities in implementing structures of Ingenuous education.

Andrea Garcia has joined the All Faiths Childrens Advocacy Center board of directors. Garcia works as a the company creation specialist at the New Mexico Start-Up Factory I, II and III, where she works with entrepreneurs and scientists to help commercialize their innovations, create investable companies and secure funding.

Pamelya Herndon has joined the All Faiths Childrens Advocacy Center board of directors. Herndon is the newly elected state representative for District 28 and also works as the president/CEO of the KWH Law Center for Social Justice and Change, a nonprofit law center focused on advocating for the rights of women, children and families. The state representative seat was vacated when Melanie Stansbury was elected to the U.S. Congress.

Dr. Heather Ouellette has joined the All Faiths Childrens Advocacy Center board of directors. Ouellette is a board-certified pediatrician and works as a medical reviewer for Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Instagram Celebrity

Los Angeles funnyman Fuquan Johnson and two others pass away while another comic Kate Quigley lands in a hospital after they ingested cocaine laced with fentanyl.

Sep 6, 2021

AceShowbiz - Funnyman Fuquan Johnson and two others have died in Los Angeles of a reported fentanyl overdose while actress and comedienne Kate Quigley is recovering in hospital.

According to TMZ, the friends attended a party in Venice, California, on Friday night (03Sep21), next door to the home of Quigley, who dated Hootie and the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker last year (20).

Police officials arrived after midnight and found Johnson, fellow comedian Enrico Colangeli (also known as Rico Angeli), and Natalie Williamson deceased at the scene.

Quigley was transported to hospital "in critical condition."

Comedian Brian Redban tweeted an update on Kate's health on Sunday, sharing a text from her that read, "I'm alive. I'm not great but I'm OK."

He captioned the text exchange with the sentiment, "Hug everyone you love..."

Sources have suggested the four partygoers ingested cocaine laced with fentanyl.

Fans and friends quickly sent condolences and prayers following the terrible incident.

Jamie Kennedy tweeted, "What happened in the LA comedy scene this weekend was an absolute tragedy. My heart goes out to the families of the deceased. Please send positive vibes to @KateQFunny for her to pull thru. We love u Kate."

Another comedian Nicky Paris wrote, "Praying for @KateQFunny. I was literally performing on a show with her the night before. Please continue to send her all of your best wishes and LOVE. My deepest condolences to those lost and their families."
WENN/Dennis Van Tine Music

In a statement released after Drizzy leaked the song titled 'Life of the Party', the Outkast member says the version of the song he wrote his verse to did not contain the Drake diss.

Sep 6, 2021

AceShowbiz - Andre 3000 a.k.a. Andre Benjamin has spoken up after Drake leaked his unreleased collaboration with Kanye West, which takes a shot at the Canadian superstar. In a statement released after the song made its way out without Ye's authorization, the Outkast member explained why the song did not make the cut into "Donda".

"A few weeks ago Kanye reached out about me being a part of the 'Donda' album," Andrew said in the statement to Variety. "I was inspired by his idea to make a musical tribute to his mom. It felt appropriate to me to support the 'Donda' concept by referencing my own mother, who passed away in 2013. We both share that loss."

"I thought it was a beautiful choice to make a clean album but, unfortunately, I didn't know that was the plan before I wrote and recorded my verse," he added of why the track did not make it onto the final cut of the album. "It was clear to me that an edited 'clean' format of the verse would not work without having the raw, original also available. So, sadly, I had to be omitted from the original album release."

The "Hey Ya!" hitmaker went on noting that the version of the song he wrote his verse to did not contain the Drake diss. "The track I received and wrote to didn't have the diss verse on it and we were hoping to make a more focused offering for the 'Donda' album but I guess things happen like they are supposed to," he continued.

Refusing to take a side, he also weighed on the feud between Drake and Kanye, "It's unfortunate that it was released in this way and two artists that I love are going back and forth. I wanted to be on 'Certified Lover Boy' too. I just want to work with people that inspire me. Hopefully I can work with Kendrick on his album. I'd love to work with Lil Baby, Tyler and Jay-Z. I respect them all."

Drake leaked the song titled "Life of the Party" on SiriusXM's Sound 42 show. In the track, Kanye raps, "I put Virgil and Drake on the same text, and it wasn't about the matching Arc'teryx or Kid Cudi dress/ Just told these grown men stop it with the funny s**t."

He also hints at a collaboration that never came to be as he spits, "Thought we was the new Abu Dhabi/ Told Drake don't play with me on GD and he sent that message to everybody/ So if I hit you with a 'WYD,' you better hit me with, 'Yessir, I'm writing everything you need.' "

Rolling Stone reported that "Life of the Party" was first played at a private "Donda" listening party in Las Vegas before being cut from Kanye's official album. It's unclear how Drake managed to get his hands on the unleased song.
WENN/Avalon Celebrity

The 'Dark Phoenix' star and the Poe Dameron of 'Star Wars' sequel trilogy bring their onscreen chemistry to the red carpet when attending the 'Scenes from a Marriage' premiere.

Sep 6, 2021

AceShowbiz - Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac set the pulse racing with their intimate display at the Venice Film Festival. Having worked together for 2014's "A Most Violent Year" before starring together on "Scenes From a Marriage", the two actors showed their onscreen chemistry at the premiere of their upcoming HBO miniseries.

Chastain and Isaac, who play a couple on the drama miniseries, heated up the red carpet on Saturday, September 4 with their sensual gestures. Posing for the cameras, the two had their arms wrapped around each other in front of paparazzi.

Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac showed their onscreen chemistry at Venice Film Festival.

At another point during the photo session, the Oscar-nominated actress put her hands on her co-star's face as he smiled and put his hand on her back. Seemingly adoring her, the "X-Men: Apocalypse" star also stroked her bicep and kissed it as she rested her hand on her shoulder. After Chastain gently pushed him away, looking flustered while letting out a laugh, he did a chef's kiss gesture.

For the event, Chastain looked ravishing in a strapless red Atelier Versace gown with a diamond necklace. Her long red hair was let loose as she also sported her signature red lipstick. As for Isaac, he looked sharp in a classic black tuxedo and bow tie by Prada.

Their loved-up display at the film festival have left social media users flustered. "I wish I had words for this but I really do not," film critic Christina Newland tweeted along with a clip of the pair on the red carpet. Another remarked, "Now wait. Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain are married to other people???"

Chastain and Isaac, who have been friends since their Julliard says, recently talked to AP about filming sex scene for "Scenes From a Marriage", a remake of Ingmar Bergman's classic of the same title. "I would still get embarrassed, so bourbon helped a lot," Chastain said, giggling. "But the level of trust was high." Echoing the sentiment, Isaac said their close friendship posed "its own challenges" when filming such an inherently fraught project since "you care about the person so much."
WENN/Avalon/Brian To Celebrity

'The Daily Show with Trevor Noah' host and the 'Titans' actress are seen walking side-by-side during the outing as he holds the dog leash nearly the entire stroll.

Sep 6, 2021

AceShowbiz - Trevor Noah and Minka Kelly continued to spend time together after rekindling their romance. Nearly three months after allegedly getting back together following a brief split, "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" host and the "Titans" actress were spotted walking a dog together in New York City.

On Friday, September 3, the twosome was seen walking side-by-side with her puppy Fred in between. The pair appeared to be in good spirits as they chatted during the outing while the South African native held the dog leash nearly the entire stroll.

For the out and about, the comedian kept it casual in a white T-shirt, gray utility pants and sneakers. The "Friday Night Lights" alum, on the other hand, looked comfortable in a brown sweater, beige pants, matching sandals, a large animal print bag and dark sunglasses.

Trevor and Minka were unveiled to be in a relationship in August 2020 as they reportedly have moved in together to his place. The couple, however, allegedly called it quits in May before reuniting less than a month later.

"Minka and Trevor have been on-and-off," a source told Us Weekly in June. "Now they're back together. They realized they're both happier being together than apart They're working on their relationship while just enjoying each other's company It's not like they're rushing down the aisle any time soon."

Later that month, Trevor and Minka appeared to confirm their reconciliation as they were spotted packing on some PDAs during a double date. After enjoying dinner together, they were seen holding hands and staying close to one another while walking down the street.

Before dating Minka, Trevor was in a romantic relationship with model Jordyn Taylor for three years. The "Almost Human" alum, meanwhile, dated several actors in the past, including Derek Jeter, Wilmer Valderrama, Josh Radnor and Jesse Williams.
Instagram TV

Aside from the actor portraying Pacey Witter on the coming of age teen drama, his former co-star Katie Holmes previously suggested they were not 'going to do a reunion.'

Sep 6, 2021

AceShowbiz - Joshua Jackson believes that "Dawson's Creek" doesn't need a reunion like "Friends". On why he didn't see a TV sit-down as a good idea, the actor portraying Pacey Witter on the coming of age teen drama explained the reason in a new interview.

"I think because the 'Friends' cast were already adults when they were doing the show, it's less jarring to see them now," the Canadian native shared when speaking to The Guardian. "If you put our mid-40s selves together on a couch now, with our creaking backs, it might shock people."

Joshua, who starred on the 1998 drama along with Katie Holmes, James Van Der Beek, Michelle Williams and Meredith Monroe, went on to quip, "Nobody needs to hear Pacey grunting when he gets out of a chair."

Joshua was not the only "Dawson's Creek" alum who suggested they were unlikely to do a reunion. When appearing on SiriusXM's "Just Jenny Show" in 2016, Katie pointed out, "I don't think we're going to do a reunion."

"We did grow up, but we see each other every now and then. I think that the charm of the show was Kevin Williamson's writing and it was of that time and it gave teenagers this voice," the ex-wife of Tom Cruise added. "It was a very, very special time - a special show and I loved every minute of it."

As for the series creator Kevin, he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018, "One of the reasons we did the finale five years in the future was to put a button on it." He further stressed, "What would a reunion be? What would that look like? Why would you? I don't see it, and I don't feel it."

"Dawson's Creek" reunion aside, Joshua made use of the interview with The Guardian to open up about his life after welcoming his first child with wife Jodie Turner-Smith. "First-time parenting is a raft of anxieties you never knew existed. During a pandemic those worries are magnified. But lockdown also forced me to stop and be with my family," he explained.

"I haven't taken a six-month break in the last 30 years, but I spent every day with my wife and infant daughter," the 43-year-old continued. "So in many ways I'm thankful for the world pausing, awful as it sounds. Many new fathers don't get that opportunity."
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After three years of engagement, the Sweet Pea depicter on the hit The CW series finally ties the knot with the 'Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist' actress at the Long Beach Lodge Resort in British Columbia.

Sep 6, 2021

AceShowbiz - Jordan Connor is officially married to Jinjara Mitchell. A year after postponing their wedding, the Sweet Pea depicter on "Riverdale" finally tied the knot with his fiancee in a private ceremony on Saturday, September 4.

A day after exchanging their vows, the newly married couple took to their Instagram accounts to share the exciting news. The 29-year-old The CW star shared a photo of the two sharing a sweet kiss on their big day. In the caption, he wrote, "BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!" Also posting the same photo, Jinjara penned, "We dang well did it! wedding spam coming your way soon."

Jordan offered more details of his wedding ceremony to Brides. The actor told the publication that they tied the knot in front of 50 people at the Long Beach Lodge Resort in British Columbia. "After having to postpone the big day for a year, we are so overjoyed to finally have said 'I do' in front of our friends, family and loved ones!" the happy couple stated.

"Our vision for the wedding was a beachy boho romantic vibe," Jordan further explained. "Seeing it all come together was a dream come true." For the special occasion, he looked dapper in a classic suit from Suitsupply, while Jinjara donned a gorgeous white lace dress by Anne Barge.

Jinjara, who is known for her roles in "Arrow" and "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist", recalled how Jordan proposed to her during their romantic trip to Tofino, British Columbia in September 2018. "It was sunset on the beach, and as Jordan got on one knee, the tide came in and soaked us," she told the outlet, adding, "But it was the best day of our lives, up until yesterday, of course!"

After Jinjara said "yes," Jordan turned to his Instagram account to express his excitement. "The most important question I've ever asked... also the easiest!" the "Hospital Show" actor wrote alongside a sweet photo of him getting down on one knee. "Jinjara Mitchell, you are my best friend and the love of my life. Let's get married!! 09/22/2018."
Instagram Celebrity

The 'Frida' actress remembers her husband's sister Florence Rogers-Pinault in a touching tribute on Instagram as her sister-in-law passes away at the age of 58

Sep 7, 2021

AceShowbiz - Salma Hayek is mourning the death of her sister-in-law, Florence Rogers-Pinault.

The "Frida" star penned a heartfelt note on Instagram on Monday (06Sep21) in Spanish, French and English alongside a photo with Florence, the sister of her fashion executive husband, Francois-Henri Pinault, who has reportedly died at the age of 58.

"My friend and my dear sister-in-law, today you are flying into the unknown and I will never be able to embrace you again," Salma wrote to her 18 million followers

"But the sensation of your kindness, your strength, your zest for life, as well as the eternal light of the stars shining in your eyes and most of all the resonance of your laughter will live on in my heart forever."

The sad news came just a few days after the actress celebrated her 55th birthday. "Happy 55th birthday to me," she captioned a picture of herself in a bathing suit, "Looking forward to new adventures #grateful."

The actress previously slammed accusations that she's married to husband Francois-Henri Pinault, a CEO of luxury good company Kering and president of holding company Groupe Artemis, because of his money.

"He's made me become a much better person, and grow in such a good, healthy way," she said. "And, you know, when I married him, everybody said, 'Oh, it's an arranged marriage, she married him for the money. I'm like, 'Yeah, whatever, b***.' Think what you want. Fifteen years together, and we are strong in love. And I don't even get offended. I'm like, 'Yeah, whatever.' "
WENN TV

Amazon bosses insist there was no drama on the set of the upcoming series 'Expats' amid reports the lead actress walked off the set after arguing with director Lulu Wang.

Sep 7, 2021

AceShowbiz - An Amazon spokesman has denied reports Nicole Kidman walked off the set of her upcoming series, "Expats", insisting she completed her work as scheduled.

Hong Kong online news outlet, HK01 reported over the weekend (03-05Sep21) the "Big Little Lies" actress had left the production over creative differences with director Lulu Wang.

But show bosses insist the news is untrue.

"Nicole wrapped as scheduled, she did not leave early. She always had other projects she was committed to," an Amazon spokesman tells Variety on Monday.

"The production is not stalled or on hiatus, it was always going to continue shooting without her."

Since filming began last month (Aug21), sources have also told local media outlets Wang and Nicole argued while filming in a street market.

"Expats" is the story of three woman in an international community whose lives are changed after a sudden family tragedy.

Nicole serves as an executive producer on the series, which is based on the Janice Y. K. Lee novel. It also stars Ji-young Yoo, Jack Huston, and Sarayu Blue.

It's not the first time Nicole has hit headlines over the show. Locals were reportedly upset the Aussie was able to bypass Hong Kong's strict COVID protocols, which normally require a seven-day quarantine period on arrival, when she arrived there in August.

Last June, the actress also hit headlines when she and her husband Keith Urban were exempted by the Australian state of New South Wales' hotel quarantine in favour of home quarantine after they flew into Sydney from the U.S. ahead of production of the mini-series "Nine Perfect Strangers".
CHICO, Calif. - The Federal Emergency Management Agencys (FEMA) temporary housing community in Chico is closing its doors this Friday, leaving some Camp Fire survivors stranded and worried about the future.

Mike and Crystal Erickson are two of those survivors.

If you asked me last week, we had no hope, Mike Erickson said.

After watching their entire Paradise community of 30 years burn down and being moved from camp to camp, they ended up at the Chico FEMA site.

But in less than one week, the Ericksons and others at the site wont have that place to call home.

Its been almost more traumatic than losing everything, Mike continued. Not the disaster itself, but just losing everything that we own. I didnt even have a shirt on when we got out of Paradise.

Crystal has suffered through multiple strokes, leaving her disabled.

But each FEMA home they have lived in has never been ADA-compliant, forcing her to be a prisoner to her bed and has made even showering extremely difficult.

Because of her condition, Mike is her full-time caregiver.

It would be so nice to go for a walk on Sundays, Mike said. We made a vow back in the 80s when we first got together that we wouldnt leave each other in a nursing home.

But because of this looming deadline, people from all over are starting to rally around the Erickson family.

Their son Jacob has since started a GoFundMe page to help raise money to get them an ADA-compliant apartment in Paradise for a year.

For Mike and Crystal, this help would mean everything.

Thank you for the support, he wept. A lot of people have come from all over to help. We appreciate it.

They are hoping to raise at least $12,000 and raise enough funds to get Mike and Crystal a handicap-accessible van before this coming Friday.

To help the Erickson family get housing, click here.
CHICO, Calif. - Police arrested a man they found riding a stolen mountain bike and served a search warrant, according to the Chico Police Department.

On Saturday, police contacted 36-year-old Michael Braun riding a Norco Storm mountain bike that is worth $5,000. Braun was released after police contacted him.

An officer with Chico Police Department who is familiar with mountain bikes took the initiative to research recent bike thefts.

The officer got a search warrant to recover the bike from Brauns house on Sunday.

Officers served a search warrant on the 1000 block of Salem St. where they found several stolen bike frames and parts. They also located 3.6 grams of meth.

Braun was arrested for stolen property, possession of meth and possession of property with serial numbers obliterated.

Braun was booked into the Butte County Jail.
TRINITY COUNTY, Calif. - The Trinity County Sheriffs Office issued evacuation orders for Hyampom Rd.

The order for the Monument Fire includes Lucky Jeep Trail to St. John Rd. on Hyampom Rd.

At noon on Monday, the Trinity County Sheriff's Office added Hyampom Rd. from Lucky Jeep Trail west to Halfway Ridge to the evacuation order.

Residents should leave the area immediately.

The Monument Fire is 183,371 acres and is 37% contained.
From a passionate young entrepreneur in her 20s to becoming the Creative Director of a global cosmetic brand, Devkey Advani has wielded her expertise in design and strategy to lead this multipurpose role at Faces Canada. A true believer of Make it simple, but significant, Advani is a tremendously hard-working and debonair personality in this creative world.

She holds an enriching experience of 10 years in the Creative, Designing, Advertising and Marketing fields. She started off as a young entrepreneur in her mid-20s, and has always been a fashion and design enthusiast. Advani wishes to flourish and expand the reach of Faces Canada in as many regions of the country as possible with an enigmatic presence in key states that not only garners offline but online growth as well.

Find out from Devkey Advani about key plannings and learnings to gain knowledge in the industry and a lot more.

What particular skill sets do you think you bring to the table?

Solution-based creative ideation. Ideas influence how people feel and solutions encourage people to act. Creating engaging content, I believe, is the sweet spot  it moves a consumer to engage with content online and interact with our communities on digital.

While my key focus areas include: Brand digital content strategy, ideation and creative implementation planning work with various stakeholders, C-level executives as well as external agencies. The Creative Director role at Faces Canada has given me a lot more than I bargained for  including an opportunity to leverage my extensive design and strategy background and increase the output of marketing campaigns, overall strategy, new launches, photo shoots and strategy to launch new products.

How did you join your current organisation?

I wasnt looking for a job shift at the time when I got a call from a recruiter with an opportunity with Faces Canada. I personally love this category and the role and responsibilities drew me even closer to considering making this shift to the brand side, and the rest is history!

Icons in this field you look up to and how they have influenced you and your work?

My icons are spread across industries. It is tough to single out a name, there are so many professionals doing such great work in this space. Tony Futura has been such an icon for me from the start. His quirky design style and the intelligent way he manages to take up serious matters and put his creative spin to it, is awe inspiring. I enjoy following Christoph Niemanns work too.

Having said that, I am constantly drawing inspiration from the people I work with on a daily basis. I am particularly inspired by the leadership qualities, and infallible solution driven approach of our CEO, Kunal Gupta.

What are the five most productive things that you do in your everyday routine?

I take out some time in the day to meditate daily and align my focus in the right direction.

45 minutes of Exercise/ walk daily, (I hate it when I miss out on this part of the day)

Brainstorming with the team at large on campaigns, I love listening to ideas from all verticals. Sometimes this happens over a quick catch-up call in the day during break time and some of our best ideas have come from it!

I used to love reading, with the constant strain on the eyes, I have moved to Audible and its refreshing. I like to hear audio books before sleeping

TO-DO List(s). My absolute go-to during the day. I love planning things out and striking off tasks is so satisfying!

Do you think a career in this field is a viable one in the long term?

Absolutely, without a doubt. The advertising and marketing space has evolved by leaps and bounds in the recent past. Adding to that, the pandemic has been a huge driver in this change, the landscape of communication across the globe has shifted from traditional media to digital. There is a huge shift in content consumption patterns and this only pushes the boundaries to create better and better content every day. I believe this space will just keep expanding, keeping creative people like me super busy.

What does it take to succeed in a career?

I dont think there is a magic sauce recipe for this. Along my journey, I have realised there is no substitute for great work and hard work. Keep at it and trust your gut. Always keep improving yourself, stay relevant, up-to-date and never ever stop learning! I believe in working as a team and always uplifting each other  creating a positive and inspired work environment.

What would be your advice to youngsters planning to enter this industry?

Be ready to learn something new every day and learn from every single vertical, whatever you can. Dont be too worried about designations and roles at the start of your career  do loads of hands-on work and build your unique skill set. Great work always speaks for itself. Also, be nice and build a fun working environment, people do their best work in a positive environment. I always say  do great work, but dont be a jerk in the process.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

I see myself enjoying my work, as I am doing today! Getting excited about a campaign and the rush of adrenaline in cracking THE idea. I hope I can inspire others along my journey with my work and energy.

Is there any organisation that you would like to work with in the future?

I really enjoy the cosmetics and skin care category and would love to stay in this same space.
LEAD's latest digital film Out of Syllabus celebrates the unsung efforts of 'Future Line Workers' - school owners who acted as a mentor to teachers & an educator to students. On the occasion of Teacher's Day,

it turns the spotlight on the challenges faced by school owners in these testing times as they continue to empower teachers, reassure parents and find innovative ways to help students adjust to their new learning environment.

School owners often miss out on the reverence reserved for teachers. This film underlines the valiant work of school owners who placed the academic future of our children above everything, ensuring uninterrupted learning as far as possible.

They have put the issues of others above their own - parents questioning school fees, teachers worried about their next salaries, students dealing with the glitches of online education. And managed to hold the entire ecosystem together to ensure uninterrupted online learning for millions of children, despite the changed circumstances caused due to the pandemic.

They helped teachers resolve transitioning issues and managed the financial challenges of running a school. All this in the face of life's toughest exam where everything was out of syllabus, school owners have shouldered the burden of their new responsibilities with a smile and emerged as real heroes worthy of applause.

LEAD's film thanks these Future Line Workers for all that they have done and in doing so disrupts the communication category just as it has disrupted ed tech.

Felicitating school owners as Future Line Workers rings true in the light of their commitment to the future of our country. The film gives us a peek into the emotional journey of someone fighting an uphill battle during the lockdown of 18 months.

The film also addresses the issue of over 15 lakh schools all over India shutting down due to the pandemic, affecting the academic future of millions of students.

Commenting on bringing alive a disruptive initiative, Govind Pandey, CEO of TBWAIndia said, During the pandemic, we have had so many unexpected and unsung heroes who went out of their way to help others. Passionate school owners who understand that education is important and that every child deserves a good one are also such heroes. They did what they could despite all the odds because they know that education makes a huge difference to the kids futures and we couldnt let the pandemic impact that. We call these school owners Future-Line Workers.

Talking about the initiative, Managing Partner of TBWAIndia - Parixit Bhattacharya said, School Owners are the wind behind the sails of the academic infrastructure of our country. And they needed to be celebrated. This is an effort to tip our proverbial hats to their massive efforts in ensuring the education of our children is never compromised. Out Of Syllabus plays into a never before cultural moment of our country when schools cautiously consider opening their gates to welcome back students after a hiatus of more than 18 months. Who better to bring home this message of hope other than LEAD - the organisation that is providing propulsive learning to thousands of children all over the country no matter which strata they belong to.

Chief Marketing Officer of LEAD, Anupam Gurani said, We partner with 2,000+ schools across India and we have seen first-hand the commitment of these school owners in educating their students during the pandemic. Our new campaign, Out of Syllabus, is a salute to the indomitable spirit of all these future line warriors who have managed to create a seamless online learning environment by acting as an educator to students & a mentor to teachers.
As we celebrate Teachers Day this year, Microsoft India released a new short film titled Ladoo ki Khoj to celebrate the evergreen spirit of learning and its foremost enabler... Indias teachers! The film aims to remind everyone of the invaluable role educators play, a community whose very purpose resonates with Microsofts own mission of enabling every individual to achieve more.

Over the last year, the pandemic has disrupted education systems around the world; however, we saw various innovative ways in which teachers strived to constantly adapt to the evolving environment, reinvent their teaching styles and overcome all possible challenges to ensure learning never stops, making this moment even more significant.

The film leads with an endearing scenario where Laddu, a curious kid and the films protagonist, is willing to go to any length to find the answers to his questions. While his curiosity leads him to certain clues, it is his teacher and Microsoft Teams that finally help him understand how the world we live in works. The film is a fitting ode to how teachers, with the support of technology, have been integral to the learning journey of children across India and celebrates the spirit of every teacher who continues to open their heart and home to ensure learning never stops. We owe it to them each day to help our curious ones find the right answers and be #FutureReady. The film also features how Microsoft Teams has been supporting the evolving needs of teachers and students to thrive in the era of hybrid learning, even in the remotest parts of India.

The film has been released on Microsoft Indias presence across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube, and is powered for accessibility with subtitles and audio descriptions.

Speaking about the film, Hitu Chawla, Chief Marketing Officer, Microsoft India, said, The pandemic has changed the dynamics for all, especially teachers, who have had to ensure that learning continues, is inclusive and most of all, engaging. In light of the challenges teachers faced in achieving quality education over the past year, this Teachers Day is of even greater importance. This film by Microsoft is a tribute to the undying passion and commitment of teachers across India who helped their students adapt in a year of change and toasts the spirit of learning and teaching.

Hitesh, Founder, Crazy Brutes, shared Our brief was directed towards recognising the invaluable contribution of teachers and how Microsoft is supporting their endeavours amid the pandemic. After a lot of ideation sessions, we decided to keep the treatment of the film simple yet uplifting, to bring to life the stories of these teachers and students alike. We are confident this film will strongly resonate with people.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) inaugurated its latest beautification project on the 4th of September, 2021. The project involves a 6 km stretch of land that starts at the Mahim Causeway Junction and goes all the way up to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Statue at the Western Express Highway. The inauguration was done by Cabinet Minister of Tourism & Environment for Government of Maharashtra, Shri Aditya Thackeray and the Metropolitan Commissioner, Mr. S. V. R. Srinivas. The contract for this beautification project has been handed over to Laqshya Media Group, one of the largest comprehensive marketing communications group in India functioning primarily in outdoor, events and Digital ecosystem.

Laqshya Media Group bagged the prestigious 15 year contract for the design, building, maintenance, operation and transfer of the main areas of beautification i.e. centre median strips, open spaces below flyovers, traffic islands and footpaths.

The highlight of this project is to introduce horticulture and highlight the importance of biodiversity throughout the city. Plants will be used to create aesthetic green designs in open spaces below flyovers, on footpaths and on traffic islands. Apart from using plants, world-class designs of street furniture such as Bus Shelters, Gantries and MUPIS will be used as a means of urban development.

Along with the Metropolitan Commissioner, Shri Aditya Thackeray, Cabinet Minister of Tourism & Environment for Government of Maharashtra will also be present for this event. In our interaction with him he said, I am delighted to commence MMRDAs new beautification project to elevate your commuting experience on the Western Express Highway. You will soon see revamped bus shelters, efficient traffic management, green clusters, toilets on the WEH. We are also working on urban spaces under the flyovers. We aim to upgrade the city by enhancing the safety quotient and creating vibrant, sustainable urban spaces keeping functionality as the central tenet to improve the experience.

Metropolitan Commissioner, Mr. S V R Srinivas, who visited the site last week and was present at the inaugurating the event said, The main aim of this project is to create aesthetically appealing green spaces in our city that is often referred to as a concrete jungle. With the help of horticulture and urban design, we wish to upgrade these open spaces into green hubs that people can enjoy and feel revitalized in. We are hoping that through this public-private partnership model, we can transform this stretch of land into an oasis for Mumbaikars. This is an important part of the larger project of MMRDA for bettering travel experience of commuters on Mumbais global entry point

Speaking on the occasion, Alok Jalan, Managing Director, Laqshya Media Group said, We are humbled to have secured this wonderful opportunity to beautify our beloved city of Mumbai. Our main aim is to create beautiful spaces with immaculate green design so that the residents of these areas and other city dwellers can reap the benefits and in turn also create world class and futuristic media including highest quality street furniture to further add to overall look and feel of this important stretch.
MUBI, the global distributor and curated film streaming service, launched in India in 2019 and has since created a mark for itself by offering a diverse collection of critically acclaimed international and Indian films, introducing a new hand-picked film every day.

Catering to cinema lovers across the globe, MUBI in India offers a broad range of quality cinema to members, from international films like Judy starring Renee Zellweger and The Beach Bum starring Matthew McConaughey. The MUBI Releases also includes notable works like Kelly Reichardts First Cow and Leos Caraxs 2021 Cannes Film Festival opener Annette (available November 26). Additionally, local filmmakers such as Ashish Avikunthak, Don Palathara and Archana Phadke who are making waves in the Indian film scene have also been featured on the platform. MUBI has also given a platform to debutante filmmaker Fahim Irshad, a political filmmaker who focuses on illustrating the humanity of the communities that he films.

MUBI is committed to providing an exciting and wide-ranging selection of films, making it truly stand out in the Indian market, with a collection of titles that inspire other emerging filmmakers as well as celebrate new Indian cinema and filmmakers from around the world. Indian filmmakers that MUBI is currently spotlighting include:

Ashish Avikunthak is a well-known anthropologist and archaeologist and his films have reflected that over the years. His unique style has been appreciated worldwide having been showcased in film festivals, galleries and iconic museums, like the Tate Modern London, Centre George Pompidou Paris, Pacific Film Archive Berkeley, along with London, Locarno, Rotterdam, and Berlin film festivals amongst others. He has had retrospective of his works at Goethe Institute, Calcutta (2004), Les Inattendus, Lyon (2006), Yale University (2008) and the National Centre for Performing Arts, Mumbai (2008). His short film Kalighat Fetish won the Best Documentary award in 2001 at the Tampere Film Festival. His first feature film Shadows Formless had its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival in 2007 and it went on to win the Best Director and the Best Actress at the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival, New York in 2008. He has a PhD in cultural anthropology from Stanford University and has taught earlier at Yale University. He is now an Associate Professor of Film Media at the Harrington School of Communication & Media, University of Rhode Island. Classics like Kalighat Fetish (1999), Et cetera (1997), Rati Chakravyuh (2013), Performing Death (2002), End Note (2005), Katho Upanishad (2011), Dancing Othello (2002), Shadows Formless (2007), Vakratunda Swaha (2010), and Rummaging for Pasts (2001) and his most recent work The Churning of Kalki (2015) are part of his retrospective streaming on MUBI.

Don Palathara grew up in the state of Kerala before moving to Sydney. After directing several short films, he made his feature film debut Shavam (2015) followed by Vith (2017). His third feature, 1956, Central Travancore (2020) premiered at the Moscow International Film Festival. This black and white feature is premiering exclusively on MUBI. His recent works include Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam (Joyful Misery) which was nominated for a Golden St. George at the 2021 Moscow International Film Festival and Everything Is Cinema is his fifth feature film that had its world premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2021. Known for working on shoestring budgets and with new or inexperienced actors, Palatharas films are exquisite expositions of local Kerala culture and study on human nature. 1956, Centra Travancore, Shavam, Vith, Everything is Cinema and Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam (Joyful Misery) will be presented as a part of this spotlight.

Fahim Irshad was born and brought up in Azamgarh U.P. He graduated in Mass Communication/Film from New Delhis reputed institute AJK MCRC JMI and since then has worked as a writer and director. He has written and directed a short film, Mubadla. Aani Maani is his first feature film that narrates the poignant story of Bhutto, a Kebab seller and how with the shutting down of slaughterhouses, a seemingly inconsequential change in the world outside, wreaks havoc in his personal life. The film was lauded at the Mumbai Film Festival in 2019 and is now streaming on MUBI.

Archana Phadke was born in the iconic city of Mumbai in 1986, and is an alumni of the Berlinale Talent campus. Her short film, Uski Baarish (2013) was screened at various international film festivals including Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival, Aspen Shorts Fest, Toronto International Film Festival (KIDS), Seattle International Film Festival and 34 others. She has produced and edited, feature-length documentary Placebo. It was an Indo-Finnish co-production premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA) 2014 where it won the jury nomination for Best Film in First Appearance Category. She has co-edited the film Raghu Rai, An Unframed Portrait  Winner of IDFA Europe fund and Winner of Best International Pitch at Asian Side of the Doc and which had its premiere at IDFA 2017 (Mid length Competition).

Archanas film, About Love, premiered at the Sheffield Doc Fest 2019, where it won the New Talent Award and has also won the Best Film award at the Indian film festival of Stuttgart 2019. The film deals with three generations of the Phadke family who live together in their ancestral home in downtown Mumbai.
Supernatural strength, and using it to fight evil and to save the world - who doesnt love superheroes? 'Minnal Murali, one of the most awaited Malayalam films of the year, will premiere worldwide as a Netflix Film. Produced by Weekend Blockbusters (Sophia Paul), the action flick Minnal Murali is directed by Basil Joseph.

The upcoming superhero film will see Malayalam icon, Tovino Thomas as the superhero Minnal Murali, which is a story of an ordinary man -turned-superhero Murali, who is struck by a bolt of lightning, which bestows him with special powers. The film also stars Guru Somasundaram, Harisree Ashokan and Aju Varghese in pivotal roles. Giving fans the chance to meet their new favorite superhero, the film will premiere with dubs in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi and English.

Sharing his excitement about the film, Director Basil Joseph said: We wanted to create a superhero that people could relate to and connect with on an emotional level. Though the essence of a superhero movie is the action, our genuine efforts were focused on having a strong narrative that could stand on its own while backing the action. The film is going to be a really exciting one and I am looking forward to the release. It has been a dream project for the entire team and I am glad that the film is releasing on Netflix.

Talking about the production of the film Sophia Paul from Weekend Blockbusters said,As a producer, this was my most challenging yet gratifying experience. I am proud of this journey. We brought together the best team of actors, technicians and platforms for the rise of this 'local' superhero - Minnal Murali. This superhero movie transcends languages, as at the core, it's a human story of emotions and circumstances. I am thrilled and proud of Minnal Murali.

I am glad that we got an opportunity to join hands with Netflix on their upcoming Malayalam film. Minnal Murali is just the beginning. We are just getting started.

Looking back at the experience of canvassing Minnal Murali, Tovino Thomas said, Ive been attached and committed to the character of Minnal Murali from the very beginning. I spent all my time communicating with my director to ensure the best possible outcome and immense amounts of work went into creating Minnal Murali. Ive learnt a lot and Im grateful that during these strange times, people can still appreciate cinema from the comfort of their homes through Netflix. I hope everyone who watches the film loves Minnal Murali just as much as I do.

Pratiksha Rao, Director, Films and Licensing, Netflix India said, Malayalam cinema has gripped the audiences with innovative storytelling and incredible filmmaking craft. As we expand our film slate to include more diverse Malayalam stories, we are excited to bring the widely anticipated, Minnal Murali as a Netflix Film. This must-see local superhero story, starring Tovino Thomas, will move and entertain audiences everywhere.

Stay tuned because this lightning bolt is coming soon, only on Netflix!
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has filed its counter-affidavit in the NTO 2.0 case in the Supreme Court. This is in response to Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundations (IBDF) petition wherein it has challenged the Bombay High Court order that upholds NTO 2.0, barring the second proviso  the a-la-carte rates of each pay channel that are part of a bouquet shall not exceed three times the average rate of a pay channel of the bouquet of which such a pay channel is a part.

Also read:

Now, IBDF challenges Bombay HC order on NTO 2.0

In its 2020 amendments to the New Tariff Order 2017, TRAI had made two key changes:

SCREENXX Awards 2021 Last Date for nomination of Digital Video Content and OTT Platform.. - Monday, September 20, 2021 - ENTRIES OPEN

Reduction of ceiling price of pay channel for inclusion in any bouquet from Rs 19 to Rs 12 so as to ensure fair packaging of bouquets. This will ensure reasonable price of a channel on A-la-Carte basis.

Twin conditions to discourage broadcasters from resorting to perverse pricing. The first condition entails that the aggregate A-la-Carte prices of channels do not exceed 1.5x the bouquet price. The second condition entails that the a-la-carte rates of each pay channel that are part of a bouquet shall not exceed 3x the average rate of a pay channel of the bouquet of which such a pay channel is a part. It is this second condition that the Bombay High Court has struck down in its June 2021 order.

The IBDF has called HCs order erroneous and liable to be set aside. The Foundation has stated that the Bombay HC order has incorrectly read into Article 19(2) by applying an additional requirement of public interest in the interpretation of a broadcasters right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a).

TRAI has maintained that these two changes are intended to ensure fair bundling of channels for consumers and discourage perverse pricing. Explaining this further TRAI in its counter-affidavit stated that broadcasters push their bouquets by creating an artificial price disparity with A-la-Carte offerings. The broadcasters offer their popular or driver channels at a higher price when as standalone. However, these very channels are offered at considerable discounted rates when offered as part of a bouquet, thus forcing the consumers to pick the entire bouquet and thus not being able to exercise their choice. Broadcasters include the not so popular channels in the bouquets, which consumers would not have otherwise chosen.
The agency will be responsible for conceptualisation and execution of the upcoming TVC campaigns with brand ambassador Virat Kohli. The robust campaign is under production and will focus on Great Learnings certificate programs and degrees.

Founded in 2013, Great Learning offers comprehensive, industry-relevant, hands-on learning programmes across various business, management, technology and interdisciplinary domains driving the digital economy. The programs by the edtech major are developed in collaboration with the world's foremost academic institutions like MIT, Stanford, The University of Texas at Austin, Northwestern University, National University of Singapore, IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee and Great Lakes Institute of Management and are constantly reimagined and revamped to address the dynamic needs of the rapidly evolving business landscape. Since inception, the company has delivered an unmatched learning experience for over 1.7 million learners from over 170 countries around the world by relying on its vast network of expert mentors and highly qualified faculty.

Speaking about the creative mandate for the campaign, Aparna Mahesh, Chief Marketing Officer, Great Learning said We were very impressed by the creativity and passion displayed by the team at The Script Room and are confident they will help us drive awareness for our degree and certificate programs in a very engaging way. We are quite excited about the way the campaign is shaping up.

Speaking about the win, Ayyappan Raj, Founder, The Script Room said, Edtech is a very exciting space and theres a lot of interesting work happening in the category. And we are super delighted to work with Great Learning on their new campaign with Virat Kohli. They are a fabulous team to work with, and really helped us push the envelope both in terms of thinking and execution. The films are coming out really well and you can expect to see some super exciting work very soon.

The campaign is slated to break later this month.
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 06.09.2021 - On Monday 6 September 2021, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of the FDFA, received Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mukhtar Tileuberdi, for an official visit in Bern. Two bilateral agreements were signed during the visit, while the main topics of discussion were relations between the two countries, cooperation in their common voting constituencies of the Bretton Woods institutions, and the regional security situation.

At their meeting in Bern, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis and Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi underscored their two countries' good relations. Mr Cassis described Kazakhstan as an important partner for Switzerland in Central Asia and an anchor of stability in the region, and congratulated the country on the 30th anniversary of its independence. Two bilateral agreements were signed during the visit: an agreement on the abolition of visas for holders of diplomatic or service passports, and an agreement on employment for persons accompanying members of diplomatic missions, consular posts and permanent missions.

Issues covered during the talks included the close cooperation that characterises Swiss-Kazakh relations on water diplomacy and the Bretton Woods institutions. In this regard, Mr Cassis highlighted the upcoming 30th anniversary of their common voting constituencies in the Bretton Woods institutions, scheduled to be celebrated in Switzerland in 2022.



Mr Cassis and his counterpart discussed the security situation in Afghanistan and its consequences for other countries of Central Asia. Mr Cassis went on to thank Kazakhstan for making its airspace available for the evacuation flights from Kabul to Tashkent. He expressed his concern and called on the new authorities in Afghanistan to respect international humanitarian law and human rights, in particular those of women and minorities.

Mr Cassis and Mr Tileuberdi met for the first time in February 2020 on the margins of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. On that occasion, Mr Cassis invited his counterpart on an official visit to Switzerland. Mr Cassis and Mr Tileuberdi stressed how important it was to be able to renew personal contacts again after more than a year of the pandemic. They also underscored the importance of cooperation and international institutions in addressing the coronavirus crisis.

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)

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Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High 82F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

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Sharing the road with farm machinery is a way of life for drivers in many parts of Wisconsin. But the potential risk for both farmers and the
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The Texas abortion law and the reaction to it has shone a spotlight on the fact that abortion is the primary animating force for the left, a sacrament of a sort that drives both their priorities and energy.

The celebrity crowd had the Taliban on their mind and rushed to see who could make the most absurd comparisons. The craziest of these takes argued that women in Texas had it worse than those living under the Taliban, whose idea of a womans right is the right to be killed by a male for violating his sense of honor.

That great thinker of yesteryear, Dan Rather, noted that the same people attacking the Biden Administration for leaving womens rights behind in Afghanistan are eager to control womens bodies and choices in the United States. Last I checked, the criticism directed at the administration was about leaving Americans behind but such distinctions get lost on the fake but accurate crowd.

Consider the reaction of the false conservatives who rushed to obscurity during President Trumps Administration.

The always noxious Bill Kristol tweeted out a quote from an article in something called The Bulwark by Jonathan Last that read, The pro-choice movement makes many arguments which I find unconvincing. But one thing they have always said is that pro-lifers really just want to control womens bodies. And part of me thinks that this is probably right.

The pure slanderous insanity involved in that sentiment is staggering. Ive never known a single pro-life American, many of whom are women, who cares one bit about control over a womans body, but every one of them has a profound respect for the sacredness of life and believe in protecting the most innocent lives.

More often than not, it is the denizens of the left, people like Bill Clinton, Harvey Weinstein, and Andrew Cuomo, who seem to have a rather strong desire to have absolute control over womens bodies, even as they buy immunity by spouting platitudes on the glories of abortion.

It is always interesting to watch the conversion of a conservative to the leftist religion, which seems to happen somewhat regularly when weak principles collide with the cultural power and temptations of the left.

A key moment in the conversion of a former conservative involves showing fealty to the sacrament that binds together their new tribe, and they usually do it as loudly as possible to ensure that their new friends embrace them. This is why these conservative converts, ala Jennifer Rubin, usually sound even crazier than the long-time denizens of the left.

In what read like a parody, the Satantic Temple joined the fight. They apparently established an abortion ritual which the Texas law threatens. These Satanists see abortion as a form of worship that needs protecting.

In the letter they sent to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, they wrote, The battle for abortion rights is largely a battle of competing religious viewpoints, and our viewpoint is that the nonviable fetus is part of the impregnated host is fortunately protected under Religious Liberty laws.

That nonviable fetus has a heartbeat at a bare minimum and is often fully viable at the time of abortion, suffering only from a mere few inches of geography that allows the babys life to be taken. One of the challenges the abortion movement has is that technology has advanced since 1973, making it nearly impossible to maintain the fiction that the choice they champion does not consist of the taking of a life. But, for the Satanists, this is a feature.

On one point, I would agree with them. There is very much a spiritual component to this discussion, which is why there is so much fervor on the left, a religious fervor that cannot be understood apart from the demonic influence that drives it.

It is easy to understand why pro-life Americans feel rather strongly about the issue. If an abortion involves the killing of an innocent life, what could be more important than opposing it?

But it is far harder to understand why somebody would celebrate this killing with such fervor. The fervor that is on full display goes far beyond any belief in protecting a euphemistic right to choice, where the choice in question is deemed immaterial and wished away under an undefined blanket category of womens rights.

At least the Satanists are honest about what they are trying to protect. But the Satanists can sleep better knowing that they have a champion in the White House happy to take up their cause.

Biden promised to launch a whole of government approach, spearheaded by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice to ensure that this sacrament is not disrupted.

He noted, 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 womens rights.

Whoever is putting the words in Bidens mouth has no concern prioritizing American tax dollars to champion that which many of those taxpayers consider most abhorrent.

This is the top issue for the Democrat cultural establishment and most of their other issues can be better understood within that context. For example, it wasnt President Trumps tweets that horrified them.

What bothered Democrats the most was the reshaping of the bench. The judges being appointed were of the type who might happen to notice that there is no right to an abortion enshrined in the Constitution, even if there is a clear right to life that was central to the Declaration of Independence.

Its also why anybody who justified the primal hatred towards the Trump Administration as being a proper response to his unique presidency was missing the point that the same level of evil vitriol would be vomited at any president threatening this unholy pillar or the power of the left. The left uses any means, legal or illegal, to secure absolute power. But what and who that absolute power is serving is even more important.

To proffer a purely rhetorical question, do they care enough about this issue to steal elections?

Its why they continue to fantasize about expanding the Supreme Court and would do it in a heartbeat if they had enough political power to do so.

Its one of the reasons that they relentlessly pound racial politics to try to hold on to voters who are out of synch with their insane policies.

Byron York noted how the rising percentage of Hispanic Americans voting for the Republican party is a mortal threat to the Democrats dream of locking in power.

Many of these voters are pro-life, embrace freedom, and liked what they were seeing from the Trump administration as opposed to the cultural insanity being offered by the Democrats.

Without the ability to provide policies that will appeal to these voters and with increasing difficulty in hiding their insane policy preferences, Democrats scare voters into voting for them by constantly declaring their opponents to be racists. A Balkanized America is a small price to pay in service to their power and goals.

I dont know what will ultimately become of the Texas law. But it has again shown the sacrosanct importance of abortion to the Democrat party. And in that sense, it has already accomplished a great service for America.

Image: Charles Edward Miller

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In reading the "overview" of Dr. Jill Biden's 2006 doctoral dissertation from the University of Delaware, I am reminded just how rotten, from top to bottom, are America's schools of graduate education. That a doctor of anything could write a sentence like the one that follows speaks to the historic worthlessness of most graduate programs in education:

Three quarters of the class will be Caucasian; one quarter of the class will be African American; one seat will hold a Latino; and the remaining seats will be filled with students of Asian descent or non-resident aliens.

An advisory committee had to approve this mumbo-jumbo. Apparently, none of the committee members noticed that when you add three fourths to one fourth, you've pretty much exhausted all the "fourths" available  all the seats as well. Although the temptation is to write Dr. Jill's dissertation off to the power of political pull, her dissertation, from my experience, represents something of a norm in the illiteracy, innumeracy, and race obsession of grad-level education.

My oldest brother, an exceptional high school principal, refused to pursue a doctorate in education  the key to becoming a school superintendent  because he thought the courses he took to get his Master's a waste of everyone's time. My middle brother became a very good high school math teacher without getting any education degrees. He simply retooled through a special quickie program after retiring as an engineer from Exxon.

On the other hand, an in-law, since deceased, did go on to get his Ed.D. As a "doctor," he quickly climbed the ranks and became a school superintendent. Oh, one caveat: I took his Graduate Record Exams for him. He could not have passed on his own. My bad.

In the fifteen years since Jill Biden became a "doctor"  Whoopi Goldberg once pitched her to become surgeon general  the average school of education has gone from being merely a bad joke to becoming scarily woke.

The reader need not take my word for it. The schools of education boast of their eagerness to subvert just about everything you believe in. Even the University of Delaware invites its students to pull information "from the social sciences, situated cognition, critical pedagogy, critical race theory, feminist theory, and disabilities studies," all the better to twist young minds. Today, without that information, such as it is, a would-be educator has no career.

In the mind-twisting department, history teacher Gabriel Gipe of Natomas, California made the mistake of boasting about his desire to do just that. Gipe was recorded by Project Veritas saying, "I have 180 days to turn [students] into revolutionaries," his technique of choice being "to scare the f--- out of them." The Natomas Unified School District was quick to assure the Sacramento-area parents, "The actions and approaches taken by one teacher do not represent the overall staff, students and school community."

No, not every educator at Natomas has a hammer and sickle tattooed on his chest, but as one angry parent asked, "where the hell was the principal? Where were the vice principals? Where was the faculty of the school? Where was the superintendent, where was the rest of the district? Where were you?" Unknown to the parents, the adult educators had already been indoctrinated themselves.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the nation's best education school is the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). In thumbing through the online catalogue, I would estimate that roughly one out of every three or so courses offered by HGSE has something to do with race or "equity." What Harvard does today, your local State U will be doing tomorrow. Education schools chase trends as mindlessly as dogs chase tails.

In the 20202021 academic year, for instance, Samantha Fletcher, an "Equity and Inclusion Fellow" at HGSE, offered a course titled "Say Her Name: Gender, Race & Punishment from Tituba to Breonna Taylor." I suspect that a student who volunteered that Breonna's drug-running beau fired first at the Louisville cops would likely not get an A in her class.

Also on Fletcher's plate the first semester was an "Equity and Inclusion Leadership Practicum" and a course titled "Creating Justice in Real Time: Vision, Strategies and Campaigns." Fletcher kicked off the second semester with "Citizenship, Segregation, and Racial Equality in Schools."

Speaking of segregation, Fletcher served as the V.P. of political action and engagement for the Black Graduate School Alliance and on the committee to plan "Harvard Black Graduation."

An aspiring school superintendent who felt insufficiently rebellious after Fletcher's courses might enroll in Aaliyah El-Amin's "Educating to Transform Society: Preparing Students to Disrupt and Dismantle Racism." Disruption is El-Amin's thing. In the first sentence of her bio, she tells us of her commitment "to ensuring that educators have the knowledge and tools they need to disrupt systems of oppression."

In the disruption and dismantling class, students undertake "a culminating project," in which they "design and if desired, implement an education and liberation based anti-racist intervention." El-Amin's students will soon be sending resumes to school districts like Natomas with their Harvard degrees in bold, and school supers will compete to hire them.

Given that parents like those at Natomas are not always keen on all that promised disruption and dismantling, Harvard offers a course that will help educators keep them at bay. Despite its opaque title, "Preserving Privilege, Contesting Exclusion: Parents' Roles in Educational Inequality," the goal of the class is pretty clear. Future principals and supers will learn how to manage those pesky parents who seek to "preserve ... inequitable educational systems for their own and other children."

Of the first five faculty listed in the Harvard catalogue, all five claim to do research involving race. Bianca Baldridge, for instance, "explores the sociopolitical context of community-based education and how the confluence of race, class, and gender shapes the experiences of Black and Latinx youth in these settings."

Peter Blair's research "focuses on the link between the future of work and the future of education, labor market discrimination, occupational licensing, and residential segregation." Whitney Benns works actively with an organization that "combats the criminalization of poverty and state violence, to align internal relationships, culture and communication with their vision of liberation for St. Louis." Maybe they will have an opening for Natomas's Gabriel Gipe in the newly liberated St. Louis.

Those students who leave America's schools of education, Ed.D.s in hand, now control just about all forms of public education  and much of private education  from pre-school to (yes) medical school. Unlike schools, say, of engineering or computer science or even liberal arts, if every graduate school of education in America shut down tomorrow, no one not on the payroll would miss them. Always useless, they are now much worse than useless, and we are all paying the bill.

Jack Cashill's latest book, Barack Obama's Promised Land: Deplorables Need Not Apply, is now widely available. See www.cashill.com for more information.

Image via Public Domain Pictures.

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Early twentieth-century satirist H.L. Mencken quipped, "For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong." The ongoing COVID-19 disaster illustrates the truth of Mencken's Meta-Law.

We have a virus afflicting us. Wait! That's not true. We have multiple viruses, and alpha, beta, gamma, delta, lambda, and who knows how many other variants of COVID. Yet the answer given by the CDC, Fauci, Biden, and PMSNBC is that we have to wear masks, get vaxxed, socially distance, and maybe lock down. Those are simple solutions to a much more complicated problem than those problem-solvers are willing to admit. Let's break it down.

There are at least five notable variants that were originally called Brazilian, Indian, and so on. But politically correct authorities decided that, like with hurricanes, we can't be racist. They have to be named for Greek letters, and that cultural appropriation is OK.

Those viruses aren't identical. We now know that the vaccines don't work equally well on all of them. We know that more variants are coming, and just like the flu shot, a COVID shot is not a COVID shot is not a COVID shot. Today's vaccine won't necessarily give the same immunity for today's variant and tomorrow's variant.

We know that some people are naturally immune to COVID without ever being exposed to either the virus or the vax. We're not sure why, but one suggestion is that they've already been exposed to some other coronavirus. That wouldn't be a surprise because at least two coronaviruses can cause the common cold. Others have recovered from the Wuhan Flu and have more robust immunity to more variants than people who only got the Fauci ouchy. Again, the idea that there is only one real answer, the one proposed by petty tyrants in various government pigeonholes, is simply false.

The next question has to be about age. We learned very early on that the elderly and infirm were at highest risk. The Italian data showed 2.3 serious comorbidities (other illnesses) plus an age of 82 in the average person who died. It turns out that the average life expectancy for those people without COVID was only another seven months.

When we look at younger people, the numbers are radically different. Old people died at about 400 times the rate of young people in the early data. Now we know that the real number is closer to 1,000 times.

When we look at average mortality rates from infection, we find ourselves firmly trapped in Simpson's Paradox. Worldwide, the average mortality from COVID is 0.27%, in the ballpark with seasonal flu. But that number is meaningless without context. In most of the U.S., mortality under age 70 is at or below 0.1%. English data are similar. In the U.K., delta variant infections have a 2.0% mortality in patients over 50, but the death rate below 50 is statistically indistinguishable from zero. Put bluntly, lumping everyone together is guaranteed to yield a bad answer, while separating distinct groups makes good sense. We have to have different answers for elders and young-uns.

This problem continues. If someone arrives at the hospital in extremis with COVID, he probably is in Stage III of the disease. By then, the virus has stopped being a problem. The body's "cytokine storm" has taken over.



Source.

If you use antivirals in Stage III, they'll do bupkis because SARS CoV-2 is long gone. That's why Remdesivir did so poorly in the original COVID trials. It's also why HCQ doesn't do well in ICU patients. Its antiviral effects have no virus left to work on. But if you use antivirals in the early stage of the infection, when there's lots of virus around, they can be very good. There are at least thirteen outpatient treatment protocols that address this issue.

Once again, we have a complex problem, and the simple answer is wrong. The CDC has pushed its favored high-dollar therapies for advanced cases at the same time another government agency published multiple studies showing that "large reductions in COVID-19 deaths are possible using ivermectin," just to note one of them.

Fauci and the CDC are pushing universal vaccination, while efficacy of the vaccines is waning. Their answer is to double down on stupid, forgetting that the death rate from COVID in the young and healthy approximates zero. They don't even spread the bug very well, so they don't need the vax. And they are prone to heart inflammation and miscarriages from the shot. If they get sick with the actual virus, they can use the very inexpensive cocktail that India used with nearly universal success.

We cannot leave the issue of complex questions without discussing masks. There are literally dozens of studies on masking. None of them provides high confidence that masking by the general public has any benefit in reducing the spread of COVID. Without high confidence, an intervention should not be used. I, for one, have been highly critical of mechanistic studies. They accurately measure physical processes, but so far, they have not been able to cross the divide from the mechanical arena to the biological universe.

There is one area where masking has proven benefit: COVID units in hospitals. In those portions of the hospital, the presumed high intensity of virus in the air is beaten by high-quality N-95 masks or better, but only when properly fitted, worn, and disposed of. Masks that don't fit tightly actually increase the risk of infection. And once again, Simpson's Paradox strikes us squarely in the face. If you have different populations in different circumstances, they will have different responses to interventions. Estrogen receptorpositive breast cancer requires a different treatment from triple-negative breast cancer. Ditto for a host of other diseases. Every real doctor has learned this.

"Doctor" Fauci and his minions are a one-note samba. Mask, distance, vax! Rinse and repeat. They are presenting a simple answer to a complex question. The list of their errors is too long and distinguished to tackle here. And they are so wrong that it's impossible to express the revulsion they should create in every sentient being. Their prescriptions are responsible for uncountable deaths and untold misery. Mencken was right, but the proper answer appears to be, "Beam me up Scotty! There's no intelligent life down here."

Ted Noel, M.D. writes and vidcasts as DoctorTed and @VidZette.

Image via Flickr, Public Domain.

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Joe Biden may have aged, but there is a consistency about him that remains true to form. For this, we must thank him.

Anything that would assert American exceptional ideals and maintain American supremacy in the world is an anathema to Mr. Biden.

Those who paid attention to this man over the years are not truly surprised by his indifference to Americans and allies of Americans who have been left behind in the terrorist haven of Afghanistan.

In early 2009, when some 150,000 American soldiers were still stationed in Iraq, President Obama put Vice President Biden in charge of bringing the U.S. troops home. According to the Atlantic magazine: 'Biden threw himself into the mission. He chaired meetings and oversaw negotiations.' In February 2010, Biden said: 'I am very optimistic about Iraq. I think it's going to be one of the great achievements of this administration. You're going to see 90,000 American troops come marching home by the end of the summer. You're going to see a stable government in Iraq that is actually moving toward a representative government. I know every one of the major players in all of the segments of that society. I've been impressed how they have been deciding to use the political process rather than guns to settle their differences.'

Unfortunately, "the complete U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq in December 2011 led to an increase in the genocidal terrorist group ISIS. It earned a 'fearsome reputation for unspeakable barbarism as manifested in kidnapping, forced conversions, mass slaughters, and public executions of the most brutal variety.'"

In fact, "the expansion of ISIS was a direct result of the Obama-Biden administration's ill-advised withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq in 2011."

Biden has deliberately ignored that this beastliness will occur with a vengeance again in Afghanistan. Hard earned women's rights have now been totally eradicated, and sharia law will be vigorously enacted.

Astonishingly, Biden left massive American military hardware behind  a true jihadist's dream.

In 2010, Biden showed his true colors. While pushing for a swift withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan in 2010, "he exhibited no concern for how such a move  which would likely lead to the restoration of Taliban power  would affect civilians in that country. 'F--- that, we don't have to worry about that.'"

So a man who was and is privy to intelligence reports completely dismisses the threat of the Taliban and other terrorist organizations in the region. In a "December 2011 interview, Biden stated that the Taliban posed no threat to the United States and its allies. 'Look, the Taliban per se is not our enemy,' said Biden."

No surprise, then, that Biden has the temerity to call his current operation a success notwithstanding the murder of 13 servicemembers and the total abandonment of Americans and those who worked with them, who are now stranded, if not already butchered in Afghanistan.

Stupid, naive, craven  call it what you will. Or perhaps Biden is doing all this because, for the most leftist of all presidents, all is going well if the evisceration of America is the ultimate goal. It is a leftist's dream come true, as hard as it is to contemplate that an American president would engage in such perfidy.

Couple this with the fact that "Afghanistan has some of the world's largest deposits of lithium, estimated to be worth between $1 trillion and $3 trillion." The bad news is that Joe Biden's decision to pull American troops out of that country has unilaterally  and literally  handed all of the potential bound up in those lithium deposits to Chinese communists. How good it is to be a communist when Biden is in office.

America was duly warned that Biden as president would have horrible consequences. Trump spelled out 42 of them. Here is a small sampling:

Abolish immigration detention. No more detention. You come in here illegally, no more detention.

Stop all deportation.

End prosecution of illegal border crossers.

Support the deadly sanctuary cities.

Incentivize illegal-alien child smuggling.

Expand asylum for all new illegal aliens.

Cancel all asylum cooperation agreements with Honduras, Guatemala, with El Salvador.

Taxpayer funded lawyers will be given to all illegal aliens.

Abolish immigration enforcement against illegal workers.

Restore Catch and Release policies for illegals.

Grant work permits for illegal aliens.

Provide taxpayer subsidies and welfare for illegal aliens and new immigrants.

Federal Student Aid and free community college for illegal aliens.

Sign new immigrants up for welfare immediately.

End requirement for immigrants' self-sufficiency and maximize their welfare.

End all travel bans, including from jihadist regions.

Grant mass amnesty.

Vastly expand low-skilled immigration to the United States.

Rip down the wall.

Eleven years ago, I penned a piece titled "What Would a Jihadist Do?" where I documented all the actions that Barack Hussein Obama had done that put him in the good graces of a jihadist.

I am having a deja vu moment with Biden.

Wouldn't all of the above actions be proof positive of a deep animus toward a country? People are invading our country. The wall-building at our southern border has been halted. Yet the Biden administration is helping to build new border facilities on the Tajikistan and Afghanistan border to respond to security threats!

The illegals are not being assimilated. We do not even know where most are living, but we will be picking up the enormous tab for them.

In fact, those who voted for Biden are having second thoughts, and this was even before the Afghanistan debacle.

Finally, on the eve of the Jewish New Year, I would ardently hope that liberal Democrat Jewish voters would truly perceive that the tikkun olam they so loudly trumpet is nowhere to be seen within the Democrat party and this president. Although Biden has long "described himself as a loyal, stalwart friend and ally of Israel, a careful examination of his actions reveals an extremely troubling history of undermining Israel's security and public image." In addition, the people he has surrounded himself are clearly in the camp of anti-Jewish proclivities. Anti-Semitism has found a comfortable niche within the Democrat Party.

Despise Israel, the only true ally in the Middle East. Downplay the terrorism of the Taliban and company. Abandon Americans to a murderous regime. Chip away at American greatness. Embrace Critical Race Theory, which is racist to the core. Create a welfare mentality among the people so they will stay tethered to government programs. These things don't cement a people; they create animosity and envy and weaken our country.

Where is our moral outrage at this?

In his book titled Founding God's Nation: Reading Exodus, Leon R. Kass writes:

Can a people endure and flourish if it lacks a shared national story, accepted law and morals, and an aspiration to something higher than its own comfort and safety? Can a devotion to technological progress, economic prosperity, and private pursuits of happiness sustain us when our story is contested, our morals weakened, and our national dedication abandoned?

Under Biden, but in reality the radical leftist Democrat party, our national fabric is unraveling. The Afghanistan situation and the horrors that will surely be unleashed are evidence that unless we completely steer our country away from the direction it is going, America will face an existential crisis and ultimately be a mere footnote in future history books.

Eileen can be reached at middlemarch18@gmail.com.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.

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New Zealand truly is the land of sheep. Something has happened there, a mass psychological disturbance that has the populace supporting a government that reacts hysterically to perceived threats. For one, there's locking down an entire country and isolating it from the rest of the world (and thereby slowing the spread of herd immunity), as if the virus would simply skip the isolated archipelago.

Now, with few Kiwis having recovered from COVID and herd immunity nowhere near, cases are skyrocketing:



Source.

While Sweden, with robust herd immunity, having never locked down, has a seven-day rolling average of zero cases:



Source.

The fatality rate so far favors New Zealand, but not by a wide margin, and as we see, COVID is just getting going there. Moreover, we don't know about deaths from untreated symptoms in New Zealand, from diseases of despair, and from the effects of poverty forced on many there.

0.1436% fatality rate in Sweden (14,692 deaths in a population of 10.23 million)

0.0925% fatality rate in New Zealand (4550 deaths in a population of 4, 197,000)

With its human population imitating its more numerous sheep neighbors, New Zealand now is making real a joke that has been told for years. In the past, Second Amendmentsupporters have joked that if guns are outlawed, people will just turn to knives. "What are you going to do? Outlaw knives?"

New Zealand has answered "yes!"

OAN reports:

Knives and scissors have been removed from supermarket shelves in New Zealand after a recent stabbing attack. Supermarket chain Countdown said on Saturday, a partial "knife control" would be in effect for several weeks to prevent stabbing attacks going forward. This decision came after a Sri Lankan national injured six people at a Countdown location in Auckland last Friday. Authorities said the attacker was inspired by the Islamic State to carry out the attack. (snip) Several other supermarket chains also removed knives from their shelves over the weekend. It remains unclear when this self-imposed "knife control" would end.

What's next? Banning rope because it can be used to strangle people?

Graphic by Jaime M. Laurel.

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Joe Biden's self-touted evacuation of more than a hundred thousand Afghans, presumably allies, might just have been a migrant-lift instead of an evacuation of Americans and allies, an open border of a different sort, with NGOs and left-wing lawyers involved in who got in.

That's the news from Breitbart's Neil Munro, who's traced the involvement of a K Streettype law firm, that apparently had enough pull in the Washington swamp to get its group of unvetted Afghan "refugees" in, while bona fide Americans and virtually all Afghan translator allies were left on the tarmac. Most of us knew that something funny was going on with the huge numbers of Afghans on the planes and the minuscule numbers of Americans, all because, as Joe Biden claimed, the Americans wanted to stay.

President Joe Biden's Afghan evacuation was so chaotic that an immigration law firm in D.C. inserted hundreds of unidentified and unvetted Afghans from a regional Afghan city into the main processing center in Qatar, according to the New York Times. The unidentified Afghans are now being held in Germany while officials try to identify them and learn about their past actions.

If he's got it right, it's grotesque, an influence-peddling operation, and one that came at Americans' expense. One sentence in particular stands out:

But the vetting may not matter. If the passengers fail the vetting, it is unclear if the United States can persuade another country to accept them. If the passengers cannot be sent to another home, such as Pakistan, U.S. officials may quietly let them move to the United States.

Did we read this right? The child-traffickers, the child marriage practitioners, the polygamists, the people who'd ordinarily be disqualified from entry to the U.S. on the grounds of moral turpitude, are still going to get in? And it's not just that bunch among them; there are also the people whose ways are so backward that they simply can never be happy here. And there are the terrorists.

Apparently, these people who can never pass vetting are supposed to go to third countries instead of straight back to Afghanistan  or some place like Gitmo. But that's conditional on those countries taking them. And right now, Joe Biden, the man who refused to take his closest ally Britain's prime minister's phone call for more than 24 hours, is not popular. It's dubious on those grounds alone that he's going to persuade any of them.

What's more, Europe has already taken a lot of Afghan migrants who can't pass vetting, and it's seen all it'd like to see of them. Europe welcomed Afghan migrants with open arms in recent years and got itself a crime and rape wave from this bunch in return. Not many European states are going to take more Afghan migrants after this experience, and the ones that will, such as Muslim Kosovo, will do so in very small numbers, likely very well vetted.

What will happen? As Munro says, they'll be quietly allowed to live in the U.S., terrorist proclivity or no terrorist proclivity. There's no getting rid of them. Munro notes that 25,000 of them have been let into the U.S. already with zero vetting and no identification and has notified NGOs to expect 50,000. None thus far has been rejected.

The Marines who died escorting these unvetted people in  good, bad, and ugly  while Americans waited at the gates or were left behind in Afghanistan were clearly misused for K Street lobby purposes. That's a hell of an insult, forcing U.S. Marines to escort migrant caravans full of many undesirables into the U.S., some forced to give their lives for it. And it raises questions as to who was paying this cynical white-shoe law firm with unusual Washington connections. Who?

Image: Screen shot from Hindustan Times video via shareable YouTube.

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In order to defeat Japan, a lot of battles needed to be fought throughout the Pacific Theater. The Japanese Imperial Army was not filled with average soldiers who fought with the civilized warfare the Geneva Conventions had in mind when the rules were written. Civilized warfare meant certain soldiers like the wounded weren't supposed to be bayoneted, while the Japanese soldiers had no problem doing just that.

History List has ten battles that were considered the greatest in the entire Pacific, which includes the Battle of Saipan. Some of the battles were lost, but most were won by the Allies. The losses were hard lessons learned, and the successes got the allies closer to Japan.

Ben Salomon, a Jewish Army captain from Milwaukee, was on the strategically important island of Saipan near the village of Tanapag on July 7, 1944, for the 2nd Battalion, 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division. Taking the island put them in range of mainland Japan.



Capt. Benjamin Salomon (source).

On that day, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions were attacked by somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 Japanese Imperial soldiers. It was one of the largest attacks during the entire Pacific Theater. Losing the battle would have cost the American forces the entire island.

Both battalions' perimeters were penetrated. Within half an hour of the fighting, wounded American soldiers and Marines were carried or walked or crawled to aid stations, which were little more than small tents that soon filled to capacity.

Captain Salomon witnessed a Japanese soldier bayoneting wounded soldiers near an aid tent. He took a squatting position and killed the enemy. These were the first of many wounded Captain Salomon tried to help, and he did save many lives.

From We Are the Mighty:

:But two more attackers rushed through the front. Salomon clubbed both, then bayoneted one and shot the other before soldiers started to climb in under the tent walls ... shot one, knifed one, bayoneted a third, and head-butted the fourth." The fourth was shot by a wounded American soldier.

Captain Salomon ordered the wounded to make their way to a regimental aid station. He grabbed a rifle from one of the wounded American soldiers and made his way to a machine gun to cover their escape. Four enemy soldiers were killed before he could get to a machine gun in order to buy time for the wounded to evacuate.

We Are the Mighty gives a detailed report about what happened and what was discovered by American forces who had retaken the position:

Contact with Salomon was lost for 15 hours as the American force conducted a withdrawal and then slowly took the territory back. When they found Salomon, he was laying on a machine gun, dead, with 76 bayonet and bullet wounds. Dozens of enemy dead were arrayed before him, a blood trail showed where he had repositioned the gun multiple times, almost certainly while fatally wounded, to continue covering the retreat.

By the time the fighting ended, over 900 Americans were either killed or seriously wounded with a casualty rate of over 80%. Without the heroes from that battle, like Captain Salomon, it would have been the death or capture of every American on the island.

Brigadier General Ogden J. Ross was the assistant commander of the 27th Division. At his request, Captain Edmund G. Love, the division historian and one of the people who found Salomon's body, was directed to gather reports about potential Medal of Honor recipients.

Seven Medals of Honor were given in time for the heroism that took place during the Battle of Saipan. All were given posthumously. Here is a link to those who put their lives on the line for their fellow soldiers and Marines.

It took four attempts and decades before Captain Salomon received his much deserved Medal of Honor. The delay had nothing to do with him being Jewish, but wearing the Red Cross. Captain Salomon was an Army dentist who was playing the role of surgeon out of necessity. Technicalities resulted in the delay, but it did happen in 2002, where he became the only dentist to receive the Medal of Honor.

The citation can be read in its entirety here:
What have our government, media, vaccine-manufacturers, and even ill informed parents done to America's youth?

It breaks my heart to read the endless propaganda pieces posted on every major news site, detailing the psyche-collapsing terror children are experiencing when diagnosed with the Wuhan Plague or when they think of the world outside their homes or masked venues. These sorts of "news stories" are meant to blame this entirely irrational, illogical fear on #WeTheUnvaccinated.

It's only slight hyperbole to say that, statistically speaking, kids are more likely to be struck by lightning twice, attacked by Bigfoot, and run over by a unicorn  all in the same day  than to die from China Flu. What the vax advertisements, disguised as news reports, really expose is the damaging psychological abuse that everyone has sustained as a result of the billions of dollars spent marketing these regularly lethal, short-lived, partially effective vaccines.

The entire marketing campaign has been designed around making everyone deathly afraid. It has succeeded in horrific fashion. At this point, people are doing what they do when terrified  reacting instantly, forgoing critical thought, and putting their faith in anyone who purports to know how to make it all stop. Clearly, this intentionally overblown fear has turned our country upside-down  and extensively harmed our most precious resource (that is, our children) in ways that won't finish metastasizing for years and decades to come.

Shame on the anti-science quacks who continue to peddle vaccines by scaring people out of their minds. COVID-19 will eventually become endemic, just like the flu, but the societal fear and brain damage sustained will continue (with ever-expanding fervor) for the rest of our lifetimes. We are training the next generation to live in a state of propagandized fear as a way of life. Fear of this precise nature is Condition Number One for imposing a dictatorship.

Everyone needs to learn to be authentically educated and think before they react  as well as pass these skills on to their children. Everybody knows that this is how to properly behave personally and restrain unnecessary and damaging emotions (which lead to physical outbursts) on a societal scale.

All this has recently been done away with by the powers that be. No more research, no more thinking, no more public discourse  just be terrified when the "experts" tell you to be. This cannot possibly end well. It never has in the history of the world.

For now, my hashtag is #MaskFreeVaxFreeThatsMe.

Image: Crying child by Zachary Kadolph. Unsplash license.

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Joe Biden touted the U.S.'s chaotic Afghanistan exit as an "extraordinary success" even as pretty much everyone knows got 13 U.S. servicemembers killed and abandoned hundreds of Americans to the Taliban, maybe more, he's not saying.

He wants that story off the front pages now, given that he's busy touting his $3.5-trillion infrastructure spending bill, and assorted COVID measures, when he's not hiding from the public.

And the Americans left behind, despite his claim that "you will not be left behind," are still trying to get out.

So it's pretty strange right now to see the Biden administration reportedly blocking the private rescue flights to get Americans out. This is not Taliban demands for bribes to leave, which have been seen elsewhere  just State Department intransigence, refusing to give these rescue aircraft clearance to land in Qatar and other way stations with the passport-holding Americans and the Afghani allies who have helped us.

According to Fox News:

Americans engaged in the rescue of U.S. citizens, SIVs and green card holders left behind by President Biden in Afghanistan are horrified by what they describe as inexplicable delays from the State Department that are preventing evacuation flights from leaving the country. The State Department's delays are recklessly endangering American lives, three different individuals involved in the private evacuation effort told Fox News. Rick Clay, who runs the private rescue group PlanB, told Fox News that the State Department is the only thing preventing the flights he's organizing from leaving Afghanistan. Two other American individuals separately involved in evacuation efforts, whom Fox News is not naming to avoid jeopardizing ongoing rescue efforts, similarly said that the State Department is the sole entity preventing their charter flights from leaving Afghanistan.

The report states that the organizers say the people have been vetted and have their documents in order, but the State Department, which along with the rest of the Biden administration just got done transporting tens of thousands of unvetted Afghan migrants it won't be able to send back if they fail to pass vetting, but it won't let these planes leave.

These people need to spend time checking the first 800 names for vetting, so the story reports, and that, of course, will take time, so too bad about those who need to get out now.

This comes as the Taliban has reportedly commenced house-to-house searches for Americans, according to a pregnant American woman who has already been beaten up by the Taliban and who got left at the Kabul airport as the last jet took off. She's still trying to get out on her own, and that's not surprising. The jets that took off were full of Afghan migrants, not refugees, let alone Afghan allies, and Americans were left stranded. The people who got on in the chaos were often single men who pushed and shoved in front of women, children, the elderly and the handicapped who had been waiting in line.

Now the State Department is suddenly interested in taking its time with vetting.

This suggests something funny going on. The organizers say it's a Biden bid to prevent embarrassing reports about private rescues getting out.

"This is zero place to be negotiating with American lives. Those are our people standing on the tarmac and all it takes is a f phone call," one of those individuals, who has been integral to private evacuation efforts from Afghanistan, told Fox News. "If one life is lost as a result of this, the blood is on the White House's hands. The blood is on their hands," that individual said, adding: "It is not the Taliban that is holding this up  as much as it sickens me to say that  it is the United States government." That individual suggested that the State Department's obstruction is motivated in part by embarrassment that private individuals are rescuing Americans that the U.S. government left behind.

If so, it's outrageous. Abandoning Americans and Afghan allies to the tender mercies of the Taliban and then trying to cover it up by not allowing anyone else to rescue these people is downright criminal. Apparently, that's what's going on since Joe Biden can't take any more embarrassment about all the Americans left behind. Better, then, to claim they wanted it this way, which is nonsense.

What's going on here? It's about time someone in Congress, and assorted lawyers, asked.

Image: Screen shot from VOA video posted by GOP War Room via shareable YouTube.

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In a recent article in the American Thinker entitled "The Thirteen-Hundred-And-Eighty-Nine Year War," I outlined some of the major battles in the to-the-death struggle between Islam and Christianity. Back and forth, back and forth it has gone until Christianity and the West seemed to have prevailed after World War I. The Battle for Afghanistan, 2021, just turned the tables.

Islam allows no accommodation with a non-believer. Christianity does. Those Muslims in America who allow such a modification are Westernized Muslims who see Islam as a religion to be practiced within the context of the American Rule of Law. They do not see Islam as a political ideology of worldwide conquest. Those Muslims who have not accepted that compromise view Islam as an intractable struggle that must have a clear winner and a clear loser by Islamic, not Christian, terms. Should traditional Islam prevail, those who do not convert must die.

The predicament America finds herself in is difficult for the average American to internalize. We are programmed early on to develop as individuals. We are programmed early on to mentally bend to ideas that clash with our "norm" and to find a way to accommodate, if only to honor the second commandment of Christianity  love your neighbor as yourself. This construct seems reasonable to Americans and partners nicely with other internalized values  fairness and tolerance.

Christianity has a hard time, today, bringing itself to a psychological position of winning no matter what. The seeming contradictions of ruthlessness versus mercy, of pitilessness versus compassion, of brutality versus caring, have so disoriented the Christian mind that relief from the conflict presents itself, often, as numbness. The worldwide head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, cannot be bothered about kill lists of Christian Afghans and is taking himself off to a comfortable conference on climate sensitivity. He is not the Charles Martel at the Battle of Tours, 732 A.D., whom we need at this moment.

How, then, do we put a square peg in a round hole, knowing we must if the West is to survive? In addition to benefiting from Christians' natural reluctance toward conflict, those who wish the West harm are using the following tactics to further lessen our civilization's will to fight.

First, as ascribed to Sun Tzu, psychological paralysis underpins all. By severing an opponent's connection to his environment (reality), from his perception of that reality, an opponent's will to resist can collapse.

The perception of our reality is that we have the most powerful military in the world. The reality is that we are quickly losing that position, especially in the Navy, and even if we are barely leading, we have no current will to use our position for the West's survival.

The perception of our reality is that the democratic process produces American leaders whose first priority is our nation's survival. The reality is that the democratic process produces some leaders for whom that is not a priority.

The perception of our reality is that no American president, no secretary of state, no head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and no secretary of defense would deliberately hand military victory to an enemy that helped attack us on 9/11/2001. The reality is they just have.

Second, crisis overload freezes the mental grid. It is no accident that the heavy federal hand regarding COVID-19, the introduction into our public schools of hateful learning materials, the rise of crime, and the absence of shame are all happening at the same time, numbing one's connection to true and right.

Third, self-loathing inoculates against self-preservation. Government agencies and large corporations now mandate that employees be indoctrinated to hate themselves and the American society in which they live. Children in public schools are being taught to self-loathe. Down the memory hole go authentic history and accumulated knowledge. The hoped-for conclusion is that we deserve to lose.

Americans now cannot tell reality from its perception, cannot tell moral right from its dark counterpart, and have lost their empirical connection to the difference between the primordial and the refined. The strategy and the tactics of those, both domestic and foreign, who wish our nation and our people harm prevail. Whether these tactics have lessened a commitment to Christianity or a lessened commitment to Christianity has fostered these tactics is difficult to unravel. The result is that Islam is on the rise as a threat to Western civilization.

The square peg needs re-shaping. The thirteen-hundred-and-eighty-nine-year war between Islam and Christianity can be won with decisive rightfulness. The West must be the clear winner. Humanity does not need another Dark Age.

Image: Sculpture of Charles Martel at Versailles. Public domain.

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With Texas having passed a law that authorizes private citizens to sue those who carry out or facilitate abortion on a fetus with a heartbeat, the anti-abortion crowd has gone wild. They've filled my Facebook page with panic and venom. One of the most popular memes  which pro-abortion people view as extraordinarily wise  likens laws against abortion to hypothetical laws that force people to donate bone marrow or allow their bodies to be used for scientific experimentation. Even reading what I wrote, you may have seen the logical fallacy, but let me expand upon it anyway.

Here's the post that I'm seeing over and over again and that has apparently been shared at least 100,000 times on Facebook:

Last night, I was in a debate about these new abortion laws being passed in red states. My son stepped in with this comment which was a show stopper. One of the best explanations I have read: Reasonable people can disagree about when a zygote becomes a "human life"  that's a philosophical question. However, regardless of whether or not one believes a fetus is ethically equivalent to an adult, it doesn't obligate a mother to sacrifice her body autonomy for another, innocent or not. Body autonomy is a critical component of the right to privacy protected by the Constitution, as decided in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), McFall v. Shimp (1978), and of course Roe v. Wade (1973). Consider a scenario where you are a perfect bone marrow match for a child with severe aplastic anemia; no other person on earth is a close enough match to save the child's life, and the child will certainly die without a bone marrow transplant from you. If you decided that you did not want to donate your marrow to save the child, for whatever reason, the state cannot demand the use of any part of your body for something to which you do not consent. It doesn't matter if the procedure required to complete the donation is trivial, or if the rationale for refusing is flimsy and arbitrary, or if the procedure is the only hope the child has to survive, or if the child is a genius or a saint or anything else  the decision to donate must be voluntary to be constitutional. This right is even extended to a person's body after they die; if they did not voluntarily commit to donate their organs while alive, their organs cannot be harvested after death, regardless of how useless those organs are to the deceased or how many lives they would save. That's the law. Use of a woman's uterus to save a life is no different from use of her bone marrow to save a life  it must be offered voluntarily. By all means, profess your belief that providing one's uterus to save the child is morally just, and refusing is morally wrong. That is a defensible philosophical position, regardless of who agrees and who disagrees. But legally, it must be the woman's choice to carry out the pregnancy. She may choose to carry the baby to term. She may choose not to. Either decision could be made for all the right reasons, all the wrong reasons, or anything in between. But it must be her choice, and protecting the right of body autonomy means the law is on her side. Supporting that precedent is v/hat being pro- choice means.

Let me break down the main points in this, two of which are completely wrong and one of which is morally repugnant:

Wrong statement No. 1: "Reasonable people can disagree about when a zygote becomes a 'human life'  that's a philosophical question." No, it's not a philosophical question. A zygote is a human life at the earliest stage of development. There's no chance that it's going to turn into a fish, a cat, or a toaster. If it survives, based upon its existing genetic make-up, it will inevitably become a recognizable human being.

Repugnant statement: "regardless of whether or not one believes a fetus is ethically equivalent to an adult." Once you admit that, as a biological fact, a fetus is a human being, to then start parsing whether it is "ethically equivalent to an adult" (and why not to a child or baby?) has all the moral implications of inquiring whether Black or Jewish or Polish or Catholic human beings (or whatever other distinction you wish to make) are morally equivalent to each other. If they're not  if one is less than the other  you've already started justifying genocide.

Wrong statement No. 2: Here's where we get to the huge logical fallacy, and I bet most of you already figured it out. This analysis tries to say the arguments that apply to saving a life are the same as the arguments that apply to taking a life.

The premise is that you have it within your power, by allowing an invasive medical procedure, to save the life of someone else. If you act, that person will live; if you do nothing, that person will die. Certainly, that's an interesting ethical conundrum about our duty to our fellow man.

But here's the key sentence: "Use of a woman's uterus to save a life is no different from use of her bone marrow to save a life  it must be offered voluntarily." The woman's uterus is not being used to "save a life." Absent an act of God (i.e., miscarriage), that life will continue to exist if the woman does nothing. What ends the life is an affirmative act  namely, abortion.

The sentence also ignores the reality that women's primary purpose for existing  and I really hate to say this  is to incubate babies. Nature doesn't care about women's liberation. All it cares about is that a species can procreate.

Giving life, therefore, is an integral part of the female identity. It does not require an affirmative act. It simply is. This is quite different from the post's hypothetical, which imagines an affirmative act to save a life.

One of my favorite series of books ever is C.S. Lewis's Narnia collection. Since I was raised in a non-religious (albeit very Jewish) environment, his books probably did more to shape my intellectual and moral landscape more than anything else I read as a child.

In the first published Narnia book (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), the two older children approach a professor because they're concerned that their younger sister, Lucy, is crazy. The reason is that she claims that she traveled to a magical land and, indeed, that their other brother, Edmund, was there too. Edmund denies this.

The professor asks the older children two questions: first, who is more honest  Edmund or Lucy? The older children unhesitatingly say Lucy is. The second question is whether Lucy is insane. No, of course not, they respond. The professor (who himself had been to Narnia) follows up like this:

"Logic!" said the Professor half to himself. "Why don't they teach logic at these schools? There are only three possibilities. Either your sister is telling lies, or she is mad, or she is telling the truth. You know she doesn't tell lies and it is obvious that she is not mad. For the moment then and unless any further evidence turns up, we must assume that she is telling the truth."

When I read that post equating saving a life to taking a life, and learn that it's been shared over 100,000 times, with people blinded by its brilliance, all I can think of is "Logic! Why don't they teach logic at these schools?"

Image: Human fetus at 10 weeks by drsuparna. CC BY-SA 2.0.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
Rachel Maddow still has her blue checkmark on Twitter. The ultra-rich (reportedly earning $30 million a year in her new MSNBC contract) news commentator gleefully spread a false story that rural hospitals and ambulances in Oklahoma were backed up because so many ignorant rubes were overdosing on ivermectin horse medicine. Some were even losing their vision.

It is all part of a campaign to demonize ivermectin, and totally false. The original story appearing in Rolling Stone was as fake as that magazine's University of Virginia rape hoax.

So where's the accountability? There is no tag from Twitter calling this misinformation. No sign on Maddow's Twitter feed that she takes responsibility for spreading a false story that could lead to people not taking an effective medicine. Why, people could miss a life-saving treatment. This is the sort of thing where the left cries, "Blood on your hands!" when there is an opportunity to criticize a conservative.

Disclaimer: I am not a physician and do not offer any medical advice. Always consult your doctor before taking any medication.

And the fact is that, despite the AMA calling for an end to use of ivermectin for COVID  because people self-administering the drug have overdosed (as happens with aspirin all too frequently in suicide attempts)  it has been endorsed by medical authorities overseas and can demonstrate remarkable effectiveness.

Drew Holden has collected a number of media figures and outlets that uncritically spread harmful misinformation. Note that all the examples below (and there are more) sport blue checkmarks, Twitter's guarantee. One of them may be exposed to libel.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
On a warm summer day in August in ancient Rome, a brilliantly decorated litter is carried solemnly in the direction of Circus Maximum. Its occupant is neither a senator nor a highborn lady, but upon arrival at his destination he is revealed to be a humble goose, and he had arrived at the venue, now seated on a luxurious purple cushion, to watch the crucifixion of some dogs.

This macabre ritual, called supplicia canum (or punishment of the dogs) is celebrated to commemorate the anniversary of a traumatic episode in the history of Romethe sacking of the city by the Gauls in 390 BC or 387 BC. Supplicia canum is supposed to serve as warning to dogs not to fall asleep on guard duty. In the same procession, geese were decked out in gold and purple, and carried in honor for alerting the last defenders of the city from falling into the hands of the Gauls.

Roman Imperial bronze goose at the Capitoline Museums. Photo: Marie-Lan Nguyen/Wikimedia Commons

The conflict between the Romans and the Gauls was started by an unfortunate incident. The Senones, one of many Gallic tribes, had crossed the Alps to Italy to sell their services as mercenaries. When the Senones appeared, the inhabitants of the Etruscan city of Clusium (present-day Chiusi, in Tuscany), frightened by those warriors, asked Rome for support to negotiate with them. The Romans sent ambassadors to Clusium, but in the midst of a brawl one of them killed a Gallic chieftain, sparking war between the Senones and the Romans.

As a condition of peace, the Gauls demanded that the culprit of the murder be handed over to them. But he belonged to an important lineage, the powerful Fabia family, and Rome refused to do so. In response, an army led by the Senones chieftain Brennus set out for Rome. The Romans tried to confront them on the banks of the river Allia, but suffered a great defeat forcing them to hastily withdrew. Most soldiers fled to the city of Veii, instead of Rome, but the despairing inhabitants of Rome, unaware of this fact, thought that the whole army had been wiped out and that there was no chance of resistance.

The Capitoline Hill. Photo: Giuseppe Di Paolo | Dreamstime.com

The leaders of the city ordered food, gold, silver and other possessions be taken to the Capitoline Hill, which was then fortified. The Senones broke down the city gates and pillaged the city for days, but they couldnt take Capitoline Hill.

Meanwhile the Romans who had fled to Veii, regrouped and decided to relieve the siege of the Capitoline Hill. Cominius Pontius was sent as a messenger to the Capitoline Hill to tell the besieged about the plan and that the men at Veii were waiting for an opportunity to attack.

Pontius swam across the River Tiber and went up a cliff, which was difficult to climb. After giving his message, he returned to Veii. The Gauls noticed the track left by Pontius and decided to penetrate the fortress via the same route. That night the Gauls silently climbed the hill for the final attack. The sentries and the dogs that were supposed to guard the perimeter had fallen asleep, but the invaders ran into unexpected guardsthe geese kept near the temple of Juno for the service of the goddess. Frightened by the intruders, the geese made a great ruckus that alerted the Romans, who were able to repel the attack.

Gallic chieftain Brennus and Romans argue about the weight of the gold that the Romans were forced to pay after defeat. Illustration by Paul Lehugeur, 1886.

The defenders were henceforth heralded as heroes of Rome while the night watchmen and the guard dogs were punished. In memory of the humiliation, the supplicia canum was instituted as an expiatory ritual in which the dogs of the Capitol were sacrificed for the failure of their predecessors, before the gaze of the sacred geese. Sources differ on the date of the ritual, but generally it is placed in the 18 of July or the 3rd of August. These types of expiatory sacrifices were common among several Mediterranean peoples and only fell into disuse with the advance of Christianity.

References:

# Abel de Medici, The Geese That Saved Rome From The Gauls, Nat Geo

# Wikipedia
(Image source from: Twitter.com/MediaYouwe)

Thalaivi Team Predicts Five National Awards:- National-award-winning actress Kangana Ranaut will reprise the role of Tamil Nadu ex-Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and the film is titled Thalaivi. AL Vijay directed this biopic and the film is announced for September 10th release. The pre-release event of the film took place in Hyderabad last night and the team lauded Kangana Ranaut for her performance. The film's producer Vishnu Induri expressed his confidence in the film. He said that Thalaivi would fetch the fifth national award for Kangana Ranaut and the movie will get five national awards for sure along with Kangana's award.

Top writer V Vijayendra Prasad penned the script of Thalaivi and he was the one who proposed the name of Kangana Ranaut in Thalaivi. Aravind Swamy who played the role of MGR said that Thalaivi is a special film for him. Kangana Ranaut thanked everyone for the opportunity and she revealed that she has done justice for her role. Thalaivi is made on a huge budget and is the first pan-Indian film releasing after the pandemic. Zee Studios and Vibri Media bankrolled this prestigious project. The film is carrying good expectations and all eyes are focused on Thalaivi.

(Video Source: YouWe Media)
(Image source from: Twitter.com/StarMaa)

Highlights Of Bigg Boss 5 Curtain Raiser Episode:- Star MAA has invested a bomb on Bigg Boss Telugu and the first four seasons of the reality show turned successful and they raked huge TRPs. With no young actor available, Star MAA decided to retain King Nagarjuna as host for Bigg Boss 5. The curtain raiser episode of Bigg Boss 5 took place last evening and it was telecasted for three and a half hours. Nagarjuna introduced 19 contestants of Bigg Boss 5 and everyone had their introduction in style. Nag also started the show with his dance performance and his styling has been top class.

Siri, VJ Sunny, Lahari, Sreeram Chandra, Anee Master, Lobo, Priya, Jessi, Priyanka, Shanmukh, Hamida, Natraj Master, Sarayu, Vishwa, Umadevi, Maanas, RJ Kajal, Swetha and Anchor Ravi are the announced 19 contestants during the curtain raiser event of Bigg Boss 5. The show will be telecasted from 10 PM from Monday to Thursday and from 9 PM from Friday to Sunday. There are mixed reactions for the contestants as there are not much famous celebrities in the house this year. Nagarjuna will be present on the sets of Bigg Boss 5 during the weekends.
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Anniston, AL (36206)

Today

Showers early, becoming a steady rain later in the day. High 76F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with showers. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 6 - Turin prosecutors have told the Telegram messaging app to take down the anti-vaccine 'Basta Dittatura' (No More Dictatorship) chat, daily newspaper La Stampa reported on Monday.

The chat is used by groups that are against vaccines and against the Green Pass COVID-19 vaccine passport.

It was used to publish the telephone numbers of some government offices and of politicians and doctors that the anti-vax groups are hostile towards.

The app has not yet responded to the prosecutors, according to the report.

The prosecutors could issue an international warrant in relation to the order in the coming days, the report said.

Politicians, journalists and health officials and experts have been threatened by anti-vax extremists in Italy and in some cases attacked.

A top virologist, Matteo Bassetti, was recently 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".

A video journalist from the La Repubblica daily was attacked by a protester at an anti-Green Pass sit-in outside the Education Ministry in Rome last week. And a pro-Green Pass teacher received a bullet in the mail. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 6 - Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio arrived in Islamabad on Monday for the last part of his mission in the region after the Taliban took back control on Afghanistan, sources said.

Di Maio is set to fly by helicopter to Torkhan, on the border with Afghanistan, and have talks with his Pakistani counterpart and Prime Minister Imran Khan.

It is the first visit by an Italian foreign minister to Pakistan since 2016.

Di Maio has also visited Qatar, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

On Friday Di Maio told his EU counterparts in Slovenia that the Union should support countries neighbouring Afghanistan as they struggle to cope with refugees, while fighting a possible resurgence in terrorism in the region. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 6 - The OECD said Monday that Italy's GDP should return to its pre-COVID-19 level next year.

"It is forecast that the economy will recuperate the levels of 2019 in the first half of 2022 after growth this year estimated to be 5.9%," the OECD said in its Economic Survey on Italy.

"Public debt will rise to almost 160% of GDP in 2021," it added.

It said the government should "continue to provide increasingly targetted fiscal support until the recovery is consolidated in the economic and employment sectors".

The OECD also called for "a medium-term fiscal plan to reduce the public debt-to-GDP ratio to be implemented once the recovery is consolidated". (ANSA).


TEL AVIV - A massive manhunt is ongoing in Israel in an attempt to find six Palestinian inmates who escaped from the Gilboa prison and who could have left the country. Along with police, the army and domestic security service Shin Bet have been mobilized. Security forces have not ruled out that the six could organize attacks in the country.



Avi Bitton, the head of the police operations division, has said that "the possibility that they can carry out an attack can't be ruled out. A lot of time has passed since they fled and the terrorists could be anywhere on national territory". Troops have also been deployed in the West Bank, a military spokesman said.



The six, who evaded the jail through a tunnel, are all from Jenin, which is located about 13 kilometers from the Gilboa prison. They include Zakaria Zubeidi, head of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade in Jenin which in 2002 conducted an attack against an office of Likud in which six Israelis were killed.



According to the Israeli prison service, five are members of the Islamic Jihad: Munadil Nafayat (26), the brothers Mahmoud and Mohammad al-Arida, Iham Kahamji (35) and Yaqoub Qadiri (49).


Boris Johnson has promised his Government will not duck the tough decisions to fix the broken social care system as he prepares to unveil his long-awaited plan to MPs on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister will set out in the Commons how he aims to tackle the social care crisis amid a growing Tory backlash over reported plans to raise National Insurance to fund the changes to the system in England  in breach of a general election commitment.

As well as outlining measures to support the NHS in its recovery from Covid, Mr Johnson is expected to tell MPs that the challenges faced by the health service and the social care system are closely linked.

No 10 said a lack of integration between the two often sees people stuck in the wrong care setting, and families worry about meeting the costs of care if they leave NHS provision.

And Downing Street dubbed as unfair and often catastrophic the situation where someone who has dementia may have to pay for their care in full, while someone cared for by the NHS would receive care for free.

It said one in seven people now pays more than 100,000 for their care, and said the system can lead to spiralling costs and the complete liquidation of someones assets.

Under current arrangements, anyone with assets over 23,350 pays for their care in full, but No 10 said the costs were catastrophic and often unpredictable.

And Mr Johnson said: We must act now to ensure the health and care system has the long term funding it needs to continue fighting Covid and start tackling the backlogs, and end the injustice of catastrophic costs for social care.

My Government will not duck the tough decisions needed to get NHS patients the treatment they need and to fix our broken social care system.

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Mr Johnson will reveal his plans to his Cabinet on Tuesday morning, before making a statement in Parliament later in the day.

Following that, the PM  along with Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid  will give a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

Reports have suggested that lifetime contributions on care will be capped at about 80,000 and National Insurance will be increased by 1.25% to raise between 10 billion and 11 billion per year.

Ahead of the announcement, No 10 remained tight-lipped on the detail, but it has been reported that the proposals will be sold as a health and social care levy.

However former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith told The Telegraph the plans were a sham because they did not reform the social care system, while the newspaper also reported the Government was considering holding a snap vote in the Commons this week on the proposals.

And the Guardian reported a Conservative frontbencher was considering their position over the plans.

Amid growing Tory disquiet, Mr Sunak is reported to have reminded a reception of the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs on Monday evening of the importance of loyalty.

He told MPs: Its fair to say that weve got a tough autumn ahead. That doesnt mean there wont be disagreements, there always are, but we should never lose sight of the central fact that we are a team.

Mr Johnson is understood to have not addressed social care directly at the event.

Instead, one observer said the PM spoke about the great triumphs of the summer including Englands sporting success at the Euros and the Olympics, and suggested that if Sir Keir Starmer had been in charge the country would still be in lockdown.

On Monday, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said: We are committed to setting out long-term sustainable reform of the sector and that is what we will do, but beyond that, I am not going to be getting into any more speculation.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: A long-term plan on social care and a rescue plan to address the crisis the NHS has been in for years are both long overdue.

The Prime Minister must set out how he will bring down waiting lists quickly, support the NHS workforce, fix crumbling hospitals and deliver modern equipment to speed up diagnosis of deadly diseases, and crucially, ensure more people can access the social care they need.

The changes would only apply in England, as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have separate arrangements for social care.

It is not yet clear how any national insurance rise would be dealt with in the devolved nations.

Earlier, a Government minister acknowledged there were no easy solutions but insisted that they had to take advantage of the opportunity offered by Mr Johnsons 2019 general election win.

Armed Forces minister James Heappey told LBC: This is going to be hard, there will be no consensus, but we have to try, because if you cant do it with a majority of 80, when can you?

Former Minister for the Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth Jake Berry (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

However former minister Jake Berry, leader of the Northern Research Group of Tory MPs, warned against a policy that appeared aimed at elderly voters in affluent southern seats.

Writing in The Times, former Conservative party leader Lord Hague said breaching a manifesto commitment by increasing National Insurance would be a defining moment for the Prime Minister.

He said such a move would result in a loss of credibility when making future election commitments, a blurring of the distinction between Tory and Labour philosophies, a recruiting cry for fringe parties on the right, and an impression given to the world that the UK is heading for higher taxes.

That adds up to an extremely high price, and if I was still in cabinet I would be on the very reluctant end of the argument about funding social care through a tax rise that is seen as breaking an election promise.

Tory former Cabinet minister Sir John Redwood warned against a stupid tax rise.

A tax on jobs when you want to promote more and better-paid employment is particularly stupid, he said.

Tory former chancellors Lord Hammond, Lord Clarke and Lord Lamont have all criticised the plan to increase National Insurance, while former prime minister Sir John Major said it was regressive.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has also signalled his partys opposition to the proposal.
Privatising Channel 4 could have serious and long-lasting consequences for the television sector and the wider UK economy, with the channels extensive coverage of the Paralympics and commitment to diverse programming under threat, executives have warned.

The Government is currently consulting on plans to privatise the channel, which could be sold off to a private buyer.

At present the channel is owned by the Government and receives its funding from advertising.

The Government has said it is consulting on privatisation because it wants to ensure the long-term survival of the channel.

But TV bosses have said it would lead to less risk-taking, fewer programmes with real societal impact, and fewer opportunities for new talent.

Alex Mahon, chief executive of Channel 4, said the consultation has spurred vigorous debate about what Channel 4 should become next, what can we do more of, how can we be more radical, how can we thrive? but she is yet to see evidence that privatising the channel would strengthen it.

Instead she warned privatisation could be detrimental to the industry as well as the broader economy.

She said: We are an organisation that embraces change, we stand ready to work constructively with government to deliver even greater impact in Britain.

Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon (PA)

Ultimately, this is not a decision for us to make. However, having considered all the available analysis extremely carefully, and modelled and stress-tested this, we have not seen any evidence that the irreversible change of privatising Channel 4 will be in the interest of either the British audiences or the UK economy.

It could well have serious and long-lasting consequences for our world-leading television production sector, and for the progress that has been made in our creative industries outside of London.

Plainly speaking, jobs, investment and providing the skills training and opportunities for young people in the creative industries up and down the UK.

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In 2019 Channel 4 announced it was moving its headquarters to Leeds and opening creative hubs in Bristol and Glasgow. It also has offices in London and Manchester.

However Ms Mahon told reporters privatisation would be likely to mean having so many bases was no longer viable.

She said: Owners would also likely want to reduce our office footprint, although its helping to build the UK in creative clusters and level up the nations and regions, it would not make much sense commercially for a small company to maintain five different locations, and it would affect who we work with.

She said this could affect the channels ability to run industry-leading schemes, which are tailored specifically to early outreach, adding: A change to a private owner would therefore impact more than just our programmes, it would likely affect the UK economy overall.

Ian Katz, the channels chief content officer, also cautioned that privatisation would affect the output of the channel.

He said: Some argue that a privately-owned Channel 4 could still deliver its remit as effectively as a publicly-owned Channel 4, so long as it was subject to a demanding set of licence requirements.

Channel 4s office on Horseferry Road in London (Philip Toscano/PA)

Of course, its possible to write a licence that sets a specific number of hours for news or education that must be delivered, but this misses the extent to which the remit permeates all our programming far beyond the specific qualities required of us.

He added: Every part of our output is suffused with purpose, often so lightly that you can barely see it.

Take some of our biggest shows, like Bake Off, Gogglebox or SAS: Who Dares Wins, these are all purposefully cast with diversity at their heart, diversity of ethnicity, of age, of ability.

This would inevitably be less important for a purely commercially driven channel.

Much of the kind of purpose-driven programming that Ive just talked about, programming that is frequently unprofitable, would be lost.

Or look at our commitments to the Paralympic games that finished last night. Its another example of the kind of programming that would almost certainly go.

Could a privately owned Channel 4 be required by licence to deliver over 1,000 hours of coverage of parasport for two weeks, every four years? Perhaps unlikely.

So even with tough licence requirements, the channel that viewers would see would be very different to the one they see now.

The programming that makes Channel 4 so unique might, I fear, be lost.

To create profitable returns, we would need to radically reshape our editorial mix.

Without a doubt, this would result in less risk-taking, fewer programmes with real societal impact, and fewer opportunities for new talent.
One-year-old twin girls joined at the head have been successfully separated in Israel by a team led by a British neurosurgeon.

Dr Noor ul Owase Jeelani, a consultant paediatric neurosurgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital, led the 12-hour surgery with the support of a local team at Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, Israel.

It is the first time the charity carried out the procedure outside the UK (Soroka Medical Centre/PA)

It is the first time the procedure has been carried out outside the UK by the team at medical charity Gemini Untwined since it was founded in 2018 by Dr Owase Jeelani.

The team have now completed five separation surgeries since 2006, two of them before Gemini was set up.

Dr Owase Jeelani said: I am delighted that the surgery has gone well and the girls, their family and the local team have had a good outcome.

Dr Owase Jeelani (Great Ormond Street Hospital/PA)

It is through this process of teamwork and knowledge-sharing globally that we can hope to improve the outcome for all children and families that find themselves in this difficult position.

Kamal Rahman, one of the founders of Gemini Untwined, added: Its exciting that we have now helped three families from different countries with this lifechanging surgery.

Mr Rahman said the prevalence of conjoined twins is higher in less developed communities where there is little foetal monitoring, which is where charities like Gemini Untwined can assist.

The surgery was led by by UK neurosurgeon Dr Noor ul Owase Jeelani with the support of a local team at Soroka Medical Centre in Israel (Soroka Medical Centre/PA)

He said: Gemini seeks to provide not only research and technical support to the local medical teams but also financial support to facilitate the complex surgery and post-operative rehabilitation where needed.

We are presently supporting other families that find themselves in this challenging situation.

The surgery took 12 hours to complete (Soroka Medical Centre/PA)

It is estimated fifty such sets of craniopagus conjoined twins, joined at the head, are born around the world every year.

Of them, it is thought only 15 survive beyond the first 30 days of life.

With current technologies, which the charity aims to make more accessible, approximately half of these cases would be candidates for successful surgical separation.
A devious doctor has been convicted of perverting the course of justice over a web of lies he spun to sabotage his flatmates relationships.

Javed Saumtally could face jail after being found guilty of what prosecutors said was a determined and technologically adept deception involving fake texts and bogus screenshots.

The 28-year-old doctor, from Ipswich in Suffolk, was motivated by his own feelings for his male flatmate and acted out of jealousy, his trial heard.

The men had been in a relationship when they lived in Brighton, East Sussex, before moving separately to Ipswich where they shared a flat.

He denied a charge of perverting the course of justice but was found guilty on Monday after a trial at Hove Crown Court.

Jurors took five hours and 12 minutes to find Saumtally guilty by unanimous verdict.

Judge Jeremy Gold QC told him that he must prepare himself for an almost inevitable custodial sentence.

The case was adjourned for a report to be prepared and Saumtally will be sentenced on October 18.

Javed Saumtally (Yui Mok/PA)

During the trial prosecutor Jonathan Atkinson said the defendant set about sending abusive and derogatory messages from unknown numbers to his flatmate but also to himself, no doubt to make it look like he was also a victim and to deflect attention away from him.

He told jurors the various lies were part of a concerted ploy by Mr Saumtally to deliberately undermine the relationships of his flatmate  to (make him) feel under threat and harassed as a result, all the while pretending to act as an understanding friend and companion.

He was devious, he was determined and technologically adept.

No-one else stood to gain, he had the motive, he had the means throughout these incidents.

He created false exhibits and he lied to police.

Saumtally denied faking text messages when he gave evidence at the trial.

It was suggested to him that he was jealous of his flatmate, with whom he had previously had a brief relationship.

Saumtally said this was not the case, arguing that they had been clear that he was eventually moving to Ipswich and that the relationship had an end date.

Defence barrister Janet Weeks argued that the absence of Saumtallys flatmate from the trial meant there are simply too many unanswered questions without him giving evidence.
High temperatures and sunshine are predicted for the first week back at school for all pupils across the UK.

Despite the official meteorological end of summer, warm weather is expected to last for several days, with the mercury hovering around the mid-20s in many parts of the country.

But the Met Office said it is still touch and go whether some areas will tip into official heatwaves.

Temperatures are predicted to reach highs of 28C (82.4F) in London on Monday and rise to 29C (84.2F) on Tuesday.

Northern areas are also expected to see an increase, with Liverpool seeing highs of 23C (73.4F) on Monday and 27C (80.6F) on Tuesday.

Both Northern Ireland and Scotland are set to share the pleasant conditions, with highs of 23C (73.4F) and 22C (71.6F) predicted in Belfast and Aberdeen respectively on Monday.

The highest temperature recorded on Sunday was 27.1C (80.8F) at Wiggonholt, west Sussex, according to provisional data from the Met Office.

(PA Graphics)

The warm weather follows the official end of summer, from a meteorological point of view, which is considered to be August 31.

It comes as children across the country return to classrooms after the summer break. Many schools in England and Wales started again last week and pupils in Scotland and Northern Ireland are already back.

The Met Office said the warm spell is expected to last until Wednesday, and predictions show some areas are on the borderline of experiencing an official heatwave.

A location meets the UK heatwave threshold when it records a period of at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperature levels which vary across the country.

Despite the official meteorological end of summer, warm weather is due to last for several days, with highs of 29C (84.2F) in London, according to the Met Office (Yui Mok/PA)

These include 25C (77F) for central England and Wales  where it has been forecast the threshold could be exceeded  and 28C (82.4F) for London and the South East.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said: Its not uncommon for the UK to get warm spells heading into early September.

Theres a chance of some areas reaching heatwave criteria, but that is fairly borderline and the breakdown that is happening on Wednesday will subdue the temperatures as well.

So it will be touch and go for some places whether a heatwave is officially in the forecast.

He added: Temperatures (on Monday) are going to be widely in the mid-20s, especially in the south, where theres going to be spells of good sunshine.

(PA Graphics)

Heading into Tuesday, that warmth spreads further north across the country, bringing a fine and dry day for most with that warm weather extending across the UK.

Mr Dixon said that, although good conditions will last until Wednesday, rain and instability will follow, leading to possible thunderstorms in south-west England.

The mercury is expected to exceed the average for September, which is 18C (64.4F) in the UK.
Boris Johnson has insisted he will do everything possible to help people flee the Taliban, while acknowledging hundreds of Afghans who assisted the UK remain in the country.

The Prime Minister confirmed that 311 people entitled to resettlement under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) are still in Afghanistan.

He added the Government would also respond to emails from MPs asking for assistance by close of play on Monday, amid concerns that thousands of messages went unread during the crisis.

Conservative former prime minister Theresa May later voiced fears over the increased terror threat from Afghanistan following the withdrawal of Nato troops.

Mr Johnson said the UK has no direct information as yet of any increase to the threat but pledged to make every effort to keep the UK safe.

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Both the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab have been criticised over the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and their response since the Taliban takeover.

More than 8,000 former Afghan staff and their family members were among the 15,000-plus people evacuated by the UK since August 13.

But up to 1,100 Afghans deemed eligible, including those who worked with Britain and other vulnerable people, were estimated to have been left behind, though that figure will fall short of the true number the UK would wish to help.

Making a statement to the Commons, Mr Johnson said: Let me say to anyone who weve made commitments to and who is currently in Afghanistan  we are working urgently with our friends in the region to secure safe passage and as soon as routes are available we will do everything possible to help you to reach safety.

Mr Johnson confirmed an additional 5 million to help military charities offering support on mental health issues to veterans and thanked personnel for their service during the 20-year campaign and the evacuation effort, known as Operation Pitting.

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On security, the Prime Minister told MPs: If the new regime in Kabul want international recognition and access to the billions of dollars currently frozen in overseas accounts then we and our friends will hold them to their agreement to prevent Afghanistan from ever again becoming an incubator for terrorism, and we shall insist on safe passage for anyone who wishes to leave, and respect for the rights of women and girls.

The SNPs Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, asked the Prime Minister for details of how many candidates for the Arap scheme remained in the country.

The Prime Minister replied: As for the question of how many Arap candidates are remaining I can tell him that the total number is 311, of which 192 responded to the calls that were put out and, I repeat, we will do absolutely everything we can to ensure that those people get the safe passage that they deserve using the levers that I have described.

Mr Johnson also said he was happy to meet with devolved administrations to collaborate on Afghan resettlements in a four-nations summit suggested by Mr Blackford, and committed to answering all emails from MPs calling for assistance with evacuating Afghans.

The Prime Minister said: By close of play today, every single one of the emails from colleagues around this House will be answered and thousands have already been done.

Mrs May later asked: Does (he) agree that as a result of Nato forces withdrawing from Afghanistan the terrorist threat has increased, and will he confirm that all those involved in counter-terrorism work here in the UK will be given the necessary support to ensure they can keep us safe?

Mr Johnson replied: We have no direct information as yet of any increase to the threat but I can assure her and the House that every effort will be made to make sure that our counter-terrorist agents have the resources they need to keep us safe.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for British troops to receive a medal for their remarkable efforts via Operation Pitting to evacuate thousands of people from Afghanistan.

He also said UK forces were let down by the political leadership of the country, noting: We are proud of all those who contributed.

Their story made even more remarkable by the fact that whilst they were saving lives, our political leadership was missing in action.
Boris Johnson will reiterate his pledge to use every economic, political and diplomatic lever to help the Afghans left behind by Britain as he defends his handling of the crisis to highly-critical MPs.

The Prime Minister will make a statement to the House of Commons on Monday when Parliament returns from its summer recess to confront a potential humanitarian disaster in the making.

Mr Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab have both been subject to criticism over the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and their response since the Taliban takeover.

Thousands of Afghans who worked with Britain, their families and other vulnerable citizens are feared to have been left behind when UK troops departed Kabul last month.

And there have been warnings that the UK could face a heightened terror threat if extremism is allowed to flourish once again in Afghanistan.

Speaking in the week marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that prompted the US and its allies to go to war in the nation, Mr Johnson will vow to use every economic, political and diplomatic lever to protect our country from harm and help the Afghan people.

The Prime Minister is expected to update MPs on the new resettlement programme for Afghans to come to the UK in the coming years.

Mr Johnson will also use the Commons speech to thank the 150,000 British service men and women for their work in Afghanistan over the past two decades.

No 10 said he will announce an additional 5 million to help military charities offering support on mental health issues to veterans with the aim of ensuring no veterans request for help will go unanswered.

It will be the first time the Prime Minister has faced MPs in the chamber since August 18, when they were recalled for a day for an emergency debate in the wake of the fall of Kabul.

On Sunday, head of the armed forces General Sir Nick Carter admitted everybody got it wrong about the pace of the Talibans march recapture of Afghanistan, but denied there was a failure in military intelligence.

The Chief of the Defence Staff said many assessments suggested Kabul would fall this year, despite the Foreign Secretary having said intelligence put this as unlikely.

The first scenario I think also wouldve said is it was entirely possible that the (Afghan) government wouldnt hold on that much longer, Sir Nick told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One.

Indeed, many of the assessments suggested it wouldnt last the course of the year and, of course, thats proven to be correct.

Mr Raab, who was holidaying in Crete in August while the Taliban marched back to power, previously argued the central assessment of the military and wider intelligence community was that it was unlikely Kabul would fall this year.

Sir Nick said theres been a lot of talk about a failure of intelligence but that he said back in July that there are a number of scenarios that could play out and one of them certainly would be a collapse and state fracture.

More than 8,000 former Afghan staff and their family members were among the 15,000-plus people evacuated by the UK since August 13.

But up to 1,100 Afghans deemed eligible were estimated to have been left behind, though that figure will fall short of the true number the UK would wish to help.
A Scotch whisky giant has been fined 50,000 after an engineer was crushed by machinery in a foreseeable accident.

Chivas Brothers Ltd, which makes Chivas Regal, last month admitted breaching health and safety laws at its bottling plant in Kilmalid, Dumbarton, after the incident on February 22 2017, said the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).

On that day, an engineer from the Fire Protection Group Ltd (FPG) was trapped and crushed inside a machine.

The FPG also admitted breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on August 24, the COPFS added.

Both companies were fined 50,000 on Monday, a court official confirmed.

The site of the accident at the plant in Kilmalid, Dumbarton (COPFS/PA)

The engineer, who has not been named, suffered injuries to his chest, shoulder and leg, as well as a cut on his head when he was pinned to the ground by an extractor device in the machine, the COPFS said.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found the FPG had failed to carry out a thorough risk assessment for inspecting the fire suppression systems inside the machine unit.

The probe also found Chivas Brothers failed to give the necessary safety information to its own employees and FPG employees working on the units.

Alistair Duncan, head of the Health and Safety Investigation Unit at the COPFS, said: This was a foreseeable accident resulting in injuries that could have been avoided if an agreed safe system of work had been in place and all relevant safety information had been shared.

This prosecution and the sentence should serve to remind employers that failure to fulfil their obligations can have serious consequences and that they will be held to account for their failings.

Both companies cooperated fully with the investigation and have implemented new systems of working since the accident, the prosecution service said.

A spokesman for Chivas Brothers Ltd said: The health and safety of everyone at our sites is our priority at Chivas Brothers.

Immediately following the event, we conducted an internal investigation and worked closely with the HSE, promptly incorporating findings from the investigation into our safety management systems.

We remain fully committed to ensuring that all Chivas Brothers workplaces maintain the very highest safety standards.
Storage limits for eggs, sperm and embryos will be increased to a maximum of 55 years under Government plans to give people greater choice over when to start a family.

Ministers have proposed that the statutory storage limits should increase more than five fold from the current limit of 10 years and should no longer be governed by medical need.

Prospective parents would be given the option to keep or dispose of the frozen sex cells or embryos at 10-year intervals under the new system.

Doctors have argued that the current limit  after which prospective parents must decide whether to undergo fertility treatment or have the cells destroyed  was too restrictive.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid (Steve Parsons/PA)

Research from the Royal College of Obstetricians has suggested that frozen eggs can be stored indefinitely without deterioration, thanks to a modern freezing technique.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: The current storage arrangements can be severely restrictive for those making the important decision about when to start a family, and this new legislation will help turn off the ticking clock in the back of peoples minds.

Technological breakthroughs  including in egg freezing  have changed the equation in recent years and its only right that this progress puts more power into the hands of potential parents.

By making these changes, we are going to take a huge step forwards  not just for giving people greater freedom over their fertility, but for equality too.

The proposals, which follow a public consultation launched last year, will need approval by Parliament.

Additional conditions will apply around third party donors and posthumous use, with the health department saying it would be inappropriate for the limit to apply in all cases.

British Fertility Society chair Dr Raj Mathur welcomed the plans.

This change ensures that UK regulation is compliant with the scientific evidence about the safety of storage, and protects the ability of all our patients to make reproductive choices for themselves as individuals and couples, he said.
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YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. The Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Lt. General Artak Davtyan visited the Alabino military training grounds in Russia to watch the Tank Biathlon finals of the International Army Games 2021, the defense ministry said.

The Russian militarys team won the tournament.

Lt. General Davtyan then attended the closing ceremony of the International Army Games 2021 at the Patriot Center.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan received World Bank (WB) Regional Director for South Caucasus Sebastian Molineus and the newly appointed Country Manager of the World Bank for Armenia Carolin Geginat. During the meeting Carolin Geginat noted that the WB is ready to assist the Armenian Government in the implementation of its new strategy by bringing to Armenia the best international practice and knowledge.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of Mher Grigoryan, at the beginning of the meeting, greeting the guests, Deputy PM Mher Grigoryan congratulated Carolin Geginat on appointment and wished productive work, assuring that the Government of Armenia will support her during the implementation of the important mission.

Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan presented to the WB officials the main goals approved by the new program of the Government, highlighting particularly the reforms in the spheres of human capital development, infrastructure development and economy. From the perspective of economic development, Mher Grigoryan emphasized the steps to be taken towards the development of the capital market.

WB Regional Director for South Caucasus Sebastian Molineus congratulated the Deputy PM on the re-appointment and introduced the newly appointed Country Manager of the World Bank for Armenia.

Carolin Geginat thanked for the reception and noted that the World Bank is ready to assist the Government in the implementation of its new strategy by bringing to Armenia the best international practice and knowledge.

During the meeting, the interlocutors referred to the jointly implemented programs and prospects for the development of cooperation. From the point of view of maintaining public health, countering the pandemic, as well as economic development, both sides highlighted the vaccination process.

At the suggestion of the Deputy Prime Minister, an agreement was reached to hold an extended discussion on the programs implemented by the World Bank in Armenia in the near future to clarify the future activities.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received Ambassador of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to Armenia Fan Yong on September 6. During the meeting, the Armenian Foreign Minister presented the provocative actions carried out by the Azerbaijani armed forces against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. The Chinese Ambassador noted that the Chinese side supports Armenia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, Minister Mirzoyan and Ambassador Fan Yong referred to the centuries-old Armenian-Chinese friendly relations and reaffirmed the readiness of both countries to make joint steps for the development of the partnership based on mutual respect and trust.

In the context of the comprehensive settlement of the Karabakh conflict, Minister Mirzoyan highlighted China's position. Ambassador Yong said that China supports the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, which will contribute to the stability of the entire region.

The interlocutors referred to the cooperation between the countries on multilateral platforms, highlighting the idea of combining the Eurasian Economic Union and "One Belt, One Road" initiative.

Ararat Mirzoyan and Fan Yong referred to the measures taken to overcome the coronavirus pandemic. Minister Mirzoyan thanked China for its support in the fight against the pandemic.

The parties also recorded with satisfaction the increasing rates of bilateral trade.
MSPO 2021, the International Defence Industry Exhibition in Poland, marks an excellent opening of the expo series. MSPO will be formally inaugurated this Tuesday, September 7, by the President of the Republic of Poland, Mr Andrzej Duda. The ceremony will be graced with the presence of the Minister of National Defence, Mr Mariusz Baszczak.



400 exhibitors are participating, coming from 27 countries including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Spain, Netherlands, Israel, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Germany, Norway, South Africa, Slovakia, Slovenia, United States, Switzerland, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, Great Britain and Italy. (Picture source: MSPO)

This year's MSPO facts and figures: 400 exhibitors from 27 countries including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Spain, Netherlands, Israel, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Germany, Norway, South Africa, Slovakia, Slovenia, United States, Switzerland, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, Great Britain and Italy.

There has been clear progress if we compare this year's and the previous year's events' data. Last year, there were 185 exhibitors from 15 countries. In 2021, we host 400 exhibitors from 27 countries in 2021. Of course, we face certain limitations resulting from COVID-19 all the time. For example, Australian companies will miss the Exhibition because of the international traffic restrictions in this country. However, we do hope that next year's 30th expo, the anniversary MSPO edition, will get back to on its regular track, and we will convene at the expo we all had known from the times before the pandemic started - says Andrzej Mochon PhD., President of the Board of Targi Kielce.

Polish offerings at MSPO 2021

The domestic defence industry enjoys the most numerous representation at the expo; the Polish Armaments Group joins the expo to present a wide range of innovative solutions and systems for the Polish Armed Forces and uniformed services. The PGZ expo stand is the showcase for the latest developments, including the wheeled platforms. A 4x4 vehicle from Huta Stalowa Wola SA and a modified, specialized armoured personnel carrier - KTO Rosomak - wheeled tracked version, a new light tracked chassis with an M120 mortar - this and much more on show. Visitors who join the Exhibition are offered the chance to see C4ISR solutions, a wide range of combat assets and individual soldier's equipment - including the Fabryka Broni "ucznik" [ArcherArms Factory] and Tarnow Mechanical Works' developments. The air defence and anti-missile defence systems will also come in abundance and among them, the PIT-RADWAR offer for the "Notec" and the solutions the Polish industry has prepared for the "Wisa" programme.

This year's Exhibition of the Polish Armaments Group includes over 300 solutions presented by 28 companies. There are systems, subsystems and individual products we deliver, offer or prepare for the Polish Armed Forces, the uniformed services and for export markets. Those who call in the C expo hall will have the opportunity to see what we have managed to develop over the last several months - says Sebastian Chwaek, President of the Management Board of PGZ S.A. The MSPO's presentation includes a traditional display of the Polish military: the Armed Forces Exhibition is held this year under the banner of "Endure-Control-Defeat".

MSPO 2021 features the National Pavilions: American (41 companies), British (13 companies), German (19 companies), Norwegian (8 companies), Italian (3 companies), Ukrainian (2 companies). Previously, the Exhibition invited the visitors to take a tour over the Lead Nation Exhibitions, the MSPO tradition which dates back to 2004. Until now, 13 countries have presented their military potentials at the Lead nation Exhibitions: Germany, Norway, France, Israel, USA, Sweden, V4 countries, UK, Italy, Turkey, Israel and South Korea.

American expo presentations - What's on display?

Lockheed Martin will showcase a 1:1 mock-up of their F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft; Targi Kielce has already hosted this impressive machine at the 27th MSPO in 2019, much to the astonishment and delight of the MSPO visitors, including the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda. Polish President has again granted His honorary auspices to the expo. It is worth noting that these planes are purchased by Poland under the Harpia programme.

The M1A2 Abrams tank will also be an attention-catcher to visitors this year's defence trade show; this reliable and robust combat vehicle has already proven itself in the armed conflict zones, the front-lines of the Middle East and in the distant corners of Asia. The third-generation tank showcased at MSPO is still considered one of the best, if not the best, tank in the world; therefore, the Polish army considers the purchase of 250 Abrams tanks in the highest SEPv3 configuration. The Ministry of National Defence has earmarked about PLN 23 billion for this purpose.

Again, safety comes at the top of the priorities list. This year, in addition to the previously used precautions, i.e. decontamination booths, mouth and nose covering obligation and detailed disinfection of surfaces, new precautions have been introduced. All visitors and exhibitors will be requested to fill in a COVID-19 vaccination survey. The information regarding the number of people who have been vaccinated is necessary to estimate how many people can stay at the fair trade premises at the same time. Targi Kielce employees who work in trade fair projects have all been fully vaccinated.

The 29th International Defence Industry Exhibition is held in Targi Kielce from 7 to 10 September 2021.
The Indian Army was under pressure, but Gen. Thapar was still not prepared to bow to sheer stupidity

Another Septe-mber 8 is on hand. Its a day that must always be remembered in India for the march of folly that took us into a disaster. It was the beginning of our greatest shame. We must wonder if we have learnt any lesson. Have things really changed?

On September 8, 1962, units of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army had surrounded a small Indian Army post at Tsenjang on the northern bank of the Namka Chu stream just below the disputed Thagla ridge at the India-Bhutan-Tibet trijunction. The Indian post came to be established as a consequence of the asinine Forward Policy which was adopted by the Indian government after the Sino-Indian border dispute began hotting up, particularly after the flight of the Dalai Lama to India.

TheChinese couldnt have chosen a better place than Tsenjang to precipitate a military conflict with India. For a start, Tsenjang was north of the de facto border, which at that point ran midstream of Namka Chu. The PLA also commanded the high ground. By surrounding Tsenjang, the Chinese had now flung the gauntlet at India. India walked right into it, chin extended.

On September 10, then defence minister V.K. Krishna Menon conveyed his decision that the matter must be settled on the field, overruling the vehement objections of then Army Chief Gen. P.N. Thapar. Gen. Thapar warned that the Chinese had deployed in strength and even larger numbers were concentrated at nearby Le, very clearly determined to attack in strength if need be. He warned that fighting would break out all along the border and that there would be grave repercussions. But orders are orders, and consequently the Eastern Command ordered Brig. J.P. Dalvi, commanding 7 Brigade, to move forward within 48 hours and deal with the Chinese investing Dhola. Having imposed this order on a reluctant Army, Krishna Menon left for New York on September 18 but not before slyly conveying to the press that the Army has been ordered to evict the Chinese from Indian territory. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru too was abroad, having left India on September 7 only to return on September 30.

The Indian Army was under pressure, but Gen. Thapar was still not prepared to bow to sheer stupidity. On September 22, at a meeting that was presided over by deputy minister K. Raghur-amiah, Gen. Thapar once again warned the government of the possibility of grave repercussions and now demanded written orders. He received the following order signed by H.C. Sarin, then a mere joint secretary in the defence ministry: The decision throughout has been as discussed at previous meetings, that the Army should prepare and throw out the Chinese as soon as possible. The Chief of Army Staff was accordingly directed to take action for the eviction of the Chinese in the Kameng Frontier Division of NEFA as soon as he was ready.

Under the previous Army Chief, Gen. K.S. Thimayya, the Indian Army had developed a habit of winking at the governments impossible demands often impelled by its fanciful public posturing. The posturing itself was an outcome of the trenchant attacks on the government in Parliament by a galaxy of MPs. One particular MP, the young Atal Behari Vajpayee, was particularly eloquent in his quest to put Jawaharlal Nehru on the defensive. He and others like Lohia, Kripalani and Masani would frequently thunder that every inch of sacred Indian territory must be freed from the Chinese and accuse the government of a grave dereliction of its duties. They knew little, for then as it is even today, the government kept them ignorant of the facts. Clearly, there is a lesson here on how to deal with matters of grave national importance.

Nehru fell to these pressures by initiating the stupid Forward Policy and resorting to the use of more extravagant language to signal his own determination to Indias public and quieten the Opposition. A general summed up this policy succinctly by writing: We would build a post here and they would build one there and it became a bit of a game, to get there first!

Jawaharlal Nehru returned on September 30 and was furious that the Chinese were still not thrown out from the Thagla ridge. He was tired of the Indian Armys refrain of grave repercussions. He shouted at the hapless Army Chief: I dont care if the Chinese came as far as Delhi, they have to be driven out of Thagla. Unlike Gen. Thimayya, Gen. Thapar was less understanding of the governments compulsions and hence took its orders far more literally and seriously than it deserved.

Within the Indian Army there were serious reservations on the efficacy of the governments orders. The GOC-in-C, Northern Command, Lt. Gen. Daulat Singh, warned the government that it is imperative that political direction be based on military means. The 33 Corps, which was responsible for the sector, sent its candid opinions on the order. Its Brigadier General Staff, Jagjit Singh Aurora, who later won enduring fame as the liberator of Bangladesh, called up his friend Brig. D.K. Palit, then director of military operations, and berated him for issuing such impractical orders. Not only were the Chinese better placed in terms of terrain, men and material, the Indian troops were woefully ill-equipped, ill-clothed and had to be supplied by mule trains or airdrops. They were acutely short of ammunition. The objective of evicting the Chinese from Thagla itself was of no strategic or tactical consequence. The nation clearly needed a greater objective to go to precipitate an unequal war.

The governments reaction was a typical instance of political and bureaucratic chicanery and cunning. It ordered the establishment of the 4 Corps, culled out from 33 Corps, and appointed Maj. Gen. B.M. Kaul, a Nehru kinsman who never commanded a fighting unit before. He was a creature peculiar to Delhis political hothouse and adept in all the bureaucratic skills that are still in demand in our nations capital. He had the Prime Ministers ear, and thats all that mattered.

Governmental decision-making is still characterised by ad-hocism and a tendency to grandstand. It was this tendency that cost us so many lives in Kargil 1999, when we went into quick battle mostly to assuage public opinion and for domestic political gain without thinking through tactics. Have we done any better in Ladakh last year? Its only the unquestioning soldiers of the Indian Army who will still charge like the Light Brigade!
The Centre has rushed a team of the NCDC, which will provide technical support to the state

New Delhi: The Union health ministry on Sunday said the Centre has rushed a team of health experts to Kerala after a case of the Nipah virus was detected in Kozhikode. It said a 12-year-old boy showing symptoms of encephalitis and myocarditis (inflammation of brain and heart muscles) was found in Kozhikode district on September 3, who was hospitalised but then died on Sunday morning. His samples that were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, had tested positive for Nipah. The boy was from Choolur in Chathamangalam panchayat of Kerala.

The Nipah virus infection is a zoonotic illness that is transmitted to humans from animals like fruit bats and pigs and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly from person to person. In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. Consumption of fruits or fruit products such as raw date palm juice contaminated with urine or saliva from infected fruit bats is the most likely source of infection. Human-to-human transmission of Nipah virus has also been reported among family members and caregivers of infected patients.

The Centre has rushed a team of the NCDC, which will provide technical support to the state. The Union health ministry has advised the state to immediately take public health measures to contain the spread of Nipah. These include an active case search in the family, village and areas of Malappuram from where the case had come. Active contact tracing for the past 12 days has begun, and 17 primary contacts of the child have been placed under strict quarantine and isolation. Besides, more samples must be tested to check the spread of the virus. The police cordoned off a 3 km area around the boys house, with Chathamangalam completely closed and the nearby panchayats of Nayarkuzhy, Koolimad, Puthiyadam too have been partially shut.

Kerala health minister Veena George said those in the primary contact list of the deceased had not shown any symptoms yet but were being monitored. Three samples -- plasma, CSF and serum -- were found infected. He was admitted to the hospital with heavy fever four days ago. But on Saturday, his condition became worse. We had sent his samples for testing the day before yesterday, the minister said.

Kerala had in 2018 also seen a Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode and Malappuram. The state is already braving a tough Covid-19 situation and is reporting the highest number of daily Covid-19 cases.
The leaders made it clear that they will campaign against the BJP in both the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Assembly elections in 2022

New Delhi/Lucknow: Thousands of farmers protesting against the Centres three controversial agricultural laws held a mahapanchayat at Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, where they reiterated their resolve to continue with their agitation and campaign against the BJP in the forthcoming state elections. The farmers leaders also gave a unanimous call for a complete Bharat Bandh on September 27 against the three farm laws.

The leaders made it amply clear that they will campaign against the BJP in both the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Assembly elections in 2022 if the Centre did not accept their demands. They also threatened to carry on their agitation till the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The leaders said that efforts would now be made to strengthen the movement and ensure that farmers have their own government -- one that caters to their interests.

The leaders said the mahapanchayat had proved that their agitation has the support of all castes, religions, states, classes, small traders and all sections of society. Organised by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a combine of about 40 farmer unions, the mahapanchayat gained political significance as it was attended by a large number of Muslims and Jats as comrades-in-arms just eight years after riots had disturbed communal harmony in the region. The ruling BJP had become a major electoral beneficiary in the aftermath of the riots in the region.

Attacking the Central government for selling the country to corporates, Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait, who has become the face of the agitation across the country, said the farmers were fighting to save the nation. He said meetings will be held across India to stop the nation from getting sold. He said: Farmers should be saved, the country should be saved; business, employees and youth should be saved -- this is the aim of the rally.

The Congress also voiced support for the mahapanchayat, with party leader Rahul Gandhi saying the call of truth was echoing and an unjust government would be forced to listen. The call of truth is echoing. You have to listen, unjust government! he tweeted in Hindi.

AICC Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said: Farmers are the voice of this country. The farmers are the pride of the country. Arrogance of any power cannot withstand the roar of the farmers The whole country is with the farmers in the fight to save agriculture and in demanding their dues in lieu of their hard work.

Indicating a growing unease within some sections of the BJP over the continued farmers agitation ahead of the UP Assembly polls, party MP Varun Gandhi described the farmers as our own flesh and blood, and suggested that the government should re-engage with them in reaching common ground. Lakhs of farmers have gathered in protest today in Muzaffarnagar. They are our own flesh and blood. We need to start re-engaging with them in a respectful manner: understand their pain, their point of view and work with them in reaching common ground, Mr Gandhi tweeted, posting a short video of the large crowd.

Addressing the mahapanchayat, Mr Tikait said: The Centre ended talks on January 22. They did not even express grief over the deaths of more than 600 farmer protesters over the past nine months. Who are these people selling the country? We need to identify them. You (Centre) have cheated the people of the country. They are selling our farmlands, highways, power, LIC, banks and the corporate houses are the buyers. Even the FCI godowns and ports are being sold. Under this government, the entire country is up for sale.

Attacking both the Centre and the UP government, Mr Tikait said that the protests will only escalate in the days ahead. The mills owe over Rs 12,000 crores to sugarcane farmers.

The Yogi Adityanath government has not increased the SAP even by a rupee. The movement started over the demand to repeal three black laws and MSP. Fasalon ke daam nahi toh vote nahi. People of UP will not tolerate Shah, Modi and Yogi. Is the Yogi government so weak that it cannot raise the price of crops by even one rupee?  If we have governments like this, there will be riots.

BKU media in-charge Dharmendra Malik said farmers belonging to 300 organisations spread across different states like UP, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka, among others, had gathered for the event. He said over 5,000 langars (food stalls), including some mobile stalls, had been set up for the participants.

The farmers, including women, carrying flags of different organisations and wearing caps of different colours, arrived at the venue in buses, cars and tractors. A woman farmer leader from Karnataka also addressed the gathering in Kannada.

The Muzaffarnagar administration had denied Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhrys request to sprinkle flowers from a helicopter on the venue and participants of the mahapanchayat. City magistrate Abhishek Singh rejected the request, saying it cant be allowed for security reasons.

The mahapanchayat was also a mark of protest against the Haryana police action against protesters in Karnal on August 28. About 10 people were injured after the state police lathicharged a group of farmers who had stopped traffic on a highway while heading for Karnal to protest against a BJP meeting attended by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, state BJP chief Om Prakash Dhankar and other leaders. One person had died, which the police later said was a case of heart attack.

The farmers protest against the three contentious laws has completed over nine months since they first arrived at Delhis borders. They have been demanding the repeal of the laws, which they are afraid will do away with the MSP system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.
Panchjanya has a cover story on Infosys titled Saakh Aur Aghaat (Reputation and Damage), with Narayana Murthys picture on cover page

New Delhi: Clarifying that Panchjanya was not the mouthpiece of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), its all-India prachaar pramukh Sunil Ambekar on Sunday tried to distance the Sangh from an article critical of Indian software giant Infosys that was published in the weekly magazine.

Ambekar claimed that the article reflected the writers own opinion and should not be linked with the organisation.

However, firmly backing the article after the RSS clarification, Panchjanya said that if Infosys has any objections it should present its side by urging for a more thorough investigation of these facts in the interest of the company.

In its September 5 edition, Panchjanya has a four-page cover story on Infosys titled Saakh Aur Aghaat (Reputation and Damage), with its founder N.R. Narayana Murthys picture on the cover page. The article had termed Infosys as unchi dukan, phika pakwaan (great cry and little wool) and alleged that Infosys was aligned with anti-national forces and as a result messed up the governments income-tax portal.

Clarifying the RSS stand, Ambekar tweeted: As an Indian company, Infosys has made a seminal contribution in the progress of the country. There might be certain issues with a portal run by Infosys, but the article published by Panchjanya in this context only reflects the individual opinion of the author Panchjanya is not a mouthpiece of the RSS and the said article or opinions expressed in it should not be linked with the RSS.

The article drew flak from the Opposition parties, which lashed out at the magazine calling the piece anti-national. Linking the article with a recent statement by commerce minister Piyush Goyal, in which he had criticised Indian industries, the Opposition parties claimed the Sanghs coordinated attack on Indias prized corporates was shameful. While the Panchjanya article mentioned that the magazine does not have any solid evidence to say this, it added that Infosys had been accused many times of helping Naxalites, leftists and tukde-tukde gangs. It also asked whether Infosys would provide this same kind of shoddy service for its foreign clients.

However, standing firm by the article, Panchjanya editor Hitesh Shankar said Infosys was a big firm and very crucial work was given to it by the government on the basis of its credibility. The glitches in these tax portals are of national concern and those who are responsible for them should be held accountable, Mr Shankar said. He also tweeted: Panchjanya stands firm with its report If Infosys has objections, it should present its side by urging a more thorough investigation of these facts in the interest of the company Some elements are mentioning the RSS in this episode due to vested interests. Remember, this report is not related to the Sangh, it is about Infosys. It is a matter of facts  relating to the incompetence of the company.
Mr Bidens Budget proposals seek to increase public investment across the board

Friends and foes, allies and adversaries, just about everyone is criticising the US President either for his decision to pull American troops out of Afghanistan or for the way in which it was done. (AFP)

It is not fashionable these days to say anything favourable about Americas President Joseph Biden. Friends and foes, allies and adversaries, just about everyone is criticising the US President either for his decision to pull American troops out of Afghanistan or for the way in which it was done. The countries directly impacted by the decision, such as India, feel that their security concerns ought to have been factored in and better addressed. The countries directly dependent on Americas security protection, such as Taiwan, worry about future the US commitment to their national security. Most others, however, merely taunt and ridicule Mr Biden for not being a Trump-like macho.

The future course of events, especially across Eurasia, will determine Mr Bidens place in history. As for future developments in Afghanistan itself, there are three likely scenarios, and each one of them can end up showing President Biden in a good light. First, the Taliban could turn a new leaf, focus on stabilising their nation, provide an inclusive government and get involved with the countrys development; second, the Taliban may get bogged down in internecine quarrels among various ethnic and sectarian groups dragging Afghanistan into a civil war; and, third, the Taliban and other radical Islamic groups could consolidate their hold over Afghanistan and use it as a launch pad to create trouble all around in Iran, Pakistan, Russia, China and India. If the first scenario works out, Mr Biden will be hailed a hero. If, on the other hand, the second scenario comes about, many would regard Mr Biden as wise and prescient, getting US troops out and getting the Taliban bogged down in their own backyard. Many in the United States would happily welcome the third scenario playing out, while apologising to India for any collateral damage. History is likely to be kinder to Mr Biden than the contemporary media.

While we in India have to clean up our own house and get our act together to be able to deal with the challenge of cross-border terrorism and religious radicalisation, Mr Biden would be busy renewing his own home countrys capacity to deal with the extant challenges of the twenty-first century. Mr Bidens August 31 address to the nation deserves closer reading. Mr Bidens six key propositions, in his own words, were as follows:

(1) While making sure that Afghanistan can never be used again to launch an attack on our homeland The fight against terrorism, wherever in the world, does not require the occupation of territory. The US has over-the-horizon capabilities and can strike terrorists and targets without American boots on the ground.

(2) The US will henceforth prioritise serious competition with China; challenges on multiple fronts with Russia; and the challenges posed by cyberattacks and nuclear proliferation.

(3) The US has to shore up Americas competitiveness to meet these new challenges in the competition for the 21st century.

(4) The US can do both, fight terrorism and take on new threats that are here now and will continue to be here in the future.

(5) While staying clearly focused on the fundamental national security interests of the United States of America, Mr Biden assured the American people, the decision about Afghanistan is not just about Afghanistan. Its about ending an era of major military operations to remake other countries.

(6) Finally, Mr Biden signed off letting his support base know that during his presidency, 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.

In its essence, what these propositions suggest is that even as the United States retains the capacity and will to deal with the challenge of terrorism, it will not place its soldiers in harms way since it has other means to achieve its ends. More importantly, Mr Biden has declared that not only would the US not engage in forever wars and military deployment to deal with terrorism but that that the real challenge to US power globally comes from a relative loss of competitiveness vis-a-vis its peer group of major powers, especially China.

This worldview has been in the making. Slogans like President Donald Trumps America First and Mr Bidens Build Back Better and the focus on modernising soft and hard infrastructure are all part of an agenda of renewal aimed at ensuring that the US remains ahead of all challengers. Mr Bidens Budget proposals seek to increase public investment across the board, especially in Americas educational and social base and its technological capability.

Any objective assessment of US capability, capacity and competence would suggest that America has the ability to bounce back and remain ahead of the competition well into the present century. America has done it before, recovering from defeat and renewing itself. It would, therefore, be premature to declare the end of Pax Americana or the arrival of a new Post-American Era.

Mr Bidens Afghanistan decision has raised questions about trust among friends and allies, but these can potentially be addressed to the latters satisfaction. The questions about competence raised by the Kabul exit will fade away if Mr Biden pursues a new game, dealing with friends and foes.

The bottom line is that the world still needs the United States. Even countries that maintain good relations with China want the US around, including Russia and Iran. The US can easily improve relations with both and with most neighbours of China to ensure its global relevance. The only joker in the pack would be if China too seeks better relations with the US. That would throw up new challenges for India. There are many signals coming out of China that suggest that its political leadership is now more concerned about domestic economic growth and political stability than wanting to challenge the US in the foreseeable future.

If all major powers remain preoccupied with domestic challenges and regional stability, and if no major terrorist attacks emanate out of Afghanistan-Pakistan-Iran, the new Biden doctrine has the potential to renew American power and make the world feel safer. Whatever the future may hold, for now President Biden can make a credible case for aspiring to a Nobel Peace Prize.
The Panjshir Valley is famed for being the site of resistance to Soviet forces in the 1980s and the Taliban in the late 1990s

In this Aug. 25, 2021, file photo, armored vehicles are seen in Panjshir Valley, north of Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo: AP)

Kabul: The Taliban said Monday they had captured the last pocket of resistance in Afghanistan, the Panjshir Valley, as the top US diplomat flies to Qatar to try and handle the aftermath of the chaotic American withdrawal.

Following their lightning-fast rout of Afghanistan's army last month -- and celebrations when the last US troops flew out after 20 years of war -- the Taliban turned to crush the forces defending the mountainous Panjshir Valley.

"With this victory, our country is completely taken out of the quagmire of war," chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

Late Sunday, the so-called National Resistance Front (NRF) -- made up of anti-Taliban militia and former Afghan security forces -- acknowledged suffering major battlefield losses in Panjshir and called for a ceasefire.

The NRF includes local fighters loyal to Ahmad Massoud -- the son of the famous anti-Soviet and anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud -- as well as remnants of the Afghan military that retreated to the Panjshir Valley.

The group said in a tweet Sunday that spokesman Fahim Dashty -- a well-known Afghan journalist -- and General Abdul Wudod Zara had been killed in the latest fighting.

The NRF had vowed to fight the Taliban but also said it was willing to negotiate with the Islamists. But initial contact did not lead to a breakthrough.

The Panjshir Valley is famed for being the site of resistance to Soviet forces in the 1980s and the Taliban in the late 1990s.

Taliban government

The Taliban are yet to finalise their new regime after rolling into Kabul three weeks ago at a speed that analysts say likely surprised even the hardline Islamists themselves.

Afghanistan's new rulers have pledged to be more "inclusive" than during their first stint in power, which also came after years of conflict -- first the Soviet invasion of 1979, and then a bloody civil war.

They have promised a government that represents Afghanistan's complex ethnic makeup -- though women are unlikely to be included at the top levels.

Women's freedoms in Afghanistan were sharply curtailed under the Taliban's 1996-2001 rule.

This time, women will be allowed to attend university as long as classes are segregated by sex or at least divided by a curtain, the Taliban's education authority said in a lengthy document issued on Sunday.

But female students must also wear an abaya (robe) and niqab (face-veil), as opposed to the even more conservative burqa mandatory under the previous Taliban regime.

As the Taliban come to grips with their transition from insurgency to government they are facing a host of challenges, including humanitarian needs for which international assistance is critical.

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths has arrived in Kabul for several days of meetings with the Taliban leadership, which has promised to help.

"The authorities pledged that the safety and security of humanitarian staff, and humanitarian access to people in need, will be guaranteed and that humanitarian workers -- both men and women -- will be guaranteed freedom of movement," a statement from UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The Taliban spokesman tweeted that the group's delegation assured the UN of cooperation.

Blinken trip to Qatar, Germany

The international community is coming to terms with the new Taliban regime with a flurry of diplomacy.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due Monday in Qatar, which has been a key player in the Afghan saga.

Qatar, which hosts a major US military base, has been the gateway for 55,000 people airlifted out of Afghanistan, nearly half the total evacuated by US-led forces after the Taliban takeover on August 15.

Blinken will also speak to the Qataris about efforts alongside Turkey to reopen Kabul's airport, which is necessary for flying in badly needed humanitarian aid and evacuating remaining Afghans.

Blinken will then head Wednesday to the US air base in Ramstein, Germany, a temporary home for thousands of Afghans moving to the United States, from which he will hold a virtual 20-nation ministerial meeting on the crisis alongside German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.
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Small-town Aspen looking even smaller from the top of the mountain on Sept. 1. Close-knit mountain communities often feel the loss of a suicide more acutely than larger cities, Deputy Coroner Audra Keith noted, but 2020 did not show a spike in the tragic statistic despite the pandemic.
New York and New Jersey drivers are notorious for a very good reason, and the George Washington Bridge showcases the worst of the worst from both states on a regular basis. This hub connecting Manhattan Island and Fort Lee, New Jersey, is regularly host to hideous accidents on top of the near-permanent bumper-to-bumper traffic. One Daily News article reported how a couple in their 50's were gruesomely killed when they were cut off by a person driving a Corvette. This constant stop and go and then suddenly stopping again is a recipe for disaster, especially for distracted drivers. This is just one of dozens of others over the years, scary prospects for all but experienced drivers.



Want to add insult to gruesome injury, the proud state of New York will charge you $16 for the privilege of scaring you half to death by being cut off by tractor-trailers. You can save a little bit of money by purchasing a New York State E-ZPass, but this is largely offset by the cost of the device itself.

The 59th street bridge has seen New York City rise to the mega-city it is today. Opened in 1909, Ford Model T's happily traversed this historic gem of a bridge when it was brand new.



Today, its two levels of roadway whisk modern traffic across the East River for free both ways via New York State Route 25, which starts at the west inlet of the Queensboro and ends over 100 miles away at Orient Point on Long Island.



Taking this route does require using the FDR and Harlem River drive ring roads around Manhattan, and a brief bout of driving through Manhattan itself. Rest assured, NYC taxi drivers are not out to crash into you. As long as you remain calm, drive carefully, and always watch for pedestrians, it's basically the same as driving anywhere else in America.



The route is significantly longer than the usual sprint from the George Washing Bridge to The Whitestone and back again.



A trip like that would cost five times as much just to get from New Jersey to Long Island and even more going back. When you consider that lots of commuters regularly make this trip for work, maybe this local trick doesn't seem so ridiculous. So next time you decide to take a road trip through the great Empire State, now you know how for a lot less money.

The weight and axel count drives this toll price into outer space, truckers unfortunate enough to be forced to take this bridge eastbound into Manhattan at beak hour would have to fork over a cool $110. Don't even think about disregarding that payment, the New York Toll Authority can and will impose thousands of dollars in fines.Use Instead: Tappan Zee Bridge (I-287 Nyack to Tarrytown)Hardly anyone cares that disgraced ex-New York governor Andrew Cuomo slapped his late father's name on this brand new double-wide cable bridge. Locals always have and always will call it the Tappan Zee.This bridge is one of the New York metroplex's hidden gems. Not only does it provide an alternative way of getting between New York and New Jersey, but the toll here will only run you $6.83 going eastbound and free going west - this is even less with an E-ZPass subscription.On the way into the city for a night on the town, but you don't feel like risking your life on the GW Bridge? We recommend hopping on the scenic Palisades Parkway, that'll take you right to the eastbound entrance of the bridge. Not only that, but this new bridge, which opened only four years ago, is also stunningly beautiful when illuminated at night. It's the perfect bridge to cruise across in a Delorean , pretending it's the 1980s.Avoid at All Costs: Whitestone BridgeQueens is not immune to the E-ZPass plague, the most ethnically diverse NYC boro has two bridges connecting it to the Bronx across the East River. We'll give a passing mention to the Throgs Neck Bridge. But for now, we're going to focus on its counterpart, the Whitestone. Without EZ Pass, a trip either way across this bridge will cost you a harsh $10.17. Forget to pay the toll, and you'll regret it.The Whitestone is one of the most profitable toll bridges for the New York Tolling Authority. This is largely off the backs of thousands of dollars in late fees if people don't pay tolls promptly.With only a 40 mph (64 kph) speed limit, speeding tickets are frequent and infuriating on this bridge. If only there was some other way to get around this headache waiting to happen. Happily, there is.Use Instead: Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge
First came the EQS, and now we have the EQE, another four-door sedan featuring a whole new design language  new not just to Mercedes, but to the whole world. While this applies to the EQS as well, Im going to be talking mostly about the EQE here, since it just made its debut at IAA 2021 in Munich.The 2023 Mercedes EQE , to me, looks like something a reasonably talented 10-year-old would have drawn on a sheet of paper back in the early 1990s if tasked with imagining a futuristic mid-size premium sedan. It pains me to say this, but the EQEs non-conventional shape is a little weird. Just because were entering this new era of electric mobility doesnt mean were willing to give up on having cars that look imposing and/or sporty.And no, theres nothing imposing or sporty about the Mercedes EQE. While the rear end design isnt bad, the front end is just flat out dull to look at with that small overhang, gaping black panel where the grille would have been and headlights that blend into the fascia. Let me put it this way: if youre hating on BMW for choosing function over form with regards to the old 5 Series GT or the current 6 Series GT, logic dictates that youd do the same when it comes to the EQE/EQS duo We also know Mercedes can make a good-looking sleek sedan  pick any generation CLS, all of which have more character than any of these new EQ-brand models.As for the regular E-Class, if we were to compare it with the EQE in terms of size, the latter would indeed hold the advantage. The EQE is longer, wider and taller than the E-Class, and features a considerably larger wheelbase (122.8 inches vs. 115.7 inches). However, the E-Class has more trunk space (19 cu.ft vs. 15 cu.ft), and unlike the EQS with its hatchback-like trunk, the EQEs trunk mechanism works like on a typical sedan, so you cant argue for it being more practical in that sense.Its true that were simply not used to what Mercedes is trying to do with some of their more recent designs, and cars like the EQE might just be ahead of their time . Its also possible we might never see another conventional-looking all-new sedan within the next 10 or so years, and thats both fascinating as well as sad, in a way.Still, it cant all be about aerodynamic designs, because range anxiety will stop being a thing, at some point (soon probably), and you wont want to be the one driving something that looks more like a geometric shape than an actual automobile.I do however like the two EQE 350 models on display at Mercedes' IAA 2021 stand. Both have AMG-styled bumpers , futuristic-looking wheels and contrasting colorways. Of course, the interior is stunning and we wouldn't expect anything less from a Mercedes-Benz.
First of all, we should take care of the elephant in the room. XEV failed to raise 500,000 euros (make that $593,425 at current exchange rates) on Kickstarter last February for the YoYo. The Italo-Chinese startup aims to combine smart urban mobility with industrial additive manufacturing, which brings us to the 3D-printed car displayed at the IAA 2021.Clearly inspired by the Renault Twizy and smart fortwo, the heavy quadricycle doesnt bring anything new to the world of electromobility except for 3D printing technology. XEV says that its quirky urban dweller is fully compliant with Europes current safety standards, which is curious because no crash-test footage has ever been released so far by XEV.Previously known as the LSEV, the YoYo offers a relatively small trunk and just enough space for two people seated abreast. Equipped with keyless entry, a large touchscreen for the infotainment system, and power mirrors, this fellow boasts a total of nine paint finishes at the moment of reporting. In addition to the Mochaccino and Electric Blue models exhibited at IAA 2021 , prospective customers are further offered Midnight Blue, Spicy Salmon, Pure White, Urban Gray, Fresh Lime, Prototype Gray, and Space Black.Capable of 150 kilometers (93 miles) on a full charge and up to 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles per hour) when you really mash the accelerator pedal, the YoYo starts at 13,900 euros ($16,500) in Italy. Add the governments plug-in incentive to the mix, and 10,900 euros ($12,940) seems like a bit of a steal for this cutesy little car with a swappable battery that can be charged from a household outlet like every other electric vehicle.The question is, would you spend your hard-earned money on the newcomer, or would you get a quadricycle from a better-known automaker? The Citroen Ami comes to mind, which kicks off at merely 7,200 euros ($8,550) in Italy.
Happily, for these people, Platinum Fighter Sales of Redondo Beach, California, is here to service this very niche but an undeniably profitable market segment.Their inventory has some genuinely stunning aircraft sitting in their hangars. Like two F4U Corsair naval fighters, a Grumman TBM Avengenger torpedo-bomber, and even two specially imported Soviet Yakovlev YAK 9 and YAK 11 fighters.Even among that kind of company, the XP-82 Twin Mustang this So-Cal based company has for sale could make even the most staunch non-warplane enthusiasts head turn. The entire airframe has been meticulously and expertly restored to the same condition it was when it left North American Aviations factory in 1944.The two Packard Merlin-1650 V12 engines fitted to either side of this two-pronged leviathan have also been extensive. The latest in navigation and avionics equipment was installed courtesy of Garmin navigation systems.This airframes only seen 25 hours of flight time since its extensive restoration process. Being one of only two P-82 Twin Mustangs in private ownership, this is the only example in flight-ready status.As for the price for this near one-of-a-kind warbird? Well, Platinum Fighter Sales likely only wants to field offers from people wealthy enough to legitimately afford the aircraft and have asked to call to receive that information.As only two are currently in private hands, theres little information about what previous sales figures have looked like. Whats known for sure is that the standard single P51 Mustang, the P-82, was based on easily sells for above $2 Million in private sales. Expect the double trouble this Twin-Stang brings to the table to send that figure into the stratosphere.
Chevrolet is not having the best of times in the Philippines or the ASEAN region. When the automaker decided to close down its production hub in Thailand last year, the bow-tie brand lost two of its most important models for the ASEAN region, the Colorado pick-up and the Trailblazer PPV.

At the same time, Chevrolet Philippines distributor The Covenant Car Company Inc. (TCCCI) dropped more models from its lineup, such as the Sail, Malibu, and the Tahoe. With the Spark, Suburban, Camaro, and the C7 Corvette the only available models in the Philippines, Chevy needs new models to freshen their lineup.

The company plans to do this by offering new products from the People's Republic. The first of which is the all-new Tracker that debuted last July. It replaced the aging Trax and now serves as the bow-tie brand's B-segment crossover. It's powered by a 1.0L turbocharged engine and comes with Apple CarPlay across the range.

But Chevrolet could use another crossover in its lineup, particularly with three rows of seats. Lucky for them, the automaker recently revealed the upgraded Blazer for the Chinese market. While it may still look like the model that Chevy revealed back in late 2019, this particular model has a new trick up its sleeve.

Like its closest rival, the Geely Okavango, the Blazer now benefits from a 48V mild-hybrid system. Together with the 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoTec engine with 236 PS and 350 Nm of torque, Chevy says the 7-seater Blazer with mild-hybrid technology provides extra pulling power and a more efficient drive.

Chevy did not reveal the Blazer's combined system output. But they did say that the SUV can now go from 0  100 km/h in just 8.4 seconds thanks to the mild-hybrid system. It also has a combined fuel consumption of 14.08 km/l.

Should Chevrolet Philippines bring the Blazer here, it could go head-to-head against the Geely Okavango. Whereas the Okavango only makes do with a 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbo MHEV, the Blazer trounces it with a more powerful 2.0-liter EcoTec with the mild-hybrid assist.

With the Trailblazer PPV consigned to the history books, perhaps Chevy can bring its spiritual successor to continue carrying the torch.
Why it matters: The space industry is growing, and what was once the purview of nations is increasingly being taken over by companies looking to profit from their work in space. That new dynamic will shape the coming decades in orbit and beyond.

The past 50 years in space have been defined by governments, but the future belongs to private companies.

The past 50 years in space have been defined by governments, but the future belongs to private companies.

Why it matters: The space industry is growing, and what was once the purview of nations is increasingly being taken over by companies looking to profit from their work in space. That new dynamic will shape the coming decades in orbit and beyond.

The big picture: Morgan Stanley predicts space could become a $1 trillion industry by 2040, built on the ideas of private companies and nations that back them.

Nations have historically been focused on scientific missions and exploration, but private companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin have different goals.

They want to establish a permanent human presence on Mars and bring about a future where millions of people are living and working in space.

To do that, the cost of launching infrastructure  like satellites, telescopes and other tools  needs to come down, and a lot more people need to go up.

One of the most consequential things happening today that will affect the future of space is a megaconstellation of internet-beaming satellites called Starlink being launched by SpaceX. Other companies plan to do the same.

Those groups of small satellites risk cluttering certain orbits around Earth, but they also represent a potentially huge business for companies to reach their bigger goals.

Companies are also looking to science as a possible way to profit in space. Rocket Lab, for example, plans to launch its own mission to Venus, while other companies are sending satellites to space to keep an eye on the Earth's surface and climate.

Yes, but: Launch costs have gone down in recent years, but that's no guarantee the trend will continue.

"For years I've been hearing, the cost of launch is going to drop; it's going to drop; it's going to get smaller and smaller," Victoria Samson of the Secure World Foundation tells Axios. "It hasn't quite gotten there yet, it might."

Regulation also hasn't yet caught up to the companies launching hundreds of satellites to orbit each year, creating concerns about space junk and collisions between spacecraft that could become more frequent in the future.

Companies like Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic and SpaceX have just started launching their first passengers to space.

Although this flashy part of the space industry may not bring in huge amounts of revenue, it could bring more interest to the sector and help it grow.

In the coming years, these companies will have to prove themselves, Samson says. "Can they get people up there safely and back down safely?"

Between the lines: Even though companies will dominate much of the space landscape in coming years, nations will increasingly use the domain as an important geopolitical and international relations tool.

China and the U.S. are aiming for the Moon  and the U.S. is using contracts with private companies to get there.

Space is also increasingly becoming militarized and weaponized.

The bottom line: There are far more players in space today  and there will be more in the coming decades. It's a whole new ballgame up there.
The death toll from Hurricane Ida and its aftermath rose to 12 in Louisiana on Saturday, Reuters reports.

The big picture: Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) said that number might continue to increase because so many people are relying on power from generators, which were blamed for four carbon monoxide deaths among the 12.
Photographs released by the Armenian Ministry of Health showed workers at Yerevans Zvartnots international airport unloading containers filled with the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab from a cargo plane.

Another European Union member state, Lithuania, donated and delivered 27,500 doses of the same vaccine to Armenia last Friday.

In early August, France pledged to provide 200,000 vaccine doses to the South Caucasus country.

The donations are significant for the country of about 3 million where only 303,325 vaccine shots were administered as of September 5. Just over 108,000 of its residents have been fully vaccinated since the launch of the Armenian governments immunization campaign in April, according to the Ministry of Health.

The campaign has been seriously hampered by widespread vaccine hesitancy. In a bid to accelerate it, the government is resorting to administrative measures.

Health Minister Anahit Avanesian on Monday reaffirmed her recent decision to require all public and private sector employees refusing vaccination to take coronavirus tests twice a month at their own expense. She said that entities and individuals not complying with the new requirement, effective from October 1, will risk fines.

In televised comments to the governments press service, Avanesian said health authorities will have enough vaccines to inoculate a much larger proportion of the population. The minister reaffirmed government plans to purchase this fall large quantities of vaccines manufactured by U.S. pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Novavax.

The authorities have until now received and used only vaccines developed by Russia, China as well as Oxford University and the Anglo-Swedish company AstraZeneca.

Avanesian said a faster vaccine rollout is essential for countering a slow but steady increase in daily coronavirus cases, which began in June and is now threatening to overwhelm Armenias healthcare system.

She said the upward trend will likely continue in the weeks ahead given the start of a new academic year in the Armenian schools and universities. They were most recently reopened in December.

The Ministry of Health said on Monday morning that 13 more people have died from COVID-19 in the past day, bringing to 6,088 the total number of officially registered coronavirus-related deaths in the country.
Former Marine arrested in Florida shooting that killed family of 4 is denied bond
Lois Henry is the CEO and editor of SJV Water, a nonprofit, independent online news publication dedicated to covering water issues in the San Joaquin Valley. She can be reached at lois.henry@sjvwater.org. The website is sjvwater.org.
School campuses have roared back to life with students in Kern County, but making sure that crucial roles are fully staffed in the first weeks
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DALLAS (AP)  Ask anyone old enough to remember travel before Sept. 11, 2001, and you're likely to get a gauzy recollection of what flying was like.

There was security screening, but it wasnt anywhere near as intrusive. There were no long checkpoint lines. Passengers and their families could walk right to the gate together, postponing goodbye hugs until the last possible moment. Overall, an airport experience meant far less stress.

That all ended when four hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.

The worst terror attack on American soil led to increased and sometimes tension-filled security measures in airports across the world, aimed at preventing a repeat of that awful day. The cataclysm has also contributed to other changes large and small that have reshaped the airline industry  and, for consumers, made air travel more stressful than ever.

Two months after the attacks, President George W. Bush signed legislation creating the Transportation Security Administration, a force of federal airport screeners that replaced the private companies that airlines were hiring to handle security. The law required that all checked bags be screened, cockpit doors be reinforced, and more federal air marshals be put on flights.

There has not been another 9/11. Nothing even close. But after that day, flying changed forever.

NEW THREATS, PRIVACY CONCERNS

Here's how it unfolded.

Security measures evolved with new threats, and so travelers were asked to take off belts and remove some items from bags for scanning. Things that clearly could be wielded as weapons, like the box-cutters used by the 9/11 hijackers, were banned. After shoe bomber Richard Reid's attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001, footwear started coming off at security checkpoints.

Each new requirement seemed to make checkpoint lines longer, forcing passengers to arrive at the airport earlier if they wanted to make their flights. To many travelers, other rules were more mystifying, such as limits on liquids because the wrong ones could possibly be used to concoct a bomb.

It's a much bigger hassle than it was before 9/11  much bigger  but we have gotten used to it, Ronald Briggs said as he and his wife, Jeanne, waited at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport for a flight to London last month. The north Texas retirees, who traveled frequently before the pandemic, said they are more worried about COVID-19 than terrorism.

The point about taking shoes off because of one incident on a plane seems somewhat on the extreme side," Ronald Briggs said, "but the PreCheck works pretty smoothly, and I've learned to use a plastic belt so I don't have to take it off.

The long lines created by post-attack measures gave rise to the PreCheck and Global Entry trusted-traveler programs" in which people who pay a fee and provide certain information about themselves pass through checkpoints without removing shoes and jackets or taking laptops out of their bag.

But that convenience has come at a cost: privacy.

On its application and in brief interviews, PreCheck asks people about basic information like work history and where they have lived, and they give a fingerprint and agree to a criminal-records check. Privacy advocates are particularly concerned about ideas that TSA has floated to also examine social media postings (the agency's top official says that has been dropped), press reports about people, location data and information from data brokers including how applicants spend their money.

It's far from clear that that has any relationship to aviation security, says Jay Stanley, a privacy expert at the American Civil Liberties Union.

More than 10 million people have enrolled in PreCheck. TSA wants to raise that to 25 million.

The goal is to let TSA officers spend more time on passengers considered to be a bigger risk. As the country marks the 20th anniversary of the attacks, the TSA's work to expand PreCheck is unfolding in a way privacy advocates worry could put people's information at more risk.

At the direction of Congress, the TSA will expand the use of private vendors to gather information from PreCheck applicants. It currently uses a company called Idemia, and plans by the end of the year to add two more  Telos Identity Management Solutions and Clear Secure Inc.

Clear, which recently went public, plans to use PreCheck enrollment to boost membership in its own identity-verification product by bundling the two offerings. That will make Clear's own product more valuable to its customers, which include sports stadiums and concert promoters.

They are really trying to increase their market share by collecting quite a lot of very sensitive data on as many people as they can get their hands on. That strikes a lot of alarm bells for me, says India McKinney, director of federal affairs for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an advocacy group for digital rights.

TSA Administrator David Pekoske, though, sees Clear's strategy as helping TSA. Says Pekoske: We have allowed the vendors to bundle their offerings together with the idea that would be an incentive for people to sign up for the trusted-traveler programs."

The TSA is testing the use of kiosks equipped with facial-recognition technology to check photo IDs and boarding passes rather than having an officer do it. Critics say facial-recognition technology makes errors, especially on people of color.

TSA officials told privacy advocates earlier this year that those kiosks will also pull photos taken when the traveler applied for PreCheck, McKinney says. That concerns her because it would mean connecting the kiosks to the internet  TSA says that much is true  and potentially exposing the information to hackers.

They are totally focusing on the convenience factor," McKinney says, and they are not focusing on the privacy and security factors.

SECURITY THEATER?

Despite the trauma that led to its creation, and the intense desire to avoid another 9/11, the TSA itself has frequently been the subject of questions about its methods, ideas and effectiveness.

Flight attendants and air marshals were outraged when the agency proposed in 2013 to let passengers carry folding pocket knives and other long-banned items on planes again. The agency dropped the idea. And after another outcry, the TSA removed full-body scanners that produced realistic-looking images that some travelers compared to virtual strip searches. They were replaced by other machines that caused fewer privacy and health objections. Pat-downs of travelers are a constant complaint.

In 2015, a published report said TSA officers failed 95% of the time to detect weapons or explosive material carried by undercover inspectors. Members of Congress who received a classified briefing raised their concerns to Pekoske, with one lawmaker saying that TSA is broken badly.

Critics, including former TSA officers, have derided the agency as security theater that gives a false impression of safeguarding the traveling public. Pekoske dismisses that notion by pointing to the huge number of guns seized at airport checkpoints  more than 3,200 last year, 83% of them loaded  instead of making it onto planes.

Pekoske also ticked off other TSA tasks, including vetting passengers, screening checked bags with 3-D technology, inspecting cargo and putting federal air marshals on flights.

There is an awful lot there that people don't see, Pekoske says. Rest assured: This is not security theater. It's real security.

Many independent experts agree with Pekoske's assessment, though they usually see areas where the TSA must improve.

"TSA is an effective deterrent against most attacks, says Jeffrey Price, who teaches aviation security at Metropolitan State University of Denver and has co-authored books on the subject. If its security theater, like some critics say, its pretty good security theater because since 9/11 we havent had a successful attack against aviation.

This summer, an average of nearly 2 million people per day have flowed through TSA checkpoints. On weekends and holidays they can be teeming with stressed-out travelers. During the middle of the week, even at big airports like DFW, they are less crowded; they hum rather than roar. Most travelers accept any inconvenience as the price of security in an uncertain world.

Travel is getting harder and harder, and I don't think it's just my age, said Paula Gathings, who taught school in Arkansas for many years and was waiting for a flight to Qatar and then another to Kenya, where she will spend the next several months teaching. She blames the difficulty of travel on the pandemic, not the security apparatus.

They are there for my security. They aren't there to hassle me," Gathings said of TSA screeners and airport police. "Every time somebody asks me to do something, I can see the reason for it. Maybe it's the schoolteacher in me.

THREATS FROM WITHIN

In 2015, a Russian airliner crashed shortly after taking off from Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt. American and British officials suspected it was brought down by a bomb.

It was, however, the exception rather than the rule. Even outside the United States, terror attacks on aviation since Sept. 11, 2001 have been rare. Is that because of effective security? Proving a negative, or even attributing it directly to a certain flavor of prevention, is always a dicey exercise.

And then there are the inside jobs.

 In 2016, a bomb ripped a hole in a Daallo Airlines plane shortly after takeoff, killing the bomber but 80 other passengers and crew survived. Somali authorities released video from Mogadishu's airport that they said showed the man being handed a laptop containing the bomb.

 In 2018, a Delta Air Lines baggage handler in Atlanta was convicted of using his security pass to smuggle more than 100 guns on flights to New York.

 The following year, an American Airlines mechanic with Islamic State videos on his phone pleaded guilty to sabotaging a plane full of passengers by crippling a system that measures speed and altitude. Pilots aborted the flight during takeoff in Miami.

Those incidents highlight a threat that TSA needs to worry about  people who work for airlines or airports and have security clearance that lets them avoid regular screening. Pekoske says TSA is improving its oversight of the insider threat.

All those folks that have a (security) badge, youre right, many do have unescorted access throughout an airport, but they also go through a very rigorous vetting process before they are even hired, Pekoske says. Those workers are typically reviewed every few years, but he says TSA is rolling out a system that will trigger immediate alerts based on law enforcement information.

With all the different ways that deadly chaos could happen on airplanes after 9/11, the fact remains: Most of the time, it hasn't. The act of getting on a metal machine and rising into the air to travel quickly across states and countries and oceans remains a central part of the 21st-century human experience, arduous though it may be.

And while the post-9/11 global airport security apparatus has grown to what some consider unreasonable proportions, it will never neutralize all threats  or even be able to enforce the rules it has written. Just ask Nathan Dudney, a sales executive for a sporting goods manufacturer in Nashville who says he occasionally forgets about ammunition in his carry-on bag.

Sometimes its discovered, he says, and sometimes not. He understands.

You cant catch everything, Dudney says. Theyre doing things to the best of their ability.

___

David Koenig, based in Dallas, covers air travel and the airline industry for The Associated Press. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/airlinewriter
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.
CHATHAM, Mass. (AP)  Theres no ominous music, no telltale fin breaking the surface as the powerful silhouette of a great white shark glides alongside the small tour boat off Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

Michael Simard crouches low and points a finger in the direction of the roughly 10-foot (3-meter) predator cruising in the glassy water below.

The 48-year-old construction foreman from Cambridge, Massachusetts, glances back at his partner, Penny Antonoglou, who dutifully pulls out her smartphone while he holds the pose. Smile. Click.

Its awe-inspiring, really, Simard said after the tour, where they spotted at least six great whites. I didnt realize how graceful they were. It does put it into perspective that this is their element, and we just share it with them.

Three summers after Cape Cod saw two great white shark attacks on humans  including the states first fatal attack since 1936  the popular tourist destination south of Boston is showing signs its slowly, tentatively embracing its shark-y reputation.

A small but growing group of charter boat operators are offering great white shark tours in a region where whale and seal watching excursions have long been a tourist rite of passage.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, a prominent nonprofit shark research organization, is among those that have jumped into the shark ecotourism game. It's also renovated its Shark Center, a family-friendly museum showcasing its research into the local shark population, and is building another educational outpost set to open next summer in the bustling tourist center of Provincetown.

Elsewhere, local shark-themed merchandisers are reporting brisk businesses, even as the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted parts of the regions tourism industry. Cape Cod hosts about 4 million visitors a year, who bring in more than $1 billion in tourism spending and support thousands of jobs.

It feels like were on the trajectory of it being a point of pride for Cape Cod, said Patrick Clarke, owner of the jewelry company Cape Clasp, of the regions white sharks. A lot of the initial fear and hysteria was the fear of the unknown, but were learning more and more about them every year.

Clarke makes a range of jewelry featuring whales, turtles and other marine life, but says the shark-themed pieces  specifically a bracelet made from marine-grade cord held together by a great white shark-shaped sterling silver clasp  are consistently his top sellers.

In Chatham, a hub of the local shark tourism industry, a company that started selling popular stickers of Cape Cod in the shape of a great white shark some seven years ago has taken off as the local shark population has also come into its own.

Kristina Manter says Cape Shark, the apparel company she co-owns with her boyfriend, opened a brick-and-mortar storefront on Main Street last summer to sell a range of hoodies, sweatpants, T-shirts and other clothing adorned with the logo.

Were not just popping up because we saw the tourism. Weve been around because weve loved the sharks and believed in their conservation, Manter says. It just kind of fell together perfectly.

Theres no definitive tally for how much shark-related tourism contributes to the roughly 65-mile (105-kilometer) peninsula's economy, but its growth is helping stretch the tourist season into the fall, as peak shark sightings happen in August and September, says Paul Niedzwiecki, CEO of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.

Indeed, dozens of beaches have temporarily closed in recent weeks after sharks were spotted as close as 30 feet (9 meters) from some of the Cape's most famous stretches of sand. Shark researchers say they expect to be out tagging and observing the predators into November, if the weather permits.

Several years ago, there was a concern that it might have a negative impact on tourism, Niedzwiecki said. But weve been working to educate people about sharks and what weve actually seen is no negative impact.

Mike Bosley, who captained the shark tour Simard and Antonoglou took last month, hopes shark watching tours can bring a different perspective to the local shark discourse.

Theres always been sharks, but there hasnt always been the opportunity to interact with sharks in this fashion, said Bosley, whose Dragonfly Sportfishing started offering shark tours in earnest this summer in between its regular fishing and whale watching excursions. Theyre part of our ecosystem.

Since the 2018 attacks, Cape officials have invested in better training and equipment for lifeguards and first responders to keep beachgoers safe as great white sharks migrate in ever larger numbers to feast on the regions bountiful seal population.

But a group of concerned residents, vacationers and other advocates have formed a nonprofit to push for more sophisticated and proactive shark safety measures, such as undersea detection, land-based warning systems and drone surveillance.

Local surfers, meanwhile, have taken to arming themselves with shark repellents, including personal devices that emit electrical fields that supposedly deter but don't harm sharks.

Concern about great whites is growing elsewhere in New England, especially after a New York woman was fatally bitten by one in Maine last July, becoming the first person to die by shark attack in the state. Dozens of marine organizations and state agencies from Rhode Island to Canada formed a consortium to collaborate on shark research in response.

Greg Skomal, a state marine biologist currently studying the hunting patterns of the Cape's great whites, says shark tours could prove beneficial, so long as they continue to be done responsibly.

There are currently no licensing or registration requirements for the tours, but those and other regulations should be considered if more join the fray, he said.

The state banned the use of bloody chum, decoys and other bait to lure sharks in 2015, meaning the kinds of shark cage diving operations that are common in Australia, South Africa and other shark-rich destinations arent allowed in Massachusetts waters, unless theyre more than 3 miles (5 kilometers) offshore, where state jurisdiction ends.

Were very sensitive to activities that alter the sharks' natural behavior, said Skomal. We dont want six (tours) following a single shark into shallow water near swimming beaches.

Like most operations, Bosleys Dragonfly Sportfishing generally stays hundreds of yards (meters) off shore, in water more than 8 feet (2.4 meters) deep.

But it's a relatively costly outing: The nearly three-hour tours, which rely on an overhead spotter plane to locate sharks, range anywhere from $1,600 to $2,500 per boat, and the vessels typically carry six passengers at most.

Antonoglou, a 47-year-old civil engineer, says the eye-opening experience is worth the expense.

When people think of great whites, they think of Jaws,' but its not like that at all, she said. Its pretty cool that we know theyre out there. The populations are thriving, and I think its a great asset for the Cape.
Three different people have served as minister of marine affairs and fisheries under Indonesian President Joko Widodo: (left to right) Susi Pudjiastuti, Edhy Prabowo and Sakti Wahyu Trenggono.

Indonesias new fisheries minister faces a challenging task as he follows in the footsteps of a pro-business politician now locked up for taking bribes, and a tough-talking seafood exporter whose boat-burning policies made her wildly popular with fisher folk.

But analysts say the portfolio is an important one because the sprawling archipelago nation can take a leading role in boosting Indonesias economy while combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, which the United Nations describes as one of the greatest threats to marine ecosystems and fisheries sustainability.

Indonesia is the worlds second largest producer of seafood and it is important to have their leadership, Sally Yozell, who directs the environmental security program at the Stimson Center, a Washington think-tank, told BenarNews. The new minister doesnt have to be public and outward, but the fisheries minister needs to be a champion for the fishing community.

Edhy Prabhowo, Sakti Wahyu Trenggos immediate predecessor as fisheries minister, lasted only 13 months in the job. Sakti is third person to be appointed the post by President Joko Jokowi Widodo, who was first elected in 2014.

Edhys time in office ended abruptly last November with his arrest on suspicion that he took 25.7 billion rupiah (U.S. $1.8 billion) in bribes to lift a ban on lobster larvae exports. The lifting allowed lobster larvae to be exported to China, Vietnam and Singapore. But the move was heavily criticized as harmful to Indonesias wild lobster stock as well as damaging local economies through lost revenue.

In July, Indonesias Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) sentenced Edhy to five years in prison for accepting cash in exchange for issuing permits for the export of lobster larvae. His conviction sealed the end to Edhys unpopular tenure as minister.

Edhy went to prison two years after President Joko Jokowi Widodo decided not to reappoint Susi Pudjiastuti, a businesswoman and owner of a seafood export company, as fisheries minister. She was best known for her up-front demeanor, public charisma, and willingness to travel around the country and spend time on boats with fishermen.

In addition to her aggressive approach to fighting illegal fishing from China, Vietnam and elsewhere  most visibly through a policy of sinking and blowing up foreign boats caught poaching in Indonesian waters  Susi also made the countrys boat tracking data public, and pushed regulations to reduce the use of environmentally dangerous and unsustainable fishing practices. This included initially implementing the ban on lobster larvae exports in 2016.

Minister Susi was a brilliant person who really understood, politically, how to balance being a person of the people, a champion of the fishing community, but also the economic importance of sustainably managing fisheries, Yozell said.

Edhy, a confidante of former presidential candidate and current Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto (no relation) was a member of Parliament from 2009-2019, and had no experience in the fisheries sector.

He undid several of Susis policies, putting a stop to the sinking of illegal boats, and re-starting the licensing of foreign fishing vessels, which, with better boats and technology, often out-compete Indonesian fishermen for diminishing fish stocks.

Edhy put growth ahead of conservation, and how to protect fisheries, said Arifsyah Nasution, oceans campaigner at Greenpeace Indonesia, who is based in Aceh. Most of the Indonesian fisheries areas are exploited or over-exploited, but [he] re-opened licensing for foreign fishing boats, the same ones Susi cracked down on in 2015.

His successor, Sakti, has thus far taken a more moderate approach, including re-implementing some of Susis policies. Originally from Central Java, Sakti is close to Jokowi, and is best known for founding two telecommunication firms.

Pak Sakti tries to be more moderate, not so pro-business, and gives more room for input for civil society, Arifsyah told BenarNews.

Baskets of fish for sale are seen at a fishing port in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, July 15, 2021. [AFP]

Investments over marine conservation

It may not matter, as the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries no longer has as much authority or sway as it did under Susi. Thats because there has been a shift in power to another cabinet member, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the coordinating minister for maritime and investment affairs.

The key decision-maker on how the Indonesia government manages marine areas is not the Ministry of Maritime Affairs anymore, said Arifsyah. Luhuts influence is quite big.

Under Jokowi, Luhut plays a key role in attracting foreign investment, and has a close relationship with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Luhuts role in President Jokowis cabinet has been growing, with some even calling him the real president.

A former military commander, he is also a businessman with significant interests in natural resources. He was a key force behind Indonesias Omnibus Bill on Job Creation , passed last October, which included many clauses that concern Arifsyah when it comes to marine livelihoods.

Under the omnibus law, were concerned that coastal communities and Indigenous peoples are at threat of their livelihoods being violated by the expansion of coastal mining, sand mining, ports, and reclamation projects, Arifsyah said.

Environmentalists are concerned that the omnibus law will speed up the approval process for potentially harmful infrastructure projects, reduce the requirements for Environmental Impact Permits, and limit the role that civil society and community groups play in challenging projects.

Reclaiming leadership

Exactly why Susi wasnt re-appointed, despite her popularity, remains unclear.

Some believe that foreign concerns, including from China, played a role. The country was, prior to 2015, the main source of illegal foreign fishing in Indonesian waters; according to a study , Chinese vessels that engaged in IUU fishing were responsible for between 2,000 and 5,000 hours of fishing per month  nearly 10 times that of the next biggest perpetrators, Thai vessels.

For those in the elite who were doing trade with foreign countries, particularly China, she was upsetting them, Yozell said. They thought it was time for her to go.

Fabio Scarpello, a researcher at the University of Auckland in New Zealand who studies Indonesian fisheries, believes that Susis combative style also played a role.

Susis harsh managerial style alienated many parties, Scarpello told BenarNews. The coalition against Susi included fisheries companies both in Indonesia and abroad, lawmakers and senior politicians. This may have been why, despite her popularity among the regular Indonesians, she was replaced.

Under her management, Indonesia took a global leadership role on fisheries and marine protection. The country hosted the Our Oceans conference in 2018, and was active at international forums.

That has mostly been abandoned, and its unclear if Sakti will resume it.
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. A few storms may be severe. High 79F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Showers and thundershowers in the evening, then cloudy with rain likely overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.
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.
Town police are celebrating a young new member of the department  this latest addition is a 5 1/2-month-old black Labrador retriever.

On its Facebook page Friday the department announced the arrival of Archer, a new police comfort dog. Archer is arriving just over a month after the loss of Beko, the first police therapy K-9 in Berkshire County.

Archers handler is Officer Elias Casey, who will continue the work Officer Kristopher Balestro started with Beko.

Archer is in training and hopes to get out to start meeting the community soon, the post said.

Beko, Great Barrington Police Department's therapy dog, dies at 13 months A second shattering loss strikes the Great Barrington Police Department. K-9 officer Beko, the first police therapy dog in Berkshire County, has died after a routine medical procedure. The English black labrador was just 13 months old.

The department lost two dogs in three months this year, beginning with K-9 officer Titan, that died in April from an untreatable tumor. They lost 13-month-old Beko three months later, unexpectedly after a routine medical procedure.

Police had welcomed Beko in to soften community encounters with police, relieve tension, ease stress for crime victims and officers. The loss devastated the department, and Balestros family, with whom Beko lived.

Three Southern Berkshire police departments collaborated Friday to arrest a driver who authorities say tried to flee a traffic stop.

About 7 p.m. Friday, an Egremont officer tried to stop a driver for allegedly speeding on Egremont Plain Road, the Egremont Police Department said in a Facebook post.

The operator of the vehicle failed to stop and increased his speed, the post said.

Egremont contacted the Great Barrington Police Department, which also tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver continued southbound on Route 7.

The Sheffield Police Department then was notified and sent two units.

Upon seeing the two additional cruisers the operator of the vehicle pulled to the right and stopped, the post said.

Egremont Police arrested the 19-year-old driver, from Goshen, Conn., on charges of speeding, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and failure to stop for a police officer.

The Berkshire County Sheriffs 911 Dispatch Center relayed information to responding officers.

Former state Sen. Ben Downing, a candidate for Massachusetts governor, plans to release his Transit For All transportation policy proposal this week.

Downing will outline his transportation plan during a two-week tour, which includes a Wednesday event in Lee. His visit to Morgan House at 33 Main St. will run from 5 to 7 p.m., and those interested can find out more or sign up at tinyurl.com/4edjf6u7 to participate virtually.

The Great Barrington-based The Train Campaign will co-host a keynote discussion in Lee.

Downing, who grew up in Pittsfield, announced his candidacy in February and since has released climate, anti-poverty and child care policy plans.

State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz and political theorist Danielle Allen have entered the race for the Democratic nomination in 2022. Attorney General Maura Healey has said she will decide by the fall whether to run for governor.

On the Republican side, two-term Gov. Charlie Baker has yet to say whether he intends to seek reelection.Primary elections are scheduled for September 2022.

Staff reports
Bad hare days: Monterey lays out welcome mat for an imperiled rabbit

New England cottontails have inhabited the region for thousands of years. There isnt much young forest left to survive in.
The street festival, previously scaled down to a single day on Sept. 25, is deemed too risky, since it typically attracts thousands of people.
Call ahead to confirm events. Due to COVID-19, many events have been canceled but hosting organizations might not have updated their entries.

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He is the face of the Taliban. Since the Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid is omnipresent. At press conferences, he answers reporters questions.

BILD managed to meet Mujahid for an exclusive interview.

 Why should we now believe the Talibans assurances? Why were women beaten in Kabul this weekend? And what is the Talibans message to Chancellor Merkel (67, CDU)?

Deputy editor-in-chief of BILD, Paul Ronzheimer, and cameramen Giorgos Moutafis confronted the Taliban spokesperson with these and other questions. They interviewed him in a former ministerial office of the Afghan government in Kabul.

BILD: Mr. Mujahid, currently, talks with the German government take place in Doha, but also from here. Can you tell us what kind of talks these are and what has been agreed so far?

Mujahid: As far as I know, we have a special representative for the European countries in our political office in Doha. He is Mr. Mawlawi Abdulhaq Wasiq. He has been in contact with many countries, especially Germany. We had the German representative in our political office in Doha and had several meetings with them and we still are in contact. The contact is going on well. We are trying to transform things into a positive direction and get it to a phase where we can have a proper interaction and good diplomatic relationships.

Besides, we would love to have the support of Germany for us and the people of our country, because historically we had deep and good diplomatic and business relationships with Germany. We want to revive that friendly atmosphere with Germany that Afghans and Germans had in the past. The upcoming government is going to be based on friendly relationship with Germany.

Taliban-Sprecher Zabiullah Mujahid Foto: Giorgos Moutafis

BILD: We hear from many local employees of the German government who are still in Afghanistan that they want to leave the country because they are afraid of the Taliban. How can they leave the country, and what are you telling the people who are currently hiding?

Mujahid: First, we dont want anybody to be afraid of Afghanistan and Afghans. We have not only got many German diplomats in Afghanistan but also those German Afghans who have been living here in our country. They shouldnt be afraid because we assure them that nothing and no one can threat them. But for those who want to leave Afghanistan voluntarily, there isnt any problem. But first the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should start its operation. Then if they want to leave the country that should be legal, I mean they should have passport and visa.

We do not have any problems with anybody because every individual is free of choice and it is the right of every human being to live wherever they want. Additionally, we have to wait for the airport to start its normal operation. Then everybody can leave the country the legal way and there will be no problem for them.

BILD: So the Afghans who cooperated with the German government can leave the country? Can you guarantee that?

Mujahid: We did not, and will never, create any problem for all those Afghans who have worked with Germany or any other foreign county and we will pave the way for them to live in security. They will not be prosecuted and their lives will not be threatened because it was a fighting period that is now over. We have even announced amnesty for all those soldiers and generals who killed hundreds and thousands of Taliban and civilian. Now they are living with us in Kabul and the provinces and there isnt any problem. There is no reason to threaten them.

For those Afghans who worked with Germany, there will be no problem. But if they want to leave the country voluntarily, they have to follow the legal way.

BILD: Some politicians and experts in the West have pointed out that the Taliban also made various promises in the 1990s, when they were in power  but they did not keep them. Why should it be any different this time?

There is a big difference between now and then. At that time there were a lot of political parties and those political parties did not cooperate. I remember that time when Hazrat Sebghatullah Mujadidi became the leader and president. He publicly announced an amnesty, but then immediately a political party named Hezb-e Islami under the leadership of Gull Badin Hikmatyar did not accept the amnesty. There was a fight with Abdul Rasheed Dostum, who had its own party.

Nach dem Abzug internationaler Truppen haben die Taliban in Afghanistan wieder die Macht ubernommen Foto: Rahmat Gul/dpa

There were six to seven men who announced their leadership in Kabul. Every one of those political parties had their own rules and regulations. Because they were not united there was opposition and different promises. But now, in contrast to that, we have one leader and one leadership under specific rules which are followed by all of us.

We never had the situation that our leader said something and one of us was against that. We all stand for our words with our leader and thats why the new government will never experience the problems of 90s.

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BILD: The humanitarian situation in your country is in crisis. You are asking Germany for financial support. How much support do you expect?

Mujahid: We first of all want good relationship with Germany a good diplomatic relationship to be assured. The Islamic Emirate will be the desired government of the Afghans and we want the German government to have the best possible diplomatic relationship with the new government. Secondly, we want Germany to support and help us in humanitarian sectors that can be supported by the German government. Moreover, we need them to help us in the health sector, we need them to help us in the education sector, and we need them to help us in the infrastructure sector. We believe that the German government can really help us.

Schwer bewaffnete Taliban-Kampfer patrouillieren zur Feier ihrer Machtubernahme durch Kabul Foto: Rahmat Gul/dpa

Moreover, the German government could encourage their businessmen and -women to come and invest in our country. We will pave the way for their investments, we will guarantee their security. To cut the story short, they can help us in different sectors so that our country develops and is enriched. Germany thus plays an important role and we count on that. Germany shouldnt be worried.

BILD: Have there already been attempts on your behalf to contact Angela Merkel or Heiko Maas?

Mujahid: We have talked to the German representatives, and their special envoy also came to our political office in Doha. I am sure they forwarded our messages to Ms. Merkel, but personally I havent tried.

BILD: Would you welcome the German Chancellor here in Afghanistan?

Mujahid: Yes of course! We want to have a powerful and fully secured environment here in Afghanistan  which will be accepted by all the countries in the world, and which the leaders of the world will believe in. They should come and visit our country and there for sure will be a special place for Angela Merkel. We would really welcome her.

BILD: On Saturday, there was a brutal crackdown against women at a protest in Kabul. Why are women not allowed to protest? Will they be allowed to work in the future? What about schools and universities?

Mujahid: We want to have an Islamic government here and Islamic government has its own special rules and regulations which are based on the Sharia. In Islam, women have their special rights, and the rights that Islam and Sharia give them we are completely supported by us. We will definitely let them have their Islamic rights and women will work in different sectors of the government. Additionally, we currently have women working in our health sector and in our educational sector. This is what we announced in our very first days.

Women are very welcomed to work in these sectors. Moreover, as soon as the new government is announced, there will be particular instructions for them. In the very first days of our entrance into Kabul, we unfortunately had some women who were abused both physically and mentally. They also faced with some social problems. In order to solve all these problems, we are still waiting for the new government and are working on new and positive changes.

Concerning the protest, I have to tell you that those women who were at the protest wanted to enter the presidential palace and the problem was that there werent any officials of ours in the presidential palace. We told them that there was nobody, but they still insisted on entering by force and the guards took action against them. We brought our special forces to get the situation under their control. The government has not yet been announced, so this is not the time for protesting and demonstrating. These women should have patience and wait for the new government. Slowly and gradually the city of Kabul is getting back to its normal situation. Hence, creating scuffles right now is not fair  it leads to concerns for both the people and us.

BILD: But why were they so brutally attacked yesterday?

Mujahid: They were not attacked. First, they tried to enter the presidential palace. At the checkpoints they said they wanted to enter and protest inside the palace. As there was nobody inside the palace, security forces at the checkpoints were supposed to prevent them from entering. It was not good what happened. Intelligence representatives arrived on time, controlled the situation, forced back the forces who clashed with the women. People who were arrested from them were released again.

BILD: I recently attended the so-called independence day in Wardak. People were celebrating your victory against the Western troops. You said that the county is now under Sharia rule. What does that mean?

The people of Afghanistan are Muslims. Sharia is the law of the government. Thats why people have emphasized this. Afghans fought 40 years for it and the last two decades of war also had two main objectives: first, to end the presence of the international forces. Second, to implementat Sharia law in Afghanistan. The people of Afghanistan have the right to create, implement and live laws of their own in accordance with religious principles and national interests. They choose Sharia for themselves and made huge sacrifices for it.

BILD: If Western countries want to deport refugees, because they committed a crime  for instance in Germany  will they be punished here in accordance with Sharia law in the future?

Mujahid: Indeed! Their cases will be reviewed, and if their crimes were against the Islamic law and we are requested to punish them, they will be trialed. Or if they will be deported because of small crimes, the deportation itself is their punishment.

Of course, if they have committed a crime and the claimant asks the court for a trial, they will be trialed.

BILD: In the West, there are discussions about who will be part of your government and who might become the ministers. Could this include people who carried out attacks against the West or Western troops in the past  or who were involved in attacks?

Mujahid: The attacks on Germans happened because Germans occupied our country and took part in the war. We never had the intention to fight with Germany or to have problems with the country. Now that the international forces have left Afghanistan, nobody has the intention to harm or attack Germany or to assault its citizens here. There is no such intention and our country will be safe for them.

Our leaders will be appointed in accordance with Islamic law and Islamic agreements and no one has the right to attack Germens.

BILD: How big is the threat posed by ISIS in Afghanistan? And can you explain the main difference between the Taliban and ISIS  who fought against each other in the past?

Mujahid: First of all, let me tell you that the ISIS is not a threat in Afghanistan for many reasons. Firstly, the ISIS we had in our country did not come from Iraq and Syria. Instead, some of the Afghans were affected by them, and because foreign troops were in our country, they had a reason for fighting against them. Secondly, there was no Islamic government, and this motivated them to fight against foreign troops.

But now since the foreign troops have left the country and there is a new Islamic government, nobody will have a reason to follow foreign ideas and to create hysteria and fighting. Therefore, we assure that such ideas will not be implemented in the country and ISIS will be changed. Moreover, the Islamic Emirate is responsible for security in Afghanistan, we will have our country fully secure, we will have our country safe from any kind of threat and if anyone comes from a foreign country, especially from Germany, they will be fully secured, because this is our job. To cut the story short, there is a big difference between us, the Taliban, and ISIS. The Islamic Emirate has never had the idea of attacking foreign countries, attacking foreign diplomats, and interfering in other countries internal affairs. Everything we did in the past twenty years was aimed at making our country independent.

BILD: In this interview, you have guaranteed that none of the Afghan population will be harmed. How do you then explain the fact that so many people are fleeing?

Mujahid: The reason for the fear is that, for the past twenty years, there was propaganda about us. People had it wrong and thought that the Taliban kill people and dont let them live. This wrong information about us for sure had its effects on people. Therefore, there are still some people who fear us or are not sure about us. And there were many people or officers from the previous government who killed a lot of civilians  these people are also concerned about their lives. But again and again we say this fear is baseless. We are no threat to anyone in this country.

Nobody is in danger. Afghanistan is our shared home, anyone with any idea can stay here to work for the development of the county. We assure them that their lives are secured and there will be no threat for them.

BILD: In Germany, there are heated discussions about deportations to Afghanistan. Austria has already announced that it will continue to deport people to Afghanistan. What would you say to the German government if it were to send refugees back to Afghanistan?

Mujahid: We want all those Afghans who are refuges in foreign countries, especially in Germany, to get back to their country, because I know that the German government has its own problems with the refugees  and refugees have their own difficulties and problems with the rules and regulation of foreign countries. These Afghans will therefore live under uncertain conditions if they go to other European countries.

We want them to get back to their own home country, because they are familiar with the rules and regulations of our country, so they can cope with all the difficulties in Afghanistan and hopefully we will make Afghanistan so developed and reliable that all Afghans around the world will voluntarily come back to this country.

BILD: How long will it take to form the new government? And will women also be part of this government, for instance as ministers?

We are trying our best to announce the new government as soon as possible, because we know that not having announced the new government sooner has created many problems. People are also economically concerned. But the decision is up to the leadership. They are working on it. I personally dont have any details about whether women will take part in the new government. The leadership is going to decide if women will have any part in the new government or not, but organizing a government is something time-consuming. Gradually things will change and we will do whatever possible regarding women.

Lesen Sie auch Dramatischer Appell Afghanische Frauen: Verzweifelter Brief an Merkel Aus Angst vor der Rache der Taliban wenden sich 31 Afghaninnen an die Kanzlerin.

Wir wollen  Taliban-Wunschzettel an Deutschland Die Taliban stellen erste Forderungen an die Bundesregierung.

BILD: What would be your message to Chancellor Merkel?

Mujahid: First of all, we want our government to be officially recognized by all the counties of the world, and especially Germany. We want our diplomatic relationships to be restored in the best possible way. When there are good diplomatic relationships, there is also authenticity and reliability. For this purpose, we really need to be in touch with the German government and we would invite Chancellor Merkel for a visit to Afghanistan.

At the same time, we would also like to visit Germany. This is all possible if there are good diplomatic relationships. We are trying our best to pave the way for having such diplomatic relationship with all the countries of the world  and especially with Germany, because Germany has good and historical relationships with Afghanistan. We are trying our best to revive all those relationships so they are good and trusting.

BILD: Your country is facing the threat of a humanitarian crisis. What is required so the people can survive?

Mujahid: All of these problems are temporary. As soon as the new government is announced it will get rid of all these problems. We have the banking sector reopened and, most importantly, Sarai Shahzada, the biggest foreign currency exchange market, reopened yesterday. As soon as the new government is announced, the Ministry of Finance will start its operation and the fear of currency reduction will end because people will deposit money into their bank accounts and will pave the ground for the flow of money in our country.

Moreover, economically, we do not have any concerns because we spent most of the money on war  which we will no longer do. Most of the money will be used for infrastructure and the corruption will be controlled  which was a big problem in the previous government. In the upcoming government, there will be is no chance for corruption. As long as the corruption is controlled, all the money will be added to the budget of the country.

BILD: Previously, members of the Taliban rarely appeared on pictures or in videos. How does it feel to be present on TV internationally now?

We didnt appear because of security reasons. We were not able to take pictures or to talk to any media in person. The situation now requires us to be on TV and to be in contact with the media. I consider this a good move, because there is going to be a relationship with the rest of the world and it will show our authenticity. We want to be a part of this world and take our role seriously. I am working from six in the morning until 12 at night.
Dr Reddys will receive $40 million upfront upon the closing of the transaction

Dr Reddys Laboratories has entered into a definitive agreement with Citius Pharmaceuticals, Inc (Citius) under which it sold all of its rights to E7777 (an engineered IL-2-diphtheria toxin fusion protein) and certain related assets.

Under the terms of the agreement, Dr Reddys will receive $40 million upfront upon the closing of the transaction, followed by approval milestone payment of up to $40 million related to the CTCL (cutaneous T-cell lymphoma) indication approval and up to $70 million for additional indication approvals. Further, Dr Reddys will receive certain sales-based milestones and tiered earn-out payments.

Erez Israeli, CEO, Dr Reddys, said: Addressing unmet patient needs in oncology remains a prime focus area for us. E7777 has significant potential as an important component of systemic therapy for CTCL and other cancers. Post acquiring from Eisai, significant progress was made on the CTCL development front. We are confident of Citius ability to realize the full potential of E7777 in the treatment of CTCL as well as in their ability to develop this promising drug for additional oncology and immuno-oncology indications.
Reducing Covid-19 impact

Importance of collaboration

The importance of a healthy tourism industry to the global economy is very clear, says Chiravadee Khunsub, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. "One-tenth of the worlds economy is already significant, but, for many countries, the portion that tourism contributes to their individual GDPs is even greater."She says that Thailand, for example, attributed nearly 22% of its GDP to tourism in 2019 . By comparison, only 3% of South Africas GDP came from tourism during that period, but it also employed close to one of 20 working adults. In a country such as South Africa, where unemployment is such a massive concern, tourism fulfils a very important function.She adds that the Covid-19 pandemic, which devastated both the local and global tourism industry, left a lasting effect on the economies of a vast number of countries and its now time to start reducing the impact. "In light of Tourism Month celebrated in September, and World Tourism Day on 27 September, we believe that reviving the global tourism industry should be top of mind for people everywhere.There are many great initiatives by both private and public bodies to rebuild and lift the industry, so raising awareness of these activities will go a long way towards restoring the tourism sector to pre-pandemic levels.One example of an initiative that has already seen success, is the Tourism Authority of Thailands Phuket Sandbox plan - a model that allows travellers from low and medium-risk countries to enter Thailand without quarantine. "However, travellers must be fully vaccinated and comply with Covid-19 testing, mask and distancing regulations."The plan has already seen great success, due to the fact that the islands efficient pandemic protocols, and the fact that tourists have seen the value of being the first travellers to return to this destination. "The plan is now being rolled out in other provinces as well. In addition, we are placing a much bigger focus on sustainable tourism."As part of its post-pandemic recovery, Thailand wants to promote environmental-friendly activities for its tourists. In the last 18 months that tourism has been paused, the natural environment has recovered incredibly well, to the same condition as 20 years ago. Preserving this progress is something that we have now made a priority.Khunsub notes that this is the result of close cooperation between private businesses and government. "The boost in tourism that we have seen can be directly attributed to how well all of the stakeholders have worked together. The islands vaccination program has been very successful and pandemic protocols are well thought out. This shows exactly how well it works when there is cooperation."With the world now needing to focus on restoring tourism, she states that there is room for innovative ideas that can help the sector adjust to a new world. The pandemic has certainly changed the world, but it hasnt robbed us of opportunities to travel. With the right input, tourism can grow to become even more important to the global economy than ever before," cocludes Khunsub.
Following Arena Holdings' acquisition of South Africa's largest and oldest independent label Gallo Record Company (Gallo Music Investments - GMI), is now showing its interest in the future of the African music industry by partnering with Africa's biggest content aggregator, Content Connect Africa (CCA). The 45% equity transaction links Gallo's rich catalogue with CCA's technical capabilities and Pan-African reach to provide a platform for innovation for African Music.

Black Coffee - Image: Supplied

Were at the beginning of an industry revolution where African artists participate in structures to encourage new ways to monetise content, says CCA CEO Antos Stella. CCA has a footprint across the continent as an aggregator to the continents major Telcos as well as a pipeline of established and emerging artists that will benefit from Gallo and its shareholder Black Coffees experience and guidance towards an equitable transformation.

Together CCA and Gallos vision, built on its 95 years of experience, coupled with fellow shareholder Black Coffees global experience, will provide emerging artists with an opportunity to benefit from the slipstream of established artists as a pathway to regional and international success.The CCA and GMI partnership kicks off with the two entities partnering with artists on brand work, providing backend services for independent labels, developing, and launching continental artists.Those relationships are crucial to developing continental stars and, ultimately, exporting them globally. Weve had the same 10 or 15 artists dominate the last decade, this partnership provides us the capacity to develop faster by leveraging technology and the CCA relationships, Black Coffee explains.GMI and CCA view this as an important partnership to empower African artists through greater engagement and participation. This means transitioning away from only an ownership model and evolving to a rights management model and a more strategic approach to industry development through better education and providing digital tools for the continents creators.We would like to see artists far more involved in the process and not be tied to the one size fits all deal structures. We want to develop solutions that are born from Africa, for Africa, to export to the world. Our approach is underpinned by an emphasis on the use of scalable digital tools that support the creative process. notes Simukayi Mukuna GMI Managing Director.
GroupM has launched a South Africa-first program to support small 100% Black-owned OOH media owners through upskilling, sharing of knowledge, tools, and research, to help increase their performance as a vendor in this market. This program officially kicks off in August 2021 and will run for an estimated eight months. The aim for this program is to support and upskill 100+ OOH media owners within three years.

Kirsty Carlson

Federico De Nardis, GroupM sub-Saharan Africa CEO: Were the leading media investment company at global level. We feel the responsibility to shape the next era of media where advertising works better for people. Lets face it - the media industry has not always had the best reputation. Were working every day to change that - whether its investing in brand safety, leading on consumer privacy, operating sustainably, or championing diversity in every form.Kirsty Carlson, the head of GroupM OOH and the developer of this program explains: The OOH industry in South Africa is an extremely vendor-cluttered environment in comparison to other markets. It is very competitive and fragmented. We aim through this program to upskill and train small to medium 100% Black-owned OOH media owners to gain a better understanding of media, and in particular a large focus on understanding the OOH media market, and what agencies and clients are looking for when it comes to this medium. Furthermore, incorporated in this program is the introduction to research, data and technology 3rd party operators and suppliers that are available in South Africa that can assist these vendors to leverage their inventory and offering even further. We have also incorporated innovation showcases to spark creativity and inspiration.Kirsty Carlson continues: With the ever-growing OOH market in South Africa, with the launch of Programmatic DOOH, increased development of digital screens and DOOH platforms in various environments, and even the development of standard traditional sites, we do see a need for further upskilling and education on this medium, to better understand how to strategically sell to agencies and clients. GroupM INC will also guide vendors to understand what clients are looking for when considering OOH opportunities. I believe understanding the needs of the market will better equip these vendors on how to sell their inventory on offer, as well as where and what to develop to allow for an increased propensity for spend. The creation of this program provides much needed support and I am truly excited to see it come to life. Nick Calf, head of trading and investment adds that: Globally GroupM have been leading the industry with initiatives like the Responsible Investment Framework. This framework allows us to leverage our scale to drive real change in the market through a commitment to make advertising work better for people.It is within this framework that GroupM South Africa has created the INC program that enables supplier diversity and allows us to scale our efforts to support and transform the industry.Lwandile Qokweni, CEO of Wavemaker South Africa, shows his support of the GroupM Inclusivity Support Program: We are always challenging ourselves to improve by looking at the industry at large and finding ways to change the status quo and provoke growth in our industry. The GroupM support program does not only guarantee smaller entities in the OOH industry a sustained partnership with GroupM and our clients, it also assures that they will have access to the support they need to make a success of this opportunity. We trust that this program helps to open up the OOH industry and help smaller OOH companies to become more sustainable, competitive and innovative.GroupM is the worlds leading media investment company responsible for more than $60bn in annual media investment through agencies Mindshare, MediaCom, Wavemaker, Essence and m/SIX, as well as the outcomes-driven programmatic audience company, Xaxis.GroupMs portfolio includes Data & Technology (now Choreograph), Investment and Services, all united in vision to shape the next era of media where advertising works better for people. By leveraging all the benefits of scale, the company innovates, differentiates and generates sustained value for our clients wherever they do business.
Crosscall, the French, sustainably produced, mobile manufacturer has announced the unveiling of its brand refresh in line with its brand evolution.

Image supplied

Brand refresh

Image supplied

Launched in 2009 by Cyril Vidal, a French entrepreneur, Crosscalls raison d'etre was firmly centred around suitability. While some critics were sceptical about the 100% French-owned company going up against other mobile giants, the unique positioning of the brand seemed to appeal to a number of outdoor enthusiasts and professionals working in tough and demanding environments.Vidals product, built firmly around his love of watersports and his professional career, with suitability at the heart of the brands philosophy, started to grow in popularity and can now be found in 14 countries across the globe.Crosscall products boast sustainable design and embody durability with a lifespan of 39 months, 12 months more than the best performing competitor models. Recently, the mobile manufacturer introduced a three-year warranty on all of its latest products launched in 2020, cementing the brands sustainability positioning.Add to this, recent business wins in strategic public markets and the fact that Crosscall was ranked at number one in the smartphone category in the Global Repairability Index in 2021 and the brand growth and development is obvious. Leadership saw was a clear opportunity for Crosscall to evolve its brand identity in line with the headway the brand has made in terms of recognition as being sustainable (right down to its packaging), providing product longevity, and its usefulness and desirability in both consumer, public and business markets.According to Julien Fouriot, Crosscall director for Africa, With Crosscall phones and devices users can continue using devices instead of getting something new, they can have their device repaired instead of throwing it away, and users can be good to themselves and good to the planet at the same time. Our evolved branding is now aligned to represent this and the importance responsible consumption.Aligned to Crosscalls ambitious positioning, the C in the logo has been retained, but, has been split into two parts by a horizontal space representing tracing ones path differently and circularity."The two parts of the new logo represent the evocation of a virtuous circle of the circular economy, marking the new strategic axis of the brand positioning. By designing ultra-resistant products, Crosscall has always placed sustainability at the heart of its brand philosophy. This is a great opportunity for Crosscall to reaffirm and, at the same time, evolve its positioning." says Bertrand Czaicki, director of Offer and Communication at Crosscall.Fouriot goes on to say, The South African market is interesting because many contract users await their personal or professional phone upgrades in earnest anticipation as their mobile phones performance begins to wane. Those using pay as you go need to purchase their phones on their own accord and a phone that can be repaired and lasts longer, appeals. The business and public sector also like to issue rugged, robust devices made to handle almost any environment.Aligned to the brand evolution, the company has not only its redefined logo, but has also produced a campaign aligned to this to ensure it is a resolutely forward-looking brand. To support the image of a sustainable company Crosscall has launched a digital campaign titled, Here to Stay with a film created by advertising agency, Saatchi & Saatchi Paris, and produced by Transfuges.On the product side, the division of the C in the logo also has a deeper meaning. Dividing the market for Crosscall products into two major axes, namely the B2B market and the B2C market. While these two markets will use the devices in different activities in different environments - like the mining industry versus mountain biking or kayaking - the philosophy remains the same, this is how we live. A credo that has worked well for the brand and has enabled it to create a real community of aficionados in Europe and now South Africa. While the brand is switching to an all-black or all-white logo, it will distinguish its consumer products with a touch of lime colour and will keep the original red for its professional linesThe reality is, the brand has not changed it has evolved in line with our CEO and founders vision, says Fouriot, We are committed to grow this uniquely French owned brand in South Africa as we feel that our positioning is unique, progressive and will suit the outdoor lifestyle of many South Africans as well as the harsh environments in the mining, manufacturing and agricultural industries in the country.
Junior Social Media Manager

Remuneration: negotiable cost-to-company Location: Cape Town, Kenilworth Education level: Diploma Job level: Junior/Mid Own transport required: Yes Travel requirement: Occasional Type: Contract Reference: #PDMSocial-Sept21 Company: PerformDMAfrica PTY LTD

Job description

Requirements

2/3+ years experience in similar role

Relevant degree/diploma with experience and training in social media or digital marketing /advertising / journalism

Experience in using industry leading tools to manage posts and report on insights using social analytics.

Experience in managing paid media on social channels preferable

Proven experience in formulating and executing social strategies across multiple channels

Solid understanding of the interdependency between social channels and organic search marketing

Exceptional attention to detail

An eye for luxury  you will need to live the brand.

Experience with working on both East and West African market.

Self-motivated and positive individual

Passionate about all things digital

High attention to details

Organised and efficient

Ability to liaise directly with clients

The team at PerformDM are looking for a market leading Facebook community manager to look after a GLOBAL leading alcohol brand.You will be required to work across multiple countries across the one platform. From time to time you will be required to attend events and work to deadline, often under pressure.You will be empowered to represent client brands space and creativity, integrity, attention to detail and exceptional editorial precision is essential for this position.Posted on 06 Sep 12:06
Rolling Stone recently ran a story about an Oklahoma hospital that was supposedly overwhelmed with ivermectin overdoses. Shortly thereafter, the hospital issued a statement completely rebuking the claims made in the Rolling Stone story.

Rolling Stone ran a story in which they claimed that a hospital in Oklahoma was so overwhelmed with ivermectin overdoses that they were unable to treat patients for gunshot wounds. The rise in people using ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug usually reserved for deworming horses or livestock, as a treatment or preventative for Covid-19 has emergency rooms so backed up that gunshot victims were having hard times getting access to health facilities, an emergency room doctor in Oklahoma said.

This week, Dr. Jason McElyea told KFOR the overdoses are causing backlogs in rural hospitals, leaving both beds and ambulance services scarce, wrote Rolling Stones Peter Wade.

Shortly afterwards, the Northeastern Health System  Sequoyah issued a statement completely rebuking the Rolling Stone article. In the statement, it was revealed that the doctor quoted in the Rolling Stone story was not even employed with NHS Sequoyah, had not worked at the location in months, and had not treated any patients related to ivermectin. The statement further debunks the Rolling Stone piece by stating that no patients have been turned away and that no ivermectin overdoses had occurred.

Although Dr. Jason McElyea is not an employee of NHS Sequoyah, he is affiliated with a medical staffing group that provides coverage for our emergency room. With that said, Dr. McElyea has not worked at our Sallisaw location in over 2 months. NHS Sequoyah has not treated any patients due to complications related to taking ivermectin. This includes not treating any patients for ivermectin overdose. All patients who have visited our emergency room have received medical attention as appropriate. Our hospital has not had to turn away any patients seeking emergency care. We want to reassure our community that our staff is working hard to provide quality healthcare to all patients. We appreciate the opportunity to clarify this issue and as always, we value our communitys support. After the hospital issued the rebuking statement, Rolling Stone was forced to correct their story, but critics found the move dissatisfying. Rolling Stone casually drops in an update to their article which is the statement from NHS that effectively boils down to Everything youre going to read below is based off an unsubstantiated report from a guy that doesnt work with us and is lying to everyone reading this., one user tweeted regarding the sham story. Rolling Stone ran a story that they could've debunked with a single phone call. They didn't make that phone call because they wanted it to be true and because it went viral and got clicks. And they'll keep doing it because no one will hold them accountable. pic.twitter.com/Kzl9ksfLEp  Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) September 5, 2021 Experts caught USA Today running a false fact check just two days ago. The supposed fact check was about claims that Joe Biden kept checking his watch during the dignified transfer ceremony honoring US service members slain in Kabul. Then, they issued a correction admitting that Biden checked his watch multiple times at the dignified transfer event, including during the ceremony itself.
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If you turn on your TV  even if you are watching subscription services  you cannot escape the mainstream medias incessant harping on the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan. The blood-hungry pundits from both the left and right have been crying for a month that their beloved war is finally coming to an end. Yet not a single outlet covers the reasons, or lack thereof, for why we invaded Afghanistan, killed thousands of their children, maimed countless American troops, and then gave the country over to the Taliban along with billions in weapons.

That reason was 9/11.

Since that fateful day, thousands of well-meaning people have worked tirelessly to uncover the details behind the events of 9/11 which set off decades of horrific wars and killed thousands of people. Many of those working on finding this information are not even from America. Few people realize that 67 citizens of the United Kingdom perished in the fiery inferno on that foreboding day, one of whom was Geoff Campbell.

For the last several years, Campbells family has been working to expose evidence, which they say shows the towers were blown up from the inside. Campbells family, supported by a team of scientists who have been studying the collapse of the buildings, claim the towers were laced with explosives which is what brought them down  not the airplanes.

I believe there has been a cover-up. We have scientifically and forensically backed evidence that the official narrative surrounding the Twin Towers collapse on 9/11 is wrong, Geoffs older brother Matt Campbell said.

Last week, according to the Mirror, a 3,000-page dossier was handed to the Governments top legal adviser, acting Attorney General Michael Ellis, detailing their case.

The Mirror reports, according to the familys research, seismographic recordings picked up ground movement 12 miles from the North Tower, 15 seconds earlier than 8.46am, when a hijacked American Airlines jet struck the building.

I believe that my brother and thousands of others were murdered on 9/11 and there has been a cover-up, Matt Campbell said. We are still overcoming this tragedy, but we will never stop seeking the truth.

According to the report, the family is using the UK Coroners Act 1988 to present their case. According to the act, they must demonstrate that evidence not considered at the first inquest in 2014 may lead to a different verdict.

Asking for this inquest is an important step, said Maureen Campbell, Campbells mother. We need the truth in order to heal.

According to Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth:

The Campbell familys application includes letters of support from five other family members who lost loved ones in the destruction of the Twin Towers: Drew DePalma, son of Jean DePalma; Barbara Krukowski-Rastelli, mother of firefighter William Krukowski; Bob McIlvaine, father of Bobby McIlvaine; Kacee Papa, daughter of Edward Papa; and Iryna Upham, daughter of Iouri Mouchinski. The application also includes witness statements from six scientific experts and from five eyewitnesses to the World Trade Centers destruction, four of whom were first responders that day. All of the experts and eyewitness have offered to give testimony at the new inquest. Altogether, the application contains around 2,500 pages of evidence as well as select volumes of the official reports issued by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.

While the results of the Campbells evidence have yet to be revealed, back in America there has been a slew of evidence released.

At the end of March 2020, researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks issued the final report of a four-year computer modeling study on the collapse of World Trade Center Building 7. Its results are nothing short of paradigm shifting.

On September 11, 2001, at 5:20 p.m., World Trade Center Building 7 suddenly collapsed into its own footprint, falling at freefall speed for 2.5 seconds of its seven-second complete destruction. WTC 7 was not hit by a plane. After it collapsed, Americans were told that office fires caused a unique  never before seen  complete architectural failure leading to the building collapsing into its own footprint at the rate of gravity.

Despite calls for the evidence to be preserved, New York City officials had the buildings debris removed and destroyed in the ensuing weeks and months, preventing a proper forensic investigation from ever taking place. Seven years later, federal investigators concluded that WTC 7 was the first steel-framed high-rise ever to have collapsed solely as a result of normal office fires.

Naturally, skeptics like the Campbell family have been questioning the official story for some time and after moving from the realm of conspiracy theory into the realm of science, this extensive university study has found that the official story of fire causing the collapse is simply not true.

Last year, Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth announced the completed partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) in their final report of an in depth four-year study on what they say actually brought down WTC 7. According to the press release, contrary to the conclusions of NIST, the UAF research team finds that the collapse of WTC 7 on 9/11 was not caused by fires but instead was caused by the near-simultaneous failure of every column in the building.

Our study found that the fires in WTC 7 could not have caused the observed collapse, said Professor Leroy Hulsey, the studys principal investigator. The only way it could have fallen in the observed manner is by the near-simultaneous failure of every column.

After conducting comprehensive modeling and studying countless scenarios, the studys authors, J. Leroy Hulsey, Ph.D., P.E., S.E., UAF, Zhili Quan, Ph.D., Bridge Engineer South Carolina Department of Transportation, and Feng Xiao, Ph.D., Associate Professor Nanjing University of Science and Technology Department of Civil Engineering, concluded the following:

Fire did not cause the collapse of WTC 7 on 9/11, contrary to the conclusions of NIST and private engineering firms that studied the collapse. The secondary conclusion of our study is that the collapse of WTC 7 was a global failure involving the near-simultaneous failure of every column in the building.

The results of this study cannot be dismissed. It completely destroys the narrative that has been shoved down the throats of Americans for nearly two decades. Whats more, this study backs up thousands of other researchers, scientists, and engineers who have been pointing this out for years.

Finally, after nearly two decades of ridicule, dismissal, and outright intolerance of information contrary to the official story of what happened on 9/11, the public may finally learn the whole truth of what happened and who was behind it.
A BBC propaganda report from journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou that smeared an OPCW whistleblower, Wikileaks and columnist Peter Hitchens for questioning the alleged April 2018 "gas attack" in Douma was loaded with lies and disinformation, the BBC has admitted.



From The Daily Mail, "BBC admits Syria gas attack report had serious flaws in 'victory for truth' after complaint by Peter Hitchens":

The BBC has admitted that a Radio 4 documentary on an alleged chemical weapon attack in Syria contained serious inaccuracies.



The Corporation's Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) upheld a protest from Mail on Sunday columnist Peter Hitchens following last November's broadcast of Mayday: The Canister On The Bed.



Adjudicators agreed that the programme by BBC investigative journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou failed to meet the Corporation's editorial standards for accuracy by reporting false claims.



The programme, part of a series on aspects of the conflict in Syria, dealt with an attack at Douma in 2018 and included an account of the role later played by 'Alex', a former inspector with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the poison gas watchdog.



Last week  nearly ten months after the broadcast  the ECU delivered its finding that the BBC was wrong to insinuate that 'Alex' was motivated to go public about his doubts over the attack by the prospect of a $100,000 (72,000) reward from the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks.



No such reward was ever paid, according to WikiLeaks.



The BBC also accepted it had no evidence to back up its claim that 'Alex', a highly qualified and apolitical scientist, believed the attack in Douma, which prompted retaliatory missile strikes by Britain, the US and France, had been staged.



In its ruling, the Corporation withdrew the imputation that Mr Hitchens, who has reported on despotic regimes for more than 40 years, shared 'the Russian and Syrian state views on the war'.



Upholding his complaint, the adjudicators said: 'The ECU found that, although they were limited to one aspect of an investigation into a complex and hotly contested subject, these points represented a failure to meet the standard of accuracy appropriate to a programme of this kind.'



Welcoming the ruling, Mr Hitchens said: 'This is a major victory for the truth. The whistleblowers inside the OPCW were always motivated by a strict regard for scientific truth.



'Far from seeking rewards, they realised that their actions would damage their careers but went ahead anyway.



'I do not serve any government, least of all those in Moscow and Damascus.'

How nice of the BBC to fess up now -- over three years after the alleged attack took place.



We all knew the alleged "gas attack" was a fraud at the time (as well as the previous "chemical attack" a year earlier) but the media accused everyone who called it out of being "Russkie agents" and "Assad sympathizers."





Neocon NY Times columnist Bari Weiss smeared Tulsi Gabbard (who bravely opposed regime change and US support for Salafi-jihadist contras) as an "Assad toady," then couldn't spell/define toady or offer any evidence to prove her smear. Embarrassingly funnypic.twitter.com/m0MLaHFPiX  Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) January 22, 2019



Is the BBC going to get censored on social media for pushing this pro-war disinformation?



Of course not!



Such censorship is reserved only for those who expose their lies!



Follow InformationLiberation on Twitter, Facebook, Gab, Minds, Parler and Telegram.
As news emerged Sunday that the Taliban is effectively holding hostage six planes full of Americans, many pointed out that President Trump predicated that exactly this situation would unfold.

CBS News reported that congressional and NGO sources, say multiple planes that are ready to take American citizens and green card holders out of the country are being denied permission to leave by the Taliban.

The report notes that a State Department email confirms that the flights have permission to land in Qatar if and when the Taliban agrees to takeoff.

The Taliban is basically holding them hostage to get more out of the Americans, CBS quotes a senior congressional source.

"The Taliban is basically holding them hostage to get more out of the Americans," a senior congressional source told CBS News. 3/  Ruffini (@EenaRuffini) September 5, 2021

Newly released satellite images show six commercial airplanes at Mazar-i-Sharif airport in northern Afghanistan that are not being allowed to depart by the Taliban. American citizens and Afghan interpreters are reportedly waiting to board the flights. : @Maxar pic.twitter.com/Ov7kB3z5VP  Daniel Lippman (@dlippman) September 5, 2021

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), the ranking GOP member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also told Fox News Sunday that the Taliban has initiated a hostage situation.

We have six airplanes at Mazar Sharif Airport, six airplanes with American citizens on them as I speak, also with these interpreters, and the Taliban is holding them hostage for demands right now, McCaul said.

Theyre going to demand more and more, whether it be cash or legitimacy as the government of Afghanistan, McCaul added.

Watch:

STUCK ON PLANES: @RepMcCaul says Americans and Afghan interpreters have been held hostage by the Taliban for days at the Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport in Afghanistan. #FoxNewsSunday pic.twitter.com/2gJfxNTIfJ  FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) September 5, 2021

Meanwhile, more details have emerged of the Biden State Department reportedly blocking the private flights with Americans on board from leaving Afghanistan, purely to save face because they were unable to get them all out.

One source deeply involved with the evacuation efforts told Fox News This is zero place to be negotiating with American lives. Those are our people standing on the tarmac and all it takes is a f****ing phone call.

If one life is lost as a result of this, the blood is on the White Houses hands. The blood is on their hands, the source further noted, adding: It is not the Taliban that is holding this up  as much as it sickens me to say that  it is the United States government.

TRUMP WAS RIGHT: In August 17th Interview He Predicted Taliban Would Hold Americans Hostage for Ransom  And Now They Have



This didnt have to happen!

These hostages must be saved!

We must demand accountability!



IMPEACH Biden & his Administration!

https://t.co/Tc10kNBOPm  LoriMiller (@LoriMillerTX1) September 6, 2021

"TRUMP WAS RIGHT: In August 17th Interview He Predicted Taliban Would Hold Americans Hostage for Ransom  And Now They Have" https://t.co/P3ljJVKKct   Raybo34  (@Raybo34) September 6, 2021

Americans have been held hostage for days in Afghanistan by the Taliban but Joe Biden and Kamala havent made any moves to stop the Taliban. Weakness. If this happened under Trump, thered be fire and fury, the likes of which wouldve ensured it never happened to begin with.  Ibrahim Banks  (@itsIBRAHIMBANKS) September 6, 2021

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The US State Department has slammed the military coup in Guinea, saying it undermines the West African countrys path to a brighter future, after a special forces unit apparently seized power and detained President Alpha Conde.

The United States condemns todays events in Conakry, the US State Department statement said. These actions could limit the ability of the United States and Guineas other international partners to support the country as it navigates a path toward national unity and a brighter future for the Guinean people.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres previously voiced similar sentiments, condemning any takeover of the government by force of the gun and calling for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde. The African Union also called for Condes immediate release, while the Economic Community of West African States threatened sanctions unless Guineas constitutional order was restored.

I am personally following the situation in Guinea very closely. I strongly condemn any takeover of the government by force of the gun and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde.  Antonio Guterres (@antonioguterres) September 5, 2021

The unrest broke out in the capital city on Sunday morning, with reports of heavy gunfire and heavily armed soldiers roaming the area near the presidential palace and other government buildings. By days end, the junta claimed to have arrested the president, disbanded the government, closed borders and declared an indefinite nationwide curfew.

A video on social media is said to show former French legionnaire #MamadyDoumbouya who says that the army has dissolved the #Guinea government and sealed the country's borders. The man in the video also said that they have taken President #AlphaConde. https://t.co/xUvGSAUEFxpic.twitter.com/5XBeO2FacP  CGTN America (@cgtnamerica) September 6, 2021

The coup is reportedly led by Lieutenant Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, a former French legionnaire and an elite military unit commander. We have decided, after having taken the president, to dissolve the constitution, he said in a video cited by AFP. He also ordered Condes cabinet ministers to convene at 11:00 am Monday, stating that any refusal to attend will be considered a rebellion.
The United States is building small cities on military bases across the country temporarily to house the Afghan evacuees who fled their home country in the final days and weeks of August.

The eight military installations that are being used to house Afghan refugees currently have approximately 25,600 people with a capacity of 36,000, though they are still short of the 50,000 goal, Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of Northcom, said during Fridays briefing.

We continue to provide culturally appropriate food, water, bedding, religious services, recreational activities, and other services such as transportation from the port of entry to the location of accommodations and some medical services, he said. Im building eight small cities. Were going to have challenges.

VanHerck also described a mayor cell in place, which he described as how at least one base established an Afghan leader within the village to be a point person to help make sure the refugees have what they need.

"We take our military leaders, we put them into the mayor's cell, and they're responsible for a specific location, maybe a few dorms, a dorm or two, and they have a counterpart on the Afghan side that would essentially be their equal, if you will, in rank," the general explained. "This is great because not only does it allow the Afghans to express their concerns or challenges or where they need resources or help, it allows us to also communicate with them through the same process, and they can perpetuate that information."

Within the bases, families are housed together, while single males and females are housed among each other.

There have also been "a couple" of unaccompanied minors who were evacuated, VanHerck said, noting that those children are handed over to the Department of and Human Services. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also characterized the amount of unaccompanied minors as a "small number" during a Friday briefing.

Unaccompanied minors do not represent a significant share of arriving Afghan nationals," a spokesperson for Health and Human Services told the Washington Examiner. "We are working to ensure that Unaccompanied Afghan Minors who are referred to the Office of Refugee and Resettlement (ORR) for processing, unification, or placement are placed with licensed care providers that are able to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services. When possible, Unaccompanied Afghan Minors are unified quickly on site or transported to licensed facilities. We will continue to work with our government partners to provide care for all of the children referred to us.

The tens of thousands of Afghans flown out of Afghanistan in August, before the U.S. withdrew all of its troops, have been taken to the Middle East and Europe, where they are being screened before going on to the U.S. The U.S. European Command spans across Germany, Italy, and Spain.
Victorias premier has announced that a statewide lockdown will remain in place until most residents are vaccinated, just days after Australia adopted new legislation giving sweeping surveillance and spy powers to police.

Draconian measures covering the entire southeast Australian state will only start to be eased once 70% of the population receives at least one dose of the Covid vaccine, Premier Dan Andrews decreed on Wednesday. The government said it hoped to reach this target on or around September 23.

In a written statement, Andrews claimed that lifting restrictions would overrun the states healthcare system. With a population of around 6.6 million, Victoria currently has less than 60 Covid hospitalizations.

On the advice of the Chief Health Officer, Victoria's lockdown will be extended to slow the spread and keep Victorians safe. Due to the level of community transmission and number of unlinked cases, almost all restrictions will remain in place. pic.twitter.com/Gr3IG7N4b5  Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) September 1, 2021

The entire state has been under strict lockdown for nearly a month. After shutting down non-essential activity in Melbourne, Andrews decided to extend restrictions to the entire state on August 5, citing the alleged detection of Covid-19 in wastewater 236km (147 miles) from the city. He was later forced to admit that the sewage in question had actually tested negative for the virus. Nonetheless, the statewide lockdown, which was only supposed to last seven days, has remained in place.

Currently, Victorians are not allowed to venture more than five kilometers (3.1 miles) from their homes  and only for essential activities. Andrews promised to increase the travel radius to 10km once the states vaccination benchmark is met.

Known as the Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) bill, the legislation allows the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to take over, and modify or delete, the accounts of cybercriminal suspects. The new conditions for easing lockdown were revealed a week after Australia passed a controversial bill giving police the ability to secretly seize and alter internet accounts.

Although authorities claim that the law will help crack down on pedophiles, terrorists and drug traffickers, many on social media expressed concern that the extensive powers were further evidence of Australia sliding into authoritarianism.

#australia"Australian powers to spy on cybercrime suspects given green light"Orwell was too optimistic... #australia1984https://t.co/YEcBPtS8Gp  Pierre Moret (@pierrech) August 31, 2021

Oh looks its Australia's bi-annual slide into becoming a complete surveillance state. https://t.co/WZEp7hS6SB  lewi (@lewifree) September 1, 2021

WTF IS HAPPENING TO AUSTRALIA?! Heres what a tyrant like Stalin/Mao would do in the age of technology,take a look down underSURVEILLANCE STATE: Identify and Disrupt Bill will Give Australian Authorities Access to Citizens Social Media,Email..https://t.co/7n1N6Yv2dY  AnTheFacts (@AnTheFacts) August 29, 2021

The Australian state has recorded 822 Covid-linked deaths since March 2020. To put this figure in perspective, more than 950 Victorians have died from suicide over the same period.

The states draconian restrictions have been blamed for fueling a mental health crisis, especially among the young. While only one Australian aged 19 or younger has died with Covid-19, eight teenage girls have taken their own lives in Victoria in the first seven months of the year.
Last February, while driving down a Nevada highway on the way to visit his daughters, Stephen Lara was robbed in plain sight. But his assailants were not ordinary criminalsthey were police officers from Nevada Highway Patrol.

Using a controversial legal tactic called civil forfeiture, the officers fabricated a reason to stop Lara, detained him for more than an hour, and eventually left with his entire life savings. The officers never alleged hed done anything illegallet alone, charged him with any crimeand yet they left him penniless, standing on the side of the road.

Stephen is just one of the latest victims of policing for profitthe unconstitutional practice of using civil forfeiture to seize and keep innocent Americans cash, cars, and other property. Under civil forfeiture, police and prosecutors can take ordinary Americans property without ever charging them with a crime. Civil forfeiture flips innocent until proven guilty on its head, and forces property owners to hire an attorney and prove their innocence in court to get their property back. Worse still, the federal government pays state officers to abuse civil forfeiture through a program called equitable sharing in which state officers can seize money, hand it over to the federal government to do all the work forfeiting it, and then get most of the forfeited money returned as a kickback.

Stephen, who is a decorated Marine Corps veteran who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq, is no stranger to a fight, and so today he has partnered with the Institute for Justice to file a lawsuit against the Nevada Highway Patrol to put meaningful constitutional constraints on civil forfeiture and to end the abuse of equitable sharing once and for all.

Carrying around cash is not a crime, said Wesley Hottot, a senior attorney at the Institute for Justice, which represents Stephen. Stephen did nothing wrong. He isnt charged with any crime and the government isnt even willing to defend this seizure in court. Innocent people shouldnt lose their property like this. It should be clear that civil forfeiture is inherently abusive, and with this lawsuit, we hope to put an end to legally-condoned highway robberies.

Stephens ordeal started on a stretch of highway in northern Nevada. Stephen was driving from Texas to a small town near Reno to visit his two daughters. Body- and dash-cam video of the incident shows a Nevada Highway Patrol officer pulling up behind Stephen and following him for a time. When Stephen changes lanes behind a tanker truck, the officer says, there you go, and proceeds to pull him over. The officer says hes pulling Stephen over to make sure everything is okay. The stop was a pretext to ask Stephen about his trip, and a bunch of silly questions, like [are there] any large amounts of United States currency in the vehicle.

Since his days in the Marines, Stephen has kept his savings in cash. He had saved enough money to achieve one of his most important goals: to buy a home for himself and his daughters. So when the officer asked him about carrying cash, Stephen said yes. When the officer asked to search his car, he said yes. And when the officer asked about the source of the cash, Stephen showed him over two years worth of bank receipts. Stephen did everything he was told, and answered every question he was asked.

More officers arrived and searched Stephens car. They found no drugs, no guns, no contraband, no nothing. Just the money, exactly where Stephen told them it would be. A sergeant arrived and ordered the officers to use a police dog to sniff the money. The dog allegedly alerted to the moneysomething that is common for all U.S. currencybut there was no other evidence whatsoever of any wrongdoing. The officer who initiated the stop thought Stephen was innocent and should be let go, but his sergeant overrode him and ordered the officers to seize Stephens life savings: $86,900.

It never occurred to me just how vast and immoral civil forfeiture was until I was robbed of my hard-earned money on the side of the road by a bunch of rogue pirates with badges and guns, said Lara. Police officers have a duty to protect and serve the public, not rob them of their life savings. I fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. Ive seen abuses by government firsthand. I never thought Id see it in my own country.

The officers knew they had no evidence of any crime, but they took Stephens money anyway. Using a process called an adoption, the officers called a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent to see if he could process the seizure. By processing the seizure through the DEA, the state highway patrol could receive an effortless 80 percent kickback through the federal governments equitable sharing program.

In 2015, then-Attorney General Eric Holder restricted when federal agencies could adopt seizures from state and local police. Following that, the number of forfeitures adopted by the federal government plummeted. But just two years later, in 2017, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinstated the ability to adopt forfeitures. Since then, the number of forfeitures adopted from state and local police has increased more than six-fold from its low.

Months have passed and the DEA has missed the deadlines set by federal law for it to either return Stephens money or file a case explaining what the government believes Stephen did wrong. The DEA has done neither. Despite that, the DEA continues to hold on to Stephens money.

Civil forfeiture creates a perverse profit incentive that turns ordinary law-abiding cops into legally-sanctioned robbers, said IJ Attorney Ben Field. The right thing to do nowand indeed, the only legal thing to dois for the government to return Stephens money immediately, with interest, and with no strings attached.

Stephen is only one of thousands of Americans whose property has been seized using civil forfeiture. In 2018 alone, 42 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Departments of Justice and the Treasury forfeited over $3 billion, according to IJs landmark report, Policing for Profit. And each year, the federal government pays out hundreds of millions of dollars to state and local agencies participating in the equitable sharing program$333.8 million in 2019 alone and more than $8.8 billion in total from 2000 to 2019.v
The way to reduce gun violence is by convincing ordinary, responsible handgun owners that their weapons make them, their families, and those around them less safe.

...

This fall, the Supreme Court will hear a case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Corlett, that could expand gun rights even further. Thirteen years ago, in District of Columbia v. Heller, the Court for the first time recognized peoples constitutional right to own firearms as individuals, not just as members of a well regulated Militia. Now lawyers for the New York affiliate of the National Rifle Association will argue that the Second Amendment should be interpreted as granting a constitutional right to carry firearms in the streets, parks, playgrounds. If the NRA prevails, the nearly 400 million guns in the United States will show up in even more places than they do now.
Bradford, PA (16701)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. A few storms may be severe. High 69F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Cloudy early with partial clearing expected late. Low around 50F. Winds light and variable.
A military uprising in the West African nation of Guinea has sparked concerns about a potential supply squeeze for bauxite, a key raw material in aluminium production, and also cast a shadow on Rio Tintos plans to develop its Simandou iron ore project in the country.

Hours after gunfire broke out at the presidential palace in Guineas capital on Sunday, a group of soldiers claimed to have ousted the countrys long-serving president, dissolved its constitution and shut its land and air borders.

The Guinean military says it has detained President Alpha Conde. Credit:AP

Mining companies and resources analysts on Monday were closely watching the unfolding situation and what it could mean for the global supply of bauxite, the raw material used to make alumina and eventually aluminium.

Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto owns a 45 per cent stake in Halco Mining, the majority owner of the Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinee SA (CBG) bauxite operation in Guinea. ASX-listed Alumina Limited and US aluminium giant Alcoas jointly owned Alcoa World Alumina and Chemicals (AWAC) hold another 45 per cent stake in Halco.
The Greens attempt to extort Labor into supporting a plan to impose a super profits tax on large Australian companies is stillborn for numerous reasons, not least because the ghost of Labors previous, but unsuccessful, tax attempt 10 years ago still haunts it.

Back then the mining super profit tax pitted this powerful industry against Labor and ultimately cost the then-prime minister Kevin Rudd his job. It was eventually watered down, raised little revenue and was ultimately repealed by the Coalition.

Anthony Albanese dismisses Adam Bandts plans to introduce a super profits tax

The Labor government of the day didnt anticipate the Herculean, well-funded lobby from the large mining companies and that the power it wielded could kill off a tax that over time would have cost it billions.

Its no surprise the current Labor opposition doesnt want to be associated with it. Labor leader Anthony Albanese flatly rejected the proposal and any association with it.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size The album era was a period in English-language popular music from the mid-1960s to the mid-2000s in which the album was the dominant form of recorded music expression and consumption, notes Wikipedia. It seems, in 2021, even the internets ultimate fount of knowledge has given up on the album format. Music fans whove grown up with streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music, where music is played online rather than downloaded or purchased physically, are often more attuned to the industrys ever-increasing focus on singles and playlists. But for fans who recall the magical experience of listening to, say, Radioheads The Bends or Jay-Zs Reasonable Doubt from beginning to end (and then all over again), the album remains a cherished form. And for musicians themselves, a number one album still carries significant weight. The Jungle Giants Love Signs hit number one on the ARIA albums chart in July. Sam Hales of Brisbane indie-rockers the Jungle Giants, whose fourth album Love Signs topped ARIAs album chart in July, calls the achievement a dream come true. Weve always been completely independent in order to make the music we want to make, and weve always backed and funded ourselves, he says. So to reach a milestone like this is so self-affirming. But with streaming completely upending the way weve long consumed music, and with social media increasingly defining who and what gets to the top of the charts, what even makes a number one album in 2021?

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How is a number one album decided, anyway? In Australia, the industry body in charge of collating the albums chart is the Australian Recording Industry Association, or ARIA, with more than a hundred members, including record labels, manufacturers and distributors. Along with statistical information provided by its members, ARIA collects data from more than 500 retailers and digital music services. But because music is more complicated than ever, so is the maths. ARIAs albums chart is decided by a complex formula that takes in physical sales, digital sales and converted streams. Loading Physical sales (a CD, cassette or vinyl LP) and digital sales (a download) are valued as one unit each, but to assign an equal value to streams (that is, when a song is played online but not downloaded) ARIA uses conversion factors based on the relative earnings a record label gains from a stream. They are calculated separately for subscription or premium streams (where the user is paying for the streaming service, and a stream has greater value to a record label) and ad-supported or free streams (where the user isnt paying for the streaming service). Currently, 490 ad-supported or free streams equal one sales unit (490:1) while 170 subscription or premium streams equal one sales unit (170:1). These values are reviewed each quarter and updated regularly. ARIA also has three accreditation levels for album sales: gold is 35,000 units, platinum is 70,000 units and diamond is 500,000 units. There are currently just three diamond albums on ARIAs top 50 albums chart and theyve been sitting there for a while: Ed Sheerans Divide (2017), Taylor Swifts 1989 (2014) and INXSs The Very Best (2011).

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How many albums does an artist need to sell to go to number one? The quick answer is, probably not as many as you think. It was only six years ago that Adeles 25 debuted at number one in Australia with more than 126,000 copies sold in its first week, but even that was an anomaly described in industry trades at the time as heyday figures. This years biggest album so far, Olivia Rodrigos Sour, debuted at number one with the equivalent of 9300 units sold in its first week  enough to score the largest consumption week for an album in 2021. Three months since its release its been accredited as gold, marking more than 35,000 units sold. The Rubens fourth album 0202 debuted at #1 in February. If you reckon such numbers appear to signal the death of the album as a rallying point for listeners, youd be correct. When Sydney alt-rock band The Rubens fourth album 0202 debuted at number one on the ARIA albums chart in February, it sold fewer than 4000 units. Which may not sound like a lot, says Chris Maund, chief operating officer of Mushroom Labels and Mushroom Music Publishing, but on the same day the lead single from the album, Live in Life, had racked up 40 million streams. That demonstrates the huge change in consumption from albums to individual track streaming. In the era of the single, what even is an album? Streaming has completely warped the traditional view of what an album is. Take the eye-opening journey of Sydney rapper the Kid Larois debut mixtape F--- Love, for example.

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The then-16-year-old originally released the mixtape in July 2020, where it debuted at number two on the ARIA albums chart. In November 2020, he re-released it as F--- Love (Savage) with seven new songs. In February 2021, the album sold 1395 units in a week and finally went to number one in Australia. In July, he again re-released the album as F--- Love 3: Over You, with another seven songs, including his smash Stay with Justin Bieber. He has since re-released it again as F--- Love 3+: Over You Deluxe Edition with another six songs, which last month sent the album to number one on the US Billboard 200. The Kid Larois F--- Love has gone from 15 songs to 35 over several iterations of the album. Credit:Sony The album, initially released more than a year ago with 15 songs, now has a total of more than 35. And those songs have accumulated more than 265 million streams in Australia and three billion streams globally. For a band like The Rubens, who released their self-titled first album in September 2012, it means the business of releasing an album has altered drastically. We released five tracks from the album before the album was released; the first one went out 18 months before the albums release. Back then, it was all about album sales. We would have released only two songs three or four months before the album and the whole strategy was about setting things up to maximise, mainly, CD sales, says Maund. Now, due to streaming, its much more about individual tracks and much less about album sales. For 0202, we released five tracks from the album before the album was released; the first one went out 18 months before the albums release, he says. As much, if not more, of our marketing and promotion was spent on those individual tracks as the album.

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Maund says that while albums remain important to artists creative vision, the advent of streaming has completely flipped the emphasis to tracks at the expense of albums. The strategy for maximising the success of those tracks is quite complex, he adds. There is a huge focus on streaming playlisting and digital marketing, which increasingly includes the likes of TikTok, combined with traditional avenues such as radio. Byron Bay punk trio Skegss, whose album Rehearsal topped the ARIA chart in March. So, I need to go viral on TikTok to get a number one album? Much has been made of the impact of social media on musical fortunes: the way a conveniently placed track in an influencers TikTok video can send streams soaring and get album anticipation peaking. It worked for Olivia Rodrigos Drivers License, after all, or even for Sydney rapper Masked Wolf. Loading Aaron Girgis, manager of Byron Bay punk trio Skegss, calls such strategising a lottery. How many artists do that a year? One in every five million that release music? Nah, I wouldnt put that in the release strategy, he laughs. Skegss second album, Rehearsal, debuted at number one on ARIAs albums chart in March with first-week sales of 4000-5000 units.

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AFL club Collingwood have closed down the clubs administrative base after an employee tested positive to COVID-19.

Only a small number of staff have been in the building and have to isolate and be tested until they receive a negative result.

The players in AFL and AFLW and netball have not, with few exceptions, been in the building since they are not in-season.

A Collingwood employee who has been at the Holden Centre in recent days has returned a positive COVID test result, the club said in a statement.

As a precaution, the Holden Centre has been closed and all players and staff who have accessed the complex since last Thursday have been asked to get tested immediately and isolate until receiving a negative result.

The club is awaiting advice from DHHS as to what, if any, further action may be required.
A Sydney man, who described himself as an elite hacker, has been jailed for 16 years for masterminding a scheme to import large volumes of illicit drugs from Europe via the dark web and to distribute them to customers across the eastern seaboard.

Dov Tenenboim, 36, was nabbed by police during a dramatic raid on his Vaucluse apartment in June 2018 after a member of his syndicate informed on him and sparked a five-month-long investigation.

Dov Tenenboim will be eligible for parole in 2028. Credit:Facebook

The informant, given the pseudonym Mike Allen by the court, was employed by Tenenboim to carry out his drug distribution business while he holidayed in South Africa for a month in 2017.

While he was overseas, Tenenboim would communicate with Mr Allen via the encrypted message service Wickr, discussing the distribution of thousands of MDMA pills, along with significant quantities of cocaine and ketamine.
NSW has reported 1281 new local COVID-19 cases on Monday, as Premier Gladys Berejiklian revealed modelling which showed infections were set to hit a peak of more than 2000 cases a day in the areas of concern in Sydney, possibly next week.

The Premier said the modelling, informed by the work of the Burnet Institute independent medical organisation, also showed the state would require its highest number of intensive care beds in early October.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian says modelling shows the number of infections in NSW should peak this month. Credit:Edwina Pickles

Within areas of concern  identified as 12 council areas in Sydneys south-west, south and west  NSW Health is expecting it will record cases of 1100 to 2000 a day until mid-September, when the effect of vaccine coverage takes hold.

I do want to qualify that to say that modelling depends on a number of things; a number of variables, the Premier said. If too many of us do the wrong thing, there are too many superspreading events, we could see those numbers higher.
A crime scene has been declared after a critically injured woman died at a home in Brisbanes south overnight.

Police attended a home on Wishart Road, Upper Mount Gravatt, just before 8pm on Monday.

Police at the scene on Tuesday morning. Credit:Cloe Read

The woman was treated by paramedics following a report that she was critically injured, but she died at the scene.

Police were treating the death as suspicious.
Queensland health authorities have flagged more walk-in appointments at mass COVID-19 vaccine hubs to ensure rising supply is used.

The number of people waiting for bookings are cleared as quickly as they come in the system while GPs operate below capacity, Health Minister Yvette DAth says.

But the state will not look at other options such as drive-in clinics to help boost its lagging vaccination rate until there is another outbreak, as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was keeping close watch on regions falling or remaining behind the rest of the state.

Chairs set out for people to wait after receiving a vaccine dose inside the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre hub, which opened last month. Credit:Jono Searle/Getty Images

Across the next month, daily appointments already locked in at state-run clinics are at least 5000 down when compared to the distribution levels seen across the past 10 days  some of the highest to date  analysis of Queensland Health data shows.
Victorian state schools have been banned from pressing parents to make voluntary payments on curriculum essentials such as stationery, devices, camps and excursions, in a crackdown principals fear will force them to make deep cuts to their educational programs.

Canberra camps, museum visits, sports carnivals and subscriptions to popular educational software would all be at risk from the loss of a critical source of funding, principals say.

Principals fear camps and excursions will become less affordable under the new rules. Credit:Rodger Cummins

The state Education Department said it was strengthening the rules after it found some schools had breached core principles of the policy regarding voluntary financial contributions and put undue pressure on parents to chip in.

State schools are permitted to ask parents to contribute to a long list of essential and non-essential materials and activities, ranging from library books and digital devices the school owns to student wellbeing programs and upgrades to grounds and buildings.
Doctors there also assumed it was a reaction to the vaccine and discharged her without testing for coronavirus. It was only when her workplace became an exposure site on August 19 that she was finally tested for the virus. Within hours, Sally and Paul had returned a positive result. It felt surreal, but it answered all my questions as to why my body was reacting the way it did, Sally said. I kept thinking something is off, something is not right, this cant just be a reaction to the Pfizer vaccine. However, Lukes first test came back negative and he was told by the Health Department he would have to find somewhere else to isolate alone or pay more than $3000 for two weeks in hotel quarantine. Paul offered to move in to care for Sally, so Luke could isolate at his house. Lukes second test came back positive and he spent a week alone, unable to move from the couch.

You hear mixed reports that some people dont really get affected and others end up in intensive care, said Luke, who asked that his family surname be withheld. So all these thoughts were racing through my head at the time. Like, how bad is this thing going to be? At the time, I thought I was screwed. After the onset of symptoms, Luke, who was anxious, alone and struggling to breathe, spent hours trying to get through to an operator on the states coronavirus hotline. One day I was on hold for 3 hours, only to finally get through and be told a GP would ring me ... nobody ever rang me, he said. It was exhausting. I felt helpless and like there was nobody there to help.

Luke wants a dedicated hotline for people who are infected, so they do not spend hours on hold trying to get help. Loading It was not until a healthcare worker from Cohealth, a Melbourne not-for-profit community health organisation providing at-home care for Sally and Paul, rang to check on Luke, that he secured a telehealth appointment with a doctor at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. The doctor called him twice a day in the days following. That was a game changer for me, it completely changed my mindset, Luke said. Cohealth delivered food parcels and medicine to Luke. The organisation was also able to secure a permit for him so he could return home to be with his mother.

Fourteen days after being diagnosed with the coronavirus, Sally collapsed again when her oxygen levels fell dangerously low. She hit her head and was rushed back to hospital for four nights, before being discharged on Sunday. Luke and mother Sally are both recovering from the virus. Credit:Chris Hopkins I was terrified of ending up on a ventilator. You just never think this will happen to your family if you take all the right precautions, she said. But if its happened to us, it can happen to anyone. Loading Luke still has lingering coronavirus symptoms, including fatigue. He plans to get vaccinated in the coming weeks but says his encounter with the disease has changed his perception that it only adversely affects the elderly.
Womens Safety Minister Anne Ruston is considering developing a separate plan to reduce violence against Indigenous women and children after a powerful call for action from prominent Indigenous leaders.

As the federal government works towards a fifth national plan to reduce violence against women, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins said it was frustrating the Coalition had not included a positive duty for employers to stamp out workplace sexual harassment in anti-discrimination laws.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison opened the womens safety summit on Monday with an acknowledgement too many women in Australia did not feel safe. Everyone had a responsibility to change a culture that justified or excused gender inequality and drove violence against women, he said.

Australia does have a problem, he said.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced the widespread easing of COVID restrictions across New Zealand as the nation appeared to have largely contained its Delta outbreak.

From Tuesday night, all of New Zealand outside Auckland will move from level 3 to level 2 restrictions, allowing people to return to work and school.

Weve done so well to get this outbreak under control, said Ardern.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Credit:AP

Auckland will remain at the most restrictive level 4 setting, which allows people to leave their home only for essential work and to buy essential supplies, until at least next Thursday.
Im confident and happy and excited and love these guys," Rodgers said. "As a competitor, Im frustrated about my performance, our performance. But this game is about how you respond to negativity usually more than how you're hailed for your successes."
The Silent Coup: A History of Indias Deep State Author: Josy Joseph Publisher: Context (Westland) Pages:306 Price: Rs 699 Why would a CBI official be denied interrogating three high-profile Hindutva ideologues? Even though all evidence would point to Indore for the second time, in a lead to the 2006 Malegaon blasts, why would the security establishment not initiate a chase for (now MP) Pragya Singh Thakur? How can directors of a Delhi-based petrochemical company fly safely to London after having been booked for money laundering and circular trading ...

Dear Reader,

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Digital Editor
As Covid-19 cases recede, India Inc is once again tweaking work rules. Big tech companies such as TCS, Wipro and Infosys have either begun or are in the process of calling employees back to office in a staggered manner.

A survey by Aon, a global professional services firm, has found that 60 per cent of tech firms now expect every second employee to come to office. More than half of the employees working in engineering and manufacturing firms are also being asked to return to work. Another survey by management consulting firm Mercer shows that nearly six in 10 respondents are willing to work ...
Realty firm TARC Ltd on Monday said it has sold a warehousing asset in the city to global investment firm for Rs 295 crore.

TARC Ltd has said in a statement that it has completed the sale of its warehousing asset in North Delhi to BREP Asia II EIP Holding (NQ) Pte Ltd, an affiliate of funds controlled, managed and/or advised by Inc (BREP).

The total consideration of the deal is Rs 295 crore.

TARC Ltd wants to focus on core development projects to unlock much higher value through its strategic and key land parcels in the national capital.

The deal is in line with its strategy to become a debt-free company, develop its huge land bank and look for new developments in the National Capital Region, the statement said.

TARC Ltd plans to use a part of the proceeds to fast track the residential projects, consolidating its strategy to develop higher yielding, future ready projects.

The company is looking for similar opportunities with and other global Funds.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's top energy including ONGC Videsh Ltd is discussing buying a stake in Russia's massive Vostok oil project as well as a planned liquefied gas project Arctic LNG-2, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said.

OVL, the overseas arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), is evaluating buying a minority stake in the Vostok Oil project, which contains combined estimated resources of over 6 billion tonnes or around 44 billion barrels, of premium crude.

It alongside Petronet Ltd is negotiating to buy a 9.9 per cent stake from Novatek.

"A number of new potential investments were discussed Vostok Oil, Artic LNG-2 (and) petrochemicals," Puri, who was in to attend the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, told reporters in Moscow before departing back to New Delhi.

Posting a short clip of the press interaction on his Twitter account, he said these investments will lead to further strengthening and deepening of relations between and India.

"During my interaction with members of the fourth estate in Moscow, I briefed them about my fruitful & productive visit to Russia, a vital partner for our energy security," he said in a Twitter post.

He said the business delegation he led had a large number of meeting with all the major economic & energy sector players.

Russian Energy Minister Nikolay Shulginov said almost all major -- including Rosneft, Gazprom Neft, and Novatek -- were interested in developing new projects with Indian oil and gas

"We see prospects for energy cooperation in all areas," Shulginov said at the Russian-Indian business dialogue.

According to Puri, Indian oil companies have already invested about USD 16 billion in the Russian oil and gas sector including in projects such as Sakhalin-1, Vankor and Taas-Yuryakh, and invested the same amount in India.

During his 5-day visit, the minister also met with Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin who made a presentation on the Vostok Oil megaproject, which links some of Rosneft's vast resources with the Northern Sea Route.

He also met Novatek Chief Executive Officer Leonid Mikhelson during the visit.

Oil production at the cluster may reach 115 million tonnes, or around 2.3 million barrels per day, by 2033, Rosneft said.

Novatek, Russia's largest producer of LNG, owns 60 per cent in the USD 11-billion Arctic project. France's TotalEnergies and a Japanese consortium have a 10 per cent stake each in the project. China's CNPC and Cnooc Ltd also have 10 per cent each.

The partners expect to start the first train in 2023, with the Arctic 2 plant reaching its full nameplate capacity of 19.8 million tonnes in 2025.

"We held very productive discussions on further strengthening our strategic partnership with Russia in the energy sector," Puri said on Twitter on his meeting with Rosneft head Igor Sechin.

The Vostok Oil in the far northern Taymyr Peninsula is one of the most prospective oil production projects in the world. It includes 52 license areas with a resource base of more than 6 billion tons of oil.

(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.)
From Google India to Zomato, and Netflix to Paytm - the who's who of the tech world lined up to congratulate a company's five years of operations.

No surprise, they have been a beneficiary of the data revolution that brought with its dirt cheap rates.

Data usage in India has zoomed 1,300 per cent and the number of broadband users grew four times since September 5, 2016, when billionaire Mukesh Ambani marked re-entry into the telecom space with Jio.

While HDFC said "sar uthake jeena koi tumse seekhe", Hotstar said: "From asking 'What's the score?' to watching it LIVE, cheers to #5YearsOfJio."



Google, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, PhonePe, Apollo Hospitals, Ashok Leyland, Tinder India, Voot, Zee5, Samsung India, Vivo, Oppo, Dominos India, and Sony Liv were among the lot that took to Twitter to congratulate Jio on its 5th anniversary.

While Mi India said "5 years of fueling the Internet revolution in India", Nokia said "kudos to your commitment on keeping India connected."



"Tum jio karodo saal! (May you live billion years)," said India's biggest digital wallet firm Paytm.

E-learning platform Unacademy said, "Here's to helping India learn and grow digitally!"



Online food ordering app Zomato, which had in its IPO prospectus mentioned of the digital connect that Jio created, said, "Birthday cake is on its way!"



"It's #5YearsOfJio kicking off the mobile internet revolution in INdia," Micromax said.

Jio's entry disrupted the Indian telecom market, forcing rivals to match its dirt cheap rates.

TRAI broadband subscriber's report shows that the number of data users has gone up 4 times in the last 5 years. The number of broadband users increased from 19.23 crore in September 2016 to 79.27 crore in June 2021.

This led to an exponential increase in data consumption with monthly data consumption per user witnessing over 1,303 per cent jump from 878.63 MB to a staggering 12.33 GB between December 2016 to March 2021, revealed the latest quarterly telecom performance indicator report published by TRAI.

Since the beginning of the commercial operation of Jio in September 2016, internet data cost has gone down by over 93 per cent from around Rs 160 per GB to Rs 10.77 a GB, as per performance indicators reports published by TRAI.

Experts say that Jio broke the digital divide and helped usher in an era of true democratisation of digital technology - empowering every Indian in the process.

Before Jio ushered in the digital revolution, India had 10 unicorns; this list has now burgeoned to at least 53.

More importantly, Jio took digital revolution to one and all. For example, the number of Facebook users in India more than doubled from 20 crore users in 2016 to over 42 crore users in 2021. Similarly, the number of WhatsApp users also jumped to over 39 crore in 2021 from 19 crore users in 2016.

Online businesses are booming, whole new value chains are created, cutting out the middlemen, making prices affordable. On the day of the successful listing of Zomato, CEO Deepinder Goyal had applauded Reliance Jio's 'prolific growth' for the opportunities it has unleashed for the new-age internet startups in the country.

The CEO of Netflix, the world's largest online video streaming company, Reed Hastings credited Jio with the success of streaming services in India and went on to make headlines saying, "Every country should have its own "



Jio has also revolutionised the digital economy. UPI payments have increased in value by 200,000 times and in terms of numbers it has gone up by 400,000 times. App downloads have also seen outstanding growth.

In 2016, there had been 6.5 billion downloads and in 2019 the numbers had soared to 19 billion.

(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.)
Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.



As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.



Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.



Digital Editor
Brazil's health regulator has temporarily suspended the use of over 12.1 million doses of China's Sinovac Covid vaccine over fears of the vials being contaminated, media reports said.

Anvisa, the regulator, suspended Sinovac for a period of three months after learning that vials containing the shots were filled at an unauthorised production base, the Washington Post reported. The matter is being investigated.

The Butantan Institute, a Sao Paulo based biomedical centre that has partnered with Sinovac to fill the vaccine for local usage, notified Anvisa about the irregularity, the agency said.

"The manufacturing unit responsible for the filling was not inspected and was not approved by Anvisa," the report quoted Anvisa as saying in a statement, adding: "Thus it is necessary to adopt a temporary measure to avoid the exposure of the population to a possible imminent risk."

Anvisa added that it has halted plans to distribute an additional 9 million doses of Sinovac, as they were also filled at a location that was not inspected by the health officials, the report said.

The regulator noted that the suspension is precautionary, and not punitive.

They aim to aceavoid use of irregular or suspect products," Anvisa said. The lack of information about the environment at the production bases, combined with the need for vaccine shots to be made in strictly aseptic settings, persuaded officials to take the measure, Anvisa said.

Meanwhile, has cancelled deals from vaccine providers in recent weeks including 10 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V and 20 million doses from India's Bharat Biotech, adding to public worries about timely deliveries of second shots for the broader public, the Post reported.

has been the second worst-hit country by the pandemic after the US, with more than 20 million infections and 580,000 deaths.

According to official figures, has fully vaccinated 65.6 million people. Some cities in the country are also providing booster shots of the Covid vaccine, even though most people are yet to receive their second jabs, media reports said.

--IANS

rvt/arm

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The party has decided to extend full support to the farmers' on September 27 against the three farm laws. Former party president Rahul Gandhi has been at the forefront in the support to the farmers agitation from the very beginning. He has also termed the farmers as "brave".

In a tweet Rahul said, "Fearless at the forefront... he is the fortune maker of India."

newly appointed in-charge of agitation committee, Digvijaya Singh said, "Kisan Mahapanchayat has proposed on September 27. All the non-BJP parties should try to make it a grand success."

Earlier on Sunday, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that the farmers are the voice of the country.

The Kisan Mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar on Sunday, turned out to be a massive show of strength of farmer unity as over 300 farmer unions from 15 states participated under the aegis of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and reiterated their resolve to continue with the protest.

The farmers unanimously gave a call for complete on September 27 in protest against the three contentious farm laws.

They (the Centre) said that only a handful of farmers are protesting. Let them see what a handful this is today. Let us raise our voices so it reaches to the ears of those sitting in Parliament, the farmer leaders said.

The farmer leaders said that the Mahapanchayat will also prove that the agitation has the support of "all castes, religions, states, classes, small traders and all sections of the society".

The SKM said in a statement, "The Mahapanchayat today will make the Modi and Yogi governments realise the power of farmers, farm labourers, and supporters of the farm movement. The Muzaffarnagar Mahapanchayat will be the biggest ever in the last nine months."

--IANS

miz/rs/skp/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hetero, a globally renowned vertically integrated pharmaceutical organization, on Monday announced that the (DCGI) has issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the generic version of Tocilizumab in India.

This authorisation will enable the medical practitioners to use the generic drug Tocilizumab for the treatment of Covid-19 in hospitalised adults who are receiving systemic corticosteroids and require supplemental oxygen, non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), Hetero said in a statement.

"We are pleased with the approval of Hetero's Tocilizumab (Tocira) in India. This demonstrates our technical capabilities and commitment to bringing important therapeutics relevant to Covid care. This approval is extremely crucial for supply security in India considering a global shortage of Tocilizumab. We will be working closely with the government to ensure equitable distribution," said Dr. B. Partha Saradhi Reddy, Chairman,

Hetero's Tocira (Tocilizumab) will be marketed by its associate company 'Hetero Healthcare' in India with the support of its strong distribution network across the country.

Hetero's biologics arm 'Hetero Biopharma' will be manufacturing the drug at its dedicated biologics facility, based at Jadcherla in Hyderabad.

Hetero's Tocilizumab 400mg/20ml is the biosimilar version of Roche's Actemra/RoActemra, and will be available from September end.

--IANS

ms/rs

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India on Monday reported a net decrease of 5,174 in active cases to take its count to 404,874. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 2.14 per cent (one in 47). The country is seventh among the most affected countries by active cases. On Sunday, it added 38,948 cases to take its total caseload to 33,027,621 from 32,988,673  an increase of 0.1%. And, with 219 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 440,752, or 1.33 per cent of total confirmed infections.

With 2,523,089 more Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered on Sunday, Indias total count of vaccine shots so far reached 687,541,762. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 32,181,995  or 97.44 per cent of total caseload  with 43,903 new cured cases being reported on Monday.

Now the seventh-most-affected country by active cases, third by deaths, second by total cases, and first by recoveries, India has added 289,682 cases in the past 7 days.

India now accounts for 2.14% of all active cases globally (one in every 47 active cases), and 9.63% of all deaths (one in every 10 deaths).

India has so far administered 687,541,762 vaccine doses. That is 2081.71 per cent of its total caseload, and 49.27 per cent of its population.

Among Indian states, the top 5 in terms of number of vaccine shots administered are Uttar Pradesh (82361743), Maharashtra (67452023), Gujarat (52260344), Rajasthan (51407406), and Madhya Pradesh (51158748).

Among states with more than 10 million population, the top 5 in number of vaccine shots per one million population are Kerala (902231), Uttarakhand (837500), Gujarat (818199), Delhi (808600), and J&K (663497).

Backwards from here, the last 1 million cases for India have come in 27 days.

The count of active cases across India on Monday saw a net reduction of 5,174, compared to net addition of 4,367 on Sunday. States and UTs hat have seen the biggest daily net increase in active cases are Andhra Pradesh (275), Odisha (35), Meghalaya (28), Puducherry (24), and Madhya Pradesh (8).

With 43,903 new daily recoveries, Indias recovery rate stands at 97.44%, while fatality rate remained unchanged at 1.33%.

The Indian states and UTs with the worst case fatality rates at present are Punjab (2.74%), Uttarakhand (2.15%), and Maharashtra (2.12%). The rate in as many as 16 is higher than the national average.

Indias new daily closed cases stand at 44,122  219 deaths and 43,903 recoveries. The share of deaths in total closed cases stands at 0.49%.

Indias 5-day moving average of daily rate of addition to total cases stands at 0.1%.

Indias doubling time for total cases stands at 587.4 days, and for deaths at 1394.7 days.

Overall, five states with the biggest 24-hour jump in total cases are Kerala (26701), Maharashtra (4057), Andhra Pradesh (1623), Tamil Nadu (1592), and Karnataka (1117).

Among states with more than 100,000 cases, the five with worst recovery rates at present are Kerala (93.59%).

India on Sunday conducted 1,410,649 to take the total count of tests conducted so far in the country to 531,468,867. The test positivity rate recorded was 2.8%.

Five states with the highest test positivity rate (TPR)  percentage of tested people turning out to be positive for Covid-19 infection (by cumulative data for tests and cases  are Dadra & Nagar Haveli-Daman & Diu (14.73%), Goa (14.1%), Kerala (13.02%), Sikkim (12.68%), and Maharashtra (11.82%).

Five states with the highest TPR by daily numbers for tests and cases added  are Kerala (17.17%), Sikkim (11.86%), Manipur (9.22%), Meghalaya (7.59%), and Mizoram (5.89%).

Among states and UTs with more than 10 million population, five that have carried out the highest number of tests (per million population) are Delhi (1389108), J&K (999463), Kerala (905388), Karnataka (655839), and Telangana (634286).

The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (6486174), Kerala (4207838), Karnataka (2955164), Tamil Nadu (2622678), and Andhra Pradesh (2021325).

Maharashtra, the most affected state overall, has reported 4057 new cases to take its tally to 6486174.

Kerala, the second-most-affected state by total tally, has added 26701 cases to take its tally to 4207838.

Karnataka, the third-most-affected state, has reported 1117 cases to take its tally to 2955164.

Tamil Nadu has added 1592 cases to take its tally to 2622678.

Andhra Pradesh has seen its tally going up by 1623 to 2021325.

Uttar Pradesh has added 18 cases to take its tally to 1709445.

Delhi has added 30 cases to take its tally to 1437959.
The European Medicines Agency says it has started an expedited evaluation on whether to recommend a booster dose of the made by Pfizer-BioNTech.

In a statement Monday, the EU drug regulator says it is considering whether a third dose of the vaccine should be given six months after people 16 and older have received two doses, to restore protection after it has waned.

EMA's experts are carrying out an accelerated assessment of data submitted by and BioNTech, including results from an ongoing trial in which about 300 healthy adults received a booster shot about six months after their second dose.

has already submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administer for authorization of a third dose and the U.S. government said last month boosters would likely be available in late September. Israel has already started administering booster doses and the plan is under consideration in other countries for vulnerable populations, including France and Germany.

The World Health Organization has pleaded with rich countries not to use booster doses until at least the end of September, saying there is no scientific data that proves the shots are necessary. It says COVID-19 vaccines would be put to better use in developing countries, which have received fewer than 2per cent of the more than 5 billion doses administered.

Several studies have showed that protection from authorized COVID-19 vaccines against the highly infectious delta variant drops months after people have been immunized, but the shots still offer strong protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death.

The Amsterdam-based EMA said it expects to make a decision about whether or not to recommend a third dose of the vaccine in the next few weeks.

It said it was also reviewing the use of a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna in people with weak immune systems. It said those people might need an extra dose as part of their primary vaccination" programs.

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A Delhi Court on Monday sent actor Leena Maria Paul, partner of Sukesh Chandrashekhar who was arrested for allegedly duping Aditi Singh, wife of the former promoter of Ranbaxy, Shivinder Singh, of Rs 200 crore to 15 days police remand.

The police have invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh on Monday allowed the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police for 15 days to interrogate Leena Maria Paul in the matter. The police sought her remand to question her travelling with other accused to different states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Mumbai etc for recovery and verification of several properties purchased from proceeds of crime.

Public prosecutor Atul Kumar Shrivastava alleged that Leena and Mukesh used hawala routes and created shell companies to park the money.

The Delhi Police on Monday also produced four other co-accused -- Kamlesh Kothari, Arun Muthu, Joel Jose Matthews and B Mohan Raj.

The court also sent Leena and two other co-accused to 15 days police remand, while the other two to 7 days.

On Saturday, the Patiala House Court sent Sukesh Chandrashekhar to 16 days police remand in the alleged Rs 200 crore cheating case.

Besides ongoing investigations against him in several other cases across the country, the Delhi Police's EOW had registered an FIR against Chandrasekhar for allegedly duping the spouses of former promoters of Ranbaxy, Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh, of Rs 200 crore.

Former Religare promoters Malvinder and Shivinder Singh are currently lodged in Tihar jail.

At least two separate FIRs have been registered in the case so far and 23 Deputy Superintendents have been transferred on August 17, the police said.

The investigation had revealed that the accused Sukesh Chandrasekar had duped Shivinder's wife Aditi Singh and Malvinder's wife Japna Singh worth over several crores of rupees.

The women claimed that they paid crores of rupees to the conman to secure bail for their husbands and ensure their safety to Chandrasekar, who impersonated as an officer from the Union Law Ministry.

"I was assured that the Central government would be interested to work with my husband after making him an 'industry advisor' on COVID-related committees; he asked me to contribute to the 'party fund' and assured to set up a meeting either with the former law minister or home minister," alleged Aditi Singh.

Japna Singh said that she paid a total of Rs 3.5 crore to Hong Kong-based account on July 28, 29, 30, and August 6, and has shared proof of the transactions. Afterwards, the police laid a trap and arrested two of Chandrasekar's accomplices, Pradeep and Deepak, between August 7 and 8.

A senior official of Delhi Police had earlier said that the matter is quite sensitive and arrested Sukesh, who was lodged in Rohini jail; his two associates Pradeep Ramdani and Deepak Ramnani; two jail officials, deputy superintendent Subhash Batra and assistant jail superintendent Dharam Singh Meena; and three men, Komal Poddar, who is a manager at RBL in Connaught Place, and his two associates Avinash Kumar and Jitender Narula.

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Central forces were deployed, mobile Internet services suspended and prohibitory orders banning gathering of people were imposed here on Monday, a day ahead of the gherao planned by farmers at the mini-secretariat over the August 28 lathicharge.

The Haryana government ordered suspension of mobile Internet services from 12:30 pm on Monday to Tuesday midnight to "stop the spread of misinformation and rumours" on social media, according to an order of the Home Department.

Forty companies of security personnel, including 10 companies of central paramilitary forces, have been deployed in the district where local authorities have also imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC, officials said.

Haryana BKU chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni said that they had given a deadline of September 6 to the administration to meet their demands.

He said a meeting with district administration officials was held here on Monday, but after failing to get any satisfactory response about their demands they decided to hold a big panchayat on Tuesday morning before proceeding to the mini-secretariat to gherao it.

"We will hold a peaceful protest, but if the administration stops us, then we will break barricades," Chaduni told reporters here, adding that farmers have no plan to block the highway.

The order suspending mobile Internet services stated that "to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order" here, mobile Internet services (2G/3G/4G/CDMA/GPRS), SMS services, including bulk SMS (excluding banking and mobile recharge) and all dongle services etc, except voice calling, will remain suspended with effect from 12:30 pm on Monday till 11:59 pm on Tuesday.

Earlier, the district administration issued prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC, banning the assembly of five or more people, and a traffic advisory with planned route diversions, the officials said.

According to a Haryana police advisory, Highway No 44 (Ambala-Delhi) may see some traffic disruptions in the district on Tuesday.

"Therefore, the general public using NH-44 are advised to avoid journey through Karnal town or otherwise use alternate routes to go to their destination on September 7," it said.

Karnal Superintendent of Police Ganga Ram Punia said a total of 40 companies of security personnel, including 10 of Central Armed Police Forces, also comprising CRPF and BSF personnel, have been deployed.

With additional force from neighbouring districts in place, five SP-rank officers and 25 DSP-rank officers will oversee security arrangements here, Punia said.

Drones fitted with cameras will be mobilised as part of security measures, he said.

No one will be allowed to take law into one's hand, said Karnal Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav.

Speaking to reporters in Chandigarh, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij appealed to farmers to ensure that the protest is peaceful and the common man is not affected.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Navdeep Singh Virk said elaborate security arrangements have been made in view of the call for the gherao of mini-secretariat.

The IG Police Karnal Range and all district Superintendents of Police (Karnal Range) have been directed to take necessary preventive and precautionary measures to maintain law and order in Karnal and adjoining districts, Virk said.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer outfits protesting against the farm laws, had threatened to lay siege to the Karnal mini-secretariat on Tuesday if its demands were not met.

The Haryana Police had lathicharged a group of farmers disrupting traffic movement on a highway near here on August 28 while heading towards Karnal to protest against a BJP meeting. Over 10 protesters were injured.

The SKM had said a murder case should be registered against IAS officer Ayush Sinha who was caught on tape allegedly telling policemen to "break heads" of protesting farmers.

Sinha, who was later transferred in a reshuffle also involving some other IAS officers, has now been posted as the additional secretary in the Citizen Resources Information Department.

Chaduni had earlier sought registration of a case against those involved in the lathicharge. He also demanded a compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a government job for the family of a farmer who died after allegedly sustaining injuries in the lathicharge.

However, the administration here claimed that the farmer was not injured in the police action but had died due to a heart attack.

Meanwhile, according to police advisory, vehicles coming from Delhi side will be allowed to reach Chandigarh via Pepsi Bridge (Panipat) via Munak to Assandh and Munak to Gagsina, via Ghoghadipur to Hansi Chowk of Karnal, via Bypass Western Yamuna Canal to Karna Lake via GT Road 44.

Apart from this, light vehicles will be diverted towards Chandigarh via Madhuban, Daha, Bajida, Ghogharipur, Hansi Chowk, Bypass Yamuna Canal, Karna Lake, GT Road 44.

On Tuesday, vehicles coming from Chandigarh side will be diverted from Pipli Chowk (Kurukshetra) via Ladwa, Indri, Bayana, Neval, Kunjpura via Nangla Megha, Meerut via Amritpur Khurd, Kairavali and Gharaunda via GT Road 44.

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Prime Minister will chair the annual summit of the five-nation grouping on Thursday in the virtual format and it is expected to focus extensively on the situation in

The meeting will be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

As part of India's ongoing chairship of in 2021, Prime Minister will chair the 13th Summit on September 9 in virtual format," the MEA said in a statement.

This is the second time Prime Minister Modi will be chairing the BRICS summit. Earlier he had chaired the Goa summit in 2016. The Indian Chairship of BRICS this year coincides with the 15th anniversary of BRICS. The theme for the summit is: 'BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS cooperation for continuity, consolidation and consensus'.

India had outlined four priority areas for its Chairship. These are reform of the multilateral system, counter-terrorism, using digital and technological tools for achieving SDGs and enhancing people-to-people exchanges. In addition to these areas, the leaders will also exchange views on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and other current global and regional issues," the MEA said.



Separately, Russian Ambassador to India Nikolay Kudashev said the situation in is expected to figure prominently at the summit.

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The on Monday while dismissing an appeal by the Manipur government, observed that High Courts were bastions of ensuring that justice was dispensed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The court said this while dismissing an appeal filed by the Manipur government challenging the High Court's order directing the state to frame exhaustive rules for combating COVID-19.

A Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Vikram Nath and Hima Kohli also remarked on the pathetic condition of quarantine centres maintained by the State.

Dismissing the appeal of the Manipur government, the Bench said that the was absolutely justified in passing the directions.

"Our High Court's were bastions of ensuring that justice was done during the COVID-19 pandemic... Your standard quarantine centres were pathetic. There were no separate washrooms for male and female. Healthcare workers did not change the beddings regularly. The has passed a calibrated order. We are not going to give you a character certificate," said the apex court.

The Manipur government had approached the top court challenging the Manipur High Court's July 16, 2020 order which had directed the State government to constitute a committee of experts that may advise the government as to the course of action that may be adopted to prevent the spread of COVID-19, after holding regular deliberations with all the stakeholders.

The had observed that even though the state government had been trying its best level to contain the pandemic, there was no information regarding the same in the public domain.

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For a third time in the last 11 days, India administered more than one crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine in a day on Monday taking the total number of doses given in the country to over 69.68 crore, the Union Health Ministry said.

"September has started on a high note as India touches 1 crore COVID-19 vaccinations today. Under PM Narendra Modi's leadership, world's largest vaccination drive is scaling massive heights," Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted.

A total of 1,05,76,911 doses were administered on Monday, officials said, adding that the figure is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late night.

Citing data collated till 7 pm, the ministry said the country has so far vaccinated 53,29,27,201 beneficiaries for the first dose and 16,39,69,127 for the second dose.

Cumulatively, 27,64,10,694 people in the 18-44 age group have received their first dose and 3,57,76,726 the second dose since the start of Phase-3 of the vaccination drive.

"Safety to those who keep us safe. The first dose of vaccine has been administered for the complete vaccination of the security forces deployed in Kutch and to protect their families from Covid. The government has achieved this important achievement in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic," Mandaviya said in another tweet.

The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level, the ministry said.

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With most schools shut for the past year and a half, 75 per cent parents feel their childs reading ability has massively declined and almost all of them want physical classrooms to immediately reopen, shows a recent survey.

Because of limited access to online classes, almost 48 per cent of the surveyed poor children in rural areas werent able to read more than a few words, while in urban areas, the figure was at 42 per cent.

Called School Childrens Online and Offline Learning, or SCHOOL, the survey was conducted in August in 15 states and UTs. It focused on relatively deprived hamlets and bastis (slums), where children generally attend government schools. Four states  Delhi, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh  accounted for half of the sample. Since September 1, more than 15 states have resumed offline classes for students in a limited way and in batches. However, there has been constant pressure from parents to close schools over fears of a third Covid wave.

The scary news about children being most vulnerable in a third wave has been debunked repeatedly by Dr Guleria (of AIIMS) and others. India is among a handful of countries where primary schools have not reopened. An all-out reopening might not be advisable for now, but asking children to attend schools in batches once or twice a week would be a good start, said economist Jean Dreze, one of the coordinators of the survey.

Limited reach of online Classes



The survey found that the reach of online education is limited as the proportion of children who were studying online regularly was just 24 per cent in urban areas and 8 per cent in rural areas.

One reason for this is that many sample households (about half in rural areas) have no smartphone. But that is just the first hurdle: even among households with a smartphone, the proportion of children who are studying online regularly is just 31 per cent in urban areas and 15 per cent in rural areas.



Smartphones are often used by working adults, and may or may not be available to school children, especially the younger siblings (only 9 per cent of all school children had their own smartphone).

In addition, there are other issues of online access such as poor connectivity and lack of money for data.

Another major hurdle, especially in rural areas, is that the school is not sending online material, or if it is, parents are not aware of it.

Some children, particularly the younger ones, lack understanding of online study in any case, or find it difficult to concentrate, the survey found. It also found private tuitions (largely in urban areas) and studying at home with or without the help of family members were the main modes of offline study.

It found that almost 26 per cent of the households had switched from private to government schools for lack of funds, while mid-day meals had been discontinued in all sample schools.
Misinformation received six times as many likes, shares, and interactions as legitimate news articles, researchers at New York University and France's Universite Grenoble Alpes have found.

The study looked at posts from the pages of more than 2,500 news publishers from August 2020 to January 2021 and saw publishers with right wing inclinations have a much higher propensity to share misleading information than publishers in other political categories, reports The Washington Post.

"The study helps add to the growing body of evidence that, despite a variety of mitigation efforts, misinformation has found a comfortable home - and an engaged audience - on Facebook," the report quoted Rebekah Tromble, Director of The Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics at George Washington University, who reviewed the study's findings.

The researchers will share the study as part of the 2021 Internet Measurement Conference in November.

"This report looks mostly at how people engage with content, which should not be confused with how many people actually see it on Facebook," said spokesman Joe Osborne. "When you look at the content that gets the most reach across Facebook, it is not at all like what this study suggests."

Back in July, US President Joe Biden said that such platforms like are allowing Covid vaccine misinformation to spread and are "killing people".

In an interaction with the media, Biden directly criticised Facebook.

Asked for a message to platforms like Facebook, he replied: "They're killing people... the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, and they're killing people."

In May, the social network announced to push down all posts by users who repeatedly share misinformation and fake content across its platforms, as it expands its fact-checking programme to individuals from Pages, Groups, Instagram accounts and domains.

The social network said that the new rule applies on false or misleading content about Covid-19 and vaccines, climate change, elections or other topics, so that fewer people see misinformation on its family apps.

Facebook first came under the scanner of policymakers around the world after allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential elections surfaced.

In India, Facebook has hit on several fake Pages and accounts linked to Congress as well as the BJP but the task at hand is humongous.

--IANS

wh/vd

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The mobile Internet services will be restored in on Monday evening, top police officials told IANS.

The blockade on Internet and voice calling services was imposed in as a precautionary measure after the death of separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Wednesday night.

The Voice calling and broadband Internet was later restored on Friday as the situation remained peaceful in the aftermath of Geelani's death. However, the mobile Internet services continued to remain suspended.

The Internet connectivity was being restored in phases after evaluating the situation in the valley, said the police.

The valley witnessed no untoward incident after Geelani's death.

--IANS

zi/dpb

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As the supply issue of Covid vaccine is being sorted out, authorities push to inoculate have yielded good results in Karnataka. In Bengaluru, more than one crore doses and in the state 45 million doses have been administered till date.

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta on Sunday said the BBMP has administered a total of 11,493,814 Covid vaccines doses in Bengaluru till date. "More than 1 crore doses only means that we will continue to vaccinate every eligible adult. We believe Covid-19 can be completely kept at bay when all of us are fully vaccinated," he explained.

He put out a special post in this regard and wrote, "Towards a stronger Bengaluru."

A total of 82.7 lakh people have been covered with the first dose while more than 32 lakh people have been fully vaccinated in Bengaluru Urban district.

In BBMP limits 76 per cent of the targeted population have been inoculated with the first dose while 30 per cent have been fully jabbed.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka government administered 4.5 crore doses by Sunday evening since the vaccination drive began. As many as 3.3 crore people have been administered the first dose of Covid vaccine and 1.1 crore people have been administered with both doses.

From August 28 to September 3, the state has administered more than six lakh doses every day and managed to vaccinate 43.4 lakh people plus people. The vaccine administration in the state is seeing a steady increase of 75 percent when compared to mid August statistics.

The state government has organised special drives to vaccinate people in the backdrop of fears of a third Covid wave. The state is trying to reach the target of 5 lakh doses of vaccinations everyday and complete the process of inoculation by the end of this year.

Bengaluru stands next in the second position to New Delhi (1,41,02,635) in terms of vaccination in the country among the metropolitan cities. Mumbai (1,02,67,836), Kolkata (60,11,947) and Chennai (52,24,615) are respectively in 3rd, 4th and 5th positions, according to a health bulletin released by the Karnataka health department.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has given instructions to complete inoculation in the villages that fall within 20 kilometers from the Kerala border. However, the experts say, the Ganesh Chaturthi and Moharam celebrations could play the spoil sport in the coming days.

--IANS

mka/dpb

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The has informed the Delhi High Court that NABL certification is must for enrollment of private labs for COVID-19 testing and NABL certifies the readiness of labs to undertake molecular testing of SARS-Cov-2 before the research body allows them for testing.

Regarding the online health service aggregators, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said monitoring of their activities does not come under its purview.

The made the submission in an affidavit filed in response to a plea seeking contempt action against the authorities for not adhering to the Delhi High Court's earlier direction to take action against online health service aggregators which are operating illegally and collecting samples for COVID-19 tests.

The petition is scheduled to come up for hearing on Tuesday before Justice Najmi Waziri.

The has said in its affidavit that as on August 16, 2021, it has approved 134 (35 government and 99 private) labs in Delhi for RT-PCR, TrueNat, CBNAAT and other M-NAT testing platforms and the information is also available on its website.

It said the ICMR has laid down SOPs and standard guidance for setting up COVID-19 testing labs and 14 mentor institutes have been set up in India to guide the labs on implementing these SOPs and set up a testing lab.

For Delhi, the mentor institute is AIIMS, Delhi. National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) certification is must for enrollment of private labs for testing. NABL certifies the readiness of labs to undertake molecular testing of SARS-Cov-2 before ICMR onboards them for testing. Through these parameters, it is ensured that labs meet the statutory standards for COVID-19 testing, the affidavit, filed by Dr R Lakshminarayanan, Deputy Director General (Admin), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said.

The contempt plea by Dr Rohit Jain has urged the high court to allow the contempt plea and restrain the illegal online health service aggregators, which are not authorised to collect diagnostic samples for COVID-19 tests, from further committing contempt of order passed by the court last year.

The Supreme Court had on April 8, 2020 directed that COVID-19 tests must be carried out in NABL-accredited labs or any agencies approved by the WHO or ICMR.

A division bench of the high court, on August 6, 2020 had directed the AAP government to take action in accordance with law against online health service aggregators, who are operating illegally without any registration, after hearing all the stakeholders.

Advocate Shashank Deo Sudhi, representing petitioner Dr Rohit Jain, had said the brisk business of the online aggregators collecting and testing samples was on the rise across the country.

The petitioner is time and again trying to bring to the notice of the court that the illegal online health service aggregators are neither authorised to collect samples nor test for COVID-19 or routine testing by ICMR and are not accredited by NABL being marketplace e-commerce entities, the plea said.

It claimed that this rampant illegal sample collection by online health service aggregators is leading to false negative COVID-19 results thereby letting loose the positive patients in the society and hence unfortunately allowing them to transmit or spread the virus.

It said there is an urgent need to restrain the online health aggregators from collecting the diagnostic samples illegally to save the innocent people in the interest of the public at large and action may be initiated against them as directed by the court on August 6 last year.

The petition has sought initiation of contempt proceedings against the top government officials and others for alleged non-compliance of the high court's order asking to take action and regulate online pathological labs.

The petitioner has sought contempt action against Delhi Chief Secretary, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Directors General of Health Service and ICMR for allegedly not complying with the high court's last year order.

Sudhi has submitted that the online aggregators like 'healthian' and '1 mg' are illegally operating in Delhi.

He has claimed that these online aggregators are playing with the lives of the common people and must be banned.

The plea has said that several illegal online aggregators are advertising freely by offering attractive packages for body check-ups including the test for COVID-19 through SMSs or various online modes and added that the petitioner has received advertisements of online aggregators through e-mail for getting tested.

The high court's August 6, 2020 direction had come while disposing of a PIL seeking a ban on allegedly illegal online health service aggregators from collecting diagnostic samples for testing of COVID-19 infection.

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US President Joe Bidens chief medical adviser said US booster shots against Covid-19 are likely to start only with the by and BioNTech SE, while the Moderna shot may be delayed.

The bottom line is very likely at least part of the plan will be implemented, but ultimately the entire plan will be, Anthony Fauci said Sunday on CBSs Face the Nation. Faucis comments may lead to more clarity on the administrations stance after Biden ran into resistance by medical experts who advise US regulators over what they view as political interference in the review process. While Biden has set a Sept. 20 target for kicking off the booster campaign, safety and efficacy data require signoff by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.

Top medical officials, including CDC head Rochelle Walensky, warned the White House last week that regulators may only be able to act on the shot, and possibly for just some groups of people, in the coming weeks, the New York Times has reported. Fauci said Moderna is getting their data together and may have submitted it by now. Any delay for Moderna would be a couple of weeks  if any, he said. The company said Friday it had completed its submission to US regulators.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican, criticised the Biden administration for mixed messaging.

We need clear guidance on these booster shots because it undermines the credibility of it, Hogan said on NBC. I guess they slipped and pre-leaked an announcement about booster shots with all three vaccines and then had to backtrack it and say you can only use 
The US' booster shot campaign against Covid-19 will likely start with only the vaccine from September 20, the country's top infectious disease expert has said.

The rollout for Moderna's booster vaccine could, however, be delayed, CNBC news quoted Anthony Fauci as saying on Sunday.

Although both drugmakers have applied to US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for authorisation of a third dose either six months or eight months after getting the second dose, they haven't been officially approved by the agency.

Even as the approvals are pending, the Joe Biden administration has announced plans to offer third doses to people who received the and Moderna shots.

"Only the vaccine booster may get FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approval in time for a rollout the week of September 20," Fauci was quoted as saying on CBS' aceFace the Nation."

"Looks like Pfizer has their data in, likely would meet the deadline," the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told CBS. "We hope that Moderna would also be able to do it, so we could do it simultaneously."

"But if not, we'll do it sequentially," he continued. aceSo the bottom line is, very likely, at least part of the plan will be implemented, but ultimately the entire plan will be."

He was not in favour of mixing doses and said that for people who got two doses of the Moderna vaccine, "it's better to wait" for a third Moderna dose than get a Pfizer shot, CNN reported.

The booster doses of Pfizer and Moderna doses are based on CDC data that showed protection against infection waned several months after the second shot.

There was good reason to believe that a third dose "will actually be durable, and if it is durable, then you're going to have very likely a three-dose regimen being the routine regimen," Fauci was quoted as saying at a briefing last week.

An FDA advisory panel will review Pfizer's application for a booster on September 17, only three days before shots are supposed to start, the report said.

Meanwhile, the FDA recently amended the emergency use authorisations for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines to allow the administration of an additional dose to solid organ transplant recipients and other people who have an equivalent level of immunocompromise.

More than 1.3 million such immunocompromised individuals have received an additional shot, according to the CDC.

--IANS

rvt/in

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday would interact with healthcare workers and beneficiaries of the COVID-19 vaccination program in Himachal Pradesh at 11 AM through video conferencing.

"Himachal Pradesh has set a benchmark in the fight against COVID-19 by giving the first dose of vaccine to all eligible people. Will have the privilege of interacting with many such beneficiaries and health workers of the state through video conferencing tomorrow at 11 am," informed PM Modi in a tweet in Hindi.

Himachal Pradesh has successfully covered its entire eligible population with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccination, the Prime Minister's Office said.

The efforts by the state included geographical prioritization to focus on difficult terrains, initiatives to ensure mass awareness, and door to door visits by ASHA workers, among others, informed an official release by the Prime Minister's office.

The state gave special attention to women, the elderly, divyangjans, industrial workers, daily wagers etc and undertook special campaigns like "Suraksha ki Yukti-Corona se Mukti" to attain this milestone.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur will be present during the event.

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The Monday refused to entertain a plea of MLA Mukhtar Ansari's wife seeking protection of her husband, lodged in Banda prison in Uttar Pradesh while attending trial proceedings in the state.

A bench comprising Justices R Subhash Reddy and Sanjiv Khanna asked Afshan Ansari, the wife of the gangster-turned-politician, to file a petition in the Allahabad High Court to this effect.

Earlier in March this year, the apex court had ordered that Ansari be shifted to a Uttar Pradesh jail from Punjab's Rupnagar jail on the plea of Uttar Pradesh government.

Ansari is a BSP MLA from Mau assembly seat.

"The Petitioner is left with no remedy but to approach this court as there is grave and immediate threat to her husband's life in the State of UP which was also noted by this Court in the judgement dated 26.03.2021," the spouse of the lawmaker said in the plea.

Earlier in the week, an application was filed in the special trial court in Prayagraj stating that Mukhtar's life is in danger inside the jail.

Over 50 criminal cases are pending against Ansari in UP and other states and he was transferred to Banda jail in the state on April 7 following the apex court's direction issued on March 26 this year.

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In for a series of nutrition awareness programmes, Union ministers and Monday took time off to savour dosa and vada at an eatery in Matunga.

They ate like common people in the eatery. The people there were surprised to see two Union Ministers together having food with them. There was no VIP treatment, an official said.

The ministers were here to attend Poshan Jagrukta Abhiyaan (nutrition awareness campaign) programmes organised by the Union Ministry for Women and Child Development and Union Ministry for Minority Affairs for women from minority communities.

Irani, Minister for Women and Child Development, also visited an Integrated Child Development Services scheme centre at Dharavi, interacted with beneficiaries and also visited their homes.

She also inaugurated a digital Guddi Gudda' board at the ICDS premises. The board is used for updating, monitoring and giving visibility to birth statistics, under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao initiative, the official said.

It also displays information and educational material on the scheme, and thus acts as a medium for advocacy and information.

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"We are conscious of humanity and it is not the forte of only few, observed the on Monday while hearing the case of Faridabad's Khori village where unauthorised structures standing on Aravali forest area were removed and made it clear that rehabilitation will be for those who would be found eligible.

A bench of justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari was told by senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for some of the petitioners who are resident of the village, that basic amenities like drinking water, food, toilets, temporary accommodation, electricity and medical facilities were not provided to the people and they are facing hardship after the demolition.

At the outset, Gonsalves referred to a report prepared by social workers and some lawyers who had visited the area and interviewed the people there and told the bench there is an urgent need of drinking water, accommodation, food, toilets, health facilities and electricity there as the claims of authorities about temporary accommodation are absolutely false.

The counsel appearing for the municipal corporation of Faridabad told the bench that they did not agree to the report and it is absolutely wrong to paint us black as they have already provided temporary accommodation, food, toilets and other necessary amenities.

He said there were land grabbers and the authorities cannot permit any strangers to come there.

During the hearing conducted through video-conferencing, Gonsalves said people there are on the debris as they have nowhere to go and are waiting for rehabilitation.

However, the bench said debris there are of demolished houses. Those houses were demolished because they were unauthorised. Persons can't stand on the debris and say we will not move from there.

Please understand what we are saying, the bench said.

Gonsalves told the bench that he fully understands what the bench was saying.

Please understand what I am saying. Please understand the suffering of the people, the senior advocate said, adding, I wanted your lordships to please hear what I am saying.

To this, the bench said We are hearing you fully.

The bench said rehabilitation will be for those who would be found eligible for it.

The apex court said it is examining all the aspects, including the immediate pressing needs, and temporary has to be by very nature something which is not permanent.

It is not as if we are going to provide colony or resettlement at that very place. Then what was the purpose of removal of these unauthorised constructions, the bench observed.

It said the administration has to be permitted to do things in a structured manner.

The bench said as per the report, somebody else could come and say he or she will distribute food there.

Now, who is going to check that. Who is going to look after this, the bench observed, adding, We cannot allow this to become that kind of a philanthropy and charity is not to be done by anybody like this. State will be responsible if any untoward thing happen there.

During the hearing, when senior advocate Sanjay Parikh, appearing for some of the petitioners, asked whether he was audible, the bench said, Yes. Your colleague said we are not hearing you. Now, therefore we stopped speaking. Now, you say are you audible to test our voice.

You cannot say that you hear us. We have been doing this for last so many dates. We are also conscious of humanity. It is not the forte of only few, the bench observed.

The counsel appearing for the municipal corporation said that fresh and hygienic food is being provided at the temporary accommodation there and they are giving Rs 2,000 per family per month for at least six months.

During the hearing, the bench also heard submissions advanced by advocate Mathews J Nedumpara, who appeared for some intervenors, and said that no one can be evicted without following the due process of law.

The bench, which posted the matter for further hearing on September 13, rejected his submissions that directions given earlier by the court in the matter were flawed.

It asked the municipal corporation to indicate the timeline required for rehabilitating eligible persons.

It also observed that it will hold somebody responsible for the situation which led to mushrooming of the area into slums or rather unauthorised constructions.

We will have to hold somebody responsible for the situation. In the first place, the mushrooming of this area into slums or rather unauthorised structures, whatever you may call, and then action not being taken despite the court orders, the bench said.

On June 7, the top court had directed state of Haryana and Faridabad municipal corporation to remove all encroachments, consisting around 10,000 residential constructions, in Aravali forest area near the village, saying land grabbers cannot take refuge of rule of law and talk of fairness.

It had passed the June 7 order after hearing a separate plea filed by five alleged encroachers against the demolition drive of civic body.

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The Centre will increase the farmer database from the current 5.5 crore to 8 crore by December this year with the support of states, Agriculture Minister said on Monday.

In a video conference with the state chief ministers, Tomar asked state governments to create a database for the state using the federated farmer database prepared by the central government and allow linkage to the state land record database.

"The Ministry of Agriculture and Welfare has created a database of 5.5 crore and it will be increased to 8 crore by December 2021 with the help of state governments," an official statement quoted Tomar saying in the conference.

Noting that agriculture has to be linked with digital technology, scientific research and knowledge, the minister emphasised that both the Centre and states must work together for agriculture to give a boost to the economy.

He also said with the establishment of Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), Mandis and start-ups will get loans easily.

In the conference, digital agriculture and use of emerging technology for smart agriculture was discussed and the concept of farmers' database was explained.

According to the statement, a national farmer database is being created by taking data from existing schemes like PM-KISAN, soil health card and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. The database will have connectivity to the state land records database.

Stating that there is an increase in farm exports, Union Food and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said, "India is emerging as a trusted export partner and there is further scope for improvement of agri-exports."



He emphasised that the infrastructure needs to be strengthened for storage and warehousing.

The objectives of the conference were to highlight the salient features of 'Atmanirbhar Krishi' (self-reliant agriculture sector) and to enable states to enhance farmers' income. It was also an occasion to share innovative initiatives undertaken by the states.

The discussion with the states centred around the Rs 1 lakh crore Agriculture Infrastructure Fund set up to drive infrastructure investment.

The recent modifications in the scheme were explained the eligibility has been extended to APMCs, state agencies, national and state federations of cooperatives, FPOs and self help groups.

The eligible activities were explained like community farming, assets, post-harvest management projects and primary processing.

In the conference, the need to make India self-reliant in edible oils and palms was stressed and the role of the states was discussed.

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) and the saturation of Kisan Credit Card for small and marginal farmers was also discussed. Upgradation of the beneficiary database was emphasised.

There was discussion on export of agriculture products and the role of APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) in increasing agriculture exports.

The states were told that APEDA will facilitate cluster centric capacity building exercises for state officials, FPOs, farmers, start-ups, etc.

The first day of the two-day conference saw the participation of Chief Ministers and Agriculture Ministers of States like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Goa.

Two junior Agriculture Ministers Kailash Choudhary and Shobha Karandlaje, Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey were among other senior officials present in the conference.

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The government is contemplating reopening of lower and upper primary in the state after monitoring the situation of higher secondary classes which have already been opened.

The office of the state Minister, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in a statement on Sunday said the ruling DMK government will monitor the situation of the higher secondary students for eight days and then will take a call on reopening of primary schools, likely by September 8.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will take a decision on the reopening of primary after discussions with health department officials, including senior doctors and other health professionals, Poyyamozhi added. The input from the state department and the local body members will also be considered before a decision is taken.

The Minister in a statement said nearly 800 medical professionals are being deployed across the state to monitor and conduct surveillance to ensure the safety of teachers and students. This has been done after several in the state reported Covid positive cases of students and teachers.

The state department has closed classrooms for the students who tested positive for Covid-19 after sanitisation and were shifted to another classroom.

The state school education department is also promoting English classes among students to increase the proficiency of students in the language, the statement added.

--IANS

aal/khz/skp/

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The Monday refused to defer the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-UG examination, scheduled for September 12, saying it does not want to interfere with the process and it will be "very unfair" to reschedule it.

A bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar said if students want to appear in multiple exams, then they need to prioritise and make a choice as there may never be a situation where everyone is satisfied with the date of exams.

The apex court said however that the petitioners will be at liberty to make a representation before the competent authorities on the issue and the same may be decided at the earliest in accordance with the law.

"The arguments which you (counsel for petitioners) are canvassing may not be relevant for 99 per cent candidates. For one per cent candidates, the entire system cannot be put on hold," the bench, also comprising justices Hrishikesh Roy and C T Ravikumar, told advocate Shoeb Alam who was appearing for the petitioners.

When Alam said that around 25,000 students will be appearing in either improvement or compartment examinations for class 12, the bench observed that only around one per cent candidates go for that.

Alam argued that medical entrance exam 2021 be deferred as many other examinations are scheduled around September 12.

"If you are to appear in multiple examinations, then you need to make choice," the bench said, adding, "You have to prioritise. You must also be conscious that any deferment is likely to clash with some other examination."



The bench said the respective boards will do their job and the court will not interfere with examinations in such a situation.

It said deferment of exams might affect the next course and whole thing will be prolonged.

"It will be very unfair to reschedule the examination. NEET is a very large examination. It is not state-wise, it is a nation-wide exam," the bench said.

Alam told the court that around 16 lakh candidates are likely to appear in the NEET exam.

"We should now really redefine our scope of judicial review. Where do we go and to what extent," the bench observed, adding it do not want scores of students to suffer in any manner due to deferment of examination for which they have burnt midnight oil and prepared.

"The relief claimed in this petition is to quash a public notice of July 13 issued by the competent authority scheduling NEET UG 2021 examination on September 12. For the reasons canvassed by counsel for the petitioners, we are not impressed nor willing to show any indulgence to the petitioners or to allow them to invoke the remedy under Article 32 of the Constitution," the bench said.

The apex court was hearing a petition seeking deferment of the examination on the ground that several other exams are scheduled during the period.

Last year, the NEET was conducted on September 13 amid strict precautions in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 13.66 lakh candidates had appeared in the exam of whom 7,71,500 qualified.

In a first, the exam 2021 will be conducted in 13 languages with Punjabi and Malayam being the new additions, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had announced in July.

He had also said that a new exam centre for the NEET has been opened in Kuwait to facilitate the Indian student community in the Middle East.

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In a setback to the ruling Congress, its rebel Rama Devi won the Zila Pramukh seat as a candidate, defeating her rival just one vote due to cross-voting in held Monday.

With this, the and the both have their boards in three Zila Parishads each out of six where were held and results announced during the day.

Rama Devi got 26 votes, defeating Congress' Saroj Devi by just one vote.

in 78 Panchayat Samitis and six Zila Parishads were held in three phases and results were announced Saturday. The elected Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad members elect Pradhan and Zila Pramukh respectively.

State chief Govind Singh Dotasra termed Rama Devi, who was not made a Zila Pramukh candidate by the Congress, leaving the party backstabbing and betrayal. The formed the board by dishonesty, he alleged.

"The had got a majority in four out of six Zila Parishads while the BJP gained a clear majority in one zila parishad and in one, it was near majority. However, the BJP has formed boards in three Zila Parishad and what happened in was backstabbing by our colleagues, Dotasra told reporters.

He said that out of 78 Panchayat Samitis, the Congress has made Pradhans in 50, the BJP in 25 and while independents became Pradhan.

Dotasra said that what happened in Zila Parishad was also a result of what the BJP, the RSS, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

They grab power by strangulating and murdering democracy. They topple elected governments and this is what they tried to do in Rajasthan last year but could not succeed. The BJP has managed to win the election of Zila Pramukh by dishonesty. It is not the BJP which has won, it is the backstabbing by our people which has won, Dotasra said.

Rama Devi, who had won the Zila Parishad election as a Congress candidate from ward 17 in the Chaksu assembly constituency, joined the BJP just hours before Zila Pramukh elections.

The ward comes under the assembly constituency of Congress MLA Vedprakash Solanki, who is considered close to former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.

Miffed over Rama Devi's rebellion for not being made the candidate for Zila Pramukh, Dotasra expelled her from the party for six years.

Elated over the development, BJP state president Satish Poonia said that it was the trailer of 2023-assembly elections.

The results disappoint those who feel happy with the defeat of BJP. The public has rejected the Congress due to its ideology and conduct. This is a trailer of the 2023-assembly elections, he said.

Including Jaipur, BJP won elections of Zila Pramukh in Sirohi (where it had a clear majority) and Bharatpur (with the help of independents) while the Congress formed boards in Jodhpur, Sawaimadhopur and Dausa.

In the counting, the Congress secured majority in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Sawai Madhopur, Dausa, while the BJP gained majority in Sirohi Zila Parishad.

The BJP also emerged as the single largest party in Bharatpur Zila Parishad but fell short of a clear majority.

Of the 37 seats in Bharatpur Zila Parishad, 17 went to the BJP, 14 to the Congress, four to Independents and two to the BSP.

Elections were also held for 1,564 seats in 78 panchayat samiti in six districts in which Congress had won 670 seats and BJP 551.

Rajasthan has a total of 33 Zila Parishads and 352 Panchayat Samitis at block level.

Of them, elections in 21 districts (21 Zila Parishad and 222 Panchayat Samiti) were held in November- December last year.

In those elections, BJP candidates had become Pramukhs in 13 Zila Parishads, Congress candidates in five and independents became Pramukh in remaining three Zila Parishads.

The Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections in the remaining 12 districts could not take place due to the high court stay on the creation of 19 new municipalities in these districts, in which the area of Panchayati Raj Institutions was also revised.

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Hundred-year-old (TMB) has filed a draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with the market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for an Initial Public Offering (IPO).

In April this year, the banks Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer K V Rama Moorthy had said that the lender was planning a Rs 1,000 crore IPO this fiscal. According to the documents, the IPO will include an issue of 15.83 million fresh equity shares at a face value of Rs 10 each and an offer for sale of up to 12,505 shares by promoters and existing shareholders.

The bank said that the objective of the fresh issue is to meet its capital adequacy requirements. TMB had posted a 48 per cent rise in net profit at Rs 603.3 crore for the financial year ended March 2021 (FY21) as against Rs 407.69 crore in the year ended March 2020 (FY20). It posted a 16.52 per cent rise in net interest income at Rs 1,537.5 crore in FY21 from Rs 1,319.51 crore in FY20.

The gross non-performing assets declined to 3.44 per cent in March 2021 from 3.62 per cent in FY20. However, the net NPAs were up at 1.98 per cent in March 2021 from 1.8 per cent in March 2020.

At present, TMB has around 509 branches -- of which 106 branches are in rural, 247 in semi-urban, 80 in urban and 76 in metropolitan centres. As of June 30, 2021, it had a customer base of around 4.93 million of which 70 per cent comprised customers who were associated with the bank for more than five years. Axis Capital, Motilal Oswal Investment Advisors and SBI Capital Markets are appointed as book running lead managers for the IPO.
Aluminium climbed to the highest in more than a decade after a coup in Guinea fueled concerns over raw material supplies, at a time when global output is already constrained and demand is booming.

gained in London and Shanghai and producers shares surged -- industry leader Aluminium Corp. of China, or Chalco, jumped as much as 10%, while United Co. Rusal traded 15% higher. Guinea is a major supplier of bauxite, the feedstock needed to make aluminum, and accounts for more than half of the imports by China.

A unit of the military seized power Sunday and suspended the constitution, with head of special forces, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, urging the army to back him. While the unrest raises the possibility of disruption, so far theres no sign that shipments or mines have been affected. Chalco, which has a bauxite project in Guinea, said all of its operations are normal and it has ample bauxite inventories at its plants in China.

Aluminium, which is used in everything from car parts to drinks cans and home appliances, had already climbed about 38% this year in London before the coup, as consumer demand and economic activity rebound. At the same time, smelters in China have struggled to maintain output during a seasonal power crunch and as Beijing seeks to rein in the countrys carbon emissions.

While Rusal founder Oleg Deripaska warned that the market can be seriously shaken by the situation, traders were still waiting on Monday for further clues about potential supply cuts.

The bauxite market has been in surplus for years, and any disruption would need to be severe to alter that dynamic, according to Michael Widmer, head of research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Im bullish aluminum, but for different reasons, Widmer said by phone from London. That said, if you do have issues in a country that supplies 20% of bauxite to the global market, then clearly that will be a problem.

Prices on the London Metal Exchange rose as much as 1.8% to $2,775.50 a ton, the highest since May 2011, and traded at $2,756.50 as of 10:34 a.m.. In China, futures jumped as much as 3.4% to the highest since 2006, before paring gains to 2.2%. Other industrial were mixed on the LME, with copper little changed and nickel down 1.8%.

Investors are quite concerned given China buys a big chunk of bauxite from Guinea, though there havent been reports of disruptions yet and the extent of any impact will depend on how the situation evolves, said Xiong Hui, chief aluminum analyst with Beijing Antaike Information Development Co.

Investors are also looking at ongoing production cuts in Chinas Guangxi province, which is further tightening the market, Hui said.

The energy-intensive aluminum industry has come under increased scrutiny as part of Beijings pollution crackdown. China produces around 60% of the worlds total, with concerns around output prompting some of its largest smelters to pledge to ensure supply, and metal to be released from state reserves to ease tightness. The country has become increasingly reliant on imports, a rare development thats drained global supplies of the usually abundant metal.
SYDNEY (Reuters) - must diversify its to rely less on China, its largest trading partner, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Monday, as he warned businesses to brace for new tensions with Beijing.

Australia's relations with China soured after it banned Huawei from its 5G broadband network in 2018 and cooled further after Canberra called for an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19, first reported in China last year.

Beijing responded by imposing tariffs on Australian commodities, including barley, wine and grapes.

"It is no secret that China has recently sought to target Australia's economy," Frydenberg said in a speech in Canberra.

"Heightened strategic competition is the new reality we face, now and likely into the future."

Frydenberg said businesses should look at new markets, which have been opened as a result of recent free trade agreements.

Australia's A$2 trillion is at risk of entering its second recession in as many years as its largest states are in prolonged COVID-19 lockdowns.

Despite the diplomatic tensions, exports to China hit a record A$19.4 billion in the 12 months to July 31, up 72% from the prior 12-month period on the back of strong iron ore demand.

($1 = 1.3419 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Renju Jose and Colin Packham; Editing by Sandra Maler and Jane Wardell)

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The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday did not respond to a media report claiming that the has invited China, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, Iran and Qatar to attend the new government formation ceremony in

is already coordinating its evolving policy on with its all-weather ally Pakistan and Russia which also share borders with

Beijing, which has kept its Embassy open in Kabul along with Pakistan and Russia, is awaiting the formation of a government by the to decide on recognising it amidst firm indications by the US, the UK and other western countries that they will not be in a hurry to endorse the new government in Kabul.

Asked about a media report that the has invited and five other countries -- Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, Iran and Qatar -- to participate in the new government formation ceremony in Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said: I have no information to offer at this moment.

He reiterated that supports Afghanistan forming an open, inclusive, broadly-based government upholding moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies and live in good terms with the neighbouring countries.

China is also keeping a close watch on the Panjshir Valley fighting between the Taliban and the militias of Ahmad Massoud-led National Resistance Front (NRF) which has reportedly delayed the formation of the new government in Afghanistan.

On Saturday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a telephonic conversation with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during which he said that new government in Afghanistan should be open and inclusive, make a clean break with terrorist organisations, and establish and develop good relations with other countries, especially neighbouring countries.

Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, China has been vocal in expressing its concern over the Uygur militants of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) fighting for the independence of Xinjiang, regrouping in Afghanistan under the rule of the Afghan militant group as the volatile province shares a narrow border with the war-ravaged country.

Beijing has already extracted a firm commitment from a Taliban delegation headed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar during a visit to China in July that they will not permit the ETIM to operate from its soil.

China, at the same time, is eyeing the extension of its USD 60 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan besides exploiting the mineral-rich mines there.

The Taliban has already said that China has a big role to play in Afghanistan in the reconstruction of the war-raved country.

China is a big country with a huge economy and capacity. They can play a big role in rebuilding, reconstruction of Afghanistan, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told China's state-run China Global Television Network in an interview recently.

We have relationship with China and Russia during the past years. We have told them they should not have any concern from Afghanistan, he added.

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Flash triggered by heavy rainfall have inundated over 380 houses and damaged several residential areas in Kathmandu, police said on Monday.

Heavy rainfall on Sunday night inundated more than 100 places in Kathmandu. Teams of Police, Armed Police Force and the Army have rescued more than 138 people last night, said Sushil Singh Rathore, spokesperson at the Metropolitan Police Office.

"Rescue work was carried out at Mulpani settlements on the bank of Manohara River, Kadagari, Teku and Balkhu areas, Rathore said.

Most of the human settlements on the river banks in Kathmandu have been inundated by the flash Kathmandu witnessed 105 mm of rainfall within four hours, according to officials.

A total of 382 houses have been inundated by flash floods, the Metropolitan Police Office said.

Areas including Tankeshwor, Dallu, Teku, Tachal, Balkhu, Naya Buspark, Bhimsensthan, Machha Pokhari, Chabahil, Jorpati and Kalopul were largely inundated by the flash floods, it said.

Meanwhile, seven people were injured after they were hit by lightning in Betini village in Okhaldhunga district on Sunday. A dozen houses were also damaged in the lightning strike, police said.

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Islamism, both as an ideology of radical and the use of violence to achieve such goals, is a "first order security threat" to the world, former Prime Minister said on Monday.

In a speech at the London think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US in 2001, the former PM and founder of the Institute for Global Change warned that the recent Taliban takeover in Afghanistan is a warning that the threat of radical cannot be left unchecked.

Highlighting that the Taliban are part of the global movement of radical Islam, he pointed out that while the movement contains many different groups, they share the same basic ideology.

Radical believes not only in Islamism the turning of the religion into a political doctrine but in the justification of struggle if necessary armed struggle to achieve it. Other Islamists agree with the ends but eschew violence, said Blair.

But the ideology is in inevitable conflict with open, modern, culturally tolerant societies In my view, Islamism, both the ideology and the violence, is a first order security threat; and, unchecked, it will come to us, even if centred far from us, as 9/11 demonstrated, he said.

Blair called for a need to assess vulnerabilities, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by a deadly virus.

COVID-19 has taught us about deadly pathogens. Bio-terror possibilities may seem like the realm of science fiction; but we would be wise now to prepare for their potential use by non-state actors, he said.

Blair, who was Prime Minister when the joined the US-led NATO operation in Afghanistan against the Al Qaeda network in the wake of the September 11 attacks claimed by the Osama bin Laden led group, admitted that nearly everything about 9/11 and its aftermath remains mired in controversy.

What cannot be seriously disputed however, is that since 9/11, though thankfully there has been no further terrorist attack of that scale, radical Islam has not declined in force. What is disputed is why, he said, adding that counter-terrorism on its own will now remove such an entrenched threat.

We need some boots on the ground'. Naturally our preference is for the boots to be local. But that will not always be possible, he reflected.

With reference to US President Joe Biden's recent statement following the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, Blair added that the West needs to work out what it means by not remaking countries from which terrorist threats can arise.

Maybe my generation of leaders were nave in thinking countries could be remade'. Or maybe the remaking' needed to last longer, said Blair.

But we should never forget as we see the women of Afghanistan in the media, culture and civic society now flee in fear of their lives, that our values are still those which free people choose.

Recovering confidence in those values and in their universal application is a necessary part of ensuring we stand up for them and are prepared to defend them, he said.

Blair has previously spoken out critically against the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, declaring it "tragic, dangerous, unnecessary" and driven by politics rather than strategy.

(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.)
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged on Monday to join efforts to limit the spread of nuclear weapons amid concerns that the Asian superpower is rapidly developing missiles capable of carrying atomic warheads.

Laying out his priorities for nuclear disarmament at NATO's annual arms control conference, Stoltenberg said that more countries must be included in future missile restriction talks, not just Russia.

As a global power, has global responsibilities in arms control. And Beijing, too, would benefit from mutual limits on numbers, increased transparency, and more predictability, Stoltenberg said.

These are the foundations for stability.

Warning that Beijing's nuclear arsenal is rapidly expanding, he said is building a large number of missile silos, which can significantly increase its nuclear capability.

All of this is happening without any limitation or constraint. And with a complete lack of transparency.

In 2019, the United States pulled out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces, or INF, treaty, blaming Russia for violating the bilateral pact. It was the first arms control measure to ban an entire class of weapons: ground-launched cruise missiles with a range between 500 kilometers (310 miles) and 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles). Russia denies that it broke the rules.

As the pact fell apart, China continued to build such weapons and it has shown little sign that it's inclined to join in such arms proliferation talks.

Stoltenberg welcomed the agreement between the United States and Russia to extend for another five years the New START treaty limiting their strategic nuclear weapons. But he said that more kinds of arms should be added to non-proliferation talks, including new technologies like Artificial Intelligence.

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The on Monday asserted that it will not allow any country, including Pakistan, to interfere in Afghanistan's internal affairs as it confirmed that ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed met the insurgent group's de-facto leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul, amidst efforts to finalise a government in the war-torn country.

The questions of interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs were raised after the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Hameed dashed to Kabul on an unannounced visit last week.

spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said that the group will not allow any country, including Pakistan, to interfere in Afghanistan's affairs, Afghanistan's Khaama news reported.

Lt Gen Hameed was the first high-ranking foreign official to visit since the seized the Afghan capital in mid-August.

During a press conference in Kabul on Monday, Mujahid confirmed that the ISI chief had met with Mullah Baradar during his visit to Kabul, BBC Urdu reported.

The Taliban has assured Islamabad that Afghan territory will not be used against Pakistan, he said.

Earlier, Pakistani media reported that a delegation of senior officials led by Lt Gen Hameed was in Kabul at the invitation of the Taliban, but the insurgent group said that Islamabad had proposed his visit.

On Sunday, the Taliban said that the Pakistani spy chief was in to improve bilateral relations between Kabul and Islamabad.

Ahmadullah Wasiq, deputy head of the Taliban's Cultural Commission, said that the Taliban leaders talked with Lt Gen Hameed about bilateral relations and the problems of Afghan passengers at the Torkham and Spin Boldak passes between and

"This Pakistani official has come to solve Afghan passengers' problems at the border areas, especially in Torkham and Spin Boldak. They wanted (his visit to Kabul) and we accepted, Wasiq was quoted as saying by TOLO news.

on Thursday temporarily closed the Chaman border crossing - the second-largest commercial border point with Afghanistan after the Torkham commercial town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to security threats.

At his press conference, Mujahid noted that the recent delegation to Kabul said the crossings had been closed due to security concerns linked to release of prisoners inside Afghanistan, and requested checks for those seeking to enter or leave the country.

Citing sources close to Hizb-e-Islami party leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the channel said that Pakistan's intelligence chief also met him and discussed the current situation in the country.

In a short video clip circulated in the media last week, Lt Gen Hameed was seen trying to respond to questions by a journalist who first asked: Will you be meeting senior people in the Taliban?"



"No, I'm not clear" the ISI chief said and looked towards ambassador to Kabul Mansour Ahmad Khan, who was standing by his side, to respond to the question.

In response to another question, Hameed smiled and said: "Don't worry, everything will be okay."



Hameed's visit to Afghanistan came amidst mounting pressure on the Taliban to form an inclusive government acceptable to the community. The insurgent group is struggling to give shape to a broad-based and inclusive administration acceptable to the community.

It was the first high-level visit of any Pakistani official to Afghanistan since the Taliban took over Kabul on August 15, in a move that surprised both their foes and friends.

Since then, the Taliban have been trying to form a government but so far have held back the announcement.

Pakistan was often accused by the Afghanistan government of giving the Taliban military aid, a charge denied by Islamabad.

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Prime Minister will chair the Summit on Thursday in virtual format, the confirmed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazil President Jair Bolsanaro, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will attend the meeting, the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

The theme for the Summit is 'BRICS@15: Intra- cooperation for continuity, consolidation and consensus'.

This is the second time Prime Minister Modi will be chairing the (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit. Earlier he had chaired the Goa Summit in 2016.

The Indian Chairship of BRICS this year coincides with the 15th anniversary of BRICS, as reflected in the theme for the summit.

The meeting will also be attended by India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, President of the New Development Bank Marcos Troyjo, the pro tempore chair of the BRICS Business Council, Onkar Kanwar and pro tempore Chair of the BRICS Women's Business Alliance, Sangita Reddy.

They will present reports on the outcomes pursued this year under their respective tracks to the leaders during the summit.

India had outlined four priority areas for its Chairship. These are Reform of the Multilateral System, Counter-Terrorism, Using Digital and Technological Tools for achieving SDGs and Enhancing People to People exchanges.

In addition to these areas, the leaders will also exchange views on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other current global and regional issues, the ministry said.

Russia hosted the last BRICS meeting.

The 2020 BRICS summit was held virtually amid the covid pandemic under the chairmanship of Russia.

The summit took place in November and it was the first time that Indian Prime Minister and the Chinese President Xi Jinping were on the same platform after the Galwan valley episode.

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The claimed victory over opposition forces in the Panjshir valley northeast of on Monday, declaring that they had completed their takeover of and promising to announce a new government soon.

Pictures on social media showed members standing in front of the gate of the Panjshir provincial governor's compound after fighting over the weekend with the National Resistance Front of (NRFA), commanded by Panjshiri leader Ahmad Massoud. Panjshir, which was the last hideout of the escapee enemy, is captured," spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a news conference.

However, Massoud, who leads a force drawn from the remnants of the regular Afghan army as well as local militia fighters, remained defiant and did not concede defeat.

We are in Panjshir and our Resistance will continue," he said on Twitter. His exact whereabouts were unclear. He also said he was safe, but gave no details. Taliban spokesman Mujahid said he had been told that Massoud and former vice president Amrullah Saleh had escaped to neighbouring Tajikistan. Mujahid also told reporters that the Taliban would announce a new government within days  one that would be inclusive, he said, without elaborating. Once the government is formed, members of the former Afghan army and security forces would be asked to return to work, he added.





ALSO READ: Resistance Front forces reject Taliban's claim of occupying Panjshir

We need their expertise, he said. Members of the previous Afghan security forces would then join with Taliban fighters to form a single army, Mujahid added.

Meanwhile, the Taliban on Monday confirmed that Pakistan's powerful intelligence chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed has met its de-facto leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, amidst efforts by the insurgent group to finalise a government in

Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Hameed dashed to on an unannounced visit last week, becoming the only high-ranking foreign official to visit since the Taliban seized the Afghan capital in mid-August. The Taliban has assured Islamabad that Afghan territory will not be used against Pakistan, it said.

The Taliban, however, asserted that it will not allow any country, including Pakistan, to interfere in Afghanistan's internal affairs as it confirmed that ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed met the insurgent group's de-facto leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul, amidst efforts to finalise a government in the war-torn country.

On Sunday, the Taliban said that the Pakistani spy chief was in Afghanistan to improve bilateral relations between Kabul and Islamabad.
A Pashtoon Englishman has been in and around Afghanistan for several decades, first as a religious student  talib with a small t  and then as a journalist and broadcaster. In the 1990s, as head of the BBC Afghan Education Drama project, John Butt liaised closely with leaders of what was then the Taliban government, and became well acquainted with them.

He was born to British parents in the West Indies, went to a Catholic school in England, and made his way, hippie-style, to Afghanistan. The author of a talibs tale tells Shikha Shalini the outside world has little choice ...
MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's gold imports in August nearly doubled from a year ago to their highest level in five months on an improvement in demand and as a correction in prices prompted jewellers to ramp up purchases for the festive season, a government source said.

India imported 121 tonnes of gold in August, compared to 63 tonnes a year earlier, the source said on Monday on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to media.

In value terms, August imports surged to $6.7 billion from $3.7 billion a year ago, he said.

(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

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Equity indices ticked higher to fresh lifetime peaks for the third straight session on Monday, riding on robust gains in Reliance Industries and amid a firm trend overseas.

The Sensex advanced 166.96 points or 0.29 per cent to its new closing record of 58,296.91. It touched an all-time high of 58,515.85 during the session.

Similarly, the broader Nifty climbed 54.20 points or 0.31 per cent to its fresh lifetime peak of 17,377.80. During the session, it touched a record 17,429.55.

HCL Tech was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, spurting 2.17 per cent, followed by Infosys, Reliance Industries, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Auto, M&M, and HUL. On the other hand, IndusInd Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Power Grid, Sun Pharma, Asian Paints, Titan, and ITC were among the laggards, skidding up to 1.13 per cent.

The market breadth was negative, with 17 out of the 30 Sensex stocks closing in the red, while the remaining 13 mustered gains.

"Positive global and strong support from IT and realty stocks, aided domestic to trade modestly higher. Hopes of continued economic support by the Fed Reserve due to weak US job data and talks of more stimulus in Japan and China boosted global

"Economic normalisation attracted buyers in realty stocks while safe haven continued to lead the upbeat market," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.

"The underlying sentiment, however, remains quite constructive, well supported by steadily improving economic data, positive earnings expectation and a healthy pick up in daily inoculations, and investors would be on the lookout for intermittent corrections to add positions," he noted.

Sector-wise, the BSE realty index surged 2.97 per cent, followed by IT (1.48 per cent), consumer durables (1.43 per cent), teck (1.25 per cent) and energy (0.78 per cent).

However, oil and gas, power, utilities and bankex tumbled up to 0.66 per cent.

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Nifty futures on SGX were up 37 points at 17,396 around 8.50 am, indicating flat-to-positive start for the benchmark indices on Monday.

Here are the top stocks to track in today's session:

RIL: Reliance Industries said its subsidiary has acquired majority stake in genomic testing frim Strand Life Sciences Pvt Ltd for Rs 393 crore. The acquisition by Reliance Strategic Business Ventures Ltd (RSBVL) is part of Reliance's digital health intiatives, the firm said in a stock exchange filing.

Jindal Steel and Power: JSPL expects to conclude the deal to sell its 96.42 per cent stake in its arm Jindal Power for Rs 7,401 crore to a promoters-owned firm Worldone by this year end. More than 97 per cent shareholders of the company on Friday approved the proposal to sell 96.42 per cent stake the company holds in Jindal Power for Rs 7,401 crore to Worldone.

Power Grid: State-run Power Grid Corporation of India on Saturday said it has started work to set up the first electric vehicle charging station in Meghalaya. The company said it has laid down the foundation stone for first ever electric vehicle charging station (EVCS) at its office complex at Lapalang, Shillong on Friday.

Barbeque Nation: Restaurants chain Barbeque Nation Hospitality Ltd on Saturday said it has raised nearly Rs 100 crore through preferential issue of equity shares to three different investors, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

DRL: Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) has inked a pact with US-based Citius Pharmaceuticals to sell its rights to an anti-cancer agent. The drug firm said it has entered into a definitive agreement with Citius to sell all of its rights to E7777 (an engineered IL-2-diphtheria toxin fusion protein) and certain related assets.

Grasim Industries: Aditya Birla Group flagship firm Grasim Industries Ltd has appointed Hari Krishna Agarwal as its Managing Director with effect from December 1, 2021, following request for early retirement by incumbent Dilip Gaur, according to a regulatory filing by the company.

ICICI Lombard: General Insurance Company on Friday said sectoral regulator Irdai has given its final approval for the demerger of the general insurance business of Bharti AXA General Insurance to itself by way of a scheme of arrangement.

TFCI: Tourism Finance Corporation of India (TFCI) on Friday said it is planning to raise Rs 65.18 crore from a group of investors. The board has approved a capital raise proposal by way of issue of up to 96.55 lakh shares of the face value of Rs 10 each at an issue price of Rs 67.50, the company said in a statement.

NTPC: State-owned NTPC will seek shareholders' approval to raise Rs 18,000 crore through the issuance of bonds or debentures in its annual general meeting on September 28.

J&K Bank: The Reserve Bank has accorded approval to Jammu & Kashmir government to acquire over 16.76 crore shares in J&K Bank on preferential basis.

Sun Pharma: Drug firm Sun Pharmaceutical Industries on Friday said Vivek Chaand Sehgal has resigned as an independent director of the company with effect from September 1. Sehgal is the Chairman of Samvardhana Motherson Group (SMG).

Bank of India: State-owned Bank of India on Friday said LIC has picked up nearly 4 per cent equity shares of the bank through an open market transaction a day earlier. Before the latest acquisition of shares in the bank, LIC held over a 3.17 per cent stake in the state-owned bank.

Mahindra Finance: Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services (Mahindra Finance) on Friday said it has disbursed over Rs 2,000 crore for the second time in a row in August. In August 2021, the business continued its momentum with a disbursement of more than Rs 2,000 crore for the second month in a row.

HFCL: Domestic telecom gear maker HFCL on Friday said it has received its board's consent to raise up to Rs 750 crore through equity, bonds, debentures or any other securities after approval from shareholders and relevant authorities.

HealthCare Global Enterprises: The company has divested its entire equity holding of 34.5 per cent (on fully diluted basis) in Strand Life Sciences to Reliance Strategic Business Ventures for Rs 157 crore. The company has also acquired Hospital Lab Management and Clinical Research Site Management business through a Business Transfer Agreement from Strand for Rs 81 crore with a set-off of Rs 7 crore towards receivables.

PNB: The meeting of board of directors to consider the proposal for raising of capital through issuance of Basel-III Compliant Additional Tier-1 Bonds and/or Tier-II Bonds or combination thereof has been re-scheduled to September 10.

Engineers India: The company has received an order worth Rs 1,039 crore from Chennai Petroleum Corporation. Engineers India has been entrusted with execution of EPCM-1 with MPMC and EPCM-3 services for 9 MMTPA Cauvery Basin Refinery project in Tamil Nadu.

Force Motors: The companys total production in August stood at 2,148 units. It reported domestic sales of 1,487 units and exports of 500 units.

MRPL: The shareholders have approved a proposal to raise Rs 5,000 crore through issue of non-convertible debentures.

Asian Granito: The board in its meeting on September 4, 2021, has approved rights issue worth Rs 225 crore.
Dr.Reddy's Laboratories rose 0.71% to Rs 4934 after the company signed a deal with Citius Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to sell its rights to anti-cancer agent E7777 (denileukin diftitox).

In an exchange filing made on Saturday (4 September 2021), the drug maker said that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Citius Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Citius) pursuant to which it sold all of its rights to E7777 (an engineered IL-2-diphtheria toxin fusion protein) and certain related assets.

Under the terms of agreement, Dr. Reddy's will receive $40 million upfront upon the closing of the transaction, followed by approval milestone payment of up to $40 million related to the CTCL (cutaneous T-cell lymphoma) indication approval and up to $70 million for additional indication approvals. Further, Dr. Reddy's will receive certain sales-based milestones and tiered earn-out payments.

In March 2016, Dr. Raddy's had acquired the exclusive global rights (excluding Japan and Asia) to the investigational anti-cancer agent E7777 from Eisai Company.

Erez Israeli, chief executive officer, Dr. Raddy's, said: "Addressing unmet patient needs in oncology remains a prime focus area for us. E7777 has significant potential as an important component of systemic therapy for CTCL and other cancers.

Post acquiring from Eisai, significant progress was made on the CTCL development front. We are confident of Citius' ability to realize the full potential of E7777 in the treatment of CTCL as well as in their ability to develop this promising drug for additional oncology and immuno-oncology indications.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories is an integrated pharmaceutical company. Through its three businesses - pharmaceutical services & active ingredients, global generics and proprietary Products.

The company's consolidated net profit declined by 36% to Rs 380.40 crore on a 11.4% rise in net sales to Rs 4,919.40 crore in Q1 FY22 over Q1 FY21.

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Punjab National Bank (PNB) after market hours on Friday informed that the bank's board will meet on 10 September 2021 to consider the proposal for raising of capital.

Shares of PNB were trading 0.79% higher at Rs 38.35 on BSE.

In a regulatory filing to stock exchanges, PNB said that a meeting of the board of directors of the bank has been re-scheduled on Friday, 10 September 2021 for considering the proposal for raising of capital through issuance of Basel-III Compliant additional tier-1 Bonds and/or tier-II bonds or combination thereof, in one or more tranches.

Punjab National Bank is a public sector bank. As on 30 June 2021, the bank has 10,641 number of branches. The government of India held 73.15% stake in the bank as on 30 June 2021.

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Utilties stocks were trading in red, with the S&P BSE Utilities index decreasing 14.53 points or 0.54% at 2691.75 at 13:50 IST.

Among the components of the S&P BSE Utilities index, Adani Power Ltd (down 4.99%), Torrent Power Ltd (down 1.41%),Adani Transmission Ltd (down 1.27%),NHPC Ltd (down 1.26%),PTC India Ltd (down 1.15%), were the top losers. Among the other losers were Tata Power Company Ltd (down 0.93%), Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (down 0.83%), Jaiprakash Power Ventures Ltd (down 0.74%), Rattanindia Power Ltd (down 0.64%), and NTPC Ltd (down 0.64%).

On the other hand, Indian Energy Exchange Ltd (up 3.61%), Gujarat Industries Power Co Ltd (up 2.74%), and JSW Energy Ltd (up 1.95%) turned up.

At 13:50 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 148.45 or 0.26% at 58278.4.

The Nifty 50 index was up 43.95 points or 0.25% at 17367.55.

The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 163.26 points or 0.6% at 27468.57.

The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was up 32.94 points or 0.39% at 8471.97.

On BSE,1691 shares were trading in green, 1557 were trading in red and 169 were unchanged.

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Vedanta Ltd is quoting at Rs 314.15, up 1.9% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 145.62% in last one year as compared to a 53.01% spurt in NIFTY and a 134.22% spurt in the Nifty Metal index.

Vedanta Ltd gained for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 314.15, up 1.9% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.29% on the day, quoting at 17374.2. The Sensex is at 58311.65, up 0.31%. Vedanta Ltd has risen around 1.49% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Metal index of which Vedanta Ltd is a constituent, has risen around 0.11% in last one month and is currently quoting at 5719.35, up 0.33% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 76.75 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 261.88 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark September futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 314.9, up 1.76% on the day. Vedanta Ltd is up 145.62% in last one year as compared to a 53.01% spurt in NIFTY and a 134.22% spurt in the Nifty Metal index.

The PE of the stock is 10.39 based on TTM earnings ending June 21.

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Welspun India has now become the first Indian company to receive one of the stringent and most recognized quality approval i.e. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510 (k) clearance for its 3 Ply Surgical Masks.

Certified by BIS and CE already, this product from Welspun India has got all required certifications to supply to global markets including critical medical uses.

Welspun's 3 Ply Surgical Masks are made with 100% polypropylene and offer 98% protection against bacterial load. This is one of the tedious premarket submissions made to FDA to demonstrate that the Medical device to be marketed is as safe and effective.

Simultaneously, the WN-95 FFP 2 Respiratory Masks have been CE certified, enabling exports to global markets including Europe, AsiaPacific, Middle East, and Africa amongst others. . The WN-95 FFP 2 Respiratory Masks offer optimal viral barrier performance and have previously received IS 9473 Accreditation along with the ISI symbol. The two clearances were received following due diligence including rigorous testing of both products by the accredited test laboratories and review by respective regulatory authorities.

While CE marking implies conformity of the goods with European standards of health, safety, and environmental protection, the US FDA 510K clearance reflects that a particular product is both safe and effective for its intended use.

Following the latest clearances, both masks can be supplied in the international market. Welspun had earlier also gained CE certification for a Half Face Respirator with Valve for increased Covid-19 protection, which was also tested and verified by an international agency. Welspun Health manufacturing facility is certified as per stringent quality management system for medical devices ISO: 13485 by British Standards Institution. The US PPE Market (including Medical PPE) is expected to grow to US $ 24.3 bn by 2024, with the Respiratory Protection products i.e. Face Masks being the fastest growing product. Welspun India, one of the few manufacturers of Masks with International certifications, is poised to be a part of the global PPE supply chain.

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Changing its earlier stance, the on Monday announced it has decided to field a candidate against Chief Minister for the September 30 by-poll in the Bhabanipur assembly seat and the name of the party nominee will be sent to AICC for consent.

The decision made at a Pradesh Committee (PCC) meeting to contest the by-election came at a time when the party and the Mamata Banerjee-headed Trinamool are maintaining a bonhomie at the level since July.

"Majority of our members were in favour of contesting against Trinamool and we have decided to field our candidate from that seat (Bhabanipur). We will fight the elections with Left Front and announce candidates after discussion with them," state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told a press conference.

During the assembly elections held earlier this year, TMC nominee Sovandeb Chattopadhyay won from Bhabanipur in south Kolkata and he has vacated the seat later necessitating the by-poll. The Congress, which fought the polls in alliance with the Left parties, fielded a candidate from there.

Chowdhury, who had earlier advocated not to put up any candidate against Banerjee in Bhabanipur as a matter of courtesy, said the ruling party is not showing political courtesy.

The TMC recently attacked Congress workers and demonstrated against opposition leaders like him, Chowdhury alleged.

The TMC, however, did not attach any importance to the Congress' decision to contest the by-poll from Bhabanipur.

"The Congress and the Left are two big zeroes in terms of their influence in the state. When you add two zeros, you get another zero," TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said.

The Congress and TMC have been showing closeness to each other at the level of late. The TMC supremo in July went to Delhi in a bid to bring together the non-BJP forces ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. She met senior opposition leaders including AICC president Sonia Gandhi at her 10, Janpath residence.

The Congress had then also tweeted, along with a photograph of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, claiming that Mamata Banerjee's nephew is a victim of Pegasus spyware snooping.

Banerjee had moved out of her traditional Bhabanipur seat to fight in Nandigram during the assembly polls but lost to Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP. After the election results were out, Sovandeb Chattopadhyay who won from Bhabanipur vacated the seat to allow Banerjee to contest from there. Banerjee had won from Bhabanipur twice since 2011.

The TMC supremo has to win this by-poll to retain her chief minister's post.

The by-poll will be held on September 30 along with the elections to two seats in Murshidabad district - Samserganj and Jangipur - where polling was countermanded during the eight-phase assembly elections earlier this year due to death of candidates.

"It is unfortunate that we cannot field a candidate from our party from Samserganj. We cannot force anyone," Chowdhury said.

The party cannot field any new candidate from the Samserganj seat as per rules. Its candidate Amirul Islam recently expressed unwillingness to contest.

Jakir Hossain is the CPI(M) candidate from Jangipur.

The notification for the Bhabanipur bypoll was issued on September 6, beginning the nomination process. September 13 is the last date of filing nominations, while scrutiny of papers will take place on September 14. September 16 is the last date to withdraw from the electoral battle. Counting will be held on November 3.

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A day after thousands of farmers gathered at a mahapanchayat in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar, leader on Monday voiced support for the protesting farmers and said they are fearless and standing resolutely.

The attacked Gandhi and alleged that he was trying to fuel propaganda by tweeting an old picture "to claim success of the mahapanchayat".

"Standing resolutely and fearless, here are the 'Bharat Bhagya Vidhata'," Gandhi tweeted in Hindi along with a photograph of a massive public gathering.

Gandhi used the hashtag of 'FarmersProtest' along with his tweet.

Attacking Gandhi, the BJP's Information and Technology Department head Amit Malviya tweeted, "That has to use an old picture to claim success of the Mahapanchayat just shows how the propaganda to call it a well attended 'farmer' agitation hasn't worked."



"It is political. With religious slogans raised, it leaves no one in doubt, what the actual motivation is!" he said.

Slamming Malviya, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary said the photograph tagged by Gandhi was from a kisan panchayat organised by his party in Shamli and asked what the leader wanted to say.

Thousands of farmers from Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring states on Sunday gathered in Muzaffarnagar for the 'kisan mahapanchayat' and vowed to continue their stir till the three contentious agri laws enacted by the Centre are scrapped.

The event was organised by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) which has been spearheading the agitation against the laws since November last year.

The farmers' protest at Delhi's borders against the three contentious laws has been going on for over nine months.

They have been demanding the repeal of the laws which they feel will do away with the MSP system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.

The government has insisted that these laws have given farmers a new opportunity to sell their produce and rejected claims that they are aimed at doing away with the minimum support price regime and farm mandis.

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Abhishek Banerjee, TMC MP and nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here on Monday for questioning in a money laundering case linked to an alleged coal pilferage scam in the state, officials said.

The 33-year-old MP arrived at the office of the central agency at Jam Nagar house in central Delhi just before 11 AM.

"I am ready to face investigation...the agency officials are doing their work and I will cooperate with them," he said.

The investigating officer of the case will record his statement under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), officials said.

represents the Diamond Harbour seat in the Lok Sabha and is the general secretary of the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

The ED has filed a criminal case under the PMLA after studying a November, 2020 FIR of the CBI that alleged a multi-crore coal pilferage scam related to Eastern Coalfields Ltd mines in the state's Kunustoria and Kajora areas in and around Asansol.

Speaking to reporters at the Kolkata airport on Sunday, the MP had said that he would get himself hanged if any central agency can prove his involvement in any illegal transaction.

Local coal operative in West Bengal, Anup Majhi alias Lala, is alleged to be the prime suspect in the case.

The ED had claimed that was a beneficiary of funds obtained from this illegal trade.

His wife Rujira was also summoned by the agency in this case on September 1 but she did not appear citing the prevailing coronavirus situation and requested the agency to instead question her in Kolkata.

It is understood that the agency may grant her the relief.

Some Indian Police Service (IPS) officers and a lawyer linked to have also been summoned to appear on different dates in this month in the case.

Reacting to these summonses, Chief Minister Banerjee last week accused the Centre of letting loose its agencies on her nephew and claimed some BJP ministers were working "hand in glove" with the coal mafia.

The ED has arrested two people in this case till now.

One of them is Vikas Mishra, the brother of TMC youth wing leader Vinay Mishra, who is stated to have left the country sometime back and and renounced his Indian citizenship.

The second person arrested in the case early this year is former Inspector in-charge of Bankura police station Ashok Kumar Mishra.

The ED had earlier claimed that the Mishra brothers received "proceeds of crime worth Rs 730 crore on behalf of some influential persons and for themselves" in this case involving an estimated amount of Rs 1,352 crore.

A "deep system" of political patronage and a "well-oiled" machinery was used to brazenly carry out certain unlawful coal mining in West Bengal, the ED has claimed before a court while seeking the remand of Inspector Mishra in April.

A charge sheet was also filed by the ED in May this year.

Quoting the recorded statement of an unidentified "close associate" of Majhi, the ED had earlier alleged that prime suspect Majhi had been running his "illegal coal mining business smoothly by managing senior functionaries of political party of West Bengal though Inspector Mishra."



The statement of this unidentified "witness" furnished by the ED in the remand note stated that "it is known fact that Vinay Mishra collected money from illegal coal mining of Majhi and his associates for his closely associated political boss in present ruling party; that Vinay Mishra is youth leader of TMC and he is very close to Abhishek Banerjee and that he (Vinay Mishra) is the eyes and ears of Abhishek Banerjee."



The agency had claimed that documents seized by it show that "Majhi assisted in transferring substantial funds derived from the proceeds of crime to Shri Abhishek Banerjee's close relatives (wife and sister-in-law) at London 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.)
Gadag (Karnataka) [India], September 6 (ANI/BusinessWire India): While there is a lot of focus in cities for setting up Jumbo COVID centres and Large capacity ICU beds, tier 2 and tier 3 towns are left out.

These small towns are most affected after the metro cities and they are ill-equipped to handle the tsunami of COVID cases.

Global experience has shown that we have to be ready for the next wave due to different pathologies and mutations - investment in bolstering the rural and semi-urban medical infrastructure is critical to handle future challenges. MissionICU is a step towards preparing the capacity for taking care of families in rural India.

MissionICU a social collaborative initiative that aims to bolster existing ICU capacity in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across the country, has recently helped set up critical infrastructure in the Gadag district of Karnataka last week. MissionICU supports government district hospitals by adding state-of-the-art ICU beds and critical care medical infrastructure. By increasing capacity in these public hospitals, the organization aims to create a sustainable impact: it not only helps with COVID hospitalizations but also prepares smaller towns for natural disasters and future pandemics.

Speaking on the initiative, Dr. Ashwin Naik a Health Care Entrepreneur and Co-founder of Mission ICU said, "We believe that preparedness for future waves of COVID19 have to be sustainable, and build long term capacity. Our mission is to help build this capacity in small towns, including setting up ICU beds, procuring medical equipment, and installation support. We provide an end-to-end solution, right from sourcing funding, to due diligence/hospital selection, equipment procurement, and finally installation."

MissionICU was recently featured and selected among the World Economic Forum's Top 50 Last Mile Responders and looking at the amazing initiative, many corporates and other organizations have come forward to help with funds and take the work ahead.

Maanoj Shah, a Chartered Accountant, Social Entrepreneur, and Co-founder of Mission ICU commented on the tie-ups, "Our flagship project was carried out in May 2021 in Tumkur district of Karnataka with generous support from Arogya World, USA. After that we had great support from Kantar, Wadhwani Foundation, Crypto Relief, United Way Bengaluru, USAid and a few more are in the pipeline. We have already deployed 40 ICU Beds in 4 locations in Karnataka and have a commitment of 150 beds from our existing supporters for Karnataka, Orissa and North East. In the next phase of expansion, we are looking at Maharashtra and the North East States."

Dr. Edmond Fernandes, Public Health Expert, Founder of CHD Group and Co-founder of this Mission ICU, takes care of the entire ground support on building this initiative says " that when we have a very rigorous process of due diligence before we zero in on any location, we do the Need Assessment and study the capability and competency of Hospital Management to handle this additional ICU Bed Infrastructure. There is a formal process of Commissioning, Training and Quarterly audit system to ensure there is effective usage of the assets deployed."

Preeti Reddy, Chairwoman - South Asia, Insights Division, Kantar, spoke on the same lines and said, "I must commend Mission ICU on this excellent initiative. The work they have done in rural India is exceptional, and we at Kantar are fortunate to have been on this journey with them. Gadag has limited medical infrastructure because of which locals have had to travel long distances to receive critical care at affordable rates. This has been a particularly serious issue during the pandemic. This initiative will help the town address their medical challenges in a big way. We are happy that we were able to do our bit. Hopefully, this is just the start, and we will continue to make a difference in the lives of Indians moving forward."

Looking at the huge support the organization has already started to receive, it now plans to penetrate in Maharashtra and the Northeast in the second phase. Mission ICU hopes to scale itself into a social franchise by creating a toolkit that can be adopted by any organization (private, public, or other) to create such ICU capacity across the country.

They are also creating a database with updated ICU bed availability for each district in the country so that donors and partner organizations can get a clear picture of which districts need more ICU support. Their goal is to scale to a national level so India can have a stronger medical infrastructure in rural areas.

This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India)

(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 a spectacular rally recorded last week, Indian equities may consolidate during the holiday truncated week, and focus on global trends.

will remain shut on Friday, September 10, on account of Ganesh Chaturthi. Given this, tad bit volatility can be expected on Thursday as traders may want to go home with lighter positions to avoid any unforeseen global shocks, and amid weekly F&O expiry.

That apart, stock-specific flow and Covid-19 trends will also be on investor radar.

Globally, developments around the US economy and the revival of activity in Europe amid rising Covid-19 infections would also guide the this week.

Last Friday, the frontline S&P BSE Sensex vaulted above the 58,000-mark while the Nifty50 kissed 17,300 as investors cheered green shoots in the economy.

Services, the dominating sector of India's economy, grew for the first time in four months in August as vaccine access improved and consumer footfall rose following reopening of several establishments.

The IHS Markit Services PMI rose to 56.7 last month from 45.4 in July, hitting a one and a half-year high.

What also drove the frontline indices to record peaks on Friday was a phenomenal rally in Reliance Industries.

Shares of India's biggest company by market cap zoomed 4 per cent on the bourses that day and hit a fresh peak of Rs 2,394. It's partly paid shares, meanwhile, surged 5.6 per cent to a new peak of Rs 1,751.

Effectively, the company's total m-cap, inclusive of partly paid shares, is now around Rs 16 trillion.

RIL will continue to remain in focus this week as the company is set to launch its JioPhone Next smartphone on Friday. As per a Bloomberg report, the phone could be the world's cheapest phone so far and may cost less than $50.

For now, the BSE Sensex is parked at 58,130, the Nifty50 is around 17,320, and the BSE Mid- and SmallCap indices are around 24,380 and 27,300 levels, respectively. During the past week, these indices gained in the range of 2.7-3.7 per cent.
The Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) has today warned about the recovery of the drinks and hospitality sector as a new report shows that Ireland has the second highest excise tax rates in the EU and UK.



The new report, Tax on Irelands Drinks and Hospitality Sector in 2021, authored and researched by DCU economist Anthony Foley, shows Ireland has the second highest overall excise tax on drinks products in Europe, as well as the highest excise tax on wine, the second highest on beer, and the third highest on spirits. Ireland is among a group of outlier countriesFinland, Sweden, and the UKthat charge high levels of excise tax on drinks products relative to the rest of Europe.



DIGI say that the high tax rates levied on the industry are unsustainable and uncompetitive and are calling for a reduction in excise tax in Budget 2022 to boost post-Covid tourism and secure sustainable, long-term growth for Ireland's drinks and hospitality businesses in 2022 and beyond. The group is proposing a 7.5% reduction in excise tax on drinks products, including wine, beer, spirits, and cider.

The group claims that the effects of the reduction would be felt immediately by thousands of hospitality businesses across Ireland, hundreds of thousands of directly and indirectly employed industry workers, and domestic and overseas consumers, including tourists. DIGI says that Ireland's high excise tax on drinks products, combined with VAT, high commercial rents, and insurance, forces Ireland's drinks and hospitality businesses, particularly small exporting breweries and distilleries, to make growth-limiting sacrifices.



Commenting on the report, Chair of DIGI, Liam Reid said, "We are restarting from a low point. Thousands of skilled employees have left the industry for good. Many hospitality businesses, particularly in low-population areas dependent on seasonal tourism, simply dont have the people required to open. That is having knock-on effects on entire communities and regions. The longer this situation lasts, the slower our recovery will be."

He added, "We need to think ambitiously. As we move beyond the pandemic, industry and government need to work towards a new vision focused on rapid growth: to build the best drinks and hospitality industry in the world. To do this, we need to remove obstacles that make it hard for businesses to grow and Irish tourism less competitive against other European countries. That must include reducing our punitively high excise tax. The power to reduce excise tax rests solely with the Irish Government. It can be carried out overnight without the introduction of new legislation."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
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Once again, its that time of the year when schools start. Recently, Chinas education sector has undergone a series of changes that have triggered a heated discussion. In July, the Central Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the General Office of the State Council of the Peoples Republic of China jointly released the Opinions on Further Reducing the Burden of Homework and Off-Campus Training for Students at the Compulsory Education Stage, putting the brakes on the countrys burgeoning private tutoring market. On Aug. 30, the Ministry of Education issued the Notice on Strengthening the Management of Examinations in Compulsory Education Schools, stating that no written exams should be arranged for first and second graders in primary schools. A series of new regulations will gradually be put in place, covering the areas of gaokao, or the national college entrance examination, and university education, in addition to compulsory education.

Education is the key to a nations sustained prosperity. Since the reform and opening-up, the education sector has helped China train hundreds of millions of competent people, which has been hugely beneficial to its economic and social growth. However, some problems in the education sector are still very prominent, particularly the long lags in implementing institutional reforms and the distortions caused by excessive commercialization. The exam-oriented system and the existing educational inequality have been widely criticized. The resulting heavy academic burden has made life miserable for primary and secondary school students, as well as their parents. Moreover, graduates have difficulty finding jobs, while employers also struggle to find workers with the right skill set. Despite the fact that both the Chinese government and society have invested a great deal in the education sector, it has not made anyone satisfied. That is a problem that deserves some reflection. The central government has pointed out that China needs to resolutely address the deep-rooted problem of grades, college entrance, diplomas, papers or titles being the only criterion for education evaluation, thus eliminating the long-term problem of education evaluation standards. To this end, strict measures and policies are essential.

The series of strict regulations recently issued for the education sector can be seen as a move in this direction.

Meanwhile, it is also important to focus on the long-term impact of education and respond to the emerging demands of the new era. The global landscape is undergoing a profound transformation. China is striving to realize its second centenary goal  to become a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic and culturally advanced by 2049. In this context, education should be aimed at building a modernized society and promoting well-rounded human development and all-around social progress. Many challenges still exist; for example, Chinas population will soon reach its peak; new technologies such as artificial intelligence will, without doubt, reshape the economy and society. Hence, specific measures and policies can be effective only if they are formulated with a long-term goal in mind.

In other words, education must withstand the test of time. Ultimately, education is about fostering the mind, a process that never stops. Generally, it takes a long time before we can see the full impact  positive or negative  of a policy similar to the one-child policy. However, if we deviate from the path we have set, the consequences could be way more severe and a lot harder to address. Therefore, policymakers have to be very careful when implementing new education policies and respect the educational practice that has been carried on for thousands of years.

The goal of education is to turn one into a good person, not to turn a person into an object for doing a particular kind of work. Education is about promoting the all-round development of human beings, not just producing workers or increasing human capital. However, there is an urgent need to fix the Chinese education system, even from a utility perspective. Skilled people produced by the education system must be in a position to adapt to Chinas economic and social transformation and promote further progress. No country can achieve economic development without a sound education system, which is fundamental to its economic patterns and industrial structure. In Germany, the industrial success is inseparable from its well-developed vocational education system. Over the past 40 years, Chinas massive population has brought the country a favorable demographic dividend, which has been the main driving force of its economic growth and has underpinned Chinas rise in the manufacturing industry. However, in this new era, competition has become global, and the domestic economy is being transformed with the goal of building an innovative country.

All of these have led to demands for more and better education. Chinas education model has proven to be effective in passing on knowledge and skills on a large scale, which was appropriate for Chinas economy in the early catch-up phase. However, China is now at the forefront of the world in some sectors, and to further advance and avoid the risk of being hit in the throat, as core technologies are in the hands of others, the innovation skills of professionally trained people have been given utmost importance. The systems regarding the curriculums, teaching instructions, textbooks and administration will need to be updated in accordance with the new changes.

Some scholars argue that Chinese education has high average and small variance, with very few outstanding and innovative people. If the status quo remains, we would have no chance to build China into an innovative country or develop our world-class basic research capabilities.

With Chinas service industry gradually overtaking manufacturing to become the largest sector in the economy, there is a continuous increase in income per capita. It is also accompanied by the significant changes in citizens attitudes. Cross-national studies have found out that the increase of income changes what people consider most valuable. When income is relatively low, people look up to material civilizations and thus place more emphasis on increasing their wealth. However, when their income grows, they will gradually embrace a post-materialist mindset. This natural change is a trend that the Chinese education system should try to adapt to. Ideas such as democracy, freedom, equality and justice are all core socialist values. They are also in line with the common values of all mankind that China advocates. Once engraved in peoples minds, these ideas will shape their personalities and thus give a huge boost to economic and social growth. These ideas should not only be reflected in the teaching content but also in the education system. Institutional deficiencies such as formality and excessive bureaucracy still exist in Chinese schools, especially in higher education institutions. The current cumbersome reimbursement procedure for research expenditure is a classic example. This current situation is far removed from the modern ideas mentioned earlier.

China is currently striving to foster a new environment in an all-round opening up. Education is no exception. Opening up is an essential component of Chinas education sector. Strong educational ties have been created between Chinese and foreign educational institutions, ranging from primary schools to universities, through academic exchanges, talent exchange programs and cooperation in running schools. Overseas returnees to China have also contributed directly to the countrys robust, long-term economic development. Nowadays, countries are competing globally to attract talented professionals, driving global talent flows. Industries such as communications and microchips are even more immersed in global networks. For China to achieve the goal of forming a community with a shared future through global exchanges, Chinese education still has a long way to go and needs to open its door wider to the world.

In September 1983, Deng Xiaoping proposed the principle of Three Orientations, which means education should be oriented toward modernization, the whole world and the future. This principle remains the proper guideline for the Chinese education system. At this critical moment in Chinas economic and social transformation, the Chinese central government has repeatedly reaffirmed that education is a top development priority, which essentially means that the modernization of education is vital to support the countrys goal of modernization. For this to be possible, efforts from the whole society are required, especially the educational departments in China.

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CANCER AWARDS: Awards of appreciation were presented Monday night at a meeting of the American Cancer Society chapter at the Standard Farm Center. Pictured are (seated, from left) Mary J. Berger, crusade chairman; Mrs. C. E. McIlvain, memorials chairman; (back) William Arts Jr., manager of t
Photo: Contributed

Canadians are heading to the polls in two weeks and just like the lead up to past elections, investors are asking how this might affect their portfolios.

The short answer (so you can stop reading here if you want) is it likely wont matter that much. The Canadian federal election should have very little impact on your investment accounts.

Let me explain.

First of all, the Canadian stock market represents just three per cent of the global markets, so a well-diversified investor should have low exposure to Canadian equities. So if the election did impact Canadian companies in a big way, your portfolio should be well-insulated.

Secondly, the major political parties in this race all intend to provide the economy with ample fiscal support until the COVID recovery is complete. While their policies differ substantially, all three major parties are committed to keep helping our economy along.

Third, the performance of Canadian equities, bonds and our dollar are largely hitched to external global factors and our domestic markets are less impacted than our general economy is by federal decisions. I think its important to understand that our economy and our markets are not one and the same.

There is no question that certain sectors of our markets will be far more directly impacted by the election results though. Our commodity industry for example has a lot riding on this race and over-exposure to these types of investments requires far more careful consideration.

Could we see a major stock market pullback this fall or winter? Absolutely! Its always possible but the cause of a pullback or correction would be from some other catalyst and not our election.

Ultimately, the upcoming election is unlikely to have any significant short-term impacts on your investment portfolio so stick to your properly diversified investment strategy and sound financial plans.

And make sure to get informed and get out to vote.
Photo: The Canadian Press Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau makes remarks on gun control during the Canadian federal election campaign in Markham, Ont., on Sunday, September 5, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Health-care workers shared concerns over staff shortages and burnout with the federal Liberal leader during a Sunday campaign stop at a Toronto hospital that was surrounded by anti-vaccine protests earlier in the week.

Justin Trudeau thanked the few dozen Toronto General Hospital staffers for their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and called the protests against proof-of-vaccination systems "horrifying."

"I want to tell you, all of Canadians stand with you. People know how hard you work, how much you sacrifice, to do this unbelievably important work of keeping us safe," he said. "I, for one, will always be there to have your back."

Trudeau pointed to his partys pledge to mandate vaccination for federal employees, which he said will help encourage the hesitant -- who are now filling the city's intensive care units again -- to get their shots.

The Liberal party has also promised $1 billion for provinces to bring in vaccine certificate programs, which restrict access to some spaces and activities based on vaccination status. Ontario's announcement this week that it would introduce a vaccine certificate program prompted the anti-vaccine protests outside Toronto hospitals.

Intensive care nurse manager Denise Morris, who said she stayed on past retirement age to see her team through the pandemic, said she thinks all candidates should visit the front-line workers who have faced the new disease head on.

"It's been a really rough 18 months," Morris said in an interview.

She expressed pride in her team but said they are exhausted after facing the deadly, complicated disease for over a year, and told the Liberal leader she's concerned about young people being put off joining the profession.

In between selfies, the Liberal leader asked the nurses and doctors about their experiences treating increasingly younger, unvaccinated virus patients during the fourth wave.

Nurse Arthur Williams said hes worried about the staffing shortage nurses face -- a theme repeated by several of his colleagues during their short chats with Trudeau.

Though he acknowledged that health-care issues like staffing and wages -- which typically fall under provincial jurisdiction -- are tricky for federal leaders to navigate, Williams said the visit from Trudeau was meaningful.

"It feels good," Williams said. "He's aware of some of our issues."

Emergency physician Lucas Chartier said he respects that Trudeau has tread into healthcare policy "at the right time for the right reasons" during the pandemic so far.

He said he's hoping to see more clarity from leadership on tough policies like vaccine passports and certificates as increasingly exhausted health workers face down a fourth wave of infections.

"After the anxiety of the first one, the burden of the second one, the burnout of the third one, I think we've come full circle and we're going back to the anxiety, except the health-care workers have a lot less empathy and a lot less mental and emotional reserves to face it," Chartier said.

"We need some ... decisive actions by the governments and our leaders to be able to make the right calls, the unpopular calls that are coming.

In his meeting with the hospital staff, Trudeau strove to set himself apart from his main rival, Tory Erin O'Toole, who has come out in favour of less strict mandatory vaccination policies for workers and access to non-essential public spaces.

But Trudeau has faced a barrage of criticism from his political opponents for triggering an election as the pandemic's fourth wave gathers steam across the country and drives spikes in daily case counts and hospital admissions.

New modelling from the Public Health Agency of Canada released on Friday further fueled some of those criticisms. The figures suggest Canada could see more than 15,000 new cases a day by October under current transmission rates, with the ramp up running through the Sept. 20 election day.

Also on Sunday, Trudeau pledged tighter controls on guns already banned by his government and funding for provinces to prohibit guns locally.

Trudeau targeted OToole over a proposed repeal of a Liberal ban on 1,500 firearms -- a stance the Tory leader reversed the same day after mounting pressure to clarify his position.

Trudeau highlighted the Liberals' campaign promise to offer owners of weapons affected by the ban the option of selling them to the government or having them rendered inoperable.

Those include the AR-15 rifle and the Ruger Mini-14, which was used in the deadly Ecole polytechnique massacre of 1989.

"You can't buy these guns, you can't sell these guns, you can't use these guns. And even if you own one today, no one gets a pass," Trudeau said.

OToole has argued that hunters and sport shooters have been unfairly caught up in the Liberal ban.

Another Liberal gun campaign promise, outlined by the leader on Sunday, aims to limit the number of rounds high-capacity gun magazines can hold.

Also on the table is a $1 billion pledge to help provinces and territories ban handguns.

Trudeau noted that legislators in Quebec have already indicated interest in banning handguns, and said his government would be open to helping other provinces do the same.

He didn't directly answer why his party's policy on handguns is only optional and not mandatory for provinces to enforce, saying his Liberal government has "step-by-step" increased gun control in the country over six years.

The Liberal leader also commented Sunday on the removal of another Ontario Liberal, Raj Saini, who is facing allegations that he harassed a staff member. The party said Saturday Saini was no longer running as a candidate after new, unspecified information came to light.

Trudeau said Saturday it was a "far from ideal situation" to no longer have a candidate in Saini's Kitchener, Ont., riding.

"I understand people being angry about it. I'm pretty frustrated about the whole thing myself," Trudeau said, adding that he's "driven" in his political roles to stand up for people facing harassment and intimidation.

Trudeau faced criticism on the issue earlier in the day from NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who accused Trudeau of doing nothing to address the controversy surrounding Saini.
Photo: The Canadian Press New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh is seen during an election campaign stop in Ottawa, Sunday, September 5, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

OTTAWA - An NDP government would immediately tackle the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with a billion-dollar plan to increase vaccination rates, the party's leader said Sunday.

Jagmeet Singh told a press conference in Ottawa that the New Democrats would target remote parts of Canada and vaccine-hesitant groups.

"We know that there are people that want to get vaccinated and they just need a little bit more information," he said. "We need to make sure that we are reaching out to them."

The plan would also secure paid time off for workers to get vaccinated, he said.

Singh also pledged to protect the country's health-care workers, calling for changes to the Criminal Code that would make it an aggravating offence to impede or assault a health-care worker in the course of their duties.

"No health-care worker should be met with any type of violence or intimidation," Singh said. "There is no way that a health-care worker should have to deal with any threats or intimidation on top of the already difficult situation they're dealing with."

Singh's remarks came after several protests against proof-of-vaccination measures were held outside hospitals across Canada over the past week. The demonstrations, which were particularly prevalent in Ontario after Premier Doug Ford announced the province would be adopting a vaccine certificate system later this month, drew condemnations from several health-care advocacy groups including the Canadian Medical Association.

Singh also repeated his call for a national document for Canadians to confirm their vaccination status for both domestic and international travel.

The latest numbers, aggregated from provincial sources by the COVID-19 Vaccination Tracker website, show roughly 84.6 per cent of Canadians 12 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

They show 77.4 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Public health officials have said those numbers need to climb to more than 80 per cent to keep the more infectious Delta variant of COVID-19 from overwhelming the health-care system.
Photo: The Canadian Press Firefighters work beneath the destroyed mullions, the vertical struts which once faced the outer walls of the World Trade Center towers, after a terrorist attack on the twin towers in New York on Sept. 11, 2001.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Mark Lennihan

Calgary firefighter Mark Turik recalls standing at Ground Zero in January 2002, watching a group of police officers as they surrounded a body pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center.

He was told the remains likely belonged to another police officer, based on the duty belt or gun.

Sifting through dozens of photos taken that month nearly two decades ago, Turik shared memories from his time in New York City four months after the September 11 terrorist attack, when firefighters were still searching for the remains of fallen colleagues and civilians unable to escape the wreckage.

Nearby sat a box filled with newspapers, magazines and video tapes.

"I hadn't opened up that box of stuff in over 15 years. There's little pieces that you carry with you that you don't think about," said Turik, who is now deputy chief with the Calgary Fire Department.

Turik is one of many Canadians reflecting on the tragedy -- and the work he did to try to help in its aftermath -- as the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack approaches.

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, four coordinated terrorist strikes played out on American soil -- with two hijacked aircrafts flown into the Twin Towers, one into the Pentagon in Virginia and another that failed to hit its target.

Nearly 3,000 people died, and 25,000 more were injured.

Turik was one of hundreds of Canadian firefighters who went south following the tragedy. Local firefighters were adamant about recovering the bodies from the wreckage themselves, so many firefighters from abroad went on what Turik called a "mission of support."

"All of them were obviously devastated by it. Every one of them knew somebody (who died), so you would just go down and talk to them and bring well wishes," said Turik.

He and five others from Calgary's heavy rescue team spent about a week trying to come to grips with what happened while comforting their American colleagues as best they could.

For 20 years, 9/11 has served as a sober reminder for Turik. There is no such thing as being too prepared. You never know what might happen.

One photo taken by his team showed a sign in a New York fire station that read: "Let no man's ghost come back to say 'my training let me down.'"

The horror of 9/11 lingers on the minds of many as they reflect on the sober anniversary, but for the mayor of a small Atlantic Canadian town, it also conjures memories of "love overcoming hatred."

When the United States shut down its airspace, the Town of Gander in Newfoundland and Labrador opened its runway. Thirty-eight airplanes carrying more than 6,500 people landed in the municipality with a population of just 9,000.

It was a logistical nightmare, remembers MayorPercy Farwell, who served as deputy mayor at the time.

Stranded passengers needed food, shelter, translators, clothing and medicine, having only the clothes on their back and whatever filled their carry-on bags.

Farwell said people arrived from 95 different countries. Many had no idea why they had been rerouted, or where Gander was located on a map.

As the reality of the calamity set in  with some passengers praying for the safety of their loved ones in New York  the people of Gander and surrounding communities stepped up to help.

"Everybody volunteered their time, spare sheets, pillows, clothes and made food --- whatever was required," said Farwell. "They needed reassurance, compassion and love."

The story of Gander inspired people from across the world and has since been adapted into the musical "Come From Away" and retold in several books.

Farwell said he continues to receive messages from young students in the U.S. who are learning about that day.

Gander was one of multiple Canadian cities that welcomed diverted flights to their runways as part of Operation Yellow Ribbon. Upwards of 240 aircraft were rerouted to 17 airports across the country.

Farwell said he hopes others are able to take some comfort in those efforts, too.

"Darkness is overcome by light and we've been an example used for that," he said.
A healthcare worker prepares doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a mobile vaccination clinic at a high school in Los Angeles, California.
Pakistans local cement dispatches rise, exports decline in 2MFY22

06 September 2021

All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) released dispatch figures for August 2021 with a positive note that the cement sector posted growth of 22.8 per cent in August 2021 by dispatching 4.336Mt when compared with 3.531Mt during the same month of the previous fiscal year. Out of this total, local dispatches increased to 3.814Mt from 2.805Mt, up 36 per cent. However, exports continued to decline as the volumes reduced by 28.2 per cent from 726,687t in August 2020 to 521,468t in August 2021.

APCMA added that an increase in domestic dispatches is a good sign for the cement industry, and reflects a pick-up in economic activity. However, he added that the government planners should notice declining exports and support the industry to compete in the international markets.

In August 2021 the share of north-based cement mills dispatched stood at 3.141Mt, up 25.4 per cent and southern mills stood at 673,572t, 124 per cent YoY. The exports from northern mills showed a decline of 33.1 per cent to 141,804t and from the south the fell by 26.2 per cent to 379,664t YoY.

Cumulative trends in 2MFY22

During the first two months of the current fiscal year, total cement dispatches (domestic and exports) were 8.235Mt, 1.6 per cent lower than 8.37Mt dispatched during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.

Northern-based mills dispatched 6.033Mt, an increase of 1.6 per cent than cement dispatches of 5.939Mt during 2MFY21. Exports from the north declined by 17.2 per cent to 277,422t during 2MFY21 compared with 334,899t exported during the same period last year.

Domestic dispatches by southern mills during 2MFY22 were 1.228Mt, showing a healthy increase of 50 per cent over 818,600t cement dispatched during the same period of last fiscal year. However, there was a massive decline of around 45 per cent in exports from the southern zone as the volumes reduced to 696,823t in the first two months of the current fiscal year from over 1.277Mt during the corresponding period of the last fiscal year.

A rise in production cost

A representative of APCMA said that the landed price of coal was around PKR18,000/t (US$107.9/t) in August 2018 and has increased multiple times since then. The current landed cost comes to around PKR31,500/t, increasing the cost of production approximately PKR90/bag. Similarly, the electricity rate of PKR11.68/unit in August 2018 is now PKR19.40/unit. Other input costs like packing material, provincial taxes on raw material and fuel prices have also risen, increasing the overall production cost. These factors have influenced the cost of production by around PKR35/bag.

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Two occupants fell overboard and were struck by the boat in a Saturday evening boating accident on Norris Lake in Campbell County.

Campbell County Wildlife Officer Brenden Marlow said that around 7 p.m., William Tyler Sharp of Hamilton, Ohio and Gabriella Wimmer of Marysville, Ohio were standing up on the bow of a boat while it was under power when it hit a wake causing both to be ejected and run over.

Both were taken by boat to Sequoyah Marina where Mr. Sharp was then airlifted to UT Medical Center in Knoxville and treated for serious injuries including deep lacerations from the vessels propeller. He is in critical but stable condition.



Ms. Wimmer was taken by EMS to Tennova North Medical Center where she was treated and released.

Madison Fantelli of Cincinatti, Ohio has been charged with underage consumption of alcohol and reckless operation of a vessel.

The incident remains under investigation by TWRA.
Chattanooga firefighters made a daring rescue on Labor Day as they arrived on the scene of a second alarm apartment fire.

At 8:51 a.m., units responded to 1112 Grove St. and they learned that there could be people trapped inside. Heavy smoke was showing from one of the buildings in the large apartment complex on arrival and rescue mode was started to search for occupants.

Firefighters immediately spotted a woman hanging out of a second floor window yelling and screaming for help. They quickly grabbed a ground ladder, put it up to the window and got her down.

As fire attack was launched, other personnel began searching the rest of the apartments. No one else was found.

Fire was coming out of the windows of a ground floor apartment and smoke was billowing out of the rest of the structure. Crews attempted an interior attack with multiple hand lines, but once the fire broke though the roof, firefighters were pulled out of the building for safety reasons.

Once defensive efforts knocked the fire down considerably, personnel went back inside to finish extinguishing the flames. Then hot spots were monitored.

The entire apartment building (eight units) was impacted by the fire. Half of the building was destroyed and the other half sustained smoke and water damage.

The Red Cross was contacted to assist residents. The woman who was rescued out of the top floor window was transported to the hospital with unknown injuries. There were no other reported injuries.

Multiple Red Shift companies responded to the scene, along with CPD, Hamilton County EMS, EPB, CFD Supply, Chattanooga-Hamilton Rescues Rehabilitation Unit and Hamilton County 911s Incident Dispatch Unit.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Those in command of the large-scale response commended crews for their hard work and for getting the fire out quickly.

Great job by everybody involved, said Battalion Chief Ashley May. We had good crew integrity and everyone was effective in their roles. Thank you to Chattanooga Police as well for the support and assistance they provided on the scene, especially when we were making a rescue and setting up firefighting operations. This was a big fire and we all worked together.
In the latest General Hospital comings and goings, an evil drug lord is returning to Port Charles. This character that everyone loves to hate is definitely going to stir things up for Sonny/Mike, if and when he gets his memory back. And his appearance definitely has Port Charles shaking in its collective boots.

General Hospital | Nick Agro via Getty Images

Jeff Kober returns to General Hospital as Cyrus Renault

The biggest General Hospital casting announcement, as of late, has revolved around the return of Jeff Kober as the evil Cyrus Renault. Kober returned to the show on the August 31, 2021 episode. And longtime fans of GH couldnt get enough of the characters return.

Kober originated the role of Cyrus on February 5, 2020. Kobers casting was first announced back in January of last year, and his characters backstory was nothing if not intriguing. The drug runner  whose international enterprise ranges from Seattle to Russia  was released from prison after a decade behind bars, with a full exoneration, after he forced his crony Jordan to testify that it was all a setup.

Cyrus is also the biological brother of attorney Martin Grey, and their mother is Florence Grey. Laura Collins is their half-sister. The late Gordon Grey is his biological father.

What has Jeff Kober been up to lately?

Cyrus was originally only supposed to be on General Hospital for a few episodes. However, in an interview with Soap Opera Digest back in 2020, Kober revealed that GH executive producer Frank Valenti told him that the character would continue to grow as long as Kober enjoyed playing him. Kober also said that he very much enjoyed playing the character of Cyrus, and would be open to returning to Port Charles if the writers would have him. It looks like his wish came true!

Not that Kober has been sitting around waiting for General Hospital to return his call. On the contrary: during the time he was off the canvas, Kober kept himself busy. According to his IMDb page, he recorded an episode of Bosch, where he played John the Baptist. He also recorded an episode of Interrogation, where he played Drake. And he appeared in the series Big Dogs as Capt. DiBiasi.

But, its good to see him back in Port Charles. Now the question is: how is he going to shake things up for Smike? And how is that going to affect all the other characters tied to this mess?

"Mike" sees the writing on the wall, West Coast. What will he do in the wake of Nina's rejection?

Tune into an emotional, new #GH  STARTING NOW on ABC! @MauriceBenard pic.twitter.com/He2mhjOoHG  General Hospital (@GeneralHospital) September 3, 2021

Other GH comings and goings

In addition to Jeff Kobers return to General Hospital, other actors are also back on the canvas. For example, soap veteran Patrick Gibbons Jr.  best known for his work on One Life to Live  has made a return to Port Charles as Wyatt Hoover. Gibbons Jr. has been playing the role, off and on, since 2018, according to his IMDb page.

Bart Tangredi  who has had minor roles in such films as Analyze That, and in such television shows as Las Vegas, Judging Amy, and Gilmore Girls  is back on the canvas as the mysterious Mr. Buscema.

WATCH: No one at Carly's bachelorette party was expecting to recognize the man behind the curtain. #GH pic.twitter.com/NXqlKOLnRs  General Hospital (@GeneralHospital) September 4, 2021

Glenn Taranto, meanwhile, has returned to General Hospital to play Victor Novak. Prior to getting the role of Mr. Novak, Taranto played a ballistics expert in a 1994 episode of the show. Taranto also recently starred as Mike on the hit Showtime show, Shameless.

RELATED: General Hospital Odds and Ends: Charles Shaughnessy Reveals GH Character and His Return to Days
Of all the boyfriends Halle Berry has had over the years, only one has thrown a lawsuit her way. In the early 1990s, the actor was sued by an ex-boyfriend for a whopping $80,000. Though one might assume that this former lover had a valid reason for taking Berry to court, it turns out that his lawsuit was a result of a complete misunderstanding.

Halle Berry | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Halle Berrys ex-boyfriend sued her for unpaid loans in 1993

Months after Halle Berry married her first husband, former MLB player David Justice, on January 1, 1993, she was blindsided by a hefty lawsuit filed by an ex-boyfriend from Chicago, dentist John Ronan.

Ronan sued the actor for $80,000, saying she borrowed that amount from him during their two-year romance, which lasted from 1989-1991. According to People, Ronan said that he had loaned Berry the money to jumpstart her career.

While Ronan claimed that the $80,000 was, in fact, a loan, Berry begged to differ, saying that the money was what he willing paid to sweep her off her feet during their relationship.

About a year after I was married, an old boyfriend from Chicago shows up and says I owe him $80,000 for, I dont know what, the Boomerang actor said during a 1998 episode of Lifetimes Intimate Portrait. He says I borrowed $80,000 from him over the course of our two-year relationship, and he wanted the money back. Basically, he wanted to be repaid for all the things that any boyfriend does for his girlfriend, and now because I was married to David Justice, he wanted his, you know, his courting fee back.

Halle Berry and David Justice | Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

RELATED: Halle Berry Is a Domestic Abuse Activist For a Devastating Reason

Before she knew it, Berry was battling her ex-boyfriend in court, defending her word against his.

I thought it was resolved. I thought, Oh, this is never going to even get to court. This is like the most insane thing. [He] cant do this,' Berry said. Lo and behold, he gets a lawyer, and I get subpoenaed to court. He has filed and he has what appears to be a legitimate case. He says all kinds of things like he has an IOU from me, promissory notes, hes got all of these things, and he has proof. Thats what enabled him to get the court case. Meanwhile, when it was all said and done, he had no proof.

The case was later dismissed

Though Halle Berrys ex-boyfriend claimed she had borrowed money from him, he didnt have any documentation outlining the alleged loan he gave her.

He also didnt list the actor as a debtor when he filed for bankruptcy in 1992, which was grounds for the court to dismiss the case entirely.

But to Berrys surprise, this messy situation didnt end there.

After the case was dismissed, Ronan took his story to the tabloids.

[He] talked about what our so-called love-life was like, Berry recalled during the episode. He said he used to take me out on a boat and that I used to scream so loud he had to take me out of Lake Michigan so nobody would hear. I mean, it just got bizarre and having my husband hear another man make up stories like that.

Halle Berry found a silver lining in the lawsuit

Although a lot of drama came from John Ronans $80,000 lawsuit, Halle Berry didnt let this situation get the best of her. Instead, the actor took it as a teachable moment.

Berry walked away from the lawsuit learning that she cant back down when people try to walk over her.

As bad as its been, I think a lot of good has come out of it for me, Berry said during the television special. Ive learned a lot about men. Ive learned how to stand up for myself. I couldve settled with him. God knows David and I had the money to pay this guy $80,000, but it was the principle. It cost me $150,000 to defend myself and to win than to give this guy eighty [thousand].

RELATED: Halle Berry Explains the Moment Adrien Brody Kissed Her at the Oscars: What the F Is Happening?
Destinys Child was one of the biggest names in music throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, and many fans still listen to the groups albums on repeat. The band lasted through multiple bandmate changes but ultimately split up officially in 2006. Read on to learn more about the groups background and why fans think there could be a regroup soon.

An overview of Destinys Child

Destinys Child at the Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show | Kevin Mazur/WireImage via Getty Images

The first iteration of Destinys Child was formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas, when Beyonce Knowles and LaTavia Roberson met at an audition when they were just nine years old. Mathew Knowles, Beyonces father, began developing an act with the two girls before adding Kelly Rowland, Beyonces cousin, to the group in 1992. LeToya Luckett joined the band in 1993, according to AllMusic, and the quartet began performing all around Houston before Columbia Records finally signed them in 1997.

Destinys Childs first song, Killing Time, was released that same year, and it was featured on the movie soundtrack of Men in Black, giving them a major boost in recognition. Their first album came out in 1998, Destinys Child, and Jermaine Dupri and Wyclef Jean produced it. In 2000, Luckett and Roberson left the group and were replaced by Farrah Franklin before Franklin quit five months later.

After the introduction of Michelle Williams later that year, Destinys Child released the Survivor in 2001, which remains one of their most recognizable albums. This particular album contains hits, such as Survivor and Bootylicious. The group continued, releasing two more studio albums, 8 Days of Christmas in 2001 and Destiny Fulfilled in 2004. According to V Magazine, several notable artists have recognized Destinys Child as R&B icons. Additionally, many have credited their own music style to the group, including Fifth Harmony, Meghan Trainor, Haim, and Ariana Grande.

Fans speculate that they could regroup

Throughout their tenure, the stars of Destinys Child enjoyed a devoted fan base that took many of their hits to number one on the charts and allowed them to go on multiple world tours. Many fans continue to pay close attention to the social media accounts of the former groupmates, and some recent activity has made some people believe a regroup could happen shortly.

According to the New York Post, the official Destinys Child Twitter and Facebook profiles received sleek new cover photos, prompting many to wonder if this new image was a sign or hint that big things were coming.

When Beyonce recently announced she was working on new music, fans also noted that she didnt specify whether it was solo or a group. This led some to conclude that this new project could involve Rowland and/or Williams. The trio had remained close friends over the years, proven in part by the fact that Beyonce and Williams were both spotted in Rowlands delivery room when she gave birth earlier this year. However, does this mean they plan to work together soon?

Are there any official hints at a Destinys Child reunion?

Unfortunately for hopeful fans, there has been no official word confirming a regroup. In fact, the one official word we have received from the bands manager denied a reunion. Mathew Knowles is still the manager for the group, and he told TMZ that the updated cover photo didnt signify anything special. However, TMZ also reported that Knowles has heard a major demand for the group to come back and that its something they will think about for the future.

Although its too soon to say for sure that the group will make new music in the future, all hope does not appear to be lost.

RELATED: Beyonce and Jay-Z May Be American Royalty, But They Built Their Own Empire
Outer Banks star Chase Stokes wants his fans to know how much their support means to him. The actor took to Twitter to thank his followers for showing so much love to him and the Netflix show. Additionally, he touched on mental health and reminded everyone that its important to take care of themselves. Heres what Stokes wrote, plus more on his own mental health journey.

Outer Banks star Chase Stokes at the 78 Venice International Film Festival 2021 | Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images

Chase Stokes took a social media break after Outer Banks Season 2s release

The highly-anticipated season 2 of Outer Banks launched on Netflix on July 30. Nearly one month after the release, on Aug. 21, Stokes decided to take a social media break, revealing on his Instagram Stories that he wanted to detox. As Showbiz Cheat Sheet previously reported, Stokes wrote, Gotta take care of my brain. Mental health is a lifelong journey.

Before he left, Stokes made sure to thank fans for watching Outer Banks Season 2 and making the show so successful. Neilson streaming data recently revealed the Netflix original had been viewed for 2.1 billion minutes in the week of Aug. 2, as The Hollywood Reporter noted.

Its been a hell of a year, Stokes wrote. We are all super thankful for taking our little show into your hearts and homes again.

Chase Stokes thanked fans and encouraged them to take care of themselves

Stokes has occasionally returned to his social media accounts to share a few photos and reposts and interact with fans. He appeared on Twitter on Sept. 5, where he left a simple yet important message for his followers: Its okay not to be okay.

However, the encouragement didnt stop there. In another tweet, Stokes told his fans to take care of themselves and their families, practice patience, and be present.

Do what you need to do to be honest with yourself and to feel okay, he added.

Stokes was also sure to thank Outer Banks fans once more for making my dreams come true.

Thanks for making our show apart of your lives, the actor wrote. Its very hard to be vulnerable. But Im ok with it. Because you guys make it easy.

Finally, Stokes shared that fans have helped him through difficult times, just as many said Stokes did. He concluded:

You all- have saved me just as much as I see the tweets of me/cast saving you. You guys are the heart of my hearts. Keep beatingfighting. Keep moving forward with love. Please? We can change the world with love. So lean into that. Love. Love hard. Please.

The Outer Banks star has previously opened up about loss and seeking help

This is crazy you guys are FULLY responsible for this. The largest donation in @BC2M history, during mental health awareness month. Lets keep the dialogue going. #nonormal #aepartner thanks @AEO for helping us make this happen  pic.twitter.com/KEa0YJwx2a  Chase Stokes (@hichasestokes) June 16, 2021

Stokes has long been an advocate for mental health. In the past, hes opened up about his own experiences in the hopes of inspiring others to seek help, as he did.

During an appearance in May on Peoples virtual panel on mental health, in partnership with Bring Change to Mind, Stokes revealed that his grandmother died just before he landed his Outer Banks leading role as John B. Routledge. The positive and negative counter-experiences impacted his ability to cope.

I feel like, with every high Ive hit [in his career], theres been a major low, he said. It was this weird counter-experience, where I didnt know how to process her death, nor did I have a space to process it due to a fear of failure with work.

Stokes continued to explain that he didnt know how to ask for help at first but eventually went to therapy.

It was the best thing I couldve done for myself. Its an ongoing battle, which is the most important thing for me to remember, he said. Dont be afraid to be vulnerable because its okay not to be okay sometimes.

How to get help: In the U.S. and Canada, text the Crisis Text Line at 741741 to reach a crisis counselor for support.

RELATED: Outer Banks: Chase Stokes Says This Was the Hardest Day on the Set of Season 2
Michael K. Williams is known for his work as the witty Omar on HBOs The Wire. Unfortunately, the actor from The Wire died on Sept. 6, 2021  but his legacy for his portrayal of Omar Little lives on. Prior to his death, Williams mentioned he had a tough time separating himself from the character of Omar once filming for the show wrapped. Heres what he said about how he wore the dark energy of his character once the show ended.

Is Omar from The Wire based on a real person? Actor Michael K. Williams took inspiration from real life

The Wire is well-known as being one of the best American crime dramas to ever hit TV  and actors like Michael K. Williams brought the story to life with their fantastic characters. So, is Omar from The Wire based on a real person, or did Williams come up with the character himself? According to The New York Times, Omar is based on a drug dealer by the name of Donnie Andrews.

The publication notes Andrews took part in drug dealing and robberies in the 70s and 80s  and he was located in West Baltimore. Andrews even spoke to The New York Times in 2007 about the time he committed murder to help support his drug habit.

My gun jammed, he explained. So, the guy was lying on the ground, and it gave him a chance to look me in the eye, and he said, Why?

Later on, Andrews turned himself in and received a life prison sentence in 1987. Detective Edward Burns was the man he turned himself into, and the two later wrote a book. Andrews then died in 2012.

Michael K. Williams had trouble shaking off the character of Omar Little after filming

Michael K. Williams, the actor playing Omar on The Wire | Stephen J. Boitano/LightRocket via Getty Images

Michael K. Williams brought Omar in The Wire to life on the small screen. According to Celebrity Net Worth, USA Today named Williams portrayal of the character as one of the top 10 reasons to still love watching TV. The actor was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series thanks to Omar. But playing the character came with a number of challenges.

Williams spoke with NPR in 2019 about playing Omar. When he first got the part, he noted he wanted others to notice him  and he didnt put in any work to self-improve. Then, you know, when I was given this character as Omar, I couldve used it as a nurturing tool for myself, Williams stated. It couldve been cathartic for me. I decided to wear it as a Spider-Man suit, you know, and just fly around and go, whee, look at me.  You know, and instead of actually doing the work and finding out how I could use this character to make myself feel better about me.

When Williams time as Omar in The Wire ended, he noted he didnt have any personal tools to let the character go, either. I wasnt going around robbing people or anything stupid like that, but I definitely wore that dark energy that Omar was, he added. He was a dark soul, tortured soul. And I just woke all of that up and lived in that .

Who killed Omar on The Wire?

I don't know if any actor ever played a role better than Michael K. Williams as Omar on The Wire. pic.twitter.com/nDoMbm2iXZ  Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) September 6, 2021

Fans likely recall how Omar died in The Wire. In season 5, rival Marlo Stanfield tortures and kills Butchie, Omars advisor, after searching for Omar, who moved to Puerto Rico. Omar returns to Baltimore to find and punish Marlo for the killing, but hes ambushed during his search, causing him to jump out of a window and break his leg.

Eventually, Omar continues his search through the city and limps into a convenience store. A little boy by the name of Kenard walks inside with Omar. In the past, Kenard would pretend to be Omar with his friends  but he then ends up being the one to take Omars life after seeing the chaos Omar caused. Kenard shoots Omar in the side of the head, much to his own shock.

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RELATED: The Wire: Michael B. Jordan Had To Have His Mom Removed From Set While Filming Wallaces Death Scene  You Could Just Hear Her Sobbing
Beware the counterfeit Christ

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Suppose I pulled the label off a can of your favorite soda and affixed it to a can of the deadliest poison imaginable. You then took it from me and quickly downed it. Would your false belief of it being soda save you?

The obvious answer is no, with the reason being one of the three laws of logic, the principle of identity. The law of identity simply says that a thing is what it is and, in part, it serves as a protective reminder that bad consequences almost always exist for accepting a fake.

In His Olivet discourse, Jesus warned three times that many false messiahs and prophets would appear and lead lots of people into error and destruction. Paul also mentioned fake christs that present themselves as another Jesus (2 Cor. 11:4).

Some are easy to spot while others are cloaked much more subtly, and bring to mind what A. W. Tozer said about spiritual deception: So skilled is error at imitating truth that the two are constantly being mistaken for each other. It takes a sharp eye these days to know which brother is Cain and which Abel.

Lets take a quick look at some of these counterfeit christs so you can better understand the truth behind Tozers warning.

The counterfeit christ of false religions

At first blush, the Jesus of Islam resembles the Jesus in the New Testament. The Koran says Jesus was born of a virgin (Sura 3:47), proclaimed to be the Messiah (Sura 3:45), performed miracles (Sura 3:49), was confirmed to be righteous (Sura 6:85), sinless (Sura 3:46), had disciples (Sura 3:52-53), was sent with a gospel (Sura 5:46), his words should be believed (Sura 4:171), was taken to Heaven by God (Sura 4:156-159), and will come again (Sura 3:55).

But look closer and you will find the Islamic Jesus was created out of dust (Sura 3:59), is not the Son of God or God (Sura 4:171), was not crucified and did not die (Sura 4:157), was not resurrected (because he did not die), was not a Jew nor were his disciples (Sura 5:48, 53, 5:111), prophesied the coming of Muhammad (Sura 61:6), should not be worshipped (Sura 5:116), and will return, die and be judged (Sunan Abu Dawud Book 37, Number 4310).

You will see similar things in Hinduism (Jesus was a great man who attained God-realization), Buddhism (Jesus was a bodhisattva, one who has achieved enlightenment), and other religions. None reflect the true Jesus of the Bible.

The counterfeit christ of Christian cults

They will call Jesus savior and lord, display crosses, quote his words, but look closely and you will find a Jesus that isnt the real thing.

To the Jehovahs Witnesses (who follow in the footsteps of the heretic, Arius), Jesus is a created little god in their rewritten Bible but not God. To Mormons, Jesus is Jehovah, but different from their god Elohim, and not part of any Trinity: [Joseph Smith] knew that the long-heralded trinity of three Gods in one was a myth, a deception. He knew that the Father and the Son were two distinct beings with form, voices, and . . . personalities.

Continue down the path of other cults and you will find much of the same.

The counterfeit christ of the occult

Various occult teachings trot out a version of Jesus, but the typical pattern is one of separating Jesus from the Christ as is done in the Aquarian Gospel: When we say "Jesus the Christ" we refer to the man and to his office; just as we do when we say Edward, the King, or Lincoln, the President. Edward was not always King, and Lincoln was not always President, and Jesus was not always Christ. Jesus won his Christ-ship by a strenuous life.

The counterfeit christ of mythology

Although the idea that Jesus of Nazareth never lived is not entertained or defended by any recognized modern historical scholar  secular or Christian  the notion that Jesus is just a myth is still passed around on various internet atheist websites. For example, the internet movie Zeitgeist (which has been debunked numerous times), says: The reality is Jesus was the solar deity of the Gnostic Christian sect. And like all other pagan gods he was a mythical figure. It was the political establishment that saw to historize the Jesus figure for social control.

Fortunately, the Jesus-is-a-myth crowd has all but evaporated today. Like Dr. Bruce Metzger said decades ago, Today no competent scholar denies the historicity of Jesus.[1]

The counterfeit christ of humanism

Voltaire wrote, If God has made us in his image, we have returned him the favor. This is in essence what secular humanism does: it makes humankind the measure of all things where we become a savior and god to ourselves.

Following in the path of past Caesars, who either deified themselves or were christened saviors by their subjects, secular humanism holds Jesus funeral and then takes His place. Or, it simply makes Him one of us  a flawed human who likely sinned, which was a finding in a survey recently done by Probe ministries.

The ultimate counterfeit

Scripture is clear that in the end times, the ultimate counterfeit christ will appear and do everything in his power to fulfill Satans aspiration of making himself like the Most High (Is. 14:14). Paul warns, Let no one in any way deceive you, for it [the time of the end] will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God (2 Thess. 2:3-4).

Why the real Jesus matters

The real Jesus said: My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers. (John 10:27, 5).

The counterfeit christs identified above are strangers that a born again believer will not follow and for good reason. The motivation behind Jesus and the New Testament writers concern over false prophets and counterfeit christs is simple but terrifying: a fake Jesus leads to a fake salvation, which leads, sadly, to a very real Hell.

[1] Bruce Metzger, The New Testament: Its Background, Growth, and Content (New York: Abingdon, 2003), pg. 95.
China orders Christians to hold prayer meetings commemorating victory against Japan

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Though Chinese Christians are banned from honoring their own martyrs, they are now required to hold prayer meetings commemorating the 76th anniversary of the "Victory of the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War" to demonstrate the good image of peace-loving Christianity in China.

According to religious liberty magazine Bitter Winter, the Chinese Communist Party recently sent a directive to all churches that are part of the government-controlled Protestant Three-Self Church.

In part, the directive orders churches to organize peace prayer worship activities to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War around Sept. 3, according to the actual situation.

It adds: Local churches and congregations may, according to the actual local situation, carry out relevant peace prayer activities in a small and decentralized form, in line with the local requirements for prevention and control of the new COVID epidemic, to further promote the fine tradition of patriotism and love of religion and to demonstrate the good image of peace-loving Christianity in China.

Churches are further "required to submit evidence of the relevant activities (text, video and photo materials) to the Media Ministry Department of the China Christian Council by September 10 or face consequences, according to Bitter Winter.

In August, members of the Theological Seminary in Fujian were also invited to attend a celebration to pay tribute to martyrs of what China dubs Peoples War of Resistance Against the Japanese Aggression.

Prayers were held seeking the intercession of Jesus, the King of Peace for the peaceful reunification of China, Bitter Winter reported.

Though the CCP requires churches to pray for deceased communist soldiers, Bitter Winter notes that Christians in China are forbidden to pray for their martyrs, and those killed by the CCP cannot be commemorated.

Religious persecution is worsening across China, as President Xi Jinpings "sinicization campaign," introduced in 2015, seeks to bring religions under the officially atheist partys absolute control and into line with Chinese culture.

In May, the CCP ordered churches affiliated with the government to plan celebrations to mark 100 years of its existence.

In addition to asking religious persons to learn the history of the party, go on a pilgrimage to visit revolutionary sites, or hold exhibitions at religious venues, churches were required to host events featuring centennial celebrations.

The Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association in Jiangbei district of Chongqing city subsequently held a Grateful and Praise for the CCP Blessing Mass at one of its worship gatherings.

The Church should organically unify Love Party, Love Country, and Love Socialism and faith; boldly speak about politics, while speaking about faith in accordance with law, Ding Yang, the priest who officiated the mass, was quoted as saying.

Open Doors USA, which monitors persecution in over 60 countries, estimates that there are about 97 million Christians in China, a large percentage of whom worship in what China considers to be illegal and unregistered underground home churches.

However, house church leaders are under intense pressure to join the government-controlled church. Those who refuse face intense persecution, as the government has installed more than 170 million facial recognition cameras, many in or near churches, to identify those who attend worship services.

Christians are often charged with participating in cults or with other crimes against the CCP, such as bad business practices or intent to undermine the state. The government has also imposed a ban on the online sale of Bibles.

Authorities also pressure Christian parents by refusing their children an education, threatening to send their children to government re-education camps or forcibly remove adopted children from their parents.

The U.S. State Department has labeled China as a country of particular concern for continuing to engage in particularly severe violations of religious freedom.
Virginia teacher fired over refusal to use trans pronouns appeals case to state Supreme Court

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A Christian teacher in Virginia, who was fired for refusing to refer to a trans-identified student by using male pronouns even though the student is female, has appealed his case to the state Supreme Court.

Peter Vlaming, who taught French at West Point High School for seven years before being fired, appealed his case to the Virginia Supreme Court after the Circuit Court for the County of King William dismissed the case, conservative legal firm Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing the Christian teacher, said in a statement.

Vlaming was placed on administrative leave in 2018 after he said he couldnt in good conscience comply with the superintendents order to refer to a female student as a male.

However, the teacher consistently used the students preferred name instead of the students given name, and although he attempted to avoid the use of any pronouns in an effort to accommodate the student, he was nonetheless directed to cease avoiding the use of male pronouns to refer to the student, even when the student wasnt present, ADF said.

Peter has every right to fight this unlawful decision by the school board, and we will be defending him every step of the way, ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer, director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, said.

Peter went above and beyond to treat this student with respect, including using the students preferred masculine name and avoiding pronoun usage in the students presence. This was never about anything Peter said  or didnt say  it is about a school demanding total conformity in utter disregard of Peters efforts and his freedoms under Virginia law, Langhofer added.

The legal firm said their client is suing the school board for violating his rights under the Virginia Constitution and commonwealth law.

In December 2018, Superintendent Laura Abel said in a statement that Vlaming was engaging in discrimination by not using the pronouns. That discrimination then leads to creating a hostile learning environment. And the student had expressed that. The parent had expressed that, stated Abel, as reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch at the time.

I won't use male pronouns with a female student that now identifies as a male though I did agree to use the new masculine name but avoid female pronouns, Vlaming said in response to the suspension at the time. Administration is requiring that I use masculine pronouns in any and every context at school. I was informed that any further instances of using female pronouns would be grounds for termination.

In a previous interview with CBN News, the teacher said: Theres bound to be opposition to living for God. I was brought to a point where I had to make a decision that cost something. And when that happens it's an opportunity to grow in your faith. It's an opportunity to show the Lord, yes, I am for you. Yes, I trust you.

An online petition calling for him not to be fired was also started by his supporters and nearly 2,900 people signed it.

A GoFundMe campaign to support Vlaming and his family financially has raised $59,019.

In June, another teacher in Virginia, Byron Tanner Cross from Leesburg Elementary School, filed a lawsuit against the Loudon County School Board after its leadership put him on leave for rejecting policies that would implement transgender ideology in local schools.

On Aug. 31, the state Supreme Court rejected a request by the Loudoun County School Board to allow Cross' suspension and granted an appeal to review the merits of a lower court decision in favor of Cross and agreed to keep an injunction reinstating the teacher in place.
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At the risk of pummeling an already, very dead horse, allow me to ask you once again: so, how is your pro-life vote for Joe Biden looking right now?

As Ive said repeatedly in the past, I can understand if you could not cast your vote for Donald Trump, despite all the good that he did. In your view, the damage he did and the example he set more than outweighed the positives. And so, as a lover of Jesus and the Word of God, you could not vote for him.

But a vote for Biden, specifically, as a pro-life evangelical? What on earth were you thinking?

During the elections, I strongly challenged your rationale in casting a pro-life vote for a strongly, pro-abortion candidate. And I was incredulous when you expressed shock and disappointment when President Biden lived up to his promises and strongly reiterated his pro-abortion sentiments, asking this on February 1, 2021: Did you not see the radical, destructive, anti-Christian policy decisions he would make?

That would be like me, as a Trump voter, expressing shock and disappointment when Trump sent out nasty tweets as president. Why on earth should I have been shocked or disappointed? That was his expected behavior.

In the same way, Pres. Bidens staunch opposition to the pro-life movement should have surprised no one. It is exactly what he said he would do, and it is in harmony with the Democratic platform.

Now, he has taken things one step further, pledging to oppose Texas landmark, pro-life bill with all the might of the US government. As the President tweeted on Thursday, The Supreme Court's overnight ruling is an unprecedented assault on constitutional rights and requires an immediate response. We will launch a whole-of-government effort to respond, looking at what steps we can take to ensure that Texans have access to safe and legal abortions.

This is the man you voted for. This is the man you helped put in office. This is the man you backed as pro-life Christians. And now he is pledging to fight for abortions with a whole-of-government effort. How do you feel about that?

The time for surprise and shock is long since past (and was never, for a split second, justified in the least). Instead, it is time for serious reflection and introspection.

Could it be that your loathing of Trump so colored your thinking that it distorted your view of reality? That, by rejecting the over-exaltation of Trump (which I also opposed) that, in turn, you created a new Joe Biden, a man after your own views and convictions?

And speaking of Donald Trump, have you considered the fact that the Supreme Courts decision to let this landmark Texas bill stand, representing a watershed moment in the pro-life movement, is largely due to the efforts of Pres. Trump?

After all, all three of his appointees, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett sided with justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas in agreeing to let the bill stand. And while we still do not know how they will vote in the important, forthcoming Dobbs case, we do know how they voted here.

Had Hillary Clinton rather than Donald Trump been president from 2016-2020, the landscape would look radically different.

Thats why so many of us were willing to put up with Trumps many, obvious failings because of his larger policy accomplishments. It is not an overstatement to say that some of his policies will have a positive impact for a generation or more.

In October 2020, I wrote this to pro-life evangelicals for Biden, With all respect, I say this: Do not talk to me about biblical balance while urging evangelical followers of Jesus to vote for the party that justifies the slaughter of more than 60 million babies in their mothers womb and will fight tooth and nail to codify Roe v. Wade.

Any mention of biblical balance that doesnt start with concern for the shedding of innocent blood is so far out of balance it is no longer biblical.

I repeat those words here today. Your vote for Joe Biden was a vote against the unborn. Own it.
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Parents are taking their childrens education into their own hands in record numbers after a disastrously tumultuous school year.

The U.S. Census Bureaus experimental Household Pulse Survey, which is an online survey recording social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrates a dramatic shift towards homeschooling within the past year and a half. The survey included roughly 2223 million American households spanning from the spring of 2020 to the fall of 2021.

During Phase 1 (April 23 to May 5, 2020) of the survey, about 5.4 of households with school-aged children said they were homeschooling. By the fall (September 30 to October 12, 2020), 11.1% of households with school-aged children reported homeschooling. The number increased to a staggering 19.5 % by May of 2021. Fall 2021 statistics on homeschooling have not yet been published.

This embrace of home education is diverse. The survey respondents indicated that homeschooling in black households increased from 3.3% in the spring of 2020 to 16.1% in the fall of 2020.

The possible reasons for such a monumental and unprecedented switch to homeschooling are numerous, and include pandemic shutdowns, strict masking, and critical race theory.

The profound failure of school shutdowns during the pandemic was evidenced by the drop-off in student test scores in reading and math and soaring rates of students attempting suicide.

Unscientific mask mandates for school-aged children also received outcry from concerned parents. Even though many young students have reported headaches, dizziness, and brain fog from masking for 8-hour or more school days, some school boards and states still require them. From Broward County to Loudoun County, parents have protested nationwide against mask mandates.

The immense, national backlash to critical race theory in schools may have also catalyzed the turn towards homeschooling. Parents across the country have protested against CRT at school board meetings, claiming the instructional tool promotes racism and hatred. Some states, including Oklahoma, Idaho, and Florida have even banned CRT from schools.

Dr. Anika Prather, a professor of Classics at Howard University and founder of the Living Water School, is an advocate for diverse classical education and a supporter of school choice. Prather told The American Spectator that personalization is a benefit of homeschooling, as parents maintain direct agency over their childrens education.

Dr. Prather elaborated: In the family that chooses to give their children more freedom in how theyre educated, that parent is now free to protect and advocate for their childs freedom to learn. If the family is Christian, the parent has the freedom to disciple that child in the faith. If that family is Afrocentric, that family has the freedom to make all of their lessons geared to the child learning their African heritage.

Originally published at The Institute for Faith and Freedom.
Dangerous 'science' behind gender transitioning

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From the beginning, proponents of the sexual revolution have wrapped themselves in the mantle of science, especially social science. For example, in the 1950s, the Kinsey Reports helped normalize a range of sexual behaviors. They were also the source of the still-often-quoted statistic that 10 percent of people are same-sex oriented. Both that figure and the methodology behind Kinseys research has long ago been discredited. Still, that 10 percent number has stuck in many peoples heads.

A new wave of studies in recent years paints a rosy picture about the benefits of medical transitions for people with gender dysphoria. So much so that, as Paul Dirks recently wrote at Public Discourse, lifelong experimental medicalization, sterilization, and complete removal of healthy body parts . . . is no longer a rarity. It is the recommended treatment for gender dysphoria.

But what if these studies are like the Kinsey Reports? What if they reflect the bias and agendas of the authors rather than reality? Given what is at stake, this is a vitally important question, especially since social science itself is in the midst of whats called a replication crisis. In other words, when other researchers try to replicate the findings of studies in the social sciences, they often cannot. This failure of replication even includes studies that are regarded as canonical in some fields.

So how can we distinguish between solid research and what wont withstand further scrutiny when it comes to the so-called settled science of gender transitioning? Paul Dirks Public Discourse article, Transition as Treatment: The Best Studies Show the Worst Outcomes, sums up the results of his deep-dive into the research.

Dirks defines best studies as those that have followed people who underwent medical transition for the longest period of time. It is well recognized in the literature, Dirks states, that the year after medical [gender] transition is a honeymoon period, which does not represent a realistic picture of long-term sexual and psychological status.

Yet, most of the popular gender transition studies are limited to just a few years following medical transitioning. Other studies that support medical transitions fail to follow up with as much as half of the original participants. Thats well beyond the threshold of reliability.

Many of the studies, Dirks states, are fraught with . . . design problems, such as small sample sizes, short study lengths, and enormously high drop-out rates, to name just three. The problem is so bad that one systematic review of the literature, rated only two out of twenty-nine studies as high-quality.

In contrast, the best-designed and most rigorous studies, whose results are most likely to stand up over time, found that medical transition was not the solution to the patients problems, especially in the case of male-to-female transitions. They reveal much higher mortality rates due to increased rates of suicide, AIDS, drug abuse, and even cardiovascular disease.

Another high-quality study found a 7-fold increase in suicide attempts and a 19-fold increase in completed suicides after transitions. Even when the findings are adjusted for pre-existing psychiatric problems, which are often treated as unrelated to gender dysphoria, there was still a three-fold increase in psychiatric hospital admissions.

In other words, when it comes to medical gender transition, the best studies show the worst outcomes, and the current use of shoddy social science to support medical transitioning is not only misleading, but dangerous.

In this case, as is common in the social sciences, especially throughout the history of the sexual revolution, ideology is overwhelming truth-finding. Too many researchers think they know what the data should tell us, so they, at times unconsciously and at times consciously, design their studies to make sure that it does.

Sadly, the consequences of their failure are far worse than professional embarrassment or tarnished reputations. In this case, the consequences can be permanent and even deadly.
Tim Keller shares cancer update, how supporters can pray amid 'treatment, isolation and covid'

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Tim Keller shared an update regarding his battle with pancreatic cancer and revealed how supporters can pray for him as he navigates treatment, isolation and covid.

Keller, the 70-year-old founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church and City to City, was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in May of 2020. On Sunday, he took to social media to give supporters a health update.

After surgery last May, I was granted a chemo holiday (missing one treatment) and was able to get out of town with my family for several weeks, he wrote. On August 23 I had a scan and the primary tumor had not progressed. However a mystery lump underneath the May surgical scar was removed and proved to be cancerous.

The Hope in Times of Fear author said his doctor has increased his chemotherapy back to the level it was before just to be safe. Though the increased treatment will have more side effects, it will hopefully have more therapeutic effects too.

Pancreatic cancer is able to learn how to evade medication, so it is only Gods power that we look to for complete healing, the pastor explained.

Please do pray that I will be able to fulfill my teaching and other obligations, and that the neuropathy and other side effects will be minimal while the medication will be effective against the cancer, and that we will run the race God has set before us with joy.

Keller also thanked supporters for their prayers, crediting the power of prayer for upholding both him and his wife, Kathy, as they "navigate treatment, isolation and covid.

The now-retired pastor is also a survivor of thyroid cancer, which he had in 2002.

In a previous interview with The Christian Post, Keller revealed he learned of his diagnosis while writing his latest book, which focuses on the transformative power of the resurrection.

Here I am, writing a book about the resurrection, and I realized I only half-believed I was going to die. I went back and realized that in some ways, I also only half-believed in the resurrection  not intellectually so much, but all the way down deep in my heart. I realized I needed to have a greater, a deeper faith in the resurrection, both intellectually and mentally, he continued.

Facing ones own mortality and spiritual reality, Keller told CP, drastically alters the way one looks at their time on Earth and magnifies the transformative power of the resurrection.

The things of Earth become less crucial. They're not so important to you; you realize you dont need them to be happy. Once I believe that I start to enjoy them more. I don't try to turn them into God; I don't try to turn them into Heaven, which is the only thing that can really satisfy my heart, he explained.

You find that you have to really have a real spiritual experience of God's reality so that the things of this Earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace, Keller said, quoting the century-old hymn.

The pastor told CP that regardless of what happens, hes ready for anything.

What the future holds, I dont know. Pray that I would have years and not months left, and that the chemotherapy would continue to be effective. But we are ready for whatever God decides for me. Were spiritually ready.

I do know, he added, that the resurrection of Jesus Christ really happened. And when I die, I will know that resurrection too.
UK gender clinic whistleblower awarded over $27K in damages for mistreatment

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A whistleblower at the National Health Service was awarded over $27,600 (20,000) in damages after an employment tribunal found that she was mistreated after raising concerns about the safety of prescribing experimental drugs to children suffering from gender dysphoria at a London-based gender clinic.

A central London employment tribunal ruled Friday that Sonia Appleby, a social worker and psychotherapist, was "seen as hostile" and had been put through "quasi-disciplinary" proceedings after she addressed her concerns to management at the Tavistock and Portman Trust, the UK Times reported. Appleby served as the child safeguarding lead at the clinic.

The tribunal held that Appleby, who began working at the Tavistock facility in 2004, had endured "significant" injury to her feelings and that the trust had mishandled the matter in a way that damaged her professional reputation and had "prevented her from proper work on safeguarding."

Appleby's case was heard earlier this summer following a judicial review ruling against the clinic amid years of growing scrutiny of Tavistock, the U.K.'s sole gender clinic.

The safeguarding lead who won her case at the employment tribunal was reportedly approached by several clinic staffers in recent years who had raised their own concerns about a particular doctor who had been prescribing puberty blockers to children who were being seen at the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) or were on the waiting list for assessment.

Appleby "went on to make six protected disclosures between 2017 and 2019, the tribunal heard, including about 'challenges' at GIDS with what she described as 'rogue medics and the political expectations of the national service,' as well as splits within the team," the U.K. Times reported.

Appleby further detailed that employees were so overworked they neglected to employ safeguarding measures.

In its ruling, the employment tribunal said Appleby was seen as hostile to a service already under external pressure from politicized groups, and the internal pressure of sometimes acrimonious splits between clinicians."

The injustice was obvious and the claimants upset entirely understandable, the tribunal panelists continued.

She was nearing the end of a long and blameless career, and as far as we can see had always tried to act responsibly over the safeguarding concerns of GIDS staff.

The U.K. High Court of Justice held late last year, in a case against the clinic brought forward in part by a young woman named Keira Bell, that children younger than 16 are incapable of giving informed consent to experimental practices and procedures, including puberty-suppressing drugs. The court also criticized the clinic in its ruling for their shoddy recordkeeping practices, something that Appleby had attempted to address.

In March, the court made a subsequent ruling, in what some saw as a partial reversal of its initial decision, holding that parents could give consent for puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones on behalf of their minor children.

The initial ruling, however, has had ripple effects across northern Europe. Sweden's Karolinska Hospital announced earlier this year that as of April 1, puberty blockers would no longer be prescribed to youth younger than 16, citing the U.K. ruling in its statement on the matter. Sweden's neighbor Finland moved similarly earlier this summer.

The Tavistock clinic has maintained  as it did in an appeal of the Bell ruling in July  that its staff should be allowed to prescribe experimental drugs in order to offer "options" to children suffering from gender dysphoria.

In a January interview with Triggernometry podcast hosts Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster, another whistleblower, Dr. Marcus Evans, said Tavistock had become politicized and had moved away from a clinically grounded approach to treating patients. His wife, Sue, also a mental health professional who worked at the clinic, was also frustrated with the environment at the facility.

"As a mental health practitioner who is proud to be in the business, I'm really quite ashamed ... this is political belief and ideology over rational, scientific argument," Evans said at the time, speaking of the prevailing ideology influencing the clinic's protocol.

He added, noting his wife's frustrations: "What she felt was that there should be a thorough psychological investigation, as was the Tavistock's tradition, into five family dynamics, individual psychology. And she felt there was too much of a willingness to sort of go along with the kid in terms of the kid's idea [to transition]," he said.

Many youths being treated with gender issues were often suffering from a number of mental health conditions, he noted.
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.
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.
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.
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Truth matters.

Today, Merriam-Webster defines truth as the body of real things, events and facts.

Each of us has a desire to know the truth, but distinguishing fact from fiction can often feel overwhelming. According to Pew Research Center, 64% of adults in the U.S. struggle to discern truth from falsity when listening to elected officials, 48% struggle to discern truth on social media and 41% struggle to discern truth while watching or listening to cable news.

Perhaps we are looking to the wrong sources for truth.

While we have a shared desire for truth, we live in an age in which fewer and fewer people recognize the existence of absolute truth  let alone a truth knowable through God.

In fact, Barna Group describes the post-truth world as one in which reality is relative and even the facts are open to interpretation and found that only 35% of Americans believe in absolute truth, 44% believe truth to be relative and 21% have never considered it.

Our desire to know the truth cannot be fulfilled if we refuse to accept a truth outside of ourselves. Those of us who follow Christ must recognize the everlasting truth of God. Acknowledging this truth does not dismiss or diminish our varied life experiences.

Yet, respect for and knowledge of Gods truth seem to be fading, even in the church  which is why it is essential we return to Scripture as our source of truth and allow it to convict, correct and challenge us.

We see four major foundations of truth revealed in Scripture: God the Father (Deuteronomy 32:4), God the Son (John 14:6), God the Holy Spirit (John 16:12-14) and Scripture itself (Psalm 119:160). Truth is not something we create but rather something we discover.

It is common for people to question how a knowable truth can transcend time and place. After all, doesnt every society and every individual have their own values and their own life experiences?

However, the modern worlds framework of ideas and comprehensive system of beliefs is based on a notion far removed from the biblical standard. Truth is purely subjective. There is not one absolute truth, but rather an infinite number of truths, many of which are contradictory to one another, all existing at the same time.

No one can hold to this type of relativism without being logically inconsistent.

The Bible is full of truth claims, many of which are absolute. A famous one from Jesus is I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6). If Jesus claims are true, then theyre life-changing. If they are not true, then we may as well live however we want. Because if the God of the Bible is not true or trustworthy, then nothing in the universe is.

Truth with a capital T makes truth with a lowercase t possible.

People frequently ask me, What does Calvary Church teach? That is irrelevant. The issue is what Scripture says: Who and what it declares God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the church and heaven and hell to be. I cant speak for all of Calvary Church. I can only speak for what I see  by Gods grace  Scripture declares.

When we believe and teach that what we feel is more important than what we know, we contribute to the creation of a generation that is long on zeal and short on facts, enthusiastic but hazy when it comes to truth.

Scripture is the beginning, middle and end of our understanding of God and his ways and of truth itself, which is why we must read it, learn it, share it and, when necessary, defend it.
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I remember asking Jake, one of my former high school students, to articulate his faith for me. It essentially broke down to being in church his whole life, walked the aisle as a kid, and got baptized. What Jake told me led me to believe he really didnt sincerely surrender to Jesus; he simply didnt want to go to hell. His dad was a deacon, and he was a good kid. Jake was in the system, but had he trusted Jesus as his Lord and Savior?

Systems or the Savior?

I believe denominations are helpful but not crucial to the body of Christ. Im an ordained pastor in a large evangelical protestant denomination, and its easy to get used to the way things are done and slowly start to only function in that system. Moreover, pride can undoubtedly creep in, and you begin to think your systems way of doing things is the best or only way to do ministry. Complacency is a scary place to find yourself. I continue to be a part of my denomination because of the undeniable stance on the authority of Scripture and its high view of missions. But I also have seen amid all the systems people treating Christianity as a checklist and the belief they are set for eternity. In the good moments and the struggles, I have often considered this fact: are we connecting students to a system or the Savior? What are we really producing?

Questions and Answers

Again, I believe systems are not inherently wrong in and of themselves. Yet, after talking with Jake, and many since then, the theme that keeps coming back is this: what we believe is the core and thats just the way things are going to be. Hear me clearly, the core convictions and teachings of the Bible are not up for debate. The virgin birth (Matthew 1), Jesus sinless life (2 Cor. 5:21), substitutionary atonement (Rm. 5:8), the bodily resurrection (Luke 24:5), His imminent return (Mt. 24:36), and the sufficiency of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16) are non-negotiable.

But I wonder if someone ever made it safe for Jake to ask questions and work out his salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Teenagers today are asking challenging questions, and that is okay. They are being raised in a different world than you and I did. We must embrace their questions and help them see Jesus. Contemporary apologist and youth worker Sean McDowell once said, My doubts drive me to find answers and also to rest in Gods grace. As a church, we must make space for people to doubt. In fact, we should invite it.

Recently, ministry leaders of mine spoke to about 100 students in a conference setting. Afterward, about a dozen of those students wanted to dialogue with them. So, they pulled up a couple of chairs and, for two hours, let these high school students ask any questions. What did these ministry leaders do? They made it safe for these students to ask questions.

Equipping Parents

I also think about Jakes parents. They were great people who truly wanted what was best for their kids. However, after spending time with his parents, I wonder if they had ever truly equipped their kids in the faith. I cant tell you how many times Ive been told, that is why we pay you. Many churched parents are also a product of the system they were raised within. Go to church, dont get in trouble, and say, Yes maam and no maam. Again, not bad things to teach to our kids, but that is not New Testament Christianity. We dont worship a systemwe embrace the Savior.

Students crave and love authentic relationships. This is the main reason that group of high school students was so grateful for my ministry friends. They showed willingness, and they truly cared about them. My challenge to parents is the same. Be intentional with your kids and your own faith journey. Walk with Jesus and allow them to see you pursue Jesus.

How We Can Help

At the end of the day, we must seek to model what a genuine walk with Jesus looks like. One time, a middle school student shared with me his struggle with connecting real life to the Bible. Pastor Daniel, the disciples didnt wear pants, and they never played Minecraft, were his exact words. You got to love the awkwardness of middle school students. But what he was communicating was a desire to know what it truly means to follow Jesus in his context. Students desperately need people in their lives that will invest in them and model for them what pursuing Jesus is all about. This is what students like Jake need in their life more than anything. Systems are helpful, but they should never replace the Savior.

Originally Published at Church Answers.
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One of my friends sent me a text earlier this week saying:

Its interesting: in all my 29 years of living in this country, Ive never once felt that I was a minority  until now.

I feel the same way.

My friend and I are what the Canadian government officially labels as visible minorities. But weve never accepted that term. We are not minorities. Weve never felt outnumbered in this country. Weve never felt like outsiders in our home.



Until now.

Weve never felt like minorities  until now. We had the same rights as everybody else  until now. Weve never felt like minorities in a two-tier system  until now. Weve never felt like second-class citizens  until now. We were not marginalized or segregated  until now.

I wasnt a minority  until today.

Yesterday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that vaccine passports will be enforced in our province starting Sept. 22.

Because of Doug Fords provincial vaccine passport and Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus federal vaccine mandate, I will no longer be allowed in restaurants, movie theatres, concerts, gyms, some trains, and planes.

Justin Trudeau recently said:

[unvaccinated people] are putting at risk their own kids, and theyre putting at risk our kids as well. Thats why weve been unequivocal: if you want to get on a train or a plane in the coming months, youre going to have to be fully vaccinated so families with their kids dont have to worry that someone is going to put them in danger in the seat next to them or across the aislethose people are putting us all at risk.

In other words: I am the virus.

Apparently, parents and children should be afraid of me. They should be afraid of sitting next to me in a restaurant, movie theatre, train, or a plane.

I am the one putting people at risk. I am the threat. I am the virus  not COVID.

Thats why the government is implementing unscientific and immoral methods through vaccine passports. At least 15 studies show that unvaccinated people with natural immunity from prior infection with COVID have significantly longer-lasting and more protection from COVID than vaccinated people.



In fact, one Harvard Medical School professor says:

In Israel, vaccinated individuals had 27 times higher risk of symptomatic COVID infection compared to those with natural immunity from prior COVID disease.



So vaccine passports are not only unscientific and immoral  theyre also unhelpful against stopping COVID-19.

Vaccine passports will not stop COVID-19, theyll just stop me. Theyll just stop me from enjoying the same rights and privileges as everybody else.

Viola Desmonds image is on the 10 dollar bill in Canada because our nation supposedly hates our history with segregation. We supposedly hate that Viola Desmond was forcibly removed from her seat at a movie theatre. And yet soon, because of the vaccine passport  I will be segregated, I will not be allowed to buy a movie ticket with my Viola Desmond money.

COVID-19 shouldnt make us forget what this nation is supposed to stand for. COVID-19 shouldnt make us forget our history. COVID shouldnt make us forget our fundamental freedoms. If our freedoms arent fundamental in difficult times, then they arent fundamental at all.

If I shouldnt be segregated for whats on the outside of my skin, why should I be segregated for what isnt on the inside of my skin?



Since the vaccine passport segregates and erases me from parts of our society, though Ive never been a visible minority, today  I am an invisible minority.

Originally published at Slow to Write.
In January of 1990, unsuspecting workers at the South Zarzamora Levi Strauss plant returned to work after a cozy Christmas at home to find that their workplace was shutting down.

The layoff was abrupt.

Southside Levi's workers were called to the center of the plant to hear the news. Levi's announced it was going to begin outsourcing labor, with a new plant taking root in Costa Rica. The company only gave the 300 San Antonio employees, mostly Mexican and Mexican American women, a single day's notice, with no severance packages provided.

They were left high and dry, without a pay check and with uncompensated workplace injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome, that had developed from years of precise garment work.

Many of the employees were outraged. Viola Casares and Petra Mata, decided to form Fuerza Unida, a strong front of women and deserted workers banding together to demand more.

"They didn't let us know ahead of time to prepare us mentally, physically or economically," says Petra Mata, co-founder of Fuerza Unida.

The movement caught fire amongst former Levi employees, and was supported by pre-existing organizations, like the Southwest Workers Union and the Esperanza Center for Peace and Justice, but some employees, who were able to transfer to the other plant located in town at the time, were questioning of the bold efforts.

FuerzaUnida, whose members each individually had given years and in some instances, decades to the company, stood their ground. Often times, these were women who habitually worked long hours, sacrificing their mental and physical well being, only to come home to the expectations of being a wife and a mother.

"We feel the there was injustice done to us," says Mata.

Courtesy of Fuerza Unida

For the next several years, near weekly protests and demonstrations ensued, calling for the better treatment of remaining Levi's workers and payment to those who were suddenly let go. This included a massive hunger strike, where Casares went 21 days without food, drawing awareness to workers rights and the rampant inequality across the country.

In 1993, Fuerza Unida filed a class action lawsuit against Levis', arguing that the closure of the plant discriminated against those who filed worker's compensation claims. According to Mata, the organization only had a pro bono lawyer, while Levi's a massive company, had money, and top lawyers on the case.

The case's appeal was dismissed and ridiculed. United States District Judge H.F Garcia, charged Fuerza Unida's attorney $5,000 for "filing a frivolous claim."

This attempted humiliation didn't stop Casares and Mata however, who throughout the 90s and 2000s, continued to advocate for workers rights and show solidarity with workers at other Levi's facilities across Texas and communities across the country and throughout Mexico. This included a mass picket line at the Levi Strauss Headquarters in San Francisco in the mid 90s.

While they were unable to win their lawsuit, their efforts did ultimately force the company to consider Fuerza Unida's concerns when mapping severance packages for the laid off employees that came after them.

Courtesy of Fuerza Unida

After the Zarzamora plant closed in 1990, Levi's plants across the country began shuttering, as the company followed a nationwide trend of outsourcing cheaper labor across state lines. Toward the end of 2003, the last U.S Levi's plant closed in San Antonio, Texas, marking the end of 150 years of American denim.

"When we worked for them, we didn't know that we had our rights. I think that they make you feel like a piece of the machine, a piece of garment, and they didn't see that we are human beings. Labor rights, mano de obra, they were abusing us. The more that we did, the more they wanted us to do," shares Mata.

"You don't realize the more you work, the more that you're sitting down, the more you stitch, you lose your eyes, you lose your ears, because the machines hurt you in the long term," she continues.

Today, Fuerza Unida still stands strong, leaving a powerful legacy of labor activism across San Antonio's Southside and for workers across the country. Now, much of their time is devoted to sharing their story, providing support to those facing oppression, running a community food pantry for their members, operating a small sewing department, and running a summer program for children.

Mata tells me about how building Fuerza Unida helped her to clearly see injustices all around, from social inequity in the community to systemic problems all around the world. She feels grateful for the support of her family and for the Fuerza Unida community.

"I feel so proud that I'm still here, 31 years later. We continue to make changes, and we're here for our community, we're here for all people," says Mata.

"We're gonna continue until there's nothing left to do, but, pero, I don't think so, because there's a lot of work to be done."
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.
NEW CASTLE, Del. (AP)  President Joe Biden marked the Labor Day holiday on Monday by delivering deli sandwiches to union members, the people he says built the middle class.

A casually dressed Biden stepped from his dark SUV holding boxes of sandwiches from Capriotti's, a restaurant chain founded in Wilmington, in his home state of Delaware, in 1976.

Wearing Ray-Ban sun shades, Biden put the boxes on a table alongside other food at an event held by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 313 in New Castle, Delaware.

He shook hands and chatted with the group of mostly men, who were clad in jeans and union T-shirts. Biden spent several minutes chatting with the union members in groups before telling them, C'mon, let's go get something to eat."

At one point, the president began talking into an iPhone to a union member's mom, telling her that he'd been with the union since he was first elected to public office in the early 1970s. The leadership of the IBEW endorsed Biden for president in February 2020.

I just wanted to say hi to you, the president said before the phone call ended.

Biden held an impromptu photo line with the IBEW members before he returned to his home in nearby Wilmington, where he spent the weekend. The president was returning to Washington later Monday.

Thanks, Joe, one member said before the group applauded and Biden departed.
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP)  The foundation named for the woman killed while out for a run near her mother's Massachusetts home in 2016 is teaming up with the local sheriff's department for a women's self-defense workshop.

The workshop presented by the Vanessa T. Marcotte Foundation and the Worcester County Sheriffs Office is scheduled to take place on Wednesday in the Blue Lounge on the first floor of the Student Center at Worcester State University, The Telegram & Gazette reported.
DALLAS (AP)  Ask anyone old enough to remember travel before Sept. 11, 2001, and you're likely to get a gauzy recollection of what flying was like.

There was security screening, but it wasnt anywhere near as intrusive. There were no long checkpoint lines. Passengers and their families could walk right to the gate together. Overall, an airport experience meant far less stress.

That all ended when four hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.

The worst terror attack on American soil led to increased and sometimes tension-filled security measures in airports across the world. The cataclysm has also contributed to other changes large and small that have reshaped the airline industry  and, for consumers, made air travel more stressful than ever.

Two months after the attacks, President George W. Bush signed legislation creating the Transportation Security Administration, which required that all checked bags be screened, cockpit doors be reinforced, and more federal air marshals be put on flights.

There has not been another 9/11. Nothing even close. But after that day, flying changed forever.

Security measures evolved with new threats, and so travelers were asked to take off belts and remove some items from bags for scanning. Things that clearly could be wielded as weapons, like the box-cutters used by the 9/11 hijackers, were banned. After shoe bomber Richard Reid's attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001, footwear started coming off at security checkpoints.

Each new requirement seemed to make checkpoint lines longer. To many travelers, other rules were more mystifying, such as limits on liquids because the wrong ones could possibly be used to concoct a bomb.

It's a much bigger hassle than it was before 9/11  much bigger  but we have gotten used to it, Ronald Briggs said as he and his wife, Jeanne, waited at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport for a flight to London last month.

The long lines created by post-attack measures gave rise to the PreCheck and Global Entry trusted-traveler programs" in which people who pay a fee and provide certain information about themselves pass through checkpoints without removing shoes and jackets or taking laptops out of their bag.

But that convenience has come at a cost: privacy.

On its application and in brief interviews, PreCheck asks people about basic information like work history and where they have lived, and they give a fingerprint and agree to a criminal-records check. Privacy advocates are particularly concerned about ideas that TSA has floated to also examine social media postings (the agency's top official says that has been dropped), press reports about people, location data and information from data brokers including how applicants spend their money.

It's far from clear that that has any relationship to aviation security, says Jay Stanley, a privacy expert at the American Civil Liberties Union.

More than 10 million people have enrolled in PreCheck. TSA wants to raise that to 25 million, with the goal of allowing officers to spend more time on passengers considered to be a bigger risk.

At the direction of Congress, the TSA will expand the use of private vendors to gather information from PreCheck applicants. It currently uses a company called Idemia, and aims to add two more  Telos Identity Management Solutions and Clear Secure Inc.

Clear plans to use PreCheck enrollment to boost membership in its own identity-verification product by bundling the two offerings. That will make Clear's own product more valuable to its customers, which include sports stadiums and concert promoters.

They are really trying to increase their market share by collecting quite a lot of very sensitive data on as many people as they can get their hands on, says India McKinney, director of federal affairs for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an advocacy group for digital rights.

TSA Administrator David Pekoske, though, sees Clear's strategy as helping TSA: We have allowed the vendors to bundle their offerings together with the idea that would be an incentive for people to sign up for the trusted-traveler programs."

The TSA is testing the use of kiosks equipped with facial-recognition technology to check photo IDs and boarding passes. The kiosks will also pull photos taken when the traveler applied for PreCheck, McKinney says. That concerns her because it would mean connecting the kiosks to the internet  TSA says that much is true  and potentially exposing the information to hackers.

Despite the trauma that led to its creation, and the intense desire to avoid another 9/11, the TSA itself has frequently been the subject of questions about its methods, ideas and effectiveness.

Critics, including former TSA officers, have derided the agency as security theater that gives a false impression of safeguarding the traveling public. Pekoske dismisses that notion by pointing to the huge number of guns seized at airport checkpoints  more than 3,200 last year, 83% of them loaded  instead of making it onto planes.

Pekoske also ticked off other TSA tasks, including vetting passengers, screening checked bags with 3-D technology, inspecting cargo and putting federal air marshals on flights.

Rest assured: This is not security theater," Pekoske says. "It's real security.

Many independent experts agree with Pekoske's assessment, though they usually see areas where the TSA must improve.

This summer, an average of nearly 2 million people per day have flowed through TSA checkpoints. Most travelers accept any inconvenience as the price of security in an uncertain world.

They aren't there to hassle me," said Paula Gathings, who was waiting for a flight out of DFW to Qatar and then another to Kenya. "Every time somebody asks me to do something, I can see the reason for it.

Several incidents highlight a threat that TSA needs to worry about  people who work for airlines or airports and have security clearance that lets them avoid regular screening. Some examples:

 In 2016, a bomb ripped a hole in a Daallo Airlines plane, killing the bomber, but 80 other passengers and crew survived. Somali authorities released video they said showed the man being handed a laptop containing the bomb.

 In 2018, a Delta Air Lines baggage handler in Atlanta was convicted of using his security pass to smuggle more than 100 guns on flights.

 The following year, an American Airlines mechanic with Islamic State videos on his phone pleaded guilty to sabotaging a plane full of passengers. Pilots aborted the flight during takeoff.

All those folks that have a (security) badge, youre right, many do have unescorted access throughout an airport, but they also go through a very rigorous vetting process before they are even hired, Pekoske says.

With all the different ways that deadly chaos could happen on airplanes after 9/11, the fact remains: Most of the time, it hasn't. And while the post-9/11 global airport security apparatus has grown to what some consider unreasonable proportions, it will never neutralize all threats  or even be able to enforce the rules it has written.

You cant catch everything, says Nathan Dudney, a sales executive for a sporting goods manufacturer in Nashville who says he occasionally forgets about ammunition in his carry-on bag. Theyre doing things to the best of their ability.

___

David Koenig, based in Dallas, covers air travel and the airline industry for The Associated Press. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/airlinewriter
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  The idea to split North Dakota's legislative districts in half for House seats hasn't gained traction with lawmakers, but some voters groups say the concept would benefit tribal nations that don't have enough residents to stand alone as legislative districts.

The Legislatures Redistricting Committee meets Wednesday in Fargo as the state continues to examine redrawing legislative districts.

Sen. Ray Holmberg, R-Grand Forks, who has served on redistricting committees since 1981, told the Bismarck Tribune splitting legislative districts would have to take into account tribal nations and that would make a difference according to how the Department of Justice views taking care of minority populations.

If you have 208 Natives in a reservation ... thats one thing, but if you have 8,600 people, that might make a difference, so we need to explore that, and it may happen, Holmberg said.

North Dakota Native Vote Executive Director Nicole Donaghy said subdistricts would allow people on reservations to elect candidates of their choice.

She said in the last decade there have been elections encompassing the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in which weve had several Native Americans run for county commission, run for a legislative seat for that district, and they were not able to be elected because of the dilution of the populations with the non-Native population that surrounds the reservation.

Its important for us to build that representation and have the state understand that we also need to be a part of this process, Donaghy said.

Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation Tribal Chairman Mark Fox told the Legislatures Tribal and State Relations Committee he supports a House subdistrict for the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, but he opposed splitting segments of Fort Berthold into different districts. Redistricting lawmakers have said they dont plan to split reservations.
JERUSALEM (AP)  A Jordanian soldier killed in the 1967 Middle East war was given a military funeral and laid to rest in east Jerusalem on Monday, in an extraordinary scene that pointed to improved ties between Israel and Jordan after years of tensions.

The soldier's remains were discovered last month during construction work at Ammunition Hill, the site of a famous battle between Israeli and Jordanian forces. Funeral prayers were held at the Al-Aqsa mosque and a Jordanian honor guard in uniform, with red-checkered headscarves wrapped around their faces, carried the casket to a nearby Islamic cemetery.

Jordanian military officers and government officials, as well as Palestinian representatives, attended the funeral.

Israel captured east Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 war. The Palestinians want both territories to be part of their future state, a position with strong Jordanian support. The kingdom gave up its territorial claims decades ago but remains the custodian of Al-Aqsa and other religious sites in east Jerusalem.

Israel annexed east Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally and considers the entire city to be its unified capital. Al-Aqsa is the third holiest site in Islam and the holiest for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount because it was the site of the Jewish temples in antiquity.

Jerusalem and its holy sites are at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and have been the epicenter of several waves of violence, most recently in May, when tensions over Jerusalem helped ignite the 11-day Gaza war.

Israel and Jordan signed a peace agreement in 1994 and maintain close security ties. But tensions over Jerusalem and the moribund peace process with the Palestinians spiked during the 12-year-rule of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was replaced in June.

The new Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, has sought to repair relations with Jordan. Bennett met with Jordan's King Abdullah II in secret less than two months ago, and in the following week the two countries signed breakthrough deals on water and trade.

Earlier this week, Israel's new President Isaac Herzog, who holds a mostly ceremonial office, met met with the king at his palace in Amman, the Jordanian capital.

Jordan is a close Western ally that has long been seen as a bastion of stability in the volatile Middle East and a key partner in the peace process.
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP)  Miss Navajo Nation Shaandiin P. Parrish gets her inspiration from being a role model to her younger siblings.

She has one biological brother and one sister, but in the Navajo culture, cousins and clan relatives are considered just as close as brothers and sisters.

When I think about my role as Miss Navajo, its exactly how I take care of my siblings, she said, adding that the role revolves around what is expected from a woman in the Navajo culture: from nurturing and caring for the family to passing on the traditional knowledge and keeping the fire going in a hogan.

Being a role model for younger generations is a huge responsibility she has embraced, which she further expanded after she was crowned Miss Navajo Nation in September 2019, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the region, the Gallup Independent reported.

Parrish has served throughout the pandemic and has continued to fulfill her duties. Dressed in full Navajo regalia  velvet dress, moccasins, and silver and turquoise jewelry  she could be seen working on the frontlines with other Navajo leaders, distributing food to communities impacted by shutdowns and curfews.

When restrictions were lifted, she visited chapter houses and Navajo enterprises and offered support, attended community garden dedications, scholarship presentations for youth, and even sheep butchering events  where she helped butcher and clean sheep meat and cook meals for the community.

Most recently, Parrish visited the Navajo Nation Museum and presented officials with the 2016 Miss Navajo Nation crown to be stored at the museum for future generations. Parrish said the crown was purchased by the Office of Miss Navajo Nation and she made the decision to donate it to the museum for cultural preservation.

Navajo Nation Museum Director Manny Wheeler said he had been in contact with Parrish and was surprised to hear she wanted to donate the crown, which he hopes to put on exhibit in the near future, along with three other crowns that had been previously donated to the museum.

I think it is a good practice, he said about the crown donation. Historically, Navajo people have been a matriarchal society. Miss Navajo is an ambassador of the Nation and represents that society.

Parrish, who is from Kayenta, Arizona, earned a bachelors degree in political science from Arizona State University in 2018. She sees the Miss Navajo Nation role as that of a public servant and has said she would like to go back to school to earn a law degree to continue serving her people.

The 69th annual Miss Navajo Nation Pageant is scheduled to begin Sept. 6. While all events are closed to in-person viewing, virtual viewing platforms will be available on Facebook and Youtube.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  The Middle East on Monday got its first completely automated cashier-less store, as retail giant Carrefour rolled out its vision for the future of the industry in a cavernous Dubai mall.

Like Amazon's breakthrough unmanned grocery stores that opened in 2018, the Carrefour mini-market looks like any ordinary convenience store, brimming with sodas and snacks, tucked between sprawling storefronts of this city-state.

But hidden among the familiar fare lies a sophisticated system that tracks shoppers movements, eliminating the checkout line and allowing people to grab the products they'll walk out with. Only those with the store's smartphone app may enter. Nearly a hundred small surveillance cameras blanket the ceiling. Countless sensors line the shelves. Five minutes after shoppers leave, their phones ping with receipts for whatever they put in their bags.

This is how the future will look, Hani Weiss, CEO of retail at Majid Al Futtaim, the franchise that operates Carrefour in the Middle East, told The Associated Press. "We do believe in physical stores in the future. However, we believe the experience will change.

The experimental shop, called Carrefour City+, is the latest addition to the burgeoning field of retail automation. Major retailers worldwide are combining machine learning software and artificial intelligence in a push to cut labor costs, do away with the irritation of long lines and gather critical data about shopping behavior.

We use (the data) to provide a better experience in the future ... whereby customers don't have to think about the next products they want, Weiss said. All the insights are being utilized internally in order to provide a better shopping experience.

Customers must give Carrefour permission to collect their information, Weiss said, which the company promises not to share. But the idea of a vast retail seller collecting reams of data about shoppers' habits already has raised privacy concerns in the United States, where Amazon now operates several such futuristic stores, known as Amazon Go. It's less likely to become a public debate in the autocratic United Arab Emirates, home to one of the world's highest per capita concentrations of surveillance cameras.

With the pandemic forcing major retailers to reassess the future, many are increasingly investing in automation  a vision that threatens severe job losses across the industry. But Carrefour stressed that human workers, at least in the short-term, would still be needed to support customers" and assist the machines.

There is no future without humans, Weiss said.
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP)  A group hopes to redevelop a Brattleboro building into co-working space and affordable housing.

Skye Morse, of M&S Development, says they hope to convert whats known in Brattleboro as the Sanel Building or the DeWitt Grocery Warehouse into seven offices on the ground floor, and 19 apartments  studios and one- and two-bedroom units  on the upper floors.

The project will utilize a new qualification structure created by Housing and Urban Development that has not yet been used in Vermont, Morse said.

The project is estimated to cost more than $10 million and they are using a variety of funding sources for the project, said Morse.

Morse told The Brattleboro Reformer they hope to close on the building, which has been vacant for decades, this fall and begin construction shortly after.

We really want to create a space where people can work remotely, bring their city jobs here and have a good place to work that is high-quality, peaceful, productive and right in the downtown, said Morse.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  The Taliban said Monday they seized the last province not in their control after their blitz through Afghanistan last month, overrunning forces who had opposed their takeover.

Thousands of Taliban fighters charged into eight districts of Panjshir province overnight, according to witnesses from the area who spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared for their safety. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that the province, which is north of the capital, was now held by their fighters.

We tried our best to solve the problem through negotiations, and they rejected talks and then we had to send our forces to fight, Mujahid told a news conference in Kabul later Monday.

The resisting forces were led by the former vice president, Amrullah Saleh, and also the son of the iconic anti-Taliban fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud. Experts had doubted that the holdout efforts could succeed long-term against the Taliban, whose rapid advance through Afghanistan met little resistance in the final days of America's 20-year war in the country.

The U.S. withdrew its last troops a week ago and ended a harrowing airlift to evacuate Western citizens and their Afghan allies that was marred by scenes of desperation and horrific violence.

During that evacuation, thousands of people descended on Kabul's airport, hoping to flee the country because they feared what the Taliban's rule might hold, given their history of repression, particularly of women. At one point, an Islamic State suicide bomber targeted the crowds, killing 169 Afghans and 13 American service members.

Many people are still hoping to leave the country, but with Kabul's airport not yet running international flights, their choices are few. In the country's north, officials said Sunday that at least four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people have been unable to leave the country for days. But there were conflicting accounts about why.

The U.S. is under pressure to help the remaining Americans and green card holders leave the country, and it has promised to work with the new Taliban rulers do that  but it has given no timeframe.

An Afghan official at the airport in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif said that the would-be passengers were Afghans, many of whom did not have passports or visas, and thus were unable to leave. Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters, he said they had left the airport while the situation was being sorted out.

But the top Republican on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee said that the group included Americans and that they had boarded planes but the Taliban were not letting them take off, effectively holding them hostage. Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas told Fox News Sunday that American citizens and Afghan interpreters were being kept on six planes.

He did not say where that information came from, and it was not immediately possible to reconcile the two accounts. The State Department has said it has no reliable way to confirm information about such charter flights.

But the U.S. has helped a family of four American citizens to flee through an overland route, according to American official. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly due to the sensitivity of the matter, would not give details of the evacuation or say which country they went to.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are traveling to the Persian Gulf and Europe this week to discuss Afghanistan.

President Joe Biden was asked Monday night as he returned to the White House whether he would recognize the Taliban government. Thats a long way off. Thats a long way off, he said.

Meanwhile, the Taliban say they are working to repair Kabuls airport, where only domestic flights have resumed and just during the day for now. Mujahid, the group's spokesman, told reporters Monday that American soldiers destroyed equipment before departing, including the critical radar system. The U.S. has said troops destroyed military equipment but left equipment useful for running a civilian airport, like fire trucks.

Technical experts from Qatar and Turkey have begun repairs, though its not clear when the airport will be up and running.

The Taliban have pledged to allow anyone with the proper legal documents to leave the country  and several countries have said they are watching closely to see if the new rulers make good on that pledge. The Taliban have generally promised to govern more moderately than when they were last in power in the late 1990s and became global pariahs for their harsh interpretation of Islamic law and restrictions on women.

Still, experts did not think the anti-Taliban fighters in Panjshir, the last holdout province, had much of a chance, even given the area's geographical advantage.

Nestled in the towering Hindu Kush mountains, the Panjshir Valley has a single narrow entrance. Local fighters held off the Soviets there in the 1980s and also, for a brief time, the Taliban a decade later under the leadership of Massoud.

Massouds son Ahmad called for an end to the fighting on Sunday. The young British-schooled Massoud said his forces were ready to lay down their weapons but only if the Taliban agreed to end their assault. Late on Sunday dozens of vehicles loaded with Taliban fighters were seen swarming into the Panjshir Valley.

In a second statement Monday, a now-defiant Massoud accused the Taliban of attacking even as they were ready to agree to a cease-fire. He vowed to fight on, urged Afghans to join in their battle against the Taliban and chastised the international community for giving the Taliban a platform by opening negotiations with them.

There has been no statement from Saleh, Afghanistans former vice president who had declared himself the acting president after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Aug. 15 as the Taliban reached the gates of the capital.

The whereabouts of Saleh and the young Massoud were not immediately known Monday.

Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, sought to assure residents of Panjshir that they would be safe  even as scores of families reportedly fled into the mountains ahead of the Talibans arrival.

There is no need for any more fighting," Mujahid said at the news conference. All Panjshir people and those who live in Panjshir are our brothers and they are part of our country."

The Taliban had stepped up their assault on Panjshir on Sunday, tweeting that their forces overran Rokha district, one of the largest in the province.

Mujahid also told reporters that the Taliban would announce a new government within days  one that would be inclusive, he said, without elaborating. Once the government is formed, members of the former Afghan army and security forces would be asked to return to work to form an army with Taliban fighters, he added.

Asked what rights women would have under the Taliban, Mujahid promised all women would eventually be asked to return" to their jobs.

The Taliban have claimed unspecified security reasons" are behind the current slow pace of return of Afghan women to their workplaces and also behind restricting women to their homes, unless accompanied by a male guardian. But many who remember their previous rule are skeptical.

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Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez in Istanbul and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
UNDATED -- The resurgence of COVID-19 this summer and the national debate over vaccine requirements have created a fraught situation for the United States' first responders, who are dying in larger numbers but pushing back against mandates.

Its a stark contrast from the beginning of the vaccine rollout when first responders were prioritized for shots.

The mandates affect tens of thousands of police officers, firefighters and others on the front lines across the country, many of whom are spurning the vaccine. That is happening despite mandates consequences that range from weekly testing to suspension to termination  even though the virus is now the leading cause of U.S. law enforcement line-of-duty deaths.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 132 members of law enforcement agencies are known to have died of COVID-19 in 2021. In Florida alone last month, six people affiliated with law enforcement died over a 10-day period.

Despite the deaths, police officers and other first responders are among those most hesitant to get the vaccine and their cases continue to grow. No national statistics show the vaccination rate for Americas entire population of first responders but individual police and fire departments across the country report figures far below the national rate of 74% of adults who have had at least one dose.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 European Union regulator pondering whether to recommend Pfizer booster shots for 16 and older

 Two anchors of COVID safety net ending, affecting millions in US

 Volunteers help poorest survive Thailands worst COVID surge yet

 Hospitals in crisis in Mississippi, the least-vaccinated US state

 Want to attend Hamilton? Not unless you meet virus protocols

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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:

AMSTERDAM  The European Medicines Agency says it has started an expedited evaluation on whether to recommend use of a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech.

In a statement Monday, the EU drug regulator says it is considering whether a third dose of the vaccine should be given six months after people over age 16 have received two doses to restore protection after it has waned.

EMAs experts are carrying out an accelerated assessment of data submitted by Pfizer and BioNTech, including results from an ongoing research trial in which about 300 healthy adults received a booster dose about six months after their second dose.

Pfizer has already submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administer for authorization of a third dose and the U.S. government said last month boosters would likely be available in late September. Israel has already started administering booster doses and the plan is under consideration in other countries for vulnerable populations, including France and Germany.

The Amsterdam-based agency said it expects to make a decision in the next few weeks.

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DETROIT  Five federal courthouses in eastern Michigan will fully reopen Tuesday for the first time since COVID-19 restrictions were put in place in March 2020.

Lawyers, news reporters, jurors and court spectators will be required to answer questions about their health and have their temperature checked at courthouse entrances. Masks will be required.

Courthouse employees who have not been vaccinated will be required to share the results of two weekly COVID-19 tests at their own expense.

The court is doing everything in its power to make sure that everyone who uses our facilities are protected, said Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood.

The main courthouse is in downtown Detroit, but there are other federal courthouses in Flint, Bay City, Ann Arbor and Port Huron. Remote video access will be provided for some hearings in civil lawsuits. But nearly all criminal cases will be conducted in person at the courthouses.

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SANTIAGO, Chile  Chiles Public Health Institute has approved the Chinese-developed Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for children older than 6, though the health minister must approve the plan before shots enter arms.

The panel of senior physicians, including presidents of the associations of pediatrics and infectology, analyzed a Chinese study of 500 children aged 3 to 17, all of whom produced antibodies. A similar study of 4,000 children is being organized in Chile.

Brazils health regulatory agency, however, recently rejected a similar request by Sinovac, and asked for data involving a larger study.

Chile already had authorized vaccinations for children as young as 12, though only with the Pfizer vaccine. Supply shortages have stalled that effort.

Chilean officials plan to vaccinate 15.2 million of the countrys 19 million people. So far they have given a full double dose regimen to 86% of those now eligible. The country last month also began giving AstraZeneca booster shots to fully vaccinated people people older than 55.

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ROME  Life expectancy for men in some of Italys worst-hit provinces in the pandemic dropped by more than four years.

ISTAT, Italys national statistics bureau, in a report on Monday said that compared with 2019, nationwide life expectancy for those born in 2020 dropped by 1.2 years.

In 2020, the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the sharp increase in the risk of mortality that derived from it abruptly interrupted the increase of life expectancy at birth that had marked a trend up to 2019, ISTAT said.

The pandemic first erupted outside Asia in northern Italy, and much of the north reeled with confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the initial wave of cases. In the northern provinces of Bergamo, Cremona and Lodi, life expectancy for men decreased by some 4.3 to 4.5 years. For women in those provinces, the reduced expectancy ranged from 3.2 to 2.9 years.

For a child born in 2020, male life expectancy nationwide is 79.7 and female life expectancy is 84.4, ISTAT said.

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PHOENIX -- A program announced by Arizonas Republican governor last month giving private school vouchers to students whose parents object to school mask requirements has seen a surge of applications.

More than 2,700 applications have been started or completed in less than two weeks. Thats twice as many as can be funded with the $10 million in federal coronavirus relief cash earmarked for the program.

Gov. Doug Duceys plan will give $7,000 a year to each student to pay for private school tuition.

School voucher opponents worry they will permanently get vouchers and some Republican lawmakers say they hope thats the case.

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ROME  Italys health minister says a two-day meeting of his G-20 counterparts yielded resolve to help poor nations obtain more COVID-19 vaccines.

Minister Roberto Speranza told reporters in Rome on Monday that achieving that includes vaccine production in less developed nations. The goal is to bring vaccines to every corner of the world, said Speranza. He described the meetings unanimous final document as a departure point.

Stronger nations, starting with the G-20, are committing to more resources and to sending vaccines to the more vulnerable countries, he said, adding that efforts like COVAX need to be strengthened.

We want to build on conditions so that production can be brought to the countries. Its not enough merely to transfer doses, Speranza said.

COVAX is an international mechanism created in part to share vaccines so that poorer wouldnt have to rely on donations. But in some cases, wealthy nations have received doses through COVAX.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Danish health authorities say they are offering jabs in supermarkets as they are aware of differences in the vaccination pattern even though more than 80% of people over 12 have had two shots of vaccine.

It is especially young people who have not received the first jab, said Soeren Brostroem, head of the Danish Health Agency.

On Saturday, vaccines will be offered in two of Denmarks largest supermarket chains, Bilka and Foetex, No appointments are needed.

We want to ensure that the offer of vaccination is as accessible as possible, so that, for example, it is possible to get a shot while shopping, Brostroem said, adding there are many young people working in retail.

Denmark has a target of reaching 90% of people above the age of 12 by Oct. 1.

As of Sept. 10, the digital pass  a proof of vaccination or a negative test which was required to enter nightclubs  becomes the last COVID-19 safeguard to fall.

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PRISTINA, Kosovo --- Kosovos Health Ministry said it has received half a million Pfizer vaccines Monday sent from the United States.

Kosovos 1.8 million people have faced a surge in new infections during the last month. On Monday there were 28 deaths and 489 new cases.

The ministry said it had received 503,100 Pfizer shots from the United States through the COVAX program. It strongly called on people older than 16 years old to take the jabs as the only way to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

About 17% of Kosovo's people have gotten both shots of the vaccine so far.

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SEOUL, South Korea  South Koreas daily increase in coronavirus infections has exceeded 1,000 for the 62nd consecutive day as officials are raising concerns about another viral spike during this months Chuseok holidays, the Korean version of Thanksgiving.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said more than 940 of the 1,375 new cases reported Monday were from Seoul and the nearby metropolitan region, where a rise in infections have been linked to the reopening of schools and people returning from summer vacations.

While the virus has slowed outside the capital area in recent weeks, KDCA official Kim Ki-nam said transmissions could worsen nationwide during the Chuseok break, which starts on Sept. 20, a time when millions usually travel across the country to meet relatives.

Officials are enforcing the countrys strongest social distancing rules in the greater capital area, where private social gatherings of three or more are banned after 6 p.m. unless all are fully vaccinated.

A slow vaccine rollout has left less than 35% of South Koreans fully vaccinated as of Monday.

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HANOI  About 23 million Vietnamese students have started a new school year, most of them in virtual classrooms, amid a COVID-19 lockdown to contain a virus surge in the country.

Since April, when the latest wave of the virus spread in the country, Vietnam closed down schools and education institutes in pandemic areas and move learning activities to online platforms.

Millions of students spent their summer break at home as more than half of the country is in lockdown. In hard-hit provinces, schools have been converted into quarantine facilities and field hospitals.

In Ho Chi Minh city, the epicenter of Vietnams worst virus outbreak, teachers and students observed a minute of silence to pay tribute to those who died of COVID-19 and honor front-liners before opening classes Monday.

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand  Most of New Zealand will move out of lockdown Tuesday except for the largest city of Auckland, which will remain in the strictest type of lockdown until at least next week, the government announced Monday.

The nation has been battling an outbreak of the delta variant of the coronavirus since last month. All recent cases have been found in Auckland, including 20 that were found on Monday.

There have been a total of 821 cases found in the outbreak. The government is pursuing an unusual strategy of trying to eliminate the virus entirely.

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JERUSALEM -- Israel says it will soon reopen its gates to foreign tour groups  even as it battles one of the worlds highest rates of coronavirus infections.

The countrys Tourism Ministry on Sunday said it will begin allowing organized tour groups into the country beginning Sept. 19.

Tourists will have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, present a negative PCR test before their flight and undergo both PCR and serological testing upon arrival. Visitors would have to quarantine in their hotels until the test results come back -- a process expected to take no more than 24 hours.

Tourists from a handful of red countries with high infection rates -- including Turkey and Brazil -- will not be permitted to visit for the time being.

Israel launched a similar program in May after vaccinating most of its population early this year. But the program was suspended in August as the delta variant began to spread.

In recent weeks, the country has begun administering booster shots to anyone who was vaccinated over five months ago.
LONDON (AP)  Britain said Monday it is postponing the start of post-Brexit border checks on goods going to Northern Ireland, as it seeks breathing space in its tense standoff with the European Union over trade rules.

Brexit Minister David Frost said the government would continue to trade on the current basis, maintaining grace periods that the U.K. gave itself after splitting from the EUs economic embrace at the end of 2020. He did not set a new end date for the grace periods, some of which had been due to finish on Sept. 30.

Frost said the standstill would provide space for potential further discussions with the EU over the two sides deep differences on the Brexit divorce agreement.

U.K.-EU relations have soured over trade arrangements for Northern Ireland, the only part of the U.K. that has a land border with the 27-nation bloc. The divorce deal the two sides struck before Britains departure means customs and border checks must be conducted on some goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K.

The regulations are intended to prevent goods from Britain entering the EUs tariff-free single market while keeping an open border between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland  a key pillar of Northern Irelands peace process. But the checks have angered Northern Irelands British unionists, who say they amount to a border in the Irish Sea and weaken Northern Ireland's ties with the rest of the U.K.

One of the deferred measures, which had been due to take effect Oct. 1, would ban chilled meats such as sausages from England, Scotland and Wales from going to Northern Ireland. The sausage war has been the highest-profile element of the U.K.-EU dispute, raising fears that Northern Ireland supermarkets may not be able to sell British sausages, a breakfast staple.

The trade tensions have destabilized Northern Irelands delicate political balance and raised tensions with the EU, which is calling for Britain to implement the deal it agreed to, and with the U.K. government, which says the rules need fundamental reform.

Britains Conservative government is seeking to remove most checks, replacing them with a light touch system in which only goods at risk of entering the EU would be inspected.

Frost warned last week that the U.K. and the EU risked entering a long period of cold mistrust unless issues around the agreement were resolved.

The U.K.s previous unilateral extension of the grace period angered the EU, which responded by launching legal action. The bloc has since put that action on hold, and the two sides have taken tentative steps to cool the situation. Mondays announcement by Britain was made with the advance knowledge of the bloc.

Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said he expected the EU would agree to an extension of the grace periods in order to allow for deep and meaningful talks with Britain.

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For more of APs Brexit coverage, go to https://apnews.com/hub/brexit
HELENA, Mont. (AP)  The trail along Straight Creek climbs gradually for nearly 3 miles, plodding above small waterfalls, riffles and pools before making a beeline to a shallow ford.

The ease of the hike to that point is quickly replaced by a 2-mile juggernaut of switchbacks and pitches, through forests and avalanche chutes, until breaking into a stunning mountain amphitheater called Honeymoon Basin. Marmots and ground squirrels whistle and chirp from rockslides and butterflies swarm from vibrant meadows as the trail wanders through timbers edge.

Cresting the basin offers a clear view of the lookout on the top of Patrol Mountain, providing the inspiration needed to make a final trudge on weary legs. There, a black-and-white border collie mix named Mae tells the world of the impending visitors arrival. The only one there to hear is Samsara Duffey.

The Helena native and current West Yellowstone resident stood outside Patrol Mountain Lookout in mid-August, her 25th year atop this mountain on the eastern edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Rains had finally cleared a lookouts nightmare of persistent smoky skies, revealing the expanses of forests and parks, craggy mountains and serrated reefs of the Bob and Scapegoat.

At her feet, Mae surveys the overlook to the west before finding a comfortable place to doze.

Shell either go all day or nap all day, Duffey quips.

Only an occasional radio crackle or screech from a circling red-tailed hawk breaks the windless afternoon. The last hikers Duffey saw in person were nearly three weeks earlier; visitor traffic has waned with the smoke.

I like to share this with people, she told the Montana State News Bureau. I like to share the solitude, the experiences, the landscape, the people that love the areas, so I see that as a very important part of my job.

In 1997 Duffey was a college student looking for a summer job. Her outdoorsy upbringing ran deep with her older sister already working as the lookout at Prairie Reef to the north. Duffeys sister told her the lookout at Patrol Mountain needed a volunteer. Duffey made the call.

She came back the next year, and then the next.

Every year at least in the early years there were slightly different things that got me coming back and now its just what I do, she said. When I started it was easy, then we had a few big fire years and I was like, Oh, Im actually making a difference in early detection of fires and Im actually able to help the fire crew. In addition its just an absolutely wonderful place and its just become very, very comfortable to come back here every year.

The Big Burn of 1910 triggered a major push by the Forest Service to locate and put out fires quickly. At one time lookouts, some of them nothing more than tent camps, were positioned every 11 to 13 miles  28 total across the Rocky Mountain Front. Only a handful remain today.

Duffey loves the history of lookouts and actively works to preserve that history with the Forest Fire Lookout Association. She sees their unmistakable romanticism, a symbol of protection in a landscape defined by the whims of nature.

This is the second lookout to sit at 8,000 feet atop Patrol Mountain. The first went up in the early 1920s and the Forest Service built the current structure in 1962. The cozy confines of the inside with a bed, bookshelf, desk, table and wood stove are offset by window-lined walls looking in all directions to the vastness of the wilderness. Outside, the structure bears evidence of decades in high altitude elements where the lifespan of a coat of paint is only about a year.

I do think about the history of lookouts and the tradition of lookouts and how the job has changed over time, and how it hasnt, she said, noting that many visitors remark on the time capsule feeling of stepping inside. In some ways its that same continuity with the landscape, with the mountain, that were still doing what we started out doing.

Duffey details the ebb and flow of their popularity among land managers. The question of whether changes in technology can replace staffed lookouts has always been part of the conversation around them.

She believes no technology can fully replicate the efficiency of a lookout that can spot smoke from a single tree. The cost of even a short patrol flight or purchasing and maintaining a remote camera is roughly equal to her seasonal salary.

Like the rest of society, we need to figure out how to incorporate that type of technology to help us do a better job and not see that technology, and I really hope fire managers dont start seeing that technology as replacing, but as being complementary and then incorporating it into the work, she said.

Duffey can easily survey the landscape for miles looking for the faintest sign of smoke. She is vigilant after thunderstorms but has also come to know where campers tend to make fires that can unexpectedly come back to life. Once a fire is observed, she uses an Osborne Fire Finder  a piece of equipment designed more than a hundred years ago  to estimate the fires position for dispatch.

The role of a lookout also goes far beyond simply spotting and reporting fires, she said, including meeting with the public, relaying radio messages and keeping detailed radio logs. Duffey often steps away to check in with trail crews, packers or other lookouts as a matter of safety and coordination. For many visitors, she may be their only interaction with a Forest Service employee and wants that experience to be positive.

The lookout lifestyle is not for everyone. Visitors typically rave about the idea of the job, but once Duffey explains that groceries only arrive by packstring every three weeks and hikers may number 10 or less in a given month, their enthusiasm tempers.

Usually by the time people leave theyre like, This is really cool, but I dont think I could be alone for that long, I dont think I could have that kind of isolation for that long, she said.

While not all lookouts are as remote as Patrol Mountain, new staff often struggle with the isolation as well in what she calls a reverse cabin fever. The first week is marked by excitement followed by the realization of isolation before accepting the experience for what it is. Duffey went through the same progression early on.

The way we are in society, we are not as Americans encouraged to be independent, alone, comfortable with solitude, comfortable with isolation, she said. Were not really given most of those tools as we grow up so it does take some adjustment.

When not at the lookout Duffey works as a guide in West Yellowstone. Her husband works as a smokejumper, which allows their seasonal work to mesh. They talk as often as the spotty cell service of their locations allows.

It really is easy for us, she says.

Duffey jokes that by February she has already started planning what to bring to Patrol Mountain that summer. By March she begins counting down the days.

In a lot of ways after my first couple of years up here its easier to come up here than it is to come back to town, she said. When I go home, theres noise, theres perfumes, theres hustle and bustle, theres a whole lot of inputs really fast and those inputs are exhausting.

While others have certainly worked for 25 years or more as a lookout, such longevity at a single location is rare, Duffey says. Pointing to the northwest, she talks about her love of hiking and the fact that she has set foot on nearly every trail or ridge she is responsible for monitoring.

Reflecting on 25 years, Duffey ponders the question of change. Certainly the fire scars alter the appearance of a mountainside, trees have died from disease or insects, but the years have largely melded together. On a given day she might notice a boulder has rolled down the mountainside or a whitebark pine produced plentiful cones this summer, or wonder if an unexpected snowdrift indicates a shift in prevailing winter winds.

Rodents make up most of her daily wildlife, although she rattles off an impressive list of much rarer sightings including wolverines, lynx, bobcat, mountain lion, black and grizzly bears, elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep and mountain goats. She loves watching the weather, speculating that she might have been a meteorologist had she chosen a different career. She points miles away to the Danaher Basin, describing how storms can build in the backcountry and move across the landscape.

Its kind of nice because it is a huge chunk of time but theres not a lot of drama, she said. Its the little things like that that really stick out as the different years. There really is something comforting about the lack of change, the consistency.

Duffey is not looking to abandon her post any time soon.

When asked how long she wants to remain Patrol Mountains only resident, she said As long as I can.

I have no plans not to come back, she said.
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department is exploring "all options" to challenge Texas's restrictive abortion law, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday, as he vowed to provide support to abortion clinics that are "under attack" in the state and to protect those seeking and providing reproductive health services.

The move by the nation's top law enforcement official comes just days after the Supreme Court refused to block a Texas abortion statute that bans the procedure as early as six weeks into pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest. The court's action stands as the most serious threat to Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling establishing a woman's right to abortion, in nearly 50 years.

President Joe Biden has sharply criticized the high court's decision, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has pledged to call a vote later this month on legislation that would enshrine a woman's right to an abortion into federal law.

"We will not tolerate violence against those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services, physical obstruction or property damage in violation of the FACE Act," said Garland, referring to the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, a 1994 law that prohibits threats and the obstruction of a person seeking reproductive health services or of providers.

Garland said the Justice Department has reached out to U.S. Attorneys' offices and FBI field offices in Texas to "discuss our enforcement authorities."

"The department will provide support from federal law enforcement when an abortion clinic or reproductive health center is under attack," Garland said.

Garland's move, like the new law, will probably reverberate well beyond Texas state lines. Republican officials in at least seven states across the country have suggested that they may change their states' laws to mirror the legislation in Texas. And abortion activists expect more copycat bills to follow, as state legislatures this year have already enacted dozens of abortion restrictions.

Biden said last week that the department would be exploring options to challenge the law, and Garland said Monday that the department would do just that "to protect the constitutional rights of women and other persons, including access to an abortion."

The Texas law also allows anyone to file a lawsuit against any other person who has aided someone in obtaining an abortion, with the potential for a $10,000 payoff.

While some previous attempts by GOP state leaders to outlaw abortions have failed, Texas' bill may provide other legislatures a blueprint to pass legal scrutiny. The law was designed to turn away pre-enforcement challenges in federal courts and allows private citizens to bring suit against abortion providers or anyone who "aids or abets" the procedure. Abortion providers say the ban effectively eliminates the guarantee in Roe v. Wade that women have a right to end their pregnancies before viability, and that states are barred from imposing undue burdens on that decision.

Biden has denounced the Texas law as "almost un-American" and said it creates a "vigilante system" under which private citizens are empowered to police the ban.

"I have been and continue to be a strong supporter of Roe v. Wade, number one," Biden said Friday morning. "And the most pernicious thing about the Texas law, it sort of creates a vigilante system where people get rewards to go out and to - " He did not finish the thought.

He added that "it's almost un-American, what we're talking about," emphasizing that he was referring to the Texas law and not to the broader debate over Roe. He notably did not use the word "abortion" in his remarks.

"I was told that there are possibilities within the existing law to have the Justice Department look and see whether there are things that can be done that can limit the independent action of individuals in enforcing . . . a state law," Biden said.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., responded to Garland's announcement on Twitter, proclaiming that "It is up to COURTS - not the executive branch - to determine whether the Texas law impairs constitutional rights."

Gaetz railed against the department, saying: "The DOJ is out of control. This is totalitarian stuff. If they don't like a law they will use DOJ raw power to crush it."

Garland said in his statement that the Justice Department has "consistently" pursued criminal and civil violations of the FACE Act for decades and will continue to do so.
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

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ANALYSIS: The participation of immigrants in Canada's democracy increases as they spend more time in the country.

What influences the electoral participation of immigrant voters? ANALYSIS: The participation of immigrants in Canada's democracy increases as they spend more time in the country.

What influences the electoral participation of immigrant voters? ANALYSIS: The participation of immigrants in Canada's democracy increases as they spend more time in the country.

What influences the electoral participation of immigrant voters? ANALYSIS: The participation of immigrants in Canada's democracy increases as they spend more time in the country. Kareem El-Assal Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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With Canada holding an election on September 20, the federal parties are currently campaigning to win as many votes as possible, including from immigrant voters.

Of course, there is no such thing as the immigrant vote. Canadas immigrants are as diverse as Canada itself. Immigrants do not lean toward one particular party. This is because they come from completely different countries, cultures, political traditions, and socio-economic backgrounds.

That being said, they tend to reside in Canadas most vote-rich ridings, namely in the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. That makes them the subject of charm offensives by the various parties who each seek to highlight their pro-immigration credentials. Experts in Canada such as John Ibbitson of the Globe and Mail and Darrell Bricker of Ipsos Public Affairs have written on the increasing importance of immigrants in Canadas elections.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

The big shift  understanding the new Canadian: Darrell Bricker at TEDxToronto The fifth annual TEDxToronto conference took place on September 26, 2013 at The Royal Conservatory of Music. For our 2013 TEDxToronto Conference, all talks, 

Others in Canada have conducted research and written on the factors that influence immigrants on whether or not they will go to the polls. It is important for us to understand these factors for a number of reasons. One reason is Canada seeks to ensure that its immigrants settle and integrate into its society. Integration is key to immigrants enjoying successful lives in Canada and it is difficult for immigrants to integrate if they do not participate in our democracy.

Another reason it is important for us to understand what drives immigrants to the polls is so we can identify how to maximize the participation of immigrants in Canadas democracy. If the research shows there are certain contributors that hinder immigrant voting than policymakers and other stakeholders can come up with solutions to tackle such barriers.

Time spent in Canada: Statistics Canada research shows immigrant voter turnout rises over time spent in Canada. This is likely due to immigrants needing time to become more civically engaged and learn about Canadas political system and parties.

Democratic tradition: Statistics Canada research also shows that immigrant voter turnout corresponds with democratic tradition in each immigrants country of origin. Immigrants arriving from stronger democratic traditions tend to be more likely to vote in Canada than their counterparts who arrive from countries with less of a democratic tradition. Lack of trust in institutions is cited as one reason why those who arrive from countries with less democracy may be less likely to vote in Canada.

Gender: Gender is another factor that influences immigrant voting patterns with Statistics Canada data showing that females from certain regions of the world are more likely to vote than men, while the opposite holds true for other parts of the world. However the overall voting rate among immigrant men and women is comparable. This suggests differences in gender voting patterns among immigrants has more to do with culture rather than gender itself.

Socio-economics: Age, level of education, and income have been shown to be larger determinants of voting patterns among the Canadian-born population than for immigrants. That is, Canadian-born citizens who are older, more educated, and have higher incomes tend to be more likely to vote. However the research suggests that this is not necessarily the case for immigrant voters, with education and income having a lesser influence on immigrant voter turnout. There are other socio-economic factors that may influence immigrant voter participation in Canada but not much research is available. For instance, to what extent does English/French language proficiency influence their electoral participation? Elections Canada cites language proficiency as a potential barrier for immigrants.

What does this all mean?

Perhaps the main takeaway here is that immigrants need time to get settled in Canada. Once the settlement process is complete, immigrants have more of an opportunity to gain insights into Canadas political process and parties. This helps to explain why their participation in elections is initially lower, but then rises over time to be at nearly the same level as Canadian-born citizens.

While political participation may not be their top priority in their initial years in Canada, immigrants do end up playing a very active role in Canadian elections. A major way to get immigrants more involved in elections shortly after becoming citizens is by helping them to expedite the learning process. Teaching them about Canadian politics early in their newcomer journey could encourage them to turn out in larger numbers shortly after obtaining citizenship.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
For more than 30 years, Cobol was the de facto standard for programming in enterprise computingand for good reason: It was designed specifically to do data and transaction processing, which meant that it was optimised for use in finance, administrative, and general business to accomplish some level of workflow automation.

But while Cobol undoubtedly served its purpose for decades, it also presented Edmund Cheong, the chief strategy and transformation officer at Malaysias Social Security Organisation (SocSO), a Catch-22 situation: You dont find Cobol programmers on the street these days, he says. Yet you cant not modernise in todays world. But to do so, you need more Cobol programmers.

SocSO was formed in 1971 and, like many other national social security funds, its mandate is to protect the interest of employees and their dependents in the event of job loss or inability to work. The organisation has 3,400 employees, of which 113 work in the IT department.

Cheong says SocSO had always depended on automation and had been using Cobol to automate many of its processes since its early days. But as technology progressed, Cobol had begun to lose its edge as it was difficult to innovate and add new features to legacy systems with it. As years passed and with newer, modern programming languages coming to the fore, the number of programmers proficient in Cobol also became few and far between.

As a result, SocSO began shunning IT infrastructure development in favour of introducing manual forms and processes to cope with changesall because it was just too difficult to update legacy IT systems. Cheong recalls that just about 10 years ago, SocSO was still employing data entry clerks to manually enter data from forms submitted by members. It was quite a loud and scary place to come to as many typewriters were going off in the office, Cheong quips.
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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.
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.
(CNN) -- Alibaba is pouring 100 billion yuan ($15.5 billion) into China's drive to achieve "common prosperity," marking the latest big pledge from a Chinese company to support President Xi Jinping's campaign.

The tech giant announced Friday that it would spend the staggering sum by 2025 with an eye on five priorities: innovation in technology, economic development, the creation of "high-quality employment," supporting vulnerable communities, and setting up a special development fund.

The company also laid out 10 specific goals it plans to tackle, from increasing technological investment in the country's less developed regions to improving the welfare of gig economy workers to working to speed up the growth of small businesses and agriculture.

Alibaba is also setting up what it's calling the "Prosperity Advancement Working Committee," which will be helmed by Chairman and CEO Daniel Zhang.

"Alibaba is a beneficiary of the strong social and economic progress in China over the past 22 years. We firmly believe that if society is doing well and the economy is doing well, then Alibaba will do well," he said in a statement Friday.

"We are eager to do our part to support the realization of common prosperity through high-quality development."

Alibaba's shares closed slightly down in New York on Thursday, after the news was first reported by state-run newspaper Zhejiang Daily. The company's shares in Hong Kong slumped 3.5% on Friday.

Alibaba's pledge came just a week after another major Chinese e-commerce firm, Pinduoduo, vowed to hand over its entire profit for the last quarter to rural development projects in the country.

It said last Tuesday that it would donate $372 million to the development of China's agricultural sector and rural areas, with plans to give away 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) toward similar causes overall.

The decision was significant for the US-listed firm, which had posted a profit for the first time as a public company in the quarter ended June.

Similarly, Tencent announced last month that it would dedicate 50 billion yuan ($7.7 billion) toward achieving Beijing's goal of "common prosperity." The company said it would aim to help increase income for the poor, and address education inequality, among other initiatives.

The end goal

President Xi has repeatedly emphasized the importance of "common prosperity" as a goal for the Chinese Communist Party, with state media increasingly highlighting the importance of wealth redistribution.

The phrase itself is a historically significant one in China, and Xi's mention of the term echoes its use by Chairman Mao Zedong during the last century.

Back then, the former Communist leader also advocated for "common prosperity" as a way to mobilize peasants and take power away from the rural elites, including rich landlords and farmers.

In recent years, one of Xi's own major policy goals has been to alleviate poverty across China. His latest edict has piled even more pressure on the country's richest citizens and businesses, which are already facing tougher regulations as Beijing continuously reins in the power of the private sector.

Earlier this year, Alibaba itself was hit with a record $2.8 billion fine for acting like a monopoly. Since then, the company has continued to face questions about regulatory scrutiny, though executives have sought to convey that the matter has been resolved.

 CNN's Beijing bureau and Laura He contributed to this report.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Alibaba pledges $15.5 billion to help China achieve 'common prosperity'".
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 6)  The second-highest ranked officer of the Philippine Army's 1st Infantry "Tabak" Division (1ID), which is based in Zamboanga del Sur, has become the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) latest COVID-19 casualty.

BGen. Bagnus P. Gaerlan, 55, died early Monday morning in a hospital in Pagadian City, where he was being treated, according to a statement issued by the 1ID's public information office. He had been serving as Tabak's assistant division commander since August last year.

"Our sincere condolences to (his wife) Lanie and the kids; and prayers for the eternal repose of Baggy's soul," said MGen. Ernesto Torres, president of the Philippine Military Academy Class '89 (Army chapter).

"Bagnus is the 4th member of the class to drop their working tools due to COVID," he added.

Gaerlan was admitted at the Zamboanga del Sur Medical Center (ZDSMC) on September 2 after initially testing positive for COVID-19 through an antigen test. The next day, his RT-PCR test also yielded a positive result, the AFP's Western Mindanao Command said. Gaerlan was fully vaccinated with China's Sinovac, it added.

Aside from "severe" COVID, Gaerlan also had "acute respiratory failure secondary to COVID pneumonia," Army Capt. Mary Jepthe Manebog, 1ID's public affairs officer, quoting ZDSMC doctors, told CNN Philippines.

There are now 35 officers and enlisted personnel of the military who died due to COVID, according to AFP spokesperson Col. Demy Zagala.

As of Sunday, more than 17,000 troops have contracted the coronavirus since March last year, and 1,323 are active cases. Majority have recovered.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 6)  Teachers will be vaccinated against COVID-19 should President Rodrigo Duterte approve the proposal for onsite classes, an Education official said on Monday.

"May kasunduan with the Department of Health na yung mga nasa schools na kalahok dito sa pilot face-to-face ay kahit hindi nasa priority areas ay bibigyan ng consideration para sa vaccination," Education Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan said during a virtual briefing.

[Translation: There is an agreement with the Department of Health that those schools that will participate in the pilot run of face-to-face classes, even if they are not in the priority areas, will be given consideration for vaccination.]

The agency earlier said over 952,000 teachers and support personnel across the country need to be inoculated against COVID-19.

READ: PH govt urged to prioritize teachers in COVID-19 vaccination line

However, vaccination will be for a select number of personnel since face-to-face classes will initially involve only 120 schools nationwide that will be chosen based on COVID-19 risk.

The dry run will cover kindergarten, and Grades 1 to 3. The proposal also seeks to reduce class size to 12 to 16 learners, Malaluan said, adding that class hours would be limited to three hours.

He said attendance to onsite classes will be on a voluntary basis with permission from parents.

Malaluan said the Education and Health departments crafted joint guidelines for the proposal.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 6)  The healthcare utilization data from the Health department is not reflective of the situation in hospitals in Metro Manila which are already "overwhelmed" with COVID-19 patients, a doctors' group said on Monday.

Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source, Philippine College of Physicians president Dr. Maricar Limpin said many of the biggest hospitals in the capital region have already reached more than 100% capacity amid the surge in COVID-19 cases.

"We will still see cases wherein we can no longer admit patients to our respective hospitals, so these patients may be transferred or may actually be told to look for other hospitals where they can be admitted because many major hospitals in Metro Manila are really now full, more than 100% capacity," Limpin said.

She added that most times, patients have no choice but to go as far as Laguna, Batangas, or Nueva Ecija to get treated in hospitals there.

She noted that part of the major problem is the data being produced by the Department of Health in the past few weeks.

"(It) is not the same as what we are seeing on the ground," Limpin said.

She said the recent data on utilized ICU beds in Metro Manila may have included non-COVID hospitals.

The DOH's September 5 data shows that out of 1,500 beds in the capital region, 75% are already utilized, which means there are only 375 beds available. Limpin did not agree with this figure, saying even ICU patients are already being treated in regular wards and emergency rooms.

"Kaya nga importante na dapat digitalized yung data collection natin, data recording, 'yung real time. Para sa ganoon mag-reflect iyan doon sa datos na nilalabas ng Department of Health," she said. "Alisin na siguro ng DOH yung mga dapat na hindi isinasama doon sa pagbilang. So unfortunately kasi kasama pa rin yung mga number ng beds doon sa mga ospital na di tumatanggap ng COVID. Alisin na natin because that is actually giving us wrong information."

[Translation: That's why it's important for our data collection to be digitalized and our data recording should be real time, so that the actual situation will reflect in the data that DOH releases. They should remove those that are not supposed to be part of the count. Unfortunately, they still include the number of beds in hospitals that do not even admit COVID-19 cases. We should remove that because that is actually giving us wrong information.]

In a separate briefing, Health undersecretary and spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire noted that discrepancies really happen when recording COVID-19 cases in national and local scale.

"Katulad ng lagi namin sinasabi, meron talaga tayong difference in the national and local numbers. This is because of the submissions; nauuna naman talaga ang local to validate cases, so isa yan sa tinitignan nating differences," she said, noting that suspect and probable cases are also not included in their tally.

[Translation: Like we always say, there is really a difference in the national and local numbers. This is because of the submissions; localities are the first ones to validate cases, and that's where we attribute the differences.]

The DOH reported 75% utilization in over 4,200 ICU beds in the country. It also said 20,019 more people were confirmed infected as of Sunday, the third consecutive day that new cases breached the 20,000-mark.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 6)  President Rodrigo Duterte may allow the pilot testing of face-to-face classes in areas with low COVID-19 cases, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Monday.

"Ang inisyal na reaksyon ng Presidente, kung talagang pilot at sa mga areas na mababa talaga ang kaso, he may allow it, he said in a briefing.

[Translation: The initial reaction of the President was he may allow it if it is a pilot test and it will only be in areas with very low COVID-19 cases.]

Pero dapat pilot muna in areas na mababa talaga ang kaso (But the pilot should be done in areas with low cases), just so that we could see if it works, if it can be implemented in other areas, Roque added.

Duterte has approved in December last year the pilot implementation of in-person classes in January. He recalled the decision last February, as the national vaccination program has yet to be launched.

Roque said the implementation of face-to-face classes has ceased to be a purely education issue.

It is a multi-disciplinary issue now involving the Health department because of mental health issues, he said. As well as an economic problem, because we are dealing with a generation that could possibly be lost as a result of hybrid na ini-implement natin [of the hybrid classes that we are implementing].

A number of Inter-Agency Task Force members are expected to present to the President the advantages of resuming onsite classes especially in low-risk areas.

The Department of Education said Monday that some 120 schools nationwide will be part of the pilot test should Duterte give the approval.

It added that the dry run will cover kindergarten to Grade 3 levels, with a proposed class size of 12 to 16 students and class hours of up to three hours.

Senators earlier questioned DepEd for its supposed lack of urgency in gradually resuming face-to-face classes even as some countries have returned to a physical classroom setup.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 6)  Despite the government's decision to ease restrictions, the effectiveness of granular lockdown in controlling COVID-19 infections is not yet proven, a leader of a medical group warned on Monday.

"We do not have any evidence as to whether granular lockdowns are effective," Dr. Maricar Limpin, president of the Philippine College of Physicians, told CNN Philippines' The Source.

The National Capital Region will ease to general community quarantine on Sept. 8-30 while implementing specific "pocket area" lockdowns to prevent the spread of infection without disrupting livelihood and business operations. More specific guidelines will follow, but Malacanang said President Rodrigo Duterte already approved the granular lockdown "in principle."

RELATED: NCR shifts to GCQ on Sept. 8 to pilot test localized lockdowns

However, Limpin said the workers who report to offices outside their place of residence must be considered in the implementation of granular lockdowns.

"May mga nangyaring granular (lockdown) dati pero hindi naman natin nalaman kung effective o hindi. That means walang papasok o walang lalabas sa mga lugar na ito," she said. "Pero alam naman natin na dito sa National Capital Region ang mga tao hindi necessarily nagtatrabaho lang within the local government unit kung saan naroon sila. They could be crossing other LGUs."

[Translation: Granular lockdowns were implemented before, but we never knew if they were effective or not. That means, no one can enter or exit these areas. But we know that most people here in the National Capital Region do not necessarily work within the local government unit where they live. They could be crossing other LGUs.]

"So ang magiging problema diyan, how will we be able to effectively implement 'yung granular lockdown na iyan?" she noted.

[Translation: So the problem is, how will we be able to effectively implement that granular lockdown?]

Limpin also pointed out that people who will be affected by the lockdown must receive financial support and other means of assistance.

She said the government must ensure that efficient steps are in place so that the localized lockdown will work, especially because the strict enhanced community quarantine that took effect last Aug. 6-20 still allowed mobility among people.

Metro Manila will be under the modified ECQ until Sept. 7.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 6)  The House of Representatives approved on final reading House Bill 9943, which bans the practice of child marriage.

During the House session on Monday, 196 congressmen voted for the approval of the measure while two lawmakers abstained.

The bill defined child marriage as a formal marriage between children under 18 years of age, and between an adult and a child.

Also under the scope of child marriage in the bill are forced marriages where one or both parties do not have express full, free, and informed consent, and cohabitation outside of wedlock.

The measure also considers a child marriage as void ab initio, which means their union is void from the start as if it never happened.

A person who arranges a child marriage will be jailed and required to pay a fine of not less than 40,000. If the person who arranged the marriage is a parent or guardian of the child, the penalties are imprisonment, a fine of not less than 50,000, and perpetual loss of parental authority.

Those who officiate a child marriage will face jail time and a fine of not less than 50,000. A penalty of perpetual disqualification from office will be added to offenders who are also public officers.

An adult partner cohabiting with a child will face prison time and a fine of not less than 50,000, plus perpetual disqualification from office if the offender is a public officer.

The latest United Nations Childrens Fund data show the country has the 12th highest number of child brides in the world at 726,000.

The UN study added that around 15% of Filipino women get married before the age of 18, while 2% are wed before turning 15 years old.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 6)  A local chief executive gave details on the granular lockdowns to be implemented in Metro Manila for three weeks to replace region-wide hard lockdowns.

San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora said the National Capital Region will be placed under a relaxed general community quarantine from Sept. 8 to 30. However, certain areas like streets, compounds, or households recording a spike in COVID-19 cases will be placed under lockdown.

Unlike the blanket restrictions enforced over the past year, Zamora told CNN Philippines that officials will resort to specific "pocket area" lockdowns to prevent the spread of infection without disrupting livelihood and business operations.

He said the operating capacity of businesses allowed to open under GCQ will depend on alert levels, as defined by the Department of Health based on case count, hospital bed occupancy rate, and the presence of the more transmissible Delta coronavirus variant.

Zamora said mayors will closely monitor establishments referred to as 3Cs: closed areas, crowded areas, and activities requiring close contact.

For areas under Alert Level 4, these 3Cs will not be allowed to operate. A capacity of 30% will be allowed for areas under Alert Level 3, while 50% capacity will be authorized for areas under Alert Level 2. For those under Alert Level 1, all restrictions will be lifted.

The DOH announced on Monday that 16 of the 17 localities in Metro Manila are under Alert Level 4, while the City of Manila is under Alert Level 3 since it has a slightly lower hospital bed occupancy rate. The entire region is classified as "high risk" when it comes to COVID-19 cases.

The Inter-Agency Task Force has yet to issue the final guidelines for the implementation of the granular lockdowns.

Will it be effective?

Zamora said he believes imposing granular lockdowns instead of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) could be effective in bringing down COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila if it is carried out meticulously by local chief executives.

He added that Metro Manila mayors have extensive experience in executing these types of lockdowns.

"Most of Metro Manila LGUs also do this," he said in an interview with CNN Philippines' New Day.

"What you really need is to be very meticulous and very detailed in implementing it," he explained. "It is a pilot. It will be tested in NCR from Sept. 8 until the end of the month. We will see how effective it will be after a three-week implementation."

Health experts agree that the implementation of granular lockdowns in Metro Manila will not be enough to significantly decrease COVID-19 cases in the region.

OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David said granular lockdowns must be complemented by other interventions, such as randomized mass testing, more aggressive contact tracing, and early detection and isolation efforts to effectively curb the spread of the virus.

With Metro Manila still registering over a thousand daily COVID-19 cases, health reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon said a stricter quarantine classification is the answer to slow down infections in the region and the whole nation.

He added that an extension of the current modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status in Metro Manila, not a granular lockdown, is the best compromise to control the spread of COVID-19 infections and to perform more mass testing, intensive contact tracing, and rapid vaccination activities.

"It would be a disaster if they will actually do MECQ to GCQ (general community quarantine) on a granular lockdown," Leachon told CNN Philippines.

"It's quite dangerous considering we have high positivity rate, we have high mobility, we have high reproduction number, we have low testings in a Delta variant environment with a demoralized workforce crisis," he also said.

"It is a perfect storm, actually," he added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 6)  The National Bureau of Investigation has filed criminal complaints against several personnel of the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency involved in the fatal February shootout in Quezon City.

The bureau on Monday said it submitted to the Department of Justice the results of its preliminary probe into the incident, which includes persons it recommends for prosecution.

On February 24, police officers and PDEA operatives engaged in a gunfight during a supposed drug-bust that turned into a "misencounter" near a mall along Commonwealth Avenue. Five people were killed, including an informant.

The NBI filed several complaints, including for homicide, attempted homicide, direct assault, falsification of official documents, robbery, and conniving or consenting to evasion.

Homicide

Complaints for homicide were lodged against the following individuals:

 PDEA agents Khee Rodas, Jelou Santiniaman, and Jeffrey Baguidudol for the death of PCpl. Eric Garado

 PDEA agent Romeo Asuncion for the death of PCpl. Lauro de Guzman

 PCpl. Alvin Borja for the death of PDEA agent Rankin Gano

Authorities have yet to identify the assailant who fatally shot victim Untong Matalnas.

Attempted homicide

Nine personnel, including eight from PNP, are facing complaints for attempted homicide. These are:

 PDEA agent Santiniaman

 PCpl. Borja

 PLt. Ronnie Ereno

 PCpl. Marlon Masiclat

 PCpl. Ronilo Prepose

 PCpl. Jason Coranez

 PCpl. Aries Curit

 PCpl. Marco Tapanan

 PCpl. James Dasalla

Direct assault, other complaints

Complaints for direct assault with physical injuries, direct assault with less serious physical injuries, and direct assault were also filed against three police officers:

 PMaj. Sandie Caparroso

 PNP PCpl. Paul Christian Gandeza

 PLt. Honey Besas

Meanwhile, the NBI filed a complaint for falsification of official document against PDEA agent Baguidudol, while it recommended that PMaj. Caparroso, PCpl. Gandeza, and PLt. Besas be prosecuted for robbery.

PMaj. Caparroso and PLt. Besas, along with PLt. Ereno and PCpl. Christopher Alvarez and are also facing complaints for conniving or consenting to evasion.

The NBI said the pieces of evidence it gathered include sworn statements of witnesses, a digital forensic laboratory report, the Scene of the Crime Operatives report, ballistic examination results, medico-legal reports, and the Firearms Investigation and Laboratory Division report.

In a statement, PDEA said it commits to cooperating in the legal process, adding that the NBI's move is a step towards obtaining justice. PDEA Director General Wilkins Villanueva added it will also provide both involved agencies an opportunity to answer all allegations."

PDEA said that in June, it also filed separate complaints against police officers involved in the incident.

Despite this, it maintained that it continues to have "a strong partnership with PNP in fighting criminality and illegal drugs.

Earlier, Villanueva and then-PNP chief General Debold Sinas and PDEA Director General Wilkins Villanueva maintained their men were both conducting legitimate buy-bust operations and that they had coordinated.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 6)  Insofar as the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) receives government support, Malacanang said Monday that the non-government organization must be audited by state auditors.

Hindi naman lahat ng pondo ng PRC ay galing sa gobyerno, hindi talaga dapat i-subject ng audit ng COA. But insofar as tumatanggap ang PRC ng government support, kinakailangan i-audit, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a briefing.

[Translation: Not all funds of PRC are sourced from the government, so they should not be subject to audit by COA (Commission on Audit). But insofar as PRC receive government support, that should be audited.]

Roque said that COA should look into PRC's RT-PCR test service, including if senior citizens receive discount on their tests.

Unang-una, yung sinabi ni Presidente, binibigay ba ang benepisyo sa mga senior citizens? he said.

[Translation: First, just like what the President said, do our senior citizens receive the benefits they are entitled to?]

Ang alam ko halos lahat ng makina ng Red Cross ay donated, pero bakit ang singil ay 4,000? Dapat kung donated ang machines dapat mas mababa sa 4,000 ang singil sa RT-PCR. Ngayon po, sa paguutos ng Presidente, gusto niya malaman sa PhilHealth, Bakit kayo nagbayad ng 4,000?, Roque added.

[Translation: I know that almost all the machines of Red Cross are donated, but why does each test cost 4,000? If the machines are donated, the RT-PCR test should only cost less than 4,000. Now, the President is asking the PhilHealth why it pays 4,000 for each test?]

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier demanded a full audit report on PRC as he accused its chairman Senator Richard Gordon of using the organization's funds for his electoral campaigns.

Duterte also accused PRC of violating the Expanded Senior Citizens Act for supposedly not giving the elderly a discount for its COVID-19 tests, which have astronomical rates.

Gordon earlier dismissed the accusations and COA already said that it does not have the jurisdiction to audit the organization.

However, Roque maintained that PRC should still be audited by COA.

Ito may involve not only public funds, but also meron din ditong issues of [there also issues of] good governance, he said.

Republic Act No. 10072 provides 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."

The law 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."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 6)  Results of the clinical trial on virgin coconut oil (VCO) as possible COVID-19 treatment may be released sooner than later, an official said Monday.

"Anytime soon maglalabas na ng resulta para sa VCO dahil natapos last month ang pag-aaral kung pwede itong gamitin sa pasyente na nasa ospital dahil sa COVID-19," said Dr. Jaime Montoya, executive director of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development.

[Translation: Anytime soon we will release the result for VCO because the study, which evaluates if it can be used in patients who are in hospital due to COVID-19, ended last month.]

READ: VCO can ease symptoms of suspected COVID-19 patients, study finds

Authorities began exploring the efficacy of VCO late last year. A community-based study found that it helped reduce the severity of symptoms of suspected COVID-19 patients.

The first VCO study was conducted in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. The trial was also launched at the Philippine General Hospital and Valenzuela City.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 6)  The Senate passed a bill on Monday postponing the first regular elections of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Lawmakers voted 13-3 with one abstention during the final reading.

Once passed into law, Senate Bill No. 2214 says, instead of 2022, the regional polls will be held in 2025 and will be synchronized with the national elections.

In a statement, Senator Francis Tolentino, the bills sponsor, said there was a need to extend the region's transition period to implement the political and normalization efforts embodied in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.

"However, it (the committee) is also mindful of the Bangsamoro people's right to assert their democracy in the said region and exercise their right of suffrage. Although the BTA (Bangsamoro Transition Authority) has considerably delivered some of its mandates under the BOL (Bangsamoro Organic Law), there is much work yet to be done," Tolentino added.

Tolentino heads the Senate Committee on Local Government.

In a sponsorship speech in May, Tolentino said the pandemic has affected the programs of the BTA in leading the transition period in the region as mandated by the BOL.

However, this was countered by Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson who said postponing the elections would mean "treading on a very dangerous ground."

"If the pandemic is the reason for the postponement of the BARMM election next year, it could open the floodgates to a no-el situation in the national and local elections next year," he said.

CNN Philippines' Eimor Santos and Pia Garcia contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 7)  The House of Representatives unanimously approved on third and final reading a bill that will compensate the owners of properties that were destroyed during the Marawi siege in 2017.

A total of 197 lawmakers on Monday voted in favor of House Bill No. 9925, also known as the Marawi Compensation Act.

It creates and institutionalizes the Task Force Bangon Marawi to achieve the objectives set in the Marawi Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program.

The task force and its subcommittees shall function until the program is completed and the provisions of the measure are fulfilled.

RELATED: Rehabilitating Marawi City, a promise yet to be fulfilled?

Under the proposed law, private owners shall be granted a replacement cost for loss or destruction of property due to the gunfight between government forces and terrorist groups.

The cost shall be based on the current market value of the improvements and structures as determined by the implementing agency, a government financial institution with adequate experience in property appraisal, or an independent property appraiser accredited by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Apart from the existing subcommittees of the task force, a Subcommittee on Claims and Compensation will be also created that shall handle the processing of claims filed by claimants  or the lawful owners or possessors who have become internally displaced persons as a result of the demolition or destruction of their private properties due to the conflict.

The determination of monetary compensation will be patterned after Republic Act No. 10368, or the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013.

A counterpart bill is pending before the Senate Special Committee on Marawi City Rehabilitation.

CNN Philippines correspondent Xianne Arcangel contributed to this report.
(CNN)  It was approaching a sweltering 100 degrees when California Gov. Gavin Newsom jumped into the back of a flatbed truck to thank dozens of laborers for their work to keep him in office.

"I know what you are thinking," said Newsom in shirtsleeves and a tie. "He better be short, it is 100 degrees out here."

Labor has been central to Newsom's effort to keep his job, and if he is able to stave off a Republican-backed recall effort on September 14, he could have the scores of labor unions backing him to thank for it. The union workers in California have not only become Newsom's base because of their ties to labor, but because Newsom is also benefiting from deep support among voters of color -- many of whom made up the audience for the governor's speech on Sunday.

"Your family is here in the federation," Ron Herrera, head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, said to Newsom, as union workers from across the county picked through barbeque provided by the Sheet Metal Local 105.

In Los Angeles County, where Newsom rallied on Sunday, the entire affiliation of labor unions through the AFL-CIO has spent at least $2 million to protect Newsom, according to the organization's spokesman Christian Castro. They have coordinated over 1,100 volunteer shifts, making over 550,000 phone calls and knocking on over 60,000 doors, with the goal of hitting a total of 100,000 doors by Election Day.

It's an effort Newsom was clearly aware of as he stood sweating on the Chevrolet flatbed.

"I just want to, from the bottom of my heart, say thank you to all working folks out here, all those essential workers here in the state of California," Newsom said, lauding the workers for their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic. "One thing I am resolved to do is not forget... You had our backs, and I want you to know, I will have your back."

Newsom told CNN after the event that the reason labor is so critical to him is simply because "no one knows how to organize better than labor."

"It's about boots on the ground, door knocking. It's about text messaging," said Newsom, whose campaign is primarily concerned about getting Democrats to the polls, not that they are supportive of this recall. "It's not a persuasion campaign. I mean, you'll still find people that may be on the fence, but it's really about turnout. Labor knows how to turn out."

In addition to the manpower, unions have helped propel the anti-recall effort. Newsom's campaign told CNN on Sunday that local chapters of the Service Employees International Union, California Teachers Association, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, State Building & Construction Trades Council, Laborers' International Union of North America, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and The United Association have contributed a combined $14 million to fight the recall and protect Newsom.

Newsom's primary opponent, Republican Larry Elder, has sought to turn Newsom's union support -- particularly from unions representing teachers -- into a potent attack against him.

Elder has argued the teachers' union is the biggest obstacle standing in the way of his plans to introduce more school choice to improve the education of California's children. He has been sharply critical of the way that Newsom shut down California's schools during the pandemic, arguing that it has had a disproportionately negative effect on Black and brown students, and has criticized Newsom's close relationship with the teachers' union -- calling the governor "beholden to the unions" -- as a reason that he went along with those plans.

"The number one obstacle to school choice is the teacher's union," Elder said at an event in Ontario, California, on Saturday. "Who is the number one funder of my opponent? Teachers Union!"

And in an interview with CNN last week, Elder slammed the money Newsom has raised from unions: "My opponent can raise an unlimited amount of money -- already he's raised about $50 million from the usual suspects: teachers Union, public sector unions."

But as the recall enters its final stretch, Newsom is not at all shying away from his labor ties, knowing that the potent organizations -- which enjoy a notably high approval rating at 65%, according to Gallup -- will be critical for his biggest issue: turnout.

Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2-to-1 in a state that President Joe Biden won by nearly 30 points. But polls throughout the summer showed that Republican voters were much more fired up than Democratic voters about casting their ballots in the recall. Still, in order to overcome their math problem in the Golden State, Republicans would have to post a massive turnout while Democratic turnout remained relatively low. Early ballot returns suggest that Newsom has made some headway in convincing Democrats that there is a real risk to their agenda if they don't participate.

For the union workers who spent Sunday afternoon munching on tacos, dancing to Selena and listening to Newsom, the recall effort was not only an affront to the work they did to elect Newsom a few short years ago, but an effort that is inextricably tied to race and immigration.

"Organized labor has been key in making sure that this becomes a deep blue state," said Hugo Soto-Martinez, a 38-year-old hotel worker who is represented by Unite Here Local 11. "The values of the state reflect the union values and those are workers, those are immigrants, those are people who work for a paycheck in this country."

Laborers like Soto-Martinez have been committing considerable time to keeping Newsom in office, either by knocking on doors or working the phones to connect with people about the looming recall.

Shavon Moore-Cage, a worker represented by AFSCME District Council 36, told CNN she calls voters at least three nights a week after she cooks dinner. The reason: Her union is diverse, and she wants to make sure that diversity is celebrated in California, not attacked.

"The unions here in California, we are like a melting pot of people. We represent every culture, we represent every race, we represent all ethnic groups," said Moore-Cage. Asked about Elder, the response was blunt: "He doesn't represent all colors and all nationality. He may say he does, but his action speaks louder than words."

Elder's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

In addition to labor, Newsom has also leaned on national Democratic figures to boost interest from the party's base -- rallying with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Saturday in Los Angeles, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Sunday in Orange County and is set to rally with Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday in Northern California.

The rush of top Democrats flooding to California has given the recall effort a national tone, with Newsom stoking that sentiment as an effort to make the recall more of a referendum on national Republicans -- and the legacy of former President Donald Trump -- and less on his leadership of California.

But for the labor leaders Newsom rallied with on Sunday, the recall is as much about Newsom as it is about their union rights.

"This is not an attack on the governor only," Gloria Alvarado, executive director of the Orange County Labor Federation, said during her speech at an event with Newsom and Klobuchar in Orange County on Sunday. "This is an attack on the house of labor."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Union workers propel Newsom in waning days of recall campaign."
(CNN)  Health experts are reinforcing the point that full vaccination remains highly effective against severe illness and death caused by COVID-19 as federal regulators consider the possibility of authorizing a third dose in the upcoming weeks.

"What's the goal of this vaccine? The stated goal by (CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky) and others is to prevent serious infection, and all the data today, published by the CDC, presented by the CDC, is it's done exactly that," Dr. Paul Offit, a top vaccine expert and US Food and Drug Administration adviser said Friday.

"There's been no evidence of clear erosion of protection against serious disease," he said.

The conversation around vaccines has fluctuated because health experts are learning new information about the coronavirus and its variants.

But amid the debate, experts are consistent in noting the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines.

"Remember, even the current doses of vaccines still protect you so well from hospitalization and death. We are not back in early 2020 or even early 2021 for those of us that have not received boosters yet. We are still protected against the worst effects of this virus," Dr. Megan Ranney, professor of emergency medicine at Brown University, told CNN on Friday.

A CNN analysis of US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from last month suggests that more than 99.99% of fully vaccinated people have not had a breakthrough case of COVID-19 resulting in hospitalization or death.

And it's because of such a high degree of protection that Offit emphasized that America can make significant headway against the pandemic by simply vaccinating the unvaccinated.

He added that the federal government's messaging on booster shots has been confusing and frustrating.

"It's confusing to people. I've had a number of calls and emails from people saying, 'Wait, so I'm not fully protected anymore?'" Offit said.

"I think the message that should come out right now is if you received two doses of mRNA vaccines, you have a very high chance of not having serious infection, and that that has lasted up until the present moment, that you should consider yourself protected against serious illness."

Roughly 62.2% of the US population has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose while about 52.9% is fully vaccinated, CDC data shows. Of the 10 states with the worst COVID-19 case rates over the past week, seven of them also had among the 10 best vaccination rates, according to the agency.

Plan for booster shots is 'confusing people,' top FDA official says

The US Food and Drug Administration is set to meet September 17 to discuss COVID-19 booster shots. Last month, the White House said people who got the two mRNA vaccines  the two-shot vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna  may receive boosters starting September 20.

However, on Thursday, FDA Acting Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said the administration still doesn't have enough safety data on booster shots.

"Why would you announce this? Well, we need to have a plan and the plan would involve the vaccination of very large numbers of people in the United States with a booster dose," Woodcock told Dr. John Whyte of WebMD during a virtual interview published online Thursday.

"We have to make a plan somewhat before we have all the data and I think that, John, is what's confusing people," Woodcock said.

"The trends that we're seeing in resistance to the virus in fully immunized people lend us to believe that at some point we're going to cross that threshold and we're going to see hospitalizations and more serious disease and when that happens, we want to be ready," Woodcock told Whyte.

To be sure, White House officials announced that the booster rollout would be subject to the green light from the FDA and sign-off from the CDC. Woodcock said on Thursday that data already shows some waning immunity among vaccinated people.

On Friday, officials told CNN there have been conversations within the Biden administration about scaling back the booster plan due to concerns the FDA might only be prepared to recommend boosters for people who had the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, the agency doesn't have enough data on Moderna to make that recommendation, an official told CNN.

Pfizer/BioNTech applied for a booster shot FDA approval last month, and Moderna said it applied Wednesday.

Florida sees decline in COVID-19 cases

Meanwhile, there was some good news from Florida, which broke its own record for new COVID-19 cases multiple times last month. Over the past week, there was a decline in cases, according to data published Friday by the state health department.

The state averaged about 18,463 daily new cases last week, equivalent to 588.1 new cases per 100,000 people each day between August 27 and September 2. That is a drop from the prior week, when the average of daily new cases was 21,678.

Florida has fully vaccinated slightly more than half of its population, according to CDC data.

Meanwhile, the mask mandate feud between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and public school districts continues. DeSantis has been sparring with school officials for weeks because he banned mask mandates in schools, but some implemented them anyway.

Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran sent individual letters to nine districts demanding the districts "document how your district is complying with Florida Department of Health emergency rule" as part of a non-compliance investigation. He also threatened to withhold state funds if districts did not fully comply with DeSantis' order to include a parent opt-out in school mask mandate policies.

CNN has confirmed all nine districts have now responded to Corcoran's August 27 letter.

They argued they are in compliance with Florida law and consider the mandate a necessity for health and safety. Some of the districts also mentioned last week's ruling by a Florida judge that indicated DeSantis does not have the authority to make a blanket ban on mask mandates. DeSantis on Thursday filed a notice to appeal the judge's ruling.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Already vaccinated against Covid-19? Experts say you're protected, even without a booster shot."
State College's branch of the American Association of University Women is having its 2021 used book sale from Oct. 9-12 at the Snider Agricultural Arena on Penn States campus.

The annual book sale  which according to AAUW's website is one of the largest book sales in the country  started in 1962. Since then, visitors have donated and purchased many books, collectibles, puzzles and games.

Masks are required for admittance into the Snider Agricultural Arena, according to AAUW.

Proceeds from the book sale have funded AAUWs mission and scholarships to women in Centre County, the website said. Sales also support various STEM programs and branch programs in Centre County.

The sale will start at 9 a.m. each day, the website said. With a maximum occupancy of 450 customers, numbers will be handed out starting at 6:30 a.m. to determine the order of admittance of customers.

AAUW said book donations have halted in preparation for the book sale but will resume Oct. 26 for the next sale.

MORE BOROUGH COVERAGE
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Jeffrey A. Conrad Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, artist Rosemarie Fiore is creating three of the five murals in the HUB-Robeson Center, according to HUB-Robeson Galleries via Twitter.

Join artist Rosemarie Fiore on the HUB Lawn September 9th from 2:00pm - 5:00pm for a live smoke painting performance. Find an action packed day of offerings as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity. #SoVAsogood pic.twitter.com/j1MKueBjZS  PSU SoVA (@PSU_SoVA) August 31, 2021

Fiore will host a live smoke painting performance on the HUB lawn from 2 p.m to 5 p.m. Thursday, according to a release.

Fiores paintings will be featured as a part of the Multicultural Mural project on the ground floor of the HUB above the Starbucks, according to Danielle Spewak, visual arts production specialist.

The Multicultural Mural Project began in 1992 to help project a cross-cultural experience for Penn State and was sponsored by the Office of Student Affairs and the School of Visual Arts, according to the tweet.

According to the HUB-Robeson Galleries Twitter, students from the School of Visual Arts, the University Student Advisory Boards, Asian American Student Coalition, Black Caucus, Latina Caucus, Native American Student Association and the Puerto Rican Student Association worked to create ideas for the five murals which will be displayed.

MORE BOROUGH COVERAGE
John Mikos, the chairman of the El Paso County Democratic Party, said he doesnt get discouraged helming the underdog team in one of the states most reliably Republican counties  in part, because the countys electorate has been shifting toward his party in the last few cycles.

Colorado Springs last year had the national distinction of being the large metropolitan area  with a population over 250,000  with the greatest swing against former President Donald Trump between the 2016 and 2020 elections, 11.37 percentage points, as a share of the two-party vote. That's according to a New York Times analysis that still gets plenty of attention at local Democratic headquarters. (Two other Colorado metro areas  Fort Collins and Denver  finished in second and third place on the national ranking, a phenomenon the Times attributed to the fast-growing states preponderance of people with four-year college degrees.)

Mikos, a career Army officer and Iraq combat veteran who retired with the rank of colonel, calls himself a lifelong Democrat, though he notes that he didnt get politically active until after he hung up his uniform.

Mikos and his wife live in Monument  enjoying a good view of the Air Force Academy from their patio, he says  and have four children and one grandchild.

Our interview with Mikos has been edited for length and clarity.

Colorado Politics: How did you land in El Paso County, and what led to your election this past spring as county chair?

John Mikos: I'm a retired Army officer, moved around my entire life quite a bit. My wife and I settled here just in the last few years; weve enjoyed traveling through Colorado for years. I became involved in the local Democratic Party, and then this past year when we had a reorganization, the previous chair, Electra Johnson, a good friend of mine, stepped down, and I threw my hat in the ring, and lo and behold, became the new party chair.

CP: Had you been stationed in the Colorado Springs region at any time when you were active duty?

Mikos: No, I wasnt stationed here, though we had visited quite a bit. It's really a perfect place for military retirees, with great systems, good TRICARE; it's just a wonderful community for retired military. Its a great community all around.

CP: El Paso County has been a Republican stronghold for as long as anyone can remember, although that hold seems to be loosening a bit in recent years. Is that something you feel on the ground, or does it just look that way on paper?

Mikos: I feel it on the ground. It does reflect the numbers. I think the message is this: El Paso County is rapidly trending purple. That is the clear indication. Population change is driving that, voter registration is driving that, and even voter trends. I am confident that over the next few years, we are going to see increasingly competitive districts within El Paso County in the state legislative races and in the county commissioner races. All of the numbers point in that direction, towards a purple county with competitive districts. I think that's consistent with what voters want. Even redistricting is going to advance that, because one of the goals of the independent redistricting commission is to produce more competitive districts. Democrats in El Paso County are feeling very positive about where we stand right now.

CP: Are you talking about what showed up last year when Colorado Springs was found to have had the biggest shift, nationally, from Republican to Democratic in the presidential vote, in large metro areas?

Mikos: Thats right, it was a New York Times analysis, and it was the Colorado Springs metropolitan area, so a bit broader than the city but not quite the whole county. The analysis of the 2020 presidential race showed we had the largest shift away from President Trump from 2016 to 2020. That's one of those trends that I mentioned, the voting trends. Voting registration trends are heading that way as well. Throughout Colorado, we're seeing the rise of the unaffiliated voter, thats clear. Its impacting all of the parties. But in El Paso County, the Republican registration has been dropping off precipitously, whereas the Democratic Party registration has really just declined by a fraction of a percentage point.

Right now, there are 720,000 people in the county, and 508,000 voters  44% of those are unaffiliated, 34% are Republican, 20% Democrat, and then 2% other, third parties. But the story behind the story has been the drop from just a few years ago where the Republicans were running 42-43% of county registration, and they're down, into the mid-30s, while the Democratic Party registration in El Paso County is basically holding its own, its dropped about a half of a percentage point. So you can tell already that the preponderance of these unaffiliated voters are leaving the ranks of the Republican Party, and, we believe, they become more persuadable. Our job as a local party is to get organized, to get the Democratic Party message out and to be actively involved in voter engagement, voter registration, those kinds of activities.

CP: How much do you think that shift between 2016 and 2020 can be attributed to voter reaction to Donald Trump, rather than generic partisan decisions, as El Paso County starts to act more like other large suburban counties in Colorado? Once Trump is no longer on the ballot, wont many of these voters return to the GOP?

Mikos: I'm not going to delve into exactly what motivates Republican voters. I'm sure there's a lot of Republicans who are very conflicted, and Im sure there are a lot of Republican voters who are really questioning where their party has gone  thats something theyll have to figure out. No doubt theres truth that Donald Trump was a particularly toxic person and there may be some votes against Trump, but what I see in El Paso County is that there are other trends that seem to support that. This is becoming a rapidly, more diverse county. The Latino population is increasing, it's the largest demographic as a percentage of increase in the recent census numbers. That kind of diversity generally helps the Democratic Party. Were a party in which everybody is welcome, and I think that plays very well here in El Paso County.

CP: It looks like three Democrats are already challenging Doug Lamborn, but every time hes run for re-election, the question has always been whether he could survive a Republican primary, since the Democratic nominees seem to hit the ceiling at about 40% of the vote. When are Democrats going to be competitive in that congressional race?

Mikos: We have, and we'll continue to put competitive candidates forward. The voters of the 5th Congressional District are going to have some real choices. There's a significant degree of dissatisfaction in many quarters, to include perhaps within his own party, of Congressman Lamborn. So we're going to be competitive starting in 2022 and increasingly competitive as we move into the out years. This is becoming a more competitive district. The preliminary maps that have been released by the (redistricting) commission are very favorable. The remaining parts of the county that are in the district are the parts that are growing in Democratic votes, so we are feeling very optimistic about that. We do have three declared candidates already, all fine people. I think the voters want to see that.

CP: You certainly arent running the county Democratic Party in a vacuum. The county's Republican Party has had some controversies and even some difficulty organizing in the last year. Does that make it easier to do your job, when the opposition is in some disarray, or does that encourage people to throw up their hands and say they dont want to be involved in politics?

Mikos: I hope people don't throw their hands up, because we dont want people to get disengaged about being active politically. I think that the political parties in this country play an important role framing the issues, in candidate development, and in making sure that there's a mechanism for people to run for office. Im very proud of the fact that in El Paso County, we have a real grassroots organization, and it's a way for people to get on the ballot. We don't run closed-door sessions. We don't pick favorites before the primary. The party stays neutral and it encourages Democrats to come forward, and it helps them navigate that process. We welcome primaries. We arent trying to get out of primaries.

I'm not going to speak to the Republican Party. It's obvious that they're working through some stuff right now. My only hope is that everything doesn't get voters disillusioned about civics and about the positive way that political life can shape our community. That's why I'm in it, and thats why I do what I do. I get a lot of energy and spend a lot of time with young Democrats, talking with young people about the value of public service, encouraging them to start out with things like being on an advisory board or a commission or running for school board, carving out a part of your professional life that you get into civic life, volunteerism. That kind of thing is what we're trying to promote.

We're in this for the long game. We're not in this for just the next election cycle. We want to create a competitive environment throughout El Paso County where there's robust discussion about the issues, candidates coming forward, and the voters of El Paso County having real choices in every district. That's our goal.
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
A number of places around the country are starting to require proof of vaccination. The best advice is to call ahead to the venue you plan on visiting and ask for their policy.
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Microsofts digital assistant Cortana was one of the major additions to Windows 10 when it first came out. But it was launched back in December 2015, and its changed quite a bit since then. Over the years, its had new features added, and then others taken away. Depending on which version of Windows youre using, it may be integrated directly into the Windows Search box, or run as an entirely separate app.

No matter which version you use, though, its a very useful tool and can do a lot for you, including alerting you to upcoming meetings; searching your PC and the web; telling you about the weather, news, and sports; and a lot more. To help you get the most out of Cortana, Ive put together some of my favorite tips for using it  including using Cortana to manage your Google Calendar and to send you reminders.

Note that this article covers tips for Cortana in the Windows 10 May 2021 Update (version 21H1), so if you have a different version, things may look different or may not work. If thats the case for you, see the Cortana and search section of Computerworlds Windows 10 cheat sheet or the Cortana section of our Windows 10 May 2020 Update review.

Cortana basics

Before we head into the tips, we should cover a bit of background. Cortana used to be integrated in the Windows search box: Whether you performed a search by speaking or typing, the results were delivered in the Cortana pane. But thats changed over time. First, Microsoft separated Cortana from the Windows search box. And then Microsoft went ever further and turned Cortana into its own app that works like any other Windows 10 app, including running in a resizable window that can be moved around the screen.

Thats the way it works now. So the only way to use Cortana is to run the app. You can start it by clicking the Cortana icon in the taskbar just to the right of the search box, pressing the Windows key + C, or saying Cortana.

Once you start the app, to perform a Cortana search, you say Hey Cortana and speak your search, or click the Cortana icon to the right of the search box and speak, or press the Windows key + C and speak or type.

When you ask Cortana a straightforward question or issue a straightforward command, Cortana displays the result onscreen and reads it to you. However, if you ask a more complicated question that requires a display of web links, Cortana will show the links in the Edge browser.

IDG Cortana displays the results of your request and reads them to you.

In the previous version of Cortana, you often had to fill out on-screen forms to create reminders. However, the Cortana app now offers a chat-like experience, so you instead speak or type using plain English words. Cortana may ask questions to clarify what you want done, tell you its created the reminder, or say it cant create the reminder. As with chat or texting, it displays your previous interactions, so you can scroll back and see your questions and Cortanas answers.

You may need to customize Cortana so you can activate it by voice or by pressing the Windows key + C. To do it, you first need turn on voice activation on your PC, and allow Cortana use be activated by voice. Go to Settings > Privacy > Voice activation and move the slider from Off to On under Allow apps to use voice activation. Then scroll down to Choose which apps can use voice activation and under Cortana, move the slider to On for Let Cortana respond to Cortana keyword. If you want Cortana to respond even when your PC is locked, move the slider to On for Use Cortana when my device is locked.

After youve done that, youll have to turn on permissions in Windows 10s settings app. Go to Settings > Privacy > Microphone. If you see the message, Microphone access for this device is off, click the Change button and move the slider to On. Then in the Allow apps to access your microphone section turn the slider to On.

You can also remove the Cortana button to the right of the search box. Right-click the taskbar and uncheck Show Cortana button from the menu that appears. (You can even turn off the search box in this way. Right-click the taskbar, select Search, and click Hidden.)

One final note before we begin: Cortanas capabilities were significantly scaled back in the Windows 10 May 2020 Update. It can no longer play music, control streaming video services like Netflix or Hulu, control smart home appliances, or do other consumer-oriented tasks. And it cant do many smaller tasks either, such as creating location-based reminders  for example, having it tell you to buy Cherry Garcia ice cream when youre at a Whole Foods store.

Those familiar with previous versions of Cortana will likely notice that it has been stripped down in another way as well. Theres no longer a notebook that lets you do things such view and edit your reminders. In many cases, you simply cant do the things with Cortana that you used to set up through the notebook  the various consumer tasks, notably.

Were watching Cortana closely, though. So check back regularly in case Microsoft decides to give it some more power in the future.

1. Use natural-language queries

Cortana is a lot smarter than you think: It lets you use natural-language queries  in other words, make requests of it using plain English (or whatever your language is), rather than having to use specific words.

For example, to send an email to a contact, you can say, Send an email to Jane Doe. Cortana will look through your contacts, find the person to whom you want to send the email, and then let you fill out a form onscreen to create and send the email without having to go into a mail app. If youve linked your Outlook account to another account, such as a Gmail account, it will look through that as well. And if it finds multiple matches for the persons name, it will ask you which address you want to send the mail to.

2. Set and use reminders

One of Cortanas most useful features is the way in which it can remind you about tasks or upcoming events. Its very simple to set a reminder  just say or type in plain English what you want to be reminded about  for example, Create a reminder for my weekly Wednesday 1 pm Zoom meeting.

IDG To create a reminder in Cortana, just speak or type in plain English.

In order for Cortana to pop up alerts about the reminders youve set, you need to turn on Windows 10s notification feature. To do it, go to Settings > System > Notifications & actions and then turn the slider on in the Get notifications from apps and other senders section.

Note that if you dont give Cortana enough information to create the reminder, it will ask you a follow-up question. So if you say Create a reminder for my weekly meeting but dont specify at what time you want to be reminded, Cortana will ask When should I remind you? Speak or type the answer, and your reminder will be created.

You can set reminders in the same way for time and contacts. If you want to be reminded to fill your car with gas tomorrow morning, for example, say or type Remind me to get gas tomorrow morning. A screen will pop up asking for more details, such as the exact time and whether it should be a recurring reminder.

IDG You can ask Cortana to create reminders based on the time of day.

You can also tell Cortana to remind you to do something when you interact with someone in your contact book. So if you want to remind yourself to ask your friend Lydia about a dinner invitation, say Remind me to ask Lydia about a dinner invitation. A screen pops up asking for the contacts name if Cortana didnt recognize it. Then the next time you send or receive an email with that person, youll get the reminder.

When youve set a reminder, and its time for the reminder to alert you to do something, the alert doesnt come via Cortana. Instead, its sent as a Windows notification.

In previous versions of Cortana, you could easily view, manage, and edit your reminders via Cortanas notebook. But Cortana no longer has a notebook, and so its not easy to do anymore. However, you can do it using a little-known Microsoft tool called To-Do. Head to https://to-do.live.com/ and log in using your Microsoft account information. (You can install the Microsoft To Do app from the Microsoft Store if you prefer to use an app rather than do it on the web.)

Click Tasks and youll see a list of all of your reminders. Click any reminder, and you can edit it, for example by having it repeat, changing the day and time, adding it to your calendar, dismissing it, and so on.

IDG If you want to edit your reminders, youll have to do it using Microsoft To Do. (Click image to enlarge it.)

3. Manage your Google Calendar with Cortana

Windows 10 includes a built-in calendar app that works with Cortana. However, if youre a Google Calendar user, you can get Cortana to integrate with that as well, so you can use Cortana to create and edit appointments, and show you your schedule with Google Calendar in the same way as you do with the built-in Windows 10 Calendar app.

To do it, you first need to integrate your Google Calendar with the Windows 10 Calendar. First, launch the Calendar app by typing calendar into the Windows 10 search box, then clicking the Calendar app icon that appears.

Next, click the Settings icon on the lower left of the Calendar screen  the icon is in the shape of a gear. When the Settings pane appears, select Manage Accounts > Add account. From the screen that appears, select Google. Youll be asked to sign in with your Google account information. Follow the prompts to create the account.

IDG You can create an appointment in your Google Calendar using Cortana if you add your Google account information. (Click image to enlarge it.)

Thats all it takes. From now on, your Google calendar will sync with the Windows 10s Calendar app. So, for example, if you ask Cortana to create appointment, youll be able to tell Cortana the details, including the date, time, and purpose. If any information Cortana needs is missing, it will ask you, and you merely need to provide the answer. Cortana will add the event to your Calendar. Regardless of which calendar you add an event to, both Google and Windows 10 Calendar will remain in sync.

Also, when you ask to see your schedule  such as by asking Whats my schedule today?  Cortana will show you the events from all of your calendars, including Google.

One downside is that you cant add events to sub-calendars on Google Calendar (like home or work) with any regular success. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesnt.

4. Use alternate search engines and browsers with Cortana

The latest version of Cortana is designed for tasks such as setting reminders, interacting with your calendar, and similar tasks, but it also answers many general questions, such as Why are deepfakes dangerous?

It does this by using Microsofts Bing search engine to do the search. Bing then sends the results to Cortana, and Cortana reformats the information and reads and/or displays information from the first search result. You can also click the See more link at the bottom right to see the information on the Bing web site. Microsofts Edge browser displays the results.

In some instances, Cortana wont give an answer to your query, and instead responds with a phrase such as Sorry I dont know the answer to this one. In that case, Cortana will offer you a link that you can click on to be sent to a Bing search for the question, which will be displayed in Edge.

(Note: I did an investigation and found that Cortana wont tell you even the most basic information about protecting yourself against COVID-19, including whether masks help protect against the spread of COVID and whether vaccines are effective against COVID. It wont even answer the question, Will the COVID-19 vaccine implant a microchip in me? or whether measles or polio vaccines work, even though it will offer you advice on what to do if you get a cold. For details, see Cortana is AWOL in the war against COVID-19 disinfo.)

If you prefer, when you click a link in Cortana you can have different browser than Edge display the results. Its easy to do. Just change your default web browser. To do it, go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps and scroll down to Web browser. Click the Microsoft Edge icon. It will display the browsers youve installed. Click the browser you want to use, and from then on, Cortana will use that browser to display results of searches. And it will also be your default browser for using Windows in general.

Even when you do that, though, Cortana will still use Bing to perform the search. You can, though, instead have Cortana use Google, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, or Baidu to perform the search. To do that, youll also have to make your default web browser either Chrome or Firefox.

If you want to change from Bing to an alternate search engine and use Chrome as your default web browser, first follow the above steps to tell Windows to user Chrome as your default browser. Then launch Chrome and install the Chrometana Pro extension. Ignore the instructions about having to download and use a program called Edge Deflector  you only need to do that if you have a Windows 10 version previous to the May 2020 Update.

Click the Chrometana Pro extension on the upper-right of the screen in Chrome, then choose your new default search engine for Cortana. From now on, your web searches launched from Cortana will use whatever search engine you choose and will display the results in Chrome.

IDG The Chrometana Pro Chrome extension redirects your Cortana searches to Google, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, or Baidu rather than Bing.

Note that theres also a version of Chrometana Pro for Firefox. To use it, first make Firefox your default web browser, then install Foxtana Pro in Firefox, and use the same instructions outlined for Chrometana Pro for Chrome.

This article was originally published in March 2016 and most recently updated in September 2021.
100%

Website laformation.ma uses latest and advanced technologies like: Boostrap and Php. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 281594 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 70526 bytes (68.87 kb uncompressed) and 15098 bytes (14.74 kb compressed).

This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-09-06, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.
Animal testing continues to stir up controversy in Europe. As previously reported, the cosmetic industry and nongovernmental organizations claim REACH amendments for chemical safety could increase animal testing.

For example, one amendment requires that any positive result from an in vitro genotoxicity study should automatically trigger a follow-up animal test. In relation, a recent paper from Unilever authors underscores how a paradigm shift is necessary to close the gap between how chemicals are assessed for safety to meet regulatory constraints, and the benefits that modern safety science can provide.

See related: Report; Mexico Bans Animal Testing for Cosmetics

According to the paper, animal use for testing chemicals under REACH continues to increase, despite advances in non-animal safety science during the past 15 years. The article explains the use of modern science and next-generation weight-of-evidence assessments are embedded in European Union (EU) guidance to establish food and cosmetic safety; but this is still not the case for the regulation of chemicals.

"We are at a tipping point for closing the gap between regulatory chemicals testing and modern safety science," the authors write. "It is time to join forces. . . to lead the paradigm shift needed to deliver what EU citizens wantnamely, chemicals and products that are safe and sustainable, without resorting to animal testing."

In parallel, according to a report by The Drum, The Body Shop and Dove have joined forces to call on the EU to protect the ban on animal testing. The goal is to mobilize 1 million European citizens to save cruelty-free cosmetics in Europe.

The two cosmetic giants have partnered with Peta, Cruelty-Free International (CFI), Cruelty-Free Europe, Humane Society International (HSI), Eurogroup for Animals and the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE) to campaign against the European Chemicals Agency's (ECHA's) Board of Appeal, which has required certain ingredients to be tested on animals and proven safe before they are used by humans.

See related: China Finalizes Animal Test Exemptions, CSAR Requirements for Cosmetics
Robin Hood, of course, is the tale of the outlaw who took from the rich and gave to the poor. Either that or it's the story of someone who wanted to reduce taxes. Or someone who really hated sheriffs. Really, there's something for everyone in the Robin Hood legend. But mostly, we remember "stole from the rich and gave to the poor," and the modern version of that would be Gilberto Baschiera.

Baschiera managed the bank in Forni di Sopra, a small Italian town. In 2009, with the financial crisis taking down European economies left and right, Italy put in place new strict rules about lending. The bank manager, who normally wielded enormous power, now had to deny loans to anyone whose assets failed to meet a set threshold.

So when someone too poor asked Baschiera for a loan, he moved money into their account, from a different account. He figured that thanks to the loan, the customer's prospects would improve, they'd pay all the money back, and he'd soon be able to return the diverted funds.

That didn't happen. In fact, you might remember that lending to those who'd not normally qualify was one of the many causes of the financial crisis. Even Robin Hood never expected the poor to be able to pay back the money they got.

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Baschiera kept trying to make his scheme work, and by 2016, he'd moved over $1 million. This was finally too much to keep hidden, he got caught, and he ended up getting sentenced to two years in prison.

But luckily for him, "sentenced to two years in prison" means something different in Italy from what you'd expect. As a first-time offender serving a minor sentence, he actually didn't have to go to prison at all. Prosecutors were willing to go a little easy on him because despite the opportunity, he hadn't taken any money for himself.

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For more crime tales, check out:

5 Outlandish Criminals Who Sound Like The Stuff Of Legend

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The basic transaction is structured as an exit exchange, and this technique raises some legal uncertainties even if we ignore the dodgy particulars of PBAs restructuring. A debtor in financial distress needs to negotiate a debt reduction with its creditors. The debt contracts allow creditors to consent to reduce the amounts owed them, but only on condition that a majority or supermajority vote in favor. Lets say, hypothetically, this requires the support of 90% of creditors. And let us say that the debtor has managed to persuade only 60% of creditors to support its restructuring proposal. So the debtor would seem to be out of luck.

For the most part, the financial press has not scrutinized the details of the ongoing restructuring by the Province of Buenos Aires (PBA), which is nearing completion. The details are worth considering. Some aspects of the exchange offer might have crossed the line between good and bad faith and might have been subject to legal challenge. But this turns out be an uncertain area of law.

Although the debt contracts require 90% creditor approval to modify payment terms, they allow other terms to be modified with lesser support (say, 50%). So the debtor, along with the 60% of supporting creditors, sets up the exit exchange. It offers everyone a new bond with restructured financial terms, which creditors may accept in exchange for their outstanding bonds. To participate, creditors must also vote to modify the old bonds, typically by stripping them of key legal protections (non-financial terms that are subject only to a 50% voting threshold). If the prospect of these changes is sufficiently threatening, few creditors will want to risk being stuck holding the old bonds. The fear generates pressure to participate in the restructuring.

This does not violate any explicit term of the debt contracts, but it smells funny. Creditors are voting to modify instruments they no longer plan to hold; the entire purpose of the vote is to modify other peoples rights. Arguably, the whole process denies non-participating creditors the benefit of their bargain. After all, didnt they expect that the bonds payment terms could be restructured only with 90% creditor support? And if only 60% of creditors support the restructuring's payment terms, but the exit exchange amendments coerce higher participation, hasnt the whole process been an end run around the 90% voting threshold?

Scenarios like this implicate the doctrine of good faith and fair dealing that applies to all contracts. The doctrine is generally understood as a tool to constrain contracting parties from taking actionsagain, not specifically forbidden by the contractthat effectively deny a counterparty the benefit of its bargain. Although there have been lawsuits raising the duty of good faith in the context of an exit exchange, the technique has repeatedly been upheld. (Perhaps the most famous case is Katz v. Oak Industries.) When courts uphold a debtors use of the exit exchange, they generally reason that the technique was needed to address a creditor-side collective action problem. In other words, the deal was a good one for creditors as a group, and the exit exchange was needed to prevent a small group of holdout creditors from extracting a disproportionate recovery.

This logic makes a fair amount of sense, but its also somewhat perplexing. Didnt creditors bargain ex ante for the right to make a restructuring difficult or impossible? Some might object to the content of this bargainfor example, in this context, because it transfers too much of the costs of a sovereigns fiscal adjustment onto the populace. But that isnt the logic of the cases. The logic, in effect, is that the ex post interest of a creditor majority in accepting a restructuring proposal trumps the ex ante agreement to make restructuring difficult. We think this outcome makes some sense, but we dont fully understand the logic supporting it. Nevertheless, one implication is that an exit exchange becomes problematic when it is unduly coercive. That is, if the creditor majority exists only because of the fear generated by the threatened amendments, any argument for the use of the technique falls away.

Back to PBA. The Provinces bonds have collective action clauses (CACs). Oversimplifying, these provisions allow for the debtor, with supermajority support (say 75%), to force restructured payment terms on a dissenting creditor minority. Before 2003, sovereign bonds issued under New York law typically allowed each individual creditor to accept or reject a restructuring proposal; no one could be bound by the restructuring without their assent. CACs like those in the PBA bonds were adopted after 2003 to fix the perceived deficiencies of this regime. Creditors didnt like having their lunch eaten by holdout creditors, so they agreed to add a collectively-binding restructuring mechanism to bonds issued under New York law. But in return, they wanted sovereigns to back off on using the exit exchange.

Mechanically, contracts tried to achieve both objectives through two changes. First, provisions requiring unanimous consent to the modification of payment terms were replaced by CACs allowing a creditor supermajority to modify these and other so-called Reserved Matters. Second, the list of Reserved Matters was expanded to include many important non-financial terms (such as the governing law clause and the waiver of sovereign immunity) that might otherwise be targeted for modification in an exit exchange. The expectation was that the new contracts would channel restructuring proposals into the supermajority voting mechanism provided by the CAC.

That is not what has happened in the PBA restructuring. Instead, the Provinces lawyers dug through the contract for less important provisions that had not been added to the Reserve Matter list in the 2003-04 deal between creditors and debtors. And they combined these provisions into something very scary for creditors. Presumably, they did this because the PBA did not have the supermajority support it needed to trigger the CAC voting threshold. Whether the restructuring proposal had the support of a clear majority is a separate question.

So, what was the scary change? It was the threat to change the place of payment on the bonds. At first cut, this might not seem important. But of course, even a passing knowledge of the risk of capital controls should make investors nervous. In fact, there is even more to be nervous about. The offering documents for the exit exchange spell it out quite clearly. The excerpts below are from the Risk Factors section of the offering document filed with the SEC (the language in the Offer doc is in italics):

In the event that the Province amends the place of payment under the 2006 Indenture Eligible Bonds to Argentina, the Province may select any financial institution or entity in Argentina to act as paying agent and such financial institution or entity need not be an agent of the trustee.

So, the threat is not simply to change the place of payment to somewhere in Argentina but also to let the PBA select the institution to receive the money. This institution, the Offer doc threatens, is not going to be an agent of the trustee. So the contracts terms governing place of payment include not just the physical location but the identity of the institution? Could it be the grocery store around the corner from the Ministry of Finance in Buenos Aires? A little scary, but also puzzling. Why?

In any such case, any payments by the Province pursuant to the 2006 Indenture Eligible Bonds shall be subject to any restrictions set forth by the Central Bank or other regulatory entity in Argentina, at the time of each such payment.

Oh, yes. Thats right. The little corner store is also subject to the dictates of the Argentine Central Bank.

 holders of the 2006 Indenture Eligible Bonds that are not individuals may face certain restrictions to transfer outside of Argentina any amounts they receive in foreign currency (U.S. dollars or euros) under the 2006 Indenture Eligible Bonds via a cross-border bank wire transfer. No assurance can be given regarding the restrictions on transfers of funds that may exist in the future.

Yup. The central bank might just impose capital controls or, perhaps worse, require a forced exchange into Argentine pesos at some locally-determined exchange rate. The Argentine Central Bank has a habit of imposing such controls. Given the close political connection between the government of the Province of Buenos Aires and the Argentine government, the threat is now fully visible.

These are not just serious threats; they are threats that directly implicate the value of the payment term. And that, at least arguably, do an end run around the higher voting threshold that supposedly protects amendments to payment terms. Now, there are cases involving corporate bondsnotably, the 2d Circuits Marblegate casethat let issuers get away with similar things. These cases arent directly applicable hereMarblegate is a case under the Trust Indenture Act, not the duty of good faithbut they do suggest courts are willing to give issuers significant leeway here. Yet, there must be some limits on the ability to coerce participation in an exit exchange. Whatever those limits are, the PBA may be pushing them.

Why have creditors tolerated this? Some possibilities that have been suggested to us include:

The financial terms of this deal are pretty good for the creditors, so the threats arent viewed as important. But then why make them? Why incur the ire of those who are concerned about the bad precedent? Was there political value to seeming to be all tough with the creditors? If so, whyespecially if we acknowledge that the creditors got generous payment terms? Maybe the creditors were not able to act fast enough to put together a group that could effectively fight these strategies. Weve seen this in the past. Good faith is simply not a robust doctrine in this context. Although it does more work in other contracting contexts, courts treat bonds as if they were complete contracts that fully and efficiently addressed all future contingencies. So if the contract does not literally forbid something, it is allowed. As a descriptive matter, this has some merit. Courts do seem especially formalist when interpreting financial contracts. But cases like this may highlight the limitations of that approach.

We confess that we arent really sure of the answers. We plan to investigate further in upcoming conversations on our Clauses and Controversies podcast. Upcoming episodes include Scott Squires of Bloomberg, who has done some of the best reporting on the PBA shenanigans, and Professors Dave Hoffman and Tess Wilkinson-Ryan (Penn; the Promises, Promises podcast), who we hope can help us better understand the role and limits of the duty of good faith and fair dealing.
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
By Cynthia Hubert

Many young girls growing up in Patricia Webbs tiny Michigan farm town in the 1960s dreamed of becoming teachers or nurses. Young Patty wanted to be an astronaut.

But my mother told me that girls couldnt be astronauts, said Webb, who became mesmerized by the idea of flying in 1962, the year John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth. She said I could be a flight attendant.

Instead, Webb set her sights on earning her pilots license. She did so at age 21, the first step in an impressive career in which she broke barriers and helped pave the way for countless women who followed her path. For her accomplishments, Webb is the recipient of a 2021 Distinguished Service Award as part of the Sacramento State Alumni Associations Distinguished Alumni Awards.

When Webb received her pilots license, opportunities were limited for female aviators, especially women like her who wanted to be fighter pilots. Webb joined the Air Force as an intelligence specialist and was among the first women to attend flight school. Quotas were in play back then, and she grew tired of waiting for a female pilot slot to open, so she accepted a job as an Air Force navigator.

I loved it, and I was very good at it, but I didnt understand why men were allowed to do things that I wasnt allowed to do even though she was equally qualified, she said. It didnt make sense. I was raised on a farm, and there werent boy jobs and girl jobs. Everybody did everything.

Webb traveled the world as a navigator, flying refueling and reconnaissance missions, tactical missions during the Gulf War, and humanitarian relief missions in Somalia. She fought fires from the sky, and dropped paratroopers from planes.

In 1989, during a stint as a flight instructor at Mather Air Force Base near Sacramento, Webb earned her masters degree in International Affairs at Sac State.

I wanted a real academic environment with lots of other students pursuing different paths, Webb said. I already had an undergraduate degree in liberal arts from Kalamazoo College in Michigan, and Sac State had a good Masters program in International Affairs. We had international instructors, and the whole class had experience living overseas.

In 1996, Webb left active military duty and joined the Air Force Reserve. At the same time, she began working for Science Applications International Corporation in the companys technology unit, supporting national security and intelligence operations.

Webb spent 33 years in the military, retiring as a colonel in 2011. Since then she has worked as a counterterrorism advisor to presidential Cabinet members and members of Congress, and has taught counterterrorism and covert operations courses at the National Intelligence University, a federally chartered research university in Maryland.

Her contribution as a trailblazer for future generations of women aviators rises to the top of her resume, said Kelly Siefkin, director of development for the Sac State Alumni Association. Col. Webb trained and flew alongside women during a critical time in our nations history where she exemplified the truest expression of equal opportunity.

In recent years, women have managed to crash through the militarys glass ceiling, Webb said.

Weve proven our worth as aviators, and women get a pretty equal shot today, she said.

Since her retirement, Webb has continued to fly recreationally. At home in Virginia, she occasionally takes to the skies in a friends private plane.

Its just enormous fun to do basic flying, without the aid of modern technology, she said.

As a member of the Coast Guard auxiliary, she has participated in rescues and patrols, both by boat and airplane. Webb also has been involved with an international group investigating pioneer aviator Amelia Earharts disappearance over the Pacific Ocean in 1937.

Shes always been intriguing to me, Webb said of Earhart. The fact that her disappearance is still unsolved keeps people interested.

Webbs advice to current and future Sac State students? Never turn down a chance to learn something new.

Throughout my patchwork career, I took advantage of what was in front of me, she said. Every job I had yielded more opportunities that I never knew existed.

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Joe Sobol, owner of Big Easy Construction in New Orleans, has bad news for homeowners who've been calling about roofs damaged by Hurricane Ida or to get an update on renovations that were scheduled before the storm ripped through the area.

The job will cost a lot more than usual  and take much longer, too.

Ida slammed into the Gulf Coast  then took its destruction to the Northeast  at a time when building contractors were already grappling with severe shortages of workers and depleted supply chains. The damage inflicted by Ida has magnified those challenges.

The struggle to find enough skilled workers and materials will likely drive up costs, complicate planning and delay reconstruction for months.

My expectation," said Ali Wolf, chief economist at the real estate research firm Zonda, is that it only gets worse from here.

Consider that Lake Charles, Louisiana, 200 miles west of New Orleans, still hasnt recovered from the damage left when Hurricane Laura tore through the area a year ago.

The challenges facing construction companies stem from what happened after the nation endured a brutal but brief recession when the viral pandemic erupted in March 2020: The economy rebounded far faster and stronger than anyone expected. Businesses of all kinds were caught off-guard by a surge in customer demand that flowed from an increasingly robust economic recovery.

Workers and supplies were suddenly in short supply. For months now across the economy, businesses have been scrambling to acquire enough supplies, restock their shelves and recall workers they had furloughed during the recession.

Construction companies have been particularly affected. Among building executives Zonda surveyed last month, 93% complained of supply shortages. Seventy-four percent said they lacked enough workers.

And that was before Ida struck.

Natural disasters do cause a strain on building materials, reconstruction materials and on labor," Wolf said. "The difference today is that the entire supply chain has been battered even before Idas occurrence. You really have all these things hitting at the exact same time. Frankly, the last thing the supply chain needed was extra strain.

A result is that the cost of materials and supplies has been surging. Combined prices for windows, doors, roofing and other building products jumped 13% in the first six months of this year, according to Labor Department data. Before 2020, by contrast, such aggregate prices would typically rise a bit more than 1% annually, on average, in the first six months of a year.

Prices for steel mill products were up more than twofold in July from a year earlier. Gypsum products, which are needed for drywall, partitions, ceiling tiles and the like, were up 22%.

Henry DEsposito, who leads construction research at the real estate services company JLL, said the toughest challenge in rebuilding now is the delays in acquiring drywall, glass, steel, aluminum and other materials.

A lot of the materials that you would need for any project and especially something this urgent  youre not able to get on site for weeks or months, DEsposito said.

Sobol, in the course of his career, has ridden out some of the biggest hurricanes to strike Louisiana, including Betsy in 1965, Camille in 1979, Katrina in 2005 and Ida last week. On Friday, he received a text from a client who had hired Big Easy for home renovations. The client wanted to know whether the initial cost estimate still stood.

I said, You can probably add 10%,' "Sobol said.

And now the project will likely take nine months instead of six.

Were having to jump through hoops," said Robert Maddox, owner of Hahn Roofing in Boyce, Louisiana, 200 miles northwest of New Orleans. Were having to pay more for labor. Were having to pay more for supplies. Were having to bring supplies in.

The insurance companies that are footing the bill for many of the hurricane repairs, Maddox said, can pose an additional burden.

Ive spent more time fighting with insurance companies over prices than I did roofing houses," he said.

Jacob Hodges, co-owner of a family roofing business in Houma, Louisiana, complains that shingles are in such short supply that its hard to buy them in the same color consistently. One day, theyre available only in black; the next day, only gray.

Hodges takes what he can get. So do his customers, who are desperate to have their roofs patched up or replaced after the storm.

Then theres the labor shortage.

Among workers in short supply are framers, who build, install and maintain foundations, floors and door and window frames; carpenters; electricians; plumbers; and heating and air-conditioning specialists.

Workers  they have the power, said Wolf, the economist at Zonda. They can go where they can make the most money. So if you need access to workers, youre going to have to pony up.

Maddox said typical pay for roofers has soared 20% over the past year or so. Some can earn $400 a day.

If you dont pay them, he said, someone else will.

In normal times, demand for their services was so uneven that roofers often split their time working for different contractors.

Now, we all need them, Hodges said.

Making matters worse, the power is still out in many places, gasoline is in short supply and the Gulf Coast weather is sweltering.

With nowhere to stay, workers involved in reconstruction have to drive in from afar. Maddox said he has roofers commuting in from Lake Charles, a three-hour drive from the hurricane zone.

Were losing half our time driving, he said.

He wishes that hotels that have running water would reopen  even without electricity  so that workers would have a place to stay.

Those guys dont mind cold showers, he said.

Weighing the magnitude of the hurricane damage against the shortage of supplies and workers, Hodges envisions a prolonged, grinding period of reconstruction from Ida.

To get everything back like it was," he said, "youre talking ... well, well probably be working on this this time next year.

___

Wiseman reported from Washington, Veiga from Los Angeles.
LONDON (AP)  The U.N. AIDS agency acknowledged in an internal email last week that the behavior of a former top official toward women was unacceptable and was permitted by a culture which allowed misconduct.

It was the latest development of a sexual harassment scandal that led the agencys previous leader to bow out early and resulted in the firing of two staffers.

The missive appeared to be a thinly veiled reference to Dr. Luiz Loures, a former U.N. assistant secretary-general at UNAIDS, who allegedly forcibly kissed a staffer, Martina Brostrom, before trying to drag her out of a Bangkok hotel elevator.

Loures denied any wrongdoing.

I categorically reject the findings made public by UNAIDS and maintain that I have never sexually harassed anyone, Loures told The Associated Press in an email. He said that despite volunteering to cooperate with the reopened U.N. probe into the sexual harassment allegations, he was never interviewed by the investigators in the latest probe, which took more than two years.

The only conclusion one may reach is that the second investigation was politically motivated, one-sided, unjust and not based on objective factors, he wrote.

An earlier inquiry, in which Loures did participate, found insufficient evidence to substantiate Brostroms claims, but a second report from an independent panel concluded that there was a culture of impunity and defective leadership at the Geneva-based U.N. agency.

Brostrom was dismissed by UNAIDS in 2019, following an AP story that revealed she herself was being investigated for financial and sexual misconduct before she leveled the sexual harassment charges against her superior, Loures.

The internal email appears to be the first time UNAIDS has acknowledged wrongdoing by a senior staffer, although it didn't identify Loures by name. UNAIDS spokesperson Sophie Barton-Knott said in a statement on Monday that matters concerning investigations and disciplinary hearings are confidential.

The misconduct accusations rocked UNAIDS leadership, prompted Sweden to announce it would suspend funding until a new leader was in place, and was a major distraction for an agency at the center of multibillion-dollar, taxpayer-funded efforts to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima, who took over in 2019, told staff in a message last week she hoped the announcement of the results of the investigation could be a moment of closure, while apologizing that the news could open up past trauma for some staffers.

Byanyima said the investigation, originally handled by the World Health Organization, which oversees some UNAIDS issues, concluded that the unnamed senior staffer failed to observe the standards of conduct required of an international civil servant.

His unacceptable treatment of women was seemingly tolerated by senior management at UNAIDS at the time, perpetuating an organizational culture which appeared to enable such conduct, Byanyima said in the message obtained by the AP.

I want to assure you that I have taken appropriate action in this case, in line with UNAIDS firm commitment to zero-tolerance for any form of abusive conduct, Byanyima wrote. She said she had been frustrated by slow, cumbersome internal justice processes at UNAIDS and was seeking better solutions.

Brostrom first went public in 2018 with claims that Loures sexually assaulted her during a work trip, and two other women described similar encounters with Loures, who has called the charges baseless. Loures later stepped down from his position while previous UNAIDS chief Michel Sidibe left his post six months early.

An initial U.N. review later found there was not enough evidence to prove Brostroms claims, but the panel appointed to look into UNAIDS working culture concluded there was a vacuum of accountability at the agency and some staffers described it as a predators prey ground.

Edward Flaherty, Brostroms lawyer, said she had no comment on the latest UNAIDS email. Brostrom is currently appealing her dismissal from UNAIDS.

In recent months, the U.N. has struggled to handle increasing numbers of sexual harassment claims amid concerns there is little accountability at its specialized health agencies.

In May, the AP published an investigation showing senior WHO leadership was told in 2019 of damaging sexual misconduct claims involving WHO doctors during its response to an Ebola outbreak in Congo. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus previously said any staffer found to be connected to sexual harassment would be immediately terminated.

One of the WHO officials informed of abuse claims in writing, as reported by the AP, was subsequently promoted and directed the agency's efforts to stop Ebola in Guinea earlier this year.

WHO appointed a panel last October to urgently investigate claims of sexual abuse during the Ebola epidemic in Congo. It has yet to release any findings and has resorted to asking media for more details of the alleged misconduct.
BANGKOK (AP)  For two months, carpenter Tun Nye hasnt been able to send any money home to his parents in Myanmar to help them care for his 11-year-old son, after authorities in Thailand shut down his construction site over coronavirus concerns.

No work has meant no income for him or his wife, who have been confined to one of more than 600 workers camps dotted around Bangkok, living in small room in a ramshackle building with boards and blankets to cover missing windows.

In Thailand's worst virus surge yet, lockdown measures have reduced what little Bangkoks have-nots had to zero. Volunteer groups are working to ensure they survive.

For Tun Nye, 31, the bag of rice, canned fish and other staples dropped off by Bangkok Community Help volunteers meant not having to go hungry that week.

Its been three or four months with no money and we dont have enough to eat, he said after collecting his supplies. And theres no option to go home to Myanmar, its worse there.

The government shut down the camps at the end of June after clusters of delta-variant infections spread among the workers living in the close quarters, further escalating a COVID-19 spike in Thailand. Many lost all income, and while employers were supposed to ensure all had enough food and water, many didnt.

You would have one camp that had a lot of supplies, they were provided for, and youd walk 30 meters (yards) to another and they hadnt seen their boss in two weeks and were told to go fish for food, said Greg Lange, one of the co-founders of Bangkok Community Help, which delivers about 3,000 hot meals a day and up to 600 survival bags like the one Tun Nye got.

Founded early in the pandemic last year, the organization has grown to more than 400 Thai and foreign volunteers like Lange, a 62-year-old native of Florida in the restaurant business who has lived in Thailand for two decades, and relies heavily on social media to spread the word and solicit help.

Donations come from corporations, individuals and even governments. Some give meals theyve prepared themselves, others packaged goods or cash. Rice in survival packages recently distributed in the slums near Bangkoks main commercial port facilities was paid for through Australian Aid; apples were donated by the New Zealand-Thai Chamber of Commerce.

When hospitals became so overcrowded that COVID-19 patients couldnt get admitted, volunteer doctors and others brought oxygen to their homes, hoping to keep them alive long enough for an ICU bed to become free.

We were mostly dealing with helping people get through this time with food supplies, necessities, but suddenly we were dealing with lives, people were dying in our arms  literally, said Langes co-founder, Friso Poldervaart, a Dutchman who has lived in Thailand for more than a third of his 29 years.

That situation is luckily a little bit better now, more beds are free and the home isolation program of the government works better, but were still sending 20 to 30 people to the hospital every day, were still administering oxygen, he said.

Thailand's new infections have ranged around 15,000 in recent days after peaking above 23,400 in mid-August, while deaths from COVID-19 have remained high, with 224 reported Sunday. The country has confirmed 1.2 million cases and more than 12,800 deaths in the pandemic.

The government hopes the country is now on its way out of this deadliest wave of the pandemic, which has accounted for 97% of Thailands total cases and more than 99% of its deaths.

After a much-criticized slow start to vaccinations, some 35% of the population has now had at least one shot and about 12% are fully vaccinated. In Bangkok, more than 90% have had one shot and more than 22% have had two.

In terms of the number of cases, we see that its still in the high numbers but the trend is getting better, said Dr. Taweesap Siraprapasiri, an epidemiologist who is a senior adviser at the governments Disease Control Department.

Lockdown restrictions were relaxed last week, and many construction projects have been green-lighted to resume work, under tight supervision.

Taweesap said many of the construction workers have now received at least a first vaccine dose, and that many worksites have begun operating under what authorities have dubbed bubble and seal regulations  a bubble of workers are kept together and sealed off from outside contact to prevent COVID-19 from entering the site, or spreading beyond it.

We are also applying this concept to other workplaces like factories, he said.

When the camps were first shut, a group of Bangkok residents formed the We Care For Ourselves group, saying it was immediately evident to them that many workers had been left in crisis situations.

They created an online platform to match needs in the camps with donations available to better target the help, sharing their information with Bangkok Community Help and other groups.

Even though things are improving, group member Yuwadee Assavasrisilp said many unregistered workers still arent vaccinated and as word has spread about their group, theyre beginning to hear more about ongoing needs in the citys slums.

When people test positive, theyre forced to isolate in their own homes, which usually means the virus spreads to family members, she said. And many are so poor they sneak out of isolation to work just so they can feed their families.

Without the volunteers, we would have seen many more people die because they could not access the governments system in time," said 32-year-old Yuwadee. "The number of volunteers in Thailand has been surging  this shows the generosity of people in Thailand during the crisis  but at the same time, it reflects the governments big failure in handling this pandemic.

A recent outbreak in Tun Nyes camp, housing a 112-person crew building a mansion for an oil tycoon, meant that it had to stay shut longer than most but the worksite was approved for reopening last week. He and his wife both had the virus, but without serious symptoms and a negative test about a week ago means he can now get back on the job.

Everyones looking forward to it, he said, his smile broad enough to be visible through his surgical mask. Weve been without an income for so long.

For the volunteer groups, its just another phase of a long pandemic.

Bangkok Community Help, in conjunction with the local government, last week opened a 52-bed isolation center in a primary school, unused due to the pandemic. And over the weekend volunteers comprehensively tested an entire neighborhood to get better data on infection rates.

We dont stop," said Poldervaart. We just adapt.

___

Associated Press journalists Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Tassanee Vejpongsa contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The collapse of the Afghan government, a surge of COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant, devastating weather events, a disappointing jobs report. What next?

After a torrent of crises, President Joe Biden is hoping to turn the page on an unrelenting summer and refocus his presidency this fall around his core economic agenda.

But the recent cascade of troubles is a sobering reminder of the unpredictable weight of the office and fresh evidence that presidents rarely have the luxury of focusing on just one crisis at a time. Biden's unyielding summer knocked his White House onto emergency footing and sent his own poll numbers tumbling.

The presidency is not a job for a monomaniac, said presidential historian Michael Beschloss. You have to be multitasking 24 hours a day.

Never has that been more true than summer 2021, which began with the White House proclamation of the nations independence from the coronavirus and defying-the-odds bipartisanship on a massive infrastructure package. Then COVID-19 came roaring back, the Afghanistan pullout devolved into chaos and hiring slowed.

Biden now hopes for a post-Labor Day reframing of the national conversation toward his twin domestic goals of passing a bipartisan infrastructure bill and pushing through a Democrats-only expansion of the social safety ne t.

White House officials are eager to shift Bidens public calendar toward issues that are important to his agenda and that they believe are top of mind for the American people.

I think you can expect the president to be communicating over the coming weeks on a range of issues that are front and center on the minds of the American people, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

Certainly you can expect to hear from him more on his Build Back Better agenda, on COVID and his commitment to getting the virus under control, to speak to parents and those who have kids going back to school."

During the chaotic Afghanistan evacuation, the White House was central in explaining the consequences of Bidens withdrawal decision and the effort to evacuate Americans and allies from the country. Now, officials want to put the State Department and other agencies out front on the efforts to assist stranded Americans and support evacuees, while Biden moves on to other topics.

Its in part a reflection of an unspoken belief inside the White House that for all the scenes of chaos in Afghanistan, the public backs his decision and it will fade from memory by the midterm elections.

Instead, the White House is gearing up for a legislative sprint to pass more than $4 trillion in domestic funding that will make up much of what Biden hopes will be his first-term legacy before the prospects of major lawmaking seize up in advance of the 2022 races.

On Friday, in remarks on August's disappointing jobs report, Biden tried to return to the role of public salesman for his domestic agenda and claim the mantle of warrior for the middle class.

For those big corporations that dont want things to change, my message is this: Its time for working families  the folks who built this country  to have their taxes cut, Biden said. He renewed his calls for raising corporate rates to pay for free community college, paid family leave and an expansion of the child tax credit.

Im going to take them on, Biden said of corporate interests.

While Biden may want to turn the page, though, aides are mindful that the crises are not done with him.

Biden is planning to speak this week on new efforts to contain the delta variant and protect kids in schools from COVID-19. And his administration continues to face criticism for his decision to pull American troops from Afghanistan before all U.S. citizens and allies could get out.

President Biden desperately wants to talk about anything but Afghanistan, but Americans who are hiding from the Taliban, ISIS, and the Haqqani network dont give a damn about news cycles, long weekends, and polling  they want out, said Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska. He called on the Biden White House on Friday to provide a public accounting of the number of Americans and their allies still stuck inside Afghanistan.

Biden also will soon be grappling with fallout from the windup of two anchors of the governments COVID-19 protection package: The federal moratorium on evictions recently expired, and starting Monday, an estimated 8.9 million people will lose all unemployment benefits.

The president also is still contending with the sweeping aftereffects of Hurricane Ida, which battered the Gulf states and then swamped the Northeast. After visiting Louisiana last week, he'll get a firsthand look at some of the damage in New York and New Jersey on Tuesday.

Already, he is trying to turn the destruction wrought by the hurricane into a fresh argument for the infrastructure spending he's been pushing all along, telling local officials in Louisiana, It seems to me we can save a whole lot of money and a whole lot of pain for our constituents  if when we build back, we build it back in a better way.

According to White House officials, even as other issues dominated headlines, Biden and his team have maintained regular conversations with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., about the presidents legislative agenda. His legislative team held more than 130 calls and meetings with members of Congress, their chiefs of staff and aides on the infrastructure bill and spending package, and his administration has held over 90 meetings with legislative staff on crafting the reconciliation bill.

Responding to concerns raised by pivotal Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., over the price tag on the roughly $3.5 trillion social spending package, White House chief of staff Ron Klain told CNN on Sunday that he was convinced that the Democrat was very persuadable on the legislation.

Cabinet officials have also been engaged with lawmakers, officials said, and traveled to 80 congressional districts to promote the agenda across the country while Biden was kept in Washington.

Biden, said Beschloss, may have a leg up on some of his predecessors at moving beyond the crises to keep his legislative agenda on track, given his 50 years of experience in national politics.

If theres anyone who has a sense of proportion and distance and perspective at a time like this, he does, Beschloss told The Associated Press. For someone whos been in national life much more briefly and was new to the presidency, youre being stunned by things all the time.
Readers share what they remember from Sept. 11, 2001

For the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, we asked readers what they remember about that day.
LAURINBURG, Va. (AP)  Authorities in North Carolina are investigating after they say that a prison inmate died from an apparent suicide.

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety said in a news release that the man died Sunday at Scotland Correctional Institution in Laurinburg.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Top U.S. national security officials will see how the failed war in Afghanistan may be reshaping America's relationships in the Middle East as they meet with key allies in the Persian Gulf and Europe this week.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are traveling to the Gulf separately, leaving Sunday. They will talk with leaders who are central to U.S. efforts to prevent a resurgence of extremist threats in Afghanistan, some of whom were partners in the 20-year fight against the Taliban.

Together, the Austin and Blinken trips are meant to reassure Gulf allies that President Joe Bidens decision to end the U.S. war in Afghanistan in order to focus more on other security challenges like China and Russia does not foretell an abandonment of U.S. partners in the Middle East. The U.S. military has had a presence in the Gulf for decades, including the Navys 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. Biden has not suggested ending that presence, but he  like the Trump administration before him  has called China the No. 1 security priority, along with strategic challenges from Russia.

Theres 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, Biden said in the hours after the last U.S. troops left.

In announcing his Gulf trip, Austin told a Pentagon news conference that staying focused on terrorist threats means relentless efforts against any threat to the American people from any place, even as the United States places a new focus on strategic challenges from China.

Blinken travels to Qatar and will also stop in Germany to see Afghan evacuees at Ramstein air base who are awaiting clearance to travel to the United States. While there he will join a virtual meeting with counterparts from 20 nations on the way ahead in Afghanistan.

The secretary will convey the United States gratitude to the German government for being an invaluable partner in Afghanistan for the past 20 years and for German cooperation on transit operations moving people out of Afghanistan, spokesman Ned Price said Friday.

Austin plans to start his trip by thanking the leaders of Qatar for their cooperation during the Kabul airlift that helped clear an initially clogged pipeline of desperate evacuees. In addition to permitting the use of al-Udeid air base for U.S. processing of evacuees, Qatar agreed to host the American diplomatic mission that withdrew from Kabul at war's end. The Qataris also have offered a hand to help reopen the Kabul airport in cooperation with the Taliban.

During a stop in Bahrain, Austin plans to speak with Marines who spent weeks at Kabul airport executing a frantic and dangerous evacuation of Afghans, Americans and others. Eleven Marines were killed and 15 were wounded in a suicide bombing at the airport on Aug. 26. That attack killed a total of 13 U.S. service members and scores of Afghan civilians.

The Pentagon chief also planned to visit Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and to meet with senior leaders in a region he knows well as a retired Army general and former head of U.S. Central Command with responsibility for all military operations there.

Saudi Arabia was notably absent from the group of Gulf states who helped facilitate the U.S.-led evacuation from Kabul airport. Riyadh's relations with Washington are strained over Bidens efforts to revive a nuclear deal with Iran, among other issues. Just days before the U.S. left Afghanistan, the Saudis signed a military cooperation agreement with Russia.

Biden said his decision to get out of Afghanistan after 20 years was part of a plan to "turn the page on an approach to foreign policy since 2001 that he believes kept the U.S. military in Afghanistan far too long. Allies in the Gulf, where extremist threats are at the doorstep, want to know what the next U.S. policy page looks like.

In Europe, too, allies are assessing what the lost war in Afghanistan and its immediate aftermath mean for their collective interests, including the years-old question of whether Europe should become less reliant on the United States.

We need to increase our capacity to act autonomously when and where necessary, Josep Borrell Fontelles, the high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

America's European allies in NATO had more troops in Afghanistan than did the United States when Biden announced in April that he would withdraw by September. The Europeans had almost no choice but to join the exit, given the limits of their combat power so far from home, and they were largely dependent on U.S. air transport to get out, although they did fly some of the evacuation sorties.

Some NATO allies doubted the wisdom of Biden's withdrawal decision, but it's uncertain that the Afghanistan crisis will weaken the ties that bind the United States and Europe. In an essay, two of the Center for Strategic and International Security's Europe experts  Rachel Ellehuus and Pierre Morcos  wrote that the crisis does reveal inconvenient truths about the trans-Atlantic relationship.

For Europeans, it has exposed both their inability to change the decision calculus of the United States and powerlessness to defend their own interests (for example, evacuate their own citizens and allies) without the support of Washington, they wrote.

Germany, Spain, Italy and other European nations are allowing the U.S. to use their military bases to temporarily house Afghans who were airlifted out of Kabul but have not been approved for resettlement in the United States or elsewhere. Bahrain and Qatar made similar accommodations. Together, these arrangements relieved strain on the evacuation operation from Kabul that initially was so acute that the airlift had to be suspended for several hours because there was no place to take the evacuees.
BRIDGEPORT  A person was stabbed and a city establishment robbed at gunpoint overnight Sunday into Monday, according to Bridgeport police.

Scott Appleby, director of the citys emergency management office, noted the reports were preliminary as of Monday morning.

The alleged robbery was reported at 11:44 p.m., he said.

Reports indicated three men had taken $4,200 worth of cash and merchandise from the establishment at gunpoint and assaulted a clerk, he said.

The clerk declined to go to the hospital for care; the matter remains under investigation.

St. Vincents Hospital reported just before 2 a.m. a man had come into the emergency room after being assaulted in the nearby area around midnight, Appleby said.

The suspect in the case is still unknown, Appleby said.

Soon after 7 a.m., Bridgeport Hospital reported an individual suffering from a stab wound to the hand had come into the hospital, Appleby said.

Their injuries were considered non-life threatening, he said.

On behalf of the department, Appleby asked anyone with information about any of the incidents to contact Bridgeport police at 203-576-TIPS (8477).

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
Esteban Felix/AP

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP)  Chilean health authorities approved on Monday the use of the Sinovac vaccine against the coronavirus for 6-year-old children and older, the first Latin America's country to take that step.

Heriberto Garcia, director of Chile's Public Health Institute, said the institution approved the new measure by five votes in favor and one against.
BRIDGEPORT  A previously rejected proposal to build a hydrogen fuel cell plant off Iranistan Avenue is back on the table and facing stiff neighborhood opposition.

Easton-based NuPower is asking the Connecticut Siting Council for permission to build a 70 foot high, 9.6-megawatt power plant and thermal heating loop at 600 Iranistan Ave. on a triangular half acre lot below Interstate-95.

The $80 million plant would extract hydrogen from natural gas  the gas is not burned  and convert it into electricity. A thermal loop of heated water would provide heating and cooling for buildings up to a mile away.

We are proud of [the plant] and excited about it and hope we can help Connecticut, said Dan Donovan, president of NuPower. The company operates a similar fuel cell plant at the nearby Cherry Street lofts.

That enthusiasm, however, is not shared by over 200 neighbors of the proposed plant who have signed petitions and written letters in opposition.

This is a textbook case of environmental injustice, Tanner Burgdorf, a resident of the nearby Seaside Village condo complex, said in a letter to the Siting Council.

[The proposal] is shameful, shocking, and disrespectful to every member of the Bridgeport community that would suffer from such a short-sighted and inhumane decision, Burgdorf said.

Opponents claim carbon dioxide and other emissions from the plant will lead to higher rates of asthma in the South End neighborhood, which is already within a red zone for asthma related hospitalizations.

We are home to I-95, a gas plant, 2 other fuel cells, severe flooding, United Illuminating, a garbage dump, a nearby trash burning plant, a solar panel park and until last week a coal plant, Kate Rivera, a South End resident, said in a letter to the siting council.

This is environmental racism and classism, Rivera said.

NuPower last year failed to gain Siting Council approval for a similar proposal and earlier this year submitted a revised plan that it believes satisfies previous objections.

One of the concerns expressed by the council was formation of a vapor plume around the plant due to condensation. Donovan said that plume, which would have occurred only once a year, was eliminated by a new design that passes exhaust water lines underneath a series of coolers.

Other Siting Council questions over emergency shut off procedures, the types of valves to be used and noise produced by the plant were also addressed, Donovan said.

Hydrogen chemistry

Fuel cell technology is a form of renewable energy that uses hydrogen to produce electricity and hot water to heat and cool nearby structures. The plant extracts hydrogen from natural gas and converts it into protons and electrons. Those electrons are then passed through a circuit that creates electricity.

Fuel cells are generally promoted as much cleaner than coal or oil-fired electric plants and even gas-fired plants such as Bridgeports Harbor Station that overlooks Long Island Sound.

Although the natural gas is not burned, some carbon dioxide  a major cause of global warming and climate change  is released by a fuel cell plant. NuPower projects the plant would emit 45,465 tons of carbon per year.

This results in [a] fossil fuel power plant like Harbor Station releasing 789 tons more CO2 per [megawatt] annually than the apportioned electricity production from the fuel cell system, according to NuPower.

Other notable emissions include .45 tons of methane a year and .2 tons of nitrous oxide  amounts far below levels that trigger the need for regulatory review and permits, NuPower said in filings with the Siting Council.

The project will provide the states electrical system with additional generating capacity that will meet demand using renewable energy, upgrade grid infrastructure, contribute to grid stability and foster the redevelopment and reuse of an underutilized, NuPower told the council.

During deliberations last year over the failed NuPower proposal, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection stopped short of opposing the project but pointed out that fuel cell plants work against the states goal of carbon free electricity.

Such projects hinder our ability to achieve our climate goals, including a 100 percent zero carbon electric supply sector as charged by Governor [Ned] Lamont, DEEP said.

Not in my backyard

Thomas Melone, president of Allco Renewable Energy, told the siting council the proposed NuPower plant will result in serious adverse health effects for the South End neighborhood.

The area for the proposed project is an environmental justice community, said Melone, whose company sells power from large solar arrays and says its corporate mission is to combat climate change.

The project area has by far one of the highest incidents of emergency room hospital visit rates for asthma in Connecticut, Melone said.

Melone added the NuPower plan would also displace true renewable energy projects in Connecticut and across New England.

But for the (NuPower) project and ones like it, Connecticut would turn to solar electricity projects with storage, which create more of a positive economic impact, and none of the adverse consequences of the (NuPower) project, Melone said.

In a letter to the Siting Council, Bridgeport City Council members Denese Taylor-Moye and Jorge Cruz, Democrats who represent the citys South End, supported residents opposed to the plant.

The plant will emit greenhouse gases in an area already subject to high levels of ground-level ozone, the council members wrote.

Further, the site is at the entrance way to Seaside Village, Seaside Park, the new Windward housing complex, as well as one entrance way to The University of Bridgeport, they added. The residents are worried about livability and health concerns which are overwhelming to the residents in the South End community.

Joe Provey, a neighborhood activist who told the Siting Council he represents the Seaside Village Board of Directors, submitted nearly 200 petitions from residents opposed to the project.

The petitions note that the plant would emit unacceptable levels of noise, CO2, methane, nitrous oxide and other pollutants, leading to higher rates of asthma in our community and pour hundreds of thousands of tons of greenhouse gases that cause global warning.

State Rep. Joe Gresko, D-Stratford and Bridgeports Green Initiatives Coordinator, told the Siting Council the city fully supports the venture.

The city is very comfortable in taking the position that this project is in the best interests of the city and will provide significant fiscal and conservation benefits, Gresko said.

We are keenly aware of the dangers associated with global warming and especially with rising sea levels, Gresko noted. This is truly a unique opportunity to bring all the environmental and financial benefits together under one project.

Using heat

If approved by the Siting Council, the Bridgeport plant is expected to begin operations in the second half of 2022. No further regulatory approvals are needed; emissions are well below levels that require an air permit and there is no discharge from the plant.

The project is to be built by Doosan Fuel Cell America Inc., based in South Windsor.

United Illuminating has awarded a 20-year contract to NuPower for electricity as part of a larger authorization by the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority for renewable energy.

NuPower estimates the plant will provide up to 20 construction jobs, generate over $5.5 billion in state tax revenue and $5 million in local taxes over 20 years.

The thermal loop is created by a closed water system that flows through the 21 fuel cells that make up the plant. That water can be piped to buildings for heating and cooling, providing a second revenue source for the plant.

We have quite a bit of heat that we can use, and we have side contracts with an off taker and are in the process of signing up additional takers, Donovan said, adding NuPower has two years after commercial operations commence to sign up users.

NuPower had planned to build a similar plant and thermal loop in Bridgeports downtown but that effort failed to gain traction.

We wanted to take the heat from various power plants, waste to energy facilities and use it for downtown and various other areas, Donovan said.

Downtown is very viable, Donovan said. Its just a question of how much heat we have. This is our first step. Its sort of if you build it, they will come.

bcummings@ctpost.com
DERBY  Gary Parker still remembers when he first heard that the World Trade Center had been struck by an airplane.

Parker, who was Derbys assistant fire chief and director of public works in 2001, was in his car in downtown Derby when he heard the news over the radio dispatch.

He made it back to the office and turned on a TV, where he saw the north tower burning. Then he saw a second airliner crash into the south tower.

He immediately went out to seek the chief of police. He didnt know what was going on, and he anticipated a rescue operation to extract a large number of survivors from the towers.

Then the towers fell, and he realized that wasnt going to happen.

Our focus changed, we became more keen on what was going on over the next couple hours, Parker said.

Parker met up with the police chiefs from Derby, Shelton and Ansonia at 4 p.m. that day, and the group formulated a plan. A couple of fire department members from Derby and Shelton would go to the World Trade Center to lend whatever help they could.

Parker packed his firefighting gear, but didnt take his coat since it had been warm that day. He put on his pants and boots and took flashlights with him. Then he headed to New York with Charles Sampson, a member of the Derby Fire Department, along with some volunteers from Shelton.

There wasnt a lot of talking on the car ride into the city, said Sampson, who is now a police officer in Westport and a Derby alderman.

It was actually pretty somber. We were all taken back by what had occurred, Sampson said. Back then initial reports were tens of thousands of lives lost, so we really didnt say much.

They made their way past a deserted Times Square and arrived in lower Manhattan after 7 p.m. They parked about 10 blocks north of the World Trade Center, where they could already see the effect of the attacks. Sampson said he noticed what at first looked like pulverized paper on the streets but he later realized it was concrete.

Abandoned FDNY trucks, and other city department cars were nearby. Parker said he was sure the people driving those vehicles had rushed into the buildings, where many had lost their lives.

Because the group was wearing their uniforms and arrived in a fire department car, they were able to get past the checkpoints. Parker met with the FDNY chief of operations, now New York Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro. Nigro needed rescue dogs.

Parker struggled to make a call from his cell; the attacks had also knocked out cell service in the area. But he managed to get someone from the Derby police.

I asked him to call the Connecticut State Police and bump it up to the regional level to relay that we need to get canines down here, so whatever they can muster, Parker said.

He asked what else could be done to help. The recovery effort was already underway and hundreds of city personnel, Parker assumed, were now seeking out any survivors into the night.

They stayed at the base of what was known simply as The Pile. They didnt have the equipment to safely search for victims on top of the rubble so they turned on their flashlights, shining them into crevices or potential air pockets. The group marked locations that had deep crevices and warned the FDNY of them.

They kept going as hope for finding survivors dwindled.

We continued on til the next morning, with the hope that we could find somebody we could render assistance to, but we didnt find anybody, Parker said.

He said he couldnt help but be shocked at how massive skyscrapers made up of tons of steel and concrete could end up mangled and torn, with bits and pieces burrowed into the wreckage.

I remember vividly and what became one of the iconic pictures of the aluminum cladding that was on the side of the building that made the building shine so much, pieces of that were just harpooned into the top of the pile, he said.

By the early morning, a much more organized and sustained effort got underway. The FDNY thanked them and they drove back into the Valley by 9 a.m., where they got some sleep and went on with their normal duties and lives.

Parker became a member of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force for Massachusetts. He is still a member of the task force and is now the fire commissioner for Derby.

But Parker said his memories of sorrow were twinged with a sense of camaraderie and purpose that he instills in younger firefighters.

If youre going to do the job, you have to be committed, and its not for everybody, he said.

Sampson said its important to remember the events, but its not something he dwells on. But it was the worst thing he had ever seen, he said.

Its good to remember, but you cant live your life remembering, Sampson said.
FAIRFIELD  Lifes most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?

The words spoken during a speech in 1957 by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to the sentiment that people should simply be willing to help others, whether they are in need or in a random act of kindness.

Waly Thiam, a cashier at The Pantry on Post Road in Fairfield, decided to put these words to action by helping to build a maternity ward in Senegal after being notified of a woman that died in childbirth. Thiam said the news was too sad and he needed to find a way to help.

When we went there and built the wing of the maternity ward they were so happy because we saved other lives, said Thiam, a Senegal native who now lives in Bridgeport. It was amazing.

Prior to Thiam heading to Senegal, he partnered with his friend, Susan Levine, a dentist that practices in Fairfield. Levine was familiar with the struggles of Centre De Sante De Joal  the health center in Joal, Senegal  because she had assisted a friends daughter in the region with dental help.

At 15, the daughter had three missing front teeth. The health center didnt have the capability to help her so Levine made the necessary impressions for her in the states and created a removable prosthesis to replace the missing teeth.

Subsequently, Levine was invited to the health center facility in December of 2016, where she had come across a medical facility that lacked money to provide the proper care.

Following a tour and meeting with health care providers and administrators, they clarified their biggest need are funds to complete an unfinished maternity ward, Levine said.

Levine added that at the time, women and infants cannot receive the care they desperately need.

Together, Levine and Thiam created a Gofundme and through the support of the Fairfield community, they raised more than $20,900, surpassing their goal of $20,000.

When I was there on TV, they asked me how I helped and I said that this money didnt just come from me, it came from good people, Thiam said The town could not believe how the United States and Fairfield helped to save lives.

When he got the money, he knew he wanted to help the Senegal community in person.

I didnt want to give it to politicians, I wanted to come and do it because we cannot wait, he said. To see a woman passing away like that, thats too much. It needed to get done.

Thiam, who returned from Senegal last month, said that the project was completed this year. The overall excitement from the Senegal residents even sparked a conversation about him becoming the mayor. While that conversation is still up in the air, he said that he just appreciates the help from all of the Fairfield residents that donated to the cause.

It was amazing that Fairfield residents helped, Thiam said. Everybody was so happy. Even some of them were asking me to please come back and be the mayor. It was amazing.
SCHIPHOL, Netherlands (AP)  Since her father and stepmother died in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17, Ria van der Steen has been dealing with feelings of hate, revenge, anger and fear.

She is not alone. Seven years later, Sander Essers still feels guilty about the death of his brother. And for Peter van der Meer, Father's Day has become the one of the most horrible days of the year, following the loss of his three daughters aged 12, 10 and 7 in the crash.

I'm a father without children, a childless father," he said in an emotional speech. It has been so for seven years, and for all the years to come."

Finally, relatives of the 298 passengers and crew killed on July 17, 2014, when a Buk missile blew the Boeing 777 heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur out of the sky above conflict-torn eastern Ukraine, are having their say in court.

Under Dutch law, the relatives are allowed to make a victim impact statement to the court, without being asked questions. About 90 people plan to do so over the next three weeks, some speaking via live video links from other countries.

I think probably next to the verdict, it is one of the most important days for the family members, because they can speak to the court, but through speaking to the court, they speak to the suspects and also to the responsible people wherever they are hiding," said Peter Langstraat, a lawyer representing victims' relatives. So this is a form of communication with the people who are responsible for this disaster."

Van der Steen was the first to speak Monday, telling the court about the psychological consequences of the tragedy on her life.

All dressed in black in the courtroom at Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, van der Steen spoke at length about the nightmares that woke her up screaming and of the impossible goodbye to her loved ones.

I had to say my goodbye to them so often," she said. The question is: How many times can you say goodbye? And when is goodbye forever?"

Van der Steen said she began to have nightmares soon after learning about the death of her relatives, who had been on their way to holidays to Borneo. In her dreams, she walked across fields in Ukraine looking for her father to let him know he had died.

I saw the wreckage, bodies, personal effects," she recalled, I could not stop crying until I woke up screaming."

After first being told it would not be possible to identify the bodies of her loved ones, van der Steen finally learned that her father had been identified thanks to a tiny piece of bone of his hand.

Happily, we received news soon after that a small piece of bone of (my stepmother) Neeltje was found and that she, too, was identified," said van der Steen, recalling how shocked she was when presented with the two small bags of bones.

I knew it was them, but emotionally I did not want to accept it," she told the court.

Essers said his brother Peter called him about 20 minutes before boarding the plane.

In a gloomy voice he said to me, literally: Sander I'm afraid that I'm not going to come back alive.' Later he said: We're flying over a war zone.' He was dead scared and asked me urgently whether or not he should board the plane."

Essers said he felt he should reassure his brother.

I often suddenly feel that I am partly to blame for his death," he said.

The trial opened in March 2020 and progressed through a long series of preliminary hearings before lawyers began discussing the merits of the case in June. The complex case is expected to continue into next year.

After a years-long painstaking international investigation, prosecutors charged four suspects  Russians Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Oleg Pulatov as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko  with multiple counts of murder for their alleged involvement in shooting down the flight.

To the perpetrators, seven years ago, you broke up my family in the worse way imaginable, said Vanessa Rizk, testifying remotely from Australia. Vanessa and her brother James lost their parents in the crash.

Seven years on, I am determined that you will never, ever break my spirit and capacity to live and love, just as my parents would have wanted me to, she said.

Prosecutors say the plane was shattered in mid-air when it was hit by a Buk missile system trucked into Ukraine from a Russian military base. Russia denies any involvement in the downing.

None of the suspects has appeared in court and only one  Pulatov  has lawyers representing him at the trial. They have said he denies the charges.

They are lying, we know they are lying and they know that we know that they are lying, said van der Steen, saying that she was quoting the late Soviet dissident novelist Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

Last week, investigators appealed to Russians to come forward with information about the deployment of the missile that investigators say downed the plane.
BANGKOK (AP)  A court in Myanmar on Monday extended the pre-trial detention of Danny Fenster, an American journalist in the military-led Southeast Asian nation who was arrested in May.

Fenster was detained at Yangon International Airport on May 24, as he was about to board a flight to go to the Detroit area in the United States to see his family. He is the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, an online magazine based in Yangon, Myanmars biggest city.

Dannys next trial date is set for September 20, said his lawyer, Than Zaw Aung. The court held a video conference with Danny Fenster this afternoon and he is healthy, according to the clerk from the court.

Fenster has been charged with incitement for which he could be sentenced to up to three years imprisonment. The charge against him does not make clear specifically what he is accused of doing.

Court hearings in Myanmar have been held by video for several months since a new wave of the coronavirus began ravaging the country. Lawyers do not take part in the video remand hearings but are informed afterward of their results.

Fenster has told his lawyer he fears he has COVID-19, though the authorities at Yangons Insein Prison have denied he is infected.

We are very disappointed at the repeated delays in Dannys case," Frontier's Editor-in-Chief Thomas Kean told The Associated Press. "Because of these delays he has now been in prison for more than 100 days and also had very little contact with his family or his lawyer. We know he has done nothing wrong and we are hopeful the case will soon be withdrawn so he can finally go home to his family.

The military-installed government that took power in February in Myanmar  also known as Burma  has tried to silence independent news media by withdrawing their licenses and by arresting dozens of journalists.

We remain deeply concerned over the continued detention of U.S. citizen Danny Fenster who was working as a journalist in Burma, State Department spokesman Ned Price said last week after Fenster marked his 100th day in detention.

Journalism is not a crime. The detention of Daniel Fenster and other journalists constitutes an unacceptable attack on freedom of expression in Burma. We continue to press Burmas military regime to release Danny immediately. We will do so until he safely returns home to his family.
SALEM, S.C. (AP)  A woman from Missouri who was visiting her family in South Carolina was killed Sunday night in a boat wreck, investigators said.

Two boats crashed around 7 p.m. on Lake Keowee near Fall Creek Landing in Oconee County, authorities said.
Pat Dunn, 81, of Cullman, passed away peacefully on September 10, 2021, after a three-year battle with dementia. Pat graduated from Andalusia High School in 1958 and married the same year. She moved to Cullman in 1966 and after several years of operating her own dress and wig store, Pat's Fa
STORY LINK GBP/USD Forecast: Pound to US Dollar Exchange Rate Weakens on Sour Market Mood

Pound Sterling (GBP) Exchange Rate Muted on UK Construction PMI

US Dollar (USD) Exchange Rate Supported by Sour Market Mood

GBP/USD Exchange Rate Forecast: Manufacturing PMIs in Focus

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The Pound to US Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange has weakened today as a disappointing PMI reading from UK did little to support Sterling appeal.At the time of writing the GBP/USD pairing are trading at around $1.3838 level as a sour market mood and positive rise in US treasury yields bolsters the Greenback.The Pound has been muted against the US Dollar for much of the day as the latest UK construction PMI reading showed growth in the sector slowed.The construction PMI reading for August showed that growth in the sector softened to 55.2, missing forecasts of 56.9.Usamah Bhatti, Economist at IHS Markit, commented on the latest PMI data, saying:Evidence that the UK construction sector began to feel the impact of ongoing supply chain disruption was widespread midway through the third quarter of 2021. Growth rates for overall activity as well as the three monitored subsectors eased further from the recent highs earlier in the summer.Similarly, new business inflows have continued to increase at a marked pace, yet even here the rate of growth has eased to a five-month low. Supply chain disruption continued to disrupt activity across the UK construction sector, as demand for materials and logistics capacity outstripped supply.Duncan Brock, Group Director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, also commented on the figures:Formidable supply chain pressures restrained purchasing activity and building projects across the board in August as 68% of construction companies reported even longer delivery times for materials compared to July. A combination of ongoing covid restrictions, Brexit delays and shipping hold-ups were responsible as builders were unable to complete some of the pipelines of work knocking on their door.The US Dollar has been supported at the start of this week as a sour market mood bolsters the Greenback.Furthermore, a sharp rise in US treasury yields provided further headwind for USD exchange rates to push higher.It comes as markets and investors alike believe that the Federal Reserve will taper its pandemic stimulus sooner than expected.A volatile Euro has limited any major US Dollar gains today as the negative correlation between the pairing causes the USD to fluctuate.An absence of economic data from the US will see investors keeping an eye on the global market mood during tomorrows European trading session.Pound traders will be awaiting the latest Halifax house price index tomorrow morning to drive movement in GBP exchange rates.The GBP/USD pairing will continue to be driven by any further coronavirus developments during next weeks trading.

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.

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Elizabeth City, NC (27909)

Today

Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 87F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy in the evening with more clouds for later at night. Low around 70F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 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
Sunbury, PA (17801)

Today

Mostly cloudy in the morning, then thunderstorms developing later in the day. A few storms may be severe. High 83F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers with a possible thunderstorm in the evening, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.
Get Brexit Done were the three magic words that, two years ago, propelled Boris Johnson to the most emphatic Conservative Party General Election victory since Margaret Thatchers 1987 landslide.

It worked not just with Brexiteers but with those Remainers (as opposed to Remoaners) who disagreed with the result of the 2016 Referendum but just wanted the country to move on and create a future for itself outside the EU.

The slogan also appealed to millions in Labours traditional heartlands and helped deliver the crucial Red Wall votes.

Get Brexit Done were the three magic words that appealed to millions in Labours traditional heartlands

Of course, Dominic Cummings, Boriss right-hand man until his sacking last year after a power struggle with the PMs then girlfriend (now wife) Carrie, has long been credited with devising the election-winning phrase.

But it now transpires that it wasnt his idea after all, according to Sir Lynton Crosby, the Australian election guru who masterminded David Camerons 2015 election victory and who has been an adviser to Boris since he first became London Mayor in 2008.

This is not widely known  and certainly wouldnt be claimed by Dominic Cummings  but actually there is a lady somewhere in Bradford who in a focus group made the simple request, Can the Government just get Brexit done? he recalls.

We were doing the research for the Conservative Party at the time.

Writing in the Yorkshire Post, Crosby, known as the Wizard of Oz for his track record in securing election victories for centre-Right governments, added: It was relevant, the context was right and it is simple and clear. And nothing to do with Cummings.

So take a bow that lady in Bradford, whoever you are!

Youll be waiting an age, Keir

Keir Starmer was asked about U.S. President Joe Biden taking office at 78

Asked by Saga Magazine about U.S. President Joe Biden taking office at 78, Sir Keir Starmer, a mere 59, quipped: Im not willing to wait that long.

Looking at the polls, he might have to.

Talking of Biden, former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie tweets: The doddery disaster that is Joe Biden said of the airlift of 120,000 Americans and allies out of Afghanistan: No nation has done anything like it in history. Could I point out that 330,000 troops were rescued in ten days at Dunkirk.

Quite.

Miliband pummelling for party

So who was Labour leader then? Ed Miliband, Davids brother, now a member of the Shadow Cabinet

In a devastating analysis in the New Statesman of Labours travails over the past 15 years, former Foreign Secretary David Miliband doesnt pull his punches.

If you trash your own record rather than build on it; if you privilege party opinion over general opinion; if youre not credible as a vehicle, so that your radicalism is turned against you; if your leader [Jeremy Corbyn] is repulsive to large sections of the public; and if you assert rather than argue its really hard to win.

Current Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer cites Labours reluctance to acknowledge some of Tony Blairs achievements: We were not saying as we should have [in the 2010s] that under Labour we massively reduced class sizes . . .we put a lot of money into the NHS.

So who was Labour leader then? Ed Miliband, Davids brother, now a member of the Shadow Cabinet.

I dont know if Brexit was to blame or not, but I couldnt get any wild boar sausages with my oysters in Scotts last night, tweeted Michael Dugher, former Labour MP, an ex-spin doctor for Gordon Brown who is clearly a regular at the posh Mayfair eaterie. Nothings too good for the workers, eh, Michael?

Red Len McCluskeys parting shot as the far-Left leader of the Unite trade union is a self-serving autobiography. Sales are expected to be so dire that Unite branch chairmen and women are being offered a 40 per cent discount if they order 100 bulk copies. The book, Always Red, smears Labour MP Margaret Hodge for standing up to the anti-Semitic poison spread by Jeremy Corbyns Labour.

Always Unread more like, observes Labour MP Neil Coyle  not a fan  tartly. Thats [Lens] leaving rift I assume.
Australian shoppers have vented their frustration over a glitch on Kmart's website, as millions are forced to buy exclusively online during lockdown

In a recent video posted to TikTok, a user named Ash expressed her annoyance after adding items including baby clothes, makeup and shoes to her cart, only to discover most of the products were out of stock when she reached the checkout page.

A note at the bottom of the payment section also said the delivery fee to her postcode was 'TBC'.

'Kmart, why do you feel it's necessary to get my hopes up for no reason?' she wrote in the caption.

In a recent TikTok video, a shopper named Ash expressed her annoyance after adding items to her cart, only to discover most were out of stock when she reached the checkout page

Other bemused shoppers took to a Facebook community page to slam the store for disappointing fans at the last moment.

'I don't understand the point of putting your postcode in, if they don't tell you it's out of stock until you put it in the cart. No other store does that online, it's just absolutely bizarre,' one person wrote.

A second said she went back to add another item to her cart, but by the time she had reloaded the checkout page, two of her products had sold out.

'So annoying I just wanted to add one more thing and it tells me two things go out of stock,' she wrote.

Many urged the discount retailer to invest in improvements to its website.

Bemused shoppers also took to a Facebook community page to slam the store for disappointing fans at the last moment (stock image)

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Kmart for comment.

The irritating glitch can be avoided by simply shopping in-store, but millions across New South Wales and Victoria have no choice but to continue buying online until stay-at-home orders are lifted.

Victoria recorded 246 new cases on Monday, its most in a single day since August 19 last year. Of those, 121 are linked to known outbreaks.

New South Wales daily numbers have yet to be announced but infections are expected to rise from Sunday's total of 1,485.
A home cook's simple recipe for buffalo chicken dip is sweeping social media, with many hailing it the 'best ever' shared.

The dish can be made by adding five basic ingredients - cream cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, cooked chicken, buffalo wing sauce and ranch dressing - to a pot and stirring the mixture over a high heat for one hour.

Photos of the dip have gone viral, racking up 11,000 likes and 48,000 shares since they were posted to the popular Facebook cookery group, Cheap Meal Ideas, on Sunday.

Thousands of delighted responses flooded in, with many tagging their friends, begging them to make it.

The dish can be made by adding cream cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, cooked chicken, buffalo wing sauce and ranch dressing to a pot and stirring over a high heat for one hour

'Omg I am craving this,' one woman wrote.

'Definitely trying this!' said a second, while a third added: 'This looks incredible and so easy, just being able to toss it in the crockpot.'

The buffalo chicken dip is the latest simple recipe to catch attention online, as millions of locked-down Australians across New South Wales and Victoria cook and bake to pass time until restrictions are lifted.

Last month, Sydney stylist Jules Sebastian delighted fans by sharing the recipe for her favourite lockdown treat: roasted tomatoes with whipped ricotta cheese.

Photos of the dip (pictured) have gone viral, racking up 11,000 likes and 48,000 shares since it was posted to the popular Facebook cookery group, Cheap Meal Ideas, on Sunday

The 40-year-old wife of Guy Sebastian said the snack, which she learned to cook from food blogger, Bondi Mumma, is one of her family's favourite dishes.

The recipe requires basic ingredients including grape and vine tomatoes, a tub of ricotta cheese, lemon juice and parmesan, as well as salt, pepper and thyme for seasoning.

Jules has been keeping busy during lockdown by sharing recipes and fashion tips from the $3.1million Maroubra home she shares with husband Guy and their young sons Hudson and Archer in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

To make her latest dish, she loads a generous helping of grape tomatoes and tomatoes on the vine onto a baking tray, then seasons the lot with salt, pepper, olive oil and thyme.

Australian stylist Jules Sebastian (right) recently shared her simple recipe for one of her family's favourite lockdown dishes - roasted tomatoes with whipped ricotta (left)

Jules pours a dash of white wine over the tomatoes, then pops the tray in the oven to bake at 160 degrees Celsius for about 30 to 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, she turns her attention to the ricotta.

Jules makes this by mixing a tub of the cream cheese with parmesan, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, then whipping the mixture until it has turned soft and fluffy.

Once the tomatoes are roasted, she spreads the ricotta over a serving plate and adds the tomatoes on top with a sprinkling of basil and some more olive oil.

Jules finishes the dish by frying chunks of sourdough bread doused in olive oil then serves them on the side for dipping.

'You've got to try this, my family inhaled it,' she urged viewers.

Fans were quick to rave about the recipe, which has racked up 3,441 'likes' since it was uploaded online on Monday.

'I need this meal,' former Hi-5 star Casey Burgess replied.

Another added: 'I'll be making this.'
The skincare brand behind a best-selling face oil beloved by thousands of women has launched a new brightening serum, after the founder Zoe-Foster Blake recently sold off a controlling stake in her company for $89million.

Go-To Skincare has built up a huge following around the world for its simple, effective and reasonably-priced skincare products, the latest of which is a $59 Brightening Vitamin C Serum that promises a radiant complexion in just weeks.

According to founder Zoe, 'Much Brighter Skin' was inspired by her best-selling 'Transformazing' sheet masks, and it promises luminous skin and antioxidant protection with 'no tackiness or weird smell'.

The skincare brand behind a best-selling face oil beloved by thousands of women has launched a new brightening serum (pictured: founder Zoe Foster-Blake)

The new $59 Brightening Vitamin C Serum that promises a radiant complexion in just weeks (pictured)

What the new serum can do for your skin * Boost facial radiance for 'bright, luminous skin'. * Target hyperpigmentation caused by dark spots, UV damage, hormonal changes or uneven skin tone. * Fights free radicals and environmental damage. * Plump and hydrate the skin to leave it bouncy thanks to the addition of hyaluronic acid and glycerin. * Promotes collagen production. Advertisement

'As a long-time user of vitamin C, I know just how confounding the category is,' Zoe posted on Instagram.

'We have made an easy and delightful way to get involved. And not to toot our own horn, but our formulation is gorgeous.

'It has a silky gel texture, soft springtime scent and is perfect under your other morning skincare and makeup, with no pilling.'

Zoe said the new serum aims to give you 'powerful antioxidant defence', target discolouration, dark spots and hyperpigmentation, and address any UV damage or post-inflammation scarring.

'Much Brighter Skin is more than just vitamin C,' Zoe added.

'As well as 10 per cent sodium ascorbyl phophate, we added niacinimide and kakadu plum to strengthen the skin's barrier, calm the skin and regulate oil production.

'We also added hyaluronic acid and glycerin, for their incredible skin plumping and moisture-trapping benefits.'

The $59 beauty buy is cruelty-free and suitable for all skin types.

Go-To Skincare has built up a huge following around the world for its simple, effective and reasonably-priced skincare products (Go-To products pictured before and after use)

Zoe said the new serum aims to give you 'powerful antioxidant defence', target discolouration, dark spots and hyperpigmentation, and address any UV damage or post-inflammation scarring (Go-To products pictured after use)

To use Much Brighter Skin, Zoe recommends that you first of all cleanse or rinse your face and then add some toner or mist.

'Add one pump of Much Brighter Skin to your clean skin and press in the face oil gently,' she said.

Once this is done, moisturise and apply your SPF and makeup as per normal.

The product can be used in the morning and at night for best results.

Those who have been lucky enough to get their hands on the product ahead of its launch date on September 6 have left glowing reviews (Go-To products pictured after use)

Those who have been lucky enough to get their hands on the product ahead of its launch date on September 6 have left glowing reviews.

'Much Brighter Skin has already become as vital to my skin as that first cup of coffee is to my being,' one commenter said.

'The serum smells delicious and pairs well with Face Hero with no pilling,' another added. 'It's a real gem, and I can't wait to tell all my friends about the experience.'

A third wrote: 'It's helping to clear up some of my pigmentation. All in all, I'd give it 11/10.'

At the end of last month, Zoe Foster-Blake (pictured) sold a controlling stake in her Go-To skincare company for a staggering $89million

The 41-year-old (pictured) beauty mogul sold a 50.1 per cent share to BWX, which is also behind the Aussie skincare brand Sukin

At the end of last month, Zoe Foster-Blake sold a controlling stake in her Go-To skincare company for a staggering $89million.

The 41-year-old beauty mogul sold a 50.1 per cent share to BWX.

The ASX-listed company is also behind Aussie skincare brand Sukin, and has a lucrative five-year supplier deal with Chemist Warehouse.

BWX praised Go-To for providing consumers with 'simple, trusted and effective skincare products for the masstige market'.

The skincare company was established by the former magazine journalist in 2014, and generated $36.8million in revenue last year alone.

Despite the new deal, BWX said Go-To 'will remain an independently operated, stand-alone, founder-led brand'.

Zoe will also continue to act as the company's strategic investor, chief creative officer and board director.

For more information about Much Brighter Skin, please visit the website here.
A Woolworths cashier has revealed how tapping the 'own bag' button on a checkout screen can take the stress out of self-service, once and for all.

Sydney supermarket worker Liam Kirley became an online sensation in August 2020 after his food hacks and store announcements racked up millions of views on TikTok.

In the year since, Mr Kirley returned his uniform to the Baulkham Hills store where he worked and stepped into a new role as content coordinator for Woolworths' first-ever official TikTok account.

And in a move that is sure to delight shoppers, one of his first videos reveals how you can lift items that have been scanned but not paid for off the checkout, without triggering alarm bells.

Mr KIrley explained that once you have filled a grocery bag, you should tap an icon on the bottom left side of the screen that reads 'Own Bag'

Mr KIrley explained that once you have filled a grocery bag, you should tap an icon on the bottom left side of the screen that reads 'Own Bag'.

'Just tap, remove the loaded grocery bag, add your new empty bag in the bagging area, and continue checking out,' he told news.com.au.

Elsewhere in the clip, Mr Kirley demonstrated how you can scan products faster by using a 'power slide'.

'Slide them across and the barcodes will scan easier,' he said, while holding each item in front the scanner at a slant.

He also pointed to a light above the scanner which turns green when it is ready to scan the next item.

The video has been viewed 20,300 times since it was uploaded online less than 10 hours ago, but some viewers appeared unimpressed by the 'revelations'.

'Isn't this just using the self-serve checkout? Lol, how are people using checkouts if NOT like this?!' one person wrote.

Liam Kirley (left) became an online sensation in August 2020 after his food hacks and store announcements racked up millions of views on TikTok

Mr Kirley started working at Woolworths at the age of 19 to support himself while he studied at film school.

On the back of his personal social media stardom, which has earned him 162,000 followers and seven million likes on TikTok, the supermarket hired him to create content for its new channel.

Among Mr Kirley's most famous clips from the early days of his fame is one about a $4 Belgian lava cake exclusively sold at Woolworths.

Among Mr Kirley's most famous clips from the early days of his fame is one about a $4 Belgian lava cake (left) exclusively sold at Woolworths

He shared a video to his personal account Ashe Media about the supermarket's microwavable 'Belgian Chocolate Lava Cake', saying 'everyone needs to try it'.

Mr Kirley revealed the 'delicious' sweets are stocked in the freezer section of Woolies stores Australia-wide.

Most of the 93,000 viewers said they had never seen the cakes before, including a fellow Woolworths employee who said she has never come across them despite working there for years.
Prince Charles' goddaughter Lady India Hicks has revealed she's set to marry David Flint Wood, her partner of 26 years, next week after putting their wedding plans on hold due to the pandemic.

The granddaughter of Earl Mountbatten, 54, who was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, shared a sweet throwback image of her and her fiance to her Instagram page.

She revealed the photos were taken by David Loftus, who will also be snapping her wedding next week.

Prince Charles' goddaughter Lady India Hicks has revealed she's set to marry her partner of 26 years David Flint Wood next week after putting their wedding plans on hold due to the pandemic. They are pictured together

'This time next week I will be married. MARRIED!' she wrote.

'Neither of us have ever been married before so we are both quite excited'.

The philanthropist had long insisted she had no plans to marry the former advertising executive, even after five children together, but revealed her change of heart on Instagram on 28th November.

She also shared how her youngest child Domino, 13, excitedly told her teacher of the upcoming nuptials.

'"My Mother is getting married" Domino was telling her teacher. "How lovely, who is she marrying?'"the teacher asked. "My father'"came the reply,' she added on Instagram.

The philanthropist had long insisted she had no plans to marry the former advertising executive, even after five children together, but revealed her change of heart on Instagram on 28th November. Couple are pictured together in 2004

The granddaughter of Earl Mountbatten, 54, who was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, shared a sweet throwback image of her and her fiance to her Instagram page

She also shared a snap of her wedding invitations, revealing the pair's ceremony will be at the Brightwell Baldwin Parish Church in Oxfordshire followed by a reception at the Lord Nelson pub.

In December she revealed that pair were meant to have a winter wedding but put plans on hold after revealing the romance 'dipped' while trying to plan the big day in-line with Covid-19 restrictions.

'Today I should be David's wife. Yesterday we were meant to get married,' Miss Hicks explained at the time.

Miss Hicks was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. She is pictured second left at the wedding with the Queen and Diana

'Way back in early September we set the date for our tiny wedding. We sent out invitations, designed dresses, and debated vows (to obey or not to obey?) But as the weeks past the romance did slightly slip away.

'I think the crunch came when our priest told us we could not have hymns that might be hummable - hummable hymns are not Covid protocol. And so we will wait a little while longer, which is OK because weve already waited 25 years.'

It came just weeks after the pair announced their engagement.

In a photo of the two of them together, she wrote: 'David and I are getting married.

'Five children and 25 years later! We quietly decided a few months ago. A celebration of unflinching love. Until death do us part.'

Last year, Lady India Hicks has shared a touching family photograph after revealing she had postponed her wedding to long-term partner David Flint Wood. The image shows her and David's four of her children, Felix, 24, Amory, 22, Conrad, 18 and Domino, 13, and Wesley, 24, sitting on a beach in the Bahamas, which has been the couple's home for two decades

She told the Daily Mail: 'After months and months of lockdown, many people were ready to kill each other  we were ready to get married.'

Miss Hicks and her fiance, 60, a former Saatchi & Saatchi executive, moved to the Bahamas in 1996 and have built and restored four houses and a hotel there.

They have five children: Felix, 24, Amory, 22, Conrad, 18, and Domino, 13. The couple also adopted a young Bahamian, Wesley, now 24, after his waitress mother died of cancer.

Miss Hicks has coupled her entrepreneurialism with philanthropy, including working with the Global Empowerment Mission, which provides disaster relief to those afflicted by hurricanes and other crises.

She is also a partner of the food bank on Harbour Island, where the family lives.

India Hicks previously revealed she's postponed her wedding to long-term partner David Flint Wood - a little over a week after announcing their engagement

Last year she said: 'People often ask us why we have never got married but we have just never felt the need. Being strangers in a strange land has bonded us more than any ceremony could.'

In 2018 she said: 'The children all carry his name, which is important to me. Our family unit is so strong but I have no ambition to be married at all.'

Miss Hicks is the daughter of Lady Pamela Mountbatten, who was herself a royal bridesmaid at the Queen's 1947 wedding, and interior designer David Hicks.

She was educated at 40,000-a-year Gordonstoun, near Elgin, Scotland, until she was expelled for inviting boys to her room.

Despite her family and royal connections, Miss Hicks has worked to earn her keep. Originally a model, she became a designer and businesswoman, launching a luxury lifestyle business before closing it last year.

Miss Hicks and her fiance, 60, a former Saatchi & Saatchi executive, moved to the Bahamas in 1996 and have built and restored four houses and a hotel there

She said she enjoyed having more time for her children. Miss Hicks was one of the five bridesmaids at the 1981 wedding of Diana and Charles, who is her godfather and second cousin.

She had been on holiday in the Bahamas aged 13 when the prince phoned and personally asked her to take on the role.

'I had to practise,' Miss Hicks later recalled. 'It was during these rehearsals I got to know Diana, whom I first met at a dress fitting. She always seemed more like a head girl than a princess-in-waiting, with never a shy moment in private.'

Miss Hicks has kept her bridesmaid's wreath from the ceremony at St Paul's in its original box.

Miss Hicks is the daughter of Lady Pamela Mountbatten, who was herself a royal bridesmaid at the Queen's 1947 wedding, and interior designer David Hicks

In November she posted a photograph of her dress  still in perfect condition  on social media. Remarkably it was on a hanger on her stairs alongside another royal bridesmaid dress, that worn by Lady Pamela, 91.

Miss Hicks wrote: 'Lots of questions asking if my mother still has the dress she wore as a bridesmaid to the Queen. She does. See it here. Next to the one I wore to Charles and Diana's wedding.

'Both have travelled the world in exhibitions and been on display in museums before coming home to chill for a bit.'

When aged 11, Miss Hicks had been due to be on her grandfather Earl Mountbatten's boat when it was blown up off Ireland by the IRA in 1979, killing him and three others. She escaped after staying in the family holiday home to watch a film.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's popularity has gone down again as the pair continue to suffer the fallout from their interview with Oprah Winfrey in March, according to polling by YouGov.

Positive opinion of the Duke of Sussex, 36, who lives in an 11 million mansion in Montecito, California, with his wife, has fallen by nine points, from 43 percent in April to 34 per cent now.

The Duchess of Sussex, 40, has seen a steady decline in her popularity this year, with positive opinion at 30 per cent in March, falling to 29 per cent in April, and dropping a further three points to 26 per cent now.

YouGov blames 'poor responses to their statements surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the withdrawal from Afghanistan', for the drop.

Support for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is falling among Brits according to a YouGov poll, which cites their Oprah Winfrey interview and their views on Covid among the reasons

While the Queen remains the most popular member of the royal family among Brits, Prince Andrew (right) is the least favourite

The couple were criticised for wading into Afghanistan crisis with woke 'word salad' statement, in which they said they were 'speechless' and feeling 'the many layers of pain'.

The lengthy statement, released via the couple's slick Archewell Foundation website, calls on followers to support organisations including the World Central Kitchen, but failed to say how much they would be personally donating or details of how they would help.

Prince Harry's biographer Angela Levin told FEMAIL: 'I think Harry and Meghans grandiose, comfy and caring comments about the situation in Afghanistan, the disaster in Haiti and new Covid variants is another example of them trying to set up some sort of alternate woke royal family.

'Like most of their "compassionate" gestures there is no indication about what they themselves will do and whether any donations will be going through Archewell Foundation.

Some commentators on Twitter said they were unsurprised that the couple's popularity is falling - with some even feeling it is deserved

'Their comment that they want to "alleviate suffering among those we know and those we may never meet  that will prove our humanity," sounds so similar to their recent comment we must be compassionate "to those we know and those we dont know" that makes it sound equally phoney.'

YouGov also cited as their Oprah Winfrey interview, in which the couple accused an unnamed member of the royal family of making a racist comment about what skin tone their son Archie may have.

Prince Harry declined to say who made the comment, but stressed it wasn't the Queen or Prince Philip.

Who are the most popular royals? YouGov polled 1,667 adults in GB between August 27th and 29th. These are the most popular royals (rated very positive or positive) according to its results. The Queen: 80 per cent (net: +74) Prince William: 78 per cent (net: +62) Kate Middleton: 75 per cent (net: +59) Princess Anne: 65 per cent (net: +50) Prince Edward: 45 per cent (net: +20) Prince Charles: 54 per cent (net: +17) Camilla Parker Bowles: 43 per cent (net: +1) Prince Harry: 34 per cent (net: -25) Meghan Markle: 26 per cent (net: -39) Prince Andrew: 6 per cent (net: -77) Advertisement

When it comes to negative opinions of the pair, Prince Harry stands at 59 per cent, with 65 per cent of Britons having an overall negative opinion of Meghan.

When YouGov shared the findings on Twitter, commenters seemed unsurprised by the fall in the couple's popularity.

One social media user wrote: 'Well theyve made history for the wrong reasons biggest ever drop in popularity ratings. Theyre fading away.'

Another added: 'They absolutely truly deserve it. Their favourability ratings must be in minus until they apologises to the Royals.'

A third said: 'Interesting that Harry ratings are now akin to those of Meghan.

'The original plunge after their exit reflected some in UK giving a pass to Harry on the behaviour toward Queen. Oprah interview and subsequent stuff is now placing Harry as just as accountable as Meghan.'

Others were more supportive of the couple - blaming the royal family for negative stories about the pair, or saying the data was irrelevant, because Britons are not the couple's target market.

One Twitter user wrote: 'Pointless exercise, as H&M long ago realised the UK isnt their market and, instead, they will be successful with their particular brand elsewhere.'

They are not the most unpopular royal though.

That dubious honour goes to Prince Andrew, who has an overall negative rating of 83 per cent and a positive rating of just 6 per cent, due to his connection to Jeffrey Epstein.

The favourite royal - as ever - is the Queen with 80 per cent of the population having a favourable opinion of the monarch.
Prince Albert of Monaco has been continuing his busy schedule of royal engagements in his wife's absence, taking his twins on an official visit to Dublin last Friday while their mother recovered in hospital more than 8,000 miles away in South Africa.

Princess Charlene of Monaco, 43, was hospitalised in South Africa on September 1st for a severe ear, nose and throat infection. She reportedly left hospital on September 5th.

She has been in her native South Africa for months, due to a 'serious sinus infection' following a four-hour surgery she underwent in August, but it's unknown whether the surgery and infection are linked.

While in Dublin, her husband unveiled two friezes in the university - one in the dining hall and one in the library - to mark his 1 million donation towards the 90 million restoration of the library.

He was accompanied by the couple's twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, 6, for the visit, who sported green trimmed face masks with a shamrock motif to match their father's.

Prince Albert of Monaco, 63, brought twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, 6, with him on his recent state visit to Ireland

The royal met with Irish President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina Higgins during the state visit

Prince Albert's wife - Princess Charlene of Monaco, pictured here in August in photos branded 'awkward' by a body language expert - did not attend the visit

Prince Albert with Irish President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina Higgins at the presidential residence

Prince Albert's late mother Grace Kelly was the Irish-American daughter of an emigrant from Newport, Co Mayo, and in 1984, her husband Prince Rainier opened The Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco - two years after her death in a car crash.

During the visit , Prince Albert - who was accompanied by the Ambassador of Ireland Patricia OBrien - met with Irish President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina Higgins for lunch at the presidential residence.

According to the Palace of Monaco's Instagram account: 'In the early afternoon, HSH the Prince and His children, Hereditary Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, went to Trinity College to discover the Old Library guided by Professor Linda Doyle, Provost of the university who presented the Book of Kells, a 9th century Irish medieval manuscript famous around the world.

Then in the afternoon, he went to top university Trinity College Dublin with Gabriella and Jacques - who is next in line to head the 700-year-old House of Grimaldi.

According to the Palace of Monaco, the visit to Dublin was 'an extension of the existing links between Trinity College and Monaco'

The royal visited Trinity College Dublin's Old Library, which has displayed the Book of Kells, a 9th century Irish medieval manuscript, since the 1800s

The prince and Linda Doyle - the Vice President for Research/Dean of Research in Trinity College Dublin

Speculation over the couple's relationship has been somewhat rife, after Princess Charlene was spotted crying at the their 2011 wedding

'This national treasure has been on display in the Old Library at Trinity College since the 1800s.

'This visit to Dublin is an extension of the existing links between Trinity College and Monaco.

'It also marks the 60th anniversary of the state visit of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace in 1961 and the 10 years of the first state visit of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene in 2011.'

This is not the first event the princess has missed in recent months - she was last spotted on a royal engagement in Monaco in January.

Princess Charlene shared this image of herself with her son Jacques on Instagram, when her children and husband visited South Africa to see her for the first time in almost three months

The royals spent time together, with Charlene posting that she was 'so thrilled to have my family back with me'

Twins Gabriella and Jacques, 6, play during a visit to South Africa in August to see their mother Princess Charlene

In her post, the royal joked that Gabriella had given herself a haircut, which then needed fixing - her fringe is crooked

Due to her extended stay in South Africa, and her absence from a string of high profile events, people have been speculating about the state of Prince Charlene and Prince Albert's marriage

In fact, Zimbabwean-born Charlene has spent the better part of the year in South Africa away from Albert - with some reports suggesting she is looking for a house there.

The couple and their children reunited last month, after nearly three-months apart, having last met at the beginning of June in South Africa.

Charlene posted images of her family on her own Instagram page. She wrote: 'I am so thrilled to have my family back with me.

Princess Charlene's trials and tribulations in the Monaco royal family 1987 - Bea Fiedler, a German topless model, claims her son Daniel was the prince's son. 1992 - An American national files a paternity lawsuit against the Prince, claiming that he was the father of her daughter, Jazmin Grace. 2000 - Princess Charlene meets Prince Albert at the Mare Nostrum swimming competition in Monte Carlo 2005 - In May, a former flight attendant claims that her youngest son, whom she named Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste, was Prince Albert's child. She states that his parentage had been proven by DNA tests requested by the Monegasque government. On 6 July, a few days before he was enthroned on 12 July, the Prince officially confirms via his lawyer Lacoste that Alexandre was his biological son. 2006 - After a DNA test confirmed the child's parentage, Albert admitted, via statement from his lawyer, that he is Jazmin Grace's father. 2010 - Princess Charlene and Prince Albert announce their engagement 2011 - Princess Charlene was said to have bolted two days before the royal wedding after hearing Prince Albert had a third love child during their relationship. It was alleged that Charlene tried to flee home to South Africa three times before her 'arranged marriage', at one point taking refuge inside her country's embassy in Paris. Monaco officials were said to have coaxed her back by brokering a deal between the Prince and his reluctant bride that she provide him with a legitimate heir. After that she would be free to leave of her own free will. During the wedding, Charlene was in floods of tears, while her husband looked on impassively. Later in the year, Princess Charlene confessed she felt 'very lonely' in Monaco 2012 - Princess Charlene was reported to be 'depressed' at her failure to provide her husband with a legitimate heir. 2014 - Pregnancy was announced in May. In December Charlene gave birth to twins Princess Gabriella and heir to the throne Prince Jacques. 2017 - Princess Charlene visits Africa, tells media: 'I am African and this is my heritage. It will always be. It's in my heart and in my veins.' 2019 - In a rare interview, Princess Charlene confessed it is 'sometimes hard to smile' and said the year had been 'very painful'In another interview, she said she found motherhood 'exhausting' 2020 - Charlene debuts a shocking half-shaved hairstyle. It is announced Prince Albert of Monaco will appear in court in the new year to fight explosive claims he fathered a third love child with a secret girlfriend before marrying his now wife Princess Charlene. 2021 - January 27 - Charlene is pictured with Albert for the Sainte Devote Ceremony in Monaco. It is the last time she has been seen in Monaco this year. Advertisement

'(Gabriella decided to give herself a haircut!!!)

'Sorry my Bella I tried my best to fix it.'

In addition, the pair posted reunion images of themselves embracing on the palace Instagram account on August 25.

But the photos were branded 'awkward' by body language expert Judi James.

She told FEMAIL Princess Charlene showed 'no emotional bond' towards her husband Prince Albert in the pictures.

She added that rather than being the loved-up reunion photo one would expect of a couple surrounded by split rumours, the royals' poses suggested 'no signs of connection between awkward-looking Albert and Charlene'.

And Monaco residents were not convinced by the images either, according to French magazine Madame Figaro.

According to The Telegraph, the magazine asked: 'How long can she remain away from her children, her duties?'

'How long will the fight against rhinoceros poaching remain the Princess of Monaco's top priority?

'How long will Albert II of Monaco go on bearing this affront, which is becoming ridiculous?'

The couple have long faced speculation over their marriage, after Charlene was seen crying at their 2011 wedding.

The former Olympic swimmer even reportedly tried to flee Monaco for her native South Africa on three separate occasions before the royal wedding.

This was after she discovered Albert had fathered a love child while they were together.

In the years following his wedding, Albert reportedly rarely saw his love child - a son named Alexandre Grimladi-Coste, whose mother is Nicole Coste, a former Air France flight attendant from Togo.

In 2014, Nicole told the Mail On Sunday: 'The truth is that, Im sorry to say, Albert hasnt seen Alexandre since a brief visit last September.

'It has become impossible since he married that girl.

'I suppose as a new wife, how would one feel? But she should think about my innocent child.

'I dont want to attack her but I think it is just jealousy and I dont know why.

'I have been through hell in my fight for my son's name and future.

However, the royal attended Monaco's Red Cross Ball in July with both Nicole and Alexandre, while Charlene remained in South Africa.

And now the couple is reportedly facing a further crisis.

While Prince Albert is already supporting two illegitimate children he fathered, he is alleged to have been in a relationship with a Brazilian woman which resulted in a daughter in 2005.

The claim, which his lawyers dismissed as a 'hoax', is particularly painful as he was dating Charlene at the time, having met in 2000.

However, Charlene has publicly supported her husband, and the palace have reiterated she is only in South Africa because she's unable to fly.

The former swimmer, who represented the country at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, spoke out on their relationship in January.

She told Point de Vue: 'When my husband has problems, he tells me about it. I often tell him, "No matter what, no matter what, I'm a thousand percent behind you. I'll stand by you whatever you do, in good times or in bad".'

The mother-of-two went on to say she also often tells her husband she will 'protect him' and will 'always be by his side.'
Miriam Margolyes has defended her controversial claim that tragic cellist Jacqueline du Pre died from lethal injection in an assisted suicide.

The veteran actress, 80, likely best known for playing Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films, told the Observer Magazine that she felt it was her 'public duty' to include 'such an important story' in her new memoir.

Miriam recounted a startling confession from a London therapist who claimed she had helped Miss du Pre, doyenne of The Proms, with an assisted suicide.

The acclaimed artist was one of the world's most brilliant classical musicians when multiple sclerosis cruelly struck. She died in 1987 aged just 42.

Miss du Pre had allegedly begged for a mercy killing when the debilitating disease ravaged her body and asked therapist Margaret Branch to give her a lethal injection.

Miriam Margolyes (pictured) has defended her controversial claim that tragic cellist Jacqueline du Pre died from lethal injection in an assisted suicide

Miriam recalled in her book how the therapist, whom she consulted in the 1980s, confessed and said: 'I want to tell you something, and I don't want you to speak about it until after I'm dead.'

The actor said it was a 'deliberate decision' to include the claim in her memoir, and now wonders if others will come forward to defend the allegation.

'I felt it was such an important story about a very great artist, it should be known, a kind of public duty,' she said.

Miriam, who was asked by Miss Branch to keep the story a secret until after her death, added: 'I felt it was wrong to say it then. And this time, I thought, its an important story. I think its wonderful. Heroic, actually.

'I dont know if she told anyone else I think that I am the sort of person that people tell things to.'

The veteran actress, 80, likely best known for playing Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films, told the Observer Magazine that she felt it was her 'public duty' to include 'such an important story' in her new memoir. Pictured, Jacqueline du Pre in 1968

According to Miriam, Miss Branch told her: 'One day Jacqueline said to me, "Margaret, if I wanted to kill myself, would you help me?" And I said, "Of course I would". Because I would.'

Then, it is claimed, the musician had phoned and said: 'I want to do it today. I've given my staff the day off. I want you to come over.'

Miss Margolyes says the therapist confessed: 'I had a key. I took along a syringe and the liquid ... she was in bed and we talked for a bit. Then I said, "Are you absolutely sure that you want me to do this?"

'Jacqueline said, "Yes. I am. And I can only trust you to do it for me". I was a trained nurse during the war. I knew what to do.'

It is said Miss Branch  who was in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in the Second World War and was involved with the French Resistance, according to her Times obituary  injected her and then left Miss du Pre's Kensington apartment, leaving the musician to pass away later when family and friends were in attendance.

However, earlier this week Miss du Pre's family and friends told The Daily Mail that the claims allegedly made by the therapist, who died in 1997, could not be true.

One said Miss du Pre could barely move or speak and would have been unable to ask anyone to 'put her out of her misery'.

The Queen Mother talking with Jacqueline du Pre in 1979, pictured. Miriam recounted a startling confession from a London therapist who claimed she had helped Miss du Pre, doyenne of The Proms, with an assisted suicide

In her prime, the Oxford-born musician's exuberant performances electrified the nation. Playing a 1673 Stradivarius, she was regarded as one of the finest cellists the world had ever seen.

She married pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim, who is now music director of the Berlin State Opera.

Mr Barenboim said the therapist's allegation had 'absolutely nothing to do with the reality of Jackie's passing', and called it 'unverifiable'.

His spokesman said: 'The article is based on a book, which refers to an incident between two people, and the one person who can verify it is no longer with us. I don't see that it is newsworthy.'

The account was also rejected by one of Miss du Pre's closest companions, Cynthia Friend, 81, who told the Daily Mail: 'I don't believe it for one minute. She was very special to me, and I had been staying there for a few nights with Ruth, her wonderful nurse.

'You couldn't leave Jackie on her own. She was totally bound to her wheelchair, and at the end her head was even strapped to that thing, because it was shaking and jumping, it was so terrible.

'I don't know when this lady is saying Jackie was well enough to say, "I'd like to be put out of my misery", because Jackie couldn't speak at the end.

'There is no way she could have asked anybody. Ruth never left Jackie. There were a number of her close friends there at the end. I cannot imagine what Jackie would say, if she heard these things.'

Miss du Pre's death certificate shows that her cause of death was recorded by her GP as 'bronchopneumonia and multiple sclerosis'.
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Glamorous guests at Princess Maria Anunciata of Liechtenstein's wedding have revealed an intimate glimpse into the event by sharing snaps from the reception online.

The heiress, 36, who is the daughter of Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg and Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein, first married Emanuele Musini in a small civil ceremony at the Villa della Tenuta di Fassia near Gubbio on June 26.

But over the weekend, the stunning royal tied the knot for a second time during their religious ceremony in Vienna and looked every inch the blushing bride in a white satin Valentino gown complete with statement balloon sleeves.

A host of high-profile guests attended the wedding including Stephanie of Luxembourg, Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, Ekaterina Princess of Hanover and Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.

Photos shared on social media of the reception at the Gartenpalais revealed guests were treated to an enormous lavish banquet in a stunning ballroom.

Later, Princess Maria swapped her flowing satin gown for a second dress for the evening event, opting for a Grecian style dress with sequin detailing and the Diamond Vine Leaves Tiara.

Glamorous guests at Princess Maria Anunciata of Liechtenstein's wedding to Italian businessman Emanuele Musini have revealed an intimate glimpse into the event by sharing snaps from the reception online (pictured)

Photos shared on social media of the reception at the Gartenpalais revealed guests were treated to an enormous lavish banquet (left) before they were gifted Sacher Torte cakes as wedding favours (right)

Wedding guests including Nieves Zuberbuhler, Princess Ekaterina of Hanover and Princess Alessandra of Hanover opted for elegant floor length gowns for the event

Meanwhile Beatrice Borromeo, wife of Monaco's Pierre Casiraghi, and Princess Cleo zu Oettingen-Spielberg appeared in high spirits as they arrived at the event (left) alongside Princess Matilde zu Furstenberg (right)

Princess Maria is far from the first royal who has chosen to wear the glittering diamond tiara for her big day.

When Princess Claire of Luxembourg wed Prince Felix in 2013, she wore the vine leaf-design tiara with berries. Said to date back from the mid-19th century, it's also often worn by Maria Teresa.

Meanwhile Emanuele cut a handsome figure, opting for a simple black tuxedo for the big event.

Guests including wife of Monaco's Pierre Casiraghi, and Princess Cleo zu Oettingen-Spielberg both donned for stunning floor length red Dior gowns for the occasion, posting snaps online as they posed at their hotel ahead of the reception.

Cleo, as she is known, has appeared in a handful of German film and television productions although she also happens to be a baroness.

Meanwhile the newlyweds were later seen leaning into one another as they cut into their enormous wedding cake, which was covered in hundreds of raspberries.

Earlier in the day, Princess Maria married Emmauele wearing a veil emblazoned with dainty white flowers paired with a bejewelled crown and matching earrings, while her blonde tresses were swept back in a chic up do.

The happy couple looked thrilled as they were pictured leaving the church and waving at royal fans as they made their way to the reception.

Later the newlyweds could be seen leaning in close to one another as they cut into an enormous wedding cake covered in raspberries

Princess Matilde zu Furstenberg, who donned a frilly fuscia pink gown, said the event had been 'incredible' in a post online (pictured)

Meanwhile guests including art collector Staffan Ahrenberg posed for snaps alongside royal carriages at the black tie evening reception (left and right)

Emanuele cut a handsome figure, donning a pair of pinstripe trousers paired with a camel waistcoat, black jacket and satin tie.

The bride was assisted by five adorable bridesmaids who all donned white satin bridesmaid dresses teamed with green satin ribbons and flower crowns.

The group left the wedding with Maria in a horse and carriage as a huge crowd of excited onlookers gathered to watch the happy couple tie the knot for the second time.

Earlier this year the royal gave a glimpse into her first wedding, where she opted wearing for a more relaxed white dress with balloon sleeves.

Princess Maria Anunciata of Liechtenstein was a vision in white as she walked down the aisle with her entrepreneur boyfriend boyfriend for the second time

The bride was assisted by five adorable bridesmaids who all donned white satin bridesmaid dresses teamed with green satin ribbons and flower crowns

The happy couple looked thrilled as they were pictured leaving the church and waving at royal fans as they made their way to the reception

In a picture shared on Instagram by a royal fan, Maria Anunciata could be seen looking ethereal as she and her husband signed the wedding registry at Villa della Tenuta di Fassia.

The couple have been dating for several years, with Emanuele appearing in photos at Maria Anunciata's family functions since 2017.

Maria Anunciata is member to not only one, but two royal families, being the granddaughter of the late Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Josephine-Charlotte of Belgium on her mothers side.

In spite of her grand upbringing and royal ties, the 36-year-old has built a career for herself as a respected curator for museums.

The heiress, 36, who is the daughter of Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg and Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein, married Emanuele in a small civil ceremony at the Villa della Tenuta di Fassia near Gubbio on June 26 before a second ceremony in Vienna today

Today, the stunning royal tied the knot for a second time in Vienna and looked every inch the blushing bride in a white satin gown complete with statement balloon sleeves

The group left the wedding with Maria in a horse and carriage as a huge crowd of excited onlookers gathered to watch the happy couple tie the knot for the second time

Princess Maria completed her look with a veil emblazoned with dainty white flowers paired with a bejewelled crown and matching earring, while her blonde tresses were swept back in a chic up do

Stephanie of Luxembourg and Crown Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg were among the high-profile guests at the wedding

Christian von Habsburg and Marie-Astrid von Habsburg (left) joined Ekaterina, the Princess of Hanover and Princess Christian of Hanover (right) at the event yesterday

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg is pictured with her husband, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg

Alana Bunte and Prince Casimir zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (left) joined Francois du Chastel and his guest (right) at the event

A host of high-profile guests attended the wedding including Prince Lorenz of Belgium who is pictured with a guest at the event

She worked for the Parisian art publishing house Cahier d'Art, which is renowned for its contemporary art periodical La Revue.

In 2016, she worked on the Picasso retrospective which marked the 100th anniversary of the painter and Jean Cocteau's trip to Rome and Naples with the Ballets Russes.

After proving herself by working for giants of the art world, Maria Anunciata is now working on independent projects and spends her time between New York and Paris.

She has two younger siblings, Princess Maria-Astrid and Prince Josef-Emmanuel, who is often listed as one of Europe's most illegible bachelors.

Her father Nikolaus, is 15th in line for the Liechtenstein throne, while her brother is 16th in line.

He moved to the UK at a young age to attend The Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and after graduation he joined the Irish Guard.

Frederik Sachs posed for a photo at the event with Princess Mafalda of Savoy and German industrialist Rolf Sachs

Italian journalist and fashion model Beatrice Borromeo arrived at the event with Pierre Casiraghi, the younger son of Caroline, Princess of Hanover

Pictured, Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein with Princess Isabelle of Liechtenstein with their family

Josef was quickly promoted to Lieutenant, aged just 21, and was selected to present the Queen with the flag of his regiment at the 2010 Trooping the Colour.

He was joined after the ceremony by his parents and his two sisters Princess Maria-Anunciata and Princess Marie-Astrid.

The regiment has a strong connection to the 31-year-old, since his grandfather, Grand Duke Jean served with the group as a Lieutenant in the Second World War.

Grand Duke Jean had volunteered with the British Army after his royal family fled Nazi occupation of Luxembourg.

Maria Anunciata's beau, Emanuele, founded Pillo Health, a company which aims to bring Artificial Intelligence into the health habits of the American home.

His company, which registers a reported $3.8 million (2.7 million) a year, is based in Boston.
The Duchess of Cornwall has signalled her determination to extend her work on supporting female victims of violence by becoming patron of Nigeria's first sexual assault referral centre.

Camilla, 74, is set to be announced as royal patron of The Mirabel Centre, a trailblazing organisation in West Africa which has provided free medical support, counselling and practical services to more than six thousand women and girls, as well as men and young boys.

Distressingly, the youngest victim it has helped was aged just three months, while the oldest was aged 80.

The Duchess, who has made the issue of domestic abuse and sexual assault one of the cornerstones of her public work, said she was 'delighted' to do anything she could to help the centre in Lagos.

The Mirabel Centre is the duchess' first overseas patronage in the field and arose from an official visit to Nigeria with the Prince of Wales in 2018 (pictured)

'It is a truly trailblazing organisation, supporting survivors of rape and sexual assault as they seek healing and justice. Their vital work means that women need no longer suffer in silence and I am deeply grateful to all Mirabel's wonderful staff and volunteers,' she said.

Founded eight years ago by Itoro Eze-Anaba, the Mirabel helps those who have either recently become the victim of rape or sexual assault or have experienced it historically.

She told the Mail that the centre provided not just immediate medical assistance and examinations, which can be used as evidence in any subsequent court case, but counselling, practical and financial support for the victims and their families.

'It is about providing help and support for the whole family throughout the healing process, as well as helping the victim and, in some cases, the police,' she explained.

'There can be a lot of stigma around this issue and there has been a culture of silence. We hope to help give women a voice.'

Ms Eze-Anaba added: 'The current COVID-19 pandemic has further revealed the endemic nature of sexual violence. We have seen a huge number of children and women coming forward to report cases of sexual assault and rape.

'We are confident that the support of The Duchess will make a difference. We hope that together we can enable more survivors to seek and achieve justice.

Founded eight years ago by Itoro Eze-Anaba, the Mirabel (pictured) helps those who have either recently become the victim of rape or sexual assault or have experienced it historically

'It is an honour to welcome HRH The Duchess of Cornwall as our first Patron. We have followed her work with charities working in the sexual and gender-based violence space and have seen how passionate and committed The Duchess is towards providing support for survivors. '

The UK's High Commissioner to Nigeria Catriona Laing CB added: 'Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) is a global epidemic ravaging all levels of society, and one of the most prevalent and devastating human rights violations.

'It cuts across all social, national, economic boundaries and, sadly, remains largely unreported due to the stigma and shame too often associated with survivors, and the impunity too often enjoyed by the perpetrators.

'The Mirabel Centre is the first of its kind to provide holistic and high quality psychosocial and medical services to these survivors in Nigeria, and this patronage will no doubt help to ensure safe and continued support to sexual assault survivors, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.'

For almost a decade, the Duchess of Cornwall has highlighted the work of domestic abuse and sexual assault charities in the UK and overseas in supporting victims and survivors, with the aim of breaking the taboo around the subject.

In 2020 she became Patron of the UK domestic abuse charity SafeLives.

The Mirabel Centre is her first overseas patronage in the field and arose from an official visit to Nigeria with the Prince of Wales in 2018.
Queen Letizia of Spain appeared effortlessly elegant as she presided over the first edition 'Retina ECO Awards' at the Giner de Los Rios Foundation today.

The mother-of-two, 48, cut a classic chic figure in a shoulder exposing black dress with a cinched waist as she arrived at the event in Madrid this evening.

Presenting four awards at the ceremony, the former journalist showed recognition for the best projects from 2020 that were designed to improve sustainability and fight against climate change using technology.

The royal teamed the stunning gown with coordinating sling-back heels from Carolina Herrera and a Magrit clutch bag.

Queen Letizia of Spain, 48, (pictured) presided over the first edition 'Retina ECO Awards' at the Giner de Los Rios Foundation in Madrid

Letizia (pictured) teamed an elegant black dress with Carolina Herrera sling-back heels and a Magrit clutch bag

Queen Letizia, who is known for her trendsetting sense of style, further oozed glamour by wearing her glossy brunette hair swept behind her ears to reveal gold Tous Shell earrings.

She also accessorized with a simple gold ring by Karen Hallam.

Despite wearing a mask, the 48-year-old appeared to have outlined her eyes with a dark liner to draw attention to her face.

The award ceremony was organised by newspaper El Pais in collaboration with the consulting firm Capgemini to acknowledge innovators trying to make a difference to the environment.

Letizia (pictured), who was wearing a face mask, accessorised her look with Tous Shell earrings and a simple gold ring by Karen Hallam

Queen Letizia (pictured) presented awards in four categories to give recognition to the best projects for sustainability and fighting climate change

Letizia (pictured) appeared in good spirits as she greeted those at the Giner de Los Rios Foundation in Madrid today

Queen Letizia presented awards in the categories 'Green Generation', 'Efficient Consumption', 'Smart Mobility' and 'Sustainable ecosystem', which each had three finalists.

The winners were announced in the ceremony, as projects involving energy efficiency, smart distribution and greener lifestyles were praised.

The jury involved included Secretary of State for Energy Sara Aagesen, CEO of Capgemini Spain Luis Abad, general director of Information Systems and Innovation at Ferrovial Dimitri Bountolos, Global Director of Responsible Banking at Banco Santander Lara de Mesa, director of the Extraordinary Chair of Social Transformation at the UCM Begona Gomez, Director of Industry, Energy, Environment and Climate at CEOE Cristina Rivero, director of the ISEAK Foundation and president of the Sustainable Development Commission of Iberdrola Sara de la Rica, content director for Retina Jaime Garcia Cantero as well as Laurent Perea, CEO of Capgemini Invent Spain.

Queen Letizia beamed as she greeted those attending the award ceremony, which comes after an almost month-long summer break.

In the days leading up to her birthday next week, the Spanish royal has a busy schedule including the inauguration of the 80th edition of the Madrid Book Fair and the opening ceremony of the 2021/2022 School Year at the 'Odon de Buen' Center for Early Childhood and Primary Education.
Shoppers watching ravenous hordes standing in hour-long queues this week must have wondered what on earth they were waiting for. The latest Apple gadget, perhaps, or some limited edition trainers worth hundreds of pounds?

In fact, the treat tempting customers to stand in line was a 4.59 burger. This summer, after a 20-year hiatus, fast-food chain Wendy's returned to the UK, with a store opening in the Stratford Centre in East London, and another in Reading.

It comes after Wendy's dethroned Burger King to become America's second most popular burger chain. And if the resulting queues are anything to go by it seems that  despite warnings about the disastrous impact on our health, and that of the planet  Britain has never been hungrier for burgers.

Chains are keen to cash in, with dedicated burger joints on our High Street ranging from 3.39 at McDonald's to 12.95 at Gourmet Burger Kitchen. But with many of us secretly admitting we prefer a 'cheap' burger to deluxe offerings, what really is the difference? We test the signature offerings from the biggest brands to see who wins the battle of the burgers...

Chains are keen to cash in, with dedicated burger joints on our High Street ranging from 3.39 at McDonald's to 12.95 at Gourmet Burger Kitchen. But with many of us secretly admitting we prefer a 'cheap' burger to deluxe offerings, what really is the difference? (file image)

McDONALD'S

Big Mac, 3.39. Height: 7cm. Calories: 508

The biggest player by far in the burger market, McDonald's first arrived in the UK more than 40 years ago and prides itself on serving up burgers that are consistently the same across all of its 1,300 outlets. 2.4 million Big Macs are sold around the world every day.

TASTE TEST: The first thing that hits you when you buy a Big Mac is how homogenised it is  if you buy two Big Macs they'll be the same cookie-cutter width and height. When I bite into it, my next impression is how sweet it tastes  from the bun to the condiments. But the chopped onions, sauce and pickles are well-judged and because it's all wrapped up in a neat package, the Big Mac was less messy than most burgers to eat.

ENVIRONMENTAL COST? McDonald's claims that 'all McDonald's burgers are made using 100 per cent British and Irish beef, sourced from over 20,000 farms'. The company did not respond to questions about the welfare conditions or what cattle were fed on. When I asked a server where their beef came from she replied: 'Cows.'

VERDICT: 1 OUT OF 5

McDonald's: The Big Mac, 3.39. Height: 7cm. Calories: 508

BURGER KING

The Whopper: 4.79. Height: 4.5cm. Calories: 635

Burger King arrived in the UK in 1974, the same year as McDonald's, and aimed to offer a higher quality burger with the Whopper. Though it now boasts 500 branches, it never grew on the same scale as its rival.

TASTE TEST: Nearly three times as wide as it is high, this is a flatter burger you can hold in one hand rather than needing two hands and a large mouth. Like the Big Mac, it's the mayonnaise and tomato flavours that hit you first. The beef is well done, but the synthetic sugary flavour lingered.

ENVIRONMENTAL COST? Asked about how their beef is raised, the company says: 'We continuously review our policies on animal welfare, sourcing and environmental impact to ensure we remain good corporate citizens in the communities we serve.'

VERDICT: 2

Burger King: The Whopper, 4.79. Height: 4.5cm. Calories: 635

FIVE GUYS

The Hamburger, 6.95. Height: 5cm. Calories: 840

Founded in Virginia by a dad and his four sons in 1986, Five Guys entered the 'better burger' market in the UK in 2013. Britons loved its retro feel, and it now has 120 stores throughout the UK

TASTE TEST: Five Guys is a basic burger built around high quality meat that you can garnish with up to 15 different toppings. The meat tastes high quality and, at 6.95, it's a good compromise between price and quality.

ENVIRONMENTAL COST? Five Guys says the beef is grain fed and left to mature for 120 days. According to CEO John Eckbert: 'This creates a critical difference in the quality of the meat. Less than 1 per cent of UK meat would qualify for Five Guys meat.'

VERDICT: 4

Five Guys: The Hamburger, 6.95. Height: 5cm. Calories: 840

WENDY'S

Dave's Double, with cheese, 4.59. Height: 6cm. Calories: 888

Back after 20 years is the burger chain with square patties, made so 'because we don't cut corners'. It has plans for 400 in total throughout the UK

TASTE TEST: I was astonished to see a queue which took an hour to go down. So expectations were undoubtedly high when I opened up the tissue paper. I wondered why it was slathered in pink sauce. But on the first bite, I was impressed. The burgers are juicy and the textured meat works well with whatever the pink stuff is, though it's hugely high in calories. Overall, the flavour of a gourmet burger at around the price of Big Mac or Whopper.

ENVIRONMENTAL COST? Wendy's says its beef is 'British' and supplied, like all its ingredients, by food distributor Brakes.

VERDICT: 4

Wendy's: Dave's Double, with cheese, 4.59. Height: 6cm. Calories: 888

GOURMET BURGER KITCHEN

The Mighty, double beef patty burger, 12.95. Height: 11cm. Calories: 1,475

GBK was the first to bring the concept of gourmet burger to Britain in 2001.

TASTE TEST: Its very large height means I feel like I could dislocate my jaw when taking the first bite. It is delicious to eat, piping hot after being cooked at 71c, nicely charred and piled high with rashers of bacon. As I take my first bite all the juices come cascading down the side. A massive indulgence but at 12.95, it's got to be worth it  and it is. No wonder it carries such a heavy calorie punch.

ENVIRONMENTAL COST? All of GBK's supplies come from Bidfood, which has signed up to the WRAP Courtauld Commitment 2020 that aims to reduce the resources needed to provide food and drink in the UK by 20 per cent by 2025.

VERDICT: 5

Gourmet Burger Kitchen: The Mighty, double beef patty burger, 12.95. Height: 11cm. Calories: 1,475

HONEST BURGER

The Honest Burger, 12.50. Height: 6.5cm. Calories: 733

In true British style, university friends Phil Eeles and Tom Barton started up Honest Burger by opening stands at festivals, before starting their first restaurant in Brixton in 2011. It now has 46 sites in the UK, including four kitchens for delivery orders.

TASTE TEST: With a 2cm thick patty this is all about the meat, simply topped with melted mature cheddar and onion jam. Delicious. The meat tastes high quality. The company uses suppliers in Scotland and some very English touches, like the cheese and onion jam, combine to create a great burger package.

ENVIRONMENTAL COST? A spokesman said: 'Honest Beef is from small farms in the Highlands. The cows are native breeds, live outside and eat grass.'

VERDICT: 5

Honest Burger: The Honest Burger, 12.50. Height: 6.5cm. Calories: 733

BYRON BURGER

The Byron Burger, 11.95. Height: 9cm. Calories: 700

Founded in 2007, Byron's helped create the 'better burger market' and became known for its cool industrial chic venues, craft beer, milkshakes and claim to serve 'proper burgers'. However, it hit hard times in lockdown and went into administration. Even though it was saved, 31 of Byron's 51 sites were closed.

TASTE TEST: The chain boasts its burgers are cooked the Byron Way  that's pink and juicy. To get this the 6oz patties are cooked at 68c for eight minutes, turning once. It's piled high with American cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion and pickles. Just watch out for the juices running onto your shirt  ask for extra napkins.

ENVIRONMENTAL COST? The company says it 'uses a premium, pure Aberdeen Angus blend of flank, chuck, brisket and short rib from a butcher in Yorkshire'. It uses Dovecote Park, which also supplies beef to Waitrose.

VERDICT: 3.5
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They say the camera doesn't lie, but sometimes it can certainly play very clever tricks if the timing is right. Street photographer Anthimos Ntagkas, from Athens, Greece, has become something of an expert in capturing perfectly timed snaps that are guaranteed to make you do a double take. A dog who appears to have human legs and woman seemingly blowing smoke out of her head are just some of the optical illusions captured by the snapper, which have been compiled by Bored Panda. Here, we reveal a selection of the best snaps that prove just how important it is when the camera clicks just at the right second.

Man's best friend: This dog in Tel Aviv, Israel, appeared to gain human legs in this magnificent snap, taken on a beach.

Perfect covering: This man kept all his modesty with what appeared to be giant skirt, with the spot-on positioning of a huge umbrella on Kalogria Beach, Greece.

Straight out of Alice in Wonderland! This woman in Brighton made for a fantastic photograph when walking alongside this wall, featuring a white rabbit painting.

Not so innocent: This impressive picture, taken in Athens, Greece, appears to feature winged angels stealing a bottle of wine from a rubbish bin.

Now that's perfect timing: A man's tattoo is seemingly given a body in this photograph, taken in London during the summer.

Biker chic: The model on this poster gained an eye glass when a person perfectly positioned their motorbike in front of it in Athens, Greece.

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Stay out of his way! This man looked like he was steaming with madness, thanks to the perfect positioning of the clouds.
Women are to be able to freeze their eggs or embryos for 55 years under a fertility revolution.

The move, announced by the Government last night, will mean they no longer have to wrestle with time constraints over when to start a family.

The extension of the current ten-year legal limit by 45 years will also apply to men who wish to store their sperm.

Women are to be able to freeze their eggs or embryos for 55 years under a fertility revolution which means they no longer have to wrestle with time constraints over when to start a family

Prospective parents will be asked at ten-year intervals if they wish to keep or dispose of frozen eggs, sperm and embryos.

Campaigners say the new proposals will free women from the stress of a ticking biological clock.

Currently only women with medical reasons  such as facing therapy that could leave them sterile  are allowed to store their eggs at clinics for up to 55 years.

Around two-thirds of women in the UK who freeze their eggs for social reasons are over 35, the age at which fertility starts to decline sharply.

The new law will mean they can freeze their eggs in their 20s, when they are most fertile, without facing a strict ten-year limit to get pregnant.

It is likely to increase the trend for women to delay motherhood until later life.

Although it can be medically risky for postmenopausal women to carry a baby, older women will still be able to become a mother potentially decades after freezing eggs or embryos by using a surrogate.

The law means that in future, for example, a 75-year-old man with fertility problems could father a child using sperm he had frozen when he was 20.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: The current storage arrangements can be severely restrictive for those making the important decision about when to start a family.

'This new legislation will help turn off the ticking clock in the back of peoples minds. There are any number of reasons why someone may choose to preserve their fertility, and it is one of the most personal decisions any of us can make.

Prospective parents will be asked at ten-year intervals if they wish to keep or dispose of frozen eggs, sperm and embryos (pictured: Sperm freezing tank)

Technological breakthroughs  including in egg freezing  have changed the equation in recent years and its only right that this progress puts more power into the hands of potential parents.

By making these changes, we are going to take a huge step forwards  not just for giving people greater freedom over their fertility, but for equality too.

The changes will apply to NHS fertility clinics as well as private ones. But it will not apply in cases when one parent of an embryo has died or there is a third-party sperm or egg donor. The Government will consult separately on these issues.

'This will help huge numbers of women' Sophia Money-Coutts, 36, paid to have her eggs frozen last year as she was single but wanted to keep open her option of having children. The author and journalist said: This is such brilliant news for women and a hugely empowering move which has been a long time coming. The ten-year-limit was set in 1990 when egg freezing was a relatively new science, and has caused many women heartache since because theyve either had to destroy their eggs or transport them abroad. Miss Money-Coutts, who hosts a podcast, Freezing Time, said if she uses her eggs it is likely to be within ten years but added: All the evidence points to the fact that the earlier you freeze the better, so this could help huge numbers of women. Advertisement

Current UK law limiting the freezing of human eggs for social reasons to ten years was set in 1990, with a 55-year limit for eggs and sperm frozen for medical reasons  such as for those facing chemotherapy.

Ministers hope to end this disparity with the new law, due to be introduced when Parliament returns.

It has been made possible by a scientific revolution which means eggs can be stored indefinitely without degrading due to vitrification, a technique where eggs are flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen.

Last nights announcement was welcomed by fertility organisations who said it means parents will no longer face an artificial deadline on when to conceive.

Julia Chain, who chairs the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, said: This is great news for patients, giving them more time to make important decisions about family planning.

It is important that the new rules are clear and that fertility clinics are given adequate time to update their procedures to ensure they can both implement the changes effectively and give patients sufficient information about their options.

Innovation minister Lord Bethell said: Prospective parents should not have to wrestle with time limits on their fertility choices.

The number of women freezing their eggs has risen almost ten-fold since 2010, to around 2,000 in 2018.

Clinics have reported a surge in demand during the pandemic, as many single women feel Covid robbed them of the chance to meet the right partner and have a family.

The average cost of having eggs collected and frozen is 3,350, with medication costing up to 1,500 extra and storage up to 350 a year.

But the chance of pregnancy from frozen eggs declines rapidly the later they are harvested  from 27 per cent for eggs frozen under the age of 35 to 13 per cent if it is done over the age of 35.
More than 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been thrown away over the past six months.

Data obtained by NBC News from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that the true level of vaccine waste in the country is higher than previously expected.

The 15 million doses have been discarded since March, when the vaccines first started to become widely available for all adult Americans.

Large pharmacy chains and state health departments were most responsible for the waste of vaccines.

The data is revealed after the nation's vaccine roll out faltered for months during late spring and early summer, until demand for the jabs began to rise again once a Delta variant-fueled Covid surge began.

More than 15 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been discarded since March, an NBC News report finds. Walgreens is responsible for the most vaccine waster, throwing out 2.6 million doses

CVS is among the biggest vaccine wasters as well, throwing away 2.3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses.

NBC aggregated vaccine waste data from vaccine providers across the country that it obtained through a public records request.

Walgreens, one of the nationwide pharmacy chains that partnered with the federal government to distribute vaccines, is responsible for the most waste at 2.6 million doses.

Around 2.3 million doses were reported as wasted by CVS, 1.6 million by Walmart and 1.1 million by Rite Aid.

Each of the chains have played a crucial role in distributing the vaccine nationwide so far.

NBC estimates that they totals reported are likely undercounts compared to the total doses wasted so far, though.

There are multiple reasons for vaccine doses to be discarded.

Sometimes, a vial will be opened to serve the next person who comes in for a vaccine.

There are multiple reasons for vaccines to be discarded. Some are unused doses as part of an open vial, some vials are damaged. Some also expired due to a lack of demand for the shots. (File Photo)

Once a vial is opened, though, it must be used in a matter of hours before it expires.

A vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine often included five to six doses, while a Moderna vaccine vial includes up to ten.

Sometimes, a new vial is opened to vaccinated one person, but if no one else is ready to receive the remaining doses then the rest of the vial must be discarded.

Doses are also discarded in cases where vials are damaged or spoiled due to improper refrigeration.

'While we regret having to dispose of any vaccine, we're extremely proud of our store employees who've helped administer more than 30 million doses,' a CVS spokesperson told NBC.

'When given the option of potentially saving a life or slightly improving our reported waste figures, we'll always choose the former.'

Many doses were also wasted by state health departments who were allotted doses to distribute themselves.

Texas was the leader in doses wasted, with more than 517,000 vaccines discarded, more than 200,000 more than any other state.

North Carolina (285,126 doses wasted), Pennsylvania (244,214) and Oklahoma (226,163) were also among the leaders in doses discarded by state officials.

'While we do everything possible to avoid waste, and while we don't want to waste on purpose, we also don't want to miss any vaccination opportunities,' the Pennsylvania Department of Health said in a statement about vaccine waste.

Many vaccines have also been thrown out after expiring, as vaccine demand cratered for months in early summer.

Demand for the vaccines among Americans dropped significantly in late spring.

The vaccine rollout reached its peak in early April, when more than 3.5 million doses were being distributed every day.

The figure dropped all the way to below 500 thousands doses per day in early July, a low point since the vaccines became widely available.

Covid cases began to rise once again in July, though, when the Delta variant first began its takeover of the United States.

On particular days, the country has vaccinated more than 1 million people within a 24 hour span.

Overall, around 700,000 Americans are getting jabbed on a daily basis, and the figure has slowly grown over the past few months.

In total, 62 percent of Americans have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 53 percent are fully vaccinated.

Any American over the age of 12 is eligible for at least one of the vaccines.
A conservative Georgia city councilman who previously railed again the COVID-19 vaccines is now urging others to get jabbed after his own battle with the virus.

Jim Sells, 71, of Grantville, Georgia, was hospitalized for 16 days due to the virus last month.

He told Newsweek that he was 'hardcore anti-vaccine' before he had to deal with the virus himself.

Sells even urged others to not to get vaccinated, as he did not trust the shots himself.

Now, after falling ill with COVID-19 himself, and realizing what the current virus outbreak is doing to local hospitals, he is urging the people he once told not to get vaccinated to get jabbed.

Jim Sells (pictured) was ant-vaxx before he personally contracted COVID-19 in August and was hospitalized for 16 days. Now, he is pushing for others in his Georgia community to get vaccinated

Sell (pictured) is the city councilman of Grantville, Georgia. He hopes more residents get vaccinated to alleviate the current capacity issues in hospitals across the state. More than 96% of Georgia ICU beds are currently in use

Sells said surviving his bout of the virus was a gift from God, and now he would not waste the gift 'and not try to do something to pass the word to my group of hard-headed conservatives.'

'I prayed for recovery, and all my friends prayed, and the doctors and nurses worked on me,' he told 11 Alive news in Atlanta.

'I said "if you can recover from this, you have to change everything," Sells said.

'This has to be a life-changer.'

Sells has been out of the hospital for around a week now, and says he only feels like 30 percent of himself.

He is one of 48 percent of Georgia residents that are currently unvaccinated for Covid.

The state, which does not report cases daily, is currently averaging around 8,900 new cases per day - a 17 percent increase over the last two weeks.

Just over 78 deaths are being recorded every day as well, 0.73 out of every 100,000 residents and the seventh highest rate of any state.

The recent uptick of cases and deaths have also proved a problem for hospitals in the state.

More than 6,400 people are hospitalized with the virus, and 96 percent of the state's ICU beds are currently in use - one of the worst situations of any state.

Having seen the situation in hospitals first hand now, Sells understands that getting more Georgians vaccinated can help quell a terrible situation.

'We don't have our hospitals now, they're COVID centers,' Sells told Newsweek.

'We need our hospital back, the vaccine is the quickest way.'

He has faced some backlash for changing his tune, though, as those he stood with previously in the culture war surrounding vaccines are now his opposition.

Sells also blamed social media like Facebook for himself and others in his community being misinformed.

'Social media is killing people. Anything that supports your belief will come your way and you'll be in that cultural group,' he said.

'I'm catching hell for promoting the vaccine, but I'm not gonna let up,'

'The hospitals are full, and the morgues are full of unvaccinated patients, and I damn near became one.'

In Coweta County, where Sells serves around 35 miles southwest of Atlanta, 35 percent of residents are fully vaccinated and just under 40 percent have received at least one shot of a vaccine.

The county has recorded 18,358 COVID-19 cases and 256 deaths from the virus since the pandemic first began.
Parents often talk about fighting for the interests of their child, but few will have had to go into battle to the extent Matt and Alison Hughes have for their four-year-old son, Charlie.

As well as facing endless red tape, theyve spent eye-watering sums of money and were ready to go to the High Court to access medicines that appear to transform Charlies health.

Charlie has Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy that can cause up to 120 seizures a day, causing the little boy to clench his fists and lean forward like someone has hit him in the stomach.

Those with the syndrome also tend to have learning difficulties  and Charlie is yet to walk with ease, or talk.

Parents often talk about fighting for the interests of their child, but few will have had to go into battle to the extent Matt and Alison Hughes have for their four-year-old son, Charlie

It is a difficult condition to treat and then watch your child deal with.

Charlie was first diagnosed with epilepsy as a tiny baby, and his father Matt, 41, an IT manager from Norwich, admits that he initially thought it was nothing big.

We had no idea how severe and life-changing it would be, he says. By the age of one, Charlie was on four different anti-seizure medications. These brought virtually no benefit but came with side-effects, such as lethargy.

At playgroup, other parents would say Look what my child learned to do, and Charlie would be just lying there like a zombie, recalls Matt. It was so upsetting. He had zero quality of life.

Yet two years ago, Charlie began taking a drug thats cut his seizures and made him more alert. In fact, the once zombie-like Charlie is now nicknamed Tigger  On account of how he bounces around the house, says Matt.

But there is a problem: the drug is medicinal cannabis. This is thought to help epilepsy by making brain cells less excitable, but its not a drug thats easy to access on the NHS.

Unlike recreational cannabis, medicinal cannabis is grown and processed to pharmaceutical standards and typically comes as an oil or spray containing either cannabidiol (CBD) or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the psychoactive element of cannabis that causes the high, although some formulations contain both.

Its production has become a multinational business. Adven, for example, is grown in Portugal, then exported and formulated into oils here.

The drug is medicinal cannabis. This is thought to help epilepsy by making brain cells less excitable, but its not a drug thats easy to access on the NHS

Until three years ago, it was illegal to use medicinal cannabis outside a clinical trial. But after a much-publicised campaign by parents such as Hannah Deacon, whose now nine-year-old son Alfie Dingleys seizures dramatically improved with medicinal cannabis, the drug was rescheduled, enabling UK doctors to prescribe it.

Hannah had moved to Holland in order to obtain Alfies medication. The day the rules changed, I really thought we were on the verge of something miraculous, Hannah, 42, told Good Health.

In fact, little has changed. While Alfie is now able to get the treatment prescribed in the UK, only two other prescriptions for the type of medicinal cannabis he has have been issued by the NHS.

This is despite the health watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), setting out guidance in March that made it easier to prescribe medicinal cannabis.

So why is medicinal cannabis still so difficult to access? And why does vital research, which could encourage more doctors to prescribe the drug, seem to have been kicked into the long grass?

NHS England says medicinal cannabis can only be prescribed when other treatment options have been exhausted; and only consultants can prescribe it where clinically appropriate. Also, many doctors are not keen on prescribing drugs they know little about.

In order to be classed as a medicine, medicinal cannabis must be produced to specific standards. But most products are still unlicensed because they havent been subjected to long-term safety trials. It has also not been determined which conditions medical cannabis can be used for, and at what dose.

After a much-publicised campaign by parents such as Hannah Deacon, whose now nine-year-old son Alfie Dingleys seizures dramatically improved with medicinal cannabis, the drug was rescheduled, enabling UK doctors to prescribe it

While unlicensed medicines generally are commonly prescribed by specialists, they may be wary of issuing prescriptions for newer drugs they have little training in.

At the moment, just three types of medicinal cannabis are licensed for use on the NHS (see box, right). These include Epidyolex, a pure CBD oil for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, which Charlie has.

But in late 2018, when Charlie was 18 months old, Alison and Matt were told he wasnt suitable for Epidyolex, as he had yet to be formally diagnosed.

(Typically, diagnosis is made around age three, when tell-tale electrical patterns in the brain are detectable.)

Despite multiple medications, Charlies seizures kept occurring. Every seizure damages his brain and could kill him because it could shut down his brain so hed stop breathing, says Matt.

After a particularly harrowing Christmas, with Charlie having seizures in clusters of 20, his parents began looking for fresh alternatives.

After reading about how medicinal cannabis had helped Alfie Dingley, they tried Charlie on a low-dose CBD oil, bought online. He seemed more alert, though it had no effect on the seizures. In May 2019, they made a private appointment with a London neurologist prepared to write a prescription for two whole plant products, Bedrolite and Bedica (which contain THC and CBD)  the same medication Alfie takes.

(Many unlicensed medicinal cannabis products are whole plant extracts which, as well as THC or CBD, contain other elements of the plant such as terpenes  aromatic compounds that give the plant its taste and smell.)

Some families say these whole plant products work better than Epidyolex, and some studies also suggest they may have a more powerful effect.

Charlie also remained on his other medication (vigabatrin, sodium valproate, clobazam and topiramate); within weeks, his parents noticed a big difference.

I remember one weekend  there was beautiful weather and we got to the end of the day and Charlie hadnt had a single spasm all day, says Matt.

The next day he had spasms again but they were reduced.

Matt reels off what Charlie can now do  including sitting up and feeding himself. He cant stand alone, but he can if he leans against us, says Matt.

His speech is behind but he makes lots of noises and its improving all the time.

And this week, Charlie started at a special school. He still has ten to 20 seizures a day but they are much less severe, and the family thinks its possible Charlie would not have been able to attend the school if he hadnt been given medicinal cannabis.

His quality of life is much better, says Matt. He isnt zombified like he was.

Medicinal cannabis doesnt appear to cause him any side-effects. Hes so cheeky  hes adorable  we love him so much. But going private to get the unlicensed medication doesnt come cheap. Over the past two years, Matt and Alison, 39, a PA at a structural engineering company, have spent 20,000 funding it.

Earlier this year, after being told that NICE guidelines prevented Charlies NHS consultant from prescribing his cannabis medication (despite brain activity tests appearing to show the drug had produced an improvement), Matt and Alison decided to take legal action against NICE, to try to have the guidance changed to make medicinal cannabis more accessible.

Before their case came to court, in March NICE issued a clarification, effectively saying doctors could prescribe the medication in individual cases if they saw fit. Yet it, too, changed nothing.

We recently had a meeting with our NHS consultant who would still not prescribe it [medicinal cannabis], says Matt. Its not that they say it doesnt help; the problem is it isnt licensed, and if something went wrong, it would rebound on her. In other words, the consultant could be vulnerable to legal action if the drug caused problems.

Many families end up looking at medicinal cannabis because nothing else helped. Hannah Deacon says Alfie has been transformed by Bedrolite and Bedica.

My son has been seizure-free for 15 months, she told Good Health. Before taking [medicinal] cannabis he was having 150 big seizures a week and was in hospital 48 times in 2016.

Now he is at school learning to read and write.

Matt is one of the founders of the charity MedCan, which aims to help families in a similar position.

He estimates there are 60 families in his charity alone paying for private medicinal cannabis prescriptions for their severely epileptic children. A lot of other families are using illegal cannabis, he says. In April, a group of 100 cross-party MPs wrote to the Prime Minister warning that families are being emotionally and financially broken by the lack of access to medicinal cannabis and called for compassionate funding for them.

Yet even those doctors who are happy to prescribe medicinal cannabis say that it doesnt work for all.

Dr Sushil Beri, who works at Imperial College London and the Sapphire clinic in London, a private clinic set up to prescribe cannabis, is one of only two paediatric neurologists prescribing unlicensed medicinal cannabis.

He says he takes great care to manage the expectations of parents. Many are desperate, he says. Refractive epilepsy [epilepsy that doesnt respond to medication] is, by its nature, hard to treat.

And he, too, is also still learning what works. It is the most complex medicine I have had to deal with. Its a cocktail of botanical elements, and we dont yet know what they all do, he says.

Although specialists believe THC definitely helps, Dr Beri says: There are safety fears and most of us are rightly concerned about the unknown long-term impact.

He adds that he sees better results with CBD whole plant extracts than with medications containing CBD alone, such as Epidyolex. Yet while he can prescribe whole plant extracts to private clients, all he can prescribe to NHS patients is Epidyolex.

Its not even available from every paediatric neurology centre, only selected ones.

The NHS and many senior doctors say there just isnt yet enough evidence to allow wide access to unlicensed medicinal cannabis products.

In animals studies, it [THC] has been found to be both anti-convulsant and pro-convulsant, which underlines the need for more research, says Finbar OCallaghan, a professor of paediatric neuroscience at University College London.

Which cannabis medicines are available? Medicinal cannabis is a multinational business, with formulations now made here and abroad  but only three brands are licensed for use on the NHS. These contain cannabidiol (CBD), but in higher quantities than is found in High Street CBD products, or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the intoxicating element of cannabis, or sometimes both. One of the three is Sativex, a spray that contains THC and CBD for the spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis. There is also Epidyolex, a pure CBD oil for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (which Charlie, see main story, has) and another rare syndrome that causes epilepsy, called Dravet syndrome. Epidyolex has been available on NHS prescription since September 2019. The third brand of cannabis medication licensed for use on the NHS is Nabilone, a synthetic form of cannabis, for chemotherapy-induced nausea. According to a report by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs there were 328 NHS prescriptions issued for licensed medicinal cannabis products between November 2019 and March 2020 in England  but 288 of these were for Sativex. This compares with just three prescriptions for the type of unlicensed medicinal cannabis taken by Alfie Dingley (see main story) that the NHS has handed out since 2018. Advertisement

He says that he and other paediatric neurologists come under a lot of pressure from parents desperate to get cannabis prescriptions for their children.

But these drugs arent licensed and we arent comfortable prescribing it, he says, adding that large-scale trials are needed.

Medicinal cannabis is a drug like any other and it should be tested to make sure its effective and not doing any harm, he says.

Thats not to say that I dont hold out hope that these drugs may be effective and safe.

Most drugs are licensed only after randomised control trials, where the drug is given to one group and a dummy to another. But parents whose children are already doing well on medicinal cannabis  like Joanne Griffiths, a mother-of-six from Preston  say they fear the consequences if their child was given the placebo.

Her son Ben, 12, has epilepsy as a result of cerebral palsy. Aged five he was on four medications and still having 80 to 100 seizures a day. In 2018, a friend illegally brought back medicinal cannabis oil containing THC and CBD after visiting a medical clinic in Canada.

We gave Ben one drop in the morning and one at night, and we were like Wow, hes hardly had any seizures , says Joanne.

With the support of their specialist, they continued with the oil, but by September 2018 they had run out. They begged for compassionate access to Epidyolex, which was granted in October 2018.

Yet by December, he was in hospital having up to 300 seizures, says Joanne.

Then, in March 2019, a neurologist at the private Portland Hospital in London prescribed Bedrolite and Bedica, for which Joanne, 45, and husband Paul, 41, manager of a window company, pay 1,900 a month. Ben now has few seizures.

Ben could end up being given a placebo in a trial  why would you make your child suffer when he is doing really well? says Joanne.

While longer-term studies are carried out, Matt and Hannah Deacon want the NHS to take into account the effects doctors and patients see for themselves.

In April 2019, a review set up by Matt Hancock, the then health secretary, suggested a faster alternative study but last year campaigners were told the plan was to revert to a randomised control trial. The Department of Health told Good Health it is working with NHS England and others to set up clinical trials and would be able to confirm details of the type once a supply contract had been established.

Meanwhile, Matt and Alison pray they can keep sourcing the prescriptions when Charlies private consultant retires this month.

Charlie has switched to a cheaper product, Celixir20, but even this costs 650 a month. He is on two anti-seizure drugs but his parents hope to wean him off these because of their side-effect, tunnel vision.

At times, Matt sounds tired of fighting. There are times I want to quit, he says. But if I dont do this, who will? Im not just doing this for Charlie but for those with similar difficulties.
The chairman of the financial watchdog has urged internet giants such as Facebook and Twitter to rid their platforms of the scourge of online scams.

Charles Randell, who heads the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), said social media firms are enabling criminals to lure in unsuspecting investors  especially through adverts for so-called crypto tokens.

Randell added that internet giants must do more to prevent scam adverts appearing on their sites.

Scam adverts: The Financial Conduct Authority said social media firms are enabling criminals to lure in unsuspecting investors  especially through adverts for so-called crypto tokens

And in a broadside at Boris Johnson's government, he urged ministers to include financial harm in the Online Safety Bill, forcing firms to check the authenticity of their advertising customers.

Speaking at the Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime, the 63-year-old said: 'Google has committed to stop promoting advertisements for financial products unless an FCA-authorised firm has cleared them. Google is doing the right thing and we will monitor the impact of its changes closely.

'We now need other online platforms  Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, Tiktok  to do the right thing too. And we think that a permanent and consistent solution requires legislation.'

He noted that the Government's proposal to include a small number of financial harms in the bill, such as where an individual criminal sends online messages to a victim to con them out of their money, were 'welcome'.

'But paid-for advertising, the main source of online investment scams, is still not covered  we consider it should be,' he added.

The Mail's Stamp Out Investment Fraud campaign calls for financial harm to be included in the Online Safety Bill, with support from industry giants such as Lloyds Bank, HSBC, Aviva and Hargreaves Lansdown.

But so far, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has refused to widen the scope of the Bill.

Randell compared cleaning up the internet to the mythical hero Hercules' task of cleaning out the Augean stables, and said government, the National Crime Agency, the Serious Fraud Office, police forces and regulators like the FCA must work together.

'The first website was published 30 years ago last month. And like the Augean stables, over the last 30 years the internet has filled up with a great deal of, well, let's just call it 'problematic content',' he said.

'People used to think of the internet as a free space, outside the law, impossible to regulate.

'And while there's no doubt that it has enabled businesses to innovate and grow in ways that serve us well, their awesome power must be matched with responsibility.'

The FCA has become particularly worried about online adverts for crypto-currencies, like bitcoin, and other digital tokens.

None of these speculative products are related to a physical asset such as gold, so their value can fluctuate wildly.

Some are deemed even riskier than the original bitcoin, as their creators have not published an explanatory 'white paper' so users have little idea of how they function.

And many crypto tokens are now being touted by celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Mike Tyson, who get paid by the crypto companies for hauling in new users.

Randell said around 2.3m Britons own some sort of crypto-currency-like product  and that worryingly, 14 per cent of those had borrowed money to buy them, leaving them exposed to even greater losses if the value of the token tumbles.

Another 12 per cent, or a quarter of a million people, thought they would be protected by the FCA or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme if their bets went wrong.

'They won't,' Randell said, explaining that crypto products do not fall under the regulator's scope.

Randell, a former partner at law firm Slaughter and May, conceded that crypto-currencies could have some valuable uses  which may make the case for regulation stronger.

But if Parliament did decide to bring crypto assets under the FCA's scope, the regulator is worried that this could lead consumers to think all such products are 'bona fide investments'.

For now, Randell said, the Treasury should change the law so the FCA can regulate crypto promotions and adverts.

International regulators should also start looking at authorised firms which offer crypto products, such as some banks, and make sure they are fully accounting for the risks which those products represent, he added.
Australia's race to accelerate the vaccination rate and then do away with lockdowns faces twin threats: patchy rates of jab uptake and the danger of 'vaccine apathy' setting in.

While NSW this week reached the milestone of having 70 per cent of eligible recipients having received at least a first dose, other parts of Australia are lagging well behind that rate, leaving them vulnerable to new Covid outbreaks and pushing back the date when lockdowns can end.

In Logan, south of Brisbane, an LGA with more than 257,000 residents, only 39.4 per cent have received a first dose and just 23.1 per cent had received two doses of a vaccine by August 27.

Ipswich west of Brisbane - with about 170,000 residents - isn't much better. There, 43 per cent have received a first dose of a vaccine by August 27, and only 26.7 per cent were fully vaccinated.

It's not just Queensland; the LGA of Rockingham, south of Perth, has only 27.6 per cent of its 105,754 eligible residents 15 and over fully vaccinated.

Other LGAs in parts of Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland have similar numbers that are well behind the national figures and leave Australia with the growing likelihood of another Christmas when border closures leave us isolated from friends and family.

These include Greater Dandenong in Melbourne's east, Brimbank and Hume to the west and north-west of the city, Swan and Waneroo to the east and north of Perth, and Byron Bay on the far north coast of NSW.

The numbers contrast with Australia's national total of 60.7 per cent of those over 16 who have received a first dose and 36.9 per cent who are now fully vaccinated, as of Friday.

As of August 27, the Byron LGA in northern NSW (above) counted 47.2 percent of its eligible population having received first dose and 25.5 percent fully vaccinated with two doses

Rockingham south of Perth has 44.1 percent of its eligible population of 105,754 vaccinated with a first dose and 27.6 percent, two doses

People queue inside the Royal Exhibition Building Covid-19 Vaccination Hub in Melbourne. Australians will be subject only to 'baseline restrictions' once 80 per cent of the population are 'double dose' vaccinated

Australia's plans to exit lockdowns are staged, with some freedoms restored when 70 per cent are fully vaccinated, and just about all restrictions ended if and when we reach 80 percent.

But those are national figures, meaning even the most advanced areas and states in terms of vaccination rates are effectively hostage to those who are lagging far behind.

Deakin University epidemiologist Professor Catherine Bennett said patchy vaccination rates in different parts of Australia, particularly in rural and regional areas where the perceived threat of the virus is not as great, may mean some towns still risk new lockdowns in the event of a fresh outbreak.

It wont hold us back at a national level, and it might not even hold us back at state level, to then go to the next point,' she said, in reference to the thresholds set by the national plan to re-open the country.

But then we have the issue of managing risk for those communities, you will have to potentially lock down a town, if theres enough people unvaccinated and if thats the only way you can try and protect those people who either cant or wont get vaccinated.

Darcy Wain, 15, receives a Pfizer vaccination at the Royal Exhibition Building Covid-19 Vaccination Hub in Melbourne

Associate Professor Paul Griffin warns Australia's vaccination strategy must recognise the virus 'will not be kept out forever'

Infectious diseases expert Associate Professor Paul Griffin from the University of Queensland and Brisbane's Mater Hospital said 'perception of risk' was a key factor in the speed at which any community would embrace vaccination.

That is why Victoria and New South Wales have seen significant upticks in vaccination rates as outbreaks spread, while Queensland and WA - where there are relatively few cases - are behind.

'Those areas that have active transmission are increasing their rate of vaccination,' he said.

'The counter to that are areas where they don't have a lot of transmission at the moment - so people are not appropriately assessing the risk, thinking they're protected by the strategy in place.'

He warns that places which are lagging in getting residents vaccinated are unprepared for the spread of Delta or potential other variants.

'In those areas that have good control, we need to get those vaccination rates up for when the virus does come and it's a matter of time, it's not going to be kept out forever.'

Who is behind the curve? A selection of LGAs with lagging vaccination rates (as of August 27): Queensland South Burnett (population 26,417) - 46.2% first dose, 22.0% double dose Logan (population 257, 354) - 39.4% first dose, 23.1% double dose Lockyer Valley (population 33,721) - 39.6% first dose, 20.9% double dose Ipswich (population 169,205) - 43.0% first dose, 26.7% double dose NSW Byron (population 29,052) - 47.2% first dose, 25.5% double dose Western Australia Swan (population 114,972) - 40.7% first dose, 24.6% double dose Wanneroo (population 161,346) - 44.0% first dose, 27.2% double dose Kwinana (population 34,833) - 40.2% first dose, 24.9% double dose Gosnells (population 97,821) - 42.6% first dose, 24.8% double dose Rockingham (population 105,754) - 44.1% first dose, 27.6% double dose Victoria Whittlesea (population 180,925) - 43.2% first dose, 25.6% double dose Hume (population 180,782) - 40.8% first dose, 22.4% double dose Greater Dandenong (population 138,053) - 43.2% first dose, 24.1% double dose Casey (population 273,232) - 47.7% first dose, 27.8% double dose Brimbank (population 171,362) - 45.4% first dose, 25.1% Source: health.gov.au Advertisement

Professor Bennett believes the recognition in Sydney and Melbourne that the 'Covid zero' elimination strategy is impossible due to the high level of contagiousness of the Delta variant means the public will realise they can't just wait for the virus to pass but must instead take precautions.

'Other states will realise that Melbourne and Sydney definitely can't keep [the virus] under control and it's no longer a matter of keeping your borders closed until it's sorted.

'People will realise it's not a choice of being vaccinated or not anymore, in the absence of the virus. It's now, you're going to be facing the virus and that shifts the choice people make.'

Phase C of the plan agreed to be national cabinet will see only targeted lockdowns necessary once Australia reaches a double dose vaccination rate of 80 per cent

Deakin University epidemiologist Professor Catherine Bennett said she expects vaccination rates to remain 'patchy' in different parts of Australia

The federal government has set national vaccination targets of 70 per cent and 80 per cent of the population aged 16 and over as the thresholds for phase B and phase C of the four-phase plan agreed to by the national cabinet at the end of July.

Australians will be subject only to 'baseline restrictions' once 80 per cent of the population are 'double dose' vaccinated.

These include only highly targeted lockdowns, the lifting of caps on Australians returning home and travelling overseas, if vaccinated, and the gradual reopening of inward and outward international travel.

While governments both federal and state have presented the 80 per cent threshold as being reachable soon after the 70 per cent mark was supposedly achieved next month, international experience casts doubt upon that.

In the USA vaccination rates began to level off once 30-40 per cent of the population had received one dose of a Covid vaccine

In most countries, demand for vaccination was strong through the 50 and 60 per cent marks but soon plateaued as the supply of eager recipients ran out and all that was left were the sceptical and apathetic.

In the US, after an initial burst of inoculations in the wake of the country passing 500,000 deaths from the virus, the vaccination rate began to level off with 30-40 per cent of the population having received one dose.

In early August, America's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reported the country was administering just 660,000 vaccinations per day, down from a peak of more than three million daily shots in mid-April.

A similar phenomenon occurred in Germany but at a stage when closer to 70 per cent of the population had received one vaccine dose.

In other countries such as Canada, where 82.72 per cent of the population aged 12 or over has received a first dose, vaccination rates rose at a constant pace past the 70 per cent threshold, without any plateau.

France and Israel experienced a similar trajectory.

Experts such as Griffin and Bennett believe the 'carrot' of extra freedoms and a return to normal will see Australians replicate the Canadian experience, more so than the American one. But there's no guarantee.

'Absolutely it's a risk,' Professor Griffin said.

'We need to instil into people that we need to get as many vaccinated as possible and that shouldn't stop at 70 or 80 per cent.

'There's no magic number where we should say, that's enough, slow down.

'We need to keep communicating the benefits of vaccination and getting that rate higher, as well as an understanding of the risk of this virus - the fact it's going to keep coming.'

Professor Bennett, who has tracked Australian vaccine uptake since early July, said rates did begin to taper in the 50-plus age groups due to factors such as the changing advice on the AstraZeneca vaccine but that the recent outbreaks in Sydney and Melbourne had caused rates to lift once again.

'I do think first dose is a good predictor of second,' she said. 'We'll know at the other end whether there's a few who don't quite follow up with their second dose.'

The Federal government is sending a letter to 586,713 people aged between 60 and 69 who have yet to have a first dose of the vaccine, with many believed to be waiting for new doses of Pfizer in preference to AstraZeneca

Hundreds of people wait in line for their Covid-19 vaccine at the South Western Sydney vaccination centre at Macquarie Fields

Nevertheless the federal government is sending a letter to 586,713 people aged between 60 and 69 who have yet to receive a first dose of the vaccine, with many believed to be waiting for new doses of Pfizer in preference to AstraZeneca.

Both experts agree the factors at work in causing the current upward tick in the rate of vaccination to potentially flatten out are various, from cultural to ethical objections and more.

'As you get those rates up and we open up, the motivation tends to dwindle,' Professor Griffin explains. 'There's not so much of a carrot at the end of the process. It's harder to find people who are willing and want the vaccine once you get to that higher rate.

'It's not something that should come as a surprise when we get to those points so our strategy needs to be prepared for that.

'We need to make our communication clear and consistent about the ongoing importance of vaccination until  we won't get to 100 per cent - but as close to that as possible.'

Understanding that the Delta variant doubles the number of people in hospitals across all age groups is likely to be a powerful motivation to keep vaccination rates high, Professor Bennett said.

'As more of the older age groups are covered, more of the people in hospital will be younger and we're getting bigger cases than we've ever had in Australia.

'It will keep going for a bit and as the proportion of those people in hospital who are young gets higher and higher, it will sadly be those numbers that drive the [get vaccinated] message home.'

Many hope Australia's rate of child immunisation, one of the highest in the world at around 95 per cent, is a figure that can be replicated for Covid vaccination of the adult population.

'I would hope we can,' Professor Bennett said.

'If it's the thing that can help translate from the hard-earned Covid zero, again and again and again, to higher vaccination rates without ever having to suffer the worst of the big waves, and what we have now by world standards is nothing

'If we can do that, then I think we go back to being the envy of the world.'
Health Secretary Sajid Javid warned telephone and virtual appointments are 'not right for everyone' and urged GPs to offer in-person consultations

Sajid Javid has told nearly 1,000 GP surgeries to provide more face-to-face appointments  after they were found to be failing to meet basic patient needs.

The Health Secretary said that while online and phone consults can be convenient for some, they 'are not right for everyone'.

Latest figures show little over half of appointments in England are in person now compared to eight in 10 before the pandemic.

Virtual appointments were heavily encouraged throughout the Covid crisis in an attempt to keep social mixing low and hospitals virus-free.

But trusts have continued to incentivise the practice, with GPs being offered bonuses to keep in person attendances low.

There are fears that some people, particularly the elderly, are being left behind.

It comes NHS England identified more than 900 practices that are failing to meet basic standards of patient access, with long waiting times and low levels of satisfaction.

The Health Secretary said these surgeries will be offered support to 'manage demand, triage and signpost people to the services they need'.

Campaign group and charity leaders have told the Government to 'get a grip' on the situation, warning that elderly people who are not comfortable with technology are facing a 'second-class service'.

The number of GP appointments taking place face-to-face dropped dramatically at the beginning of the pandemic, as virtual appointments were encouraged in an attempt to keep social mixing low and hospitals virus-free. In-person appointments began to increase last summer, before dropping again during the second wave. Despite being on the rise, the figures are still much lower than pre-pandemic levels

Figures from June show a record 5.45million people are on the NHS waiting list for hospital treatment, with around 6 per cent of those individuals waiting for more than one year

Mr Javid told The Telegraph: 'Whilst telephone and remote consultations can be more flexible and convenient, they're not right for everyone.

'I fully support the need for surgeries to provide face-to-face appointments alongside telephone and online appointments.'

Latest figures from NHS Digital show 57.2 per cent of appointments in July were face-to-face.

This is higher than the low of 46.8 per cent last April, as the first Covid wave swept across the UK, but much lower than the 80 per cent pre-pandemic figure.

And in some parts of the country, around 10 per cent of patients are waiting three weeks to see a GP.

Meanwhile, NHS officials have identified more than 900 practices that are failing to meet the needs of their local communities.

The NHS said they were identified through GP Patient Survey Results, staffing ratios and 'local intelligence'.



The surgeries were found to have long waits for routine appointments and poor feedback from patients.

To help them tackle their struggling services, the practices are given a dedicated adviser to help them develop a plan for meeting NHS standards and redesign their workforce to make best use of other staff, including clinical pharmacists and nurses.

The NHS said the support, which is granted under the Access to Improvement Programme, can reduce waiting times, improve patient experience and help practices manage their workloads.

How many doctor appointments in England are face-to-face? Some 25.5million GP appointments took place in July, NHS Digital figures show. But just 14.6million (57.2 per cent) took place in-person. The next most popular mode of appointment was a phone call, with 10million (39.3 per cent) taking place this way. Some 158,000 (0.6 per cent) were home visits, while 104,705 (0.4 per cent) were video appointments. How the remaining 624,037 appointments took place was not recorded. The proportion of appointments taking place in-person has been steadily increasing since January, when the figure dropped to 52.9 per cent during the peak of the second wave. The rate dropped to 46.8 per cent last April, the lowest figure since NHS Digital began recording the data in 2019. Prior to the pandemic, around eight in 10 appointments took place face-to-face. Advertisement

Mr Javid said: 'To further improve access for patients, the NHS is providing tailored support to over 900 practices, to manage demand, triage and signpost people to the services they need.

'Tackling the backlogs that have built up during the pandemic is one of my top priorities and while that happens, the NHS is still here for you and everyone should come forward for help if they need it.'

An NHS England spokesperson told MailOnline: 'The NHS provides additional support, where appropriate, to general practice teams to ensure that patients can continue to get the care they need in a timely way.

'Every GP practice must provide face-to-face as well as telephone and online appointments and continuing to offer all of these methods of consultation is part of making primary care as accessible as possible.'

But the call for face-to-face appointments comes after it was revealed GPs will get money for conducting appointments virtually.

Health officials planning to offer Primary Care Networks  which run GP practices  extra cash for hitting virtual appointment targets.

They will received a proportion of a 6million fund if they make sure every five patients per 1,000 (0.5 per cent) is seen virtually up to October.

Dennis Reed, the director of over-60s campaign group Silver Voices, told the newspaper ministers need to 'get a grip' on the situation, as changes made during that pandemic that made it harder for many elderly people to get help were being 'locked in'.

Age UK charity director Caroline Abrahams warned older people have been left with a 'second-class service' because they are not comfortable using the technology for virtual appointments.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, warned older people have been left with a 'second-class service' because they are not comfortable with virtual appointments

Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, told the Telegraph: 'Long waiting times for GP appointments are as much of a concern for GPs as they are for patients.

'Patients should have access to high-quality GP care when they need it  and that care must be safe. The chronic shortage of GPs is making this increasingly difficult to guarantee.'

Dr Richard Vautrey, chairman of the British Medical Association's GP committee, told the paper the 'crisis' in general practice can be solved by retaining and hiring new staff, which the BMA has 'long been calling for'.

But ministers have 'consistently failed' to sort the problem and many GPs are reaching 'breaking points', he said.

Doctors are working 'incredibly hard' to cope with the growing population, increasing demand and use 'a combination of telephone, online and large numbers of in-person consultations to reach as many patients as possible'.
Rescue workers said Daniel Granberg, 24, died atop the Illimani mountain, which is the second largest peak in all of Bolivia

The body of an American climber has been recovered after his lungs failed when he reached the summit of the highest peak of Bolivia's Cordillera Real range.

Rescue workers said Daniel Granberg, 24, died atop the Illimani mountain, which is the second largest peak in all of Bolivia, after the extinct stratovolcano, Nevado Sajama.

The snowcapped mountain has a peak of 21,004 feet (6,402 meters) in elevation, with a profile visible from hundreds of miles out on the altiplano to the west.

'We found Daniel lifeless, seated at the summit. His lungs did not hold out; he couldn't get up to continue,' said Sergio Condori Vallejos, a mountain guide who works with Bolivian Andean Rescue and who led the recovery effort.

Condori said Granberg, from Colorado, died at an altitude of 6,216 meters (20,391 feet) on the second day of a trek across the mountain, an iconic part of the view from Bolivia's capital, La Paz.

He was on the longest and most difficult trail across the mountain, which involved scaling at least two of its peaks.

Granberg had arrived in Bolivia two months ago and had climbed several other peaks.

The snowcapped mountain has a peak of 21,004 feet (6,402 meters) in elevation, with a profile visible from hundreds of miles out on the altiplano to the west.

Daniel Granberg (pictured) had arrived in Bolivia two months ago and had climbed several other peaks.

On his trip up Illimani, he was accompanied by two guides who sought help from rescuers, who needed two days to bring the body down the mountain.

His body was brought to a morgue at a hospital in La Paz, according to members of the local fire department.

According to his mother Jean Granberg, Daniel died from high-altitude pulmonary distress. He had some shortness of breath the night before and a mild headache, she said, but nothing to indicate his life was in peril.

Granberg grew up surrounded by mountains in Montrose, Colorado, and graduated with a math degree from Princeton University, where he also sang tenor in various groups.

His mother described him as a warm-hearted, well-traveled and adventurous young man who had friends all over the world, and their heartfelt condolences were buoying her and his younger sister Jennifer Granberg.

Jean Granberg said she knows that her son was doing what he loved when he died.

Granberg grew up surrounded by mountains in Montrose, Colorado, and graduated with a math degree from Princeton University, where he also sang tenor in various groups

'But I, just as a mom, my heart's broken. Twenty-four years is not long enough and I just wish somehow there'd been some kind of warning,' she said, crying. 'If he had felt like he was in danger in any way, he would have come down the mountain. But I think it happened so fast.'

Her son was a subcontractor who worked as a remote programmer for the U.S. Department of Energy, his mother said.

Granberg taught himself physics because his high school did not have a program and received the top score on the Advanced Placement exam, she said.

'He was the smartest person that I knew,' Jean said.

Tracy Lightsey, one of Daniel's high school teachers and later a friend, organized a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help the family. As of Sunday afternoon, more than $21,000 had been raised.

'The response from people is entirely because this young man was an incredible human and he touched people wherever he was,' Lightsey said.
Detectives believe Claudia Lawrence was murdered, although no body has ever been found

'Nothing of obvious significance' was found following a major search of a lake as part of the investigation into the disappearance of university chef Claudia Lawrence, police have said.

Teams of police experts, search dogs, divers and forensic archaeologists spent two weeks scouring the lake and nearby woods as the murder probe continues.

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.

Claudia's mother Joan said she had endured a 'terrible fortnight' waiting for the latest search to end.

She told ITV: 'We're no further on then day one. That's how it feels to me. It's been a terrible fortnight, absolutely dreadful.

'I spoke to my daughter and she didn't even build her hopes up at all, she said, ''Mum, we've been down this road before''.'

Reacting to the news, a family friend said it was 'grossly unfair and cruel' that there were still no answers 150 months after her disappearance.

A small number of items were recovered during the search at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits, which concluded on Sunday.

North Yorkshire Police said these items are being assessed for their forensic potential but any relevance to Ms Lawrence's disappearance has not currently been established.

Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox, who is leading the enquiry, said that separate strands of information had been received by detectives.

Police officers searching the land at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits near York in connection with the disappearance of missing university chef Claudia Lawrence, August 24, 2021

He said: 'When we assessed these separate and independently-sourced pieces of information against the wealth of information already generated during the last 12 years, we found they correlated with other information pointing to the area of Sand Hutton.

'Armed with fresh information to the enquiry, that seemed to corroborate known facts, we were duty bound to conduct thorough searches of the area.

'Not searching was not an option - not for Claudia, not for her family, and not for the wider public,' he added.

Mr Fox said he was grateful to the public who have come forward with new information as a result of the publicity surrounding the search.

Claudia Lawrence, who disappeared in 2009

He added: 'In the light of some media speculation, I would like to stress, however, that we are not liaising with any other police force in relation to these new lines of enquiry.

'As I hope the events of the last two weeks demonstrate, we are committed to establishing what happened to Claudia and bringing closure for her family.

'You cannot fail to be moved by the ongoing suffering of a mother who does not know what has happened to her daughter. I again repeat the request to those who know what has happened to Claudia to do the right thing, come forward and help end the torment of Claudia's family.'

Martin Dales, a friend of Ms Lawrence's father, Peter Lawrence, said: 'This is very sad news that, despite these recent detailed and extensive searches by the police, there remains no further information on the whereabouts of Claudia Lawrence for the 150 months she has now been missing.

'This is totally unsatisfactory and grossly unfair and cruel on all who care about Claudia.

'How many more times have family, friends and police got to appeal for the information needed to be with the police, to bring closure, good or bad, for this seemingly never-ending nightmare.'

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and pass details to the Force Control Room quoting 'Claudia Lawrence'.
Britain faces two years of labour shortages, a leading business group said last night.

A 'perfect storm' from Brexit and the pandemic has left businesses battling shortages of lorry drivers, waiters, chefs and construction workers, according to the Confederation of British Industry, which represents 190,000 companies.

Director general Tony Danker warned that the 'acute' skills shortages will extend into yet more industries and may not resolve themselves until 2023.

Britain faces two years of labour shortages, a leading business group said, after a 'perfect storm' from Brexit and the pandemic has left businesses battling scarcity of lorry drivers (file image)

The Government's ambition to turn the UK into a 'more high-skilled and productive' economy is right, he said, but argued ministers should implement short-term solutions such as relaxing immigration rules to help hard-hit industries.

Hundreds of thousands of overseas workers, who left Britain during the pandemic, have stayed abroad while others left in the face of stricter immigration rules following Brexit.

Mr Danker said: 'While the CBI and other economists still predict growth returning to pre-pandemic levels later this year, furlough ending is not the panacea some people think will magically fill labour supply gaps. These shortages are already affecting business operations.

'The Government's ambition that the UK economy should become more high-skilled and productive is right, but implying that this can be achieved overnight is simply wrong.

'Some members suggest it could take two years rather than a couple of months for labour shortages to be fully eliminated.'

The shortages have disrupted firms as they battle to bounce back from the pandemic, put pressure on wages and prices and threaten to chip away at Britain's fragile recovery.

Restaurants have had to shorten hours despite booming demand from Britons on staycation, and hotels have reported limiting the number of bookable rooms because they do not have enough staff to launder guests' linen.

Delivery times for some goods such as kitchens and furniture have doubled, while gaps in supermarket shelves have become a regular sight for shoppers.

Last week Ikea apologised to customers after 1,000 of its products were disrupted by the shortage of lorry drivers.

Wagamama revealed it was struggling to hire chefs across 30 sites and boss Thomas Heier said many hospitality workers were taking jobs as warehouse workers for higher wages (stock image)

To fill gaps in their workforce Tesco and Asda have offered 1,000 starting bonuses to attract lorry drivers, while Amazon is offering 1,000 'golden hellos' to attract new warehouse workers.

The end of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is only expected to provide temporary relief due to a mismatch in skills between vacant jobs and the newly unemployed.

There were still 1.9million on furlough at the end of June and economists predict that between 150,000 and 280,000 will lose their jobs when support is withdrawn at the end of the month. There are currently 1.6million out of work.

Yesterday Wagamama revealed it was struggling to hire chefs across 30 sites.

Its boss Thomas Heier said many hospitality workers were taking jobs as drivers and warehouse workers as they offer higher wages and cash sign-on bonuses.

Wagamama is currently offering 10.45 per hour for a head chef in London. The living wage in the capital is 10.85.
John Howard has defended his decision to send Australian troops to war in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks 20 years ago and said he feared Sydney may be targeted next.

The former prime minister was in Washington DC for a meeting with President George Bush when two planes hijacked by terrorists flew into New York's twin towers.

Three days later, Mr Howard invoked the ANZUS treaty - an alliance between the US, Australia and New Zealand signed in 1951 - and committed to support America.

John Howard has defended his decision to send Australian troops to war in Afghanistan 20 years ago after the September 11 attacks (pictured)

Allied troops entered Afghanistan in October 2001 to make sure the country did not offer safe harbour to more terrorists.

Over the next two decades 41 Australians and 2,372 Americans lost their lives in the country - and now the Taliban, an Islamist militant group, has regained power, causing critics to question the decision to go to war in the first place.

Mr Howard said it would have been 'unthinkable' not to join the US and revealed when the attack happened he feared Australia may be targeted next.

'A lot of thought that morning was will the next attack be on London or Paris or Tokyo or even Sydney,' he told ABC radio on Monday.

Former Prime Minister John Howard

'All sorts of thoughts go through your mind.'

Mr Howard, who led Australia from 1996 to 2007, stood by his decision to send the country to war.

'I never regretted the decision I made to invoke the ANZUS treaty and commit Australian forces to Afghanistan,' he said.

'And when you make a decision like that you don't really have a full knowledge of how it is all going to work out. Life is never like that.'

Asked if in hindsight he should not have sent Australian troops, Mr Howard said it would have been 'unthinkable' not to support the US.

'Given our relationship with the US and given our common commitment to a set of principles based on liberty and political freedom it was absolutely the right thing to do.

'Based on the information I had the decision I took at the time was the right one.

'It would have been, in the circumstances, unthinkable - given the nature of our relationship, the historic partnership between Australia and America - for us not to have joined the Americans in going into Afghanistan.'

Mr Howard said when the attack happened he feared Australia may be targeted next. Pictured: The Sydney Opera House

Discussing the possibility that Australia could have pulled out of Afghanistan after a few months rather than staying for 20 years, he said: 'It just doesn't work that way.

'This was not occasion for Australia to be a 70 or 80 per cent ally, it was an occasion to be a 100 per cent ally.'

Australia joined the war in Afghanistan in November 2001 after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, the worst terror attack in history.

The Taliban was accused of allowing terror group Al-Qaeda, which carried out the attack, to flourish.

The US-led coalition swiftly deposed the Taliban government before year's end, but western troops had stayed for 20 years since, dealing with lingering pockets of resistance and trying to train the local army.

At the peak of the war, Australia had 1,500 troops in Afghanistan and in total 39,000 Australian Defence Force personnel have been deployed on Operations SLIPPER and HIGHROAD.

Since the end of 2013, Australia has only maintained a small training force in Afghanistan rather than active combat troops.

In February the US said it would withdraw by May. The Taliban regained power in August as allied troops evacuated Kabul Airport.
Ten new pop-up mental health clinics have opened to help NSW residents impacted by the state's extended Covid-19 lockdown amid rising self-harm rates among teenagers.

The Head to Health clinics have been set up at existing primary care or community settings in Sydney, the Central Coast and the Illawarra where residents have been locked down since June.

Most are in the hard-hit western Sydney suburbs where economically disadvantaged communities are suffering about 80 per cent of NSW's Covid-19 cases.

Most of the new clinics are in the hard-hit western Sydney suburbs. Pictured: Lakemba in Sydney's west

The pop up clinics will be further supported by a state-wide intake and assessment phone service staffed by clinicians. Pictured: A Covid-19 testing nurse in PPE

The areas with new clinics, which will be in place until June, are Lakemba, Hurstville, Tuggerah, Kingswood, Thornleigh, Shellharbour, Blacktown, Parramatta, Bankstown and Liverpool.

Lockdowns are having a huge impact on mental health, particularly on young people, with NSW hospitalisations for self-harm or suicidal thoughts among 12 to 17 year olds up 49 per cent in 2021 compared to 2019.

Lifeline is fielding 3,500 calls a day across the country, up from about 2,500 in 2019.

The Federal Government is pouring $10.6million into the clinics which will include psychologists, mental health nurses, mental health occupational therapists, social workers, and peer workers.

They will offer video and phone supported mental health and assessment services, as well as Covid-safe face-to-face support where recommended by a clinician.

The pop up clinics will be further supported by a state-wide intake and assessment phone service staffed by clinicians.

Lockdowns are having a huge impact on mental health, particularly on young people. Pictured: Residents in Lakemba in Sydney's west

'We know people, particularly our young, are doing it really tough and the current outbreak is putting incredible stress and mental health pressure on many Australians,' said Health Minister Greg Hunt.

'The current lockdown is also having a huge impact on students preparing for their HSC.

'The clinics will provide vital access for year 11 and 12 students who are facing their final years of schooling and may need additional mental health support.'

The pop up clinics are using the same model of care as the 15 Head to Help clinics that were established in Victoria during their extended lockdown in 2020.

These clinics received more than 11,000 phone calls and more than 5,000 referrals.

The Federal Government budgeted a record $2.3 billion in 2021-22 for the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan.
A border town mayor is calling on the Queensland and NSW governments to shift border checkpoints south and to lift the latter state's regional lockdown to reunite his community after families were forced to celebrate Father's Day over barricades.

Tweed Shire Mayor Chris Cherry said she was left heartbroken after seeing images of residents celebrating the special occasion at the closed border on Sunday.

Footage showed teary-eyed children hugging their parents while families improvised and used the plastic barricade as a table to share a meal with their loved ones.

'It was heartbreaking. What we saw was the tip of the iceberg of the thousands of people and families that this is affecting,' she told Nine's Today Show on Monday.

A mayor has joined calls to move the Queensland and NSW border south after families were separated and forced to celebrate Father's Day over plastic barricades

Footage showed teary-eyed children hugging their parents while families improvised and used the plastic barricade as a table to share a meal with their loved ones

The mayor is calling for NSW to lift regional lockdown in the area and for border checkpoints to be moved south to include Tweed Heads in a border bubble zone administered by Queensland police.

Cr Cherry says the ongoing toll on local people's mental health and the economy from the border closure, which Queensland implemented in late July, has been devastating.

'Nobody with a heart could look at what happened yesterday and not think that something has to be done and urgently,' she said.

'These are our families' lives that are being affected like this. I know people are suffering all over the state and I don't want to take anything away from that, people are hurting everywhere, but this is an area that hasn't had COVID for more than 12 months.'

NSW has already ruled out temporarily moving the border, saying it would create even more administrative difficulties for Tweed Shire residents who live outside Tweed Heads.

'So the MPs all along the northern rivers region here and joined by the Gold Coast MPs are still calling for those border checkpoints, so the COVID checkpoints to be moved further south,' Cr Cherry said.

'Whether that's Tweed Shire or the whole northern rivers - that's our main aim.

'Obviously I joined with the other northern rivers mayors on Friday to have a joint call out for NSW government to release us from the regional lockdowns because of the lack of COVID cases that we have,' he said.

Tweed Shire Mayor Chris Cherry said she was left heartbroken after seeing images of residents celebrating the special occasion at the closed border on Sunday

'It was heartbreaking. What we saw was the tip of the iceberg of the thousands of people and families that this is affecting,' Cr Cherry said

The mayor is calling for NSW to lift regional lockdown in the area and for border checkpoints to be moved south to include Tweed Heads in a border bubble zone administered by Queensland police

'So there's a lot of things. We're also asking if they could tighten up those exemptions that come up from Sydney because that's the last thing that we need at the moment.'

Meanwhile Queensland Health are still trying to track down five to eight people who were in a nail salon at Beenleigh with a known COVID-19 case, a 46 year old truck driver, last Monday.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the people didn't use the government's check-in app and may still be in the community while infectious.

'So I'm very worried that there are a lot more people who went and attended last Monday morning and we need to get hold of you,' she told reporters on Sunday.

'So we're using the check-in data that we've got, but it's not enough.'

'Nobody with a heart could look at what happened yesterday and not think that something has to be done and urgently,' Cr Cherry said

NSW has already ruled out temporarily moving the border, saying it would create even more administrative difficulties for Tweed Shire residents who live outside Tweed Heads

Another close contact of the truck driver was recorded as a locally-acquired case on Sunday.

She is the mother of a four-year-old girl, who also caught the virus from the truckie, and was in home quarantine when she tested positive.

Queensland has placed more than 1,000 families in home quarantine after they may have been exposed to the girl at a primary school and a daycare centre in the Beenleigh area.

Meanwhile a NSW truckie and a Qantas pilot who lives at Kingaroy but flew from Brisbane to Hong Kong to Melbourne, have both tested positive after arriving in other states.
Two young siblings who survived an ISIS-K suicide bomb at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul have made it to safety in the US - but are still unaware that their mother died in the attack.

Ahmad Faisal, 13, and Mina, seven, were the only members of their family to make it to safety in the U.S, and arrived in Maryland around 10 days after the August 26 bombing that killed 200 Afghans and 13 US service personnel.

The siblings were with their parents and older brother before the bombings but were separated after the ISIS-K attack occurred. In the confusion afterwards, they were able to get inside the airport and made it onto a plane with a neighbor. They were then flown to Landstuhl Hospital in Germany.

Afghan siblings Ahmad Faisal, 13, and Mina, seven, reunited with their aunt Ferishta (right) from Virginia after surviving the Kabul suicide bombings

Bombings occurred in Kabul on August 26 that killed nearly 200 Afghans - including the children's mother

The older brother was reunited with their father who then went looking for the children at different hospitals in the area, according to the children's aunt.

The children's aunt Ferishta - whose full name is not being released- is a U.S. citizen and the sister of the children's father living in Alexandria, Virginia.

It is unclear if the children or the other immediate members of their family also hold US citizenship, or if they were hoping to emigrate on Special Interest Visas (SIVs) given to Afghans who aided the war effort.

Ferishta was reunited with Ahmad and Mina at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland where the children are still receiving treatment for injuries they sustained in the bombing.

'That moment was the best moment in my life, not only for me, but also for them,' Ferishta told NBC Washington.

Ferishta told CNN that she received a call from the children's older brother during the attacks claiming he was scared and unsure of what to do.

The children's aunt known as Ferishta prepared for the children's visit as well as their immediate family after they acquired documents to come to the US

Ferishta is working to get the rest of the children's surviving family members, their father and older brother, safely into the US

'I will find a way to get you out,' Ferishta told him on the phone.

In preparation for their arrival, Ferishta had made living arrangements for her brother and his family at her home and left gifts for the children.

She claims that the children do not remember the attacks and are not aware of their mother's death. It is unclear if they have since been told.

John Bradley, a retired Air Force Lieutenant General, helped Ferishta in attempting to get the family out of Kabul by providing them with the necessary documents.

The family arrived at the airport in hopes of catching flight on the night of the deadly attack.

Retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General John Bradley worked with Ferishta to get the family out of Kabul and gave them the required documents to leave the country

'They wanted to leave and I was an avenue to get them to leave,' Bradley told NBC Washington.

'But because of that the mother is dead. And again I don't believe deep in my heart that I caused her death.

'ISIS-K caused her death. A suicide bomber caused her death.'

Efforts are still being made however to reunite the children with their father and older brother in Virginia.

'I will not take any break until I will have them with me and we are reunited, not just only my niece and nephew, but all family, my brother and other nephew as well,' Ferishta told CNN.

Ferishta's family are among tens of thousands of Afghans who have been trying to leave the country after the Taliban takeover in the wake of the US withdrawal last month.

Video footage captures onlookers of the scene at the Kabul airport in the wake of the ISIS-K suicide blast

Afghans were left wounded as a result of the bombings, with some of those injured pictured being treated in hospital

The bombing that occurred outside of the Hamid Karzai International Airport killed nearly 200 Afghans with 13 U.S. officials also killed as a result.

Abbey Gate was the main source of entry at the Kabul airport but U.S. Embassy officials warned those at the gate to leave because of the bombing.

The airport bombing were believed to be a result of an attack by an ISIS militant who walked past security and opened fire.
The National Trust laid off nearly 1,800 staff and shut tea rooms last year in ruthless pandemic cost-cutting despite having cash reserves of more than 400million.

Latest accounts reveal that the charity increased its coffers by a third as it pressed on with the controversial cuts.

Its unrestricted cash reserves rose from 317million to 410million by February, 224million above its own minimum reserves target of 186million set by trustees.

Yet it pressed on with its drive to make 1,767 staff redundant  one in seven of its 12,389 total  saving 53million in staff costs out of total savings of 94million.

The job cuts came despite the Trust receiving millions under the Governments furlough scheme, leading to criticism from MPs

Of the redundancies, 845 were voluntary and 922 compulsory. The Trust also revealed 55 of its food and drink offerings shut last year will remain permanently closed.

The job cuts came despite the Trust receiving millions under the Governments furlough scheme, leading to criticism from MPs.

Covid forced hundreds of National Trust sites, in particular indoor venues such as stately homes, to be closed for months, and visitor numbers to those places allowed to reopen were limited.

Membership numbers  a key part of the heritage charitys funding  also dropped by 580,000 to 5.37 million.

However, the Trust received 85.3million in government support, including 53.7million under the furlough scheme.

The charity said its income was 213million below target due to the pandemic but, with reserves up 93million in a year, clearly no financial crisis is looming.

Covid forced hundreds of National Trust sites, in particular indoor venues such as stately homes, to be closed for months, and visitor numbers to those places allowed to reopen were limited. (Pictured, Tyntesfield House, Wraxhall, North Somerset)

Andrew Murrison, Tory MP for South West Wiltshire, criticised the job cuts.

He told the Sunday Telegraph: The trust has benefited massively from government support during the pandemic including through the furlough scheme but has responded by sacking staff despite finances that are [far] more robust than other organisations weathering the crisis.

The Trusts senior management is clearly sweating its assets while stripping out layers of staff that undertake its core functions.

The National Trust said the jump in its cash reserves came from a few significant lump sums including a 66.3million insurance payout and recovery in our stock market investments.

The controversy over its cost-cutting measures comes after it was accused of turning woke last year over a report into 93 of its properties links to colonialism and slavery in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests.
A group of 19 soldiers from one squadron have tested positive for cocaine and cannabis in the army's biggest ever drugs bust.

The squaddies from 1st Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment had been taking the drugs at the barracks and at their home, sources revealed.

The majority were soldiers of Private rank but at least one was a Lance Corporal.

A group of 19 soldiers from one squadron have tested positive for cocaine and cannabis in the army's biggest ever drugs bust

A source told The Sun: 'This is off the scale, it has sent shockwaves through the Army. Nineteen in one round of testing is a large number and raises very serious questions.

'Before lockdown, the regiment were being tested every few weeks but this latest round was the first for quite a long time.

'These are individual cases as well, it wasn't one wild night out. Jaws were on the floor with shock.'

Soldiers in the Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire had complained they were bored and had nothing to do.

The army confirmed the bust, saying in a statement: 'A number of soldiers from 1 YORKS recently failed a compulsory drugs test.

Soldiers in the Catterick Garrison (pictured) in North Yorkshire had complained they were bored and had nothing to do

'The Army does not tolerate drug abuse within its ranks as it is in- compatible with military service and operational effectiveness.

'Army personnel caught taking drugs can expect to be discharged.'

Drug use is rising in the Armed Forces, latest figures show, with 660 personnel dismissed in 2019 for failing a test.

The number was an increase from 580 two years previously.

The 1st Batallion, Yorkshire Regiment was established in 2004 from the merger of three regular batallions.
A NYC cab driver was hit in the head by a stray bullet fired by 15-year-old boy during a Harlem gun fight early Sunday morning, with at least nine others wounded in separate citywide shootings overnight.

Police say the teen attempted to shoot a rival after being shot in the stomach himself around 9:45 pm Saturday night on 131st St. and Frederick Douglass Blvd.

The teen returned-fire, missing his rival and accidentally striking a 34-year-old taxi driver as the man was in his vehicle.

Authorities say the cab driver was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside in critical condition. The driver had a passenger in the backseat who was not injured during the shootout.

Authorities released video and photos Sunday evening of the man who cops believe is responsible for shooting the teen, which ignited the chain of events that left the innocent cab driver shot.

Pictured: a screenshot of video following the shooting of a taxi driver in East Harlem, Manhattan, who was accident struck in the head as a teen returned fire at another gunman

Authorities say the cab driver was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside in critical condition. The driver had a passenger in the backseat who was not injured during the shootout

The NYPD is asking for the public's assistance in ascertaining the whereabouts of the individual seen pictured in the above photo in relation to Sunday morning's shooting

The 15-year-old who struck the cabbie was taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia in stable condition, according to the New York Daily News.

Charges against the teen are currently pending, police said.

Meanwhile, at least seven other people sustained gunshot wounds in separate shootings in the Bronx from Saturday night and into early Sunday morning.

Police say four people were shot and wounded in the Bronx as a group of people left La Roose Catering Hall on White Plains Road around 3:35 am.

The group got into an argument with an unknown person, who opened fire on them, with a 24-year-old man, a 27-year-old woman, a 36-year-old man and a 47-year-old man all shot in their legs.

Local resident James Davis, 44, told the New York Post that he had seen the group of well-dressed men and women outside the catering call around two hours before the shooting.

NYPD crime statistics through August 31, showing a very slight decrease in overall crimes

Police investigate a multiple shooting at 2280 Tillotson Ave in the Bronx, where police found a 28 year old male with a gunshot wound to the chest and a 35 year old with a gunshot wound

NYPD investigate a multiple shooting in the Bronx that left one dead and another in stable condition in the hospital on Saturday night

'It really is shocking,' Davis said of the shooting.

'There was a bunch of people, probably 20 people. They were dressed nice and stuff.  It looked pretty normal to me.'

Another Wakefield resident told the outlet that she does not linger around the neighborhood and expressed astonishment over how the dispute escalated into violence.

'Its terrible. I dont stand on the street late at night,' said Maureen Chambers, 62.

'An argument and shot in the leg like that?'

'They need more security and more police in the area,' she said. 'I dont go out into the street. You dont know what can happen.'

Pictured: the gas station across the street from a multiple shooting on Saturday evening in the Bronx that left one man dead and another in stable condition

Police arrive on scene Saturday evening after a man was fatally shot and another man injured

Elsewhere in the Bronx, a 30-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy were shot, in the buttocks and lower back respectively, at 1877 Bathgate Ave. in the Crotona neighborhood at 2:48 am.

EMS transported the teen to nearby St. Barnabas Hospital, while the other man managed to take himself to Lincoln Hospital, the Post reports.

Then at around 3:30 am, police responded to a shooting opposite a gas station located at 2280 Tillotson Ave. in the Eastchester neighborhood of the Bronx.

Cops discovered a 28-year-old man 'unconscious and unresponsive' with a gunshot wound, while a second man, 35, also sustained a gunshot wound, but was conscious and alert.

Both men were rushed to nearby Jacobi Hospital, where the 28-year-old was pronounced dead. The 35-year-old was listed in stable condition, according to the New York Daily News.

The last shooting was reported around 4:15 am Sunday morning in the Kingsbridge Heights neighborhood, where police say a 22-year-old woman was shot by a driver she mistook for her taxi.

The man in the black car attempted to grab the woman's bag, and when she resisted, the driver grew a gun and opened fire, hitting her in her left shoulder in front of 197th St. and Reservoir Ave.

No arrests have been made in any of the overnight shootings as of Sunday night

No arrests have been made in any of the overnight shootings as of Sunday night.

While the shootings made for an especially violent early morning, NYPD's CompStat records show that there has actually been a 38.3 percent drop in shooting victims from Aug. 23 through Aug. 29, when compared to the same time period last year, and nearly a 35 percent drop in shooting incidents citywide.

For the Bronx, the borough has seen a decrease of 53 percent in shooting victims and a nearly 47 percent decrease in shooting incidents when compared to that same same time last year, according to the NYPD.

NYPD statistics for the year through Aug. 31 show a very slight decrease in total shooting victims, with 1208 victims so far this year and 1217 victims reported for the same time period in 2020.

Despite the drop in shootings, Bronx residents remain unsurprised over the overnight spate of shootings on Sunday.

'People get shot in the Bronx all the time. Im not surprised,' Chambers added.

'There is killings going on all the time.'
A first-time mother was left 'inconsolable' after her nine-day-old baby contracted coronavirus - becoming the country's youngest positive case.

Madeline Woods contracted the virus at a prenatal clinic prior to giving birth to son Hudson at Campbelltown Hospital in Sydney's west, finding out two days later she was positive.

Her first-born child tested positive nine days after his birth.

Maddie says she was 'sobbing' when she heard his diagnosis, but praised the support of the frontline healthcare workers at the hospital.

'The nurse was so lovely, she reassured me babies were really resilient to it,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'You second guess yourself a lot being a new parent anyway, then add in this stress. But babies feed off your emotions so I've tried to be as calm as possible.'

Madeline Woods contracted the virus at a prenatal clinic prior to giving birth to son Hudson at Campbelltown Hospital, finding out two days later she was positive. Hudson tested positive nine days after his birth

The new mother shared images of her nine-day-old son in his bed on the way to the hospital after noticing his breathing rate had increased and his chest was contracting

Maddie says she was 'sobbing' when she heard his diagnosis, but praised the support of the frontline healthcare workers at the hospital

Maddie was notified by New South Wales Health two days after giving birth to her first child that she had contracted the virus from the prenatal clinic she visited the week before.

'I had initially gone in for my induction, they said there was measures in place in terms of certain amount of people in the room, all the staff wear protective equipment, so going in I didn't feel stressed at all,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'Nothing crossed my mind at the time. Then a couple of days after giving birth I got my result back, then almost a week later I noticed Hudson.

'As a new parent you second guess everything, he was breathing faster and his chest was contracting so my parental instincts kicked in.'

Maddie immediately called an ambulance and was rushed to the hospital where Hudson was swabbed and tested positive.

The new mother shared images of her nine-day-old son in his bed on the way to the hospital.

She said she's had relatively few symptoms other than a temporary loss of taste and smell, and had been waiting to get her vaccine until after giving birth, as was recommended by her doctor.

Hudson is on the mend and his mother says he's had relatively no symptoms since his infection other than his increased breathing rate

Maddie had been planning on getting the vaccine the day she tested positive and must now wait eight weeks before she can get the jab

Since contracting the virus she's now been told she must wait eight weeks to get the jab, as is the recommended health advice.

Hudson is on the mend, with doctors saying the best thing for him is to keep feeding.

'I've been feeding on demand. The antibodies from my milk would be the best thing for him,' Maddie told Daily Mail Australia.

'I'm opting to get the vaccine as soon as I can to return to normal life, but advice says there's a minimum of an eight-week period to get the vaccine after contracting the virus.

'It's a lot of stress on the body.'

NSW recorded 1,281 new Covid-19 infections on Monday amid warnings the outbreak will surge in the next week

There are currently 1,071 Covid-19 patients in NSW in hospital, with 177 in intensive care and 67 ventilated

Gladys Berejiklian has warned the NSW outbreak will peak in the next week after the state recorded 1,281 new Covid-19 cases and five deaths overnight.

The premier revealed health experts have provided her with modelling that shows the surge in cases will lead to more pressure on hospitals with intensive care units expected to feel the strain by early to mid-October.

Ms Berejiklian said health care workers were prepared for the sudden rise in cases and that plenty of extra hospital beds were already available.

'Our surge capacity including staff in our intensive care units is 1,550,' she said during a press conference on Monday.

'We certainly don't want to have to use all of those beds and staff, because we know what pressure it will put on the system but we want everybody to be reassured that the capacity is there.'

Ms Berejiklian confirmed the state had hit 70 per cent of first dose vaccinations

The premier revealed she expected numbers to skyrocket and more pressure to be placed on intensive care units based on modelling provided by health experts

Ms Berejiklian said today she would release the modelling that shows when the state will reach its infection peak and how it will impact hospitals and its intensive care units over the next two months.

'I do want to qualify that to say that modelling depends on a number of things; a number of variables,' she said.

'If too many of us do the wrong thing, there are too many superspreading events, we could see those numbers higher.'

There are currently 1,071 Covid-19 patients in NSW in hospital, with 177 in intensive care and 67 ventilated.
Children are buying super-strength vapes  equivalent to smoking 125 cigarettes  in a craze sparking health fears.

They are so powerful that young users have reported lengthy nosebleeds, coughing up blood, headaches, chest pains and dizzy spells.

More than 53,000 of the Geek Bars brand are sold every week in shops  up from around 2,000 in May  despite many having more than twice the legal level of nicotine, industry figures leaked to the Daily Mail show.

Thousands more are believed to be bought online.

Children are buying super-strength vapes  equivalent to smoking 125 cigarettes  in a craze sparking health fears

While it is illegal to sell vapes to under-18s, social media is rife with posts from teenagers  and some even younger children  describing the vapes which come in flavours including fruit, bubble gum and ice cream.

The hashtag #geekbar has had 46million views on TikTok including videos praising yummy flavours and joking about being addicted to the devices which are like crack.

But most concern is focused on super-strong Geek Bar Pro products  which cost between 5 and 7.

High doses of nicotine can affect teenagers brain development.

Last night experts warned vaping was a huge crisis for young people and called for action. TikTok also launched an investigation after being alerted by the Mail and pledged to ban accounts and remove videos that promoted the possession or consumption of the products by minors.

A range of Geek Bar vapes are on sale in the UK, some of which follow government regulations. But one of its highest-selling products is the Geek Bar Pro, many of which have a nicotine level of 5 per cent, more than double the UK legal limit of 2 per cent.

The Mail was this week able to buy the Geek Bar Pros with 5 per cent nicotine in shops around the country, including in Bristol, Leeds and Kent. The vapes are also available online and are promoted on social media including to children.

Most concern is focused on super-strong Geek Bar Pro products  which cost between 5 and 7. High doses of nicotine can affect teenagers brain development. A stock image is used above [File photo]

One seller posted a video to its 18,000 TikTok followers boasting of its discreet packaging showing them being hidden in Kinder Surprise egg boxes. With sales exploding over the summer there are fears of a new surge as schools reopen.

One TikTok user said he tried them in Year 7  where pupils are 11 or 12  and regretted it. Another boy joked that he was about to start Year 10 and did not know the difference between a verb and an adjective, but was addicted to Geek Bars. A Facebook post last month on the reality of Geek Bars went viral. It said: Im having nose bleeds and sicking up blood. This is happening to so many people I know.

In the UK, Geek Bar Pro bars are sold with a nicotine strength of 2 per cent and 5 per cent, which according to the companys website equates to the nicotine content of 125 cigarettes.

They are also not listed on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency register. Retailers are only allowed to sell notified or approved products.

It is not clear how Geek Bar Pros, which would be legal in some other parts of the world, are being exported to the UK. Geek Bar did not respond to a request for comment. On its website it says it works with a range of wholesalers.

Andrew Bush, professor of paediatrics at Imperial College London, warned that vaping was a huge crisis for young people.

He said: This is hooking young kids and making them nicotine addicts. Its really, really worrying.

And he cited the case of Ewan Fisher, a British teenager who had to be put on life support after respiratory failure linked to e-cigarettes, which he started using at 16.

He added: Nobody knows exactly what substances are in these liquids. I cannot see how putting hot, unregulated chemicals in your lungs is anything other than a bad idea.

Deborah Arnott, of campaign group Action on Smoking and Health, said: Action is needed now to get these products off shop shelves and to hit those who sell them hard with the full penalties allowed by law.

A government spokesman said products that did not meet MHRA requirements were subject to local trading standards enforcement. He added: We continue to monitor this and will consider if further regulatory and legal action is required.
Reports of child-on-child sexual abuse doubled in two years, it was revealed last night.

Police figures show that 7,866 cases of sexual abuse  where both the alleged perpetrator and victim were under 18  were reported between April 2016 and March 2017.

Two years later, between 2018 and 2019, the number had more than doubled to 16,102. In 2019 to 2020, there were 14,915 cases.

Reports of child-on-child sexual abuse doubled in two years, it was revealed last night, as numbers rose from 7,866 cases between 2016 and 2017 to 16,102 between 2018 and 2019 (stock image)

In response to Freedom of Information requests made by the BBCs Panorama programme, 34 out of 43 police forces responded.

They were asked for the number of sexual offences reports, including rape and sexual assault, where both parties were under 18.

The figures did not include the online offence of non-consensual sharing of private sexual images or video.

In about 10 per cent of cases, the alleged perpetrator was aged ten or under. Around nine out of ten alleged abusers were boys, while eight out of ten alleged victims were girls.

There were 10,861 reports of abuse made in the latest full year of data  2020 to 2021. This comes in a year of lockdown and months of school closures across the UK.

It came as a website called Everyones Invited, which was set up for survivors to anonymously share their experience of sexual assault or abuse at school or university, said it had collected more than 50,000 testimonies of abuse.

Around nine out of ten alleged abusers were boys, while eight out of ten alleged victims were girls (stock image)

The website was set up by Soma Sara after she shared her personal account of rape culture on Instagram, and was inundated with people telling her their stories.

Miss Sara said: It was just the reality of myself and my peers growing up.

We were experiencing this on a daily basis. And these incidents didnt feel rare or one-offs.

It felt like it was very much entrenched in our daily lives and our lived experiences throughout our teenage years.
A Sydney postcode with three active Covid cases is so divided some residents live under a curfew and a 5km travel limit while others are free to travel up to 57km from home.

Epping in the northern suburbs falls within Parramatta council, one of 12 local government areas of concern where lockdown rules are stricter.

Despite the 2121 postcode having just three active cases, Epping residents must abide by a 9pm to 5am curfew, stay within 5km of their home for exercise and avoid leaving their LGA unless they are providing an essential service.

On the other side of the M2 motorway, which runs beneath an oval, North Epping residents live under less strict rules, because this suburb is in the Hornsby Shire Council.

Being free to travel anywhere within their LGA, they can travel up to 57km away from home to Wisemans Ferry on the Hawkesbury River.

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A Sydney postcode with three active Covid cases is so divided some residents live under a curfew and a 5km travel limit while others are free to travel up to 57km from home. Epping in the northern suburbs falls within Parramatta council, one of 12 local government areas of concern where lockdown rules are stricter

Unlike their neighbours in Epping, people living in North Epping can spend their day at a national park provided it's within the Hornsby council boundaries or no more than 5km from home in neighbouring Ku-ring-gai council.

That means they can go bushwalking in the Berowra Valley National Park to Galston Gorge or Crosslands Reserve, nearby Lane Cove National Park or a section of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park west of Bobbin Head.

But Epping, despite being in an upmarket area of northern Sydney, faces much stricter rules because it's classified as belonging to a western Sydney council.

Residents can't legally go bushwalking because they have to remain in their LGA for exercise and can't venture more than 5km from home without the risk of being fined $1,000 for breaking a public health order.

Parramatta councillor Lorraine Wearne, who represents the Epping ward, has called on the state government to impose restrictions on a suburb-by-suburb case instead of applying it to an entire council area.

'It seems illogical to me to lock down a whole area the size and shape of Parramatta,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'Nobody looks at a map and does a sensible assessment.

'I understand in the pressure they're under at the moment, they don't have time for that but we've been in lockdown for some time.'

Despite the 2121 postcode having just three active cases, Epping residents must abide by a 9pm to 5am curfew, stay within 5km of their home for exercise and avoid leaving their LGA unless they are providing an essential service (pictured is a stock image)

Parramatta councillor Lorraine Wearne, who represents the Epping ward, has called on the state government to impose restrictions on a suburb-by-suburb case instead of applying it to an entire council area

The suburb-by-suburb model is already applied to Penrith, a hotspot council in Sydney's far west.

Ms Wearne, a former mayor, said the application of arbitrary restrictions to suburbs with few Covid cases were adversely affecting the mental health of elderly people who lived alone.

'The mental health issues are a problem and the people I feel for, as much as anyone, is the people who live alone,' she said.

'A lot of people in this area are quite elderly, there are lots of single, elderly people.

'They're the people that we've got to worry about, people who are isolated who have become completely isolated and the families who are isolated.'

With the one-hour exercise limit now scrapped in the 12 LGAs of concern, New South Wales Labor leader Chris Minns is calling on Premier Gladys Berejiklian to scrap the curfew too.

'Fully-vaccinated people need to get their freedoms back so we think the curfew should be lifted,' he said.

'It's been in for two weeks, it's not based on the health advice, it's time for a change there.'

On the other side of the M2 motorway, which runs underground beneath an oval, North Epping residents live under less strict rules, because this suburb is in the Hornsby Shire Council (pictured is the North Epping Bowling Club)

Parramatta is more than 10km away from Epping, which demographically has more in common with the North Shore.

To make matters more confusing, Epping Boys High School is in the neighbouring suburb of Eastwood, which falls within Ryde council.

Epping Oval is in North Epping in the Hornsby council.

But to get out of North Epping by car, residents have no choice but to travel into Epping, within the hotspot Parramatta council.

The suburb is surrounded by bushland.

In this part of Sydney, three adjoining suburbs fall into three different council areas, highlighting the arbitrary and confusing nature of a public health order based on LGAs.

While Epping has just three active cases, neighbouring Carlingford has 64 cases.

But neighbouring Beecroft and Cheltenham, in the adjoining Hornsby council area, has 13 active cases.

NSW on Monday recorded 1,281 new cases and five deaths.

In Epping and North Epping, 89 per cent of residents aged 16 and over have had a first dose of either AstraZeneca or Pfizer while 49 per cent are fully vaccinated.

With the one-hour exercise limit now scrapped in the 12 LGAs of concern, New South Wales Labor leader Chris Minns is calling on Premier Gladys Berejiklian to scrap the curfew too
Gladys Berejiklian has warned the NSW outbreak will peak in the next week after the state recorded 1,281 new Covid-19 cases and five deaths overnight.

The premier revealed health experts have provided her with modelling that shows the surge in cases will lead to more pressure on hospitals with intensive care units expected to feel the strain by early to mid-October.

Ms Berejiklian said health care workers were prepared for the sudden rise in cases and that plenty of extra hospital beds were already available.

'Our surge capacity including staff in our intensive care units is 1,550,' she said during a press conference on Monday.

'We certainly don't want to have to use all of those beds and staff, because we know what pressure it will put on the system but we want everybody to be reassured that the capacity is there.'

Ms Berejiklian said today she would release the modelling that shows when the state will reach its infection peak and how it will impact hospitals and its intensive care units over the next two months.

Gladys Berejiklian has warned the NSW outbreak will peak in the next week after the state recorded 1,281 new Covid-19 cases and 5 deaths overnight

The premier revealed she expected numbers to skyrocket and more pressure to be placed on intensive care units based on modelling provided by health experts

NSW recorded 1,281 new Covid-19 infections on Monday amid warnings the outbreak will surge in the next week

'I do want to qualify that to say that modelling depends on a number of things; a number of variables,' she said.

'If too many of us do the wrong thing, there are too many superspreading events, we could see those numbers higher.'

There are currently 1,071 Covid-19 patients in NSW in hospital, with 177 in intensive care and 67 ventilated.

Intensive Care Network NSW clinical director Dr Nhi Nguyen warned the jump in hospitalisations would drastically increase the workload and pressure on health care workers.

'You will hear stories, and you know, reflections from staff about having to work double shifts, she said.

'Everyone is tired, we recognise that, but we check in and make sure everyone is okay.

'We are used to looking after critically ill patients, but the majority of [staff] will not be used to seeing the number of patients they are seeing at the moment, and the number that are going to come through the doors'.

NSW Health Deputy Secretary Susan Pearce warned an 'incredibly difficult' time was ahead for hospital staff.

'The plans that have been put in place however are only as good as the people who deliver them,' she added.

'And my message at the moment to the public is we have amazing health staff who are out there each and every day working really hard to deliver the best possible care to our patients and we will continue to do that during this period.'

Dr Nguyen said a phone line would be established to help doctors and nurses who were overwhelmed by the extra workload.

'We know that there are nursing staff and medical staff who will feel a little bit uncomfortable with what they are being asked,' she said.

'Our surge capacity including staff in our intensive care units is 1,550,' Ms Berejiklian said during a press conference on Monday (pictured, Pfizer doses arrives in Sydney from the UK)

There are currently 1,071 Covid-19 patients in NSW in hospital, with 177 in intensive care and 67 ventilated

'But I am really confident that we have such a well connected and supportive environment that patients will continue to get care when they need it.'

The new deaths include a man in his 90s who died at St George Aged Care Facility at Bexley, in Sydney's south.

A woman in her 80s died at Ryde Hospital while two women in their 50s and 80s died at Westmead Hospital. A man in his 60s died at his home in the Southern Highlands.

Ms Berejiklian said she was committed to reopening the state when 70 per cent of residents had been vaccinated. She anticipated the higher rates of vaccination would lead to less hospitalisations and put less strain on nurses and doctors.

'Every week that goes past and our rates of vaccination increase, that puts less pressure on our hospital system; it puts less pressure on our world-class clinicians,' she said.

'And that is why we have been in a race to get vaccinated, that's why in NSW we have been keen to step up.'

Dr Nguyen admitted that regional hospitals may not have the capacity to deal with the surge in cases. She said there would be other methods to help cope with the uptick.

'As you would imagine, we know that the ability for Broken Hill to ramp up quadruple capacity is not possible,' she said.

'So, in regards to contingency plans, we have aeromedical services, extra helicopters and planes and teams out over in western New South Wales.'

The figure comes as University of Melbourne epidemiologist Tony Blakely warned daily case numbers could hit 3,000 before peaking.

Ms Berejiklian said today she would release the modelling that shows when the state will reach its infection peak and how it will impact hospitals and its intensive care units over the next two months

Intensive Care Network NSW clinical director Dr Nhi Nguyen warned the jump in hospitalisations would increase the workload on health care staff

'They're heading to, you know, a couple of thousand, maybe 3,000 cases before the vaccine dose catches up with them,' he said. 'Possibly more, depending on how they go.'

Professor Blakely said the state's health services will be under pressure with hospitalisation rates set to soar.

'We're all going to have to deal with it because next year, when we open the borders, we will have high hospitalisation numbers for at least a year,' he said.

As businesses open up in October or November and children return to school, COVID-19 transmissions will increase so 'we have quite a balancing act here and quite a discussion to have about trade-offs', he said.

'How much do we value getting kids back to school versus the stress on the health services?'

NSW reported 1,485 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and three deaths on Sunday as authorities battle to contain the spread of the virulent Delta strain.

Meanwhile, thousands of essential workers in Sydney's 12 local government area COVID-19 hotspots have been given a two-week reprieve on an order to get their first COVID-19 jab, if they want to work outside those areas.

The government has given workers two more weeks to get a vaccine but they have to book an appointment by Wednesday.

From November 8, all NSW school and preschool staff must have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine

Ms Berejiklian said she was committed to reopening the state when 70 per cent of residents had been vaccinated

From Monday, tens of thousands of school, early childhood, TAFE NSW, Vocational Education and Training and university staff can get vaccinated with AstraZeneca at the Qudos vaccination hub in Homebush.

'As we prepare for a staged return to school from 25 October, and holding HSC exams from 9 November, vaccinating all staff is essential to increase safety and minimise disruption,' Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said.

From November 8, all NSW school and preschool staff must have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The death toll for the current NSW outbreak, which began on June 16, now stands at 126.

There are 1030 COVID-19 patients in NSW in hospital, with 175 in intensive care and 72 on ventilators.

Meanwhile, 40 per cent of people in NSW are now fully vaccinated, which the government says is an 'incredible milestone'.

At least 73 per cent of NSW residents aged 16 and over have had at least one vaccine dose, with more than 7.3 million jabs administered in the state.
Labratory-grown pork could be mass-produced in China within four years, a company has claimed.

Shanghai-based firm CellX has made prototype pork from cells harvested from the countrys native black pig.

The product  touted for its environmental credentials  was unveiled on Friday.

CellX argues that lab-grown meat could cut carbon dioxide emissions from rearing animals.

Shanghai-based firm CellX has made prototype pork from cells harvested from the countrys native black pig

It could also offer a more stable food supply following the outbreak of African swine fever in 2018. It aims to sell the product at competitive prices by 2025.

One guest at the launch, Li Peiying, who tried a dish made of the minced pork combined with plant protein, said: The taste is on the bland side ... but overall its not bad.

Lab-grown chicken meat was sold to consumers for the first time in Singapore last year, but there are currently no regulations permitting its sale in China.

CellX founder Yang Ziliang said: Our vision is to change the way meat is produced.

This isnt just a China issue, its a global issue, so for us to achieve our vision, we need to be a global company.
The betting group behind Paddy Power and Betfair has become the first bookmaker to limit the amount young gamblers can lose  in a bid to curb the ruinous impact of addiction.

Flutter, the brands parent company, said customers under the age of 25 will be limited to 500 worth of losses per month.

The Irish giant, which is the UKs biggest online gambling firm, said around 35,000 under-25s sometimes lost more than the cap in the UK and Ireland.

The betting group behind Paddy Power and Betfair has become the first bookmaker to limit the amount young gamblers can lose  in a bid to curb the ruinous impact of addiction (file image)

The small number who can afford to lose more than 500 will go through a detailed process to check their finances before the limit is increased, it added.

Yesterdays announcement comes as the Government prepares to introduce tougher gambling laws within weeks amid an ongoing review.

But it was met with derision by critics who said the timing of the new policy had the whiff of self-preservation.

And they added that the cap was still above the 450-a-month which the Gambling Commission estimates most gamblers can afford.

Henrietta Bowden-Jones, the NHSs top gambling addiction expert, said: Capping losses for under-25s at 500 a month should not be applauded.

'Even 100-a-month losses would be disastrous. Self-regulation by industry does not work and this is a clear example.

Matt Zarb-Cousin, director of the NGO Clean Up Gambling, said: Its welcome that a large operator has recognised the need for limits.

'But most people cant afford to lose anywhere near 500 a month  let alone under-25s.

'The threshold should be set at 100 per month, with proper affordability checks for those who want to bet more.

However, Flutter said its decision to limit younger gamblers was supported by more than three-quarters of its regular customers.

Company sources added that internal research found under-25s had not developed a full understanding, making more stringent protections necessary.

Conor Grant, chief executive of Flutter in the UK and Ireland, said: People under the age of 25 are likely to be experiencing a number of significant life changes such as gaining independence for the first time and learning how to manage their finances.

The small number who can afford to lose more than 500 will go through a detailed process to check their finances before the limit is increased (file image)

We want anyone who decides to gamble when they come of age to get in the habit of setting sensible spending limits.

The prospect of monthly loss limits has been the most contentious element of the ongoing review.

Health campaigners have argued that current thresholds  which run to many thousands of pounds  allow binge gamblers to rack up ruinous debts in a matter of hours.

Earlier this year, Paddy Power co-founder Stewart Kenny sparked controversy when he demanded mandatory deposit limits  curbs on the amount customers can put in their betting accounts each day, week or month.

Writing in the Daily Mail in February, he said: At-risk customers [need] to avoid self-destructing at a point where rational behaviour has been compromised.

But the gambling industry has hit back saying punters should be free to choose how to spend their cash and should not be asked for sensitive financial information by their bookmaker.

The Mail has been campaigning for tougher laws to protect young and vulnerable gamblers  including the introduction of loss limits  under its Stop the Gambling Predators campaign.

It has won a series of victories including a ban on credit card gambling and curbs on television advertising.
A satellite image of worldwide flights has indicated just isolated Australia is from the rest of the world as other nations abandon lockdown strategies to combat Covid-19 and allow international travel.

The telling map of international flights from the OpenStreetMap shows thousands of planes once again in the air between North America, Europe and northern Asia, while Australia shows just a smattering of domestic flights.

The head-start on vaccination that many countries overseas had on Australia meant airlines were back online flying international routes a number of months ago.

The satellite image mapping international flights shows Australia had quickly become a 'hermit nation', with relatively few flights compared with the rest of the world

Australia's international travel ban was recently extended by three months until December 17

Under the four-phase plan agreed to by national cabinet, Australians won't be able to consider international travel until Phase C when 80 percent of the population are double vaccinated - a goal that is unlikely to be reached this year.

At that stage, restrictions on international travel will lift for vaccinated Australians, there will be an extend traveled bubble for travel in and out of new and 'safe' candidate countries, including reduced quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated inbound travellers.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt recently extended the international travel ban for Australians by three months until December 17.

A US West Coast city such as Los Angeles is one of the destinations Australians should be able to travel to once the 80 percent full vaccination threshold is reached

Last week Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that dropping restrictions on international travel might not be simultaneous across all states, with those that reach the 80 percent figure able to open up even as other states remain closed.

'The national plan sets that out very clearly,' he stated. 'The national plan was agreed by all states and territories. It's a plan that is actually going to see Australia open up again and move forward again.'

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has estimated the level will be achieved for her state in late October based upon that current rate of vaccinations, although international experience shows that rate slows markedly as it gets higher.

'I stress that at 80 per cent double-dose vaccination, we anticipate allowing our citizens to access international travel and also to welcoming home Australians through Sydney Airport,' she said.

Qantas has started advertising flights home for Christmas amid plans to reschedule flights to London, Los Angeles and Singapore in December

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said he thinks Australians will be able to travel overseas to countries with similar levels of vaccination by the end of this year

One person who believes Australians will be travelling again by December is Qantas boss Alan Joyce.

Qantas has started advertising flights home for Christmas amid plans to reschedule flights to London, Los Angeles and Singapore in December.

The national carrier has lost $2.3billion since the beginning of the pandemic last year but Mr Joyce is confident Australia will begin to re-open by Christmas.

'We think countries with the same level of vaccination, so that 70-80 percent that Australia will have by the end of the year will be those Tier 1 countries that we could open up to,' he told the ABC.

'So Canada, the UK, the west coast of the United States, Singapore, Fiji, New Zealand.'

The other key factor would be quarantine arrangements, with Mr Joyce believing Qantas won't be able to operate its international business under the current 14-day hotel quarantine arrangements.

'If it's home quarantine until you have a negative test, which is the way a lot of other countries are doing it, then you could see international travel really opening up.'
Harrowing bodycam footage captures the moment a NYPD officer tried unsuccessfully to dive into a flooded apartment to rescue a family who drowned inside as Ida brought record rainfall to New York.

The gut-wrenching video shows the policeman standing in dirty water nearly reaching his shoulders in the staircase leading to the door of the family's basement apartment, with a light on overhead.

He is surrounded by water that is so deep the door to the family's apartment is completely submerged beneath it, while an unseen colleague films on their bodcycam.

Heartbreakingly, plush children's toys float past as the cop tries to attempt a rescue, with a can of Lysol disinfectant spray also seen bobbing on the surface.

The officer eventually dives into the water for several seconds before the other officer whose body cam is recording also goes underwater.

His colleague, who stood back slightly and filmed the rescue attempt, temporarily went underwater, with the lens capturing just how dirty and murky the liquid was, with visibility close to zero.

The police department confirmed that the bodies of three people were found inside the underground apartment having 'died from drowning.' They belonged to Ang Gelu Lama, 50, his wife Mingma Sherpa, 48, and the Nepalese couple's two-year-old son, Lobsang 'Ang.'

NYPD body cam footage shows the 'valiant efforts' made by police officers who attempted to rescue a family of three from their basement apartment

The footage shows the officers standing in murky water up to their chest with plush toys floating around as they try to break into the flooded apartment in Queens

After diving underwater in the flooded stairway in an attempt to gain access through the locked door of the basement apartment the NYPD called the FDNY for backup

NYPD confirmed that the family of three were found drowned in their apartment

Mingma Sherpa, 48, (Pic 1 left) Ang Gelu Lama, 50, (Pic 1 right) and their two-year-old son were found dead in their basement apartment in Woodside, Queens. Two-year-old Lobsang 'Ang' was found dead with his parents after Hurricane Ida flooded New York City

The family of three were trapped in their basement by the flood waters that pressed against their one door and quickly filled the apartment

Ang Lama (left) and his son, Lobsang Lama (right), were living in a basement apartment in Woodside, Queens with two other families living above them

NYPD confirmed that without special equipment the officers on the scene 'made valiant efforts but that 'locked doors, rising water level and live electricity' prevented them from successfully entering the flooding apartment.

The officer then called FDNY to aid them in their attempted rescue but it was too late for the family of three who were found dead in their basement apartment on 64th Street in Woodside, Queens.

Water from the flash flood - caused by remnants of Hurricane Ida - began pouring into the family's basement apartment around 9:30pm Wednesday, as Sherpa frantically dialed her upstairs neighbor for help, Choi Sledge told The New York Times.

'The water is coming in right now...The water coming in from the window!' Sherpa purportedly yelled down the phone to Sledge, who lives on the complex's third floor.

Choi told The Times that she urged the family to 'get out' and make their way upstairs but when Choi tried to call back minutes later there was no answer.

The basement apartment features just one door, and occupants can only leave by climbing the external flight of stairs where the officers attempted to break in.

Deborah Torres (right) talks to police as they stand outside her Queens home where her downstairs neighbors drowned in the flood waters caused by Hurricane Ida Thursday, September 2

Police tapped off the scene of at the residence on 64th Street in Woodside, Queens Thursday September 2

The Medical Examiner Forensic Operations Unit arrived at the scene of the family's drowning Thursday September 2

Baby Lobsang's stroller is seen in the yard of the immigrant family's house in Queens Thursday September 2

After finding three drowned bodies, FDNY continued to investigate the scene of the deaths Thursday, September 2

Deborah Torres, 38, who lives on the first floor of the complex, says she believes the staircase would have been cascading with rushing water, making it impossible for the family to escape due to the pressure it was exerting on their front door.

The water in her first floor apartment began to rise to her knees and float her furniture as the family was still trapped in the basement.

'I wasn't paying attention to my things  I was so worried about the family downstairs,' Torres told The New York Daily News. 'It was so fast. My daughter started to scream, 'Mommy! Mommy! The water's coming up!'

'I think the pressure of the water was too strong that they couldn't open the door [to get out and up the stairs] ' Torres explained. 'The [basement] was just like a pool with stairs.'

Torres said that she could hear her downstairs neighbors calling the landlord who begged them to leave but claimed that the rising waters were too strong for any one to come in or out of the basement apartment.

She told The Times 'It was impossible.'

Martha Suarez, 53, Ang's teacher, was overcome by grief when she arrived at the family home Thursday morning for her daily session with baby Ang at his home. She burst into tears as she processed the death of her tiny pupil and his immigrant parents.

'The baby was so cute,' she told The New York Daily News at the scene. 'Just a happy boy, very nice family ... They didn't call me, they didn't cancel me, so I was coming as usual.'

'This is too hard for me,' she said as she stood outside the home blocked off by police tape.

A bus navigates past abandoned cars on a flooded highway in Queens on Thursday, the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida created massive flooding

Severe flooding is seen in Queens on Thursday morning. Of the 13 people killed in New York City, 11 were found dead in basements

Rainfall from Hurricane Ida flooded countless New York City basements

New York had 17 confirmed deaths, four in Westchester County and the remainder in New York City. In New York City, two people perished in separate instances in Brooklyn and 11 people died in Queens.

Of the 11 people who drowned in their apartments in Queens, 10 of them were living in illegal basement residences.

A 2008 study by the Pratt Center for Community Development found that 114,000 New Yorkers lived in illegal basement apartments but researchers say the number is now likely to be much higher.

'The problem is that because these spaces are illegal, because there are big fines associated with them, because the tenants need the space, the homeowners need the income, no one wants to talk about it,' said Rebekah Morris, who leads basement legalization work at Pratt, told AFP.

'So it's very, very difficult to assess what the actual numbers are but we know anecdotally that it's very high,' she added.

The problem is becoming more acute as New York's population grows but adequate housing fails to keep up.

Over the past decade, the city added 629,000 people, bringing its population to more than 8.8 million, according to US census data released last month.

All but one death in this week's storm occurred in the borough of Queens, which has a high immigrant population, including many undocumented workers from Central and South America.

Morris said basement units are 'a key piece of the housing ecosystem' among immigrant communities, essential workers and older residents, who cannot afford to stay elsewhere.

'There's such a big crisis here. We don't have enough housing. And so people rent where they can't get a roof over their head, which puts them in danger,' said Morris.

Experts want action taken against unscrupulous landlords who take advantage of low supply and cut corners to maximize profits.

'There does have to be some accountability for the property owners who cut up apartments illegally,' Nicole Gelinas, urban economics expert at the Manhattan Institute think-tank, told AFP.

But activists also say that basement apartments are part of the solution to New York's housing problems.

It's not basement units per se that are problematic but illegal ones that don't meet basic safety requirements such as suitable emergency exit routes, they say.

The Pratt Center is part of a coalition of groups trying to help increase the number of legally-recognized below-ground units under a campaign called BASE, which stands for Basement Apartments Safe for Everyone.

They estimate that there is the potential for the creation of 200,000 safe and affordable basement apartments to boost New York's housing stock.

Mayor Bill de Blasio did not declare a state of emergency until after seven people's bodies were found in basements

On Friday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that extreme weather caused by climate change meant New York required a 'new set of ground rules' for those living below ground.

'We need a plan to evacuate folks who live in basements when we have extreme rain and flooding,' he told MSNBC, announcing he would set up a task force to study the issue.

De Blasio did not declare a state of emergency until after seven people's bodies were found in basements.

'Things that we were told were once in a century are now happening regularly. We have to change what we do across the board,' he said at a press conference on Friday.

'It's not just us - we saw the destruction in Louisiana, we see what's happening with the wildfire.'

'We all understand this is coming from a climate crisis and they are creating brutal problems - things that come on with a speed and ferocity that we have never seen before,' the mayor added.

De Blasio said he'd introduce a new 'rain' response plan which include sharp warnings to residents that he said were going to be 'abrupt'.
A Sydney man claims he drove 80km from his home to receive a Covid vaccine - only to be turned away and refused the jab.

Edmond Dantes, from Dee Why in Sydney's northern beaches, said he made a booking for a shot at Coast and Country Primary Care in Erina, on the Central Coast.

Due to his family history of blood clots, Mr Dantes searched high and low for a rare appointment to get the Pfizer jab instead of AstraZeneca.

He found one at the community health practice at 11.50am last Friday.

A Sydney man has been refused to be vaccinated by a Central Coast health practice after travelling to get the Pfizer jab (pictured, Coast and Country Primary Care in Erina)

Sydney residents are not allowed to leave the metro area during lockdown, but can go a reasonable distance to get vaccinated.

But Mr Dantes claimed staff told him he was breaking the law and asked to leave as soon as he told the receptionist his address.

'After a few minutes she came out and asked why I was in that area for the vaccine and I explained it was the only place it was available,' he wrote on Facebook.

'She then told me I was breaking the law and would have to leave.'

Mr Dantes claimed he was then escorted by security to the front gate, and asked him to leave.

Confused and angry, he called the Covid Helpline, and was again told he had every right to be there to get vaccinated.

But upon returning to the clinic, security told him he needed a travel pass.

Mr Dantes said he then called to get a pass from Service NSW, which again reassured him he didn't need one to get a vaccine, but would issue him one anyway.

'However, when she went to generate a pass she found she could not even select medical reasons since the passes were for work and the like,' he wrote.

'She was happy to speak to the clinic so I went back in and was told no one would speak to Service NSW (who were on hold and heard the whole conversation).

Mr Dantes was searching for a Pfizer vaccine as his family has a history of blood clots, and the only place he could get the jab was at the Central Coast practice (pictured, a nurse administers a Pfizer jab)

'I was also told I was doing the wrong thing and police would be called.'

After explaining to the security guard that he had not been aggressive and that he was doing nothing wrong, the guard then went to get a worker to speak to the Service NSW representative.

Mr Dantes was then informed that 'local police has advised them not to vaccinate me'.

'Upon hearing this I called Gosford Police Station and the police officer said he believed I was breaking no rules and I was entitled to be vaccinated,' he said.

'[But] he also stated as it is a private clinic there was no way for them to do much about it.

'At this point I left the clinic. I was left without a vaccine.'

NSW hit a major vaccination milestone on Sunday, reaching 40 per cent of the population with both jabs (pictured, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Monday)

Mr Dantes conceded he was sharing the incident hoping someone would be held accountable for the incident.

'This is scary. The trip I took today is the biggest risk of exposure I have had in months and it has all been for nothing,' he wrote.

NSW Health and Coast and Country Primary Care were contacted for comment.

NSW recorded 1,281 new positive cases on Monday, but passed a significant vaccination milestone only a day earlier.

Forty per cent of residents aged 16 and over in NSW are now fully vaccinated, and at least 73 per cent have had at least one dose.

The death toll for the current NSW outbreak, which began on June 16, now stands at 126.

NSW recorded 1,281 new positive cases on Covid-19 and 5 deaths on Monday as case numbers continue to grow

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the outbreak would finally peak next week.

She expected numbers to rise until then, and more pressure to be placed on intensive care units based on modelling provided by health experts.

University of Melbourne epidemiologist Tony Blakely warned daily case numbers could hit 3,000 before peaking.

'They're heading to, you know, a couple of thousand, maybe 3,000 cases before the vaccine dose catches up with them,' he said. 'Possibly more, depending on how they go.'
Frightened women living in the Georgian capital where Australian teacher Shanae Brooke Edwards was murdered in July fear her killer may never be brought to justice.

The 31-year-old Melbourne 'free spirit' was reportedly found with stab wounds near the ferris wheel attraction in Mtatsminda Park, in a ravine near a narrow pedestrian trail, on July 31.

Since then, police in the former USSR state have shared little to no information to the public about how their investigation is progressing.

Tributes for the kind and adventurous Shanae Brooke Edwards have flooded social media since her brutal murder

A young Shanae Brooke Edwards (right) with her family

The ferris wheel attraction in Mtatsminda Park would have been in view of Shanae Brooke Edwards when she was brutally murdered

On Monday, a GoFundMe page created to help the family of Ms Brooke Edwards return her body back to Australia had raised more than $20,000 and continues to accept donations.

It remains unclear if her body has been returned to Australia in the weeks since her murder.

Information from authorities both in Australia and abroad has not been forthcoming, with Daily Mail Australia's inquiries to Georgian police ignored.

Family members back in Australia remain tight lipped, with one cousin telling friends last week Ms Brooke Edwards' killer did indeed remain at large.

'She was murdered overseas & her attacker is still out there. And so, to our loving Christian friends who may like to pray; we pray for the perpetrator/s to be found - to keep others from harm & allow this case to close,' she wrote.

The lack of news on the investigation has not gone unnoticed in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, where women have continued to report random attacks by men in the month following Ms Brooke Edwards' savage murder.

On a Facebook page dedicated to keeping women safe in the capital, worried women desperately search for answers.

Critics of Georgia's 'Ministry of Internal Affairs', which is leading the investigation into Ms Brooke Edwards' murder, claim local police are just 'three bribes away' from the kind of police corruption that plagued Georgia in the 90s and early 2000s.

Shanae Brooke Edwards and her brother Tyson in happier times

Police in Georgia search for Shanae Brooke Edwards in Mtatsminda Park. Her body was found a day after she went missing

Shanae Brooke Edwards, 31, (left) was murdered in what could have been a robbery gone wrong

In recent months, the Georgian government and police have come under fire for failing to even protect journalists who hope to expose the country's issues with violence.

On July 5, it was reported in local media that journalists were hunted in the streets of Tbilisi and bashed during a homophobic protest where police 'stood aside and watched'.

Meanwhile, women hit social media to warn of random attacks as they simply walk about town minding their own business.

The much-loved 'free spirit' was on a call to a friend in the US while trekking when she was heard shouting 'take your hands off me' - before the call cut out

Searchers found this old and rusty shovel in the bushes in the area where Ms Brooke Edwards went missing. A man was also seen having 'aggressive' sex with a woman about 50m away - the day before her disappearance

LAST MOMENTS CAPTURED ON CCTV CCTV footage of Ms Brooke Edwards captured her final moments alive as she took off on her fateful hiking trip on July 30. Dressed in tight black yoga pants and a dark top, she was last seen leaving the Church of Mikhail of Tver for a hike up along Mtatsminda. Images clearly captured her carrying a green bag, which reportedly remains missing. It is understood Ms Brooke Edwards' mobile phone was found dumped in nearby bushland close to where her body had been found a day after she went missing. Police sources have told local media that contrary to earlier reports, no signs of sexual assault were found on her body. Her killer remains at large. Advertisement

Many women share nightmare stories about local police dismissing their complaints.

Even men on the group have expressed concern at the behaviour of police.

The body of Ms Brooke Edwards was found discarded under bushes in the shadow of a popular amusement park in what is now believed to be a robbery-gone-wrong.

In the month since the horrific murder, reports Ms Brooke Edwards had been raped have been revealed to be unfounded.

As have reports of a supposed photofit of a young blonde male being passed around by detectives in the days following the crime.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs - which does not have an embassy in Georgia - also refused to reveal what, if anything, it is doing to assist in the case.

Daily Mail Australia contacted the department again on Monday in the hope of informing the public on the state of the case.

Ms Brooke Edwards' final Instagram post, of her on a motorbike on July 29, was captioned 'Joy'

Shanae Brooke Edwards, 31, was hiking Mount Mtatsminda alone above Tbiilsi, Georgia, when she was ambushed on Friday and her body found the next day

Shanae Brooke Edwards had been a seasoned traveller when she was murdered abroad. Her killer remains at large




Conspiracy theorists claimed there was a sinister government link to Anthony 'AJ' Elfalak disappearance. But he was found in a riverbed on Monday morning, more than 72 hours after he vanished

Anti-vaxxers seized upon the disappearance of a three-year-old boy from a remote property to make the outrageous claim he vanished due to a Covid-related government conspiracy.

But their claims were every bit as wild as they sounded - with Anthony 'AJ' Elfalak found on a riverbank 500m from his parents' house in remote Putty, which is 150km north-west of Sydney.

More than 200 people had scoured bushland for days in a desperate effort to find the little boy spearheaded by police, SES and AJ's godfather Alan Hashem.

Mr Hashem is the founder of Our Voices Matter, a vocal online group which opposes lockdowns and highlights adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccines.

After announcing the boy's disappearance online and pleading for volunteers to search the bush, several of Mr Hashem's followers suggested the child could have been the victim of a sinister government conspiracy.

'Someone is out to get you guys [this is] no coincidence,' one supporter said.

'And y'all still think this is about a pandemic? Wake up people,' added another.

The little boy was found in a riverbed on Monday morning, more than 72 hours after he vanished. He had no food or water - and was found not that far from where he vanished

The Elfalak family with father Anthony, mother Kelly, AJ (pictured centre) and two of his brothers

A third said they hoped the disappearance had nothing to do with Mr Hashem's podcast about lockdowns.

However, those bizarre claims were spectacularly quashed on Monday morning as the boy's elated family learned that - miraculously - AJ was alive and well.

Family members dropped to their knees, shrieked with joy and danced in incredible scenes just before midday.

AJ's grandmother screamed 'thank you, thank you very much, everyone supports us'.

Family, friends and Mr Hashem had quite understandably feared the worst had occurred to the little boy, who had last been seen on a porch.

The boy rarely left his mother's side.

Police seized a white Toyota ute from a nearby shack on Sunday after the family claimed to have seen it in the area shortly after he vanished.

Mr Hashem appeared on breakfast television earlier on Monday morning to suggest CCTV footage had disappeared in an 'unexplained' fashion.

'There's one key factor and this probably the first time I actually mentioned this, I installed cameras on that post right there,' he said.

'There's footage missing, unexplained. (We have footage from) days before, days after, but not during the time.'

Family friend Alan Hashem (pictured) claims security cameras installed at the property where AJ disappeared have been tampered with

Mr Hashem said he was particularly alarmed because the system was so high-tech it should have been tamper-proof.

Instead, he claims any footage from the time AJ went missing has been wiped, even from the cloud.

'We provided the user name and password to the police, we provided them the actual original memory card. There's a lot of explaining to do.'

He told Sunrise: 'I put it so high up in a tree that when the fire brigade arrived I said 'quickly, quickly, please, let me get the CCTV footage'.

'We went in there, and I can't explain it, the window in which he went missing ... probably about four hours, there's footage missing.'

'There was 160 videos after the incident of emergency services and us taking down the camera. We just don't have answers at the moment.'

On the Today Show, Nine reporter Gabrielle Boyle was quick to point out the bizarre nature of the decision to install CCTV cameras at the isolated property.

More than 130 SES and police searchers scoured the property on Sunday (pictured) with drones, mounted police, the riot squad and trail bikes all being brought in to help

SES search crews (pictured) spent the weekend searching the area for the boy and are set to Monday - with rescuers warning of harsh and unforgiving terrain

The ute seized by police as a 'vehicle of interest' on Sunday night (pictured) as they ramped up the hunt for three-year-old AJ

'It must be said it is a very unusual location to have CCTV. This is such a remote location,' she said.

'Many of these farmhouses in and around this area are just little shacks, shantytowns if you will. These aren't big established homes. This isn't a fancy area.'

'This is regional NSW. This is very rugged terrain not the type of place you would expect to have CCTV available and to think that that window where the little boy has gone missing is unavailable on that camera is just so strange.'

Mr Hashem was overcome with emotion when he discovered that what he feared was not the case.

'This is one big nightmare that's turned into - oh, oh, oh my god. Nothing was adding up. Nothing was adding up. Nothing was adding up.

'We have driven ourselves crazy. This kid could barely walk.'
Footage has emerged of the amazing moment a three-year-old boy was found alive - three days after sparking one the biggest manhunts in NSW history after he vanished from his family's rural property on Friday.

Sitting in a creek drinking muddy water and splashing himself, three-year-old Anthony 'AJ' Elfalak was spotted by a Pol Air helicopter just 500 metres from his home around 11.30am on Monday.

The discovery came 72hrs after AJ - who has autism and is non-verbal - was last seen playing on the porch at his family's 256ha rural property in Putty, about 150km north-west of Sydney in the Upper Hunter last Friday.

His mother said he was out of her sight for just a matter of seconds.

A frantic search involving police, SES and family ended on Monday when the helicopter discovered the boy trying to stay alive in the murky creek.

NSW Police has since released incredible footage of the moment he was spotted.

'I've got the the boy!' a PolAir officer can be saying as he provided coordinates to guide SES searchers on the ground to AJ's exact location.

'I'm going to get on the PA and guide the SES crew in.'

SES volunteers carried AJ to a waiting ambulance to be assessed by paramedics, where he was reunited with his parents and older brothers.

He has since been taken to Maitland Hospital for a check-up after enjoying a few slices of pizza and a banana.

The news sparked emotional scenes at the family property, where AJ's parents and friends were seen cheering and screaming in delight moments after being told he had been found.

This is the moment Anthony 'AJ' Elfalak (pictured) was spotted by a Pol Air helicopter, 72 hours after he went missing

AJ was comforted by a SES volunteer after he was found drinking water from a creek

AJ's relieved mum Kelly collapsed to the ground after being told her son had been found alive

AJ's overwhelmed mother Kelly was dragged through dense bushland and collapsed to the ground after emergency services revealed they'd found the toddler three days after he first disappeared.

Footage has emerged of her cradling her precious son moments after being reunited before being rushed to the waiting ambulance.

His dad Anthony held his older two sons close as they were able to see their brother for the first time, surrounded by hundreds of volunteers, emotional loved ones and emergency services in the ambulance.

'It was relief more than every everything. After three days desperate to find him,' NSW Police Superintendent Tracey Chapman said.

'The longer something goes on the more worried we were we wouldn't get an outcome like this.'

'They were able to clearly identify a small boy in a puddle in a creek bed,

'He was found close to water and that gave him opportunity to survive. The fact that got himself there and found water and was clearly drinking it assisted in his surviving.'

She said enquiries will be continuing into what occurred over the three days.

'Certainly what occurred during the course of those three days (is under investigation) and I know everyone has lots of questions,' Superintendent Chapman said.

SES chief inspector Simon Merrick added: 'The SES member put his hand on the boy's shoulder and he turned towards him and there was a huge smile. It's smile the rescuer will never forget.

Kelly Elfalak (pictured) is helped from the ground by family members after being told her son had been found

Kelly was seen cradling AJ in the ambulance while wrapped in insulation blankets

PolAir guided SES volunteers (pictured) on the ground to AJ's location before they carried him to an ambulance

Police ramped up the search on Monday after a neighbour on a nearby property described hearing particular sounds late Sunday night.

'There were some sounds and noise that (the) person felt may have been a child crying or screaming and we investigated that,' Superintendent Chapman said.

AJ has lacerations to his lower legs and nappy rash but his spirits 'picked up' once he got a cuddle from his parents.

'He was slipping (into sleep) the whole time which (is) not surprising - once he woke up all he wanted to do was eat,' NSW Ambulance's Gerry Pyke said.

'He got stuck into about three slices of pizza and a banana so he is pretty good.'

AJ has since been hailed as Australia's toughest kid.

'He has nappy rash, he's been bitten by ants, he's fallen over but he's alive,' Mr Elfalak told Nine News.

AJ (pictured in the ambulance) with reunited with his parents and brothers before being taken to Singleton Hospital

AJ's mum is seen embracing a paramedic while waiting to be reunited with her little boy

The Elfalak family with father Anthony, mother Kelly, AJ (pictured centre) and two of his brothers

Police help one of AJ's brothers into the ambulance to check on in his little brother shortly after he was found

'He will go to hospital for a full check-up.

'I don't know how long he will stay. He will have the night with his mum and maybe tomorrow back here. He was found in a creek drinking water.' '

AJ is now clinging to his mum after spending 72 hours in the bush alone.

'He's my baby, I just can't believe it. Finding him has saved me from a lifetime of pain,' his dad told reporters.

'We have searched that area head to toe. The first day it happened, I went around with police,' 'It's a miracle. He's alive. It's amazing.

'I've been in the bush for four days, I haven't slept.'

Mr Elfalak said it appeared AJ simply wanted to explore the terrain after the family moved into the property full time three months ago.

He said the property has been a 'sanctuary' for their family for eight years, but they didn't consider moving here permanently until recently, when they were desperate to escape Covid in Sydney.

'First I'm going to go have my first shower in four days and then we're throwing a party,' Mr Elfalak said, inviting any loved ones from Sydney who wanted to come and celebrate.

Television networks interrupted normal programming for several hours to report live from the scene.

Anthony 'AJ' Elfalak was missing for 72 hours before he was miraculously found alive.

Family and friends rush towards the waiting ambulance, where AJ was being assessed after he was found in a nearby creek drinking water

Anthony Elfalak (pictured) didn't get any sleep in the three days since son AJ went missing

Family members rejoiced in emotional scenes after hearing the news AJ had been found

AJ was dehydrated, drenched in water from the creek and 'a little skinnier than usual' but otherwise well, overwhelmed loved ones told Daily Mail Australia.

Family members were overcome with emotion as they thanked everyone involved.

'Thank you for everyone. Thank you for the government. Thank you for the police. Thank you very much,' a female relative told Nine News.

'Thank you to my friends, my cousin, my sisters, my family. Thank you, everybody and whoever prayed for us.'

Ms Elfalak dropped to the feet of police officers as they assured her that her youngest son was alive and in the care of paramedics.

For the next 15 minutes, loved ones sprinted from every direction, shouting the extraordinary news again and again.

'He's alive, he made it,' they repeated, hugging one another and falling over each other as word spread.

AJ's distressed mother kept asking how he found his way so far from home, with other relatives claiming he must have been 'taken there'.

'We searched this area again and again,' family friend who has spent the last four days trawling the unforgiving terrain.

'We never even noticed the creek, and that's where the found him. He was in the creek.'

AJ's mother and older brothers only had their eyes off him for seconds when he disappeared from the isolated property.

AJ's dad and older brothers (pictured at the scene) were soon reunited with the three-year-old in the ambulance

Family and friends at the property embrace following confirmation AJ was found alive

Older brothers Patrick and Michael described AJ as 'the ultimate survivor'.

'I am going to hug him,' Patrick told Nine.

'At first I thought we wouldn't find him but I knew the helicopters would find him because the helicopters are very high up, they can see anything.'

Michael added 'He is stronger than me and Patrick. We never walked without someone.

'AJ is the bravest baby we ever had. We never seen brave baby like that but we know we have.'

The toddler has autism and rarely leaves his mother's side, so the family were certain it wasn't a matter of him 'wandering off' and said he'd been abducted.

Little AJ's remarkable tale of survival will be a story for the ages, as his family and friends rushed back to the home to start celebrating.

'This kid is so strong,' an elderly man said with tears streaming down his face. 'Four days in rain, sun, cold. Police just found him in a ditch. After all that.'

There were tense scenes on Monday near the family home as information trickled down from police and emergency services to the volunteers that he'd been found.

Many had given up hope of finding him on the property, with experts of survival almost entirely ruling out the possibility that he would be found safe out in the elements.

But relatives never gave up hope.

'I promised we'd get him home safe, and that's what we've done,' one said.

Family friend and AJ's godfather Alan Hashem described the news as 'incredible'.

'But we still need to find out what happened, we need answers,' he told Seven News.

'How did he leave? Who did he leave with? Did anything sinister happen?

'We will not stop until we find the truth.'

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was 'absolutely delighted' by AJ's discovery, saying it was 'much-needed good news in otherwise difficult circumstances'.

'I mean, I think all of us have been crossing everything to make sure AJ is brought back safely,' she told reporters during Monday's Covid update.

Prime minister Scott Morrison also expressed his relief.

'Thank goodness. What a relief. I can't imagine how traumatic this experience has been for AJ and his parents. Glad to hear he's safe,' he said.

NSW State Emergency Services tweeted: 'We are over the moon and very happy to have provided our assistance.'

AJ was whisked away to an ambulance by SES volunteers after being found

AJ was surrounded by SES volunteers and paramedics as he was placed into an ambulance to be transported to hospital

Several hours earlier, Mr Hashem claimed crucial security camera footage had 'gone missing' from the property as the desperate search for AJ entered its fourth day.

He was at the property at the time AJ went missing and claimed someone had tampered with security cameras he had installed on a tree high above the remote bushland road outside the home.

Mr Hashem claimed the time AJ went missing was in the four-hour window of footage that was now missing.

'There's one key factor and this probably the first time I actually mentioned this, I installed cameras on that post right there,' he told the Today show on Monday.

'There's footage missing, unexplained. (We have footage from) days before, days after, but not during the time.

'You know what's more alarming? We installed it so high you can't tamper with it and we had two mechanisms of storage - cloud storage and physical storage - and there's no data in that time slot.

'We provided the user name and password to the police, we provided them the actual original memory card. There's a lot of explaining to do.'

Timeline of events FRIDAY  AJ Elfalak reported missing at 11.45am on Friday while playing with his three brothers. The 650-acre property is off Yengo Drive, Putty, and is only accessible by dirt track with the home surrounded by thick bush and 15 dams. SATURDAY  His mother, Kelly Elfalak, says he might have been abducted  as 50 family members join the search with 200 volunteers in the search for AJ. SUNDAY  One dam is drained by excavator and police drivers also search other nearby waterways as the desperate search continues. A mysterious Ford Ranger ute was seized by police investigators at Bulga, a village which is north-east of where he was last seen. The abandoned property, about one kilometre south of the property, was also searched on Sunday as police confirmed a criminal investigation was underway. They also seized CCTV footage from a service station at Colo Heights, which is about 40 minutes drive south of Putty towards Sydney.  MONDAY  Elfalak family spokesman, Alan Hashem, claim CCTV footage of him going missing was erased. However, about 11.45am police release a statement saying he's been found, with SES workers finding him on a river bank 500 metres from the property Advertisement

He told Sunrise: 'I put it so high up in a tree that when the fire brigade arrived I said 'quickly, quickly, please, let me get the CCTV footage'.

'We went in there, and I can't explain it, the window in which he went missing ... probably about four hours, there's footage missing.'

'There was 160 videos after the incident of emergency services and us taking down the camera. We just don't have answers at the moment.'

Nine reporter Gabrielle Boyle was quick to point out the strange nature of the decision to install CCTV cameras at the isolated property.

'It must be said it is a very unusual location to have CCTV. This is such a remote location,' she said.

'Many of these farmhouses in and around this area are just little shacks, shantytowns if you will. These aren't big established homes. This isn't a fancy area.'

'This is regional NSW. This is very rugged terrain not the type of place you would expect to have CCTV available and to think that that window where the little boy has gone missing is unavailable on that camera is just so strange.'

Mr Hashem was at the property helping AJ's mum prepare lunch on what he described as a typical afternoon when the toddler disappeared.

The boy's older brothers were in charge of keeping an eye on AJ as they played outside while their father was fixing quad bikes.

'The oldest boy needed to go to the bathroom and took the youngest one AJ and he left him just inside the dining area,' Mr Hashem told the Today show.

'After a few minutes, the boy's come out and entered through the other part of the house and the mother goes, 'Where's AJ?'

'The boys had a puzzled look on their face. We all stand up and at that moment I had the closest view to the driveway and noticed a white ute, we believe either a Mazda or a Toyota, a much older model. It was slowly driving through here.'

'We didn't think much of it but we did in the meantime, we had these ATVs, we had about four of them and we thought if AJ's gone somewhere it's not going to be far.'

He and AJ's family are 'without a doubt' the toddler was abducted and hasn't get lost in remote bushland which backs onto the property.

'He's always quite afraid and attached to his mum, hence why his mum couldn't have him by her side when she's cooking, he is with his brothers.

'He's never wandered.'

Three-year-old 'AJ' Elfalak (pictured) disappeared from a rural property nearly 72 hours ago - with his family fearing he has been abducted

AJ's mother Kelly insisted her son is 'not a wanderer' and 'never leaves her side', with his father Anthony adding 'a kid doesn't just up and disappear'.

Mr Hashem said AJ's disappearance has shattered his parents, whom he described as the loveliest people he knows.

'Just bring him home,' he pleaded.

'You don't understand how much pain and anguish this family's feeling. The reason why I am the spokesperson is because the mother is not coping and the father, he's holding it together by a thread.'

The family hadn't given up on finding AJ, with Mr Hashem claiming AJ's dad Anthony got a tip-off shortly before the Today show interview.

'He got a bit of a tip-off, heard a noise up in the mountain, heard a noise up in the mountain, he took off,' he said.

'We're still walking through the lake down the bottom there, we're driving through the community. We're thinking of doing letter box drops.

'He's hired his own private helicopter. We're going on it today to keep checking the areas although I do have to say police rescue and SES and volunteers have been absolutely phenomenal. I can't thank them enough.'

Police investigate a shack (pictured) about 1km south of the Elfalak's family farm. The shack was derelict and full of rubbish, with police cordoning the property off on Sunday

Mr Hashem first shared his claims about the missing footage from the security cameras during the family's video conference with their religious community via Zoom on Sunday night.

'There is something missing in there at the moment but police are investigating,' he explained.

'It was very high up. No one could get access to it.'

'I got the detectives to take it down, take out the memory card and gave it to police.'

A white ute from a nearby property was seized by police on Sunday night as they searched an abandoned shack about 1km south of the Elfalak house, labelling the car a 'vehicle of interest'.

Pictures from the abandoned property show a dingy shack fitted out with old furniture, with the floors strewn with rubbish.

Police cordoned off the area and are trying to ascertain if anyone had been staying there, with 9News reporting it had been declared a crime scene.

They have also seized a number of items from the property, amid reports someone had been sleeping rough there.

Police also seized CCTV footage from a Colo Heights service station, a 40 minute drive south from Putty in the direction of Sydney, declaring it a 'site of interest'.

'I'm his universe. He holds my hand, all day and all night we are together,' the boy's mother told The Australian.

She and the boy's father joined the large search party, including police divers, the riot squad, trail bikes, drones and mounted officers, who were searching for the toddler over the weekend.

More than 130 SES and police searchers scoured the property on Sunday (pictured) with drones, mounted police, the riot squad and trail bikes all being brought in to help

Police has launched Strikeforce Jaylang to investigate the circumstances of AJ's disappearance.

'He's been taken. If he was around here, I would have found him by now,' Ms Elfalak said.

'I have searched the property... I'm still driving around and I cannot find him. If he was here, he'd be close to the property.'

Despite a search party being set up 10 minutes after AJ went missing, with four vehicles soon covering a large radius around the farm, he was nowhere to be found.

Ms Elfalak also said she noticed the suspicious white ute driving away from her house in the minutes after AJ vanished.

'I saw it, it was driving really slowly, I thought it was my neighbour's,' Ms Elfalak told The Daily Telegraph.

'He's not a wanderer... he never leaves my side.'

She was in the kitchen as AJ played on the porch, while his father was nearby in the yard fixing the chain on his quad bike.

AJ was dressed in a grey top and pants with sneakers and is described as being of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern appearance, with short brown hair.

Officers on Sunday were seen talking to one of AJ's older brothers - he has three brothers Michael, Patrick and Alexander - in a paddock near the house, with one of the young boys taking detectives on a re-enactment of his brother's disappearance.

SES search crews (pictured) spent the weekend searching the area for the boy and are set to Monday - with rescuers warning of harsh and unforgiving terrain

The ute seized by police as a 'vehicle of interest' on Sunday night (pictured) as they ramped up the hunt for three-year-old AJ

A neighbour recalled hearing AJ's mother raise the alarm and then stood up and spotted the vehicle - a white 1987 dual cab Toyota Hilux ute - driving down the road to the property.

He said the ute drove along Yengo Drive, 100m from the family's house, before going out to Putty Road - something he found unusual.

'We didn't see it enter. We see every car that enters because it's a dead end... Something's not right. Something doesn't stack up,' he added.

Anthony 'AJ' Elfalak (pictured) went missing on Friday leaving his desperate parents fearing he was taken as he had never 'wandered off' before and was always by his mother's side

A shack near where the white ute was found has been cordoned off as a crime scene (pictured)

Anthony and Kelly Elfalak (pictured) have been out with the search crews over the weekend

Despite the desperation of the four-day-long hunt, officials have asked locals not to join the search as it would breach Covid restrictions.

NSW Police said public assistance is not required in the search for the young boy and reminded people that Covid Public Health Order restrictions still apply in the region.

'Police are absolutely looking into every angle possible in relation to AJ's disappearance,' Superintendent Tracy Chapman said.

'Obviously our focus is very much around the search and trying to locate AJ.'

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

Police seized a white ute (pictured) near the area where AJ was last seen on Friday - with locals joining search teams to comb the unforgiving terrain in search of the three-year-old

The search is set to continue on Monday with helicopters and drones searching from the air (pictured, rescue crews with police at the property on Sunday)
Oregon's governor Kate Brown is being sued by a coalition of firefighters and police officers over her new mandate which will force them to have a COVID vaccine.

The lawsuit was filed by the Oregon Fraternal Order of Police union, troopers across the state, and Kingsley Firefighters Association at Jefferson County Circuit Court Friday.

They say the vaccine edict, announced in August, breaks existing Oregon laws, and that it makes no provision for people who seek religious exemptions to the rule.

The lawsuit asks the judge who will oversee it to declare Brown's order 'unenforceable,' with a date yet to be set for a first hearing.

Oregon State Trooper Zachary Cowing, 29, has already been placed on leave over a widely-shared video which saw him condemn Brown's ban as unconstitutional.

Speaking on Instagram, he said: 'I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, to protect the freedom of the people who pay my salary. I do not work for my governor but for them.'

It is unclear if Cowing is one of the people suing Brown, but he said that the governor 'does not have free reign to impose medical decisions upon us.'

He continued: 'I have personal and religious reasons as to why I will not take the vaccine, as well as the freedom to choose not to.'

Oregon State Trooper Zachary Cowing has been suspended after sharing a clip of himself at work and in his cruiser vowing to defy Governor Kate Brown's vaccine mandate for cops

Cowing, an eight year veteran who is based in Bend, added: 'I'll likely get fired over this video, but I'm nonetheless exercising my First Amendment right to speak freely.'

The clip was uploaded to an Instagram account called Thinblueline_patriot last week, and was recorded by Cowing while in his patrol car and wearing uniform.

Oregon State Police has refused to comment, but Cowing's lawyer Dan Thenell, from the Fraternal Order of Police, said his client expected to be fired.

Thenell added: 'He knew what he was doing, and feels very strongly about this. He is aware of the possible ramifications.'

Brown, pictured, said first responders must be fully-vaccinated by October 18. She is now being sued over the edict

The lawyer added that Cowing was not anti-vaccine, but objected to being forced to have it.

Thenell continued: 'He does not discount the toll that this has taken on people, including some close to him.

'He has many friends who have taken the vaccine and supports their choice to do so.'

Cowing spoke out after Brown said state workers including first responders and medical workers had to be fully-vaccinated by October 18. Oregon teachers also face a similar edict.

It is unclear how many of those affected have yet to receive their shots, with officials saying they expect this to become clear as the deadline approaches.

Explaining the mandate, Brown's spokesperson Liz Merah insisted forcing people to get the jabs was 'an important tool' in fighting the virus.

She told The Oregonian: 'The vast majority of Oregonians hospitalized for COVID-19 are unvaccinated.

'People are dying right now when we have safe, effective, and free vaccines readily available. The Governor is responding to a public health crisis.'

Brown has refused to comment on the pending lawsuit, which comes amid a record spike in COVID cases in Oregon.

The Pacific Northwest state has seen cases rise as high as 2,400 a day in recent weeks, by far the highest total since the pandemic hit in early 2020.

Deaths are climbing as well, with the seven day average fatality rate of 22 sitting just below the all-time high of 28 recorded during winter 2020.

Last month, Brown became the first - and so far only - US governor to reimpose mask mandates for public outdoor spaces, even for vaccinated people.

She said the rule applied in areas where it was impossible to socially distance.
Two brothers of three-year-old Anthony 'AJ' Elfalak have expressed their utter relief at rescue teams finding him alive.

Patrick and Michael Elfalak had just heard their three-year-old brother had survived after a search lasting three days.

'Happy, so happy,' Patrick said when interviewed live on Channel Nine.

'I am going to hug him.

'At first I thought we wouldn't find him but I knew the helicopters would find him because the helicopters are very high up, they can see anything.'

Father Anthony told reporters AJ suffered nappy rash, had been bitten by ants and fallen over during the ordeal.

'But he's alive, thank god.'

AJ's brothers with their father Anthony after their brother was alive near the family property

The brothers described AJ as 'the ultimate survivor'.

'He is stronger than me and Patrick. We never walked without someone.

'AJ is the bravest baby we ever had. We never seen brave baby like that but we know we have.'

The boy is now with his parents in an ambulance and headed back to the search command post to be assessed by paramedics.

Anthony Elfalak said his son was wet and drinking water when he was found in a nearby creek just 500m from the family home.

He also said police and searchers had been over the area where the boy was found a number of times in the past three days.

Mr Elfalak said the family would hold a huge party at the property and invited anyone who wanted 'to get out of lockdown'.

Two of AJ's brothers embrace another family member after their brother was discovered

AJ was wet and drinking water when he was found in a nearby creek just 500m from the family home. He is pictured above being loaded into an ambulance to be treated at Singleton Hospital

AJ, who has autism and is non-verbal, went missing from his family's porch - with his mother saying he was out of her sight for just a matter of seconds.

He'd been playing with his brothers Michael, Patrick and Alexander at the time.

His mother Kelly initially thought the boy had been abducted.

'He's been taken. If he was around here, I would have found him by now,' Ms Elfalak said earlier.

'I have searched the property... I'm still driving around and I cannot find him. If he was here, he'd be close to the property.'

A 1987 dual-cab Toyota Hilux on the property when AJ went missing remains part of a police investigation, after fears the boy's disappearance was part of an abduction attempt.

Police had earlier called on one of the brothers to re-enact what happened at the time when AJ went missing.

The three-year-old was taken to Singleton Hospital with his mother.
A teenage boy has melted hearts around the world after singing a song with his disabled friend for her sweet 16th birthday.

Dorrian Clarke, 13, was filmed singing alongside Montana Rost to celebrate the special occasion in Adelaide, South Australia, on Saturday.

The pair are seen in the video holding hands while crooning the lyrics to Ed Sheeran's hit song 'Perfect'.

An ecstatic Montana, who has cerebral palsy, rocks back and forth in her chair and looks up at Dorrian who is standing next to her and smiling.

Footage of the duo singing was uploaded to TikTok before drawing in more than 1.2million views.

Footage has captured the heartwarming moment a teenage boy sang with his friend who has Cerebral Palsy to celebrate her sweet 16th birthday

Dorrian's mother Samantha filmed the viral moment shared between the lifelong friends.

'I have been friends with Montana's mum since we were 14 so they have known each other their whole lives,' she said.

Ms Clarke revealed the pair have been unable to see each other as often because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

'It's been up and down,' she said. 'But we live in Adelaide so at the moment we have good restrictions. Twenty per household, hence why the party could go ahead.'

Dorrian gave his best friend a sweet 16th birthday photo frame. His mother revealed he had one more gift to give her.

'He is taking her out on Tuesday to get her nose pierced cause that's what she wanted,' she said.

Social media users have been quick to take to the video and heap praise on Dorrian and the special friendship he shares with Montana.

An ecstatic Montana rocks back and forth in her chair and looks up at Dorrian who is standing next to her and smiling

'Whoever raised that boy needs so much credit for raising an amazing, caring, sweet boy. We need more like him,' one person said.

Another person commented: 'What a beautiful young man... and what a wonderful friendship these two have. Loved watching the videos of them both.'

Ms Clarke said she was proud of her son and never expected for the video to go viral.

'He is absolutely blown away as I am!' she said. 'He is a beautiful soul and a great kid.'
An armed trio have robbed two clubs while wielding a machete and a sawn-off shotgun and threatening employees.

NSW Police released CCTV images of men they believe can assist with investigations into the armed robberies on the NSW South Coast.

Bodalla Bowling and Recreation Club on Potato Point Road in Bodalla was the first to be robbed when a man pointed the gun at a terrified worker about 9pm on June 5.

A few days later, two men holding a machete and a shotgun raided Club Dalmeny in Dalmeny about 7pm on June 15.

NSW Police have released CCTV images of men they believe can assist with the investigations into two armed robberies on the NSW South Coast

They forced their way into the club and threatened a female attendant who had barricaded herself in a storeroom.

The 49-year-old refused to leave her locked refuge so the assailants stole her Holden sedan and fled the scene.

Crime scenes were established at both clubs, and the stolen car was found abandoned nearby.

In June, a 41-year-old man was charged for his alleged involvement in the Dalmeny robbery and remains before the courts.

Police are urging anyone who has any information about the armed robberies to come forward, after they have already charged one of the alleged offenders

NSW Police State Crime Command's robbery and serious crime squad has taken over the investigation.

They released CCTV images of the two men who may be able to assist with investigations.

The man in the Bodalla robbery was described as being about 180cm tall with a solid build, wearing a grey hoodie, white face mask, dark pants, and orange gloves.

He is pictured holding what appears to be a sawn-off shotgun.

The two robberies occurred at licensed venues, and the thieves wielded guns and a machete during the incidents

The man at the Dalmeny holdup is described as being about 170-180cm tall, wearing a dark green hooded jumper, white gloves, and dark pants.

Robbery and serious crime squad commander Detective Superintendent Andrew Koutsoufis asked the community to help identify the men.

'Although no one was injured, both of these incidents are very serious and traumatic in nature for those involved,' he said.

'Investigators have already put one of the alleged offenders before the court however we're again calling on the community to assist with information into both incidents.'
Chicago's latest weekend of violence saw a four year-old boy die after he was shot twice in the head through a window of his dad's home while he slept.

WLS-TV reports that at least 47 people were shot, two fatally, in 12-hour time span across the city as Labor Day weekend kicked off, with young Mychal Moultry Jr. among those victims.

Moultry Jr. was sleeping at his father's home on the 6500 block of South Ellis around 9 pm Friday night when he was struck twice in the head by gunfire that came through the window from outside the residence, according to NBC Chicago.

The youngster was taken in critical condition to Comer Children's Hospital, and was declared two days later, on Sunday, a Chicago Fire Department spokesman told the news outlet.

A motive for the killing remains unclear, as is whether or not the child and his father were the intended targets of the shooting.

Meanwhile, community activists alongside a non-profit and a church have banded together to raise $9,000 for reward money for anyone who assists in the arrest and conviction of the killer behind Moutry's murder.

The 4-year-old was taken in critical condition to Comer Children's Hospital, where he was eventually declared dead two days later on Sunday, a Chicago Fire Department spokesman said

The boy, who was critically wounded in a shooting Friday night inside a Woodlawn home, has died police said Sunday

Pictured: Michael Moultry Jr, seen with his father Mychal Moultry Sr

Elsewhere in the city, seven other children were among those injured in shootings over the holiday weekend, outraging residents citywide.

'Were sick and tired everyday,' said an activist with anti-crime group All Kids Matter.

'Were staking this hospital out night after night. All these children get shot throughout Chicago.'

Among those seven children, two siblings, a 12-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl, were shot while attending a back-to-school picnic near an East Garfield Park gas station on Saturday, NBC Chicago reports.

'Some red SUV pulled up and just started unloading fully automatic weapons into this crowd of people,' said event vendor Lamar Peterson, whose daughter and stepson were also injured in the shooting.

Meanwhile, a 13-year-old boy was seriously injured after being shot in the basement of a South Chicago home just before 8 pm Saturday night, according to Chicago police

Police say the young teen was taken to a local hospital in serious condition, with gunshots seen piercing the windows of the home where he was shot

Pictured: crime in Chicago, showing a nine percent increase in shooting incidents for the year through Aug. 31 and a three percent increase in murders

Both teens were transported to Rush University Medical Center in stable condition, NBC Chicago reports.

'Its important to understand there was so many young babies out there when this tragedy took place,' Peterson said.

'This was completely uncalled for, completely not understood.'

'My kids were shot, so Im quite angry right now,' Peterson added.

Meanwhile, a 13-year-old boy was seriously injured after being shot in the basement of a South Chicago home just before 8 pm Saturday night, according to Chicago police.

Police made at least one arrest after a man shot a CTA bus driver on Saturday night. The 34-year-old victim was shot in the jaw and rushed to Northwestern Hospital in serious condition

At least 47 people were shot, two fatally, in 12-hour time span across Chicago over the holiday weekend, with the CTA driver among the victims

The boy was struck in the head and was rushed to Comer Children's Hospital in serious condition.

Another community activist, Andrew Holmes, expressed his frustration in the number of children who have been shot in recent days, citing the need for more parental oversight and elected official intervention.

'If you know you got some children, some teenage, some grown adults, and theyre doing wrong on the streets then it's up to you to...step to them and put them in line,' Holmes said.

At least 280 children and teens have been shot in Chicago so far this year, with 35 of them suffering fatal gunshot wounds, according to ABC 7 Chicago.

And as the summer winds down, Chicago is on pace to have its highest yearly murder tally in 25 years.

According to CPD figures, there has been 524 murders this year as of September 1st, which is a three percent increase compared to date last year, with 2020 still seeing massive gun violence across cities nationwide following the pandemics onset and protests sparked by George Floyds killing by Minneapolis police, according to WBEZ.

The city is already on track to outpace the year 1996, when murders in Chicago totaled 796.

As of early Monday morning, there have been no arrests in either of the three aforementioned shootings.

However, police made at least one arrest after a man shot a CTA bus driver on Saturday night, after the 34-year-old victim was shot in the jaw and transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in serious condition, the outlet reports.
A Marine Corps veteran accused of killing four strangers - including a mother and a three month-old baby she was holding in her arms - kept his eyes shut as he did his perp walk Sunday.

Bryan Riley ignored reporters questions about the alleged quadruple murder as he was led out of Polk County Sheriff's Office in Winter Haven, Florida, on Sunday and booked into a nearby jail.

He wore a white hazmat suit and could be seen squirming with discomfort as he was placed in a cruiser with his hands cuffed behind his back.

Riley, 33, was arrested at the scene for the massacre of the family in Lakeland, Florida, during the early hours on Sunday morning.

He is being held in Bartow, Florida and is expected in court on Monday at 1pm, according to WESH 2 reporter Senait Gebregiorgis.

After Sunday's shootings, Riley - who has been identified as a former Marine sharpshooter turned survivalist - tried to ambush police.

He is said to have been high on crystal meth at the time, and allegedly told his girlfriend that he could speak with God.

Riley told his victims he wanted to save their daughter from a suicide attempt, before killing them, police have said.

He later told police the family begged for their lives, but he shot them anyway, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.

Riley was arrested on the scene and taken into custody by Polk County police officers

He was escorted from the Sheriff's Operation Center in Winter Haven to Polk County Jail on Sunday afternoon as he kept his eyes shut

Riley avoided questions from the media and is expected to appear in court at 1 pm on Monday

He was so aggressive that he tried to wrestle a gun from police from his hospital gurney after being captured.

In a news conference on Sunday afternoon, it was announced that has been taken into custody after fatally shooting Justice Gleason, 40; a 33 year-old woman whose family does not want her name released; that woman's three month-old baby daughter; her 62-year-old grandmother and their family dog in their Florida home.

Their names were not released by sheriff's deputies because of Marsy's Law, which allows victims' families to ask for their loved ones names to be withheld.

He also injured an 11-year-old girl who suffered from seven bullet wounds, and was taken to Tampa General Hospital for surgery.

Riley was shot once by police during the shoot out.

Sheriff Judd said 33-year-old Riley, who completed tours of Afghanistan and Iraq, appeared to be suffering from mental health issues and had been slowly unravelling for weeks, repeatedly telling his girlfriend that he could communicate directly with God.

After a gunfight with police and deputies  where dozens 'if not hundreds of rounds' were exchanged outside the Lakeland home, Judd said, authorities found an 11-year-old girl shot multiple times, as well as the deceased victims.

Bryan Riley, 33, was identified on Sunday as the man who killed three adults and a three-year-old baby in their home in North Lakeland, Florida

When officers arrived on the scene, Judd said, they saw a truck on fire

A backdoor, which a deputy used to gain entrance into the home, was completely shattered

Gunshots are seen in the window of the North Lakeland home where the shooting occurred

There were also bullet holes on the side of the house

Riley, a United States Marine who served as a sharp-shooter for four years in active service in Afghanistan and Iraq before being honorably discharged, reportedly suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and had a job as a security guard.

He described himself as a 'survivalist' and told police that he was high on methamphetamines at the time of the shooting. Police have not confirmed a toxicology report.

He had a concealed weapons license and 'virtually no criminal history,' according to the sheriff. He turned himself into authorities following the shooting.

'This guy, prior to this morning, was a war hero,' Judd said, adding that he is not a 'traditional criminal.'

As of now, he said, 'We find zero connection between our shooter and our victims.'

Charges against Riley are pending.

His girlfriend of four years reportedly told authorities he has PTSD and suffered from occasional bouts of depression but was not previously violent.

Last week, she said, he was working security at a church in Orlando and said God spoke directly to him and he could speak back to God.

He reportedly said God told him to help out with Hurricane Ida relief, but as the week went on, his girlfriend said, he became more erratic.

She reportedly told authorities that he returned to their home in Brandon, Florida and told her he saw a man on a lawnmower, and that God gave him a vision that his daughter was going to commit suicide.

That man appeared to be Gleason, police said.

At that point, the girlfriend reportedly told him he could not speak to God, to which he replied: 'There's no room for doubters in my life.'

The girlfriend said she then went to bed, and he was gone by the time she woke up.

She said he had never been violent before, but authorities said on Sunday his actions appeared to have been premeditated.

In a news conference Sunday afternoon, Sheriff Grady Judd said Riley is an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran

Authorities do not believe there was a connection between him and the victims

Judd said his office first received a call at around 7:30 pm Saturday night of a suspicious car parked on the side of the road in North Lakeland, Florida.

By the time officials arrived on the scene six minutes later, the car and the suspect were no longer there, but a woman told a deputy who responded to the call that the driver told her: 'God sent me here to speak to one of your daughters, Amber.'

He allegedly saw a man on his lawnmower in the front lawn, about 33 miles away from his home in Brandon, and told him he needed to speak to Amber because God gave him a vision she was going to commit suicide.

The man, now believed to be Gleason, replied that there was nobody by the name of Amber at the house, but Riley allegedly refused to leave, so Gleason got another one of the future victims to confirm to him they did not have a daughter named Amber.

They reportedly told him that if he didn't leave, they would call the cops, to which Riley responded: 'I'm the cops for God.'

Riley was no longer on the scene when officers arrived at 7:36 pm, and Judd said, they spent more than 20 minutes scouring the area for him and his vehicle, but did not find him.

Judd announced on Sunday that three adults and a baby were fatally shot in two homes north of Lakeland, Florida early in the morning

About nine hours later, though, at around 4:23 am on Sunday, a lieutenant responding to another call about two minutes away heard two volleys of automatic gunfire coming from the area, and notified deputies.

Within a few seconds, Judd said, the sheriff's office started to also get some phone calls about an active shooter.

When officers and officials from the Lakeland Police Department arrived on the scene, they saw a truck on fire and heard it popping as it burned. They also reportedly found glow sticks forming a path up to the entrance to the house.

They then noticed a man outfitted in body armor who, Judd said, 'looked like he was ready to engage us all in an active shooter situation, but we didn't see a firearm,' and he went back inside the house.

Judd noted that it is not unusual to see someone wearing camouflage in the highly-rural area, and they 'didn't know who he was.'

But soon, they heard another round of gunshots, a woman scream and a baby whimper.

The lieutenant tried to get into the front of the house, Judd said, but it was barricaded. He then made his way to the back of the house, gained entrance and was immediately shot at by the suspect, who was now wearing head protection and a bulletproof vest.

The officer fired back before retreating, and other officers responded with gunfire to free three deputies who were pinned down in the shootout.

No officers were injured, according to WFLA , and Judd said, dozens if not hundreds of rounds were fired in the shootout.





Soon though, Judd said, everything went silent, and a helicopter saw a suspect coming out with his hands raised.

Police shot at him one time before handcuffing him and taking him to Lakeland Regional Hospital for treatment.

While there, Judd said, Riley jumped up and tried to grab one of the Lakeland Police Officers guns, and they had to fight with him once again in the emergency room before subduing him.

It came about nine hours after officers responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle

The shooting occurred at around 4:30 am Sunday morning in a residential area

Meanwhile, Judd said, officers on the scene found an 11-year-old girl shot multiple times who could barely walk out of the house.

One of the sergeants, Judd said, rushed into the house and took her to emergency medical service workers on the scene before they airlifted her to Tampa General Hospital where she was treated for surgery.

The girl reportedly told authorities there were three more dead people in the house.

The officers feared there would be booby traps, though, and sent robots into the house first to ensure there were no explosive devices.

When they were given the all-clear, the officers entered the house and found a man, a woman and an infant in the woman's arms all shot to death, along with their family dog, ironically named after a police dog who was fatally shot in the line of duty.

They then went to the small apartment behind the house, and found the 62-year-old grandmother also fatally shot.

'This man killed four people this morning, tried to kill our deputy and then gave up,' Judd said.

The 11-year-old girl, though, he said, is alive and doing well.

A 10-year-old who was connected to the scene was found alive and well, after spending the night away from the house, where authorities found at least two guns.

Riley reportedly told police later he was very 'in tune' with what he was doing.

'He played word games with us in the interview to set a defense.'

But, Riley reportedly told authorities the victims 'begged for their lives and I killed them anyways.'

'He's evil in the flesh,' Judd said. 'He's a rabid animal.'

'It would've been nice if he came out with a firearm,' Judd said earlier in the day. 'If he'd given us the opportunity, we'd have shot him up a lot, but he didn't because he was a coward.

'You see, it's easy to shoot innocent children and babies and people in the middle of the night when you've got the gun and they don't,' he said, 'but he was not much of a man.'

Judd concluded the news conference Sunday morning by saying: 'Crazy people with guns are dangerous - good people with guns keep crazy people with guns at bay.

'Our deputies and police officers were the good people with guns tonight.'

The police department is working to obtain a warrant to search Riley's residence.
The US State Department has been accused of blocking dozens of Americans from fleeing Afghanistan after failing to tell the Taliban it had green-lighted charter flights.

On Sunday, Reuters reported that the delay had been caused by Biden administration officials not telling Taliban leaders it had approved the departures of the chartered flights from an airport in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, 260 miles north of Afghan capital Kabul.

An exasperated flight organizer hit out at the State Department over the fiasco, saying: 'They need to be held accountable for putting these people's lives in danger.'

Other groups trying to organize their own chartered flights have also hit out at the State Department, with Rick Clay from private rescue firm PlanB claiming the organization is the only thing stopping him fulfilling his brief.

Two other organizers have also torn into the Anthony Blinken-headed department, with one - who didn't give their name - telling Fox: 'This is zero place to be negotiating with American lives. Those are our people standing on the tarmac and all it takes is a f****ing phone call.

Six planes are seen on the tarmac at Mazar Sharif Airport in Afghanistan, amid claims a blunder by the US State Department has prevented them from evacuating Americans and Afghan visa holders

'If one life is lost as a result of this, the blood is on the White House's hands. The blood is on their hands. It is not the Taliban that is holding this up  as much as it sickens me to say that  it is the United States government.'

One of those organizers also claimed that any rescue charter flights wishing to land at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, must first seek State Department approval, leaving them with a further bureaucratic delay.

The New York Times reported that a total of 1,000 people - including dozens of American citizens - had been held at the city's airport for five days.

Other passengers hoping to fly include Afghans who hold visas to move to other countries, including the United States.

Sources told the paper that the Taliban was to blame for refusing to give the jets clearance to take off for Qatar, but also said that negotiations between the US, Taliban and Qatar had been continuing for days.

Further details on the reason for the delay in discussions has not been disclosed. although Secretary of State Anthony Blinken jetted to Qatar on Sunday to discuss the issue with leaders there. .

Earlier on Sunday, Republican Representative Michael McCaul appeared on Fox News also blamed the Taliban for the ongoing delays at Mazar-i-sharif.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he gets ready to board an aircraft from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to travel to Doha on Sunday evening for Afghan talks

His remarks - also reported by Reuters and the Times - claimed that six planes were being banned from taking off.

The Texan lawmaker claimed the Islamist extremist group was using the jets and their passengers as a 'bargaining chip' in the hopes of its newly-victorious leadership gaining recognition from the US government.

But Marina LeGree, who founded nonprofit Ascend, says the 34 people she had hoped to get on the charter flight were not being held hostage.

She said that, while currently barred from flying out of Afghanistan, the Taliban had allowed the prospective travelers, several of them women aged 16 to 23, to leave the airport.

McGree explained: 'The pressure is building. The crowd is growing. Its just a nasty scene. For us, we cant go back. The girls are terrified. My girls are all Hazaras. Going back is just not an option. Theyre truly desperate to leave.'

Hazaras are a Persian-speaking ethnic minority who live in the mountains of Afghanistan, and who suffered persecution at the hands of the Taliban when they were last in power between 1996 and 2001.

McGree added: 'Im totally worried. Ive got teenage girls in there.

'Surely we have people in the U.S. government who know who to press on. We cant fix Afghanistan, but this is one thing we can fix.'

Pressure on the US government to break the logjam grew further after another Republican Representative, Mike Waltz, called on the State Department to work with non-government organizations which are trying to clear the charter flights to take off.

He tweeted: 'Our evacuation mission in Afghanistan is NOT over. Right now, Americans are in hiding waiting for private flights to be diplomatically cleared by the State Department for take off.

'With no military nor diplomatic presence on the ground, the Biden Admin should be collaborating WITH these NGOs in a public-private partnership to bring our people home and also to provide humanitarian aid to internal safe zones.'

A State Department spokesman disputed claims that Americans' safety was at risk, but said the lack of a US presence in Afghanistan made it impossible to confirm the details of charter flights, including the number of US citizens hoping to get a seat, as well as the planes' intended destinations.

Texas Republican Representative Michael McCaul said on Sunday that there are at least six planes holding Americans that are being prevented by the Taliban from taking off from the Mazar Sharif Airport in Afghanistan

US Representative Mike Waltz, pictured, has also called on the State Department to work with NGOs to speed up evacuation efforts from Afghanistan

The spokesman added: 'We will hold the Taliban to its pledge to let people freely depart Afghanistan.'

Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Rep McCaul said: 'We have six airplanes at Mazar Sharif Airport, six airplanes with American citizens on them as I speak, also with these interpreters, and the Taliban is holding them hostage for demands right now,'

'The state has cleared these flights and the Taliban will not let them leave the airport,' he detailed. McCaul went on to claim that the flights were being used by the Islamic extremist group as a bargaining chip with the US, in return for full-recognition of its

The airport in question is more than 260 miles from the Hamid Karzai International Airport in the capital city of Kabul, where military flights evacuated thousands of Americans and allies from the country amid the Taliban takeover.

Senator Ted Cruz, who serves on the Committee on Foreign Relations, appeared to further substantiate that claim in a Sunday tweet.

'Joe Biden abandoned Americans in Afghanistan,' the Texas senator wrote. 'Members of Congress, including me and my office, have been working around the clock to get them out - and for days Biden's State Dept. couldn't even get out of its own way.'

'Now there are deeply disturbing reports of a hostage crisis,' he added.

McCaul, the top Republican on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that since the total troop U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, no Americans have been evacuated from the country.

'Since we left the country on Friday, how many Americans have gotten out of Afghanistan?' Wallace asked. 'Since we pulled out, how many Afghan allies have gotten out since the Taliban was in complete control of the country?'

'Zero,' McCaul shot back. 'I'm sorry, the answer to your question is zero.'

Ted Cruz appeared to substantiate those claims and speak out against the 'hostage crisis' by slamming Biden again for 'abandoning Americans in Afghanistan'

An Afghan official at the airport in Mazar-e-Sharif said that the would-be passengers were Afghans, many of whom did not have passports or visas, and thus were unable to leave the country. He said they had left the airport while the situation was sorted out.

McCaul reminded viewers that the group on the planes included Americans.

He also said they were sitting on the planes, but the Taliban were not letting them take off, effectively 'holding them hostage.'

The Republican congressman did not say where that information came from. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the accounts.

The final days of America's 20-year war in Afghanistan were marked by a harrowing airlift at Kabul's airport to evacuate tens of thousands of people - Americans and their allies - who feared what the future would hold, given the Taliban's history of repression, particularly of women. When the last troops pulled out on August 30, though, many were left behind.

After all U.S. troops left Afghanistan, the administration revealed that it left behind at least 100 American citizens who are now left without options to evacuate.

The U.S. promised, however, to continue working with the new Taliban rulers to get those who want to leave out, and the militants pledged to allow anyone with the proper legal documents to leave.

McCaul told 'Fox News Sunday' that American citizens and Afghan interpreters were being kept on six planes.

'The Taliban will not let them leave the airport,' he said, adding that hes worried 'theyre going to demand more and more, whether it be cash or legitimacy as the government of Afghanistan.' He did not offer more details.

The Afghan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said it was four planes, and their intended passengers were staying at hotels while authorities worked out whether they might be able to leave the country. The sticking point, he indicated, is that many did not have the right travel papers.

Residents of Mazar-e-Sharif also said the passengers were no longer at the airport. At least 10 families were seen at a local hotel waiting, they said, for a decision on their fates. None of them had passports or visas but said they had worked for companies allied with the U.S. or German military. Others were seen at restaurants.

The small airport at Mazar-e-Sharif only recently began to handle international flights and so far only to Turkey. The planes in question were bound for Doha, Qatar, the Afghan official said. It was not clear who chartered them or why they were waiting in the northern city. The massive airlift happened at Kabuls international airport, which initially closed after the U.S. withdrawal but where domestic flights have now resumed.

Searing images of that chaotic evacuation - including people clinging to an airplane as it took off - came to define the final days of Americas longest war, just weeks after Taliban fighters retook the country in a lightning offensive.

Since their takeover, the Taliban have sought to recast themselves as different from their 1990s incarnation, when they last ruled the country and imposed repressive restrictions across society. Women and girls were denied work and education, men were forced to grow beards, and television and music were banned.

Now, the world is waiting to see the face of the new government, and many Afghans remain skeptical. In the weeks since they took power, signals have been mixed: Government employees including women have been asked to return to work, but some women were later ordered home by lower-ranking Taliban. Universities and schools have been ordered open, but fear has kept both students and teachers away.

Women have demonstrated peacefully, some even having conversations about their rights with Taliban leaders. But some have been dispersed by Taliban special forces firing in the air.

A Taliban soldier stands guard at the gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul

A Taliban soldier patrols at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul

Some signs of normalcy have also begun to return. Kabuls streets are again clogged with traffic, as Taliban fighters patrol in pickup trucks and police vehicles - brandishing their automatic weapons and flying the Talibans white flag. Schools have opened, and moneychangers work the street corners.

Among the promises the Taliban have made is that once the country's airports are up and running, Afghans with passports and visas would be allowed to travel. More than 100 countries issued a statement saying they would be watching to see that the new rulers held to their commitment.

Technical teams from Qatar and Turkey arrived in recent days and are working to get the civilian airport operational.

On Saturday, state-run Ariana Airlines made its first domestic flights, which continued on Sunday. The airport is without radar facilities, so flights are restricted to daylight hours to allow for visual landing, said official Shershah Stor.

Several countries have also been bringing in humanitarian supplies. The Gulf state of Qatar, where the Taliban maintained a political office since 2013, is making daily flights into Kabul, delivering humanitarian aid for the war-weary nation. Bahrain also announced humanitarian assistance deliveries.

Meanwhile, the Taliban stepped up an assault on the last remaining pocket of resistance being led by fighters opposed to their rule.

The anti-Taliban fighters in Panjshir province, north of the Afghan capital, are being led by former vice president Amrullah Saleh, who has appealed for humanitarian aid to help the thousands of people displaced by the fighting.

A senior Taliban spokesman tweeted Sunday that Taliban troops had overrun Rokha district, one of largest of eight districts in Panjshir. Several Taliban delegations have attempted negotiations with the holdouts there, but talks have failed to gain traction.

Saleh fled to Panjshir after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani quit Afghanistan as the Taliban marched on the capital. The fighters' lightning blitz across the country took less than a week to overrun some 300,000 government troops, most of whom surrendered or fled.
Video footage captured the moment a mama bear and three cubs peered in the windows of a South Lake Tahoe home while the area was evacuated because of the Caldor wildfire.

The footage was recorded by California homeowner Azadeh Nolan's doorbell camera on September 2.

It begins with with the mama bear at the door of the home, sniffing around the area.

She is then accompanied by three cubs who follow the mother on the porch of the home.

A mama bear and her three cubs were captured on a doorbell camera in a home in South Lake Tahoe

The animals were seen wandering around the porch of the California home of Azadeh Nolan

Bears have been known to stalk homes near their habitats to search for food and other resources

After the cubs continue to walk around and explore, it appears as if the animals hear something which frightens two of the cubs away.

One of the remaining cubs continues to investigate near the door which the mother was doing earlier.

The mother then goes to the left side of the porch with one of the cubs returning.

'We noticed the camera detected motion on the north end of the cabin,' Nolan told Storyful.

'So we immediately tuned into the rest of our footage and found Mama bear at our front door.'

She also added that her family attempted to scare the bears off by screaming into the doorbell camera to get them to go away.

'We know better than to encourage them, so locals know to scare them off and leave no food around,' she added.

DailyMail.com captured another black bear on a residential South Lake Tahoe street

The bear was captured rummaging through trash, eating apples off of trees and roaming nearby neighborhoods

Bears are often drawn to homes near their habitats and will often go looking for food in residential areas.

But wildlife experts warn homeowners not to leave food out, so as bears do not come to encourage their properties with food.

Black bears have been spotted roaming freely around northern California after local homeowners were forced to evacuate due to the Caldor Fire.

DailyMail.com previously captured images of a female black bear in a South Lake Tahoe while investigating the fires.

The bear was seen rummaging through trash, eating apples from trees and roaming around surrounding neighborhoods.

The evacuation of 22,000 residents came after the Caldor fire was ignited near Sacramento on August 14, due to currently unknown causes.

Experienced California firefighters attempted to contain the fire to avoid further destruction to homes and businesses

As stated before, DailyMail.com was at the scene of the Lake Tahoe fires as they witnessed experienced firefighters attempting to 'contain' the fire to avoid further destruction in the area.

The fire burned 215,400 acres of land, destroying hundreds of homes and businesses. No deaths have been reported.

The fire reportedly was contained at 43 percent and evacuees were allowed to return to their home after the evacuation orders were downgraded to warnings.

'So far it hasn't been a mad rush of cars,' South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Clive Savacool said at an evening briefing.

'We're happy to see that people are slowly trickling in, just because the city does need time to get ready.'

The fire, which was eventually contained at 43 percent, burned through 215,400 acres of land
A little autistic boy who was miraculously found alive three days after vanishing from his family's remote home sipped on water from a muddy creek to stay alive.

And while it may sound surprising, children can actually have a better chance of surviving in the bush than adults, a survival expert who works with Australian Special Forces said.

A police helicopter spotted Anthony 'AJ' Elfalak, three, sitting in a creek some 72 hours after the non-verbal boy vanished from his mother's sight.

He was last playing outside on the porch when he disappeared - sparking fears he may have been abducted.

The reality was anything but. AJ had simply gotten lost and was found just 500m from where he was last seen.

Survival expert Bob Cooper, who works with the SAS on living in tough environments, told Daily Mail Australia AJ had a natural survival advantage.

A police helicopter found AJ sitting in a creek splashing himself with muddy water shortly before midday on Monday

AJ cuddles an SES worker following his dramatic rescue - just 500m from where he disappeared

This is the moment missing AJ is carried from an ambulance after being taken to hospital, following his miracle rescue

'Children are better than adults at surviving sometimes because they haven't got the preconceived idea of what the bush is like,' Mr Cooper said.

'When they feel tired they sleep, when they're cold they seek shelter, when they're thirsty they drink.'

A human can survive for three weeks without food provided they can keep warm, drink water and stay safe from the elements, he noted.

But Mr Cooper said adults are ruled by fear and feel unnatural terror of the bush.

Special Forces survival expert Bob Cooper told Daily Mail Australia children are sometimes better at surviving in the bush than adults 'because they haven't got the preconceived idea of what the bush is like'

'We have the fear of being bitten by something, fear of rashes, fear of dying of dehydration, fear, fear, fear,' he said.

'(Children) don't have that learned behaviour.'

AJ was spotted by a PolAir helicopter shortly before midday and a State Emergency Services squad rushed to the scene.

Simon Merrick, chief SES inspector, said: The SES member put his hand on the boys shoulder and he turned towards him and there was a huge smile.

'Its smile the rescuer will never forget.'

The hungry boy scoffed down three pieces of pizza and a banana shortly after he was recovered.

The amazing news AJ was alive sparked emotional scenes at the family property.

AJ's parents and friends were seen cheering and screaming in delight moments after being told he had been found.

AJ survived wet weather, icy temperatures and stinging heat as hundreds of volunteers, loved ones and his parents scoured the unforgiving terrain to find him.

His overwhelmed mother Kelly had to be dragged through the dense bushland about midday after emergency services revealed theyd found the toddler four days after he first disappeared.

Her little boy, the baby of the family, was being treated by paramedics, suffering no more than bug bites, dehydration and nappy rash.

Ms Elfalak collapsed at the feet of the officers as she finally processed the news, sobbing and gasping for air.

How did he get down there, she repeated before appearing to pass out.

Anthony Elfalak senior with his there sons after visiting three-year-old AJ

Sobbing relatives embrace one another shortly after the incredible scene

Kelly Elfalak is pictured cradling her son AJ after he was found in a creek on Monday

The Elfalak family with father Anthony, mother Kelly, AJ (pictured centre) and two of his brothers

Family rushed to find water and rip off her tracksuit in the searing heat, before someone had the clarity of mind to try to get in contact with AJs father, who was trawling a different part of the bush.

Its good news, stop, listen, its good news, the relative shouted into the phone.

Within minutes, he was on the scene and sprinted through the paddock, collapsing into the arms of loved ones as they reassured him that AJ was okay.

And his parents, they know? Please tell me youre sure. A desperate relative pleads for confirmation the boy is alive

All along the isolated, winding road, family came running. The road was blocked by dozens of emergency services vehicles and waiting media, and people were collapsing in exhaustion the moment they were certain AJ had survived.

One relative, who told Daily Mail Australia hed been running for what felt like hours broke down in the middle of the road when he was told AJ was alive.

And his parents, they know? He said. Please tell me youre sure.

One by one as people learned of AJs remarkable tale of survival, fear and dread paved way for tears of joy and prayers of gratitude.

We found AJ my baby! My baby AJ. We dont know much but hes been found alive.

An elderly relative who has spent the last few days trawling the bushes said AJ was found in a place that had been searched a dozen times over.

I didnt realise the creek bed goes back further than the dam, he said, adding that little AJ was soaked through after traipsing through the creek.

Hes okay, a little skinnier than before but hes alive and thats all that matters.

Dad Anthony Elfalak later told reporters: Hes my baby, I just cant believe it. Finding him has saved me from a lifetime of pain.

Mr Elfalak said it appeared AJ simply wanted to explore the terrain after the family moved into the property full time three months ago.

He said the property has been a sanctuary for their family for eight years, but they didnt consider moving here permanently until recently, when they were desperate to escape Covid in Sydney.

First Im going to go have my first shower in four days and then were throwing a party, Mr Elfalak said, inviting any loved ones from Sydney who wanted to come and celebrate.

Television networks interrupted normal programming for several hours to report live from the scene.

AJ was dehydrated, drenched in water from the creek and a little skinnier than usual but otherwise well, overwhelmed loved ones told Daily Mail Australia.

Family and friends at the Putty property were overcome with emotion after hearing the news little AJ had been found in a creek 500 metres away

AJ's mum Kelly was overcome with emotion as she thanked everyone involved.

'Thank you for everyone. Thank you for the government. Thank you for the police. Thank you very much,' AJ's mum Kelly told Nine News.

'Thank you to my friend, my cousin, my sisters, my family. Thank you, everybody and whoever prayed for us.'

Ms Elfalak dropped to the feet of police officers as they assured her that her youngest son was alive and in the care of paramedics.

For the next 15 minutes, loved ones sprinted from every direction, shouting the extraordinary news again and again.

Hes alive, he made it, they repeated, hugging one another and falling over each other as word spread.

AJs distressed mother kept asking how he found his way so far from home, with other relatives claiming he must have been taken there.

We searched this area again and again, family friend who has spent the last four days trawling the unforgiving terrain.

We never even noticed the creek, and thats where the found him. He was in the creek.

AJs mother and older brothers only had their eyes off him for seconds when he disappeared from the isolated property.

The toddler has autism and rarely leaves his mothers side, so the family were certain it wasnt a matter of him wandering off and said hed been abducted.

Little AJs remarkable tale of survival will be a story for the ages, as his family and friends rushed back to the home to start celebrating.

This kid is so strong, an elderly man said with tears streaming down his face. Four days in rain, sun, cold. Police just found him in a ditch. After all that.

There were tense scenes on Monday near the family home as information trickled down from police and emergency services to the volunteers that hed been found.

Many had given up hope of finding him on the property, with experts of survival almost entirely ruling out the possibility that he would be found safe out in the elements.

But relatives never gave up hope.

I promised wed get him home safe, and thats what weve done, one said.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was 'absolutely delighted' by AJ's discovery, saying it was 'much-needed good news in otherwise difficult circumstances'.

'I mean, I think all of us have been crossing everything to make sure AJ is brought back safely,' she told reporters during Monday's Covid update.

Prime minister Scott Morrison also expressed his relief.

'Thank goodness. What a relief. I can't imagine how traumatic this experience has been for AJ and his parents. Glad to hear he's safe,' he said.

Several hours earlier, family friend Alan Hashem claimed crucial security camera footage had 'gone missing' from the property.

He was at the property at the time AJ went missing and claimed someone had tampered with security cameras he had installed on a tree high above the remote bushland road outside the home.

Mr Hashem claimed the time AJ went missing was in the four-hour window of footage that was now missing.

AJ was whisked away to an ambulance by SES volunteers after being found

AJ was surrounded by SES volunteers and paramedics as he was placed into an ambulance to be transported to hospital

'There's one key factor and this probably the first time I actually mentioned this, I installed cameras on that post right there,' he told the Today show on Monday.

'There's footage missing, unexplained. (We have footage from) days before, days after, but not during the time.

'You know what's more alarming? We installed it so high you can't tamper with it and we had two mechanisms of storage - cloud storage and physical storage - and there's no data in that time slot.

'We provided the user name and password to the police, we provided them the actual original memory card. There's a lot of explaining to do.'

Timeline of events FRIDAY  AJ Elfalak reported missing at 11.45am on Friday while playing with his three brothers. The 650-acre property is off Yengo Drive, Putty, and is only accessible by dirt track with the home surrounded by thick bush and 15 dams. SATURDAY  His mother, Kelly Elfalak, says he might have been abducted  as 50 family members join the search with 200 volunteers in the search for AJ. SUNDAY  One dam is drained by excavator and police drivers also search other nearby waterways as the desperate search continues. A mysterious Ford Ranger ute was seized by police investigators at Bulga, a village which is north-east of where he was last seen. The abandoned property, about one kilometre south of the property, was also searched on Sunday as police confirmed a criminal investigation was underway. They also seized CCTV footage from a service station at Colo Heights, which is about 40 minutes drive south of Putty towards Sydney.  MONDAY  Elfalak family spokesman, Alan Hashem, claim CCTV footage of him going missing was erased. However, about 11.45am police release a statement saying hes been found, with SES workers finding him on a river bank 2km from the property Advertisement

He told Sunrise: 'I put it so high up in a tree that when the fire brigade arrived I said "quickly, quickly, please, let me get the CCTV footage".

'We went in there, and I can't explain it, the window in which he went missing ... probably about four hours, there's footage missing.'

'There was 160 videos after the incident of emergency services and us taking down the camera. We just don't have answers at the moment.'

Nine reporter Gabrielle Boyle was quick to point out the strange nature of the decision to install CCTV cameras at the isolated property.

'It must be said it is a very unusual location to have CCTV. This is such a remote location,' she said.

'Many of these farmhouses in and around this area are just little shacks, shantytowns if you will. These aren't big established homes. This isn't a fancy area.'

'This is regional NSW. This is very rugged terrain not the type of place you would expect to have CCTV available and to think that that window where the little boy has gone missing is unavailable on that camera is just so strange.'

Mr Hashem was at the property helping AJ's mum prepare lunch on what he described as a typical afternoon when the toddler disappeared.

The boy's older brothers were in charge of keeping an eye on AJ as they played outside while their father was fixing quad bikes.

'The oldest boy needed to go to the bathroom and took the youngest one AJ and he left him just inside the dining area,' Mr Hashem told the Today show.

'After a few minutes, the boy's come out and entered through the other part of the house and the mother goes, 'Where's AJ?'

'The boys had a puzzled look on their face. We all stand up and at that moment I had the closest view to the driveway and noticed a white ute, we believe either a Mazda or a Toyota, a much older model. It was slowly driving through here.'

'We didn't think much of it but we did in the meantime, we had these ATVs, we had about four of them and we thought if AJ's gone somewhere it's not going to be far.'

He and AJ's family are 'without a doubt' the toddler was abducted and hasn't get lost in remote bushland which backs onto the property.

'He's always quite afraid and attached to his mum, hence why his mum couldn't have him by her side when she's cooking, he is with his brothers.

'He's never wandered.'

Three-year-old 'AJ' Elfalak (pictured) disappeared from a rural property nearly 72 hours ago - with his family fearing he has been abducted

AJ's mother Kelly insisted her son is 'not a wanderer' and 'never leaves her side', with his father Anthony adding 'a kid doesn't just up and disappear'.

Mr Hashem said AJ's disappearance has shattered his parents, whom he described as the loveliest people he knows.

'Just bring him home,' he pleaded.

'You don't understand how much pain and anguish this family's feeling. The reason why I am the spokesperson is because the mother is not coping and the father, he's holding it together by a thread.'

The family haven't given up on finding AJ, with Mr Hashem claiming AJ's dad Anthony got a tip-off shortly before the Today show interview.

'He got a bit of a tip-off, heard a noise up in the mountain, heard a noise up in the mountain, he took off,' he said.

'We're still walking through the lake down the bottom there, we're driving through the community. We're thinking of doing letter box drops.

'He's hired his own private helicopter. We're going on it today to keep checking the areas although I do have to say police rescue and SES and volunteers have been absolutely phenomenal. I can't thank them enough.'

Police investigate a shack (pictured) about 1km south of the Elfalak's family farm. The shack was derelict and full of rubbish, with police cordoning the property off on Sunday

Mr Hashem first shared his claims about the missing footage from the security cameras during the family's video conference with their religious community via Zoom on Sunday night.

'There is something missing in there at the moment but police are investigating,' he explained.

'It was very high up. No one could get access to it.'

'I got the detectives to take it down, take out the memory card and gave it to police.'

A white ute from a nearby property was seized by police on Sunday night as they searched an abandoned shack about 1km south of the Elfalak house, labelling the car a 'vehicle of interest'.

Pictures from the abandoned property show a dingy shack fitted out with old furniture, with the floors strewn with rubbish.

Police cordoned off the area and are trying to ascertain if anyone had been staying there, with 9News reporting it had been declared a crime scene.

They have also seized a number of items from the property, amid reports someone had been sleeping rough there.

Police also seized CCTV footage from a Colo Heights service station, a 40 minute drive south from Putty in the direction of Sydney, declaring it a 'site of interest'.

'I'm his universe. He holds my hand, all day and all night we are together,' the boy's mother told The Australian.

She and the boy's father joined the large search party, including police divers, the riot squad, trail bikes, drones and mounted officers, who were searching for the toddler over the weekend.

More than 130 SES and police searchers scoured the property on Sunday (pictured) with drones, mounted police, the riot squad and trail bikes all being brought in to help

Police has launched Strikeforce Jaylang to investigate the circumstances of AJ's disappearance.

'He's been taken. If he was around here, I would have found him by now,' Ms Elfalak said.

'I have searched the property... I'm still driving around and I cannot find him. If he was here, he'd be close to the property.'

Despite a search party being set up 10 minutes after AJ went missing, with four vehicles soon covering a large radius around the farm, he was nowhere to be found.

Ms Elfalak also said she noticed the suspicious white ute driving away from her house in the minutes after AJ vanished.

'I saw it, it was driving really slowly, I thought it was my neighbour's,' Ms Elfalak told The Daily Telegraph.

'He's not a wanderer... he never leaves my side.'

She was in the kitchen as AJ played on the porch, while his father was nearby in the yard fixing the chain on his quad bike.

AJ was dressed in a grey top and pants with sneakers and is described as being of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern appearance, with short brown hair.

Officers on Sunday were seen talking to one of AJ's older brothers - he has three brothers Michael, Patrick and Alexander - in a paddock near the house, with one of the young boys taking detectives on a re-enactment of his brother's disappearance.

SES search crews (pictured) spent the weekend searching the area for the boy and are set to Monday - with rescuers warning of harsh and unforgiving terrain

The ute seized by police as a 'vehicle of interest' on Sunday night (pictured) as they ramped up the hunt for three-year-old AJ

A neighbour recalled hearing AJ's mother raise the alarm and then stood up and spotted the vehicle - a white 1987 dual cab Toyota Hilux ute - driving down the road to the property.

He said the ute drove along Yengo Drive, 100m from the family's house, before going out to Putty Road - something he found unusual.

'We didn't see it enter. We see every car that enters because it's a dead end... Something's not right. Something doesn't stack up,' he added.

Anthony 'AJ' Elfalak (pictured) went missing on Friday leaving his desperate parents fearing he was taken as he had never 'wandered off' before and was always by his mother's side

A shack near where the white ute was found has been cordoned off as a crime scene (pictured)

Anthony and Kelly Elfalak (pictured) have been out with the search crews over the weekend

Despite the desperation of the four-day-long hunt, officials have asked locals not to join the search as it would breach Covid restrictions.

NSW Police said public assistance is not required in the search for the young boy and reminded people that Covid Public Health Order restrictions still apply in the region.

'Police are absolutely looking into every angle possible in relation to AJ's disappearance,' Superintendent Tracy Chapman said.

'Obviously our focus is very much around the search and trying to locate AJ.'

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

Police seized a white ute (pictured) near the area where AJ was last seen on Friday - with locals joining search teams to comb the unforgiving terrain in search of the three-year-old

The search is set to continue on Monday with helicopters and drones searching from the air (pictured, rescue crews with police at the property on Sunday)
Tens of thousands of residents who were evacuated from South Lake Tahoe in the teeth of the Caldor Fire can now return home to their homes with firefighters containing 44 per cent of the fire.

Evacuation orders in the residential area were downgraded to warnings on Sunday afternoon, but people with health problems were advised to stay away because of the polluted air.

Authorities have also warned residents about belligerent bears breaking inside homes and businesses after the scenic forest area on the California-Nevada state line was evacuated on Monday, August 30 as the Caldor Fire approached.

Mandatory evacuation orders on the Nevada side of the state line were lifted Saturday, although Douglas County authorities urged residents to stay alert, saying the fire still has the potential to threaten homes.

The threat from the Caldor Fire, which has been active for 22 days, hasn't entirely vanished but downgrading to a warning meant those who wish could return to their homes in what had been a smoke-choked ghost town instead of a thriving Labor Day getaway location.

The Caldor Fire destroyed more than 921 structures, scorched 215,400 acres and injured five people, according to Cal Fire.

Residents of South Lake Tahoe can now return to their homes after the evacuation order was downgraded to warning on Sunday afternoon, but people with health concerns were advised to stay away because of air pollution. Pictured: Residents fleeing the area on August 30 were left in bumper-to-bumber traffic

The Caldor Fire destroyed more than 921 structures, scorched 215,400 acres and injured five people, according to Cal Fire. Authorities said on Monday that the fire was 44 percent contained

The 22,000 residents in the area were evacuated on August 30because of the Caldor Fire

Bill Roberts rolls up an American flag in front of his house in South Lake Tahoe, a day after the city was ordered to evacuate because of the approaching Caldor Fire

Grayson Howard plays the guitar while helping friends who evacuated to the the Green Valley Community Church evacuation shelter on Thursday, August 19

Firefighters battle the Caldor fire along highway 89 west of Lake Tahoe on Thursday, September 2

Firefighter Elroy Valadez adjusts his helmet while trying to put out a spot fire from the Caldor Fire burning along Highway 89 near South Lake Tahoe

California Highway Patrol officers began removing roadblocks along State Highway 50 from Nevada to the city limits, but not many of the 22,000 residents in South Lake Tahoe are returning yet.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Clive Savacool said: 'So far it hasnt been a mad rush of cars. Were happy to see that people are slowly trickling in, just because the city does need time to get ready.'

Savacool also said officials hoped to have the local hospital emergency room open within 24 hours and said paramedics were staffing fire engines for emergency medical care.

People who do return should have enough medication and groceries and a full gas tank in order to be self-sufficient.

He assured returning residents that their homes would be safe, as law enforcement was still patrolling.

In the absence of humans, bears have ran free in the area, spreading trash everywhere that must be picked up.

'The delicate balance between humans and bears has been upset,' said El Dorado County Sherriff Sgt. Simon Brown.

Anyone who thinks a bear may have entered their home was advised to call law enforcement.

California has experienced an unparalleled fire season this year. The Dixie Fire, no 56percent contained, has become the largest fire in the history of the state

(FILE) Tod Johnson stands in front of his house in South Lake Tahoe on Tuesday, August 31, a day after the city was ordered to evacuate because of the fast-growing Caldor Fire

(FILE) A firefighter lights a backfire to stop the Caldor Fire from spreading near South Lake Tahoe, California. The Caldor Fire has been 44percent contained

(FILE) A firefighter carries a water hose toward a spot fire from the Caldor Fire burning along Highway 89 near South Lake Tahoe, California. The Caldor Fire has damaged more than 900 structures, according to Cal Fire

The lifting of mandatory evacuation orders for the Tahoe area marked a milestone in the fight against the fire, which erupted on August 14 and spread across nearly 340sq-miles of dense national parks and forests, tree-dotted granite cliffs and scattered cabins and hamlets in the northern Sierra Nevada.

At its peak, the fire had burned as much as 1,000 acres an hour and last month virtually razed the small community of Grizzly Flats.

But in recent days the winds had eased and thousands of firefighters took advantage of the better weather to hack, burn and bulldoze fire lines, managing to contain 44percent of the perimeter.

Most of the western and southern sides of the fire had been corralled, although some areas still were off-limits.

No homes had been lost on the northeastern side of the fire nearest to the lake, and crews managed to carve more fire line along one edge of a fiery finger.

(FILE) A couple looks out on Lake Tahoe, which is blanketed by smoke from the Caldor Fire, in South Lake Tahoe, California State fire officials say evacuation orders for the area were reduced to warnings as of 3pm Sunday, September 5

Evacuation orders in South Lake Tahoe prompted by the Caldor Fire have been downgraded to warning, as some of its 22,000 residents make their way back to the homes

 Slide me  Usually a vacation getaway for Labor Day, South Lake Tahoe became a smoke-choked ghost town as the Caldor Fire approached

California has experienced an unparalleled fire season this year. The Dixie Fire, now 56percent contained, has become the second largest fire in the history of the state

The fire hadn't made significant progress for days but there were still sections where crews were struggling to expand safe areas and mop up hot spots, allowing evacuation orders there to be lifted.

Jake Cagle, a fire operations section chief, said: 'We're up into the wilderness area. It's just a tough piece of ground. We're in there beating it up. It's over a two-hour hike to get in there.'

California and much of the U.S. West have seen dozens of wildfires in the past two months as the drought-stricken region sweltered under hot, dry weather and winds drove flames through bone-dry vegetation.

In California, nearly 14,500 firefighters were battling 13 large, active fires. Since the year began, more than 7,000 wildfires have devoured 3,000sq-miles, Cal Fire said.

No deaths had been reported specifically from the fires. However, authorities said two people assigned to fire-related duties died from illness this week, officials said.

Marcus Pacheco, an assistant fire engine operator for Lassen National Forest with 30 years of experience, died on Thursday.

He was assigned to the Dixie Fire burning north of the Caldor Fire, authorities said.

Other details werent immediately released.

The Dixie Fire began in mid-July in the northern Sierra Nevada and is the second-largest wildfire in recorded state history.

It has burned nearly 1,400sq-miles in five counties and three national parks and forests, according to Cal Fire.

A retired firefighter who was hired to help with the French Fire died from complications of COVID-19, authorities said.

He was identified as Allen Johnson.

'Our team, the firefighting community and the world lost a great friend, mentor, teacher and comrade last night,' said a Facebook posting last Wednesday from California Interagency Incident Management Team 14.

The French Fire in Kern County was 52percent contained after burning about 41sq-miles.

Fire concerns have shut down all national forests in the state.

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.

This year California has faced an unparalleled fire season, set to surpass 2020's, which is the worst recorded to date. By mid-July, 103,588 more acres had been scorched compared to the same period last year, according to Cal Fire.

(FILE) This aerial photo provided by the United States Forest Service Lassen National Forest shows the Great Basin Team 1 Air Attack operations on Saturday on the Dixie Fire on the Horton Ridge in Plumas County, California

The Dixie Fire began in mid-July in the northern Sierra Nevada and is the second-largest wildfire in recorded state history. It has burned nearly 1,400sq-miles
Sydney hospital ICUs will be 'overwhelmed' by Covid cases for weeks by the end of October, new government modelling predicts.

The disaster plan predicts the health system will struggle to meet projected demands for about two to three weeks in October and November as the outbreak hits its critical peak period.

The report by the Burnet Institute warns operating theatres will be converted into ICU wards, one-to-one ICU nursing will be abandoned, and patients will need to be transferred to hospitals far from home in search of a spare ICU bed.

But it also predicts the situation will start to ease again around November 8 after the storm passes.

New South Wales hospitals will be 'overwhelmed' by Covid cases by the last week of October, new modelling by the government has revealed. (Pictured, an ICU patient at Sydney's st Vincent's Hospital)

The NSW Health Demand Modelling blueprint was published on Monday as the basis for the state preparing for the worst effects of the NSW Covid outbreak over the next two months.

It gives a chilling insight into what lies ahead for NSW in the weeks to come, with daily case numbers expected to soar to more than 2,000 a day by next week.

'We made it public today so the public has confidence that our system has been preparing, the system is ready,' NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

The modelling pinpoints November 1 as the worst day of the pandemic for the health service before the full effect of vaccination kicks in and numbers begin to fall.

It admits that for two weeks at the end of October and the start of November the NSW hospital system will be in on a code black, level 3, emergency footing.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) released the modelling on Monday to prove the state was prepared and ready for the coming surge in Covid numbers

The modelling (pictured) admits that for two weeks at the end of October and the start of November the NSW hospital system will be in on a code black, level 3, emergency footing

The modelling warns the number of hospitalisations and patients needing ICU will have an 'overwhelming impact on usual daily operations of ICU'.

'Demand for critical care services significantly exceeds organisation-wide capacity,' during the critical two week period.

The danger spell will see demand for ICU beds soar from pre-pandemic levels of 387 a day to a combined peak of 947 on November 1, including 560 Covid cases.

The total number of ICU beds in NSW across the entire state is 1,550, and NSW Health has drawn up plans to share the load across the state by moving ICU patients as required.

Patients could be transferred to hospitals far from their local health district to find an empty bed during the level 3 period.

The maximum danger period comes a few days after the predicted peak of hospitalisations, which are projected in the modelling (pictured) to top out at 3,434 at the end of October

The modelling pinpoints November 1 as the direst day of the pandemic for the health service before the full effect of vaccination kicks in and numbers begin to fall. (Pictured, frontline workers at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital)

Medics may also be forced to abandon one to one nursing care in ICU to cope with the increased demand and restricted staff numbers.

And the desperate need for ICU beds could also see operating theatres converted to ICU wards to meet demand, the modelling adds.

The maximum danger period comes a few days after the predicted peak of hospitalisations, which are projected to top out at 3,434 at the end of October.

'We've been signalled over the last week that the numbers are going to rise,' intensive care specialist Dr Nhi Nguyen from Nepean Hospital in Sydney's west said.

'Does it worry us as a critical care community? Of course it does. Is this the biggest challenge that we have faced as a health system? And will we be in crisis?

'I'm really confident that we have plans in place.'

The disaster plan predicts the health system will struggle to meet projected demands for around two weeks as the grip of the disease hits a critical peak period. (Pictured, a healthcare worker at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital)

The desperate need for ICU beds could also see operating theatres converted to ICU wards to meet demand, but Nepean Hospital intensive care specialist Dr Nhi Nguyen (pictured) was confident plans were in place to cope with demand

By mid-November hospital patient numbers, including ICU cases, are predicted to have fallen to 2,625, with 445 Covid patients fighting for their life in ICU.

The government expects numbers to then fall dramatically after the state hits 80 per cent double-dose vaccinations among adults.

'Double dose vaccination is an enormous protection against hospitalisation,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'When we do open up at 70 percent double-dose, anyone who interacts with each other will be completely vaccinated.

'That massively reduces the chance of anybody requiring hospitalisation.'

However, the numbers behind the data were questioned by the media at the briefing who suggested it was based on the national Covid hospitalisation rate of 5.5 per cent.

Data from NSW Health showed recent hospitalisation rates in Sydney are running at 11 to 12 per cent which could radically transform the projections in the modelling.

Ms Berejiklian admitted the modelling rate was based on the national figure but insisted the numbers were the best and latest figures available.

The danger spell will see demand for ICU beds soar from pre-pandemic levels of 387 a day to a combined peak of 947 on November 1, including 560 Covid cases. (Pictured, a Covid ICU patient at Sydney St Vincent's Hospital)

'What you see in the modelling today, I doubt that every single number will be correct to the nth degree,' she conceded as she confirmed another five deaths and 1,261 Covid cases overnight.

'But what the modelling does is give good direction and good vision of what is likely to occur.'

She added: 'I think the public would much prefer that we put out the modelling that I see, the most up to date modelling, so people understand and appreciate why we make decisions the way we do.

'And also what is likely to occur in the next few months.'
Australian authorities played a vital role in tracking down one of the world's most notorious paedophiles, who is believed to have abused dozens of victims aged between two and 16 years old.

Alladin Lanim, 40, from Lundu in the Malaysian state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo, was arrested in July and jailed for 48 years and six months for his abuse of children, which he had distributed on the dark web.

He was also sentenced to 15 strokes of the cane.

Lanim was linked to more than 1,000 images and videos showing the sexual abuse of minors since 2007.

He had been identified as one of the 10 worst child exploitation offenders in the world in a 2019 multi-national police report.

Malaysian man Alladin Lanim was linked to more than 1000 images and videos showing the sexual abuse of minors since 2007

Australian victim identification specialists, working alongside the Australian Federal Police (above), were crucial in exposing Lanim's online alias

'He was so prolific with so many victims, that's why he became a high priority, Detective Sergeant Daniel Burnicle, Australian Federal Police (AFP) acting senior officer in Kuala Lumpur, told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Four children aged nine to 14 were also 'rescued' when Lanim was arrested, the Royal Malaysia Police reported.

The Malaysian national was brought undone after he posted messages and chats in online child sexual exploitation communities claiming to have sexually abused children and recording the crimes.

Australian victim identification specialists were crucial in exposing Lanim's online alias.

Investigators with the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation's (ACCCE) Victim Identification Unit worked with members of the Queensland Police Service's Argos unit and the Australian Federal Police.

In August 2020, they located an image of the man on social media associated with his alias.

Australian Transactions Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) then confirmed his identity by finding the same image of Lanim connected to financial and other identifying information they had discovered on him.

Australian investigators then helped Malaysian police track him to a Covid-19 quarantine facility in Sarawak after he'd returned from the Malaysian mainland.

He was arrested as he left quarantine and then pleaded guilty to 18 charges in court in the Sarawak capital of Kuching.

Malaysian media reports said Lanim had molested children in and around a house in the small town of Lundu, including showing them pornographic material on his phone.

Analysis by Australian investigators had identified 34 victims abused by Lanim, though it's believed the number of victims may be higher.

'The community should be reassured that the impact of Covid in Australia and overseas has not hampered our ability to tackle this horrific crime,' AFP Commander South East Asia Warwick Macfarlane said.
Singapore is about to allow quarantine-free travel from Germany after vaccinating 80 per cent of its population in a taste of what's to come for Australians when the international borders finally open.

The so-called 'vaccinated travel lane' will begin on Wednesday for fully jabbed travellers, but excludes under 12s for whom there are no approved vaccines.

Instead of quarantining for 14 days, arrivals will have to get tested when they land in Singapore and isolate at home or in a hotel until their negative result.

Singapore (pictured) is opening up travel bubbles with 80 per cent of its country vaccinated

The lane only applies to people who did not leave Germany in the 21 days before their flight. Germany already allows unrestricted arrivals from Singapore.

It is primarily for business travel with seven flights a week to Frankfurt and Munich.

The policy shows how Australia could set up travel bubbles once vaccination rates hit 80 per cent, expected in November.

'Singapore is a good example for Australia to pay attention to because we are probably going to be in a similar situation - we need to open up and we need to do it in a way that Covid-19 is going to become endemic,' said Peter Collignon, an infectious diseases physician at Canberra Hospital.

Scott Morrison's national re-opening plan allows for outbound travel when the 80 per cent jab rate is hit.

Millions of Australians are enduring Covid lockdowns. Pictured: A Sydney resident at Kings Cross on Monday

Australians will be able to do home quarantine for seven days when they get back from a trip or have no quarantine at all if arriving from a travel bubble country.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said his nation would gradually open its borders to the world.

'We will move step by step - not in one big bang like some countries, but cautiously and progressively, feeling our way forward,' he said.

Singapore, a nation of 6million, only recorded an average of 185 new Covid cases per day last week.

Transport Minister S Iswaran said opening up was essential to keep the economy alive.

'The current situation is not sustainable. As a small and open economy, Singapore's survival and success depends critically on being open and connected to the world,' he said.

In 2019, Singapore welcomed a record 19.1 million travellers - more than three times its total population, with China, Indonesia and India contributing 40 per cent.

On Friday Mr Morrison confirmed that Australians will be allowed on overseas holidays even if some state borders are still closed when 80 per cent are vaccinated.

The Prime Minister said once Australia reaches the vaccination target he will allow international travel to restart for any state that wants it.

Covid-free Queensland and Western Australia have threatened to keep their domestic borders closed beyond that threshold but Mr Morrison said this would not affect overseas holidays for people in states living with Covid-19.

In a press conference on Friday he was asked: 'Can you envision opening [international travel] to a state like NSW when they get above 80 per cent and not waiting for states who don't want to open?'

'Yes. I can. Well the national plan sets out that very clearly,' Mr Morrison replied.

It means that an Australian in Sydney or Melbourne may be allowed to London or New York before Perth or Brisbane.

On Thursday Health Minister Greg Hunt revealed that bio-security laws banning outbound travel have been extended until December 17.

But the laws can be removed early if 80 per cent are vaccinated before then.
A man has died at a fly-in fly-out copper and gold mine in South Australia.

Mining company OZ Minerals and contractor Byrnecut said on Monday an underground mine worker was fatally injured at the Prominent Hill mine on Sunday afternoon.

'This incident has had a profound impact on our workforce and our priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone at site,' OZ Minerals boss Andrew Cole said.

A man has died at an OZ Minerals fly-in fly-out copper and gold mine in Prominent Hill, South Australia.

'Byrnecut and OZ Minerals are providing support to the worker's family during this very difficult time.'

Police said the 43-year-old from Aberfoyle Park in Adelaide was crushed by machinery and died at the work site.

State Resources Minister Dan van Holst Pellekaan said his heart goes out to the man's friends and family.

'Think about the people on site who would have found this person at work underground and who would have been closely involved in trying to save his life,' he said.

Police said the 43-year-old from Aberfoyle Park in Adelaide was crushed by machinery and died at the work site

'This is very sad, very serious and I know all of the workers and everybody in the company take it incredibly seriously and will do everything they can to discover what went wrong.'

The death is being investigated by the South Australian Police and Safework SA.

The mine, which has an open pit, underground mine and processing plant, is about 650km northwest of Adelaide and 130km south-east of Coober Pedy.

Work at Prominent Hill have been temporarily suspended. A report will be prepared for the state coroner.
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Heatwaves are set to be declared across Britain as a three-day spell with temperatures as hot as 86F is underway this week.

Britons, who have been deprived of long sunny spells this summer, are descending upon the nation's outdoor spaces as the country, at last, gears up for a period of balmy weather.

The Met Office confirmed this afternoon that today was officially the warmest day since July 22 - just before the summer holidays - as temperatures of 82F were recorded in Larkhill, Wiltshire.

But it will be too late for many children to fully enjoy, with millions set to return to school today after a damp and dreary staycation summer.

Despite the official meteorological end of summer, the warm weather is expected to last for several days, with the mercury hovering around the low 80s in many parts of the country.

But the Met Office said it is still 'touch and go' whether some areas will tip into official heatwaves.

Temperatures are predicted to reach highs of 82.4F in London on Monday and rise to 84.2F on Tuesday with some parts of the country seeing highs of 86F making it hotter than Bermuda.

Northern areas are also expected to see an increase, with Liverpool seeing highs of 73.4F on Monday and 80.6F on Tuesday.

The highest temperature recorded on Sunday was 80.8F at Wiggonholt, west Sussex, according to provisional data from the Met Office.

The warm weather follows the official end of summer, from a meteorological point of view, which is considered to be August 31.

Heatwaves are set to be declared across Britain as a three-day spell with temperatures as hot as 86F is underway this week

Britons, who have been deprived of long sunny spells this summer, are descending upon the nation's outdoor spaces as the country, at last, gears up for a period of balmy weather. Pictured: people enjoy the warm weather in Bournemouth, Dorset

Families and couples are pictured enjoying the warm weather and sunshine on Bournemouth Beach in Dorset this afternoon

The beach was busy in Southend-on-Sea in Essex as sunseekers flocked to the coast to enjoy the warm weather this afternoon

It comes as children across the country return to classrooms after the summer break. Many schools in England and Wales started again last week and pupils in Scotland and Northern Ireland are already back.

The Met Office said the warm spell is expected to last until Wednesday, and predictions show some areas are on the 'borderline' of experiencing an official heatwave.

A location meets the UK heatwave threshold when it records a period of at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperature levels which vary across the country.

These include 77F for central England and Wales - where it has been forecast the threshold could be exceeded - and 82.4F for London and the South East.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said: 'It's not uncommon for the UK to get warm spells heading into early September.

'There's a chance of some areas reaching heatwave criteria, but that is fairly borderline and the breakdown that is happening on Wednesday will subdue the temperatures as well.

'So it will be touch and go for some places whether a heatwave is officially in the forecast.'

He added: 'Heading into Tuesday, that warmth spreads further north across the country, bringing a fine and dry day for most with that warm weather extending across the UK.'

Mr Dixon said that, although good conditions will last until Wednesday, 'rain and instability' will follow, leading to possible thunderstorms in south-west England.

The mercury is expected to exceed the average for September, which is 64.4F in the UK.

The blast of heat comes after figures from the Met Office showed Southern England experienced its third dullest August since records began.

The region received only 129 hours of sunshine last month compared to its usual average of 192.5 hours. Only 2008 and 1950 were worse in terms of hours of sunshine.

It is believed that the fall-out from Hurricane Ida - which has torn across southern states in the US - will force a change in the UK after weeks of dull grey skies and rain caused by high pressure.

The Met Office said the warm spell is expected to last until Wednesday, and predictions show some areas are on the 'borderline' of experiencing an official heatwave. Pictured: People enjoy the warm weather at Bournemout beach in Dorset

The blast of heat comes after figures from the Met Office showed Southern England experienced its third dullest August since records began. Pictured: families enjoy a sunny day out in the warm weather at Bournemouth Beach in Dorset this afternoon

Pictured: a couple enjoy the warm weather with a view while sat in deck chairs on Bournemouth Pier in Dorset

People enjoy sun in Dorset as the UK sees one final blast of summer boosted by a plume of warm air from the Mediterranean

A paddle boarder enjoys the return of summer weather as the sun begins to shine in Portobello in Edinburgh

Annie Shuttleworth, a Met Office forecaster said: 'We are expecting temperatures to rise at the beginning of the new week.

'Despite a cloudy start to Monday, conditions will be clear and bright with hot temperatures for large parts of England and eastern Wales as the result of continental air moving in from the south.

'This air will start to push through the country on Tuesday and Wednesday, dragging temperatures as high as 29C (84.2F) for parts of the south-east while Scotland and Northern Ireland will also move into the mid-twenties.

'It's going to be very warm for the time of year and could even be rather uncomfortable for people trying to sleep at night, with temperatures remaining at around 18C (64.4F) during the evening.'

Ms Shuttleworth said this meant a 'decent chance' of an official heatwave for parts of central England and eastern Wales, where the temperature threshold needed over three days is 77F (25C).

However, she warned of an area of low pressure moving in from the west on Wednesday afternoon, bringing with it grey and wet conditions for much of the UK on Thursday.

Thunderstorms are also expected in the second half of the week to conclude the hot spell.

A spokesman said: 'Summer may not be over just yet and with a mini heatwave on its way, the chances of this month ending as a record hot September have increased significantly.'

Meteorologists predicts that while Hurricane Ida won't be directly felt in the UK, the weather system's force would have an impact on the weather we will experience.

Earlier this week, Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge told The Sun: 'What these hurricanes do is bring warm humid air into the North Atlantic, which can have the effect of pepping up weather systems already in place.

'Although we're not going to see the effects directly, it'll invigorate the jet stream.'

'London and the south east are likely to benefit the most, but the majority of the country will hopefully see temperatures in the mid-20s.

'I have to say there is some uncertainty about how hot it will be, and it won't be the case for the whole country.'

Meanwhile East Anglia also experienced the third cloudiest August on record with the area seeing just 127.2 hours of daylight compared to the average 195.7 hours usually seen during the month.

For the UK overall  August was the 12th dullest on record with 127.4 hours of sunshine - the figure is 78 per cent of the 163 hours of sun usually seen.

The Met Office confirmed today was the hottest day since July 22 meaning the warm weather officially book-ended summer

The weather warmed up this afternoon with temperatures expected to climb until Wednesday. Pictured: Bournemouth beach

People enjoy the warm weather in Dorset today as the Met Office confirmed it has been the hottest day since July 22

People seize the opportunity to enjoy boat trips this afternoon during hot weather in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire

People sunbathe during hot weather in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire as the UK enjoys one last blast of summer today

Pictured: People enjoy the sun in St Jame's Park, London, where temperatures soared to the mid 80s this afternoon

A paddle boarder enjoys the sun on the River Avon in Warwick as the country welcomes back rising mercury levels

The warm weather will see temperatures soar to 75F across the south of England before rising to a sizzling 82F by Tuesday

High pressure will shift to the south east of the UK over the coming days and this will see temperatures as a result

Despite the gloomy weather, Tyndrum in Stirling, Scotland, recorded the highest temperature in the UK so far this month after it hit 80.2F on August 25.

Last month, the south of England saw one of the dullest and wettest summers in ten years while the north of England and Scotland experienced unusually warmer temperatures and its driest summer since 1869.

The capital and central England, which saw temperatures that were only 0.25C higher than the long-term average, also saw the regions flooded after it was hit by heavy rain and thunderstorms.

Data also showed the City of London saw 117 per cent of its usual August rainfall by August 20.

Heavy rain and hail has already caused 'significant problems' for harvests, according to the National Farmers Union (NFU).

A spokesperson for the union said this year's harvest was delayed due to cold spring temperatures, but it's too early to say how much profits will be impacted and whether consumers could see a rise in food prices.

They said: 'The localised heavy rain and hail has caused significant problems in certain areas.

'It's a mixed picture because for many areas they just haven't had many clear dry days in a row to harvest, so things have been a bit 'stop-start' with harvesting.

'Where they have been harvesting, grain has often had to be dried because the better weather hasn't lasted long enough to get moisture levels down to where they need to be.

'The problems will grow if the unsettled weather continues because it will start to impact on the quality of the grain if it goes on too long, especially for crops like milling wheat.'
The Afghan resistance leadership have fled to Turkey and the Taliban have taken total control of the country with the capture of the Panjshir Valley, the jihadists claimed today.

The Islamists released footage of their white banner flying over the provincial capital of Bazarak on Monday after a swift battle which saw them overwhelm the resistance with high-tech weaponry abandoned by the Americans.

Resistance leader Ahmad Massoud appeared to admit defeat in an audio message sent to the media in which he called on Afghans for a 'a national uprising for the dignity, freedom and prosperity of our country.'

Taliban spokesman Tariq Ghazniwal said: 'Panjshir does not have internet. How is he (Ahmad Massoud) posting online from there? Ahmad Massoud is in Turkey.'

He said that despite efforts by jihadist chiefs to give the resistance 15 days to surrender, they refused, 'so we were compelled to attack.'

If it is proven true that Massoud, 32 - the son of legendary freedom fighter Ahmad Shah, the 'Lion of the Panjshir' - has fled, it will surely be a hammer blow to any remaining resistance fighters in the province.

Taliban members pose for a photo after they took over Panjshir Valley, the only province the group had not seized during its sweep last month in Afghanistan on September 6, 2021

The Afghan resistance leadership have fled to Turkey and the Taliban have taken total control of the country with the capture of the Panjshir Valley, the jihadists claimed today (pictured: Taliban members)

Taliban members patrol after they took over Panjshir Valley, the only province the group had not seized during its sweep last month in Afghanistan on September 6, 2021

Ahmad Massoud (pictured centre in 2019), the leader of the Afghan National Resistance Front called on Afghans to 'begin a national uprising for the dignity, freedom and prosperity of our country'

The Taliban has raised its flag outside its new 'headquarters' in Panjshir province - the last holdout of anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan since the group's blitz across the country last month

Commanders from the vanquished Afghan National Army and their staff had headed to the region to join up with Massoud's band of warriors, ethnic Tajiks who have long fought against Taliban rule.

Massoud, a King's College London and Sandhurst graduate, was reportedly still in the province as of Sunday with former vice president and ally Amrullah Saleh.

They had offered peace talks to the jihadists which were rejected.

The message came as the Taliban said it had raised its flag outside its new 'headquarters' in Panjshir province.

Video shared on social media showed four Taliban members hoisting the white and black flag up a flagpole as two heavily armed gunmen watched on.

'The Taliban raised a white flag in Panjshir headquarter,' Tariq Ghazniwal, a Taliban spokesman, wrote on Twitter alongside the video.

In the clip, the men can be heard using various Arabic terms to praise Allah for their capture of the province.

Thousands of Taliban fighters armed with weapons abandoned by withdrawing U.S. forces overran eight districts of Panjshir overnight, witnesses from the area said on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity over safety fears.

Taliban members patrol after they took over Panjshir Valley, September 6

Taliban members patrol after they took over Panjshir Valley, the only province the group had not seized during its sweep last month in Afghanistan on September 6, 2021

Taliban members patrol after they took over Panjshir Valley, the only province the group had not seized during its sweep last month in Afghanistan on September 6

Video shared on social media shows four Taliban members hoisting the Islamist militants' white and black flag up a flagpole as two heavily armed gunmen watch on

In the clip, the men can be heard using various Arabic terms to praise Allah for their capture of the city

Pictured: NRF forces, seen here in an undated picture, observe from a hill in Panjshir province

The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) denied the claims, however, as it announced that two key members had been killed in fighting over the weekend.

In a statement on Monday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid sought to reassure Panjshir residents as scores of families reportedly fled to the mountains ahead of the Taliban's arrival: 'We give full confidence to the honourable people of Panjshir that they will not be subjected to any discrimination, that all are our brothers, and that we will serve a country and a common goal,' the statement read.

Later, Mujahid repeated the reassurance in a televised press conference, adding: 'We tried our best to solve the problem through negotiations, and they rejected talks and then we had to send our forces to fight'.

A spokesman for the NRF told the BBC that the province had not been captured, saying that the resistance 'continues to fight' the Taliban and are present in 'all strategic positions'.

'The Taliban haven't captured Panjshir, I am rejecting Taliban claims,' NRF spokesman Ali Maisam said.

The group also tweeted: 'The struggle against the Taliban & their partners will continue until justice & freedom prevails.'

Two NRF leaders - spokesman Fahim Dashti and General Abdul Wudod Zara - were killed in fighting over the weekend, the group said.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (pictured) told a news conference on Monday that the group had seized control of Panjshir

The Taliban stepped up their assault on Panjshir on Sunday. Pictured: NRF forces, seen here in an undated picture, observe from a hill in Panjshir province

Pictured: NRF fighters in Panjshir in an undated photograph

Pictured: NRF fighters in Panjshir on Tuesday before the Taliban closed in on the valley

Dashti was killed in a battle on Sunday, according to the group's Twitter account. He had been the voice of the group, a prominent media personality during previous governments and an important member of Afghanistan's Jamiat political party.

He was also the nephew of Abdullah Abdullah, a senior official of the former government who is involved in negotiations with the Taliban on the future of Afghanistan.

US accuses Taliban of stopping Americans from leaving The United States has accused the Taliban of stopping Americans and Afghans from leaving the country through the Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport. Texas Republican Michael McCaul said that six planes carrying U.S. citizens and Afghan interpreters had been trying to leave the airport for 'the last couple of days'. '[The State Department] has cleared these flights and the Taliban will not let them leave the airport,' he told Fox News, adding that he believed this was 'because the Taliban want something in exchange'. The State Department acknowledged in an email to Congress members that there were charter flights waiting at the airport that the Taliban would not allow to leave until the group had approved the departure. It is not clear how many people are aboard the planes, though an NGO estimated the number could be as high as 1,000 The Taliban has denied it is preventing people from leaving, describing the allegation as 'propaganda'. The accusation came as Kabul airport reopened for domestic flights after assistance from Qatar. However the airport was still without functioning radar or navigation systems on Monday, making it difficult to resume international flights. A top aviation official at the airport said a small number of domestic flights were able to resume with temporary radio communications between air traffic controllers and pilots. But pilots have to navigate takeoff and landing visually, Ghirlandaio Jailani Wafa added. Advertisement

The Taliban stepped up their assault on Panjshir on Sunday, tweeting that their forces had overrun Rokha district, one of largest of eight districts in the province.

Several Taliban delegations have attempted negotiations with the holdouts there, but talks have failed to gain traction.

However, on Sunday, the NRF offered peace talks to the the Taliban after the militants advanced deep into Panjshir.

But in response, the Taliban warned the National Resistance Front (NRF) that they must surrender or face death as their 'victory is inevitable'.

With no agreement reached as of Monday, NRF fighters face an uncertain fate.

The Times published pictures of Panjshiri prisoners wearing American-made handcuffs in the province's Shotul district on Saturday even as the Taliban repeated assurances that they would give amnesty to any fighters who surrendered.

The paper reported that Taliban beat a Panjshiri fighter found trying to escape, though another captured fighter was treated relatively well.

The paper also said Taliban fighters smashed the equipment of a local television crew and mocked its staff.

The anti-Taliban forces had been backed by the former vice president, Amrullah Saleh, and also the son of the iconic anti-Taliban fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud who was killed just days before the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

The Taliban have pledged to safeguard Massoud's shrine once captured.

Nestled in the towering Hindu Kush mountains, the Panjshir Valley has a single narrow entrance. Local fighters held off the Soviets there in the 1980s and also the Taliban a decade later under the leadership of Massoud.

Massoud's son Ahmad had issued a statement on Sunday, calling for an end to the fighting that had been blistering in recent days.

The young British-schooled Massoud said his forces were ready to lay down their weapons but only if the Taliban agreed to end their assault.

Late on Sunday dozens of vehicles loaded with Taliban were seen swarming into Panjshir Valley.

Saleh, the former vice president who had declared himself the acting president after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on August 15 as the Taliban reached the gates of the capital, said in a video clip over the weekend that there had been casualties on both sides, but promised to continue fighting.

Both Saleh and Massoud have pledged they will never surrender to the Taliban, with Saleh tweeting last month that he would 'never, ever and under no circumstances bow to the Taliban terrorists.'

The offer of peace talks followed predictions that the resistance could collapse in a 'fight to the death', while a top US general warned that Afghanistan still faces a wider civil war that could fuel the resurgence of terror groups like ISIS.

That stark warning came as the country's Saleh said Afghanistan was on the brink of collapsing into a 'large-scale humanitarian crisis', with food and money becoming increasingly scarce.

In his call for negotiations, Massoud, said that he would stop the fighting and instead negotiate with the Taliban but the Islamist militants were not willing to talk.

'The NRF in principle agree to solve the current problems and put an immediate end to the fighting and continue negotiations.

'To reach a lasting peace, the NRF is ready to stop fighting on condition that Taliban also stop their attacks and military movements on Panjshir and Andarab,' he said, referring to a district in the neighbouring province of Baghlan.

But in response, one of the Taliban's commanders, Maulawi Mohammed Faruq, told The Times: 'Our message to the Panjshir resistance leaders is 'surrender'.

'We don't want to kill you... but surrender you must. Our victory is inevitable.'

Two NRF leaders - spokesman Fahim Dashti (left) and General Abdul Wudod Zara (right) - were killed in fighting over the weekend, the group said

Members of the Taliban Badri 313 military unit inspect the rubble at the destroyed Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) base in Deh Sabz district northeast of Kabul on Monday

Members of the Taliban Badri 313 military unit stand amid the debris of the destroyed CIA base in Deh Sabz on Monday

Parts of the CIA compound were destroyed with planned detonations prior to the August 31 deadline for U.S. troop withdrawals to stop the Taliban seizing sensitive information. Pictured: A Taliban fighter at the base on Monday

In 2014, a U.S. government report found that detainees had been tortured at the facility. Pictured: Members of the Taliban walk among the debris of the CIA base on Monday

Pictured: A suspected ISIS member sits blindfolded in a Special Forces' car in Kabul, Afghanistan

Pictured: Damaged Afghan military helicopters inside Kabul airport, which has opened to some flights albeit without functioning radar or navigation systems

Afghanistan is grappling with an impoverished economy, having been thrown into disarray by the fall of the Ghani government and the Taliban's seizure of power last month, with many banks in Kabul and other cities still shut and cash in short supply.

Airport closures have also impacted the flow of humanitarian aid, with one-third of the country facing food and economic insecurity, according to the World Food Programme - although as of Saturday some flights had resumed between Kabul and three major provincial cities.

The Taliban, who rolled into Kabul three weeks ago at a speed that analysts said likely surprised even the hardline Islamists themselves, are yet to finalise the governance of their new regime but at pains to appear more moderate than when they were last in power.

On Monday, a Taliban spokesman rejected claims that the announcement of a government has been delayed due to disagreements.

He said there were still 'some technical things left' to be ironed out, but added that a government would be announced soon.

The group's 'supreme leader' Haibatullah Akhundzada, would 'come into public view soon'.

Rumours have swirled since February that Akhundzada, who was appointed as the group's spiritual leader in 2016, had been killed in Pakistan or was being held by the Pakistani Army, however the Taliban say he is alive and based in Kandahar.

In the 1990s, Taliban rule enforced strict controls across society. Women and girls were denied access to work and education and effectively banned from public places, men were forced to grow beards, and television and music were prohibited.

US General Mark Milley questioned whether the Taliban can effectively consolidate power as they seek to shift from a guerrilla force to government.

'I think there's at least a very good probability of a broader civil war,' said Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a bleak assessment.

'That will then in turn lead to conditions that could, in fact, lead to a reconstitution of Al-Qaeda or a growth of ISIS (Islamic State group),' he told Fox News on Saturday.

Taliban's Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (right) meets with Martin Griffiths (second from right), United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, in Kabul, Afghanistan on September 5

Pictured: Crowds are seen outside exchange offices, which opened for the first time since last month

Pictured: People exchange foreign currency for the first time on Sunday since the Taliban takeover

In this undated still obtained from a video, members of the National Resistance Front observe a house near Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan, where the Taliban are mounting an offensive

In the weeks since they took power, the reality on the ground has been mixed: government employees including women have been asked to return to work, but some women were later ordered home by lower-ranking Taliban.

Universities and schools have been ordered open, but fear has kept both students and teachers away.

The Taliban indicated that girls and women can continue their education separately from boys, with female teachers - a set up some private universities have said is logistically impossible due to a lack of staff and space.

The Taliban have also promised a more 'inclusive' government that represents Afghanistan's complex ethnic makeup, although women are unlikely to be included at the top levels.

But few in Panjshir, where many belong to the Tajik ethnic minority, seem to trust the group's promises.

Taliban official Bilal Karimi reported heavy clashes in Panjshir on Sunday, and while resistance fighters insist they have the Islamists at bay, analysts warned the resistance is struggling.

Resistance fighters, pictured on 2 September, say they have the Islamists at bay, but analysts warn that they are struggling and the Panjshir province could fall to Taliban forces

The Italian aid agency Emergency said Taliban forces had reached the Panjshir village of Anabah, where they run a surgical centre.

'Many people have fled from local villages in recent days,' Emergency said in a statement on Saturday, adding that it was continuing to provide medical services and treating a 'small number of wounded'.

Anabah lies 15 miles north inside the 71-mile-long valley, but unconfirmed reports suggested the Taliban had seized other areas too.

The Taliban had reportedly gained control of four of the valley's seven districts and captured administrative buildings in the capital of Bazarak, The Times reported.

Bill Roggio, managing editor of the US-based Long War Journal, said on Sunday that while there was still a 'fog of war' - with unconfirmed reports the Taliban had captured multiple districts - 'it looks bad'.

Both sides claim to have inflicted heavy losses on the other.

The Taliban is using weaponry left behind by American troops (pictured: Taliban using US armoured vehicle) to crush the last pockets of resistance to its takeover of Afghanistan

'The Taliban army has been hardened with 20 years of war, and make no mistake, the Taliban trained an army,' Roggio tweeted on Sunday, adding that 'the odds were long' for the Panjshir resistance.

'The Taliban army was injected with a massive amount of weapons and munitions after the US withdrawal and collapse of the ANA' (Afghan National Army), he added.

Saleh, who is holed up in Panjshir alongside Ahmad Massoud also warned of a grim situation at the weekend, speaking of a 'large-scale humanitarian crisis', with thousands 'displaced by the Taliban onslaught'.

The Panjshir Valley, surrounded by jagged snow-capped peaks, offers a natural defensive advantage, with fighters launching ambushes firing from the high tops down into the valley.

A Taliban fighter stands guard at Sarai Shahzada market in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday

The United States invaded Afghanistan and toppled the first Taliban regime in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks by Al-Qaeda, which had taken sanctuary in the country.

Western governments now fear Afghanistan could again become a haven for extremists bent on attacking them.

Washington has said it will maintain an 'over-the-horizon' capability to strike against any threats to its security in Afghanistan.

The international community is coming to terms with having to deal with the new Taliban regime with a flurry of diplomacy.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Doha on Monday for crisis talks with the Qataris after the Taliban claimed to have full control over Afghanistan.

Shortly before landing, an official disclosed that four Americans had left Afghanistan with Taliban knowledge, in the first departures arranged by Washington since its chaotic military pullout.

The four US citizens left by land and were greeted by US diplomats, said the senior official, without specifying to which country they crossed, adding that 'the Taliban did not impede them'.

Blinken, accompanied by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, is the most senior US official to visit the region since the Taliban's lightning takeover of Afghanistan on August 15.

He was not due to meet any of the Taliban's Doha representatives but State Department official Dean Thompson said Washington would continue to engage with the Islamist group 'to ensure our messaging with them is clear'.

'We are thankful for Qatar's close collaboration on Afghanistan,' the State Department said ahead of Blinken's arrival in Doha at 1500 GMT, seen by an AFP correspondent.

Blinken's team praised Doha's 'indispensable support in facilitating the transit of US citizens, embassy Kabul personnel, at-risk Afghans, and other evacuees from Afghanistan through Qatar'.

Qatar, which hosts a major US airbase, has been the gateway for 55,000 people airlifted out of Afghanistan, nearly half the total number evacuated by US-led forces after the Taliban's lightning takeover.

Before his arrival, Blinken said that in Qatar he would 'express our deep gratitude for all that they're doing to support the evacuation effort' and meet rescued Afghans.

He will also meet US diplomats, after Washington relocated its embassy in Kabul to Doha, along with a number of allies including Britain and the Netherlands.

The State Department said Blinken would discuss with Qatar its efforts, alongside Turkey, to reopen Kabul's ramshackle airport -- essential to fly in badly needed humanitarian aid and to evacuate remaining Afghans.

Qatar invited the Taliban to open a political office in Doha in 2013, subsequently hosting talks between Washington and the Taliban that concluded in 2020 with a troop withdrawal agreement. It was followed by direct negotiations between the former insurgents and Afghan government.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is also set to convene a high-level meeting on Afghanistan in Geneva on September 13, to focus on humanitarian assistance for the country.
The emotional reunion of a desperate mother and her missing three-year-old son has been captured in a heartwarming video after the child was found safe and well following a harrowing three day search.

Footage shows young Anthony 'AJ' Elfalak being carried by an SES worker into the arms of his relieved and distressed mother Kelly, who cries out 'they've found my baby. AJ, it's mummy'.

The brave and famished child - who has autism and is non-verbal - was then bundled up in a warm foil blanket while clinging to his mother before ambulance workers gave him a feast of pizza and bananas.

PolAir guided SES volunteers (pictured) on the ground to AJ's location before they carried him to an ambulance

AJ's mum is seen embracing a paramedic while waiting to be reunited with her little boy

AJ was comforted by a SES volunteer (pictured) after he was found drinking water from a creek

Kelly was seen cradling AJ in the ambulance (pictured) while wrapped in insulation blankets

Despite spending more than 72 hours exposed to the elements in rugged bushland on the family's 256ha rural property in Putty, about 150km north-west of Sydney in the Upper Hunter, paramedics said he was in 'remarkable shape'.

The incredible moment she feared would never come overwhelmed Ms Elfalak, who burst out crying as SES workers came towards carrying little AJ.

'They've found my baby,' she says while embracing a ambulance worker.

Her voice becomes more and more strained with emotion as she finally holds young AJ in her arms and comforts him in the back of the ambulance.

The entire family had been in a panic-stricken state since little AJ wandered off on Friday.

She said he was out of her sight for just a matter of seconds.

'Our family is together again. For that we are grateful to everyone who has assisted in any way over the last three days,' the overjoyed family said in a statement immediately after the terrifying ordeal.

'Thank you to the NSW Police, Rescue Services, volunteers, community members, friends and family who have worked tirelessly to find AJ.

'AJ is fine. Hold your kids close.'

Family and friends rush towards the waiting ambulance, where AJ was being assessed after he was found in a nearby creek drinking water

Family and friends at the property embrace following confirmation AJ was found alive

Anthony Elfalak (pictured with his three other sons after AJ was found) didn't get any sleep in the three days since son AJ went missing

Kelly Elfalak (pictured) is helped from the ground by family members after being told her son had been found

A radio call signalling that the boy had been spotted by Pol Air helicopter about 500 meters from their home in a small creek sparked jubilant scenes at the family property, with AJ's friends and loved ones seen cheering and screaming in delight moments after being told he had been found.

NSW Police have since released the incredible footage of the moment AJ was first located.

'I've got the the boy!' a PolAir officer can be saying as he provided coordinates to guide SES searchers on the ground to AJ's exact location.

'I'm going to get on the PA and guide the SES crew in.'

SES volunteers carried AJ to a waiting ambulance to be assessed by paramedics, where he was reunited with his parents and older brothers.

Anthony 'AJ' Elfalak was missing for 72 hours before he was miraculously found alive on Monday

AJ (pictured in the ambulance) was reunited with his parents and brothers before being taken to Singleton Hospital

This is the moment Anthony 'AJ' Elfalak (pictured) was spotted by a Pol Air helicopter, 72 hours after he went missing

He has since been taken to Singleton Hospital for a check-up after gorging on a much-needed feast.

'He was slipping (into sleep) the whole time which (is) not surprising - once he woke up all he wanted to do was eat,' NSW Ambulance's Gerry Pyke said.

'He got stuck into about three slices of pizza and a banana so he is pretty good.'

AJ has since been hailed as Australia's toughest kid with Mr Pyke saying his condition was remarkable considering the circumstances.

Father Anthony Elfalak said he hadn't slept or showered in four days.

The Elfalak family with father Anthony, mother Kelly, AJ (pictured centre) and two of his brothers

Three-year-old 'AJ' Elfalak (pictured) disappeared from the rural property on Friday, with his family having feared he was abducted

'He's my baby, I just can't believe it. Finding him has saved me from a lifetime of pain,' Mr Elfalak told reporters.

'We have searched that area head to toe. The first day it happened, I went around with police.

'It's a miracle. He's alive. It's amazing.

'I've been in the bush for four days, I haven't slept.'

Mr Elfalak said it appeared AJ simply wanted to explore the terrain after the family moved into the property full time three months ago.

He said the property has been a 'sanctuary' for their family for eight years, but they didn't consider moving here permanently until recently, when they were desperate to escape Covid in Sydney.

'First I'm going to go have my first shower in four days and then we're throwing a party,' Mr Elfalak said, inviting any loved ones from Sydney who wanted to come and celebrate.

The search continued on Monday with helicopters and drones searching from the air (pictured, rescue crews with police at the property on Sunday)

SES search crews (pictured) spent the weekend searching the area for the boy before he was found on Monday
The federal government has hit back at a senior United Nations official's call for Australia to accept coal's days are numbered.

Selwin Hart, the UN's assistant secretary-general and special adviser on climate action, told the ANU's Crawford Leadership Forum the phasing out of coal is a prerequisite of limiting global warming to 1.5C.

'If the world does not rapidly phase out coal, climate change will wreak havoc right across the Australian economy: from agriculture to tourism, and right across the services sector,' he said.

But he said coal workers and their communities were entitled to a 'just transition' to new jobs.

Coal is Australia's second most valuable resource behind iron ore, but UN Assistant Secretary-General Selwin Hart told the ANU's Crawford Leadership Forum the phasing out of coal is a prerequisite of limiting global warming to 1.5C

Resources Minister Keith Pitt said coal would remain a significant contributor to the Australian economy well beyond 2030.

'The future of this crucial industry will be decided by the Australian Government, not a foreign body that wants to shut it down costing thousands of jobs and billions of export dollars for our economy,' Mr Pitt said on Monday.

He noted in the three months to July, coal exports soared to $12.5 billion - a 26 per cent increase on the previous quarter.

But while it was Australia's second largest export, the nation accounted for six per cent of the world's total annual production behind China, India and Indonesia.

'Coal will continue to generate billions of dollars in royalties and taxes for state and federal governments, and directly employ over 50,000 Australians.'

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said the market was leading the energy industry away from coal-fired power toward cheaper renewables.

'This is an opportunity for Australia,' he said.

Scott Morrison visits a coal mine in McKinlay in north-western Queensland in January

Mr Hart said the region was looking to Australia for leadership, especially on the target of net zero emissions by 2050.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said it is the government's 'preference' to get to net zero by mid-century, but has not formally committed to it.

'National governments responsible for 73 per cent of global emissions have now committed to net zero by mid-century, and we urge Australia to join them as a matter of urgency,' Mr Hart said.

All countries have been encouraged by the UN to submit enhanced 'nationally determined contributions' - or NDCs - before COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November.

Mr Albanese said he was committed to net zero emissions by 2050 as it was 'good for jobs, good for lowering prices, as well as being good for lowering emissions and good for the environment'.

A spokeswoman for Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor said Australia had a strong 2030 target and a clear plan to meet and beat it.

British high commissioner Victoria Treadell said a higher level of ambition for the 2030 and 2050 targets was needed from all countries.

'We are very much hoping we will see that new level of ambition and I know it is something your prime minister is looking at, working hard to try to find a position in time for Glasgow,' she told Sky News.
A heroic firefighter dodged flame-engulfed chickens as he charged through a horror firestorm to save a family of seven trapped inside a burning house, an inquest into NSW's Black Summer bushfires has heard.

RFS group captain Nathan Barnden was battling bushfires on the state's south coast in December 2019 when he received a call the family, including five children, were stuck inside a home near Quaama.

When he arrived at the property with fellow fireman John Gallagher, the pair were confronted with a catastrophic scene.

'The house was on fire, the shed was on fire, there were a number of cars on fire ... the family was under a wet blanket at the end of a hallway,' Mr Barnden said, according to counsel assisting the inquest Adam Casselden SC, the Daily Telegraph reports.

A fireman fights the Black Summer bushfires in NSW's South Coast in December 2019

RFS group captain Nathan Barnden (pictured) saw chickens on fire as he broke into a burning house to save a family

'Everything was on fire, I remember seeing the chickens running around on fire  we started to get them out of the house.

'John was running with two kids and another kid was running on the burning ground, everyone got into the car  we chucked some in the back under a fire blanket and some were under my jacket, we then drove back into town.'

Mr Barden said plans to tackle the blaze were futile because the fires raging through the town were too extreme.

'After seeing what was impacting, I realised that the strategies we had decided upon were not going to work, I had witnessed three heavy tankers and crews nearly get killed  so I realised we didnt have the resources to deal with such an extreme fire,' he said.

Mr Barnden told police fire crews were struggling to keep up with the volume of calls for assistance at the time the blaze reached Quaama.

The south coast blazes claimed seven lives, including father Robert Salway, 63, and his son Patrick, 23, who were killed protecting their property at Wandella.

Robert Salway and his son Patrick (pictured with his wife Renee) were killed when the fire hit their Wandella property

Detective Senior Constable Glenn Bradley, who led the investigation into the fire, said the Salways' bodies were found 50 metres away from their farmhouse, which had been untouched by the fire.

The police officer said their deaths demonstrated how the firestorm - which was so powerful it generated its own thunderstorm activity- was indiscriminate as it ripped through the region.

New Year's Eve was the deadliest day of the south coast fire, with five residents losing their lives.

The 2019/20 fire season brought unprecedented fire activity to southeast Australia, with fires in southern NSW, eastern Victoria and the ACT from October to February.

Scientists say the fires were categorically linked to climate change and worsened by a year-long drought, with very dry fuel and hot weather leading to the high fire activity in southeast Australia.

The horror bushfire season killed 33 Australians, and nearly a billion animals as a fifth of the continent's forests were destroyed.

The inquest continues.
QR code check-in data had been sought by law enforcement agencies on six occasions as part of investigations, with many police forces now banned from accessing the data.

The check-in system is a vital tool to fight the Covid pandemic, with similar schemes in place across the world.

'We were told QR check-ins were for health purposes only, if they're now being used for law enforcement it is a fundamental breach of trust,' Liberal MP Tim Wilson said.

The data has been accessed by police in Queensland via a search warrant after a police issued firearm and taser was stolen from a pub.

A police officer was stood down over the incident.

Each state and territory in Australia has a QR code system but only NSW and WA have moved to make it illegal for the data to be used for other purposes (stock image)

In Victoria, police tried to access the data three times but were knocked back on each attempt.

While in Western Australia, cops accessed the data on three occasions without a search warrant, which has led to an official ban on police accessing the data.

Along with Mr Wilson the MP for Goldstein in Victoria, a number of other backbench MPs raised concerns the data could be used for purposes other than Covid contact tracing.

Liberal MP Jason Falinski said unless the public had confidence their privacy was being respected, they would not use the system, which could then risk a surge in cases.

'The bigger issue here is the health outcome, and if you start collecting this data for other reasons, then people are going to stop checking in,' Mr Wilson said.

Opposition assistant spokeswoman for government services Kimberley Kitching said formal regulation needed to be introduced over how the data is used.

'We're not China, and the police have a very difficult job keeping us safe from violent criminals. But I worry that it might undermine people's willingness to comply with the check-in process if they think different arms of government are going to use the data for previously undisclosed purposes,' Ms Kitching said.

Andrea Lachsz from the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service went one step further and has called for the National Cabinet to formalise a plan to phase out the system once vaccination targets are met.

Some critics have said there needs to be a guarantee the system will be phased out when vaccination targets are met (stock image)

NSW has now made it illegal for police to use QR code data by including a line in the public health order which states the data must only be used 'for the purposes of contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic'.

In South Australia the government has made assurances data is deleted after 28 days and will not be used for other purposes, while WA is looking at laws protecting QR data.

Victoria and Queensland police are able to lawfully access the data under 'extraordinary circumstances'.
Dr David Strain said 12-year-olds have 'enough maturity' to decide whether to get a Covid vaccine

Some 12-year-olds have 'enough maturity' to decide whether to get a Covid vaccine, a British Medical Association chief claimed today amid a row over jabbing children.

Dr David Strain claimed youngsters aged 12 to 15 were capable of weighing up the benefits of vaccination against the small risk of serious side effects.

He claimed they should be able to overrule their parents' wishes and get the injection if officials sign off on the plans this week.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said yesterday that children would be able to get the vaccine against their parents' wishes if it is made available for the age group.

The Government has made no secret of the fact it wants to immunise secondary school-aged children after seeing cases spiral in Scotland when schools returned from the summer holidays last month.

But Dr Strain, co-chair of the BMA Medical Academics, admitted that rolling out doses to the age group would only cut transmission by 20 per cent

No10's vaccines advisory group said last week that the Covid jabs offered only a marginal benefit to children because they are at such low risk from the virus itself.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) - which is independent of Government - has now left the decision with Chris Whitty and the three other chief medical officers (CMOs) in the devolved nations.

They will meet this week to decide whether the broader societal benefits - including keeping schools open during winter - tip the balance in favour of jabbing children, with a decision expected by Friday.

But experts warn that clinicians will be 'reluctant' to give children jabs without parental consent because the JCVI has not recommended them for the age group.

Several SAGE members came out over the weekend in support of vaccinating children, questioning the advice from the JCVI.

They argued that vaccinating children would help to head off a surge in infections later this winter when the NHS is under the greatest pressure.

But others have argued it would be ethically dubious to inoculate the age group when millions of people in poorer countries are still waiting to be vaccinated.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said today his 12-year-old son would get the vaccine if the roll-out is approved for under-16s.

Professor Chris Whitty and the other three medical officers from the devolved administrations are deciding whether 12 to 15-year-olds should be offered jabs. Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has said that children should be able to get jabs without their parents' consent

This chart shows vaccinations by age group in England. In the under-18s age group the Covid vaccine is already recommended for 16 and 17-year-olds, and half have already got one dose

Dr Strain, who is also clinical lead for Covid services at the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, told LBC Radio: 'A lot of children aged 12 have enough maturity in order to make a decision themselves, although its not the same for every child.

'Doctors and nurses are trained to be able to evaluate them and deem them competent.'

Should children be vaccinated? 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 levels triggering more hospitalisations and deaths than seen during the summer. 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 released last night 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. 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

'Vaccinating children will reduce the spread of the virus in the population by about 20 per cent.'

Speaking about his own family, he said: 'My 16-year-old has already had the vaccine; our 12-year-old, whos actually starting school tomorrow, will be desperately keen to get the vaccine.

'We have weighed up the evidence and fully accept there is this very small risk of myocarditis after the first jab, but actually the risk of myocarditis after getting Covid is about the same, if not slightly higher.

'These are the factors, so I would have no hesitation at all to allow my children to have the vaccine.'

Professor Whitty is under mounting political pressure to approve jabs for 12 to 15-year-olds in England.

Downing Street fears that while daily cases never hit the prediction of 100,000 cases a day over the summer, they could spiral to these levels during the winter months if kids aren't given vaccines.

This would leave the country fighting a new Covid wave at the same time as a flu outbreak, putting further pressure on the NHS.

But in its ruling on Friday, the JCVI said giving Covid vaccines to children would only have 'marginal' benefits to their health.

It said that the benefits did not yet outweigh the risk of potential side effects - namely heart inflammation.

Professor Anthony Harnden, the deputy chairman of the JCVI, this morning acknowledged that the group was in the 'uncomfortable' position of disagreeing with the Government.

He told Good Morning Britain: 'It is very finely balanced. It's marginally in favour, actually if you look at all the figures  and we have published those  in favour of vaccination.

'But I do understand it from a parental viewpoint and I understand it from a teenager's viewpoint.

'This is not an easy decision. And, to a certain extent, by us coming out and saying no, if the Government say yes that does create a lot of uncomfortableness, and I fully understand that.'

He said they want to provide the data for everyone to look at and, should the chief medical officers decide healthy children in this age group should be offered a jab, they are 'giving choice'.

He added: 'It is up to then parents and teenagers to decide whether they go ahead or not. There isn't a right or wrong answer to this.'

Mr Zahawi told Times Radio yesterday that children would be able to overrule their parents to get the vaccine, should the jab be recommended for the age group.

He said: 'What you essentially do is make sure that the clinicians discuss this with the parents, with the teenager, and if they are then deemed to be able to make a decision that is competent, then that decision will go in the favour of what the teenager decides to do.'

Mr Zahawi added that if jabbing 12 to 15-year-olds was recommended by Britain's medical officers it was 'absolutely' the right thing to do.

He said that parents would be asked for consent if jabs were approved for the age group.

Medics have warned, however, that clinicians will be 'reluctant' to give jabs to children without their parents' consent.

The associate professor of family law at Oxford University, Lucinda Ferguson, told The Telegraph: 'In my view the clinician may well be reluctant to accept that because alongside that, you have now got the JCVI saying that they don't consider it to be essentially in the medical best interests of children more generally.

She added: 'At least at this stage wold be reluctant to accept that that consent (from a child) is good enough because of course if you treat a child without informed consent, either from them, or from a parent with parental responsibility, it is technically battery and that would be what would be concerning the clinician.'

Several SAGE members have already said they are in favour of vaccinating the age group to head off a surge in cases later this year.

Professor John Edmunds, who sits on the powerful committee, said on Saturday: 'In the UK now it's difficult to say how many children have not been infected but it is probably around half of them.

'That's a long way to go if we allow the infection just to run through the population, that's a lot of children who will be infected that will be a lot of disruption to schools in the coming months.'

SAGE adviser Professor Peter Openshaw also backed vaccinating the age group yesterday to head off a surge in infections.

He told BBC Breakfast: 'We do know the virus is circulating very widely amongst this age group, and that if we're going to be able to get the rates down and also prevent further surges of infection perhaps later in the winter, then this is the group that needs to become immune.

'And the best way to become immune is through vaccination, and there's never been as much information as this in the past.'

He added: 'To my mind, the public health benefit is very, very important, and we have to take the wider view that unless we do get infection rates down amongst this particular part of the population, it will be very, very hard to prevent further large recurrences (of Covid).'

Keir Starmer says his 12-year-old son would get the Covid vaccine Labour leader Keir Starmer pictured outside his home in London on August 18 Keir Starmer today insisted his 12-year-old son will get the vaccine if the rollout is approved for under-16s. The Labour leader said he wanted younger people to get jabs 'if they possibly can' with the government preparing to announce a decision. The UK's chief medical officers are considering whether to extend vaccines to the age group with a decision expected no later than Friday. Last week the JCVI told the Government that the virus posed such a low risk to children that the benefit to their health of immunisation would be marginal. But they did not consider societal factors such as the closure of schools sparked by the virus. Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said yesterday children would be able to get the jab against their parents' wishes. In an interview with the Mirror today, Sir Keir suggested he would support a decision to extend the rollout. 'Only one of our children falls into that bracket,' Sir Keir said. 'If the advice is for that age children to have it, we would follow that advice.' Advertisement

But other scientists have not backed jabs for children, pointing out that many more vulnerable people across the world are still yet to get their vaccines.

Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases expert from the University of East Anglia, has said: 'The issue around whether we should be vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds is whether there is enough vaccine to go around people who are vulnerable worldwide.'

He said he would prefer to see the doses shipped to developing nations which are struggling to get first doses to vulnerable people.

And he raised doubts about whether it was ethical to vaccinate children against a mild disease in the first place.

'If we are going to be vaccinating these children it has got to be in their interest, not in ours,' he said.

'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.'

Sir Keir said today his 12-year-old son would get the Covid vaccine if it is approved for under-16s.

The Labour leader said he wanted younger people to get jabs if they 'possibly can' with the Government preparing to announce a decision.

In an interview with the Mirror on vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds, he said: ''Only one of our children falls into that bracket.

'If the advice is for that age children to have it, we would follow that advice.'

Britain's chief medical officers are set to decide whether the country's four million 12 to 15-year-olds should be offered Covid jabs by Friday, reports The Mirror.

Whitehall sources said ministers would then 'press the button' on rolling out the jab for the age group as quickly as possible.

The NHS was told to have plans ready to inoculate the age group from two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, the JCVI is also expected to give a judgement on whether older adults and the vulnerable can get booster vaccines this week, reports Politico.

There are a growing number of studies suggesting protection from vaccines wanes over time.

And in Israel  which is dishing out booster jabs to all those that have got two doses of the vaccine  hospitalisations due to the virus have already levelled off.

Ministers had hoped to start dishing out booster shots from last Monday, and had asked the NHS to draw up plans for this programme.

Around half of Britain's four million 12 to 15-year-olds already have some form of protection to Covid, scientists estimate.

But that leaves many more children who could catch the virus.

Should we jab 12-year-olds? Experts say it's 'unethical' to vaccinate children to protect adults from Covid and claim kids may get 'better immunity' if they catch virus naturally - but others warn of school closures and lockdowns

Scientists and ministers are at war over whether the UK should be routinely vaccinating children against Covid, after the country's watchdog ruled against the plans.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)  an independent body which advises the UK Government on the Covid jab roll-out  last week resisted growing pressure to OK the move despite the US, France, Spain, Italy, Canada, Norway and the Netherlands all pressing ahead with the plans.

The JCVI claimed the virus posed such a low risk to 12 to 15-year-olds that the benefit of vaccination to their health would be marginal.

It did however recommend the jabs for 200,000 more children with chronic heart, kidney, lung and neurological conditions in that age group. A total of 350,000 children aged 12 to 15 are now eligible for the vaccine.

But experts pushing back against the plans have argued that it would be 'ethically dubious' to jab children solely to protect adults, because Covid itself poses such a tiny risk to youngsters.

Others believe it is 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 Paul Hunter, an epidemiologist at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline: '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 David Livermore, a medical microbiologist at the same university, 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 experts who warn that letting the virus rip through schools could result in more disruptions to education and force lockdown restrictions to be rolled back.

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at Reading University, told MailOnline that he would feel comfortable vaccinating children so long as their parents consented.

He said the wider benefits to keeping schools open and infection rates low outweighed any small risks of side effects from the jabs.

And in a letter written to the Education Secretary, a group of scientists said the wider effects curbs would have on children's learning, health and wellbeing meant it was 'reckless' to send secondary children to classes unvaccinated.

This graph shows the number of first doses dished out by age group. The NHS publishes age groups as periods of five years, and groups all those under 18 together. It shows more than 620,000 have already been inoculated among under-18s

Scotland's weekly Covid cases have nearly trebled in the fortnight after schools went back after summer there, Office for National Statistics data shows. There are fears the rest of the UK will be hit with a similar bang in cases now that classes are resuming this week

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

Dr Simon Clarke (left), a microbiologist at Reading University, told MailOnline that children should be vaccinated 'with their parents' consent' because the benefits outweighed the risk of side-effects. He pointed to other countries where the jab has been rolled out to the age group with no safety issues. SAGE adviser Professor Calum Semple has said children should be inoculated in order to avoid further disruption to their education

Scientists were at war over vaccinating children against Covid. 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 the jabs are associated with rare cases of myocarditis in young people.

The JCVI said that youngsters under 16 with severe conditions have a one in 10,000 chance of falling seriously ill with Covid compared to the one in 500,000 risk for healthy children.

It said that a very rare heart complication associated with the jabs meant the benefits of vaccination 'only marginally' outweighed the risks in healthy under-16s, but not enough to recommend a mass rollout.

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 levels triggering more hospitalisations and deaths than seen during the summer. 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 released last night 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. 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

Professor Hunter said he was against vaccinating children and had faith in the JCVI comes to come to the correct decision.

He told MailOnline: 'The issue around whether we should be vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds is whether there is enough vaccine to go around people who are vulnerable worldwide.'

Professor Hunter added that as the direct benefit of vaccines to children was small because Covid is a mild illness for the overwhelming majority of them.

He said he would prefer to see the doses shipped to developing nations which are struggling to get first doses to vulnerable people.

And he raised doubts about whether it was ethical to vaccinate children against a mild disease in the first place.

'If we are going to be vaccinating these children it has got to be in their interest, not in ours,' he said.

'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.'

Professor David Livermore, a medical microbiologist at the University of East Anglia, said last week that 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.

He added: '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.'

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.

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.

He added: '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.'

But an equal number of scientists say that vaccinating children would have indirect benefits to them, such as keeping them in education and avoiding future lockdowns which took a toll on young people's mental health.

A group of 12 scientists on Independent SAGE - a group which has attacked the Government for not being strict enough in controlling the virus - wrote to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to call for children to receive the vaccine for exactly that reason.

In the letter published in the BMJ they argued that policies in England mean there will soon be a large population who are 'susceptible' to the virus mixing in crowded spaces with 'hardly any mitigations'.

They said children have suffered 'significant harms' on their education and wellbing in the pandemic and added: 'Allowing mass infection of children is therefore reckless.'

Earlier school reopenings in Scotland and the US have shown that a lack of 'adequate mitigations' is likely to lead to the virus spreading among children, which could further disrupt learning with significant absences due to student and staff illness, they said.

'England's policies mean that we will soon have a large susceptible population with high prevalence of infection mixing in crowded environments with hardly any mitigations.'

Other signatories include members of the Parent SafeEdForAll group and the National Education Union.

UK medical regulators cleared the Pfizer jab for use on 12- to 15-year-olds in June, declaring it safe and effective in this age group. The Moderna vaccine was also authorised last month.

Ministers had hoped to vaccinate children during the school holidays to prevent a repeat of the massive disruption seen in schools over the past 18 months.

Dr Clarke told MailOnline: 'As long as the data that exists is that there is no greater harm from giving children jabs then children should get vaccinated, with the caveat that there is parental choice.

'There have been suggestions that the Americans, the Irish, care less about their children than we do  of course they don't. They are very sensitive about this issue as well.

'I see no evidence that there is a problem with vaccinating children.'

He said the decision not to inoculate children before they returned to school was a 'missed window of opportunity' because the jabs could have reduced transmission of the virus.

SAGE adviser Professor Calum Semple, from Liverpool University, echoed the scientists views last week, saying that without vaccines children faced yet more 'disruption' to their education in the new academic year.

Covid cases in Scotland soared 170% in the fortnight after schools went back, official data shows  amid fears the rest of UK is next Scotland's Covid cases soared by more than two and a half times in the fortnight after schools went back from the summer break, official figures showed  in a clear warning sign to the rest of the country. The Office for National Statistics' weekly surveillance report estimated 69,500 Scots, or one in 75 people, were infected with the virus on any given day in the week to August 27, up 170 per cent. In England infections have plateaued but remain stubbornly high with the ONS estimating 766,100 people had Covid last week or one in 70, barely a change from the previous seven-day spell. Experts fear infections could spiral as children returned to classrooms in England, Wales and Northern Ireland this week. The UK's vaccine advisory panel is being lobbied hard by ministers, politicians and some scientists to give the green light to rolling out the vaccine to 12 to 15-year-olds but it has so far resisted the calls. Britain is becoming an international outlier with France, the US, Canada, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands all already administering jabs to over-12s. Last night Norway became the latest country to OK the move. But some experts say letting children get Covid naturally is a better way to create immunity because the virus itself poses such a low risk to them, whereas the vaccines come with dangerous side effects in rare cases. The spike in Scotland has also led to growing calls for No10's vaccine advisory body to recommend a mass booster campaign. But it could be weeks before it is signed off. Advertisement

The Liverpool University expert told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'If you treat children the same way you do with adults, where if you have got double vaccination you no longer need to isolate, that would then allow us to have schools carrying on without such disruption.

'I think we need to look at vaccinating these children not just as an individual benefit but a benefit to the root, a benefit to the whole of society and school and the education system.'

The JCVI has told the Government to seek advice from elsewhere to determine whether a mass rollout in schools would have wider benefits, such as keeping classrooms open and avoiding future lockdowns.

The UK's four chief medical officers will spend the next week weighing up whether vaccinating secondary school-aged children will have a broader benefit on society.

The JCVI said it had investigated the extremely rare events of inflammation of the heart muscle, known as myocarditis, after Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

While the condition can result in short periods of hospital observation, followed by typically swift recoveries, the JCVI has concluded the medium to long-term outcomes are still uncertain and more follow-up time is needed to get a clearer picture.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid and his counterparts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have now written to the chief medical officers in the four nations to ask that they begin to look at any broader impact universal vaccination in this age group might have.

The review will not consider any benefits adults may experience due to having children vaccinated, but will instead focus on areas outside the JCVI's remit, such as lost education time due to Covid-related absences, either through sickness or being sent home from school.

A decision is not expected for several days.

Mr Javid said he is 'grateful' for the expert advice from the committee, and added that Government hoped to make a decision 'shortly'.

He said: 'Along with health ministers across the four nations, I have today written to the chief medical officers to ask that they consider the vaccination of 12 to 15-year-olds from a broader perspective, as suggested by the JCVI.

'We will then consider the advice from the chief medical officers, building on the advice from the JCVI, before making a decision shortly.'

The jabs programme is being extended from what had been considered the most at-risk children to include those with chronic major heart, lung, kidney, liver and neurological conditions.

It means about 200,000 more children will be invited for vaccines.

The decision comes exactly a week after the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed preparations were under way to ensure the NHS was ready to offer coronavirus jabs to all 12 to 15-year-olds in England from early September.

The department had said it wanted to be 'ready to hit the ground running'.

On Thursday, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said he felt parents would find it 'deeply reassuring' to have a choice of whether their children should have a jab or not, adding that many people hoped they would be in a position 'of being able to roll out vaccinations for those who are under the age of 16'.

The Government has said if all 12 to 15-year-olds were to be offered a vaccine, parental or carer consent will be sought as it is in other school immunisation programmes.

Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann said he agrees the issue of a wider rollout 'warrants further consideration'.

He said: 'It is entirely appropriate that our most senior medical advisers take forward this piece of work urgently. I look forward to seeing their considerations in the near future.'

Welsh Government Health Minister Eluned Morgan said she had asked the country's chief medical officer 'to provide guidance at the earliest opportunity on the clinical and wider health benefits of vaccinating this age group', while Scottish Health Minister Humza Yousaf said he had asked for the review to be conducted 'as soon as possible'.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said he is disappointed by the JCVI decision not to recommend jabs for all 12 to 15-year-olds.

He added that while they respect it, it could mean it is 'more difficult during the autumn term and beyond to guard against educational disruption caused by transmission of the virus'.

He said: 'We are therefore pleased that the door appears to have been left at least partially open as the government looks at wider issues including disruption to schools. The trouble is that time is pressing, the autumn term is upon us and we really do need a decision.'
A father shot his son dead before killing himself after drawing up a 'kill list' of his wife's relatives amid a bitter divorce battle, detectives have said.

Derek Thebo, 32, is claimed to have told his wife Katie that he would kill her and her children, according to a Police Protection Order (PPO) filed this year with the Kent County Circuit Court in Michigan.

'He threatened to kill me, my children, and my family, and to commit suicide afterward,' she wrote in court documents seen by Fox 17 news station.

'He rattled off the names of my family members and said he knew where they worked, he knew when they were home, and that he could get to them and hurt them.'

Pictured: Derek Thebo (right), with wife, Katie (second-left), Son Dylan (second-right), along with Katie's daughter from her former partner. Derek shot his son dead before killing himself after drawing up a 'kill list' of his wife's relatives amid a bitter divorce battle, reports have said

Thebo and the couple's three-year-old son Dylan were later found dead as they were going through divorce and child custody proceedings.

The father and son were discovered inside their home in Lowell Township, Michigan, on September 1 by Kent County deputies.

Investigators say Thebo shot and killed his son before turning the gun on himself.

It is clear from the PPO that Katie Thebo - who also has a daughter from a previous relationship - expected her husband to do something violent, with her fears being raised just two days after their wedding.

In the court filings, she described Derek as a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde character, and that every time they would fight he would make death threats, she wrote.

She said he threatened to kill her, their children, her family and then himself, even saying he would save her children 'for last'.

Pictured: Derek and Katie Thebo's three-year-old son Dylan (with the family dog), who investigators have said was killed by his father before he turned the gun on himself. The pair were found on September 1 inside their home in Lowell Township, Michigan

Katie also claimed in the documents that she received a gift for Mother's Day which included a chilling message, despite a mutual no-contact order being in place.

The message on the gift read: 'You will be my last', she said.

Earlier, a judge granted the restraining order - but it was dissolved on March 22 after the no-contact order had been agreed, according to lawandcrime.com.

At the time, Derek denied it or said he didn't mean it, stating in divorce documents that he loved nothing more than his son.

The father had been a corrections officer in Michigan, but was fired in 2019. After he quite another job in January this year, his wife claims the situation worsened.

'One time we were having a conversation about a news story where a woman drove her car off a bridge killing her and her children,' Dylan's mother wrote in the request for the protective order.

Pictured: Dylan with a family dog. Court filings show that Katie Thebo expected her husband to do something violent, with her fears being raised just two days after their wedding

Pictured: Derek Thebo's home where he was found dead along with his three-year-old son Dylan, in what police believe was a murder-suicide

'He said something about the woman was probably trying to save them from something worse or protecting them from someone else. This led to him threatening that if I ever left him that he would protect his son from whatever I might expose him to outside of our marriage.

'To me this was a threat to kill our son if I ever left him. He would repeat this threat when we would get into an argument and I would leave.'

Dylan's mother has now set up a GoFundMe page in order to raise money to cover the costs of her son's funeral.

On the page, she described the three-year-old as 'an amazing kiddo who was full of energy, loved being around family and friends, and always brought a smile to everyone's face with his crazy antics and sayings.

'Dylan loved Paw Patrol, excavators, cars and trucks, and singing and dancing. Most of all Dylan loved his momma and big sister.'

A YouTube video shared on the page shows her son riding a bike and singing a song, while a picture shows him cuddling up to a dog.

So far, the appeal has raised over $25,000.
Priti Patel is set to back a series of 'anti-Facebook' adverts targeting the social media giant over its plans to put end-to-end encryption on its messaging services.

The Home Secretary will lend her support to the charity-led advertising campaign, which will accuse Facebook of 'blindfolding' the police in their investigations into child sex abuse.

Facebook, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, is planning to roll out end-to-end encryption on all of its messaging services.

This includes recently announced plans to encrypt voice and video calls on Facebook Messenger.

It means third parties, including Facebook themselves, will no longer be able to eavesdrop on online conversations.

But Ms Patel and top police officials have previously warned that encryption could turn online platforms into 'superplatforms' for paedophiles.

There also concerns encryption could hamper terrorism investigations.

Ms Patel previously warning the social media giant could be fined if MI5 are denied access to messages.

Now the Home Secretary will step up her efforts to prevent Facebook from rolling out encryption for its messaging services by backing a series of aggressive advertisements attacking the policy.

Priti Patel (pictured left) is set to back a series of 'anti-Facebook' adverts targeting the social media giant over its plans to extend end-to-end encryption for its messaging services. The Home Secretary will lend her support to the advertising campaign, which will accuse Facebook (pictured right: Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg) of 'blindfolding' the police in their investigations into child sex abuse

Facebook is planning to roll out end-to-end encryption on all of its messaging services, including voice and video calls. It means third parties, including Facebook themselves, will no longer be able to eavesdrop on online conversations

The adverts are aimed at winning over public opinion against end-to-end encryption and will be run in newspapers and on radio and television within weeks, the paper reports.

They are being organised by a 'coalition of charities' and are being drawn up by international marketing firm M&C Saatchi, according to the Times.

The Home Office is not in charge of the advertising campaign, though Ms Patel is reportedly 'supportive' of the adverts.

What is end-to-end encryption and why are police concerned about Facebook's plan to implement it in its messaging services? End-to-end encryption is a system of communication where only the communicating users can read the messages. In basic terms, the system, used in major messaging services such as WhatsApp, works by encrypting the message from the sender's device - essentially providing a 'digital lock'. It is then sent to the intended device, which is provided with a method to unravel the encryption - essentially a 'digital key'. But no one else has access to this 'digital key' meaning it cannot be seen by a third party - including the messaging service. Other types of messaging services often encrypt in transit, meaning the message can be accessible to the service provider. The biggest benefit is privacy, because it prevents eavesdropping by messaging services and internet providers. End-to-end encryption is a system of communication where only the communicating users can read the messages (pictured: Library image of a hooded man using a mobile phone) But it can also make retrieving the message near impossible without having access to one of the devices used. Facebook want to set up end-to-end encryption across the company's messaging services, in what the company say will be a boost to privacy. But it has raised concerns among police chiefs, because messages on social media sites can play a key role in police investigations. One person to raise concern about the move is Detective Chief Superintendent Kevin Southworth, head of Britain's squad of anti-terrorist cyber police. He said such a move would 'unequivocally put lives at risk'. The Metropolitan Police officer told The Mail on Sunday earlier this year: 'For such a strong form of encryption to be placed around so much private communication worldwide automatically makes the police and other law enforcement agencies' jobs more difficult. 'I don't think it's overstating it to say that a move such as this would make life extremely difficult for law enforcement everywhere to be able to identify and mitigate the threats we face as a society.' Advertisement

A Government source told the Times: 'It's about making sure that all of the people who are concerned about this are having their voice heard.'

A spokesperson for Facebook told MailOnline: 'Child exploitation has no place on our platforms and Facebook will continue to lead the industry in developing new ways to prevent, detect and respond to abuse.

'End-to-end encryption is already the leading security technology used by many services to keep people safe from hackers and criminals.

'Its full rollout on our messaging services is a long-term project and we are building strong safety measures into our plans.'

A Home Office spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Our number one priority is the protection of children and public safety.

'Technology companies must take responsibility for tackling the most serious illegal content on their platforms and protecting their users, including our children.

'We have engaged M&C Saatchi to bring together the many organisations who share our concerns about the impact end to end encryption would have on our ability to keep children safe.

'M&C Saatchis support to partners includes PR and communications advice to work towards the shared goal of protecting children online.'

Last month it was revealed that Facebook would roll out encryption for voice or video calls made through its Messenger app.

The company, founded by tech entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg, announced in August that it is also adding controls for its disappearing messages and a select few users may also be able to test other features related to encryption.

The move is part of Facebook's plans to increase privacy on its messaging services.

WhatsApp messages are already protected by end-to-end encryption - which is a system of communication where only the communicating users can read the messages.

In basic terms, the system, works by encrypting the message from the sender's device - essentially providing a 'digital lock'.

It is then sent to the intended device, which is provided with a method to unravel the encryption - essentially a 'digital key'.

But no one else has access to this 'digital key' meaning it cannot be seen by a third party - including the hosts of the messaging service.

Other types of messaging services often encrypt in transit, meaning the message can be accessible to the service provider.

The biggest benefit is privacy, because it prevents eavesdropping by messaging services and internet providers.

But security officials have raised major concerns about the plans, because it would make it near impossible for police and security services to access messages.

They want this is of particular concern in cases of child grooming, where messages sent between the offender and the victim are often key in securing a conviction.

In February, Rob Jones, director of threat leadership at NCA, criticised Facebook for its plans to introduce the security standard to both Facebook Messenger and Instagram.

Jones called end-to-end encryption a 'high-risk experiment' and a 'disaster for child safety and law enforcement'.

He said the communications system puts the 'pursuit of profit above the safety of the people on their platform, particularly children'.

There is even a 'very real risk' that more child sex offenders could move to Facebook if end-to-end encryption is installed on the platform, according to Jones.

He also revealed that the NCA had received just under 24,000 child abuse tip-offs from Facebook and Instagram last year, but only 308 from WhatsApp.

WhatsApp messages are already protected by end-to-end encryption - which is a system of communication where only the communicating users can read the messages

The figures suggest that more criminals go undetected on WhatsApp because it features end-to-end encryption.

In May, Ms Patel warned that the social media firm was operating in dangerous territory and risking public safety with its plans for stronger encryption.

She warned that social media firms could be fined if security services are denied access to messages.

Miss Patel told Times Radio in April: Well bring changes, we will legislate [and] we will absolutely fine companies because this is a dangerous territory for Facebook to be operating in.

MI5s director general Ken McCallum last week accused the social media giant of giving terrorists a free pass with its plan.

But a Facebook spokesman said: End-to-end encryption is already the leading security technology used by many services to keep people safe from hackers and criminals.

'Its full rollout on our messaging services is a long-term project and we are building strong safety measures into our plans.
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Tens of thousands of commuters poured back into London today as City firms called time on permanent working from home, prompting a dramatic jump in traffic and Tube ridership.

Early Transport for London figures revealed a 19% rise in Tube tap-ins over a week and a 43% increase on buses after a raft of major firms asked staff to return this week for the first Monday after the end of the school holidays.

JP Morgan, one of the City's largest employers with around 12,000 staff, is among the companies urging staff to return. Today a senior employee said staff were expected to be in the office more days than not.

But Whitehall remained deserted today, as civil service chiefs and the Bank of England again delayed plans to require their staff to return to the workplace.

TomTom traffic data put 9am rush hour congestion 61% - compared to 63% at the same time of day on the same day of the week in 2019 - as pictures showed roads into the capital snarled with traffic.

Birmingham and Liverpool were also close to the average at morning rush hour in 2019  but other cities, including Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester and Sheffield, were still well below pre-pandemic levels.

After 18 months of employees working at home, some of the UK's biggest employers have told staff they are now expected to turn up for work even if it is just for one day a week.

Even so the City remained relatively quiet today, as companies including accountants BDO continue to allow their staff to choose between working from home or the office.

KMPG said it was keeping a 'flexible' model while a source at Deloitte told MailOnline bosses were welcoming employees back into the office but not prescribing a set number of days. Similarly, an employee at Goldman Sachs reported a 'steady increase' in people in the office over the last few weeks.

A senior employee at JP Morgan said staff were being offered 'goodies' to coax them to return, telling MailOnline: 'The message at the moment is they want people working from the office more often than they're at home.

'They've said they'll be goodies like breakfast and lunches provided in coming weeks. The feeling is that people value flexibility and will be more likely to seek other opportunities if that's taken away.'

Traders use multiple telephones at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020

The London Metal Exchange (pictured at its reopening today) is the only exchange in the UK to have in-person trading, with the London Stock Exchange closing its trading floor in 1986 - although it still has ceremonial openings

Traffic approaching the Blackwall Tunnel in Kent this morning at the start of the first full working work since the end of the school holidays

Commuters in the City of London this morning at the start of the first full working work since the end of the school holidays

Visitors pack onto Bournemouth Beach this afternoon as a mini heatwave hit Britain following weeks of poor weather

By contrast, the streets around Whitehall were largely deserted this morning as many civil servants continued to work from home

The City of London remains relatively quiet, as major employers including the accountants BDO continue to allow their staff to choose between working from home or the office

An empty Westminster this morning. Pictured is a view over to Big Ben, with Westminster Abbey on the right

Sunseekers enjoy the cool waters in Bournemouth this afternoon on one of the few hot days of the last few weeks

Temperatures hovered around 25C in Bournemouth this afternoon, as visitors made the most of the hot spell

Rail commuters posted back to work selfies this morning as several major companies announced they would ask staff to return

TomTom data showed traffic in London was up by 10% compared to normal - suggesting some of the back to work rush was materialising. The live congestion level was 59%, compared to 63% pre-pandemic

TomTom data showing traffic levels in London this morning (left) and Birmingham, where it was also nearing pre-pandemic levels

Traffic in Liverpool was close to the 2019 average, but in other cities, including Leeds, it was still below the pre-pandemic figure

TomTom graphs showing traffic levels today in Manchester and Birmingham, where congestion was close to the pre-Covid average

A graph showing the increase in the number bus and Tube journeys in London as the capital continues to open up

A graph for the number of tap-ins at North Greenwich Tube station, showing usage is nearing pre-pandemic levels

This graph shows the average congestion for days in 2021. It does not go up to the first day of this week

The difference between the amount of traffic on days this year compared to the same days in 2019, pre-pandemic

In other developments today -

Millions of children return to classes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland today amid fears of a similar spike in Covid cases to Scotland;

Row continued over jabbing children, with vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi insisting 'The decision will go in favour of what the teenager decides to do';

Mr Zahawi also confirmed vaccine passports will be required for entry to large venues from October to avoid winter closures;

Businesses prepared for the end of the furlough scheme on September 30 - which is likely to prompt another uptake in commuting;

Rail commuters heading into London faced delays on some train lines during the morning rush hour, with Southeastern services particularly affected.

London Metal Exchange reopens trading floor after 18 months Brokers returned to the UK's only open trading pen today as the London Metal Exchange welcomed back floor trading for the first time in 18 months. The exchange's famous 'ring' filled with traders and will be seen by many as a symbol of life returning to the Square Mile after trading on the site ceased during the pandemic. The closure was the only time traders could no longer fill the floor since the Second World War. The London Metal Exchange's famous 'ring' filled with traders today in what will be seen by many as a symbol of life returning to the Square Mile But despite the return, the 144-year-old trading floor introduced a series of new rules that will remain in place indefinitely. These include rules that traders will only be responsible for setting 'official' prices of metals like aluminium and copper at around lunchtime. It means the amount of trading time on the floor is reduced and closing prices will stay electronic. The London Metal Exchange is the only exchange in the UK to have in-person trading, with the London Stock Exchange closing its trading floor in 1986 - although it still has ceremonial openings. Bosses said ventilation has been improved and traders are encouraged to maintain social distancing and wear masks. Advertisement

A Daily Mail audit of 18 of the UK's biggest firms, which together employ more than half a million staff, found that half of their office workers are expected to return this week.

Nine of the companies targeted today, while a further three have demanded a return by the end of September.

The rate of people returning to work is likely to increase after the end of the furlough scheme on September 30.

Tens of thousands of employees working for Sainsbury's, British Petroleum and a slew of banks and investment houses returned to the office for at least one day from today, while Vodafone and Deloitte will fully open their offices for the first time.

The drive to bring Britain back to the office came amid growing frustration among ministers that the Civil Service has failed to take the lead.

Official 'work from home' Whitehall guidance was removed on July 19 and businesses have been told that the Government 'expects and recommends a gradual return over the summer'.

But insiders said Whitehall had only seen a slight increase in staff back at their desks, with the numbers in the office still 'pretty low'.

One source suggested ministers were waiting to see what impact the return of children to the classroom this month has on coronavirus case numbers before starting a push.

'The Government doesn't want another rollercoaster like last year,' they said.

Private sector businesses believe the end of the school holidays and the fact everyone has been offered two vaccinations gives them a mandate to demand a return to the office.

Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith warned thousands of low-paid staff in the hospitality sector would be left unemployed within weeks if office staff do not return to their desks.

He urged civil servants to 'set an example', adding: 'If we are going to spend our whole lives scared stiff of Covid then this economy will go down the plughole.'

The Centre for Cities think-tank also raised the alarm saying September was a 'crunch month' for city centres.

Heavy traffic could be seen on roads approaching London this morning on the first day back at school (pictured is the A12)

Snared traffic on the A102 in Kent this morning as HGV traffic and commuters headed into the capital

The roads around Whitehall were largely deserted this morning as many civil servants continued to work from home

People working over London Bridge towards the City of London this morning - as several major firms revealed they were asking staff to return to the office

Crowds of office workers in the City of London this morning. The capital's main financial district has been particularly affected by people working from home during Covid

TomTom traffic data put 9am congestion in London at 61% - compared to 63% in 2019. Pictured is London Bridge this morning

Civil service chiefs have again delayed plans to require their workers to return to the office, with the effects of the move clear to see in a deserted Whitehall this morning

Many government departments are located in and around Whitehall, and many businesses rely on civil servants for a large chunk of their trade

The view this morning over to Parliament Square and Big Ben, which is currently sheathed in scaffolding as it undergoes repairs

Official 'work from home' Whitehall guidance was removed on July 19, but the news does not appear to have reached the civil service

A government spokesman said: 'The Civil Service continues to follow the latest government guidance.

'By taking appropriate steps to reduce the risk of transmission of Covid, we are gradually increasing the numbers of staff in the workplace, while ensuring we retain the flexibility of home-based working where appropriate.'

Despite today's push for workers to return, many companies will not see all of their staff return until well into the autumn.

NatWest, which has 34,000 office staff, said a 'very small' number were currently coming into the office, but that it was pushing for a 'gradual return' from September 13.

Every firm surveyed by the Mail said hybrid working  a mix of office and home working  was the future.

It came as rail commuters heading into London faced delays on some train lines during the morning rush hour, with those using Southeastern services particularly affected.

A failure of the electricity supply at London Victoria meant trains to and from the station may be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised  which was mainly affecting routes from South East London and Kent.

The busy A102 in Kent this morning with the towers of Canary Wharf shimmering in the distance

50 shops went to the wall every day for six months Nearly 50 shops shut every day in the first half of the year as lockdowns and the shift online ravaged high streets. The country lost 8,739 stores between January and June, according to research compiled by PwC and the Local Data Company. Exit from lockdown gave shops a reprieve but the number of customers heading out to high streets and shopping centres is a fifth below pre-pandemic levels. Cities and high streets have been the hardest hit. Suburban areas benefited from families spending close to home while retail parks were insulated from the worst of the crisis. Lisa Hooker, of PwC, said: 'The next six months will be a make or break for many chains.' Advertisement

In Scotland, there were delays between Edinburgh and Dunbar on ScotRail and LNER services after someone was hit by a train on the line between Prestonpans and Longniddry.

And in South Wales, a fault on a train between Cardiff Central and Barry meant trains running between the stations were being cancelled or delayed.

Passengers using South Western Railway services later on were also expected to face trouble, with a shortage of train crew resulting in a reduced service between London Waterloo and Exeter and Yeovil from midday.

Other operators such as Thameslink and Southern said they were operating a reduced timetable to cope with staff shortages.

In London there were severe delays on the District line Turnham Green and Richmond due to a signal failure at Kew Gardens, while the Circle and Metropolitan lines also faced minor delays due to train cancellations.

There were also cancellations on the London Overground between Stratford and Richmond.

Millions of children return to classes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland today amid fears of a similar spike in Covid cases to Scotland - as 23% of parents of secondary pupils will insist their children wear masks

By Martin Robinson, Chief Reporter for MailOnline

Millions of children are returning to school today amid fears it will cause a new spike in covid cases as headteachers and parents revealed they will ignore official guidance on masks by asking children to wear them.

The row over whether 12 to 15-year-olds should be vaccinated is also dominating the first day of term in much of the UK this morning.

New research revealed today that two in five parents will insist their children wear masks despite them no longer being compulsory in England as it also emerged that nearly half of all state-educated children failed to get the required amount of online learning during lockdowns during the last academic year.

The current Department for Education guidance on masks says: 'No pupil or student should be denied education on the grounds of whether they are, or are not, wearing a face covering.'

But a survey of 1,300 people by the Parent Ping app has found that 23 per cent of parents will send their children to secondary school in masks because headteachers have asked them to - while a further 15 per cent will do the same even though the school isn't insisting on it.

And three-quarters of parents said that their children would be tested weekly - down to 20 per cent for primary school children, according to The Times.

Sir Hamid Patel, chief executive of Star Academies, which runs schools in Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, said: 'We are encouraging staff and pupils to wear face coverings in crowded areas or in places on site.'

Pupils at Covid test station as they entered their new secondary school for the first time at Wales High school, Sheffield

BMA chief says 12-year-olds should be allowed to overrule their parents on decision to get a Covid vaccine because they 'have enough maturity' - but admits jabbing teens will only cut infections by 20% Children should be able to overrule their parents to get the Covid vaccine, a BMA chief has claimed. Dr David Strain said 12 to 15-year-olds have 'enough maturity' to decide for themselves whether to get the jab. The co-chair of the medical body added that rolling out doses to the age group could cut the spread of the virus in schools by 20 per cent. Britain's four chief medical officers are set to announce whether 12 to 15-year-olds should be offered vaccines by Friday, reports Playbook. Last week the JCVI told the Government to seek advice from elsewhere whether children should be inoculated. They said the virus posed such a low risk to children that the benefit to their health of immunisation would be marginal. But they did not consider societal factors such as the closure of schools sparked by the virus. It comes as experts fear England will see a surge in Covid infections within days as children return to school last week and this week. Advertisement

Children as young as 12 can overrule their parents if they disagree about whether to get the Covid jab, the vaccines minister said yesterday.

Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, is expected to authorise the vaccination of all 12 to 15-year-olds within days, with NHS staff being deployed in schools to administer the jabs.

Ministers have confirmed that parents' written consent will be required before their children are given a coronavirus vaccine. But in cases where children dispute their parents' decision, the child will have the final say.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said: 'The NHS, in terms of the school immunisation programme, is really well practised and versed in dealing with [family disputes], whether it be the teenager not wanting the jab or the other way around.

'What you essentially do is make sure that the clinicians discuss this with the parents and with the teenager.

'If they are then deemed to be able to make a decision that is competent, then that decision will go in the favour of what the teenager decides to do.'

Under current law, under-16s are able to make their own decisions about medical treatment including vaccines if they can demonstrate they have the capacity to consent.

This is referred to as 'Gillick competency' following a legal case of the same name and is assessed by taking into account criteria such as the child's age and understanding of the benefits and risks.

Two weeks ago the NHS and schools were instructed to make detailed preparations to vaccinate secondary schoolchildren so they could 'hit the ground running' when schools return. But the planned rollout descended into chaos on Friday when the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) controversially refused to back vaccinating children on medical grounds alone, insisting the benefits of jabs are marginal because children are so unlikely to get ill with Covid-19.

They instead passed the buck to Professor Whitty, who will consider 'broader' public health and educational reasons for immunising youngsters. He has been asked to re-evaluate the enormous disruption to education during the pandemic, to see if this tips the balance in favour of vaccination.

Cases have spiked in Scotland since the school start amid concerns the same could happen in England now all children are back

There is mounting frustration within the Government at the JCVI's slow decision-making, with Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Canada and the US all pressing ahead with jabs for children.

Top scientists joined education unions in expressing surprise and frustration with the JCVI's decision. Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) which advises the Government, said it was wrong of the JCVI to claim there was not enough evidence.

He told BBC Breakfast: 'We do know the virus is circulating very widely amongst this age group, and that, if we're going to be able to get the rates down and also prevent further surges of infection perhaps later in the winter, then this is the group that needs to become immune. And the best way to become immune is through vaccination.'

Professor Openshaw added: 'To my mind, the public health benefit is very, very important, and we have to take the wider view that, unless we do get infection rates down amongst this particular part of the population, it will be very, very hard to prevent further large recurrences [of Covid-19].'

Professor John Edmunds, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, said: 'We have to take into consideration the wider effect Covid might have on children and their education and developmental achievements.' Some parents have expressed concerns about children having the right to choose for themselves if they get the jab.

Ofsted chief's after-school club plea: Teachers must make time for sports and trips to help children's social skills that have been harmed by Covid lockdowns, watchdog head says Schools must make time for sports, trips and clubs or risk prolonging the 'loss' of social skills caused by lockdowns, the head of Ofsted urges. Amanda Spielman suggests heads could extend the school day to bring back 'once cherished' activities like football, drama club and music. As schools reopen this week, she says there are 'rising health concerns' about pupils who have 'lost out' on developing social skills and had few opportunities to 'overcome shyness or lack of confidence'. And while the academic catch-up effort is 'crucial', she says it is 'not enough to help them recover all that they have lost'. Her comments, in an article for the Daily Mail on this page, will hold huge sway among heads as they seek to improve their Ofsted rating. It comes after experts found children's language skills and physical fitness had been seriously hampered by the lockdowns. The children's minister, Vicky Ford, said some were having to learn the words 'cake', 'balloon', 'toy', and 'present' because they had not attended a party since they learned how to speak. Mrs Spielman, the chief inspector of schools, insists there is a pressing need for schools to get back to normal. She says: 'With extra-curricular activities halted, children have lost out on learning the soft skills such as listening to others, speaking well, and problem solving.' And she says the 'possibility of a longer school day' would allow time for these skills to be developed. Advertisement

Molly Kingsley, co-founder of the parent campaign group UsForThem, said: 'We have heard a lot of parents saying that if it happens they will keep their children off school for the duration of any vaccination programme.'

Yesterday, the UK recorded 37,011 new Covid cases and 68 deaths in the latest 24-hour period. A week ago, 33,196 cases and 61 deaths were announced.

Two in five pupils did not meet the Government's minimum guidelines for remote learning time during school closures earlier this year, a report suggests.

Schools could face challenges as pupils return this month because a quarter of parents believe it will take their child at least a year to catch up on lost learning, an Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report says.

Researchers say catch-up policies need to be targeted at poorer pupils to close 'educational inequalities that have grown so much wider' during the coronavirus pandemic.

Limited support and unequal provision for self-isolating students during the autumn term in 2020 - when schools were open but disrupted - also worked against efforts to address lost learning, they add.

Overall, inequalities in home-learning experiences in England improved over the course of the pandemic, according to the IFS report, which was funded by the Nuffield Foundation.

Poorer families were more likely to be offered online classes by their schools, and to have the technology at home to access them, during the second period of school closures compared with the first lockdown.

But overall around 40% of children did not meet the Government's expected minimum daily amount of time spent on remote learning even in the second round of school closures, according to the report which looked at survey data collected between March 2020 and March 2021.

After a year of Covid-related disruption to education, 25% of parents think their child will take at least a school year to catch up on lost learning and 7% think that their child will never catch up.

While the majority of parents support tutoring to help children, the poorest families were the least likely to accept an offer of catch-up sessions.

Among the poorest fifth of families, 36% of pupils had been offered tutoring by March 2021, but nearly a third of these chose not to take it up - by contrast, while a similar share of those in the most affluent families had been offered tutoring, only one in seven of them refused.

One in seven primary schools plan to keep class 'bubbles' this term amid fears over the spread of coronavirus.

They will make pupils stay within consistent groups throughout the day in a bid to halt transmission rates and potential school closures during the autumn term.

In some areas of the country, up to one in five schools are set to maintain these bubbles.

The move comes as Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, last week failed to rule out the possibility of schools being forced to shut again.

Year 7 pupils arrive back at Great Academy Ashton in Manchester as schools reopen after the summer holidays

On Thursday, he said he would 'move Heaven and Earth' to stop schools 'having to close'.

But Mr Williamson was unable to dismiss the possibility of this occurring if cases rocket, or the need for other Covid measures such as lessons moving outside.

Under Department for Education (DfE) guidance released in July, schools were encouraged to scrap Covid safety procedures such as bubbles, the wearing of face masks and contact tracing measures.

The DfE added that schools' 'outbreak management plans' should still 'cover the possibility that in some local areas it may become necessary to reintroduce 'bubbles' for a temporary period'.

The guidance stressed that any decision 'to recommend the reintroduction of 'bubbles' would not be taken lightly and would need to take account of the detrimental impact they can have on the delivery of education'.

However, many headteachers are already putting in place contingency measures, a new survey by Teacher Tapp has revealed.

The educational app surveyed 1,376 teachers for the Times Educational Supplement.

Fourteen per cent of respondents working in primaries - one in seven - said a bubble system would operate in their schools this term.

This compared with seven per cent of teachers in secondary schools.

Some regions are more cautious than others, with teaching unions pointing out this could be because they have previously experienced 'severe disruption'.

Nineteen per cent of teachers - almost one in five - in the north-west say their school will keep bubbles this term.

In the east of England and Yorkshire and north-east, the figure is just ten per cent. In London, 13 per cent of respondents said their schools would maintain consistent groups of pupils this term.

Schools in deprived areas are also more likely to keep bubbles than those serving more affluent communities, the survey shows.
A Government minister who said at least one British military veteran who served in Afghanistan had taken their life in the wake of the Taliban takeover later admitted the claim may have been 'inaccurate'.

Armed forces minister, James Heappey, who served in Afghanistan, told Sky News presenter Kay Burley that he was aware of at least one veteran who had taken their life 'in the last week or so' following the US-led withdrawal from the country.

But the minister said the report he was referring to may have been 'inaccurate' during an appearance on BBC Breakfast just minutes later.

During his interview with Sky News Mr Heappey said: 'I know unfortunately there have been soldiers who have served in Afghanistan, indeed a soldier who served during my last tour of Afghanistan, who have taken their own lives in the last week or so because of the feelings they've had over what has happened in Afghanistan.

Armed forces minister James Heappey told Sky News presenter Kay Burley that he was aware of at least one British veteran who had taken their life following the fall of Kabul

The minister said the Government and the entire country needed to support veterans returning from Afghanistan

'That is hugely concerning and upsetting for people like me who are now in government and who served there.'

He added: 'That makes me sick to the bottom of my stomach and fearful for many of my friends who I know are still struggling with what they saw on those tours of Afghanistan.

'That's why the Government, the nation, needs to put our arm round our veterans and tell them how proud we are of what they did.'

However the junior defence minister later withdrew his comments during an interview on the BBC and said the government was now 'looking very carefully' into the claim.

He said: 'Since I mentioned that to your colleague Kay Burley on Sky only 20 minutes ago we have had a number of reports that actually the thing I was referring to was inaccurate.

'We're looking very carefully whether it is true that someone has taken their life in the last few days but actually that shouldn't take away from the fact that far too many service people have taken their lives in the last ten years as a consequence of their service in Afghanistan.

'A high number from my own regiment. We can leave no stone unturned in making sure that we support out veterans.

'This will be an acutely challenging time for them when their service in Afghanistan will be called into question in their own minds and we need to reassure them that their service was worthwhile.

'We need to get an arm around them as a nation, through the government, through charities, through the regimental associations to make sure they are supported.'

The armed forces minister insisted that his possible error should not detract from the need to support veterans of the conflict, many of whom were deeply distressed by the events of the past weeks.

He continued: 'There have been far too many veterans over the last ten years who have taken their lives as a consequence of their service in Afghanistan and many who are still struggling to lead normal lives because of the things they saw and experienced.

'This more than any time is a time for us as a government to support the military charities that support our veterans but also for the nation to support those charities.'

The junior defence minister later said the government was now 'looking very carefully' into the claim

He insisted that his possible error should not detract from the need to support veterans of the conflict

Mr Heappey took to Twitter to apologise for the possible error and said the army and the MOD were trying to establish if the note was true

He added: 'The most important thing we can say to them is all of this is a consequence of political decision making, it is not in any way connected to the military service and they should be proud of what they did on their tour.

'It was worth it and nobody can ever take that success away from them and they should hold their heads up high.'

Following the minister's BBC interview security and defence editor at Sky News Deborah Haynes said she had deleted a social media thread on the armed forces minister after he 'misspoke'.

She went on to say his comments were based on a suicide note that was being investigated but was not yet confirmed

In response to the tweet Mr Heappey said: 'Debbie, I'm sorry to have said something that might not be true. The note referred very accurately to my last tour of Afghanistan with 2 RIFLES in 2009 and I've spent weekend fearing colleague had taken their life. However, MoD aren't certain that note is real so wanted to clarify.

'However, we both know too many veterans have taken their lives whilst struggling with mental health illnesses as a consequence of their service in Afghanistan. My main message that we need to put our arms around these people & support them in this difficult time stands.

'But apologies to you and Kay Burley for saying something that might not be accurate. Army & MoD working quickly to establish whether note is real or not.'

His comments come as Boris Johnson prepares to announce an additional 5 million to help military charities offering support on mental health issues to veterans in a Commons statement on the latest situation.

Last week, America and Britain officially ended their military presence in Afghanistan with the final US troops flying out from Kabul's airport.

And a night-vision image showed America's Major General Chris Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, boarding a military transport as the last US soldier to leave Afghanistan after 20 years of war.

The RAF had made its last evacuation flight last Sunday to give US forces enough time to clear the ground ahead of the deadline set by Joe Biden, bringing to an end a deployment which began in the wake of September 11.

The UK government helped fly some 15,000 people to safety, but stories have emerged of interpreters who helped the armed forces over the last 20 years and even people with British passports stranded behind Taliban checkpoints.

British and US troops help evacuate people out of Kabul, Afghanistan, after the Taliban seize power

Hundreds of people try to cross into Pakistan, at Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, last month

It is not known precisely how many people who were promised sanctuary in the UK were left behind.

Some 200 American passport holders are now thought to be living under Taliban rule, with an unknown number of Afghans promised sanctuary - thought to number in the thousands - also abandoned.

'There's a lot of heartbreak associated with this departure,' General Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said on Monday night. 'We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out. But I think if we'd stayed another 10 days, we wouldn't have gotten everybody out.'

Shortly after US troops left the airport, images emerged of Taliban Badri 313 units - known as the group's 'special forces' - securing the airport while dressed in US-made kit and carrying American weapons - seizing more US helicopters, planes and vehicles in the process.

Following the withdrawal, senior Taliban figures including spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid gathered at the airstrip for a celebratory press conference - hailing the end of what they called 'western occupation'.

'Congratulations to Afghanistan... this victory belongs to us all,' Mujahid told reporters, saying the Taliban's victory is a 'lesson for other invaders and for our future generation. It is also a lesson for the world,' he added.

Reports suggest many are already fleeing through Pakistan to the east and Iran to the west. The US and UK are still working on arrangements to allow people to be evacuated from these neighbouring countries.

The departure of American troops means the conflict ends with the Taliban back in power and Afghans deeply uncertain of what the future holds.

In a statement, Biden said the world would be watching how the Taliban behaved.

The Taliban held a press conference at Kabul airport last week, with spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (centre) saying the West's retreat should serve as 'a warning' to all future invaders

'The Taliban has made commitments on safe passage and the world will hold them to their commitments,' he said, adding that negotiations continued to keep the airport open and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.

He added that he would address the nation on Tuesday and that his military chiefs had agreed the evacuation should not be extended beyond the deadline.

'Their view was that ending our military mission was the best way to protect the lives of our troops, and secure the prospects of civilian departures for those who want to leave Afghanistan in the weeks and months ahead,' he said.

For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See www.samaritans.org for details.
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One-year-old twin Israeli girls who were born conjoined at the head, back to back, can make eye contact for the first time after undergoing rare separation surgery.

The operation, conducted at the Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba last week, required months of preparation and involved dozens of experts from Israel and abroad, the hospital said on Sunday.

The twins, who were born in August 2020, were conjoined at the head and faced away from each other, meaning they had never been able to look at one another.

'This was a rare and complex surgery that has been conducted only 20 times worldwide and now, for the first time, in Israel,' said Mickey Gideon, Soroka's chief pediatric neurosurgeon.

'To our delight, everything went as we had hoped.'

The girls were separated successfully after 12 hours of surgery and are expected to lead completely normal, healthy lives.

Dr Noor ul Owase Jeelani, a British consultant paediatric neurosurgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, UK, led the 12-hour surgery with the support of a local team at Soroka Medical Centre in Israel.

One-year-old twin Israeli girls who were born conjoined at the head, back to back, can make eye contact for the first time after undergoing rare separation surgery

This photo shows the conjoined twins before they were separated (left) by British surgeon Dr Noor ul Owase Jeelani in a rare 12-hour surgery. While the right image shows the twins after the surgery

The complexity of the surgery meant that doctors had to begin their preparations months before the girls were brought to the operating table

The complexity of the surgery meant that doctors had to begin their preparations months before the girls were brought to the operating table.

Firstly, a 3D virtual reality model of the twins was constructed to allow doctors to study the intricacies of the operation and plot the best course of action.

Then, inflatable silicone bags were inserted into the twins' heads and periodically expanded over the course of several months before the surgery to stretch their skin.

This excess skin was essential for sealing the incisions in the heads of each twin with a scalp graft after they were separated and their skulls were reconstructed.

The twins have not yet been identified but images published in Israeli media show them wearing bandages around their heads and gazing into each others' eyes.

The complexity of the surgery meant that doctors had to begin their preparations months before the girls were brought to the operating table

One of the conjoined twins is seen here sleeping after she was separated from her twin by the British surgeon

The other twin is seen sleeping with a bandage around her head after the 12-hour surgery in Israel

'Any wrong decision could have been the difference between life and death,' said Dr Lazar, the director of the paediatric intensive care unit at Soroka University's medical centre.

'It was so delicate, as the surgery was performed between major blood vessels in the babies' heads. We all knew that any bleed could have catastrophic consequences,' he told the Times of Israel.

Lazar said the twins were moved to the ICU following the operation where they were sedated and placed on ventilators as they recovered.

On Sunday, after they were stable enough to breathe on their own, they were taken off the ventilators and allowed to meet for the first time, a moment which Lazar described as 'simply amazing'.

It is the first time the procedure has been carried out outside the UK by the team at medical charity Gemini Untwined since it was founded in 2018 by Dr Owase Jeelani.

The team have now completed five separation surgeries since 2006, two of them before Gemini was set up.

Dr Owase Jeelani said: 'I am delighted that the surgery has gone well and the girls, their family and the local team have had a good outcome.

'It is through this process of teamwork and knowledge-sharing globally that we can hope to improve the outcome for all children and families that find themselves in this difficult position.'

This photo shows the surgeons conducting the procedure to separate conjoined twins at the Soroka Medical Centre in Israel,

A close up of one of the screens used by the medical team during a procedure to separate conjoined twins at the Soroka Medical Centre in Israel is seen here

Dr Noor ul Owase Jeelani, a consultant paediatric neurosurgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital, led the 12-hour surgery with the support of a local team at Soroka Medical Centre

Kamal Rahman, one of the founders of Gemini Untwined, added: 'It's exciting that we have now helped three families from different countries with this lifechanging surgery.'

Mr Rahman said the prevalence of conjoined twins is higher in less developed communities where there is little foetal monitoring, which is where charities like Gemini Untwined can assist.

He said: 'Gemini seeks to provide not only research and technical support to the local medical teams but also financial support to facilitate the complex surgery and post-operative rehabilitation where needed.

'We are presently supporting other families that find themselves in this challenging situation.'

It is estimated fifty such sets of craniopagus conjoined twins, joined at the head, are born around the world every year. Of them, it is thought only 15 survive beyond the first 30 days of life.

With current technologies, which the charity aims to make more accessible, approximately half of these cases would be candidates for successful surgical separation

'They are recovering nicely. They are breathing and eating on their own,' Eldad Silberstein, the head of Soroka's plastic surgery department, told Israel's Channel 12 news.
The moment a brazen thief smashed a car window and snatched a bag while the owner was just seconds away has been caught on dashcam footage.

Driving instructor Nurudeen Ali was teaching a pupil in Tooting, south London, at around 9.15 on August 25 when he saw a man on a bicycle hanging around a street corner.

Initially the man appears to be waiting for someone. However it soon becomes clear he is looking out for the owner of the red Vauxhall Corsa parked around the corner.

Dashcam footage recorded by a driving instructor in Tooting shows a man on a bike hanging around a street corner

He smashes the front passenger's window and snatches a bag that had been left on the seat

As the learner driver heads towards a 'No Entry' sign, the man can be seen ushering her to turn right, however she has to reverse in order to make the turn.

While performing the manoeuvre, Mr Ali and his pupil look away from the man, who seizes the opportunity and briefly disappears from view.

He comes back on camera at the moment he smashes the front passenger window of the Corsa. He then grabs a bag from the seat and makes his getaway - seconds before the female driver walks around the corner.

She immediately spots the broken window and can be seen inspecting the damage before getting into the vehicle.

Mr Ali said he gave the unidentified woman his business card after explaining that the incident was caught on dashcam, but she hasn't yet been in touch to obtain a copy.

Metropolitan Police said there were 'no active proceedings' in relation to the theft.

Mr Ali later shared the footage to his Facebook page as a warning to other drivers, and it has since been viewed over 7,000 times.

The thief pulls the bag from the Vauxhall Corsa and flees on his bicycle in the daylight raid

The vehicle owner returns just seconds after her car is smashed into at around 9.15am

The owner assesses the damage to her front passenger side window

He wrote: 'Do not leave any valuables visible in your car, hide it or take with you!

'The driver of the car was literally 5/10 second behind the thief - daylight robbery.'

One user commented: 'Chase after him and run him over - do the world a favour.'

Another replied: 'Unfortunately if you do that you are as liable, if not more, to end up in court like the little s**t.'

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: 'As far as I can see there are no active proceedings.'

A recent survey by Co-Op insurance has found that nine in ten UK car thefts take place in London boroughs.

The same survey found that the Vauxhall Corsa is the third most broken into car model in the UK - with the Ford Fiesta and Ford Focus in first and second place respectively.
Keir Starmer today insisted his 12-year-old son will get the vaccine if the rollout is approved for under-16s.

The Labour leader said he wanted younger people to get jabs 'if they possibly can' with the government preparing to announce a decision.

The UK's chief medical officers are considering whether to extend vaccines to the age group with a decision expected no later than Friday.

Last week the JCVI told the Government that the virus posed such a low risk to children that the benefit to their health of immunisation would be marginal. But they did not consider societal factors such as the closure of schools sparked by the virus.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said yesterday children would be able to get the jab against their parents' wishes.

In an interview with the Mirror today, Sir Keir suggested he would support a decision to extend the rollout.

'Only one of our children falls into that bracket,' Sir Keir said.

'If the advice is for that age children to have it, we would follow that advice.'

Labour leader Keir Starmer (pictured in London last month) said he wanted younger people to get jabs 'if they possibly can' with the government preparing to announce a decision

Scientists and ministers have clashed over whether children should be offered jabs, with some arguing it would not be ethical for the UK to roll out jabs to this age group when so many at risk people in poorer countries are still not inoculated.

Others point out, however, that the world will need to live with Covid for years if not decades  so having a generation of children with natural immunity would help to prevent cases spiralling later down the line.

It comes as experts fear England will see a surge in Covid infections within days after children returned to school last week.

Children should be able to overrule their parents to get the Covid vaccine, a BMA chief has claimed.

Dr David Strain said 12 to 15-year-olds have 'enough maturity' to decide for themselves whether to get the jab.

The co-chair of the medical body added that rolling out doses to the age group could cut the spread of the virus in schools by 20 per cent.

Dr Strain, who is also clinical lead for Covid services at the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, told LBC Radio: 'A lot of children aged 12 have enough maturity in order to make a decision themselves, although it's not the same for every child.

'Doctors and nurses are trained to be able to evaluate them and deem them competent.'

He added: 'Vaccinating children will reduce the spread of the virus in the population by about 20 per cent.'

Mr Zahawi told Times Radio yesterday that children would be able to get the Covid vaccine without their parents' consent if the jabs are offered to the age group.

He said: 'What you essentially do is make sure that the clinicians discuss this with the parents, with the teenager, and if they are then deemed to be able to make a decision that is competent, then that decision will go in the favour of what the teenager decides to do.'

The minister added that if jabbing 12 to 15-year-olds was recommended by Britain's medical officers it was 'absolutely' the right thing to do.

He said that parents would be asked for consent if jabs were approved for the age group.

Britain's chief medical officers are set to decide whether the country's four million 12 to 15-year-olds should be offered Covid jabs by Friday, reports The Mirror.

Whitehall sources said ministers would then 'press the button' on rolling out the jab for the age group as quickly as possible.

The NHS was told to have plans ready to inoculate the age group from two weeks ago.
A father who was killed by his three teenage daughters has been formally branded a paedophile who relentlessly sexually abused the girls.

The trio had been accused of murder but the detailed medical finding by Russian experts is now expected to see them all exonerated.

Mikhail Khachaturyan, 57, was stabbed to death with his own hunting knife at his apartment in Moscow in 2018.

For three years Krestina, Angelina and Maria Khachaturyan, then 19, 18 and 17, who admitted killing the 'tyrant', have feared being locked up on long sentences despite outlining rapes and 'systematic torture' at his hands.

Now the sisters can use the paedophile diagnosis to argue in court that all charges should be dropped in the high profile Moscow case.

'Evil sex abuser' Mikhail Khachaturyan (centre), 57, was stubbed to death with his own hunting knife in 2018 by his daughters (from left) Krestina, Maria, Angelina

Krestina and Angelina Khachaturyan, then 19 and 18, admitted to killing their father. Currently the two elder sisters are charged with murder

Maria Khachaturyan, the youngest of the girls. She faces time in a psychiatric hospital rather than jail after being judged temporarily insane at the moment her father was killed.

The post-mortem finding that their father was a child sex attacker with 'a tendency to aggression' who had 'special sexual preferences aimed at his own daughters'.

He made repeated death threats to the girls if they failed to succumb to his demands, and the sisters believed he would kill them, say the findings from the Serbsky Institute of Psychological, Psychiatric and Medical Examinations.

Mari Davtyan, lawyer of Angelina, said: 'The examinations confirmed the father's violence against his daughters

'The experts found that each of the girls since 2014 suffered from abuse syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder - all of these conditions have a direct causal relationship to Khachaturian's actions.'

The report found the abusive father manipulated his daughters with threats, violence, humiliation, as well as used 'beatings, mocking them, and physical and sexual abuse'.

The girls had no other relatives who could stop the nightmare they faced, it was established.

The three will argue in court that the acted out of necessary self-defence.

Currently the two elder sisters are charged with murder and Maria faces time in a psychiatric hospital rather than jail after being judged temporarily insane at the moment her father was killed.

Lawyers for the three now hope they will all be totally cleared.

When they killed him as he slept they were in an 'unstable' psychological state and felt 'hopeless', fearing for their lives.

Other family members have accused the sisters of lying about their father's sexual abuse, and seeking his money by killing him.

Olga Khalikova, lawyer for some relatives of the dead man, complained the new conclusions that he was a paedophile 'were based solely on the testimony of the accused.'

It was impossible to establish this 'on the words of the accused alone.'

The case has been seen as a litmus test in Russia for how the law deals with domestic sexual abuse with almost one million signing petitions calling for the sisters to go free.

The case has been seen as a litmus test in Russia for how the law deals with domestic sexual abuse with almost one million signing petitions calling for the sisters to go free. Pictured: Mikhail Khachaturyan with his eldest daughter Krestina

Mikhail with Angelina

Khachaturyan tortured the sisters and held them under his sway, say psychiatric experts at Russia's respected Serbsky Centre. Pictured: Mikhail with Maria (left) and Angelina (right)

The investigation earlier found they faced 'physical and mental suffering...over a long period of time'.

Evidence showed the father threatened one of his 'terrified' daughters: 'You will take the place of your mother.

'I will marry you and you will give birth to my baby.'

An experts' report said: 'He ordered them to get undressed in front of him, saying that he wanted to 'check' them.

'Then ordered them to sexually pleasure him, saying that he had problems with his prostate and it would be a cure.'

He 'abused and humiliated' them 'with various weapons'.

Angelina had blood streaming from her face after one attack by her father who had links both to senior Russian officials and underworld kings, say reports.

But the sisters' aunt Naira Khachaturyan claimed the earlier official investigation found no evidence of sexual violence against the teenagers, she claimed.
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Pressure is mounting on Home Secretary Priti Patel to fix the 'total chaos' at Heathrow caused by an apparent shortage of Border Force personnel.

Air passengers have described 'total chaos' at Heathrow's 4.2billion Terminal 5 today as rows broke out in passport control and exasperated people who had already spent hours waiting to enter Britain then had to wait in long lines for the car park.

Witnesses said they had 'never seen anything like it' as 'massive queues' also appeared at Luton and Manchester airports and travellers raged that the country is fast becoming an international 'laughing stock'.

One woman caught up in the chaos described rows in arrivals at Heathrow - and to add insult to injury, a wait of 30 minutes just to get to their parked cars.

She told MailOnline: 'I've never seen anything like it. There were massive queues', adding there were 'arguments breaking out with staff about the number of broken e-gates'.

'It seems like the whole terminal is in total chaos', she said, adding she had to queue for half an hour just to get in the lift that goes to the car park.

A Heathrow spokesperson suggested one of the queues was likely only there for a short period due to a large group of people wanting to access the lifts at the same time.

Former Cabinet minister John Redwood told MailOnline that he believes Priti Patel has already told Border Force and the airports to get the situation 'sorted' - but said she may now need to exert even more pressure as queues formed despite relatively low numbers travelling.

Queue chaos: Dozens of passengers line up to get through immigration gates at Heathrow Terminal 5 today

'Dante's Purgatory': Heathrow passenger likens today's chaos at Terminal 5 to the Divine Comedy, an epic 14th century poem about a man's journey through hell.

The delays have got worse as families returned from their summer holidays for the start of the school term

Queues snaked through arrivals at Luton at 1am today - but the airport, amid anger from passengers, pointed the finger at border officials carrying out 'additional checks'

Former Cabinet minister John Redwood told MailOnline that he believes Priti Patel has already told Border Force and the airports to get the situation 'sorted'

The scenes of passengers queuing at UK airports have sparked furious demands for ministers to intervene

He said: 'It is not as if the passenger volumes are huge. The management has to have a good look and see what needs to be done. It doesn't create a good impression. You want people to have a smooth return from holiday and you want business people to have a good progress through the system now we are trying to rebuild.

'We also want vigilance at our borders. You don't want to sacrifice safety so you have got to have sufficient resource so that it is done properly,' he said.

'But any UK national who has got the right documentation shouldn't have to hang around It has got to be a better service for British taxpayers who pay for all this. 'You go to a foreign country to win business to Britain or go for a foreign holiday, you expect to be able to get back into your country easily. But we also expect a vigilant border force.'





Catriona MacLeod, an academic from the University of Chicago, tweeted that after an hour at the UK border she had 'not advanced more than 6 inches'. Another woman caught in the chaos wrote: '@HeathrowAirport is like Dante's purgatory'.

The delays have got worse as families returned from their summer holidays for the start of the school term, one traveller collapsed after landing in London and luggage was seen tumbling from conveyor belts because queues at 'poorly managed' arrivals halls were up to five hours with Heathrow bosses blaming the 'unacceptable' waiting times this weekend on Border Force staff shortages.

Queues snaked through arrivals at Luton at 1am today - but the airport, amid anger from passengers, pointed the finger at border officials carrying out 'additional checks'. There were similar scenes at Manchester airport's Terminal 2  back open after a 1 billion revamp. One elderly passenger is said to have fainted as the queues piled up with many forced to wait for hours.

Yesterday the Home Office, which runs Britain's under fire Border Force, finally admitted the near-daily queues were 'unacceptable', MPs and travel industry figures demanded meaningful action, warning the chaotic scenes were blighting the UK's global reputation while running the risk of a spike in Covid cases  further jeopardising the already crisis-hit tourism sector and stifling business with the post-Brexit UK.

Heathrow bosses are blaming the 'unacceptable' waiting times this weekend on Border Force staff shortages

A busy Heathrow Airport as passengers are experiencing long delays on arrival and also slow check in procedures

Astonishingly, Heathrow has twice admitted that they have no idea how long it will take passengers to pass through immigration

There was even a long queue for the Heathrow T5 car park today for people who had already been waiting for hours to get through passport control. A Heathrow spokesman suggested that the queue was likely only there for a short period due to a large group of people wanting to access the lifts at the same time

Queues at just before 1am today at Luton Airport today as the queues at arrivals spread from Heathrow to across the UK

Meanwhile, in Manchester, there were also delays at Manchester Airport. Passengers were seen standing in long snaking queues leading up to border control at the airport's newly refurbished terminal (pictured)

Pictures show luggage piled up on conveyor belts and floors because passengers were caught up in queues

One image even appears to show a male traveller lying on the floor in Heathrow's Terminal 5 on Friday night after passing out while queueing

Anastasia Tolmacova filmed the chaos at Luton Airport at 1am this morning, with hundreds of people queuing through the terminal where social distancing went out of the window.

She said: 'Massive queues at London Luton airport past midnight. Any social distancing is virtually impossible. Why do we have to pay extra for overpriced covid tests when the situation at the border is so poorly managed?'

Double-jabbed fliers should be free to travel WITHOUT Covid tests, says Gatwick airport boss - as figures show UK airline numbers bouncing back slower than rest of Europe Newly released comparable data shows UK aviation sector is recovering slower than EU Airport bosses at Gatwick have called for the testing of double jabbed travellers to be scrapped as he says the UK aviation sector is bouncing back much slower than the rest of Europe. The airport says that comparable data shows the UK is suffering as a result of the requirement. The current rules mean even those who have been double jabbed and are flying in from a green-list country must provide proof of a negative Covid test within two days of landing in the UK. The airport says bookings in Europe - where testing regulations are more relaxed - are at 60 per cent of pre-Covid levels while they remain at 30 per cent in the UK. In a statement, the airport said it was calling on the Government to 'throw a lifeline' to the UK aviation industry by removing the requirement for testing altogether for travellers who have been double vaccinated. The airport says that with proof, double vaccinated travellers can currently enter the majority of European countries without needing to be tested, including in France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Germany, among others. It has proposed that passengers who are not double vaccinated should have to take a lateral flow test and then, if that is positive, take a PCR test. Quarantine should remain for those flying in from red list countries, it has said. Stewart Wingate, Gatwick CEO, said: 'With vaccination rates across Europe comparable, if not better, than the UK's, the time has come for testing to be removed altogether for travellers who have been double jabbed. 'Other countries have done this and their aviation sectors are recovering much faster with bookings in Europe recovering twice as fast as in the UK. 'Our continued travel restrictions are out of step with much of Europe and continue to have a real impact on jobs and livelihoods, business and growth opportunities while also keeping friends and family apart. 'Passenger confidence in the UK has been shattered and the UK travel industry urgently needs thrown a lifeline so that we can start to recover properly from the most difficult period in our history.' Advertisement

The scenes of passengers queuing at UK airports have sparked furious demands for ministers to intervene. MPs and travel industry figures last night demanded a meaningful response from Home Secretary Priti Patel and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, saying the chaotic scenes were blighting the UK's global reputation and running the risk of a spike in Covid cases.

Luton Airport said the delays were not their fault. A spokesman said: 'We're sorry for any inconvenience caused by additional checks at the UK Border. Border Force is responsible for this part of the journey and we continue to work with them to ensure wait times are reduced as much as possible'.

Paul Charles, of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said ministers appeared to be 'deliberately sowing complexity around global travel'. 'How does it look to other countries?' he said. 'It sends the message that Britain is not fit for purpose.'

Henry Smith, Tory chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on general aviation, said: 'More resources need to be put into managing the chaos at the border at Heathrow, otherwise it could lead to increased risk of Covid transmission.'

Dr Steven Freudmann, former president of ABTA, said the images of chaos at Britain's biggest airport made the country look like a 'laughing stock'.

Among those caught up in the disruption at Heathrow was Jason Reed, who said he and his pregnant wife had to wait for two hours to get through arrivals after returning from holiday in Malta.

'It was absolute carnage,' he told the Sunday Telegraph. 'My wife is pregnant and has a bad back so was uncomfortable and tired. It was also extremely hot with no ventilation.

'We saw a man had fainted  with lots of police around.'

Mr Reed said when they finally got to the front of the queue, no-one bothered to check their passenger locator forms declaring that they hadn't been to a high-risk country.

Some passengers arriving on Friday evening reported delays of up to five hours, although the Home Office contested this.

At Manchester yesterday, businessman Ian McCarter complained of having to wait for three hours to get through passport control.

Mr McCarter, who was arriving back from a week in Dubai with his wife and two youngest children  aged 16 and ten  described the scene which met them as 'chaos'.

'We got off the plane and found ourselves penned into a tight space with 200 to 300 people  it was ridiculous,' said the 52-year-old businessman, who lives near Wigan.

'Everyone was being shoved along like cattle, it was really warm, and not surprisingly a lot of passengers were starting to get quite agitated.

'There needs to be more resources and more staff otherwise travelling abroad just becomes a very off-putting experience.'

Furious Heathrow arrivals have slammed the government over the border queue chaos at the airport - with yet more passenger backlogs seen today - less than 24 hours after Home Office chiefs branded wait-times as 'unacceptable'.

Arrivals at the London airport this morning say they are facing 'horrific' queues to get through to the border area of Terminal 3.

One arrival posted a scathing attack on the Home Office yesterday, saying in a Tweet: 'Still horrific queues at Heathrow's T3 this morning. It's inhumane to force the disabled and children especially to stand for hours! Where's the promised improvement?'.

Another arrival posted a picture on Twitter from the arrivals area today showing a line of people packed into a hallway. The picture shows a sign urging passengers to 'have your passports ready'.

It comes as The Home Office finally admitted yesterday that massive queues at the airport's Terminal 5, where people including a pregnant woman fainted on Friday night, were 'unacceptable'.

Meanwhile, in Manchester, there were also delays at Manchester Airport yesterday. Passengers were seen standing in long snaking queues leading up to border control.

Pictures also showed luggage and suitcases overflowing from the conveyor belts and strewn across the floor at arrivals the terminal, which has recently undergone a 1billion refurbishment.

The strongly-worded statement from the Home Office on the border chaos at Heathrow came after a furious blame-game broke out yesterday.

It followed the posting of pictures on social media showing thousands of British arrivals being forced to cram into small hallways with no social distancing measures in place and queueing for several hours to pass immigration.

One holidaymaker, Sonny Singh, told Sky News he saw a pregnant woman pass out while in the queue on Friday night.

Furious Heathrow arrivals are complaining of yet more queues at the Heathrow today, less than 24 hours after Home Office chiefs branded the wait-time chaos at the airport as 'unacceptable'. Pictured: One Twitter user, John O'Hara, posted this image on Twitter today

Another wrote: 'Still horrific queues at Heathrow's T3 this morning. It's inhumane to force the disabled and children especially to stand for hours! Where's the promised improvement?'

The queueing chaos at Heathrow airport continued overnight, with incensed British holidaymakers complained of the risk of spreading Covid as hundreds of passengers were rammed into small hallways and forced to queue for up to five hours

'There were thousands of families queuing and just two people in booths up front checking documents,' he claimed.

'Children were screaming and crying. The queue moved about five feet in the space of about 45 minutes.

'Then, when the pregnant woman fainted, it finally got through to someone somewhere - the kids were then put on the side to sit while the adults waited in the queue and it began moving faster.'

One photo even appears to show a male traveller lying on the floor in the London airport after apparently passing out while queueing for passport control, amid claims that stressed holidaymakers had no access to ventilation or toilets, and no shuttles were available.

Have YOU been waiting hours to get through immigration at Heathrow? Send photos and videos of the queues to martin.robinson@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

An incensed passenger queueing for hours to get to immigration at Heathrow tweeted on Friday night: 'Kids crying and screaming and fully grown [men] fainting whilst two people at the booth serving thousands of people queuing up to the runway.'

Astonishingly, Heathrow has twice admitted that they have no idea how long it will take passengers to pass through immigration.

The border chaos has been compounded by the fact that families with children aged under 12 can't use the e-gates.

In a statement, a Heathrow spokeswoman blamed 'unacceptable queueing times in immigration' on 'too few Border Force officers on duty'.

She claimed the Home Office 'were aware of the extra demand' and said they are 'disappointed' they didn't provide 'sufficient resource'.

'We have additional Heathrow colleagues to support in managing queues and to hand out passenger welfare including water, but we need every immigration desk to be staffed at peak times.

'We have escalated this with Border Force and expect them to provide a better service over the remainder of the weekend,' the spokeswoman added.

Images on Twitter show huge lines of people packed together tightly - apparently without access to water, ventilation or toilets - while they queued for several hours to pass through immigration on yet another day of mayhem at Terminal 5

It has been claimed that a male holidaymaker fainted while standing in line for passport control while pregnant women, pensioners and young children were made to walk long distances with no shuttles available and no social distancing possible

Astonishingly, Heathrow yesterday admitted that they have no idea how long it will take passengers to pass through immigration. The chaos has been compounded by the fact families with children aged under 12 can't use the e-gates

A Home Office spokesman admitted yesterday: 'Throughout the pandemic we have been clear that queue times may be longer as we ensure all passengers are compliant with the health measures put in place to keep the UK public safe.

'However, the very long wait times we saw at Heathrow (on Friday night) are unacceptable.

'This is the busiest weekend of the year for returning passengers, with particularly high numbers of families with children under the age of 12 who cannot use e-gates.

Are they TRYING to make life hard? Industry expert accuses government of 'sowing complexity' to stop people from travelling abroad A leading travel expert today accused the Government of 'deliberately sowing complexity' to discourage British nationals from going on overseas trips. Paul Charles, CEO of the respected PC Agency, told MailOnline that the Government is 'obsessing over Covid numbers and keeping them down at whatever cost'. He said: 'There's certainly incompetence and mismanagement. But it does seem that the Government are trying to make international travel as difficult as possible for British holidaymakers wanting to get away. 'I don't think they don't want people to leave this country because they're obsessing over Covid numbers and keeping them down at whatever cost. 'This is not a government famous for trying to reopen global travel. It has put the brakes on overseas travel throughout this pandemic, despite the industry clamouring for a proper reopening. Add the traffic light system and the testing regime to chaos at Heathrow, and it has the effect of putting people off from flying anywhere. And it's working. 'It does seem to me that they're deliberately sowing complexity around global travel.' Mr Charles added: 'This weekend is one of the busiest weekends for travel into the UK after that long summer break and the week following the August bank holiday. Border Force either know that or they don't. 'They should have been planning for an increase in passengers coming through Heathrow, and it's ridiculous that this has been allowed to happen yet again. 'What kind of message does this send to the world about Britain? How does it look to other countries who are looking at those pictures and videos of big queues at Heathrow? Well I'll tell you. It sends the message that Britain is not fit for purpose.' Advertisement

'Border Force is rapidly reviewing its rosters and capacity and flexibly deploying our staff across the airport to improve waiting times.

'We are working very closely with Heathrow Airport and its airlines and we are all committed to making sure all passengers can have a safe and hassle-free journey.'

Asked about the queuing situation at Heathrow today, a spokesperson for the airport told MailOnline today that any request for comment would have to go to the Home Office who operate the border through the Border Force.

A spokesperson for Manchester Airport said: 'We are aware that queues at the border have been longer than usual at times this weekend.

'Immigration checks are the responsibility of UK Border Force and we will review events with them to understand how these circumstances arose, and to ensure that passengers enjoy the best possible experience going forward.'

Yesterday Tory MPs joined a growing backlash against the border chaos overseen by Home Secretary Priti Patel and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, while industry experts warn the huge queues are damaging Britain's reputation as a hub for global travel.

Henry Smith, Tory chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation, told MailOnline: 'More resources need to be put into managing the chaos at the border at Heathrow, otherwise it could lead to increased risk of Covid transmission, a surge in cases and another crisis this winter.

'These scenes are discouraging people from going abroad and are making safe international travel even harder. With fewer people willing to get on planes abroad or to come into the UK, I fear that the result of this will be further job losses in the aviation and hospitality sectors already devastated by what has already been two very difficult years.'

Paul Charles, CEO of the respected PC Agency, told MailOnline that Border Force should have known this weekend is one of the busiest for travel back into Britain after the summer period and August bank holiday week, and urged Miss Patel to 'get a grip'.

He accused the Government of 'incompetence' and 'making life so hard for those airlines who have experienced months of shutdown and are now trying to make travel as Covid-safe and seamless as possible for holidaymakers who frankly just want a break'.

Dr Steven Freudmann, former President of ABTA, said the images of chaos at Britain's biggest airport make the country look like a 'laughing stock' and will 'put people off from visiting'. He also called the mayhem a 'disgrace' and 'totally predictable'.

Responding to criticism, the airport tweeted yesterday: 'Whilst we do not have exact figures out how long queues can take our teams in the terminals are on hand to support where possible and we are working with Border Force to reduce delays as soon as possible.'

It then said this morning: 'We are unable to provide information in regards to immigration queue times on behalf of UK Border Force, who operate and manage our immigration halls'.

Speaking to MailOnline, Lucy Moreton, spokeswoman for the Immigration Services Union, said: 'Border Force, and in particular large airports like London Heathrow, have suffered from chronic under funding for some years. Although Border Force as whole has recruited almost 1,000 new officers in the last two years these have been paid for with EU exit money and directed solely to inland and international trade.

'London Heathrow has had no inbound recruitment for many years but staff loss is still running between 10 and 20 per cent. Resources are understandably also stretched by the demands of small boats migration, Afghan re-settlement etc.

'This, as well as normal staff sickness, leave demands and staff positive for Covid all contribute to reduced staff on a day by day basis.'
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She was one of Russia's most famous dancers who performed in front of thousands.

After finishing training in 1926 aged 17, Nina Anisimova went on to wow audiences across what was then the Soviet Union as part of the Kirov ballet for more than 30 years.

But new book Dancing For Stalin, by author Christina Ezrahi, reveals for the first time to Western audiences how Nina was wrongly imprisoned at the height of her career in 1938, after being arrested on suspicion of being a spy for Nazi Germany.

After a brutal interrogation, she was sent thousands of miles away from her home in what was then Leningrad - now St Petersburg - to Kazakhstan's notorious Karlag, which was one of the largest Gulag labour camps in the Soviet Union.

She was one of millions of ordinary Russians who suffered during what became known as the Great Terror or Great Purge: the two years of brutal repression carried out on the orders of maniacal Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

The horrific campaign involved summary executions, ethnic cleaning and the mass imprisonment of citizens, officials and rival politicians who were suspected  often wrongly  of being spies or saboteurs. As many as 1.2million people are believed to have died.

Forced to endure freezing winters where temperatures plummeted as low as -40F, Nina survived partly because of the extra food and warm clothes which were sent to her by her family.

Yet it is likely that the performer would still have perished in the treacherous conditions if she had not found another way to improve her circumstances: she danced for her captors.

She was one of thousands of imprisoned artists  among them hundreds of fellow dancers  who staged performances for camp administrators.

Thanks to this, she was housed in new, warmer, barracks, was given a blanket and mattress  a huge privilege  and also had extra food rations.

This remarkable change in circumstances ensured Nina survived until the remarkable happened after nine months of brutal incarceration: she was released from her original five-year sentence thanks to her husband Kostia Derzhavin's dogged campaigning to secret police the NKVD on her behalf.

Incredibly, just six weeks after her release, Nina stepped back on to the stage at the Kirov on the arm of her original dance partner Sergei Koren. She went on to finish her dancing career and then enjoyed more success as a choreographer before her death in 1979, aged 70.

After finishing training in 1926 aged 17, Nina Anisimova went on to wow audiences across what was then the Soviet Union as part of the Kirov ballet for more than 30 years. But new book Dancing For Stalin, by author Christina Ezrahi, reveals for the first time to Western audiences how Nina was wrongly imprisoned at the height of her career in 1938, on suspicion of being a spy for Nazi Germany. Above: Nina with male dancer Konstantin Sergeyev in the early 1940s

Ms Ezrahi, a historian of Soviet cultural politics, is the first to delve into Nina's moving life story.

She tells in her book how she was mistakenly given access to a secret file containing denunciations of fellow dancers, actors and conductors made by a ballerina.

In the document, which Ms Ezrahi believes may have been written under duress, the ballerina was also protesting her innocence and emphasising that she was no longer communicating with those she had denounced.

Nina (pictured above in 1950) was one of millions of ordinary Russians who suffered during what became known as the Great Terror

Ms Ezrahi notes how such denunciations were common during the Great Terror, when the NKVD had a network of informers all across Russia.

'Whether out of fear, malice or loyalty, informers fed a never-ending stream of incriminating information to the security services,' she says in her book.

The document folder also contained a long list of names of dancers, actors and conductors  both known and unknown.

Some of the names had been crossed out by an NKVD officer. Of those, Ms Ezrahi said she recognised only one: Nina's name.

The author says it is 'extraordinary' that the document containing the unknown ballerina's denunciations were not destroyed but have instead been 'preserved among the ballerina's private papers through the siege of Leningrad, the end of the Second World War and the collapse of the Soviet Union'

Nina, who was born in January 1909, was arrested on February 2, 1938, just a month after she had performed the famous ballet the Flames of Paris at the Kirov (now Mariinsky) Theatre.

The NKVD believed that Nina may have been denouncing the Communist revolution and passing information to her friend Evgeny Salome, a Russian-born German citizen who worked in his country's consulate.

He had made links with numerous artists and dancers like Nina  something that was suspicious enough to the NKVD on its own.

The ears of security chiefs pricked up further when they found out that Salome showed Nina and other artists with gifts.

The political context at the time added further difficulties for Nina. When Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933, Salome's country became the Soviet Union's new archenemy.

Her fellow dancer Andrew Levanenok was also arrested and trialled because of his association with Salome.

Under duress, Levanenok wrongly accused Nina of being 'actutely hostile against Soviet power' and said 'counter-revolutionary' conversations had been conducted at Salome's flat.

Despite his admissions, Levanenok was executed after being found guilty of espionage.

After a brutal interrogation, she was sent thousands of miles away from her home in what was then Leningrad - now St Petersburg - to Kazakhstan's notorious Karlag, which was one of the largest Gulag labour camps in the Soviet Union. Above: The perimeter of part of the camp

With the NKVD unable to find evidence that Nina had committed a similar crime, she was instead branded a 'socially dangerous element' and sentenced to five years in the Gulag.

She was then transported in horrendous, overcrowded cattle wagons thousands of miles to Karlag labour camp in Kazakhstan.

Swallowing up around 13,000 square miles, the camp was so big that it was described as a 'state within a state'. In October 1938  just before Nina's arrival  it housed just over 40,000 prisoners.

Nina was sent to live in Dolinka, a settlement which housed Karlag's central administration areas.

There, she worked in the kitchens. In one of the many letters she wrote home to her family, she revealed she learnt to clean potatoes 'magnificently'.

Stalin's Great Terror involved summary executions, ethnic cleaning and the mass imprisonment of citizens, officials and rival politicians who were suspected  often wrongly  of being spies or saboteurs. As many as 1.2million people are believed to have died. Above: The dictator at his desk in 1950

Prisoners pictured trying to keep warm in a Gulag camp hospital. To avoid exposing themselves to the cold, prisoners would often soil themselves

But one Ms Ezrahi notes in her book how one inmate described the situation of those at Karlag: they were given too little food to live, but too much to die.

Breakfast was made up of bread and a watery soup called balanda. Lunch and dinner was again a bowl of balanda, along with a revolting gruel called kasha.

With Kostia clueless as to whether his wife was still alive, he wrote a lengthy indictment to the NKVD which laid out in great detail the injustice of what had happened to her.

It was this, coupled with the end of the Great Terror in November 1938, which would ultimately secure his wife's release.

Writing home to her family before her circumstances had improved, Nina said: 'My hands have coarsened, but don't worry, not because of cold or hot water, it is simply very cold without gloves, after all, it is 43 degrees Celsius below zero here.

'I am in general splendidly worn out. My poor boots are leaking, and one has become completely crooked, the scoundrel, all my stockings have been darned over and over again but continue to tear, my shoes are all worn out.

'True, I have toughened up very much. Imagine in Leningrad in winter without gaiters, what cries and weeping there would have been. Well, and here I am walking around and doing so comparatively cheerfully,' she added.

Ms Ezrahi says that the packages which Nina's family sent her were 'essential' for her survival. As well as other items of food, they included felt boots and a fur jacket.

At Karlag, Nina survived in part thanks to the fact that she was able to dance in productions put on by ensembles of performers who were imprisoned with her. Above: Nina is seen in the early 1950s performing the Flames of Paris, the In one The image with the French flag is from the early 1950s. It shows Nina in the ballet the Flames of Paris, which depicted the French Revolution. When she was initially arrested in February 1938, Nina had performed the ballet just a month earlier

Nina (front row, second from left) is seen with a dance troupe from the Leningrad Choreographic Institute in the mid-1920s

Nina (third from left) is seen with fellow ballerinas Tatiana Vecheslova (far left), Natalia Dudinskaya (second from left) and Alla Shelest. Vecheslova was one of the witnesses who testified to her good character when she returned from Karlag before her release from prison in November 1939

But Nina was finally able to put her dancing skills to good use when she became involved with the ensembles which staged performances for camp administrators.

With thousands of theatre workers having been imprisoned in the Great Terror, there was a plethora of dancers and other performers in the camp.

Nina's change in fortune was obvious when her next letter home was written in ink on a 'pretty' sheet of green paper, rather than in pencil on pages torn from a notebook.

She said: 'My life has come right. I have finally arrived at my post and am working in my profession.

Dancing For Stalin was published on August 26

'You yourselves have to understand how happy I am about this. My days are filled completely. I am working a lot, I have no time, just as it used to be in former times. The club here is very good even though it is small. I already performed, I danced the Spanish Dance, after all, my castanets are with me. I thought my legs would fail me, but it was OK.'

Thanks to the elevated position of artists in the camp, Nina enjoyed the extra privileges which made the difference between life and death.

However, dancers were expected to regularly renew their repertoires, prompting Nina to write to her husband and ask him to send her her several of her costumes.

In February 1939, Kostia's representations to the NKVD finally bore fruit when officials recommended that Nina be transferred back to prison in Leningrad  where she had been held after her arrest.

After arriving back there in May, she was interrogated once again and the NKVD called four witnesses to testify to her character. One was her dance partner Koren and another was fellow dancer Tatiana Vecheslova, who was the first Soviet ballerina to tour the US.

The NKVD's new investigation concluded that her original conviction had been based on the unsafe testimony of the executed Levanenok and that she should therefore be released.

She was finally allowed to leave prison on November 11, 1939. Then, on December 23, Nina danced once again with Koren at the Kirov theatre, performing Krakowiak from Mikhail Glinka's opera A Life for the Tsar.

Then, on Christmas Day, she performed in legendary composer Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

After retiring as a dancer at the age of 48 in 1957, Nina's second career as a choreographer saw her direct dancers in numerous further productions at the Kirov theatre.

And, in a sign of how she rehabilitated her reputation after her temporary fall from grace, in 1949 Nina won the prestigious Stalin Prize  one of the Soviet Union's highest civilian honours.
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Divers on Monday began an expedition to a shipwreck at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, where they believe they will find lost artwork and priceless artefacts from the legendary Amber Room.

The Amber Room was an opulent jewel-studded chamber built in 18th-century Prussia that was installed in the Catherine Palace near Saint Petersburg, Russia.

It was dismantled by Nazi German soldiers during World War II and taken to the city of Koenigsberg before it disappeared, its fate unknown.

That is, perhaps, until a group of Polish amateur divers last year found the wreck of the Karlsruhe, a German ship which was sunk by the Royal Navy in 1945, 43 miles from the Polish coastal town of Ustka.

The divers have good reason to suspect that the Karlsruhe may contain the lost treasure. On its final voyage, the ship departed from Koenigsberg with 360 tonnes of goods on board and was protected by two minesweeping ships, suggesting there was a large, valuable cargo on board.

Expedition leader Tomek Stachura previously told MailOnline: 'It was in Koenigsberg that the Amber Chamber was seen for the last time. If the Germans were to take the Amber Chamber across the Baltic Sea, then the Karlsruhe steamer was their last chance.'

A group of Polish amateur divers last year found the wreck of the Karlsruhe, a German ship which was sank by the Royal Navy in 1945, 289 ft deep and 43 mi from the Polish coastal town of Ustka

Divers said they had first used dive robots with cameras to explore the wreck and discovered numerous locked cargo boxes on the ship

Members of the Baltictech diving group are now beginning their search of the shipwreck, cracking open containers and exploring the site for the lost loot

The Amber Room was an opulent jewel-studded chamber built in 18th-century Prussia that was installed in the Catherine Palace near Saint Petersburg, Russia

The divers will conduct 12 dives a day and, in teams of three, will enter the wreck through an open shaft in the middle of the ship

Divers first used dive robots with cameras to explore the wreck, located 289ft below the surface, and discovered numerous locked cargo boxes on the ship.

Members of the Baltictech diving group are now beginning their search of the shipwreck, cracking open containers and exploring the site for the lost loot.

The divers will conduct 12 dives a day and, in teams of three, will enter the wreck through an open shaft in the middle of the ship.

They will then have half an hour to examine the boxes with the help of underwater scooters before they have to surface.

According to expedition leader Tomek Stachura, there is 'a one to two per cent chance that the room is actually in the numerous locked boxes that we saw during the last dive with robots'.

Historian Piotr Michalik said: 'The ship was very heavily loaded with 360 tonnes and two minesweepers protected it, so there could have been valuable cargo on board.'

Stachura told MailOnline that initial observations of the wreck had revealed several 'non-military crates' as well as what appears to be the remains of 'picture frames and rotting canvases'.

He added that the handles of several crates suggest they could be from museums.

Crates which the divers hope could contain artefacts which the Nazis stole from the legendary Amber Room

Stachura from Baltictech told MailOnline that initial observations of the wreck had revealed several 'non-military crates' (pictured) as well as what appears to be the remains of 'picture frames and rotting canvases'

Artefacts buried underneath sand inside the ship at the bottom of the Baltic Sea

The team believes they have spotted chests which may have been used by a museum, as well as fragments of canvas which may have come from paintings

A reconstruction of the Amber Room was made in 1979 and completed at the Catherine Palace in St Petersburg (pictured)

Towards the end of the war, as Hitler's defeat loomed, the 196ft Karlsruhe was used to evacuate Germans in what was called Operation Hannibal from what was then the city of Koenigsberg in East Prussia.

Stachura said: 'It was in Koenigsberg that the Amber Chamber was seen for the last time.

'From there the Karlsruhe left on its last voyage with a large cargo.'

The Amber Room was assembled in Russia's Catherine Palace near St Petersburg and stood there for three centuries, but it was dismantled by German troops during their ill-fated invasion of the USSR.

In 1941, the Amber Room's contents were placed in storage in Koenigsberg - now a Russian city known as Kaliningrad - and then disappeared when Hitler's regime fell to ruins in 1945.

The wreck was found lying 288ft below the Baltic in September last year by the Baltictech divers.

Stachura said at the time: 'It is practically intact. In its holds, we discovered military vehicles, porcelain and many crates with contents still unknown.'

The divers will now document and make an inventory of what they discover.

If anything of interest is found, the Polish authorities will then authorise a state dive to start bringing the crates to the surface.

Stachura added that as the people who died on the ship were German citizens, Germany could declare the site a sea grave, which would make it illegal to disturb it

A ring-shaped object is displayed on the screen after divers carried out a survey of the sea floor following the discovery of the Karlsruhe, a wrecked German steamer, earlier this year

The divers said that 'a lot of items from the ship's interior have spilled out,' adding that they had found 10 trunks and 'lots of other trinkets' while examining the area of the shipwreck

Polish divers search for the World War II German cruiser Karlsruhe at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, where they believe the lost treasures of the Amber Room - looted by the Nazis and missing since 1945 - could be buried

A clue to the Amber Room mystery? A screen shows a man-made object on the floor of the Baltic Sea where divers searching for the long-lost treasures say that a sonar survey has revealed chests and other objects lying around a wrecked Nazi ship

The ship brought 1,083 refugees and 360 tons of cargo and has been lying 290ft underwater for decades

Divers have discovered military vehicles, porcelain and many crates with so far unknown contents

Documentation from the time suggests that the Karlsruhe left Koenigsberg in a hurry, with a large cargo and 1,083 people on board.

Stachura previously said of the ship: 'She brought 1,083 refugees and 360 tons of cargo with her. She set off on her last journey under a strong escort.

'Sunken April 13, 1945 in the morning. Only 113 people were saved.

'We don't want to get excited, but if the Germans were to take the Amber Chamber across the Baltic Sea, then [the] Karlsruhe steamer was their last chance.'

After discovering the wreck, the divers later said it was too deep to salvage, saying that 'we started the story but now it's up to someone else to finish it'.

The shipwreck was found at the bottom of the Baltic Sea several dozen kilometers north of Ustka

The wreck of the German cruiser Karlsruhe was discovered off the Polish coast by divers exploring the area in search of the ship which was sunk in April 1945

Divers found the shipwreck at a depth of 88 meters and say most of it is practically intact

The explorers say that the ship was in Konigsberg around the time the Amber Room was last seen

Stachura said: 'As archaeological divers, we can only officially dive to 130ft, but the ship is over 260ft down. Military divers could do it but it could cost millions.'

The ship is not to be confused with a different Karlsruhe which was also recently discovered off the coast of Norway, having sunk in 1940.

In 2015, Poland was hit with Gold Train fever after explorers in the town of Walbrzych said they had found a tunnel which they believed was laden with looted Nazi treasure.

But after weeks of hype and speculation, when the explorers eventually began digging they discovered the tunnel was empty.

The episode has led to a general wariness surrounding claims of stolen World War II treasure being discovered, with authorities wanting 'real evidence' to support the claims rather than rumours.

Russian craftsmen have since constructed a replica Amber Room in the Catherine Palace.

Karlsruhe took part in Operation Hannibal, a German naval operation involving the evacuation by sea of German troops and civilians

The ship is not to be confused with the Karlsruhe which was also recently discovered off the coast of Norway, which was sunk in 1940

Tomasz Zwara from Baltictech added: 'The history and available documentation show that the Karlsruhe was leaving the port in a great hurry and with a large load'

The remains of the Amber Room after it was seized by the Nazis, who packed the amber panels in 27 crates and shipped them to Germany, where they vanished and have not been seen since
A senior executive sacked after trying to claim 60,000 on expenses with three years' worth of receipts in a shoebox has won his unfair dismissal case.

Underperforming Paolo Porchetti - who raked in 110,000 a year - was offered a lucrative settlement package by his bosses to leave the company after they became 'immensely frustrated' by his consistently poor work.

But the high-earning regional director then stunned managers by submitting a huge expense claim, returning a company car that needed thousands of pounds worth of repairs and a broken laptop.

Shocked by his behaviour, Mr Porchetti's bosses abandoned negotiations and fired him instead.

Last week the sales director won an unfair dismissal claim after an employment tribunal ruled his sacking had procedural faults.

The hearing was told the Italian - who has an MBA - began work as a sales director at engineering giant Brush Electrical Machines in 2015.

Paolo Porchetti was offered a lucrative settlement package by bosses to leave

His line manager Marco Van Schaik urged Mr Porchetti to 'put some more effort in'

The tribunal in Nottingham heard that the company invested 'significant cost' in relocating Mr Porchetti to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with a generous package which included a 20,000 signing-on bonus, a company car, regular flights to Europe and accommodation allowance.

In the Malaysian capital, Mr Porchetti was sales director for the Asia Pacific region - but it was heard bosses soon grew frustrated with him.

He repeatedly scored around 30 per cent on monthly personal objective scores, was regularly late for meetings, was tardy in replying to big customers, neglected work, and 'seemed to go missing'.

His territory was described as the worst performing in the company and one worker even resigned due to a lack of work and 'challenge' under Mr Porchetti.

His line manager Marco Van Schaik urged Mr Porchetti to 'put some more effort in' and told the hearing the only reason he achieved one financial target 'was by luck because a customer placed a large order in the value 700,000'.

The tribunal heard Mr Porchetti was focused undertaking an MBA in Hong Kong - where his partner lived - and repeatedly flew out there for a week at a time despite there being little work there.

Porchetti began work as a sales director at engineers Brush Electrical Machines in 2015

Porchetti was sales director for the Asia Pacific region - but it was heard bosses got frustrated

By May 2019, a senior Brush boss invited him to a meeting - which he was 45 minutes late for - and offered him a settlement agreement to depart the company with six months salary.

Mr Porchetti accepted but didn't reveal he had a 60,000 expense claim 'because he knew it would jeopardise the settlement discussions'.

The tribunal's judgement said: 'Mr Porchetti mentioned that he had three years' worth of expenses to claim, the receipts/evidence for which he had kept in a shoebox.

'[But he] deliberately chose not to disclose or reveal the extent of them at that stage because he knew it would jeopardise the settlement discussions.

'Thereafter, Mr Porchetti returned his rental car in a damaged state and, despite being obliged to report any damage to Brush, the hire company and the local police, he had failed to do so, showing little respect for property or local laws.

'Mr Porchetti returned his laptop in a highly damaged condition but failed to return his iPad.

'Shortly thereafter, Mr Porchetti submitted his outstanding expenses which amounted to 59,252.43, with some claims dating back to late 2015/2016.

Porchetti submitted his outstanding expenses which amounted to 59,252 going back to 2015

'Brush was shocked by both the amount of expenses claimed and the fact Mr Porchetti had failed to submit them earlier in accordance with the expenses policy which requires any expenses to be submitted within 14 days.

'Brush refused to make full payment in respect of the expenses - it limited its offer to 10,000 - and the settlement negotiations broke down.'

Instead of paying him off, the company decided to sack him.

A dismissal letter to Mr Porchetti said 'you have not been able to deliver any significant improvement' on key areas of work and 'we have seen a steep decline and have questioned several times your level of engagement'.

It also said: 'Your relationship with our local partners and agents in the local market which have worsened significantly due to your lack of professionalism and inability to reply on time to enquiries and maintain a proper business relationship.

'I also must refer to your behaviour, regularly turning up late at meetings, not filing your expenses in time if at all and the disastrous state of the

company property you returned at the end of May, including iPad missing, broken laptop and severely damaged car.'

Employment Judge Victoria Butler ruled Brush was right to dismiss Mr Porchetti but said it was unfair because it was carried out quickly and lacked proper procedure.

Judge Butler added: 'The predominant reason for Mr Porchetti's dismissal was capability and it is clear... that his performance was poor.

'This was apparent from early on in his employment when he failed to supply documents required to support his visa application in a timely manner - a simple, yet crucial, task - thereby demonstrating his inability to prioritise matters.

'The same can be said of Mr Porchetti's failure to submit his expenses over a three-year period amounting to circa 60,000.

'The Claimant's neglect in doing so was not only another example of his inability to keep on top of things.

'He willingly entered into without prejudice negotiations but deliberately withheld vital information about his expenses.

'He would have signed the settlement agreement happily if Brush had paid them. Brush had no idea that he had accrued such a significant amount of expenses and was reasonably not prepared to pay them.

'The fact that Mr Porchetti had failed to comply with Brush's policy led to the breakdown of the settlement negotiations and therefore his dismissal. He was the author of his own misfortune.'

Mr Porchetti won an unfair dismissal claim but will not receive any compensation because he was judged to have contributed to his sacking. Brush must also pay him a two-week wage sum which went unpaid in July 2019.

He lost a separate claim of race discrimination.
Thousands of Sydneysiders could enjoy a drink at the pub within weeks in a new government trial set to launch in some lucky suburbs, with NSW's roadmap out of lockdown indicating freedoms will be on the cards next month.

Residents in some suburbs will enjoy eased restrictions as soon as early October in a new initiative to test vaccination passport technology.

The highly-anticipated freedoms will only be available to double-jabbed residents who can prove their vaccination status on the Service NSW app.

It comes as the state's roadmap out of a seemingly never-ending lockdown is finally revealed, providing some light at the end of the tunnel for bored Sydneysiders.

In mid-October when the double-jabbed rate reaches 70 per cent, the state will enjoy reopened pubs, restaurants, hair salons and places of worship, all with the one person per 4sqm rule.

Thousands of Sydneysiders could enjoy a drink at the pub within weeks in a new government trial set to launch in one lucky suburb (pictured, men drinking in Bondi in May 2020)

The Ku-ring-gai LGA on Sydney's Upper North Shore (pictured) is also looking to be first in the door, reporting 24 active cases and 86.9 per cent of residents with one jab

WHICH SUBURBS COULD SOON ENJOY A POST-LOCKDOWN DRINK? *Mosman *North Sydney *Hunters Hill *Gordon *Roseville *St Ives *Wahroonga *Pymble *Lindfield *Turramurra Advertisement

Sporting crowds will return for the double-jabbed with capacity limits, as well as household gatherings with fully-vaccinated visitors only, with a cap on the number of guests

But pubs will only be opened earlier in October for trials in postcodes where vaccination rates are high and case numbers are low, 9News reported.

The NSW government has warned residents living in Sydney's Covid-ravaged west and southwest will miss out on the new trial.

This is despite residents in those hotspots rushing to get vaccinated, with many of the suburbs well above the national average jab rate.

Officials have argued the 'vaccination passport' technology needs to be tested before it can be rolled out state-wide.

One of the lucky suburbs that could be selected for the trial is Mosman, with the suburb reporting only six active cases of the virus and more than 75 per cent of its residents single-dosed.

The Ku-ring-gai LGA on Sydney's Upper North Shore is also looking to be first in the door, reporting 24 active cases and 86.9 per cent of residents with one jab.

Residents who live in suburbs such as Roseville, St Ives, Wahroonga, Pymble, Lindfield and Turramurra could look forward to a drink in just a few weeks time.

It's the same story for fully-vaccinated residents in postcodes like North Sydney, Hunters Hill and Gordon, where active cases of the virus remain low.

One of the lucky suburbs that could be selected for the government trial is Mosman (pictured) with the suburb reporting only six active cases of the virus and more than 75 per cent of its residents single-dosed

NSW recorded 1,281 new Covid-19 infections on Monday amid warnings the outbreak will surge in the next week

John Green, the director of the Australian Hotels Association, said the trial will give the city's pubs a good opportunity for testing the new vaccination technology.

'It just makes sense to put it into play, see how it works and then everyone benefits,' Mr Green said.

However, Opposition Leader Chris Minns has slammed the trial and argued it wasn't fair that some residents got to enjoy the freedoms earlier than others.

'You can't have a plan where one third of Sydney is under curfew but you can go out and get a rose in the Northern Beaches and the North Shore, it's just not fair,' he said.

Meanwhile, long-suffering residents in Sydney's west and southwest remain under the toughest lockdown restrictions in the state, including a controversial curfew.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro claimed the curfews did more bad than good, with no health advice to back them up.

Despite surging vaccination rates in hotspot suburbs including Bankstown (pictured on Sunday), they are likely to miss out on new freedoms

Pubs will only be initially opened in postcodes where vaccination rates are high and case numbers are low (pictured, a Bondi resident seen shopping)

NEW FREEDOMS ANNOUNCED FOR DOUBLE-JABBED SYDNEYSIDERS By mid-October fully-vaccinated Sydneysiders can expect to enjoy the following freedoms: *Pubs and restaurants will reopen for the fully-vaccinated in mid-October with a four square metre rule in place. *Hairdressers and barbers will reopen and vaccinated services in places of worship can be held with a four square metre rule. *Sporting crowds will be allowed to return to stadiums as long as they are fully-jabbed with limits on capacity. *Gatherings in households will also be permitted, as long as visitors have had two doses of a Covid vaccine with a cap on the number of guests. Advertisement

Mr Barilaro argued the tough measure imposed on Western Sydney did little to reduce daily case numbers and has become a burden on residents' mental health.

Locked-down residents in 12 LGAs of concern in Greater Sydney are not permitted to leave their homes from 9pm-5am unless they are an authorised worker or involved in an emergency or need medical care.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian initially rebuffed calls to enforce the tough measure on Sydneysiders but relented after daily case numbers began to skyrocket and compliance in some suburbs began to dwindle.

In spite of the doom and gloom, vaccination rates in Sydney's Covid hotspots have begun to skyrocket well above the national average.

Blacktown in Sydney's west is leading the charge with an impressive 86 per cent of its residents jabbed with a single dose of a Covid vaccine.

Vaccination rates have rocketed in Sydney's LGA hotspots (pictured, Bankstown on Sunday) as locals heed the call to get jabbed

Sporting crowds will be allowed to return to stadiums as long as they are fully-jabbed with capacity limits in mid-October (pictured, young fans during a Sydney Swans game in April)

Campbelltown closely followed with 82 per cent of residents single-dosed, with Parramatta at 81 per cent, Penrith at 79 per cent and Strathfield at 78 per cent.

The high rates come as residents are afforded a glimpse at the state's roadmap out of lockdowns following NSW hitting 70 per cent first-dose vaccination on Thursday.

While the official plan has not been signed off on yet, government officials have said the highly-anticipated roadmap will be announced later this week.

Pubs and restaurants will reopen for the fully-vaccinated in mid-October with a four square metre rule in place.

Hairdressers and barbers will reopen and vaccinated services in places of worship can be held with a four square metre rule.

Sporting crowds will be allowed to return to stadiums as long as they are fully-jabbed with capacity limits.

NSW is well on its way to reaching the 70 per cent fully-vaccinated target (pictured, a woman is vaccinated in Sydney's Redfern)

Hairdressers and barbers are set to reopen in mid-October as well as vaccinated services in places of worship can be held with rules on social distancing (pictured, a woman gets her hair coloured in March)

Gatherings in households will also be permitted as long as visitors have had two doses of a Covid vaccine, with a cap on the number of guests.

Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello said he would work with the federal government to ensure residents could prove they were double-jabbed on the Service NSW app.

'Service NSW and Services Australia are currently finalising the details of the trial,' Mr Dominello told NCA NewsWire.

'Its broader application will be subject to the government's reopening plan and the health orders.'

'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', Ms Berejiklian said in relation to when 70 per cent of the state was fully vaccinated

Ms Berejiklian said hitting 70 per cent single doses 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.

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.

Modelling suggests NSW will reach the 70 per cent double vaccination target by mid-October, 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, with 40 per cent full-vaccinated as of Monday.

Last week, the premier encouraged businesses to dust off their Covid safety plans and ensure their employees were vaccinated in preparation for mid-October.

'That is certainly the date we're working towards. Initially it was the end of October, but because everybody is coming forward at the rates we're seeing people come forward, that could be as early as the middle of October,' she said.

Sydneysiders have been afforded a glimpse at the state's roadmap out of lockdowns after the state hit 70 per cent first-dose vaccination on Thursday (patrons enjoy pizza in Bondi in May 2020)

Ms Berejiklian also promised further restrictions would ease for those living in Covid hotspots once it was safe to do so.

'We know that between 70 per cent and 80 per cent of all cases are still coming from those areas,' she said.

'However, there are some councils we're looking at to see if we can relieve those burdens or even part of councils. That's ongoing work.'

It comes as healthcare workers across the state have been told to brace themselves for a surge in hospitalisations with daily infections to number more than 2,000.

Modelling released by NSW Health on Monday revealed hospital intensive care units will be pushed to the brink as admissions are set to triple in October.

However, Ms Berejiklian is still expected to announce an easing of some lockdown restrictions and assured residents ICU capacity could be expanded to 1,550 patients.

'We certainly don't want to have to use all of those beds and staff because we know what pressure it will put on the system, but we want everybody to be reassured that the capacity is there,' she said.

Operating theatres will be converted to makeshift ICU units while each staff member will be responsible for an increased number of patients, the modelling stated.

The report reiterated the importance of vaccinations in Covid hotspots and stated jabs in arms was more important than reducing the number of daily infections.

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 (pictured, patrons at a restaurant in Sydney in March 2020)

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 (pictured, women in Richmond in June 2020)

On Sunday, NSW hit the halfway mark to 80 per cent double vaccination that will allow it to treat coronavirus like the flu, open state borders and international travel.

The premier offered an insight into what life will look like when that hits 70 per cent, indicating there would be density limits in hospitality venues and QR codes when businesses reopened.

Capacity limits on large events will be maintained to ensure compliance with social distancing requirements.

And, most importantly, once the 80 per cent double jab target is reached, NSW will 'never have to do a statewide lockdown ever again', the premier promised.

NSW recorded 1,281 new locally-acquired cases of Covid-19 and five deaths on Monday.
A Russian father who killed his friend after allegedly finding footage of him raping his eight-year-old girl has been released from custody amid calls not to charge him with murder.

Factory worker Vyacheslav M, 34, was drinking with his friend Oleg Sviridov, 32, when he allegedly saw video of his daughter being abused on Sviridov's phone.

Vyacheslav immediately confronted Sviridov who fled, but he was eventually tracked down by the distraught father who stabbed him to death.

The killer has now been freed from jail and put under house arrest for two months pending an investigation.

Normally suspected killers would not be freed but there has been an outpouring of public support for the father, including from prominent journalists on Russia's tightly-controlled broadcast news.

Law enforcement say that Sviridov's phone contained more footage of him abusing other children in Vintai village in Russia's southwestern Samara region.

The body of alleged paedophile Oleg Sviridov, 32, was found near Vintai village in Russia's Samara region after the father of a child he abused stabbed him to death

Vyacheslav M., 34, is the father of an eight year old girl who was allegedly raped by Sviridov, a friend of Vyacheslav

Sviridov (left) and Vyacheslav (right) were friends and Vyacheslav discovered evidence of his friend's crimes while they were drinking together

It has since been reported that one of his alleged victims was the daughter of his former live-in partner.

'The woman had a daughter from her first marriage,' a friend told Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper.

'Now it has turned out he was abusing the child.'

The ex-lover did not know anything about it, said the woman friend who had known Sviridov for more than 15 years.

'She is a very good caring mother,' she said. 'I can imagine what she feels like now the truth has come out ...

'He was constantly seen with the girls, the daughter of his partner and Vyacheslav's older daughter, in the village. It never crossed anyone's mind what he was doing with children.'

Sviridov's body was discovered by police on Thursday, more than a week after Vyacheslav had seen the abusive video.

Vyacheslav had reported the rapes to local police who had launched a manhunt for Sviridov but the father managed to track down the alleged child abuser before the cops.

Vyacheslav later told police that Sviridov had 'stumbled on the knife during a quarrel' in a forest near the village, purporting that he had not intentionally murdered him with the blade.

Police sources said that the deceased man's phone contained other sickening videos which showed violent rapes of other village girls, aged six and 11.

The videos indicated that the dead suspect had been abusing children for five years before Vyacheslav discovered the footage on his phone.

Villagers in Vintai and online commenters alike have demanded that Vyacheslav should not face a murder charge.

'He is not a murderer - he protected his daughter and our children too,' said one local.

'Everyone is on his side.'

Rocket engine factory worker Vyacheslav reported the rapes to the police but tracked down his former friend before the police could find him

Vyacheslavis thought to have murdered Sviridov with a knife, despite telling police that Sviridov 'stumbled on the knife during a quarrel'

Prominent TV journalist and former Russian presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak told her followers: 'All parents are standing up for the paedophile's killer.'

Another commenter Anna Plekhanova said: 'If the crime is proven by video facts, then is the girl's father wrong?

'Any normal parent, mother or father, would have torn apart such a paedophile right on the spot.

'Protecting children is the direct responsibility of parents.'

Yulia Salinder added: 'It's good that he killed the bastard because our law would have put him in jail for only eight years - or even less - and he would be out again.'

Vladimir Novikov said: 'It is necessary to introduce the death penalty for paedophiles or we will see the lynching of non-humans.'

Prominent TV journalist and former Russian presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak told her followers: 'All parents are standing up for the paedophile's killer.'

The paedophile's body was discovered in a forest close to Vintai village

The videos show evidence that the paedophile was abusing kids in the village for up to five years (pictured: Vyacheslav and his family)

Svetlana Katargina commented: 'The father can be understood.

'Such wild creatures have no place in this world and paedophilia cannot be cured.

'Perpetrators get out of jail and start to rape children again.'

Sviridov's mother said that her son had often been a babysitter for Vyacheslav's children and the two men had been long-time friends.

'I don't know how it got to this,' she said, referring to the rape of Vyacheslav's daughter.

'He must have been drunk. Most likely he was drunk. They left their children with him all the time.

'When he baby-sat these girls he came back home as normal, in a good mood.'
One of Australia's largest companies is set to impose mandatory Covid vaccinations for thousands of workers in a bid to be on the 'right side of history'.

Telecommunications giant Telstra have proposed about 8,300 of their staff, who regularly come into contact with customers and colleagues, must get their first jab by October 15 and their second by November 15 - or face the sack.

CEO Andy Penn on Monday laid out the plan in an email to the company's 29,000 staff after a week of talks with union bosses and company staff.

He said exemptions will only be considered on medical grounds, and that workers would need to provide medical evidence.

The company would then try and find a new position for the worker without customer contact, but if that couldn't be found, they may have to leave.

Telecommunications giant Telstra have proposed about 8300 of their staff, who regularly come into contact with customers and colleagues. Pictured: A Telstra shop in Sydney

CEO Andy Penn (pictured) laid out the mandatory vaccination plan in staff email after a week of talks with union bosses and company staff

Poll Should workers be forced to get vaccinated against Covid? Yes No Should workers be forced to get vaccinated against Covid? Yes 138 votes

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'More than most other companies our teams stretch across the far reaches of Australia - from our cities to remote outback towns,' Mr Penn said in a staff email.

'We are part of these communities and we have an obligation to keep them safe and well - as to protect each other.'

The proposed condition of employment will mainly effect workers in face-to-face roles such as in-store retail staff and technicians who meet with members of the public.

Those working from home will not be required to get the jab.

Mr Penn said mandating vaccinations is an 'important and necessary step' with over 1,000 Covid cases a day in Australia and New South Wales, The ACT and Victoria all living in lockdown.

'In moments like this we have a choice to be on the right side of history,' Mr Penn said.

'Often that involves finding our courage and taking a stand that may not always be popular with everyone.

Effected Telstra workers will have to get their their first jab by October 15 and their second by November 15 - or face the sack. Pictured: A Covid vaccination clinic in Sydney's Redfern

The proposed condition of employment for Telstra workers will mainly effect workers in face-to-face roles such as in-store retail staff and technicians who meet with members of the public

'Incentives help, but we need to go a step further to protect each other, the most vulnerable in our communities and the customers we interact with each day.'

One of the major reasons for moving ahead with the vaccine requirement is to shore-up certainty around interstate border travel during times of crisis.

'As we approach what is typically disaster season in Australia, we hope that having fully vaccinated teams will help us more easily move people across state borders to assist should there be a natural disaster,' Mr Penn said.

While he admits it may be seen as controversial and acknowledges some people may choose not to get vaccinated for personal or medical reasons, the telecom boss says the only exceptions that may be considered would be on medical grounds.

Telstra joins companies such as Qantas, Woolworths and canned food producer SPC in making Covid vaccinations a condition of employment. Pictured: A Telstra shop in Melbourne

'In these cases we would ask for appropriate supporting medical evidence to be assessed by an independent medical practitioner, and we would do our best to find a suitable alternative role that does not require vaccination,' he said.

'If we are unable to find another role it may ultimately lead to medical retirement.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said the federal government will not be mandating vaccine requirement for most sectors, instead handing off the responsibility to individual businesses to make their own decisions.

Telstra joins companies such as Qantas, Woolworths and canned food producer SPC in making Covid vaccinations a condition of employment.
Lord Trimble has urged Joe Biden to drop his support for the Northern Ireland Protocol, warning the post-Brexit border rules 'risk a return to sectarian strife'.

The architect of the Good Friday Agreement accused the White House of 'contributing to the damage being caused' to the peace treaty by siding with the European Union on the issue.

He said in a letter to the US President that the 'political promises of the Belfast Agreement have been flippantly dismissed' because of the protocol.

Lord Trimble has urged Joe Biden to drop his support for the Northern Ireland Protocol, warning the post-Brexit border rules have caused 'political unrest and violence'

Lord Trimble said in a letter to the US President that the 'political promises of the Belfast Agreement have been flippantly dismissed' because of the protocol

The protocol, agreed as part of the Brexit deal, requires checks on goods travelling from GB to Northern Ireland to be carried out at ports in order to avoid the return of a land border with the Republic.

But it has caused disruption to trade and angered unionists who have demanded the rules be scrapped, arguing they create a barrier between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

Boris Johnson has repeatedly called on Brussels to renegotiate the protocol but the bloc has said it is unwilling to do so.

The EU has said it is willing to smooth the implementation of the rules but not make substantial changes.

The two sides remain locked in talks over how to improve key sticking points but little progress has been made.

Lord Trimble told Mr Biden, who has Irish ancestry, that the protocol had been 'imposed' on the people of Northern Ireland without their consent.

He said: 'The result has been political unrest and violence and threats of further violence on our streets because the political promises of the Belfast Agreement have been flippantly dismissed through the NIP.'

The former first minister of Northern Ireland, who won the Nobel Prize for his efforts in securing peace in Northern Ireland, said the protocol 'risks a return to sectarian strife'.

In the letter, first reported by The Telegraph, Lord Trimble said: 'I wish to express my concern about the way in which the Agreement is being undermined by the Northern Ireland Protocol, and in particular the role which your administration has played in contributing to the damage being caused to the Agreement through your support for the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Michael Gove, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, today met with Irish Tanaiste Leo Varadkar to discuss the protocol

'The Northern Ireland Protocol has not only subverted the main safeguards within the Belfast Agreement causing civil unrest and political uncertainty, it is also damaging the Northern Ireland economy.

'At the heart of the Belfast Agreement is consent, meaning that there can be no change to the constitutional position of NI as part of the UK without the agreement of a majority of the people of the country.

'But the NIP, by giving the EU powers over the movement of goods into and out of the Province, has torpedoed the 'consent' principle and risks a return to sectarian strife.'

The peer said the protocol had 'totally destroyed' the consent principle 'to the detriment of the unionist community'.
Solar powered AI camera towers have been set up on the US-Mexico border to 'patrol' the most remote migrant crossing point.

The cameras, designed by 28-year-old Oculus founder Palmer Luckey, detect movement within a two mile radius and transmit the data to agents for review.

They operate 24-hours a day, scanning the landscape for movement, and are set to be installed at 140 places along the US-Mexico border fence, the NY Post reported.

The interconnected camera system was first tested near San Diego in 2018 and were recently rolled out to the El Paso Sector - one of the busiest migrant crossing points.

Solar powered AI camera towers have been set up on the US-Mexico border to 'patrol' the most remote migrant crossing point

The cameras can detect movement within a two mile radius along the wall and then transmit the data to agents for review

The partial rollout has seen the number of detentions soar threefold year-on-year from September 2020, though it was not immediately clear if the increase was a direct result of the virtual wall.

The virtual wall 'scans the environment with radar to detect movement, orients a camera to the location of the movement detected by the radar, and analyzes the imagery using algorithms to autonomously identify items of interest, such as people or vehicles', according to a statement from the US Customs and Border Patrol.

The partial rollout has seen the number of detentions soar threefold year-on-year from September 2020, though it was not immediately clear if the increase was a direct result of the virtual wall.

Agents in the El Paso Sector detained 155,892 people in the fiscal year to September 30, up from 54,396 in 2020.

Border Patrol agents in the El Paso Sector detained 155,892 people in the fiscal year to September 30, up from 54,396 in 2020

The cameras operate 24-hours a day, scanning the landscape for movement, and are set to be installed at 140 places along the US-Mexico border fence

The cameras, known as ASTs, are hidden in remote locations, Border Patrol agent Joel Freeland told the NY Post.

He showed the daily one camera, in place for two weeks, hidden on a secluded area of land on the Texan-New Mexican border near the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

Border Patrol officers said they were thankful for the technology which has slashed man hours while increasing the force's efficacy, helping detect migrants crossing under the cover of darkness.

'Before the ASTs, agents would only be able to monitor about a quarter of the area from their trucks,' said Freeland. 'Now, we can see everything.'

The interconnected AI cameras were designed by Luckey, a 28-year-old entrepreneur who sold his company Oculus to Facebook for $2 billion in 2014.

The interconnected AI cameras were designed by Palmer Luckey, a 28-year-old entrepreneur who sold his company Oculus to Facebook for $2 billion in 2014

Cameras have been positioned in remote locations along the wall - with one hidden on a secluded area of land on the Texan-New Mexican border near the Mexican state of Chihuahua

The cameras can detect movement within a two mile radius along the wall (pictured in San Diego) and then transmit the data to agents for review

It comes as Biden faced continued blistering criticism for his management of the crisis on the southern border.

His administration has increasingly lost touch with migrant children released from government custody, with one in three going unaccounted for in May, it emerged last week.

Migrants who cross the border without parents or guardians are usually released from government custody to a relative in the US or another vetted sponsor.

The number of children traveling alone who were picked up at the border reached an all-time high of more than 19,000 in July, according to preliminary numbers shared with the Associated Press by David Shahoulian, assistant secretary for border and immigration policy at DHS.

It is just a sign of a greater influx - 210,000 migrants crossed into the US along the southern border in July. It is the highest one-month total in 21 years, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Israeli officials have admitted a design 'failure' after six Palestinians broke out in a Shawshank Redemption-style escape by crawling through a pre-made tunnel they found under a sink.

Police chief Arik Yaakov told local media: 'We're not talking about a tunnel which was dug, exactly. There's a failure in the building, which is on top of a base of poles. There is a space underneath - and apparently the prisoners used it.'

Prison guards are being quizzed over whether they might have been involved as part of the investigation, police confirmed.

The escaped terrorists include Zakaria Zubeidi, a prominent former militant leader from the occupied West Bank, along with alleged fugitives of the Islamic Jihad movement.

Police, the army and agents from Israel's internal security agency Shin Bet have joined the search effort, deploying sniffer dogs, drones, helicopters and checkpoints to create a perimeter around Gilboa Prison.

Israeli media reports said it was possible the escapees had already returned to the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967, while police spokesman said they might try to reach the Jordanian border roughly nine miles to the east.

Six Palestinians broke out of an Israeli prison on Monday through a tunnel dug beneath a sink

The tunnel burrowed deep into the ground and allowed the prisoners to escape underneath the prison boundaries

Police, the army and agents from Israel's internal security agency Shin Bet have joined the search effort

The prison, located about 2 miles from the boundary with the occupied West Bank, is one of the highest-security jails in Israel

Israeli authorities have deployed sniffer dogs, drones, helicopters and checkpoints to create a perimeter around Gilboa

Four of the six men who escaped were serving life sentences, a Palestinian prisoners organisation said

In the hours following the escape, the IPS released footage that recalled the iconic 1994 prison escape film 'The Shawshank Redemption,' showing agents inspecting a narrow tunnel dug beneath a sink in the Gilboa prison, burrowing deep into the ground.

The prison, located about 2 miles from the boundary with the occupied West Bank, is one of the highest-security jails in Israel and houses Palestinians convicted or suspected of 'anti-Israeli activities', including deadly attacks.

The jail break occurred hours before Israel begins its High Holiday season, starting with Jewish New Year which begins at sundown.

Four of the six men who escaped were serving life sentences, a Palestinian prisoners organisation said.

In addition to perimeter checkpoints and sniffer dog forces, security teams have been dispatched on horses to cover as much ground as possible as they track down the fugitives.

It is not yet known how the fugitives managed to dig the tunnel through the concrete and the ground below, as the maximum security prison does not even allow metal cutlery.

However, the Times of Israel reported the prison has long dealt with extensive and elaborate smuggling operations into its facilities, while the IPS has said it believes the man had help from allies on the outside and communicated through clandestine mobile phones.

IPS released footage that recalled the iconic 1994 prison escape film 'The Shawshank Redemption,' showing agents inspecting a the tunnel (Pictured: The Shawshank Redemption, 1994)

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the escape 'a grave incident that requires an across-the-board effort by the security forces' to find the escapees

All 400 inmates detained at Gilboa over 'security offences' are being relocated in case additional tunnels have been dug beneath the facility, according to the IPS

In a statement released on Monday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the escape 'a grave incident that requires an across-the-board effort by the security forces' to find the escapees, and said he was receiving regular updates about the search.

All 400 inmates detained at Gilboa over 'security offences' are being relocated in case additional tunnels have been dug beneath the facility, according to the IPS.

Meanwhile, Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Israeli blockaded Gaza Strip, called the escape a 'courageous and heroic act' and a 'real defeat' for Israel's security system.

'This great victory proves again that the will and determination of our brave soldiers inside the prisons of the enemy cannot be defeated,' said Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman.

Islamic Jihad, one of Gaza's most powerful armed groups after Hamas, lauded the jail break as 'a powerful blow to the occupation forces'.

The commander of the Israel Police's Northern District said they had not given specific security advice to residents of the area surrounding the prison, but urged them to exercise increased vigilance.

'There is no reason to change your routines, but there will be large numbers of troops within the cities of Afula and Beit She'an and in other towns. I do request additional awareness of anything suspicious,' Northern District chief Shimon Ben Shabo said in a statement.

Zubeidi was the former head of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and a well-known figure among Palestinians and Israelis.

He was arrested over 'terror allegations' in 2019 in a West Bank village near Ramallah, and had faced charges in the past from the Palestinian Authority for taking part in a shooting attack on the residence of Jenin governor Qaddura Musa in 2002.

Musa died after suffering a heart attack during the incident, and Palestinian security forces arrested dozens of people, including Zubeidi, shortly afterwards.

Zubeidi in 2007 agreed to lay down his arms and went on to help found the Freedom Theatre, an arts centre in the Palestinian city of Jenin in the northern West Bank.

In 2011, the Freedom Theatre's well-known Israeli-Palestinian director Juliano Mer-Khamis was gunned down in Jenin's refugee camp, in an attack that remains unsolved.
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Priti Patel says she is ready to withhold the 54million promised to France to block migrant crossings after reports of a record-breaking 1,000 making the journey in one day.

The Home Secretary met Conservative MPs last night and blamed the French for the significant numbers of people coming across the Channel, claiming she was prepared to pull the funding that was pledged less than two months ago if they do not stop three in four crossings by the end of the month, The Times reports.

Ms Patel is said to be furious at the low numbers being intercepted since she signed off on the 54million payment to France to double the number of patrols.

She told MPs: 'We've not given them a penny of the money so far and France is going to have to get its act together if it wants to see the cash. It's payment by results and we've not yet seen those results. The money is conditional.'

Her warning came as migrant crossings hit another record high with reports of 1,000 men, women and children spotted making the journey to Britain on Monday.

The astonishing new figure, based on witness sightings collated by Sky News, is thought to be the highest daily figure and well over the previous record of 828 on August 21.

Home Office sources told MailOnline initial estimates were that the 1,000 figure was 'too high' - but declined to provide an official number. Other sources said the figure was likely to be near 1,000.

The Prime Minister now says Home Secretary Priti Patel is 'working around the clock' to ensure France impedes the passage of illegal migrants across the Channel.

Mr Johnson said: 'A large number of people want to come to this country, and we are doing everything we can to encourage the French to do the necessary and impede their passage.

'But I know the Home Secretary is working right around the clock to ensure that we not only encourage the French to stiffen their sinews and stop people making the journey, but we use every possible tactic available to us as well.'

A group of migrants are brought ashore from the local lifeboat at Dungeness in Kent on Monday

A man gestures as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, following a small boat incident in the Channel

A packed lifeboat was pictured arriving on a beach in Dungeness in Kent on Monday before migrants disembarked on the beach to be met by Border Force

The group of migrants arriving at Dungeness in Kent Monday afternoon included families with young children

Monday's scene took place against the ghostly backdrop of Dungeness, which is one of the largest expanses of shingle in Europe

A wave of crossings - including this one at Dungeness - is thought to have been prompted by the recent spell of warm weather

Migrants are escorted along Dungeness beach on Monday by Border Force officials in one of a series of crossings

While officials led passengers away, one woman was seen clutching a small baby who was strapped to her

A child giving a thumbs up to a photographer after landing at Dungeness on Monday (left), and a young girl on her father's shoulders

A second dinghy was shown pulled up on the shingle near Dungeness Power Station with discarded lifejackets around it

A panorama of the dinghy on the left, and the migrants gathering on Dungeness beach accompanied by Border Force

The group who landed on Dungeness on Monday afternoon were rounded up by Kent Police and Border Force

Pictured: A graph showing the number of migrants crossing the Channel on small boats since 2019. The figure has increased each year

Ms Patel is said to be furious at the low numbers being intercepted since she signed off on the 54million payment to France to double the number of patrols

A packed lifeboat was pictured arriving on a beach in Dungeness in Kent yesterday morning after picking up migrants from a dinghy out at sea. A second dinghy was shown pulled up on the shingle with discarded lifejackets around it.

While officials led passengers away, one woman was seen clutching a small baby who was strapped to her. Images showed other young boys and girls being carried or escorted to safety among several men and women.

Three large white coaches were seen parked up on a stretch of land, apparently ready to drive away the arriving migrants.

Witnesses described authorities including Border Force, and the RNLI, as being very busy as a steady stream of crossings was under way amid calm waters and sunny skies.

One onlooker said: 'It looks like the authorities have been overwhelmed today.'

Sunday saw the first small boat crossings for more than two weeks due to bad weather.

Some 158 people, including five children, arrived on Dover from four boats.

Those arrivals brought the total number of people who have crossed to the UK aboard small boats this year to more than 12,500, according to data compiled by the PA news agency.

MIGRANT CROSSINGS: SIX TIMES A NEW DAILY RECORD WAS SET At least 430 migrants crossed to the UK on small boats on Monday - a new single-day record. PA, which tracks and analyses numbers of crossings, has compiled a list of five days in the last two years when a new record was set. July 19, 2021: 430 people reach the UK Dozens of people, including women and young children, were seen walking ashore after one beach landing on the Kent coast, while more arrived elsewhere. Some raised their hands in celebration as they stood on the beach, while others sat down on the shingle shoreline amid 75F sunshine. The Home Office said that overall at least 430 people arrived in various places after travelling aboard 14 boats. September 2, 2020: 416 people reach the UK A wave of boats departed France with hundreds of migrants making their way across the sunny and calm English Channel. In the House of Commons Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced questions over the Government's handling of the issue of small boat crossings. August 6, 2020: 235 people reach the UK Migrants arrived in the UK aboard 17 boats in what was then the highest numbers on record. In one incident, Border Force apprehended 15 people who had landed at Dungeness beach in Kent. July 30, 2020: 202 people reach the UK At least 202 migrants managed to cross to Britain in a surge of 20 boats on July 30. The arrivals said they were from a diverse range of nationalities, including: Yemeni, Palestinian, Ertitrean, Chad, Egyptian, Sudanese, Kuwaiti, Iraqi, Iranian, Indian, and Mali. July 12, 2020: 180 people reach the UK On the day Priti Patel announced a 'new operational approach' to dealing with small boat crossings, a record number of migrants made it to the UK. At least 180 migrants were able to cross the English Channel to the UK, among more than 380 migrants who attempted the crossing, the rest being intercepted by French authorities. August 21, 2021: 828 people reach the UK The number of arrivals hits a new record, as President Emmanuel Macron warns there was a risk a wave of migrants would sweep towards Europe due to the turmoil in Afghanistan. September 6, 2021: 1,000 people reach the UK The new record was based on sightings from witnesses and reported by Sky News. Advertisement

Crossings in 2021 have already eclipsed last year's annual total of 8,417 and that tally continues to rise on fair weather days.

Despite this, the UK continues to see far fewer boat arrivals and asylum claims than many of its European counterparts.

Earlier this year the RNLI saw a large spike in donations after the charity's chief executive defended its role in rescuing people crossing the English Channel, describing it as 'humanitarian work'.

It came after the charity said it had faced heightened criticism for rescuing migrants, with one crew having to call the police after being subjected to abuse.

Dan O'Mahoney, Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, said on Monday: 'This unacceptable rise in dangerous crossings is being driven by criminal gangs and a surge in illegal migration across Europe.

'We're determined to target the criminals at every level, so far, we have secured nearly 300 arrests, 65 convictions and prevented more than 10,000 migrant attempts.'

'But there is more to do. The Government's New Plan for Immigration is the only credible way to fix the broken asylum system, breaking the business model of criminal gangs and welcoming people through safe and legal routes.'

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Home Secretary Priti Patel was 'working around the clock' to ensure France impedes the passage of illegal migrants across the Channel.

He was answering a question by Conservative MP Jacob Young (Redcar), who argued Britain's ability to provide Afghans a safe passage to the UK is strained by 'the continuing uncontrolled illegal migration on the English Channel'.

Mr Johnson said: 'My honourable friend is completely right and, of course, the issue is that very sadly I think our friends across the Channel in France are faced with a very difficult problem.

'A large number of people want to come to this country, and we are doing everything we can to encourage the French to do the necessary and impede their passage.

'But I know the Home Secretary is working right around the clock to ensure that we not only encourage the French to stiffen their sinews and stop people making the journey, but we use every possible tactic available to us as well.'

A spokesperson for Kent Police said on Monday: 'Kent Police assisted Border Force following a report of suspected migrants at Denge Beach, Dungeness at 11.40am on Monday 6 September 2021.'

The Home Office have not yet revealed how many migrants have made the crossing.

Meanwhile in France it was reported at as many as 300 more people were seen in dunes near Dunkirk waiting for boats bound for the UK.

French coastguard officials said several boats attempting to cross the Channel were in difficulty off the Strait of Pas de Calais.

The first boat was spotted near Pas-de-Calais by the police helicopter with four castaways rescued and their boat on board before dropping them off at the port of Dunkirk.

A second boat with 37 people including two women and a child were also picked up and brought back into Dunkirk.

They were brought ashore after being picked-up following a small boat incident in the Channel

158 people including women and toddlers made the crossing on Sunday the Home Office says (this picture was taken on Monday in Dover Harbour)

Migrants are brought ashore from the local lifeboat at Dungeness in Kent on Monday, after being picked-up following a small boat incident in the Channel

Four toddlers wrapped in hooded jackets and a baby being carried in an adult's arms were seen
An ex-colleague has recalled how Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen boasted about duping New Zealand immigration officials

The Islamic-State inspired terrorist who carried out a frenzied attack at a New Zealand supermarket last week forged documents to bolster his claims for refugee status.

Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen, 32, embellished medical documents and manufactured statements from family members in order to support his claim.

He also boasted about duping immigration officials, a former colleague has revealed.

The man said Samsudeen, who was from Sri Lanka, had told him: 'New Zealand Government don't know about my visa,' the former colleague said

'He was trying to say he was ripping off the New Zealand system. I think he was just bragging,' the man told the New Zealand Herald.

The man, who asked to remain anonymous, said he had a 'sinking feeling' when he saw pixelated photos of the terrorist last month in a story from the paper regarding a failed attempt to prosecute Samsudeen under the Terrorism Suppression Act of 2002.

The former colleague's recollection came shortly after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealed that authorities had been trying to deport Samsudeen for years, slapping him with a deportation notice in April 2019 after his refugee status was revoked.

While the legal process dragged on, Samsudeen grabbed a knife off a supermarket shelf in Auckland on Friday and injured seven people, leaving three critically wounded.

Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen, 32, boasted about duping immigration officials, a former colleague has revealed, as it is confirmed that the terrorist used false documents to bolster a refugee claim

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured) said measures were already underway to strengthen New Zealand's terrorism suppression laws following the attack

While the legal process dragged on, Samsudeen grabbed a knife off a supermarket shelf in Auckland on Friday and injured seven people, leaving three critically wounded. Pictured: Police at the scene in Auckland on Friday

Samsudeen, who had been flagged to authorities as having shown support for terror group Islamic State, was shot dead by police who were tailing him.

Ardern, who described the stabbings as a 'terrorist attack', admitted over the weekend that authorities had investigated the possibility of detaining Samsudeen during the deportation process and that it was 'frustrating' he was allowed to remain free.

She said she expected a toughening of the country's counter-terrorism legislation, already moving through New Zealand's parliament before Friday's attack, would be backed by MPs by the end of September.

The revelations regarding Samsudeen emerged after automatic legal restrictions preventing his name being made public were removed on Saturday.

Islamic State-inspired New Zealand terror attacker was first placed on terror watchlist in 2016 Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen, 32, who was shot dead in a Countdown supermarket on Friday was known to police and politicians for his extremist views, which were largely inspired by terror group, ISIS. The Sri Lankan arrived in New Zealand in 2011 and was first placed on the terror watchlist in 2016 after authorities were alerted to extremist posts he made on social media. Some of the videos he shared online depicted war-related violence, a clear approval of violent extremism and pledging his support for ISIS, New Zealand Herald reported. He received an official warning from police but continued to post the material, including a comment which read: 'One day I will go back to my country and I will find kiwi scums in my country... and I will show them... what will happen when you mess with S while I'm in their country. If you're tough in your country... we are tougher in our country scums #payback'. Samsudeen reportedly told a worshiper at a mosque that he hoped to join ISIS in Syria and was detained at Auckland International Airport in 2017 after booking a one-way flight to Singapore. He spent a year in custody before pleading guilty to distributing restricted material, earning a supervision order in 2018. The day after he was released from prison, Samsudeen was arrested by counterterrorism police who followed him as he purchased a hunting knife. Internet search history reportedly found he'd researched how to kill 'non-believers'. Police hoped to prosecute Samsudeen under the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002, but it was determined that preparing a terrorist attack was not an offence under the legislation, given he had not carried out any attacks. He was prosecuted on lesser charges of possessing propaganda in support of ISIS. During his trial, Samsudeen reportedly told the jury: 'You're worried about one knife, I am telling you I will buy 10 knives. It's about my rights.' Samsudeen had reportedly performed internet searches asking about the guidelines of 'lone-wolf mujahideen', knife attacks and prison conditions in New Zealand. Following his release from prison, he was kept under 24/7 surveillance by police, who followed him from his home to the store on Friday. Advertisement

It was revealed that the Islamist arrived in New Zealand from Sri Lanka as a 22-year-old in 2011 on a student visa.

His initial claim for refugee status and was rejected two years later then granted on appeal.

In part of his first claim, Samsudeen said that he and his father had been kidnapped and tortured because of their political views and ethnicity.

The Immigration Protection Tribunal, with whom Samsudeen filed the appeal of his denied refugee claim, said some aspects of his account were 'superficially unsatisfactory,' but he was thought to be credible over all, the New Zealand Herald reported.

In 2016, he came to the attention of the police and intelligence agencies after expressing sympathy on Facebook for terrorist attacks.

During their investigations, it became evident Samsudeen's refugee status had been fraudulently obtained and the process to cancel his right to stay in New Zealand was begun, Ardern said.

Special permission was given to interview Samsudeen's family, who had also left Sri Lanka, during the investigations.

They confirmed they had been targeted during Sri Lanka's bloody civil war, but did not corroborate the torture and kidnapping claims.

The following year he was arrested at Auckland Airport, when it was suspected to be making his way to Syria.

A police search of his home uncovered a large hunting knife and 'material related to ISIS propaganda', court documents said.

Ardern said deportation notices were served in April 2019. But Samsudeen, who described himself as a Tamil Muslim, appealed the deportation.

He told a court he faced 'arrest, detention, mistreatment and torture' if sent back to Sri Lanka.

'He was still in prison at this time, and facing criminal charges. For a number of reasons, the deportation appeal could not proceed until after the conclusion of the criminal trial in May 2021,' Ardern said.

'In the meantime, agencies were concerned about the risk this individual posed to the community,' she added, noting officials knew he could be released and that the appeal, 'which was stopping his deportation, may take some time'.

New Zealand's immigration agency looked into ways of detaining Samsudeen during the appeal process through the Immigration Act, according to Ardern.

'It was incredibly disappointing and frustrating when legal advice came back to say this wasn't an option,' she said.

Samsudeen at that stage had been held in custody for three years and authorities had exhausted all avenues to keep him detained.

Attempts to have him charged under New Zealand's Terrorism Suppression Act were unsuccessful and Ardern said changes to New Zealand's counter-terrorism legislation were expected to be approved by parliament before the end of the month.

'In late August, officials including the commissioner of police raised the possibility of expediting the amendments,' she said.

Police commissioner Andrew Coster said there had been nothing unusual about Samsudeen's actions in the lead up to the attack, and that he had appeared to be doing normal grocery shopping.

Because he had a 'high level of paranoia' around surveillance, Coster said the police kept their distance, and it took more than two minutes to reach and shoot him after he started his stabbing spree.

The day after the attack, Sri Lankan authorities said they would cooperate with New Zealand's investigation 'in any way necessary', according to foreign ministry spokesman Kohularangan Ratnasingam.

Sri Lankan police sources said criminal investigators had already interviewed Samsudeen's brother, who lives in the capital Colombo.

Ardern said deportation notices were served in April 2019. But Samsudeen (pictured), who described himself as a Tamil Muslim, appealed the deportation

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster (pictured right) said there had been nothing unusual about Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen's actions in the lead up to the attack at an Auckland supermarket on Friday, and he had appeared to be doing normal grocery shopping

'We are collecting information about him as well as anyone else who may have had contacts with him,' a top police official said.

In an interview on Saturday, Samsudeen's mother claimed her son had been 'brainwashed' by neighbours she said hailed from Syria and Iraq.

'We knew there was a change in him,' she told Hiru TV from her home in Kattankudy, east of Colombo.

Sri Lanka's Muslim Council has condemned the Auckland attack as a 'barbaric act of terrorism'.

'This reminds all of us to come together and be united and fight against terrorism and violent extremism,' council member Mohamed Hisham told the news agency AFP.

Sri Lankan Muslim legislator Mujibur Rahman said his community was saddened by the attack, while lauding Ardern for easing public sentiment.

'Her statement soon after the incident defused the situation and ensured there was no harm to the Sri Lankan community (in New Zealand),' Rahman told AFP.

Ardern insisted no one community should be singled out for the violence.

'It was carried out by an individual, not a faith, not a culture, not an ethnicity,' she said.
Tony Blair today took a swipe at Joe Biden as he said the US withdrawal from Afghanistan will embolden the West's enemies and give them a 'belief our time is over'.

The former prime minister said 'it is clear now' the US has decided that for the 'foreseeable future' it has a 'very limited appetite for military engagement'.

Mr Blair suggested Europe and NATO should therefore 'develop the capability to act' when the US is 'unwilling'.

He suggested the US and the West more widely now seems to be focused on 'short term political imperatives' which have 'squeezed the space' for 'long term thinking'.

The apparent retreat from the world stage 'gives our allies anxiety and our opponents a belief our time is over'.

He also warned that Islamism remains a "first order" security threat and the West should prepare for potential use of biological weapons by extremist groups.

'Islamism, both the ideology and the violence, is a first order security threat and, unchecked, it will come to us, even if centred far from us, as 9/11 demonstrated,'

'COVID-19 has taught us about deadly pathogens. Bio-terror possibilities may seem like the realm of science fiction. But we would be wise now to prepare for their potential use by non-state actors.'.

Tony Blair today took a swipe at Joe Biden as he said the US withdrawal from Afghanistan will embolden the West's enemies and give them a 'belief our time is over'

The former prime minister said 'it is clear now' that the US under Mr Biden has decided that for the 'foreseeable future' it has a 'very limited appetite for military engagement'

Mr Biden has faced criticism over his handling of the US exit from Afghanistan after he stuck to his withdrawal deadline of August 31 despite pleas from the UK and other NATO allies to give evacuation efforts more time.

The apparent refusal to listen to the concerns of allies has sparked claims that British foreign policy is now at a 'crossroads' after decades of being tightly linked to the US.

Delivering a speech to the Royal United Services Institute military think tank to mark 20 years since the 9/11 terror attacks in the US, Mr Blair said Western society and its leaders 'have become quite understandably, deeply averse to casualties'.

He argued this is an 'overwhelming political constraint to any commitment to Western boots on the ground, except for Special Forces'.

Mr Blair said this created an 'obvious' problem because 'if the enemy we're fighting knows that the more casualties they inflict, the more our political will to fight erodes, then the incentive structure is plain'.

He continued: 'There is an additional challenge for Europe and NATO. It is clear now  if it wasn't before  that America has decided that for the foreseeable future, it has a very limited appetite for military engagement.'

Mr Blair said Europe and NATO must now consider the question of how to respond to international crises if the US is 'unwilling' to do so.

He said: 'Answering these questions, at least confronting them, would also reinvigorate Western policy-makers capacity to think strategically.

'For me, one of the most alarming developments of recent times, has been the sense that the West lacks the capacity to formulate strategy. That its short term political imperatives have simply squeezed the space for long term thinking.

'It is this sense more than anything else, in my judgement, which gives our allies anxiety and our opponents a belief our time is over.'
Parents have been warned about the dangers of cannabis sweets after an eight-year-old boy and 17-year-old girl were left seriously ill.

In total three children were left needing hospital treatment after two separate incidents in Bradford this weekend after consuming the super-potent cannabis sweets, known as edibles.

The cannabis-infused sweets are often designed to look like popular confectionery brands but can be up to 50 times stronger than a joint.

West Yorkshire Police said there were 'genuine concerns' the eight-year-old boy would not survive but all three have since recovered from their illness.

The first incident occurred shortly after midnight on Saturday when police were contacted by ambulance staff.

Paramedics had been called to an address in the Great Horton area of Bradford where the eight-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl were found seriously ill with 'poisoning type symptoms'.

Both were taken to hospital for treatment, with serious concerns for the condition of the younger child.

Parents have been warned about the dangers of cannabis sweets after an eight-year-old boy and 17-year-old girl were left seriously ill in hospital in Bradford, W. Yorkshire, this weekend

The force said their investigation established that the children had consumed cannabis edibles - sweets laced with THC - the psychoactive chemical in cannabis that causes intoxication.

On Saturday afternoon, police were contacted by staff at Bradford Royal Infirmary reporting a 15-year-old boy from the Great Horton area who had fallen ill after consuming cannabis edibles in a separate incident.

The trio of poisonings over the weekend sparked an urgent warning to parents in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

Police say they are investigating how the children obtained the drugs amid calls for action before the craze causes a tragedy.

The first two children had consumed a brand known as Stoney Worms Sour Brite which, according to the bag, contains 400mg of THC per pack.

Superintendent Richard Padwell, of Bradford District, said: 'These incidents are obviously a real cause for concern.

West Yorkshire Police say there were real concerns the eight-year-old boy would not survive

'Although the children involved have recovered after hospital treatment, there were initially genuine concerns for the youngest child that we could have been looking at a tragic outcome.

'We have been aware of cannabis edibles being in circulation for some time, and our neighbourhood policing teams and other specialist officers have been actively targeting those involved in their supply, with arrest and seizures and investigations ongoing.

'These recent incidents where the health of children has been put at risk very starkly illustrate the dangers of this particular form of cannabis.

'These edibles are professionally packaged like popular brands of sweets which can make them appear attractive to children, yet they often contain a very high dose of THC, which means that people can feel very unwell very quickly.

'We would urge parents and carers to be vigilant that these items are in circulation in our communities and to recognise the risks and report any concerns or information to us.

'We are working with our partner agencies, including local schools, to raise awareness of the issue as part of our ongoing efforts to safeguard young people from the use of these and other drugs.

Pictured: These cannabis sweets were seized by West Yorkshire Police in Wakefield

'At the same time, we will continue to proactively target those who are involved in the supply of these items and ensure they face the appropriate criminal penalties.'

The incident is just the latest example of children left needing hospital treatment after consuming the potent form of the drug.

The edibles are often packaged to look like popular children's sweet brands and dealers have been targeting young people on social media, with deliveries made often within 24 hours.

In July this year, two 13-year-old boys were rushed to hospital after eating sweets laced with suspected cannabis in the Merseyside area.

In October last year, 13 schoolgirls at a Catholic school in Camden were left needing hospital treatment after consuming edibles, which can be up to 50 times stronger than a joint.

The 'sweets' come in a variety of different strengths of THC - the active component in cannabis, ranging from 75mg to a mind-bending 300mg, which can cause vomiting and other side effects.

Pictured: Merseyside Police seized these cannabis-laced sweets, branded as 'Cannaburst' and 'Chuckles', after two 13-year-old boys ate some and were hospitalised in July this year

Concerns have been raised however, that not all the packaging contains adequate information as to their strength and simply state 'infused with cannabis.'

Some of the 'sweets' market themselves as a health treatment with one British website claiming: 'Eating marijuana works better for LONG LASTING pain relief muscle spasms and similar conditions.'

Because the substance is eaten rather than smoked, the effects can last much longer and sometimes don't even surface until hours after ingesting the product.

While no-one has ever died as a direct result of cannabis, users or those who have never taken the drug can misjudge doses, especially when eating it, and suffer side effects like vomiting and panic attacks.
Muscly calves and a woman from New Zealand with a love for ballet could be the missing pieces in one of Australia's most baffling murder mysteries.

The body of a fully-clothed man was discovered by two trainee jockeys near the shore of the Somerton Park Beach, south of Adelaide, on December 1, 1948.

A post-mortem ruled he had died from being poisoned, but the man known only as the 'Somerton Man' was never identified after no one claimed him.

Now more than 70 years later, a woman who claims to be his granddaughter and a leading expert on the baffling cold case are demanding answers after they fell in love at first sight.

Professor Derick Abbot believes the Somerton Man (left) may be an American and the father of an Australian ballet dancer - Robin Thomson - Ms Egan's father (right)

The victim, known as the 'Somerton Man', was found on Somerton Park Beach in South Australia on December 1948 with a coded message in his jacket (pictured)

Professor Derick Abbot has been trying to crack the famous Australian cold case for more than a decade, his efforts leading him to his now-wife Rachel Egan.

The professor believes the Somerton Man may be an American and the father of an Australian ballet dancer - Robin Thomson - Ms Egan's father.

He believes her grandmother, Adelaide nurse, Jo Thomson, otherwise known as Jestyn, may have had a secret relationship with the mystery man, he explained on ABC's Australian Story on Monday night.

The foundation for his belief comes from the fact that the Somerton Man's body was found about five minutes from Ms Thomson's home - and her number was scribbled on a piece of paper in his pocket.

But Ms Thomson denied ever knowing him.

The body of a fully-clothed man (pictured) was discovered by two trainee jockeys near the shore of the Somerton Park Beach, south of Adelaide, on December 1, 1948

The Somerton man's body was first found by passers-by who noticed him slumped against a seawall (pictured, an special effects image of what the Somerton Man may have looked like)

Robin Thomson grew up to perform with the Australian Ballet School and boasted a 'long and lean stature' that had made him perfect for the dance form (pictured)

Robin grew up to perform with the Australian Ballet School and boasted a 'long and lean stature' that had made him perfect for the dance form.

His sculpted legs made Professor Abbot reconsider reports he had read of the Somerton Man possessing the same muscly calves, leading to beliefs he may also have been a dancer.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS December 1, 1948: Trainee jockeys find the Somerton Man's body on Somerton Beach in the early hours January 14, 1949: Adelaide train station staff find suitcase believed to belong to Somerton Man in the station June 1949: Inquest into the man's mysterious death is launched June 1949: The Somerton Man is buried in West Terrace Cemetery March 2009: University of Adelaide Professor Derek Abbott begins investigating the case. His research leads to Rachel Egan. The couple later marry and have three children October 2019: South Australia Attorney-General gives conditional approval to exhume the body Advertisement

'This is what sent me on the track of wondering if they were related - was he Robin's father?,' he explained.

The professor took images of the Somerton Man's teeth and ear to an anatomist from Adelaide University who compared his features to Robin's.

Professor Maciej Henneberg said the pair were similar, pointing to their distinctive earlobes and the fact they had both been born without the same two teeth.

He estimated the combination of these two similarities was a one in ten thousand chance and therefore it was 'likely' Robin and the Somerton man were related.

Rachel Egan grew up in New Zealand with no siblings and admitted she had always felt a sense of disconnection with her family.

From a very young age she too threw herself into ballet as a form of solace despite there being no connection with the dance form in her family.

It was only in university when Ms Egan received a letter from a social worker telling her she had been adopted.

'I felt relieved, I felt a sense of happiness and it also gave me hope for the future to think that somewhere out there I had another family,' she said.

After making contact with her birth mother Roma Egan - a professional ballet instructor - she made the permanent move from New Zealand to Brisbane.

Roma had met her birth father Robin Thomson while studying at ballet school and followed him to New Zealand when he got an opportunity to dance there.

'I was an accidental conception. They didn't have the means to keep me and so I was adopted out to New Zealand,' Ms Egan explained.

After years of pouring over documents, photos and family trees, Professor Abbot (right) came to the hypothesis that Ms Egan (left) was the granddaughter of the Somerton Man

Ms Egan agreed to Professor Abbot look at her teeth and ears in case she had Mr Somerton's distinctive earlobes (pictured)

After years of pouring over documents, photos and family trees, Professor Abbot came to the hypothesis that Ms Egan was the granddaughter of the Somerton Man and sent her a letter to inform her of his findings.

Ms Egan admitted when she first heard the hypothesis it had seemed too far-fetched but agreed to meet for dinner with the professor to find out more.

She agreed to let him look at her teeth and ears in case she had Mr Somerton's distinctive features and soon became just as desperate for the mystery to be solved.

The pair fell in love and married shortly after they met. They now share three children, who they say have a lot of unanswered questions about their past.

Ms Egan no longer speaks to her birth mother Roma, due to her fears the professor was only marrying her daughter to access her DNA.

Mr Abbot theorises the Somerton Man travelled to Adelaide to visit Jo Thomson and her son and 'died for whatever reason out there on the beach'.

At the time, the nurse had a boyfriend, George, who she went onto marry. Mr Abbot believes Ms Thomson didn't want to identify the Somerton Man for this reason.

In 2019, South Australian Attorney-General Vickie Chapman granted approval for the body to be dug up from where it lay in the West Terrace Cemetery (pictured)

However experts say testing the DNA is difficult due to the small amount of 'comparison samples' (pictured, the exhumation of the human remains of the Somerton Man in May 2021)

In 2019, South Australian Attorney-General Vickie Chapman granted approval for the body to be dug up from where it lay in the West Terrace Cemetery.

Forensic Science Staff, the SA Police and major crime detectives all attended the exhumation of the remains in May of this year.

However experts say testing the DNA is difficult due to the small amount of 'comparison samples'. Robin Thomson was cremated when he died in 2009.

Ms Egan said finding out who the Somerton Man is will bring closure to her family and revealed she thinks about her alleged grandfather everyday.

'Our children have a lot of unanswered questions with regards to their family history and origins. And to date, we don't know how to answer those questions,' she said.

'By exhuming the body and giving Mr Somerton an identity, it will finally bring closure to this case and to the lives of a lot of people. There's a family out there somewhere who have lost somebody.'
The family killed by a Marine sharpshooter on Sunday in a random rampage in Florida have been identified as Justice Gleason, 40, his 33-year-old partner Theresa Lanham and their three-month-old son Jody.

They were all shot dead by Bryan Riley, a 33-year-old former Marine with PTSD who opened fire on their home in Lakeland, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, seemingly at random after telling his own girlfriend he was having mental health issues.

Riley engaged police in a gunfight but then surrendered unarmed.

Inside the home, police found Theresa still holding her baby's body, both of them lifeless. A 62-year-old woman described as the baby's grandmother was also found dead inside the home, as was the family's dog.

An 11-year-old girl who was also inside was shot seven times but survived and is now in the hospital.

Riley appeared in court on Monday morning charged with 17 charges; four counts of first degree murder, seven counts of attempted first degree murder of a law enforcement officer, two counts of shooting into a building, two counts of armed burglary, second degree arson and attempted first degree murder with a weapon.

He has been held without bond and is being represented by a public defender until he can find his own attorney.

At a press conference on Sunday, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the former Marine was a 'coward' for surrendering to police unarmed, which meant they couldn't shoot him.

Justice Gleason, 40, was shot dead along with his partner Theresa Lanham and their three-month-old son Jody. They are shown together left and before Theresa gave birth

'He came out with his hands up and that's why there was no further gunfire.

Bryan Riley, 33 slaughtered four people seemingly at random on Sunday in Lakeland, Florida

'It would have been nice if he'd come out with a gun... if he'd given us the opportunity, we would have shot him up a lot but he didn't, because he was a coward.

'You see, it's easy to shoot innocent children and babies and people in the middle of the night when you've got the gun and they don't but he was not much of a man,' Judd said.

Riley shot Gleason, the 33-year-old mother, her three-month-old baby and a 62-year-old grandmother inside the home.

He also shot dead the family dog.

Sheriff Judd said detectives have found no connection yet between the killer and his victims.

Theresa and Justice. He was mowing the lawn and she was inside the home with their children. An 11-year-old girl survived the shooting but was wounded seven times

Justice and Theresa at her baby shower. She gave birth to baby Jody in May

A backdoor, which a deputy used to gain entrance into the home, was completely shattered

When officers arrived on the scene, Judd said, they saw a truck on fire

There were also bullet holes on the side of the house

Gunshots are seen in the window of the North Lakeland home where the shooting occurred

'He just happened to be the unlucky one mowing the yard and Bryan stopped. We had a mad man with a lot of guns that shot and killed innocent people,' he said.

He called Riley a 'rabid animal' and 'evil in the flesh'.

Also inside the home was an 11-year-old girl who survived after being shot seven times.

Judd told the news conference that Riley's girlfriend of four years was cooperating with police to try to determine a motive.

He is a survivalist and had been taking methamphetamine, Judd said.

On his way into the family's home, he set glow sticks along the path in an attempt to 'draw' police 'into an ambush'.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a press conference on Sunday that it would have 'been nice' if the suspect had come out with a gun so that authorities could have shot him

Sheriff Judd said 33-year-old Riley, who completed tours of Afghanistan and Iraq, appeared to be suffering from mental health issues and had been slowly unravelling for weeks, repeatedly telling his girlfriend that he could communicate directly with God.

After a gunfight with police and deputies  where dozens 'if not hundreds of rounds' were exchanged outside the Lakeland home, Judd said, authorities found an 11-year-old girl shot multiple times, as well as the deceased victims.

Riley, a United States Marine who served as a sharp-shooter for four years in active service in Afghanistan and Iraq before being honorably discharged, reportedly suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and had a job as a security guard.

He described himself as a 'survivalist' and told police that he was high on methamphetamines at the time of the shooting. Police have not confirmed a toxicology report.

He had a concealed weapons license and 'virtually no criminal history,' according to the sheriff. He turned himself into authorities following the shooting.

'This guy, prior to this morning, was a war hero,' Judd said, adding that he is not a 'traditional criminal.'

As of now, he said, 'We find zero connection between our shooter and our victims.'

Charges against Riley are pending. He is expected in court on Monday afternoon.
The conservative radio host is also known for repeatedly denouncing the existence of systemic racism

He also noted that other countries 'compensated slave owners' with 'substantial amounts of money' after they lost property following the abolition of slavery

He said: 'You look at the amount of money adjusted for today's dollars, it's a great deal of money'

He said slave owners had their 'legal property' taken away from them at the end of the Civil War and they lost a

candidate Larry Elder argued in favor of reparations for former slavers during a July interview with Candance Owens

Black conservative radio host and politician Larry Elder is arguing in favor of reparations for slavers who had their 'legal property' taken away following the Civil War.

Elder, 69, appeared on The Candace Owens Show, alongside the show's namesake host, in July to offer his insight on race relations in America.

The topic of reparations was discussed after Owens brought up the abolition of the slave trade, opening dialogue about the logic behind supporting the compensation of former slave owners.

'When people talk about reparations, do they really want to have that conversation? Like it or not, slavery was legal,' Elder said.

'Their legal property was taken away from them after the Civil War, so you could make an argument that the people that are owed reparations are not only just Black people but also the people whose 'property' was taken away after the end of the Civil War.'

Reparations are often discussed through the lens of providing funds and other resources to black communities - not slave owners - and have been supported by several lawmakers and advocacy groups.

Black conservative radio host and politician Larry Elder (right) argued in favor of reparations for slavers who had their 'legal property' taken away following the Civil War during a July interview with Candace Owens (left)

During the interview, Elder argued that slave owners lost a significant amount of money and resources after the Civil War and the passage of the 13th amendment in 1865 - which partially abolished slavery.

'You look at the amount of money adjusted for today's dollars, it's a great deal of money,' he said.

He noted that other countries, such as the United Kingdom, 'compensated slave owners' with 'substantial amounts of money' after they lost their 'legal property'.

'That's why there was no war in the U.K. - the slave owners got substantial amounts of money,' he said.

U.K. leaders provided former slavers 20million in compensation from the British Slave Compensation Commission after slavery was abolished in the country in 1833, Yahoo News reported.

During the interview with Owens (left), Elder (right) argued that slave owners lost a significant amount of money and resources after the Civil War and the passage of the 13th amendment in 1865. He noted that other countries, such as the United Kingdom, 'compensated slave owners' with 'substantial amounts of money' after they lost their 'legal property'

Elder also argued that racism is not the number one problem the black community is facing, but instead argued that not having a father in the home is far more damaging.

'A kid today is less likely to be born under a roof with a biological mother and biological father than a kid during slavery,' he said.

'In 1965, 25 percent of black kids were born outside of wedlock. Now that number is nearly 70 percent. You cannot blame that on slavery.'

He continued: 'Forget about Larry Elder. Obama said a kid who does not have a father in the house is five times more likely to be poor, nine times more likely to drop out of school, 20 times more likely to end up in jail. It is far and away the number problem.'

Elder's interview with Owens is making headlines as he campaigns to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in California's recall election.

Elder's interview with Owens is making headlines as he campaigns to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in California's recall election

The radio host is known for repeatedly denouncing the existence of systemic racism, as outlined in a letter he wrote to Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) earlier this year.

It reads in part: 'Black leaders refuse to acknowledge the good news: Racism no longer remains a potent threat in American life. Most blacks remain solidly middle class, with blacks forming businesses at a faster rate than whites. The black domestic product, were it a separate country, makes it one of the fifteen wealthiest nations in the world.

'In America, we see two black Americas. The majority black world reflects increased prosperity, growing homeownership, and steady asset accumulation. The other, the so-called black underclass, remains disturbing. Quite simply, we see too many children having children. It stands, far and away, as America's No. 1 problem. Whatever role racism played, the complete abolition of white racism would leave these problems unresolved.'

He again denounced systemic racism in a 2019 tweet to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey:

'Dear @jack, There's no evidence, let alone 'widespread' evidence, of police 'systemic racism.' Decades of research find cops MORE HESITANT to use deadly force against blacks than whites. Yet @Blklivesmatter routinely posts the 'systemic racism' lie. When will you ban BLM?'

The radio host is known for repeatedly denouncing the existence of systemic racism, as evidenced in a tweet to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey

Alexandra Datig, right, accused her ex-fiancee of brandishing a gun at her during an argument in 2015. She said she came out with the story over concerns that Elder was a frontrunner

Meanwhile, Elder faces voter scrutiny as accusations of verbal and emotional abuse were made public by his ex-fiancee Alexandra Datig, 51, of Los Angeles.

In August, Datig told Politico that Elder threatened her with a .45 pistol during an argument in 2015.

Datig said she worked on Elder's show and they lived together during their 18-month romantic relationship from 2013 to 2015.

A letter and other records provided by Datig to The Associated Press - including an April 6, 2015, email in which she wrote about the collapse of their engagement - allegedly sketch a portrait of an emotionally abusive relationship in which Elder routinely was using medicinal marijuana to excess.

Elder has denied the claims, referring to them as 'salacious allegations'.

'I have never brandished a gun at anyone,' he wrote in a statement released on Twitter.

'I grew up in South Central; I know exactly how destructive this type of behavior is. It's not me, and everyone who knows me knows it's not me. These are salacious allegations.'

Datig said she waited until recently to come forward because she initially didn't think he would be competitive.

'I didn't take it seriously but when Larry started to trend and become the frontrunner, I became extremely concerned,' she said.

Elder has denied the abuse claims and referred to them as 'salacious allegations' in a statement released on Twitter.

During his campaign, Elder has received repeated criticism for his decades of comments undermining racism and sexism in America, saying African-Americans and women 'complain too much.'

The black conservative was also criticized for his comments against African Americans in his books and radio talk show, which began in the early 1990s and brushed aside conversations of police brutality during the Rodney King riots, NBC reported.

According to a FiveThirtyEight poll released last week, Elder continues to lead among the gubernatorial hopefuls, with about 22.6 per cent of voters choosing him to replace Newsom.

Newsom faces a close battle as 51.1 percent of voters think he should stay as governor, with 45.3 percent wanting to recall him.

If Newsom is recalled on Sept. 14, the rival candidate with the most votes would become the new governor.

This is the second recall election in California's history. The first instance happened in 2003, when Gray Davis was sent packing just months into his second term with 55 percent of Californians voting to oust the Democrat. Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger won 48 percent of those who voted to recall to ascend to the office.
Doctors in eight states will soon be forced to choose which patients get an ICU bed amid soaring hospitalizations, Dr Fauci has warned.

The warning comes as ICU beds in hospitals in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Nevada and Kentucky reached 90 per cent capacity on Sunday.

Fauci said doctors are 'perilously close' to having to make 'some very tough decisions' as the number of hospitalizations continues to rise.

Over 79 per cent of ICU beds across the US are currently in use, with a third filled by Covid-19 patients, according to data from the department of Health and Human Services.

Fauci told CNN people should 'pull out all the stops on everything we can do to prevent new infections', including encouraging more people to get vaccinated.

'Vaccination is number one', the chief medical advisor to the president said.

Doctors in eight states will soon be forced to choose which patients get an ICU bed amid soaring hospitalizations, the President's chief medical advisor Dr Fauci has warned

Dr Fauci (left) told CNN people should 'pull out all the stops on everything we can do to prevent new infections', including encouraging more people to get vaccinated

Dr Fauci's warning comes as hospitals in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Nevada and Kentucky reached 90 per cent capacity on Sunday

Fauci told host Jim Acosta: 'What we really should be doing, and I hope we are doing it, is to do everything we can to mitigate this number of people who are getting infected and requiring hospitalization and ICU beds.

'We are perilously close... of having in certain areas of the country, getting so close to having full occupancy that you're going to be in the situation where you have to make some very tough choices.

'The thing to do right now is to pull out all the stops on everything we can do to prevent new infections which will ultimately lead to hospitalization. Vaccination is the number one.'

The chief medical advisor said vaccine mandates 'at the local level' were important and called for masks mandates 'because we know masks work'.

Questioned on how children who are too young to get the jab should avoid Covid-19, Fauci implored parents to surround them 'with vaccinated people'.

'In the school system, that's why the CDC recommends the using of masks in the school system, even when there are many many vaccinated people.

'We've got to do everything we possibly can to protect them from getting infected, and as I mentioned that's getting the people around them vaccinated and wearing masks', he added.

Over 79 per cent of ICU beds across the US are currently in use, with a third filled by Covid-19 patients, according to data from the department of Health and Human Services

It comes after Fauci said on Sunday that officials were likely to soon get the regulatory go-ahead to administer Covid-19 vaccine booster shots made by Pfizer.

Asked on CBS' 'Face the Nation,' about President Joe Biden's goal to give booster shots starting September 20, Fauci said that 'in some respects' that remained the plan.

But he said that while Pfizer-BioNTech has submitted the necessary data on booster shots to the FDA, Moderna has yet to complete the process.

Fauci said he hopes to give both vaccines when boosters doses roll out, but if Moderna does not complete the process before September 20, then Moderna boosters will be given later.

Moderna and the FDA did not immediately return emails seeking comment. In a statement released Wednesday, Moderna said it had 'initiated its submission' of booster data to the FDA.

How - or even whether - to administer boosters has emerged as a thorny issue as Covid-19 continues to kill unvaccinated people around the world.

Last month the Biden administration announced it would start offering boosters to Americans by September 20, usurping the process by which the FDA and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention usually decide on such issues.

Scientists are still debating how much additional immunity boosters provide and whether all Americans should get another shot, rather than just those at high risk of severe illness.

Speaking Sunday, Fauci emphasized that both boosters were assumed to be safe, but that the FDA and other officials would study the data to make sure.

'When you're dealing with allowing the American public to receive an intervention, you want to make sure you're absolutely certain,' he said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said the Monderna booster shot won't be ready by the goal date of September 20  but Pfizer should be ready for administration by then

Goal was that both boosters would be ready for administration by September 20 as the Delta variant surges and more breakthrough cases of COVID pop up

On Thursday, Fauci said health officials were 'keeping a very close eye' on the Mu variant but that it was 'not an immediate threat', despite being added to the WHO's 'variant of interest' list on August 30.

The Mu variant, also known as B.1.621, 'has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape,' according to the weekly pandemic bulletin published by the WHO.

'Yes, we certainly are aware of the Mu variant. We're keeping a very close eye on it,' Fauci said on Thursday.

He added that the Mu variant is 'not at all even close to being dominant' as the Delta variant maintains its 99 per cent dominance among coronavirus infections.

'Even though it has not - in essence - taken hold to any extent here, we always pay attention to - at all times  variants,' Fauci said.

'This variant has a constellation of mutations that suggest that it would evade certain antibodies, not only monoclonal antibodies, but vaccine and convalescent serum- induced antibodies,' Fauci said.

'But there isn't a lot of clinical data to suggest that. It is mostly laboratory, in-vitro data. Not to downplay it, we take it very seriously.'
Relatives of the victims of Malaysian Airlines flight 17 have accused Russia of lying over its alleged role in the downing of the plane, which killed 298 people.

International investigators concluded that the passenger plane was shot down over eastern Ukraine with a missile fired by pro-Russian rebels. Moscow denies all responsibility.

Family members began testifying in the Dutch murder trial of four suspects on Monday.

'They are lying, we know they are lying and they know that we know that they are lying,' Ria van der Steen, who lost her father and stepmother on the flight, told the court, saying she was citing the late Soviet dissident writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

Van der Steen was the first of dozens of relatives who will be given an opportunity to speak or submit written statements over the coming three weeks.

MH17 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014 when it was hit by what international investigators and prosecutors say was a Russian surface-to-air missile that originated from a Russian base just across the Ukrainian border.

Van der Steen made the remarks about lying in Russian, explaining that she did so 'for the benefit of those who are listening in on behalf of the Russian regime today.'

Relatives of the victims of Malaysian Airlines flight 17 have accused Russia of lying over its alleged role in the downing of the plane, which killed 298 people. Pictured: Ria van der Steen, whose father and stepmother were killed

Van der Steen (left) made the remarks about lying in Russian, explaining that she did so 'for the benefit of those who are listening in on behalf of the Russian regime today'

Under Dutch law, the relatives are allowed to make a victim impact statement to the court, without being asked questions. About 90 people plan to do so over the next three weeks. Pictured: Court on Monday

'I want it to be known that I know where the responsibility lies' she said, adding that 'lying and falsehoods are a familiar tactic in this game of cat and mouse through which we are aspiring to uncover the truth'.

Russia, which maintains that it has not funded or supported rebels fighting Ukrainian government troops, has refused to extradite the suspects.

Under Dutch law, the relatives are allowed to make a victim impact statement to the court, without being asked questions. About 90 people plan to do so over the next three weeks, some speaking via live video links from other countries.

'I think probably next to the verdict, it is one of the most important days for the family members because they can speak to the court, but through speaking to the court, they speak to the suspects and also to the responsible people wherever they are hiding,' said Peter Langstraat, a lawyer representing victims' relatives. 'So this is a form of communication with the people who are responsible for this disaster.'

Van der Steen told the Badhoevedorp courtroom on Monday that the deaths of her father and stepmother left her with feelings of hate, revenge, anger and fear.

She spoke of waking up screaming from nightmares of walking across fields in Ukraine looking for her father to let him know he had died.

'I saw the wreckage, bodies, personal effects,' she recalled, 'I could not stop crying until I woke up screaming.'

MH17 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014 when it was hit by what international investigators and prosecutors say was a Russian surface-to-air missile that originated from a Russian base just across the Ukrainian border [File photo]

Peter Langstraat (pictured), one of nine lawyers representing the victims' families, said that 'next to the verdict', the time when family members can speak is one of the most important days for victims' relatives

After first being told it would not be possible to identify the bodies of her loved ones, van der Steen finally learned that her father had been identified thanks to a tiny piece of bone of his hand.

'Happily, we received news soon after that a small piece of bone of [my stepmother] Neeltje was found and that she, too, was identified,' said van der Steen, recalling how shocked she was when presented with the two small bags of bones.

'I knew it was them, but emotionally I did not want to accept it,' she told the court.

'To the perpetrators, seven years ago, you broke up my family in the worst way imaginable,' said Vanessa Rizk, testifying remotely from Australia. Vanessa and her brother James lost their parents in the crash.

'Seven years on, I am determined that you will never, ever break my spirit,' she said.

The trial opened in March 2020 and progressed through a long series of preliminary hearings before lawyers began discussing the merits of the case in June. The complex case is expected to continue into next year.

After a years-long painstaking international investigation, prosecutors charged four suspects - Russians Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Oleg Pulatov as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko - with multiple counts of murder for their alleged involvement in shooting down the flight.

Only Pulatov sent lawyers to represent him so the case is not considered to be entirely tried in absentia under Dutch law.

Last week, investigators appealed to Russians to come forward with information about the deployment of the missile that investigators say downed the plane.
Suspected acid attack victims attempted to soothe their skin with milk after being splashed with an unknown substance in a busy Cardiff street.

Five people were rushed to hospital with injuries after police were called to the scene following reports of an assault on Sunday afternoon.

Empty milk and water bottles were spotted strewn across the road outside an Afro Barber Shop on City Road.

Police say that tests are being carried out to determine the substance, but it is likely to be bleach or peroxide.

A spokeswoman said that the five were released from hospital on the same day.

No arrests have been made, but officers believe the people involved are known to each other.

A cordon was put in place outside a row of businesses including Afro Barber Shop and Ponnuswamy Restaurant.

Pictures from the scene show several half-empty milk cartons along with discarded water bottles on the ground

South Wales Police were called to City Road at around 2.45pm on Sunday following reports of an assault

A large cordon outside the barbers' shop was sealed off following the attack and ambulance officials said they sent its 'hazardous area' response team.

One witness said he had just been to the supermarket when he saw a man covered in milk trying to 'neutralise the acid' on his skin.

He said: 'When I went into Tesco a bloke came storming towards me topless covered in milk, saying he'd had acid thrown on him, using the milk to neutralise the acid.

'All the staff in Tesco were clearing up the milk. It was bonkers.'

An employee in a shop on the road, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: 'I saw a person who had been hit in the eye and his eyes were red.

'When I asked [witnesses], they said they gassed this person.

'After a few minutes, the ambulance arrived and they were washing the face of this young man with milk. I asked the onlookers what the matter was and they said it was as if the customers were quarrelling inside a shop and that they had hit each other with tear gas.'

South Wales Police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

A police cordon was in place outside businesses on City Road, Cardiff, following an assault in which five people were injured

A spokesman for the force said: 'At around 2.44pm on Sunday emergency services attended an address on City Road, Cardiff, after reports of an assault.

'Five people attended hospital with superficial injuries.

'Officers are appealing for anyone with mobile phone or dash-cam footage of the incident or the aftermath to please contact us quoting ref 2100312749.'

A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesman said the Hazardous Area Response Team was called to the scene.

They said they took two people to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.

A number of eyewitnesses reported a large emergency service presence including South Wales Police and Welsh Ambulance crews.

Officers are appealing for anyone with mobile phone or dash-cam footage of the incident or the aftermath to contact them quoting ref 2100312749.
A council has sought an injunction to prevent the sale of an Elizabethan panel as they claim it was illegally removed from a 16th century manor.

The oak overmantle was due to go up for auction last Monday but was withdrawn last minute after Stafford Borough Council took legal action.

Experts estimate the rare engraving, which measures 9ft by 5ft, could be worth between 1.9million and 5million.

But the council claims the mantle was removed from Seighford Hall, a grade II listed near Stafford, without listed building consent and wants it returning so it can be reinstalled.

Stafford Borough Council has taken legal action to prevent the sale of this Tudor overmantle which was installed at Seighford Hall but that they claim was removed without permission

But its owner, Andrew Potter, claims he was given the item with a receipt and had intended to use it for a headboard until he was informed about its true value, the Shropshire Star reports.

The matter is due before a county court in Birmingham on September 10 where it will be decided if it should be taken any further.

Michael Jones, from Whitchurch Auctions who were due to host its sale, told the Star it was a 'frivolous injunction' as Mr Potter had been given a receipt.

Mr Potter told the newspaper he had acquired it from Seighford Hall two years ago and had intended to use it as a headboard because it was infested with woodworm.

He added: 'I took it home and left it in my garage. Then there was the lockdown. I kept it in the garage and the weather was so hot it dried it out and all the woodworm was gone.'

Before the sale was stopped, Mr Potter said he was receiving interest from prospective buyers around the world and it was expected to have a 2million reserve.

Andrew Potter denies any wrongdoing and claims he acquired the artefact from Seighford Hall (pictured) with a receipt while auctioneer Michael Jones described the injunction as 'frivolous'

It is thought the overmantle depicts the coat of arms of Queen Elizabeth I and it is thought to have been gifted to Richard Eld in recognition of his actions while serving as paymaster to Royal forces in Ulster.

Work is underway to convert Seighford Hall into a luxury hotel.

The authority is bringing the case under the Dealing in Cultural Objects (Offences) Act 2003.

This legislation refers to the acquisition of cultural property and makes it an offence to acquire, dispose of, import or export 'tainted' cultural objects, or agree or arrange to do so; and for connected purposes.

A spokesman for Stafford Borough Council told MailOnline: 'We applied for the injunction to stop an offence being committed under the Dealing in Cultural Objects (offences) Act.

'We want to prevent the sale of the overmantel and have the panel reinstated in the listed building.'
Australian states are locked in a 'Hunger Games' style battle for vaccine doses with NSW accused of grabbing more than their fair share of jabs.

Pfizer vaccines that arrive in the country are distributed to each state and territory based on population size - with more populous states getting more doses.

However, there appears to be an uneven playing field as Victoria is only receiving 66 per cent of what NSW is allocated - despite population figures indicating they should receive 82 per cent - with the difference going back into Sydney.

NSW is receiving 45 per cent of Australia's Pfizer jabs despite only having 32 per cent of the population (pictured: a nurse gives a vaccine in Sydney on August 4)

'It's almost a sense of the Hunger Games of people chasing vaccines,' Laura Tingle said on the ABC's 7:30 on Monday.

NSW is in the midst of the country's most serious Covid outbreak of 2021 with the Delta strain pushing case numbers above 1,000 a day for the past week.

In response vaccine deliveries to NSW have been 'brought forward' or 'reallocated' to get them to Covid hotspots across Sydney's west and south-west.

'The extent to which vaccines have been concentrated on New South Wales at the cost of other states may come as a surprise,' Ms Tingle said.

According to data made publicly available by the federal government, in late June 2021 as the outbreak was gaining momentum, NSW was getting 32 per cent of Australia's vaccines - the same proportion as their share of Australia's population.

But by August 23 this had spiked to 45 per cent - boosted by extra jabs such as a shipment from Poland - but also snatched from the allocations of other states and territories.

The uneven vaccine distribution could effect how quickly states open up with the race compared to a 'Hunger Games' style competition (pictured, Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games film)

Victoria, where 26 per cent of the country's population lives, is only receiving 21.5 per cent of Pfizer jabs as of August 23.

Queensland, the home of 20 per cent of Australians, was getting 15 per cent of vaccines and WA, with 10 per cent of the population, was getting seven per cent of jabs.

The impact of this stretches far beyond simply moving extra jabs to where there are more Covid cases.

For example in two weeks in August, NSW administered a huge 904,184 jabs - more than double that given to Victorians.

With a plentiful supply of Pfizer jabs, NSW would be able to double-vaccinate its residents much faster than other states - thus opening up much sooner and ending hated lockdowns.

NSW would experience the economic and social benefits of this at the expense of other states who then have to wait longer, critics suggest.

Australian Wiradjuri elder and Indigenous rights activist Aunty Jenny Munro (pictured right) receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a pop-up vaccination clinic at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Redfern, Sydney

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley told 7:30 it was 'disappointing that the Commonwealth appears to be pursuing a national plan to vaccinate NSW at the expense of all other Australians'.

The Queensland government is also understood to have expressed their frustration with vaccine allocation to the federal government in August.

According to the health department's vaccine horizon's document the uneven distribution continues until December.

A spokesperson for the federal government's Operation COVID Shield, which is handling the vaccine rollout, said vaccines had been rushed to NSW in response to the outbreak where the risk to Australians is greater.

They added extra doses would be provided to other states from September 13 to even out the distribution - though to what extent remains unclear.

A new shipment of half a million Pfizer doses arrived from the UK in Sydney on Sunday (pictured)
Al Watkins, the attorney for Capitol rioter Jacob Chansley, also known as the 'QAnon Shaman,' compared his client's fondness for Donald Trump to that of a first love.

Watkins offered the defense of his client at a news conference on Friday after Chansley's federal court hearing in which he pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for his role in the insurrection.

'He had a fondness for Trump that was not unlike the first love a man may have for a girl, or a girl for a man, or man for a man,' Watkins said of his client.

'The first love always, always maintains a tender and soft spot in the heart of the lover.'

Chansley, 33, of Phoenix, Arizona, was photographed inside the Capitol shirtless on January 6, wearing a horned headdress and heavily tattooed. He has been held without bond since his arrest shortly after the riot.

At a press conference on Friday, attorney Al Watkins argued that 'QAnon Shaman' Jacob Chansley has mental health vulnerabilities and was seduced by Donald Trump to participate in the riot

Chansley, who became the face of the Capitol riot due to his outlandish garb, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice Friday

Chansley, 33, of Phoenix Arizona could face up to five years in prison, but prosecutors say they will likely seek a shorter sentence. He has been in prison since shortly after the riot

He could face up to five years in prison, but federal prosecutors plan to seek a penalty between 44 months and the maximum five years, while Watkins hinted that he would argue that Chansley should be freed on time served.

Watkins also reiterated his insistence that Chansley now disavows the QAnon conspiracy theory, and said his client wants to take responsibility for his actions.

'Today Jake made a monumental step toward doing right by our nation,' said Watkins, who argued that Chansley has mental health vulnerabilities and was seduced by Donald Trump to participate in the riot.

Chansley had been a supporter of the QAnon conspiracy theory that casts Trump as a savior figure and elite Democrats as a cabal of Satanist pedophiles and cannibals.

In an earlier statement, Watkins asserted that Chansley 'has repudiated the `Q previously assigned to him and requests future references to him be devoid of use of the letter `Q.'

Watkins said that Chansley had faced 'a great deal of familial pressure not to take a plea' from family members who still embrace the dubious theory that Trump will resume the office of presidency imminently and pardon him.

Chansley is seen in a court sketch earlier this year. He is one of more than 600 people who have been arrested for taking part in the riot

'It was a really brave thing for him to do,' Watkins said of Chansley agreeing to plead guilty.

Watkins insisted that Chansley did not have violent or malevolent intentions when he joined the mob that stormed the Capitol.

Chansley himself was seen howling from the dias of the Senate president, where prosecutors say he wrote a threatening note to then-Vice President Mike Pence that read: 'It's Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming!'

'In his heart and in his mind he was helping the president save the country,' said Watkins.

'Jacob Chansley did not have a plan...he was half naked, tattooed, on a winter day in DC,' the attorney said. 'Granted, he had the best costume of the day, he had the best look.

Trump loyalists gather in front of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. A pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, breaking windows and clashing with police

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

While in detention, Chansley underwent mental examinations and was diagnosed by prison officials with transient schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety.

Before entering the plea, Chansley was found by a judge to be mentally competent.

His lawyer Watkins said the solitary confinement that Chansley faced for most of his time in jail has had an adverse effect on his mental health and that his time under mental evaluation in Colorado helped him regain his sharpness.

'I am very appreciative for the court's willingness to have my mental vulnerabilities examined,' Chansley said before pleading guilty to a charge of obstructing an official proceeding.

Watkins noted that prosecutors had acknowledged Chansley was 'not a planner or organizer' of the riot.

Chansley's mother Martha is seen above. Watkins said that Chansley faced pressure from his mother and grandfather not to take a plea, because they believe Trump will resume office

Chansley formerly vocally supported the QAnon conspiracy theory that casts Trump as a savior figure and elite Democrats as a cabal of Satanist pedophiles and cannibals

Chansley shot to worldwide infamy when he stormed the Capitol sporting face-paint, a fur hat and holding a Star-Spangled spear

Nearly 600 people have been arrested over the attack on the Capitol where Congress was meeting to certify Joe Biden's November victory over Trump. Earlier Trump had given a fiery speech falsely claiming his defeat was the result of fraud.

Watkins argued on Friday that not everyone who participated in the mob should be painted with the 'broad brush' of being labeled an insurrectionist.

'They are our countrymen, they are our relatives, they are the guy down the street,' he said. 'But for January 6, you would have had a beer with them.'

While the charge carries both a maximum 20-year prison term and a fine of up to $250,000, prosecutor Kimberly Paschall indicated the maximum sentence the government was likely to request would be much shorter.

In the months before Friday's hearing, Senior U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth rejected multiple requests from Chansley for possible pre-trial release.

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'

On Friday, Watkins asked the judge to allow Chansley to be released from prison pending a sentencing hearing, scheduled for November 17. The judge said he would consider this request.

In the meantime, Chansley remains in federal custody in Alexandria, Virginia.

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'.

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.'
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The Indian Delta variant forced New York City to cancel its official JOuvert festivities for the second straight year, but that didnt stop Brooklyns Caribbean community from staging its own unofficial party before the crack of dawn on Monday.

With the New York Police Department keeping a close eye on the events, hundreds of Brooklynites dressed up in Caribbean garb descended on Eastern Parkway in the early morning hours of Monday and danced to the sounds of whistles and drums.

J'Ouvert, which marks the official start of Caribbean carnival, is a tradition started by freed slaves after emancipation. Many were decked out in colorful costumes while waving the flags of their native Caribbean homelands.

The formal part of Brooklyn's J'Ouvert is the steel drum parade, but celebrations often begin hours earlier.

The streets of the Crown Heights and Flatbush neighborhoods fill up with people eating and drinking at barbecues and parties, carrying the flags of their countries, dousing one another with paint, and walking or dancing along with family and friends until daylight.

Large chunks of the West Indian community that resides in parts of Crown Heights and Flatbush have not been vaccinated, according to city data.

Figures show that only 28 percent of black New York City residents between the ages of 18 and 44 are fully vaccinated, compared to 49 percent of Hispanics, 52 percent of whites, and 82 percent of Asians in the same age group.

A New Yorker waves the flag of Haiti during unofficial J'Ouvert celebrations near Brooklyn's Prospect Park on Monday

Hundreds of revelers danced and partied in the early morning hours of Labor Day - unbothered by the city's decision to cancel the official celebration

Hundreds of revelers walked along Eastern Parkway near the Prospect Park section of Brooklyn early on Monday morning

NYPD officers look on as revelers celebrate unofficial J'Ouvert festivities in Brooklyn before dawn on Monday

A contingent of NYPD officers secured the procession, which was held peacefully.

Last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the citys official JOuvert celebration would be cancelled and the Caribbean Carnival Parade would be significantly scaled back due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

A little over one-third of New York City residents remain unvaccinated - which factored into the decision.

Both events are expected to be staged at full capacity next year.

J'Ouvert celebrations took place near the Brooklyn Museum in the early morning hours of Monday

JOuvert usually begins at 4am on Labor Day on the streets of Brooklyn

J'Ouvert, which marks the official start of Caribbean carnival, is a tradition started by freed slaves after emancipation

The formal part of Brooklyn's J'Ouvert is the steel drum parade, but celebrations often begin hours earlier

The streets of the Crown Heights and Flatbush neighborhoods fill up with people eating and drinking at barbecues and parties

Revelers carry the flags of their countries, douse one another with paint, and walk or dance along with family and friends until daylight

Curtis - aka King Jab1 - poses for a photograph outside of Brooklyn Public Library on Monday

The Indian Delta variant forced New York City to cancel its official JOuvert festivities for the second straight year, but that didnt stop Brooklyns Caribbean community from staging its own unofficial party before the crack of dawn on Monday

Brooklyn's J'Ouvert festivities have been marred by violence in past years, but this year's event was peaceful

Celebrants walk by the First Baptist Church during unofficial J'Ouvert celebrations on Monday

It is a smart approach. It is a healthy approach, de Blasio said last week when asked about the decision.

This is never easy for people to postpone a cherished tradition, but its the right thing to do and a great alternative has been put together.

The mayor said that the decision to pare down the events was made by organizers, though he expressed his support.

The image above shows a woman at the J'Ouvert festivities at the intersection of East 53rd Street and Clarkson Avenue in Brooklyn on Monday

The celebration takes place before the West Indian Day Parade, which features Caribbean costumes, dancing and food

Revelers enjoy themselves on the streets of Brooklyn for J'Ouvert before dawn on Monday

Two revelers look on as they sit in a Vespa in the early morning hours of Monday in Brooklyn

The mayor said that the decision to pare down the events was made by organizers, though he expressed his support

Partygoers smile as they walk and drive their motorcycles near the Brooklyn Museum on Monday

The mayor defended the decision to cancel JOuvert even though the city has allowed other mass events like the US Open to take place

The Big Apple now requires proof of vaccination for people attending indoor venues such as restaurants, gyms and shows, as the city tries to get back on its feet.

The mayor defended the decision to cancel JOuvert even though the city has allowed other mass events like the US Open to take place.

Just three days before the start of the Open, de Blasio required fans who attend the matches to be vaccinated.

The decision caused a backup at the Queens complex and sparked outrage from many who did not have proof of vaccination or have not gotten the shot.

De Blasio said that every event is its own reality.

Big events out in communities are one thing, the mayor said.

The events were talking about could attract hundreds of thousands of people at a given moment - thats one thing.

A controlled event in a stadium is another thing, but the bottom line is the same.

We need people to be safe.

A reveler takes part in the J'Ouvert celebrations in Brooklyn in the early morning hours of Monday

NYPD officers look on as the procession takes place along Eastern Park in Brooklyn on Monday

The procession goes past the Brooklyn Museum near Prospect Park in the early morning hours of Monday

Partygoers enjoy themselves at the unofficial J'Ouvert celebrations in the Prospect Park section of Brooklyn on Monday

A man records the festivities on his cell phone as a young boy next to him looks on in Brooklyn on Monday

Partygoers enjoy the unofficial J'Ouvert festivities in Brooklyn before dawn on Monday

NYPD officers and onlookers watch as partygoers stage unofficial J'Ouvert festivities before dawn on Monday

Brooklyn's J'Ouvert festivities have been marred by violence in past years.

Last year, a mother and son were among five people wounded by gunfire when shots rang out at the intersection of Nostrand Avenue and Crown Street in Crown Heights.

In 2016, 17-year-old Tyreke Borel was shot in the chest and died. A 72-year-old woman was grazed in the arm by a bullet at the same location.

Soon after, a 22-year-old woman, Tiarah Poyau, was shot in the head just a block away and also died.

Some 300 people gathered for the pre-dawn procession last year to celebrate J'Ouvert. Video obtained by DailyMail.com shows festivalgoers screaming in terror and fleeing after gunshots rang out.

Just as he did this year, Mayor Bill de Blasio canceled the official J'Ouvert celebration due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But many people got up early to recognize J'Ouvert - a pre-dawn party that signifies the launch of Carnival in Caribbean nations - before daybreak on Monday anyway.
A four-foot replica of Mount Rushmore with Donald Trump's face etched on it, which was gifted to him by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, has been pictured for the first time.

Noem presented the former president with the sculpture after he made a speech at the site on July 3, 2020, as part of the state's Fourth of July celebrations.

The replica was never revealed to the public and little was known about it other than a disclosure filing with the Office of Government Ethics that suggest it cost $1,100. Noem's office has said that it was funded by private donors, not taxpayers' money.

The existence of the gift was first reported by the New York Times four days after Trump's 2020 speech, but a photo of the sculpture showing Trump's face etched to Abraham Lincoln's has not been seen until now.

Trump said in a tweet about a month after his speech that it 'sounds like a good idea' to put him on Mount Rushmore, after the Times claimed that a White House aide reached out to Noem to discuss the plan.

The president, who has long floated the idea, denied that he had ever requested having himself added to the monument. But, he said, it was a fine idea, given his accomplishments.

Former President Donald Trump was gifted a replica of Mount Rushmore by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. Its cost was set at $1,100 and it was funded by private donors, not taxpayers' money

One of Donald Trump's reported secrets is that he's always wanted to feature on the memorial

Mount Rushmore was started in 1927, and never completed. Work ended with the death of sculptor Gutzon Borglum in 1941. Borglum chose to carve the heads of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln to represent the nation's birth, growth, development and preservation, respectively.

Mount Rushmore is asked 'daily' to add presidents to the sculpture - but it's 'impossible' because there is no more space Mount Rushmore was started in 1927, and never completed. Work ended with the death of sculptor Gutzon Borglum in 1941. Maureen McGee-Ballinger, public information officer at Mount Rushmore, told The Argus Leader last year that workers are asked daily whether any president can be added. For years, people have suggested Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, among others. A website has been set up advocating for Obama. McGee-Ballinger said it was impossible. 'There is no more carvable space up on the sculpture,' she said. 'When you are looking on the sculpture, it appears there might be some space on the left next to Washington or right next to Lincoln. 'You are either looking at the rock that is beyond the sculpture (on the right), which is an optical illusion, or on the left, that is not carvable.' Advertisement

After his July speech at Mount Rushmore last year, Trump tweeted that it was a 'good idea' to have his face added to the landmark on the Lakota people's sacred Black Hills.

'This is Fake News by the failing @nytimes & bad ratings @cnn,' he tweeted, in response to the article.

'Never suggested it although, based on all of the many things accomplished during the first 3 1/2 years, perhaps more than any other Presidency, sounds like a good idea to me!'

The request by the White House aide was made last year, a Republican official told The New York Times.

The White House, asked about the request, did not deny that it had taken place, and instead replied that it was a federal, not state, monument.

Trump first raised the prospect of having his face carved on the historic site soon after he took office, in January 2017.

Noem, who at the time was a Congresswoman representing South Dakota, said he mentioned the idea during that first meeting.

'He said: "Kristi, come on over here. Shake my hand,"' Noem recalled.

'I shook his hand, and I said: "Mr President, you should come to South Dakota sometime. We have Mount Rushmore."

'And he goes: "Do you know it's my dream to have my face on Mount Rushmore?"

Noem said she thought he was joking.

'I started laughing,' she said. 'He wasn't laughing, so he was totally serious.'

Later that year, Trump raised it again - this time in public, at a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, in July.

'I'd ask whether or not you think I will someday be on Mount Rushmore, but here's the problem: If I did it joking, totally joking, having fun, the fake news media will say 'he believes he should be on Mount Rushmore,' he said.

'So I won't say it, OK? I won't say it.'

In his July3, 2020 speech, Trump blasted 'cancel culture' and defended Mount Rushmore, a monument he deeply admires

President Donald Trump with South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who gifted to former President with a replica of Mount Rushmore with himself sculpted on it

Noem, who in 2018 was elected the first female governor of South Dakota, had long hoped that Trump would visit her state for the July 4 fireworks at the site.

When he did, last year, she presented him with a four-foot replica of the site, which included his image carved alongside George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

Noem was rewarded for her efforts with a trip on Air Force One after the July 4 event.

In getting the sculpture made, Noem's staff contacted Dallerie Davis, a local art agent and realtor based in Rapid City, who represents several sculptors in the state, according to Davis and another person working in Noem's office who chose to remain anonymous.

Noem's office reportedly needed the Mount Rushmore statuette to be built in a month, just in time for the former President's speech, which took place on July 3, 2020.

Mount Rushmore's massive measurements are: 27 inches wide, 12 inches high, and 8-1/2 inches deep. It features the following four presidents (left to right): George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

Davis turned to Lee Leuning and Sherri Treeby, a local sculpting team in Aberdeen South Dakota, who formed the art Studio Bad River Artworks with countless pieces on display in the state and across the country, especially in the Midwest, according to the Daily Beast.

Leuning and Treeby were not only reputed for their excellent around the clock, but above all else, they were Trump supporters, Davis said.

Applying what's commonly known as 'lost wax casting', an ancient technique that uses a clay model, hot wax and molten bronze, the pair managed to graft a bust of Trump in his usual suit and tie outfit onto mini-Mount Rushmore.

Only three copies were made, according to Leuning and Treeby, with one being gifted to Trump, and the other two to the unknown donors.

The pica is considered to be 'bookshelf-sized', Leuning told the Daily Beast. It's measurements are: 27 inches wide, 12 inches high, and 8-1/2 inches deep.

The two sculptors, said they were asked to keep mum about the project until its unveiling to Trump.

Noem's communications director, Ian Fury, said in the following statement about the sculpture's funding: 'As Governor Noem has said in the past, her philosophy towards giving gifts is to always give the person something that they'll appreciate, and that's how she approached this sculpture,' Fury said.

'No taxpayer dollars went into this giftit was paid for by two donors.'

Leuning and Treeby, said they voted for Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections, who easily won over South Dakota both times.

They remain supporters of his today, and Treeby said she would vote for the one-time president again if he runs in 2024, although Leuning is considering other options.

'I'd vote for Noem or the Florida guy,' he said, referring to Florida's Governor, Ron DeSantis, who is rumored to be Trump's running-mate should he consider to run for high office again.

Lee Leuning (left) and Sherri Treeby (right) made the replica a month before the replica was given as a gift to Trump

Perhaps one of the reasons for which Trump has their votes is tied to the change in Mount Rushmore's historical and artistic value, which they say has changed over time.

Under Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, the grand sculpture was praised for its historical significance and splendor.

However, under Trump came, they complained that the angle had turned to white supremacy and that the mountain had been wrongfully taken from the Lakota people ever since a U.S. Supreme Court ruled in their favor in 1980.

Critics of Mount Rushmore have also questioned the decision to make a sculpture of the four presidents because of certain biographical details about them.

They argue that Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt shouldn't be on the mountain because the first two were both slaveholders; Lincoln was unpopular among many Native Americans for allowing the execution of 39 Indians after the Dakota War in 1892, and Roosevelt had made comments about 'inferior' races during his presidency.

Borglum, the sculptor, had ties to the Ku Klux Klan and he also worked on Stone Mountain in Georgia, which was a massive tribute to Confederate leaders Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis, before moving to South Dakota.

He left Georgia after a dispute and his work was blown off the mountain.

In his July 2020 speech, Trump took a swipe at 'cancel culture' and defended the monument named for another wealthy New Yorker, Charles Rushmore.

Former President Donald Trump (left) and First Lady Melania Trump (right) watch on as South Dakota Army National Guard Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters fly over during an event at Mount Rushmore on July 3, 2020

'This movement is openly attacking the legacies of every person on Mount Rushmore,' he said.

'They defile the memory of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. Today, we will set history and history's record straight.'

'Before these figures were immortalized in stone, they were American giants in full flesh and blood, gallant men whose intrepid deeds unleashed the greatest leap of human advancement the world has ever known.'

Leuning and Treeby praised the former president for defending Mount Rushmore's creation.

'It's a fabulous job,' Leuning said. 'It's an amazing job. There's not one iota of racism in it.'

They also pointed to the economic impact it has had on South Dakota, as the monumental memorial boasts approximately three million tourists per year.

'We're working artists,' Leuning said. 'We're prostitutes for art. We do art for money.'

They said the only regret they have about their involvement with the Trump replica is that they were not present when Noem gave it to him before the speech.

'We weren't invited,' Leuning said. 'We were told he loved it.'
A man has been filmed headbutting a police officer while being arrested during an ugly confrontation between protesters and cops at the NSW-Queensland border.

Footage obtained by Daily Mail Australia shows several NSW police officers surrounding the man and a woman as they sat by the state border monument in Tweed Heads on Sunday.

The junction has been the site of several demonstrations in recent weeks as Queensland border remains closed to NSW due to the state's spiralling Covid crisis, with its residents under a raft of restrictions.

In the video, NSW Police officers confront the pair to asks why they appeared to be breaching the state's Covid rules, which include wearing masks in public settings and bans on public gatherings.

'There are public orders in place,' an officer asserts.

'You're required to be wearing masks.'

A man has been filmed headbutting police during a stand off between officers and protesters at the NSW-Queensland border on Sunday

The police ask the duo to stand up, but both appear to ignore the request - with the man continuing to sip a drink through a straw while staring off into the distance.

'We don't have anything to say here,' the woman says.

'You're not coming? Alright,' an officer replies, as his colleagues proceed to lift them off the ground.

While the woman signals she will stand on her own volition, the man lays down on his back, digging his heels into the ground.

The police hoist his arms over their and stand him upright to take him away.

But in a bid to stay put, the man headbutts the officer to his left and drops to the ground to wiggle out of the cop's grip.

Three officers rush over to pin the man to the ground, handcuffing his hands before marching him to their vehicle.

A crowd of supporters stood by filming the incident, taunting officers for policing public health orders.

'What a disgrace,' one woman says, while another man lectures officers about how Covid rules are a 'breach of human rights'.

NSW Police said a man was arrested and charged with three counts of breaching public health orders in relation to the incident, two counts of assault police, and resisting arrest after attending the unauthorised protest.

After headbutting the officer, the man dropped to the ground in a bid to escape cops' grip

NSW recorded 1,281 new locally-acquired Covid cases on Monday and five deaths as Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned infection numbers will peak within the next couple of weeks.

Under NSW's state-wide lockdown, residents are only allowed to leave home for essential reasons, such as authorised work, exercise, healthcare, to buy vital goods, or to be vaccinated.

Face masks are mandatory in all public indoor places - including shops, offices, and common areas of apartment buildings - and outdoors unless exercising.

Those over 18 who do not wear or carry a face mask can be slapped with a $500 fine, with $80 and $40 penalties in place for younger age groups.

Anyone with an exemption must either carry a medical certificate issued by a doctor or a statutory declaration.

Those in Sydney's 12 local councils and 12 suburbs of Penrith council under ultra-hard lockdown are only allowed permitted to exercise for an hour a day and cannot leave home from 9pm to 5am.

He was then surrounded by several more officers who pinned him down to place handcuffs on his wrists

These are include Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta, and Strathfield.

The same rules apply to residents in the Penrith suburbs of Caddens, Claremont Meadows, Colyton, Erskine Park, Kemps Creek, Kingswood, Mount Vernon, North St Marys, Orchard Hills, Oxley Park, St Clair and St Marys.

Those caught breaching the two-person exercise rule in any way can be slapped with a $3,000 on the spot fine, while breaching public health orders, such as travel restrictions, attracts a $1,000 penalty.

Permits are also required for authorised workers travelling in or out of the LGAs of concern.

Regional and rural parts of NSW are under stay-at-home orders until 10 September, while Greater Sydney's lockdown has been extended until at least the end of that month.

Ms Berejiklian has promised freedoms will be restored to the fully vaccinated once 70 per of the eligible population has received both doses of the jab.
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A four-story New York City home made entirely out of shipping containers is in contract for $5 million.

The house, a stack of 20-foot-long shipping containers cut at an angle, was originally built by New York-based Italian architects Ada Tolla and Giuseppe Lignano for Brooklyn-based restaurateurs Joe and Kim Carroll, who own the Belgian beer bar Spyten Duyvil and Saint Anselm.

They purchased the lot in 2010 for $699,000 - demolishing a single-family home to make way for the odd-looking house.

It was completed in 2016 using 21 shipping containers cleverly stacked together to create a slanted, wedge shape.

The oddly-shaped corner-lot home includes one driveway as well as a garage to fit two cars

The house was completed using 20-foot-tall shipping containers cleverly stacked together

The first-floor of the home boasts a main living area with a combined kitchen, dining and sitting area

A view of the living room on the first floor, complete with a wood-burning fireplace to cozy up on cold nights

The house at 2 Monitor Street in Brooklyn looks like a stack of 20-foot-tall shipping containers cut at an angle. A side-view of the four-story single-family home in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was designed to harken back to Brooklyn's past as a shipping hub - though shipping containers spelt the end of that industry

'To assemble the dwelling on the 25x100 foot corner lot, the architects placed three containers side by side, sliced them at an angle before they cleverly stacked them together in a manner that formed the four-floor home's slanted shape,' real estate website Dirt.com explains.

The purpose was to create a design that harkens back to Brooklyn's industrial past - although Dirt.com notes, the birth of the shipping containers in the late 1950s spelt the end of most of New York City's working waterfronts, including the one in Williamsburg, where the home is based.

The containers enabled shipping to be done more efficiently, with less manpower, resulting in a declining workforce on the waterfronts and an eventual need for fewer shipping ports.

But now the steel containers are becoming a popular method for building homes, as they are more environmentally friendly because they are made of repurposed steel, and are generally more affordable.

It was completed in 2016 using 21 shipping containers 'cleverly stacked' together to create a slanted, wedge shape

The house also includes a large refrigerator and kitchen area, perfect for the restaurateurs it was designed for

Each of the upper floors features an outdoor terrace to take in the sites of Williamsburg

The house also includes a private-study area on the second floor

A staircase was carved out in the area between two of the 21 shipping containers used to build the house

It also includes a a stadium- seated media room on the first floor, perfect for entertaining guests

The 3,500 square foot, unusually-shaped corner house in the trendy Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn boasts five bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms.

It has a home office, three terraces, a den, a driveway, a garage and 'New York City's last-permitted wood-burning fireplace,' according to its listing on Zillow.

The ceilings are low due to the nature of the building, Dirt.com reports, but its unusual building support allows for walls of glass to fill the house with light.

The kitchen is located right next to the terrace on the first floor and comes with stainless-steel appliances

Families could take advantage of the exterior terrace to enjoy their meals

The basement includes a large wine cellar

There is also a designated music room in the basement for any entertainers

The home includes five bedrooms, some of which are small due to the nature of the home

The owners made good use of the oddly-shaped house in Brooklyn

On the ground floor, there is a main living area with a combined kitchen, dining and sitting area, along with a stadium- seated media room and a dining terrace.

The second floor has three small bedrooms, along with a home office, a den and two bathrooms, while the third floor is reserved for the master bedroom with a spacious walk-in closet and a private terrace.

The garage is on the cellar level, along with a den/music room, another tiny bedroom for staff or guests and a wine fridge.

Each of the upper floors also includes a 23-foot, 11-inch by 16-foot, 6-inch terrace to enjoy the sites of the surrounding upscale, area.
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Professor Neil Ferguson said Scotland's Covid cases may be beginning to plateau

Scotland's Covid cases may already be plateauing barely a fortnight after the country's schools returned from the summer holidays, 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson has said.

Cases more than doubled on the back of Scottish classes returning from the summer break on August 18 and there were fears the rest of the UK would be hit with a similar surge with millions of pupils heading back today.

But latest data from the UK Government's Covid dashboard suggests that while case numbers are still very high in Scotland, they no longer appear to be growing.

The number of people testing positive nationally appears to have peaked at a record 7,113 on August 29, after surging from around 2,500 in the week schools went back.

But the seven-day average for infections  which rose to 6,000 on August 30  is now hovering just below this level, in a sign the country's outbreak may no longer be growing. Today Scotland recorded 7,065 cases.

Professor Ferguson  a SAGE adviser whose predictions of thousands of deaths spooked ministers into the first lockdown  said the data suggested 'the hint of a plateau' in infections.

It is an encouraging sign for the rest of the UK that suggests that even if other countries are hit hard with a big bang in cases over the first couple of weeks after schools return it will not be long lasting.

Professor Ferguson, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London, warned England had some 'difficult weeks ahead', however, because of the surge in cases predicted to hit over the winter months when the NHS is under the greatest pressure.

England has followed Scotland's Covid trajectory this summer with cases spiralling in both countries following their national team's success in the Euros.

As children head back to the classroom in England infections are 13 times higher than they were last September, when the end of the summer holidays then sparked the second wave.

It comes amid calls for 12 to 15-year-olds to be offered the Covid vaccine, with some SAGE advisers arguing that it would help to head off a surge in infections later this winter.

But others have argued it would be ethically dubious to inoculate the age group when millions of people in poorer countries are still waiting to be vaccinated.

Data for the country showed its cases hit their peak on August 29 when 7,113 were recorded. But since then they have hovered at around 6,000 a day in a sure sign the country's outbreak may no longer be growing

The above is a snip of Covid cases in Scotland since June by date recorded. It shows that the seven-day average for cases (blue line) now appears to have started to level off, in a sure sign the country's outbreak is no longer growing.

England's Covid cases have plateaued over the last month ahead of schools returning, data shows. The country is currently recording around 26,000 new infections every day on average (pictured). Experts fear this will surge in the coming days, however, amid the return of schools

The above maps show the Covid infection rates in Scotland for the week ending August 18 (left), when schools went back, and September 1 (right), the latest available. Areas that are purple and dark purple have a higher Covid infection rate, while those which are blue and green have a lower Covid infection rate. The country has seen cases spiral since schools returned

COVID HOSPITALISATIONS IN SCOTLAND: The above graph shows the number of people in hospital suffering from Covid in Scotland (blue bars) and the seven-day average for the number of patients (blue line) since September last year. It shows hospitalisations have started to rise in recent days

COVID HOSPITALISATIONS IN ENGLAND: The above graph shows the number of people in hospital suffering from Covid in England (blue bars) and their seven-day average (blue line) since last September. The number of patients in hospital has remained steady

COVID DEATHS IN SCOTLAND: The above graph shows daily Covid deaths in Scotland over the past year by date reported (blue bars) and the seven-day average (blue line). It reveals deaths have only risen slightly

COVID DEATHS IN ENGLAND: The above graph shows daily Covid deaths in England over the past year by date reported (blue bars) and the seven-day average (blue line). It reveals they have only risen slightly compared to the second wave

Professor Ferguson told an event hosted by the Institute for Government: 'I think we may see a difficult few weeks. Exactly how long that will go on for is unclear but maybe Scotland gives us some indication.

'They reopened schools two weeks earlier than us and have seen case numbers slightly more than double there since they did.

'(But) theres a hint of a plateau now which may be good news.'

'Professor Lockdown' says he expects Chris Whitty to approve Covid vaccines for 12 to 15-year-olds Britain is likely to press ahead with plans to vaccinate 12 to 15-year-olds, 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson suggested today. The epidemiologist and SAGE adviser  whose modelling spooked ministers into the initial lockdown in March  said he expects Professor Christ Whitty and the other chief medical officers to approve the move. The Government's vaccine advisory panel said on Friday that it would not recommend jabs for children because Covid poses such a low threat to their health. It left Professor Whitty and the other three chief medical officers from the devolved nations in the unprecedented position of weighing up whether to dish out jabs to the age group. MailOnline understands a decision is expected no later than Friday. The Government has made no secret of the fact it wants to immunise secondary school-aged children after seeing cases spiral in Scotland when schools returned from the summer holidays last month. Professor Ferguson from Imperial College London said today: 'On balance, I think we will probably move to vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds. 'The question becomes even finer going into younger age groups, but focusing on teenage secondary school children I think we will move in that direction.' He added: 'It would not surprise me if the chief medical officers... would decide to go forward with vaccination (of 12 to 15-year-olds).' The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises the Government on who should receive vaccines. But the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), on the other hand, is responsible for advising ministers on responding to emergencies such as outbreaks of infectious diseases. Scientists are divided over whether 12 to 15-year-olds should get the Covid vaccine, with some SAGE members backing the move yesterday arguing it would help to head off a surge in infections later this winter. But others have argued it would be ethically dubious to inoculate the age group when millions of people in poorer countries are still waiting to be vaccinated. Advertisement

He added: 'I think most epidemilogists, scientists, advising the Government at the moment are expecting to see case numbers tick up.

'But the really difficult thing now is predicting when the peak will be reached. And thats because there is a lot of uncertainty in terms of details on the level of immunity in the population, given also peoples behaviour.'

The seven-day average for the number of daily Covid cases reported in Scotland has spiralled since children returned in mid-August, spiralling from 1,600 new cases a day when classrooms reopened to 6,000.

But the average has now stabalised at around 6,000 cases a day, suggesting the country's outbreak is no longer growing exponentially but remains at high levels.

Experts fear Covid cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will also spiral in the coming days as children return to school from the summer holidays last week and this week.

In England and Northern Ireland infectiosn are currently flat with the countries reporting 26,000 and 1,300 cases a day on average, barely a change from last month.

But in Wales Covid cases have risen more than three-fold in the past month ahead of the return to school. There were more than 600 cases a day at the start of August, but now the country is averaging about 2,000.

Britain's Covid cases shot up 56 per cent today because of a bank holiday dip, when people were less likely to get swabbed for the virus.

Latest data showed 41,192 people were registered as testing positive for the virus today.

There were also 45 deaths recorded, a fall of six per cent from last Monday.

Ministers have made no secret of the fact that they hope to immunise secondary school age children against Covid, after seeing cases spiral in Scotland when classrooms returned.

But Dr David Strain, the co-chair of the BMA Medical Academics, admitted this morning that rolling out doses to the age group would only cut transmission in the population by 20 per cent.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) - which is independent of Government - has now left the decision with Chris Whitty and the three other chief medical officers (CMOs) in the devolved nations.

They will meet this week to decide whether the broader societal benefits - including keeping schools open during winter - tip the balance in favour of jabbing children, with a decision expected by Friday.

But experts warn that clinicians will be 'reluctant' to give children jabs without parental consent because the JCVI has not recommended them for the age group.

Dr Strain, who is also clinical lead for Covid services at the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, told LBC Radio: 'A lot of children aged 12 have enough maturity in order to make a decision themselves, although its not the same for every child.

'Doctors and nurses are trained to be able to evaluate them and deem them competent.'

'Vaccinating children will reduce the spread of the virus in the population by about 20 per cent.'

Speaking about his own family, he said: 'My 16-year-old has already had the vaccine; our 12-year-old, whos actually starting school tomorrow, will be desperately keen to get the vaccine.

'We have weighed up the evidence and fully accept there is this very small risk of myocarditis after the first jab, but actually the risk of myocarditis after getting Covid is about the same, if not slightly higher.

'These are the factors, so I would have no hesitation at all to allow my children to have the vaccine.'

It comes as a survey suggets that a quarter of travellers from amber list countries broke Covid rules and di not take a PCR test after they arrived in the UK.

Some 23 per cent of amber arrivals in England in July either avoided staying at home when they were supposed to, or did not take required Covid tests on arrival.

The Office for National Statistics found compliance with the rules was lowest among those aged 18 to 34-years-old and highest among those who had not been jabbed.

It surveyed 848 adults arriving in England from amber territories between July 12 and 17. Overall, just 77 per cent of people said they followed both isolation and Covid testing rules, down from 82 per cent one month earlier.

Two in 10 people did not follow quarantine rules, while about one in 20 did not take the required tests.

Separate figures from the ONS revealed about half of Britons are fed up of the strict travel testing requirements, which may be leading to lower adherence.

Just 53 per cent of UK residents returning to the country after a holiday said they thought a Covid test was 'very important for safety'.

Only around three in five respondents (49 per cent) said they fully understood the rules around quarantine.

The remaining 41 per cent said they had either misunderstood or were unsure of them.

Ministers have been accused of seeding confusion with the constantly changing amber list and uniquely strict testing requirements.
A deaf woman fell onto the subway tracks in New York City after she was hit in the head by a homeless man who had been arrested for sucker-punching another victim just four days earlier.

Xing Zhou, 59, was on her way to church when a man hit her in the head at 10am Sunday morning at Manhattan's Union Square subway station. She lost her balance during the attack and fell onto the tracks.

Two bystanders helped Zhou off the tracks and waited with her until help arrived. She was taken to the hospital and given medication for her pain.

Police later arrested Vladimir Pierre, 41, who is accused of sucker punching another woman four days ago at a different subway station.

Xing Zhou, 59, was on her way to church when a man hit her in the head at 10am Sunday morning at Manhattan's Union Square subway station

Police arrested Vladimir Pierre, 41, who is accused of sucker punching Xing Zhou, 59, at the Union Square subway station while she was on her way to church Sunday

With the help of a sign language interpreter, Zhou shared her harrowing experience with Eyewitness News.

Zhou said she suffered a knock to her head as a result from the fall, in addition to hurting her leg and her back.

The suspect hit Zhou so hard that she said her glasses fell off.

The alleged attacker, who is described as homeless, was only given a desk appearance ticket and released shortly after.

'That's a problem,' Zhou told reporters, 'He's injuring people and causing pain. My head still hurts. I'm still in pain.'

Zhou said she's unsure if Pierre directed any anti-Asian slurs at her on account of her not being able to hear.

Despite the terrifying and random attack, Zhou said she will continue riding the subway.

In August, a similar incident occurred at the same subway station, where a homeless man was caught striking a victim in the back of the head with a hammer

NYPD officers at the Union Square subway station in New York, U.S., on Friday, July 2, 2021

In August, a similar incident occurred at the same subway station, where a homeless man was caught striking a victim in the back of the head with a hammer, before leaving him bleeding on the platform after the victim looked at him in the 'wrong way.'

Police arrested 41-year-old Jamar Newton from Brooklyn and charged him with assault, reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a weapon and robbery.

That incident occurred one day after another woman was randomly attacked on a subway platform and beaten with a metal pole while waiting for the G train.

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.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has lashed out at the state's criminal justice system, 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.
A House Republican lawmaker called for President Biden's impeachment on Monday morning as he vacations in Delaware over Labor Day weekend while anywhere between 100 and 200 Americans are still stranded in Afghanistan amid a reported breakdown in negotiations between the Taliban and State Department.

'He's prioritizing his vacation over the lives of American citizens,' Tennessee Rep. Diana Harshbarger said of Biden on Fox News.

'He kept his promises to the Taliban and he's breaking his promises to Americans to get them out, and god only knows what will happen if they can't get out.'

Biden is scheduled to return to DC tonight after spending two full days in Delaware with no public events. He flew back to his home state Friday night after touring Hurricane Ida damage in Louisiana.

Meanwhile, the US military withdrawal from Kabul was completed a week ago, and efforts to rescue American citizens still stuck in Afghanistan has reached an impasse with reports that six private charter planes sent there to evacuate at least 1,000 people have been grounded in an Afghan city 260 miles north of Kabul.

The flights were chartered by Mercury One, a charity founded by right-wing commentator Glenn Beck, Newsweek reports.

Beck's fleet of two Airbus 340s and four Boeing 737s from Kam Air are sitting empty in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif as their passengers - including at least 142 Americans - are forced to hide.

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'He's prioritizing his vacation over the lives of American citizens,' Tennessee Rep. Diana Harshbarger said of Biden on Fox News Monday morning

This handout satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shows satellite imagery of the Mazar-i-Sharif and grounded planes at the airport in northern Afghanistan on September 3

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said he was 'frustrated, even furious' at the government's delay in pulling them out.

'There will be plenty of time to seek accountability for the inexcusable bureaucratic red tape that stranded so many of our Afghan allies,' Blumenthal told The Hill. 'For now, my singular focus remains getting these planes in the air and safely to our airbase in Doha, where they have already been cleared to land.'

One NGO official told Newsweek the remaining passengers are special immigrant visa applicants and that everyone is 'waiting in their safe houses for clearance for takeoff from the Taliban' amid the diplomatic stalemate.

The evacuation flights reportedly cost Beck's charity $750,000 each.

Harshbarger on Monday said now is the time for Biden to be 'on the job 100%.'

'We have people still in Afghanistan, they won't let our planes leave,' she said.

On Sunday, Reuters reported that the delay had been caused by Biden administration officials not telling Taliban leaders it had approved the departures of the chartered flights from Mazar-i-Sharif.

An exasperated flight organizer hit out at the State Department over the fiasco, saying: 'They need to be held accountable for putting these people's lives in danger.'

Other groups trying to organize their own chartered flights have also hit out at the State Department, with Rick Clay from private rescue firm PlanB claiming it's the only thing stopping him fulfilling his brief.

Biden flew to Delaware on Friday night and is expected to return Monday evening

The six flights chartered by right-wing commentator Glenn Beck's charity reportedly cost $750,000 each

Two other organizers have also torn into the Antony Blinken-headed department, with one - who didn't give their name - telling Fox: 'This is zero place to be negotiating with American lives. Those are our people standing on the tarmac and all it takes is a f****ing phone call.

'If one life is lost as a result of this, the blood is on the White House's hands. The blood is on their hands. It is not the Taliban that is holding this up  as much as it sickens me to say that  it is the United States government.'

Further details on the reason for the delay in discussions has not been disclosed. although Blinken jetted to Qatar on Sunday to discuss the issue with leaders there.

As the situation developed over the weekend, Texas Rep. Michael McCaul told Fox News earlier Sunday that the Taliban was holding the planes hostage.

'We have six airplanes at Mazar Sharif Airport, six airplanes with American citizens on them as I speak, also with these interpreters, and the Taliban is holding them hostage for demands right now,'

'The state has cleared these flights and the Taliban will not let them leave the airport,' he detailed.

McCaul went on to claim that the flights were being used by the Islamic extremist group as a bargaining chip with the US, in return for full recognition.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives at Old Airport in Doha, Qatar on September 6

Blinken flew to Qatar Sunday to thank its leaders for supporting the US evacuation effort and amid the unfolding chaos in Mazar-i-Sharif

Taliban fighters patrol on vehicles along a street in Kabul on September 2

The airport in question is more than 260 miles from the Hamid Karzai International Airport in the capital city of Kabul, where military flights evacuated thousands of Americans and allies from the country amid the Taliban takeover.

Senator Ted Cruz, who serves on the Committee on Foreign Relations, appeared to further substantiate that claim in a Sunday tweet.

'Joe Biden abandoned Americans in Afghanistan,' the Texas senator wrote. 'Members of Congress, including me and my office, have been working around the clock to get them out - and for days Biden's State Dept. couldn't even get out of its own way.'

'Now there are deeply disturbing reports of a hostage crisis,' he added.

McCaul, the top Republican on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that since the total troop US withdrawal from Afghanistan, no Americans have been evacuated from the country.

'Since we left the country on Friday, how many Americans have gotten out of Afghanistan?' anchor Chris Wallace asked. 'Since we pulled out, how many Afghan allies have gotten out since the Taliban was in complete control of the country?'

'Zero,' McCaul shot back. 'I'm sorry, the answer to your question is zero.'

Other Republicans also slammed Biden for going on vacation while Americans are stranded in Kabul

Biden Chief of Staff Ron Klain seemed to downplay the situation in an interview on CNN Sunday.

Klain told the outlet that 'around 100' Americans are still in Afghanistan - though the more recent 142 figure is more in line with Blinken's admission last week that 'a small number of Americans under 200' remain stranded.

Other Republicans have also come out against the Biden administration over the unfolding chaos - particularly the president and his Delaware getaway.

'American citizens are still stranded behind enemy lines in Afghanistan, and meanwhile Joe Biden is vacationing in Delaware,' former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows wrote on Twitter.

Rep. Mo Brooks, an Alabama Republican and close ally of the former president, said on the site: 'Joe Biden will be spending his weekend on vacation in Delaware.'

'Roughly 100 Americans will be spending their weekend abandoned in Afghanistan.'

But some people are managing to escape - the federal government confirmed for the first time that it has helped a US citizen and family members escape Afghanistan through an overland route to a neighboring country.

A US official told the Associated Press Monday that the citizen and their children 'successfully departed Afghanistan using an overland route' and were met by American embassy staff at the border.

The official would not speak to details of the evacuation or to the country in which they arrived, citing security reasons and the need to preserve the viability of the route for possible future efforts.

The evacuation is the first overland extraction the US government has confirmed since it ended its air evacuation effort last week with the final withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan.
And 61% of overseas residents think the tests are important for safety

Meanwhile, 53% of Brits fully support testing for travellers arriving in the UK

Just 23% of adults arriving in England from amber countries followed Covid rules

A quarter of Britons arriving from amber-listed countries failed to follow isolation rules, according to official estimates.

Some 23 per cent of amber arrivals in England in July either avoided staying at home when they were supposed to.

Another 9 per cent did not take the required Covid tests when they arrived in the country.

There are no routine Government follow-ups to check whether UK arrivals completed a mandatory PCR Covid test within 48 hours of arriving in the country.

They are provided by private companies, with some charging more than 100 per test.

But those coming into the UK must provide proof they purchased a test on the passenger locator forms required to get into the UK, which has caused chaos at border force in major airports.

The Office for National Statistics found compliance with the rules was lowest among those aged 18 to 34-years-old and highest among those who had not been jabbed.

It surveyed 848 adults arriving in England from amber territories between July 12 and 17.

Separate figures from the ONS revealed about half of Britons are not fully behind the strict travel testing requirements.

Just 53 per cent of UK residents returning to the country after a holiday said they thought a Covid test was 'very important for safety'.

A further 34 per cent said they thought the tests were 'quite important for safety', while 11 per cent said the tests were not important.

Only around three in five respondents (49 per cent) said they fully understood the rules around quarantine.

The remaining 41 per cent said they had either misunderstood or were unsure of them.

Ministers have been accused of seeding confusion with the constantly changing amber list and uniquely strict testing requirements.

Overall, just 77 per cent of people said they followed both isolation and Covid testing rules. Women were more likely to follow the rules than men, while those aged 18 to 34-years-old were the least compliant. And those who had not received a Covid jab were more likely to comply with requirements, compared to those who had been vaccinated

In February, 73 per cent of Brits fully backed the Covid tests for travellers arriving in the UK, but this dropped to 52.7 per cent in July - the most recent data figures are available for (graph, left). Meanwhile, 75 per cent of overseas residents arriving in the UK believed the tests were 'very important for safety' at the beginning of the year, which reduced to 60.6 per cent in July (graph, right)

The UK has different testing and quarantine rules in place for arrivals, depending on their vaccination status and whether they spent time in green, amber or red-listed countries. Approval of the testing regime has dropped markedly among both UK and overseas residents since the beginning of the year

Overall, just 77 per cent of people said they followed both isolation and Covid testing rules, down from 82 per cent one month earlier.

The UK has different testing and quarantine rules in place for arrivals, depending on their vaccination status and whether they spent time in green, amber or red-listed countries.

Everyone travelling into the UK must take a Covid test within three days before they arrive.

Arrivals from amber-listed countries - which include France, Portugal and Spain - must take a test within two days of arriving in the country.

And those who are not double-jabbed must also take a test after eight days in the UK and quarantine at home for 10 days.

Those who break the rules face a fine of 1,000 which can be increased to 10,000 for repeat offences.

Women returning from amber-listed countries were more likely to follow Covid requirements (79 per cent) than men (76 per cent), the ONS found.

Those aged 18 to 34-years-old were the least compliant age group (75 per cent) when compared to those aged 35 to 54 (80 per cent) and those over-55 (77 per cent).

Inside Britain's 'Wild West' travel testing regime Britain's wild west PCR testing for travel regime where swabs that were supposed to cost 2 actually sold for more than 100 was caused by a lack of regulation, industry experts have claimed. In one of the most embarrassing moments of the testing fiasco, the Government last month had to change a company's 1.99 listing on its website showing approved PCR testing providers to show that its kits actually cost 117. And insiders say the broken system was caused by experts pushing for more expensive PCR tests as a requirement for travel, the decision to allow private providers to sell the tests and a lack of oversight on the Government's part to prevent middlemen companies profiteering. Minister have only recently moved to tackle the market  dropping the cost of their own Covid tests by a fifth in the hope private firms will follow. Health Secretary Sajid Javid admitted the Governments own costs were too high and said its single post-holiday PCR test package will fall from 88 to 68. A two-swab NHS Test and Trace package will be cut from 170 to 136. Mr Javid also accused some private testing firms of acting like cowboys by advertising misleading prices on the Government website and vowed to boot them off within days. But the changes were dismissed by the travel industry, with bosses saying the price cuts amounted to tinkering. The head of Gatwick Airport said testing should be removed altogether for the double vaccinated to restore shattered passenger confidence and help the industry through a desperate time. Advertisement

And people who had not received a single vaccine followed Covid travel rules (83 per cent) more than those who had one (72 per cent) or both doses (77 per cent) of the vaccine.

Meanwhile, separate ONS data from revealed public approval of Covid tests for travel has fallen compared to earlier this year.

In February, 73 per cent of Britons fully backed the tests, but this dropped to 64.5 per cent by May and reached a low of 52.7 per cent in July - the most recent date figures are available for.

When the ONS launched the survey, just 3.7 per cent of people living in the UK said the tests were 'not at all important for safety' or 'not very important for safety'.

But nearly three times as many people - 11 per cent - disapproved of the tests by July.

And attitudes among overseas residents followed a similar decline.

At the beginning of the year, 75 per cent of people living abroad who arrived in the UK believed the tests were 'very important for safety'.

But this dropped to 73 per cent by April and reached a low of 60.6 per cent in July.

In February, just 2.8 per cent of those living outside of the UK said the tests were 'not at all important for safety' or 'not very important for safety', but this nearly doubled to 5 per cent by July.

Britons and overseas residents continued to support other Covid restrictions during travel.

Around six in 10 people in both groups said social distancing made them feel safe during their journey. And about two-thirds said wearing face masks and the availability of hand sanitiser made them feel safe.

These figures have stayed largely stable since the ONS began its survey in February.

The vast majority (86 per cent) of Brits said they found it 'difficult' or 'very difficulty' to follow Covid restrictions when getting back to the UK, an increase from 75 per cent in March.

But conversely, 95 per cent of overseas residents arriving in the UK said they understood Covid restrictions 'very well' or 'quite well'.
This Saturday is the 20th anniversary of 9/11, one of the darkest days in American history.

To mark the occasion, President Biden will travel to Ground Zero in New York where the Twin Towers were destroyed, to Virginia where a plane was flown into the Pentagon, and to a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania where Flight United 93 also crashed after an on-air battle between terrorists and hero passengers.

This would be a sombre enough experience for any American President given that nearly 3,000 people were killed on that infamous day back in 2001 which represented a terrible failure of US intelligence.

But now it will also be a moment of bitter shame and humiliation too, thanks to Biden's appalling mishandling of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and abject surrender to the very people who helped commit the attacks by harbouring the terrorists who carried them out.

Biden's trip on 9/11 will be a moment of bitter shame and humiliation, thanks to his appalling mishandling of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and abject surrender to the very people who helped commit the attacks by harbouring the terrorists who carried them out

This Saturday is the 20th anniversary of 9/11, one of the darkest days in American history. To mark the occasion, President Biden will travel to Ground Zero in New York where the Twin Towers were destroyed

Biden will also visit Virginia where a plane was flown into the Pentagon on 9/11

He will also travel to a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania where Flight United 93 also crashed after an on-air battle between terrorists and hero passengers. Pictured: A mound of dirt and charred trees mark the site of a crater created by the impact of the crashing plane on 9/11

Today, the Taliban declared total victory in the 20-year war that ensued after America invaded Afghanistan to avenge the 9/11 atrocity, claiming they had seized control of Afghanistan's Panjshir province, the last of 34 provinces to hold out against them.

America's defeat to just 75,000 murderous medieval thugs is thus complete.

And the full scale of that defeat is only slowly becoming depressingly clear.

The appalling scenes in the immediate aftermath of the withdrawal were horrendous enough, notably the suicide bomber attack on Kabul airport that killed 13 US troops and several hundred desperate Afghan people including scores of women and children.

But to rub salt in the corpses, blood and wounds, gleeful Taliban fighters have been marching around taunting America by posing in US military clothes and equipment, holding mock funerals for American, British, French and NATO forces, hunting down and killing anyone who supported the US or its allies, and ordering terrified Afghan women back inside their homes on pain of severe punishment.

Biden, whose constant virtue-signalling about women's rights now looks preposterously hypocritical, promised every American who wanted to leave Afghanistan that they would be able to leave.

But The New York Times this morning reported that around 1,000 people, including many American citizens and Afghans holding visas to the United States or other countries, have been trapped in Afghanistan for five days as they 'await clearance for the departure from the Taliban.'

Today, the Taliban declared total victory in the 20-year war that ensued after America invaded Afghanistan to avenge the 9/11 atrocity, claiming they had seized control of Afghanistan's Panjshir province, the last of 34 provinces to hold out against them. America's defeat to just 75,000 murderous medieval thugs is thus complete

Gleeful Taliban fighters have been marching around taunting America by posing in US military clothes and equipment, holding mock funerals for American, British, French and NATO forces, hunting down and killing anyone who supported the US or its allies, and ordering terrified Afghan women back inside their homes on pain of severe punishment

So, the fate of yet more US lives, and of those who risked their lives to help America, lies in the hands of the scumbags who harboured al-Qaeda's terrorists. And there's nothing President Biden can do about it other than hope the Taliban do the decent thing when they've never done a decent thing in their lives.

There are many others still stranded in Afghanistan including an estimated 100-200 American citizens, thousands of green-card holders, and a majority of the 250,000 Afghans eligible for Special Immigrant Visas.

Understandably, they are terrified.

'The reason the Taliban wants to prevent these people from leaving is likely because they intend to punish them for their cooperation with the U.S.,' said Mick Mulroy, a former senior Pentagon official who has been helping to evacuate Afghans from the country.

The other reason is simply that they can.

The Taliban holds all the power now and is calling all the shots.

Hapless President Biden never saw any of this coming.

On July 8, he said there was no chance of American diplomats being lifted to safety from the US embassy by helicopters as they had to be from Saigon at the end of the Vietnam war.

But they were.

He also dismissed the possibility of the Taliban re-gaining control of the whole country as 'highly unlikely.'

But they did, in just a few days as the 300,000-strong Afghan army in which Biden had so much faith collapsed like a pack of cards in a sudden gust.

Now the Taliban's running the show again, only this time armed to the teeth with a staggering quantity of left-behind US military equipment including 43,000 pickup trucks, 22,000 Humvees, 900 armoured vehicles, 600,000 guns, and over 200 aircraft.

'I think we're back where we started from,' said Rudy Giuliani, the man who became known as 'America's Mayor' for his strong leadership following 9/11, a reputation he's since squandered defending Trump from the indefensible. 'The whole purpose of that war was to have our soldiers there so they couldn't plan to come and attack us. So now what has Biden done? He's taking the soldiers out. This is like a field day for terrorists.' I would argue that it's even worse than Giuliani fears. Pictured: Giuliani visits Ground Zero a day after the 9/11 attacks

Biden's trip on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 would be a sombre enough experience for any American President given that nearly 3,000 people were killed on that infamous day back in 2001 which represented a terrible failure of US intelligence. Pictured: New Yorkers walk in the street in the area where the Twin Towers collapsed on 9/11

Twenty years on from 9/11, Biden has made the US look weak, spineless, cowardly, and disloyal. It's hard to imagine a worse, more humiliating way to commemorate a day that is so painfully etched in every American's heart. Pictured: A New York City fireman in the rubble of the World Trade Center

'I think we're back where we started from,' said Rudy Giuliani, the man who became known as 'America's Mayor' for his strong leadership following 9/11, a reputation he's since squandered defending Trump from the indefensible. 'The whole purpose of that war was to have our soldiers there so they couldn't plan to come and attack us. So now what has Biden done? He's taking the soldiers out. This is like a field day for terrorists.'

I would argue that it's even worse than Giuliani fears.

America's supine surrender to a bunch of ragbag oppressive mountain killers, who they've now turned into a hugely better-equipped military force, means the US is now in a worse position than it was in 2001.

And none of it makes any sense.

The US currently has 800 military bases in 70 countries, including 119 in Germany, 119 in Japan, 80 in South Korea and even 44 in Italy.

In total, nearly 200,000 US troops currently serve overseas.

Yet the US government decided it couldn't continue with 2,500 troops in Afghanistan to keep the Taliban in check and prevent the country becoming a safe harbour for terrorists to operate in again?

As many military experts better qualified than me have observed, this is reckless lunacy.

Before this latest calamity, Joe Biden had built up an unenviable record of getting almost every judgement wrong on US foreign policy.

He opposed the first Iraq War, 'Desert Storm', in 1991 despite it being fully justified and a stunning success.

He then supported the disastrous second Iraq War in 2003 that wasn't remotely justified and was an ignominious failure that inspired the rise of ISIS.

And he opposed the raid to kill Osama bin Laden.

Now he's made his biggest miscalculation of all, and he's done it on his own watch.

President Trump's predictable gloating over Biden's disaster is laughable given it was he who signed the agreement with the Taliban that put the train to this fiasco destination in motion.

But ultimately, it was Biden who proceeded with the withdrawal plan - and then suddenly accelerated it at such absurd speed that it blew up into a deadly shambles.

HE'S the President who made that call, not Trump.

The buck therefore stops with him.

And the price of that buck looks more and more expensive with every day that passes.

The all-conquering Taliban have been massively emboldened and are thoroughly enjoying rubbing America's humiliated face in it.

Other terror groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda also feel emboldened, knowing that all you need to see off the mighty US military is time and patience.

America's main rivals like China and Russia will be licking their lips at such apparent weakness by the world's No1 superpower.

And the rest of the world now thinks the United States can't be trusted when it comes to supporting allies.

President Trump's predictable gloating over Biden's disaster is laughable given it was he who signed the agreement with the Taliban that put the train to this fiasco destination in motion. But ultimately, it was Biden who proceeded with the withdrawal plan - and then suddenly accelerated it at such absurd speed that it blew up into a deadly shambles. HE'S the President who made that call, not Trump

'America's back!' President Biden declared when he took office in January this year.

Yes, it is.

Back to where it was on 8/11/2001  a sitting duck for terrorists, with Afghanistan once again rules by a vile bunch of barbarians quite happy for their country to be used as a training ground for those who seek to annihilate the United States.

President Jimmy Carter, a man of similar admirable personal qualities to Joe Biden, never recovered his presidency from the Iranian hostage debacle in 1979, and that wasn't even his fault.

This debacle is most definitely President Biden's fault, and he is now suffering the immediate consequences which could be politically catastrophic.

His approval ratings are tanking as public confidence in him disintegrates.

And little wonder.

Twenty years on from 9/11, Biden has made the US look weak, spineless, cowardly, and disloyal.

It's hard to imagine a worse, more humiliating way to commemorate a day that is so painfully etched in every American's heart.

Or a more shameful one.

It could, and should, cost him his job.
The UK and the EU have agreed to extend a truce over the introduction of controversial post-Brexit trade checks in Northern Ireland.

It is the third time the so-called 'grace period' has been extended as the two sides make more time to try to find permanent solutions to border problems caused by the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The second extension - effectively delaying the point at which more import checks and red tape will be introduced - was agreed in June but was due to expire at the end of this month.

Cabinet Office Minister Lord Frost said this afternoon that the Government will 'continue to operate the Protocol on the current basis'.

It is unclear how long the extension will last, but Lord Frost said 'reasonable notice' will be given to businesses in the event the arrangements were to change.

It came as Lord Trimble urged Joe Biden to drop his support for the protocol, warning the post-Brexit border rules 'risk a return to sectarian strife'.

The architect of the Good Friday Agreement accused the White House of 'contributing to the damage being caused' to the peace treaty by siding with the European Union on the issue.

He said in a letter to the US President that the 'political promises of the Belfast Agreement have been flippantly dismissed' because of the protocol.

Boris Johnson has urged the EU to renegotiate the Northern Ireland Protocol but Ursula von der Leyen has ruled out making major changes

Lord Trimble has urged Joe Biden to drop his support for the Northern Ireland Protocol, warning the post-Brexit border rules have caused 'political unrest and violence'

Lord Trimble said in a letter to the US President that the 'political promises of the Belfast Agreement have been flippantly dismissed' because of the protocol

The protocol, agreed as part of the Brexit deal, requires checks on goods travelling from GB to Northern Ireland to be carried out at ports in order to avoid the return of a land border with the Republic.

But it has caused disruption to trade and angered unionists who have demanded the rules be scrapped, arguing they create a barrier between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

Boris Johnson has repeatedly called on Brussels to renegotiate the protocol but the bloc has ruled out making major changes.

The 'grace period' delays the introduction of checks in a variety of areas but one of the most contentious is on the export of chilled meat from GB to Northern Ireland.

EU rules would effectively ban those exports but the current 'grace period' allows shipments to continue and to provide more time to find a permanent fix.

The two sides remain locked in talks but little progress is being made as they try to avoid what has been dubbed a 'sausage war'.

Announcing the extension, Lord Frost said in a written statement to Parliament: 'The Government proposed to the EU on 23 July a "standstill" arrangement to maintain the operation of the Protocol on the current basis, and to pause current legal actions, to provide space for discussions on those proposals. The EU announced on 27 July that it was not, at that stage, moving to the next stage of the legal proceedings it started in March.

'There have since been initial technical talks between the UK and the EU. These will continue in order to determine whether a constructive process can be established for discussing and addressing the issues identified with the Protocol.

'Following on from this, to provide space for potential further discussions, and to give certainty and stability to businesses while any such discussions proceed, the Government will continue to operate the Protocol on the current basis.

'This includes the grace periods and easements currently in force. Operational and other guidance will be updated to reflect this approach. We will ensure that reasonable notice is provided in the event that these arrangements were to change, to enable businesses and citizens to prepare.'

The extension of the truce came as Lord Trimble told Mr Biden, who has Irish ancestry, that the protocol had been 'imposed' on the people of Northern Ireland without their consent.

He said: 'The result has been political unrest and violence and threats of further violence on our streets because the political promises of the Belfast Agreement have been flippantly dismissed through the NIP.'

Michael Gove, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, today met with Irish Tanaiste Leo Varadkar to discuss the protocol

The former first minister of Northern Ireland, who won the Nobel Prize for his efforts in securing peace in Northern Ireland, said the protocol 'risks a return to sectarian strife'.

In the letter, first reported by The Telegraph, Lord Trimble said: 'I wish to express my concern about the way in which the Agreement is being undermined by the Northern Ireland Protocol, and in particular the role which your administration has played in contributing to the damage being caused to the Agreement through your support for the Northern Ireland Protocol.

'The Northern Ireland Protocol has not only subverted the main safeguards within the Belfast Agreement causing civil unrest and political uncertainty, it is also damaging the Northern Ireland economy.

'At the heart of the Belfast Agreement is consent, meaning that there can be no change to the constitutional position of NI as part of the UK without the agreement of a majority of the people of the country.

'But the NIP, by giving the EU powers over the movement of goods into and out of the Province, has torpedoed the 'consent' principle and risks a return to sectarian strife.'

The peer said the protocol had 'totally destroyed' the consent principle 'to the detriment of the unionist community'.
A doctor who killed a teenage girl in a horrific head-on crash while driving to work has been spared jail.

Dr Sally Robeson, 33, was driving to Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny, South Wales, to begin her shift when she ploughed into the family car of 19-year-old Rebecca Davies after her parents picked her up from university.

The student, who suffered catastrophic injuries to her stomach, was rushed the same hospital where Dr Robeson worked as a trauma and orthopaedics specialist but she died two hours after the crash.

The senior house doctor, who denied causing death by driving without due care and attention in January, claimed she was dazzled by the lights of another car when she lost control of her car on the A4042 in Llanellen, Monmouthshire.

But a jury found her guilty after hearing she had not acted as a 'careful and competent driver'.

They were also told the doctor may have 'been tired and not as fresh or alert as she thought she was' when she lost control and swerved across the country road.

Today, Robeson, of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, was spared jail and sentenced to an 18-month community order at Newport Crown Court.

Dr Sally Robeson, 33, of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, was sentenced to an 18-month community order at Newport Crown Court

She was banned from driving for two years and ordered to pay 2,000 prosecution costs and a victim surcharge.

The doctor will also have to complete a 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Following the crash, which saw the family's Suzuki Swift hit by Robeson's Peugeot, Rebecca's mother Carol Davies suffered fractures to her neck, collar bone, arm, ribs, hip and ankle.

Her husband William also suffered life changing injuries in the collision.

Ms Davies said: 'I saw lights in front of me - they came from nowhere. There was the bang of impact. It was a loud bang and the windscreen went through and the airbags went off.

'It was a complete shock. One minute you're driving along and the next minute this happened. I remember thinking "Am I okay? Am I alive?"'

She then shouted to her daughter 'Are you ok?' before Rebecca replied she was 'in pain' and 'had a bad stomach'.

Rebecca, who was studying biochemistry at Birmingham University, suffered catastrophic injuries to her stomach including lacerations to her mesentery, ileum, and diaphragm.

The teenager's mother said her daughter, who wanted to be a doctor after finishing university, was 'our shining star' who 'undoubtedly had a bright future ahead of her.'

In a victim impact statement she said: 'She was our beautiful and fun-loving daughter who was always striving to make the world a better place.

'Becky was our life, our shining star. She was very popular with her friends from school and university and from our local chapel.

'She wanted to help other people and pursue a career in research or as a doctor. She touched so many lives.

'The whole community was greatly shocked by her death. Her boyfriend of six months was devastated.

'She was an outgoing and intelligent young woman and she undoubtedly had a bright future ahead of her.'

Rebecca, who was described as a 'shining star' by her mother, was studying biochemistry at Birmingham University

The 19-year-old was rushed to Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny, South Wales, following the car crash

Rebecca's university tutor said: 'Becky's life was an inspiration. I have no doubt she would have made a wonderful doctor.'

Judge Jeremy Jenkins told Robeson: 'This is a tragically sad case.

'No sentence can begin to address or assuage the pain and sense of loss caused to Mr and Mrs Davies.

'This was a momentary lapse which you will no doubt have to live with, as will Mr and Mrs Davies, for the rest of your days.'

Robeson was sentenced to an 18-month community order at Newport Crown Court and must complete a 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

She was banned from driving for two years and ordered to pay 2,000 prosecution costs and a victim surcharge.

Heath Edwards, defending, said: 'Sally Robeson is devastated by the harm she has brought on the Davies family.

'She would do anything she could to turn back the hands of time.

'She has never sought to blame anyone but herself for the accident that took place that night.'
An 85-year-old Japanese prince is planning to adopt a son to save the nation's imperial family from extinction.

Under the current Imperial Household Law, only a male child descended from a male emperor can ascend the throne, but there are only four eligible males left in the Naruhito bloodline, all but one of whom are aged over 55.

Facing the potential extinction of Emperor Naruhito's dynasty with no guarantee that 15-year-old Prince Hisahito will go on to bear a son, the Japanese government is therefore considering a change to the Imperial Household Law which would allow Prince Hitachi, 85, to adopt an heir.

But the imperial family and Japanese government has faced criticism as opinion polls have registered firm public support for a law change which would simply allow a female heiress to reign as a female emperor.

Japan's Emperor Naruhito (L) and Empress Masako are the current rulers of Japan, but the imperial family are running out of male heirs

Japan's Crown Prince Akishino (L) and Prince Hisahito (R) are among only four males eligible for the throne

At age 15, Prince Hisahito is the only male heir to the throne aged under 55, and there is no guarantee he will bear sons in the future

Details of the plan have not been confirmed, but a leak reported by the Kyodo news agency said that an 'expert' ministerial panel has been convened to tackle the impending succession crisis, with Prince Hitachi and his wife Hanako placed as the prime candidates to adopt.

According to Kyodo news, they would only be allowed to adopt heirs descended from former aristocratic and imperial families so as to maintain the 'imperial status' of the bloodline.

Young males from aristocratic families would share a common ancestry with the present imperial family and would therefore be able to supply a new stable of eligible males.

But critics have asked why the ministerial panel have not considered what appears to be the most popular, and obvious, solution to the problem: allowing a female emperor to rule the imperial family.

Women have long played a prominent role in Japanese culture, business and academia, and the nation could soon welcome its first female Prime Minister if Sanae Takaichi, 60, is elected to succeed the outgoing prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, who is set to resign.

Prince Hitachi, 85, is the man likely to adopt an eligible heir if Japanese authorities decide to press ahead with plans to amend the current law

European monarchies meanwhile have largely accepted female rulers, and another prime ministerial candidate, Taro Kono, said last year: 'I think it is possible that imperial princesses, including Princess Aiko, could be accepted as the next monarch.'

But a small, powerful group of traditionalists, many of whom are members of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic party, say that thousands of years of tradition would be broken should women be allowed to rule.

They believe that current emperor Naruhito is the direct descendant of one of the world's oldest royal lines which can be tracked all the way back to the first emperor Jimmu (711-585BC).

It is believed that Jimmu was a direct descendant of the sun goddess, Amaterasu, and that since then the line has been maintained by male heirs. If the lineage is broken, traditionalists fear the public will no longer see the need for an emperor.

Another part of the law change being considered by ministers would allow princesses to remain members of the imperial family when they marry outside of the bloodline - an amendment which would allow Princess Mako, the niece of Emperor Naruhito, to remain part of the imperial family and in theory would mean any sons she bears to ascend the throne.

But the traditionalists again are opposed to this, as any son of a princess who marries outside the imperial bloodline would not carry the male Y chromosome inherited from the mythical Emperor Jimmu.

Changes to the Imperial Household law could potentially allow Princess Mako to remain part of the imperial family if she marries outside the imperial bloodline

Princess Mako of Japan, 29, will give up her royal title to marry her fiance, Kei Komuro, later this year. However, even if a law change permits her to remain part of the imperial family, traditionalists still believe that any son she may bear must not ascend the throne

Princess Mako, 29, is planning to marry her fiance Kei Komuro, also 29, at the end of the year.

If the couple marry as planned, Princess Mako would lose her right to be part of the Japanese imperial family under current law, as female members of the family revoke their status if they marry a 'commoner'.

According to The Times, Mako would also turn down a 150 million (990,000) handout from the Japanese government, which is traditionally paid to princesses who lose their imperial status when they marry.

The substantial wedding sum is intended 'to preserve the dignity of a person who was once a member of the imperial family'.

The decision to forego the payment is likely due to the controversy around her fiance that arose shortly after announcing their engagement in 2017.

Following the wedding, Mako reportedly plans to move to the United States where Komoru is waiting for the results of his US law exams, intending to take up a job offer with a New York law firm.
A London-bound Air India flight was aborted today after a swarm of ants were discovered in business class.

Prince Jigme, the five-year-old son of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan, was among those aboard the aircraft in Delhi.

The passengers were moved onto another aircraft and continued their journey onto the UK, according to the ANI news agency.

It is not clear what type of ants were found on board but several species common to India, such as fire ants, have painful stings which cause lumps to appear on the skin.

A London-bound Air India flight was aborted today after a swarm of ants were discovered in business class (stock)

Prince Jigme (left), the five-year-old son of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan, was among those aboard the aircraft in Delhi

It comes just a few months after an Air India flight from Delhi to Newark, New Jersey, was forced to return to the airport because of a bat on board.

After around half an hour in the air the animal was spotted by a passenger who reported it to the cabin crew.

Fumigation was carried out when the plane landed and the bat carcass was discovered inside the business class cabin.

In February 2016, a plane in China had to return to the airport after a rat was discovered on board.

The plane out of Hangzhou International Airport was due for a three-hour journey to Bijie Feixiong Airport but it was aborted not long after takeoff.

The crew were concerned that the rat might chew through important electrical wiring which may have caused the plane to fail.
Jacinda Ardern's government is ending New Zealand's lockdown outside Auckland after seeing a dip in COVID-19 cases.

New Zealand has spent 20 days in lockdown to fight a Delta variant outbreak, first identified by a single case on August 17.

From a peak of 83 cases on Sunday, August 29, cases have slipped to 20, recorded on each of the last three days.

'We are making progress,' Ms Ardern said.

That progress will see around 3.4 million Kiwis lifted out of lockdown from Wednesday.

While Ms Ardern's cabinet has opted to keep Auckland - the centre of the outbreak - in a level four lockdown for at least another week, the rest of New Zealand will take a step closer to normality.

In a likely reference to Australia, Ms Ardern (pictured on Monday) said 'what I don't want to do is make the mistake of moving too quickly and then seeing a resurgence because that has happened with Delta before'

Places outside of NZ's biggest city will shift from level three, a lesser lockdown, to level two, which allows Kiwis to return to work and school, and removes most restriction from business.

'Moving to level two is progress and it is positive but it comes with a warning,' Ms Ardern said.

'We're within sight of elimination but we cannot drop the ball.'

New Zealand has been mocked by Australian politicians, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian for its pursuit of an elimination strategy.

While a return to zero case days appears feasible, Ms Ardern cautioned against complacency - urging compliance with COVID-19 rules and increased community testing.

Auckland remains by a distance New Zealand's hardest-hit city through the pandemic, notching 102 days in total under lockdown conditions on Monday (pictured, a tied up playground in Auckland on September 3)

'If we continue to make progress we will get back to a level one environment,' Ms Ardern said.

'I would rather get (to zero cases) and declare that's what we've achieved than get too far ahead of ourselves.

'There is work to be done.

'Today, we've got one case ... they're in a large household so almost inevitably you'll see extra cases come through from that.

'So it's day by day. But day by day we are making very good progress.'

In a likely reference to Australia, she said 'what I don't want to do is make the mistake of moving too quickly and then seeing a resurgence because that has happened with Delta before.'

New Zealand has spent 20 days in lockdown to fight a Delta variant outbreak, first identified by a single case on August 17 (pictured, Auckland locals on September 3)

Citing the greater infectiousness of the Delta variant, Ms Ardern's goverrnment has tweaked level two rules from their previous operation.

A mask-wearing mandate will apply to almost all indoor venues.

Checking in at venues will also become mandatory in an effort to aid contact-tracing in the event of future outbreaks.

A new limit of 50 people will apply to many indoor venues to reduce super-spreading events.

Gyms and other public facilities must also provide spacing of two metres between patrons.

Auckland remains by a distance New Zealand's hardest-hit city through the pandemic, notching 102 days in total under lockdown conditions on Monday.

Places outside of NZ's biggest city will shift from level three, a lesser lockdown, to level two, which allows Kiwis to return to work and school, and removes most restriction from business (pictured, Auckland residents on September 3)

All of Monday's 20 cases were identified in Auckland, which is home to 804 of the 832 total infections in this outbreak.

The level four rules put 1.7 million Aucklanders in harsh lockdown conditions, with no gatherings permitted, very few reasons to leave households and major curbs on business.

There are 40 people with COVID-19 in hospital, and six in intensive care units.

New Zealand's COVID-19 death toll is 27, after a woman aged in her 90s, died after contracting the virus last weekend.
When three-year-old AJ was miraculously discovered by a rescue helicopter deep in the bush 72 hours after he went missing from his family home, Australia breathed a sigh of relief.

But the saga may only just be beginning, with police still examining the curious disappearance - including the possibility he was kidnapped and later released.

There were scenes of jubilation when young Anthony 'AJ' Elfalak was finally located by Pol Air helicopter drinking from a creek on his family's 256ha rural property in Putty, about 150km north-west of Sydney in the Upper Hunter, on Monday.

He had disappeared from his family's property on Friday lunchtime, leading to a desperate search with his parents convinced he was abducted.

Now the police investigation is continuing, with some senior detectives in the NSW Police Force say 'there are of lot of things that don't add up' including claims of missing CCTV footage from the family property.

Raising suspicion for seasoned investigators is how the toddler, who has autism and is non-verbal, could have survived without anything to eat for 72 hours in temperatures that dropped to 2C - emerging with just a few scratches from three nights alone in the harsh terrain.

Anthony 'AJ' Elfalak was missing for 72 hours before he was miraculously found alive after being spotted 500m from the family home by a rescue helicopter

The Elfalak family with father Anthony, mother Kelly, AJ (pictured centre) and two of his brothers were delighted to be reunited with the three-year-old on Monday

Police are also baffled that the child turned up in the creek just 500 meters away from the family's home, evading highly-trained sniffer dogs since Friday as well as a helicopter fitted with infrared technology and hundreds of searchers scouring the nearby bush.

A white ute was also reported to have driven away from the property around the time AJ disappeared, with a similar vehicle seized by police on Sunday, as well as CCTV from a service station 40km away.

NSW Superintendent Tracey Chapman said on Tuesday morning that having wombat holes and access to water helped increase his chances of survival.

When asked about the speculation surrounding the disappearance she said: 'We are certainly happy with where things are at the moment.

'We'll continue that investigation to be entirely comfortable but from our perspective it's simply a good- news story. We have a three-year- old boy who many people probably expected was not alive and he's been located and been returned to his family.'

There are also claims more crucial CCTV footage had 'gone missing' at the rural property with family friend Alan Hashem, who was at the property at the time AJ went missing, claiming that someone may have tampered with security cameras he had installed on a tree high above the remote bushland road outside the home.

Mr Hashem said footage was now missing during the four-hour window when AJ vanished.

'How did he leave, who did he leave with? Did anything sinister happen? These are questions that need to still be answered and we will not stop until we actually find the truth,' he said on Monday.

AJ (pictured in the ambulance) with reunited with his parents and brothers before being taken to Singleton Hospital - but police are still investigating

SES search crews (pictured) spent the weekend searching the area for the boy before he was found by a rescue helicopter on Monday

Father Anthony Elfalak and mother Kelly Elfalak (pictured together) moved to the rural property earlier this year with their children

He also explained that the cameras set up in the area were installed high enough to make them near-impossible to tamper with, but somehow the crucial footage was missing.

'There's one key factor and this is probably the first time I actually mentioned this, I installed cameras on that post right there,' he told the Today show on Monday.

'There's footage missing, unexplained. (We have footage from) days before, days after, but not during the time.

'You know what's more alarming? We installed it so high you can't tamper with it and we had two mechanisms of storage - cloud storage and physical storage - and there's no data in that time slot.

'We provided the user name and password to the police, we provided them the actual original memory card. There's a lot of explaining to do.'

The claims come as it's revealed Strike Force Raptor police, tasked with investigating the murky world of bikie crime, was 'among the groups assisting with the missing persons investigation' from the very beginning.

AJ is comforted by a SES volunteer (pictured on Monday) after he was found drinking water from a creek and brought to safety

Three-year-old 'AJ' Elfalak (pictured) disappeared from a rural property on Friday but was found drinking from a creek bed 500m from his family home on Monday - raising questions about how he survived

His father Anthony Elfalak said the rural property has been a 'sanctuary' for their family for eight years, but they didn't consider moving there permanently until recently, when they were desperate to escape the spiralling Covid outbreak in Sydney.

Property records indicate the land was purchased in November 2016 by Ms Elfalak and two associates, Michael and Katia Mallouhi, for just $30,000.

The figure is more than ten times less than the property sold for when it last went under the hammer in October 2014 for $320,000.

Superintendent Tracy Chapman on Monday afternoon acknowledged: 'I know everyone has lots of questions.'

There are also claims more crucial CCTV footage had 'gone missing' at the rural property with family friend Alan Hashem (pictured), who was at the property at the time AJ went missing, claiming that someone may have tampered with security cameras

Family and friends rush towards the waiting ambulance on Monday (pictured), where AJ was being assessed after he was found in a nearby creek drinking water

Family and friends at the property embrace on Monday (pictured) following confirmation AJ was found alive

'So we need to try to understand what has occurred over the past three days,' she said.

'I don't understand what has happened with some CCTV footage, however, it is subsequently part of our inquiries.'

His mother Kelly initially claimed she feared AJ was 'abducted' saying that he was 'not a wanderer' and would not have ventured off alone.

It took the family two hours to tell police they saw a mysterious white ute on the property earlier that day, that was later seized by police.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting that any family members were involved in the potential abduction.

Police are investigating how AJ (pictured) survived in rugged bushland for four days without food in almost freezing temperatures before being found safe and well

AJ's relieved mum Kelly (pictured) collapsed to the ground after being told her son had been found alive on Monday

Police seized a white ute from a nearby property on Sunday (pictured) during their search for AJ

There were jubilant scenes on Monday when the little boy was spotted drinking from the muddy creek by a rescue helicopter.

He was soon reunited with his distraught mother, who cried as she finally got to hold her little boy.

Relatives and friends celebrated triumphantly upon the news rescuers had found AJ, who later gulped down pizza and a banana provided by search teams.

His family put out a statement on Monday, thanking those who helped find AJ.

'Our family is together again. For that we are grateful to everyone who has assisted in any way over the last three days,' they said.

'Thank you to the NSW Police, Rescue Services, volunteers, community members, friends and family who have worked tirelessly to find AJ.

'AJ is fine. Hold your kids close.

'Please give our family the privacy to appreciate what we have.'
Germany's ambassador to China has died suddenly less than two weeks after taking up his post, the German government said on Monday.

There was no suggestion that the death of Jan Hecker, previously a senior adviser to Chancellor Angela Merkel, was linked to his role, the Foreign Ministry said.

The short Foreign Ministry statement announcing the 54-year-old's death gave no details of where or when Hecker died, nor did it provide a cause of death.

Ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse said there were 'no indications that the death is connected to Ambassador Hecker's political function.'

When asked whether authorities will release further details, she told a regular government news conference that the ministry had nothing to add at present.

Germany's ambassador to China Jan Hecker (left) has died suddenly less than two weeks after taking up his post, the German government said on Monday. Hecker was previously a senior adviser to Chancellor Angela Merkel (centre) with whom he is pictured at a 2019 conference in Berlin

The short Foreign Ministry statement announcing the 54-year-old's death gave no details of where or when Hecker died, nor did it provide a cause of death [File photo]

German and European Union flags flew at half-mast on Monday at the embassy in Beijing (pictured) after Hecker's death was announced

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas reiterated this, telling DPA news agency: 'based on the circumstances of the death, we have no indications that Jan Hecker's passing was related in any way at all to his professional role as German ambassador in Beijing.'

Hecker, who became ambassador in August, was married and had three children, according to his biography on the Foreign Ministry website.

He arrived in China on August 1 and presented his credentials on August 24, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Reuters reported that, like all new arrivals in China, Hecker would have been required to spend time in quarantine as a coronavirus precaution.

In 2015, Hecker, a former Interior Ministry official and then a judge at Germany's Federal Administrative Court, started work at the chancellery as the head of a unit coordinating refugee policy.

In this role, he was a key player in realising Merkel's plans to accept one million asylum seekers into Germany during Europe's refugee crisis.

He became Merkel's foreign policy adviser - an influential post, though one with a low public profile - in 2017.

Merkel said in a statement that Hecker's death 'shocks me deeply'.

'I am mourning an esteemed long-time adviser with deep humanity and outstanding expertise,' the chancellor said.

'I think with gratitude of our work together and am happy to have been so closely tied to him for years. My deepest sympathy goes out to his wife, his children and his other loved ones in their immeasurable grief'.

Hecker (right) speaks with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (left) following a meeting with Angela Merkel in Berlin in June

Maas also expressed his condolences, saying in a Twitter post that he was 'deeply shocked' by Hecker's sudden passing, adding that the Foreign Ministry has lost an 'outstanding and valued' colleague.

The Chinese government also offered its condolences and said it would provide assistance to Hecker's family and the embassy.

'We are shocked to learn of this sudden death of Ambassador Jan Hecker, who had been working actively to promote China-Germany relations since assuming his post,' Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing in Beijing.

Hecker had appeared 'happy and all right' when he hosted an event about German artist Joseph Beuys at his Beijing home last Friday, a guest at the event said.

German and European Union flags flew at half-mast on Monday at the embassy in Beijing.

Deputy ambassador Frank Ruckert, will take over ambassadorial duties for the time being, DW reported.
British model and body positivity advocate Iskra Lawrence is speaking out about her own pregnancy in wake of the Texas heartbeat abortion bill going in to effect.

Lawrence, who currently lives in Austin, Texas, unveiled on Instagram Sunday that she didn't know she was pregnant until nine weeks into her pregnancy, noting that under the new legislation she wouldn't have been able to have an abortion.

Her post included a series of photos taken when she was six, seven and eight pregnant, with the final image captioned: 'I had no idea I was pregnant.'

'I didn't know until nearly nine weeks into my pregnancy. This is very normal,' Lawrence said.

British model and body positivity advocate Iskra Lawrence, who currently lives in Austin, Texas, unveiled on Instagram Sunday that she didn't know she was pregnant until nine weeks into her pregnancy (Pictured: Lawrence at seven weeks pregnant)

Lawrence (pictured with her son) took to Instagram to speak out against the Texas heartbeat abortion bill which went into effect last week

The model shared that she was shocked and worried about the surprise pregnancy, noting that she and her partner, Philip Payne, had only been dating for a year at that point.

'I didn't feel ready and I was using contraceptive,' Lawrence wrote.

'We weren't married and I thought everything I'd built for myself and my family could fall apart. Philip saw how upset and scared I was and lovingly reassured me.'

Lawrence explained that she and Payne decided together that they would raise their child, citing the privileges of financial security, home ownership, familial support and being in a loving relationship.

The couple welcomed a son in April 2020.

'Our baby coming into our lives is the greatest blessing and I dream of a world where this could be everyone's reality butthis isn't everyone's story. And no one, especially men, have a right to tell women what to do with their bodies,' she said.

'There are so many reasons folx may need or want an abortion from maternal death to abusive relationships or simply not having the financial means to feed and raise a child. Women need access to abortions and that is their decision to make.'

Her post included a series of photos taken when she was six, seven and eight pregnant, with the final image captioned: 'I had no idea I was pregnant.'

Lawrence argued that people need greater access to contraceptives and sex and reproductive education, as well as provided her followers with a list of resources.

She also encouraged them to donate to organizations that are working to reverse the legislation, including Planned Parenthood, Avow, the Texas Equal Access Fund, the Lilith Fund and Fund Texas Choice.

'What we do know is abortions will still happen, but they won't be safe,' Lawrence concluded.

Lawrence is just one of many who have spoken out against the 'Texas Heartbeat Act,' which took effect last week after being passed by the state legislature in May.

The legislation bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually around six weeks, before a woman even realizes she's pregnant.

Lawrence, who welcomed a baby boy in April 2020, argued that people need greater access to contraceptives and sex and reproductive education, as well as provided her followers with a list of resources

Lawrence is just one of many who have spoken out against the 'Texas Heartbeat Act,' which took effect last week after being passed by the state legislature in May

It makes no exceptions for women who became pregnant via rape or incest. However, it does allow a woman to terminate her pregnancy if carrying a baby to term would put her health at risk.

The divisive law, upheld by the Supreme Court last week, also relies on citizens reporting those who assist women in getting abortions after that six-week mark  like drivers who may transport them to an abortion clinic or doctors who perorm abortions after a heartbeat is detected.

Georgia, Ohio, Missouri, and Louisiana have enacted 'heartbeat laws' recently, and Alabama passed an even more restrictive version in May, amounting to a near total ban on abortion from the moment of conception. Other states have similar legislation pending.

Similar laws has also been passed in Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, Iowa and Kentucky, though they have been blocked by courts from going into effect as legal challenges have been brought against them.
Owners, from Ankara, Turkey, say Lokum is often training Prens to be better dog

Prens ignores the warning, earning further blows as Lokum starts hissing too

In a video, Lokum raises his paw as a warning to Prens before striking his head

This is the hilarious moment a cat punishes the family dog off for attempting to dig a hole in the sofa.

In a video shared online, the black and white cat called Lokum can be seen staring at its canine housemate Prens as he scratches the pink settee and attempts to chew it.

As he sits on the ground, the cat raises one of his paws, seemingly as a warning.

Prens freezes for a moment but then continues to dig.

Suddenly Lokum pounces on the dog and hits him twice over the head.

Lokum the cat strikes his furry housemate Prens on the head after watching him dig at the sofa at their home in Ankara, Turkey

Lokum the cat stares intently as naughty pup Prens starts digging at the sofa

Lokum then retreats to the coffee table and stares at the dog, who after pausing for a moment yet again begins pawing at the sofa.

Lokum jumps at him once more and lands another couple of blows to the head - this time while hissing.

The hilarious moment was captured in Ankara, Turkey, last month.

The owner of the animals said Lokum often acts as Prens's trainer because the dog is a 'little naughty'.

Lokum raises his right paw, causing Prens to stop his assault on the settee for a brief moment

Prens continues to dig, causing Lokum to jump up and strike him twice over the head

They said: 'Our cat's name is Lokum, our dog's name is Prens.

'Lokum is a very good cat, but Prens is a little naughty.

'That's why he trains him to be good. Prens is now a very good dog thanks to him.'

If they didn't have Lokum to keep Prens in line, they might have come home to a torn up sofa - like dalmatian owner Bethany-Jayne Livesey in Lancashire last week.

In a video she shared online, six-month old puppy Percy makes puppy eyes at she quickly discovers he has trashed her 2,000 living room sofa, pulling the stuffing out of the cushions.

Through stifled laughter, the customer care administrator asks the guilty-looking pup: 'Who's done this?'

'No one's going to be sitting on this sofa anytime soon,' she adds.

Percy - who had previously ruined three cushions and a rug - stays by the door and gives his owner 'the cute eyes' before sheepishly walking back to his pen.

But Bethany could not stay mad at him, adding: 'He's the quirkiest, funniest dog with so many strange habits and he's definitely lived up to the cheeky dalmatian name.'
Far-left and far-right misinformation on Facebook gets six times more likes and shares than factual posts, a study of thousands of pages has revealed - after the social media giant banned the researchers from the platform.

The peer-reviewed study by researchers at New York University and the Universite Grenoble Alpes in France combed through 2,551 Facebook pages from August 2020 to January 2021.

It found that misinformation on both sides of the political spectrum spreads faster than facts from authoritative sources like the World Health Organization and corporate news outlets like CNN.

The study was released after Facebook shut down the personal accounts of the researchers, who were looking into data for a different study about political ads before the most recent one was released.

Facebook claimed that the researchers were 'using unauthorized means to access and collect data' in violation of their terms and a 2019 data-privacy settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.

But Samuel Levine, acting director of the FTCs consumer protection bureau, hit back saying a consent decree allows Facebook to create exceptions to data collection restrictions 'for good-faith research in the public interest.'

The academics say the company is attempting to exert control on research that paints it in a negative light.

The NYU researchers found that 40 percent of far-right sources and 10 percent of center or left-leaning sources promote misinformation.

They also said misinformation accounts for 68 percent of engagement with far-right sources, compared to just 36 percent for far-left sources.

All fake news, left or right-leaning, spreads at six times the rate of facts, a new study says

NYU researcher Laura Edelson says Facebook previously cut off access to an account she was using for a different study on political ads, claiming her data mining violated FTC rules

The study is likely to fuel claims that Facebook has widened the political divide in the US by reinforcing users' pre-existing views and sectioning them off into silos.

Company founder Mark Zuckerberg has appeared before Congress numerous times, testifying on issues of privacy and abuse of data.

The research 'helps add to the growing body of evidence that, despite a variety of mitigation efforts, misinformation has found a comfortable home  and an engaged audience  on Facebook,' Rebekah Tromble told the Washington Post.

Tromble is director of the Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics at George Washington University, who reviewed the NYU studys findings.

The study divided news publishers by their political leaning based on information from NewsGuard and Media Bias/Fact Check.

It found that posts on Facebook pages for left-leaning sites like Occupy Democrats and right-leaning sources like Dan Bongino and Breitbart are equally as likely to travel farther than posts from more centrist sources.

'What we do find is that these ecosystems are just fundamentally different,' NYU researcher Laura Edelson told CNN. 'The far-right media ecosystem has a much higher share of sources of misinformation - 40 percent in fact.'

The findings have huge implications during the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost a third of people, 31 percent, get their news about coronavirus from Facebook, according to the Covid States Project.

In response to criticism over fake news during the 2016 election, Facebook modified its news feed to feature more posts from family and friends and less from pages and companies.

Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg has testified in front of Congress on issues of data privacy and abuse of data. The company cut off access to the NYU researchers in August

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In July, President Joe Biden said that social media companies that allow the spread of misinformation are 'killing people.'

Facebook disputes the findings, claiming that pages, which are public and can be 'liked' by many users, represent a small part of activity on the social media platform.

'This report looks mostly at how people engage with content, which should not be confused with how many people actually see it on Facebook,' said Facebook spokesman Joe Osborne.

'When you look at the content that gets the most reach across Facebook, it is not at all like what this study suggests.'

He said the company has 80 fact checkers covering over 60 languages to label and reduce the spread of fake news.

Edelson, who conducted the misinformation study, was cut off from Facebook last month after the company argued that her data collection for a different study on misinformation in political ads could put them in violation of a 2019 US Federal Trade Commission privacy settlement.

Donald Trump's candidacy, and later his presidency, presented problems for Facebook's leadership, which debated whether to remove a video of him calling for a ban on Muslims

'This latest action by Facebook to cut off an outside group's transparency efforts - efforts that have repeatedly facilitated revelations of ads violating Facebook's terms of service, ads for frauds and predatory financial schemes, and political ads that were improperly omitted from Facebook's lackluster Ad Library  is deeply concerning,' said Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, in a statement.

The FTC denied Facebook's claim.

'The FTC received no notice that Facebook would be publicly invoking our consent decree to justify terminating academic research earlier this week,' wrote Sam Levine, the FTC's acting director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, in a letter to Facebook.

'While it is not our role to resolve individual disputes between Facebook and third parties, we hope that the company is not invoking privacy  much less the FTC consent order  as a pretext to advance other aims,' Levine wrote.

Conservatives have often complained that big social media platforms have silenced their views. During the 2016 election, Facebook seriously considered removing then-candidate Donald Trump's video calling for a Muslim ban, according to the New York Times.

After Trump carried out a stunning victory, Facebook's security engineers presented a study on how fake news spread so rapidly in the platform.

Facebook's Vice President of Global Public Policy Joel Kaplan argued that shutting down the pages would disproportionally impact conservatives, according to the Washington Post.

Trump was eventually banned from both Facebook and Twitter after he called on his supporters to march to the US Capitol on January 6, where they broke into the building in a riot that killed five people.
'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson expects Britain to press ahead with vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds against Covid

Britain is likely to press ahead with vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds, 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson claimed today.

The Government scientific adviser  whose modelling spooked ministers into the initial lockdown in March  said he expects Chris Whitty to approve jabs for teens this week.

The Government's vaccine advisory panel on Friday said it would not recommend jabs for children because Covid poses such a low risk to their health.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)  which is independent of Government  has now left the decision with Professor Whitty and the three other chief medical officers (CMOs) in the devolved nations.

They will meet this week to decide whether the broader societal benefits  including keeping schools open during winter  tip the balance in favour of jabbing children, with a decision expected by Friday.

Speaking at an online conference, Professor Ferguson said: 'On balance, I think we will probably move to vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds.

'The question becomes even finer going into younger age groups (under-12s), but focusing on teenage secondary school children  I think we will move in that direction.'

He added: 'It would not surprise me if the chief medical officers... would decide to go forward with vaccination (of 12 to 15-year-olds).'

Professor Whitty suggested in July that he would be in favour of jabbing children to prevent further school closures.

Scientists are divided over whether 12 to 15-year-olds should get the Covid vaccine, with some SAGE members backing the move yesterday arguing it would help to head off a surge in infections later this winter.

But others have argued it would be ethically dubious to inoculate the age group when millions of people in poorer countries are still waiting to be vaccinated.

The JCVI advises the Government on who should receive vaccines, whereas the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) which Professor Ferguson gives guidance to gives advice to ministers on how they should respond to emergenceis such as outbreaks of infectious diseases.

The JCVI said that youngsters under 16 with severe conditions have a one in 10,000 chance of falling seriously ill with Covid compared to the one in 500,000 risk for healthy children. It said that a very rare heart complication associated with the jabs meant the benefits of vaccination 'only marginally' outweighed the risks in healthy under-16s, but not enough to recommend a mass rollout

This chart shows vaccinations by age group in England. In the under-18s age group the Covid vaccine is already recommended for 16 and 17-year-olds, and half have already got one dose

Speaking at the online conference hosted by the Institute for Government, Professor Ferguson pointed out that the JCVI had said it was marginally beneficial to children to get the Covid vaccine.

He said: 'So long as you are convinced there is some individual benefit (to vaccinating children), then it is valid to consider the population benefit.

'That would be that vaccinating that age group would drive down transmission in the population on the whole.'

Should children be vaccinated? 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 levels triggering more hospitalisations and deaths than seen during the summer. 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 released last night 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. 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

He added that the JCVI may not have recommended younger children get the jab because of concern over the very rare side effect myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart.

The JCVI said in July the risk of this condition was about one in 20,000 for those who had been fully inoculated with Pfizer's vaccine.

But Professor Ferguson said it was possible that the condition was more common among people who had actually had Covid.

He said: 'We actually don't have quite as good data on what the risk of infection is for causing (myocarditis) and it probably does cause the same condition.

'So there is likely to be a small benefit of vaccinating that age group, to the vaccine recipients themselves.

'But it is not clear cut enough and large enough for (the JCVI) to wholeheartedly recommend it.'

It comes after Dr David Strain, co-chair of the BMA Medical Academics, claimed youngsters aged 12 to 15 were capable of weighing up the benefits of vaccination against the small risk of serious side effects.

He claimed they should be able to overrule their parents' wishes and get the injection if officials sign off on the plans this week.

But Dr Strain admitted that rolling out doses to the age group would only cut transmission by 20 per cent

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said yesterday that children would be able to get the vaccine against their parents' wishes if it is made available for the age group.

Dr Strain, who is also clinical lead for Covid services at the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, told LBC Radio: 'A lot of children aged 12 have enough maturity in order to make a decision themselves, although its not the same for every child.

'Doctors and nurses are trained to be able to evaluate them and deem them competent.'

'Vaccinating children will reduce the spread of the virus in the population by about 20 per cent.'

Speaking about his own family, he said: 'My 16-year-old has already had the vaccine; our 12-year-old, whos actually starting school tomorrow, will be desperately keen to get the vaccine.

'We have weighed up the evidence and fully accept there is this very small risk of myocarditis after the first jab, but actually the risk of myocarditis after getting Covid is about the same, if not slightly higher.

'These are the factors, so I would have no hesitation at all to allow my children to have the vaccine.'

Professor Whitty is under mounting political pressure to approve jabs for 12 to 15-year-olds in England.

Downing Street fears that while daily cases never hit the prediction of 100,000 cases a day over the summer, they could spiral to these levels during the winter months if kids aren't given vaccines.

This would leave the country fighting a new Covid wave at the same time as a flu outbreak, putting further pressure on the NHS.

But in its ruling on Friday, the JCVI said giving Covid vaccines to children would only have 'marginal' benefits to their health.

It said that the benefits did not yet outweigh the risk of potential side effects - namely heart inflammation.

Professor Anthony Harnden, the deputy chairman of the JCVI, this morning acknowledged that the group was in the 'uncomfortable' position of disagreeing with the Government.

He told Good Morning Britain: 'It is very finely balanced. It's marginally in favour, actually if you look at all the figures  and we have published those  in favour of vaccination.

'But I do understand it from a parental viewpoint and I understand it from a teenager's viewpoint.

'This is not an easy decision. And, to a certain extent, by us coming out and saying no, if the Government say yes that does create a lot of uncomfortableness, and I fully understand that.'

He said they want to provide the data for everyone to look at and, should the chief medical officers decide healthy children in this age group should be offered a jab, they are 'giving choice'.

He added: 'It is up to then parents and teenagers to decide whether they go ahead or not. There isn't a right or wrong answer to this.'

Mr Zahawi told Times Radio yesterday that children would be able to overrule their parents to get the vaccine, should the jab be recommended for the age group.

He said: 'What you essentially do is make sure that the clinicians discuss this with the parents, with the teenager, and if they are then deemed to be able to make a decision that is competent, then that decision will go in the favour of what the teenager decides to do.'

Mr Zahawi added that if jabbing 12 to 15-year-olds was recommended by Britain's medical officers it was 'absolutely' the right thing to do.

He said that parents would be asked for consent if jabs were approved for the age group.

Medics have warned, however, that clinicians will be 'reluctant' to give jabs to children without their parents' consent.

The associate professor of family law at Oxford University, Lucinda Ferguson, told The Telegraph: 'In my view the clinician may well be reluctant to accept that because alongside that, you have now got the JCVI saying that they don't consider it to be essentially in the medical best interests of children more generally.

She added: 'At least at this stage wold be reluctant to accept that that consent (from a child) is good enough because of course if you treat a child without informed consent, either from them, or from a parent with parental responsibility, it is technically battery and that would be what would be concerning the clinician.'

Several SAGE members have already said they are in favour of vaccinating the age group to head off a surge in cases later this year.

Professor John Edmunds, who sits on the powerful committee, said on Saturday: 'In the UK now it's difficult to say how many children have not been infected but it is probably around half of them.

'That's a long way to go if we allow the infection just to run through the population, that's a lot of children who will be infected that will be a lot of disruption to schools in the coming months.'

SAGE adviser Professor Peter Openshaw also backed vaccinating the age group yesterday to head off a surge in infections.

He told BBC Breakfast: 'We do know the virus is circulating very widely amongst this age group, and that if we're going to be able to get the rates down and also prevent further surges of infection perhaps later in the winter, then this is the group that needs to become immune.

'And the best way to become immune is through vaccination, and there's never been as much information as this in the past.'

He added: 'To my mind, the public health benefit is very, very important, and we have to take the wider view that unless we do get infection rates down amongst this particular part of the population, it will be very, very hard to prevent further large recurrences (of Covid).'

Should we jab 12-year-olds? Experts say it's 'unethical' to vaccinate children to protect adults from Covid and claim kids may get 'better immunity' if they catch virus naturally - but others warn of school closures and lockdowns

Scientists and ministers are at war over whether the UK should be routinely vaccinating children against Covid, after the country's watchdog ruled against the plans.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)  an independent body which advises the UK Government on the Covid jab roll-out  last week resisted growing pressure to OK the move despite the US, France, Spain, Italy, Canada, Norway and the Netherlands all pressing ahead with the plans.

The JCVI claimed the virus posed such a low risk to 12 to 15-year-olds that the benefit of vaccination to their health would be marginal.

It did however recommend the jabs for 200,000 more children with chronic heart, kidney, lung and neurological conditions in that age group. A total of 350,000 children aged 12 to 15 are now eligible for the vaccine.

But experts pushing back against the plans have argued that it would be 'ethically dubious' to jab children solely to protect adults, because Covid itself poses such a tiny risk to youngsters.

Others believe it is 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 Paul Hunter, an epidemiologist at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline: '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 David Livermore, a medical microbiologist at the same university, 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 experts who warn that letting the virus rip through schools could result in more disruptions to education and force lockdown restrictions to be rolled back.

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at Reading University, told MailOnline that he would feel comfortable vaccinating children so long as their parents consented.

He said the wider benefits to keeping schools open and infection rates low outweighed any small risks of side effects from the jabs.

And in a letter written to the Education Secretary, a group of scientists said the wider effects curbs would have on children's learning, health and wellbeing meant it was 'reckless' to send secondary children to classes unvaccinated.

This graph shows the number of first doses dished out by age group. The NHS publishes age groups as periods of five years, and groups all those under 18 together. It shows more than 620,000 have already been inoculated among under-18s

Scotland's weekly Covid cases have nearly trebled in the fortnight after schools went back after summer there, Office for National Statistics data shows. There are fears the rest of the UK will be hit with a similar bang in cases now that classes are resuming this week

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

Dr Simon Clarke (left), a microbiologist at Reading University, told MailOnline that children should be vaccinated 'with their parents' consent' because the benefits outweighed the risk of side-effects. He pointed to other countries where the jab has been rolled out to the age group with no safety issues. SAGE adviser Professor Calum Semple has said children should be inoculated in order to avoid further disruption to their education

Scientists were at war over vaccinating children against Covid. 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 the jabs are associated with rare cases of myocarditis in young people.

The JCVI said that youngsters under 16 with severe conditions have a one in 10,000 chance of falling seriously ill with Covid compared to the one in 500,000 risk for healthy children.

It said that a very rare heart complication associated with the jabs meant the benefits of vaccination 'only marginally' outweighed the risks in healthy under-16s, but not enough to recommend a mass rollout.

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 levels triggering more hospitalisations and deaths than seen during the summer. 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 released last night 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. 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

Professor Hunter said he was against vaccinating children and had faith in the JCVI comes to come to the correct decision.

He told MailOnline: 'The issue around whether we should be vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds is whether there is enough vaccine to go around people who are vulnerable worldwide.'

Professor Hunter added that as the direct benefit of vaccines to children was small because Covid is a mild illness for the overwhelming majority of them.

He said he would prefer to see the doses shipped to developing nations which are struggling to get first doses to vulnerable people.

And he raised doubts about whether it was ethical to vaccinate children against a mild disease in the first place.

'If we are going to be vaccinating these children it has got to be in their interest, not in ours,' he said.

'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.'

Professor David Livermore, a medical microbiologist at the University of East Anglia, said last week that 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.

He added: '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.'

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.

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.

He added: '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.'

But an equal number of scientists say that vaccinating children would have indirect benefits to them, such as keeping them in education and avoiding future lockdowns which took a toll on young people's mental health.

A group of 12 scientists on Independent SAGE - a group which has attacked the Government for not being strict enough in controlling the virus - wrote to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to call for children to receive the vaccine for exactly that reason.

In the letter published in the BMJ they argued that policies in England mean there will soon be a large population who are 'susceptible' to the virus mixing in crowded spaces with 'hardly any mitigations'.

They said children have suffered 'significant harms' on their education and wellbing in the pandemic and added: 'Allowing mass infection of children is therefore reckless.'

Earlier school reopenings in Scotland and the US have shown that a lack of 'adequate mitigations' is likely to lead to the virus spreading among children, which could further disrupt learning with significant absences due to student and staff illness, they said.

'England's policies mean that we will soon have a large susceptible population with high prevalence of infection mixing in crowded environments with hardly any mitigations.'

Other signatories include members of the Parent SafeEdForAll group and the National Education Union.

UK medical regulators cleared the Pfizer jab for use on 12- to 15-year-olds in June, declaring it safe and effective in this age group. The Moderna vaccine was also authorised last month.

Ministers had hoped to vaccinate children during the school holidays to prevent a repeat of the massive disruption seen in schools over the past 18 months.

Dr Clarke told MailOnline: 'As long as the data that exists is that there is no greater harm from giving children jabs then children should get vaccinated, with the caveat that there is parental choice.

'There have been suggestions that the Americans, the Irish, care less about their children than we do  of course they don't. They are very sensitive about this issue as well.

'I see no evidence that there is a problem with vaccinating children.'

He said the decision not to inoculate children before they returned to school was a 'missed window of opportunity' because the jabs could have reduced transmission of the virus.

SAGE adviser Professor Calum Semple, from Liverpool University, echoed the scientists views last week, saying that without vaccines children faced yet more 'disruption' to their education in the new academic year.

Covid cases in Scotland soared 170% in the fortnight after schools went back, official data shows  amid fears the rest of UK is next Scotland's Covid cases soared by more than two and a half times in the fortnight after schools went back from the summer break, official figures showed  in a clear warning sign to the rest of the country. The Office for National Statistics' weekly surveillance report estimated 69,500 Scots, or one in 75 people, were infected with the virus on any given day in the week to August 27, up 170 per cent. In England infections have plateaued but remain stubbornly high with the ONS estimating 766,100 people had Covid last week or one in 70, barely a change from the previous seven-day spell. Experts fear infections could spiral as children returned to classrooms in England, Wales and Northern Ireland this week. The UK's vaccine advisory panel is being lobbied hard by ministers, politicians and some scientists to give the green light to rolling out the vaccine to 12 to 15-year-olds but it has so far resisted the calls. Britain is becoming an international outlier with France, the US, Canada, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands all already administering jabs to over-12s. Last night Norway became the latest country to OK the move. But some experts say letting children get Covid naturally is a better way to create immunity because the virus itself poses such a low risk to them, whereas the vaccines come with dangerous side effects in rare cases. The spike in Scotland has also led to growing calls for No10's vaccine advisory body to recommend a mass booster campaign. But it could be weeks before it is signed off. Advertisement

The Liverpool University expert told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'If you treat children the same way you do with adults, where if you have got double vaccination you no longer need to isolate, that would then allow us to have schools carrying on without such disruption.

'I think we need to look at vaccinating these children not just as an individual benefit but a benefit to the root, a benefit to the whole of society and school and the education system.'

The JCVI has told the Government to seek advice from elsewhere to determine whether a mass rollout in schools would have wider benefits, such as keeping classrooms open and avoiding future lockdowns.

The UK's four chief medical officers will spend the next week weighing up whether vaccinating secondary school-aged children will have a broader benefit on society.

The JCVI said it had investigated the extremely rare events of inflammation of the heart muscle, known as myocarditis, after Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

While the condition can result in short periods of hospital observation, followed by typically swift recoveries, the JCVI has concluded the medium to long-term outcomes are still uncertain and more follow-up time is needed to get a clearer picture.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid and his counterparts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have now written to the chief medical officers in the four nations to ask that they begin to look at any broader impact universal vaccination in this age group might have.

The review will not consider any benefits adults may experience due to having children vaccinated, but will instead focus on areas outside the JCVI's remit, such as lost education time due to Covid-related absences, either through sickness or being sent home from school.

A decision is not expected for several days.

Mr Javid said he is 'grateful' for the expert advice from the committee, and added that Government hoped to make a decision 'shortly'.

He said: 'Along with health ministers across the four nations, I have today written to the chief medical officers to ask that they consider the vaccination of 12 to 15-year-olds from a broader perspective, as suggested by the JCVI.

'We will then consider the advice from the chief medical officers, building on the advice from the JCVI, before making a decision shortly.'

The jabs programme is being extended from what had been considered the most at-risk children to include those with chronic major heart, lung, kidney, liver and neurological conditions.

It means about 200,000 more children will be invited for vaccines.

The decision comes exactly a week after the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed preparations were under way to ensure the NHS was ready to offer coronavirus jabs to all 12 to 15-year-olds in England from early September.

The department had said it wanted to be 'ready to hit the ground running'.

On Thursday, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said he felt parents would find it 'deeply reassuring' to have a choice of whether their children should have a jab or not, adding that many people hoped they would be in a position 'of being able to roll out vaccinations for those who are under the age of 16'.

The Government has said if all 12 to 15-year-olds were to be offered a vaccine, parental or carer consent will be sought as it is in other school immunisation programmes.

Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann said he agrees the issue of a wider rollout 'warrants further consideration'.

He said: 'It is entirely appropriate that our most senior medical advisers take forward this piece of work urgently. I look forward to seeing their considerations in the near future.'

Welsh Government Health Minister Eluned Morgan said she had asked the country's chief medical officer 'to provide guidance at the earliest opportunity on the clinical and wider health benefits of vaccinating this age group', while Scottish Health Minister Humza Yousaf said he had asked for the review to be conducted 'as soon as possible'.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said he is disappointed by the JCVI decision not to recommend jabs for all 12 to 15-year-olds.

He added that while they respect it, it could mean it is 'more difficult during the autumn term and beyond to guard against educational disruption caused by transmission of the virus'.

He said: 'We are therefore pleased that the door appears to have been left at least partially open as the government looks at wider issues including disruption to schools. The trouble is that time is pressing, the autumn term is upon us and we really do need a decision.'
A would-be people smuggler from Wakefield has admitted trying to sneak two Albanian illegal migrants into the UK in a car's boot.

Jade Wood, 36, confessed to conspiracy to do an act to breach immigration law, at Leeds Crown Court this morning.

The pair of Albanians were not nationals of the United Kingdom and would have had no right to be in the country.

Wood was in court with Tina Windle, 41, who pleaded not guilty to the same charge.

Jade Wood, 36, confessed to conspiracy to do an act to breach immigration law

Wood was in court with Tina Windle, 41, who pleaded not guilty to the same charge

Another co-defendant Jamie Hawley, 29, also denied the offence, which was said to have taken place on February 13 last year.

Judge Rodney Jameson QC told the court the three defendants were charged with conspiracy to do an act to breach UK immigration law.

It related to a plot to smuggle two Albanian nationals, who were not citizens of the EU, into the UK in the boot of a car.

Wood, who wore white blouse only spoke to confirm her name and age, but admitted offence.

Windle, who was wearing a white tank top only spoke to confirm her name and age

Windle, who was wearing a white tank top only spoke to confirm her name and age and pleaded not guilty.

Wood, who was wearing a white blouse only spoke to confirm her name and age, but admitted the offence.

A trial for two of the defendants, expected to last two days, is scheduled for Nov 30, 2022.

All three defendants were granted bail.
A family of eight Afghans were able to escape Kabul in the nick of time by invoking the name of the most decorated Marine in history - Chesty Puller.

Puller was legendary for his leadership in World War II and the Korean war, and while not necessarily known by everyone, is a famous figure in the U.S. Marine Corp.

So when the family were seen holding cardboard signs bearing Chesty Puller's name outside of Kabul airport as the U.S. was scrambling to evacuate as many people as possible, they quickly got the attention of the marines stationed there.

The signs also served the purpose of not drawing the attention of the Taliban, who took control of Kabul earlier in August and who many feared would seek revenge on those who worked with the west.

According to their guide, the family were able make it inside Kabul airport on August 26 - moments after the suicide bomb was detonated that killed 170 people.

Pictured: A family of hopeful Afghan evacuees hold up signs with the words 'Chesty Puller' to get noticed by Marines outside Hamid Karzai International Airport last month

Pictured: Chesty Puller, a legendary Marine known for his leadership in World War II and Korea. While not necessarily known by everyone, is a famous name in the U.S. Marine Corp

'Word had gotten passed down from the battalion leadership, down to the point man on the ground, to look out for a guy who's going to be holding the signs that say 'Chesty Puller,'' Gus Biggio, who had served with the marines in southern Afghanistan's Helmand Province, told NPR.

The father of the 'Chesty Puller' family, who has not been named for their safety, had risked his life to help Biggio and his marines in the Nawa district of Helmand back in 2009, making him a wanted man when the Taliban took over.

But despite the help he gave to the marines, his application for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) to move to the U.S. - like for many other Afghans - was moving slowly.

From Washington DC, Biggio said he connected the father and his family with a grassroots network trying to locate American citizens and vulnerable Afghans, and help them get through the gates of Hamid Karzai International Airport.

There, thousands of people were trying to get through the gates and onto planes leaving the country to escape Afghanistan after it fell to the Taliban last month.

Among the grassroots network was Army veteran Ben Owen, who runs BlackRifle - a data intelligence company based in Georgia.

Pictured: Armed Forces personnel deployed in Kabul to work on the evacuation of people from Afghanistan help people towrads the airport, August 21, 2021

Owen was able to make contact with the family, telling NPR that his role quickly changed from working with data, to managing the family, saying this involved communicating with them on the ground to try and get them to the gate.

The family was instructed to make signs that read 'Chesty Puller', along with other other well known Marine motifs such as 'Teufel Hunden,' meaning 'Devil Dog,' the name German troops used for Marines in World War I and '10 Nov., 1775' - the date the U.S. Marine Corps was founded.

It was hoped that by holding up these signs, the family would be spotted in the crowd gathering at the gates outside the airport.

'People holding up these signs, about 20 inches square with black writing  amongst the densely packed crowd of similarly dressed people. You can't help but notice these six white placards,' Biggio said to NPR.

Afghan citizens pack inside a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, as they are transported from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan, Sunday, August 15, 2021

On their first attempt, however, Owen was unable to get the family to Abbey Gate - the entrance to the airport through which people hoped to be evacuated.

Despite them getting within meters of the gate with the right documentation, Owen said that they were forced to run back into the crowd. He said they shouldn't give up.

Biggio and Owen told the 'Chesty Puller' family to try to get out again on August 26, with Owen once again guideing them to Abbey Gate with their homemade signs.

Biggio said that he was later told the Marines waded out into the crowd and grabbed the father and the family, and pulled them towards the airport.

Once he thought they were safely through, Owen turned to helping other families, as he was working with a number of others to try and get them out.

He was speaking on the phone to another family he called 'stars and stripes' - because he instructed them to wear American flags - when a suicide bomb was detonated, killing 170 people including 13 U.S. military personnel.

The 'Stars and Stripes' family survived and fled the scene, and amidst the shock, Owen said a realisation dawned on him - the 'Chesty Puller' family were still there at the time of the devastating blast.

He had to wait an hour before getting word that the family of eight had made it through the gate to the airport in the nick of time, narrowly avoiding the explosion.

When asked by Owen in a worried phone call whether the 'Chesty' father had made it through, he said: 'Of course I'm good  I'm with Marines.'

'So when we found out they actually made it in, I cried. I think a lot of us did,' Owen said.
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Families from across the globe are ready to pack their bags and move to remote Scottish islands, taking the local government up on its lucrative 50,000 incentive to repopulate its archipelago.

The enticing offer, announced earlier this year by the Scottish National Party (SNP), is part of the governments goal of stemming island depopulation through 100 bonds of up to 50,000.

The money will be handed to young people in families looking to either remain on the islands, or move thereand applicants from as far as South America have expressed interest in making the move.

Uisdean Robertson, chair of the Western Isles Councils Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said initial queries came from Ecuador, some 9,600 kilometres away.

Mr. Robertson said he learned of the application during a monthly meeting with an islands team from Transport Scotland.

The isle of Great Cumbrae is popular for tourists. Pictured: Millport harbour, Great Cumbrae, Firth of Clyde, Scotland

Houses are pictured in the crofting settlement village of Bhatarsaigh, Vatersay, Barra, Scotland. The Scottish government is offering residents and outsiders up to 50,000 to help keep its islands populated

However, he said, a willingness to relocate isnt the only requirement.

We want young people with families who have some connection with the islands - not people just tempted by the cash on offer, Mr. Robertson said. Lack of housing is a huge problem - we are attracting early retirees and second home owners. You cant blame people for selling for the highest prices, but its not helping in pricing young people out of the market.

The governments Islands Act plan will help moving to the isles affordable by subsidizing the cost of buying a home or starting a new business, the SNP said on its website.

But not everyone buys into its strategy.

My feedback on this 50,000 bond is very negative, Mr. Robertson said. Its a bit of a gimmick.

The initiative is also meant to help bolster the island economies, which lack sources of employment, driving young residents away.

The countrys 93 islands range in population from 20,000 to just one. It was not immediately clear which islands would be covered by the bond.

Under the proposed scheme to tackle depopulation, cash could be given to young people and families to help them move to or stay on islands with dying populations. The Scottish government won't say how many applications have been received

A spokesperson for the Scottish government declined to say how many expressions of interest there had already been from overseas.

The bond aims to provide funding to help people stay on Scotlands islands, or encourage people to move to the islands with the skills communities need, the spokesperson said.

A consultation on how the plan will be implemented will run until October 24, and will strategize how island residents can reshape island communities.

We want the bond to provide a meaningful intervention as part of our wider commitment to addressing depopulation, the spokesperson said.

Following the closing date, all responses will be analysed and considered along with any other available evidence.

The government plans to publish responses and its analysis report, and will launch its Island Bond initiative in 2022.

The countrys 93 islands, including the Isle of Lewis (pictured), range in population from 20,000 to just one.

Islands Secretary Mairi Gougeon said the bonds would help the government deliver on some of its National Islands Plan commitments.

Its a way for us to address some of the key financial barriers for people who want to live on our islands, Secretary Gougeon said.

Id encourage people across Scotland, especially those on our islands, to provide a response to this consultation and make sure their voices are heard to help shape the bond.

An Atlantic puffin perches at the clifftop edge in the Hermaness National Nature Reserve on Unst, Shetland Islands

MP Angus MacNeil suggested the bond plan was misdirected. He noted that the government-owned Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd were looking to relocate around 20 air controllers from the Outer Hebrides  an island chain off Scottlands west coast - to centralise traffic control on the mainland.

Losing 20 families and the knock-on effects is going to do more damage to the islands than will ever be made up by this 50,000 bond scheme, said Mr MacNeil, who also understood that inquiries had already been made from overseas.

They should save the public the 2m-a-year damage it is estimated this will do to the islands and keep 20 families here. Ive also heard that people from overseas are chasing the bonds. The Transport Minister Graham Dey needs to get a grip and get to know these islands better. Keeping people here costs nothing - certainly not a 50,000 gimmick.
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Airport bosses today called for the testing of returning double-jabbed travellers to be scrapped, as Covid test entry requirements wreaked havoc on arrival lounges across the country.

In a sign that the country is fed up of stringent travel protocols, a quarter of arrivals from amber list countries are now breaking quarantine rules and one in 10 are not taking PCR tests when they're back in Britain, official data shows.

The current rules mean even those who have been double jabbed and are flying in from a green-list country must provide proof of a negative Covid test within two days of landing in the UK.

Those arriving from amber countries who have not been double-jabbed must pay for tests on days two and eight, as well as self-isolating for 10 days upon entry to the UK.

Bosses at Gatwick said the rules mean that the UK's aviation sector is bouncing back much slower than the rest of Europe, and says that comparable data shows the UK is suffering as a result of the requirement.

Meanwhile there was 'total chaos' at Heathrow, Luton and Manchester today with queues of passengers snaking through the airports waiting to show their Covid entry papers.

Witnesses said they had 'never seen anything like it' and raged that the country is fast becoming an international 'laughing stock'.

A major survey by the Office for National Statistics suggests that 23 per cent of amber arrivals in England in July avoided staying at home when they were supposed to.

And nine per cent did not take the PCR tests required in the days after they landed.

There are no routine Government follow-ups to check whether UK arrivals completed a mandatory PCR Covid test within 48 hours of arriving in the country. They are provided by private companies, with some charging more than 100 per test.

But those coming into the UK must provide proof they purchased a test on the passenger locator forms required to get into the UK, which is believed to be what is causing the holdups.

In Heathrow's case, the delays are thought to be down to the lack of Border Control staff, combined with the delays due to the restriction in place to curb the spread of the virus.

The ONS found compliance with the rules was lowest among those aged 18 to 34-years-old and highest among those who had not been jabbed.

Gatwick says bookings in Europe - where testing regulations are more relaxed - are at 60 per cent of pre-Covid levels while they remain at 30 per cent in the UK.

Newly released comparable data shows UK aviation sector is recovering slower than Europe

A quarter of travellers from amber list countries broke Covid rules and didn't take a PCR test when they arrived in UK, official survey finds A quarter of Britons arriving from amber-listed countries failed to follow isolation and testing rules, according to official estimates. Some 23 per cent of amber arrivals in England in July either avoided staying at home when they were supposed to, or did not take required Covid tests on arrival. There are no routine Government follow-ups to check whether UK arrivals completed a mandatory PCR Covid test within 48 hours of arriving in the country. They are provided by private companies, with some charging more than 100 per test. But those coming into the UK must provide proof they purchased a test on the passenger locator forms required to get into the UK. The Office for National Statistics found compliance with the rules was lowest among those aged 18 to 34-years-old and highest among those who had not been jabbed. It surveyed 848 adults arriving in England from amber territories between July 12 and 17. Overall, just 77 per cent of people said they followed both isolation and Covid testing rules, down from 82 per cent one month earlier. Two in 10 people did not follow quarantine rules, while about one in 20 did not take the required tests. Separate figures from the ONS revealed about half of Britons are fed up of the strict travel testing requirements, which may be leading to lower adherence. Advertisement

In a statement, the airport said it was calling on the Government to 'throw a lifeline' to the UK aviation industry by removing the requirement for testing altogether for travellers who have been double vaccinated.

The airport says that with proof, double vaccinated travellers can currently enter the majority of European countries without needing to be tested, including in France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Germany, among others.

It has proposed that passengers who are not double vaccinated should have to take a lateral flow test and then, if that is positive, take a PCR test.

Quarantine should remain for those flying in from red list countries, it has said.

Stewart Wingate, Gatwick CEO, said: 'With vaccination rates across Europe comparable, if not better, than the UK's, the time has come for testing to be removed altogether for travellers who have been double jabbed.

'Other countries have done this and their aviation sectors are recovering much faster with bookings in Europe recovering twice as fast as in the UK.

'Our continued travel restrictions are out of step with much of Europe and continue to have a real impact on jobs and livelihoods, business and growth opportunities while also keeping friends and family apart.

'Passenger confidence in the UK has been shattered and the UK travel industry urgently needs thrown a lifeline so that we can start to recover properly from the most difficult period in our history.'

Travellers returning to the UK from countries on the governments green list, as well as fully vaccinated passengers coming from amber countries, must currently pay for a PCR test within two days of arriving in the UK.

PCR travel tests, which must be purchased privately from a list of government-approved providers, cost around 75 on average in the UK.

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) last month urged No10 to pay for tests for double-jabbed travellers or replace the PCR requirement with cheaper lateral flow tests.

There are dozens of options available for just 20, according to the Government's list of approved Covid PCR test providers.

But some of the companies listed are actually charging nearly five times that amount.

Queue chaos: Dozens of passengers line up to get through immigration gates at Heathrow Terminal 5 today

'Dante's Purgatory': Heathrow passenger likens today's chaos at Terminal 5 to the Divine Comedy, an epic 14th century poem about a man's journey through hell.

The WTTC, which represents the global private travel and tourism sector, also warned last week that unless international travel opens up more widely, with simplified controls, the UK is facing a loss of 59.4 billion.

The WTTC says this is based on 2019 pre-pandemic levels and that it estimates it will be lost from the UKs economy if travel remains curtailed over the final quarter of 2021 and, furthermore, 8.9billion could be lost purely due to the lack of inbound travel spending within the UK.

The E-Gates of HELL: Heathrow is likened to 'Dantes purgatory' with 'massive queues', 'no social distancing' and 'arguments breaking out' - as Priti Patel demands airports get queue chaos 'sorted' but bosses blame Border Force

Queues formed at Luton at 1am as problems at arrivals spread to other UK airports to fury of passengers

Man faints at Manchester Airport as luggage spilled from conveyor belts as people waited in passport control

Passengers have posted images on Twitter showing a long queue at the arrivals of Heathrow Terminal 3

It comes after arrivals faced huge delays at airport's Terminal 5 on Friday, when passengers reportedly fainted

The Home Office, responsible for Border Force, yesterday branded the chaos at Heathrow as 'unacceptable'

***Have YOU been waiting to get through immigration? Send photos to martin.robinson@mailonline.co.uk***

Air passengers described 'total chaos' at Heathrow's 4.2billion Terminal 5 today as rows broke out in passport control and exasperated people who had already spent hours waiting to enter Britain then had to wait in long lines for the car park, MailOnline can reveal.

Witnesses said they had 'never seen anything like it' as 'massive queues' also appeared at Luton and Manchester airports and travellers raged that the country is fast becoming an international 'laughing stock'.

One woman caught up in the chaos described rows in arrivals at Heathrow - and to add insult to injury, a wait of 30 minutes just to get to their parked cars.

She told MailOnline: 'I've never seen anything like it. There were massive queues', adding there were 'arguments breaking out with staff about the number of broken e-gates'. 'It seems like the whole terminal is in total chaos', she said, adding she had to queue for half an hour just to get in the lift that goes to the car park.

Catriona MacLeod, an academic from the University of Chicago, tweeted that after an hour at the UK border she had 'not advanced more than 6 inches'. Another woman caught in the chaos wrote: '@HeathrowAirport is like Dantes purgatory'.

The delays have got worse as families returned from their summer holidays for the start of the school term, one traveller collapsed after landing in London and luggage was seen tumbling from conveyor belts because queues at 'poorly managed' arrivals halls were up to five hours with Heathrow bosses blaming the 'unacceptable' waiting times this weekend on Border Force staff shortages.

Queues snaked through arrivals at Luton at 1am today - but the airport, amid anger from passengers, pointed the finger at border officials carrying out 'additional checks'. There were similar scenes at Manchester airport's Terminal 2  back open after a 1 billion revamp. One elderly passenger is said to have fainted as the queues piled up with many forced to wait for hours.

Yesterday the Home Office, which runs Britain's under fire Border Force, finally admitted the near-daily queues were 'unacceptable', MPs and travel industry figures demanded meaningful action, warning the chaotic scenes were blighting the UKs global reputation while running the risk of a spike in Covid cases  further jeopardising the already crisis-hit tourism sector and stifling business with the post-Brexit UK.

Former Cabinet minister John Redwood told MailOnline that he believes Priti Patel has already told Border Force and the airports to get the situation sorted - but said she may now need to exert even more pressure as queues formed despite relatively low numbers travelling.

She said: It is not as if the passenger volumes are huge. The management has to have a good look and see what needs to be done. It doesnt create a good impression. You want people to have a smooth return from holiday and you want business people to have a good progress through the system now we are trying to rebuild.

We also want vigilance at our borders. You dont want to sacrifice safety so you have got to have sufficient resource so that it is done properly, he said.

But any UK national who has got the right documentation shouldnt have to hang around It has got to be a better service for British taxpayers who pay for all this. You go to a foreign country to win business to Britain or go for a foreign holiday, you expect to be able to get back into your country easily. But we also expect a vigilant border force.

'Dante's Purgatory': Heathrow passenger likens today's chaos at Terminal 5 to the Divine Comedy, an epic 14th century poem about a man's journey through hell.

Queue chaos: Dozens of passengers line up to get through immigration gates at Heathrow Terminal 5 today

There was even a long queue for the Heathrow T5 car park today for people who had already been waiting for hours to get through passport control

Queues at just before 1am today at Luton Airport today as the queues at arrivals spread from Heathrow to across the UK

Meanwhile, in Manchester, there were also delays at Manchester Airport. Passengers were seen standing in long snaking queues leading up to border control at the airport's newly refurbished terminal (pictured)

Pictures show luggage piled up on conveyor belts and floors because passengers were caught up in queues

One image even appears to show a male traveller lying on the floor in Heathrow's Terminal 5 on Friday night after passing out while queueing

Anastasia Tolmacova filmed the chaos at Luton Airport at 1am this morning, with hundreds of people queuing through the terminal where social distancing went out of the window.

She said: 'Massive queues at London Luton airport past midnight. Any social distancing is virtually impossible. Why do we have to pay extra for overpriced covid tests when the situation at the border is so poorly managed?'

Double-jabbed fliers should be free to travel WITHOUT Covid tests, says Gatwick airport boss - as figures show UK airline numbers bouncing back slower than rest of Europe Newly released comparable data shows UK aviation sector is recovering slower than EU Airport bosses at Gatwick have called for the testing of double jabbed travellers to be scrapped as he says the UK aviation sector is bouncing back much slower than the rest of Europe. The airport says that comparable data shows the UK is suffering as a result of the requirement. The current rules mean even those who have been double jabbed and are flying in from a green-list country must provide proof of a negative Covid test within two days of landing in the UK. The airport says bookings in Europe - where testing regulations are more relaxed - are at 60 per cent of pre-Covid levels while they remain at 30 per cent in the UK. In a statement, the airport said it was calling on the Government to 'throw a lifeline' to the UK aviation industry by removing the requirement for testing altogether for travellers who have been double vaccinated. The airport says that with proof, double vaccinated travellers can currently enter the majority of European countries without needing to be tested, including in France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Germany, among others. It has proposed that passengers who are not double vaccinated should have to take a lateral flow test and then, if that is positive, take a PCR test. Quarantine should remain for those flying in from red list countries, it has said. Stewart Wingate, Gatwick CEO, said: 'With vaccination rates across Europe comparable, if not better, than the UK's, the time has come for testing to be removed altogether for travellers who have been double jabbed. 'Other countries have done this and their aviation sectors are recovering much faster with bookings in Europe recovering twice as fast as in the UK. 'Our continued travel restrictions are out of step with much of Europe and continue to have a real impact on jobs and livelihoods, business and growth opportunities while also keeping friends and family apart. 'Passenger confidence in the UK has been shattered and the UK travel industry urgently needs thrown a lifeline so that we can start to recover properly from the most difficult period in our history.' Advertisement

The scenes of passengers queuing at UK airports have sparked furious demands for ministers to intervene. MPs and travel industry figures last night demanded a meaningful response from Home Secretary Priti Patel and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, saying the chaotic scenes were blighting the UK's global reputation and running the risk of a spike in Covid cases.

Luton Airport said the delays were not their fault. A spokesman said: 'We're sorry for any inconvenience caused by additional checks at the UK Border. Border Force is responsible for this part of the journey and we continue to work with them to ensure wait times are reduced as much as possible'.

Paul Charles, of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said ministers appeared to be 'deliberately sowing complexity around global travel'. 'How does it look to other countries?' he said. 'It sends the message that Britain is not fit for purpose.'

Henry Smith, Tory chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on general aviation, said: 'More resources need to be put into managing the chaos at the border at Heathrow, otherwise it could lead to increased risk of Covid transmission.'

Dr Steven Freudmann, former president of ABTA, said the images of chaos at Britain's biggest airport made the country look like a 'laughing stock'.

Among those caught up in the disruption at Heathrow was Jason Reed, who said he and his pregnant wife had to wait for two hours to get through arrivals after returning from holiday in Malta.

'It was absolute carnage,' he told the Sunday Telegraph. 'My wife is pregnant and has a bad back so was uncomfortable and tired. It was also extremely hot with no ventilation.

'We saw a man had fainted  with lots of police around.'

Mr Reed said when they finally got to the front of the queue, no-one bothered to check their passenger locator forms declaring that they hadn't been to a high-risk country.

Some passengers arriving on Friday evening reported delays of up to five hours, although the Home Office contested this.

At Manchester yesterday, businessman Ian McCarter complained of having to wait for three hours to get through passport control.

Mr McCarter, who was arriving back from a week in Dubai with his wife and two youngest children  aged 16 and ten  described the scene which met them as 'chaos'.

'We got off the plane and found ourselves penned into a tight space with 200 to 300 people  it was ridiculous,' said the 52-year-old businessman, who lives near Wigan.

'Everyone was being shoved along like cattle, it was really warm, and not surprisingly a lot of passengers were starting to get quite agitated.

'There needs to be more resources and more staff otherwise travelling abroad just becomes a very off-putting experience.'

Furious Heathrow arrivals have slammed the government over the border queue chaos at the airport - with yet more passenger backlogs seen today - less than 24 hours after Home Office chiefs branded wait-times as 'unacceptable'.

Arrivals at the London airport this morning say they are facing 'horrific' queues to get through to the border area of Terminal 3.

One arrival posted a scathing attack on the Home Office yesterday, saying in a Tweet: 'Still horrific queues at Heathrow's T3 this morning. It's inhumane to force the disabled and children especially to stand for hours! Where's the promised improvement?'.

Another arrival posted a picture on Twitter from the arrivals area today showing a line of people packed into a hallway. The picture shows a sign urging passengers to 'have your passports ready'.

It comes as The Home Office finally admitted yesterday that massive queues at the airport's Terminal 5, where people including a pregnant woman fainted on Friday night, were 'unacceptable'.

Meanwhile, in Manchester, there were also delays at Manchester Airport yesterday. Passengers were seen standing in long snaking queues leading up to border control.

Pictures also showed luggage and suitcases overflowing from the conveyor belts and strewn across the floor at arrivals the terminal, which has recently undergone a 1billion refurbishment.

The strongly-worded statement from the Home Office on the border chaos at Heathrow came after a furious blame-game broke out yesterday.

It followed the posting of pictures on social media showing thousands of British arrivals being forced to cram into small hallways with no social distancing measures in place and queueing for several hours to pass immigration.

One holidaymaker, Sonny Singh, told Sky News he saw a pregnant woman pass out while in the queue on Friday night.

Furious Heathrow arrivals are complaining of yet more queues at the Heathrow today, less than 24 hours after Home Office chiefs branded the wait-time chaos at the airport as 'unacceptable'. Pictured: One Twitter user, John O'Hara, posted this image on Twitter today

Another wrote: 'Still horrific queues at Heathrow's T3 this morning. It's inhumane to force the disabled and children especially to stand for hours! Where's the promised improvement?'

The queueing chaos at Heathrow airport continued overnight, with incensed British holidaymakers complained of the risk of spreading Covid as hundreds of passengers were rammed into small hallways and forced to queue for up to five hours

'There were thousands of families queuing and just two people in booths up front checking documents,' he claimed.

'Children were screaming and crying. The queue moved about five feet in the space of about 45 minutes.

'Then, when the pregnant woman fainted, it finally got through to someone somewhere - the kids were then put on the side to sit while the adults waited in the queue and it began moving faster.'

One photo even appears to show a male traveller lying on the floor in the London airport after apparently passing out while queueing for passport control, amid claims that stressed holidaymakers had no access to ventilation or toilets, and no shuttles were available.

Have YOU been waiting hours to get through immigration at Heathrow? Send photos and videos of the queues to martin.robinson@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

An incensed passenger queueing for hours to get to immigration at Heathrow tweeted on Friday night: 'Kids crying and screaming and fully grown [men] fainting whilst two people at the booth serving thousands of people queuing up to the runway.'

Astonishingly, Heathrow has twice admitted that they have no idea how long it will take passengers to pass through immigration.

The border chaos has been compounded by the fact that families with children aged under 12 can't use the e-gates.

In a statement, a Heathrow spokeswoman blamed 'unacceptable queueing times in immigration' on 'too few Border Force officers on duty'.

She claimed the Home Office 'were aware of the extra demand' and said they are 'disappointed' they didn't provide 'sufficient resource'.

'We have additional Heathrow colleagues to support in managing queues and to hand out passenger welfare including water, but we need every immigration desk to be staffed at peak times.

'We have escalated this with Border Force and expect them to provide a better service over the remainder of the weekend,' the spokeswoman added.

Images on Twitter show huge lines of people packed together tightly - apparently without access to water, ventilation or toilets - while they queued for several hours to pass through immigration on yet another day of mayhem at Terminal 5

It has been claimed that a male holidaymaker fainted while standing in line for passport control while pregnant women, pensioners and young children were made to walk long distances with no shuttles available and no social distancing possible

Astonishingly, Heathrow yesterday admitted that they have no idea how long it will take passengers to pass through immigration. The chaos has been compounded by the fact families with children aged under 12 can't use the e-gates

A Home Office spokesman admitted yesterday: 'Throughout the pandemic we have been clear that queue times may be longer as we ensure all passengers are compliant with the health measures put in place to keep the UK public safe.

'However, the very long wait times we saw at Heathrow (on Friday night) are unacceptable.

'This is the busiest weekend of the year for returning passengers, with particularly high numbers of families with children under the age of 12 who cannot use e-gates.

Are they TRYING to make life hard? Industry expert accuses government of 'sowing complexity' to stop people from travelling abroad A leading travel expert today accused the Government of 'deliberately sowing complexity' to discourage British nationals from going on overseas trips. Paul Charles, CEO of the respected PC Agency, told MailOnline that the Government is 'obsessing over Covid numbers and keeping them down at whatever cost'. He said: 'There's certainly incompetence and mismanagement. But it does seem that the Government are trying to make international travel as difficult as possible for British holidaymakers wanting to get away. 'I don't think they don't want people to leave this country because they're obsessing over Covid numbers and keeping them down at whatever cost. 'This is not a government famous for trying to reopen global travel. It has put the brakes on overseas travel throughout this pandemic, despite the industry clamouring for a proper reopening. Add the traffic light system and the testing regime to chaos at Heathrow, and it has the effect of putting people off from flying anywhere. And it's working. 'It does seem to me that they're deliberately sowing complexity around global travel.' Mr Charles added: 'This weekend is one of the busiest weekends for travel into the UK after that long summer break and the week following the August bank holiday. Border Force either know that or they don't. 'They should have been planning for an increase in passengers coming through Heathrow, and it's ridiculous that this has been allowed to happen yet again. 'What kind of message does this send to the world about Britain? How does it look to other countries who are looking at those pictures and videos of big queues at Heathrow? Well I'll tell you. It sends the message that Britain is not fit for purpose.' Advertisement

'Border Force is rapidly reviewing its rosters and capacity and flexibly deploying our staff across the airport to improve waiting times.

'We are working very closely with Heathrow Airport and its airlines and we are all committed to making sure all passengers can have a safe and hassle-free journey.'

Asked about the queuing situation at Heathrow today, a spokesperson for the airport told MailOnline today that any request for comment would have to go to the Home Office who operate the border through the Border Force.

A spokesperson for Manchester Airport said: 'We are aware that queues at the border have been longer than usual at times this weekend.

'Immigration checks are the responsibility of UK Border Force and we will review events with them to understand how these circumstances arose, and to ensure that passengers enjoy the best possible experience going forward.'

Yesterday Tory MPs joined a growing backlash against the border chaos overseen by Home Secretary Priti Patel and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, while industry experts warn the huge queues are damaging Britain's reputation as a hub for global travel.

Henry Smith, Tory chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation, told MailOnline: 'More resources need to be put into managing the chaos at the border at Heathrow, otherwise it could lead to increased risk of Covid transmission, a surge in cases and another crisis this winter.

'These scenes are discouraging people from going abroad and are making safe international travel even harder. With fewer people willing to get on planes abroad or to come into the UK, I fear that the result of this will be further job losses in the aviation and hospitality sectors already devastated by what has already been two very difficult years.'

Paul Charles, CEO of the respected PC Agency, told MailOnline that Border Force should have known this weekend is one of the busiest for travel back into Britain after the summer period and August bank holiday week, and urged Miss Patel to 'get a grip'.

He accused the Government of 'incompetence' and 'making life so hard for those airlines who have experienced months of shutdown and are now trying to make travel as Covid-safe and seamless as possible for holidaymakers who frankly just want a break'.

Dr Steven Freudmann, former President of ABTA, said the images of chaos at Britain's biggest airport make the country look like a 'laughing stock' and will 'put people off from visiting'. He also called the mayhem a 'disgrace' and 'totally predictable'.

Responding to criticism, the airport tweeted yesterday: 'Whilst we do not have exact figures out how long queues can take our teams in the terminals are on hand to support where possible and we are working with Border Force to reduce delays as soon as possible.'

It then said this morning: 'We are unable to provide information in regards to immigration queue times on behalf of UK Border Force, who operate and manage our immigration halls'.

Speaking to MailOnline, Lucy Moreton, spokeswoman for the Immigration Services Union, said: 'Border Force, and in particular large airports like London Heathrow, have suffered from chronic under funding for some years. Although Border Force as whole has recruited almost 1,000 new officers in the last two years these have been paid for with EU exit money and directed solely to inland and international trade.

'London Heathrow has had no inbound recruitment for many years but staff loss is still running between 10 and 20 per cent. Resources are understandably also stretched by the demands of small boats migration, Afghan re-settlement etc.

'This, as well as normal staff sickness, leave demands and staff positive for Covid all contribute to reduced staff on a day by day basis.'

In a growing signal that people are getting fed up with the rules, nearly a quarter of arrivals in England from amber-list countries avoided staying at home when they were supposed to, ONS data revealed.

And just half of UK residents returning to the country after a holiday said they thought a Covid test was 'very important for safety'.

The ONS surveyed 848 adults arriving in England from amber territories between July 12 and 17.

When asked if they were 'fully adherent to quarantine and testing requirements', 23 per cent of people said they failed to follow the rules.

And another 9 per cent specified they did not take the required Covid test within 48 hours of landing in the UK, or the second test after eight days in the country if they were required to take it.

And 17 per cent said they did not fully adhere to 'quarantine requirements for the full isolation period'.

Overall, just 77 per cent of people said they followed both isolation and Covid testing rules. Women were more likely to follow the rules than men, while those aged 18 to 34-years-old were the least compliant. And those who had not received a Covid jab were more likely to comply with requirements, compared to those who had been vaccinated

In February, 73 per cent of Brits fully backed the Covid tests for travellers arriving in the UK, but this dropped to 52.7 per cent in July - the most recent data figures are available for (graph, left). Meanwhile, 75 per cent of overseas residents arriving in the UK believed the tests were 'very important for safety' at the beginning of the year, which reduced to 60.6 per cent in July (graph, right)

The UK has different testing and quarantine rules in place for arrivals, depending on their vaccination status and whether they spent time in green, amber or red-listed countries.

Everyone travelling into the UK must take a Covid test within three days before they arrive.

Arrivals from amber-listed countries - which include France, Portugal and Spain - must take a test within two days of arriving in the country.

And those who are not double-jabbed must also take a test after eight days in the UK and quarantine at home for 10 days.

Those who break the rules face a fine of 1,000 which can be increased to 10,000 for repeat offences.

Women returning from amber-listed countries were more likely to follow Covid requirements (79 per cent) than men (76 per cent), the ONS found.

Those aged 18 to 34-years-old were the least compliant age group (75 per cent) when compared to those aged 35 to 54 (80 per cent) and those over-55 (77 per cent).

And people who had not received a single vaccine followed Covid travel rules (83 per cent) more than those who had one (72 per cent) or both doses (77 per cent) of the vaccine.

Meanwhile, separate ONS data published today revealed public approval of Covid tests for travel has fallen compared to earlier this year.

In February, 73 per cent of Britons fully backed the tests, but this dropped to 64.5 per cent by May and reached a low of 52.7 per cent in July - the most recent date figures are available for.

When the ONS launched the survey, just 3.7 per cent of people living in the UK said the tests were 'not at all important for safety' or 'not very important for safety'.

But nearly three times as many people - 11 per cent - disapproved of the tests by July.

And attitudes among overseas residents followed a similar decline.

At the beginning of the year, 75 per cent of people living abroad who arrived in the UK believed the tests were 'very important for safety'.

But this dropped to 73 per cent by April and reached a low of 60.6 per cent in July.

In February, just 2.8 per cent of those living outside of the UK said the tests were 'not at all important for safety' or 'not very important for safety', but this nearly doubled to 5 per cent by July.

Britons and overseas residents continued to support other Covid restrictions during travel.

Around six in 10 people in both groups said social distancing made them feel safe during their journey. And about two-thirds said wearing face masks and the availability of hand sanitiser made them feel safe.

These figures have stayed largely stable since the ONS began its survey in February.

The vast majority (86 per cent) of Brits said they found it 'difficult' or 'very difficulty' to follow Covid restrictions when getting back to the UK, an increase from 75 per cent in March.

But conversely, 95 per cent of overseas residents arriving in the UK said they understood Covid restrictions 'very well' or 'quite well'.
Boris Johnson today insisted UK forces can be 'proud' of their 'achievements' in Afghanistan - as Keir Starmer called for those involved in the Kabul airlift to get medals.

Addressing the Commons, the PM said the 20-year campaign in the country had meant millions of women had access to education and protected the West from terrorist attacks.

He said Britain was still demanding that those who want to leave Afghanistan are granted 'safe passage' and the rights of women are 'respected'.

Sir Keir also heaped praise on the 'remarkable' efforts to troops in the evacuation from Kabul, and urged ministers to waive the 30-day deployment threshold so that their contribution can be 'recognised' with medals.

Mr Johnson told MPs: 'On Saturday, we shall mark the 20th anniversary of the reason why we went into Afghanistan in the first place: the terrorist attacks on the United States which claimed 2,977 lives including those of 67 Britons.

'If anyone is tempted to say that we have achieved nothing in that country  or still tempted to say that we have achieved nothing in that country in 20 years  tell them that our armed forces and those of our allies enabled 3.6 million girls to go to school, tell them that this country and the western world were protected from al Qaida in Afghanistan throughout that period, and tell them that we have just mounted the biggest humanitarian airlift in recent history.'

He added: 'There are very few countries which have the military capability to do what we have just done, and fewer still that would have felt the moral imperative to act in the same way. We can be proud of our armed forces and everything that they have achieved and for the legacy they leave behind, and what they did was in the best traditions of this country.'

Addressing the Commons, the PM said the 20-year campaign in the country had meant millions of women were education and protected the West from terrorist attacks

Sir Keir Starmer heaped praise on the 'remarkable' efforts to troops in the evacuation from Kabul (pictured), and urged ministers to waive the 30-day deployment threshold so that their contribution can be 'recognised' with medals

Mr Johnson insisted UK forces can be 'proud' of their 'achievements' in Afghanistan (pictured)

Mr Johnson said the UK will do 'everything possible' to help Afghans and others entitled to resettle in the UK.

'Let me say to anyone who we've made commitments to and who is currently in Afghanistan: we are working urgently with our friends in the region to secure safe passage and as soon as routes are available we will do everything possible to help you to reach safety,' he said.

Sir Keir called for British troops to receive a medal for their 'remarkable' efforts via Operation Pitting to evacuate thousands of people from Afghanistan.

He told the Commons: 'Your service deserves recognition and honour and I hope the Prime Minister will accept Labour's proposal to scrap the 30-day continuous service rule so that medals are awarded for your bravery.'

Mr Johnson said 311 people eligible to come to the UK from Afghanistan through a special refuge scheme are still in the country.

The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford asked the Prime Minister for details of how many candidates for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) remained in the country.

'As for the question of how many Arap candidates are remaining I can tell him that the total number is 311, of which 192 responded to the calls that were put out and, I repeat, we will do absolutely everything we can to ensure that those people get the safe passage that they deserve using the levers that I have described,' he said.

A Government minister who said at least one British military veteran who served in Afghanistan had taken their life in the wake of the Taliban takeover later admitted the claim may have been 'inaccurate'.

Armed forces minister, James Heappey, who served in Afghanistan, told Sky News presenter Kay Burley that he was aware of at least one veteran who had taken their life 'in the last week or so' following the US-led withdrawal from the country.

But the minister said the report he was referring to may have been 'inaccurate' during an appearance on BBC Breakfast just minutes later.

During his interview with Sky News Mr Heappey said: 'I know unfortunately there have been soldiers who have served in Afghanistan, indeed a soldier who served during my last tour of Afghanistan, who have taken their own lives in the last week or so because of the feelings they've had over what has happened in Afghanistan.

Armed forces minister James Heappey told Sky News presenter Kay Burley that he was aware of at least one British veteran who had taken their life following the fall of Kabul

The minister said the Government and the entire country needed to support veterans returning from Afghanistan

'That is hugely concerning and upsetting for people like me who are now in government and who served there.'

He added: 'That makes me sick to the bottom of my stomach and fearful for many of my friends who I know are still struggling with what they saw on those tours of Afghanistan.

'That's why the Government, the nation, needs to put our arm round our veterans and tell them how proud we are of what they did.'

However the junior defence minister later withdrew his comments during an interview on the BBC and said the government was now 'looking very carefully' into the claim.

He said: 'Since I mentioned that to your colleague Kay Burley on Sky only 20 minutes ago we have had a number of reports that actually the thing I was referring to was inaccurate.

'We're looking very carefully whether it is true that someone has taken their life in the last few days but actually that shouldn't take away from the fact that far too many service people have taken their lives in the last ten years as a consequence of their service in Afghanistan.

'A high number from my own regiment. We can leave no stone unturned in making sure that we support out veterans.

'This will be an acutely challenging time for them when their service in Afghanistan will be called into question in their own minds and we need to reassure them that their service was worthwhile.

'We need to get an arm around them as a nation, through the government, through charities, through the regimental associations to make sure they are supported.'
Jennifer Coleman, 34, was found dead atop a steep and rocky area near the Continental Divide Sunday, just a few days after she was reported missing on September 1

A Virginia woman was found dead in a 'steep and rocky' area of a Montana national park five days after she was reported missing.

Jennifer Coleman's body was found near the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park on Sunday, just a few days after she was reported missing on September 1.

Officials believe Coleman, 34, was hiking alone around the Logan Pass either Monday or Tuesday. The cause of her death has not been determined, but high winds Sunday prevented authorities from recovering her body.

As many as 50 people joined the search effort after her vehicle was found in the parking lot.

Glacier National Park is famous for its pristine forests, alpine meadows, rugged mountains, and spectacular lakes

Officials believe Coleman was hiking alone around the Logan Pass either Monday or Tuesday shortly before she went missing

The AWARE foundation, which advocates for missing people and of which Coleman's parents are leaders, confirmed the news in a Facebook post on Sunday.

'It is with heavy heart that we have to share this news. Jennifer Coleman, daughter of one of our own AWARE family, Hal and Sharon Coleman, has been located deceased. Details surrounding this tragedy are not available at this time. Please respect the family as they process their grief & loss. Please also respect us with the foundation as we comfort the Coleman's,' the post read.

According to AWARE, Coleman was last heard from on August 30, when she sent a text from Highline Trail/Logan Pass to Granite Park Chalet in Montana.

'She was to pick up her dogs from a boarding facility the following day, but never showed to get them,' the organization, which advocates for missing persons, commented in the post.

The parents of Jennifer Coleman, who was reported missing on September 1, shared a heartbreaking Facebook post regarding their missing daughter

According to AWARE, Coleman was last heard from on August 30, when she sent a text from Highline Trail/Logan Pass to Granite Park Chalet in Montana

Marilee Mason, Coleman's best friend, told WTVR that her best friend was tough as nails and an experienced hiker.

'If she's out there and she's lost, then that means she does need help,' Mason told reporters shortly after Coleman went missing. 'I just want to reach as many people as possible spread awareness, and just try, on the off chance that anybody has maybe seen her in the last three days, reach them.'

Sheriffs deputies also uncovered Coleman's belongings at her campsite at the West Glacier KOA campground while conducting a welfare check, said Glacier spokesperson Brandy Burke.

Burke told KTVR teams were out searching for Coleman Thursday and Friday on the ground and in the sky.

Glacier National Park is famous for its pristine forests, alpine meadows, rugged mountains, and spectacular lakes. It's 700 miles of trails and diverse wildlife attracts hikers year round who are in search for expansive wilderness and solitude.
A top female Afghan police officer on the run under Taliban rule has made a desperate video appeal for urgent help from the West to save her life.

Gulafroz Ebtekar, 32, was deputy head of criminal investigations in Kabul, and a prominent campaigner for women's rights under the overthrown government.

The police high-flyer and her family now face a 'death sentence' unless she can escape, says a friend and mentor.

Looking pale and shattered having already suffered a beating at the hands of Taliban thugs, Gulafroz spoke in English, saying: 'I was one of the very senior policewomen in Afghanistan.

'I did everything to encourage women into the police, against the wishes of the Taliban. Now my life is in danger. Real danger.

'Please help me and my family.'

Her cry from the heart comes after she received no offers of help to her plaintive last-minute appeals to US, British and other Western diplomats as the Taliban grabbed Kabul last month.

'I started emailing them on August 18, but have not received a single reply since then,' she said, despite British ambassador to Afghanistan Sir Laurie Bristow and his team being aware of her plight.

Her final hope is that a major foreign country will grant her and her immediate family visas - and that the Taliban will in this situation honour its promise to let such people go.

Unless this happens soon, she fears she is certain to suffer a violent death.

Gulafroz Ebtekar became deputy head of criminal investigations in Afghanistan and is seen as a high-profile role model for Afghan women

Gulafroz is the first woman in Afghanistan to graduate from a police academy with a master's degree and is a prominent figurehead for aspiring Afghan women

Gulafroz has already suffered one brutal beating since her world caved in when she was punched and kicked at Kabul airport as she desperately tried in vain to escape from her homeland

Her final hope is that a major foreign country will grant her and her immediate family visas - and that the Taliban will in this situation honour its promise to let such people go

Gulafroz had shown US soldiers proof of her identity and high position in the police, and she believed they initially tried to help her in the chaos before their departure, but she failed to get a flight out of the country.

She also appealed for help from Russia, but was told that Moscow is only extracting its own citizens from Afghanistan despite the fact Gulafroz had studied for a masters degree at a top police academy in Russia.

Dressed in Western-style clothes, Gulafroz recorded her video from her fourth hideaway since fleeing her own home after Taliban gunmen came looking for her.

She is even more terrified after hearing of the barbaric beating and shooting dead of 'my policewoman colleague' Banu Nagar, who was eight months pregnant, she said.

This officer was reportedly gunned down at the weekend after she removed a Taliban flag.

Gulafroz has already suffered one brutal beating since her world caved in when she was punched and kicked at Kabul airport as she desperately tried in vain to escape from her homeland.

A police colonel who knows her from her studies in Russia said Monday: 'She is a senior officer, which is now a direct threat to her life.

'It means a death sentence to her and her family after the recent change of political power.

'She is an incredibly strong personality, wise beyond her age, devoted to her country, very well-educated politically and down to earth and modest.

'She is a small person with a very big heart. I cannot grasp the full scale of the tragedy in her country.

'I once asked her I the final months of her studies - what does it mean to be a woman in a Muslim state run by Sharia law?

'She answered: 'It means that I can pay with my life for the choices I make'.

The colonel said: 'If it was in my power, I would have done everything I could to take Gulafroz to Russia.

'I have no right to speak on behalf of our state, but given what I know of her during the years of her studies, I would have done everything to help her get out.'

Gulafroz had studied for a masters degree at a top police academy in Russia (pictured), but the Moscow embassy also declined to help

She spoke on television, adding that she 'fought against extremism, terrorism, advocated for the rights of women and children and believed in the best for our country'

She warned: 'I think the Taliban will never change. They will not agree for a woman to work, participate in public life, and be free. When the Taliban came to Kabul 20 years ago, they made the same promises as now for two months. And then they created their own state, their own courts, beat and killed people'

As a top Afghan Interior Ministry official, she was seen as a high-profile role model for Afghan women under the toppled pro-Western government, with a well-known face in the media and often cited by the foreign press.

Earlier she spoke of how she tried with thousands of others to flee from the airport.

'I spent five nights at the gates of Kabul airport without water or bread, in a rain of bullets and surrounded by the Taliban,' she said.

'I witnessed the death of children and women.

'I sent messages to the embassies of many countries to save myself and my family, but all to no avail.'

'I had dreamed of changing the way people live in Afghanistan, first of all when it comes to women in the police. And I did it.

'When I returned to my homeland, I got a job in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and soon got a rather high position.

'I became Deputy Chief for Criminal Investigations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Afghanistan.'

But the Taliban surge destroyed her old life and her dreams outlined in public in March of a major boost to women in the police.

'The situation changed in one day,' she said. '[The Taliban] beat me with fists, boots, weapons and even stones.'

An outspoken advocate of women's rights, she continued campaigning earlier this year to double the number of women in the police despite specific warnings to her from the Taliban to stop.

She warned: 'I think the Taliban will never change.

'They will not agree for a woman to work, participate in public life, and be free.

'When the Taliban came to Kabul 20 years ago, they made the same promises as now for two months.

'And then they created their own state, their own courts, beat and killed people. For me, this is the most dangerous group of terrorists.

'Now my whole family is in great peril, every minute counts.'

'The state of Afghanistan no longer exists, there is no freedom. All the time I fought to maintain a normal life in the country,' she said

Gulafroz' mother has already been visited by a Taliban force on the hunt for the policewoman, but Gulafroz had already gone into hiding

After being turned away from the airport, Gulafroz went home to be told by her mother that the Taliban had come for her while she was out

She said: 'I was the first woman in Afghanistan to graduate from a police academy with a master's degree and hold such a high position

'After me, about 4,000 Afghan women entered police universities.

'I'm not afraid to speak openly, because I have nothing left.

'The state of Afghanistan no longer exists, there is no freedom. All the time I fought to maintain a normal life in the country.

'If now there is no such life, why should I be afraid?'

Gulafroz' heartfelt plea for help comes just days after Taliban militants reportedly shot and killed a pregnant policewoman in front of her husband and children in a door-to-door execution, witnesses have said.

Banu Negar was killed on Saturday at her home in Firozkoh, the capital of central Ghor province, amid increasing violence in Afghanistan under the new regime.

The mother, who worked in the local prison, was eight months pregnant at the time of the execution.

Banu Negar was killed on Saturday at her home in Firozkoh, the capital of central Ghor province, amid increasing violence in Afghanistan under the new regime.

The mother, who worked in the local prison, was eight months pregnant at the time of the execution and was a colleague of Gulafroz

The terror group told the BBC they had no involvement in her death and are investigating it.

Spokesman Zabiullah Mujaheed said: 'We are aware of the incident and I am confirming that the Taliban have not killed her, our investigation is ongoing.'

He added the Taliban has announced an amnesty for people who worked for the former administration.

Mujaheed said her death was caused by 'personal enmity or something else', despite reports that three gunmen arrived at her house and searched it before tying members of the family up and carrying out the killing.

Relatives claimed Banu Negar, who worked in a local prison, was tied up, beaten and shot dead in front of her husband and children in Firozkoh

The Taliban have been trying to project a more tolerant and moderate image of themselves since seizing power, yet numerous reports have stated that Taliban fighters are going door to door hunting former members of the Afghan security forces and Western allies.

On Sunday, the Taliban attacked Afghan women protesters demanding equal rights as they fired shots into the air and 'let off tear gas' during a peaceful march.

The women's march - the second in as many days in the capital - began with demonstrators laying a wreath outside Afghanistan's defence ministry to honour soldiers who have died fighting the extremist group, before moving on to the presidential palace.

Witnesses said Taliban forces also used tear gas to stop the protest, with women seen coughing and clutching their throats in videos

One activist was seen with a bloody face after she was allegedly hit by a Taliban fighter

But the peaceful protest descended into chaos and turned violent as Taliban special forces armed with assault rifles waded into the crowd, firing shots into the air and sending demonstrators fleeing.

Witnesses said Taliban forces also used tear gas to stop the protest, with women seen coughing and clutching their throats in videos shared widely across social media.

One prominent protester, 20-year-old Maryam Naiby, said of the campaign in the wake of the Taliban seizing power: 'We are here to gain human rights in Afghanistan. I love my country. I will always be here.'

When the Taliban first gained hold of the country some two decades ago, women and girls were mostly denied education and employment.
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Qatar on Monday as Washington seeks support for the evacuation of stranded Americans and at-risk Afghans left behind and after the Taliban said they had taken control of the entire country.

A senior State Department official told reporters on Blinken's flight that Washington has facilitated the safe departure of four more Americans overland from Afghanistan, while up to 200 are still on the ground and struggling to get out.

'This is the first overland evacuation facilitated by the State Department,' the official said, adding that the Taliban were aware of the operation and did not impede safe passage of the individuals. The official did not name the country they transited to.

Dubbed as a 'thank you' tour to Qatar and Germany, Blinken will meet with senior Qatari and German officials. In Germany he will also co-host a ministerial meeting on Afghanistan.

Hours after Blinken landed in Qatar, the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations announced that Blinken will testify on America's withdrawal from Afghanistan before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on September 14.

As Blinken began his trip, President Biden continued his long weekend in Delaware with a surprise trip to union workers to eat a sandwich and take selfies.

Blinken has been under intense scrutiny for his role in the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan where 13 American service members died and thousands of Afghan allies were left behind.

Republicans, former White House officials and ex-members of the military have called on him to resign over the chaos.

Tennessee GOP Senator Marsha Blackburn told him to step down on Monday in a tweet saying: 'These 'extremely complex logistical issues' to evacuate our citizens and Afghan partners should have been worked out before all our troops left. It's time for Secretary Blinken to resign.'

On Monday the Taliban claimed they had taken total control of Afghanistan with the capture of the Panjshir Valley.

The Islamists released footage of their white banner flying over the provincial capital of Bazarak on Monday after a swift battle which saw them overwhelm the resistance with high-tech weaponry abandoned by the Americans.

Resistance leader Ahmad Massoud appeared to admit defeat in an audio message sent to the media in which he called on Afghans for a 'a national uprising for the dignity, freedom and prosperity of our country.'

There were also reports that the State Department had delayed six flights from the city of Mazar-i-Sharif with at least 142 Americans on board.

The fleet of two Airbus 340s and four Boeing 737s, which was also due to have hundreds of Afghan allies on board, was funded Mercury One, a charity founded by right-wing commentator Glenn Beck.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal tore into the Biden administration's delays of flights getting Americans out of Afghanistan in a blistering statement on Monday.

'I have been deeply frustrated, even furious, at our government's delay and inaction,' he said.

'There will be plenty of time to seek accountability for the inexcusable bureaucratic red tape that stranded so many of our Afghan allies,' added Blumenthal.

'For now, my singular focus remains getting these planes in the air and safely to our airbase in Doha, where they have already been cleared to land.'

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Qatar on Monday as Washington seeks support for the evacuation of stranded Americans and at-risk Afghans left behind and after the Taliban said they had taken control of the entire country

Dubbed as a 'thank you' tour to Qatar and Germany, Blinken will meet with senior Qatari and German officials. In Germany he will also co-host a ministerial meeting on Afghanistan

Blinken is pictured with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Monday after he touched down in the Middle Eastern nation to discuss the ongoing Afghanistan crisis

President Biden eats a sandwich and takes a selfie as he visits union workers at the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers (IBEW) Local 313 in Newcastle, Delaware

Biden made the surprise stop during his long weekend in Wilmington, Delaware, over the Labor Day weekend

Qatar has emerged as the main mediator between the Taliban, who swept into Kabul on Aug. 15, and Western countries following the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Doha said on Saturday it had reopened Kabul airport for humanitarian aid and domestic flights in coordination with the hardline Islamist group. Other international flights are expected to resume soon, it said.

Daily flights have been scheduled from Doha to Kabul to deliver aid.

About 124,000 people were evacuated last month from Kabul in a U.S.-led airlift of U.S. and other foreign citizens as well as vulnerable Afghans as the Taliban took control of the country.

The evacuation was one of the largest airlifts in history but thousands of at-risk Afghans and about 100 U.S. citizens have remained behind. Blinken has vowed to continue efforts to get them out and also hold the Taliban to their commitment to provide safe passage to anyone who wishes to leave.

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is travelling to the Gulf on a separate trip, will also visit Qatar on Tuesday. Austin's visit also includes Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

A House Republican lawmaker called for President Biden's impeachment on Monday morning as he vacations in Delaware over Labor Day weekend while anywhere between 100 and 200 Americans are still stranded in Afghanistan amid a reported breakdown in negotiations between the Taliban and State Department.

'He's prioritizing his vacation over the lives of American citizens,' Tennessee Rep. Diana Harshbarger said of Biden on Fox News.

'He kept his promises to the Taliban and he's breaking his promises to Americans to get them out, and god only knows what will happen if they can't get out.'

Biden is scheduled to return to DC tonight after spending two full days in Delaware with no public events. He flew back to his home state Friday night after touring Hurricane Ida damage in Louisiana.

Meanwhile, the US military withdrawal from Kabul was completed a week ago, and efforts to rescue American citizens still stuck in Afghanistan has reached an impasse with reports that six private charter planes sent there to evacuate at least 1,000 people have been grounded in an Afghan city 260 miles north of Kabul.

The stranded American family rescued from Afghanistan by LAND: Republicans share photos of mother and children they helped reach the border after Biden's chaotic evacuation left them behind Republican members of Congress are celebrating their successful rescue efforts of an American mother and her young children stranded in Afghanistan after President Joe Biden's chaotic military evacuation abandoned up to 200 American citizens and thousands of Afghan special immigrant visa applicants. US officials confirmed it was the first successful government-led land evacuation since the withdrawal effort began. Oklahoma conservative Rep. Markwayne Mullin posted a photo on Twitter Monday morning of an American citizen named Mariam surrounded by her three small children. Mullin said he had been contacted by a friend 'a little over three weeks ago' asking if he could do anything to help the young mother and her three children, who also hold US passports. 'Mariam had gone to visit her parents for the first time with the kids and became trapped in Kabul when the Taliban overran the city. We left two weeks ago today to get her, the children, and others out,' the lawmaker wrote. The father of six said his team worked 'around the clock' and encountered numerous setbacks but perservered. Mariam and her family were abandoned in Afghanistan when the US military withdrew from Kabul last week. US officials confirmed they were the first Americans rescued by the government by land since the Taliban took the country Mariam and her children, Mullin said, came close to death multiple times 'including again today' - but he didn't elaborate further. 'This morning at 05:32ETC they got out of Afghanistan. Praise the Lord!' Mullin wrote. He added: 'There are still many families like Mariam's who are desperately wanting and waiting to get out. American cannot rest until we get them all home.' US officials announced Monday morning that a US citizen and their relatives escaped Afghanistan through an overland route to a neighboring country. Mullin's office confirmed to DailyMail.com that it was Mariam and her young family. She and her children 'successfully departed Afghanistan using an overland route' and were met by US embassy staff at the border. The State Department said in a statement to Fox News that it 'facilitated the safe departure' of four Americans from Afghanistan and added the 'Taliban was aware and did not impede their transit.' The official would not speak to details of the evacuation or to the country in which they arrived, citing security reasons and the need to preserve the viability of the route for possible future efforts. The evacuation is the first overland extraction the US government has confirmed since it ended its air evacuation effort last week with the final withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan. Rep. Ronny Jackson celebrated their rescue on Twitter and revealed Mariam and her children are his constituents in Texas's 13th Congressional district Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas also celebrated Mariam's rescue on Twitter Monday morning and revealed she was one of his own constituents from Texas's 13th district. 'After 2 weeks & multiple life threatening attempts, I am overjoyed to share that 4 U.S. citizens from #TX13 were part of the first successful ground evacuation since the U.S. left Kabul,' Jackson wrote. 'Thank you to Cory Mills & the other patriots on his team for saving these BRAVE Americans!' Advertisement

A senior State Department official told reporters on Blinken's flight that Washington has facilitated the safe departure of four more Americans overland from Afghanistan, while up to 200 are still on the ground and struggling to get out. Blinken walks alongside U.S. Ambassador John Desrocher on Monday

Blinken (right) is welcomed upon his arrival by MFA Director of Protocol Ambassador Ibrahim Fakhroo at Old Doha Airport. Blinken is meeting with Qatari leaders to thank the nation for its support in the Afghanistan evacuation efforts and to discuss the future of US-Afghanistan relations

An aerial view of an Afghan refugee camp inside the US military base in Ramstein, Germany, on Monday where thousands of evacuees are waiting to be vetted and processed, with some set for flights to the United States

Two soldiers walk through the tent city in Ramstein housing thousands of Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban takeover

The United States is entering into the second phase of the largest non-combatant evacuation in its history as officials now mount an international effort to vet and house thousands of Afghan refugees fleeing Taliban rule. More than 123,000 people, mostly Afghans, have been evacuated by Biden administration-led charter flights and international allies since August 15 during the chaotic Kabul withdrawal. The figures are based on the amount of refugees in each region as of Thursday

One NGO official told Newsweek the remaining passengers are special immigrant visa applicants and that everyone is 'waiting in their safe houses for clearance for takeoff from the Taliban' amid the diplomatic stalemate.

The evacuation flights reportedly cost Beck's charity $750,000 each.

Harshbarger on Monday said now is the time for Biden to be 'on the job 100%.'

'We have people still in Afghanistan, they won't let our planes leave,' she said.

On Sunday, Reuters reported that the delay had been caused by Biden administration officials not telling Taliban leaders it had approved the departures of the chartered flights from Mazar-i-Sharif.

An exasperated flight organizer hit out at the State Department over the fiasco, saying: 'They need to be held accountable for putting these people's lives in danger.'

Other groups trying to organize their own chartered flights have also hit out at the State Department, with Rick Clay from private rescue firm PlanB claiming it's the only thing stopping him fulfilling his brief.

Two other organizers have also torn into the Antony Blinken-headed department, with one - who didn't give their name - telling Fox: 'This is zero place to be negotiating with American lives. Those are our people standing on the tarmac and all it takes is a f****ing phone call.

'If one life is lost as a result of this, the blood is on the White House's hands. The blood is on their hands. It is not the Taliban that is holding this up  as much as it sickens me to say that  it is the United States government.'

Further details on the reason for the delay in discussions has not been disclosed. although Blinken jetted to Qatar on Sunday to discuss the issue with leaders there.

As the situation developed over the weekend, Texas Rep. Michael McCaul told Fox News earlier Sunday that the Taliban was holding the planes hostage.

'We have six airplanes at Mazar Sharif Airport, six airplanes with American citizens on them as I speak, also with these interpreters, and the Taliban is holding them hostage for demands right now,'

'The state has cleared these flights and the Taliban will not let them leave the airport,' he detailed.

McCaul went on to claim that the flights were being used by the Islamic extremist group as a bargaining chip with the US, in return for full recognition.

The Taliban has raised its flag outside its new 'headquarters' in Panjshir province - the last holdout of anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan since the group's blitz across the country last month

Video shared on social media shows four Taliban members hoisting the Islamist militants' white and black flag up a flagpole as two heavily armed gunmen watch on

Taliban members pose for a photo after they took over Panjshir Valley, the only province the group had not seized during its sweep last month in Afghanistan
A German drug dealer has been caught after falling asleep on his phone and accidentally dialling the police.

The control room operator could only hear snores and groaning when the call came in at around 1am on Saturday.

But unable to rule out an emergency, it was traced to a 23-year-old in the town of Waldbrol, about 30 miles east of Cologne, and officers were dispatched.

His astonished flatmate, 21, answered the door and the cops were greeted by the potent stench of cannabis, according to Bild.

The haul of drugs seized by the police included a sizeable amount of cannabis (pictured) as well as ecstasy tablets, cocaine and amphetamines

Police discovered the pocket dialler asleep on the sofa and when roused he had no idea why they were standing in front of him.

He insisted he had not summoned the officers until he checked his call history and found he had in fact called the emergency number several times.

Officers carried out a search of the property and discovered not just cannabis, but troves of other drugs and paraphernalia.

Police seized ecstasy tablets, cocaine, amphetamines, scales and cash.

'It is not a small amount. Both men are suspected of having dealt,' a police spokesman said.

The pair had previously been arrested for dealing narcotics and are now facing criminal proceedings.

They were bailed pending further investigations.
Republican members of Congress are celebrating their successful rescue efforts of an American mother and her young children stranded in Afghanistan after President Joe Biden's chaotic military evacuation abandoned up to 200 American citizens and thousands of Afghan special immigrant visa applicants.

US officials confirmed it was the first successful government-led land evacuation since the withdrawal effort began.

Oklahoma conservative Rep. Markwayne Mullin posted a photo on Twitter Monday morning of an American citizen named Mariam surrounded by her three small children.

Mullin said he had been contacted by a friend 'a little over three weeks ago' asking if he could do anything to help the young mother and her three children, who also hold US passports.

'Mariam had gone to visit her parents for the first time with the kids and became trapped in Kabul when the Taliban overran the city. We left two weeks ago today to get her, the children, and others out,' the lawmaker wrote.

The father of six said his team worked 'around the clock' and encountered numerous setbacks but perservered.

Mariam and her family were abandoned in Afghanistan when the US military withdrew from Kabul last week. US officials confirmed they were the first Americans rescued by the government by land since the Taliban took the country

Rep. Markwayne Mullin described Mariam's rescue with as many details and he could without compromising security in a celebratory Twitter post Monday

Mariam and her children, Mullin said, came close to death multiple times 'including again today' - but he didn't elaborate further.

'This morning at 05:32ETC they got out of Afghanistan. Praise the Lord!' Mullin wrote.

He added: 'There are still many families like Mariam's who are desperately wanting and waiting to get out. American cannot rest until we get them all home.'

US officials announced Monday morning that a US citizen and their relatives escaped Afghanistan through an overland route to a neighboring country.

Mullin's office confirmed to DailyMail.com that it was Mariam and her young family.

She and her children 'successfully departed Afghanistan using an overland route' and were met by US embassy staff at the border.

The State Department said in a statement to Fox News that it 'facilitated the safe departure' of four Americans from Afghanistan and added the 'Taliban was aware and did not impede their transit.'

The official would not speak to details of the evacuation or to the country in which they arrived, citing security reasons and the need to preserve the viability of the route for possible future efforts.

The evacuation is the first overland extraction the US government has confirmed since it ended its air evacuation effort last week with the final withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan.

Rep. Ronny Jackson celebrated their rescue on Twitter and revealed Mariam and her children are his constituents in Texas's 13th Congressional district

Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas also celebrated Mariam's rescue on Twitter Monday morning and revealed she was one of his own constituents from Texas's 13th district.

'After 2 weeks & multiple life threatening attempts, I am overjoyed to share that 4 U.S. citizens from #TX13 were part of the first successful ground evacuation since the U.S. left Kabul,' Jackson wrote.

'Thank you to Cory Mills & the other patriots on his team for saving these BRAVE Americans!'

Mills, a combat veteran running for a House seat in Florida, is in the Middle East apparently aiding in the covert rescue effort. He was pictured at the Afghanistan border with Mariam and her family.

Meanwhile the Biden administration hit a snag in its 'diplomatic mission' to rescue Americans and Afghan allies still stranded after negotiations between the State Department and Taliban officials reportedly broke down over the weekend.

Six private charter planes sent to the city of Mazar-i-Sharif to evacuate at least 1,000 people have been grounded 260 miles north of Kabul.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said he was 'frustrated, even furious' at the government's delay in pulling them out.

'There will be plenty of time to seek accountability for the inexcusable bureaucratic red tape that stranded so many of our Afghan allies,' Blumenthal told The Hill. 'For now, my singular focus remains getting these planes in the air and safely to our airbase in Doha, where they have already been cleared to land.'

Many of the flights were chartered by Mercury One, a charity founded by right-wing commentator Glenn Beck, Newsweek reports.

Beck's fleet of two Airbus 340s and four Boeing 737s from Kam Air are sitting empty in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif as their passengers - including at least 142 Americans.

One NGO official told the outlet the remaining passengers are special immigrant visa applicants and that everyone is 'waiting in their safe houses for clearance for takeoff from the Taliban' amid the diplomatic stalemate.

A family from Afghanistan walk next to fence to cross into Pakistan at the Friendship Gate crossing point

The evacuation flights reportedly cost Beck's charity $750,000 each.

On Sunday, Reuters reported that the delay had been caused by Biden administration officials not telling Taliban leaders it had approved the departures of the chartered flights from Mazar-i-Sharif.

An exasperated flight organizer hit out at the State Department over the fiasco, saying: 'They need to be held accountable for putting these people's lives in danger.'

Other groups trying to organize their own chartered flights have also hit out at the State Department, with Rick Clay from private rescue firm PlanB claiming it's the only thing stopping him fulfilling his brief.

Two other organizers have also torn into the State Department, with one - who didn't give their name - telling Fox: 'This is zero place to be negotiating with American lives. Those are our people standing on the tarmac and all it takes is a f****ing phone call.

'If one life is lost as a result of this, the blood is on the White House's hands. The blood is on their hands. It is not the Taliban that is holding this up  as much as it sickens me to say that  it is the United States government.'

Further details on the reason for the delay in discussions has not been disclosed. although Blinken jetted to Qatar on Sunday to discuss the issue with leaders there.

This handout satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shows satellite imagery of the Mazar-i-Sharif and grounded planes at the airport in northern Afghanistan on September 3

Antony Blinken rushed to Qatar Sunday amid the unfolding crisis in Mazar-i-Sharif

As the situation developed over the weekend, Texas Rep. Michael McCaul told Fox News earlier Sunday that the Taliban was holding the planes hostage.

'We have six airplanes at Mazar Sharif Airport, six airplanes with American citizens on them as I speak, also with these interpreters, and the Taliban is holding them hostage for demands right now,'

'The state has cleared these flights and the Taliban will not let them leave the airport,' he detailed.

McCaul went on to claim that the flights were being used by the Islamic extremist group as a bargaining chip with the US, in return for full recognition.

The top Republican on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee said that since the total troop US withdrawal from Afghanistan, no Americans have been evacuated from the country.

'Since we left the country on Friday, how many Americans have gotten out of Afghanistan?' anchor Chris Wallace asked. 'Since we pulled out, how many Afghan allies have gotten out since the Taliban was in complete control of the country?'

'Zero,' McCaul shot back. 'I'm sorry, the answer to your question is zero.'

But due to Congressional efforts, at least four people who were stranded can be counted as safe.
A Taliban flag was painted on the walls outside the former US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, new photos show.

The flag appeared to have been painted in the past few days, and was shared by photojournalist Jake Simkin on Monday.

The embassy was abandoned by US diplomats on August 15 as the city fell to the militant group amid America's chaotic withdrawal from the country.

Embassy operations have since been moved to Doha, the capital of Qatar, and are focused chiefly on processing immigrant visas for refugees.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on August 30, after the last US troops had left the country, that he anticipated the embassy would remain closed for the foreseeable future.

A Taliban flag was painted on the walls outside the former US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, photos show

Murals outside the former US embassy in Kabul have been painted over white with black Arabic text since the US pulled out of the country last week

The embassy was abandoned by US diplomats on August 15 as Kabul fell to the Taliban. A helicopter was seen evacuating the workers in scenes reminiscent of the fall of Saigon in 1975

The entrance to the embassy as it appeared on August 26, in the leadup to the full US withdrawal from the country on August 30

'Given the uncertain security environment and political situation in Afghanistan, it was the prudent step to take,' he said.

On the other side of the entrance the Taliban appeared to have painted the group's version of the Shahada Statement, which is a statement of belief core to Islamic tradition.

The flag, which features a depiction of the Quran, appeared after murals on thick concrete perimeter walls around the embassy compound were painted over white with black Arabic text earlier in the week.

'The US embassy is now in the possession of the Taliban,' Simkin wrote on Twitter. 'The walls out front are now painted with their emblem and flag.'

The development came as the Taliban continued to consolidate its control over the country, and claimed it had taken complete control of Panjshir province, the last area of the country being held by resistance forces.

The Islamists released footage of their white banner flying over the provincial capital of Bazarak on Monday after a swift battle which saw them overwhelm the resistance.

Resistance leader Ahmad Massoud appeared to admit defeat in an audio message sent to the media in which he called on Afghans for a 'a national uprising for the dignity, freedom and prosperity of our country.'

Meanwhile the Taliban continued to consolidate its power over the country, and was seen Monday raising its flag outside its new 'headquarters' in Panjshir province - the last holdout of anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan since the group's blitz across the country last month

Ahmad Massoud (pictured center in 2019), the leader of the Afghan National Resistance Front called on Afghans to 'begin a national uprising for the dignity, freedom and prosperity of our country' as he appeared to admit defeat

The Taliban claim he has fled to Turkey.

If it is proven true that Massoud, 32 - the son of legendary freedom fighter Ahmad Shah, the 'Lion of the Panjshir' - it will surely be a hammer blow to any remaining resistance fighters in the province.

Commanders from the vanquished Afghan National Army and their staff had headed to the region to join up with Massoud's band of warriors, ethnic Tajiks who have long fought against Taliban rule.

Massoud, a King's College London and Sandhurst graduate, was reportedly still in the province as of Sunday with former vice president and ally Amrullah Saleh.

They had offered peace talks to the jihadists which were rejected.

Meanwhile, the US State Department has been accused of blocking dozens of Americans from fleeing Afghanistan after failing to tell the Taliban it had green-lighted charter flights for Americans and Afghan visa holders trying to flee the country.

In the north of the country, six planes are seen on the tarmac at Mazar Sharif Airport in Afghanistan, amid claims a blunder by the US State Department has prevented them from evacuating Americans and Afghan visa holders

On Sunday, Reuters reported that the delay had been caused by Biden administration officials not telling Taliban leaders it had approved the departures of the chartered flights from an airport in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, 260 miles north of Afghan capital Kabul.

An exasperated flight organizer hit out at the State Department over the fiasco, saying: 'They need to be held accountable for putting these people's lives in danger.'

Other groups trying to organize their own chartered flights have also hit out at the State Department, with Rick Clay from private rescue firm PlanB claiming the organization is the only thing stopping him fulfilling his brief.

Two other organizers have also torn into the Anthony Blinken-headed department, with one - who didn't give their name - telling Fox: 'This is zero place to be negotiating with American lives. Those are our people standing on the tarmac and all it takes is a f****ing phone call.

'If one life is lost as a result of this, the blood is on the White House's hands. The blood is on their hands. It is not the Taliban that is holding this up  as much as it sickens me to say that  it is the United States government.'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he gets ready to board an aircraft from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to travel to Doha on Sunday evening for Afghan talks

One of those organizers also claimed that any rescue charter flights wishing to land at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, must first seek State Department approval, leaving them with a further bureaucratic delay.

The New York Times reported that a total of 1,000 people - including dozens of American citizens - had been held at the city's airport for five days.

Other passengers hoping to fly include Afghans who hold visas to move to other countries, including the United States.

Sources told the paper that the Taliban was to blame for refusing to give the jets clearance to take off for Qatar, but also said that negotiations between the US, Taliban and Qatar had been continuing for days.

Further details on the reason for the delay in discussions has not been disclosed. although Secretary of State Anthony Blinken jetted to Qatar on Sunday to discuss the issue with leaders there.

Earlier on Sunday, Republican Representative Michael McCaul appeared on Fox News also blamed the Taliban for the ongoing delays at Mazar-i-sharif.

His remarks - also reported by Reuters and the Times - claimed that six planes were being banned from taking off.

Texas Republican Representative Michael McCaul said on Sunday that there are at least six planes holding Americans that are being prevented by the Taliban from taking off from the Mazar Sharif Airport in Afghanistan

The Texan lawmaker claimed the Islamist extremist group was using the jets and their passengers as a 'bargaining chip' in the hopes of its newly-victorious leadership gaining recognition from the US government.

But Marina LeGree, who founded nonprofit Ascend, says the 34 people she had hoped to get on the charter flight were not being held hostage.

She said that, while currently barred from flying out of Afghanistan, the Taliban had allowed the prospective travelers, several of them women aged 16 to 23, to leave the airport.

A State Department spokesman disputed claims that Americans' safety was at risk, but said the lack of a US presence in Afghanistan made it impossible to confirm the details of charter flights, including the number of US citizens hoping to get a seat, as well as the planes' intended destinations.

An Afghan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said it was four planes, and their intended passengers were staying at hotels while authorities worked out whether they might be able to leave the country. The sticking point, he indicated, is that many did not have the right travel papers.

Residents of Mazar-e-Sharif also said the passengers were no longer at the airport. At least 10 families were seen at a local hotel waiting, they said, for a decision on their fates. None of them had passports or visas but said they had worked for companies allied with the U.S. or German military. Others were seen at restaurants.

A Taliban soldier patrols at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul

A Taliban soldier stands guard at the gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul

The small airport at Mazar-e-Sharif only recently began to handle international flights and so far only to Turkey. The planes in question were bound for Doha, Qatar, the Afghan official said. It was not clear who chartered them or why they were waiting in the northern city.

Since their takeover, the Taliban have sought to recast themselves as different from their 1990s incarnation, when they last ruled the country and imposed repressive restrictions across society. Women and girls were denied work and education, men were forced to grow beards, and television and music were banned.

Now, the world is waiting to see the face of the new government, and many Afghans remain skeptical. In the weeks since they took power, signals have been mixed: Government employees including women have been asked to return to work, but some women were later ordered home by lower-ranking Taliban. Universities and schools have been ordered open, but fear has kept both students and teachers away.

Women have demonstrated peacefully, some even having conversations about their rights with Taliban leaders. But some have been dispersed by Taliban special forces firing in the air.
Pictured: Michael Moultry Jr, seen with his father Mychal Moultry Sr

At least 68 people were shot, and a four-year-old boy killed, during bloody Labor Day weekend in Democrat-run cities across the country.

In Chicago alone, where four-year-old Mychal Moultry Jr. died after being shot in his bed, 58 people were gunned down.

Moultry Jr. was sleeping at his father's home on the 6500 block of South Ellis around 9 pm Friday night when he was struck twice in the head by gunfire that came through the window from outside the residence, according to NBC Chicago.

A spate of attacks also erupted in Washington D.C. and New York City, where a cab driver was gunned down by a 15-year-old boy in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Overall, murders have increased 16 percent across most major U.S. cities, which are dominantly governed by democrats, so far in 2021 compared to 2020, according to a new report published by Fox News.

At least 68 people were shot, and a four-year-old boy killed, during bloody Labor Day weekend in Democrat-run cities across the country. In Chicago alone, where four-year-old Mychal Moultry Jr. died after being shot in his bed, 58 people were gunned down

A spate of attacks also erupted in Washington D.C where three people were shot dead in one incident on Saturday night. Overall, murders have increased 16 percent across most major U.S. cities, which are dominantly governed by democrats, so far in 2021 compared to 2020

Seven people in the Bronx in New York City, sustained gunshot wounds in separate shootings in the space of a few hours. It is unclear if these shootings were related. Four of those injured were shot outside of a catering hall at 3.35am on Sunday

In New York City, a cab driver was gunned down by a 15-year-old boy in the early hours of Sunday morning. Authorities say the cab driver was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside in critical condition. The driver had a passenger in the backseat who was not injured during the shootout

A map published by Gun Violence Archive shows where most mass shootings across the US have taken place since the start of 2021

The 24 cities included Omaha, St. Petersburg, Riverside, Louisville, Denver, Nashville, Austin, Los Angeles, Memphis, Chicago, New York, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Houston, Atlanta, Seattle, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Baltimore, Raleigh, Washington D.C. and Milwaukee.

Overall, 21 of 24 cities reported increases in homicide rates. Portland aside, some of the largest percentage increases were in smaller cities with very small homicide counts like in Omaha, St Petersburg and Riverside.

But cities with histories of much larger numbers of homicides also experienced pronounced percentage increases.

Chicago added 33 murders to its first-quarter 2020 total of 102, representing an increase of 32 percent.

Los Angeles added 25 homicides in the first quarter of 2021, a 37 percent increase.

Not surprisingly, big cities contributed disproportionately to the overall increase in homicide victims.

Major cities, including Atlanta, Portland, Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles and Philadelphia have seen their increases in homicides and shootings

NYPD crime statistics through August 31, showing a very slight decrease in overall crimes

Pictured: crime in Chicago, showing a nine percent increase in shooting incidents for the year through Aug. 31 and a three percent increase in murders

The three largest cities (New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago) accounted for 39 percent of the 193 additional people killed in the first quarter of 2021.

While the report doesn't mention the factors taken into consideration for its findings, the recent rise in violent crime rates requires an urgent response from city, state, and federal leaders.

There have been straddling calls from within the Democrats to 'defund the police' while President Biden has previously said that he wouldn't shy away from tacking the gun lobby directly.

'No one needs to have a weapon that can fire over 30, 40, 50, even up to 100 rounds,' he said, 'unless you think the deer are wearing Kevlar vests, or something.'

Biden has promised to crackdown on firearms dealers but will also let states and cities use $350 billion in COVID relief to hire more cops amid surging violent crime.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio seized on the fatal shooting of a 10-year-old boy in June to call for stricter federal gun control and to push for state legislation that would provide more assistance to parolees.

Meanwhile, over Labor Day weekend, seven people in the Bronx in New York City, sustained gunshot wounds in separate shootings in the space of a few hours. It is unclear if these shootings were related.

Four of those injured were shot outside of a catering hall at 3.35am on Sunday.

Things got heated when the group of seven reportedly got into an argument with a person they didn't know, who then started firing at them.

Police arrive on scene Saturday evening after a man was fatally shot and another man injured

Police investigate a multiple shooting at 2280 Tillotson Ave in the Bronx, where police found a 28 year old male with a gunshot wound to the chest and a 35 year old with a gunshot wound

Within the group, a 24-year-old man, a 27-year-old woman, a 36-year-old man, and a 47-year-old all sustained non-life threatening injuries..

Elsewhere, in D.C., three young adults were found dead and three others were injured after a black sedan pulled up next to them and a group got out of the car and starting shooting into a crowd.

Metropolitan Police Department are hunting for the gunmen and searching for their black Honda Accord with tinted windows after the shooting on the 600 block of Longfellow Street in Washington DC at 7.33pm on Saturday.

Until now, no arrests have yet been made.

Three people have died from their injuries while another three are still in the hospital being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

But it's in Chicago where the latest weekend of violence ran rampant as a four year-old boy was murdered after he was shot twice in the head through a window of his dad's home while he slept.

The boy, who was critically wounded in a shooting Friday night inside a Woodlawn home, has died police said Sunday

Moultry Jr. was sleeping at his father's home on the 6500 block of South Ellis around 9pm Friday night when he was struck twice in the head by gunfire that came through the window from outside the residence, according to NBC Chicago.

The youngster was taken in critical condition to Comer Children's Hospital, and was declared dead two days later, on Sunday, a Chicago Fire Department spokesman told the news outlet.

A motive for the killing remains unclear, as is whether or not the child and his father were the intended targets of the shooting.

Elsewhere in the city, seven other children were among those injured in shootings over the holiday weekend, outraging residents citywide.

Among those seven children, two siblings, a 12-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl, were shot while attending a back-to-school picnic near an East Garfield Park gas station on Saturday, NBC Chicago reports.

Ahead of announcing crime statistics in Chicago for the month of August, police officials described 'a challenging time across the city,' with 78 murders, or 22 percent more, for the month compared to August 2020.

The city saw a 3 percent uptick in murders year-to-date compared to the past year.

'We're sick and tired everyday,' said an activist with anti-crime group All Kids Matter.

'We're staking this hospital out night after night. All these children get shot throughout Chicago.'

Among those seven children, two siblings, a 12-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl, were shot while attending a back-to-school picnic near an East Garfield Park gas station on Saturday, NBC Chicago reports.

'Some red SUV pulled up and just started unloading fully automatic weapons into this crowd of people,' said event vendor Lamar Peterson, whose daughter and stepson were also injured in the shooting.

Meanwhile, a 13-year-old boy was seriously injured after being shot in the basement of a South Chicago home just before 8 pm Saturday night, according to Chicago police

Police say the young teen was taken to a local hospital in serious condition, with gunshots seen piercing the windows of the home where he was shot

Both teens were transported to Rush University Medical Center in stable condition, NBC Chicago reports.

'It's important to understand there was so many young babies out there when this tragedy took place,' Peterson said.

'This was completely uncalled for, completely not understood.'

'My kids were shot, so I'm quite angry right now,' Peterson added.

In an another incident, a 13-year-old boy was seriously injured after being shot in the basement of a South Chicago home just before 8 pm Saturday night, according to Chicago police.

Police made at least one arrest after a man shot a CTA bus driver on Saturday night. The 34-year-old victim was shot in the jaw and rushed to Northwestern Hospital in serious condition

At least 47 people were shot, two fatally, in 12-hour time span across Chicago over the holiday weekend, with the CTA driver among the victims

The boy was struck in the head and was rushed to Comer Children's Hospital in serious condition.

Another community activist, Andrew Holmes, expressed his frustration in the number of children who have been shot in recent days, citing the need for more parental oversight and elected official intervention.

'If you know you got some children, some teenage, some grown adults, and they're doing wrong on the streets then it's up to you to...step to them and put them in line,' Holmes said.

At least 280 children and teens have been shot in Chicago so far this year, with 35 of them suffering fatal gunshot wounds, according to ABC 7 Chicago.

And as the summer winds down, Chicago is on pace to have its highest yearly murder tally in 25 years.

According to CPD figures, there has been 524 murders this year as of September 1st, which is a three percent increase compared to date last year, with 2020 still seeing massive gun violence across cities nationwide following the pandemic's onset and protests sparked by George Floyd's killing by Minneapolis police, according to WBEZ.

The city is already on track to outpace the year 1996, when murders in Chicago totaled 796.

As of early Monday morning, there have been no arrests in either of the three aforementioned shootings.

However, police made at least one arrest after a man shot a CTA bus driver on Saturday night, after the 34-year-old victim was shot in the jaw and transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in serious condition, the outlet reports.
A man has appeared in court after being accused of murdering a newlywed who fell to her death for Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh days after her wedding.

Kashif Anwar, 27, was face with the charge of murdering Fawziyah Javed, 31, when he appeared in private at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday.

Anwar, whose address was given as West Yorkshire, made no plea and he was remanded in custody.

The case was continued for further examination and Anwar is expected to appear back in court within eight days.

Fawziyah Javed, 31, was declared dead at the scene of Arthur's Seat - an ancient volcano in Edinburgh popular among hillwalkers as it is easy to scale - after the horror plunge on Thursday night

The court appearance comes four days after Fawziyah Javed, 31, died after she fell from a height from Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh (pictured)

The court appearance comes four days after Mrs Javed died after falling from the landmark in Scotland's capital.

The trainee solicitor, from Pudsey, West Yorkshire, was believed to holidaying in Scotland with her husband when she fell at around 9pm on September 2.

Family and friends paid online tributes to the popular woman following the incident in Edinburgh.

Zareef Zaf Latif posted: 'Fawziyah, our precious niece taken away from us way too soon. Have so many memories of you as a little girl. Will miss you so much.

'May Allah grant you a special place in Jannat. I hope the angels take care of you until we meet again.'

Officers searching a home in Pudsey, West Yorkshire in connection with the probe

It is thought that Ms Javed, who worked at Lyons Davidson Solicitors in Leeds, was in the early stages of a pregnancy before the incident at the Scottish landmark (pictured) last week. Police are treating her death as suspicious

Arfan Arfy wrote: 'Lovely amazing gem of a lady, she will be truly missed.'

And Sandra Barraclough added: 'Fly high gorgeous, you and your baby will be forever happy.'

Mrs Javed's employers Davidson Lyons Solicitors said she was a valued member of the team and will be greatly missed.

It told the Daily Record: 'Fawziyah Javed had a bright start to her legal career at Lyons Davidson Solicitors, working as a paralegal in employment, training with the business and then qualifying as an Employment Solicitor in March 2020.

Police pictured at the scene of the tragedy in Edinburgh on Thursday

'She made a great impression with both her colleagues and customers winning Newcomer of the Year in 2016 and in July of this year was again recognised for the support and assistance she gave other teams during the pandemic.

'Fawziyah was a successful lawyer, a great colleague, and a good friend to many in the business. Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this difficult time.'

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'We received a report that a woman had fallen from Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh, around 9pm on Thursday, 2 September.

'Emergency services attended including the fire service and ambulance.

'The 31-year-old woman died at the scene a short time later and her death is being treated as suspicious.

'A 27-year-old man has been arrested and enquiries are ongoing.'
Police in Sussex have launched a manhunt after a young woman was raped in a multi-storey car park.

The 19-year-old was ambushed at the Guildbourne multi-storey car park in Worthing, West Sussex, between midnight and 3am on Sunday.

Detectives said that it was believed the rapist - a white man aged between 20 and 30 years - had previously been in a nearby nightclub although it was not clear whether the victim was also at the club.

Police have launched a manhunt after a young woman was raped in a multi-storey car park (pictured) in Worthing, West Sussex

Police today appealed for a man seen nearby to contact them as a witness.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: 'Officers are appealing for witnesses after a woman was raped in Worthing in the early hours of Sunday morning.

'The incident took place at some point between midnight and 3am in the Guildbourne multi-storey car park in Chatsworth Road.

'The victim, a 19-year-old woman, said she did not know the suspect, who is described as a white man, aged around 20 to 30 years, with dark hair.

Detectives said that it was believed the rapist - a white man aged between 20 and 30 years - had previously been in a nearby nightclub although it was not clear whether the victim was also at the club (stock image)

'Police would also like to speak to another man, described as being white and with two tribal band tattoos around one of his forearms, who may be able to help with their enquiries.

'Both men were understood to have been in Jungle nightclub in Chatsworth Road on the night of the incident.

'Anybody who witnessed anything suspicious or has any information which could help with the investigation can report it online or by calling 101, quoting Operation Mind.'
The Justice Department said Monday that it will not tolerate violence against anyone to obtain an abortion in Texas as federal officials continued to explore options to challenge the new state law that bans most abortions.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department would 'protect those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services' under a federal law known as the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

Garland said in a statement that federal prosecutors are still urgently exploring options to challenge the Texas law.

He said the Justice Department would enforce the federal law 'in order to protect the constitutional rights of women and other persons, including access to an abortion.'

Democrats are also scrambling to find ways to counter the law, including a new bill in Congress, while Republicans have accused Biden of federal overreach by trying to undermine the Supreme Court's decision last week not to overturn the new law.

Liberals are also threatening to boycott Texas over their abortion law, with Portland considering banning all imports from and travel to the state.

The new Texas law prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks - before some women know theyre pregnant.

The federal law, commonly known as the FACE Act, prohibits physically obstructing or using the threat of force to intimidate or interfere with a person seeking reproductive health services.

The law also prohibits damaging property at abortion clinics and other reproductive health centers.

Courts have blocked other states from imposing similar restrictions, but Texas' law differs significantly because it leaves enforcement up to private citizens through lawsuits instead of criminal prosecutors.

The Justice Department said Monday that it will not tolerate violence against anyone who is trying to obtain an abortion in Texas as federal officials explore options to challenge a new state law that bans most abortions. Protesters march against the bill in Houston on Sunday

Justice Department officials have also been in contact with U.S. attorneys in Texas and the FBI field offices in the state to discuss enforcing the federal provisions.

'The department will provide support from federal law enforcement when an abortion clinic or reproductive health center is under attack,' Garland said.

'We will not tolerate violence against those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services, physical obstruction or property damage in violation of the FACE Act.'

Texas' Attorney General Ken Paxton has blasted President Biden's criticism of the Lone Star State's new abortion law claiming it is just 'trying to protect the unborn'.

Paxton slammed Biden as 'un-American' and maintained Texas has a 'right' to 'regulate as they see fit' during an appearance on Fox News on Sunday.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department would 'protect those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services' under a federal law known as the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act

'If anybody's un-American, it's the President, for not defending our borders and for what he's allowed in Afghanistan', Paxton said, hitting back at Biden who branded the new law 'un-American' on Friday.

Paxton added: 'All Texas is trying to do is protect the unborn. We have a right, I think, to do that. We had a right before Roe v. Wade.

'This system that the supreme court has set up is constantly changing based on different judges coming in and going out.

'And it hasn't worked. They need to go back to letting states regulate as they see fit. And each state can make their own decision and people can move the state they are most comfortable living in.'

Biden on Friday blasted the Texas abortion law as 'un-American' and said the Justice Department was exploring options to undermine it.

'The most pernicious thing about the Texas law, it sort of creates a vigilante system where people get rewards to go out and - anyway.

'And it just seems - I know this sounds ridiculous - almost unamerican what we're talking about,' the president said.

Biden also said he 'respects' but doesn't agree with people who believe life begins at conception, despite his Catholic faith opposing all forms of abortion.

'It just seems, I know this sounds ridiculous, almost un-American what we're talking about. Not to debate about, I respect people who think, who don't support Roe v. Wade. I respect their views.

'I respect those who believe life begins at the moment of conception and all. I respect that, don't agree, but I respect that. Not going to impose that on people,' Biden told reporters.

Justice Department officials have also been in contact with U.S. attorneys in Texas and the FBI field offices in the state to discuss enforcing the federal provisions. A man from the Houston Socialist Movement marches against the Texas bill on Sunday

Biden on Friday blasted the Texas abortion law as 'un-American' and said the Justice Department was exploring options to undermine it. He is pictured in Philadelphia on Friday night on his way to a long weekend in Wilmington, Delaware

Trump REFUSES to back Texas abortion ruling and calls it 'complex and probably TEMPORARY' Donald Trump wouldn't say whether he agrees with the Supreme Court ruling upholding a new Texas heartbeat law that bans abortion after six weeks  or when a fetal heartbeat can be detected. In his first on-camera interview since leaving office, Trump said the ruling is likely temporary. 'I know that the ruling was very complex and also probably temporary,' the former president told Sharyl Attkisson in an interview taped Saturday in Bedminster, New Jersey. 'I think other things will happen and that will be the big deal and the big picture.' The full interview will air next Sunday, September 12 on Full Measure. When asked if he supported the new ruling, Trump dodged the question  instead taking credit for a series of conservative rulings due to his appointment of three Supreme Court justices during his four years in office. 'Both sides seem to agree that this ruling is largely your doing based on the Supreme Court picks that you made. Do you agree with the ruling?' Attkisson asked. 'Well, I will tell you this: We do have a Supreme Court that's a lot different than it was before, it was acting very strangely. And I think, probably not in the interests of our country,' Trump said. Of the new law, the former president said: 'I'm studying it right now.' Former President Donald Trump wouldn't say in an interview taped Saturday whether he agrees with the Supreme Court allowing a new Texas abortion bill to become law Advertisement

The new Texas law prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks - before some women know they're pregnant. A woman protests the new law in Houston on Sunday
The son of a 79-year-old woman killed in 9/11 has told Joe Biden to stay away from 20-year memorial events at Ground Zero because of the recent deaths of 13 Marines in Afghanistan.

Biden is scheduled to visit Ground Zero, the Pentagon and the site where United Airlines flight 93 crashed into the ground in Pennsylvania after the heroic passengers on board overran the hijackers.

But many of the families of those killed do not want Biden there, after his refusal to declassify files relating to Saudi Arabia's potential involvement in the attacks for months. He has now ordered that the files be declassified.

Nic Haros Jr's mother Frances was killed in the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.

Nic Haros Jr's mother, Frances, died in the attacks in September 2001. She was working as a receptionist on the 89th floor of the South Tower when the planes hit. He told Fox News he does not want Biden to attend the Ground Zero memorial on Saturday

President Biden, shown in Louisiana this weekend, is scheduled to attend memorial events at all three 9/11 attack sites

On Monday, five days before the 20th anniversary of the attacks, he appeared on Fox News to issue a warning to Biden, who he called the 'killer in chief'.

He, like many, are furious about the deaths of 13 Marines in Kabul on August 26 and believes Biden is to blame because he orchestrated the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan that led to it.

'I am demanding that President Biden do not show his face at Ground Zero on 9/11.

'It is now holy ground and I really don't think he has a place there.

'It's shameful for him, I think, to use the dead bodies as a political prop for his so-called victory lap.

'He is insensitive and he shows no compassion to the families. No Joe, no victory, we are now in the Afghanistan War 2.0. Those resurrected victims kept America safe from harm all those years.

'Biden must not dishonor their grace and patriotism. He has none. Interesting because on Saturday Judge Jeanine called the president a liar-in-chief. Today I call out Biden as the killer-in-chief.

'It's not just 13 killed or the thousands of Americans and Afghanistan supporters left to die.

'I believe he is complicit in a coming genocide of Americans and Afghans,' he said.

Haros' mother Frances worked on the 89th floor of the South Tower as a receptionist in an investment banking firm. She was 76-year-old when she died.

One World Trade Center on September 6. Biden is scheduled to visit Ground Zero on Saturday

Her son is one of thousands of American families who were impacted by 9/11 who have asked Biden not to attend the event.

In August, 1,800 wrote an open letter to Biden telling him not to come to the event unless he declassified files about Saudi Arabia's potential involvement in the attacks.

He has now ordered the declassification of those files.

Brett Eagleson, who lost his father Bruce in the Twin Towers attacks, and has been an advocate for the families, indicated they would stay skeptical until the documents are released.

'We think President Biden deserves credit where credit is due. He's the first president to publicly embrace and acknowledge the 9/11 community's struggle.

'We are cautiously optimistic that we will get the documents we need, however our guard is still up,' Eagleson told DailyMail.com earlier this year.

'The Biden administration is asking that we trust that they will do the right thing. We are hopeful that come 9/11 we will see meaningful document production.

'If that is not the case, the families will be enraged,' Eagleson added.
Students across Afghanistan have started returning to university classrooms after the Taliban took power, with females now separated from their male peers by curtains or boards down the middle of the room.

What happens in universities and schools across the country will be closely watched by foreign powers for signs of what rights women will have now the Islamist militant movement is back in charge.

Photographs shared by Avicenna University in Kabul, and widely circulated on social media, show a grey curtain running down the centre of the classroom, with female students wearing long robes and head coverings but their faces visible.

Some Western countries have said vital aid and recognition of the Taliban would depend on how they ran the country, including their treatment of girls and women.

When it last ruled from 1996-2001, the group banned girls from school and women from university and work.

Despite assurances in recent weeks that women's rights would be honoured in accordance with Islamic law, it is unclear what that will mean in practice.

Students attend class under new classroom conditions at Avicenna University in Kabul, Afghanistan September 6, 2021

What happens in universities and schools across the country will be closely watched by foreign powers for signs of what rights women will have now the Islamist militant movement is back in charge

It was not immediately clear whether the classroom dividers were the result of a Taliban directive.

Teachers and students at universities in Afghanistan's largest cities - Kabul, Kandahar and Herat - told Reuters that female students were being segregated in class, taught separately or restricted to certain parts of the campus.

'Putting up curtains is not acceptable,' Anjila, a 21-year-old student at Kabul University who returned to find her classroom partitioned, told Reuters by telephone.

'I really felt terrible when I entered the class ... We are gradually going back to 20 years ago.'

Even before the Taliban took over Afghanistan, Anjila said female students sat separately from males. But classrooms were not physically divided.

The Taliban said last week that schooling should resume but that males and females should be separated.

A Taliban spokesperson did not comment on the photograph of the segregated class or on what measures were to be put in place at universities.

But a senior Taliban official told Reuters that such dividers were 'completely acceptable', and that Afghanistan had 'limited resources and manpower, so for now it is best to have the same teacher teaching both sides of a class.'

Photographs shared by Avicenna University in Kabul, and widely circulated on social media, show a grey curtain running down the centre of the classroom, with female students wearing long robes and head coverings but their faces visible

Several teachers said there was uncertainty over what rules would be imposed under the Taliban, who have yet to form a government more than three weeks after they seized Kabul with barely a shot fired in anger.

Their return to power has alarmed some women, who fear they will lose the rights they fought for in the last two decades, in the face of resistance from many families and officials in the deeply conservative Muslim country.

A journalism professor at Herat University in the west of the country told Reuters he decided to split his one-hour class into two halves, first teaching females and then males.

Of 120 students enrolled for his course, less than a quarter showed up at school on Monday. A number of students and teachers have fled the country, and the fate of the country's thriving private media sector has suddenly been thrown into doubt.

'Students were very nervous today,' he said. 'I told them to just keep coming and keep studying and in the coming days the new government will set the rules.'

Sher Azam, a 37-year-old teacher at a private university in Kabul, said his institute had given teachers the option of holding separate classes for men and women, or partitioning classrooms with curtains and boards.

But he was worried about how many students would come back, given the economic crisis the Taliban's victory has triggered.

'I don't know how many students will return to school, because there are financial problems and some students are coming from families who have lost their jobs'.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom invoked former President Donald Trump's name in two rallies over the weekend, urging residents to vote for him ahead of the state's recall election because 'We did not defeat Trumpism.'

Newsom tied the January 6 Capitol riot, Georgia's recent 'voter suppression' law and the recent near-ban on abortion in Texas to Trump and his supporters in a rally in Culver City on Saturday with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

'You saw what happened on January 6,' said Newsom, 53, referring to the Capitol riots in Washington DC.

'We've seen the voter suppression laws all across this country, and you saw what just happened in Texas. We said last year ... that the most important election of your lifetime was last November, defeating Donald Trump. That was right.

On Sunday, Gov. Gavin Newsom told a crowd in Santa Ana that 'Trumpism has not been defeated in this country.' He was campaigning with Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota

'But you also know this, we did not defeat Trumpism. It's still alive all across this country and as the Senator said, it has come to the state of California.'

He repeated the comments during a campaign stop Sunday in Santa Ana with Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.

'Trumpism has not been defeated in this country,' he told the crowd.

Klobuchar added: 'Suppressing the vote, going into the Capitol, stopping our democracy. This is the day where the citizens of California can stand up and say no, we own this democracy,' according to KABC.

Most polls show Newsom holding on to his seat in the historic gubernatorial recall election on September 14, the fourth such election in US history.

Trump is popular with Republicans, but his continued presence in politics allows Democrats to paint all Republicans as being in lockstep with the former president, one consultant said

Newsom, 53, also hit out at former President Donald Trump and his supporters during a rally in Culver City on Saturday ahead of the September 14 recall election

Newsom and progressive star Sen. Elizabeth Warren took turns criticizing the former president

Trump remains popular among Republicans. A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll in May found that 53 percent of Republicans see Trump, not President Joe Biden, as the true winner of the November 2020 election.

Newsom has compared his opponent Larry Elder, a black conservative radio host who has the highest chance of beating him among his 46 opponents, to Trump.

Newsom emphasized last month that it's 'important to focus on Larry' because he's 'even more extreme than Trump in many respects,' according to Fox News.

Elder has expressed a desire to overturn mask and vaccine mandates for state workers and to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the US in 1973.

'I know that Gavin Newsom has mandated that every state worker who has not been vaccinated be tested once a week and wear a face mask at work. I'm going to repeal that before I have my first cup of coffee,' Elder said Sunday.

An average of recent polls suggest he has established a lead, but Newsom has been warning the race could be close

'Donald Trump with his erratic and inept leadership has allowed Newsom to paint any Republican who has ever said anything nice about the former President as two peas from the same pod,' veteran California-based Democratic consultant Mike Trujillo told Fox News.

'The longer Donald Trump stays in political conversations the longer Democrats will effectively communicate that Republican candidates are mere 'Baby Donald's' and that will always juice Democratic Party turnout,' Trujillo added.

Newsom enlisted Warren, a progressive star, to help him overcome the looming recall election that could remove him from office, warning that his ouster carries possible consequences for the national Democratic agenda on climate change, immigration and reproductive rights.

On a crystalline summer morning, the Massachusetts senator and former presidential candidate joined the embattled governor for an outdoor rally at a suburban Los Angeles high school in the state's populous Democratic heartland, where polls show left-leaning Latino and younger voters have been slow to turn in their mail ballots for the contest that culminates Sept. 14.

The Democrat has a 53 percent chance of staying in office through the end of his term in 2023, according to an average of trusted polls by FiveThirtyEight.

Conservative radio host Larry Elder is one of 46 people running against Newsom in the historic recall election. Elizabeth Warren said he 'dreams of being California's own Donald Trump'

California Gov. Gavin Newsom gives a thumbs-up as he greets supporters at an event against the recall election at the Culver City High School in Culver City

Both Warren and Newsom evoked former President Donald Trump's tumultuous administration on Saturday, depicting leading Republican candidate Larry Elder as an acolyte of the billionaire businessman who would undermine the minimum wage, chisel into environmental protections and threaten abortion rights.

At a time when Washington is often gridlocked, Warren argued that states have become the engines of government policy-making, and voters need to recognize how much is at risk in the recall and how broadly the results will be felt.

She said Elder, a conservative talk radio host, 'dreams of being California's own Donald Trump.'

Battles over women's rights, the coronavirus and a warming climate are 'not just in Texas, Florida, South Dakota,' she said, referring to states with conservative governors. 'These fights have come to California.'

Newsom warned that Trump was defeated in 2020 but 'we did not defeat Trumpism.'

With just nine days remaining in the contest, 'Racial justice is on the ballot. Economic justice in on the ballot. Social justice in on the ballot. Environmental justice is on the ballot,' the governor said to hundreds of sign-waving supporters, who responded by chanting 'Vote no' on the recall.

In recent months, Newsom appeared imperiled from widespread public frustration over his pandemic restrictions that shuttered schools and businesses. But he is hoping to bounce back with a decisive victory that could provide a springboard for 2022, when he will face reelection, and return his name to discussions about future White House contenders.

Recent polling has suggested he has established a lead, but Newsom has been warning the race could be close. Mail-in ballots went to all 22 million registered voters in mid-August for the unusual, late-summer election. In the recall, voters are asked two questions: Should Newsom be removed? And, if so, who should replace him?

With Warren on stage, Newsom appeared to be reassuring voters in the partys liberal wing that he remained loyal to their agenda, despite grumbles that he has been moving too slowly in Sacramento.

Despite falling short in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, Warren remains a popular figure with party progressives for promoting such proposals as expanding Social Security benefits and canceling student-loan debt for millions of Americans.

Warren 'is here to shore up Gov. Gavin Newsom's progressive flank,' said Thad Kousser, who chairs the political science department at the University of California, San Diego.

'His campaign in the recall has been about what he stands against. This is a chance to remind voters what he stands for, especially for those on the left who havent seen as much progress on things like single-payer health care and police reform as they would like,' Kousser added.

Elder, meanwhile, was crisscrossing the state delivering his message that one-party, Democratic dominance in Sacramento was to blame for rising crime rates, a homeless crisis that is a national embarrassment, climbing taxes and home prices that are out of reach for many working-class families.

If elected, he has promised to lift any mask or vaccine mandates for state workers that remain in place.

California first lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom, left, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., middle, join California Gov. Gavin Newsom at a campaign event

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., left, campaigns with California Gov. Gavin Newsom against the recall election at the Culver City High School

Newsom was elected in a 2018 landslide in the heavily Democratic state, but his popularity faded as he contended with public unrest over long-running school and businesses closures during the pandemic, fallout from a multibillion-dollar unemployment benefits scandal and embarrassment over his decision to attend a lavish birthday dinner at an exclusive restaurant in November - without a mask - while lecturing residents to stay home for safety.

As the race enters its final days, Newsom has talked of the contest in increasingly stark terms, depicting it as a focal point in the broader national fight over Americas political identity and direction in the post-Trump era.

He told a group of Latinos this week that the drive to push him from office rose from the states political far-right in 2020 because 'California is standing up against all things Trump and Trumpism.'

He said those on the Republican fringe grew indignant when the recoiled against the Trump administrations immigration policies, which made it harder for immigrants to live or work in the United States, while seeking to sharply reduce the number of people entering the country illegally, including through construction of his signature border wall.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, middle, takes selfies with supporters at an event against the recall election at the Culver City High School

California, meanwhile, expanded government-paid health care for lower-income residents 50 and older, regardless of their immigration status. He also referenced the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to allow a Texas law banning most abortions to remain in effect.

'Eyes are now on the state of California because they recognize this is not just about the state of California,' Newsom told Latino supporters. 'This is about the direction that were going as a nation.'

The contest is being watched nationally because of its possible consequences for the 2022 midterm elections, when control of Congress again will be in play.

It also appears Newsom is making a concerted effort to connect with women voters, after Elder faced allegations that he emotionally mistreated a former fiancee and was criticized for once writing that employers should be able to ask women if and when they plan to get pregnant.

In addition to Warren's stop Saturday and Klobuchar's on Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris is expected in the state next week.

The remainder of the race will focus on turning out voters.

'We're here ... with a very intense purpose in mind,' Newsom told reporters after the rally. 'This all comes down to turnout.'
Boris Johnson today announced a 5.4billion cash injection for the NHS for the next six months to help the health service clear the treatment backlog caused by the coronavirus crisis.

The extra money includes 1billion earmarked specifically to reduce backlogs and to deliver routine surgery.

The Government said the funding would take total Covid-19 support for the NHS to more than 34billion this year alone.

Health bosses had warned last week that the NHS will need approximately 10billion more a year in order to adapt to living with coronavirus.

The announcement of extra cash for the NHS comes as Mr Johnson faces a Tory rebellion over his plan to increase National Insurance contributions to raise an additional 10billion a year in tax revenue to pay for a social care overhaul.

Boris Johnson today announced a 5.4billion cash injection for the NHS for the next six months to help the health service clear the treatment backlog caused by the coronavirus crisis

Health Secretary Sajid Javid admitted treatment waiting lists 'will get worse before they get better' but said the extra money will help the NHS deal with the backlog

Some 2.8billion of the additional money for the NHS will be allocated to cover costs relating to enhanced infection control measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Just shy of 500million will be spent on boosting the hospital discharge programme to free up more beds.

Mr Johnson said: 'The NHS was there for us during the pandemic - but treating Covid patients has created huge backlogs.

'This funding will go straight to the frontline, to provide more patients with the treatments they need but aren't getting quickly enough.

'We will continue to make sure our NHS has what it needs to bust the Covid backlogs and help the health service build back better from the worst pandemic in a century.'

Health Secretary Sajid Javid admitted treatment waiting lists 'will get worse before they get better' but said the extra money will help the NHS deal with the backlog.

'Today's additional 5.4 billion funding over the next 6 months is critical to ensuring the health service has what it needs to manage the ongoing pandemic and helping to tackle waiting lists,' he said.

'We know waiting lists will get worse before they get better as people come forward for help, and I want to reassure you the NHS is open, and we are doing what we can to support the NHS to deliver routine operations and treatment to patients across the country.'

The funding announcement came as Mr Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak continued to haggle over the detail of a social care overhaul.

The PM is preparing to defy a huge Tory revolt to push through a 10billion tax raid.

Mr Johnson looks determined to push ahead with hiking National Insurance contributions by at least one per cent, in spite of a rising clamour that it would flout a manifesto pledge and hit working age people hardest.

The PM has been locked in talks with Chancellor Rishi Sunak (pictured) and signed off an immediate 5.4billion funding boost for the NHS to help it through the winter

Amid a wave of criticism before the policy has even been formally unveiled, former party leaders and three ex-chancellors have joined 'Red Wall' MPs urging a rethink.

Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has issued a thinly-veiled warning by pointing to George Bush's famous broken promise: 'Read my lips, no new taxes.'

Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer has signalled that Labour will oppose the long-awaited blueprint for tackling the social care crisis - raising the possibility that the Government will struggle to get the measures through Parliament.

Mr Johnson has been wrangling through the weekend with Mr Sunak to finalise the details of the proposals, after the Chancellor demanded more revenue to foot the costs of the new system. Downing Street is hoping to announce the results tomorrow.

But there is disquiet about how parts of the package have been allowed to leak. 'We seem to be spending a lot more time talking about how we are paying for it than what we are doing,' one senior source told MailOnline.

The 2019 Tory manifesto committed to a 'triple lock' on taxes, with no rise in income tax, VAT or National Insurance.

No10 has been talking up rumours of an imminent reshuffle in a bid to quell unrest among ministers, and the platform is expected to be rubber-stamped tomorrow at the first Cabinet meeting since the summer break.

'I've seen it reported that five Cabinet ministers are opposed to the idea,' an insider told the Mail. 'The truth is you would struggle to find five of us who are in favour. We made a promise not to raise taxes and we have to honour it.

'If we go down this road it will come back and bite us, whatever No10's polling might tell them. People are very unforgiving when it comes to tax.'

A Treasury source said: 'The PM is in invincible mode in meetings. Rishi's team has proposed a series of cheaper alternatives but none works for the PM.'

Another said: 'They're still haggling over the cap.'

Mr Johnson will have been reassured by a YouGov poll showing strong public support for raising national insurance. There is speculation that a 1.25 per cent rise will be used to set a lifetime cap on care costs of around 80,000.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham made an ominous prediction on Sunday when he said the US will be re-deploying troops into Afghanistan 'like we went back into Iraq and Syria' because the Taliban will turn the conflict-ridden country into a 'safe haven' for radical Islamists.

'They're going to give safe haven to Al Qaeda, who has ambitions to drive us out of the Mideast writ large and attack us because of our way of life,' Graham said on the BBC.

'We will be going back into Afghanistan like we went back into Iraq and Syria.'

Graham's remarks came less than a week after the US completed its military evacuation from the country and ended its 20-year engagement in America's longest war.

'Hang on - you seriously think the United States will once again in the forseeable future put troops back into Afghanistan?' BBC host Stephen Sackur pressed.

'We'll have to,' Graham answered. 'Well have to because the threat will be so large.'

Lindsey Graham said the US will and should return to Afghanistan less than a week after the US military completed its evacuation from Kabul

'Why did we go back to Syria and Iraq? Why do we have 5,000 troops in Iraq today? Because of the caliphate rising, projecting force outside of Iraq, killing Americans, killing the French, attacking the British.'

The South Carolina senator said Afghanistan will soon be 'a cauldron for radical Islamic behavior.'

Taliban officials have repeatedly sought to project a relatively more modern, revitalized image to the world in their quest for international legitimacy.

In a peace deal struck under former President Donald Trump in 2019, the Taliban pledged it wouldn't allow terrorist groups to grow and pose a threat to western forces.

Since taking Afghanistan the Taliban promised blanket amnesty to people who worked with the US government and said women would have freedom to hold jobs and go to school.

But grim reports of targeted killings, including the murder of a pregnant Afghan policewoman, reflect brutal treatment and little mercy.

The Taliban promised a more modern, peaceful rule compared to their brutal reign over Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001

Taliban special forces fighters stand guard outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport

And the return of a top Al Qaeda associate to his hometown in Afghanistan after 20 years on the run indicates the Taliban may turn a blind eye to its rebuilding effort.

Amin ul-Haq, a top Al Qaeda arms supplier, returned to his hometown in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province on Monday just over two weeks after the Taliban completed its lightening fast offensive to take over nearly all of the country.

'The Taliban are not reformed, they're not new, they have a view of the world out of sync with modern times, they're going to impose a lifestyle on the Afghan people that I think is going to make us all sick to our stomach,' Graham said on Sunday.

He suggested the US start aiding the National Resistance Front in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley, which until today was the last remaining region not under Taliban rule.

The Taliban claimed victory in the province but resistance fighters disputed that and said they will continue defending their land.

'You cannot deal with this over the horizon,' Graham warned.

Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint near the US embassy that was previously manned by American troops

He expressed doubt the Taliban would remain in control of Afghanistan because he said they are 'hated by the Afghan people.'

Combining that with the growing threat of ISIS-K, the ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan, Graham predicted the country and the government the Taliban is trying to build would soon collapse.

'The entire country is going to fracture in the next year, creating a perfect storm for western interests to be attacked,' he said.

ISIS-K took responsibility for the devastating attack outside of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul as evacuations were underway. A suicide bomber targeting US and Taliban forces as well as civilians set off an explosion that killed 170 Afghans and 13 US service members.

It was the deadliest attack on US forces in the region since 2011.

And Graham believes it'll only get worse.

'You can do one of two things - say thats no longer my problem, let it build, or hit them before they hit you,' he said.

Meanwhile, the US military withdrawal from Kabul was completed a week ago, and efforts to rescue American citizens still stuck in Afghanistan has reached an impasse with reports that six private charter planes sent there to evacuate at least 1,000 people have been grounded in an Afghan city 260 miles north of Kabul.

This handout satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shows satellite imagery of the Mazar-i-Sharif and grounded planes at the airport in northern Afghanistan on September 3

The flights were chartered by Mercury One, a charity founded by right-wing commentator Glenn Beck, Newsweek reports.

Beck's fleet of two Airbus 340s and four Boeing 737s from Kam Air are sitting empty in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif as their passengers - including at least 142 Americans.

One NGO official told Newsweek the remaining passengers are special immigrant visa applicants and that everyone is 'waiting in their safe houses for clearance for takeoff from the Taliban' amid the diplomatic stalemate.

The evacuation flights reportedly cost Beck's charity $750,000 each.

Harshbarger on Monday said now is the time for Biden to be 'on the job 100%.'

'We have people still in Afghanistan, they won't let our planes leave,' she said.

On Sunday, Reuters reported that the delay had been caused by Biden administration officials not telling Taliban leaders it had approved the departures of the chartered flights from Mazar-i-Sharif.
Kim Jong Un has called for 'urgent action' on climate change after floods and droughts destroyed vital crops in North Korea, leading to the country's major food shortage crisis.

The dictator ordered his officials to tackle the effects of the 'abnormal climate' during a Politburo meeting where he said the 'danger' of global warming has become higher in recent years, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

The impoverished, nuclear-armed country, has been hit by severe flooding in recent years and is currently tackling a food crisis in a nation with a moribund agricultural sector that has long struggled to feed itself amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the meeting held on Thursday, Kim said the 'disastrous weather' is becoming more pronounced worldwide. 'Our country is also lying vulnerable to its danger,' Kim said.

Kim Jong Un has called for 'urgent action' on climate change after floods and droughts destroyed vital crops in North Korea, leading to the country's major food shortage crisis. Pictured: Kim during the Politburo meeting on Thursday

The dictator ordered his officials to tackle the effects of the 'abnormal climate' during a Politburo meeting where he said the 'danger' of global warming has become higher in recent years, according to the Korean Central News Agency

The impoverished, nuclear-armed country, has been hit by severe flooding in recent years and is currently tackling a food crisis in a nation with a moribund agricultural sector that has long struggled to feed itself amid the Covid-19 pandemic

Last year, North Korea suffered severe flooding which damaged vital crops and left hundreds of families without homes. This year, crops were also damaged by droughts and subsequent flooding.

Last month, heavy rains in northeastern North Korea destroyed or flooded 1,170 houses and forced 5,000 residents to evacuate to safety, North Korea's state TV reported.

The downpour in South Hamgyong Province inundated or washed away hundreds of hectares of farmlands and destroyed many bridges. Footage showed houses submerged up to their red-brick roofs, a severed bridge over muddy water and a swollen river.

Summer rains in North Korea often cause serious damage to its agricultural and other sectors due to poor drainage, deforestation and dilapidated infrastructure in the impoverished country.

During Thursday's meeting, Kim called for senior province, city and county officials to focus largely on improving land management to help the country become more resistance to the changing climate.

He ordered the officials to adopt an 'ambitious plan' that calls for river improvement, reforestation for erosion control, dyke maintenance and tide embankment projects. Kim also called for a sustainable flood management infrastructure.

During the meeting held on Thursday, Kim said the 'disastrous weather' is becoming more pronounced worldwide. 'Our country is also lying vulnerable to its danger,' Kim said. Pictured: Kim visits a flood-hit border village in Kimhwa County, Kangwon Province, North Korea

Kim has acknowledged a 'tense' food situation that could worsen if all of the crops fail, exacerbating economic problems amid strict self-imposed border and movement restrictions that have slowed trade to a trickle.

North Korea is a mountainous nation, meaning suitable land for farming is in short supply and many of its farmers lack access to tools such as tractors, combine harvesters and threshers.

As a result, it is thought that North Korea relies on foreign imports and aid to feed around a third of its population.

Even with those imports, a 2017 UN report concluded that two fifths of the population are undernourished - meaning they don't have access to the number of calories needed per day to maintain a healthy weight.

A third of North Korea children are also thought to be stunted, meaning they did not get enough calories during the early years of their life.

In April this year, Kim warned that North Korea is facing a famine comparable with one in the 1990s during which millions of people are thought to have died.

City workers clear up a muddy water underway on a road in Busan, South Korea on August 24

He said his country is in its 'worst ever' situation due to natural disasters last summer that devastated farmland, the Covid pandemic which has halted trade, and US-led sanctions over its missile programme.

Elsewhere in the Politburo meeting on Thursday, Kim ordered officials to wage a tougher epidemic prevention campaign in 'our style' after he turned down some foreign COVID-19 vaccines offered via the U.N.-backed immunization program.

Kim said officials must 'bear in mind that tightening epidemic prevention is the task of paramount importance which must not be loosened even a moment'.

While stressing the need for material and technical means of virus prevention and increasing health workers' qualifications, Kim also called for 'further rounding off our style epidemic prevention system,' KCNA said.

Kim previously called for North Koreans to brace for prolonged COVID-19 restrictions, indicating the nation's borders would stay closed despite worsening economic and food conditions.

Since the start of the pandemic, North Korea has used tough quarantines and border closures to prevent outbreaks, though its claim to be entirely virus-free is widely doubted.
Just as the Northeast recovers from the record-setting rainfall caused by Hurricane Ida last week, another named hurricane is forecasted to bring dangerous conditions to East Coast beaches.

Hurricane Larry is a Category 3 storm that was 1,015 miles southeast of Bermuda and 715 miles east-northwest of the Leeward Islands as of Monday morning.

It is predicted to cause 'life-threatening' rip-tides and surf conditions in the Northeast this week.

The storm, which is unlikely to hit US soil, is set to tear through the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas and Bermuda today through Tuesday as the Northeast recovers from record-setting rainfall brought on by Hurricane Ida last Wednesday.

'Significant swells' are slated to hit the East Coast and Canada's Atlantic coast by midweek, according to the National Hurricane Center, and beachgoers are should be cautious and follow the guidance of local officials as the storm develops.

As of Monday, the storm has sustained 120MPH winds - the organization said that hurricane-force winds are expected to extend 70 miles from the storm's center, while tropical-storm-force winds will reach up to 175 miles from the center.

As of Monday, the Hurricane Larry has sustained 120MPH winds - the organization said that hurricane-force winds are expected to extend 70 miles from the storm's center, while tropical-storm-force winds will reach up to 175 miles from the center

This satellite image shows Hurricane Larry east of the Leeward Islands on September 5. The storm, which is unlikely to hit US soil, is set to tear through the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas and Bermuda today through Tuesday as the Northeast recovers from record-setting rainfall brought on by Hurricane Ida last Wednesday.

The coastal effects of the Hurricane Larry are expected to persist until the end of the week.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters monitoring weather patterns said that the end of El Nino is allowing for above-normal hurricane activity

The coastal effects of the storm are expected to persist until the end of the week.

In the coming days, Larry may bring heavy rainfall, strong winds and coastal flooding to Bermuda by mid-week. It will be the third major hurricane - Category 3 or higher - of the Atlantic season.

Last week, Hurricane Ida slammed into Louisiana on August 29 as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 150 mph. The latest death toll in the southern state rose to at least 13 people on Sunday.

The storm weakened as it moved north but still unleashed flash flooding on the East Coast that killed at least 50 more people, according to figures also updated Sunday.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters monitoring weather patterns said that the end of El Nino is allowing for above-normal hurricane activity.

The agency's Climate Prediction Center has predicted that the chances of an above-normal hurricane season are at 45 percent, an increase from the previous outlook of 30 percent.

The likelihood of near-typical hurricane activity, according to the CPC, is now at 35 percent, while the chance for below-normal activity has decreased to 20 percent.

The agency's number of predicted storms for this season has increased, too, with the NOAA now expecting ten to 17 named storms, with five to nine of those expected to become hurricanes.

The coastal effects of the storm are expected to persist until the end of the week. Pictured is a coastal storm surge from Hurricane Michael in 2018

President Joe Biden is scheduled to be in New Jersey and New York City on Tuesday to survey storm damage from Ida, according to the White House. He visited Louisiana on Friday before flying to his residence in Delaware for Labor Day.

Appearing Sunday at a New York City subway stop that sustained heavy flooding, Democratic New York Senator Chuck Schumer renewed the call for Congress to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill and a reconciliation bill that would dedicate billions to improving flood resiliency and addressing the broader effects of climate change.

'Ida was yet another wake-up call for New York and a nation where too many are hitting the snooze button on big and bold change,' Schumer said at the 28th Street station. Videos showed rivers of water cascading from the street down onto the station's platform and tracks.

'Each of these hurricanes gets a name,' Schumer said. 'Its time to make one for ourselves as a nation that can keep doing the big things and the hard work that saves the planet and grows our economy.'
Donald Trump famously branded his internal party critics as RINOs  Republicans In Name Only.

Today I am prepared to label Boris Johnson and his toothless cabinet TINOs  Tories In Name Only.

Under his leadership, the PM has overseen the complete demolition of Conservative policies and values, many under the guise of a global health emergency.

Brits' civil liberties and freedoms have been stripped, in favour of draconian regulations, police powers and a disturbing march towards a biosecurity state.

Our ability to drive diesel and petrol cars, travel at will and even have a gas boiler are under threat because of the so-called 'climate emergency' pushed by extremists like Greta Thunberg and the Extinction Rebellion.

Today I am prepared to label Boris Johnson and his toothless cabinet TINOs  Tories In Name Only

Even freedom of speech is being stamped out through a series of nanny state laws.

Pledges to clip the wings of the out-of-control BBC are a distant memory and Channel 4 remains government owned.

But this week is likely to see the biggest betrayal of all.

In what could amount to signing his political death warrant, Boris is planning to break his famous 2019 election promise on tax rises.

You know, the promise that got him elected with a huge margin against all odds, destroying Labour's Red Wall in the process.

Back then Boris pledged: 'I guarantee we will not raise the rate of income tax, VAT or National Insurance.'

No ifs, buts, or maybes. It was a cast iron promise.

In his first speech as Prime Minister he had previously claimed: 'I am announcing now, on the steps of Downing Street, that we will fix the crisis in social care once and for all with a clear plan we have prepared.'

Forget the threat of a reshuffle, that minister and all those that feel the same way should offer their resignations tonight. The chancellor Rishi Sunak must tell the prime minister he will go, too.

But there was no 'clear plan' and that's why the PM and his new health secretary Sajid Javid have cajoled the reluctant chancellor into agreeing to a 1.25 per cent National Insurance hike, which could be announced as early as tomorrow.

The extra money raised from hardworking British workers via increased National Insurance won't even be initially used to fund social care, as is eventually intended.

Instead, for the first three years the 10 billion raised will go down the blackhole that is the NHS budget, with the stated aim of clearing the post-pandemic waiting list. That's on top of an extra 5.5 billion Boris is expected to commit to the NHS this week.

Three former Tory chancellors  Philip Hammond, Ken Clarke and Norman Lamont  have spoken out publicly against the increase.

No wonder given it will see the burden on families soaring to highs not seen since the 1960s, as the Tories take a socialist approach to tax policy.

And that's not the only pledge to be broken, with Sunak also set to backtrack on the triple lock on state pensions.

What the hell happened?

Astronomical tax rises; the state interfering in all aspects of our lives; a sprawling and inefficient National Health Service that sucks up billions and billions more each year; and a desire to damage the British economy to achieve net zero before comparable western democracies. If we wanted that sort of hellscape, we would have voted for bloody Jeremy Corbyn

Yesterday the vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi would not even confirm in an interview that the Tories remain the party of low taxation. Instead, he said they were a party of 'fair taxation'.

That sounds like the type of line Labour would usually wheel out.

I'm also sick of hearing Cabinet ministers anonymously brief the newspapers about their horror at Boris' plans  but then do absolutely nothing about it.

Take the minister who described the move as 'morally, economically and politically wrong'.

Forget the threat of a reshuffle, that minister and all those that feel the same way should offer their resignations tonight.

The chancellor Rishi Sunak must tell the prime minister he will go, too.

Do you really believe Boris will allow a situation where his highly popular rival to the throne is let loose on the back benches?

Boris might think he's in 'invincible mode', as The Times reported today, but he should have developed a way to fund social care by making cuts elsewhere, rather than torpedoing his tax promise.

This is not a minor issue that will be forgotten by voters and it is likely to come back to haunt him.

Boris could look to recent political history to see the electoral consequences of breaking such a significant tax promise.

One-term US president George Bush would forever rue his promise to Americans: 'Read my lips: No new taxes.'

Like Boris, he thought he was invincible following huge popularity gains on the back of the Gulf War.

But he was beaten in an upset by the upstart Bill Clinton in 1992, largely because he broke his promise and did increase taxes.

As Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg warned Boris in the Sunday Express yesterday: 'Voters remembered these words after President Bush had forgotten them.'

Like so many, I believed in Boris Johnson.

And I wanted to believe he would be a prime minister who would stick to his long-held public persona as a low tax libertarian Tory who wanted the government to butt the hell out of our lives.

Many folk excused the creep away from those values as a realistic cost of a global pandemic.

But it's gone far too far now.

Astronomical tax rises; the state interfering in all aspects of our lives; a sprawling and inefficient National Health Service that sucks up billions and billions more each year; and a desire to damage the British economy to achieve net zero before comparable western democracies.

If we wanted that sort of hellscape, we would have voted for bloody Jeremy Corbyn.

Boris needs saving from himself  before it's too late.
Dr. Linda Marraccini (pictured) says starting September 15 she will no longer treat unvaccinated patients in person

A Florida doctor says she will no longer treat patients in person if they are unvaccinated against Covid-19.

Dr. Linda Marraccini said the decision was intended to protect her immunocompromised patients, such as those undergoing chemotherapy, and who are at a greater risk of infection.

The policy goes into effect on September 15, and patients who refuse to get vaccinated, she says, have the option of remote telemedicine treatment or finding another primary care doctor.

It comes amid the state's worst coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic, driven largely by the spread of the Indian delta variant.

As of the last week in August, 705 new cases were being reported per 100,000 people, and the state was averaging 244 deaths from the virus per day, according to the CDC.

In a positive sign that Florida's surge might be subsiding, however, hospitalizations from Covid-19 have dropped over the past two weeks from more than 17,000 to 14,200 on Friday.

'I understand that people are free to choose, but to me, its a problem when it affects other people,' Marraccini, whose family practice is based in South Miami told NBC 6.

She says only about 10 to 15 percent of her patients are hesitant about taking the vaccine, and for those people she said she gave them a month to figure out their plan going forward.

'When it comes to the safety of others, when it comes to the fact that its a global health problem and community health problem, at this point, I really say that this is where it draws the line in the sand for me,' she told the station.

Overall about 53.5 percent of Florida's total population has been vaccinated.

Additionally, nationwide, the country continues to see a surge in coronavirus cases with a seven-day moving average of 153,000 new cases over the past week, a 4.9percent increase over the previous week

Marraccini's policy comes as Florida sees its worst coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic

As of mid August the state was averaging 244 deaths from the virus per day

Marraccini announced the new policy in a letter she sent to her patients last month

Marraccini insists the policy, which she announced to her patients and a letter she sent last month, is not a violation of the Hippocratic Oath, which is a code of ethics taken by doctors promising to do no harm to patients.

'The Hippocratic Oath is very science-based. I am following the science. I'm applying this to the benefit of the sick,' she told Newsweek, noting that the decision was intended to protect the most vulnerable of her patients whom she was fearful could be exposed to the virus at her office.

She also says she is willing to make exceptions for people who are unable to get vaccinated or those who just need prescriptions filled, the outlet reported.

'We're not going to leave them out there in the cold,' she said.

While Marraccini says the decision was motivated by science and not politics, she said individuals had the responsibility to help end the pandemic by getting vaccinated, telling Newsweek that it, 'did not have to go on this long.'

Meanwhile around 53.5percent of Florida's total population has been vaccinated

'Theres been millions of deaths globally so thats not something to ignore. People are getting to the point where everybody knows somebody that died from COVID,' Marraccini told NBC.

'This is a problem that really everyone needs to help out with, and its affecting our collective communal health.'

Her policy, however, may come into conflict with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban on vaccine passports, which goes into effect on September 16.

Businesses that ask for proof of vaccination may be fined up to $5,000, but in Marraccini's case the law may be hard to enforce.

The policy may come into conflict with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' vaccine passport ban, although legal experts say in the case of a doctor's office, it may be difficult to enforce

'I dont believe you can treat a medical clinic the same way you can a business,' Attorney Juan Carlos Planas told NBC.

Critically, he said, Marraccini's medical argument may protect her from legal ramifications.

'She lays out in a medical way how exactly she wants to protect her staff and she specifically states that no medical professional has found many people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons,' Planas said.
Angry New York City residents fumed at Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and Mayor Bill de Blasio about the lack of warning as they toured a Queens neighborhood to survey damage left in the wake of Hurricane Ida, which killed 13 people in the city.

On Monday, De Blasio, AOC and Senator Chuck Schumer visited Woodside five days after the flood hit the city without warning, with rain falling more than three inches every hour and causing New York City's first ever flash flood emergency.

The visit came on the same day President Joe Biden approved major disaster declarations for New York and New Jersey, which greenlights the use of FEMA funds after $85 million was lost in public infrastructure and property in the two states.

More than 40 people were killed as the Hurricane hit both states last week.

But as AOC and De Blasio toured Woodside, where nine people were killed, angry residents railed against them.

'I don't blame climate change, I blame the mayor,' Woodside resident Danette Rivera told the New York Post.

'There was absolutely no warning. I wasn't expecting water from my own drain to be the one that's going to kill me.'

Senators Schumer, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Mayor de Blasio went on a tour surveying Ida's devastation in Woodside Queens

Mayor de Blasio was heckled and received with outrage from Woodside residents who feel the city's response to emergency was flawed

'Many of these deaths occurred in basement dwellings, many of which are illegal and growing in number due to the unaffordable housing crisis, but do not meet safety standards required to keep people safe in incidents like flash floods' said AOC about the 11 New Yorkers who died trapped in basements during Ida

AOC and Schumer, members of FEMA announced that families affected by Ida could receive up to $34,000 in federal grants that won't need to be repaired

Angry residents heckled and blamed de Blasio for the city's unpreparedness in the face of hte storm last week, and were infuriated by AOC's attempt to pin the blame on climate change.

'This storm has now rewritten the map,' De Blasio said on Monday.

'We used to think that flooding was a coastal thing. It's not anymore. It can happen all over the city.'

'We needed more advance notice from the National Weather Service,' she said when asked if de Blasio had done enough to warn New Yorkers about the storm

A this home in the corner of Laurel Hill boulevard, a family of three people drowned in a basement apartment. Two middle aged adults and a 2-year-old were found inside

'They swore that it wouldn't happen again, and that they would fix the sewers.

'Nine people died in this neighborhood. What does it take for them to do something? You know how politics are. It's never about the people,' Woodside resident Isabella Lizal told the New York Daily.

AOC refused to criticize de Blasio when asked if he adequately warned New Yorkers about the storms.

'We needed more advance notice from the National Weather Service,' she said.

The NWS had tweeted a warning at 3.23pm on Wednesday.

A flood emergency was issued almost six hours later, at 9:30pm, with only one hour notice for the emergency.

Ocasio-Ortez tweeted about the deaths in New York that occurred when people were trapped in fast-filling basement apartments as they tried to escape.

'How the climate crisis is an inequality crisis: Many of these deaths occurred in basement dwellings, many of which are illegal and growing in number due to the unaffordable housing crisis, but do not meet safety standards required to keep people safe in incidents like flash floods' she said on September 2, a day after the storm.

'These are working class, immigrant, and low-income people & families,' she added.

More federal aid is expected for people in six New Jersey counties and five New York counties affected by devastating flooding last week from the remnants of the hurricane after President Biden approved major disaster declarations.

Families affected by the hurricane could receive up to $34,000 in FEMA federal grants that won't need to be repaid.

Ida left devastation in New York, where 13 died, and New Jersey, where 27 victims were killed by the storm.

NYPD released a dramatic bodycam footage of an officer swimming in a flooded basement, trying to open the door to save people trapped inside their home at 64th street.

A family of three was found dead inside - Ang Gelu Lama, 50, Mingma Sherpa, 48, and their 2-year old son.

AOC blamed climate change for the devastation that Ida left behind and refused to criticize de Blasio

Spectators walk through flooded paths near Louis Armstrong Stadium. The NWS issued an alert on 3.23pm Wednesday, but the city sent issued a flood emergency just an hour before the storm started

Vehicles are stranded by high water Thursday, September 2 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

A motorist drives a car through a flooded expressway in Brooklyn, New York early on September 2 as flash flooding and record-breaking rainfall brought by the remnants of Storm Ida swept through the area

General views of the aftermath and cleanup of flooding around Queens after the passing of storm Ida

View of a car damaged by a downed tree after the remnants of Hurricane Ida produced heavy rain and caused widespread flooding in New York

Gov Hochul said an initial assessment found that the storm damaged more than 1,200 homes and caused about $50million in damage to public infrastructure and property.

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said damage to city infrastructure was estimated at $35 million.

At least 50 people were killed in six Eastern states as record rainfall last Wednesday overwhelmed rivers and sewer systems.

Biden is scheduled to visit New Jersey and New York City on Tuesday to survey storm damage, the White House said. The storm killed at least 27 people in New Jersey and 13 in New York City.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, touring flood-damaged areas of Lambertville on Labor Day, said Biden's major disaster declaration will allow individuals to receive assistance, including grants for temporary housing and home repairs and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses.

An existing emergency declaration issued last week enabled state, county and local governments to get reimbursed for disaster spending, Murphy said.

Residents wait a worker picking up debris, Monday, September 6 2021 in Passaic, NewJersey,from their flood damaged home in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida

Flood-stricken families and business owners across the Northeast are hauling waterlogged belongings to the curb and scraping away noxious mud as cleanup from Ida moves into high gear

Simon Wolyniec stands in the basement of his Manville, New Jersey home Sunday, September 5 in the wake of Hurricane Ida. Wolyniec said that the basement wall collapsed in the early hours of September 2, and shortly thereafter, with the aid of a kayak for his children, he and his family waded into the deep water already inundating the first floor, to safety

Utility workers work among debris from flood damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida in Manville, New Jersey, September 5

In New Jersey, the disaster declaration covers Bergen, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic, and Somerset counties.

In New York, it allows for individual assistance for people in Bronx, Queens, Kings, Richmond and Westchester counties.

Murphy said he would be talking to Biden during his visit to about adding other counties to the major disaster declaration.

Murphy joined state and local officials on a walking tour of Lambertville, passing homes with belongings piled outside as residents spent their Labor Day clearing flood debris, aided at one point by a bulldozer.

The major disaster declaration could help people like Nick Cepparulo, who told Murphy all of his family's first-floor possessions were washed away soon after they got in their car and raced for higher ground.

'Well be all right,' Cepparulo told reporters after speaking with Murphy. 'We need a little help getting there.'

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Sen. Chuck Schumer and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spent part of the morning touring of storm damage in Queens with Deanne Criswell, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

One resident greeted de Blasio with an arm on his shoulder and a quip about their flooded homes.

'Welcome to Woodside,' she said. 'We have swimming pools in each house. So you can get your bathing suit on and take a dip with us.'
Minnesota State Patrol Major Joseph Dwyer testified recently that he and a 'vast majority of the agency' deleted their communications following the widespread protests last summer

A Minnesota State Patrol officer has admitted in a recent court hearing that he and many of his fellow officers deleted text message exchanges immediately following the widespread protests against police brutality last summer.

During a hearing to determine whether the State Patrol and Minneapolis police officers used excessive force against journalists in an effort to silence them, State Patrol Major Joseph Dwyer said he and a 'vast majority of the agency' deleted their communications after the riots.

He claimed they thought they were following routine procedures in doing so, according to a transcript published to the federal court docket Friday night.

But attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union, representing a group of journalists who were attacked by police officers in the protests, claim the file destruction was a concerted effort that 'makes it nearly impossible to track the State Patrol's behavior.

'The purge was neither accidental, automated nor routine,' the attorneys wrote in a motion that asks a federal judge to order the State Patrol cease its attacks on journalists.

'The purge did not happen because of a file destruction or retention policy,' they continued in the court documents, obtained by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. 'No one reviewed the purged communications before they were deleted to determine whether the materials were relevant to this litigation.'

Dwyer said they were not instructed to delete their communications, but claimed it is a standard practice. State Patrol officers are pictured on the fourth day of protests last year

Dwyer said it is up to each individual officer to decide when they want to delete their records

Dwyer has previously said that the state troopers were not acting on orders to delete their messages, but claimed it is 'standard practice' to do so.

He said it is up to each officer to decide when they want to delete their records, and it is a 'recommended practice' to delete their texts after a major event.

But Don Gemberling, a spokesman for the nonprofit Minnesota Coalition on Government Information, told the Star-Tribune the State Patrol is actually required to make and keep records of all their official activity - including text messages and emails - under Minnesota state law.

He said troopers are only allowed to delete information under a schedule approved by a state records retention panel.

Gemberling also noted Dwyer's apparent admission 'doesn't strike me as being consistent with what the statute is trying to accomplish, which is to make sure there's a record of why government does what it does.'

'What they've done raises a lot of questions,' he told the newspaper.

State Patrol spokesman Brue Gordon said the officers follow all state and agency data retention requirements. He would not comment, though, on pending litigation.

A demonstrator holding a sign jumped up and down in front of a line of police officers outside the Oakdale, Minnesota home of Derek Chauvin on May 27, just two days after he was seen kneeling on George Floyd's neck. The Department of Justice and the city of Minneapolis are now investigating officers' conduct during the protests

NBC News journalist Ed Ou was seen bleeding after police started firing tear gas and rubber bullets on May 30. A group of journalists are now suing the Minnesota State Patrol nd the Minneapolis Police Department

The ACLU, meanwhile, wrote in court filings that Dwyer's testimony proved that the State Patrol 'concocted false reports to justify the arrest, assault and use of less-lethal weapons against journalists' and 'ignored the governor's orders exempting journalists from curfew restrictions.

'Not one trooper has been disciplined or reprimanded for their misconduct,' the lawyers claim. 'Instead, at the very highest levels, state defendants have turned a blind eye to the troopers' illegal acts.'

The local ACLU chapter was contracted by a group of journalists who claim they were assaulted by Minnesota State Patrol and Minneapolis police officers while they were covering the widespread protests against police brutality following the murder of George Floyd.

The lead plaintiff is Jared Goyette, a freelancer for the Washington Post and the Guardian who was reportedly 'shot in the face with less-lethal ballistic ammunition' by Minneapolis police on May 27.

Protests spread throughout the country in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, sometimes turning violent

Protestors are seen here burning the Minneapolis Police Department Third Precinct on May 28

A man wearing a face mask held a sign demanding justice for George Floyd near a burning vehicle at the parking lot of a Target store

Dwyer, though, said in his testimony he believed people were posing as journalists during the protests, and estimated that 300 people - about one-third of the crowd - reported themselves as members of the media in the wake of George Floyd's death.

His testimony comes as Minneapolis police say they are investigating why officers in the Second Precinct - on the other side of the city from the widespread protests - shredded case files.

The Department of Justice is also investigating law enforcement's response to the protests and riots, and the city of Minneapolis is conducting its own review of how its agents handled the events of last summer.

The protests followed the viral death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man on May 25

He died after Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes as Floyd, 46, cried out that he couldn't breathe

Chauvin was found guilty of murder in June 2021

George Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes as Floyd, 46, lay face-down crying: 'I can't breathe.'

Video of the incident went viral, and soon protests against police brutality spread throughout the United States, lasting for months, turning violent at times.

Chauvin was fired by the Minneapolis Police Department in the aftermath and was soon arrested.

On June 25, 2021, he was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

He received a sentence of 22 and a half years in prison, with the possibility of supervised relief, contingent on good behavior after serving two-thirds of his sentence or 15 years for second-degree murder.
A schoolgirl, 14, rushed screaming to her grandparents' house after being stabbed in the neck by a woman with a kitchen knife in a street fight in east London, shocked witnesses have claimed.

The 14-year-old was knifed in Ilford at around 3pm on Monday with a woman, whose age has not been released, arrested over the attack on suspicion of GBH with intent.

Ambulances rushed to the scene and the victim was treated by paramedics before being taken to hospital.

She is not thought to be in a life-threatening condition.

A large kitchen knife was recovered from a front garden just a few yards from where the alleged stabbing took place.

Witnesses say there was a group of people fighting on the road shortly before the stabbing occurred.

Police have left the scene and neighbours said the family of the girl who was stabbed are at her hospital bedside.

A female suspect has been arrested after a girl, 14, was stabbed in the neck on the junction between Eynsford Road and New Road in Ilford, London, at 3pm this afternoon

Ambulances rushed to the scene and the victim was treated by paramedics before being taken to a major trauma centre

A man who works at a nearby garage said: 'We saw the aftermath of what happened.

'We heard fighting and shouting and screaming. I couldn't hear exactly what was said, it was muffled and I was in the back of the garage.

'Then we saw a girl clutching on to her neck and running down the road. I think her grandparents live down there.

'We didn't see how or why it happened. You don't really pay attention to what kids get up to round here because it's always going to be something.'

Adnan Patel, 42, who lives on the road, said: 'I heard a group of young people shouting at each other - I don't know what about or not.

'But then I heard the screams. It was really loud - everyone must have heard it on the road.

'It was really scary. You just don't expect this. You see on the news it's always the boys fighting each other but for it to be women, that's unusual.

'I've heard the girl is going to be okay - that's a big relief.'

A nearby neighbour said: 'I heard all the police sirens kicking off.

'I looked out, couldn't hear anything. I heard a hatchback, a Mini, roaring up there which isn't unusual because people drive around here like nutters. My mate said 'have you seen what's happening?'

'I looked out I saw a Mini come down, a girl got out walked down the road and the Mini turned around. She got back in and they went off. I told the police about it because it just looked odd.

'It looked wrong what they were doing. I have no idea if it was a drive-by or not, I haven't a clue. It could be nothing.

'I assumed it was lads carrying knives around and someone said something wrong and they stuck a knife in somebody.

'When I was chatting to a lady, and as we stood there, a Middle Eastern lady said it was her niece. She drove down, spoke to the police.

'I was very surprised the victim was a girl and the perpetrator was a woman. If you're gonna profile it, that's the last thing you'd be saying. It's mental these days.'

London Metropolitan Police said: 'Police were called at 3pm on Monday, September 6, to Eynsford Road, junction with Green Lane, Ilford, to reports of a stabbing.

'Officers attended with LAS and found a 14-year-old suffering from a laceration to her neck.

'Her condition at this time is not thought to be life-threatening.

'Officers arrested another female on suspicion of GBH with intent and have taken her into custody.

'A crime scene is in place and enquiries are ongoing.'

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called at 3.01pm today to reports of a stabbing on Eynsford Road, Ilford.

'We sent a number of resources to the scene including an ambulance crew, a medic in a car, an incident response officer and London's Air Ambulance.

'We treated a teenage girl at the scene and took her to a major trauma centre.'
Shocking footage shows the moment a lorry struck a ticket booth and destroyed it, leaving three injured workers trapped in the wreckage.

The ticket kiosk at Red Funnel terminal in Southampton, Hampshire, completely collapsed on top of the workers on Monday.

In footage recorded by a nearby ferry webcam, an HGV's rear end clips the building and obliterates it as it tries to drive into the carpark.

Shocking footage shows the moment a lorry struck a ticket booth and destroyed it, leaving three injured workers trapped in the wreckage

Dozens of onlookers rush across the carpark to the collapsed booth to help those inside.

The injuries sustained by the ticket office workers following the incident are not said to be significant.

The back of the truck collided with the roof of the building, which starts to twist causing the walls to collapse.

The truck comes to a halt but the damage has already been done and before long the roof of the ticket office caves in.

A Red Funnel spokesman said: 'Three Red Funnel colleagues were inside a check in kiosk which was struck by an HGV this afternoon.

The ticket kiosk at Red Funnel terminal in Southampton, Hampshire, completely collapsed on top of the workers on Monday

'Our priority is the safety of our team members and passengers, and although there are no significant injuries, both police and ambulance services are in attendance as a precaution.'

This comes after claims lorry drivers could be banned from roads if they hit low bridges after railway bosses raised concerns about disruptions to services caused by negligent truckers.

Network Rail said bridge strikes cost around 23million a year and is seeking to recover damages from HGV operators involved in avoidable crashes.

The infrastructure manager said it will report crashes to the Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain, which has the power to revoke licences.

Lorry drivers hit 1,624 in the 12 months up to March alone  more than four a day, despite the drop-off in traffic during lockdowns.

Driver blamed sat-navs for taking them on routes with bridges too low for their vehicles.

In footage recorded by a nearby ferry webcam, an HGV's rear end clips the building and obliterates it as it tries to drive into the carpark

But rail bosses have little sympathy for the drivers, arguing it is their responsibility to know the height of their HGVs.

Network Rail chief executive Sir Peter Hendy told The Times: 'A lorry or bus hitting a railway bridge isn't an accident.

'It's a failure of professional operators and drivers to properly plan their routes and know the height of their vehicles, and can cause fatalities and serious injuries for road users, delays for both road and rail travellers, and could cause a catastrophic railway accident.

A lorry driver got stuck (pictured) when he tried to squeeze his HGV underneath a low railway bridge in Surrey

'Network Rail looks to recover the entire cost of such incidents from operators and drivers, and also reports all of them to the traffic commissioners for consideration of enforcement and licence revocation.'

Rod McKenzie, managing director of policy and public affairs at the Road Haulage Association, added that specialised sat-navs already allow drivers to programme in the height of their vehicle, meaning they can avoid crashes.

The most expensive incident in the last year was when a lorry hit a bridge in Haymarket, Edinburgh, on January 30, costing 155,690.
Biden administration officials are reportedly relieved that the conservative-leaning Supreme Court reinstated former President Trump's Remain in Mexico policy amid an unprecedented two-decade high of migrants coming to the southern US border since President Biden took office.

On his first day in office Biden repealed the controversial Trump immigration rule, which he frequently decried as 'inhumane.'

The policy forced migrants seeking asylum in the United States to wait for their case to be processed in Mexico, which quickly led to overcrowded and squalid conditions on the southern side of the border.

Biden's administration has taken a more lenient approach to border enforcement than under Trump.

Besides halting construction of the border wall, Biden also oriented the Homeland Security Department to focus less on deterrence and punishment and more on orderly processing of immigrants.

Migrants walk in a caravan bound for the United States, in Tapachula, state of Chiapas, southern Mexico, on September 4. After Biden repealed Trump's Remain in Mexico policy migrants were allowed to wait inside the US for their cases to be processed, straining state, local and federal infrastructure to unprecedented levels

Agents of the National Migration Institute (INM) detain migrants during an operation to dissolve a caravan of migrants and asylum seekers from Central America and the Caribbean

Migrants part of a caravan take a break en route to the United States. Under a potential revamped Remain in Mexico policy, a small number of asylum-seekers would be forced to wait on the southern side of the border

Biden's quick rollback of a number of Trump-era immigration policies and scaled-back presence along parts of the border have been blamed for an influx of migrants that has strained Customs and Border Protection and the infrastructure built to contain it.

Now, however, some within Biden's circle see an opportunity to revamp the Trump policy into something more humane while stemming the flow of migrants into the country, according to the New York Times.

The new proposal has reportedly been dubbed 'Remain in Mexico lite.'

It would require some migrants to wait in Mexico for their cases to be processed, but also give them access to better living conditions and trained attorneys, people familiar with the talks told Politico.

In a 6-3 decision the Supreme Court ruled last month that the Biden administration likely violated federal law in trying to end the measure, refusing to block a lower court's ruling that the White House must make a 'good faith effort' to restart the program.

The court's three liberal justices dissented.

Crossings at the southern border have been rising significantly since Biden took office, hitting a 21-year high of 212,672 in July

The Department of Homeland Security said it 'respectfully disagrees' with the ruling in a statement and pledged to 'vigorously challenged it.'

But DHS officials made no move to explain how that would be done.

Now, however, the Biden administration is reportedly in talks with the Mexican government to try and hash out the new policy - which officials hope will balance the court's decision with the president's progressive stance.

The report of a possibly revamped version of the Remain in Mexico policy has stirred anger among immigration advocates who expected Biden to stick by his campaign trail promise of permanently revoking it.

'The answer is not to simply find a gentler, kinder MPP 2.0. That completely flies in the face of his promise,' National Immigration Law Center executive director Marielena Hincapie told Politico.

A senior counselor at Human Rights First told the outlet that the Biden administration's 'constantly changing' policies have been a source of confusion and frustration for migrants and those trying to help them.

Biden officials worry the massive influx of migrants under his watch is at least in part due to his quick rollback of Trump-era immigration policies in a short span of time

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters last week that the program wasn't implemented in a 'moral way,' adding that it was also 'inefficient' while also seemingly excusing the administration's return to the Trump rule.

'It led to a backlog in the system. And it is fundamentally a program we have opposed, but we are also abiding by a court order,' she said.

It comes after CBP released troubling July border data just a few weeks ago.

More than 212,000 migrants were encountered by officials on the southern border that month, the highest number in 21 years.

The number is a 13 percent increase from June. There have been nearly a million reported border encounters between February and July under Biden's watch.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas admitted there is a crisis at the border and that policies need to change in leaked audio from a private meeting with Texas border agents last month.

'If our borders are the first line of defense, we're going to lose, and this is unsustainable,' he said in audio obtained by Fox News.

'We can't continue like this, our people in the field can't continue and our system isn't built for it.'

He told the border agents at the leaked meeting 'these numbers cannot continue.'

'We cannot get to a point where we were a couple of weeks ago, and we're gonna make sure that doesn't happen,' the DHS head continued, apparently referencing July's historic numbers.
As Louisiana began the clean up after Hurricane Ida last week, one Domino's Pizza franchise decided to throw out its left-over pizza dough.

But as temperatures ran into the 90s this week, the dough has rapidly expanded and turned into a growing, unstoppable blob at the franchise in Covington.

Local resident Nicole Amstutz first spotted the dough bubbling over the side of a large dumpster on Wednesday and posted a picture to Facebook.

By Saturday of the dough had broken free of the dumpster and begun spilling out onto the ground.

'Back in Covington, Dominos threw all of their dough in the dumpster and now it's growing into a giant, unstoppable blob,' she wrote.

In an update Saturday, she added: 'It's still there, but the dough inside fell and now there are boxes on top.'

Amstutz noted that the 'dough on the ground is squishy.'

It would appear that with the heat and humidity in Covington, the yeast in the dough caused it to expand.

Amstutz's post has since been shared more than 2,300 times, with one follower commenting, 'They didnt bother to throw the toppings on it?'.

Another wrote: 'Somebody needs to call Ghost Busters!'

Amstutz, a self-described 'snacktion reporter,' according to Nola.com, said she is 'really just happy it's making so many people laugh at such a stressful time.'

A Domino's Pizza franchise in Covington, Louisiana threw out some of their leftover dough after Hurricane Ida

In the days since, the dough has grown in size and bubbled over the side of the dumpster

By Saturday of the dough had broken free of the dumpster and begun spilling out onto the ground

Local resident Nicole Amstutz has been posting about the 'uncontrollable blob' of pizza dough

The state had been slammed by Hurricane Ida, which made landfall on August 29 as a Category Four hurricane with 150 mph winds and torrential downpours.

More than one million people across Louisiana and Mississippi were left without electricity in its wake as temperatures soared, and the city of New Orleans went completely dark with hospitals and other emergency services operating off of generator power.

As of Monday, more than half a million in Louisiana were still without power, as widespread flooding continues.

The death toll from the storm has now reached 13 people in the state.

At least four of these deaths were associated with carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of generator power.

Two men pushed a generator through a flooded roadway outside of New Orleans

Zane Higginbotham walks beneath his grandfather Harry Bonvillain's hurricane-damaged home in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida on Saturday

Cindy Rojas cleans mud and floodwater from her driveway in Lafitte, Louisiana on Sunday

P.J. Brower retrieves a window air conditioner from his family's storm-damaged house on Grand Isle, Louisiana on Saturday, as the state tries to recover

Kimberly Szeplaki cleans up her vacation house in Grand Isle on Saturday

A mattress and other storm debris was wrapped around a utility pole after Hurricane Ida swept through the area with 150 mph winds. Now, the state is facing more flash flooding

Now, the state is facing the threat of more flash flooding, as slow-moving rain and drenching thunderstorms move over the state.

The storms are capable of producing two to three inches of rain in a short period of time, according to Reuters, and were already saturating storm-ravaged New Orleans as well as other areas of Louisiana and Mississippi on Monday afternoon.

'Some of that [rain] will occur over soil that is saturated by Ida - areas that are already sensitive, with any additional heavy rain problematic and leading to flash flooding,' Lara Pagano, a National Weather Service meteorologist told the outlet.

President Joe Biden has already approved a disaster declaration for the state, which he visited on Friday.

The declaration qualifies Louisiana for federal assistance for repairs and rebuilding after the intense flooding, that also killed dozens of people in the northeast.
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The Wire star Michael K. Williams has been found dead of a suspected heroin overdose inside his luxury Brooklyn penthouse.

The 54-year-old was discovered unconscious and face-down in the living room of his Williamsburg apartment by his nephew on Monday afternoon, a law enforcement source told The New York Post.

A doorman subsequently called 911 claiming Williams was 'unresponsive' and 'felt cold'. Medics rushed to the scene, but declared the actor dead at 2:12pm.

Williams' nephew went around to the apartment complex to check up on the star, who reportedly hadn't been heard from in several days.

Heroin was said to be found on the star's kitchen table, and drug paraphernalia was allegedly discovered elsewhere in the apartment.

A police source told The Post: 'No foul play is indicated. [There was] no forced entry, and the apartment was in order.'

However, Staci DuPont, who is married to the nephew who found Williams' body, told DailyMail.com that she did not believe reports the death was drug related.

'That's not factual. We don't have anything more to say at this time,' she stated.

She went on to pay tribute to Williams, saying 'He meant everything to us. He was a wonderful, beautiful, loving person. He'd give you the shirt off his back. He was always there to help anybody who needed him, whether family or friends. It's a great loss to us.'

Williams was best known for his role in the hit HBO series The Wire, which ran from 2002 to 2008. However, he also won praise for his role in last year's drama, Lovecraft Country for which he is currently nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

The Emmys are scheduled to be held on September 19 - and Williams was a hot favorite to take home the gong.

Another of his nephews, Arvance Williams, told DailyMail.com that his famous uncle was excited about jetting to Los Angeles to attend the awards show in less than two weeks time.

'I was just with him. I just bought him some fabric so he can go to the Emmys, to put under his blazer. He just got nominated for an Emmy, and he was going to LA, so he was real excited about that,' Arvance Williams stated.

Williams shot to international fame playing gay stick-up man Omar Little in The Wire. President Barack Obama once described The Wire as his favorite show and Omar as his favorite character.

HBO released a statement following news of Williams death, which read: 'We are devastated to learn of the passing of Michael K. Williams, a member of the HBO family for more than 20 years. While the world is aware of his immense talents as an artist, we knew Michael as a dear friend who was beloved by all who had the privilege to work with him. We send our deepest condolences to his family for this immeasurable loss.'

Williams is survived by an adult son named Elijah.

The star was last linked to actress Tasha Smith, who last shared a snap of herself with Williams late last year.

The star of The Wire, actor Michael K. Williams, has been found dead in his New York City apartment. Williams is seen above as Omar Little from The Wire

A law enforcement source confirmed to the New York Post that the 54-year-old he was found in his Brooklyn apartment by his nephew on Monday afternoon. Williams is seen right as a character from the show Boardwalk Empire

Williams was discovered inside his penthouse apartment, located in the trendy Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg. The expensive complex is located on the waterfront and features sweeping views out over to Manhattan

A medical examiner is seen outside the apartment complex on Monday afternoon

A swarm of police officers were also spotted on the scene, after Williams' nephew purportedly phoned 911 just after 2pm. They are pictured removing evidence bags from the actor's apartment

An old real estate listing photo shows the living area of Williams' Brooklyn apartment

One of the bedrooms inside Williams' apartment is seen in a listing photo

Meanwhile, nephew Arvance Williams told DailyMail.com that he was meant to travel with his uncle to Pennsylvania for Labor Day Weekend, before their plans changed.

'You guys know him as the actor, we know him as Uncle Mike. We love him,' he stated.

'My uncle was such a sweet person. A lot of the characters he played as mean and gangster. It was a joke, because he was totally not that way. Hw was a sweetheart.  A very gentle, gentle person. And I just look at some of the stuff he was doing [on screen] and I would just laugh because that's totally not him.'

Williams was born in East Flatbush, Brooklyn and spent he spent his childhood in the projects surrounded by drugs and violence.

As a young boy, he was sexually molested. He told The New York Times that that experience left him confused about his own sexuality and caused him to be withdrawn.

On the eve of his 25th birthday, in 1991, Williams attempted to intervene when a group of muggers jumped one of his friends. One of the assailants pulled out a knife and slashed him, leaving him with a long, distinctive scar down the front of his face and neck.

Williams eventually enrolled in New York City's National Black Theatre, and kickstarted his career as a dancer, scoring parts in music videos by Madonna and George Michael.

Williams made his film debut in 1996, appearing alongside Tupac Shakur in the film Bullet.

Three years later, he played a drug dealer in Martin Scorsese's Bringing Out the Dead. He also landed a brief cameo in the HBO hit show The Sopranos.

By late afternoon, a number of Williams' nephews were seen outside the apartment complex. One of the men, Arvance Williams, called the death of his uncle 'heartbreaking'

Another nephew, Booker T. Williams (in glasses), was seen hugging a friend outside the apartment complex

Williams was last linked to actress Tasha Smith, who last shared a snap of herself with Williams late last year

Williams is survived by an adult son named Elijah. The pair are pictured together in a snap shared to Instagram by Williams this past January

However, in 2002, he landed the definitive role for his career, playing Omar Little in The Wire.

Williams was open about his struggles with drug addiction. Since the age of 19, he went in and out of clinics to seek treatment.

During his years filming The Wire, Williams relapsed. In 2005, he entered a church in New Jersey seeking help with his drug problem.

'When I came through those doors, I was broken.  This was, I would say, around the  third season of The Wire,' Williams told National Public Radio in 2016.

'I was on drugs.  I was in jeopardy of destroying everything I had worked so hard for,' he stated.

Williams struggled to stay sober during the remaining years that he filmed the show. He recalled meeting Obama while high on cocaine at a campaign rally around the time the show wrapped in 2008.

'Hearing my name come out of his mouth woke me up,' Williams recalled in an interview with The New York Times. 'I realized that my work could actually make a difference.'

Despite his ongoing drug struggles, Williams enjoyed continued success following the conclusion of The Wire.

From 2010 to 2014, he played Chalky White on Boardwalk Empire. He also appeared in films including 12 Years A Slave, Inherent Vice, and Motherless Brooklyn.

In 2019, he returned to the small screen, starring in the Netflix miniseries When They See Us, which earned him another Emmy nod.

Last year, he played Montrose Freeman in the HBO series Lovecraft Country. He also featured in an episode of the late Anthony Bourdain's Travel Channel Show, No Reservations.

Williams is seen alongside co-star Dominic West in The Wire

Williams is pictured last January at Paris Fashion Week.

Last year, Williams played Montrose Freeman in the HBO series Lovecraft Country (pictured). He is currently nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role

Shortly after news of Williams' death broke, tributes from the actor's celebrity friends started to pour in. Alec Baldwin, Amy Schumer and John Cusack all penned tributes.

Williams' The Wire co-star also shared an emotional tribute to Twitter, writing: 'The depth of my love for this brother, can only be matched by the depth of my pain learning of his loss.

'A immensely talented man with the ability to give voice to the human condition portraying the lives of those whose humanity is seldom elevated until he sings their truth.

'If you don't know, you better ask somebody. His name was Michael K. Williams. He shared with me his secret fears then stepped out into his acting with true courage, acting in the face of fear, not in the absence of it. It took me years to learn what Michael had in abundance.'

Wendell Pierce is seen opposite Williams in an episode of The Wire. Pierce paid emotional tribute to his former co-star on Twitter Monday evening

Elsewhere, director James Gunn tweeted: 'Michael K Williams, in addition to being one of the most talented actors around, was also one of the kindest, sweetest, most gentle souls I've ever met. This is heartbreaking. My thoughts are with all those who loved him.'

Aisha Taylor added : 'Michael K Williams was a beautiful, passionate, expansive soul.

'I felt so lucky to have known him, and we were all so fortunate to have enjoyed his incredible talent. He burned so very bright. Rest in power, MKW. You will forever be The King.'

Former NBA star Rex Chapman tweeted: 'Devastating. The talent. What a life and career.

'One of the best television characters of all time. Omar Little.

'Rest, Michael K Williams'
A towering statue of Robert E. Lee in Virginia will be removed on Wednesday, more than 130 years after it was built as a tribute to the Confederate general who is now widely seen as a symbol of racial injustice, state officials said.

'Virginia's largest monument to the Confederate insurrection will come down this week,' Governor Ralph Northam said in news release on Monday. 'This is an important step in showing who we are and what we value as a commonwealth.'

The imposing, 21-foot (6.4-meter) tall bronze likeness of Lee on a horse sits atop a granite pedestal nearly twice that high in the grassy center of a traffic circle on Richmond's famed Monument Avenue.

The Supreme Court of Virginia has ruled unanimously that the iconic statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee (pictured) can be removed from its place of honor in Richmond on Wednesday

Art work, graffiti and memorials sprawled across the statue's base call out racial equity and social injustice

Governor Ralph Northam announced plans to take down the statue in June 2020, ten days after George Floyd died under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, sparking nationwide protests against police brutality and racism.

The plans were stalled for more than a year by two lawsuits filed by residents opposed to its removal, but rulings last week by the Supreme Court of Virginia cleared the way for the statue to be taken down.

In Monday's news release, state officials said that preparations for the statue's removal will began at 6pm on Tuesday when crews will install protective fencing.

After the statue is taken down on Wednesday, crews on Thursday will remove plaques from the base of the monument and will replace a time capsule that is believed to be there.

In Richmond, a city that was the capital of the Confederacy for much of the Civil War, the Lee statue became the epicenter of last summers protest movement. The city has removed more than a dozen other pieces of Confederate statuary on city land since Floyds death.

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

George Floyd was arrested and killed on Memorial Day, leading to a nationwide removal of statues of confederate soldiers

As one of the largest and most recognizable Confederate statues in the country, the removal of the Lee statute is expected to draw large crowds.

Limited viewing opportunities will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis, state officials said in Monday's news release.

The removal will also be livestreamed through the governor's Facebook and Twitter accounts, both of which have the handle of @governorVA.

Similar statues of Lee were taken down across the country, including one inside the US Capitol building in Washington in December and another in Charlottesville on July 10.

The Lee statue that represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol for 111 years was removed after a state commission decided that Lee was not a fitting symbol for the state

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

However, the Lee statue in Richmond isn't like any other.

It was created by the internationally renowned French sculptor Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercie and is considered a 'masterpiece,' according to its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, where it has been listed since 2007.

When the statue arrived in 1890 from France, an estimated 10,000 Virginians used wagons to haul its pieces more than a mile to where it now stands.

White residents celebrated the statue, but many Black residents have long seen it as a monument glorifying slavery.

The Northam administration has said it would seek public input on the statues future. The 40-foot granite pedestal will be left behind for now amid efforts to rethink the design of Monument Avenue.

George Floyd's image is projected on the Robert E. Lee Monument as people gather around on June 18, 2020 in Richmond, Virginia

Some racial justice advocates don't want it removed, seeing the graffiti-covered pedestal as a symbol of the protest movement that erupted after Floyd's killing.

Lawrence West, 38, member of BLM RVA, an activist group that's been occupying the transformed space at the Lee monument, said he believes the decision to remove the statue was fueled by the work of protesters.

'I mean, it hadnt come down before. They (Democrats in charge of state government) had all the opportunities in the world.'

West said he would like to see the statue site turned into a community space 'to cultivate all types of connections between different people.'

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.
Rishi Sunak has appealed for Tory unity ahead of a 'tough autumn' amid a Cabinet revolt over plans for a National Insurance tax raid.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces rebellion over his plan to increase NI contributions to raise an additional 10billion a year in tax revenue to pay for a social care overhaul.

Senior Conservatives, including the Chancellor and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, met at a reception for the 1922 committee of backbench MPs tonight as the Government faces a crisis over plans to break a manifesto pledge.

Mr Sunak reportedly warned of troubled times to come, telling the gathering it was 'fair to say that we've got a tough autumn ahead'.

He added: 'That doesn't mean there won't be disagreements, there always are, but we should never lose sight of the central fact that we are a team.'

Mr Sunak also stressed the importance of 'support and loyalty' to the PM, 'the leader of our party and the country'.

One observer said that Mr Johnson then spoke about the 'great triumphs' of the summer, including England's sporting success at the Euros and the Olympics, and suggested that if Sir Keir Starmer had been in charge the country would still be in lockdown.

They said the atmosphere was 'upbeat' with MPs glad to be back together in person, and following Michael Gove being spotted in an Aberdeen nightclub, they said the PM joked: 'We opened up the nightclubs then we sent our ministers out to enjoy them.'

It came after Boris Johnson on Monday announced a 5.4billion cash injection for the NHS for the next six months to help the health service clear the treatment backlog caused by the coronavirus crisis.

The extra money includes 1billion earmarked specifically to reduce backlogs and to deliver routine surgery.

Boris Johnson announced a 5.4billion cash injection for the NHS for the next six months to help the health service clear the treatment backlog caused by the coronavirus crisis

The PM has been locked in talks with Chancellor Rishi Sunak (pictured) and signed off an immediate 5.4billion funding boost for the NHS to help it through the winter

The Government said the funding would take total Covid-19 support for the NHS to more than 34billion this year alone.

Health bosses had warned last week that the NHS will need approximately 10billion more a year in order to adapt to living with coronavirus.

Some 2.8billion of the additional money for the NHS will be allocated to cover costs relating to enhanced infection control measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Just shy of 500million will be spent on boosting the hospital discharge programme to free up more beds.

Mr Johnson said: 'The NHS was there for us during the pandemic - but treating Covid patients has created huge backlogs.

'This funding will go straight to the frontline, to provide more patients with the treatments they need but aren't getting quickly enough.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid admitted treatment waiting lists 'will get worse before they get better' but said the extra money will help the NHS deal with the backlog

'We will continue to make sure our NHS has what it needs to bust the Covid backlogs and help the health service build back better from the worst pandemic in a century.'

Health Secretary Sajid Javid admitted treatment waiting lists 'will get worse before they get better' but said the extra money will help the NHS deal with the backlog.

'Today's additional 5.4 billion funding over the next 6 months is critical to ensuring the health service has what it needs to manage the ongoing pandemic and helping to tackle waiting lists,' he said.

'We know waiting lists will get worse before they get better as people come forward for help, and I want to reassure you the NHS is open, and we are doing what we can to support the NHS to deliver routine operations and treatment to patients across the country.'

The funding announcement came as Mr Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak continued to haggle over the detail of a social care overhaul.

The PM is preparing to defy a huge Tory revolt to push through a 10billion tax raid.

Mr Johnson looks determined to push ahead with hiking National Insurance contributions by at least one per cent, in spite of a rising clamour that it would flout a manifesto pledge and hit working age people hardest.

Amid a wave of criticism before the policy has even been formally unveiled, former party leaders and three ex-chancellors have joined 'Red Wall' MPs urging a rethink.

Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has issued a thinly-veiled warning by pointing to George Bush's famous broken promise: 'Read my lips, no new taxes.'

Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer has signalled that Labour will oppose the long-awaited blueprint for tackling the social care crisis - raising the possibility that the Government will struggle to get the measures through Parliament.

Mr Johnson has been wrangling through the weekend with Mr Sunak to finalise the details of the proposals, after the Chancellor demanded more revenue to foot the costs of the new system. Downing Street is hoping to announce the results tomorrow.

But there is disquiet about how parts of the package have been allowed to leak. 'We seem to be spending a lot more time talking about how we are paying for it than what we are doing,' one senior source told MailOnline.

The 2019 Tory manifesto committed to a 'triple lock' on taxes, with no rise in income tax, VAT or National Insurance.

No10 has been talking up rumours of an imminent reshuffle in a bid to quell unrest among ministers, and the platform is expected to be rubber-stamped tomorrow at the first Cabinet meeting since the summer break.

'I've seen it reported that five Cabinet ministers are opposed to the idea,' an insider told the Mail. 'The truth is you would struggle to find five of us who are in favour. We made a promise not to raise taxes and we have to honour it.

'If we go down this road it will come back and bite us, whatever No10's polling might tell them. People are very unforgiving when it comes to tax.'

A Treasury source said: 'The PM is in invincible mode in meetings. Rishi's team has proposed a series of cheaper alternatives but none works for the PM.'

Another said: 'They're still haggling over the cap.'

Mr Johnson will have been reassured by a YouGov poll showing strong public support for raising national insurance. There is speculation that a 1.25 per cent rise will be used to set a lifetime cap on care costs of around 80,000.
Celebrities are betraying their fans by touting high-risk online investments, watchdogs said yesterday.

Kim Kardashian was singled out for promoting a crypto-currency to her 251million social media followers.

The reality TV star posted an advert for Ethereum Max  a digital token similar to Bitcoin  on Instagram on Sunday. She said: Are you guys into crypto??? This is not financial advice but sharing what my friends told me about the Ethereum Max token!

Miss Kardashian, 40, did not say how much she was paid for the advert but a 2019 court filing revealed she can earn up to 361,000 for a single Instagram post.

Celebrities are betraying their fans by touting high-risk online investments, watchdogs said yesterday. Kim Kardashian was singled out for promoting a crypto-currency to her 251million social media followers

The reality TV star posted an advert for Ethereum Max  a digital token similar to Bitcoin  on Instagram on Sunday. She said: Are you guys into crypto??? This is not financial advice but sharing what my friends told me about the Ethereum Max token!

Boxer Floyd Mayweather has also promoted Ethereum Max and accepted the online tokens as payment for a recent fight with YouTube star Logan Paul.

Regulators fear that crypto tokens are too risky for most savers  and some are scams. The stars are selling delusions of quick riches, according to Charles Randell, chairman of the Financial Conduct Authority.

Speaking of Ethereum Max at the Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime, Mr Randell said: I cant say whether this particular token is a scam. But social media influencers are routinely paid by scammers to help them pump and dump new tokens on the back of pure speculation.

Some influencers promote coins that turn out simply not to exist at all. There are no assets or real-world cash flows underpinning the price of speculative digital tokens, even the better-known ones like Bitcoin....

He added: We simply dont know when or how this story will end, but  as with any new speculation  it may not end well.

He said that swathes of people had lost savings by being lured into the crypto-bubble with delusions of quick riches, sometimes after listening to their favourite influencers, ready to betray their fans trust for a fee.

Boxer Floyd Mayweather (left) has also promoted Ethereum Max and accepted the online tokens as payment for a recent fight with YouTube star Logan Paul (right)

Mr Randell added that Miss Kardashians post may have been the financial promotion with the single biggest audience reach in history.

Watchdogs have sounded the alarm about cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin because they exist solely online and their value is not related to any underlying asset.

Newer tokens such as Ethereum Max are deemed even riskier since they do not have a white paper guide which informs users about how they operate. Few details are known about their developers.

Cryptocurrencies also fall outside most regulations, leaving buyers vulnerable. Mr Randell said: To be clear... If you buy them, you should be prepared to lose all your money.
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Remarkable new photos show the scale of the U.S. operations at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, as thousands of Afghans evacuated from Kabul are processed for their journey on to the United States.

The base, in south west Germany, has turned one of its two runways - which are both around two miles long - into an enormous tent city to provide living quarters for the tens of thousands of Afghans who have been evacuated there.

Those tents - which have been photographed from the air to show the sheer scale of the evacuation operation, are split into pods to give their occupants' privacy, with hundreds of porta potties also visible along the edges of the air strip.

Only men sleep in the tents, with women and children housed separately in hangars normally used to store military aircraft at the base, which is run jointly by the US Air Force and Army.

About a fifth of all people evacuated by the U.S. from Kabul were brought to Ramstein, 100 miles south west of Frankfurt. The rest went mainly to Qatar and Kuwait, with some traveling via Italy and Spain.

Those evacuees then fly through Philadelphia or Washington Dulles airports for resettling in the United States - with most of those flying out unaware of where their final destination will be.

The first arrivals landed on August 20, after Qatar quickly reached capacity.

At the time, Brigadier General Joshua Olson, commander of the 86th Airlift Wing and Ramstein's installation commander, said that the base could hold 5,000 evacuees. Two weeks later, it is housing nearly three times as many: as of September 1, almost 12,000 evacuees had left the base, while another 14,900 remained.

Since August 20, about 106 planes have landed there - mostly the C-17 jets which have become synonymous with the Kabul airlift.

A two-mile-long runway at Ramstein Air Base in south west Germany is pictured on Monday covered in tents, used to house Afghan evacuees who were transported out of Kabul and are awaiting the next stage of their journey

Afghan evacuees are pictured on August 30 at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Under the U.S. agreement with Germany, evacuees can remain on the base for no longer than 10 days

Women and children are seen sitting inside a hangar at Ramstein. The men sleep in tents, while the women are housed indoors

'We were maxed out and the flow kept coming,' said Olson, speaking to CNN.

'I had to close part of the base for Afghan evacuees. Because you can't put them in the elements. It's 50 degrees Fahrenheit outside and raining. I can't put people out in that. Especially kids.

'So, that was one of the things that inflow and outflow. We were bringing them in faster than we could get them out. And that's hard.'

Olson said he believes the operation will be over in the next few weeks.

Women and children sleep in cots inside the enormous hangars of the airbase while the men sleep 40 to a tent.

Children from Afghanistan wait with other evacuees to fly to the United States or another safe location in a makeshift departure gate inside a hangar on September 1

The row of tents stretches far along the two-mile runway - one of only two runways on the base.

Hot meals are distributed three times a day in insulated boxes. Portable toilets and washing stations provide basic sanitation.

The facility is being operated by the Department of Defense, State Department and Department of Homeland Security.

One problem is how to deal with the 6,000 children currently on the base, Olson told CNN.

Captain Danielle Holland, an OB-GYN with the Air Force, said she had sent three mothers in labor to a nearby Army hospital, but three other babies were coming so quickly they were delivered in the emergency medical tent set up on base.

A total of 12 babies have been born to women on the site.

There are around 6,000 children on Ramstein Air Base, according to U.S. officials - and 12 babies have been born

The aim was to get evacuees transferred out within 48 hours and, according to the US agreement with Germany, evacuees cannot stay beyond 10 days.

Soldiers are working 12 hour shifts, and pilots 24 hours, according to Vice News correspondent Elizabeth Landers, speaking to CBS News.

The screening and processing of evacuees is taking longer than anticipated, however. It is a multi-agency effort involving the State Department, Customs and Border Patrol, the Department of Homeland Security and Transport Safety Administration.

TSA checkpoints have been set up at Ramstein to process refugees, with reporters who have visited the base likening it to a US airport arrivals hall.

Elizabeth Horst, US Minister Counselor for Public Diplomacy and the Senior Civilian Interagency Coordinator, has pleaded with those on the base to be patient.

'We are doing our best to help the people who worked with us in Afghanistan. We are using everything in our power,' she said on August 28.

'We have a personal and professional interest in making sure that the Afghans that come get out, get medical care and get to the US where they can start fresh. And become Americans if they choose too.'

The State Department plans to spend as much as $2,275 for each evacuee as the relocation effort unfolds in communities across the country over the next few months, according to a department official.

The money is to be used for housing, food, other necessities and enrolling children in school.

Evacuees are seen on September 1 awaiting their flight out of Ramstein. Most of those headed to the U.S. pass through Philadelphia or Washington DC, and then travel on to their final destination

A group of Afghan men are seen on September 1 in Ramstein, awaiting their onwards transport

As many as 50,000 evacuees will arrive under so-called humanitarian parole, a stopgap program that gives them a year to apply for permanent visas.

Other Afghans, including those that worked directly for the U.S. government, will be under separate immigration categories.

On Friday Alejandro Mayorkas, the Homeland Security Secretary, said the U.S. has admitted about 40,000 people evacuated from Afghanistan  31,600 of whom are special immigrant visa holders, special immigrant visa applicants, or other vulnerable Afghan nationals arriving under humanitarian parole.

The State Department is consulting with Congress on the eligibility of the Afghans for federal benefits, including Medicaid, an official told Al Jazeera.

Humanitarian parolees will be eligible for federally funded health insurance through the end of September, according to a resettlement director familiar with the matter.

On Wednesday Anthony Blinken, the Secretary of State, will arrive at Ramstein to see the facility for himself.

From the base, he will hold a virtual 20-nation ministerial meeting on the crisis alongside German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

U.S. soldiers walk past a row of tents and a young Afghan evacuee at Ramstein Air Base. Anthony Blinken, the Secretary of State, will visit the base on Wednesday

A woman and girl are seen walking among the tents which are providing a temporary home to thousands of Afghan refugees

Afghan refugees are seen on August 30, lined up with their belongings and ready for their evacuation flight

Two U.S. soldiers walk alongside the tents where thousands of Afghans are awaiting the next stage of their journey

Blinken flew to Qatar Sunday to thank its leaders for supporting the US evacuation effort and amid the unfolding chaos in Mazar-i-Sharif

On Monday he arrived in Qatar, and was joined by Lloyd Austin, the Defense Secretary, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.

Qatar has been the gateway for 55,000 people airlifted out of Afghanistan, nearly half the total evacuated by U.S.-led troops since August 15.

All of those traveling on to the U.S. will have passed security screening before their resettlement proceedings begin.

Many will have undergone years of screenings to gain the necessary credentials to work in Afghanistan with U.S. troops and diplomats.

On Saturday Kosovo agreed to take in Afghanistan evacuees who fail to clear initial rounds of screening and host them for up to a year, a U.S. official said.

The U.S. Embassy in Kosovo in a statement later Saturday stressed that the arrangement did not mean Kosovo was taking evacuees who had been deemed ineligible for admission to the United States. 'Some applicants are still in the process of obtaining needed documents and providing all the information required to qualify under U.S law for immediate entry,' the embassy statement said.

Several other countries for a time balked at temporarily hosting the United States' Afghan evacuees, for fear of getting stuck with the Americans' security problems.

That all presented major obstacles in U.S. preparations for evacuation of vulnerable Afghans, even before Kabul fell to the Taliban on August 15.

Major companies have also pitched in, with Airbnb Inc. promising temporary housing for 20,000 displaced Afghans worldwide and Walmart pledging $1 million to aid groups.

The U.S. military withdrawal from Kabul was completed a week ago, and efforts to rescue American citizens still stuck in Afghanistan has reached an impasse with reports that six private charter planes sent there to evacuate at least 1,000 people have been grounded in an Afghan city 260 miles north of Kabul.

This handout satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shows satellite imagery of the Mazar-i-Sharif and grounded planes at the airport in northern Afghanistan on September 3

The flights were chartered by Mercury One, a charity founded by right-wing commentator Glenn Beck, Newsweek reports.

Beck's fleet of two Airbus 340s and four Boeing 737s from Kam Air are sitting empty in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif as their passengers - including at least 142 Americans - have been told they do not have permission to fly away.

On Sunday, Reuters reported that the delay had been caused by Biden administration officials not telling Taliban leaders it had approved the departures of the chartered flights from Mazar-i-Sharif.

An exasperated flight organizer hit out at the State Department over the fiasco, saying: 'They need to be held accountable for putting these people's lives in danger.'

Other groups trying to organize their own chartered flights have also hit out at the State Department, with Rick Clay from private rescue firm PlanB claiming it's the only thing stopping him fulfilling his brief.

Biden flew to Delaware on Friday night and is expected to return Monday evening

The six flights chartered by right-wing commentator Glenn Beck's charity reportedly cost $750,000 each

Two other organizers have also torn into the Blinken-headed department, with one - who didn't give their name - telling Fox: 'This is zero place to be negotiating with American lives. Those are our people standing on the tarmac and all it takes is a f****ing phone call.

'If one life is lost as a result of this, the blood is on the White House's hands. The blood is on their hands. It is not the Taliban that is holding this up  as much as it sickens me to say that  it is the United States government.'

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said he was 'frustrated, even furious' at the government's delay in pulling them out.

'There will be plenty of time to seek accountability for the inexcusable bureaucratic red tape that stranded so many of our Afghan allies,' Blumenthal told The Hill.

'For now, my singular focus remains getting these planes in the air and safely to our airbase in Doha, where they have already been cleared to land.'

One NGO official told Newsweek the remaining passengers are special immigrant visa applicants and that everyone is 'waiting in their safe houses for clearance for takeoff from the Taliban' amid the diplomatic stalemate.

The evacuation flights reportedly cost Beck's charity $750,000 each.
Hundreds of nurses working in overcrowded ICUs have written an emotional open letter to Gladys Berejiklian begging for more staff as Covid cases are set to skyrocket.

The NSW government released modelling showing COVID-19 cases will increase into September, with significant pressure on hospitals to follow in October. However, the modelling will not be released in full, leading to uncertainty from frontline staff.

The letter, obtained by News, was co-signed by intensive care healthcare workers around the state describing their 'extreme concern' at the lack of appropriate conditions both for nurses and for patients in NSW hospitals.

'Given the chronic unsafe staffing conditions, exacerbated by Covid-19, we cannot deliver the care you expect us to provide and the level of critical care our patients rightly deserve,' the letter reads.

'We are extremely concerned about our ability to provide safe nursing care under the current staffing levels afforded by the NSW government to ICUs around this state.

Hundreds of nurses working in New South Wales's overcrowded ICUs have written an emotional open letter to the premier begging for more staff and better conditions

The open letter to Premier Gladys Berejiklian described the 'chronic unsafe staffing conditions' that NSW nurses are currently working under and begged for more support

'Given the chronic unsafe staffing conditions, exacerbated by Covid-19, we cannot deliver the care you expect us to provide and the level of critical care our patients rightly deserve,' the letter signed by hundreds of NSW nurses reads

'Never before has there been such a crucial time in NSW where ICUs should be properly staffed to avoid preventable patient outcomes.

'We urge you and your government to urgently fix the ICU staffing crisis. It cannot wait.'

NSW is six weeks away from the most significant pressure ever placed on its intensive care systems as health care workers brace for a 'difficult and exhausting' period ahead.

Despite the repeated referrals to the modelling, it will not be released in full, as confirmed by NSW Health.

'From time to time NSW Health obtains COVID-19 related modelling,' a spokesperson said.

'After public discussion around the capacity of the state's ICU resources to cope with the current outbreak, the NSW government asked NSW Health to collate modelling to do with ICU capacity. That modelling was released today.'

However, modelling from the Burnet Institute reveals even at the pandemic's worst phase for the hospital system - expected in late October and the first half of November - authorities don't believe ICU occupancy will reach anywhere close to the surge capacity of 1550 patients.

'You may be moved to a different hospital than the one closest to your home. You may have slightly different surroundings to what you would normally,' Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Monday.

'But the bottom line is anyone who needs that care will receive it.'

The modelling suggests case numbers will continue to increase until mid-September in COVID-19 hotspots, reaching up to 2000 cases per day.

Cases in New South Wales continue to hit record numbers on a near daily basis despite Greater Sydney being in lockdown for nearly three months

NSW is six weeks away from the most significant pressure ever placed on its intensive care systems as health care workers brace for a 'difficult and exhausting' period ahead

Officials have turned to vaccinations as the solution for fighting the latest Delta outbreak, with 38 per cent of the NSW population now fully vaccinated

The flow-on effect of those case numbers on hospitals and ICUs will follow, with up to 3900 patients expected to need hospital admission.

By the time of the greatest stress in late October, three in five ICU patients could have COVID-19.

The estimated peak of patients in ICU is 947, of whom 560 would be COVID-19 patients and 387 have other ailments.

At that point, some ICU patients will be treated in other spaces like operating theatres. Doctors and healthcare workers will be caring for a larger number of patients than usual.

Some critically ill patients, who would be in intensive care were it not for the pandemic, will be treated outside intensive care units.

By November, hospitalisation numbers will start to fall, a side effect of increased vaccination coverage.

The modelling shows ICUs in South Western Sydney, Western Sydney, Nepean Blue Mountains and Northern Sydney Local Health Districts are already approaching capacity.

Sydneysiders enjoy the weekend sun in Bondi with dozens of people spotted sitting on the grassy hill in North Bondi

AMA NSW president Danielle McMullen says the government must also consider the impact on patients needing non-COVID-19 care.

'The decision to suspend elective surgery, and changes to other non-COVID service provision in public and private hospitals, is significantly impacting patients needing access to care and must be balanced with a plan on how to address patient needs in the coming months,' she said on Tuesday.

'Patients who aren't able to go back to work or are in chronic pain because they need elective surgery will be left behind when we start to open up.'

Some 177 COVID-19 patients are now in intensive care, with 67 on ventilators. There are 1071 COVID-19 patients in hospital in NSW.

NSW reported 1281 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and five fatalities on Monday, taking the death toll for the current outbreak to 131.

Intensive care doctor Nhi Nguyen, who helped devise the state's pandemic ICU strategy, said her colleagues were worried.

The coming months will be 'difficult and exhausting' for health care workers, and the projected numbers look 'challenging and frightening', she said.

'We know that without vaccinations, and without the public health orders, the numbers would be much worse.'
October 18 is the day millions of Sydneysiders will be freed from lockdown and can return to pubs, clubs, hairdressers and more after almost four months under strict stay-at-home orders.

Sydney residents who have had two Covid-19 vaccinations can, from that date, legally visit bars and clubs across the city under new government health orders, 2GB's Ben Fordham reported on Tuesday morning.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has flagged mid-October - when it is expected the state will reach 70 per cent of the population fully vaccinated - as a potential 'Freedom Day'.

The government will not restore all individual freedoms, with many restrictions set to linger semi-permanently or until an ambitious 90 per cent double-vax rate is reached.

Under the terms of 'Freedom Day', those who are double jabbed will get access to hospitality venues and other businesses when they prove their full vaccination status using the Service NSW app.

However some Sydneysiders could get a head-start on the rest as a means of trialling the vaccination passport system before it is more widely rolled out.

October 18 will be Sydney's official 'Freedom Day' when they can return to the city's bars and clubs, 2GB's Ben Fordham has revealed

Thousands of Sydneysiders though could enjoy a drink at the pub even earlier at the start of October as part of a new trial in highly-vaccinated suburbs with low Covid-19 case numbers (pictured, a group drinking in Sydney in March 2020)

Members of the Indigenous community are seen receiving a Covid-19 vaccine at a pop-up vaccination clinic in Redfern, Sydney

The Ku-ring-gai LGA on Sydney's Upper North Shore (pictured) is also looking to be first in the door, reporting 24 active cases and 86.9 per cent of residents with one jab

WHICH SUBURBS COULD SOON ENJOY A POST-LOCKDOWN DRINK? *Mosman *North Sydney *Hunters Hill *Gordon *Roseville *St Ives *Wahroonga *Pymble *Lindfield *Turramurra Advertisement

That trial meant residents of some highly vaccinated Sydney suburbs could be enjoying eased restrictions in less than a month.

The NSW government has that warned residents living in Sydney's Covid-ravaged west and southwest will miss out on the new trial as case numbers continue to climb in those areas.

This is despite residents in those hotspots rushing to get vaccinated, with many of the suburbs well above the national average jab rate.

One of the suburbs that could be selected for the trial is Mosman, with the suburb reporting only six active cases of the virus and more than 75 per cent of its residents single-dosed.

The Ku-ring-gai LGA on Sydney's Upper North Shore is also looking to be first in the door, reporting 24 active cases and 86.9 per cent of residents with one jab.

Residents who live in suburbs such as Roseville, St Ives, Wahroonga, Pymble, Lindfield and Turramurra could look forward to a night out in just a few weeks time.

So too could fully vaccinated residents in postcodes like North Sydney, Hunters Hill and Gordon, where active cases of the virus remain low.

John Green, the director of the Australian Hotels Association, said the trial will give the city's pubs a good opportunity for testing the new vaccination technology and overcoming any teething problems with operating such a passport system.

'It just makes sense to put it into play, see how it works and then everyone benefits,' Mr Green said.

One of the lucky suburbs that could be selected for the government trial is Mosman (pictured) with the suburb reporting only six active cases of the virus and more than 75 per cent of its residents single-dosed

However, Opposition Leader Chris Minns has slammed the selective nature of the trial and argued it wasn't fair that some residents got to enjoy the freedoms earlier than others.

'You can't have a plan where one third of Sydney is under curfew but you can go out and get a rose in the Northern Beaches and the North Shore, it's just not fair,' he said.

Meanwhile, long-suffering residents in Sydney's west and southwest remain under the toughest lockdown restrictions in the state, including a controversial curfew.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro candidly disclosed that curfews did more bad than good, with no health advice to justify their use.

Despite surging vaccination rates in hotspot suburbs including Bankstown (pictured on Sunday), they are likely to miss out on new freedoms

Pubs will only be initially opened in postcodes where vaccination rates are high and case numbers are low (pictured, a Bondi resident seen shopping)

NEW FREEDOMS ANNOUNCED FOR DOUBLE-JABBED SYDNEYSIDERS By mid-October fully-vaccinated Sydneysiders can expect to enjoy the following freedoms: *Pubs and restaurants will reopen for the fully-vaccinated in mid-October with a four square metre rule in place. *Hairdressers and barbers will reopen and vaccinated services in places of worship can be held with a four square metre rule. *Sporting crowds will be allowed to return to stadiums as long as they are fully-jabbed with limits on capacity. *Gatherings in households will also be permitted, as long as visitors have had two doses of a Covid vaccine with a cap on the number of guests. Advertisement

Mr Barilaro argued the tough measure imposed on Western Sydney did little to reduce daily case numbers and has become a burden on residents' mental health.

Locked-down residents in 12 LGAs of concern in Greater Sydney are not permitted to leave their homes from 9pm-5am unless they are an authorised worker or involved in an emergency or need medical care.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian initially rebuffed calls to enforce the tough measure on Sydneysiders but relented after daily case numbers began to skyrocket and compliance in some suburbs began to dwindle.

In spite of the doom and gloom, vaccination rates in Sydney's Covid hotspots have begun to surpass the national average.

Blacktown in Sydney's west is leading the charge with an impressive 86 per cent of its residents jabbed with a single dose of a Covid vaccine.

Vaccination rates have rocketed in Sydney's LGA hotspots (pictured, Bankstown on Sunday) as locals heed the call to get jabbed

Sporting crowds will be allowed to return to stadiums as long as they are fully-jabbed with capacity limits in mid-October (pictured, young fans during a Sydney Swans game in April)

Campbelltown closely followed with 82 per cent of residents single-dosed, with Parramatta at 81 per cent, Penrith at 79 per cent and Strathfield at 78 per cent.

The high rates come as residents are afforded a glimpse at the state's roadmap out of lockdowns following NSW hitting 70 per cent first-dose vaccination on Thursday.

While the official plan has not been signed off on yet, government officials have said the highly-anticipated roadmap will be announced later this week.

Pubs and restaurants will reopen for the fully-vaccinated in mid-October with a four square metre rule in place.

Hairdressers and barbers will reopen and vaccinated services in places of worship can be held with a four square metre rule.

Sporting crowds will be allowed to return to stadiums as long as they are fully jabbed with capacity limits.

NSW is well on its way to reaching the 70 per cent fully-vaccinated target (pictured, a woman is vaccinated in Sydney's Redfern)

Hairdressers and barbers are set to reopen in mid-October as well as vaccinated services in places of worship can be held with rules on social distancing (pictured, a woman gets her hair coloured in March)

Gatherings in households will also be permitted as long as visitors have had two doses of a Covid vaccine, with a cap on the number of guests.

Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello said he would work with the federal government to ensure residents could prove they were double-jabbed on the Service NSW app.

'Service NSW and Services Australia are currently finalising the details of the trial,' Mr Dominello told NCA NewsWire.

'Its broader application will be subject to the government's reopening plan and the health orders.'

'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', Ms Berejiklian said in relation to when 70 per cent of the state was fully vaccinated

Ms Berejiklian said hitting 70 per cent single doses 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.

Those who have had both jabs will get all their freedoms back and be able to go shopping, dine in restaurants, and 'do the things we've all been missing', she said.

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.

Modelling suggests NSW will reach the 70 per cent double vaccination target by mid-October, 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, with 40 per cent fully vaccinated as of Monday.

Last week, the premier encouraged businesses to dust off their Covid safety plans and ensure their employees were vaccinated in preparation for mid-October.

'That is certainly the date we're working towards. Initially it was the end of October, but because everybody is coming forward at the rates we're seeing people come forward, that could be as early as the middle of October,' she said.

Sydneysiders have been afforded a glimpse at the state's roadmap out of lockdowns after the state hit 70 per cent first-dose vaccination on Thursday (patrons enjoy pizza in Bondi in May 2020)

Ms Berejiklian also promised further restrictions would ease for those living in Covid hotspots once it was safe to do so.

'We know that between 70 per cent and 80 per cent of all cases are still coming from those areas,' she said.

'However, there are some councils we're looking at to see if we can relieve those burdens or even part of councils. That's ongoing work.'

It comes as healthcare workers across the state have been told to brace themselves for a surge in hospitalisations with daily infections to number more than 2,000.

Modelling released by NSW Health on Monday revealed hospital intensive care units will be pushed to the brink as admissions are set to triple in October.

However, Ms Berejiklian is still expected to announce an easing of some lockdown restrictions and assured residents ICU capacity could be expanded to 1,550 patients.

'We certainly don't want to have to use all of those beds and staff because we know what pressure it will put on the system, but we want everybody to be reassured that the capacity is there,' she said.

Operating theatres will be converted to makeshift ICU units while each staff member will be responsible for an increased number of patients, the modelling stated.

The report reiterated the importance of vaccinations in Covid hotspots and stated jabs in arms was more important than reducing the number of daily infections.

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 (pictured, patrons at a restaurant in Sydney in March 2020)

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 (pictured, women in Richmond in June 2020)

On Sunday, NSW hit the halfway mark to 80 per cent double vaccination that will allow it to treat coronavirus like the flu, open state borders and international travel.

The premier offered an insight into what life will look like when that hits 70 per cent, indicating there would be density limits in hospitality venues and QR codes when businesses reopened.

Capacity limits on large events will be maintained to ensure compliance with social distancing requirements.

And, most importantly, once the 80 per cent double jab target is reached, NSW will 'never have to do a statewide lockdown ever again', the premier promised.
Downing Street today ruled out an October 'firebreak' lockdown touted by the Government's scientific advisers overnight.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said the reports were 'not true', but admitted there were some contingency plans in place only to be used as a last resort.

Boris Johnson was heavily criticised last autumn for not imposing a firebreaker in October when cases were on the rise.

But his spokesman said today that the vaccines had given the UK 'significant defences' which the country did not have this time last year.

An unnamed SAGE source claimed last night that ministers were mulling over a shutdown, and plans to double the autumn half-term to two weeks.

But the PM's spokesman said: 'It is not true that the Government is planning a lockdown or firebreak around the October half-term.

'We have retained contingency plans as part of responsible planning for a range of scenarios, but these kind of measures would only be reintroduced as a last resort to prevent unsustainable pressure on our NHS.'

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi insisted in a round of interviews this morning that he had not 'seen any plans' for the measure.

He stressed that his 'hope' is that booster shots  which vaccine advisers are yet to recommend  can prevent the Government having to shut down the country again.

Officials are confident that the jabs are doing their job, which makes a full lockdown very unlikely. Covid deaths are 10 times lower now than in January and doctors say Covid hospital patients are coming in with more mild illness.

Closing schools during the summer holidays helped avoid a major rise in cases after the lifting of lockdown restrictions in July, it is believed, while a return of schools in Scotland last month seems to have brought about a rise in infections.

The Government has made plans for an October 'firebreak' lockdown with school half-term holidays set to double in length if hospitalisations keep rising, a SAGE member claims. Pictured: One of the many millions of children returning to schools across England and Wales as classes start back after the Summer break, September 6

The PM's spokesman added: 'I think weve been clear throughout that we will take action, and indeed we have done when necessary to protect our NHS.

'But under the previous occasions when that action has been required, we have been without the significant defences that our vaccination programme provides us  were now in a much different phase.'

Weekly Covid deaths in England and Wales rise 17% to 688 with virus now behind one in 15 fatalities Weekly coronavirus deaths in England and Wales rose by 17 per cent at the end of August, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics said there were 668 people who had Covid mentioned on their death certificate in the week ending August 27, up from 570 in the previous seven days. There were a total of 10,268 deaths from all causes in the most recent week, with Covid behind one in 15 of them (6.5 per cent). The 668 deaths registrations in the two countries is the highest figure since March 26, when 719 deaths were recorded. Deaths dropped as low as 84 in the week to June 11. But they are still a far cry from the numbers in pervious waves thanks to the vaccines. There were more than 8,000 weekly Covid deaths at the peak of the second wave in January. Of the weekly deaths where Covid was mentioned on the death certificate, the ONS said the virus was the direct cause of 586 (87.7 per cent). The latest figures show the impact of the third wave, which began in the UK in May and has led to an increase in the number of new cases of coronavirus as well a smaller but steady rise in hospital patients. It comes as ministers were forced to deny there are plans in place for a 'firebreak lockdown' in England during the October school holidays in the event that Covid hospitalisations continue to rise and put the NHS under pressure. The PM's official spokesperson said the reports were 'not true', but admitted there were some contingency plans in place only to be used as a last resort. An unnamed SAGE source claimed the school half-term could be doubled from one week to two in late November and early October to give hospitals some breathing room. Advertisement

An anonymous SAGE source was quoted in the i newspaper last night saying a 'precautionary break' was part of 'contingency plans'.

The source said 'a firebreak lockdown is by no means out of the question', and that the school half-term could be stretched to two weeks instead of one.

They said: 'It would be sensible to have contingency plans, and if a lockdown is required, to time it so that it has minimal economic and societal impact.'

They added: 'We are going to be at a peak, albeit an extended peak, quite soon, so it's not really the same situation as last year, when failure to reduce prevalence would have resulted in collapse of NHS and people dying in car parks.

'Hospitals might be overflowing before deaths reach the same level. Acting early will prevent this level.'

Mr Zahawi told BBC Breakfast this morning he 'had not seen any plans' suggesting the Government was planning a firebreak lockdown for next month.

He added: 'Look, vaccines have given us the ability to reduce infections, to save 100,000 lives.

'It is through the booster programme that I hope we can transition the virus from pandemic to endemic status and deal with it year in, year out  it is going to be with us for many years  but not have to close down our economy or take the severe measures we had to sadly take in December of last year.'

It comes as official data showed Covid deaths in England and Wales have climbed to their highest level in five months.

The Office for National Statistics weekly report said 668 people had Covid mentioned on their death certificates in the week ending August 27.

This is the highest weekly total since the week to March 26  when the second wave was dying down  when there were 719 deaths involving the virus.

It comes as leading academic Professor Robin Shattock, who leads the Imperial College London vaccine programme, said it was 'concerning' that some Britons feel they are no longer at risk from Covid and have stopped taking steps to protect others.

He told Times Radio that the need to wear masks in crowded spaces and public transport was 'still very relevant' and urged continued caution.

He also called for the elderly and vulnerable to receive booster Covid vaccines next winter.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is preparing to make a decision on booster jabs for the winter, with an announcement expected this week.

On whether or not vaccines need to be tweaked, Professor Shattock said the Delta variant will be observed to see if it 'remains stable and globally dominant'.

He said: 'If it does, then I think people will look to update the vaccine over time.'

'In the short term, we already know that the vaccines are effective at preventing serious illness from the Delta variant so there isnt a pressing need to rush quickly, although this can be done in a relatively short order, probably a period of six months.'

He added: 'I would imagine that as we come round to the winter of next year we will be looking to boost at least the elderly and vulnerable populations, most likely with an updated vaccine.'

Daily hospitalisations are still nowhere near the levels of previous waves and patients are being admitted with milder disease than earlier phases. But there are still concerns that Britain is starting from a high baseline as it heads into winter

Scotland's Covid cases are already 'plateauing' three weeks after secondary school surge in hope for rest of UK Scotland's Covid cases may already be plateauing barely a fortnight after the country's schools returned from the summer holidays, 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson has said. Cases more than doubled on the back of Scottish classes returning from the summer break on August 18 and there were fears the rest of the UK would be hit with a similar surge with millions of pupils heading back. But latest data from the UK Government's Covid dashboard suggests that while case numbers are still very high in Scotland, they no longer appear to be growing. The number of people testing positive nationally appears to have peaked at a record 7,113 on August 29, after surging from around 2,500 in the week schools went back. But the seven-day average for infections  which rose to 6,000 on August 30  is now hovering just below this level, in a sign the country's outbreak may no longer be growing. On Monday Scotland recorded 7,065 cases. Professor Ferguson  a SAGE adviser whose predictions of thousands of deaths spooked ministers into the first lockdown  said the data suggested 'the hint of a plateau' in infections. It is an encouraging sign for the rest of the UK that suggests that even if other countries are hit hard with a big bang in cases over the first couple of weeks after schools return it will not be long lasting. Advertisement

Yesterday Britain's daily Covid infections surged 56 per cent compared to last Monday, but the rise looked to be due to a dip in testing.

The Department of Health's daily update yesterday showed there were 41,192 new cases, compared to just 26,476 on bank holiday Monday.

There were 670,000 tests carried out on that day compared to more than a million yesterday, with the numbers typically lower during public holidays.

Another 45 Covid deaths were also registered on Monday, marking a 6 per cent fall compared to last week but this may also have been affected by the bank holiday.

Experts fear that Covid cases will spiral in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the coming days after children returned to the classroom from the summer holidays.

In Scotland  where schools returned in mid-August  infections have surged to their highest levels since the pandemic began.

But 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson said yesterday Scotland's cases may have begun to plateau, although at high levels, in the fortnight after schools returned.

More than 48.2million Britons  88.8 per cent of under-16s  have got a first dose of the Covid vaccine, and 43.4million  79.9 per cent  have got both doses.

SAGE member Professor John Edmunds, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said we are now 'left waiting for herd immunity to kick in to stop the epidemic going any further, and I think we're quite a long way away from that'.

He told The Times: 'We're in for a more difficult period, more cases than most people think that we're in for, and that will put pressure on the health service.'

It comes as Professor Chris Whitty and his fellow chief medical officers in the devolved nations prepare to deliver a decision on vaccinating children this week.

The Government's vaccine advisory panel said on Friday that it would not recommend routinely vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds because Covid poses such a low threat to their health.

It has left the decision with the CMOs who will weigh up whether jabbing kids will have broader benefits to society, such as keeping schools open during winter.

MailOnline understands a decision is expected no later than Friday.

Professor Ferguson said on Monday he believed Britain will press ahead with plans to vaccinate children to keep infections in schools manageable.

The epidemiologist and SAGE adviser  whose modelling spooked ministers into the initial lockdown in March  said he expects Professor Chris Whitty and the other chief medical officers to approve the move.

The Government has made no secret of the fact it wants to immunise secondary school-aged children after seeing cases spiral in Scotland when schools returned from the summer holidays last month.

Professor Ferguson from Imperial College London said: 'On balance, I think we will probably move to vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds.

'The question becomes even finer going into younger age groups, but focusing on teenage secondary school children I think we will move in that direction.'

He added: 'It would not surprise me if the chief medical officers... would decide to go forward with vaccination (of 12 to 15-year-olds).'

Data for the country showed its cases hit their peak on August 29 when 7,113 were recorded. But since then they have hovered at around 6,000 a day in a sure sign the country's outbreak may no longer be growing

The above is a snip of Covid cases in Scotland since June by date recorded. It shows that the seven-day average for cases (blue line) now appears to have started to level off, in a sure sign the country's outbreak is no longer growing.

A quarter of travellers from amber list countries broke Covid rules and didn't take a PCR test when they arrived in UK, official survey finds A quarter of Britons arriving from amber-listed countries failed to follow isolation and testing rules, according to official estimates. Some 23 per cent of amber arrivals in England in July either avoided staying at home when they were supposed to, or did not take required Covid tests on arrival. There are no Government follow-ups to check whether UK arrivals completed a mandatory PCR Covid test within 48 hours of arriving in the country. They are provided by private companies, with some charging more than 100 per test. But those coming into the UK must provide proof they purchased a test on the passenger locator forms required to get into the UK. The Office for National Statistics found compliance with the rules was lowest among those aged 18 to 34-years-old and highest among those who had not been jabbed. It surveyed 848 adults arriving in England from amber territories between July 12 and 17. Advertisement

Scientists are divided over whether 12 to 15-year-olds should get the Covid vaccine, with some SAGE members backing the move yesterday arguing it would help to head off a surge in infections later this winter.

But experts admit routinely jabbing them might only bring cases down by 20 per cent.

Others have argued it would be ethically dubious to inoculate the age group when millions of people in poorer countries are still waiting to be vaccinated.

Professor Whitty is under mounting political pressure to approve jabs for 12 to 15-year-olds in England.

Downing Street fears that while daily cases never hit the prediction of 100,000 cases a day over the summer, they could spiral to these levels during the winter months if kids aren't given vaccines.

This would leave the country fighting a new Covid wave at the same time as a flu outbreak, putting further pressure on the NHS.

But in its ruling on Friday, the JCVI said giving Covid vaccines to children would only have 'marginal' benefits to their health.

It said that the benefits did not yet outweigh the risk of potential side effects - namely heart inflammation.

Professor Anthony Harnden, the deputy chairman of the JCVI, this morning acknowledged that the group was in the 'uncomfortable' position of disagreeing with the Government.

He told Good Morning Britain: 'It is very finely balanced. It's marginally in favour, actually if you look at all the figures  and we have published those  in favour of vaccination.

'But I do understand it from a parental viewpoint and I understand it from a teenager's viewpoint.

'This is not an easy decision. And, to a certain extent, by us coming out and saying no, if the Government say yes that does create a lot of uncomfortableness, and I fully understand that.'

He said they want to provide the data for everyone to look at and, should the chief medical officers decide healthy children in this age group should be offered a jab, they are 'giving choice'.

He added: 'It is up to then parents and teenagers to decide whether they go ahead or not. There isn't a right or wrong answer to this.'

Mr Zahawi told Times Radio yesterday that children would be able to overrule their parents to get the vaccine, should the jab be recommended for the age group.

He said: 'What you essentially do is make sure that the clinicians discuss this with the parents, with the teenager, and if they are then deemed to be able to make a decision that is competent, then that decision will go in the favour of what the teenager decides to do.'

Mr Zahawi added that if jabbing 12 to 15-year-olds was recommended by Britain's medical officers it was 'absolutely' the right thing to do.

He said that parents would be asked for consent if jabs were approved for the age group.

Medics have warned, however, that clinicians will be 'reluctant' to give jabs to children without their parents' consent.

England's Covid cases have plateaued over the last month ahead of schools returning, data shows. The country is currently recording around 26,000 new infections every day on average (pictured). Experts fear this will surge in the coming days, however, amid the return of schools

The associate professor of family law at Oxford University, Lucinda Ferguson, told The Telegraph: 'In my view the clinician may well be reluctant to accept that because alongside that, you have now got the JCVI saying that they don't consider it to be essentially in the medical best interests of children more generally.

She added: 'At least at this stage wold be reluctant to accept that that consent (from a child) is good enough because of course if you treat a child without informed consent, either from them, or from a parent with parental responsibility, it is technically battery and that would be what would be concerning the clinician.'

Several SAGE members have already said they are in favour of vaccinating the age group to head off a surge in cases later this year.

SAGE adviser Professor Peter Openshaw backed vaccinating the age group to head off a surge in infections.

He told BBC Breakfast: 'We do know the virus is circulating very widely amongst this age group, and that if we're going to be able to get the rates down and also prevent further surges of infection perhaps later in the winter, then this is the group that needs to become immune.

'And the best way to become immune is through vaccination, and there's never been as much information as this in the past.'

He added: 'To my mind, the public health benefit is very, very important, and we have to take the wider view that unless we do get infection rates down amongst this particular part of the population, it will be very, very hard to prevent further large recurrences (of Covid).'

Professor Ferguson added that Scotland's Covid cases may already be plateauing barely a fortnight after the country's schools returned from the summer holidays.

Cases more than doubled on the back of Scottish classes returning from the summer break on August 18 and there were fears the rest of the UK would be hit with a similar surge with millions of pupils heading back on Monday.

But latest data from the UK Government's Covid dashboard suggests that while case numbers are still very high in Scotland, they no longer appear to be growing.

The number of people testing positive nationally appears to have peaked at a record 7,113 on August 29, after surging from around 2,500 in the week schools went back.

But the seven-day average for infections  which rose to 6,000 on August 30  is now hovering just below this level, in a sign the country's outbreak may no longer be growing. On Monday Scotland recorded 7,065 cases.

Professor Ferguson said the data suggested 'the hint of a plateau' in infections.

It is an encouraging sign for the rest of the UK that suggests that even if other countries are hit hard with a big bang in cases over the first couple of weeks after schools return it will not be long lasting.

Professor Ferguson, warned England had some 'difficult weeks ahead', however, because of the surge in cases predicted to hit over the winter months when the NHS is under the greatest pressure.

England has followed Scotland's Covid trajectory this summer with cases spiralling in both countries following their national team's success in the Euros.

As children head back to the classroom in England infections are 13 times higher than they were last September, when the end of the summer holidays then sparked the second wave.

It comes amid calls for 12 to 15-year-olds to be offered the Covid vaccine, with some SAGE advisers arguing that it would help to head off a surge in infections later this winter.

But others have argued it would be ethically dubious to inoculate the age group when millions of people in poorer countries are still waiting to be vaccinated.
NASA's Perseverance rover has collected its first rock sample on Mars, marking an historic first step in a mission to return the sample to Earth later this decade.

Initially scientists couldn't conclusively confirm whether the rover had gathered a sample due to poor sunlight conditions on the Red Planet.

On Sunday the rover took another look in the tube - one of dozens it intends to leave on the surface of Mars for a European Space Agency rover to collect before 2030.

The US space agency tweeted from the Perseverance account: 'I've got it! With better lighting down the sample tube, you can see the rock core I collected is still in there. Up next, I'll process this sample and seal the tube.'

A similar attempt to gather a sample of Martian rock earlier this month failed to stick, as the rock was too crumbly to withstand the robot's drill.

The rover carries 43 titanium sample tubes, and is exploring Jezero Crater, where it will be gathering samples of rock and soil for future analysis on Earth.

In this image released by NASA, the drill hole from Perseverance's second sample-collection attempt can be seen in a rock

ROVER'S FIRST ATTEMPT FAILED DUE TO POWDERY ROCK NASA's Perseverance rover failed during its first attempt to collect a core of Martian rock, the agency revealed on August 6. The percussive drill, coring bit and sample tube processing all worked as intended, but data showed the sample tube was empty following extraction. Jennifer Trosper, project manager for Perseverance at JPL, said in a statement: The initial thinking is that the empty tube is more likely a result of the rock target not reacting the way we expected during coring, and less likely a hardware issue with the Sampling and Caching System.' Days later, NASA revealed the rock at this particular location was unusually soft and powdery, which was why the operation was not a success. Advertisement

'The team determined a location, and selected and cored a viable and scientifically valuable rock,' Jennifer Trosper, project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, said.

Perseverance's target was a briefcase-sized rock nicknamed 'Rochette' from a ridgeline that is half a mile (900 meters) long.

On August 6, Perseverance had drilled into much softer rock, and the sample crumbled and did not get inside the titanium tube.

The rover drove half a mile to a better sampling spot to try again.

Perseverance touched down on Mars' Jezero Crater  believed to be the home of a lush lakebed and river delta billions of years ago  on February 18 after a nearly seven-month journey through space.

It is tasked with seeking traces of fossilised microbial life from Mars' ancient past and to collect rock specimens for return to Earth through future missions to the Red Planet.

The rover's turret-mounted scientific instruments are able to determine chemical and mineral composition and look for organic matter, as well as better characterise the planet's geological processes.

It uses a drill and a hollow coring bit at the end of its 7-foot-long (2-meter-long) robotic arm to extract samples slightly thicker than a pencil, which it stores under its belly.

In this image released by NASA, Perseverance rover shows a sample tube with its cored-rock contents inside; the bronze-coloured outer-ring is the coring bit, the lighter-coloured inner-ring is the open end of the tube, and inside is a rock core sample

Perseverance (pictured here on the Red Planet's surface) carries 43 titanium sample tubes that NASA hopes it will fill with rock

NASA plans a mission to bring around 30 samples back to Earth in the 2030s, where scientists will be able to conduct more detailed analysis that might confirm there was microbial life.

However, Perseverance itself is not bringing the samples back to Earth  when the rover reaches a suitable location, the tubes will dropped on the surface of Mars to be collected by a future retrieval mission, which is currently being developed.

Currently, NASA and ESA plan to launch two more spacecraft that would leave Earth in 2026 and reach Mars in 2028.

The first will deploy a small rover, which will make its way to Perseverance, pick up the filled sampling tubes and transfer them to a 'Mars ascent vehicle'  a small rocket.

A multi-billion dollar project to bring back a piece of Mars to Earth will involve three separate launches and would only be successful as soon as 2031

This rocket will blast off  in the process becoming the first object launched from the surface of Mars  and place the container into Martian orbit, meaning it will essentially be floating in space.

At this point, the third and final spacecraft involved in the tricky operation will manoeuvre itself next to the sample container, pick it up and fly it back to Earth.

Providing its re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere is successful, it will plummet to the ground at a military training ground in Utah in 2031, meaning the Martian samples won't be studied for another 10 years.

Perseverance also made the journey to Mars equipped with a detachable 4-pound (1.8-kilogram) robotic helicopter called Ingenuity.

The copter has been performing a series of flights of increasing complexity on the Red Planet, starting with its maiden flight on April 19.
The first completely automated cashier-less store opened in the Middle East on Monday, as French retail giant Carrefour rolled out its vision for the future of the industry in Dubai's cavernous Mall of the Emirates.

Like the unmanned Amazon Go stores that opened in Seattle in 2018, the Carrefour mini-market looks like any ordinary convenience store, brimming with sodas and snacks.

However, only shoppers with the store's smartphone app may enter, and there's no checkout lines or registers.

A sophisticated system of shelf sensors and nearly 100 small surveillance cameras tracks customers' movements as they fill their carts.

Five minutes after shoppers leave, their phones ping with receipts for whatever they put in their bags.

'This is how the future will look,' Hani Weiss, CEO of retail at Majid Al Futtaim, the franchise that operates Carrefour in the Middle East, told the Associated Press.

'We do believe in physical stores in the future. However, we believe the experience will change.'

The ninth-largest retailer in the world by revenue, according to Forbes, Carrefour is still Europe's biggest supermarket chain by number of stores.

Globally, it took in $101 billion in 2020 from some 12,225 stores in over 30 countries, including 44 supermarkets and 55 warehouse-like hypermarkets in the United Arab Emirates.

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On Monday, the first cashier-less automated store opened in the Middle East, as retail giant Carrefour opened the doors at Carrefour City+ in Dubai's cavernous Mall of the Emirates

The prototype shop, Carrefour City+, is the latest addition to the burgeoning field of retail automation.

Major retailers worldwide are combining machine learning software and artificial intelligence in a push to cut labor costs, do away with the irritation of long lines and gather critical data about shopping behavior.

'We use [the data] to provide a better experience in the future ... whereby customers don't have to think about the next products they want,' Weiss said.

'All the insights are being utilized internally in order to provide a better shopping experience.'

Customers must give Carrefour permission to collect their information, Weiss added, which the company promises not to share.

From left: Emirati Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence Omar Sultan al-Olama, Majid Al Futtaim CEO Alain Bejjani and Majid Al Futtaim Retail CEO Hani Weiss leave Carrefour's new cashier-less grocery store in Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, UAE

But the idea of a vast retail seller collecting reams of data about shoppers' habits already has raised privacy concerns in the United States, where Amazon now operates several such futuristic stores, known as Amazon Go.

It's less likely to become a public debate in the more autocratic United Arab Emirates, home to one of the world's highest per capita concentrations of surveillance cameras.

With the pandemic forcing major retailers to reassess the future, many are increasingly investing in automation, a vision that portends severe job losses across the industry.

But Carrefour stressed that human workers, at least in the short-term, would still be needed to 'support customers' and assist the machines.

'There is no future without humans,' Weiss said.

Customers need to upload the Carrefour app to enter the store, where shelf sensors and surveillance cameras track what they put in their basket. There's no formal checkout experience, as shoppers simple receive a receipt for their purchases several minutes after leaving the store

The checkout-free Carrefour City+ is the next step in the French company's move toward automated shopping: Careefour launched an unmanned store in Taiwan, called iCarrefour, in January 2020.

The 100-square-foot mart in Tapei carries about 600 snacks and sundries aimed at workers in the office building above its storefront.

Unlike the Dubai shop, the Tapei shop still requires shoppers to scan barcodes and use a self-checkout machine that takes digital payments.

When customers are ready to go, payment is made in-app using a credit or debit card, and the customer re-scans their QR code to exit.

Carrefour opened similar stores in Brazil in March 2021  one in a co-working hub in Sao Paolo's posh Brooklin neighborhood and another on the ground floor of a residential high-rise in Sao Bernardo do Campo.

Carrefour Brazil already uses scan-and-go technology in 40 other locations but these were the first unstaffed shops.

Amazon pioneered cashier-less retail with automated Amazon Go stores in Seattle in 2018. The company has confirmed it is selling the technology to other companies but declined to name any

Amazon confirmed in March 2020 that it was selling its cashier-less technology to other retailers, having signed several signed deals with partners it declined to name.

It's not clear if Carrefour was one such customerthe company did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.

In February 2020, Dilip Kumar, Amazon's vice president of physical retail and technology, told Reuters the tech has 'pretty broad applicability across store sizes, across industries, because it fundamentally tackles a problem of how do you get convenience in physical locations, especially when people are hard-pressed for time,'

Kumar declined to comment on the service's business model or pricing, saying, 'a lot of those are bespoke deals.'

In addition to expanding the services offered by Amazon, it would also increase reliance on Amazon Web Services, the company's cloud that underpins its checkout-free systems.

Kumar said Amazon 'potentially' could sell the service to retail rivals but would not speculate.
To cut the climate impacts of music, artists and bands should swap private jets for trains and festivals should be looking to generate more renewable energy.

These are among the recommendations of a new roadmap for 'super low carbon live music' published by experts from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.

The analysis was commissioned by the English electronic band Massive Attack  and based on data collected during their last tour back in 2019.

In response to the findings, Massive Attack have announced that they will be trialling a number of emissions reduction plans during their 2022 tour.

Following this, they will be bringing all of the findings together in a major UK testbed live show in order to encourage other artists to follow suit.

The band is also teaming up with industrialist Dale Vince's green energy firm, Ecotricity, to form bespoke partnerships with various music arenas and venues.

Plans include increasing the UK grid's renewable energy capacity, training event staff to run sustainable operations and to introduce vegan food options at events.

As much of reducing emissions is about cutting energy costs, the experts noted, such efforts might reduce the cost of putting on gigs  and associated ticket prices.

To cut the climate impacts of music, artists and bands should swap private jets for trains and festivals should be looking to generate more renewable energy. These are the recommendations of a roadmap for low carbon live music that was commissioned by the English band Massive Attack (pictured here playing the Tonhalle in Munich, Germany in 2016)

THE ROADMAP'S RECOMMENDATIONS The roadmap has presented various ways by which live music shows might reduce their carbon footprint. These include: Designing shows to reduce energy consumption by making use of energy-efficient equipment

Eliminate the use of private jets

Plan tours in such a way that reduces travel and transportation needs

Develop 'plug-and-play' indoor venues to cut down on touring production freight

Have venues switch to green and renewable energy tariffs

Where possible, generate electricity on site, such as via solar panels

Incentivise concert-goers to use public transport to reach venues, such as by selling train fares directly along with event tickets

Use electric vehicles

Major events should consider setting on individual chartered trains from key locations

Provide better bicycle storage facilities at event locations

Opt to conduct planning meetings virtual, rather than travelling to them, where possible

Only pay to offset carbon emissions when further reductions are not possible to achieve. Advertisement

According to Massive Attack's Robert '3D' Del Naja, the analysis has provided the music industry 'with a comprehensive, independent, scientifically produced formula to facilitate industry compatibility with the Paris/1.5C [2.7F] climate targets.'

'What matters now is implementation. The major promoters simply must do more  it cant be left to artists to continually make these public appeals,' he continued.

'Our sector is operating in a government void. Nine weeks out of COP26, where is the industrial plan  or any plan at all  for the scale of transformation thats required for the UK economy and society?

'Fossil fuel companies seem to have no problem at all getting huge subsidies from government, but where is the plan for investment in clean battery technology, clean infrastructure or decarbonised food supply for [the] live music sector?'

The music industry, Del Naja explained, generates 4.6 billion for the economy each and employs more than 200,000 people.

'Too often carbon reduction targets can seem overwhelming or unattainable,' Del Naja added.

'But we know from our own experience of band travel via rail and the availability, now, of biogas HGV [heavy goods vehicle] technology that offers 9095 per cent greenhouse gas emissions reductions  that immediate action is possible.'

In fact, he explained, switching to rail has slashed the band's travel-related carbon footprint  their most carbon intensive activity  by 31 per cent.

Del Naja added: 'Our own discussions with renewable power providers and transport operators demonstrate more existing opportunities for positive change.'

He told BBC News that some carbon reduction concepts are already happening, only on too small a scale.

One idea, for example, is to make venues 'plug-and-play', so that bands can hire tech like sound systems locally, rather than bringing their own with them  thereby cutting down on touring production freight.

'When we turn up at festivals, we use the same gear. We get on the same stage. Most of the stuff we use is pretty similar,' Del Naja said.

'It sounds crazy that bands are crisscrossing the same highways at night with the same gear with the same big lorries  it's unnecessary.'

In response to the findings, Massive Attack have announced that they will be trialling a number of emissions reduction plans during their 2022 tour. Following this, they will be bringing all of the findings together in a major UK testbed live show in order to encourage other artists to follow suit. Pictured: Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja performing live at the O2 Arena in the February of 2019

'We hope that this roadmap can help to catalyse change by outlining the scale of action required and how this maps across the different elements of a tour', said Carly McLachlan of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.

'To reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change, touring practices need to be reassembled differently as the industry emerges from the significant challenges that the pandemic has created.

'This starts from the very inception of a tour and requires the creativity and innovation of artists, managers, promoters, designers and agents to be unleashed to establish new ways of planning and delivering live music.'

Musical artists, Professor McLachlan told the BBC, have 'really amazing platform to talk about these issues.'

However, she added, such advocates would need to practice what they preached and ensure that they were, for example, cutting down on air travel and working with partners to decarbonise the venues that they play.

The report has called for an independent, central body to monitor the progress that the music industry is making against 'clearly defined, measurable targets'.

Eliminating the use of private jets (pictured) by musicians is among the recommendations of a new roadmap for 'super low carbon live music' published by experts from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research

'We're happy to be working with Massive Attack to facilitate rapid change in the live music world,' said Mr Vince, who founded Ecotricity back in 1996.

'Every section of society has to make positive changes, and gigs are no exception.

'The partnership we've designed will allow venues and arenas to create and contribute more renewable energy to the grid every time they switch on their lights, or power an amp,' he continued.

'The staff training element can hard wire sustainability into every area of operations, and the vegan food option for back and front of house can make an immediate difference to our carbon impact.'

Massive Attack have said that they would want to see any transitions to a more low carbon music industry carried out in such a way that doesn't disproportionately impact smaller, independent festivals and venues that have been hard-hit by COVID.

The full findings of the study were published on the University of Manchester website.
Scientists have discovered the first, shocking evidence of male squids looking for dwellings for their female mates to lay eggs, according to a new study.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany and the American Museum of Natural History spotted male bigfin reef squids on two non-consecutive occasions appearing to scare off rival males looking to mate with a female by waving his tentacles.

Moments later, the male cephalopod would leave the female, swim in to a crevice in coral, only to pop out a few seconds later.

Scientists discovered the first evidence of male squids looking for places for female mates to lay eggs

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'We weren't sure what he was doing. It was something we'd never seen before,' Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior biologist Eduardo Sampaio - who saw the behavior in Egypt's Red Sea - told National Geographic.

Sampaio relayed this behavior to his study co-author, Samantha Cheng, who said she's seen the same behavior in Indonesia in 2013.

On two occasions, male bigfin reef squids were seen scaring off rival males, then swimming in a coral crevice, popping out a few seconds later

Known as 'location probing,' the males of a species (usually monogamous) look out for a nest for a female to lay their eggs.

However, male squid are thought to be polyamorous, looking for other mates, making the behavior surprising to experts.

In some species, including deep-sea squids, these cephalopods perform 'drive-by-mating,' slapping packets of sperm on other members of the species, including male or female and then swimming away, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

Male squid are thought to be polyamorous and 'location probing' had only been seen in monogamous species. It's not yet clear why location probing takes place among squids and what happens in the crevice

In 2016, a study found that bottletail squid, which only live for a year, will look for the most available female to reproduce.

At this time, the researchers are not fully certain why location probing takes place in squids.

'In 'open environments' where the substrate is visible, such as sandy substrates, location probing may not be present; however, further observations of egg laying are required to understand the potential role habitat structure may have in shaping male and female behaviors,' the researchers wrote in the study.

'While its purpose is still unknown, location probing by males seems to be a frequent and important aspect of mating and egg laying in crevices for these populations.

'From an evolutionary perspective - as this behavior carries potentially high costs to the consort male due to abandoning mate-guarding -, there may be significant selective advantages, such as both partners avoiding egg predation.'

Since the experts have not yet seen what happens in the coral crevice, they can only speculate.

'It is ... uncertain what the purpose of this location probing behavior is, e.g.: if the male is inspecting the crevice for potential predators that could feed on the eggs, marking a specific site within the location/crevice for the female to lay the eggs, or cleaning the location for the female to deposit the eggs on a stable surface,' they wrote in the study.

For most cephalopods, females tend to care for the eggs before they hatch, with the males playing no role in this process, making the discovery shocking to some researchers.

'I've never seen anything like this in cephalopods,' cephalopod expert Fernando Angel Fernandez-Alvarez, who was not involved in the study, told National Geographic.

'These [dominant] males usually don't go far from the female because another male could mate with her.'

Sampaio said that the behavior shows the relationship between males and female squid are 'many-fold more complex than what we had previously thought.'

'The more we learn about squid, the more we're blown away by their complexities and quirks,' Sampaio told National Geographic.

The researcher has been published in the scientific journal Ecology.
Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire are among the ten counties were you are most likely to find buried treasure, according to a study of all discoveries since 2012.

It reveals that there have been 8,775 pieces of buried treasure uncovered in England, Wales and Northern Ireland over the past decade.

Using UK government data on treasure and portable antiques, the analysis shows that Norfolk has had the most finds at 917, but people on the Isle of Wight are most likely to come into contact with a treasure - at 129 finds per 100,000 people.

One of the major treasure troves uncovered in Norfolk was a 145,000 collection of a gold necklace and pendants found in an Anglo Saxon grave by a student.

Norfolk had the highest number of treasure trove finds between 2012 and 2019, according to new research

The Winfarthing Pendant, discovered in 2014, was on show at the British Library in London along with the Alfred Jewel and the Domesday Book

WHEN IS A FIND CLASSED AS TREASURE? The following are Treasure by law in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, according to the British Museum: Any metallic object, other than a coin, that at least 10 per cent by weight of metal is precious metal and that it is at least 300 years old when found. If the object is of prehistoric date it will be Treasure provided any part of it is precious metal. Any group of two or more metallic objects of any composition of prehistoric date from the same find. Two or more coins from the same find provided they are at least 300 years old when found and contain 10 per cent gold or silver If the coins contain less than 10 per cent of gold or silver there must be at least ten of them. Only the following groups of coins will normally be regarded as coming from the same find: Hoards that have been deliberately hidden

Smaller groups of coins, such as the contents of purses, that may been dropped or lost

Votive or ritual deposits Any object, whatever it is made of, that is found in the same place as, or had previously been together with, another object that is Treasure. Any object that would previously have been treasure trove, but does not fall within the specific categories above. Only objects that are less than 300 years old, that are made substantially of gold or silver, that have been deliberately hidden with the intention of recovery and whose owners or heirs are unknown. SOURCE: British Museum Advertisement

Figures published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) revealed 2019 was a record year for treasure, with 1,300 pieces found in the UK.

This was the biggest haul since records began, according to the data published earlier this year, and driven by a growing interest in metal detecting as a hobby.

Metal detecting had such a big impact that 96 per cent of all finds in 2019 were the direct result of people out searching for metal in the ground.

For the study, JewelleryBox.co.uk looked at data from 2012 to 2019 published by DCMS as part of the 'Treasure and portable antiquities statistics' collection.'

This data only covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which is why no Scottish regions are included in the list of most likely places to find buried treasure.

These were matched with 'Estimates of the population for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland' data from ONS.

This allowed them to calculate how likely of a chance an individual would have at finding treasure in each region, per 100,000 people in the population of that area.

With a population of just 141,606 and 184 finds since 2012, the Isle of Wight has the most discoveries per 100,000 people at 129.

'The island has a rich history dating all the way back to before the Bronze Age, so there is probably plenty more treasure out there to be dug up,' the team wrote.

However, with a population of just over 900,000 and over 900 finds since 2012, Norfolk is a close second at 100 finds per 100,000 people.

Notable finds in Norfolk since 2012 include a Medieval chandelier and Bronze Age sword, as well as the pendant and necklace discovered by a student detectorist.

'The county was a rich Anglo county and has been well populated by various groups throughout history so it's perhaps no surprise that it's such a treasure trove,' according to the JewelleryBox team, who analysed the DCMS data.

Dr Helen Geake, who looks after treasure finds for Norfolk, said the past wealth contributed to the number of finds.

'Norfolk has a lot of Treasure finds because it has a lot of metal-detectorists in the county, and a lot of ploughed land where they can search.

'Plus in the past, when wealth was based on agricultural land, it was quite a wealthy county with a relatively high population.'

Dorset came third in terms of population, with 87.2 finds per 100,000, or a total of 331 discoveries since 2012.

A spokesperson for Dorset council said it is a rural county with a few concentrated towns and a relatively small population.

'We have a very active team that has a long history in working with detectorists, encouraging best practice,' including surgeries on how to report treasure finds.

Dorset's history stretches back to the Jurassic period, and evidence of every era of humans have been found in the county.

'And our county town - Dorchester- has an Iron Age Hill fort (Maiden Castle), the best preserved exposed Roman town House in the UK,' according to the spokesperson.

An example of treasure in Dorest includes a rare gold coin dating back to the 15th century, worth 15,000 and unearthed by treasure hunters in 2017.

The prized coin was made during the brief 86-day reign of King Edward V who was murdered in the Tower of London.

Essex had a total of 570 finds since 2012, putting it in third place for overall discoveries after Norfolk (917) and Suffolk (581), but with its 1.8 million population, it lagged in 13th place in the overall table, with 38.1 per 100,000 people.

Figures published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) revealed 2019 was a record year for treasure, with 1,300 pieces found in the UK

An example of 'treasure' uncovered in Essex includes a 1,700-year-old gold ring believed to have once been a 'prized possession' of a Roman woman or young man.

It was found in a farmers field in Broxted, near Saffron Walden in 2019, and declared treasure by the Essex Coroner's Court.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND TREASURE? You must report treasure to the local coroner within either: 14 days of first finding it

14 days of realising an item might be treasure, even if you've had it for longer You only need to report items officially defined as treasure. There's an unlimited fine or up to 3 months in prison for not reporting treasure. After a find is reported a local Finds Liaison Officer will contact you to talk about how and where you made the find and to give you a receipt. They'll write a report on the find and at this point museums can express an interest in it if it might be treasure. The coroner will then hold an inquest, with the discoverer, site occupier and land owner invited to ask questions. If a museum wants the treasure then the Treasure Valuation Committee will decide how much the treasure is worth and how much will go to anyone eligible for a share of the find. You can comment on the valuation, along with the site occupier and landowner, or send your own valuation for the committee to consider. You may get a share of the reward if you're: the finder, and had permission to be on the land and acted in good faith

a person or organisation with freehold on the land

someone who occupies the land as a tenant of the owner Archaeologists are not entitled to a share of any reward. If you act in bad faith (for example by trespassing or trying to hide the find) you may get a reduced share of the reward, or none at all. It can take up to a year from when the treasure was found until the reward is paid - longer for large finds. If the find does not count as treasure or no museum wants it then you get it back, with the landowner informed. Advertisement

Based on the data the least likely place to find treasure was in County Durham in North East England, although they don't go into why so little treasure was found.

However, like most places the numbers are actually increasing - from a single find in 2012 to 11 discoveries in 2019 - a total of 50 during that period, but with a population of over 500,000, that works out at just 5.4 per 100,000 people.

The Isle of Anglesey had fewer actual finds, at just four since 2012, and in many years none at all, but with a population of just 70,000 it had 5.7 per 100,000 people.

One of those discoveries was a Bronze Age hoard dating back 3,000 years, discovered by metal detectorists in Cwn Cadnant in 2015.

The team decided to use the per 100,000 people figure to create their table as it shows the likelihood of people within the county encountering treasure trove.

East Riding was also among the top ten, with over 300 finds since 2012.

Dr David Marchant, museums registrar for East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said it was a rich farming area that has been settled by humans for thousands of years, 'so inevitably people drop, lose, or discard items.'

'One of the Treasure highlights in our area would be the Anglo-Saxon sword pommel that was found on the beach at Aldbrough and is currently on display in the Treasure House in Beverley.

'The other one would be the South Cave Weapons Cache, which, although when they were found did not meet the strict definition of Treasure, were undoubtedly the major find by metal detector users in our area over the past 20 years.'

In fact, the increase in the number of discoveries in recent years has been driven by individual treasure hunters, rather than organised archaeological digs.

Speaking to the Guardian in February, culture minister Caroline Dinenage said: 'The search for buried treasures by budding detectorists has become more popular than ever before and many artefacts now see the light of day in museums' collections.'

'However, it is important that we pursue plans to protect more of our precious history and make it easier for everyone to follow the treasure process.'

These are all finds that fall within the definition of Treasure Trove, rather than just items dug up that are old, or even valuable.

Under the Treasure Act it includes any metallic object other than a coin that is at least 10 per cent gold or silver, and at least 300 years old when found.

If it is prehistoric and metal, then it is considered treasure regardless of how much of it is made of a precious metal.

Combinations of items can also be 'treasure' where one item isn't, for example two or more coins from the same find provided they are at least 300 years old when found and contain 10 per cent gold or silver will be treasure.

If the coins contain less than 10 per cent of gold or silver there must be at least ten of them for it to be classified as treasure.

Any object, whatever it is made of, that is found in the same place as, or had previously been together with, another object that is treasure - so if a hoard previously declared treasure was found in a field, any future object is treasure.

According to the British Museum Portable Antiquities Scheme there are strict rules around reporting treasure, or suspected treasure.

'You must report all finds of treasure to a coroner for the district in where they are found,' the guidelines read.

This is 'either within 14 days after the day on which you made the discovery or within 14 days after the day on which you realised the find might be treasure.'

The coroner holds all finds until it is decided whether it is a treasure or not, and if it turns out to be a treasure museums are invited to express an interest.

Daena Borrowman at jewellerybox, speculated that coastal towns, such as the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Dorset and Suffolk could have the most buried treasure due to historic trade links, as well as higher levels of wealth in the past.

An metal detectorist has unearthed a Roman signet ring with the inscription 'DM' on it while searching in a field in Suffolk. Kevin Cracknell. 59, first thought he had unearthed a farmer's signet when he dug up the ring last year but an inquest has found that it is from 200AD

'As you look down the list of counties with the most buried treasures found, you can see the stark difference between in-land counties such as: Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Cheshire towards the bottom and these coastal towns at the top,' she said.

It is also a common activity to look for buried treasure across beaches, Borrowman added, 'with people taking metal detectors and their kids for a day out.'

'So although all the factors mentioned clearly make a huge impact, we can't neglect the fact that there is going to be less people looking for the treasure in counties such as: Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Cheshire.

'Along with the possibility that the historical buried treasure in big cities lies underneath roads, big buildings and landmarks.'

She said in comparison to modern jewellery, items found during the medieval and bronze age were more likely used a commodity money at the time.

'Whereas modern day jewellery is generally worn as adornment, while some precious modern day jewellery may be owned as a financial asset.

'Future generations are unlikely to stumble upon a lot of jewellery from our time in the form of buried treasure as very precious jewellery is securely locked away in a safe or exchanged for its value in money while cheaply made jewellery is not likely to last for very long if buried.

'It's also possible that with the fashion landscape changing and items being made available within days, the long lasting quality of jewellery just isn't the same and trends change so rapidly that high quality jewellery just isn't necessary for the majority of the population in the UK.'

Details are available from the JewelleryBox.co.uk website.
A giant panda on loan to Spain from China gave birth to twin cubs at Madrid Zoo Aquarium on Monday, the second time that's happened in the zoo's history.

The two pink giant pandas, were born to their mother Hua Zuiba, and father, Bing Xing, the zoo said in a statement.

The first birth happened at 8:30 am local time and the second occurred just four hours later, the zoo added.

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Madrid Zoo Aquarium announced on Monday that a giant panda gave birth to twin cubs, the second time in the zoo's history

The two pandas were born to their mother Hua Zuiba, and father, Bing Xing

'The young that are born with pink skin will be totally dependent on their mother for the next four months until they can walk on their own and be presented in the pagoda,' the zoo said.

It's not yet clear what the sex is of the newborns, nor their weight or vitals.

However, given that Hua is a 'skilled mother,' the zoo said the birth had been 'calmer' due to her experience.

These unnamed cubs are the fifth and sixth of Hua and Bing, including another pair of twins in 2010. They were all sent back to China after a few years in the Madrid Zoo.

The zoo released a video which shows Hua Zuiba vocalizing while moving into the labor position.

Approximately 25 seconds into the clip, a cub appears, wiggling energetically before the mother takes the newborn with her mouth and licks it while holding it in her lap.

Panda cubs are born without hair and with pink skin, and are completely dependent on their mother for at least four months.

At that point, they can walk on their own and live in the pagoda, the zoo said.

China's Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding sent two experts for the births in Madrid, whom will be assisting with the first weeks of breastfeeding, the zoo said.

Conservation efforts, including panda breeding in captivity, have brought the giant pandas from the brink of extinction.

The species is now listed by the IUCN conservation group as 'vulnerable,' an upgrade from 2016 when they were considered 'endangered.'

There are about 1,800 pandas living in the wild in China and about 500 in captivity worldwide, where twin births are not uncommon.

The Beauval Zoo, south of Paris, saw a birth of twin pandas that were 'very lively, pink and plump' in August.

Several other European nations also have giant pandas, including Austria, Britain, Belgium, Germany, France, Finland and the Netherlands.

For decades, China gifted friendly nations with its unofficial national mascot in what was known as 'panda diplomacy.'

More recently, the country has loaned pandas to zoos on commercial terms.
Donny van de Beek's agent fears Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United will further squeeze the Dutchman's game time at Old Trafford.

The midfielder is yet to feature for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side this season having started just four Premier League matches in 2020-21.

And now the arrival of Portuguese superstar Ronaldo for a second spell at Old Trafford looks likely to bump him even further down the pecking order.

Donny van de Beek's agent believes Cristiano Ronaldo's return is 'bad news' for the midfielder

The Dutchman spent much of his debut season warming the bench with United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer using him sparingly in the big games

United sealed the sensational return of the 36-year-old last week for an initial 12.85million after he decided to leave Juventus.

Speaking to Ziggo Sport in Holland, Van de Beek's agent Guido Albers said: 'Cristiano arrived on Friday which we knew was bad news for us.

Cristiano Ronaldo has made a sensational return to Manchester United after leaving Juventus last month

'[Paul] Pogba plays on the left, and with Cristiano's arrival it means another extra player in midfield with Pogba moving away from the left.

'We had conversations with Solskjaer and the board. We took the initiative to find a club and our search ended up at Everton. We opened talks with Marcel Brands and Farhad Moshiri.

'On Monday night [prior to deadline day] we received a call from Solskjaer and the club who told us that a transfer was out of the question and that he had to report himself to training the next morning.'

Van de Beek featured in 36 matches across all competitions during his debut season at United, following a 35m move from Ajax, but the majority of them were substitute appearances.

He started four matches in the FA Cup and three in the Carabao Cup but failed to make much of an impression.

Albers expects his client to play more frequently despite competition from Pogba, Bruno Fernandes and others in the United midfield.

Van de Beek is yet to play a single minute for United this season and his agent fears his opportunities will be further squeezed if Paul Pogba moves back into midfield

He said: 'The perspective now is that we stated that Donny is not a Carabao Cup player, or FA Cup player, or to play only in European games. Donny went to England to play in the Premier League.

'The way the conversation went this time [with Solskjaer] compared to last summer... things are much more clear now. I have full expectations that Donny will get his chance now.

'Donny worked extremely hard in the summer. He only had seven days off. The rest of the summer he trained to become top fit. He is totally ready.'

Ronaldo - who played for six seasons at United between 2003 and 2009, helping them win three Premier League titles and the Champions League before moving to Real Madrid - could make his return in Saturday's Premier League fixture against Newcastle United.
Amelia Hamlin appeared to take a swipe at her boyfriend Scott Disick after a snide DM he penned about his ex Kourtney Kardashian was leaked.

The model and celebrity offspring, 20, took to Instagram on Saturday evening to send a thinly-veiled message aimed at her boyfriend, 38.

Snapping a pic of a tank top that read 'Don't you have a Girlfriend?' by brand Holy Vs Holy the model appeared to make her thoughts on his shameless messages, which were sent to Kourtney's other ex-boyfriend Younes Bendjima, known.

Single? Amelia Hamlin appeared to take a swipe at her boyfriend Scott Disick after a snide DM he penned about his ex Kourtney Kardashian was leaked

'Don't you have a girlfriend?' Snapping a pic of a tank top that read 'Don't you have a Girlfriend?' by brand Holy Vs Holy the model appeared to make her thoughts on his shameless messages, which were sent to Kourtney's other ex-boyfriend Younes Bendjima, known

Amelia posted a few snaps from a 'girls din' in New York City where she showed off her legs in a mini skirt with knee high boots.

And one of her pals appeared to have her friend's back as she boldly wore a shirt that questioned Scott's online dealings regarding his ex when he was in a relationship.

On August 30, the Talentless designer  who Amelia has been linked to since October 2020  sent Kourtney's ex Younes a direct message about her PDA-packed behavior with boyfriend Travis Barker.

'Yo is this chick ok!??? Broo like what is this. In the middle of Italy,' Scott wrote as he sent a photo of Kourtney kissing and straddling the Blink-182 drummer on an inflatable boat.

Trouble in paradise? A source told ET that Amelia was 'annoyed' by the messages but that the pair were 'still together'; pictured May 2021

Younes  who dated the POOSH founder from 2016 to 2018  leaked the message on Instagram and had words to say about Scott.

'Keep the same energy you had about me publicly, privately,' the model wrote as he shared a grab of the story, after responding to Disick: 'Doesn't matter to me as long as she's happy PS: I ain't your bro.'

After the message was leaked a source told ET that Amelia was 'annoyed' by the situation but that they were 'still together,' and had plans to spend Labor Day together.

'Amelia was definitely annoyed by Scott [allegedly] DMing Younes about Kourtney, but she's not going to do anything about it and they're still together,' the source said.

Girls night: The model daughter of Lisa Rinna headed out on the town with girlfriends with Scott was in The Hamptons

Leggy: Her look for the night included a mini skirt with knee high boots

'They are spending Labor Day in New York and planning to go to The Hamptons and then be in NYC for Fashion Week.'

It was also added: 'Scott is trying to move on from the whole situation, but is a little embarrassed that he reached out to Younes and that he posted their exchange.'

The Flip It Like Disick star was said to be 'riled up' because her new romance was affecting their relationship.'It's more strained than ever,' an Us Weekly insider said.

And PEOPLE reported that Kourtney had plans to 'confront' Scott once she got back to the US but was 'not shocked' he would stoop to that level.

Confrontation: PEOPLE reported that Kourtney had plans to 'confront' Scott once she got back to the US but was 'not shocked' he would stoop to that level; pictured August 30

Tough times: He posted a nighttime shot of his beach view from Gurney's Montauk and wrote 'Life's a real beach'

'Scott has always had a difficult time accepting that Kourtney is happy with someone else. He is especially threatened by her relationship with Travis...She doesn't get why he felt the need to reach out to Younes. She will confront him about it.'

Disick  with whom Kourtney shares kids Mason, 11, Penelope, nine and Reign, six  cryptically alluded to the drama in his life in a recent Instagram post.

He posted a nighttime shot of his beach view from Gurney's Montauk and wrote 'Life's a real beach.'
As a radio veteran Kyle Sandilands has encountered hundreds of A-list celebrities over the years.

But one Hollywood legend he wasn't such a fan of was James Bond star Pierce Brosnan, who Kyle interviewed on a red carpet with his co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson several years ago.

Speaking on Monday's The Kyle and Jackie O Show, the 50-year-old shock jock said he 'couldn't stand' the actor after he corrected Kyle over a blunder he made in his questions.

Not impressed: Kyle Sandilands recalled a nightmare Hollywood interview with Pierce Brosnan on Monday morning's The Kyle and Jackie O Show

'We were on the red carpet, and Kyle's first question to Pierce was, "Why do you reckon there's been no Australians doing James Bond?"' Jackie recalled.

Of course, Kyle's question was incorrect - as Aussie George Lazenby was the second actor to portray the fictional British secret agent in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969.

'You were schooled by a Bond actor for not even knowing that piece of information,' Jackie laughed.

Not a fan! Kyle said Pierce Brosnan offered an 'arrogant' response to his question during the interview

'That's right. The s**t Bond actor, what was his name, Remington Steel?' Kyle quipped back, to which Jackie replied: 'Pierce Brosnan.'

'What an a**ehole that guy was,' an unforgiving Kyle said.

'He goes "Well, how could you not know that, you're Australian. There is..." and then he gave a big spiel about it,' Jackie added.

Recollection: 'You were schooled by a Bond actor for not even knowing that piece of information,' Jackie 'O' Henderson laughed

Kyle chimed in: 'A long, toffee nosed answer and I thought, you know what? I can't stand you mate. Hated him.'

After Jackie joked that Kyle disliked the star 'because he corrected you,' hit back: 'It wasn't that he was correcting me, it was the a**ehole arrogant attitude.

'As if I give a s**t. As if I should know every man that's ever played James Bond.

'I don't know what that bloke even looks like, do you?'
He has been living in Australia for much of the pandemic.

And Sacha Baron Cohen has brought back popular character Ali G in a string of stand-up shows Down Under.

The comedian, 49, told GQ magazine he 'wanted to see what Ali G would be like with a crowd.'

He's back! Sacha Baron Cohen has brought back popular character Ali G in a string of stand-up shows down under

The star originally retired the character in 2007 as he was becoming too recognisable to prank celebrities.

However the London native has been living in Sydney since Covid struck with his wife, Australian actress Isla Fisher.

And he said 'wanted to get on stage and muck around'.

Saying: 'I just wanted to see what Ali G would be like with a crowd. It was really good fun.'

Pranks: The comedian, 49, said he 'wanted to see what Ali G would be like with a crowd'

He said: ' I just wanted to see what Ali G would be like with a crowd. It was really good fun'

Sacha introduced the character to our TV screens in 1998 and last appeared as the star in Ali G Rezurection in 2014

He later brought the nation to tears of laughter with Da Ali G Show which saw him prank celebs including Donald Trump and David and Victoria Beckham.

Sacha's wife spoke to Marie Claire Australia in May about their decision to relocate Down Under.

Isla, who grew up in Perth, rubbished reports she and Sacha had wanted to escape 'Trump's America', saying their relocation from LA to Sydney was a personal rather than a political decision.

Funny: He later brought Da Ali G Show to our TV screens which saw him prank celebs including Donald Trump

She added that it 'feels very magical' to be back home after spending so long in the U.S. and that she can 'be herself' in Australia.

She also told Stellar magazine of their move across the Pacific: 'I just feel so safe, I suppose the word is cosy, when I'm in Australia. It's where I grew up.'

Isla was born in Oman but grew up in Perth, before moving back to Australia with her family.
Bridgerton series two paused on Sunday due to a COVID-19 outbreak, allowing a day to carry out contact tracing.

Production began on the Netflix drama in the spring, but filming shut down twice in July due to COVID-19 - the last instance of which was reported on August 31 - and on Sunday things were again thrown off yet will resume on Tuesday.

A source told The Sun: 'Filming has been in chaos due to Covid and bosses are hopping mad. Dramas like The Crown have got their production moving without a hitch... This outbreak has taken down members of cast and crew.'

Shut down: Bridgerton series two paused on Sunday due to a COVID-19 outbreak, allowing a day to carry out contact tracing (star Phoebe Dynevor filming in May)

Mailonline has contacted a Netflix spokesman for comment.

A source told MailOnline: 'The health and safety protocols that are implemented by production have allowed for fast action to be taken...

'The proactive testing programme allows us to react quickly to mitigate the risk of transmission within the production.. The safety of the cast and crew is of the highest priority to the production.

'All regular COVID-19 health and safety protocols were followed and those impacted have been isolated.

Pandemic: Production began on the Netflix drama in the spring, but filming shut down twice in July due to COVID-19

A source said: 'Filming has been in chaos due to Covid and bosses are hopping mad' (Phoebe filming in May)

They added: 'Dramas like The Crown have got their production moving without a hitch. It's embarrassing they don't seem to be able to do the same' (Bridgerton season 2 filming in May)

Last week it was claimed Bridgerton production ground to a halt once again after bosses muddled up positive and negative COVID-19 tests, according to The Sun.

Last month production resumed on the second season after two positive coronavirus tests shut it down - but the set experienced a further minor delay due to the testing gaffe, meaning it was not known which test belonged to whom.

It was alleged due to a positive test among the tests, bosses on the set in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire had to retest the entire cast and crew and wait for the results.

A source said: 'Nothing can account for mistakes, sadly, and producers cannot take any chances, given it could quickly tear through cast and crew and shut production down for a while. The tests were cross-contaminated, meaning they all had to be done again.

The source continued: 'This outbreak has taken down members of cast and crew, who were told filming would be halted until further notice' (Bridgerton season 2 filming in May)

Error: Last week it was claimed Bridgerton series two production ground to a halt once again after bosses muddled up positive and negative COVID-19 tests (Bridgerton filming in May)

Positive tests: Last month production resumed on the second season after two positive coronavirus tests shut it down (Bridgerton season 2 filming in May)

'Ironically, when they came back a second time the positives were negatives so maybe they could have ploughed on regardless.

'They had to revise and shift the shooting schedule slightly but it hasn't caused any delays to shooting thankfully. It could've been a lot worse.'

MailOnline contacted a Netflix spokesman for comment at the time.

Retests: It was alleged due to a positive test among the tests, bosses on the set in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire had to retest the entire cast and crew

A source said: 'Nothing can account for mistakes and producers cannot take any chances, given it could quickly tear through cast and crew and shut production down for a while'

Earlier this month Bridgerton creator Chris Van Dusen confirmed that production has resumed on the highly-anticipated second season after two positive coronavirus tests shut it down.

'We are back under way. We had to delay because of Covid, but we're back in it,' the 61-year-old showrunner told Variety.

'Right now I'm in post, editing our first couple episodes, which are looking great.'

Season two is based on Julia Quinn's 2000 sequel The Viscount Who Loved Me, which is centered on Anthony Bridgerton's (Jonathan Bailey) quest to find a suitable partner.

'We pick up Anthony after we've seen what he's been through with his mistress,' Van Dusen teased.

Romance: The first season focused on the romance between Daphne Bridgerton, played by Phoebe, and Simon, Duke of Hastings, the role which Rege-Jean Page bade farewell to in April

'He's thinking, ''Was that love?'' Some would call it that, others would not. We're exploring those concepts of duty and honor once again...I hope people love this season and beyond as much as they did the first.'

Newcomers to the critically-acclaimed Shondaland show will include Simone Ashley, Charithra Chandran, Rupert Evans, Rupert Young, Shelley Conn, and Calam Lynch.

An eye-popping 82M households streamed the Gossip Girl-style period drama about Regency London high society within the first 28 days of its Christmas Day premiere.

Season one scored an impressive 12 nominations - including outstanding drama series - for the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards, which air September 19 on CBS.

Rege-Jean Page scored a lead actor nod for portraying Duke of Hastings Simon Bassett, but saddened fans after announcing he was exiting Bridgerton on April 2.

Fans of the Netflix hit can also look forward seasons three and four as well as a limited series prequel in the works about Queen Charlotte's (Golda Rosheuvel) origin story.

Back in January, show star Phoebe Dyvenor expressed her concerns about filming series two amid the pandemic.

'I can't imagine how it would be possible to film under these circumstances,' she told Deadline.

'There are so many extras and so many crew members, and it's a very intimate show. It just baffles me how we would film it under COVID rules unless there was a vaccine beforehand.'

The first season focused on the romance between Daphne Bridgerton, played by Phoebe, and Simon, Duke of Hastings, the role which Rege-Jean Page bade farewell to in April to the dismay of his many fans.
Nadia Bartel is facing calls to ditch her AFL star ex-husband Jimmy's famous surname after she was filmed snorting white powder, believed to be cocaine, at an illegal gathering last Thursday night.

On Friday, Nadia's world came crashing down after footage went viral of her sniffing lines of white powder off a $1.50 Kmart dinner plate at a gathering last week.

While the 36-year-old has since offered a grovelling apology on Instagram, critics say she's already sullied her former husband Jimmy Bartel's last name, and should revert back to her maiden name Coppolino.

'Bartel name ruined!' Critics are calling for Nadia Bartel (left) to revert back to her maiden name Coppolino after 'bringing shame' to her ex-husband Jimmy's (right) surname amid her 'cocaine' snorting scandal

Nadia has continued to use former Geelong Cats star and Brownlow Medallist Jimmy's surname since the AFL couple's split in August 2019.

'Seems like now would finally be a good time for Nadia Bartel to stop using her ex-husband's surname and revert to her own. Sure, no one will know who she is, but maybe that's for the best after today,' one user Tweeted on Friday.

'Bartel surname ruined,' one added, while another agreed: 'Dragging the Bartel name through the mud yet again.'

'Seems like now would finally be a good time': While the 36-year-old has since offered a grovelling apology on Instagram, critics say she's already sullied her former husband Jimmy Bartel's last name, and should revert back to her maiden name

Other users joked that Jimmy should insist that Nadia stop using his name as part of their divorce settlement.

However, it appears Nadia has no intention of reverting to her maiden name any time soon.

In November last year, Nadia told The Daily Telegraph that she planned to keep the last name Bartel indefinitely because she wanted to have the same surname as her sons Aston, five, and Henley, two - who she shares with Jimmy.

Sticking to it: Nadia has continued to use former Geelong Cats star and Brownlow Medallist Jimmy's surname since the AFL couple's split in August 2019

'Right now, I want to have the same name as the boys. I can't imagine having another surname,' she told the publication.

'If I didn't have children it would be a different story. I don't know what I might do in the future,' she added.

Footage of Nadia sniffing lines of white powder, believed to be cocaine, off a $1.50 Kmart dinner plate at a gathering last week went viral on Friday.

'If I didn't have children it would be a different story': In November last year, Nadia told The Daily Telegraph that she planned to keep the last name Bartel indefinitely because she wanted to have the same surname as her sons Aston, five, and Henley, two - who she shares with Jimmy

On Sunday, an a source close to the high-profile star claimed that Nadia was betrayed by a member of her own inner circle who leaked her sensational 'cocaine' video to the media.

'The cocaine video was deliberately leaked by someone within Nadia's elite Melbourne social circle,' the source said.

'This is someone who for all intents and purposes seems to be Nadia's friend on Instagram but they are secretly jealous,' they added.

Video: Nadia (pictured) was filmed breaking Melbourne's strict lockdown and snorting what is believed to be cocaine at a party on Thursday night

The source went on to say that the video being posted by Ellie in the first instance was a genuine mistake, 'but Nadia's nemesis pounced on it and immediately sent it to people they knew could get it to the press quickly'.

Leaking the video was part of 'a campaign of revenge someone wants to shut her down,' they added.

The source made it clear that Nadia's good friends like Bec Judd and Jessie Murphy did not leak the video, and that while the person is 'well known in the social group' they are not a fellow WAG.

Video: The clip begins with the fashion and beauty influencer appearing to lean over the plate with a rolled-up banknote in her left nostril as she presses her right nostril. She then snorts the substance as one of the women watches on

There is sympathy for Nadia's plight among her A-list pals, the source added, as the video leaker 'broke the code' about keeping such activity private within tight glitterati circles.

'Nadia is genuinely apologetic but a lot of people in the upper echelons of Melbourne society feel genuinely bad for her,' the source said.

'These sorts of videos of celebrities behaving badly are doing the rounds everywhere  in private WhatsApp groups and Facebook chats. The fact this video leaked to the press and went public broke the code.'

Heartbroken: Ellie Pearson (L) who filmed and published the now-viral clip entirely by mistake, revealed she was remorseful over the incident. 'I'm just devastated,' she told The Herald Sun on Friday evening

Pearson, who filmed and published the now-viral clip entirely by mistake, revealed she was remorseful over the incident.

'I'm just devastated,' she told The Herald Sun on Friday evening.

A new report alleges the video first found its way online due to Pearson having a cracked phone screen.

The Sydney Morning Herald claimed on Saturday that Pearson was attempting to send the video to her sister.

However, because her phone screen was damaged, she hit the wrong buttons.

As a result, the clip was posted to both Instagram and Facebook, and was online for about ten minutes before being deleted, the paper claims.

Scandal: Nadia was visited by police after she was filmed breaking Melbourne's strict lockdown and snorting what is believed to be cocaine at a party on Thursday night. Victorian police attended her $3million inner-city residence on Friday evening, hours after the video was accidently uploaded

But it was quickly copied by others and shared around, going viral on Friday.

Nadia was visited by police after she was filmed breaking Melbourne's strict lockdown and snorting what is believed to be cocaine at a party on Thursday night.

Victorian police attended her $3million inner-city residence on Friday evening, hours after the video was accidentally uploaded.

Two plainclothes police officers were seen arriving at Bartel's home but were reportedly unable to make contact with her.

Police have since confirmed that Nadia has spoken with them, and no fines have been issued as of Saturday.

Apology: Breaking her silence in a post shared to Instagram on Friday afternoon, the 36-year-old mum of two wrote: 'Hi everyone, I have let you all down by my actions. I take full responsibility and I am committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure I make better choices in future'

'Victoria Police is aware of a video currently on social media depicting alleged illicit drug use and an alleged breach of CHO directions,' a spokeswoman told The Herald Sun on Saturday.

'Victoria Police has made contact with a 36-year-old Windsor woman who is assisting with inquiries. As the investigation is ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time,' the spokesperson added.

Nadia broke her silence and issued an apology over the incident on Friday evening.

'Hi everyone, I have let you all down by my actions. I take full responsibility and I am committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure I make better choices in future,' she wrote in an Instagram post on Friday evening.

'To my family and friends, my business partners and the public health workers trying to keep us all safe, I am embarrassed and remorseful. I am truly and deeply sorry. I hope I can earn your forgiveness and, in time, your trust.'

Nadia is a mother of two and entrepreneur who runs the fake-tan company Spray Aus and clothing label Henne.
New-Zealand property developer Chris Meehan has made a spectacular return to the Sydney market after 15 years.

According to Domain.com.au, Meehan, the former head of Belle Property and was once Princess Mary's boss, purchased the exquisite Palm Beach trophy home Gaelforce for $18.7 million.

He bought the Spanish mission-style property from jet setters Francesco and Gayle Boglione, who own England's Petersham Nurseries Cafe.

Prime real estate: Princess Marys yachtie friend Chris Meehanhas has purchased Palm Beach trophy home Gael Princess

Gaelforce is considered one of Palm Beach's most prized homes and features picturesque Pittwater views, a swimming pool, jetty and slipway.



The Boglione siblings gave Gaelforce's entrance a redesign after they purchased the home off socialite Amanda Nankervis for almost $5.5 million back in 2006.

They listed the home in early March for $19.5m before it was bought by Meehan.

Top of the luxury homes: Gaelforce is considered one of Palm Beach's most prized homes and features picturesque Pittwater views, a swimming pool, jetty and slipway.

History: The Boglione siblings gave Gaelforce an entrancing redesign after they purchased the home off socialite Amanda Nankervis for almost $5.5 million back in 2006

His purchase of the property is the biggest house sale Palm Beach real estate has seen this year.

Chris' boating interests made him a prime buyer for Gaelforce due to its water front access and private jetty.

The property developer was last seen on the market back in 2006 where he sold the Babworth Estate in Darling Point for $4 million dollars.

Expensive: Chris' purchase of the property is the biggest house sale Palm Beach real estate has seen this year

Personal: The property developer (right) and his boating interests made him a prime buyer for Gaelforce due to its water front access and private jetty

Meehan was the head of Belle Property and one-time boss of Princess Mary, who was known as Mary Donaldson at the time, 20 years ago.

She worked as a sales director and a member of the management team of Belle Property.

The pair became close friends, and Meehan has since retained a close camaraderie with the Danish royals.

Gaelforce was sold by LJ Hookers Peter Robinson and David Edwards, the latter of whom recently listed a luxe Whale Beach Road property owned by Jill Forster, wife of Coca Colas former General Counsel George Forster, for $12 million.
She loves to drape her slim frame in funky fashion.

And Bella Hadid, 24, looked a picture of the 2000s as she enjoyed a weekend outing with pals in New York City.

The supermodel flashed her midriff and near backside in a low rise pleated skirt and cardigan, in a series of images posted to Instagram.

Y2K baby! The 24-year-old model draped her frame with a funky 2000s inspired look which showed off her midriff and long legs while pounding the pavement in NYC with pals over the weekend

Bella's very eye-catching look included a denim and patterned pleated skirt which hung at her hips.

She draped a pink and red Comme Des Garcons cardigan over a white T-shirt and carried an edgy Betsey Johnson taxi handbag.

Topping the 'Y2K' look off she wore motorsport style sunglasses and a pair of black boots that fell below the knee.

Posing on a street corner near the West Village she worked her angles as she stretched her arms above her head to expose her stomach.

Strike a pose: In one shot she looked down at her flat midriff and rested her hands at her hips

Buddied up: The pals dropped their shopping bags to pose for a pic

In another head-on shot she rested her hands at her hips and looked down while clutching a face mask.

And a few others showed off her look from the back as she swung her hips with her arms out to the side.

The catwalk queen appeared to do a little shopping with she and sister Gigi's good pal Alana O'Herlihy. The two cozied up together in front of a storefront surrounded by four bags of clothes.

Though she's known as a fashion force, Bella recently embarked on a wellness-related business venture as she became co-founder of Kin Euphorics.

Shaking it: Bella shook her hips from side to side while wearing the flirty skirt

Easy does it! In the process she nearly flashed her backside to the street

The non-alcoholic adaptogenic drink brand, makes beverages designed to aid in brain function  which has helped her combat brain fog and exhaustion related to her chronic Lyme disease.

Bella shared that she first encountered the mood-enhancing drink (which promises to alleviate stress and anxiety and mimics the 'euphoric' feeling of alcohol) when she was struggling with depression and chronic exhaustion.

Speaking on her lifestyle she told Vogue: 'I would just go to the next job and the next job and the next jobconstantly pushing and pushing. I had to be at work at 7 a.m. and somehow go out the night before. It wasn't sustainable.'

And as she added that she does not 'socially drink nearly as much as [she] used to,' she has turned to the drink to take the edge off, but said that 'feel good' drink is 'not just for sober people.'
Jake was not present during Sunday's Love Island reunion, with host Laura Whitmore revealing at the beginning of the special: 'Jake can't be with us as he isn't feeling well this evening.'

However, the water engineer's awkward pre-recorded date with his ex Liberty was aired, with Jake leaving viewers unhappy after he told the blonde bombshell: 'Even if we were together, it wouldn't work because I'm so busy.'

Sipping on cocktails while overlooking London, Liberty appeared slightly bemused by her former flame's comments, as did many social media users, who took to Twitter to say: 'Jake has no manners. Too busy doing what exactly?'

Not happy: Jake's awkward pre-recorded date with his ex Liberty was aired, with Jake leaving viewers unhappy

A second asked: 'Did Jake just say he was busy? After choosing to come on the show?'

Another added: 'Not Jake already trying to act busy and that's the reason they're not together,' with a fourth tweeting: 'Oh, Jake [is] too busy now? With what exactly?'

'How is Jake saying even if they stayed together, it wouldn't work because he's too busy then why go on love island?' queried a fifth social media user.

Liberty dramatically left the villa just days before the final after splitting with her then boyfriend Jake.

Jake told Liberty: 'Even if we were together, it wouldn't work because I'm so busy'

Bemused: Sipping on cocktails while overlooking London, Liberty appeared slightly bemused by her former flame's comments

Elsewhere on Sunday's reunion, winners Liam and Millie were reunited with the Welsh bricklayer's former Casa Amor flame Lillie.

The situation quickly turned awkward, with Lillie insisting Millie and her boyfriend are 'a picture perfect couple' after Millie was made to watch uncomfortable footage of the moment she found out Lillie and Liam had shared a kiss.

Trying to smooth over the situation as the trio were interviewed by host Laura Whitmore, Liam told Lillie: 'You're a nice person, I'm a nice person. We can be friends, how's that?' while Millie sat in silence.

Social media: People rushed to social media to leave comments including: 'Jake has no manners. Too busy doing what exactly?'

Faye and her boyfriend Teddy were also the subject of on-air awkwardness and were asked about their explosive row in August, an incident that racked up a record-breaking 24,763 Ofcom complaints and prompted viewers to demand Faye's removal from the villa.

After watching footage of her expletive-ridden rant, Faye admitted: 'I would have been complaining about it too. Not my finest moment.'

Chloe was later asked why none of the girls spoke up during the argument, with the bombshell telling Laura: 'We were terrified. No one wanted to get in the way.'

Reunion: During Sunday's Love Island reunion Faye and Teddy were asked about their explosive row in August, an incident that racked up 24,763 Ofcom complaints
She's an influencer, model and musician.

And on Sunday, Chantel Jeffries took a break from her busy schedule for a lounge session at the beach in Miami.

The 28-year-old star wore a white and brown bikini under a white mesh cover up for her beach day.

Soaking in the sun: Chantel Jeffries wore a skimpy bikini on an excursion to a beach in Miami

A teeny bikini: The 28-year-old wore a white and maroon bikini under a white mesh cover up, which showed off her bronze skin

She was later seen while sitting on a lounge chair and speaking to a friend. Her friend wore a red and orange bikini.

While the arrival of Labor Day signals that the summer is ending, Chantel Jeffries has had quite a busy traveling season.

Justin Bieber's ex-girlfriend was seen getting a tan in a teeny bikini while on the pristine beaches in Ibiza, Spain.

Hanging with a friend: She was later seen while sitting on a lounge chair and gabbing with a friend

A season of travel: The celebrity has been to Greece, Spain and many other places this summer

Star-studded friends: Along her European vacation, she hung out with a slew of stunning Instagram models including Cindy Wolfy and Armie Hammer's ex Paige Lorenze

The month before that she was on the Greek island of Mykonos. The cover girl captioned the post, 'Tyche ' and tagged Revolve.

Along her European vacation, she hung out with a slew of stunning Instagram models including Cindy Wolfy and Armie Hammer's ex Paige Lorenze as part of Revolve Summer.

Ceejay the DJ, as she refers to herself on Instagram, is a former military kid and used to travel often as her parents moved her and her siblings from Coronado to North Carolina to Virginia and other places along the way.

Ceejay the DJ: The model, who calls herself Ceejay the DJ on Instagram, has over a million followers on social media

These days she keeps busy posting lifestyle content and music to her YouTube channel where she enthralls over 1 million subscribers.

The summer of travel might've been a way for the celebrity to move on from a former flame.

The star broke up with boyfriend Drew Taggart of The Chainsmokers in April after dating for a year. A source told Us that the breakup was amicable.

Impressive curves: Jeffries posted this photo to Instagram in order to show off her curves
Love Your Weekend

Rating:

Vigil

Rating:

When you need the lightest of fluffy interviews, gentler than a dab of cotton wool on a ballerina's cheek, that old softie Alan Titchmarsh can be relied upon.

'I don't want to dig up anything from the past,' he assured the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, as he returned with a new series of Love Your Weekend (ITV).

'You've had difficulties,' he added, tactfully omitting to list them. 'Could any of your mistakes have been avoided?'

With searing honesty and a fearless determination to confront her own failings, the Duchess agreed she was 'probably too enthusiastic'.

When you need the lightest of fluffy interviews, gentler than a dab of cotton wool, that old softie Alan Titchmarsh can be relied upon

She added: 'I'm stratospherically sensitive and I hurt desperately. I take everything personally. I am still a puppy, really. I think everyone's my friend.'

Love Your Weekend is no place for difficult questions. I'd want to know whether her ex ever sweated  like a cheese under a sunlamp, I imagine  but Alan merely remarked that Fergie's family had suffered 'extraordinary pressure'.

'I married a wonderful man and would definitely do that again,' she replied, adding bullishly that her wedding day was the happiest of her life. Afterwards, she called this inquisition 'gruelling'.

She was there to plug her new novel, Her Heart For A Compass, a Mills & Boon romance imagining the adventures of her ancestor Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott, second daughter of the Duchess of Buccleuch.

'I don't want to dig up anything from the past,' Titchmarsh assured the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, pictured, as he returned with a new series of Love Your Weekend

Graciously, the author read an extract, though not this one from Chapter Two: 'If it's not my hair, it's my freckles or my figure,' says her flame-haired heroine. 'Or the way I enter a room  mother says I burst in like a London bobby  or the fact that I can't seem to retain my fan, never mind use it properly.'

How different might Fergie's life have been, I wonder, if she'd learnt to retain her fan.

All this was just one segment of Alan's one-man One Show. Elsewhere, we learnt how to thatch a barn, admired viewers' photos, met four woolly piglets and heard a snatch of Craig Revel Horwood's Christmas single: Divine, Darling.

I'd rather sing-alonga-Craig than attempt to convince you that Vigil (BBC1) retains any credibility. We are expected to believe Britain and the U.S. are on the verge of war, with American subs sinking our trawlers in the Irish Sea.

Analysis of the weekend: 'Fame is an illness,' said Ruby Wax, watching herself with Imelda Marcos on When Ruby Wax Met . . . (BBC2). 'You catch it, it's fun like any drug, but when you start to withdraw, when people stop calling, it's a heavy weight.' Smart psychology. Advertisement

Transatlantic relations broke down after a bunch of boozy British sailors on shore leave in Florida got too lively. What did they do to provoke Armageddon  nuke Miami?

Suranne Jones, as DCI Amy, is receiving cryptic messages from Sgt Kirsten (Rose Leslie), who is also her ex-lover. These contain hints to the murderer's identity, such as a warning to look out for 'my favourite book'.

Who could this be? Is the killer revealed in The Da Vinci Code? Is there a Mr Darcy on board? Uh-oh . . . looks like that nice coxswain (Shaun Evans) is The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

As well as being a literary critic, DCI Amy is moonlighting as a therapist. Questioning Lt Commander Prentice (Adam James), the officer who confessed to murder and then slipped off the hook, the detective asked him: 'What's the worst thing about this situation for you?'

She might as well have said 'tell me about your childhood'. That may be why she wasn't even slightly cross when drunken engineer Gary (Daniel Portman) helped himself to a pistol from the gun cabinet and threatened to shoot her. Instead of making an arrest, all DCI Amy wanted to do was psychoanalyse him.

Walsh claims the submarine is about to go into nuclear meltdown. This drama already has.
Mark Hamill went viral over the weekend by proving a viral theory true that simply tweeting his name would get thousands of likes.

A Twitter user dubbed @LozzaBean12 tweeted on Sunday afternoon, 'you could just tweet 'Mark Hamill' and you'd get thousands of likes.'

That tweet got over 9.3K likes, with Hamill himself quote retweeting @LozzaBean12's tweet adding simply 'Mark Hamill,' confirming her theory.

Viral: Mark Hamill went viral over the weekend by proving a viral theory true that simply tweeting his name would get thousands of likes

Tweet: A Twitter user dubbed @LozzaBean12 tweeted on Sunday afternoon, 'you could just tweet 'Mark Hamill' and you'd get thousands of likes.'

Confirmed: That tweet got over 9.3K likes, with Hamill himself quote retweeting @LozzaBean12's tweet adding simply 'Mark Hamill,' confirming her theory

His Mark Hamill quote retweet got 270K likes and 15.6K retweets, while a few other celebs got in on the fun too.

Star Trek icon George Takei quote-retweeted Mark Hamill's tweet and said, 'Mark Hamill. And now we wait.'

Takei's tweet already has 15.3K likes after just four hours from what it was originally posted.

Wait: Star Trek icon George Takei quote-retweeted Mark Hamill's tweet and said, 'Mark Hamill. And now we wait'

Actor and filmmaker Ken Olin also got in on the fun, tweeting, 'Will that work for anyone? Here goes: Mark Hamill.'

That tweet garnered over 11K likes in about five hours since it was originally posted.

Lance Reddick quote-retweeted Takei's tweet, adding, 'Mark Hamill (Ok, I'm desperate to be like..).'

Ken: Actor and filmmaker Ken Olin also got in on the fun, tweeting, 'Will that work for anyone? Here goes: Mark Hamill'

Lance: Lance Reddick quote-retweeted Takei's tweet, adding, 'Mark Hamill (Ok, I'm desperate to be like..)'

His tweet got over 2.1K likes in just under three hours after he originally made the post.

@LozzaBean12 also tweeted 'I made space dad laugh' with the crying emoji and the red heart emoji.

Hamill's tweets come just months after he celebrated his late co-star Carrie Fisher after she finally got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Space dad: @LozzaBean12 also tweeted 'I made space dad laugh' with the crying emoji and the red heart emoji

'I congratulate & salute of 38 new #HollywoodWalkOfFame honorees- Welcome to the neighborhood!' Hamill said on Twitter and Instagram.

'Much love & a very special 1-finger salute to the incomparable, hilarious & irreverent force of nature that was my space sis Carrie Fisher. ' he added.

'Her star will blaze from here to eternity,' Mark concluded, adding a pair of star emojis.

Salute: 'I congratulate & salute of 38 new #HollywoodWalkOfFame honorees- Welcome to the neighborhood!' Hamill said on Twitter and Instagram
After postponing his nuptials a year due to Covid, Rivderdale actor Jordan Connor finally wed his fiancee of three years - Jinjara Mitchell - in his native Canada on Saturday.

The half-Asian heartthrob (born Yuen) - who turns the big 3-0 next week - gushed on Instagram on Thursday: 'Best day of my life!'

Jordan and the 29-year-old actress tied the knot in front of 50 guests at the four-star boutique hotel Long Beach Lodge Resort on Vancouver Island.

'We dang well did it!' After postponing his nuptials a year due to Covid, Rivderdale actor Jordan Connor finally wed his fiancee of three years - Jinjara Mitchell - in his native Canada on Saturday (pictured August 10)

The half-Asian heartthrob (born Yuen) - who turns the big 3-0 next week - gushed on Instagram on Thursday: 'Best day of my life!'

'Our vision for the wedding was a beachy boho romantic vibe,' Connor explained to Brides of the eight-acre oceanfront rainforest property.

'Seeing it all come together was a dream come true.'

Jinjara donned a white-lace Anne Barge bridal gown while the Calgary-born groom bought his Suitsupply tuxedo from a local Nordstrom's.

Canadian crooner Luca Fogale serenaded the newlyweds at their reception planned by Weddings By Bluebird, and they enjoyed cake from Tofino's West Coast Cake Company.

Setting: Jordan and the 29-year-old actress tied the knot in front of 50 guests at the four-star boutique hotel Long Beach Lodge Resort on Vancouver Island (stock shot from July 1)

Connor explained to Brides of the eight-acre oceanfront rainforest property: 'Our vision for the wedding was a beachy boho romantic vibe. Seeing it all come together was a dream come true'

'I wish I could relive this night': Jinjara (2-L) donned a white-lace Anne Barge bridal gown while the Calgary-born groom bought his Suitsupply tuxedo from a local Nordstrom's

Ring bearer? And you can bet the newlyweds (pictured December 31) also enlisted their beloved fur-baby Nola - a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Shih Tzu mix they adopted in 2019 - for the festivities

And you can bet the Connors also enlisted their beloved fur-baby Nola - a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Shih Tzu mix they adopted in 2019 - for the festivities.

Jordan was congratulated by Riversale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, his co-stars Lochlyn Munro, Zoe De Grand Maison, and Trinity Likins; as well as his Nurses castmate Sandy Sidhu.

The Palm Springs native Instastoried a 2013 throwback of the couple captioned: 'Holy moly, these two kids would be so happy to see what a beautiful wedding day we would one day have.

'So thankful for all the people who made it to the beautiful occasion that it was!'

'Well done, friends!' Jordan was congratulated by Riversale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, his co-stars Lochlyn Munro, Zoe De Grand Maison, and Trinity Likins; as well as his Nurses castmate Sandy Sidhu

The Palm Springs native Instastoried a 2013 throwback of the couple captioned: 'Holy moly, these two kids would be so happy to see what a beautiful wedding day we would one day have. 'So thankful for all the people who made it to the beautiful occasion that it was!'

They do: Jinjara told Brides she first met the RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race champ while paired together for a scene in an acting class in 2012 'and the rest was history'

Jinjara told Brides she first met the RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race champ while paired together for a scene in an acting class in 2012 'and the rest was history.'

Connor has a recurring role as Southside Serpent-turned-trucker Sweet Pea in the fifth season of the Archie Comics-inspired teen soap, which airs Wednesdays on The CW.

Production on Riverdale's sixth season - premiering November 16 - runs through June 1, 2022.

'The Return of the Pussycats': Connor has a recurring role as Southside Serpent-turned-trucker Sweet Pea (R) in the fifth season of the Archie Comics-inspired teen soap, which airs Wednesdays on The CW
Danielle Fishel revealed that she and husband Jensen Karp had welcomed their second child in a Sunday Instagram post.

The 40-year-old Boy Meets World vet announced the arrival of their son, Keaton Joseph, who was born on August 29, and added that he was 'home, healthy and safe.

The couple's firstborn son Adler, two, was born one month early and spent 21 days in the neonatal intensive care unit for fluid build up in his lungs.

Mom of two! The 40-year-old actress revealed that she and husband Jensen Karp had welcome their second son, Keaton Joseph, on August 29 and that he was 'home, healthy and safe'; pictured 2019

Danielle shared a snap of Adler cradling his new baby brother, along with two shots of the toddler.

And in her caption, Fishel divulged a bit about Keaton's name and the reason his date of birth was so special, as it was his late grandfather's birthday.

'On 8/29/2021 we welcomed Keaton Joseph Karp to the world. He was born on his deceased grandfather's birthday (like I prayed for!) and his middle name is an homage to his great grandfather who is still here to meet him at almost 98 years old,' she wrote.

'Adler is a super(hero) big brother and @jensenkarp and I are thrilled to have him home, healthy and safe, with us.'

Baby bliss: The Boy Meets World star shared a photo of Adler, two, cradling his new baby brother Keaton

Days ago: On August 25 she shared a very pregnant snap and her son arrived just three days later

The actress added: 'Adler thinks my postpartum care tools are a lot more fun than I do,' as she posted two images of the toddler  one wearing a 'big brother' cape and a second of him squeezing a clear bottle into the toilet.

Her producer husband Jensen  who went viral for finding shrimp tails in his Cinnamon Toast Crunch in the spring  lost his father 11 years ago, and their son Adler's middle name 'Lawrence' is in his honor.

The pair got married in October 2018, and announced they were expecting their first son two months later.

Adler was born one month before his due date in June 2019, and had to be placed in the NICU for 21 days for fluid build up in his lungs.

Family of four: The pair got married in October 2018, and announced they were expecting their first son two months later; pictured 2019

He was revealed to have chylothorax  a rare condition that causes a leak in the lymphatic system.

When the fluid did not go down 12 days into the NICU stint, and his lungs were not healing as expected, he was rushed via ambulance to a second hospital in Los Angeles.

'That was obviously devastating for us. It was traumatizing,' Danielle recalled to PEOPLE.

'We were not expecting that. The last thing we heard is that it looks good,the fluid's going down. We expected to have this ultrasound done and be told there was no more fluid in his lungs.'

She called the situation 'extremely scary,' and shared at the time that doctors contemplated an invasive surgical procedure to drain the fluid, but thankfully his lungs healed on their own.
Adidas collaborator Karlie Kloss took a selfie in front of a billboard on Lafayette Street in Manhattan on Sunday advertising her collection with the German sportswear company.

The Chicago-born 29-year-old is clearly proud of her latest 32-piece Adidas collection ranging in price between $30 and $140.

Supporting Karlie off camera was her husband of two years - Thrive Capital founder Joshua Kushner - who Instastoried a video of the billboard captioned with a heart emoji.

Caught in the act! Adidas collaborator Karlie Kloss took a selfie in front of a billboard on Lafayette Street in Manhattan on Sunday advertising her collection with the German sportswear company

Kloss was wearing a slinky black slip dress beneath a grey plaid blazer and she accessorized with black Gucci loafers and a matching Gucci cross-body bag.

The 6ft2in blonde carried two brown shopping bags and she protected herself from the coronavirus delta variant by wearing a brown face mask.

That same day, the 36-year-old brother of former White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner Instastoried a snap of their son Levi Joseph, who's 6 months on September 14.

Representing: The Chicago-born 29-year-old is clearly proud of her latest 32-piece Adidas collection ranging in price between $30 and $140

Proud: Supporting Karlie off camera was her husband of two years - Thrive Capital founder Joshua Kushner - who Instastoried a video of the billboard captioned with a heart emoji

Big Apple: Kloss was wearing a slinky black slip dress beneath a grey plaid blazer and she accessorized with black Gucci loafers and a matching Gucci cross-body bag

Errands: The 6ft2in blonde carried two brown shopping bags and she protected herself from the coronavirus delta variant by wearing a brown face mask

Joshua wrote: 'Levi is excited for [the] return to the office.'

Kushner also posted a picture of the Puck Building in Nolita where he's 'in contract to purchase' a $42.5M five-bedroom penthouse apartment, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The new parents will most likely close on the real estate deal considering the historic building was developed by Kushner Companies.

'Levi is excited for [the] return to the office!' That same day, the 36-year-old brother of former White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner Instastoried a snap of their son Levi Joseph, who's 6 months on September 14

Confirmed? Joshua also posted a picture of the Puck Building in Nolita where he's 'in contract to purchase' a $42.5M five-bedroom penthouse apartment

All in the family: The new parents will most likely close on the real estate deal considering the historic building was developed by Kushner Companies (pictured in 2016)

Karlie ditched IMG Models after nine years in order to sign with The Society Management last Wednesday - according to WWD.

Kloss will make 'occasional appearances' on the 19th season of Project Runway - premiering October 14 on Bravo - but she'll no longer host nor executive produce the reality show.

Project Runway #4 champ Christian Siriano returns as mentor of the 16 competing designers judged by Brandon Maxwell, Elaine Welteroth, and Nina Garcia.

New representation, who dis? Karlie ditched IMG Models after nine years in order to sign with The Society Management last Wednesday
Nadia Bartel and three other women have been issued with Penalty Infringement Notices following an illegal gathering in Melbourne on Thursday evening.

Each woman has been fined $5,452, but a fifth woman was not charged because she was 'complying with employment restrictions', Victoria Police said on Monday.

Police are also investigating possible drug offences after Ms Bartel, 36, was recorded at the party snorting white powder believed to be cocaine.

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Nadia Bartel and three other women have been fined $5,452 following an illegal gathering in Melbourne on Thursday evening. Pictured: Bartel buying wine earlier on Thursday

'Four women have been issued with Penalty Infringement Notices following a gathering at a Richmond address in contravention of the Chief Health Officers restrictions,' a Victoria Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

'The incident occurred at a private address on Thursday, September 2, at 4pm.

'A 36-year-old Windsor woman, a 32-year-old Richmond woman, a 33-year-old Pascoe Vale woman and a 35-year-old Strathmore woman have all been issued with a Penalty Infringement Notice for failing to comply with requirements in relation to a private or public gathering.

'The monetary penalty for each Penalty Infringement Notice is $5,452.

'A fifth woman at the address was not charged as she was complying with CHO employment restrictions.

'Enquiries into possible drug offences are ongoing.'

Police are also investigating possible drug offences after Ms Bartel (left) was recorded at the party snorting white powder believed to be cocaine

Ms Bartel was recorded snorting the powder off a $1.50 Kmart plate in a video mistakenly shared to Instagram by her friend and business partner Ellie Pearson

It comes after Bartel apologised for flouting Melbourne's lockdown by hosting the illegal gathering at which she snorted a line of white powder.

She wrote on Instagram on Friday evening: 'Hi everyone, I have let you all down by my actions. I take full responsibility and I am committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure I make better choices in future.

'To my family and friends, my business partners and the public health workers trying to keep us all safe, I am embarrassed and remorseful.

'I am truly and deeply sorry. I hope I can earn your forgiveness and, in time, your trust.'

Pearson had meant to send the video to her sister, but due to a cracked phone screen posted it on social media by accident and didn't delete it until 10 minutes later

She was recorded snorting the powder off a $1.50 Kmart plate in a video mistakenly shared to Instagram by her friend and business partner Ellie Pearson.

Pearson had meant to send the video to her sister, but due to a cracked phone screen posted it on social media by accident and didn't delete it until 10 minutes later.

But that was enough time for one of Nadia's 'frenemies' - an enemy who falsely poses as a friend - to download it and send the damning footage to media outlets.

In the aftermath of the scandal, Nadia was dropped by one of her sponsors, vitamin brand JSHealth, for 'not sharing the company's values'.

She has also faced trolling on social media, partly for flouting the lockdown but also for snorting the powder off a cheap Kmart plate.

Private and public gatherings are not permitted in Melbourne, where Nadia lives, under Victoria's Covid restrictions.

Premier Daniel Andrews had warned during his daily Covid-19 briefing on Sunday that Bartel would receive no special treatment.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews had warned during his daily Covid-19 briefing on Sunday that Bartel would receive no special treatment

He compared the gathering to the infamous illegal engagement party held in North Caulfield last month, where police issued more than $300,000 in fines to the guests.

'My understanding that that matter would be treated no differently to the engagement party,' he told reporters.

'A number of people were doing the wrong thing.

'It wasn't a matter of breaching confidences and calling into question whether people tell us truth when they are contact tracing, and that is worth much more than any fine we might give out.

'This video is no different to the engagement party as it's out there in the public domain and it would be anticipated that every single person at that house will be getting a $5,542 fine.

'These really are decisions for the Chief Commissioner, but I would be absolutely certain he would want the law applied equally, regardless of whether you used to be related to a footballer.'

Ms Bartel (right) has since apologised for flouting Melbourne's lockdown. She is pictured here with Ellie Pearson, the longtime friend who accidently posted the white-powder video online

'I have let you all down by my actions. I take full responsibility and I am committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure I make better choices in future,' Nadia wrote on Instagram on Friday

He added it was 'everybody's business' and had an absolute expectation that people should be treated equally.

'Otherwise it wouldn't be fair, would it?' Mr Andrews said.

'For those people at that engagement party who have all been issued, as I understand it, except for the kids, they have all been issued with a $5,542 fine.'

He also criticised Nadia's father, Tony Coppolino, who was seen visiting his daughter at her home on Friday when Victoria recorded 208 coronavirus cases, the highest daily number in a year.

'I also see on social media other people potentially visiting that house. No visits means no visits,' Mr Andrews said.

Nadia is a mother of two and entrepreneur who runs the fake-tan company Spray Aus and clothing label Henne.

She is the ex-wife of retired AFL star Jimmy Bartel, a Brownlow Medallist who spent his career with the Geelong Cats.

The couple split in 2019 after five years of marriage.
Jimmy Nicholson declared his love for Holly Kingston during Thursday's finale of The Bachelor.

And on Monday, the 31-year-old Sydney pilot shut down rumours that the pair knew each other before filming even bagan.

Speaking to Yahoo Lifestyle, Jimmy labelled the 'colourful' rumours as 'absolute rubbish'.

False reports: The Bachelor's Jimmy Nicholson has slammed 'rubbish' rumours that he already knew finalist Holly Kingston before signing up to the Channel 10 dating show

'If I had known her before the show I would've locked her down and not have to put us both through all of this stuff,' Jimmy said.

'I had never met Holly before the show.'

Jimmy added that the rumours probably stemmed from the fact that he shared a mutual friend - Francesca Hung - with his chosen lady.

Not true! Speaking to Yahoo Lifestyle, Jimmy labelled the 'colourful' rumours as 'absolute rubbish'. 'If I had known her before the show I would've locked her down and not have to put us both through all of this stuff,' Jimmy said

'One of my high school friends, Josh, who I was probably mates with in year 8 - I used to go on playdates with him after school - his little sister, Francesca, is good mates with Holly,' he explained.

'That was our connection, but I'd never met Hol. I've only probably met Francesca a couple of times through Josh.'

Back in April, sources told Daily Mail Australia that Holly was encouraged to sign up to the Channel 10 dating show by former Miss Universe Australia.

Mutual connection: Jimmy explained that the rumours probably stemmed from the fact that he shared a mutual friend - Francesca Hung - with his chosen lady. Holly pictured with Francesca

Meanwhile, Jimmy and his winner, Holly seem to be enjoying their time together as a couple.

The pair went Instagram official on Friday night, with Jimmy sharing a series of selfies of himself and Holly loved up at home.

In one photo, Holly leans in for a kiss but appears to miss, while Jimmy has his tongue hanging out.

'Us trying to get our first couples selfie for the gram #nailedit,' he wrote.
Bradley Cooper enjoyed a little father-daughter time in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico over the Labor Day holiday weekend.

The acclaimed actor and director, 46, was spotted moments after touching down in Los Angeles with four-year-old Lea.

Cooper could be seen walking down the stairs out of a small plane, and then reaching out with his left hand to help little Lea down the few steps and back onto U.S. soil.

Father-daughter time: Bradley Cooper, 46, enjoyed some quality time with his four-year-old daughter Lea in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico over the Labor Day holiday weekend

The Silver Linings Playbook star was all about casual comfort in the fashion department for the flight back to the states dressed in grey sweatpants and matching t-shirt.

He also covered up with a grey and red hoodie as he carried a backpack over his right shoulder.

After stepping out of the plane Cooper held his little girl's hand and walked her to the gate for official processing.

Doting dad: Cooper could be seen walking down the stairs out of a small plane and then reaching out with his left hand to help little Lea down the few steps and back onto U.S. soil

Cooper is co-parenting Lea with his former longtime partner, model Irina Shayk.

The former Victoria's Secret Angel and A Star Is Born actor and director were first linked romantically in 2015.

They would welcome their daughter Lea De Seine Shayk Cooper to the world in March 2017, but eventually went their separate ways in June 2019.

The former couple wasted little time in settling on joint legal and physical custody of Lea and agreed to both live in New York City to make co-parenting easier.

So sweet: The actor and director seen with his daughter

Before becoming romantically involved with the supermodel, the Pennsylvania native was briefly married to Jennifer Esposito from 2006 until 2007, and had high-profile relationships with actresses Zoe Saldana and Renee Zellweger.

He has reportedly stayed single in recent times. opting and to focus much of time on raising Lea.

Most recently Shayk dated rapper Kanye West for about two months, but called it quits earlier in the summer.
Gina Liano recently announced she wouldn't be returning to film the fifth season of The Real Housewives of Melbourne.

And now, the 55-year-old barrister has revealed the real reason why she made the decision to leave the reality show.

Gina told The Advertiser, she decided not to return to the series so she can focus on her career.

Quit: Gina Liano (pictured) has revealed the REAL reason she quit The Real Housewives of Melbourne after four seasons

She said: 'When season five got cancelled last year I threw myself into my career and when they spoke to me about the new series I thought, I can't take six months off my practice, it's just too destructive.'

'So I just thought now I'll focus on my career, I've been a barrister since 1999, it's enough.'

Gina also revealed she almost walked away from the show seven years ago but Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump convinced her to stay.

'I'll focus on my career for now': Gina told The Advertiser, she decided not to return to the series so she can focus on her career

She said: 'I thought it would go under the radar and so when it got lots of attention I remember being a bit overwhelmed.'

'Lisa Vanderpump said to stick with it and make it work...I had so many defending me and that's why I did season two,' she revealed.

It comes after long-time viewers lashed out after learning that original cast members Gina and Lydia Schiavello won't be back.

Backlash: It comes after long-time viewers lashed out after learning that original cast members Gina and Lydia Schiavello (left) won't be back

Many flocked to social media to express their outrage, with a handful of fans vowing to boycott the series now that Gina and Lydia are gone.

'No Gina, No Lydia - why bother?' snapped one, while another wrote: 'Please don't bother releasing it without Gina & Lydia. There, I said it.'

'Why no Gina and Lydia,' raged another. 'This season is gonna be crap.'

'Gina being gone was a gut punch but they took Lydia from us too? Throw it away,' wrote one.
Kim Kardashian went from socialite and stylist, to reality star, model, and ultra successful businesswoman over the last 15 years.

At the top of her list of priorities and accomplishments: being the mother of four children she shares with estranged husband Kanye West.

And with all that moving and shaking, Kim had had to live the jet-setting life, which she exemplified in a new Instagram post showing her striking a pose on a private plane.

Jet-setting: Kim Kardashian, 40, struck a pose decked out in pants from estranged husband Kanye West's Yeezy collection

In the photo the Los Angeles native, 40, can be seen looking relaxed while sitting back in her luxurious plane seat.

Even when she opts for casual ensembles they never seems to lack in style.

And for this trip she wore black pants, possibly sweatpants, from West's Yeezy collection, with Calabasas in pink along the side of the legs.

She also gave more than a hint of her ample cleavage with black tank top, which she slightly covered up with a furry orange jacket that was falling off her shoulders at the time.

Words of wisdom: The KKW Beauty founder would take back to Instagram to share some words of encouragement she attributed to author, artist and photographer Doe Zantamata

The founder of the shapewear line Skims also puckered her lips, ever so slightly, in what has become one of her trademark moves in front of the camera.

She rounded out the casual-cool ensemble by donning black heels and had her raven tresses styled long and flowing over her right shoulder and chest, with some soft waves and part in the middle.

Knowing how to be prepared for the jet-setter life, she carried a large bag/purse full of her essentials that was placed next to her seat.

Promo mode: The mother of four has been traveling recently to help promote her estranged husband's new studio album Donda, by attending and taking part in some listening parties; she's seen behind-the-scenes at one event with son Saint

Edgy: The former couple were both decked out in black leather for the listening party

Later in the evening on Sunday, the KKW Beauty founder would take back to Instagram to share some words of encouragement she attributed to author, artist and photographer Doe Zantamata.

'Don't let your fear of what could happen make nothing happen,' the post read.

The Los Angeles native, 40, and her kids has been traveling recently, in part, to help promote West's new studio album, Donda, by taking part in his listening parties, which included stops in Chicago and Atlanta.

At one event she and West recreated their wedding where she donned a bridal gown from Balenciaga's Fall 2021 Haute Couture collection, as a way to signify 'love to represent a healing force.'

Her jet-setting lifestyle as entrepreneur has resulted in Kim being listed as an official billionaire by Forbes magazine in April 2021.

Donda listening party: Kim K was decked out in a bridal gown from Balenciaga's Fall 2021 Haute Couture collection for one of the listening parties
After HBO Max's successful Friends reunion, fans have started clamoring for more reunion specials for their beloved shows.

One show that fans have discussed is Dawson's Creek, which helped launch the careers of four young stars - Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes, James Van Der Beek and Michelle Williams.

Jackson was promoting his new series Dr. Death in an interview with The Guardian, when he was asked about the possibility of a Friends-style reunion with the Dawson's Creek cast, which he didn't think fans would want to see.

Joshua speaks: After HBO Max's successful Friends reunion, fans have started clamoring for more reunion specials for their beloved shows

'I think because the Friends cast were already adults when they were doing the show, its less jarring to see them now,' Jackson said.

'If you put our mid-40s selves together on a couch now, with our creaking backs, it might shock people,' he added.

'Nobody needs to hear Pacey grunting when he gets out of a chair,' the 43-year-old actor joked.

Jarring: 'I think because the Friends cast were already adults when they were doing the show, its less jarring to see them now,' Jackson said

Jackson was 20 when he was cast as Pacey Witter on Dawson's Creek, which ran for six seasons between 1998 and 2003.

He would go on to star in hit shows such as Fringe, The Affair and, most recently, Little Fires Everywhere.

He currently plays Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, who was convicted in 2017 of intentionally maiming his patients, in the new Peacock series Dr. Death.

Pacey: Jackson was 20 when he was cast as Pacey Witter on Dawson's Creek, which ran for six seasons between 1998 and 2003

When asked if he was familiar with the doctor, he said he wasn't, though it didn't take him long to catch up.

'(Writer and showrunner) Patrick Macmanus gave me a broad overview of Duntschs story, then said: "Go listen to the podcast so you understand who were dealing with." I binged the whole thing in a day,' Jackson said.

'I found myself not only gripped by the story but the question of how this man happened, how he became so troubled and dark. A pit opened up in my stomach, but it was way too good to pass up,' he added.

Doctor: When asked if he was familiar with the doctor, he said he wasn't, though it didn't take him long to catch up

It also marks one of the first times in his lengthy career that he's played a villainous character like he plays in Dr. Death.

'Ive played flawed characters before, but never anything close to this. We didnt want to turn Duntsch into a moustache-twirling bad guy,' Jackson added.

'Its more compelling and truer to real life if the audience empathize with him at times. You glimpse pieces of humanity in him and go: Gosh, did he really do this stuff? He couldnt possibly. He doesnt seem that bad. But eventually its undeniable,' Jackson continued.

'None of us is completely evil or completely good. Were all fascinating, complex creatures. Duntsch is no different. Its a case of finding sympathy for the devil,' he said.
Celebrities have reportedly been approached to take part in next year's season of Married At First Sight in an attempt to spice things up.

Producers are also looking at bringing back past fan-favourites who are single, including the likes of Sam Ball and Jo McPharlin aka Foxy Jojo.

According to a well-placed source, Endemol Shine casting producers have asked several former participants if they are interested in returning to the franchise.

MAFS All-Stars? Married At First Sight producers are casting celebrities for the 2022 season according to 'leaked texts' from Bachelorette star Jamie Doran - who turned down the offer

The Bachelorette's Jamie Doran appears to have also been approached by a casting agent to apply, but rejected the offer.

'I'm a casting producer for Married At First Sight. I am casting this years and am just wondering if you are still looking for love and would be interested in applying for this year,' the message read.

'Not a f**king chance,' he brutally wrote over a screenshot, before sharing it to his Instagram.

Looking for love? Endemol Shine casting agents have asked The Bachelorette's Jamie Doran (pictured) plus former participants if they are interested in returning to the franchise

'Not a f**king chance!' Jamie brutally wrote over a screenshot of a message said to be from a Married At First Sight casting agent

Jamie has since told Daily Mail Australia that MAFS producers shouldn't take his response too personally, he's just not up for returning to reality TV again.

'I'm done with reality TV. There's none I would say yes to. I'm also still in a lawsuit against Warner Bros,' he said.

Meanwhile, a MAFS insider claimed that former bad boy Sam Ball could be looking at returning to the franchise as an intruder, after he failed to find love with Lizzie Sobinoff in 2019.

Not for me! Jamie has since told Daily Mail Australia that MAFS producers shouldn't take his response too personally, he's just not up for returning to reality TV again

'Sam Ball and Foxy Jojo are top contenders to return. A gay couple and fitness model have also been mentioned,' the source said.

If these plans go ahead, it won't be the first time a former participant has returned to the experiment for a second chance at love.

Sam's bride Elizabeth famously returned to the dating experiment as an intruder in 2020, where she was paired with Seb Guilhaus.

Rumours: 'Sam Ball and Foxy Jojo are top contenders to return. A gay couple and fitness model have also been mentioned,' the source said. Sam pictured right with Lizzie Sobinoff in 2019

The cast will be paired by experts Mel Schilling, John Aitken and Alessandra Rampolla, who will all be returning for season nine next year.

Casting for Married At First Sight's ninth season is currently underway in Sydney, but production has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

MAFS is typically filmed between late August until December, but the 2022 season will most likely begin filming later this month and conclude in March.
Christie Brinkley's youngest daughter Sailor Brinkley Cook glammed up to attend The Hampton Classic in her native Bridgehampton on Sunday.

The 23-year-old model-photographer looked summery in a white eyelet dress from LoveShackFancy.

The eight-year-old Manhattan brand's whimsical dresses can cost as low as $175 and as high as $1,995.

Weee! Christie Brinkley's youngest daughter Sailor Brinkley Cook glammed up to attend The Hampton Classic in her native Bridgehampton on Sunday

Sailor accessorized her LSF lacy look with a thick brown belt and matching suede-fringed bag and cowboy booties.

Cook beamed as she attended the 45th annual event for the world-class equestrian competition for over $800K in prize money.

The SI Swimsuit stunner shared a snap of herself captioned 'whoa there cowboy,' and her half-sister Alexa Ray Joel compared her to the effervescent Kate Hudson.

'Penny Lane... is that you?' the 35-year-old daughter of Billy Joel commented.

Giddy-up! The 23-year-old model-photographer looked summery in a white eyelet dress from LoveShackFancy

Wearing white just before Labor Day: The eight-year-old Manhattan brand's whimsical dresses can cost as low as $175 and as high as $1,995

All in the details: Sailor accessorized her LSF lacy look with a thick brown belt and matching suede-fringed bag and cowboy booties

Sitting pretty: Cook beamed as she attended the 45th annual event for the world-class equestrian competition for over $800K in prize money

'Penny Lane is that you?' The SI Swimsuit stunner shared a snap of herself captioned 'whoa there cowboy,' and her half-sister Alexa Ray Joel compared her to the effervescent Kate Hudson

Joining Sailor was family friend Erica Pelosini Leeman wearing a pink floral mini-dress and matching high-top sneakers.

Other ladies seated at the LoveShackFancy table were LSF founder Rebecca Hessel Cohen, Colleen Crivello, Danielle Bernstein, and Pamela Tick.

The first place winner 'best in show' table featured pink fans and floral-flavored pink confections from Carissa's the Bakery.

From her VIP table, Cook had an excellent view of the approximately 1,500 horses entered each year in 200+ separate competitions.

Sissy from another missy: Joining Sailor was family friend Erica Pelosini Leeman (M) wearing a pink floral mini-dress and matching high-top sneakers

'LoveShack ladies!' Other ladies seated at the LoveShackFancy table were LSF founder Rebecca Hessel Cohen, Colleen Crivello, Danielle Bernstein, and Pamela Tick

In bloom: The first place winner 'best in show' table featured pink fans and floral-flavored pink confections from Carissa's the Bakery

Lunch and lunges: From her VIP table, Cook had an excellent view of the approximately 1,500 horses entered each year in 200+ separate competitions

Not-so-typical teen: The BLM supporter also posed for a picture with disgraced journalist Matt Lauer's 17-year-old daughter Romy, who showcased her legs in a plunging white mini-dress

The BLM supporter also posed for a picture with disgraced journalist Matt Lauer's 17-year-old daughter Romy, who showcased her legs in a plunging white mini-dress.

Later that evening, Sailor attended a Hamptons Magazine bash at the Surf Lodge where DJ Cassidy spun.

The function celebrating Danish model Nina Agdal was certainly a family affair with Cook's 67-year-old supermodel mother and half-brother Jack also in attendance.

Tongue out: Later that evening, Sailor attended a Hamptons Magazine bash at the Surf Lodge where DJ Cassidy spun

'Beautiful evening!' The function celebrating Danish model Nina Agdal (2-L) was certainly a family affair with Cook's 67-year-old supermodel mother (2-R) and half-brother Jack (L) also in attendance

It's unclear if the nepotistically-privileged socialite is still dating artist Ben Sosne as they haven't been pictured together since last year.

As of July, her father Peter Cook was still engaged to Tulane University senior Alba Jancou, who's a year younger than Sailor.

Christie divorced the 62-year-old architect (her fourth husband) in 2008 after 12 years of marriage amid affair allegations with his 19-year-old assistant.
Nadia Bartel has been at the centre of a scandal this week after she was filmed snorting white powder, believed to be cocaine, off a $1.50 Kmart plate at an illegal gathering in Melbourne on Thursday.

And while her actions have been met with anger from many, some decided to respond with a somewhat amusing outlook on their own social media pages.

On Monday, Married at First Sight star Rebecca Zemek, 27, made reference to the now infamous Kmart plate spotted in the footage.

Dig: Married At First Sight's Beck Zemek has taken a cheeky dig at former AFL WAG Nadia Bartel, after she was filmed snorting white powder off a $1.50 Kmart plate at an illegal gathering in Melbourne on Thursday

She captioned the photo: 'Me off to buy those lovely looking Kmart plates that are now trending at house parties.'

When one of her followers responded asking 'Nadia's house party, you mean?', Beck confirmed her dig with a crying-with-laughter emoji.

Nadia was filmed snorting white powder, believed to be cocaine, at an illegal gathering in Melbourne on Thursday evening.

Quip: Alongside a picture of herself walking, Beck captioned the photo: 'Me off to buy those lovely looking Kmart plates that are now trending at house parties'

Victorians living under lockdown are prohibited from holding private gatherings.

The mother of two issued a public apology on Friday afternoon, a day after the video was accidently uploaded to Instagram by her friend Ellie Pearson.

The footage was published for about 10 minutes before being deleted.

Scandal: Nadia (pictured) was filmed breaking Melbourne's strict lockdown and snorting what is believed to be cocaine at an illegal gathering on Thursday night

'Hi everyone, I have let you all down by my actions. I take full responsibility and I am committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure I make better choices in future,' Nadia wrote.

'To my family and friends, my business partners and the public health workers trying to keep us all safe, I am embarrassed and remorseful.

'I am truly and deeply sorry. I hope I can earn your forgiveness and, in time, your trust.'

Video: The fashion and beauty influencer snorted the white powder off a $1.50 Kmart dinner plate

Nadia's apology - which included an appeal for forgiveness from health workers - confirmed the gathering was held on Thursday evening.

Daily Mail Australia understands the video was posted to Instagram by Ellie entirely by mistake, but that another member of Nadia's social group quickly downloaded it and sent the damning footage to media outlets in an attempt to 'destroy' the WAG.

'The cocaine video was deliberately leaked by someone within Nadia's elite Melbourne social circle,' a source said.

'This is someone who for all intents and purposes seems to be Nadia's friend on Instagram but they are secretly jealous.

'They pounced on it and immediately sent it to people they knew could get it to the press quickly.

'This was part of a campaign of revenge someone wants to shut her down.'

Apology: The mother of two issued a public apology on Friday afternoon, a day after the video was accidently uploaded to Instagram by her friend Ellie Pearson

Fined: Nadia and three other women have been issued with Penalty Infringement Notices following the illegal gathering on Thursday

Nadia and three other women have been issued with Penalty Infringement Notices following the illegal gathering on Thursday.

Each woman has been fined $5,452, but a fifth woman was not charged because she was 'complying with employment restrictions', Victoria Police said on Monday.

Police are also investigating possible drug offences after Ms Bartel was recorded at the party snorting white powder, believed to be cocaine.

'Four women have been issued with Penalty Infringement Notices following a gathering at a Richmond address in contravention of the Chief Health Officer's restrictions,' a Victoria Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

'The incident occurred at a private address on Thursday, September 2, at 4pm.

'A 36-year-old Windsor woman, a 32-year-old Richmond woman, a 33-year-old Pascoe Vale woman and a 35-year-old Strathmore woman have all be issued with a penalty infringement notice for failing to comply with requirements in relation to a private or public gathering.

'The monetary penalty for each Penalty Infringement Notice is $5452.

'A fifth woman at the address was not charged as she was complying with CHO employment restrictions.

'Enquiries into possible drug offences are ongoing.'

Nadia is an influencer and the ex-wife of retired AFL star Jimmy Bartel, a Brownlow Medallist who spent his career with the Geelong Cats.

The couple split in 2019 after five years of marriage.
Most of Australia is currently enduring some level of Covid lockdown.

And Karl Stefanovic is doing his part to help, by co-hosting a Friday trivia session for his Nine coworkers, according to The Australian.

The Today host, 47, co-hosted last week's workplace trivia event with Richard Wilkins, 67.

MC: Karl Stefanovic (seen here in 2019) is doing his part to help beat the lockdown blues, by co-hosting a Friday trivia session for his Nine coworkers, according to The Australian

The online event was so popular that some attendees were knocked back once the 300 person Zoom limit was reached.

According to The Australian, one Nine employee asked a question of their own, quizzing Karl about his infamous hungover Today appearance in 2009.

Stefanovic reportedly admitted he'd had 'a few drinks' at the Logies the night before, and after crashing in someone's room for a few hours, rolled up to work still under the weather.

Wingman: The Today host, 47, co-hosted last week's workplace trivia event with Richard Wilkins, 67 (pictured in 2019)

The night of fun came a few days before Jasmine Yarbrough shared a heartwarming Father's Day tribute to her husband Karl on Sunday.

The 37-year-old shoe designer posted a series of photos to Instagram of Karl and their one-year-old daughter Harper.

'Happy Father's Day, Karlitos. Thank you for making us laugh every day! We love you,' she captioned the post.

'We love you': Jasmine Yarbrough shared a sweet tribute to her husband Karl on Father's Day on Sunday

In one photo, Karl holds Harper while posing next to a horse during a family trip.

In another image, the Today host smiles for the camera while standing alongside Jasmine and Harper.

Jasmine also shared photos of Karl spending time with his sons Jackson, 22, and River, 13, and daughter Willow, 16, whom he shares with ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn.

Paying tribute: The 37-year-old shoe designer posted a series of photos to Instagram of Karl and their one-year-old daughter Harper

Jasmine is currently in Queensland with Harper after getting an exemption to travel from Sydney to visit her 'very sick' grandmother.

Speaking on the Today show last month, Karl revealed his wife and daughter had flown interstate.

The 47-year-old TV host explained that his wife was 'incredibly close' to her 95-year-old grandmother, who had become unwell.

Sweet moments: Jasmine also shared photos of Karl spending time with his two sons Jackson, 22, and River, 13, and daughter Willow, 16, who he shares with ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn

'I want to talk about this because this is really big, where Jasmine and Harper are right now and what they're doing,' Karl began.

'So she's had to go to Brisbane because her very dear, dear Nan, who she's incredibly close with, is really, really, really sick.'

'This is going on with families right around the country. It's not easy,' he added.
Scarlett Moffatt has admitted she felt like she 'just wanted to disappear' as she faced horrific bullying from her classmates.

The former Gogglebox star, 30, claimed her school did not deal with her ordeal in the right way after months of being tormented by fellow pupils.

Speaking out on her ordeal to The Mirror, Scarlett said: 'I would get out of school ten minutes early so that they wouldn't beat me up because they would threaten to.

Tormented: Scarlett Moffatt, 30, has admitted she felt like she 'just wanted to disappear' as she faced horrific bullying from her classmates

'I once went out to play with someone who I thought was my friend and it ended up being a bit of a trap, and there were six girls.'

Scarlett explained that she tried to hide the situation from her parents because she didn't want to worry them, and one day was forced to knock on a stranger's front door in a bid to find a safe haven from her tormentors.

She said: 'I ran away and I knocked on this old woman's bungalow and she drove me home because I was so scared.'

Scarlett - who revealed she would walk around an Asda car park to kill time so her parents wouldn't suspect anything was wrong - is now calling for both pupils and teaches to be educated when it comes to bullying and how to handle it properly.

Tough time: The former Gogglebox star has said she was bullied from the age of 11 when she first started secondary school and chose not to tell her parents about her ordeal

Heartbreaking: Scarlett admits she would leave school early and walk around an Asda car park to avoid being beaten up by bullies

In her experience, Scarlett claims that her teachers 'didn't know what to do' and put her in 'isolation' in school in a bid to separate her from her bullies, but she says that only made her feel more alone.

The former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! winner says she called The Samaritans around twenty times when she was at her lowest.

Now, she is hoping to help others by speaking out about the bullying she experienced and wants to reassure those in a similar situation that they are not alone.

'There is always someone out there that cares, no one wants you to be feeling that way,' she added.

The Saturday Night Takeaway star eventually changed schools after she broke down and told her father what was happening.

Scarlett has previously spoken candidly of being bullied when she was younger, where she revealed she was picked on by other kids because of her teeth.

Insecurity: The reality star says she was picked on because of her teeth after smashing her two front teeth in a bike accident

Opening up on social media after having her teeth done, Scarlett admitted they had always been an insecurity of hers.

'So this is the story of little Scarlett. So as a kid, school wasn't really easy. 'One of the big things I used to get picked on was my teeth because I was in a bike accident when I was little and smashed my two front teeth,' she revealed.

'This unfortunately carried on into adulthood, being in the public eye sometimes isn't fun.'

She added: 'Bullies are like sandpaper the more they wear you down the more polished you become. I have done this for me, not them and now thanks to @queenswaysmiles & @queenswaylab I don't think I'll ever stop smiling.'

Scarlett also spoke of the time she confronted a girl who used to bully her at school, after bumping into her at the supermarket.

Taking a stand: Scarlett once confronted one of her bullies after bumping into them in a supermarket and said how 'awfully' they had treated her at school

During an appearance on This Morning in 2017, Scarlett revealed: 'So I was in Asda, I was walking around, and I saw this girl, and I hadn't seen her in about 10 years, and all of a sudden, all of the feelings I'd had of like fear resurfaced, and I was like, "Why am I still scared of her?"

'So I was avoiding her in aisles, and then I thought, "No Scarlett, stop this now, you're better than that."

'So I walked about, not expecting her in a million years to speak to me, and she was like, "Ah, Scarlett, how are you?" And I was like, "I'm good, how are you?"

'And she said, "My kids think I'm really cool because I'm friends with you." And as soon as she said the 'f' word, the friend word, I'm normally really calm but I was like, "We were never friends."'

Scarlett continued: 'I was like, "We were never friends. I had to move schools because of you and your girl gang, because you were just awful to me. How dare you say that." And I just said, "I hope that your kids never meet anyone who's like you were at school."

'And then I sort of had a mic drop moment, where I dropped my basket and walked out.'

Speaking up: Scarlett is encouraging those in similar situations to speak up about being bullied, while calling for pupils and teachers to be educated about how to handle bullying

Difficult: Scarlett claims her teachers 'didn't know what to do' and put her in 'isolation' to keep her away from school bullies, but it made her feel more alone

Scarlett, who was bullied from the age of 11 when she first started secondary school, also spoke about why she chose not to tell her parents what was going on and how she would pretend to be ill so she didn't have to into school and face her tormentors.

'I didnt want my mam and dad to think that of me. I think, after a while, I would sort of plant a seed on a Sunday that I was feeling poorly,' she admitted.

'And then Id be like, "Oh, I feel really ill today." And I think thenmy mam and dad were like, "Whats wrong?"

'And I didnt tell them for like a couple of years. I did play it down a lot. I think they would worry that I didnt have anyone to play out with and things like that.'

Urging others who are being bullied to speak up, Scarlett added: 'Just tell somebody, because as soon as I told my mum and dad, then it was a relief and then we could get something sorted.'

'I just really want kids to be kind to each other, because its awful,' she confessed, as she pointed out how social media has only escalated bullying.

'My little sisters only 11, so obviously I see how things have changed compared to when I was a kid,' she said at the time.

Advice: Scarlett was recently seen encouraging fans to 'not let your mind bully your body' as she shared a picture of herself in a swimsuit to Instagram

Incredible: It comes after Scarlett recently spoke out as she felt comfortable enough to wear a bikini for the first time in five years

Perfect! The Gogglebox star penned an empowering message which she posted alongside, in a bid to promote body confidence amongst her followers

'Because now obviously theres social media, so it wasnt really that much about when I was little so at least I could escape it when I got home. But now for kids, obviously they go home and its still there as well.'

Nowadays, Scarlett tries to promote self-love and good mental health on social media, recently encouraging fans to 'not let your mind bully your body' as she shared a picture of herself in a swimsuit to Instagram.

In the snap, the star could be seen jumping into the sea as she went snorkelling on holiday last month.

She wrote: 'Don't let your mind bully your body. Don't ever worry so much about your physical appearance that you let it stop you doing something you love or from having fun or from seeing friends or family or trying to find love.

'Don't think aww I'll do that once I look a certain way. Because YOU my friend are bl**dy PERFECT just as you are RIGHT NOW.'

For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123, or go to samaritans.org
Benedict Cumberbatch cut a dapper figure as he attended The Power of the Dog screening at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado on Sunday evening.

The actor, 45, wore a grey top and gold scarf with navy blue and mustard detail as he posed against a dark background at the event.

Benedict wore his coat unbuttoned and a pair of matching trousers which he teamed with a pair of navy blue deck shoes.

Star power: Benedict Cumberbatch, 45, added a splash of colour to his outfit with a gold scarf as he attended The Power of the Dog screening at the Telluride Film Festival on Sunday

The star held his sunglasses in his hand and sported a slight beard as he went for an unshaven look.

In The Power of the Dog, Benedict plays 'sadistic rancher' Phil Burbank who strikes up a relationship with Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee).

While Cumberbatch isn't gay, he revealed in an interview with IndieWire that they did speak about him playing a gay character often, adding, 'It wasnt done without thought.'

Star power: The actor wore a grey top and gold scarf with navy blue and mustard detail as he posed against a dark background at the event

'I feel very sensitive about representation, diversity, and inclusion,' he said at the Telluride Film Festival.

'One of the appeals of the job was the idea that in this world, with this specific character, there was a lot that was private, hidden from view,' he added.

While it's never specifically stated what his character's sexual preference is, the actor has played a gay man before, portraying Alan Turing in The Imitation Game.

New role: Benedict opened up about playing a gay character in The Power of The Dog, recently telling IndieWire: 'I feel very sensitive about representation, diversity, and inclusion'

'It wasnt done without thought. I also feel slightly like, is this a thing where our dance card has to be public? Do we have to explain all our private moments in our sexual history? I dont think so,' he added.

He also mentioned that director Jane Campion, 'chose us as actors to play those roles. Thats her question to answer.'

Kodi, 25, who plays Peter is also a straight man, but he said there was a lot about his character that he relates to.

One to watch: In The Power of the Dog, Benedict plays 'sadistic rancher' Phil Burbank who strikes up a relationship with Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee)

He explained that he felt 'in touch with my feminine side', explaining that he was raised by his mother and sister.

Kodi added that playing the role was 'experimental' and 'beautiful'.

The Power of the Dog will debut in cinemas November 17 before arriving on Netflix December 1.
Johnny Depp was centre of attention for all the right reasons on Sunday evening as he attended a screening of his latest film at the 47th Deauville Film Festival in France.

The beleaguered Hollywood star, 58, was back in the spotlight following a high-profile and highly acrimonious libel battle against British newspaper The Sun and ongoing legal proceedings with ex-wife Amber Heard.

However the negativity that has surrounded Depp over recent months did little to deter his die-hard fans as they gathered for a glimpse of the fabled American actor in northwestern France.

Main man: Johnny Depp was centre of attention for the right reasons on Sunday evening as he attended the premiere of his latest film at the 47th Deauville Film Festival in France

Depp was on hand to promote City Of Lies, a retrospective drama based on the unsolved murder of '90s rap giants Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G, out of competition at this year's ceremony.

Greeting onlookers with a disarming wave, the enigmatic star looked delighted to be back on a red carpet after a year beset by court action and the rapid global spread of COVID-19.

Between obligatory photo opportunities Depp ensured there was time to chat with fans and oblige them with autographs ahead of his latest screening.

Here he comes: The negativity that has surrounded Depp over recent months did little to deter his die-hard fans as they gathered for a glimpse of the fabled American actor in northwestern France

Busy man: Depp was on hand to promote his latest big screen offering, City Of Lies

Pleased: The enigmatic star looked delighted to be back on a red carpet after a year beset by court action and the rapid global spread of COVID-19

The much-delayed City Of Lies first premiered in 2018, out of competition, at the Noir in Festival in Italy.

It received a limited release in Italy and was initially intended to be released in the US in September 2018, before being hit with delays and ultimately getting a release across streaming platforms in March.

The film offers its own version of events into the drive-by shooting of Christopher Wallace - better known as the Notorious B.I.G - in 1997.

Depp plays a retired detective who is convinced the crooked Los Angeles Police Department played a part in the rappers murder.

City Of Lies is directed by Brad Furman and based on the book, LAByrinth, by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Randall Sullivan.

Dapper: The actor opted for a smart two-piece tuxedo suit for his latest public appearance on Sunday evening

The appearance comes after Depp was cleared by a court to proceed with a $50 million defamation suit against Amber Heard.

Last month, a Virginia judge ruled that he can proceed with the litigation, based on a 2018 Washington Post op-ed she penned saying she was a domestic violence survivor.

She did not mention Depp in the story, though she publicly accused him of abusing her in their 2016 split.

Finishing touch: He rounded off his red carpet look with a raffish wide-brimmed hat

The actor is trying to clear his name after losing a defamation suit against The Sun after the paper branded him a 'wife-beater' amid allegations of domestic abuse.

His suit, filed in Fairfax County, Virginia, accuses Heard of creating a 'hoax' account; Heard had requested the libel suit against her, filed in March 2019, be thrown out, claiming the ruling in the UK case should swing any new cases in her favour because they both relate to domestic abuse allegations against Johnny.

But Judge Penny Azcarate ruled the statements made by The Sun and Amber were 'inherently different.'

Dramatic: In City Of Lies, Depp plays a retired detective who is convinced the crooked Los Angeles Police Department played a part in the rappers murder

The ruling stated: 'The Sun's interests were based on whether the statements the newspaper published were false.

'[Heard's] interests relate to whether the statements she published were false.'

The ruling also noted that Depp filed the defamation suit against The Sun before Heard's op-Ed was published - and that she was not named in the case against the British paper.

Sue: Depp has won the right to sue Amber Heard (pictured in November 2011) in a $50 million libel case after a Virginia judge threw out the actress's plea to dismiss the suit

In the December 2018 op-Ed, the actress wrote: 'I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture's wrath for women who speak out.'

The UK's High Court ruled against Depp following an explosive three-week trial last July, finding allegations the actor was a 'wife beater' were 'substantially true.'

Lawyers for The Pirates of the Caribbean star had asked two Court of Appeal judges to grant permission for him to challenge the ruling, with the aim of having its findings overturned and a second trial ordered.

They claimed the judge in Depp's initial libel trial had not 'factually' considered all the allegations of violence against him and that they had 'fresh evidence' Amber had 'lied' about giving her entire $7 million divorce settlement to charity.

They said that the charity claim influenced how her testimony was viewed, but the Court of Appeal ruled that it did not have an impact on the judge and that he would have reached the same conclusion on Heard being the victim of domestic violence.
Matt Di Angelo has married his long-term partner Sophia Perry.

The former EastEnders star, 34, who is best known for playing Dean Wicks in the BBC One soap, and Sophia tied the knot on Saturday at a ceremony held at Grosvenor Chapel in London.

Confirming the news on social media, Matt shared a short black and white video of the duo on their wedding day, where they are seen celebrating their nuptials.

Congrats: Former EastEnders star Matt Di Angelo has married his long-term partner Sophia Perry, with the pair tying the knot in London on Saturday

Suited and booted an excited Matt declared he was 'married' in the video, while his wife Sophia was seen dancing excitedly alongside him.

She looked incredible in her embellished bridal gown that featured a backless design and wore her hair up in a chic up-do decorated with a jewelled hair piece.

Matt then shared a snap from the couple's wedding reception, where he and wife Sophia were seen on the dance floor as he playfully held up a smoke machine.

The soap star joked alongside his photo: 'Well... that escalated quickly.'

Having a ball: The soap star shared a snap from the couple's wedding reception where he and Sophia were seen on the dance floor as he playfully held up a smoke machine

The newlyweds were inundated with messages of congratulations, with a slew of Matt's former EastEnders co-stars commenting on his wedding post.

Rita Simons, who played Roxy Mitchell on the soap, revealed she was 'gutted' she had missed Matt's big day, as she wrote: 'Congratulations you beautiful pair! Im so gutted I couldnt be there! @sophiaperry Massive love you two! (sic)'

Louisa Lytton, who recently welcomed her first child, commented: 'Gorgeous, congratulations guys.'

James Bye, who plays Martin Fowler, posted: 'Congratulations guys! Just a couple of chilled out entertainers.'

Michael Greco added: 'Congrats buddy,' while Emma Barton shared a string of heart emojis underneath Matt's post.

Celebrations: A slew of soap stars rushed to congratulate Matt and Sophia on their wedding

Coronation Street actor Gareth Pierce, who had attended the couple's wedding, commented: 'We had the best time, you beauts. Congratulations!'

Game Of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel, meanwhile, commented: 'Awwww haha congratulations!!! (sic)'

Matt and Sophia's wedding comes two years after the couple announced their engagement in May 2019.

The actor popped the question over pizza and champagne during a romantic beach proposal in the Dominican Republic and shared snaps of the special moment to Instagram to confirm their happy news.

Posting a photo of Sophia's stunning engagement propped up in a pizza box alongside a bottle of champagne, Matt casually captioned his upload: 'Got pizza today.

Pizza proposal: Matt popped the question to wedding planner Sophia in May 2019 during a trip to Dominican Republic - he asked her to marry him over pizza and champagne on the beach

Special moment: At the time, Sophia marked the proposal by sharing a snap of her eating pizza while holding a glass of champagne and wearing her new engagement ring

Wedding planner Sophia, meanwhile, shared a picture of her tucking into a slice of pizza while holding a glass of champagne and wearing her new diamond on her wedding finger.

She wrote alongside her photo: 'I [heart] PIZZA... AND MY FIANCE,' tagging Matt in her post.

Fans will recognise Matt from appearing on EastEnders. His character Dean was last seen on the soap in February 2016.

The character was at the centre of a rape storyline that saw Dean sexually assault Linda Carter, played by Kellie Bright, in the Queen Vic in scenes that aired in 2014.

Dean was later acquitted of attempted rape after standing trial off-screen.

Matt made his debut on EastEnders in 2006 and starred on the soap until 2008, before then returning in 2014 for two more years.

Since appearing on EastEnders, Matt has also starred in drama Death In Paradise and BBC series Ordinary Lies.
Kaitlyn Dever has detailed the importance of depicting the struggles of social anxiety and isolation in the wake of the Covid pandemic.

The actress, 24, who plays Zoe Murphy in the musical film Dear Evan Hansen alongside Ben Platt, with the film openly detailing the effects of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD).

Posing for a stylish photo shoot, Kaitlyn told PORTER, hopes the upcoming movie will help people going through the same thing, saying: 'It's a really important story to tell now more than ever it's about isolation and feeling alone and helping others to realise that they don't have to be alone.'

Topical: Kaitlyn Dever, 24, has spoken out about the importance of telling the story of social anxiety in her upcoming film Dear Evan Hansen after the isolation of the pandemic lockdowns

The Broadway musical of the same name won six Tony Awards in 2017, including a win for Ben, 27, in the coveted Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.

Joined by an all-star cast who did not star in the stage production, Ben will appear with Kaitlyn, Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, and Amandla Stenberg.

The story follows Evan Hansen, a high school student with social anxiety disorder, who is recommended to write letters to himself as a form of therapy by his psychiatrist.

All-star cast: The actress plays Zoe Murphy in the musical film alongside Ben Platt as Evan Hansen, and spoke to PORTER about her role in the film

Evan is later taken to the principal's office to meet with Connor's parents Cynthia (Adams) and Larry Murphy (Danny Pino) as he is told that their son had committed suicide as they found the letter and believed they were Connor's final words before taking his life.

Evan tells them that he didn't write it and tries to give the letter back when Cynthia lifts his sleeve to find Connor's name written on the cast as Larry says: 'We didn't think Connor had any friends.'

This leaves the protagonist to continue to live on with the lie and all the wanted and unwanted attention that comes from it.

Upcoming release: Dear Evan Hansen is set for release on September 24 in the US with the UK release following on 22 October

And Kaitlyn says the moment she watched the live filming of song You Will Be Found during the halt on musical performances during the pandemic as 'crazy', with the lyrics providing a message of hope to those who are suffering or feeling lost during a difficult time.

To see the full interview, read PORTER o r download the NET-A-PORTER app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Search for NET-A-PORTER on the App Store and Google Play.

She said: 'The phrase 'you will be found' is so powerful and the fact I was able to watch that go down live was crazy I was sitting in the school auditorium where we were shooting and realising that we were some of the first people to see a live performance [during the pandemic] safely.'

Stephen Chbosky directed the film as Steven Levenson wrote the screenplay which was based on the stage musical with music and lyrics written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and the book by Steven Levenson.

Dear Evan Hansen is set for release on September 24 in the US with the UK release following on 22 October.

To see the full interview, read PORTER or download the NET-A-PORTER app for iPhone, iPad and Android.

Search for NET-A-PORTER on the App Store and Google Play.
James Cracknell's new bride has paid tribute to her family after they travelled from their native north America for the couple's wedding in August.

American financier Jordan Connell, 35, exchanged vows with the Olympic hero, 49, during a romantic ceremony at the at The Parish Church of St Luke in London's Chelsea.

Taking to Instagram on Monday with a selection of previously unseen shots from their special day, she admitted COVID restrictions had created logistical problems for her loved ones, some of whom she had not seen since the pandemic began.

Special thanks: Former athlete James Cracknell's new bride has paid tribute to her family after they travelled from their native north America for the couple's wedding in August

She wrote: 'More fun photos from the wedding! I am so happy that so many of my North American friends and family were able to fly over!

'It got a little hairy at one point since the travel restrictions were only lifted for double jabbed folks at the beginning of August, but it all worked out!

'I hadnt seen a lot of these people (including my brother) for about two years due to Covid, so it was a very happy reunion.'

So happy: American financier Jordan Connell exchanged vows with the Olympic hero during a romantic ceremony at the at The Parish Church of St Luke in London's Chelsea

New photos from the day included treasured photos of the bride with her family, alongside an image of James and Jordan's lavishly embellished four-tier wedding cake.

The New Yorker also shared a shot of the couple as they joined for the first dance of their extravagant reception.

The posts come after James gushed about his wedding on Friday, and shared his own romantic photo of their special day.

Say cheese: Taking to Instagram with a selection of previously unseen shots from their special day, she admitted COVID restrictions had created logistical problems for her loved ones

Back together: New photos from the day included treasured photos of the bride with her family as they let their hair down at the post-wedding reception

Sweet treat: James and Jordan's lavishly embellished four-tier wedding cake was also pictured on Jordan's social media account

Taking to Instagram to hail the past few days as a 'truly special weekend', James posted both a loved-up photo of himself and Jordan while also plugging his recent appearance on Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins.

Showing off his dapper grey wedding suit, Olympian James looked lovingly into his new wife's eyes while resting against a beautiful balcony, while New Yorker Jordan met her new husband's gaze and looked beautiful in a stunning lace gown.

Jordan also posted snaps of their wedding day on social media, simply captioning the photographs: 'We got married!'

Previously: The posts come after James gushed about his wedding on Friday, and shared his own romantic photo of their special day

In the first image, James and Jordan could be seen walking out of a beautiful church after exchanging vows, with Jordan waving a bouquet of flowers in the air as wedding guests showered them with petals.

In a second, the newly weds beamed from ear-to-ear while posing next to a priest.

James and Jordan announced their engagement in January after 17 months of dating and the news of his nuptials was revealed on Friday by his ex-wife Beverley Turner.

Big day: Jordan also posted snaps of their wedding day on social media, simply captioning the photographs: 'We got married!'

Plug: James posted both a loved-up photo of himself and Jordan while also plugging his recent appearance on Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins

The TV presenter, 47, who was married to James for 17 years before they confirmed their separation in March 2019, candidly spoke of how she felt about her ex's new milestone as she reflected on their failed relationship and admitted 'you never feel totally fine' about divorce.

In a video shared with her 37.6k followers, Beverley appeared outside in the sun in Cornwall and claimed: 'It's a strange day today, my ex-husband got married today - which is quite a strange thing to say and I thought I was going to be totally OK with it, and I am OK with it.

'I'm happier now than I have been for many years and I know James is happier now than he has been for many years - and a big part of that is Jordan, his wife. But it also made me quite pensive and I couldn't quite work out why.'

Beverley continued: 'Any of you that listen to the podcast that I do with Marina Fogle, As Good As It Gets, will know that I talk about the relationship that I had and the relationship that I have now quite a lot.

Wedding bells! The Olympian's ex-wife Beverley Turner revealed the sportsman was marrying Jordan on Friday evening

'And I talk about the brain injury - the accident that we went through when James got hit by a truck in 2010 when he was working for Discovery Channel.'

She went on: 'You never get married thinking you're going to get divorced and although the kids are great and I have a new partner who is amazing with them and in many ways they are lively, resilient children.

'You never have divorced parents as something that you're totally fine with. I just wanted to say that, but the other thing, I know that lots of people who are part of the brain injury world do follow me, even if you are in the darkest bits of those journeys - which you might be now - you do see the sun again at some point.

'And although it never really leaves you, the impact never really leaves a family, I've been thinking about James' parents today as well.'

'You're never totally fine with it': Beverley appeared to confirm he has remarried as she discussed his wedding day with fans on Instagram on Friday

Beverley later took to Twitter to share a picture with her boyfriend James Pritchett, 32, as they offered their congratulations to her ex.

She tweeted: 'Huge congratulations from us both to @jamescracknell who gets married today to a wonderful woman who makes him happy.

'Marriage, brain injury and divorce was never Plan A. But to anyone currently in the dark, the sun WILL come out again one day.'

Confirmation James was engaged to Jordan came in January earlier this year - nearly two years after his split from Beverley. Their engagement was traditionally announced in The Times.

His reported wife, who is believed to divide her time between London and the US, spent 12 months training for an MBA at Cambridge Judge Business School while James studied for a masters in human evolution at Peterhouse College.

Athlete James and partner Jordan started dating after finishing their degrees and have been living together in west London throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Congratulations: Beverley later took to Twitter to share a picture with her boyfriend James Pritchett, 32, as they offered their congratulations to her ex

James previously credited his new love for his newfound confidence after his terrifying accident, and the former student cheerleader enthused she's 'ridiculously happy' to have found a partner in him.

Speaking of Jordan, James previously told the Daily Mail: 'To be honest, with Jordan the conversation was so easy and it was so nice to hang out with someone who had no preconceptions of who you were before.'

News of their marriage comes two years after James and ex-wife Beverley decided to separate after a nine-year struggle following a crippling brain injury, which she nursed him back to health from.

The sportsman was left in a coma and sustained damage to the part of the brain that governs memory, personality, and speech after he was knocked off his bike by the wing mirror of a petrol tanker in Arizona.

Moving on: She brushed off the news by soaking up the sun on a hike in Cornwall

Following his separation, Beverley - who shares three children with James - reflected on how she helped him recover in an interview with The Times.

The Happy Birth Book author said at the time: 'A formerly quiet man, he couldn't stop talking, but certainly stopped listening. I had my silent screams in the shower so the children wouldn't hear.

'Acquired brain injury is contagious  the whole family catches it and soon everyone is snapping, sighing, arguing and slamming doors. After a brain injury a couple's dynamic typically becomes one of parent and child, complete with nagging, resistance, resentment and sulking.

'The ''adult'' wants to nurture and protect the 'child' who they have almost lost once. Yet it's crushing and stultifying for the survivor who just wants their independence.'

James also expressed his gratitude towards his first spouse for her help as he said: 'I wouldn't have made the recovery I have without her fire.

'It's not so nice when it's not in your corner, but you can't fall in love with an opinionated woman and then moan when she has an opinion. It hurts but it's on me as well.

Happier times: TV presenter Beverley was married to James for 17 years before they confirmed their separation in March 2019 (pictured in 2016)

'I wasn't the best husband in the world. I wanted to go to Cambridge to get academic credibility for the work I was doing in public health. Beverley didn't share my desire for me to go into politics. I don't think she liked the idea of being a politician's wife.'

This Morning star Beverley petitioned for a divorce in March 2019 on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour, which he did not oppose.

They went their separate ways eight months after James moved to Cambridge and Beverley felt he was abandoning the family.

The athlete later claimed the 'complex' separation was 'a long time coming' and was nothing to do with the Boat Race or the 2010 brain injury that almost killed him.

The media personality told the Daily Telegraph at the time: 'It wasn't going to university or competing in the Boat Race that ended the marriage. And it wasn't even the accident, although our marriage was dealt a bad hand with that.

Exciting times ahead: The father-of-three met financier Jordan when he studied at Cambridge in 2018 (pictured in 2019)

'As anybody who is married or has been married will know, break-ups are far more complex than anybody else [outside the marriage] really knows.

'There's this perception that I've left my family to go off to Cambridge, selfishly, but that's a little exaggerated. And while, yes, it may seem selfish, it also pays the bills.'

Like James, Beverley has too moved on from their marriage and is in a relationship with eco-property developer James Pritchett, 32, for nearly a year.

Beverley - who is 15 years his senior - previously said of her romance: 'I had such judgment about age-gap relationships before this.'

The writer added to the Daily Mail: 'I would look at an older man with a younger woman and roll my eyes, but now I can completely see what they were doing. I cannot see any disadvantage to it.'
He welcomed daughter Aaylah to the world when he was just 16 years old.

And Home and Away star Ethan Browne wished his little girl a happy 13th birthday on Sunday, in a sweet Instagram post.

'My Angel is now a teen,' began the 29-year-old soap heartthrob.

His girl: Home and Away star Ethan Browne wished his little girl Aaylah (pictured with Ethan) a happy 13th birthday on Sunday, in a sweet Instagram post

'Happiest of birthdays my young lady. Everything I do is for you, and I will forever love you and protect you,' continued Ethan.

His co-star Georgie Parker added her own sentiments: 'Happy Fathers Day Ethan, and happy birthday to your gorgeous girl'.

The actor, who plays Tane Parata on the Aussie soap, surprised Aaylah last year when he travelled back to to his native New Zealand for the Christmas period.

Throwback! 'My Angel is now a teen,' began the 29-year-old soap heartthrob

Lovely: 'Happiest of birthdays my young lady. Everything I do is for you, and I will forever love you and protect you,' continued Ethan

In a video he posted on Instagram, the emotional star was seen hugging his little girl tightly during their reunion.

'Surprising my daughter after almost a year apart. A moment I have dreamed and fantasized about for so long,' Ethan wrote alongside the clip.

'I cant articulate how tough this stretch has been. Its indescribable and incomprehensible. COVID has taken away our ability to travel freely, and physically be with our loved ones.'

Grab the tissues! Last year, Browne shared a video of his emotional reunion with his daughter after they were separated for almost one year during the Covid pandemic

'But love transcends the physical, and the distance and lost time has only strengthened our bond. Were here and now, and our hearts are full again,' he added.

'To the parents who have been separated from their children because of this years events, and to those who cant see their loved ones at Christmas, I send you all my love and strength. To my daughter, you are my entire heart.'

Ethan's heartfelt post struck a chord with fellow Home and Away co-stars, including Emily Symons who wrote: 'How wonderful, this is just so special! So happy for you.'

In character: The actor plays Tane Parata on the Aussie soap

Sam Frost also commented: 'Aww so beautiful E, lots of love to you and Aaylah.'

Meanwhile, former soap star Jake Ryan, who previously played Robbo Shaw on the Channel 7 series, added, 'Ahh beautiful mate. Made me have a tear ya Bastard. Happy hols to you and your clan.'

Ethan grew up in a small town called Wairoa in New Zealand.

Home away from home: Ethan (R) on the set of Home and Away with co-star Rob Kipa-Williams

After welcoming his daughter at age 16, he became serious about his career in acting and within a few years he moved to Australia.

Following a brief stint in Brisbane, he enrolled at Sydneys National Institute Of Dramatic Arts (Nida) and soon after graduation scored a three-year contract on the hit long-running series.

Ethan made his acting debut as Tane on Home and Away.
Her boyfriend Sam Thompson was seen gifting a brunette beauty a rose during his lads' night out with Pete Wicks on Saturday.

But Love Island's Zara McDermott appeared unfazed by the recent revelation, as she slipped into a skimpy pink bikini for a social media snap in Greece on Monday.

The reality star, 24, displayed her phenomenal physique in the her chic two-piece as she stuck out her tongue for the sizzling mirror selfie.

Wow! Zara McDermott stunned in a pink bikini for a social media snap in Greece on Monday after boyfriend Sam Thompson was seen gifting a mystery brunette a rose on Saturday

Zara's pink bikini top was dotted with butterflies while her minuscule hot pink briefs hugged her curves.

The former Love Islander shrugged an unbuttoned shirt over the top and swept her caramel tresses back in a sleek ponytail.

Zara appeared to go make-up free for the post. She is yet to speak publicly about the recent photos of her boyfriend.

Sam's boys' night out began at 9pm in the exclusive Mayfair district of London, where they dined out at Latin American restaurant Amazonico on Saturday.

Boys' night: The reality star, 24, displayed her phenomenal physique after it was reported that Sam, 28, was spotted getting close to a group of girls during a night out with Pete Wicks

Over the next few hours, the reality stars were seen directing their attention towards three bombshell beauties, who they chatted to in the smoking area.

Influencers Alisha Lemay, 28, and Freya Killin, 28, confirmed their identities by taking to Instagram while downing tequila shots at London's Sexy Fish with the famous lads at another point in the night.

TOWIE's Pete, 32, repeatedly hugged and kissed two of the girls, according to onlookers, before the group of five took a taxi to Raffles in Chelsea.

Zara must have been on 28-year-old Sam's mind as he left the private members' club alone while his Essex boy pal continued the party at a nearby strip club.

It comes after the former Celebrity Big Brother housemate revealed he wants a baby with Zara in the near future.

Sam told MailOnline that Zara cheating on him had actually brought them 'closer together' and he didn't want to be a 'really old dad' so wasn't far off starting a family.

Sam gushed the Love Island star was the girl of his dreams and they were nearly ready to become parents but he does 'need to grow up a bit first'.

Sam said: 'I've hit a stage where I'm doing my house up at the moment, I want to make it into a really nice adult home, I'm nearly 30 and I'm with the girl of my dreams.'

'Not in the next year... but not in the too distant future. I don't want to be a really old dad. But I do need to grow up a little bit first.'
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She has been hitting the red carpet at the 78th Venice International Film Festival.

Yet Molly Sims stole some time away from the glitz and glamour movie premieres on Sunday to enjoy a cooling dip on the Italian shores with her husband Scott Stuber, 52, during which she showed off her stunning physique.

The beauty, 48, was sure to turn heads in her tiny bikini as she made a splash during her fun and frolics in the sea in the midst of the star-studded festival.

Chilled out: Molly Sims stole some time away from the glitz and glamour of gowns and movie premieres on Sunday to enjoy a cooling dip on the Italian shores with her husband Scott Stuber, 52, during which she showed off her stunning physique

Molly looked phenomenal in a tiny triangle bikini which made the most of her perky cleavage and ripped abs as she frolicked in the water.

She later covered up from the sizzling heat by pulling on a dress over the top and also donning a pretty sheer kimono which perfectly coordinated with her two-piece underneath.

The Yes Man star snapped selfies with her beloved husband as they larked around as she braved taking her phone into the sea to make sure they got the ideal snap.

Wow! The beauty, 48, was sure to turn heads in her tiny bikini as she made a splash during her fun and frolics in the sea in the midst of the star-studded festival

Cheeky! The Yes Man star snapped selfies with her beloved husband as they larked around

Feeling selfie-ish? They ensured it was a Kodak moment as they cosied up for selfies

She joked in a bikini-clad Instagram caption: 'So sad I'm missing soccer today!'

The couple wed in 2011 and welcomed their oldest son, Brooks Alan, the following June. They then added their daughter, Scarlett May, to their family in 2015.

Their youngest child, Grey Douglas, was born in 2017.

During an interview with SheKnows, Sims spoke about how she has adopted a highly organized approach to managing her children's schedule, which has had a positive effect on her mental health.

Pose! She was snapped on the edge of the boat in the sunny climes

Stunning: She later covered up from the sizzling heat by pulling on a dress over the top

Taking a leap! She jumped in with a pal who was fully dressed for the launch

'Each of my kiddos are color coded so I know who goes where, and I have my own color for work. Everything goes in the calendar like time, location and parking info. It makes my life run smooth,' she said.

The performer also spoke about how she had begun following Instagram accounts and listening to podcasts that focused on the experience of motherhood.

She pointed out that she did so in an effort to alleviate 'the struggles of parenting. It makes us moms feel less alone and have a community to rely on.'

Wow: She also sizzled in a sheer kaftan which still left her figure on full display

Check me out: The couple looked overjoyed to be spending their time together as they chatted and posed

Smile! She was capturing shots from inside the water

Having a laugh: The duo were chatting as they immersed themselves into the water

Molly previously gushed over her husband in an interview, where she revealed what first attracted her to the handsome Patriots Day producer. 'He is so great at wearing so many hats, but at the same time being real,' she began.

The blonde bombshell added, 'And it just struck a chord at that time in my life when I was really trying to figure out my lane.' He is best known for producing three movies with Jennifer Aniston: The Break-Up, Love Happens and Christmas Office Party.

Stuber has also produced The Internship with Vince Vaughn and Free State Of Jones with Matthew McConaughey. And he's made several movies with Mark Wahlberg, including Ted 2.

Molly previously gushed over her husband in an interview, where she revealed what first attracted her to the handsome Patriots Day producer

Chilled out: Her elegant dress looked sensational

Stunner: She looked sensational as she larked around

Playing around: She was play fighting with a friend

Documenting the day: She filmed the boating excursion

'Missing that smile!' She shared snaps of her kids, who weren't with her on the boat
An expert has explained how Nadia Bartel can rebuild her Instagram brand following her lockdown breach and 'cocaine' scandal.

The former WAG and influencer, 36, can take three steps to get sponsors and brands back onside, crisis manager and chairman of communications firm Wilkinson Butler, Peter Wilkinson, told The Herald Sun on Monday.

The first step is simply silence for 'a couple of weeks', Wilkinson told the publication, adding, 'No tagging brands'.

Problem solving: An expert has explained how Nadia Bartel (pictured) can rebuild her Instagram brand following her lockdown breach and 'cocaine' scandal. Crisis manager Peter Wilkinson told The Herald Sun on Monday that Nadia could win back trust in two months

'Laying low means don't do anything else that sponsors will think is damaging for their brands,' he added.

The second step is to issue apologies to brands that have given her lucrative agreements in the past - and the 'sorry needs to be real'.

The third step is simply don't do it again - and make sure the brands that matter see that she's remorseful and changed her ways.

Three steps: Nadia must stay silent, then apologise, then change her ways, the expert says

'With good behaviour she can resurrect an income in as soon as two to three months,' Wilkinson said.

It comes after Nadia was dumped by a second brand following her viral video scandal.

Hairhouse Australia, a haircare and beauty company, has confirmed that they are no longer working with Bartel.

Jumping ship: Nadia was been dumped by a second brand following her viral video scandal - hair and beauty company Hairhouse Australia

In a statement shared to Daily Mail Australia, a spokesperson for Hairhouse Australia said: 'We can confirm that our contract with Nadia Bartel was a one-off campaign and has expired.'

Earlier on Monday, the So Dramatic Instagram account shared a statement from Hairhouse Australia that said their 'partnership with Nadia has come to an end'.

The statement went on: 'As a result of Nadia's actions, we have removed all affiliation with Nadia as an ambassador for Hairhouse'.

In a statement shared to Daily Mail Australia, a spokesperson for Hairhouse Australia said: 'We can confirm that our contract with Nadia Bartel was a one-off campaign and has expired'

Promotion: Nadia had last promoted the company on her Instagram on July 18, filming a hair tutorial video in a paid partnership

Done: Earlier on Monday, the So Dramatic Instagram account shared a statement from Hairhouse Australia that said their 'partnership with Nadia has come to an end'. The statement went on: 'As a result of Nadia's actions, we have removed all affiliation with Nadia as an ambassador for Hairhouse'

Nadia had last promoted the company on her Instagram on July 18, filming a hair tutorial video in a paid partnership.

It comes after a trendy vitamin brand also cut ties with Bartel for 'not sharing its values'.

On Sunday, JSHealth, a company who sell vitamins and supplements and are popular in Instagram circles, dumped Nadia as an ambassador after she had previously endorsed the brand on her social media.

Over: It comes after a trendy vitamin brand also cut ties with Bartel for 'not sharing its values'

However, in a post shared to JSHealth founder Jessica Sepel's Instagram page on Sunday, the vitamin merchant went out of her way not to call Nadia by name - instead bizarrely referring to her as 'this individual'.

Sepel wrote: 'Today I've had to make a hard decision as the founder and face of my brand, and let go of a brand endorser. I have to stand for what's right.

'We are a health brand who is very serious about aligning with individuals who share the same values.'

Ditched: On Sunday, JSHealth, a company who sell vitamins and supplements and are popular in Instagram circles, dumped Nadia as an ambassador after she had previously endorsed the brand on her social media

Was a fan: Nadia had previously promoted the trendy vitamin and wellness company, having spruiked the brand as recently as on August 4

She added: 'In saying that, I'm human and compassion is what the brand has always represented. Mental health is the number one priority here.

'I truly wish this individual strength and peace during this time and although I do not condone what happened, I am a believer that humans make mistakes and we are not a brand who wishes to beat anyone when they are down.'

She concluded: 'I stand for compassion and kindness, regardless of a situation. From female to fellow females - I wish you only peace and strength during this time. May we all find peace, always.'

Update: In a post shared to JSHealth founder Jessica Sepel's (pictured) Instagram page on Sunday, the vitamin merchant went out of her way not to call Nadia by name - instead bizarrely referring to her as 'this individual'

Sepel wrote: 'Today I've had to make a hard decision as the founder and face of my brand, and let go of a brand endorser. I have to stand for what's right. We are a health brand who is very serious about aligning with individuals who share the same values'

She added: 'In saying that, I'm human and compassion is what the brand has always represented. Mental health is the number one priority here'. Pictured: JSHealth Vitamins

Nadia had previously promoted the trendy vitamin and wellness company, having spruiked the brand as recently as on August 4.

Earlier on Sunday, JSHealth called out 'an individual who has endorsed our products' in an Instagram post shared on the official JSHealth Vitamins page.

Again without explicitly naming Bartel, the brand announced it was severing ties with the 'individual'.

Over: Earlier on Sunday, JSHealth called out 'an individual who has endorsed our products' in an Instagram post shared on the official JSHealth Vitamins page. Again without explicitly naming Bartel, the brand announced it was severing ties with the 'individual'

Disappointed: 'We, like many of you, are shocked and disappointed by the recent actions of an individual who has endorsed our products... We do not tolerate illicit behaviour,' the company said in a statement

'We, like many of you, are shocked and disappointed by the recent actions of an individual who has endorsed our products,' the company said in a statement.

'JSHealth fundamentally supports all public health orders in place to keep us safe in this hugely difficult time for so many. We do not tolerate illicit behaviour.

The statement concluded: 'Please know we have taken immediate action and will no longer be working with this individual - or anyone who does not align with our values.'

Video: The snub follows the unfortunate release of a video showing Nadia snorting lines of white powder off a $1.50 Kmart dinner plate at a gathering on Thursday

The snub follows the unfortunate release of a video showing Nadia snorting lines of white powder off a $1.50 Kmart dinner plate at a gathering last week.

Bartel was fined $5,452 for breaching Melbourne's lockdown on Monday, after video leaked online showing her snorting a white powder, believed to be cocaine, at a gathering on Thursday night.

She and three other women have been issued with Penalty Infringement Notices following the illegal gathering.

Each woman has been fined $5,452, but a fifth woman was not charged because she was 'complying with employment restrictions', Victoria Police said on Monday.

Fines: Bartel and three other women have been issued with Penalty Infringement Notices following the illegal gathering in Melbourne on Thursday evening. Police are also investigating possible drug offences after Bartel was recorded at the party snorting white powder believed to be cocaine

Police are also investigating possible drug offences after Bartel was recorded at the party snorting white powder believed to be cocaine.

'Four women have been issued with Penalty Infringement Notices following a gathering at a Richmond address in contravention of the Chief Health Officer's restrictions,' a Victoria Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

'The incident occurred at a private address on Thursday, September 2, at 4pm.

Pricey: Each woman has been fined $5,452, but a fifth woman was not charged because she was 'complying with employment restrictions', Victoria Police said on Monday

'A 36-year-old Windsor woman, a 32-year-old Richmond woman, a 33-year-old Pascoe Vale woman and a 35-year-old Strathmore woman have all been issued with a Penalty Infringement Notice for failing to comply with requirements in relation to a private or public gathering.

'The monetary penalty for each Penalty Infringement Notice is $5,452. A fifth woman at the address was not charged as she was complying with CHO employment restrictions. Enquiries into possible drug offences are ongoing.'

Nadia's friend and business partner Ellie Pearson, who filmed and published the now-viral clip entirely by mistake, revealed she was remorseful over the incident.

Heartbroken: Nadia's friend and business partner Ellie Pearson (left) who filmed and published the now-viral clip entirely by mistake, revealed she was remorseful over the incident. 'I'm just devastated,' she told The Herald Sun on Friday evening

'I'm just devastated,' she told The Herald Sun on Friday evening.

Nadia, who is a popular influencer endorsing numerous brands, broke her silence and issued an apology over the incident on Friday evening.

'Hi everyone, I have let you all down by my actions. I take full responsibility and I am committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure I make better choices in future,' she wrote in an Instagram post on Friday evening.

Apology: Breaking her silence in a post shared to Instagram on Friday afternoon, the 36-year-old mum of two wrote: 'Hi everyone, I have let you all down by my actions. I take full responsibility and I am committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure I make better choices in future'

'To my family and friends, my business partners and the public health workers trying to keep us all safe, I am embarrassed and remorseful.

'I am truly and deeply sorry. I hope I can earn your forgiveness and, in time, your trust.'

Bartel is a mother of two and entrepreneur who runs the fake-tan company Spray Aus and clothing label Henne.

She is the ex-wife of retired AFL star Jimmy Bartel. The couple split in 2019 after five years of marriage.
John Travolta and Kelly Preston's daughter Ella has followed in her famous parents footsteps by taking up acting.

And on Monday the beauty, 21, shared images from her latest film Get Lost. The film is a modern-day re-imagining of Alice In Wonderland where the creatures are turned into human characters, according to Deadline.

In one image she also posed with her father, who is best known for his films Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Pulp Fiction and Face/Off, on the set in Budapest.

Supportive father: John Travolta and Kelly Preston's daughter Ella has followed in her famous parents footsteps by taking up acting. And on Monday the beauty, 21, shared images from her latest film Get Lost, a modern-day re-imagining of Alice In Wonderland

The brunette looked thrilled to be on set as she shared an image with dozens of balloons.

And the budding star was also seen with her cast mates. In another shot she seemed to be posing with her younger brother Benjamin.

'And thats a wrap on Get Lost!!! This has been such an incredible experience. Budapest has been a dream and most importantly Ive gotten to meet and work with so many amazing people,' said the beauty.

'Thank you so so much to all of the cast and crew who worked so hard on this film and brought everything to life so beautifully.

The set looks sweet: 'And thats a wrap on Get Lost!!! This has been such an incredible experience. Budapest has been a dream and most importantly Ive gotten to meet and work with so many amazing people,' said the beauty; here she seems to be with her brother Benjamin

A treat: The brunette looked thrilled to be on set as she shared an image with dozens of balloons

'Thank you to our wonderful director, Daniela, for your kindness and guidance always. And to our stellar producers, for everything you do.#aliceinwonderland.'

In July she recorded a video where she said she was thrilled to be on the film.

'I am so honored and happy to begin this adventure on such a wonderful project with such an amazing cast and crew. Stay tuned @get_lost_the_film #aliceinwonderland,' wrote Ella in her caption.

Her last movie was The Poison Rose.

Last month John spoke about what he told his son Ben after his wife Kelly Preston passed away in 2020.

Thrilled to be there: 'Thank you to our wonderful director, Daniela, for your kindness and guidance always. And to our stellar producers, for everything you do.#aliceinwonderland'

With her new friends: The movie also stars James Cromwell as Frederick, Jan Luis Castellanos as Ryan, Edouard Philipponnat as William and Nikolett Barabas as Jennifer

The Urban Cowboy actor, 67, recently appeared on Kevin Hart's talk show Hart to Heart and told the comedian about how he had to discuss mortality with his 10-year-old child following his spouse's death.

The actress previously passed away in July of 2020 after undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

Travolta pointed out that his son broached the topic during a conversation and expressed that his child was very honest about his feelings.

The star recalled that Ben 'said to me once, "Because mom passed away, I'm afraid you're going to."'

The performer pointed out that he and his wife were two different individuals and attempted to explain the situation to his son.

'I said, "Well, it's a very different thing." And I went through the differences about my longevity and her limited life,' he recalled.

Being honest: John spoke about having to discuss mortality with his son Ben after Kelly Preston's passing during an August episode of the talk show Hart to Heart

Tough topic: The Pulp Fiction actor recalled that his son wanted to discuss death following the death of the actress in 2020

Talking it out: Travolta told Hart that he 'went through the differences about my longevity and her limited life' with his son; he is seen with Preston in 2018

Travolta then told Hart that he had to explain the challenges of living with grief to his son, which he attempted to do in an easy-to-understand manner.

The actor recalled that he 'said, "But you know, Benyou always love the truth and I'm going to tell you the truth about life. Nobody knows when they're gonna go or when they're going to stay."'

The Saturday Night Fever star then told his son to keep his chin up and to embrace loss as part of living, as he had already done so.

He told Ben: '"I could die tomorrow. You could. Anybody can. So let's look at it like it's part of life. You don't know exactly. You just do your best at trying to live the longest you can."'

Being supportive: Travolta told his son to not worry about death and keep on living as best as he could

Travolta also spoke about how Ben was interested in how his father viewed his life going forward.

The performer recalled: 'He said, "Does 30 years ago seem like a long time?" I said, "Yeah." He said, "Don't you think you have 30 more years in your life to live?" I said, "Yeah, I do."

The actor then pointed out that Ben's response to his statement was unexpectedly positive and that he was impressed with his son's maturity.

'He said, "What's wrong with that?" This is a 10-year-old telling me that! It changed my viewpoint,' Travolta said.

The actor and Preston were initially romantically linked in 1989 after they met during a screen test for the comedy film The Experts.

The pair moved quickly with their relationship and went on to become engaged and tie the knot in 1991.

Travolta and his wife welcomed their first son, Jett, the following year and added their daughter Ella and Benjamin to their lives in 2000 and 2010, respectively.

Working together: The former couple originally met while working on the 1989 comedy feature The Experts, in which they appeared; they are seen with Ben in 2012

Tragedy struck the family in 2009 when the couple's oldest child passed away during a vacation in the Bahamas.

The family stayed together for just over a decade before Preston died as a result of complications from breast cancer.

The actress' passing was initially announced through a post made to Travolta's Instagram account in July of 2020.
Alex Jones has marveled at her newborn daughter's prematurely thick head of hair as she continues to make the most of maternity leave following the birth of her third child.

The One Show presenter welcomed baby Annie with husband Charlie Thomson in August, and has since been treating Instagram followers with updates on their youngest child.

Taking to the social media platform on Monday, Alex, 44, played her daughter's surprisingly dense head of hair for laughs while posting another selfie.

Funny: Alex Jones has marveled at her newborn daughter's prematurely thick head hair as she continues to make the most of maternity leave following the birth of her third child

Sharing an image of herself cradling the newborn, she commented: 'Looks like I have my own little baby chimpanzee.'

The presenter posted her update shortly before taking advantage of the current heatwave by venturing out with husband Charlie and their children for an al-fresco lunch.

Making an appearance at London's Pub In The Park event later that day, Alex admitted the outing had been dominated by her youngest child, adding: 'Feels like I've fed Annie for approx 20 hours today. She's insatiable.'

Busy: Making an appearance at London's Pub In The Park event later that day, Alex admitted the outing had been dominated by her youngest child's demand for milk

The presenter finally announced the name of her baby daughter while breastfeeding live on Wednesday's episode of The One Show.

Alex gave birth to Annie at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in London and documented the experience for her followers on Instagram.

In the footage, Alex appeared to have been planning a water birth, as shared a clip of her husband trying to play some soothing music while stood next to a birthing pool.

Relentless: Alex was still breastfeeding hours later, as she prepared for bed

So happy: The presenter welcomed her third child with husband Charlie Thomson in August

Appreciating her other half's efforts, she quipped: 'The importance of a good birthing partner'.

However, Alex revealed that it took a while for labour to get going as she shared a hilarious snap of Charlie sleeping next to the pool.

She posted: 'But even he got a bit bored as we waited for contractions. Reminded him later of how many babies have probably been born on that beanbag'.

Alex also raises sons Teddy, four, and Kit, two, with her insurance broker husband.

In love: The One Show presenter Alex married insurance broker Charlie in 2015
Jean-Paul Belmondo has died aged 88.

The actor, who was arguably one of the biggest French stars in the 1960s, was famed for starring in crime drama Breathless and 1964 movie That Man From Rio.

News of Belmondo's death was confirmed to AFP on Monday by his lawyer. It's believed Belmondo died at his home in Paris amid ill health.

Sad news: Jean-Paul Belmondo has died aged 88 - his agent confirmed his death to AFP on Monday (pictured above in 2011)

Belmondo's lawyer Michel Godest confirmed in a statement: 'He had been very tired for some time. He passed away quietly.

No further details are currently known surrounding his passing.

The movie talent, who was nicknamed Bebel by French audiences, initially shot to fame over 60 years ago and has over 80 film titles to his name, with Belmondo last appearing on screen in 2009 in French feature A Man and His Dog (Un Homme et Son Chien).

Born in Paris, Belmondo was an amateur boxer before he turned his attentions to acting.

Talent: The actor, who was arguably one of the biggest French stars in the 1960s, was famed for starring in crime drama Breathless and 1964 movie That Man From Rio (pictured in 1974)

Stellar: He won international fame with his performance in Breathless - a French movie that was widely seen by US and UK audiences (pictured above with Ursula Andress (L) and Catherine Deneuve (R) in 1968

He enrolled in a drama school in his teenage years and got his first big break on stage at Theatre de L'Atelier in Paris in 1953.

Belmondo's first film appearance was in the short film Moliere in 1956 and he appeared in movie A Dog, A Mouse and a Sputnik in 1958.

He later appeared alongside fellow French actor Alain Delon, who went on to become one of Europe's most prominent movie stars, in Be Beautiful But Shut Up the same year.

Belmondo then worked with director Jean-Luc Godard in short film Charlotte and her Boyfriend, before bagging his first leading role in Les Copains du Dimanche and going on to gain international success in Godard's French film Breathless in 1960.

His role in Breathless arguably made Belmondo a key individual in the French New Wave - a film movement that first emerged in the 1950s.

The film was widely seen across the US and the UK, with the New York Times describing Belmondo as 'the most impressive young French actor since the advent of the late Gerard Philipe' in 1961.

Much-loved: Iconic star Belmondo went on to become a favourite among film lovers, despite his rugged looks being a far cry from French cinema's usually chiselled stars (pictured above at the Lumiere Festival in Lyon in 2013)

Big screen: The movie veteran spent three months of a sabbatical from film-making in Hollywood, but had no interest in learning English or making any English language movies

Iconic: Belmondo became a key individual in the French New Wave - a film movement that first emerged in the 1950s (pictured above with fellow French actor Alain Delon in 1969)

Belmondo played the role of Michel Poiccard in Breathless, which was inspired by killer Michel Portail. The film immediately became a box office hit on its release and it was widely known for its unconventional production process, with director Godard reportedly writing new dialogue for the movie every day.

Godard was also known for shooting the movie without lighting.

Iconic star Belmondo went on to become a favourite among film lovers, despite his rugged looks being a far cry from French cinema's usually chiselled stars.

Belmondo was known for playing gangsters on the big screen, with the actor also starring in many comedies and a series of Italian movies too.

Other titles he worked on in the 1960s were Greed In The Sun, Is Paris Burning?, Weekend At Dunkirk, A Woman Is A Woman, Banana Peel, Casino Royale - which was loosely based on Ian Fleming's James Bond and The Thief Of Paris.

After wrapping 1967 title The Thief Of Paris, Belmondo took a year-and-a-half off from film-making. He spent three months of his sabbatical in Hollywood, but had no interest in learning English or making any English language movies.

Of his time off, Belmondo previously said: 'One day it seemed that life was passing me by. I didn't want to work. So I stopped. Then one day I felt like starting again. So I started.'

Romance: Belmondo was married twice throughout his lifetime and split from second wife Natty Tardivel (pictured above with the actor in 2004) in 2008 after six years of marriage

Returning to acting, he went on to star in Ho!, The Brain and The Burglars among others.

Throughout his career, Belmondo starred alongside a slew of famous actresses, including Catherine Deneuve, Sophia Loren, Jean Seberg, Claudia Cardinale, Raquel Welch, Gina Lollobrigida and Ursula Andress

Belmondo also set up his own production company, Cerito Films, in a bid to produce his own movies and the first film his company released, black comedy Dr Popaul, starring American actress Mia Farrow.

In 2010, Belmondo was given the Career Achievement Award at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards.

The late star is survived by his three children; daughters Florence and Stella and son Paul. His eldest child Patricia died in a fire in 1993.

Belmondo was married twice throughout his lifetime. He first wed Elodie Constantin in 1952, who he shares children Patricia, Florence and Paul with. The pair split in 1965 and their divorce was finalised in 1968.

Health issues: In 2001, Belmondo suffered a stroke that paralysed the right-hand side of his body and left him unable to speak for six months (pictured in Paris in 2007)

Last hurrah: He underwent physical therapy daily to regain his strength and last appeared onscreen in 2009 in movie A Man and His Dog - only agreeing to do the film if it portrayed him as he was, an elderly disabled man (pictured above in 2015)

In 1989, Belmondo, then in his mid-50s, met his second wife Natty Tardivel, who was 24 years old at the time.

They later married in 2002 and welcomed daughter Stella, now 17, the following year in 2003. Belmondo and Natty divorced in 2008.

While married to Natty, Belmondo suffered a stroke in 2001 that paralysed the right-hand side of his body and left him unable to speak for six months.

The star managed to regain his physical strength to continue making movies, after undergoing physical therapy daily. He agreed to be a part of his final movie A Man and His Dog over a decade ago, as long as the film portrayed him as he was; an elderly, disabled man.

Belmondo previously said of his role, that had little dialogue, in the 2009 movie: 'Its me without any special effects,' and he appeared onscreen with a cane.

The movie follows the story of an old man who finds himself homeless and alone, with just his dog to keep him company.

Much-loved: Following news of Belmondo's death, tributes have flooded in for the star on social media (pictured above with Italian actress Laura Antonelli in 1974)

Following news of Belmondo's death, tributes have flooded in for the star on social media.

Fans paid their respects, with one posting on Twitter: 'A legend that goes away. One more star in the starry sky. RIP Mr Belmondo. You have accompanied all my life with your films and I had the immense honor of meeting you.'

Another wrote: 'RIP Jean Paul Belmondo. Screen legend. One of the absolute coolest.'

A third penned: '80 films, 50 years of career, more than 130 million spectacles, Jean-Paul Belmondo great French actor died today at the age of 88 years. Rest in peace Sir. Condolences to his family.'

Belmondo was last seen celebrating his 88th birthday in August at a family party with his children and grandchildren.
Salma Hayek mourned the loss of her sister-in-law, Florence Rogers-Pinault, with a touching tribute shared to Instagram on Monday morning.

The 55-year-old actress penned a heartfelt note in Spanish, French and English as she shared a photo with Florence, who reportedly died at the age of 58.

'My friend and my dear sister-in-law, today you are flying into the unknown and I will never be able to embrace you again,' she shared with her 18million followers.

Sad: Salma Hayek mourned the loss of her sister-in-law, Florence Rogers-Pinault, with a touching tribute shared to Instagram on Monday morning

'But the sensation of your kindness, your strength, your zest for life, as well as the eternal light of the stars shining in your eyes and most of all the resonance of your laughter will live on in my heart forever.

She used a #family hashtag and finished her tribute with: 'Rest in peace Florence Rogers Pinault.'

Florence was the sister of Salma's husband, Francois-Henri Pinault, and the aunt of her daughter Valentina.

Mourning: The 55-year-old actress penned a heartfelt note in Spanish, French and English as she shared a photo with Florence, who reportedly died at the age of 58

The Frida star announced that she was engaged to Pinault in March 2007 and also confirmed that she was pregnant. Hayek gave birth to their daughter, Valentina Paloma, in September 2007.

The Mexican actress and the Kering CEO  who owns luxury brands Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta  tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Paris on Valentine's Day in 2009.

Francois-Henri shares a son, Francois, 23, and a daughter Matilde, 20, with his ex-wife Dorothee Lepere, and a son, Augustin, with ex Linda Evangelista. The Academy Award nominee appears to have a good relationship with her stepchildren.

Husband and wife: The Frida star and the Kering CEO  who owns luxury brands Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta  tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Paris on Valentine's Day in 2009; seen in July

Family first: Salma is seen with daughter Valentina and husband Francois-Henri Pinault in Milan back in February 2019

Salma confessed that her marriage was stronger than ever during a sit-down with Dax Shepard on his Armchair Expert podcast.

'In pictures, you cannot begin to guess the magic in [Francois-Henri],' she said. 'He's made me become a much better person.

'And, you know, when I married him, everybody said, "Oh, it's arranged marriage, she married him for the money." I'm like, "Yeah, whatever, b****. Think what you want."

'Fifteen years together, and we are strong in love. And I don't even get offended; I'm like, "Yeah, whatever."'
Gary Oldman's wife Gisele Schmidt paid a visit to her Oscar-winning husband's work on Monday.

She stopped by the set of Apple TV+ spy drama Slow Horses, as they shot scenes on location in London.

She watched on lovingly as he got to work, in the role of Jackson Lamb - a hapless British intelligence agent exiled to Slough House, an MI5 dumping ground for washed-up spooks.

Popping by: Gary Oldman's wife Gisele Schmidt paid a visit to her Oscar-winning husband's work on Monday

Tie askew and sporting a generous paunch, Gary, 63, cut a dishevelled figure on the streets of Chelsea.

He was seen stopping between takes to chat to Gisele - a photographer and art curator who is the actor's fifth wife, having wed her in 2017.

He snacked on tortillas between scenes, looking somewhat of a mess in his costume.

He wore a grey striped shirt and black tie over loose slacks and unflattering shoes.

On location: He got to work, in the role of Jackson Lamb - a hapless British intelligence agent exiled to Slough House, an MI5 dumping ground for washed-up spooks

Watching on: She stopped by the set of Apple TV+ spy drama Slow Horses, as they shot scenes on location in London

Hapless: Tie askew and sporting a generous paunch, Gary, 63, cut a dishevelled figure on the streets of Chelsea

She's a fan: She watched on lovingly as he filmed scenes on the street

Scruffy: Gary was looking somewhat of a mess in his costume. He wore a grey striped shirt and black tie over loose slacks and unflattering shoes

Checking in: He was seen stopping between takes to chat to Gisele

Oldman recently described the character as having 'greasy hair and flatulence' adding: 'Hes a f**ting, working-class version of George Smiley.'

Gisele watched on in a black T-shirt and russet slacks, carrying a camera around her neck.

She wore a facemask, as did the crew, still abiding by Covid safety protocol, adding shades to the ensemble and wearing her mane in a side plait.

Gary was married to Lesley Manville between 1987 and 1990, Uma Thurman from 1990 through 1992, Donya Fiorentino from 1997 until 2001 and Alexandra Edenborough between 2008 and 2015.

I'll take one: He snacked on tortillas between scenes

Wife # 5: Gisele is a photographer and art curator who is the actor's fifth wife

Married: They wed in 2017; Gary was previously married to Lesley Manville, Uma Thurman, Donya Fiorentino, and Alexandra Edenborough

Oldman recently described the character as having 'greasy hair and flatulence' adding: 'Hes a f**ting, working-class version of George Smiley'

New look: It is not the first time Oldman has piled on the pounds to play a secret agent

Co-stars: Game of Thrones star Sir Jonathan Pryce and English actress Olivia Cooke also star in the series

Loving wife: Gisele watched on in a black T-shirt and russet slacks, carrying a camera around her neck. She wore a facemask, as did the crew, still abiding by Covid safety protocol, adding shades to the ensemble and wearing her mane in a side plait

Committed: Gary gorged on chips, hamburgers and ice-cream puddings before starring as George Smiley in the 2011 adaptation of John le Carres Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Gary is starring alongside Kristin Scott Thomas in the 12-part series for Apple TV+ based on novelist Mick Herrons bestselling spy books.

61-year-old Scott Thomas plays Diana Taverner, a formidable, high-ranking MI5 agent with the alias Lady Di.

The pair were pictured on a bench by Regents Canal in North London on Friday morning and were seen laughing while taking a selfie together between takes.

It is not the first time Oldman has piled on the pounds to play a secret agent; he gorged on chips, hamburgers and ice-cream puddings before starring as George Smiley in the 2011 adaptation of John le Carres Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Game of Thrones star Sir Jonathan Pryce and English actress Olivia Cooke also star in the series.
Amazon Prime Video are reportedly on the quest to find a new leading lady for the film-to-series adaption of Mr And Mrs Smith, following news that Phoebe Waller-Bridge has quit due to 'creative differences' with co-star Donald Glover.

The actress, 36, decided to leave the adaptation of the 2005 film - which she was also set to executive produce - according to Hollywood Reporter.

The publication said on Monday: 'Sources say that the Fleabag Emmy winner had a different creative vision for the series than Donald Glover, with whom she was poised to star alongside.'

Swift exit: Phoebe Waller-Bridge has reportedly quit the Amazon Prime Video adaption of Mr And Mrs Smith due to 'creative differences' with co-star Donald Glover (pictured in 2017)

'Waller-Bridge and Glover remain friends following what was described as an amicable split.

'Waller-Bridge's role will now be recast as the series remains on track for a 2022 debut.'

According to the insider, writing for the show is currently underway with filming expected to begin in 2022.

Representatives for Phoebe and Donald have been contacted by MailOnline for a comment.

Phoebe and Donald previously worked together on the 2018 film Solo: A Star Wars Story, and were set to play assassins John Smith and Jane Smith.

Split: The actress, 36, allegedly decided to leave the upcoming show - which she was also set to executive produce - while her former co-star remains co-creator, exec producer and actor (pictured in 2019)

Inspiration: The original Mr And Mrs Smith in 2005 - starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt - was a blockbuster hit, grossing more than $487 million worldwide

Donald proposed the reimagining of Mr And Mrs Smith through a TV series to Amazon, and he remains as co-creator, exec producer and starring actor.

Francesca Sloane joined forces with the the star as co-creator and she will also fulfil the role of executive producer and showrunner on the upcoming programme.

New Regency chairman Yariv Milchan and film producer Michael Schaefer are also poised as exec producers.

The decision to cast Phoebe and Donald was announced earlier this year, and at the time, Jennifer Salke, the head of Amazon Studios, hailed the move, describing them as a 'powerhouse creative team'.

She said: 'Talk about the dream team! Donald and Phoebe are two of the most talented creators and performers in the world.

'It's truly a dream for us, as it will be for our global audience, to have these two forces of nature collaborating as a powerhouse creative team.'

The original Mr And Mrs Smith in 2005 - starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt - was a blockbuster hit, grossing more than $487 million worldwide.

Moving on: Hollywood Reporter said on Monday: 'Sources say that the Fleabag Emmy winner had a different creative vision for the series than Donald Glover' (pictured in Fleabag in 2016)

The American crime comedy followed a suburban couple whose marriage ventured into troubled waters when they realised they were both secret assassins with respective new missions to murder each other.

When they are both assigned to kill the same target, Benjamin Danz (Adam Brody), the truth comes to the surface.

Finally free from their cover stories, they discover that they have been assigned to kill each other, sparking a series of explosive attacks.

Despite leaving the series adaptation, Phoebe isn't short of new jobs or pay cheques as it was reported earlier in September that her company PMWB has raked in 10.7 million in just eight months so far in 2021 - a rate of 29,315 a day.

The actress and writer has gone from Fleabag to moneybags, and registered the huge turnover in her company PMWB Limited.

Phoebe also helps write Killing Eve, has a deal with Amazon and is one of the hottest properties in showbiz - as revealed in her company earnings.

Left on good terms: The source continued: 'Waller-Bridge and Glover remain friends following what was described as an amicable split' (pictured together in 2019)

PMWB made a massive 11.4 million in her last full year of trading, from 2019-20.

Phoebe paid herself 1.4 million pounds in dividends between April last year and the end of November, the paperwork shows.

The combined figures mean the company, which handles income from 'motion picture and television programme production' has turned over more than 22 million in just 20 months.

After creditors and other payments were settled the company still has a retained fortune of 11.8 million including 6.6 million in cash and 2.7 million in investments.

Modestly the accounts state: 'The director considers that the results for the period and the financial position at the end of the year were satisfactory.'

Phoebe is the sole director and the documents state that she also paid herself a 33,000 salary and the company had to pay a 1.3 million corporation tax bill.

The accounts show there are three employees - two 'creative executives' and one in administration - who earn a combined 571,273 including pension payments.

Meanwhile Donald has his hands full and is currently in postproduction for the third season of the FX show, Atlanta. He has also written the scripts for the upcoming fourth season.

Phoebe is also one of four credited screenwriters on the upcoming 25th James Bond film, No Time to Die, which will finally be released later this month after a series of pandemic-related delays.

The Fleabag creator, whose Amazon Prime Video series picked up six Primetime Emmy Award wins last year, was brought onto the film back in 2019 at the behest of star Daniel Craig.

No Time to Die will be the first Bond film to come out in the era of the #MeToo and Time's Up movements.

'They were just looking for tweaks across a few of the characters and a few of the storylines,' she said at the time.
Scott Disick and girlfriend Amelia Hamlin are 'taking time apart' after he was caught talking trash about ex Kourtney Kardashian with her former boyfriend Younes Bendjima.

The reality star, 38, and model, 20, 'needed a break from one another, that was clear,' according to an insider with E! News.

'They are in different places and trying to figure out if it's time to move on and if they are really done.

And her mother Lisa Rinna, 58, has already made it clear she's fed up with the father-of-three, taking to Instagram on Sunday to try a 'manifest' her youngest a new relationship with heartthrob Harry Styles, who is 27.

Doing her own thing: Scott Disick and girlfriend Amelia Hamlin are 'taking time apart' after he was caught talking trash about ex Kourtney Kardashian with her former boyfriend Younes Bendjima

Better times: The reality star, 38, and model, 20, are said to be 'having issues' in the midst of the drama, with People insiders dishing that Amelia 'isn't happy with him' right now

People magazine's source seemed to hint at a similar path, with their insider saying: 'Scott and Amelia are going through a rocky patch.'

'It's partly because of the Kourtney drama but also just "Scott being Scott." They're not fully over yet, but Amelia isn't happy with him.'

Another person close to the situation said that the duo, who have been inseparable in months past, decided to spend the Labor Day weekend separately.

'They have spent the weekend apart so far,' the source said.

'Everything seemed fine last weekend and then all of a sudden, they seem to be having issues. They are on the East Coast separately and didn't leave Los Angeles together.'

Tired: On Monday, an exhausted Amelia posted an Instagram selfie saying she was taking a 'day off'

On Monday, an exhausted Amelia posted an Instagram selfie with the message: 'Day off. Wll [sic] be here all day for all inquiries plz reach out to my bed.'

While Hamlin appeared to be over it, mom Lisa already had a replacement in mind.

After previously wondering 'why can't [her boyfriend] be Harry Styles? Why the f*** is it Scott Disick?,' the reality star shared a loaded snap of the pop star to her Instagram on Monday.

Appearing to bid something 'Goodbye', the photo showed Styles sending a kiss farewell.'

Envision it: She made her intentions more clear in the comment section, responding to one fan who said 'manifestation works,' with: 'It does'

And she made her intentions more clear in the comment section, responding to one fan who said 'manifestation works,' with: 'It does.'

Her husband Harry Hamlin earlier was asked how he felt about Amelia, who was age 19 at the time of filming, dating much older Scott.

''My feelings about it, I must confess: The issue that's the most enduring is the age difference, which to me is odd,' Harry said.

'But, then again, every time I think of that, I think of myself and Ursula Andress. I was 14 years younger than she when we had Dimitri, so I can't really complain, right?,' Harry added referencing his son Dimitri, 41.

Mom talk: Rinna took a dig at Disick for dating her much younger daughter Amelia on an episode of The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills

Why him? 'I can't say the same for Amelia at this point now. Like, why can't it be Harry Styles? 'Why the f*** is it Scott Disick?,' Lisa added in her confessional

Last week Amelia appeared to take a swipe at her boyfriend via a thinly-veiled Instagram.

Snapping a pic of a tank top that read 'Don't you have a Girlfriend?' by brand Holy Vs Holy the model appeared to make her thoughts on his shameless messages known.

On August 30, the Talentless designer  who Amelia has been linked to since October 2020  sent Kourtney's ex Younes a direct message about her PDA-packed behavior with boyfriend Travis Barker.

'Yo is this chick ok!??? Broo like what is this. In the middle of Italy,' Scott wrote as he sent a photo of Kourtney kissing and straddling the Blink-182 drummer on an inflatable boat.

The leak: On August 30, the Talentless designer  who Amelia has been linked to since October 2020  sent Kourtney's ex Younes a direct message about her PDA-packed behavior with boyfriend Travis Barker

Read between the lines: Last week Amelia appeared to take a swipe at her boyfriend via a thinly-veiled Instagram photo of a friend wearing a shirt that said 'Don't you have a Girlfriend?'

Trouble in paradise? A source told ET that Amelia was 'annoyed' by the messages but that the pair were 'still together'; pictured May 2021

Younes  who dated the POOSH founder from 2016 to 2018  leaked the message on Instagram and had words to say about Scott.

'Keep the same energy you had about me publicly, privately,' the model wrote as he shared a grab of the story, after responding to Disick: 'Doesn't matter to me as long as she's happy PS: I ain't your bro.'

After the message was leaked a source told ET that Amelia was 'annoyed' by the situation but that they were 'still together,' and had plans to spend Labor Day together.

'Amelia was definitely annoyed by Scott [allegedly] DMing Younes about Kourtney, but she's not going to do anything about it and they're still together,' the source said.

Girls night: The model daughter of Lisa Rinna headed out on the town with girlfriends with Scott was in The Hamptons

Leggy: Her look for the night included a mini skirt with knee high boots

'They are spending Labor Day in New York and planning to go to The Hamptons and then be in NYC for Fashion Week.'

It was also added: 'Scott is trying to move on from the whole situation, but is a little embarrassed that he reached out to Younes and that he posted their exchange.'

The Flip It Like Disick star was said to be 'riled up' because her new romance was affecting their relationship.'It's more strained than ever,' an Us Weekly insider said.

And PEOPLE reported that Kourtney had plans to 'confront' Scott once she got back to the US but was 'not shocked' he would stoop to that level.

Confrontation: PEOPLE reported that Kourtney had plans to 'confront' Scott once she got back to the US but was 'not shocked' he would stoop to that level; pictured August 30

'Scott has always had a difficult time accepting that Kourtney is happy with someone else.

'He is especially threatened by her relationship with Travis... She doesn't get why he felt the need to reach out to Younes. She will confront him about it.'

Disick  with whom Kourtney shares kids Mason, 11, Penelope, nine and Reign, six  cryptically alluded to the drama in his life in a recent Instagram post.

He posted a nighttime shot of his beach view from Gurney's Montauk and wrote 'Life's a real beach.'
Only Fools and Horses star John Challis has been forced to cancel his upcoming speaking tour due to 'a secret cancer battle', according to reports.

The star, 79, had completed one date of his 30-date tour, however was told by a medical professional to cancel the run altogether.

A statement from tour promoter A Way With Media told The Sun: 'Due to ill health, John's tour is cancelled with immediate effect.

Illness: Only Fools and Horses star John Challis, 79, has been forced to cancel his upcoming speaking tour due to 'a secret cancer battle', according to reports

Best known: The actor is best known for his portrayal of Boycie in the much-loved British comedy series Only Fools and Horses alongside Sir David Jason (pictured)

'He completed the first show of his present tour, intending to continue. However, he has been advised to cancel further engagements.'

MailOnline has reached out to Challis' representatives for comment.

The paper added that Challis' tour was supposed to run from September until November and that the actor was told just days ago that he should not perform.

A Way With Media specialises in artist tours, and the company was behind Challis' recent spring tour, which ran from August 2020 to May 2021.

A description for the event reads: 'Enjoy an intimate evening with John Challis, one of the nation's greatest comedy actors, best known as Boycie in BBC1's Only Fools and Horses. In this one-off show the national treasure will reveal secrets from the set with stories and anecdotes from his dazzling career.'

Citizenship: It comes a day after Challis was granted honorary citizenship in Serbia for his portrayal of Boycie in the much-loved British comedy series

It comes a day after Challis was granted honorary citizenship in Serbia for his portrayal of Boycie in the much-loved British comedy series alongside Sir David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst throughout the show's 22-year run.

The second-hand car dealer, with his staple nasal twang and mocking laugh, has become somewhat of a household name in the country.

The show has always been popular in the Balkan state but it enjoyed a resurgence last year, causing 'Boycie mania' to sweep through the country.

Statement: A statement from tour promoter A Way With Media told The Sun : 'Due to ill health, John's tour is cancelled with immediate effect' (pictured on Only Fools And Horses in 2001)

During a visit, Challis was mobbed by fans as he met Serbian Ambassador to Britain Aleksandra Joksimovic.

He even made a documentary called Boycie in Belgrade to explore Serbia's love affair with the show.

Challis told the Mirror: 'It's just as popular out there as it is here. A local DJ said it was the only thing that made them smile during their terrible wars.

Famous role: The actor played Boycie  or Terrance Aubrey Boyce  between 1981 and 2009 (pictured in OFAH in 2001)

'I think people identify with those characters and the stories.

'They love Boycie, Trigger, Del Boy, Rodney they have murals of them all over the place.'

Challis was offered honorary Serbian citizenship by the Deputy Mayor of Belgrade, Goran Vesic, following the release of his documentary.

Mr Vesic said: 'Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said to me she would give the passport to him personally when he comes to Belgrade.'

Challis added: 'I was just flabbergasted. It's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me really.'
She welcomed her second child Fredrick in June with childhood sweetheart Bobby Koostra.

And comedian and actress Katherine Ryan revealed on Monday her son 'was almost born in the car' on the way to the hospital.

The mother-of-two, 37, spoke candidly about her baby while also discussing her ITV2 new show Ready To Mingle.

Candid: Katherine Ryan revealed on Monday her son 'was almost born in the car' on the way to the hospital

The star joined Holly and Phil on This Morning to discuss her new dating show which premieres tonight.

The new mum looked radiant in a fuchsia pink leopard pattern maxi dress and a stylish green headband.

The ensemble was embellished with feathered sleeves and she donned quirky green stilettos.

When asked about her new baby and how she was feeling the star said: 'I'm really well.

Sweet: The mother-of-two, 37, spoke candidly about her baby while also discussing her ITV2 new show Ready To Mingle

New gig: The star joined Holly and Phil on This Morning to discuss her new dating show which premieres on ITV2 tonight

'He is humungous he's twelve weeks now and he's about the size of a twelve year old and we just love him.

The comedian -who retuned the work 10 days after giving birth- also revealed she was 'running on adrenaline'.

She said: 'I think when I said that I was running on adrenaline and then you hit a wall and it gets tough.'

'It is tough I forgot how relentless it is so I potentially mispoke. He was nearly birthed in the car.

'I tried to pay for a posh place like Kate and William but he was almost born in the car.'

Stunning: The new mum looked radiant in a fuchsia pink leopard pattern maxi dress and a stylish green headband

Looking good: The ensemble was embellished with feathered sleeves and she donned quirky green stilettos

Katherine also compared dating show Ready To Mingle to Love Island.

She said: '[I'm a] Huge reality show fan, I love it. I was addicted to Love Island and I love watching people work things out and be genuine and that's what I love about Ready To Mingle is sometimes people go on reality shows with a plan but with Ready To Mingle it's honest that people go on, some ready to mingle and some playing a game.'

The show will see 12 guys fighting for the attentions of one single girl, but the catch is not all the boys are strictly single themselves.

Set to be at the centre of all the drama as the show debuts on ITV2 is 24-year-old Sophia Maria, who has already racked up a following of over 2000 on Instagram.

Busy: The comedian -who retuned the work 10 days after giving birth- also revealed she was 'running on adrenaline'

New show in town: Katherine also compared dating show Ready To Mingle to Love Island

Katherine said: 'You can feel comfortable with Sofia knowing half the guys are liars and some are not and that's what she signed up to do.'

'Sofia was amazing she was chosen because she is so empowered and she's a girl not to be messed with and she knows what she wants, and she went for the challenge and to take what she's learnt from the past and see if she meets the love of her life.'

The blonde beauty said she was shocked by some of the boyfriends partners as they were pushing them to lie to win the 50K price fund.

She said: 'I was shocked Phil because often it was the partners pushing the boyfriends to go on the show saying "let's go on it to win" but some of them were shocked at how good their boys were at lying or how bad they were, and it was emotive.

Busy: Katherine has revealed that she went back to work filming new reality show Ready To Mingle just ten days after giving birth in a candid new interview

'Some of them are given permission to do what they want to do and that shocked me.'

This comes after the star revealed giving birth to her little one was just a small 'speed bump' before she 'kept going' with her busy work schedule.

She told New!: 'I was filming when Fred was 10 days old. He really is not a problem. He's like a little speed bump and I just kept going!

'I was really lucky because he just happened to be an easy baby. He was born in three hours from start to finish, although I don't know if my husband would agree as the baby was nearly born in the car - but Fred is no match for me!'

She added that even though she was working, this pregnancy was easier than her first as she had to 'queue up for the bus at 7am' to commute to work as a waitress when she was expecting her daughter Violet, now 12.

Happy: The mother-of-two, 37, told how her little one is an 'easy baby', calling him a just a small 'speed bump' before she 'kept going' with her schedule (pictured filming Ready To Mingle)

Easy: She told New!: 'I was filming when Fred was 10 days old. He really is not a problem. He's like a little speed bump and I just kept going!' (pictured with husband Bobby)

Upcoming: Ready to Mingle, hosted by Katherine (pictured), will see 12 guys fighting for the attentions of one single girl, but the catch is not all the boys are strictly single themselves

The blonde beauty went on to discuss how her eldest is loving being a babysitter for her little brother and is now 'baby-obsessed'.

It's no surprise that all eyes will be on her, with the beauty grabbing attention online by littering her page with stunning bikini snaps.

The fledgling reality star, from Hove in Brighton, returned to the UK last year in lockdown after travelling Australia, Fiji and Bali, and residing in Melbourne.

Taking inspiration from much-loved shows The Bachelor and Love Island, all 12 guys and their leading lady will live in a luxury house in Devon together as they go out of their way to impress her and date her.

The star of the show: Set to be at the centre of all the drama as the show debuts on ITV2 is 24-year-old Sophia Maria, who has already racked up a following of over 2000 on Instagram

However, not every guy is single. Some of the boys are in relationships and little do they know that their girlfriends are watching their every move as they pretend to be available.

And in another mischievous twist, a number of the boys are actually being guided by their partners in pursuit of the prize.

Speaking about the show, host Katherine Ryan has said: 'I am so excited to be a part of this new dating game show. How could I say no?

'It's like nothing we've seen before but still with all the drama and dating dilemmas we love to see, and I'll be there front row as it all unfolds!'

The show's full lineup is yet to be confirmed by ITV bosses.

Ready To Mingle is set to begin on Monday 6th September at 9pm on ITV2 and ITV Hub.
Megan Fox looks smoldering in two new photos shared to Instagram on Monday.

The 35-year-old actress struck two poses in front of a large mirror and shared the snapshots with her 13.5 million followers.

She even got cheeky in the caption, employing an orange face emoji with a dripping bead of sweat and prompting fans to use their imagination: 'When I tell you that the table at this air bnb saw some things.'

Hot: Megan Fox looks smoldering in two new photos shared to Instagram on Monday

Her love, rapper Machine Gun Kelly, continued to flirt in a suggestive comment, saying: 'I'm really glad that's not our table anymore.'

It was clear why the Transformers star was making MGK hot under the collar.

Megan smoldered in a matching two-piece emerald green corduroy skirt and jacket set by Danielle Guizio.

The raven-haired bombshell wore a black bra underneath the open jacket, tantalizing followers with her busty chest.

The form-fitting high-rise skirt bared her endless legs and taut tummy. She finished the look with open-toed strappy heels that perfectly corresponded in color.

A lot to see: The raven-haired bombshell wore a black bra underneath the open jacket, tantalizing followers with her busty chest

Tantalizing photos: The 35-year-old actress struck two poses in front of a large mirror and shared the snapshots with her 13.5 million followers

Cheeky: Her love, rapper Machine Gun Kelly, 31, continued to flirt in a suggestive comment, saying: 'I'm really glad that's not our table anymore'

The Till Death actress leaned against a sizeable black marble table with a large multi-plant centerpiece. A courtyard was visible in the background.

Last week the mother-of-three was seen out and about in Los Angeles making another fashion statement in a head-to-toe Alexander Wang look.

Fox was married to Brian Austin Green from 2010-2020, although they separated in 2019. The Tennessee native's high-profile relationship with MGK (real name Colson Baker) has been media fodder for over a year.

The man in her life: The siren with Machine Gun Kelly at the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards at The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles in May 2021

Megan has been cast in the new Expendables movie alongside Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and 50 Cent.

According to The Hollywood Reporter the siren will also work with Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture and Tony Jaa.

Production will begin in October with Scott Waugh (Need for Speed) as the director.
Rebel Wilson took to her Instagram account on Monday to shared swimsuit images while by a tranquil shore at sunset.

The comedienne, 41, looked slender in the low-cut black one-piece suit as she added a straw hat and gold-rimmed sunglasses.

'Absolute heaven!  I'm one lucky girl ,' wrote the 5ft3in blonde beauty from Australia in her caption.

Nice way to spend the weekend: Rebel Wilson took to her Instagram account on Monday to shared swimsuit images while by a tranquil shore at sunset

Elegant: The comedienne, 41, looked slender in the low-cut black one-piece suit as she added a straw hat and gold-rimmed sunglasses

She also took to her Instagram stories to show video from a flight that included her Pitch Perfect co-star Anna Kendrick.

It is not known where they went on their vacation though the star joked they were headed to Rebel Island.

A little blonde girl was also seen on the flight and in front of the airplane, then with Rebel on the beach. She is Rebel's niece Sovereign.

In May the star said that she was 'sad' that she waited until she was 40-years-old to drop the extra weight.

'Now that I know I can do it, sometimes I feel sad that I didn't do it earlier,' the 41-year-old told InStyle.

Admitting she's always been 'a bit of a late developer,' Rebel said she wished she 'tried when I was 30, not 40.'

Lucky lady indeed: 'Absolute heaven!  I'm one lucky girl ,' wrote the 5ft3in blonde beauty from Australia in her caption

'But everybody's journey is different, and it's not a race or competition.'

'I have a natural empathy for anyone who struggles with weight issues because that's something I've always struggled with.'

Rebel said that 'anyone can go on walks and drink more water and do little, consistent things that'll improve their lives,' - and it's never too late to start.

With a pal on the seashore: In this image Wilson was joined by a young girl in a pink pineapple swimsuit

The comments come after the Sydney-born actress shed more than 70lbs in 2020.

And Wilson appears to have lost even more weight this year, if recent Instagram posts are anything to go by.

In August Wilson said she was 'on the hunt for love'.

The Isn't It Romantic star has revealed she has recently bought a home in London and is planning to spend 'a lot more' time in the UK capital, increasing her chances of finding a British boyfriend.

Life in a swimsuit: Rebel has often posed in her swimwear since losing 70lbs last year; this image was taken earlier this year

Rebel is quoted by The Sun newspaper's Bizzare column as saying: 'I love England. I've bought a place in London so I'm sure I'll be spending a lot more time there in the future.

'I am someone who is established in my career so is definitely on the hunt for love  but it has to be the right person.

'I've definitely found some amazing people, it just hasn't been totally right. I'm still on the hunt.'

The 41-year-old actress - who is ready to move on following her split from billionaire Jacob Busch in February - has insisted she is not willing to interact with guys who slide into her DMs.

In the air: Rebel is seen in a black top and red jacket with a hat on her lap while on the small airplane

Loads of people with her: She had several friends inside the plane as she wore her sunglasses and joked she was going to Rebel Island

We see her! Rebel's Pitch Perfect co-star Anna Kendrick was also on the flight

Another look: And the blonde child she was on the beach with was also on the tarmac

She said: 'Don't ever DM me, guys, if you're not someone I follow, because I won't read it. It's just like opening a gate to things that you don't know. There could be d*** pics, there could be anything in those DMs. I tend to just not look at it because as a human being you get a bit sad if someone writes something mean about you.

'Randoms on the internet don't really know you so you shouldn't get offended about what they might say.'

Meanwhile, the comedienne recently revealed she lost weight to boost her chances of getting pregnant.

The Pitch Perfect actress was initially 'offended' that her doctors suggested her fertility would improve if she was slimmer and 'healthier', the comments gave her the motivation to tackle her eating habits.

Speaking on Instagram Live, she said: 'When I was going through and looking into fertility stuff, the doctor was like, 'Well, you'd have a much better chance if you were healthier'.

Workout woman: And she has said that daily exercise is now a part of her routine

'I was actually a bit offended. I thought that even though I was bigger, I was pretty healthy.

'So that's what started it  that if I lost some excess weight, it would give me a better chance of freezing eggs and having better quality eggs.

'At first it wasn't even for myself, it was thinking of a future mini-me and their quality. That's what kick-started it.'

However, in May, Rebel told her Instagram followers she'd been given some 'bad news' about her fertility.

She wrote: 'I got some bad news today and didn't have anyone to share it with ... but I guess I gotta tell someone. To all the women out there struggling with fertility, I feel ya. The universe works in mysterious ways and sometimes it all doesn't make sense ... but I hope there's light about to shine through all the dark clouds. (sic)'
Lenny Henry showed off his slimmed-down physique when he attended the Ambassador Theatre Group's Summer Party at Kensington Palace in London on Monday.

The comedian, 63, appeared in high spirits as he cosied up to his girlfriend Lisa Makin at the event, stepping out in a blazer, suit trousers and a crisp shirt.

Meanwhile his partner Lisa, who began dating Lenny in 2012, donned a floaty, V-neck black gown and open-toe sandals.

Impressive: Lenny Henry, 63, showed off his slimmed-down physique when he attended the Ambassador Theatre Group's Summer Party in London on Monday

She accessorised with a bold silver necklace.

Lenny teamed his outfit with trainers and was also sporting wide-rimmed glasses.

Wrapping his arm around Lisa, he sweetly rested his head on hers while posing for photographs.

Lenny impressed fans with his trim figure during an appearance on This Morning in June.

High spirits: The comedian appeared in high spirits as he cosied up to his girlfriend Lisa Makin at the event, stepping out in a blazer, suit trousers and a crisp shirt

The comedian showed off his weight loss while discussing how he used comedy as 'a sword and shield' when he was being racially abused during his youth.

Speaking to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield about it, he said: 'Comedy was a sword and a shield actually to protect me, once I got the idea that comedy could protect you from being bullied if you were clever then I started to use it.

'There was this kid who used to racially abuse me almost everyday when we were in about the third or fourth year.

'It started at the school gates and it would end when the bell rang, and we would end up on the floor, rolling around, fighting, and it happened a lot. In the mud, punching, kicking me.

Weight loss: Lenny (pictured right in 2012) impressed fans with his trim figure as he discussed how he used comedy as 'a sword and shield' on This Morning in June

'Until eventually a bell went off in my head, a light bulb went off in my head and eventually I said something like 'you must really like me because you're always rolling around on the floor with me, why don't we just go have a dinner and a movie?'

'All the people who used to watch us and go 'fight! fight!' suddenly started to laugh, and I said 'I know I'll call tomorrow and why don't we have a curry and chat about this?' and he started to get really angry that his pals who were usually on his side were laughing at him.'

Viewers appeared to be more focused on his weight as a number of them commented on Lenny's slimmer figure via Twitter.

One person wrote: 'Blimey Lenny Henry looks good, well done to him for losing so much weight.'

Impressed: Viewers appeared to be more focused on his weight as a number of them commented on Lenny's slimmer figure via Twitter

While another person added: 'Lenny Henry looks like he's lost a lot of weight.'

Lenny and Lisa have been together for ten years after his split from ex-wife, Dawn French.

Lenny and Dawn split in 2010 after 25 years of marriage, and the following year it was revealed that he was dating theatre mogul Lisa.

It was reported at the time Lenny and Dawn had secretly separated months earlier.

Love life: Lenny and Dawn split in 2010 after 25 years of marriage, and the following year it was revealed that he was dating theatre mogul Lisa (pictured in 2009)

The couple also share adopted daughter Billie, and Dawn went onto marry charity boss Mark Bignell in 2013.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror in 2016, doting father Lenny revealed the hardest part of his and Dawn's split was trying to protect Billie - who was 18 at the time.

He explained: 'It's a strange job showbiz because you're in the public eye. You are in a goldfish bowl.

'We had a child and just wanted to get through it and be normal and love her and be respectful.'
She's known for her acting talent and incredible sense of style.

And, Zendaya oozes sophistication on the cover of British Vogue's October issue, as she discussed making mental health a priority, admitting: 'Of course I go to therapy!'

The Greatest Showman actress, 25, also spoke about her rise to fame and her desire to become a filmmaker with black women fronting her movies.

Sensational: Zendaya, 25, oozes sophistication on the cover of British Vogue's October issue, as she discussed making mental health a priority, admitting: 'Of course I go to therapy!'

Speaking to the fashion bible, Zendaya revealed that she attends therapy and insisted that it's something she'd 'recommend' to anyone who can afford it.

She said: 'Of course I go to therapy. I mean, if anybody is able to possess the nancial means to go to therapy, I would recommend they do that. I think it's a beautiful thing.

'You know, there's nothing wrong with working on yourself and dealing with those things with someone who can help you, someone who can talk to you, who's not your mom or whatever. Who has no bias.'

Zendaya has carved a name for herself as an A-list actress, after becoming the youngest actress to win an Emmy for Lead Actress in Drama.

Gorgeous: The Greatest Showman actress also spoke about her rise to fame and her desire to become a filmmaker with black women fronting her movies

But the Euphoria star ultimately aspires to establish herself as a well-respected filmmaker with black women at the centre of her movies.

Speaking about her long-term ambitions in the industry, the Malcolm & Marie star explained: 'If I ever do become a filmmaker, I know that the leads of my lms will always be black women.

'I gotta hurry up and gure out how to f****** become a director, man. I'm trying, I'm learning every day, I really am. There's so much I want to do.'

The Hollywood star rose to fame as a child, starring on the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up, but admitted to Vogue that she refused to have her first kiss on-screen as a teenager on the show.

She recalled: 'I remember being on Shake It Up and being like, "I'm not gonna do this. I'm going to kiss him on the cheek because I haven't been kissed yet so I don't want the kiss to be on camera.'''

Where it all started: The Hollywood star rose to fame as a child, starring on the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up (pictured)

Zendaya is currently promoting her latest film, Dune, in which she stars alongside Timothee Chalamet, 25, Rebecca Ferguson and Denis Villeneuve.

In the movie, Timothee plays central character Paul, while Zendaya takes on the role as his on-screen lover Chan.

Their romance blossoms during a frightening war on her desert planet Arrakis which is mined for precious resources.

See the full feature in the October issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands Friday 10th September.
Amanda Seyfried and Emmy Rossum celebrated Labor Day by sharing their birthing stories and never-before-seen photos of their baby bumps.

While the federal holiday celebrates the social and economic achievements of workers in the United States, these doting moms put a playful twist on the occasion to share their labor stories labor and deliveries.

After coming across old photos of herself while she was expecting her son Thomas last year, the 35-year-old Mean Girls star shared two photos from her pregnancy.

Throwback! Amanda Seyfried and Emmy Rossum celebrated Labor Day by sharing their birthing stories and never-before-seen photos of their baby bumps

'Same time last year,' she captioned a bathroom mirror selfie, in which she bared her belly in just a tied-up, white t-shirt and a pair of black underwear.

The mother-of-two also uploaded a snap of her smiling as she sat down to record audio for her 2020 black and white film Mank.

She also shares a four-year-old girl, named Nina with husband Thomas Sadoski, who she wed in March 2017.

Same time last year: The mom-of-two also uploaded a snap of her smiling as she sat down to record audio for her 2020 black and white film Mank

Labor story: Meanwhile, Emmy Rossum marked the federal holiday by revealing the events leading up to labor three months ago

Meanwhile, Rossum marked the holiday by revealing the events leading up to her own labor three months ago.

The Shameless star revealed to her 3.8 million that before she welcomed her daughter Samantha, she became 'motivated to go out and take down a bucket of chicken wings.'

'I've never had a chicken wing in my life so I figured I was going into labor,' she captioned a throwback photo of her cradling her bump.

Hilarious: The Shameless star revealed to her 3.8 million that before she welcomed her daughter Samantha, she became 'motivated to go out and take down a bucket of chicken wings'

'In honor of Labor Day, a pic of all the vessels in my face I broke pushing in labor,' she wrote on a close-up selfie of her in bed

Cozy: Before delivering her little one, Rossum revealed she spent 'lots of time' curled by snapping in her home theater

Still, she listened to her cravings and 'ordered a sandwich' then Pad thai and 'then' welcomed her baby girl.

She also told fans that during labor she popped blood vessels in her face.

'In honor of Labor Day, a pic of all the vessels in my face I broke pushing in labor,' she wrote on a close-up selfie of her in bed.

Oh no: Rossum revealed, to her disappointment, she 'early labored over a ball during one of the' Knicks' 'big games'

The Real Housewives of Orange County alum Meghan King also looked back on birthing her first child, who she said 'yanked' out after '22 hours' with 'no pain meds.'

'This was the easy part and so damn cool. I did that,' she captioned a photo of her in labor with daughter Aspen.

King, 36, also shares three-year-old twins boys Hayes and Hart with ex-husband Jim Edmonds, 51.

Memories: The Real Housewives of Orange County alum Meghan King looked back on birthing her first child, who she said 'yanked' out after '22 hours' with 'no pain meds'

Despite her clever wordplay, King was hit with comments correcting her that 'Labor Day is not celebrating labor in the sense of childbirth but rather in the celebration of the social and economic achievements of the American worker.'

'This isnt what Labor Day is actually about but ok,' one follower wrote among dozens of similar comments.

Others, however, wrote in the reality star's post couldn't have been 'more' appropriate' post as motherhood is the 'single greatest contribution to our society and economy.'

Mom-of-three: King also shares three-year-old twins boys Hayes and Hart with ex-husband Jim Edmonds; seen this week in Los Angeles

Looking good! King looked effortlessly street chic on her latest outing without her little ones

While quickly approaching her due date, model Devon Windsor joked: 'Imagine I go into labor on Labor Day [fingers crossed emoji.]'

In her slideshow, the 27-year-old beauty rocked a skintight olive green jumpsuit, which put her baby bump on full display.

On her Instagram Story, she answered questions about her pregnancy, including if she regretted getting vaccinated while expecting.

While quickly approaching her due date, model Devon Windsor joked: 'Imagine I go into labor on Labor Day [fingers crossed emoji]'

Mom-to-be: In her slideshow, the 27-year-old beauty rocked a skintight olive green jumpsuit, which put her baby bump on full display

Open book: On her Instagram Story, she answered questions about her pregnancy, including if she regretted getting vaccinated while expecting

'Personally had no regrets after and honestly after this Delta variant has gotten so bad especially here in Miami, I'm honestly more grateful than ever that I got it.'

She also confirmed she got the vaccine during the first week of her third trimester.

Windsor - who discovered she was pregnant in January after six months of trying - is due in early September.
Sienna Miller looked incredible as she slipped into a busty satin gown for the Ambassador Theatre Group Summer Party on Monday at Kensington Palace.

The actress, 39, went braless in a plunging blush dress, which teased a glimpse of her cleavage and showcased her enviable frame.

The dress boasted spaghetti straps and featured an elegant full skirt.

Glow: Sienna Miller looked incredible as she slipped into a busty satin gown for the Ambassador Theatre Group Summer Party on Monday at Kensington Palace

Sienna wore her tresses in soft waves and sported a radiant palette of make-up for the evening.

The American Woman star hosted the event alongside ATG CEO Mark Cornell in support of Sir Sam Mendes and his Theatre Artists Fund.

Sienna has been busy lately filming a mystery TV series in New York.

Shimmer: The actress, 39, went braless in a plunging blush dress, which teased a glimpse of her cleavage and showcased her enviable frame

While Sienna's latest project is currently under wraps, she was last known to be filming for Netflix's new political drama Anatomy Of A Scandal.

The show is based on the acclaimed 2018 bestseller by former political journalist Sarah Vaughan.

Sienna is set to star in the film as the wife of a shamed minister played by Rupert Friend.

Wow: The American Woman star hosted the event alongside ATG CEO Mark Cornell in support of Sir Sam Mendes and his Theatre Artists Fund (pictured)

The plot of the movie follows the trial of the Eton-educated politician after he's accused of sexually assaulting a young political aide.

The serious plot revolves around James Whitehouse's rape accusation filed by an aide with whom he'd been having an affair.

The role of the aide, called Olivia, will be played by the Charlie Angels actress Naomi Scott, it was confirmed in December.

The cast of the six-part series, which Netflix describes as 'an insightful and suspenseful series about sexual consent and privilege', also includes Downton Abbey actress Michelle Dockery as the high-flying prosecutor.

Sophie (Sienna) is convinced that he is innocent and will do whatever it takes to protect her family in the wake of the scandal.

Meanwhile, criminal barrister Kate (Michelle) is equally convinced that James is guilty and is determined to see he pays for his crimes.
Charlie Brooks, 40, has made her long-awaited return to EastEnders as Janine Butcher.

Janine, one of the long-running soap's best-known villains, has returned to Walford for the first time since 2014.

It quickly became clear the character has not changed her ways while away from Albert Square when she posed as a doctor during Monday's instalment of the soap, tricking the unsuspecting Zack Hudson (played by James Farrar).

She's back! Charlie Brooks, 40, has made her long-awaited return to EastEnders as Janine Butcher

Introducing herself as Judith Bernstein, Janine told Zack: 'Here I am. Meter's running, give me your worst.'

Janine last appeared in the soap in March 2014, when she left for Paris to pick up daughter Scarlett, who is also making a comeback.

Charlie's character was involved in a number of high-profile storylines, perhaps most famously the death of her on-screen husband, Barry Evans, who she pushed down a cliff in Scotland during a 2004 episode.

Janine returned to Albert Square four years later and her most recent spell on the soap ended in 2014.

Posing: It quickly became clear the character has not changed her ways while away from Albert Square when she posed as a doctor during Monday's instalment of the soap

Back with a vengeance: Janine, one of the long-running soap's best-known villains, has returned to Walford for the first time since 2014

Fans of the BBC soap were quick to praise the return of Janine, with one person tweeting: 'The world may be going to hell in a handbasket, but at least Janine is back on #EastEnders.'

'HOLY S**T. QUEEN JANINE GODDAMN BUTCHER IS BACK IN #EASTENDERS. I'VE BEEN WAITING FOREVER FOR THIS MOMENT,' shared another in disbelief.

A third viewer wrote: 'Omg Janines return has me quaking #EastEnders' while someone else tweeted: 'Yessss Janine back in #EastEnders gonna cause some carnage!'

One fan added: 'Whoever at @bbceastenders decided to revive Janines alter ego Judith Bernstein needs a Pride of Britain award. Life changing. We are so blessed #eastenders #janine #judithbernstein.'

Reaction: Fans of the BBC soap were quick to praise the return of Janine

Last month, actress Charlie hinted that viewers could be in for a fiery autumn as her iconic character stormed back into Walford.

She told MailOnline it felt 'absolutely right' to return to the character as she's always wondered whether she ever 'redeemed herself.'

Charlie added that many fans will be delighted to learn Janine hasn't changed since fleeing Walford, and viewers could be in for some explosive reveals as she reunites with some old foes.

Asked about her decision to head back to EastEnders, Charlie, who first started playing Janine in 1999, told MailOnline: 'When I first got the call my agent called and I was like instinctively straight away, like something feels absolutely right about this.

'I mean I've said in interviews I always think about where she's been she's such a gloriously layered character I always entertain myself with thoughts of where she might be and what she might be doing, it's really exciting.

'I've had so many different thoughts I've imagined her as a hippie on the beach trying to redeem herself, or really really bad she couldn't redeem herself.

'It's really interesting with her because there's a definite self-loathing within her and I think that makes her attach in ways that a human being might know.'

She added: 'I love the idea of walking in her shoes for the day, I want to go out with Janine she's going to be fun, I just get such wonderful opportunities with storylines.'

Trouble's afoot: Last month, actress Charlie hinted that viewers could be in for a fiery autumn as her iconic character stormed back into Walford
Taraji P. Henson and fellow The Wire actors were among those who led celebrity tributes to Michael K. Williams after his death at 54.

Taraji, 50, took to Instagram on Monday to share a video of the five-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee along with a caption which read: 'Rest well my friend. JESUS!!! You will be missed deeply.'

As Williams portrayed iconic character Omar Little on The Wire, several of his castmates from the HBO series also took to social media to honor their former co-star.

Tragic: Michael K. Williams (seen in September 2012) had been found dead at the age of 54 of a suspected overdose inside his luxury Brooklyn penthouse

'Rest well my friend. JESUS!!! You will be missed deeply': Taraji P. Henson, 50, took to Instagram on Monday to share a video of the five-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee a

Wendell Pierce, who portrayed Detective William 'Bunk' Moreland, over all five seasons shared a thread on Twitter with heartfelt thoughts which began: 'The depth of my love for this brother, can only be matched by the depth of my pain learning of his loss.

'A immensely talented man with the ability to give voice to the human condition portraying the lives of those whose humanity is seldom elevated until he sings their truth.

'If you dont know, you better ask somebody. His name was Michael K. Williams. He shared with me his secret fears then stepped out into his acting with true courage, acting in the face of fear, not in the absence of it. It took me years to learn what Michael had in abundance.'

Legend: As Williams portrayed iconic character Omar Little on The Wire, several of his castmates from the HBO series also took to social media to honor their former co-star

'It took me years to learn what Michael had in abundance': Wendell Pierce, who portrayed Detective William 'Bunk' Moreland, over all five seasons shared a thread on Twitter with heartfelt thoughts

'An amazing actor and soul': Isiah Whitlock Jr. - who played State Sen. R. Clayton 'Clay' Davis on the HBO series - also shared some words

He continued by reflecting on their relationship and how their chemistry on screen translated to a real relationship away from the camera.

Pierce explained: 'He was proud of the artist he had become, asking for my advice long after he had surpassed any incite I could have shared.Always truthful, never inauthentic. The kindest of persons. Like two mischievous kids, we would laugh & joke whenever we would meet. Like Baltimore years ago.

'THE WIRE brought us together and immortalized Omar & Bunk in that scene on a park bench.But for us we aimed to take that moment in time together and say something about Black men. Our struggle with ourselves, internally, and each other. For me & Mike we had nothing but respect.

'So to you, my brother Mike, there is a small comfort that I know, you knew how much we loved you.'

A law enforcement source confirmed to the New York Post that the 54-year-old he was found in his Brooklyn apartment by his nephew on Monday afternoon. Williams is seen right as a character from the show Boardwalk Empire

'You left us too soon...': Niecy Nash also paid tribute as she shared a gallery of snaps of them together

'Today is a f***ing horrible day': Rosie Perez was obviously shocked by the news

Pierce concluded with a quote from American playwright Arthur Miller.

Isiah Whitlock Jr. - who played State Sen. R. Clayton 'Clay' Davis - wrote: 'One of the nicest brothers on the planet with the biggest heart. An amazing actor and soul. May you RIP. God bless.'

Tray Chaney, who played Malik 'Poot' Carr - posted a photo with the star and said: 'RIP to the legend Michael K Williams aka one of the dopest Actors/Brother in the world. 'Im off the grid for a while hard to process this one.'

Williams had been found dead of a suspected overdose inside his luxury Brooklyn penthouse.

The 54-year-old was discovered unconscious in the living room of his Williamsburg apartment by his nephew on Monday afternoon, a law enforcement source told The New York Post.

Williams was discovered inside his penthouse apartment, located in the trendy Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg. The expensive complex is located on the waterfront and features sweeping views out over to Manhattan

'Just saw you bro': Actress Eva Marcille shared this snap of her with the star

Medics rushed to the scene, but actor dead at 2:12pm.

Williams' nephew went around to the apartment complex to check up on the star, who hadn't been heard from in several days.

Heroin was reportedly found on the star's kitchen table, and other drug paraphernalia was discovered elsewhere on in the apartment.

A police source told The Post: 'No foul play is indicated. [There was] no forced entry, and the apartment was in order.'

Williams, a five-time Emmy nominee, was best known for his role in HBO's The Wire. He played homosexual stick-up man Omar Little in the critically acclaimed series, which ran from 2002 to 2008. President Barack Obama once described The Wire as his favorite show and Omar as his favorite character.

'An actor for the ages': Alec Baldwin, Aisha Tyler, George Takei, Lamorne Morris, Chance The Rapper, James Gunn, and Joel McHale were among the others who paid tribute to the talented star

Williams went on to star in several other hit series, including Boardwalk Empire and Lovecraft Country - for which he is currently nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

The star is survived by a son named Elijah.

Niecy Nash also paid tribute as she shared a gallery of snaps of them together with a sweet caption which read: 'My God Rest well friend @bkbmg You were a beautiful soul, a kind spirit & a good time a talent beyond measure.

'Thank you for the many times we traded energy and you made me feel like family. You left us too soon Praying for your loved ones #TheWire #WhenTheySeeUs'

Rosie Perez was obviously shocked by the news as she took to Twitter to write: 'WTF!!!! My friend just died!!! And I get a f***ing alert to notify me?! WTF!!!

'Today is a f***ing horrible day! I'm destroyed! #RIPowerandPeace #MichaelKWilliams @BKBMG.'

Alec Baldwin, Aisha Tyler, George Takei, Lamorne Morris, Chance The Rapper, James Gunn, and Joel McHale were among the others who paid tribute to the talented star.

'Why is it always the good ones, god?': Jamie Chung, Kelly Rowland, and Olivia Munn also shared heartfelt messages

Tributes kept pouring in on Monday afternoon from Mariah Carey, who shared three throwback snaps of her posing with Williams.

'A beautiful soul, a beautiful person, I'll miss you always. Thank you for blessing us with your talent,' the singer said in her caption.

She also shared one of the images in her Instagram tribute on Twitter as well.

Throwback: Tributes kept pouring in on Monday afternoon from Mariah Carey, who shared three throwback snaps of her posing with Williams

Beautiful: 'A beautiful soul, a beautiful person, I'll miss you always. Thank you for blessing us with your talent,' the singer said in her caption

Tribute: She also shared one of the images in her Instagram tribute on Twitter as well

Actress Viola Davis also shared a brief video montage of photos of Williams, along with a heartfelt tribute.

'No! So sad. Man do I wish this were a different ending. Rest well. Praying for your loved ones,' Davis said.

Mark Wahlberg also shared a tribute on Twitter, stating, 'RIP Michael K. Williams, so brilliant in #BoardwalkEmpire. You will be missed.'

Tribute: Actress Viola Davis also shared a brief video montage of photos of Williams, along with a heartfelt tribute

Brilliant: Mark Wahlberg also shared a tribute on Twitter, stating, 'RIP Michael K. Williams, so brilliant in #BoardwalkEmpire. You will be missed'

Supermodel Joan Smalls also took to Instagram with a touching tribute, which began, 'This one hurt,' with a broken heart emoji.

'I had the honor to work with him and see the caring, humble and giving soul that he was. Inspiring many. Rest in Power #MichaelKWilliams.

Smalls and Williams worked together on the 2013 music video for A$AP Rocky's video Phoenix.

Rest in power: Supermodel Joan Smalls also took to Instagram with a touching tribute, which began, 'This one hurt,' with a broken heart emoji

Another one of Williams' co-stars, Kerry Washington, who starred alongside him 2007's I Think I Love My Wife and 2008's Miracle at St. Anna, shared a touching tribute.

'So heartbroken. @bkmgn thank you for the beauty and joy you brought to the world,' she began.

'Sending love and prayers to your friends, family and everyone who adored you me included  We adore you Sir,' she concluded.

Tribute: Another one of Williams' co-stars, Kerry Washington, who starred alongside him 2007's I Think I Love My Wife and 2008's Miracle at St. Anna, shared a touching tribute.

Aaron Paul, who starred alongside Williams in the 2016 crime thriller Triple 9, offered a heartfelt tribute of his own.

'Michael, You embraced this world with a loving heart and a gentle smile. Everyone who knew you would say that you lifted them up with such ease and grace and that they became a better person by simply knowing you. I have had the privilege to know that heart of yours and I am heartbroken to lose it,' Paul began.

'Thank you for chasing your dreams and teaching us all what it means to be decent. Your love for the craft will never be forgotten and I feel honored to have shared the screen with you brother. Wish I told you more of what an impact you had on me. Love and light my friend. Rest In Peace. A,' Paul concluded.

Aaron's tribute: Aaron Paul, who starred alongside Williams in the 2016 crime thriller Triple 9, offered a heartfelt tribute of his own

One of Williams' fellow co-stars on The Wire, Deirdre Lovejoy, who played Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman, shared a throwback snap of her and Williams.

'My heart is heavy at the loss of this brilliant soul gone too soon,' Lovejoy began in her post.

'His passion and talent will live on through his incredible body of work. R.I.P. #MichaelKWilliams,' she added, with a broken heart emoji.

R.I.P.: One of Williams' fellow co-stars on The Wire, Deirdre Lovejoy, who played Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman, shared a throwback snap of her and Williams

Leslie Jones didn't mince words in her tribute post on Instagram, adding that learning about Williams' death, 'f***ed me up y'all.'

'Micheal K Williams was a solid dude. He was so nice to me when we did Ghostbusters and we bonded on many levels!!' she added.

'Damn I was just thinking the next time I saw him I was gonna tell him how dope of an actor he is. Damn yall we lost a good one. Rest in love my brother,' she concluded.

Leslie's tribute: Leslie Jones didn't mince words in her tribute post on Instagram, adding that learning about Williams' death, 'f***ed me up y'all'

Tika Sumpter, who starred with Williams on the 2015 HBO movie Bessie, began her Twitter tribute, 'God, he was a true gem.'

'I was so lucky to be around him and work with him on Bessie. He was one of the kindest humans in all ways. Being in #MichaelKWilliams presence was a gift. A true gift. Thank you #michaelkwilliamsRIP,' she concluded.

Watchmen creator shared a photo of Williams as Omar Little from The Wire, adding, 'I only crossed paths with this incandescent talent twice, both times dazzled by his kindness and wit as I stood there, babbling like the superfan I am. This is a great loss. Whatever wonderful realm lies beyond this one, Omar comin'.'

Gem: Tika Sumpter, who starred with Williams on the 2015 HBO movie Bessie, began her Twitter tribute, 'God, he was a true gem'

Omar comin: Watchmen creator shared a photo of Williams as Omar Little from The Wire, adding, 'I only crossed paths with this incandescent talent twice, both times dazzled by his kindness and wit as I stood there, babbling like the superfan I am. This is a great loss. Whatever wonderful realm lies beyond this one, Omar comin'.'

Mandy Moore shared a photo of Williams in an orange tuxedo, praising him as an 'absolute genius,' adding his passing is an 'unbelievable loss.'

The Suicide Squad star Joel Kinnaman shared a photo of Williams on his Instagram story in tribute to his passing.

Colman Domingo, who starred with Williams in Miracle at St. Anna and Time Out of Mind, stated on Twitter, 'Truly gutted on hearing the passing of Michael K. Williams. A tremendous actor.'

Genius: Mandy Moore shared a photo of Williams in an orange tuxedo, praising him as an 'absolute genius,' adding his passing is an 'unbelievable loss'

Tribute: The Suicide Squad star Joel Kinnaman shared a photo of Williams on his Instagram story in tribute to his passing

Tremendous: Colman Domingo, who starred with Williams in Miracle at St. Anna and Time Out of Mind, stated on Twitter, 'Truly gutted on hearing the passing of Michael K. Williams. A tremendous actor'

David Alan Grier shared Variety's news story on Williams' passing, adding, 'Damn! Such a loss! This man was an amazing actor and a beautiful artist gone too soon...'

Director Spike Lee shared a photo of him and Williams at Madison Square Garden cheering on the New York Knicks, with a heartfelt message.

'Whew Lawd,Dis Is A Tough Day-1st We Lose The Great French Actor JEAN PAUL BELMONDO And Now My Brother MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS. Our Brother Passed Away Today In His Home,Da Peoples Republic Of Brooklyn. Im Shook. Drinking A Bottle Of Italian Red Wine-Brunello Di Montalcino By Myself. Our Greats Are Leaving Us Left And Right. GOD BLESS,' Lee said.

Beautiful artist: David Alan Grier shared Variety's news story on Williams' passing, adding, 'Damn! Such a loss! This man was an amazing actor and a beautiful artist gone too soon...'

Spike's tribute: Director Spike Lee shared a photo of him and Williams at Madison Square Garden cheering on the New York Knicks, with a heartfelt message

Ellen Barkin, who starred in the 2009 crime drama Brooklyn's Finest with Williams, tweeted, 'We lost a great talent. What he brought was his and only his. Rest In Peace Michael K Williams.'

Patricia Arquette, who starred alongside Williams in one of his first film roles in 1999's Bringing Out the Dead and in HBO's Boardwalk Empire, offered another Twitter tribute, stating, 'This is utterly devastating. Sweet Michael. You were one of the best actors ever. Rest in Peace.'

Natalie Morales tweeted, 'Michael K. Williams always impressed me with his work, but the scene at the gay club in Lovecraft Country absolutely shattered me into pieces- in the deepest, realest way that art can do. If he had done only that one scene- what a gift. What a gift we got to see so much more.'

Only his: Ellen Barkin, who starred in the 2009 crime drama Brooklyn's Finest with Williams, tweeted, 'We lost a great talent. What he brought was his and only his. Rest In Peace Michael K Williams'

Tribute: Patricia Arquette, who starred alongside Williams in one of his first film roles in 1999's Bringing Out the Dead and in HBO's Boardwalk Empire, offered another Twitter tribute, stating, 'This is utterly devastating. Sweet Michael. You were one of the best actors ever. Rest in Peace'

Impressed: Natalie Morales tweeted, 'Michael K. Williams always impressed me with his work, but the scene at the gay club in Lovecraft Country absolutely shattered me into pieces- in the deepest, realest way that art can do. If he had done only that one scene- what a gift. What a gift we got to see so much more'

Yvette Nicole Brown, who worked with Williams on Community, offered, 'The thing about @BKBMG is that as fierce and foreboding as his characters often were, he as a man couldn't have been more easy-going and lovely. He was good, kind man and so fun to work with. I am sorry to hear of his passing and how.'

Iconic novelist Stephen King tweeted, 'Horrible, sad and unbelievable to think we've lost the fantastically talented Michael K. Williams at the age of 54.'

Actress Samantha Mathis added, 'This makes me so very, very sad. What a huge loss. Rest in power #MichaelKWilliams.'

Passing: Yvette Nicole Brown, who worked with Williams on Community, offered, 'The thing about @BKBMG is that as fierce and foreboding as his characters often were, he as a man couldn't have been more easy-going and lovely. He was good, kind man and so fun to work with. I am sorry to hear of his passing and how'

Stephen tweets: Iconic novelist Stephen King tweeted, 'Horrible, sad and unbelievable to think we've lost the fantastically talented Michael K. Williams at the age of 54'

Rest: Actress Samantha Mathis added, 'This makes me so very, very sad. What a huge loss. Rest in power #MichaelKWilliams'

Actor Steven Canals also took to Twitter with a tribute, stating, 'What a stellar talent. What a great loss. RIP sir #MichaelKWilliams.'

Chairman Fred Hampton Jr., the son of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton, shared a photo of him with Williams, stating, 'Long Live Michael K. Williams!'

Alec Baldwin also shared a photo from the Toronto International Film Festival with him and the cast of his film The Public, including Williams, stating, 'At @tiff_net with Emilio and the cast of THE PUBLIC, a film which gave me the great opportunity to meet and work with @bkbmg Rest In Peace.'

Talent: Actor Steven Canals also took to Twitter with a tribute, stating, 'What a stellar talent. What a great loss. RIP sir #MichaelKWilliams'

Chairman: Chairman Fred Hampton Jr., the son of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton, shared a photo of him with Williams, stating, 'Long Live Michael K. Williams!'

TIFF: Alec Baldwin also shared a photo from the Toronto International Film Festival with him and the cast of his film The Public, including Williams, stating, 'At @tiff_net with Emilio and the cast of THE PUBLIC, a film which gave me the great opportunity to meet and work with @bkbmg Rest In Peace'

Writer-producer Cheo Hodari Coker (Luke Cage, Creed II) added, 'I cant believe Michael K Williams is gone. A great actor but an even better man. The loss is unmeasurable.'

One of Williams' Boardwalk Empire co-stars Steven Graham tweeted, 'Michael K Williams a talent beyond words and a truly beautiful soul, sending you peace and love wherever you may be x.'

Filmmaker Scott Derrickson added, 'I think Michael K Williams' Omar in The Wire was one of the top ten character portrayals in television history.'

Unmeasurable: Writer-producer Cheo Hodari Coker (Luke Cage, Creed II) added, 'I cant believe Michael K Williams is gone. A great actor but an even better man. The loss is unmeasurable'

Co-star: One of Williams' Boardwalk Empire co-stars Steven Graham tweeted, 'Michael K Williams a talent beyond words and a truly beautiful soul, sending you peace and love wherever you may be x'

Top ten: Filmmaker Scott Derrickson added, 'I think Michael K Williams' Omar in The Wire was one of the top ten character portrayals in television history'

Wyatt Cenac added, 'Michael K Williams was more than the characters he portrayed. He was someone who used his platform to shine a light on the issues around him and amplify the voices of the people who are often overlooked and disregarded.

Adina Porter, who starred alongside Williams in 2005's Lackwanna Blues, shared a photo of her with Williams, adding, 'I'm shocked. I'm sad. So much talent. Way too young. #RIP Michael K. Williams.

Pee-Wee Herman, a.k.a. Paul Reubens, shared a story about how he got to know Williams in a series of tweets.

Wyatt's tweet: Wyatt Cenac added, 'Michael K Williams was more than the characters he portrayed. He was someone who used his platform to shine a light on the issues around him and amplify the voices of the people who are often overlooked and disregarded

Adina: Adina Porter, who starred alongside Williams in 2005's Lackwanna Blues, shared a photo of her with Williams, adding, 'I'm shocked. I'm sad. So much talent. Way too young. #RIP Michael K. Williams

'I just saw some extremely sad, heartbreaking news. My friend and supremely talented actor Michael K. Williams has died. We met on a film in 2008 and became casual pals. I was excited to meet him having greatly admired his incredible, insightful work in The Wire,' Reubens began.

'Getting to know him, he was everything Id hoped he might befunny, serious, deep, sensitive and joyful. He was absolutely beautiful inside and out. He loved to dance. And, that insanely gorgeous smile he had,' Reubens added.

'We connected a couple of times a year, at Christmastime and on his birthday. I sent him a valentine every year on Valentines Day, to make sure he knew I loved and cherished him,' he said.

'Ill miss you very much, Michael, but will certainly not ever forget you. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. Rest In Peace, sweet, sweet man,' he concluded.

Heartbreaking: 'I just saw some extremely sad, heartbreaking news. My friend and supremely talented actor Michael K. Williams has died. We met on a film in 2008 and became casual pals. I was excited to meet him having greatly admired his incredible, insightful work in The Wire,' Reubens began

Everything: 'Getting to know him, he was everything Id hoped he might befunny, serious, deep, sensitive and joyful. He was absolutely beautiful inside and out. He loved to dance. And, that insanely gorgeous smile he had,' Reubens added

Connected: 'We connected a couple of times a year, at Christmastime and on his birthday. I sent him a valentine every year on Valentines Day, to make sure he knew I loved and cherished him,' he said

Condolences: 'Ill miss you very much, Michael, but will certainly not ever forget you. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. Rest In Peace, sweet, sweet man,' he concluded

Edward Norton, who directed and starred alongside Williams in his 2019 film Motherless Brooklyn, also shared a heartfelt message in two tweets.

'I feel punched in gut to learn weve lost Michael K Williams. Soul anguished. Getting to work with him was one of the greatest privileges Ive had in my career. My admiration for his talent was boundless, like so many. If he was in a scene he was the best thing about it. Period,' Norton said.

'He had a really rare gift for being fully present in the moment & for conveying the layers under the words. He ran so deep. He was also kind & generously enthusiastic. Ill be forever grateful that he graced Motherless Brooklyn & that I got to share space & time w him. RIP,' he concluded with a broken heart emoji.

Punched: 'I feel punched in gut to learn weve lost Michael K Williams. Soul anguished. Getting to work with him was one of the greatest privileges Ive had in my career. My admiration for his talent was boundless, like so many. If he was in a scene he was the best thing about it. Period,' Norton said

Rare gift: 'He had a really rare gift for being fully present in the moment & for conveying the layers under the words. He ran so deep. He was also kind & generously enthusiastic. Ill be forever grateful that he graced Motherless Brooklyn & that I got to share space & time w him. RIP,' he concluded with a broken heart emoji

David Simon, who created the iconic crime series The Wire where Williams played the iconic Omar White, was at a loss for words over Williams' passing.

He shared a photo of Williams and added in another tweet, 'Too gutted right now to say all that ought to be said. Michael was a fine man and a rare talent and on our journey together he always deserved the best words. And today those words won't come.'

Cedric the Entertainer shared a photo of Williams on Instagram, adding, 'Well Damn!! Sorry to hear about the tragic loss of our brother #michaelkwilliams God rest his soul and blessings to his loved ones.'

Loss: David Simon, who created the iconic crime series The Wire where Williams played the iconic Omar White, was at a loss for words over Williams' passing

No words: He shared a photo of Williams and added in another tweet, 'Too gutted right now to say all that ought to be said. Michael was a fine man and a rare talent and on our journey together he always deserved the best words. And today those words won't come'

Cedric speaks: Cedric the Entertainer shared a photo of Williams on Instagram, adding, 'Well Damn!! Sorry to hear about the tragic loss of our brother #michaelkwilliams God rest his soul and blessings to his loved ones'

Actor and director Jonathan Frakes added, 'What a tragic loss. RIP Michael K Williams on Twitter.

The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus, who also starred with Williams in Triple 9, shared a photo on Instagram of the two, adding, 'such sad news what a brilliant dude.'

Chloe Sevigny shared a throwback snap of Williams, adding, 'I *heart emoji* actors #michaelkwilliams #gonetoosoon.'

Singer-actor Usher also shared an image of Williams on his Instagram story, in tribute to his passing.

Tragic loss: Actor and director Jonathan Frakes added, 'What a tragic loss. RIP Michael K Williams on Twitter

Sad: The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus, who also starred with Williams in Triple 9, shared a photo on Instagram of the two, adding, 'such sad news what a brilliant dude'

Chloe: Chloe Sevigny shared a throwback snap of Williams, adding, 'I *heart emoji* actors #michaelkwilliams #gonetoosoon'
The Kid Laroi and his TikTok star girlfriend Katarina Deme celebrated their one-year anniversary in July.

And on Sunday, the couple looked more smitten than ever as they enjoyed a brunch date in New York City, before zooming off to Philadelphia where he performed with Justin Bieber at the Made in America festival.

For their morning date, Laroi, 18, and his 17-year-old partner looked content as they held hands before grabbing a bite to eat.

Love is in the air: The Kid Laroi and his TikTok star girlfriend Katarina Deme looked smitten as they enjoyed a brunch date in New York City on Sunday

Katarina looked cool and casual in a long-sleeved crop top, light denim jeans and a pair of Dr Martens classic shoes.

She wore glossy peach lipstick, a sweep of bronzer and a layer of mascara, and whisked her long hair into a ponytail.

The model accessorised with $960 Louis Vuitton earrings and a pretty necklace.

Laroi, whose single Stay ft. Justin Bieber is entering its eighth week at No. 1 in Australia, opted for a checkered shirt, brown cargo pants and a colourful T-shirt.

TikTok icon: Katarina looked cool and casual in a long-sleeved crop top, light denim jeans and a pair of Dr Martens classic shoes

He kept a low profile by wearing a pair of oversized shades.

Hours after their morning feast, the duo were spotted at the Made in America festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, an hour-and-a-half drive from their date location.

Laroi joined his longtime friend Justin Bieber to perform their single Stay in front of a crowd of screaming fans, before he reunited with his girlfriend afterwards.

Later that night: The pair were later spotted at the Made in America festival in Philadelphia

The pair were spotted giggling outside the venue, with Katarina sporting a leather jacket to keep warm.

Laroi has enjoyed huge success and has already hit several major career milestones.

Stay and Laroi's F**k Love mixtape reached No. 1 on the global Billboard charts in early August, making him the youngest Australian artist to achieve this.

Love: Laroi and his girlfriend Katarina celebrated their milestone one-year anniversary in July

Friends: Laroi joined his longtime friend Justin Bieber (R) to perform their single Stay in front of a crowd of screaming fans on Sunday night, before he reunited with his girlfriend afterwards

He is also the youngest artist to top the Australian ARIA album charts in February 2020 with his mixtape.

Laroi spoke to The Kyle & Jackie O Show in February about his romance with Katarina, revealing they'd met through mutual friends.

Radio host Jackie 'O' Henderson described Katarina as 'the most beautiful girl I've ever seen', prompting Laroi to laugh and say: 'I agree!'

The Indigenous star added that he never expected to fall in love so young, but did so shortly after relocating from Sydney to Los Angeles, where Katarina is based.

'Around the time that I met her, I just put out the whole F*ck Love project and was not in the vibe of love,' he said.

'But I guess... you can't control some of that type of stuff. It was so ironic.'
He's set to portray Prince Charles in 2022's fifth season of hit Netflix show The Crown.

But Dominic West, 51, looked worlds away from his upcoming character on Monday, when he swapped the Prince of Wales' strict tailoring for a funky, patterned green shirt worn beneath a smart-casual blazer and matching trousers.

Stepping out in style at the Ambassador Theatre Group's Summer Party at Kensington Palace in London, the actor appeared in high spirits while posing for photographers.

Dapper: Dominic West, 51, attended the ATG Summer Party at Kensington Palace in London on Monday wearing a patterned green shirt worn beneath a smart-casual blazer

Dominic teamed his outfit with trendy trainers as he kicked off his week at the star-studded event.

He was also seen mingling with the likes of actors Stevie Basaula and Elizabeth McGovern.

The star appeared in high spirits while enjoying a night out in the capital.

It comes after The Crown bosses released first look images of Dominic and his co-star Elizabeth Debicki as Prince Charles and Princess Diana last month.

High spirits: The star appeared in high spirits while enjoying a night out in the capital and posed with actor Stevie Basaula

It was first reported in October that the actor would play the heir to the throne, yet Netflix's announcement is the first confirmation of the news.

A TV insider said: 'Show bosses looked at several stars for the sought-after role, but he was by far their preferred actor. Now both parties are hammering out a deal.'

The new images of the duo show Dominic gazing into the distance in a striking outdoor shoot, while Elizabeth, 30, nailed Diana's trademark pensive gaze as she reclined on a sofa while reading letters.

Stylish: Dominic teamed his outfit with trendy trainers and also cosied up to Elizabeth McGovern for a photo

Dominic is taking on the role of Prince Charles at the time of his affair from Diana, Princess of Wales, with his second wife Camilla Parker Bowles.

His casting set tongues wagging as the news came to light shortly after Dominic was spotted getting cosy with his Pursuit Of Love co-star Lily James, meaning his role as the unfaithful royal was seen as 'ironic' to many.

It was announced last year that Elizabeth would take over from Emma Corrin and play Diana for the fifth and sixth series, which will cover Diana's death in 1997.

New role: Last month, The Crown bosses released first look images of Dominic and Elizabeth Debicki as Prince Charles and Princess Diana

Striking: Elizabeth bore a striking resemblance to Diana in the stunning new shot, in which she lay with letters while gazing in a pensive fashion

The actress said of her casting last year: 'Princess Diana's spirit, her words and her actions live in the hearts of so many. It is my privilege and honour to be joining this masterful series, which has had me absolutely hooked from episode one.'

While the new snap is the first official shot, earlier this month Elizabeth was seen on the set of The Crown for the first time, as she filmed scenes at Ardverikie Lodge Scotland alongside two young actors playing Prince Harry and Prince William.

Shooting at the majestic Ardverikie Estate, Elizabeth was the spitting image of the late princess and was dressed in light-wash jeans, a smart navy blazer jacket and a salmon pink shirt.
Treading lightly on Tanna We go on a new ecotourism adventure tour in North Tanna
Carl Golden is a senior contributing analyst with the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University in New Jersey. You can reach him at cgolden1937@gmail
Rich Manieri is a Philadelphia-born journalist and author. He is currently a professor of journalism at Asbury University in Kentucky.
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Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the Delhi government will bear the full cost of their programme and in the next few days, the Department of Education will issue necessary guidelines regarding this. (ANI)

New Delhi: The Delhi government will fund the education of government school teachers who get selected in the world's top 100 universities for pursuing courses, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Sunday.

He was speaking at a function where 122 teachers and principals were honoured with the State Teacher Award.

"In the last five years, we have sent our teachers and principals to Cambridge, Finland, Singapore and the US. The courses for which our teachers went there were such courses which these universities had prepared for us," Sisodia said.

"All the best universities in the world are known for their own tailored courses. We believe that if our teachers apply for such courses, they can get selected on the basis of their abilities. That's why the Delhi government has decided today on Teachers' Day, that our teachers will be able to apply for prestigious courses in the field of education in the world's 100 top ranked universities," the deputy chief minister said.

He said the Delhi government will bear the full cost of their programme and in the next few days, the Department of Education will issue necessary guidelines regarding this.

Sisodia appreciated the efforts made by the teachers for improving the quality of education in schools.

Noting that the education system has been badly affected due to the Covid pandemic, he said after the closure of schools, no one had any idea how to proceed with the teaching-learning process.

"But the teachers and principals of our schools showed incredible grit and determination in responding to this situation in the face of difficulties. Our teachers delivered the message of 'Learning Never Stops', ensuring how to reach out to their students through new mediums and innovations, and continue their studies. Their efforts are really commendable," he added.

Sisodia said teachers have been the biggest contributor to nation building.

"Our teachers influence millions of lives everyday with their work. These teachers prepare our children who are the foundation of our nation. Today, the revolutionary changes that have come in the education system of Delhi are a result of the collective efforts of Team Education of Delhi," he said.

Every year on the occasion of Teachers' Day, the Delhi government honours the teachers with the State Teacher Award and expresses gratitude through a grand celebration.

This time, many changes have been made in the award.

Earlier, this award was given only in the academic field but this time many people belonging to other fields were felicitated.

This year, the number of awards has been increased from 103 to 122 as compared to last year.

Sisodia also released the first edition of the Education Department's e-magazine 'Nai Udaan'.

This year, the Delhi government has introduced the 'Face of DOE' (Directorate of Education) award and it was given to Raj Kumar, a music teacher who entered the Guinness Book of World Records, and Suman Arora, who had helped government school students crack IIT.
HYDERABAD: Bank officials who sanctioned loans for Karvy are under the radar of the Hyderabad police who are investigating the Karvy Stock Broking Private Limited (KSBL) loan fraud case. As part of the investigations, the police summoned Yugandhar Meka, one of the directors of KSBL who has been named in the loan fraud cases. However, he sent his lawyer, following which the police asked him to present himself.

According to the police, Yugandhar was summoned earlier for questioning during which he claimed innocence and denied allegations. Subsequently, he was called for questioning on Monday.

The KSBL had availed loans of Rs 137 crore and Rs 350 crore from IndusInd and HDFC banks respectively by pledging the shares of its clients illegally and defaulted. It is learnt that the Hyderabad police are examining the role of bank officials in the KSBL loan fraud cases. We are investigating the cases and after a thorough probe only we can get to understand the role of bank officials in the fraud," said police officials who are privy to the investigation.

The directors of KSBL Comandur Parthasarathy, Yugandhar Meka and Bhagwan Das Narang reportedly availed several credit facilities from the HDFC Bank in the form of loan against shares (LAS), issuers risk (sublimit of LAS), drop line overdraft, cash credit, bank guarantee and short-term loan since 2003 which were being renewed or enhanced from time to time.

As of December 2019, the aggregate LAS facility extended by the complainant bank to the KSBL is to the tune of Rs 350 crore which was defaulted.

Likewise in the second case of IndusInd bank, the KSBL availed credit facilities of Rs 137 crore from the complainant bank by pledging securities/shares and personal guarantee of chairman and MD Parthasarathy by suppressing the facts that the pledged securities belonged to the clients and they did it without their consent and misusing power of attorney (PoA). So far, four cases were registered against the KSBL in Hyderabad and Cyberabad commissionerate limits based on the complaints from three banks - IndusInd, HDFC and ICICI.

Based on the complaints, the police investigated the case and arrested the main conspirator, Parthasarathy. Further investigation is underway.
Hunters using country-made arms and explosives against wildlife in the forests of Chittoor district. (Representational Photo:DC)

TIRUPATI: The demand for bushmeat in parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, particularly in Bengaluru city, has led to an increase in poaching, with hunters using country-made arms and explosives against wildlife in the forests of Chittoor district.

The scenario remains worse in Palamaner and Piler ranges. Wild boar, rabbit, fowl and spotted deer, all of them found widely outside the protected areas, are among the easy targets for poachers. Several such law violators have been arrested. They were found using country guns and explosives manufactured by local ironsmiths, as also air guns.

Repeated counselling sessions by the police on instructions from SP Senthilkumar led to the surrender of 503 country-made rifles in a weeks time in June last year. Subsequently, the police also seized homemade weapons, gun powder and pellets and hundreds of cases have been booked.

Officials said that there were increasing incidents of poachers arranging snares to hunt wildlife in the forests of Chittoor and also of the accidental shooting of innocent people. Last June, the carcass of a fully-grown female leopard was found in the forest area near Vemulawada village of Yerravaripalem Mandal.

An incident of alleged hunting and killing of a peacock was reported from Seshachalam forests at Bakarapeta in March.

A few months ago, a sloth bear was found dead in a snare in the Palamaner reserve forest.

In January, Rallabuduguru police in Kuppam circle arrested a man and seized a country rifle from him after he accidentally shot at a 14-year-old boy while hunting wild boars. A similar incident was reported from Kuppam on Sunday. The police took three persons into custody after they accidentally shot at a farmer while hunting wild boars.

According to forest staff, bush meat is believed to be rich with proteins and has medicinal values. There is a huge demand for this meat in Karnataka, TN and parts of AP. The Covid19 pandemic has further increased the demand for bush meat. As a result, poaching has picked up pace in the forests of Chittoor. This prompted the district police to take up another special drive against illegal arms and explosives.

Chittoor West divisional forest officer (DFO) Ravi Shankar told Deccan Chronicle that there was a recent spurt in poaching and a special drive was planned to check this menace and preserve the flora and fauna.

We have taken up a drive to remove snares in the forests. Under the special drive, we would first ask those in possession of illegal weapons to surrender them and then we will file criminal cases against poachers under the Wildlife Protection Act, the DFO said.

Meanwhile, police arrested three persons who accidentally shot a farmer while hunting wild boards outside the forest area near Ambapuram village in Kuppam mandal of Chittoor district. The incident occurred on September 2 last year, but came to light on Sunday when the police took a set of poachers into custody.

According to police, the injured farmer Venkatesh (30) suffered gunshot wounds from the poachers gun when he was guarding his groundnut crop at night on September 2. Based on the complaint lodged by the farmer, who was currently under treatment, the police arrested three persons -- Hanumanthu, Selvaraj and Vadivel, hailing from Ambala village.

The incident took place during a poaching attempt in the fields located close to the forest in Kuppam mandals Ambala.

The police charged the accused under IPC Section 304 (punishment for not amounting to murder) as the polices preliminary probe found that the incident was accidental. The police also seized the country-made gun in the possession of the accused.
Bengaluru: Karnataka BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel on Monday concurred with Union Home Minister Amith Shah's statement on winning the 2023 assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, which has evoked mixed reactions within the party.

He also said that all the leaders of the party will work together collectively for the party's victory.

"The Chief Minister of the state is the leader of the government and at the time of election, certainly it will be his leadership..... Amit Shah has clarified it. Seniors will give the guidance, B S Yediyurappa (former CM) will be the Margadarshak (guiding force) during the next election," Kateel said in response to a question.

Speaking to reporters here, he said there is no opposition or differences within the party on this issue.

"....our party is unique, when we have a Chief Minister, he will lead the party in the next election, it has been clarified (by Shah), but we will all work collectively as a team, so we will all go together," he said in response to a question on differences in the party after Amit Shah's statement.

During his visit to Davangere last week, Shah had exuded confidence that the BJP would once again come back to power in Karnataka with a complete mandate, under Bommai's leadership.

However, senior party leader and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa had contended that the BJP would fight the next assembly election under "collective leadership" of which Bommai will be a part.

There were also reports of former chief ministers Jagadish Shettar and B S Yediyurappa holding talks on September 4, regarding Shah's statement.

Noting that it will be the Chief Minister, who will lead during the next election, when the party is in the government, the state BJP chief in response to a question pointed out that the party was going to assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, under incumbent Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's leadership.

"It is the same for all states, when the party is in government. When not in government it will be the party president, while in government it will be Chief Minister along with the president....so the leadership will be his (CM's), along with him we will all work collectively, there is no difference on that," he added.

To a specific question whether the party will face the next election under Bommai's leadership and has everyone in the party have accepted it, Kateel said Bommai became the Chief Minister following the directions from the central leadership, and it has been accepted by everyone.

"There is still one-and-a-half years left for the assembly election. Already Amit Shah has given a message, the party will work together as a team," he said.

A section of BJP leaders are said to be sceptical about Shah's statement, as Bommai, who is not a native BJP leader, and the message such a statement at this stage may send to party's hardcore Hindutva ideologues or voter base.

In a surprise move Bommai, who has his political origins in Janata Parivar, was made the Chief Minister on July 28,following the exit of state BJP strongman Yediyurappa from the post.
Most of the cases were reported from Gnanapuram, Gajuwaka, Madhurawada, Seethammadhara, MVP Colony, NAD and Gopalapatnam.  ANI/Twitter

Visakhapatnam: Dengue outbreak is spreading fear among denizens of the Port City. At least 250 people have been suffering from the deadly fever, with around 100 patients having been hospitalised .

"The number of dengue cases is rising compared with the past situations. People are urged to cooperate with us to control the spread. The viral infection, also known as break-bone fever, is spread by mosquitoes," an officer of the public health department of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) told Deccan Chronicle.

In spite of the series of instructions and observance of the Dry Day Friday concept in the city, the awareness among the public is lacking, resulting in the rapid spreading of the disease, the medical officials said.

Patients are coming in with high fevers, dehydration, and low platelet counts as a warning sign from all patients who were hospitalised so far.

According to the sources from the district department of health, more than 30 per cent of the cases reported across the state were from Visakhapatnam, sending a warning signal for declaration of a War Against Dengue in Vizag.

Most of the cases were reported from Gnanapuram, Gajuwaka, Madhurawada, Seethammadhara, MVP Colony, NAD and Gopalapatnam.

Chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy would conduct a review meeting with the health department on Monday to take stock of the situation. Deaths due to dengue are also being reported from districts like Vizianagaram. There was no official record of the dengue deaths from the department side.
Bommai said agriculture universities must successfully grow the plant variety, which are researched in the agriculture fields. (PTI)

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said that thrust would be given to post-harvest management under the Comprehensive Agriculture Policy (CAP).

The chief minister, who launched the ambitious CM Raitha Nidhi Scholarship programme, said efforts will be made to get better prices for the crops grown by the farmer through scientific storage of agricultural produce, transportation, marketing facilities and other amenities.

Bommai said agriculture universities must successfully grow the plant variety, which are researched in the agriculture fields.

Universities must come out of their premises to the fields, he opined.

Appreciating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's determination to double the income of farmers, he said that though it is a challenge the Prime Minister has accepted the challenge and has charted out a plan.

He also said that the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Scheme was implemented to provide security to farmers' lives. The State government too added Rs 4,000 additional assistance when B S Yediyurappa took charge as CM, he said.
Haryana BKU chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni said that they had given a deadline of September 6 to the administration to meet their demands. (Twitter)

Karnal (Haryana): Central forces were deployed, mobile Internet services suspended and prohibitory orders banning gathering of people were imposed here on Monday, a day ahead of the gherao planned by farmers at the mini-secretariat over the August 28 lathi charge.

The Haryana government ordered suspension of mobile Internet services from 12:30 pm on Monday to Tuesday midnight to "stop the spread of misinformation and rumours" on social media, according to an order of the Home Department.

Forty companies of security personnel, including 10 companies of central paramilitary forces, have been deployed in the district where local authorities have also imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC, officials said.

Haryana BKU chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni said that they had given a deadline of September 6 to the administration to meet their demands.

He said a meeting with district administration officials was held here on Monday, but after failing to get any satisfactory response about their demands they decided to hold a big panchayat on Tuesday morning before proceeding to the mini-secretariat to gherao it.

"We will hold a peaceful protest, but if the administration stops us, then we will break barricades," Chaduni told reporters here, adding that farmers have no plan to block the national highway. The order suspending mobile Internet services stated that "to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order" here, mobile Internet services (2G/3G/4G/CDMA/GPRS), SMS services, including bulk SMS (excluding banking and mobile recharge) and all dongle services etc, except voice calling, will remain suspended with effect from 12:30 pm on Monday till 11:59 pm on Tuesday. Earlier, the district administration issued prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC, banning the assembly of five or more people, and a traffic advisory with planned route diversions, the officials said. According to a Haryana police advisory, National Highway No 44 (Ambala-Delhi) may see some traffic disruptions in the district on Tuesday. "Therefore, the general public using NH-44 are advised to avoid journey through Karnal town or otherwise use alternate routes to go to their destination on September 7," it said. Karnal Superintendent of Police Ganga Ram Punia said a total of 40 companies of security personnel, including 10 of Central Armed Police Forces, also comprising CRPF and BSF personnel, have been deployed. With additional force from neighbouring districts in place, five SP-rank officers and 25 DSP-rank officers will oversee security arrangements here, Punia said.

Drones fitted with cameras will be mobilised as part of security measures, he said. No one will be allowed to take law into one's hand, said Karnal Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav.

Speaking to reporters in Chandigarh, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij appealed to farmers to ensure that the protest is peaceful and the common man is not affected.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Navdeep Singh Virk said elaborate security arrangements have been made in view of the call for the gherao of mini-secretariat.

The IG Police Karnal Range and all district Superintendents of Police (Karnal Range) have been directed to take necessary preventive and precautionary measures to maintain law and order in Karnal and adjoining districts, Virk said.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer outfits protesting against the farm laws, had threatened to lay siege to the Karnal mini-secretariat on Tuesday if its demands were not met.

The Haryana Police had lathicharged a group of farmers disrupting traffic movement on a national highway near here on August 28 while heading towards Karnal to protest against a BJP meeting. Over 10 protesters were injured.

The SKM had said a murder case should be registered against IAS officer Ayush Sinha who was caught on tape allegedly telling policemen to "break heads" of protesting farmers. Sinha, who was later transferred in a reshuffle also involving some other IAS officers, has now been posted as the additional secretary in the Citizen Resources Information Department.

Chaduni had earlier sought registration of a case against those involved in the lathicharge. He also demanded a compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a government job for the family of a farmer who died after allegedly sustaining injuries in the lathicharge.

However, the administration here claimed that the farmer was not injured in the police action but had died due to a heart attack.

Meanwhile, according to police advisory, vehicles coming from Delhi side will be allowed to reach Chandigarh via Pepsi Bridge (Panipat) via Munak to Assandh and Munak to Gagsina, via Ghoghadipur to Hansi Chowk of Karnal, via Bypass Western Yamuna Canal to Karna Lake via GT Road 44.

Apart from this, light vehicles will be diverted towards Chandigarh via Madhuban, Daha, Bajida, Ghogharipur, Hansi Chowk, Bypass Yamuna Canal, Karna Lake, GT Road 44.

On Tuesday, vehicles coming from Chandigarh side will be diverted from Pipli Chowk (Kurukshetra) via Ladwa, Indri, Bayana, Neval, Kunjpura via Nangla Megha, Meerut via Amritpur Khurd, Kairavali and Gharaunda via GT Road 44.
It is mandatory for students to submit a consent letter from their parents to attend offline classes. (Photo: PTI/File)

Bengaluru: Schools reopened for students of classes 6 to 8 in Karnataka on Monday, by following strict COVID-19 protocols and standard operating procedures (SOP).

As per government directions, schools have been reopened in taluks where COVID-19 positivity rate is below 2 per cent.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh said that the government decided to reopen schools after approval from the state's technical advisory committee on COVID-19.

"The department had an intention of reopening schools for some time now and teachers were also ready for it, but keeping in mind the health of the students along with education and concerns of the parents, we discussed with the technical advisory committee and after taking the opinion of expert paediatricians, we are reopening schools for classes 6,7 and 8," he told reporters.

The Minister said, many parents and students had urged him during his recent visits to several parts of the state to reopen schools.

He said the entire government machinery and district administrations have been working together with the department for the safe conduct of classes.

It is mandatory for students to submit a consent letter from their parents to attend offline classes and these classes are not compulsory, as there is a provision of online classes also.

The government has said that offline classes for students of class 6-8 will be held on alternate days, each with 50 per cent attendance, it will be five days a week, and the remaining two days (weekend) will be used for sanitizing and other COVID control measures.

In response to a question, the Minister said, looking at how offline classes will go on, the government after consulting the technical advisory committee will take a decision on reopening schools for class 1 to 5, but did not specify any timeline.

The government had already allowed the reopening of schools for students from classes 9 to 12 since August 23.
VIJAYAWADA: The state government has decided to develop new roads at a cost of Rs 6,400 crore with financial support from New Development Bank in the state.

This was announced by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at a high-level review meeting on roads, seaports and airports with ministers and senior officials here on Monday.

The officials briefed him about the action plan to develop new roads, mainly the two-lane roads connecting mandal and district headquarters. They appraised about the progress of the ongoing national highway projects and the proposed new roads. They said that Vijayawada-Bengaluru via Kodikonda check-post was put on fast-track while Sheelanagar-Sabbavaram national highway in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli to Anandapuram road via Visakhapatnam were ready for construction.

Reddy directed the officials to coordinate with NHAI authorities to take up laying such roads. He said that repairing damaged roads was the priority as the intensity of rains would subside by October. He slammed the previous Telugu Desam regime for ignoring repair and development of roads.

The Chief Minister said Since assuming office, we have been witnessing good rainfall every year, much to the delight of farmers. However, as some stretches of roads were damaged due to rains we are paying attention to repair them and mobilising funds for the purpose. Former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is unable to digest the fact that he is not in the CMs chair and is on misinformation campaigns on every issue. Despite the odds, we will go ahead with our work.

He asked officials to call tenders for road repair and development works in case tenders were not yet called and take up works once rains subside. He called for an action plan to take up approaching roads to the bridges.

On seaports, the officials said that construction of Ramayapatnam port would be completed in 24 months and said that in the first phase, 25 million tonnes of cargo would be transported and there would be four berths. With regard to Bhavanapadu port, the tender process for taking up port works would be composted by October-end and said that for phase-1, Rs 2,956 crore would be spent. As regards Machilipatnam port, they informed that by September 14, tender process for construction of the port would be completed and said that in phase-1, nearly 35 million tonnes of cargo would be transported. The estimated cost for construction would be Rs 3,650 crore.

Reddy insisted on road and rail connectivity to Kakinada SEZ Gateway port, given its vast potential for industrial development, besides having provision for free trade warehousing in port areas.

As regards the nine fishing harbours coming up in the state, under the phase-1, four fishing harbours would be built at Uppada, Machilipatnam, Nizampatnam and Juvveladinne and complete the works by June.

Jagan Mohan Reddy instructed the officials to expedite construction of Bhogapuram airport by resolving cases and called for efforts to develop other airports by attending to pending issues. He felt the need to take steps to facilitate more flight services from Kurnool and Kadapa to Visakhapatnam and called for efforts to get international connectivity for Visakhapatnam and Tirupati airports.
A health worker collects a nasal swab sample from a Pakistani Hindu woman to test for the Covid-19 coronavirus before returning to Pakistan, in Amritsar. (Photo:AFP)

Hyderabad: Telangana appears to be lagging behind some other states in sending Rt-PCR samples from Covid19 tests for genome sequencing. Five such samples were sequenced from the state in August. Genome sequencing is important as it will help predict the third wave.

This was despite repeated reminders from the Centre to send samples for genome sequencing. A doctor at the Gandhi Hospital said, A system is not in place for sending the samples. We collect and keep them with us. Only when the clearance comes from the state health department can we send them for sequencing.

The Central government has again asked all states to send the samples as only Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab are sending them regularly.

There were five sequenced samples from Telangana in August, 595 samples in July, 476 in June, 1,033 in May and 704 in April. Sample sequencing is done at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnosis in the state.

According to sources, samples from government hospitals are collected and sent for sequencing. Gandhi Hospital is the main source from where test results of RT-PCR are sent.

Hyderabad is the biggest contributor in terms of samples. More than 100 samples from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport are collected every month and sequenced separately. These are monitored directly by the Central health ministry.

Warangal, Karimnagar and Nalgonda are also the districts from where samples are sent regularly.

According to government sources, sample collection for genome sequencing is based on two conditions  one, where the symptoms are different from the defined symptoms of Covid19. Two, when there are constant reminders from laboratories to send samples  and they are sent in bulk.

Samples from private hospitals are not collected by the government. Private hospitals send it directly to CCMB and pay for the genome sequencing.

Mostly, the samples are collected and sent in the middle or the end of the month and systems are not updated. Due to such technical errors, it does not show and this is added much later, explained a technician.

The Central health ministry has asked all states to regularly send samples -- at least 2,000 to 3,000 -- for sequencing. A scientist at CCMB says, "We cannot use the machines and re-agents on samples that are less than 100. These are costly imported chemicals. When we get bulk samples, the testing is taken up."

The Central government, in its data released on Monday, stated that 6,458 samples were sequenced in the country in August, 6,990 in July, 12,257 in June and 10,488 in May this year.

There are a total of 30 designated laboratories carrying out genome sequencing to track the variants of concern.
This comes after the state government received several complaints regarding cyber fraud. (Representational Image | Pixabay)

Bengaluru: Karnataka government has decided to ban online gambling games or betting by amending the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, excluding lottery.

The amended bill will be tabled in the upcoming session of the legislature which is slated to commence on September 13 and last till September 24.

This comes after the state government received several complaints regarding cyber fraud.

Karnataka Cabinet on Saturday decided to impose a ban on online games that include transactions from electronic devices like mobile phones and computers. The drafted bill seeks to amend Karnataka Police Act, 1963.
New Delhi/Lucknow: Thousands of farmers protesting against the Centres three controversial agricultural laws held a mahapanchayat at Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, where they reiterated their resolve to continue with their agitation and campaign against the BJP in the forthcoming state elections.

The farmers leaders also gave a unanimous call for a complete Bharat Bandh on September 27 against the three farm laws.

The leaders made it amply clear that they will campaign against the BJP in both the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Assembly elections in 2022 if the Centre did not accept their demands. They also threatened to carry on their agitation till the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The leaders said that efforts would now be made to strengthen the movement and ensure that farmers have their own government -- one that caters to their interests.

The leaders said the mahapanchayat had proved that their agitation has the support of all castes, religions, states, classes, small traders and all sections of society. Organised by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a combine of about 40 farmer unions, the mahapanchayat gained political significance as it was attended by a large number of Muslims and Jats as comrades-in-arms just eight years after riots had disturbed communal harmony in the region. The ruling BJP had become a major electoral beneficiary in the aftermath of the riots in the region.

Attacking the Central government for selling the country to corporates, Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait, who has become the face of the agitation across the country, said the farmers were fighting to save the nation. He said meetings will be held across India to stop the nation from getting sold. He said: Farmers should be saved, the country should be saved; business, employees and youth should be saved -- this is the aim of the rally.

The Congress also voiced support for the mahapanchayat, with party leader Rahul Gandhi saying the call of truth was echoing and an unjust government would be forced to listen. The call of truth is echoing. You have to listen, unjust government! he tweeted in Hindi.

AICC Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said: Farmers are the voice of this country. The farmers are the pride of the country. Arrogance of any power cannot withstand the roar of the farmers The whole country is with the farmers in the fight to save agriculture and in demanding their dues in lieu of their hard work.

Indicating a growing unease within some sections of the BJP over the continued farmers agitation ahead of the UP Assembly polls, party MP Varun Gandhi described the farmers as our own flesh and blood, and suggested that the government should re-engage with them in reaching common ground. Lakhs of farmers have gathered in protest today in Muzaffarnagar. They are our own flesh and blood. We need to start re-engaging with them in a respectful manner: understand their pain, their point of view and work with them in reaching common ground, Mr Gandhi tweeted, posting a short video of the large crowd.

Addressing the mahapanchayat, Mr Tikait said: The Centre ended talks on January 22. They did not even express grief over the deaths of more than 600 farmer protesters over the past nine months. Who are these people selling the country? We need to identify them. You (Centre) have cheated the people of the country. They are selling our farmlands, highways, power, LIC, banks and the corporate houses are the buyers. Even the FCI godowns and ports are being sold. Under this government, the entire country is up for sale.

Attacking both the Centre and the UP government, Mr Tikait said that the protests will only escalate in the days ahead. The mills owe over Rs 12,000 crores to sugarcane farmers. The Yogi Adityanath government has not increased the SAP even by a rupee. The movement started over the demand to repeal three black laws and MSP. Fasalon ke daam nahi toh vote nahi. People of UP will not tolerate Shah, Modi and Yogi. Is the Yogi government so weak that it cannot raise the price of crops by even one rupee?  If we have governments like this, there will be riots.

BKU media in-charge Dharmendra Malik said farmers belonging to 300 organisations spread across different states like UP, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka, among others, had gathered for the event. He said over 5,000 langars (food stalls), including some mobile stalls, had been set up for the participants.

The farmers, including women, carrying flags of different organisations and wearing caps of different colours, arrived at the venue in buses, cars and tractors. A woman farmer leader from Karnataka also addressed the gathering in Kannada.

The Muzaffarnagar administration had denied Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhrys request to sprinkle flowers from a helicopter on the venue and participants of the mahapanchayat. City magistrate Abhishek Singh rejected the request, saying it cant be allowed for security reasons.

The mahapanchayat was also a mark of protest against the Haryana police action against protesters in Karnal on August 28. About 10 people were injured after the state police lathicharged a group of farmers who had stopped traffic on a highway while heading for Karnal to protest against a BJP meeting attended by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, state BJP chief Om Prakash Dhankar and other leaders. One person had died, which the police later said was a case of heart attack.

The farmers protest against the three contentious laws has completed over nine months since they first arrived at Delhis borders. They have been demanding the repeal of the laws, which they are afraid will do away with the MSP system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.
The ACJ asked why Telangana state is not concerned about providing crop insurance and sought a reply from the advocate general by September 8. (Representational Photo:DC)

HYDERABAD: Telangana High Court on Monday faulted both union and Telangana governments for abandoning farmers of the state and not providing them any crop insurance.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Justice T. Vinod Kumar wondered why both governments have paid no heed to resolve grievances of Telangana farmers, whose crops had been damaged in incessant rains during October 2020. No crop insurance had been made available even to farmers of northern Telangana, 50 per cent of whose crops had got washed away.

The ACJ asked why Telangana state is not concerned about providing crop insurance and sought a reply from the advocate general by September 8.

The bench expressed surprise with the counter filed by union agricultural ministry saying it has nothing to do with losses faced by farmers due to heavy rains or storms; that it only considers situations only when a drought occurs.

The justices questioned assistant solicitor general Namavarapu Rajeshwar Rao whether the agriculture department is not responsible for dealing with grievances of farmers. It asked why the home ministry has not filed any affidavit since one year explaining its role. The bench sought a reply in this regard within two days.

Expressing its deep dissatisfaction over delay in releasing either compensation or ex-gratia, the ACJ said The PIL was filed in November 2020... We are now almost in October 2021... Since one year, the union home ministry has not filed its counter affidavit, the union agriculture ministry has filed a half-baked counter and state government has not yet taken a decision in this regard. Both the union and state governments have washed their hands off and abandoned Telangana farmers.
Islamabad: The Taliban on Monday confirmed that Pakistan's powerful intelligence chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed has met its de-facto leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, amidst efforts by the insurgent group to finalise a government in Afghanistan.

Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Hameed dashed to Kabul on an unannounced visit last week, becoming the only high-ranking foreign official to visit Kabul since the Taliban seized the Afghan capital in mid-August.

During a press conference in Kabul on Monday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that the ISI chief had met with Mullah Baradar during his visit to Kabul, BBC Urdu reported.

The Taliban has assured Islamabad that Afghan territory will not be used against Pakistan, it said.

Earlier, Pakistani media reported that a delegation of senior officials led by Lt Gen Hameed was in Kabul at the invitation of the Taliban, but the insurgent group said that Islamabad had proposed his visit to Kabul.

On Sunday, the Taliban said that the top Pakistani spy was in Afghanistan to improve bilateral relations between Kabul and Islamabad.

Ahmadullah Wasiq, deputy head of the Taliban's Cultural Commission, said that the Taliban leaders talked with Lt Gen Hameed about bilateral relations and the problems of Afghan passengers at the Torkham and Spin Boldak passes between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"This Pakistani official has come to solve Afghan passengers' problems at the border areas, especially in Torkham and Spin Boldak. They wanted (his visit to Kabul) and we accepted, Wasiq was quoted as saying by TOLO news.

Pakistan on Thursday temporarily closed the Chaman border crossing - the second-largest commercial border point with Afghanistan after the Torkham commercial town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa  due to security threats.

At his press conference, Mujahid noted that the recent delegation to Kabul said the crossings had been closed due to security concerns linked to release of prisoners inside Afghanistan, and requested checks for those seeking to enter or leave the country.

Citing sources close to Hizb-e-Islami party leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the channel said that Pakistan's intelligence chief also met him and discussed the current situation in the country.

In a short video clip circulated in the media last week, Lt Gen Hameed was seen trying to respond to questions by a journalist who first asked: Will you be meeting senior people in the Taliban?"

"No, I'm not clear " the ISI chief said and looked towards Pakistan ambassador to Kabul Mansour Ahmad Khan, who was standing by his side, to respond to the question.

In response to another question, Hameed smiled and said: "Don't worry, everything will be okay."

Hameed's visit to Afghanistan came amidst mounting pressure on the Taliban to form an inclusive government acceptable to the international community. The insurgent group is struggling to give shape to a broad-based and inclusive administration acceptable to the international community.

It was the first high-level visit of any Pakistani official to Afghanistan since the Taliban took over Kabul on August 15, in a move that surprised both their foes and friends.

Since then, the Taliban have been trying to form a government but so far have held back the announcement.

Pakistan was often accused by the Afghanistan government of giving the Taliban military aid, a charge denied by Islamabad.
In this Aug. 25, 2021, file photo, armored vehicles are seen in Panjshir Valley, north of Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo: AP)

Kabul: The Taliban said Monday they had captured the last pocket of resistance in Afghanistan, the Panjshir Valley, as the top US diplomat flies to Qatar to try and handle the aftermath of the chaotic American withdrawal.

Following their lightning-fast rout of Afghanistan's army last month -- and celebrations when the last US troops flew out after 20 years of war -- the Taliban turned to crush the forces defending the mountainous Panjshir Valley.

"With this victory, our country is completely taken out of the quagmire of war," chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

Late Sunday, the so-called National Resistance Front (NRF) -- made up of anti-Taliban militia and former Afghan security forces -- acknowledged suffering major battlefield losses in Panjshir and called for a ceasefire.

The NRF includes local fighters loyal to Ahmad Massoud -- the son of the famous anti-Soviet and anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud -- as well as remnants of the Afghan military that retreated to the Panjshir Valley.

The group said in a tweet Sunday that spokesman Fahim Dashty -- a well-known Afghan journalist -- and General Abdul Wudod Zara had been killed in the latest fighting.

The NRF had vowed to fight the Taliban but also said it was willing to negotiate with the Islamists. But initial contact did not lead to a breakthrough.

The Panjshir Valley is famed for being the site of resistance to Soviet forces in the 1980s and the Taliban in the late 1990s.

Taliban government

The Taliban are yet to finalise their new regime after rolling into Kabul three weeks ago at a speed that analysts say likely surprised even the hardline Islamists themselves.

Afghanistan's new rulers have pledged to be more "inclusive" than during their first stint in power, which also came after years of conflict -- first the Soviet invasion of 1979, and then a bloody civil war.

They have promised a government that represents Afghanistan's complex ethnic makeup -- though women are unlikely to be included at the top levels.

Women's freedoms in Afghanistan were sharply curtailed under the Taliban's 1996-2001 rule.

This time, women will be allowed to attend university as long as classes are segregated by sex or at least divided by a curtain, the Taliban's education authority said in a lengthy document issued on Sunday.

But female students must also wear an abaya (robe) and niqab (face-veil), as opposed to the even more conservative burqa mandatory under the previous Taliban regime.

As the Taliban come to grips with their transition from insurgency to government they are facing a host of challenges, including humanitarian needs for which international assistance is critical.

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths has arrived in Kabul for several days of meetings with the Taliban leadership, which has promised to help.

"The authorities pledged that the safety and security of humanitarian staff, and humanitarian access to people in need, will be guaranteed and that humanitarian workers -- both men and women -- will be guaranteed freedom of movement," a statement from UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The Taliban spokesman tweeted that the group's delegation assured the UN of cooperation.

Blinken trip to Qatar, Germany

The international community is coming to terms with the new Taliban regime with a flurry of diplomacy.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due Monday in Qatar, which has been a key player in the Afghan saga.

Qatar, which hosts a major US military base, has been the gateway for 55,000 people airlifted out of Afghanistan, nearly half the total evacuated by US-led forces after the Taliban takeover on August 15.

Blinken will also speak to the Qataris about efforts alongside Turkey to reopen Kabul's airport, which is necessary for flying in badly needed humanitarian aid and evacuating remaining Afghans.

Blinken will then head Wednesday to the US air base in Ramstein, Germany, a temporary home for thousands of Afghans moving to the United States, from which he will hold a virtual 20-nation ministerial meeting on the crisis alongside German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.
India's sugar production is likely to decline marginally to 30.5 million tonnes in the next 2021-22 season as more sugarcane will be diverted for ethanol making, a senior government official said on Monday.

Sugar production is estimated to have reached 31 million tonnes in the 2020-21 season (October-September), he said.

India is the world's second-biggest sugar producer after Brazil.

"Sugarcane crop by and large is good this year. We are expecting diversion of more cane for ethanol making and as a result sugar production will be slightly lower at 30.5 million tonnes during 2021-22 season," Joint Secretary in the Food Ministry Subodh Kumar Singh told PTI.

In the current season, cane meant for production of 2 million tonne sugar was diverted for ethanol making, while in the 2021-22 season cane meant for production of 3.5 million tonnes of sugar will be diverted, he said.

However, sugar production will be sufficient to meet the domestic consumption, which is expected to increase by 3,00,000-4,00,000 tonne at 26.3-26.5 million tonne in 2021-22 season, he added.

The domestic consumption in the 2020-21 season is estimated to be 26 million tonnes.

With the likely opening stock of sweetener is estimated at 9-9.5 million tonnes and expected production of 30.5 million tonnes, the total availability of sugar in the 2021-22 season will be 39.5 to 40 million tonnes.

The domestic consumption is seen around 26.5 million tonnes, while exports at 7 million tonnes in the next season. The closing stock at the end of the next season would be around 6-6.5 million tonnes.

According to the official, about Rs 83,000 crore cane dues have been cleared so far against the total Rs 91,000 crore payable in the current season.

"The balance of Rs 8,000 crore is left. In the next one month, arrear may come down further," he added.
Slain journalist Gauri Lankesh was remembered on her fourth death anniversary on Sunday, with activists expressing concerns over the muzzling of the media.

"The situation has only worsened. Journalists are attacked. No one can write against the government anymore," Gauri's sister and activist Kavita Lankesh said.

Writer B T Lalitha Naik said the oppression of people seeking justice was not new. "It was there in the past and it will continue in the future. We can't be scared into silence," she said.

Noor Sridhar of Gauri Memorial Trust said Gauri's killing had inspired more people to come forward to fight for justice.

Gauri's mother Indira Lankesh was also present on the occasion.
A week after declaring America's "new chapter" of engagement with Afghanistan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will aim to form a united front with allies this week on how to tackle the Taliban and ensure continued support for US bid to help evacuate Americans and at-risk Afghans who remained behind.

In a trip to Qatar and Germany, Blinken will be overlapping with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin who is also departing on Sunday for a wider Gulf visit covering Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.

The visit by top two US national security officials comes as the Biden administration still grapples with the fallout from what is widely seen as a messy US withdrawal from Afghanistan, criticised by President Joe Biden's fellow Democrats, as well as Republicans.

Dubbed as a "thank you" tour to the Gulf countries and Germany, who were instrumental in helping Washington evacuate thousands of people out of Kabul, Blinken will meet with senior Qatari officials in Doha and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas at Ramstein air base, where he will also co-host a ministerial meeting on Afghanistan.

Read | Taliban stop planes of evacuees from leaving but unclear why

Neither Blinken nor Austin are expected to meet with members of the Taliban, US officials said.

The United States' two decades-long invasion in Afghanistan culminated with a hastily organized airlift that left thousands of US-allied Afghans behind and was punctuated by a suicide bombing outside Kabul's airport that killed 13 US troops and scores of Afghans. Washington completed the withdrawal on Aug. 31.

It was one of the largest airlifts in history, evacuating more than 120,000 Americans, Afghans and others, although thousands of at-risk Afghans and about 100 US citizens still remained behind. Blinken has vowed to continue efforts to get them out and also hold Taliban to its commitments of providing safe passage to anyone who wishes to leave.

"We're in very, very active coordination with like-minded countries around the world so that ... we continue to work together and use the leverage and influence we have to hold the Taliban to the commitments its made," Blinken told a press conference at the State Department on Friday.

In Qatar, which has been at the forefront of the world's engagement with the Taliban and is also now the home to the US mission covering Afghanistan, Blinken is also expected to get together with US diplomats working on Afghanistan, now that Washington has moved its mission from Kabul to Doha.

The United States and the Western countries are in a difficult balancing act in the aftermath of Taliban's lighting victory - reluctant to recognize the Islamist group while accepting the reality that they will have to engage with the group to prevent a looming humanitarian crisis in the country.

A key element to ensure that aid flows into Afghanistan is to have a full reopening of the Kabul airport, the war-struck country's main gateway to the world. Qatar has also been front and center in negotiations over the future of the airport.

Read | Afghan anti-Taliban resistance leader Ahmad Massoud says he is ready for talks

On Saturday, a technical team from Qatar reopened the Kabul airport for aid and domestic services. But talks to resume international flights and security of the airport has continued between Qatar, the Taliban and Turkey.

Washington is not a direct party in the talks over the airport but is keen to see the airport functioning.

At Ramstein, Blinken will also visit a transit hub, through which around 30,000 evacuees have passed during the evacuation and which was still housing more than 17,000 people as of Friday, US officials said.

"This (trip) is very much focused on our relationship with Qatar, thanking them for the incredible support that they've given, as well as on the German side. That'll be a fundamental message throughout the trip," Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Dean Thompson told a briefing.
The Taliban on Monday said that any insurgency against their rule would be "hit hard", after earlier saying they had captured the Panjshir Valley -- the last pocket of resistance.

"The Islamic Emirate is very sensitive about insurgencies. Anyone who tries to start an insurgency will be hit hard. We will not allow another," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at a press conference.
Guinean special forces staged a coup on Sunday, arresting the president, in the latest political upheaval in the impoverished west African country.

"We have decided, after having taken the president, to dissolve the constitution," said a uniformed officer flanked by soldiers toting assault rifles in a video sent to AFP.

The officer also said that Guinea's land and air borders have been shut and the government has been dissolved.

Another video sent to AFP by the putschists showed a rumpled-looking President Alpha Conde sitting on a sofa surrounded by troops. He refused to answer a question from one soldier about whether he was being mistreated.

Guinea -- one of the world's poorest countries despite boasting significant mineral resources -- has long been beset by political instability.

Earlier on Sunday, residents of the capital Conakry's Kaloum district, the government quarter, reported hearing heavy gunfire.

A Western diplomat in Conakry who declined to be named suggested the unrest may have started after the dismissal of a senior commander in the special forces -- provoking some of its highly trained members to rebel.

Read | Army colonel on Guinean TV says government dissolved, borders shut

AFP was unable to independently confirm this account.

Later on, the head of Guinea's military special forces, Lieutenant-Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, appeared on public television, draped in the national flag, and cited government "mismanagement" as a reason behind his actions.

"We are no longer going to entrust politics to one man, we are going to entrust politics to the people," the coup leader said.

"Guinea is beautiful. We don't need to rape Guinea anymore, we just need to make love to her," Doumbouya added.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the coup in a tweet and called for Conde's immediate release.

The chairman of the African Union, DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, and the head of its executive body, former Chadian prime minister Moussa Faki Mahamat, also condemned it, calling for Conde's immediate release.

The putsch follows a long period of political tension in Guinea, first spurred by Conde's highly contested bid for a third presidential term last year.

The day before the presidential election last year, the military blocked access to Kaloum after an alleged military rebellion east of the capital.

Conde, 83, also survived an assassination attempt in 2011.

There was initial confusion about Sunday's events, as the government released a statement saying that it had "repulsed" a special forces attack on the presidential palace.

But the reality of the putschists' success set in as the day wore on.

The coup plotters announced a so-called national committee for assembly and development, which will be tasked with consulting political and civil society figures on the way forward.

They said the constitution would be rewritten.

Doumbouya also told French media "we are holding all of Conakry," and that he had the support of all the defence and security forces.

News of the coup sparked celebrations in some parts of the capital, where hundreds of people applauded the soldiers.

"We are proud of the special forces," said one demonstrator who requested anonymity. "Death to the torturers and to the murderers of our youth".

The most recent presidential poll in the nation of some 13 million people, in October 2020, was violently disputed and marred by accusations of electoral fraud.

Conde won a controversial third term in that poll, but only after pushing through a new constitution in March 2020 that allowed him to sidestep the country's two-term limit.

Dozens of people were killed during demonstrations against a third term for the president, often in clashes with security forces. Hundreds were also arrested.

Conde was proclaimed president on November 7 last year -- despite his main challenger Cellou Dalein Diallo and other opposition figures denouncing the election as a sham.

The government launched a crackdown, arresting several prominent opposition members for their alleged role in abetting electoral violence in the country.

Conde, a former opposition leader himself who was at one point imprisoned and sentenced to death, became Guinea's first democratically elected leader in 2010, winning re-election in 2015.

Since then, however, he has been accused of drifting into authoritarianism.
The world leaders need to take immediate action to limit climate change, restore biodiversity, and protect health, according to an editorial published in over 220 leading journals, including The Lancet and the National Medical Journal of India.

The editorial is being published ahead of the UN General Assembly, one of the last international meetings taking place before the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, UK in November.

It warns that the greatest threat to global public health into the future is the continued failure of world leaders to take adequate action to keep the global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius and to restore nature.

"The recent examples of extreme weather all over the globe have brought into focus the reality that climate change is," said Peush Sahni, Editor-in-Chief of the National Medical Journal of India, and one of the co-authors of the editorial.

"We must act now lest it is too late. We owe it to the future generations," Sahni said.

Read | Social cost of 2019's plastic more than GDP of India

The authors warn that while recent targets to reduce emissions and conserve nature are welcome, they are not enough and are yet to be matched with credible short and longer term plans.

They urge governments to intervene to transform societies and economies, for example, by supporting the redesign of transport systems, cities, production and distribution of food, markets for financial investments, and health systems.

Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet, said urgently addressing the climate crisis is one of the greatest opportunities for advancing the wellbeing of people worldwide.

"The health community must do more to raise its critical voice in holding political leaders accountable for their actions to keep global temperature rises below 1.5 degrees Celsius," Horton explained.

The editorial argues that sufficient global action can only be achieved if high-income countries do far more to support the rest of the world and to reduce their own consumption.

Developed countries must commit to increasing climate finance: fulfilling their outstanding commitment to provide USD 100 billion a year, have a dual focus on mitigation and adaptation, including improving the resilience of health systems, it said.

The editorial argues that this money should be provided in the form of grants, rather than loans, and should come alongside forgiving large debts, which constrain the agency of so many low-income countries.

Additional funding must be marshalled to compensate for inevitable loss and damage caused by the consequences of the environmental crisis, the authors noted.

"While low and middle income countries have historically contributed less to climate change, they bear an inordinate burden of the adverse effects, including on health," said Professor Lukoye Atwoli, Editor-in-Chief of the East Africa Medical Journal, and one of the co-authors of the editorial.

"We therefore call for equitable contributions whereby the worlds wealthier countries do more to offset the impact of their actions on the climate, beginning now, and continuing into the future," Atwoli said.

Fiona Godlee, Editor-in-Chief of The BMJ, and one of the co-authors of the editorial noted that going above mean temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius and allowing the continued destruction of nature will bring far deadlier crisis than Covid-19.

"Wealthier nations must act faster and do more to support those countries already suffering under higher temperatures. 2021 has to be the year the world changes course -- our health depends on it," said Godlee.

According to Eric J. Rubin, Editor-in-Chief of The New England Journal of Medicine, and one of the co-authors of the editorial, the environment and health are inextricably intertwined.

"The changing climate is endangering us in many ways, including its critical impacts on health and health care delivery," said Rubin.

"As medical and public health practitioners, we have an obligation not only to anticipate new health care needs but also to be active participants in limiting the causes of the climate crisis," the added.
Guinea, where a junta seized power in a coup on Sunday, arresting President Alpha Conde, is an impoverished west African country despite a wealth of natural resources.

The former French colony is the only Francophone state on the continent to have rejected in 1958 the Franco-African community proposed by then French President Charles de Gaulle. Instead, the country plumped for independence and installed a socialist regime which Ahmed Sekou Toure would go on to rule with an iron fist for a quarter of a century. Under his rule, some 50,000 people were killed or simply disappeared, according to human rights organisations.

Guinea has spent decades under authoritarian or dictatorial regimes, starting with Sekou Toure, followed by Lansana Conte, who died in 2008. A military junta under captain Moussa Dadis Camara then took over in a bloodless coup.

On September 28, 2009, security forces massacred 157 people at a rally gathering tens of thousands of opposition supporters in Conakry protesting Camera's expected participation in the next presidential election, while 109 women were raped, according to UN sources.

On November 7, 2010, longtime opposition mainstay Alpha Conde became the first freely elected president in Guinea's history. He was re-elected in 2015 for a second term after a poll marred by violence and amid accusations of fraud.

Read | Army stages coup in Guinea 'to entrust politics to the people'

Conde's standing for a third term last October led to tensions as well as the arrest of dozens of opponents but he was proclaimed the winner on November 7 despite challenges to the result from main rival Cellou Dalein Diallo and three other candidates claiming ballot stuffing and other irregularities.

Guinea, which borders Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Mali, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, is 80 percent Muslim but is made up of numerous ethnic groups, the main two being the Fulani and the Malinkes. Slightly bigger than Britain, it sits on a wealth of natural resources.

It is notably one of the world's top producers of bauxite, the chief mineral used in the production of aluminium but also a producer of iron, gold, diamonds and oil.

Agriculture is the main source of employment.

GDP grew 5.6 percent in 2019 and 5.2 percent in 2020, according to the African Development Bank, which expects a rise topping five percent this year based on strong performance in mining and also the coming onstream of the flagship Souapiti hydropower station northeast of capital Conakry.

But corruption remains a major problem. Transparency International ranked Guinea 137th out of 180 on its index last year and social inequalities are stark with roughly half of the 13 million population living below the poverty line, according to the country's national statistical institute.

Many people also have no access to electricity and running water, according to the World Bank.

Guinea has among the world's highest incidences of female genital mutilation (FGM), UNICEF saying around 97 percent of girls and women undergo circumcision.

The country was also hit by the worst outbreak to date of Ebola, which started in the country in December 2013 and lasted three years. The outbreak left 11,000 west Africans dead -- 2,500 of them in Guinea.

Guinea is, with Mali, the cradle of mandingo music played with traditional instruments including the harp-like kora and the balafon, a kind of xylophone.

One of its most famous exponents, Mory Kante, who died in May last year, scored a global hit in 1987 with "Yeke Yeke".
Aluminium prices rose on Monday after reports of a coup in Guinea triggered concerns that supply of bauxite, the raw material used to make the metal, could be interrupted.

Guinea produces about a quarter of the world's bauxite, analysts said, though there is no sign yet of supply disruption.

A military spokesman on Monday said that the country had reopened its land and air borders a day after special forces soldiers said they had dissolved the government and constitution.

Benchmark aluminium on the London Metal Exchange (LME) was up 1.6 per cent at $2,769.50 a tonne at 1603 GMT after touching its highest since May 2011 at $2,782.

Prices in China for bauxite from Guinea, meanwhile, hit their highest in almost 18 months.

Aluminium prices have risen by about 40 per cent this year.

The events in Guinea are "adding fuel to the fire, not least since the whole bullish narrative for aluminium is about tight supplies", said Julius Baer analyst Carsten Menke, though he believes that the country's new rulers are unlikely to disrupt an industry so important to the nation's economy.

Russia's Rusal said it aimed to keep its three major bauxite mines and one alumina refinery in Guinea operating.

A prolonged period of high aluminium prices created partly by output cuts in China is expected to encourage new capacity elsewhere, eventually weighing on prices.

The LME's open outcry ring hosts trading on Monday for the first time since March 2020. One dealer has dropped out, leaving eight ring-trading firms, with some expecting reduced volumes.

Industrial orders in Germany surged unexpectedly in July.

Export growth in China is expected to have moderated in August amid port congestion caused by fresh Covid-19 cases, a Reuters poll showed.

Global shares are on their longest winning streak in three months.

Minera Lumina Copper said it had reached a deal with workers at its Caserones mine in Chile, ending an almost month-long strike.

Benchmark LME copper was up 0.3 per cent at $9,455.50 a tonne, zinc rose 0.6 per cent to $3,014, nickel fell 0.7 per cent to $19,655, lead slipped 1.7 per cent to $2,271 and tin was down 0.8 per cent at $32,800.
By Karen Willis for The Conversation,

With the Delta variant raging across New South Wales and Victoria, health services are stretched and strained. Behind the scenes is a fearful, anxious and overburdened workforce.

In the next few months, the health workforce will care for many more patients with Covid-19, with case numbers in NSW expected to peak over the next two weeks.

The nation is focused on plans to reopen borders and increase freedoms as soon as there are sufficiently high rates of vaccination. But what does living with Covid-19 look like for health professionals?

What have health workers had to deal with so far?

In 2020, we surveyed front-line healthcare workers across Australia.

We found the pandemic had taken a considerable toll on the mental health of healthcare workers, with significant numbers having symptoms of mental illness.

Alarmingly, 70.9% of our sample of 7,846 reported emotional exhaustion and 40% had moderate to severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Also read: 80% Covid-19 immunity lost in 6 months in some after Pfizer shot: Study

Throughout the pandemic, healthcare workers have been disproportionately infected  often through exposure to the virus at work.

We asked healthcare workers about the key pressures of working during the pandemic. These were:

constant workforce and occupational disruption, including being redeployed or working longer, unpaid hours. Those most affected were more likely to experience poorer mental health

worries about being able to provide best care to patients, excluding families from visiting patients, and the emotional toll of caring for patients and their families when people died alone due to visitor restrictions

being blamed by, and placing more stress on, co-workers when they were exposed to or infected with Covid-19 and therefore could not be at work

worrying about people who were missing out on health care for various medical conditions during the pandemic because they were reluctant to seek health care or due to services being scaled back

a surge in mental illness across the community due to social restrictions

worries about being safe at work; and bringing Covid-19 home from work, thus infecting their families.

Not surprisingly, we also found many health professionals were contemplating leaving the health workforce.

That was then  what has changed?

None of those issues have been resolved. Now healthcare workers are facing even further pressures.

The sheer number of exposure sites, including exposure sites in or around health centres, are a major cause for concern. Exposure to the virus for healthcare workers is enormously disruptive and leads to a cycle of Covid-19 testing and being furloughed for 14 days.

The flow-on effects of quarantining are huge. How do you manage, at short or no notice, caring for your children, the impact on your partner, and the rest of the over-stretched workforce having to step up to do your job?

One exposure site can knock out hundreds of workers from the healthcare system.

We dont have an unlimited supply of healthcare workers. We also need to staff additional health workplaces, such as Covid-19 testing clinics and vaccine hubs.

This means theres no slack in the system when we need to suddenly replace workers. Consequently, some health services may need to be reduced.

How can our health system cope?

healthcare workers in our survey also talked about how Covid-19 has emphasised the need to address existing cracks in the system.

As one respondent, a psychologist in her 40s, explained:

Things that were not going well, and had been neglected, have been made worse. Rundown buildings, casualised workforces working across multiple hospitals, stretched services covering multiple wards, a culture of toughing it out []

The Australian Medical Association, too, is calling for a system overhaul, rather than a top-up funding approach, stating:

Even pre-Covid, emergency departments were full, ambulances ramped, and waiting times for elective surgery too long.

If we are to live with Covid-19, we need a healthcare system that can cope with the normal pressures of providing health care for 25 million people, intermittent crises, plus respond to both the short and long-term needs of people with Covid-19.

healthcare workers mental health is an issue not only for themselves and their families, but for patient care and workforce retention as well: its an occupational issue.

Preparing the healthcare system to respond to crises such as pandemics, must include supporting healthcare workers and protecting them from burnout, overwork, and exhaustion. We risk losing our most valuable asset in the healthcare system if we fail to urgently respond to these issues.

(The author works at Victoria University and Natasha Smallwood, Monash University)
A spokesperson for the Taliban said on Monday that a new Afghan government would be announced soon, but he did not specify when.

Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a news conference that after capturing Panjshir, the last holdout of resistance forces, the Taliban controlled the entire country.

Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the resistance forces, said in a Twitter message that he was safe.
The Taliban said on Monday they have taken control of Panjshir province north of Kabul, the Afghan capital. The province was the last holdout of anti-Taliban forces in the country and the only province the Taliban had not seized during their sweep last month. However, the anti-Taliban resistance force in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley denied that Panjshir had fallen to the hardline Islamist group and vowed to carry on fighting.
For Heather Bauer, 9/11 anniversaries are about something other than the fallen Twin Towers, smoking wreckage at the Pentagon, and a crashed airliner in a Pennsylvania field.

Instead of the accepted version of events -- that Al-Qaeda conducted the attacks -- she believes the US government was primarily responsible. That is among falsehoods being promoted at various events to mark the 20th anniversary of September 11.

"I question absolutely everything now, and I wonder how much or what we have been told of history is even really true," Bauer told AFP. That includes Covid-19, which she does not believe exists.

Also Read | 9/11: Ground Zero's forgotten migrant cleaners demand recognition

Bauer, a Wisconsin homemaker, was 14 when the attacks left nearly 3,000 people dead.

She believed the official narrative for years, but after falling into QAnon conspiracy theories, she looked again at the 9/11 story. She now thinks the attacks were orchestrated to justify the war in Iraq that followed in 2003.

She is a devoted adherent of the 9/11 truther movement. Its members tirelessly discuss online what they see as evidence that the Twin Towers fell because of controlled demolition techniques, not because commercial planes flew into them.

Those claims were developed in incredible detail over the past 20 years, and have been debunked just as minutely by documentarians and journalists.

The general idea, including the oft-cited "jet fuel can't melt steel beams" argument, is to prove that some entity must have planted explosives in the towers, because they could not have collapsed so neatly from being hit by planes.

In-person conferences planned by the truther community for the 20th anniversary of 9/11 will also discuss the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and vaccines.

The 17th edition of the "9/11 Truth Film Festival" will take place at an Oakland, California theater and be streamed online, featuring two documentaries related to the pandemic, including "Plandemic," a debunked documentary rife with falsehoods about the virus.

Also Read | Afghanistans fall is 9/11s latest unlearned lesson

Carol Brouillet, the event's organizer and founder of the Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance, said: "We have so much that we want to cover, and only eight hours."

The amount of 9/11 truther content is, as Brouillet said, enormous.

One of the festival's speakers, Ken Jenkins, alone has produced dozens of 9/11 DVDs, according to the event's webpage.

Conspiracy theories over 9/11 were the first to benefit from widespread internet access, spreading much faster than previous alternative interpretations of history, including about John F. Kennedy's assassination, and the Moon landings.

"America is a uniquely conspiratorial country," said Garrett Graff, a journalist and author of a book on the subject.

With the internet, he said, 9/11 truth theories were able to not only have a greater and faster reach than previous conspiracies, but also enabled those who believed in them to network far more effectively.

"9/11 conspiracies arrived at the precise moment where social media and online media like YouTube really began to allow people to spread these ideas in big and colorful and compelling ways," he added.

Like Brouillet's group, the Lawyers' Committee for 9/11 Inquiry will hold a conference on the 20th anniversary, and will feature a Covid-19 discussion.

The event is named "From 9/11-Anthrax to the Pandemic," in reference to letters containing the poisonous substance sent to journalists and politicians over several weeks in September 2001.

For Mick Harrison, an Indiana lawyer and the committee's litigation director, the connection between the anthrax in 2001 and the Covid-19 virus today is clear.

"Because we researched the history of US work on bioweapons for the anthrax case, we're now concerned that there may be an ongoing problem with the use of bioweapons in this country," Harrison said.

Asked about why they are fighting to overturn an established 20-year-old narrative, Bauer and Harrison both said they saw it as a civic duty.

"I'm trying to make this country better by making its government more democratic, more accountable, more transparent," Harrison said.

"9/11 is a big problem in that regard, because we still don't know the truth about what happened."
The Afghan soil should not be a source of spreading terrorism in other countries of the region and both Russia and India have "common concerns" over it in the backdrop of the unfolding situation in Afghanistan, Russian Ambassador Nikolay Kudashev said on Monday.

Delving into implications of the latest developments in Afghanistan, the Russian envoy also said that there is a danger of the possible spread of terror into Russian territory as well as Kashmir, noting that India and Russia will continue to work together to counter any threat of terrorism.

Kudashev told PTI in an interview that Russia would like to see an inclusive government in Afghanistan that is able to ensure security, stability and predictability, adding the issue of recognition to any new dispensation in Kabul is not an immediate area of focus.

Get all the updates of Afghanistan crisis here

The Russian envoy said that there is "ample scope" for cooperation between India and Russia on Afghanistan and both sides have been in regular touch with each other on the latest developments in the war-torn country.

"Both India and Russia are concerned about the situation in Afghanistan. We want an inclusive government. We want that the Afghan soil should not be a source of terror for other countries in the region," Kudashev said.

"These are the very basic values that bring Russia and India together. I do not see much of a difference in our position on Afghanistan," he said.

Asked whether Russia is concerned about the possible export of terrorism to Russia from Afghanistan, the envoy said "definitely" and noted that any escalation of the civilian conflict would be detrimental to the regional security scenario.

"As far as the phenomena of terror are concerned, we do share our concerns with India. There is a danger of terror being spread to the Russian territory and the territory of Kashmir. This is a matter of common concern," Kudashev said, replying to a question on the possibility of various terror groups operating from Afghanistan shifting focus from the war-ravaged country.

Asked about Pakistan backing various terror groups operating in Afghanistan and whether they pose a threat to regional security, Kudashev said Russia expects Pakistan to be among the countries that would like to see predictability and a secure environment in Afghanistan.

There have been mounting concerns in India over the possibility of a rise in activities of various terror groups, including Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Indian Ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal met senior Taliban leader Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai in Doha last Tuesday.

In the meeting, Mittal conveyed to Stanekzai that Afghanistan's soil should not be used for anti-Indian activities and terrorism. It was the first publicly acknowledged formal engagement between the two sides.

Kudashev said tackling the threat of terror has been a matter of continued dialogue between Russia and India under multiple frameworks, including the bilateral mechanism of the counter-terror working group.

"Counter-terrorism is part of each and every bilateral meeting. Rest assured we know about this danger and we are most willing to cooperate to deal with it," he said.

The Russian envoy said his country would like to see the "future in Afghanistan with optimism" and there is a need to give some time to any new dispensation in Afghanistan.

"We are for an inclusive government in Afghanistan that can ensure sustainable development in the war-torn country. The Afghan people deserve peace, stability, and sustainable development just as any other nation in the world," Kudashev said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 24 discussed the developments in Afghanistan over a week after its capital Kabul fell to the Taliban.

After the conversation, Russia said the two leaders expressed the intention to enhance cooperation to counter the dissemination of "terrorist ideology" and the drug threat emanating from Afghanistan and agreed to form a permanent bilateral channel for consultations on the issue.

Russia has been a key player in pushing for the Afghan peace process before the Taliban captured power in Kabul.
A court in Belarus sentenced one of the country's most prominent opposition figures, Maria Kolesnikova, to 11 years in prison on Monday after she led unprecedented protests against President Alexander Lukashenko last year.

A defiant Kolesnikova smiled and made her signature heart-shaped hand symbol during the court hearing in Minsk, where lawyer and fellow opposition activist Maxim Znak was also handed a 10-year sentence.

During the closed-door trial authorities had accused the pair of violating national security and conspiring to seize power.

Kolesnikova, 39, is the only major leader of last year's mass protests still in Belarus and has been in custody for a year after resisting deportation by ripping up her passport.

Lukashenko, in power since 1994, has been cracking down on opponents since the protests, which erupted when he claimed victory in a disputed election.

A video from inside the courtroom showed the handcuffed pair grinning in the defendant's cage ahead of the ruling.

Kolesnikova -- who wore her trademark dark red lipstick and a black dress -- made the heart-shaped symbol with her hands, which she often did at protest rallies.

Standing next to her, Znak pretended he was inviting an audience into a theatre.

"Dear spectators, we are happy to see you," said the 40-year-old said.

Germany called the sentencing "unjustified" and the European Union condemned it as a "blatant disrespect" of rights.

Amnesty International said it was "designed to crush the hopes" of a generation of Belarusians.

Kolesnikova -- a former flute player in the country's philharmonic orchestra -- has become a symbol of the protest movement in Belarus.

She had danced inside the court when the trial, which authorities said had to be closed because it contained state secrets, opened last month.

Last, September KGB agents put a sack over her head, pushed her into a minibus and drove her to the Ukrainian border.

She resisted the attempt to throw her out of the country by reportedly jumping out of the car.

Kolesnikova was part of a female trio of protest leaders along with Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and Veronika Tsepkalo, both of whom fled the country.

Tikhanovskaya, who stood for president in place of her jailed husband and claims she won the election, called the pair "heroes" after the sentencing.

"The regime wants us to see them crushed and exhausted. But look: they are smiling and dancing," Tikhanovskaya, who is now based in Lithuania, said on Twitter.

The press service of onetime presidential hopeful Viktor Babaryko, whose campaign was managed by Kolesnikova, published photos of some of her supporters lining up outside the Minsk court.

Kolesnikova and Znak had worked for Babaryko, who in July was jailed for 14 years on fraud charges.

"Maria and Max went through all the stages of political persecution with dignity," Babaryko's office said in a statement.

It quoted Kolesnikova's lawyer saying she delivered an impassioned final address to the court last week about the "future of a free Belarus".

Kolesnikova and Znak were part of a seven-member Coordination Council set up in response to the disputed August election to oversee a peaceful transition of power.

Western countries have piled sanctions on Lukashenko's regime over the treatment of opposition activists at home and abroad.

According to local rights group Viasna there were 659 political prisoners in Belarus as of Monday, including Znak and Kolesnikova.

Lukashenko faced a global outcry in May when a passenger plane was forced to land in Minsk and a dissident onboard was arrested.

Belarus was again in the international spotlight in August, after an athlete said her team tried to force her to leave the Tokyo Olympics and an exiled opposition activist was found hanged in a park in Ukraine.

Lukashenko has shown no signs of stepping down and maintains the backing of key ally and creditor Russia.
A former sniper in the US military went on a shooting spree in central Florida, killing four people, including an infant boy in his mother's arms, officials said Sunday.

The suspect, identified as 33-year-old Bryan Riley, shot and killed a 40-year-old man, a 33-year-old woman and her three-month-old son in a residential area in Polk County, Florida, said County Sheriff Grady Judd. The fourth victim was the child's 62-year-old grandmother.

Riley, who was wearing full body armor, also wounded an 11-year-old girl before surrendering himself to the police following an intense gunfight, Judd said.

Riley, a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, told the police he was a "survivalist" and that he had been taking methamphetamine.

The suspect also told the police, without elaborating, "You know why I did this," according to a statement from Judd published on social media.

Riley was wounded in the gunfight and was rushed to a local hospital, where he again tried to attack police officers and had to be sedated.

After he received medical help, the suspect was transferred to a local jail.

It was not immediately clear what prompted the attack, Judd said. An investigation is underway.
Britain's former prime minister Tony Blair warned on Monday that "radical Islam" remained a "first-order security threat" to the world despite two decades confronting the issue across the globe.

Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in the United States, and in the wake of the Taliban retaking power in Afghanistan, Blair argued that the threat posed by jihadist groups was "getting worse".

He reiterated his long-held belief it could only be defeated by "a combination of hard and soft power" and urged world powers, including non-Western allies, to adopt a more unified approach.

"Islamism, both the ideology and the violence, is a first order security threat; and, unchecked, it will come to us, even if centred far from us, as 9/11 demonstrated," he said at the Royal United Services Institute military think-tank.

"The leading powers must unite to develop an agreed strategy," he added, noting China and Russia had an interest in countering it alongside many Muslim countries in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Read | Taliban confirms Pakistani ISI chief met Mullah Baradar

Blair highlighted the radicalism pushed by Shia Iran, and Sunni groups from the Muslim Brotherhood through to Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State group and Boko Haram.

He said they were "the principal cause of de-stabilisation across the Middle East and beyond and today in Africa".

Blair took Britain into war in Afghanistan alongside the United States in 2001 to oust the Taliban from power after they refused to give up Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

He promised president George W. Bush that Britain would stand "shoulder to shoulder" with Washington in the US leader's "war on terror", including in Iraq in 2003.

Blair, who has faced criticism for backing Bush's campaign against Saddam Hussein, defended Western interventionism.

But he reiterated his criticism of the allies' current strategy, which last month saw him condemn their "abandonment" of Afghanistan as dangerous and unnecessary.

Blair also branded Washington's motives for this year's total US military withdrawal -- enshrined in US President Joe Biden's vow to end "the forever wars" -- as "imbecilic".

On Monday, he argued there were instances when "boots on the ground" were needed and that relying on local forces would not always be possible.

Taking questions on his criticism of Biden's Afghan policy, the former British leader said he had "deep respect" for the US president but that the "forever wars" pledge was "not a good way of making policy".

"In the end, it's a political slogan, it's not really based on an analysis," Blair said of the "deeply mistaken" phrase, which Biden used repeatedly during campaigning last year.

"We haven't ended this war, we've ended our participation in it -- different concept," Blair added.
Former Afghanistan Vice President Amrullah Saleh has said the Taliban are being micro-managed by Pakistan's notorious intelligence agency, the ISI.

Writing for The Daily Mail, Saleh said the Taliban's spokesperson receives directions, literally every hour, from the Pakistani Embassy.

"It is the Pakistanis who are in charge as effectively a colonial power. But this is not going to last because they and their clients will not be able to erect a functioning economy or create a civil service," he added.

"They may have territorial control, but as our history has shown, control of land does not necessarily mean control over the people or stability. And I do not see Taliban having any idea about governance," he added.

Also Read | India has no option but to wait and watch, avoid knee-jerk reaction: Ex-diplomats on Afghanistan

Saleh said many fighters are flocking in Panjshir to join the National Resistance Front (NRF) - anti-Taliban fighters, former Afghan security forces and ordinary Afghans who want to stop returning to the rule of the Taliban.

"For the Taliban have not won any hearts and minds. They have simply exploited the flawed policy of a fatigued American President - not necessarily the United States itself - and they are being micromanaged by Pakistan's notorious intelligence agency, the ISI," Saleh said in the article.

"Now, with the closure of the airport in Kabul, the Afghan exodus is continuing at the other border crossings and it is worse than it was during the Soviet occupation of the 1980s. This is not only shameful for President (Joe) Biden, it is shameful for the whole of Western civilisation. Your politicians know that Pakistan is running the show," Saleh said.

Saleh told his bodyguard on the way to Panjshir from Kabul: "We will fight our way through. We will fight it together. But should I get injured, I have one request of you. Shoot me twice in my head. I don't want to surrender to the Taliban. Ever."
The Taliban on Monday claimed total control over Afghanistan, saying they had won the key battle for the Panjshir Valley, the last remaining holdout of resistance against their rule.

Following their lightning-fast victory in mid-August over the former Afghan government's security forces and the withdrawal of US troops after 20 years of war, the Taliban turned to fighting the forces defending the mountainous Panjshir Valley.

As the Islamist hardliners claimed victory, their chief spokesman warned against any further attempts to rise up against their rule while urging former members of the security forces to join their regime's ranks.

"With this victory, our country is completely taken out of the quagmire of war," chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

Read more: Taliban tells Berlin it will welcome German companies, aid

"Anyone who tries to start an insurgency will be hit hard. We will not allow another," he later added at press conference in Kabul.

The Taliban published a video of their flag being raised over the governor's house in Panjshir -- underscoring a historic win that has seen the anti-Taliban bastion defeated for the first time during 40 years of conflict.

It remained in the hands of resistance fighters during Soviet rule, a subsequent civil war and the Taliban's first regime of the late 1990s.

The National Resistance Front (NRF) in Panjshir -- made up of anti-Taliban militia and former Afghan security forces -- on Sunday acknowledged suffering major battlefield losses and called for a ceasefire.

But on Monday the group said in a tweet that its fighters were still present in "strategic positions" in the valley.

The NRF includes local fighters loyal to Ahmad Massoud -- the son of the famous anti-Soviet and anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud -- as well as remnants of the Afghan military that retreated to the Panjshir Valley.

As Taliban fighters amassed in the valley, Massoud on Monday called on Afghans in and out of the country to "rise up in resistance".

The Taliban are yet to finalise their new regime after rolling into the capital Kabul three weeks ago at a speed that analysts say likely surprised even the hardline Islamists themselves.

As they undertake a mammoth transition into overseeing key institutions and cities of hundreds of thousands of people, Mujahid said an interim government would first be announced, allowing for later changes.

"Final decisions have been taken, we are now working on the technical issues," he said at a press conference.

Afghanistan's new rulers have pledged to be more "inclusive" than during their first stint in power, with a government that represents Afghanistan's complex ethnic makeup -- though women are unlikely to be included at the top levels.

Women's freedoms in Afghanistan were sharply curtailed under the Taliban's 1996-2001 rule.

This time, women will be allowed to attend university as long as classes are segregated by sex or at least divided by a curtain, the Taliban's education authority said in a lengthy document issued on Sunday.

But female students must wear an abaya (robe) and niqab (face-veil), as opposed to the even more conservative burqa mandatory under the previous Taliban regime.

However, some universities in Kabul remained closed on Monday and those that did open saw a drastic fall in the number of students -- some who complied with the new rules, and others who resisted.

Afghans are also facing a host of other challenges, including looming financial and humanitarian crises.

"The authorities pledged that the safety and security of humanitarian staff, and humanitarian access to people in need, will be guaranteed and that humanitarian workers -- both men and women -- will be guaranteed freedom of movement," a statement from UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The Taliban spokesman said the group had assured a visiting UN team of cooperation.

The international community is coming to terms with the new Taliban regime with a flurry of diplomacy.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due Monday in Qatar, a key player in the Afghan saga.

Qatar, which hosts a major US military base, has been the gateway for 55,000 people airlifted out of Afghanistan, nearly half the total evacuated by US-led forces after the Taliban takeover on August 15.

Blinken will also speak to the Qataris about efforts alongside Turkey to reopen Kabul's airport, which is necessary for flying in badly needed humanitarian aid and evacuating remaining Afghans.

Blinken will then head Wednesday to the US air base in Ramstein, Germany, a temporary home for thousands of Afghans moving to the United States, from which he will hold a virtual 20-nation ministerial meeting on the crisis alongside German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.
Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was said to be injured after a clash with the outfit's ally, Haqqani Network, late Friday, prompting Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed to make an emergency trip to Kabul to troubleshoot the situation, according to multiple reports.

The Taliban, which was set to form the new Afghan government on Saturday, had delayed the announcement by a few weeks. ISI chief chief was quoted by PTI in a video clip as having said that everything would be okay.

It is believed that the Haqqani Network and other Taliban factions do not accept Haibatullah Akhundzada as their leader.

Also Read | Pakistan is a colonial power in charge in Afghanistan, says Amrullah Saleh

According to an unverified report by the Panjshir Observer, the gunfire heard in Kabul on Friday was supposedly due to the power struggle between Baradar and Anas Haqqani.

In a piece he wrote for The Daily Mail, former Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh claimed that the Taliban are being micro-managed by the ISI. He said that Taliban spokespersons receive hourly instructions from the Pakistan Embassy and termed the country as a 'colonial power.'

It remains to be seen when the Taliban will formally announce a new government, with multiple reports quoting that the delay in its formation is due to friction between factions of the Taliban.
As a Taliban commander, he spent years battling the former Afghan government. Now, with his hardline movement back in power, Mullah Neda Mohammad vows to continue fighting against rival jihadists, the Islamic State (IS) group.

Following the Taliban's victory in August, Mohammad took over as governor of Nangarhar province, home to the IS Afghanistan-Pakistan chapter's stronghold.

"We are searching for individuals who are hiding," Mohammad told AFP, claiming his forces have arrested 70 to 80 IS members since they took control of Nangarhar's provincial capital Jalalabad, the country's fifth biggest city.

IS have been responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan of recent years, massacring civilians at mosques, shrines, public squares and even hospitals.

The group claimed responsibility for a devastating suicide bombing near Kabul airport on August 26 that killed more than 100 Afghans and 13 US soldiers.

It was the deadliest attack against American forces in Afghanistan since 2011.

After the blast, the US military said it had carried out a drone strike against an IS "planner" in the Nangarhar province.

Still, Mohammad says he does not believe IS poses a great a threat as they did in Iraq and Syria.

"Here they have suffered many casualties in northern and eastern Afghanistan," he told AFP in Jalalabad, at the governor's palace, now decked with Taliban flags.

With the Taliban in power, "there will be no reason for (IS) to be here", he said. "We don't consider IS as a threat."

Although both IS and the Taliban are hardline Sunni Islamist militants, they have differed on the minutiae of religion and strategy, while each claiming to be the true flag-bearers of jihad.

That tussle has led to bloody fighting between the two.

One IS commentary published after the fall of Kabul accused the Taliban of betraying jihadists with the US withdrawal deal, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant communications.

The latest estimates of IS's strength vary from 500 active fighters to as high as several thousand, according to a UN report in July.

However, a spree of prison breaks by the Taliban during their summer offensive also led to many IS militants being released.

The Taliban swept to power with staggering speed, and Mohammad described how he and his fighters were able to march on Jalalabad without firing a shot.

There had been intense fighting against former government forces in nearby Sherzad as they made their advance, but once the Taliban took the village they received word of a surrender.

Jalalabad's former leaders "sent a representative who told us that they did not want to fight any more and wanted to hand over the local government peacefully", Mohammad said.

"We built our organisation here," he said. "We appointed the police chief, intelligence chief and the governor -- which was given to me."

After two decades of fighting an insurgency, the Taliban must rapidly transition into a governing force that can manage a humanitarian crisis and war-wrecked economy.

It has resulted in commanders more at ease with organising ambushes now running cities of hundreds of thousands of people.

Like most in Afghanistan, the people of Nangarhar are scarred by the memories of the Taliban's brutal reign in the 1990s, which was infamous for deaths by stoning, girls being banned from school and women from working in contact with men.

The province's new governor has offered reassuring words, but many people remain sceptical about the Taliban's pledge of a different kind of rule.

"We will protect their rights and we won't allow criminals to harm the people of Afghanistan, particularly the people of Nangarhar," Mohammad said.

Despite the assurances, an aid worker in Jalalabad said on condition of anonymity that "a lot of people in the city are not happy, and they are afraid for freedom of expression".
The Taliban on Monday confirmed that Pakistan's powerful intelligence chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed has met its de-facto leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, amidst efforts by the insurgent group to finalise a government in Afghanistan.

Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Hameed dashed to Kabul on an unannounced visit last week, becoming the only high-ranking foreign official to visit Kabul since the Taliban seized the Afghan capital in mid-August.

During a press conference in Kabul on Monday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that the ISI chief had met with Mullah Baradar during his visit to Kabul, BBC Urdu reported.

The Taliban has assured Islamabad that Afghan territory will not be used against Pakistan, it said.

Earlier, Pakistani media reported that a delegation of senior officials led by Lt Gen Hameed was in Kabul at the invitation of the Taliban, but the insurgent group said that Islamabad had proposed his visit to Kabul.

On Sunday, the Taliban said that the top Pakistani spy was in Afghanistan to improve bilateral relations between Kabul and Islamabad.

Ahmadullah Wasiq, deputy head of the Talibans Cultural Commission, said that the Taliban leaders talked with Lt Gen Hameed about bilateral relations and the problems of Afghan passengers at the Torkham and Spin Boldak passes between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Also read: Pakistan is a colonial power in charge in Afghanistan, says Amrullah Saleh

"This Pakistani official has come to solve Afghan passengers problems at the border areas, especially in Torkham and Spin Boldak. They wanted (his visit to Kabul) and we accepted, Wasiq was quoted as saying by TOLO news.

Pakistan on Thursday temporarily closed the Chaman border crossing  the second-largest commercial border point with Afghanistan after the Torkham commercial town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa  due to security threats.

At his press conference, Mujahid noted that the recent delegation to Kabul said the crossings had been closed due to security concerns linked to release of prisoners inside Afghanistan, and requested checks for those seeking to enter or leave the country.

Citing sources close to Hizb-e-Islami party leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the channel said that Pakistan's intelligence chief also met him and discussed the current situation in the country.

In a short video clip circulated in the media last week, Lt Gen Hameed was seen trying to respond to questions by a journalist who first asked: Will you be meeting senior people in the Taliban?"

"No, Im not clear" the ISI chief said and looked towards Pakistan ambassador to Kabul Mansour Ahmad Khan, who was standing by his side, to respond to the question.

In response to another question, Hameed smiled and said: "Dont worry, everything will be okay."

Hameed's visit to Afghanistan came amidst mounting pressure on the Taliban to form an inclusive government acceptable to the international community. The insurgent group is struggling to give shape to a broad-based and inclusive administration acceptable to the international community.

It was the first high-level visit of any Pakistani official to Afghanistan since the Taliban took over Kabul on August 15, in a move that surprised both their foes and friends.

Since then, the Taliban have been trying to form a government but so far have held back the announcement.

Pakistan was often accused by the Afghanistan government of giving the Taliban military aid, a charge denied by Islamabad.
In a major setback to the anti-Taliban resistance force of Panjshir, Fahim Dashti -- the spokesperson of the resistance movement, was killed in the Panjshir province on Sunday.

It is believed that he died amid clashes between the Taliban and the National Resistance Front (NRF) of Afghanistan. The NRF said a drone attack by the Pakistan Air Force was the reason for Dashti's death.

Fahim Dashti, who was leading the resistance movement against the Taliban from the Panjshir Valley was also a well-known journalist. He was also a member of the Federation of Afghan Journalists, according to media reports.

Dashti was a key member of Jamiat party, the oldest Muslim political party in Afghanistan.

Read | Panjshir resistance calls for ceasefire, Taliban withdrawal: statement

Dashti had survived the suicide attack that killed Massoud's father, Ahmad Shah Massoud, on Sept. 9, 2001, just days before the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

The Panjshir fighting has been the most prominent example of resistance to the Taliban.

He was also the nephew of Abdullah Abdullah, a senior official of the former government who is involved in negotiations with the Taliban on the future of Afghanistan.

While speaking to India Today last month Dashti had said, We are fighting for the whole of Afghanistan and not just for one province. We are concerned about the rights of Afghans, of women, of minorities. The Taliban has to assure equality and rights.

Meanwhile, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan claimed that the Shutul district of the Panjshir Valley was taken over by them. However, Dashti had denied the capture of Shutul district through a voice note and also mentioned that they had pushed back the Taliban fighters from there.

Also Read | Any insurgency will be hit hard, says Taliban spokesperson

After the battle on the Panjshir Valley escalated, the leader of the Afghan opposition group resisting Taliban forces in the Panjshir valley said on Sunday that he welcomed proposals from religious scholars for a negotiated settlement to end the fighting.

"Fahim Dashti was a friend and a brother. He stood for free speech and his ideals and died like a hero for his homeland!," Ahmad Massoud said in a tweet.

"I am deeply sorrowed on the death of a talented Afghan journalist Fahim Dashti. I knew him for more than two decades and admired him for what he was. He was a gentleman and Gentleman. Rest In Peace friend." Former Afghanistan interior minster tweeted.

Dashti was known to be popular among media and advocated for free press.
Bizarre as it could get, swarms of ants were found in an Air India plane headed for London from the national capital on Tuesday, prompting the national carrier to change the aircraft.

The aircraft, which also had the Prince of Bhutan Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, on board, aborted take-off soon after swarms of ants were spotted in its business class cabin. Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck is the son and heir apparent of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan.

The flight took off later after the airline changed the aircraft.

Earlier this July, an Air India Express flight made an emergency landing at the Thiruvananthapuram International airport after the pilot detected a crack in the windshield. The aircraft was going to Saudi Arabia to bring back Indians from there.

In May, Air India flight to Newark in the United States from Delhi returned to the airport here within 30-minutes of take-off after a bat was found inside the business class cabin.

There were similar incidents with Air India earlier with rats playing the major role in disruptions.

In January last year, passengers spotted a rat on board an Air India flight in Varanasi when it was to take-off for Dehradun. However, during the searches, rat was nowhere to be found while the fliers were later adjusted in other flights to Dehradun.

In November 2019, an Air India flight from Hyderabad to Visakhapatnam was delayed for around 12 hours after a rat was spotted in the cabin.

Spotting a rat on a Delhi-San Francisco flight led to a delay of nine hours in 2017.
Picking a leaf from Karnataka, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday asked states to create a database of farmers with linkages to land records for better targeting of various government schemes for their welfare.

Tomar, addressing a conference of chief ministers and agriculture ministers of states, asked state governments to create a database for using the federated farmer database prepared by the Centre and allow linkage to state land record database.

He said the Agriculture Ministry has created a database of 5.5 crore farmers and it will be increased to eight crore farmers by December with the help of State governments.

The database would allow the government to offer personalised services to farmers such as soil and plant health advisories, real-time weather advisories, irrigation facilities, seeds, fertilisers and pesticide-related information, nearby logistics facilities and market access information.

The discussion with the States centred around the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) set up to drive infrastructure investment.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said India was emerging as a trusted export partner and there was further scope for improvement of agri-exports.

He emphasised strengthening the infrastructure for storage and warehousing and channelling investments for this purpose.

The recent modifications to the AIF such as making APMCs, state agencies, national and state federations of cooperatives, farmer producer organisations and self-help groups eligible for funding under the scheme.

Activities such as community farming, assets, post-harvest management projects and primary processing too have been made eligible for funding under the scheme.

Tomar also stressed the need to make India self-reliant in edible oils and urged states to promote oil palm cultivation.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the Centre will come up with an online platform for self-help groups. With the help of this platform, women would be able to sell their products across the world, he said.

While interacting healthcare workers and beneficiaries of Covid vaccination program in Himachal Pradesh, the prime minister lauded the state's efforts in fight against Covid-19. "Himachal Pradesh has given me an opportunity to be proud. I have seen the state struggling for basic facilities but today we see them doing well. I want to congratulate and thank the government and teams here," PM Modi said.

Himachal Pradesh has became the first state to vaccinate 100 per cent population of its eligible population with the first dose and one-third of the population with the second dose.

"I have seen that all the staff members including doctors, nurses and others have worked in a team to carry out the vaccination drive. We must not show leniency of any kind to complete the vaccination drive," PM Modi said.

More to follow...
The Calcutta High Court on Monday granted interim relief to BJP MLA and Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari issuing a stay order on three FIRs lodged against him.

The High Court further stated that no coercive action can be taken against Adhikari without its permission.

Also read: Suvendu Adhikari skips CID summons in bodyguard death case

The High Court issued a stay order on proceedings in three cases registered at the Contai and Nandigram Police Station on March 18 this year.

However, as for the two cases registered at the Maniktala and Tamluk Police Stations, the High Court stated that investigation may continue but no corrective action may be taken against Adhikari.

The High Court further stated that since Adhikari is the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, the investigating authorities have to accommodate him if he is required to give a statement at a place of his convenience.

Earlier, Adhikari was summoned by the Bengal CID in relation to the unnatural death of his erstwhile bodyguard Subhabrata Chakraborty three years ago.

The CID took over the case from the Contai Police Station in East Medinipur district on July 14. The case was lodged by Chakrabortys wife Suparna Kanjilal Chakraborty on July 14.

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Sonia Gandhi has been the interim president of the Congress since the resignation of Rahul Gandhi following the debacle in various polls, but all the decisions and meetings are taking place at Rahul Gandhi's residence, which makes him the de-facto party chief.

The Congress dissenting group of 23, which wrote a letter last year for visible and effective leadership, point out that the issues raised by them remain the same as no forward decisions have been taken.

Many of the letter writers were adjusted in different committees of the party, but they have not been involved in the consultation processes. This has further miffed the group and sources within the group say that the issue remains the same.

Be it Chhattisgarh or Punjab, the epicentre of the meetings was 12, Tughlak lane, the residence of Rahul Gandhi.

The two important meetings happened there in which T.S. Singhdeo and Bhupesh Baghel were present and later with Baghel also the meetings were held at Rahul's place only. These events have made it clear that the decision making in the Congress is now confined to Rahul Gandhi.

Read | Kerala Congress attempts to pacify disgruntled senior leaders

The Punjab issue was settled at Rahul Gandhi's residence with Navjot Singh Sidhu appointed as the party president in the state. A meeting with Sonia Gandhi took place afterwards, but the decision was taken at Rahul Gandhi's residence which was backed by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

After Sidhu attacked the Congress leadership, the reaction came from Manish Tewari, a former Union minister, who said that if they utter a word they are being named. He used a Urdu couplet to describe the situation, "hum aah bhi bharte hai tau, ho jaate ha badnaam, wo qatal bhi karte hain tau charcha nahi hote."

Last year on August 23, leaders including Tewari wrote a letter to Sonia Gandhi for a 'visible and effective leadership and elections from the block to CWC level which were still pending.

But nothing has moved and the Congress apparatus is working under Rahul Gandhi. The grudge of the G-23 leaders is that either he should take the responsibility fully or make way for someone else. Most of them want Sonia Gandhi to function as full time president, but sources say due to health reasons she is reluctant.

The Congress leaders are upset over the growing clout of K.C. Venugopal, the General Secretary organization of the party. There has been simmering tension in the Kerala unit against him with one of the leaders expelled from the party -- secretary P.S. Prasanth -- who was expelled from the party hours after he wrote to Rahul Gandhi. Both Ramesh Chennithala and Oomen Chandy are said to be upset over the party affairs.

Read | Govt 'having fun' selling national assets built by Nehru: Shiv Sena

Despite Rahul Gandhi calling the shots, things are not improving. The issue of Rajasthan is pending from the last one year and now it is being said that the much awaited cabinet expansion in the state will take place soon. In Chhattisgarh, the Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel flexed his muscles after bringing more than 50 MLAs to Delhi in a show of strength.

The Congress is facing tough times and is going to face elections in six states -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Goa, Punjab, Manipur and later Gujarat.

In Delhi and Mumbai, the Municipal body polls are slated which are also considered as prestigious elections. For Goa the Congress has appointed P. Chidambaram as Senior observer and for Manipur Jairam Ramesh, but for other states there is no clarity.

The election results early next year will decide the fate of the Congress. In the recently concluded Assembly elections, the party lost in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry and only solace was Tamil Nadu where it is a junior partner of the DMK.
Top Trinamool Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee, who is West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew, on Monday was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case arising out of a coal pilferage scam even as he alleged that whoever fighting the ruling BJP is being "harassed".

The 33-year-old leader, who is Trianamool's National General Secretary, arrived at the ED office in Jam Nagar House in the national capital at around 11 AM, saying he was "ready to face investigation" and "will cooperate" with the officers who are doing their job.

After the questioning, which lasted till around 8 PM, he told reporters, "anyone who fights against the BJP is harassed. This case has arisen out of Kolkata, I've been summoned to Delhi. I have been asked questions non-stop for the last 8 hours. From day one, I have been asking to bring evidence, if any, against me into the public domain."

"If BJP thinks it can scare the Trinamool Congress by doing all this, if they think Trinamool will accept defeat like Congress and other parties, they are mistaken. We will fight more vigorously. We'll go to every state where the BJP has murdered democracy," he said.

Banerjee's wife Rujira was also summoned on September 1 but she did not appear citing the Covid-19 pandemic while requesting the ED to question her in Kolkata.

While leaving Kolkata for Delhi on Sunday, he had said he would hang himself if any central agency can prove his involvement in any illegal transaction.

The Investigating Officer of the case recorded the statement of Banerjee, who represents the Diamond Harbour seat in the Lok Sabha, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). It is claimed that Banerjee had received funds from those involved in illegal coal mining through one of his close aides, who is a party youth wing leader.

The ED had registered a case of money laundering based on an FIR filed by the CBI in November last year in the coal pilferage scam linked to the Eastern Coalfields Ltd mines in Kunustoria and Kajora in West Bengal's Asansol. It is alleged that Banerjee was a beneficiary of funds obtained from this illegal trade.

The ED has arrested two persons -- former Inspector in-charge of Bankura police station Ashok Kumar Mishra and Vikas Mishra, who is the brother of TMC youth wing leader Vinay Mishra. Vinay is said to have left the country sometime back and renounced his Indian citizenship -- in this case so far.

One Anup Majhi alias Lala is said to be the prime suspect in the case, who is alleged to be running his "illegal coal mining business smoothly by managing senior functionaries of (a) political party of West Bengal though Inspector Mishra".

A "deep system of political patronage" and a "well-oiled machinery" was "used to brazenly carry out certain unlawful coal mining" in West Bengal, the ED had earlier claimed.

The ED had said that Vinay and Vikas had received "proceeds of crime worth Rs 730 crore on behalf of some influential persons and for themselves" in this case involving around Rs 1,352 crore.

The statement of this unidentified "witness" furnished by the ED in the court earlier had claimed that "it is known fact that Vinay Mishra collected money from illegal coal mining of Majhi and his associates for his closely associated political boss in the present ruling party; that Vinay Mishra is the youth leader of TMC and he is very close to Abhishek Banerjee and that he (Vinay Mishra) is the eyes and ears of Abhishek Banerjee".

"Majhi assisted in transferring substantial funds derived from the proceeds of crime to Abhishek Banerjee's close relatives (wife and sister-in-law) at London and Thailand," the ED had claimed citing documents.
With Rahul Gandhi attacking the government over the farmers' protest, the BJP on Monday dubbed him as a political cuckoo of Indian politics who, it alleged, does not want to work on the ground and uses the shoulders of others for his political agenda.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra also accused the Congress leader of posting an old picture of farmers' protest while referring to their Sunday mahapanchayat in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district, and said this is part of his politics of spreading confusion and lies.

The Congress is without a (regular) president. It is incapable of raising ground issues. That is why Sonia Gandhi holds virtual meetings with leaders of other parties while Rahul Gandhi relies on old photographs in his attempt to spread confusion for politics, Patra told a press conference.

Read | Tikait calls Modi, Shah 'outsiders' at 'mahapanchayat'

Sonia Gandhi is the interim president of the party.

As a cuckoo does not build her nest and seeks comfort in nests of other birds, Rahul Gandhi also works in a similar manner, he said.

He does not work to build his party's organisation. He does not work hard. It has become his habit to use others' shoulders for politics, he charged.

With protesting farmer unions hitting out at the government, Patra claimed that the Modi dispensation was always dedicated to farmers and will remain so.

He cited a number of measures taken by the government, including direct transfer of over Rs 1.5 lakh crore to farmers, and record procurement and payment for their produce, to make his point.

Citing the Morning Consult survey that ranked Modi with the highest approval rating of 70 per cent among 13 heads of governments, including Joe Biden and Boris Johnson, Patra said it was possible because of the government's achievements, including a host of welfare measures for the poor, deprived and farmers.

At the press conference, the BJP spokesperson also referred to India's Covid-19 vaccination drive, which has been gathering pace and clocked over one crore jabs on two days recently, and hit out at Rahul Gandhi, who had earlier criticised the alleged slow pace of inoculation.

Over 68.75 crore people have received at least one dose of vaccination, which has reached an average daily figure of 85 lakh, he said.

Now Rahul Gandhi is not seen posting any tweet on the vaccination drive, he said.

He also attacked the Congress leader for not speaking out on the alleged rape of a minor in Rajasthan and registration of an FIR against Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel's father for his remarks allegedly targetting a community.

While Gandhi spreads confusion everywhere for his politics, he has kept quiet on these issues involving the Congress-ruled states, Patra said.
As the next assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh draws nearer, a mad scramble has started among the major political players to set their caste equations right and the electorally influential 'Brahmin' community appears to be on everyone's radar.

If it was the Congress, which had undertaken a 'yatra' in different parts in the state through a little known outfit 'Brahman Chetna Parishad' to launch, what the grand old party called a "campaign for justice" for the community, the BSP, which had tasted power in the state riding its "social engineering" (Brahmin and Dalits) formula in 2007, organised several 'prabuddh sammelans' (for Brahmins) with the intention of bringing back the community to its fold.

Congress has also hinted that it may also project a 'Brahmin' face for the post of chief minister of the state in the assembly polls.

Apparently not wanting to be left behind, the BJP too held a series of 'prabuddh varg sammelans' across the state to woo the community.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) has also announced plans to install statues of 'Parashuram' (a Brahmin sage) in different parts of the state. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has decided to put up its candidates on all the 403 seats in the polls in the state, would be holding 'Chanakya Vichar Sammelans' for a similar purpose.

Since holding caste based meetings have been banned, the political parties named their meetings differently, though it is meant for a particular caste only.

The opposition parties think that the 'Brahmins' are 'angry' with the BJP as they feel that they are being 'persecuted' in Yogi Adityanath regime and their feeling stems from the fact that several saffron party lawmakers from the community too had expressed concern over the way the community members were being treated by the present dispensation.

BJP MLA from Sultanpur district Deomani Dwivedi said that many 'Brahmins' were killed in police encounters in the state.

Political analyst J.P.Shukla says that 'Brahmins' can't be 'fooled' by false promises. "Brahmins have no problems in aligning with other castes....After all they supported the BSP in 2007 polls....in 2009 Lok Sabha polls they supported the Congress and in 2014 and 2019 LS polls they switched loyalty to the BJP," Shukla added.

It will be interesting to see which party gets the support of the 13 per cent 'Brahmins' this time.
As the situation in Afghanistan continues to be uncertain, the Union Home Ministry has said that no Afghan national living in India will be asked to leave the country without its approval, according to officials.

The MHA's decision came about a fortnight after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan and many Afghans arriving in India fearing retribution from that country's new rulers.

No Afghan national will be asked to leave India by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) without prior approval of the home ministry and such cases will be referred to the MHA by the FRRO, a home ministry official said.

This came after a woman member of Afghan parliament, Rangina Kargar, was deported from Delhi's IGI Airport to Istanbul despite valid papers. The government had later apologised to Kargar.

Read | Taliban claim total control over Afghanistan

The government has already extended visas of all categories granted to citizens of all countries, including Afghanistan, living in India on "gratis basis" till September 30.

Many Afghan nationals who came to India before the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan have been staying in India for more than six months now and, in many cases, since the first lockdown was announced in March 2020.

The MHA has decided to extend till September 30 the existing facility of deemed extension of regular visa or e-visa or stay stipulation period, without levy of any overstated penalty, granted to foreign nationals stranded in India due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Such foreign nationals may not be required to submit any application to FRRO concerned for extension of their visas.

Before leaving the country, they may apply for exit permission which would be granted by the FRRO on gratis basis without levy of any overstay penalty.

If an extension of visa is required beyond September 30, the foreign national concerned may apply for an extension on the online e-FRRO platform on a payment basis which would be considered by the FRRO subject to eligibility as per the provisions of the visa manual.

According to the visa rules, Afghan nationals should get themselves and their family members registered within 14 days of their arrival with the local police, except those exempted from it.

Several Afghan nationals, feeling threatened or facing the fear of persecution at the hands of the Taliban, have expressed their desire to stay in India.

After the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, the MHA had announced the introduction of a new category of visa called e-Emergency X-Misc visa for Afghan nationals.

The ministry has also announced that all Afghan nationals henceforth must travel to India only on e-Visa in view of the prevailing situation in Afghanistan.

India has already shut down its missions in Afghanistan and the visas are processed in New Delhi now.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said denial of last rites to the family of separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani was against humanity and had saddened the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The 91-year-old was buried in a graveyard located in a mosque near his residence.

"We had our differences with Geelani ... A fight is with a living person but once a person dies, the differences should end. The deceased is entitled to dignified last rites," Mehbooba said after a party meeting here.

The former chief minister said the news reports about the denial to Geelani's family to perform his last rites had saddened the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

"The family has a right to perform the last rites of a dead person. What we heard and came to know through media reports about disrespect to the deceased, is against humanity. You have to respect your opponent after death like you would respect anyone," she said.

She said Geelani's wish to be buried at Eidgah graveyard should have been granted.

Also read: Mehbooba criticises Centre for FIR over draping of Geelani's body in Pakistan flag

"Even a convict sentenced to death is granted one last wish before execution," Mehbooba said, referring to Geelani's wish.

The PDP president condemned the alleged misbehaviour with womenfolk of Geelani's family at the time of his death.

"India is held in high esteem globally for its civilisation and culture... But what has happened does not fit the image of the country," she added.

Mehbooba said people cannot be forced to like or dislike a leader at gunpoint.

"What happened with the dead body of Geelani has probably generated sympathy among even those who might have had differences with his politics. There was no call, yet the markets were shut down after people came to know about what had happened (on Wednesday night)," she added.
Former Uttar Pradesh Governor Aziz Qureshi has been booked for sedition over his alleged derogatory remarks against the Yogi Adityanath government in the state, police said on Monday.

The FIR was lodged following a complaint by BJP leader Akash Kumar Saxena at the Civil Lines Police Station in Rampur district on Sunday.

In his complaint, Saxena alleged that after visiting Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khans house and meeting his wife Tazeen Fatma, Qureshi made derogatory statements against the Yogi Adityanath government and compared it to a blood-sucking demon.

"The statement can create tension between two communities and create unrest in the society," Saxena said in his complaint.

The BJP leader also handed over to police a pen drive containing Qureshis alleged statement which was aired by various news channels.

Qureshi was booked under sections 153A (promoting enmity between two groups on grounds of religion, race), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 124A (sedition), and 505(1)(B) (intent to cause fear or alarm to the public), a senior police officer said.

Qureshi (81), is a senior Congress leader and had served as the Governor of Mizoram from 2014 to 2015. He also had charge of Uttar Pradesh for some time.

Police said action will be taken according to the law.
The Supreme Court on Monday said it does not want any confrontation with the Union government but its patience is running out due to delay in appointment in tribunals.

The top court said it was extremely upset with the way the Union government passed the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021 in disregard to its previous judgements.

"The Centre appears to be hell-bent upon not respecting our judgements," a bench presided over by Chief Justice N V Ramana told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, warning of contempt action if appointments were not made within a week.

"We don't want confrontation with government and we are happy with the way SC judges are appointed. These tribunals are collapsing with no members or chairpersons. Tell us your alternate plans. What do you want? Do you want to close down tribunals," the bench also comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and D Y Chandrachud asked Mehta.

Maintaining that this was not the intention of the government, Mehta sought adjournment in the batch of petitions including the one filed by Congress MP Jairam Ramesh as Attorney General K K Venugopal was not available.

The bench, however, asked him to argue the matter, saying it was not going to adjourn the matter.

He shared a letter from the Ministry of Finance and said appointments in tribunals would be made within two weeks after the Act came into force.

The bench said the new 2021 Act is the replica of what was struck down in Madras Bar Association cases. The Act, notified on August 13, however, made provisions on appointments in tribunals like fixing tenure of persons to four years and putting a bar on selecting persons below 50 years of age.

"There is no respect for the judgements of this court. It is unfortunate. Last time, you have said that you have appointed some members in the tribunals. How many you have appointed," the bench asked him, adding the government was emasculating the tribunals.

With this, the bench said three steps can be taken now, first- stay the Tribunals Act or close down tribunals, secondly - we ourselves appoint the people or give power to the High Courts, thirdly -issuing the proceedings under the Contempt of Court Act.

The court asked Mehta to take instructions and posted the matter for hearing on Monday, September 13.

On August 6, the court noted vacancies across the tribunals as appointments to the post of 19 presiding officers, 110 judicial members, and 111 technical numbers are pending.

During the hearing on Monday, the bench said tribunals are on the verge of closure due to unavailability of members and presiding officers.

The bench said that NCLT, NCLAT are critical to the economy and they are important for rehabilitation of corporate entities.

It further said important cases are not being heard because of vacancies and by not appointing members at these tribunals creates a very critical position.

Justice Chandrachud, for his part, said that he had chaired a selection committee for National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. Names which we recommended are either deleted, and theres no clarity why? We sit together with bureaucrats and make these decisionsit is a waste of energy," he said.
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a PIL for directions to the Centre to set up an international task force of experts to determine the origin of second wave of Covid-19 virus, responsible for the large number of deaths in India from April to June this year.

A bench presided over by Justice D Y Chandrachud said the court cannot enter into conspiracy theories and asked the petitioner to withdraw the plea and approach the Centre.

"We will rather focus on managing pandemic in our country than delving into conspiracy theories involving other nations, on which we don't even have a jurisdiction," the bench added.

Mumbai-based Pankaj Phadnis, a researcher and a trustee of Abhinav Bharat Congress filed the plea for forming an international task force, including members of China, to determine the origin of the second wave.

He also asked the court to direct the Union government to scientifically keep track of any further mutation that may occur in future and not be caught unawares as it was when the Delta variant emerged.

Also read: 80% Covid-19 immunity lost in 6 months in some after Pfizer shot: Study

"A recent report co-authored by the former Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India confirms the existence of a war-like situation by suggesting that as many 3.9 million Indians have been killed in the last three months by the second wave of the pandemic. The monumental tragedy is not yet over," the plea said.

The bench, however, said, "We have no jurisdiction over Chinese or American citizens. Government is there to hear you. Plea is dismissed as withdrawn."

The plea said all citizens are forced to live under serious restrictions waiting for the next attack - the third wave.

"The origin of the Wuhan virus that led to the pandemic of Covid-19 is subject matter of international investigation. Origins of the Delta variant of the Wuhan virus that seems to have killed 3.9 million Indians in less than three months; are today not known. This variant first found in India is now the dominant virus strain in the world bringing opprobrium upon India in the eyes of the world," it said.

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September 17  the birth anniversary of legendary social reformer E V R Periyar  will be observed as Day of Social Justice every year, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin announced on Monday. Periyar, as he is popularly known, founded the Dravidar Kazhagam, a precursor to the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

Stalins announcement in the Assembly was welcomed by all political parties represented in the House, including the BJP which projects itself as an alternative to the Dravidian parties. Social justice is a core principle of the Dravidian movement whose off-shoots are ruling the state since 1967.

Making the announcement under Rule 110 in the Assembly, Stalin paid rich tributes to Periyar, whose roots can be traced to present-day Karnataka, saying the social reformers two primary principles were equality of men and women and abolition of caste.

Periyar launched the Self Respect Movement to ensure that people from all sections of the society live with dignity. The protests that he spearheaded can never be replicated by others. The words that came out of his mouth are those others were scared to utter. If I keep talking about him, I can go on for ten days, Stalin told the Assembly.

The Chief Minister said the first amendment to the Indian Constitution came about because of Periyar, who never went to Parliament. The first amendment to the Constitution in 1951 concerned fundamental rights, the right to freedom of speech, rights against the compulsory acquisition of property (Art. 31) and rights against non-discrimination.

The government has decided to observe Periyars birth anniversary on September 17 every year as the Day of Social Justice in Tamil Nadu, Stalin said, adding that employees in all state government offices will take an oath to follow the principles of self-respect, rationalism, equality, brotherhood, and social justice.

Periyar is highly revered in Tamil Nadu for his fight against discrimination of women and some of his revolutionary ideas like the right to women in family properties were transformed into legislation by successive DMK governments.

BJP, which welcomed the announcement on Monday, views Periyar as its ideological opponent as it makes a concerted effort to emerge as an alternative to the Dravidian majors.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday made a strong pitch for use of local traditions to step up the Covid-19 vaccination drive, citing the experience of a Himachali village where a local deity was invoked to overcome vaccine hesitancy.

Interacting with health workers from Himachal Pradesh, Modi lauded the hill-state for becoming the fastest state to administer the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine to all eligible beneficiaries and urged them to keep up the pace to achieve full vaccination.

Faster vaccination will also benefit the tourism sector, which is the source of employment for the youth, the prime minister said.

Health workers from the state shared their experiences of overcoming the odds to remove doubts about Covid-19 vaccines.

In Malana village, we had to invoke the local deity and seek his approval for the vaccination drive, ASHA worker Nirma Devi told the prime minister.

Read | 72% say Indian Covid-19 vaccines safe & effective: Poll

Nawang Upashak, a spiritual leader from Lahul-Spiti, said he circulated videos of the Dalai Lama getting the Covid-19 vaccine, which helped him address vaccine hesitancy among locals.

The Prime Minister emphasised using the local traditions in helping the vaccination drive and praised the model of dialogue and collaboration to speed up the vaccination drive in Himachal Pradesh.

Modi also referred to the recently notified guidelines for operating drones or remotely piloted aircraft systems that have the power to change the lives of people in the hill-state.

Drones can now be used for home-delivery of medicines, for tending to orchards and also for surveying of land. The technology can also be used to ensure security of our forests, the prime minister said.

The Prime Minister had special praise for health worker Karmo Devi of Una who has administered 22,500 doses of Covid-19 vaccines till date despite a fracture in her leg.

The Prime Minister said India was vaccinating at the record speed of 1.25 crore vaccines per day, which was more than the population of many countries.
"We are conscious of humanity and it is not the forte of only few, observed the Supreme Court on Monday while hearing the case of Faridabad's Khori village where unauthorised structures standing on Aravali forest area were removed and made it clear that rehabilitation will be for those who would be found eligible.

A bench of justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari was told by senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for some of the petitioners who are resident of the village, that basic amenities like drinking water, food, toilets, temporary accommodation, electricity and medical facilities were not provided to the people and they are facing hardship after the demolition.

At the outset, Gonsalves referred to a report prepared by social workers and some lawyers who had visited the area and interviewed the people there and told the bench there is an urgent need of drinking water, accommodation, food, toilets, health facilities and electricity there as the claims of authorities about temporary accommodation are absolutely false.

The counsel appearing for the municipal corporation of Faridabad told the bench that they did not agree to the report and it is absolutely wrong to paint us black as they have already provided temporary accommodation, food, toilets and other necessary amenities.

He said there were land grabbers and the authorities cannot permit any strangers to come there.

During the hearing conducted through video-conferencing, Gonsalves said people there are on the debris as they have nowhere to go and are waiting for rehabilitation.

However, the bench said debris there are of demolished houses. Those houses were demolished because they were unauthorised. Persons can't stand on the debris and say we will not move from there.

Please understand what we are saying, the bench said.

Gonsalves told the bench that he fully understands what the bench was saying.

Please understand what I am saying. Please understand the suffering of the people, the senior advocate said, adding, I wanted your lordships to please hear what I am saying.

To this, the bench said We are hearing you fully.

The bench said rehabilitation will be for those who would be found eligible for it.

The apex court said it is examining all the aspects, including the immediate pressing needs, and temporary has to be by very nature something which is not permanent.

It is not as if we are going to provide colony or resettlement at that very place. Then what was the purpose of removal of these unauthorised constructions, the bench observed.

It said the administration has to be permitted to do things in a structured manner.

The bench said as per the report, somebody else could come and say he or she will distribute food there.

Now, who is going to check that. Who is going to look after this, the bench observed, adding, We cannot allow this to become that kind of a philanthropy and charity is not to be done by anybody like this. State will be responsible if any untoward thing happen there.

During the hearing, when senior advocate Sanjay Parikh, appearing for some of the petitioners, asked whether he was audible, the bench said, Yes. Your colleague said we are not hearing you. Now, therefore we stopped speaking. Now, you say are you audible to test our voice.

You cannot say that you hear us. We have been doing this for last so many dates. We are also conscious of humanity. It is not the forte of only few, the bench observed.

The counsel appearing for the municipal corporation said that fresh and hygienic food is being provided at the temporary accommodation there and they are giving Rs 2,000 per family per month for at least six months.

During the hearing, the bench also heard submissions advanced by advocate Mathews J Nedumpara, who appeared for some intervenors, and said that no one can be evicted without following the due process of law.

The bench, which posted the matter for further hearing on September 13, rejected his submissions that directions given earlier by the court in the matter were flawed.

It asked the municipal corporation to indicate the timeline required for rehabilitating eligible persons.

It also observed that it will hold somebody responsible for the situation which led to mushrooming of the area into slums or rather unauthorised constructions.

We will have to hold somebody responsible for the situation. In the first place, the mushrooming of this area into slums or rather unauthorised structures, whatever you may call, and then action not being taken despite the court orders, the bench said.

On June 7, the top court had directed state of Haryana and Faridabad municipal corporation to remove all encroachments, consisting around 10,000 residential constructions, in Aravali forest area near the village, saying land grabbers cannot take refuge of rule of law and talk of fairness.

It had passed the June 7 order after hearing a separate plea filed by five alleged encroachers against the demolition drive of civic body.
Amid growing resentment among people and demand by political parties to open up restrictions further, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray made a fervent appeal to avoid crowding in order to prevent the Covid-19 pandemics third wave.

Alerting people vis-a-vis new variants of the viral infection and that the third wave is round the corner, Thackeray said if we do not take things seriously we may have to pay a heavy price.

I appeal to all - let us avoid public gatherings, lets avoid political meetings and rallies, lets not promote assembly of people, the chief minister said after a review meeting of the Disaster Management Department.

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Let us prioritise the lives and health of our citizens. The situation can go out of hand in view of the spike in daily cases. Let us prevent the third wave. Let us take all precautions at our end, said Thackeray, the Shiv Sena president.

Ahead of the festive season kickstarting with the Ganesh festival, he said: Who would like to impose restrictions on festivals and religious programmes? But what is important here is peoples lives.

Making special requests to political parties, he said: I appeal to all those in government and those in opposition, please take more precautions now. Peoples lives are more important. Besides, the onus is on us to ensure that things do not go out of control.

Thackeray further said that Kerala is seeing a spike of 30,000 cases daily. This is a danger signal and if we don't take it seriously, Maharashtra will have to pay a heavy price," he said, indicating that the third wave is round the corner. In United States, the third wave has disrupted normal life. China too seems to be in trouble," he said.
Remember the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013, which left 62 dead? They made headlines for weeks. That violence was one of the reasons for the subsequent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) victories in UP in the 2014, 2017 and 2019 elections. Union Minister of State Sanjeev Balyan, an accused in those riots, who continues making provocative speeches, represents Muzaffarnagar in Parliament.

Much before the 2013 riots were the 1988 riots in the district during the Ayodhya movement, which saw more people dead. The last two generations of Muzaffarnagar have therefore seen animosity between Hindus and Muslims reach extreme levels.

The same can be said of Indore. Those who were children when 23 persons were killed in the 1989 riots, triggered by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)'s Ayodhya yatras saw their city erupt again in 2008 over a VHP bandh that Muslim shopkeepers resisted. Seven persons died then. Late last year, villages around Indore saw communal violence, again set off by VHP yatras for the Ayodhya's Ram Temple.

Indore has been under uninterrupted BJP rule for the last 16 years, except for a 15-month interval between 2018-2020. Earlier, in 1990-92, under then BJP chief minister Sunderlal Patwa, Bhopal railway station was adorned with a banner welcoming travellers to the "capital of the Hindu Rashtra". So Indore's residents have long been familiar with the Ayodhya movement and the bitter divisions it has bred.

But this recurrent communal violence has apparently not resulted in the deep-seated hatred one would expect. Ordinary Hindus and Muslims carry on with their routine dealings with each other without any trace of animosity. In Muzaffarnagar, Hindu women routinely get their hands decorated with mehndi on the festival of Teej by Muslim men skilled in the art.

Indore's Hindu women think nothing of having bangles put on their hands by Muslim bangle sellers.

That these practices are routine came to light when self-styled protectors of Hindu women recently tried to put an end to them. Ironically, their self-publicised threats and attacks last month revealed that the age-old shared culture that India is famous for continues to exist even in these "sensitive" towns.

Mathura, known as Lord Krishna's birthplace, has always been part of the slogans of the Ayodhya campaign. New pleas against the Shahi Idgah mosque adjacent to the Ram Janmasthan are pending in the city's courts. But this dispute seems not to have impacted everyday interactions between Hindus and Muslims. The Muslims who ran the Srinath Dosa Stall, which was vandalised last week, had sold their stall to a Hindu, who had allowed them to continue operating it.

Such intermingling is intolerable for Hindutvawadis. It is not enough for them that Muslims are kept out of Hindu-dominated residential colonies in cities. They want them out of sight, restricted to their ghettos, summoned only when required. The commonplace sight of Hindus patronising Muslim sellers as well as Muslim artistes (remember stand-up artiste Munnawar Faroqui in Indore) enrages Hindutvawadis.

Their goal is an economic boycott of Muslims. Post-riots, cashing in on heightened communal feelings, they've given calls to this effect, as happened in Mumbai 1993 and Gujarat 2002. These never worked; interdependence between the two communities is too deep. A Sindhi trader in Godhra told this reporter after the burning of the Sabarmati Express there in 2002 that it would be self-destructive for his fraternity to obey the BJP's directive to boycott Muslims economically.

But the interdependence is not just monetary. Muzaffarnagar's shopkeepers were bewildered by the Kranti Sena's threat not to employ Muslim mehndi artistes for Teej. Our customers have never asked about the artiste's religion, they said.

When a bunch of Hindu men were thrashing bangle seller Tasleem Ali in Indore, local Hindu women objected, and it was a Hindu whose intervention stopped the attack. Ali's former village Pradhan in Uttar Pradesh said it was common for Muslims to have Hindu names in the village; no one thought it odd.

In Mathura, Hindu customers were back at the Muslim-run dosa stall the day after the highly publicised attack; apart from the fanatical Bajrang Dal, no one was surprised that Muslims had named their stall after the city's reigning deity. None of these Hindus stood to gain financially from their dealings with Muslims. If asked, none of them would say they were doing anything out of the ordinary.

Perhaps that's the "secularism" lamented every day in WhatsApp groups that claim to support the BJP. For seven years, these groups have incited Hindus to stop "foolishly practising `bhaichara'" and start aggressively "protecting" their religion; to "be Hindu, buy Hindu." If such relentless goading hasn't succeeded even in Yogi Adityanath's UP, we have hope.

(The writer is a journalist)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.
BJP MP from Pilibhit Varun Gandhi said there was a need to re-engage with the protesting farmers who gathered in Muzaffarnagar on Sunday.

Read more
The government has directed the police to maintain a strict vigil on illegal immigrants and overstaying foreign nationals, and action should be taken immediately against those involved in anti-social and anti-national activities, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said on Monday.

"A direction has been issued to the police to maintain a separate register on such foreign nationals, in their respective police stations, and maintain a strict vigil on their activities," Jnanendra said.

The Minister attended the one-day state-level senior Police Officers Conference here. Pointing out the need to review the names which are listed in the "rowdy-sheet", he said if there are names of innocents and activists who participated in the pro-Kannada, pro-farmers and pro-people agitations, they should be removed as per rules.

"The process of reviewing names will be done by the District Police Chief concerned and it will be done within the framework of the existing rules and regulations...our only intention behind the decision is to ensure that no innocent person included in the list suffers," he added.

Further, stating that the conviction rate against the criminals is not satisfactory, he said directions had been issued to take all necessary measures to improve the situation in this regard. "The criminal elements can be put under check if the conviction rate goes up," he was quoted as saying by his office in a press release.

Noting that the State government has decided to strengthen the Coastal Protection Force, Jnanendra said officials have been asked to coordinate with the Naval authorities to ensure foolproof coastal security cover against anti-national elements trying to sneak in. Police have been instructed to ensure that the illegal killing and transportation of cattles should be prevented, and culprits should be brought to book, he said. Also, directions have been given to take stern action against the illegal casinos and other gambling dens.

The Minister said the government has also decided to submit a proposal to set up a unit of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) either in Bengaluru or in Mangaluru to check anti-national elements. Referring to the 'beat police' system, he said it would also be reviewed and strengthened, and the e-beat system being practised in the urban areas should be further tightened.
Schools reopened for students of classes 6 to 8 in Karnataka on Monday, by following strict Covid-19 protocols and standard operating procedures (SOP). As per government directions, schools have been reopened in taluks where Covid-19 positivity rate is below 2 per cent.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh said that the government decided to reopen schools after approval from the state's technical advisory committee on Covid-19.

"The department had an intention of reopening schools for some time now and teachers were also ready for it, but keeping in mind the health of the students along with education and concerns of the parents, we discussed with the technical advisory committee and after taking the opinion of expert paediatricians, we are reopening schools for classes 6,7 and 8," he told reporters.

The Minister said, many parents and students had urged him during his recent visits to several parts of the state to reopen schools. He said the entire government machinery and district administrations have been working together with the department for the safe conduct of classes.

Also Read | Covid-19: Teachers, students scramble to cover lost ground

It is mandatory for students to submit a consent letter from their parents to attend offline classes and these classes are not compulsory, as there is a provision of online classes also.

The government has said that offline classes for students of class 6-8 will be held on alternate days, each with 50 per cent attendance, it will be five days a week, and the remaining two days (weekend) will be used for sanitizing and other Covid control measures.

In response to a question, the Minister said, looking at how offline classes will go on, the government after consulting the technical advisory committee will take a decision on reopening schools for class 1 to 5, but did not specify any timeline.

The government had already allowed the reopening of schools for students from classes 9 to 12 since August 23.
Derry man, Leslie Smyth, has a rare type of cancer which he has been battling for almost half of his life.

The 41-year-old was first diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma in 2002 and is fundraising so he can receive lifesaving treatment in Mexico.

Leslie explained: I had surgery and radiotherapy, and my condition remained stable. Fast-forward to 2017, when I became very ill, and it was discovered I had a tumour in my brain, and also my left lung.

I had brain surgery followed by open chest surgery, four months later. The surgeries were a success, and again things were stable, until summer 2020. More tumours were found in my lung. So again, I had more surgery, where my full lower lobe of my left lung was removed.

Recovery was harder that time round. My seizures and off days were more frequent. There was some activity showing in my brain scans, albeit not cancerous, my oncologist wanted to get to the bottom of it. So, I was referred to a neurologist. A series of tests and scans later, it was determined that I had suffered a stroke.

The neurologist felt the next move would be to look at Leslies heart. It was then that two, large tumours were found in his heart, in the middle of the two main chambers.

This diagnosis was beyond the capabilities of Belfast so Leslie turned towards treatments across the water. He was assessed by top hospitals in the USA.

Sadly, doctors there also felt it was too risky to operate.

The only other option was radiotherapy. Leslie underwent ten days, back-to-back, of intense radiotherapy treatment, which was completed on 25th May.

Recently, Leslie received a phone call to inform him that the radiotherapy has not been successful and the tumours in both his lungs and heart have continued to grow and there is nothing more they can do.

Determined not to give up, Leslie began researching alternative therapies to try and prolong his life.

Leslie has found a clinic in Mexico, called Hope4cancer, that specialise in alternative, non-toxic, treatments. Their patient testimonials and statistics are amazing and I have real faith in what they do. I have to give it a shot, I have to try and make it out there, he said.

I am a proud man, who loves life, loves his family and I am ready to fight this and give everything Ive got. I have a wife who I love dearly, we will be married ten years in September. I want to be here for the next ten.

I have two daughters that I want to see grow up, help guide through difficult times, make memories with and, hopefully one day, walk down the aisle.

However, it costs a hell of a lot of money and, I cannot do this without help. That is why I have set up my GoFund me page.



I know it is a difficult time for everyone at the minute, but honestly, if there is anything you can donate, even one pound, it will make a difference. Every donation, no matter how small, will be so greatly appreciated.

Leslie has already raised nearly 90,000 of his 100,000 target.

Emma, Leslies wife, says they are so grateful for the support so far, We are so humbled and appreciative of everyones donations and help. We have enough money for our first try out there, but Covid is making it difficult, there is a lot of red tape to get through.

There are no direct flights to Mexico and we are flying from a red country on Americas Covid list. Leslie is also not medically fit to hotel quarantine with no access to medical care when we get back.

We are determined to get out there. Mexico is ready for us and we are ready to go. We are in contact with people and there are lines of communication that can be opened so that we can go as soon as possible.

It is disheartening for us to get this far and now this is what we are up against. We just hope it all comes through for us.

To donate visit: https://www.gofundme. com/f/help-prolong-leslies- life?utm_campaign=p_cp+share- sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_ all&utm_source=customer
Akshay Kumar's mother hospitalised and in ICU, actor flies back from UK

After learning about his mother Aruna Bhatia's ill health, actor Akshay Kumar immediately flew back to Mumbai from the UK on Monday. His mother is currently admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Mumbai's Hiranandani Hospital.

For the unversed, Akshay was shooting for a new film in the UK for the past couple of weeks. Also, the 'Pad Man' star has reportedly told his producers to carry on shooting with scenes that do not require his presence. He was last seen in the spy thriller 'BellBottom', which also starred Lara Dutta Bhupathi, Vaani Kapoor and Huma S Qureshi. The film was the first major Hindi movie to release in theatres after the second wave of COVID-19.
Sidharth Shuklas family organizes a prayer meet; Karenvir Bohra says see you again on the other side bro

It is said that life and death go hand in hand. A person who takes birth into this beautiful world has to pass on to the other side one day. Everybody knows this, but sadly, saying goodbye is still never easy. So when we heard that actor Sidharth Shukla has breathed his last after a massive cardiac arrest, we were left numb. Not just his friends and family but the entire nation was heartbroken. On 3rd September, Sidharths final rites were performed at the Oshiwara Crematorium in Mumbai.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sidharth Shukla (@realsidharthshukla)

Sidharths mother Rita Shukla and his two sisters have decided to hold an online prayer meet for the beloved soul on Monday. Actor Karenvir Bohra, who was a good friend of the late actors, took to his official social media handle to share the news. Along with the post, he wrote: Let's all come together today at 5pm for special prayers and blessings for our friend #sidharthshukla organized by his mother #ritaaunty and his sisters #neetu and #preeti and sister #shivanididi @brhamakumaris_bk #seeyouagain on the other side bro.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Karenvir Bohra (@karanvirbohra)

In a recent interview, Rahul Mahajan revealed that Sidharth returned home at 11 after having dinner outside on the night before his demise. At around 3:30 in the morning he woke up complaining about discomfort and asked for water. The next morning, he did not wake up and was rushed to the hospital. According to several other reports, his BFF Shehnaaz Gill was the one who tried to wake him up in the morning.

Well, Sidharth has left a void in our lives, but the memories he left us with will never fade away.
Thalaivii V/S Multiplexes: Why the Hindi version of the Kangana Ranaut starrer won't release in multiplexes and what could it imply

Kangana Ranaut starrer Thalaivii is all set to hit the theatres this week. The film, which is about the life of Jayalalithaa, would release in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. One of the things that Kangana has been expressing her dismay about is the fact that major multiplex chains have refused to screen the film. In fact, after she had appealed, PVR agreed to screen the film in its chains- but only the Tamil and the Telugu version. In this piece, we intent to decode what happened between the makers of Thalaivii and the multiplex chains that the latter refused to screen the film even in these desperate times, and why the Hindi version of the film won't be available even in PVR. We would also look at what this could mean to Thalaivii's business.

Why are multiplexes refusing to screen Thalaivii?

The makers of Thalaivii had earlier said that the film is a visual treat. There is much that has been put into it and a OTT only release would not do justice. However, the makers had decided that just two weeks after the film's theatrical release, Thalaivii would be releasing on OTT as well. This two week window is what has angered the multiplex chain owners.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kangana Thalaivii (@kanganaranaut)

Multiplex chain owners had appealed to the makers that the window be increased to at least four weeks. However, the makers disagreed.

Why are the makers disagreeing?

Thalaivii producer Vishnuvardhan Induri told ETimes, We have to also make sure that we recover our investment. The theatre owners should support us because we are taking the risk of releasing the film in theatres despite the fact that as producers we have got returns from non-theatrical platforms.

What happened next?

The makers of Thalaivii were able to push the release of the Tamil and Telugu versions of the film by two more weeks. So while the Tamil and Telugu versions will release on OTT four weeks after its theatrical release, the Hindi version will still release two weeks after theatrical release.

Why is Kangana Ranaut upset?

Kangana Ranaut was, naturally, heartbroken at the news. She had written, In these times we must support each other and not bully or arm twist; its our fundamental right to recover the cost of our film which we did, we may have two weeks window for Hindi version but for South, we have four weeks window yet multiplexes ganging up on us and stopping our release there as wellThis is unfair and cruel in these testing times when major territories like Maharashtra are also shutPlease lets help each other in order to save theatres.

She also claimed that for films like Radhe: multiplexes were okay to release the film despite it releasing on OTT first. This claim is unverified. Kangana also retweeted a tweet that claimed that 'Kya Sonam Gupta Bewafaa Hai' would release on theatres and OTT simultaneously, but Thalaivii is being left out. Here too, it is not verified if the Surbhi Jyoti film would release in multiplex chains at all.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kangana Thalaivii (@kanganaranaut)

PVR's statement:

PVR decided to showcase the Tamil and Telugu versions of the film from 10th September after the window was increased to four weeks. At the same time, the multiplex chain also appealed that the window for the release of the Hindi version on the OTT is increased.

What does it mean for box-office?

It is known to almost all of us that single theatres have dwindled in numbers. Especially after the pandemic, several single theatres have closed and even before that, single theatres were remodelled to something else. Major cities like Delhi or Kolkata for example have only a few single theatres compared to several multiplex chains like PVR, Inox or Cinepolis.

Again, a number of small states, don't have theatres open. All this would basically mean that the collection that the film could have made would be severely hampered. Major chunk of the box-office comes from multiplex chains in major cities, and that would not be possible.
Vijay Varma blames Anurag Kashyap for turning him into a sneakerhead; here's why...

Anyone following actor Vijay Varma on social media will be privy to the fact that his love for sneakers increases each passing day. His collection is building up to be the most versatile and the actor never loses an opportunity to show off his new dunks from time to time.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vijay Varma (@itsvijayvarma)

Revealing the reason behind his sneakerhead behavior today, Vijay Varma shared, "Anurag Kashyap is to be blamed. He gifted me 2 pairs of sneakers when we were in Poland shooting for Super 30. First time he gave me two pairs of sneakers and I wore them and I felt so good. Earlier, I used to wear those brown and black leather boots and suddenly when I wore those colours, I was like 'hmm I feel good and I look good'. Thats how it started way back in 2019."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap10)

The actor and his street style elevated looks are something to watch out for each day. Carrying his own urban vibe everywhere he goes, Vijay is not only a marvelous thespian but a dope sneakerhead.

Vijay Varma has an exciting bunch of films in his kitty. As we look forward to the coming year, the actor has Darlings opposite Alia Bhatt, Hurdang alongside Nushrratt Bharuccha and Sunny Kaushal and a Reema Kagti directorial series 'Fallen' with Sonakshi Sinha.
Sidharth Shukla death: Shehnaaz Gill leaves shoot, her father gives statement

TV actor Sidharth Shukla's death has shocked us to the core. The 40-year old actor, who was at the peak of his career after winning Bigg Boss 13, passed away after a massive heart attack. His friends, colleagues and fans are all in shock at the news and we can only wonder what the condition of his family would be like. The news came suddenly. And now it is being said that his good friend Shehnaaz Gill has left shoot to arrive in Mumbai.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shehnaaz Gill (@shehnaazgill)

While it is not known where Shehnaaz Gill had been shooting, it has been known that she has already left for Cooper Hospital. Her father Santok Singh told Spotboye, "I spoke to her. She is not fine. My son Shehbaaz has left for Mumbai to be with her and I will be going later." He also added, "I am not in the condition to talk right now. I cannot believe whatever has happened."

TV actress Sana Khan also told a portal that she can only imagine how heartbroken Shehnaaz would be over the news. Even in their last appearance together on Dance Deewane, Shehnaaz had expressed how much she loves Sidharth, leaving him blushing.

Actor Siddharth Shukla was taken to civic-run Dr RN Cooper hospital, Vile Parle, around 11am. The 40-year-old actor was declared dead on arrival. "Initial report indicates that he died of a heart attack. We, however, won't be able to confirm the cause of his death until we complete the post mortem," said a senior doctor from the forensic department of the hospital. It has also been reported that his mother is yet to arrive at the hospital. May his soul rest in peace.
Cinderella: Students create costumes for the new age fairy tale heroine

Students of Fashion Design, Fashion Styling & Image Design, Fashion Media communication from Pearl Academy Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Bangalore created the costumes for the new-age Cinderella, out of which three were chosen as the winners

Amazon Original movie Cinderella, starring Camila Cabello in the lead, has been making all the right noises since its premiere on the streaming service. Directed by Kay Cannon, Cinderella is the modern-day retelling of the fairytale where the movie takes a feminist turn with a fresh spin to the story. The new-age Cinderella has dreams and ambitions and doesnt want to get stuck in a basement, nor a royal box. Our modern Cinderella is the embodiment of female empowerment and individuality who has dreams that I have to chase.

Its not just Camila Cabellos Ella who is ambitious, but also the youth of today. Taking this thought ahead, Amazon Prime Video collaborated with the students of Pearl Academy to create Cinderellas iconic ball gown in their own different ways. The students drew inspiration from the Amazon Original movie Cinderella in which Camila Cabello, who plays a dressmaker and is keen to set up her own business. Participants were asked to retain the outfit colour of the poster, represent strength, fearlessness and comfort in their garment and style the outfit with a shoe for the Cinderella of today.

Out of the many that participated, the top 3 were selected unanimously. These winners were - Yin Yang Fantasy by Mahak Bhatia, Manvi Goel and Harshit Sharma, The Astria Dress by Disha Gupta and Nishita Singhal were the first runners-up and Avyanna by Rohit Mane and Sanskriti Jha were declared the second runners-up. The winning team says that the major part of their inspiration comes from Billy Porters Fab G. Billy Porters dialogue, Magic has its limits stayed with us. This convinced us to create something genderlesswe believe theres a Cinderella within everybody. So we clubbed this idea with the Yin and Yang theory which is about opposite forces coming together to find a balance. Our outfits featured flowy fabrics to portray yin and structured detailing to convey yan. Combining the two, we created an ensemble for the Cinderella we believe in todayshes strong and forges her own destiny. Our outfit also has detachable sleeps and waistcoats and pants with pockets! Accessories feature an embellished briefcase as we wanted to break the notion of it being only carried by men, said the winning team.

Written for the screen and directed by Kay Cannon with covers of songs written by some of the top-selling musical artists of all time, Cinderella has an all-star cast that includes Idina Menzel, Minnie Driver, Nicholas Galitzine, with Billy Porter and Pierce Brosnan and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Minister for European Affairs visits Latvia and Estonia

Press release

The Minister for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, T.D., today (Monday 6 September) begins a three-day working visit to Latvia and Estonia, his first visit to these fellow EU Member States since he became Minister in July 2020. The visit will mark the thirtieth anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ireland and the Baltic States following the reestablishment of their independence in 1991.

Speaking at the beginning of the visit, the Minister said:

I am really pleased to begin my first visit to Latvia and Estonia as Minister for European Affairs and to marking 30 years of diplomatic relations. I look forward to engaging with my Baltic colleagues across a broad spectrum of important issues, including those on the EUs agenda such as climate action, recovery from COVID-19 and the digital future. I will be expressing Irelands solidarity with the Baltic states as they face hostile actions from the Lukashenko regime in Belarus. I also want to express our gratitude for the strong and continuing solidarity shown towards Ireland in the context of Brexit. I am particularly looking forward to speaking at the Riga Graduate School of Law. I will use that opportunity to highlight the absolute importance that Ireland attaches to EU Member States respecting the Rule of Law.

The Ministers programme includes a wide range of engagements in both Riga and Tallinn.

Latvia

The visit begins in Riga, where Minister Byrne will meet with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Mr Edgars Rinkevics to discuss a range of topics, including the bilateral relationship and EU and international issues. The Minister will also meet the Latvian Interior Minister, Ms Marija Golubeva, to discuss recent developments in the Baltic region including the hostile actions of the Belarusian Government in facilitating illegal migration into their Baltic neighbours. Also in Riga on Monday, the Minister will speak at the prestigious Riga Graduate School of Law on the subject of Our Future in Europe: 30 Years of Diplomatic Relations between Ireland and the Republic of Latvia.

Among the Ministers engagements in Riga on Tuesday is a meeting with the Chair of the European Affairs Committee and the Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Chair of the Group for promoting cooperation with the Oireachtas. The Minister will also visit Rigas LGBT House and the Museum of the 1991 Barricades, which commemorates the events leading up to Latvias independence from the Soviet Union.

Estonia

On Wednesday in the Estonian capital Tallinn, Minister Byrne will meet with Mart Volmer, Estonias Undersecretary for European Affairs to discuss issues on the EU agenda. He will visit the Embassy of Ireland to officially open the Embassys new Chancery and will also visit the Estonian Parliament for a meeting with its European Union Affairs Committee. The Minister will leave for Dublin on Wednesday at lunchtime.

ENDS

Press Office

6 Sept 2021







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Ireland and France Joint Plan of Action

News

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney and his counterpart, French Minister for European and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian sign the Ireland-France Joint Plan of Action in Iveagh House, Dublin on 26 August 2021

During the visit to Ireland by President Emmanuel Macron on 26th August 2021, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney T.D. and Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs signed the Joint Plan of Action between Ireland France (2021-2025).

The Joint Action Plan represents an ambitious agenda that reflects Ireland and Frances shared priorities: supporting sustainability; increasing trade connectivity; fostering the digital economy; strengthening education and research links; promoting the French language; and fostering cultural cooperation. The Plan also references the opening of an Irish Consulate General in Lyon and the opening of an Irish Honorary Consulate in Roscoff, Brittany, with a view to further enhancing relations between Ireland and France.

Please see Minister Coveney's press release on the Joint Plan of Action here.

The full Joint Plan of Action document is available in English, French and Gaeilge below:

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Visit by President Macron to Dublin, August 2021

News

Taoiseach Martin and Provost Linda Doyle show President Macron around the campus of Trinity College Dublin.

On 26 August, French President Emmanuel Macron, on his first visit as President, came to Ireland to meet with President Michael D. Higgins and Taoiseach Micheal Martin.

President Macron was accompanied by a number of French Ministers Jean-Yves Le Drian (European and Foreign Affairs), Bruno Le Maire (Economy, Finance and the Recovery) and Clement Beaune (Secretary of State for European Affairs) who met with their Irish counterparts, Simon Coveney, Paschal Donohoe and Thomas Byrne as part of the visit.

Subjects discussed over the course of the bilateral meetings included pressing issues on the EU and International agenda, including Afghanistan, the response to Covid-19, economic recovery, the upcoming French Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers and EU-UK relations.

The visit also marked the current strength of Franco-Irish relations, exemplified by the adoption of a Joint Plan of Action as part of the visit. This Joint Plan of Action will enhance cooperation between the two countries over a significant range of policy areas.

Ireland has recently announced the opening of a new consulate in Lyon, further enhancing links between France and Ireland.

To see a full read out of the official statement by Taoiseach Martin during the visit, see here.

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Search engine Google has aligned with COWIN to give real-time updates about Covid-19 vaccination slots availability and booking on Cowin. The search giant will now offer detailed information on vaccination, slot-booking, availability and more for Cowin vaccination, in a bid to increase Covid vaccination coverage in India.

Google now allows you to check covid 19 vaccine availability as well as book appointment slots in over 13,000 locations in India via its search. Users will be able to do Cowin registration and book vaccination slots via Google Search, Maps and Assistant.

The COVID 19 vaccine booking via the Google search engine is powered by real-time data from the Cowin APIs. The info includes details like the availability of vaccination slots at each centre, the type of vaccines available and doses offered. You will be able to see Dose 1 or Dose 2 availability, the pricing (paid or free), as well as the link to the Cowin website for booking. The information will be shown automatically when you search for covid 19 vaccine centres near them across Google Search, Maps and Google Assistant.

The search results can be viewed in English and eight other regional Indian languages including Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Gujarati, and Marathi. Google has declared that it will continue to partner closely with the Cowin team and hopes to extend this facility to all vaccination centres across India.

Google now shows all information regarding the COVID-19 vaccination centres near you as well as the slots availability, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. For booking a slot for vaccination you will still need to go to the Cowin website. However, Google will provide a quick link on Maps and other services so users will be able to access the portal quickly.

India has been ramping up its covid vaccination drive in the face of looming third wave fears. On 31st Aug 2021, over 1.28-crore milestone jobs were administered, hitting a new high in single-day vaccinations and outstripping its previous record of 1.03 crore doses which was achieved on August 27, 2021.

A total of 18 crore doses have been administered in India in August 2021 which was up from 13.45 crore doses given in July and 11.97 doses given in June. Overall, approx. 65.26 crores doses have been given till 10 pm on 31, Aug 2021, out of which 77 per cent were first doses. In India over 39 per cent of Indias total population has received the first dose, while 23 per cent are fully immunised with both shots of vaccine given.

The increased pace of vaccination is driven by improved supplies, as well as in a bid to ramp up inoculation coverage, particularly that of the second dose, before the upcoming festivities. With the supplies expected to increase further the government is estimating around 20-22 crore doses in September and another 25-30 crore in October. The government expects the majority of the adult population eligible for vaccination to be immunised by at least one dose by October. In November and December over 35 crore doses are expected to be given.
First-class may be going the way of the Dodo (becoming less and less distinguishable from business class), but private jets appear here to stay.

To that end, Qatar Executive  a subsidiary of Qatar Airways  recently celebrated the order of a lavish new jet which will next year be added to their private jet roster.

Todays showcase of the #G700 in Doha marks one year to the delivery of the aircraft to #QatarExecutive in 2022, the airline announced last week.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Qatar Executive (@qatarexecutive)

Equipped with the all-new Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines and an advanced high-speed wing design, the G700 is able to fly at record-breaking speed and range with what has been described as outstanding environmental efficiency.

The G700 will form part of Qatar Executives state-of-the-art fleet of long-range and ultra-long-range aircraft. Qatar Executive has ordered 10 of the worlds largest business jets, and will take delivery of the very first aircraft off the Gulfstream assembly line in Georgia, U.S. in 2022.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: We take great pride in the expansion of Qatar Executive throughout the ongoing pandemic. The arrival of the Gulfstream G700 in Doha emphasises our position as one of the leading business jet aircraft service provider in the Middle East and around the world.

As the global launch customer for this technologically-advanced jet, we look forward to welcoming the G700 into Qatar Executives fleet in 2022 and continuing to set new standards in air travel for years to come.

As a launch customer, we are also proud to reaffirm our commitment to addressing climate change and other environmental impacts through the addition of the technologically advanced G700 to our fleet.

Qatar Executive, a fleet of first class jets, created in 2009, caters to global business travellers. Last year Qatar Airways introduced a new feature to this Executive program, which it calls The Diamond Agreement.

An Unparalleled Private Jet Travel Programme, Qatar Executives new Diamond Agreement offers maximum flexibility at industry leading pricing. How? Customers are able to pre-purchase flight time at fixed-hourly rates on state-of-the-art long-range and ultra-long-range private jets.

The Diamond Agreement is precisely tailored to the individual customers needs and requirements, offering a truly unique flying experience.

To join this program, customers purchase a minimum of 50 hours flight time, without any associated membership fees. The all-inclusive and fixed-hourly rates cover both flight hours and taxi time.

Designed to simplify private jet travel, pre-purchased Diamond Agreement hours have no minimum annual usage and no maximum carry-over, making the Diamond Agreement program unrivalled in terms of its flexibility. Qatar Executives customers are also offered guaranteed availability for reservations booked from just 72 hours in advance.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Qatar Executive (@qatarexecutive)

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said of the agreement: As part of Qatar Airways Group, Qatar Executive offers an exceptional travel experience for private jet customers. With the Diamond Agreement, we can now offer even more flexible and bespoke travel options for Qatar Executive passengers, who can continue to expect our high levels of service and safety onboard our state-of-the-art aircraft.

But how much, exactly, does it cost to fly on Qatar Executive?

When DMARGE contacted Qatar Airways they were unable to provide any particular pricing range/options for Qatar Executive because the offering is all price upon application.

Qatar Executives services and price list, which outlines the price of everything from baggage pet handling ($158) to lavatory service ($165), starts to give you somewhat of an idea of what you might be up for.

However, were not the first sleuths to try and figure this out.

According to Insider, Qatar Executives Gulfstream G500 costs around $160,000 to fly from New York to London. We imagine the G700 will cost something similar (or more).

The G500 can seat 13 passengers and can travel 5,200 miles on a full tank, which means it could fly non-stop from Hong Kong to London.

It has high-speed WiFi, a satellite phone, a coffee maker, a fridge, and even an oven, Insider reports.

Read more about Qatar Executive (and the flat hourly rate payment option) here. In the meantime, well continue wondering how much the G700 would cost to charter

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You havent been to France until youve been caught in a compromising position.

Thats what the cliche spouting, beret sporting expats will tell you.

The reality is though; France is a country like any other, with its cultural quirks and charm. And yes: its food is to die for.

The search for this food (and Instagram validation), however, has a tendency to leave tourists empty stomached (and briefly red-faced), not only when they drink their coffee the wrong way (the horreur!) but also when they go out to buy ingredients for lunch on a Sunday, and find all the shops shut.

This is something the below video, recently posted to Instagram by bilingual femme (and comedian) Tatty Macleod, illustrates perfectly.

Watch Tatty Macleod reveal the mistake many tourists (and returning Frenchies) make when they arrive in France

As Tatty points out, this is such a weird thing (having come from a country where shops are open every day), it also catches out French people returning to France.

Many commenters chimed in with their thoughts under the video.

I have been living in France for 2 years but its never open on Sunday I never see any shop who is open on Sunday  even in village they close also on Monday  one wrote.

And dont forget to mention most of the individual shops/ pharmacies dont open on Monday mornings too, commented another.

Other Instagram users said they liked the quirk.

But thats the only charm i see in France. I mean, having a day where no one is working (at least most people) is great. I prefer it this way tbh, said one.

The same user added: Cute little imperfections that hurt no one are good. I mean we can feel alive, like the world is literally re starting every week, you can feel it when everything is closed. The pressure to make everything perfect is not always good.

Another of Tattys Instagram followers said that what shocks her when returning to France is the rampant atheism.

Its the You know that no one believes in God right for me .

Finally, one enterprising British commenter suggested: Now we need to see British Tatty hitting up Asda at 4:58PM for the last chicken in the shop and a brown lettuce.

Tit for tat indeed.

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Former Mesa Police Officer Brian Gray retired after an investigation the former school resource officer had sex and watched pornography at his school office.
EBRD and XacBank lend US$ 4.8 million to Mongolias dairy company Suu Milk

Countrys oldest dairy to increase efficiency, improve product range

Latest transaction under risk-sharing facility in Mongolia

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the local lender XacBank are contributing to the development of dairy farming and processing in Mongolia by supporting the expansion of the countrys leading dairy company Suu Milk.

In a joint transaction, XacBank will be providing a local currency loan equivalent to US$ 4.8 million to Suu Milk, while 65 per cent of the risk on the loan will be assumed by the EBRD under a risk-sharing facility signed between the two financial institutions.

The funds will be used to finance the expansion of production capacity and the renewal of Suu Milks transport fleet, including the acquisition of new delivery trucks serving more than 2,500 nomadic herders across Mongolia. New ice cream, dairy production and packaging equipment will widen its range of products, extend their shelf life and raise food safety standards.

These improvements will lead to significant reductions in the consumption of energy and water. Suu Milk is also committed to adapting its operational policies and practices to provide new employment opportunities for women.

Technical assistance funded by the European Union helped Suu Milk improve its accounting and financial reporting practices and enhance the firms marketing.

Suu Milk is the oldest dairy company in Mongolia and was founded in 1958. It sources milk supplies from 19 collection points in the country and has more than 420 employees.

In Mongolia, the EBRD works to help build a diverse economy by developing the private sector and supporting infrastructure improvements. The Bank has invested more than 1.84 billion in 116 projects in the country since it started operations there in 2006.
EBRD loan of 2 million to ProCredit Bank in North Macedonia

Support for household investments in energy efficiency under the GEFF

EU-funded cashback incentive for homeowners

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a loan of 2 million to ProCredit Bank for on-lending to homeowners in North Macedonia for energy-efficiency investments. The credit line is part of the Green Economy Financing Facility (GEFF) programme.

The funds will be available to private borrowers to invest in energy-saving measures, such as insulation, windows, heat pumps and solar panels. These investments will promote energy-efficiency improvements in residential buildings, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve homeowners quality of life. Once the measures have been implemented, borrowers will be eligible for a grant of up to 20 per cent of the loan amount, funded by the European Union (EU).

The financing is secured by the 135 million GEFF programme for the Western Balkans, which is co-financed by the EU, the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance, and is part of the Regional Energy Efficiency Programme (REEP) for the Western Balkans. The aim of the programme is to help the region  known for its high energy intensity  to improve energy efficiency in its residential sector, one of its biggest energy consumers.

Jurgen Rigterink, EBRD First Vice President, said: We are happy to deepen our cooperation with our partners from ProCredit Bank Macedonia by signing another GEFF agreement. The presence of this product on the market has increased the awareness of the local households about the importance of energy-efficiency investments in their homes. The funds from this new credit line will reach even more households, reducing their energy consumption and contributing to better air quality in their communities.

Steffen Hudolin, Head of Cooperation for the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of North Macedonia, said: Saving energy today, is saving our future tomorrow. This is why we are using practical ways, close to the citizens, to implement the Green Agenda and provide financial support to the residential sector. This will solve some of the financial barriers to improving energy efficiency.

Emilija Spirovska, Member of the Management Board of ProCredit Bank, said: The impact that we as a company  or our customers  might have on the environment is of great importance. ProCredit Bank has already disbursed 2 million through 172 loans from the GEFF programme for household investments. More than 65 per cent of those were investments in energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, while the rest were used to improve the thermal insulation of homes. We are confident that with the additional 2 million EBRD credit line for investments in energy efficiency, which also offers a grant of up to 20 per cent, even more households will be able to contribute to improvements in energy efficiency and a cleaner environment.

To date, around 9,000 households in the Western Balkans have improved their energy efficiency through the GEFF programme, with investments in projects that contributed to a reduction of more than 10,000 tonnes of CO 2 emissions per year, equivalent to removing 6,000 cars from the road.

The EBRD is a major institutional investor in North Macedonia. To date, it has invested more than 2.1 billion in 148 projects in the country. Supporting green energy is a priority for the Bank, as it addresses one of the countrys most pressing challenges.
EBRD launching online hands on guidance to help micro and small enterprises

Platform provides expert advice on various topics including legal and financial matters

Additional tailored guidance developed for Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is launching an online resource with legal and business guidance to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises to enhance their response to new challenges following the Covid-19 pandemic.

The new website offers expert guidance to help owners and managers deal with suppliers, customers and employees, steer operational and financial challenges and navigate a restructuring process. The platform also provides businesses with legal guidance in corporate, employment and insolvency law, areas in which small business have strong demand for know-how and information.

Launched by the EBRD as part of its enhanced support for SMEs in the context of the coronavirus crisis, the website is structured around six modules or entry points:

Developing your business strategy Managing your people successfully Running your business successfully Taking your business online Keeping your businesss finances healthy Restructuring your business finances.

Templates and cases studies support the guidance and help users to apply concepts in their day-to-day operations. The information is freely available in English and Russian and designed for use by every economy where the EBRD operates. No registration is required to use the site.

Catherine Bridge Zoller, Senior Counsel at the EBRD Legal Transition Team, said This project is a response to what we see as a gap in many countries in terms of freely available, centralised online information for SMEs. The guidance on our website is a resource that can help businesses across the EBRD regions remain resilient in difficult times.

The website also contains three separate country pages for Moldova and Ukraine that offer country-specific advice in local language. The country pages of the project are funded with aid from the UK Government through the Good Governance Fund.

The new online guide complements the EBRDs efforts to help SMEs navigate through the current crisis and strengthen their resilience. Current initiatives include the EBRD Know How Academy as well as advisory support provided under the Small Business Initiative and through the network of EBRD-supported Investment Councils.
BELARUSSIAN people cant travel outside their country easily. The borders are well marshalled, and the necessary documentation required for them to go abroad can be difficult to come by, which is why the recent movement of large groups of people from Belarus into Poland and Lithuania raised a few eyebrows.

The Belarussian authorities have been accused of sending migrants to Poland as revenge for giving refuge to an Olympic sprinter who criticised her management team for forcing her to run a race she hadnt trained for.

Lithuania has also reported a surge in illegal border crossings from Belarus, which they suspect is being orchestrated by Belsarus President Alexander Lukashenko. That doesnt surprise me.

Back in the noughties, I spent a bit of time in Belarus while working for Chernobyl charities. The airport in Minsk in those days was a drab affair with no colour and little or no lighting. Everything was a variety of grey and images from old Cold War movies came to mind.

It felt oppressive too. Officials didnt have much interest in small talk or niceties. On one occasion I was in the airport, returning home after taking a group on a familiarisation trip to areas of the country affected by the fall-out from the Chernobyl disaster. Some of the group had checked in overweight luggage so there were charges to be paid and I was quickly identified as the person responsible for finances.

Before you could say Lukashenko, two guys appeared next to me, one on either side. These burly men in leather jackets guided me down a long, dark corridor with old wood panelling and glass on both sides, like you would expect to find in a local authority building in Ireland back the fifties.

I was shown into a room where another man sat behind a desk. Nothing was said up to this point and the expressions on these characters faces made it clear we were not meeting for tea and scones. I was told how much to pay and readily handed over the cash before being sent back to my group.

I was an experienced police officer at that stage, but I still felt intimidated. While I wasnt in any danger, I got a sense that you could easily land yourself in trouble in that country.

On another occasion, after spending two weeks eating from tins and cooking on the side of the road, a gang of us gathered the night before the flight home, for a well-deserved decent meal. Fifteen of us entered the restaurant, which was one of only a few that could accommodate a number like that at short notice. After the meal, I got the bill and, as I was the man with the kitty, went off to pay.

By the time I got to the kiosk, the bill had doubled. Annoyed, but not completely surprised, I argued the toss. It wasnt my money, so I felt responsible for getting value. The discussion came to an abrupt end when, once again, a couple of rough- looking characters appeared beside me. My buddy, Simon Walsh, came to my assistance and it didnt take us long to realise we were fighting a losing battle, so we quickly decided to pay up and suffer the loss.

That was typical of the atmosphere we operated under in Belarus. It felt as if our every move was being watched; it probably was.

It wasnt unusual to see the KGB lurking in the shadows when we were in the middle of nowhere delivering aid to remote villages. We just had to tolerate that for a few weeks at a time, unlike the natives who lived permanently under that regime.

Despite their circumstances, we always found the local people to be welcoming, hospitable and friendly. Even though they didnt have much, they were always willing to share what little they did have. Food and accommodation were always offered, even if it meant doing without themselves.

They dont have an easy life, and many have accepted their fate because, as far as theyre concerned, nothing will change. They have little hope.

The people of Belarus have no reason to believe in democracy because for them it doesnt exist.

I remember the first time I was in that country during an election, and I innocently asked our interpreter who he thought would win. A teacher by profession, I knew he would have a good handle on the political landscape, but he just laughed and said Lukashenko would win with 85% of the vote. I asked how he knew this, and he said: Because he always does.

There have been many allegations of voter fraud in Belarus since Lukashenko won power in 1994.

When I was there, election posters for him were everywhere, but there was no sign of the other candidates. International observers watched the polling stations for violations, but when the polling ended, the ballot papers were reportedly collected by Lukashenkos army and taken away to be counted, far from prying eyes.

That was my experience of life under Lukashenko.

That was more than 20 years ago, and I remember telling many at the time that his reign would be short- lived. Pressure from the civilised world would force him out, I told them. The EU was spreading and would soon engulf Belarus.

How wrong was I? If anything, Lukashenko has become even more emboldened and continues his reign of terror without any interference.

The most recent incident he is suspected of being involved in concerns the disappearance of Vitaly Shishov, a 26-year-old Belarusian opposition activist living in the Ukraine.

Those close to Shishov said he was happy with life, and they cant understand why he was recently found hanged in a forest. There were scratches on his face and opponents of Lukashenko are pointing the finger of suspicion at him.

Thats just one of many crimes Lukashenko has been linked to, but he seems to be untouchable.


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With more amounts of data to manage, organize, and make sense of, robotic processes are becoming increasingly valuable to businesses seeking to save time and be more efficient.

Not everything needs to be done by a human, especially when the tasks are repeated and predictable. It's here that robotic process automation (RPA) comes into play and has become an important component to businesses operations and serving customers.

TechNewsWorld spoke with several experts in robotic process automation to get their take on why it's important, how it's being used, and where it's headed.

Multitude of Applications

"RPA is software that automates rules-based actions performed on a computer, such as copy and paste, moving files from one location to another, etc.," Omid Aslani, director of product management for Kofax, explained to TechNewsWorld.

"Using low-code drag-and-drop software, RPA software 'robots' are designed to automate dull, boring, and repetitive tasks so that people can shift from being data-gatherers to data-users," he added.

There are a many different applications for RPA, and it's finding its way into a multitude of fields and kinds of businesses.

"The type of work that RPA can automate is almost endless, but examples include processing loan application data, automatic background checks, or extracting shipment details from incoming emails," said Aslani.

"The ability to automate allows workers to switch their focus to more thoughtful and meaningful work, while also eliminating data entry errors that can adversely impact processing times, compliance, and the overall customer experience," he continued.

"In banking, tasks such as opening accounts or processing mortgage applications can be automated, while insurance companies can automate health and injury claims and onboarding for new applicants or agents. In the transport sector, supply chain and logistics operations can be streamlined with RPA.

"The list of possibilities is nearly endless and beneficial to any business that deals with laborious or tedious manual processes."

Human-ish Robots

RPA requires, ultimately, that machines be trained in much the same way people would be to do a variety of repetitive and predictable tasks.

"Just like people, software robots can be trained to understand what's on a screen, complete the right keystrokes, navigate different systems, identify and extract data, and perform a wide range of defined actions, such as pulling data from a database, entering it into a spreadsheet, and then generating an invoice based on the information," Param Kahlon, chief product officer for UiPath, told TechNewsWorld.

With AI and natural language processing, RPA is able to progressively emulate human thought and processing capabilities; thereby making it useful to businesses that require a certain degree of intelligence in using and making sense of data.

"At its core, RPA is software automating business processes by interacting with multiple systems in the same way that a human would, often using the same desktop interfaces a human uses," Don Schuerman, chief technology officer for Pegasystems, explained to TechNewsWorld.

"RPA increasingly leverages AI technologies like natural language processing (NLP) to interpret text or optical character recognition (OCR) to understand documents and images," he continued. "An example of RPA includes what I often call an 'email bot,' which uses NLP to understand and extract data from emails, and then automatically process and generate a response."

RPA for Business Workflows

As systems become more complex, the way they can "think" about and process data is evolving. With this evolution is coming new and improved ways of making use of RPA's unique capabilities.

"RPA has caught on like wildfire, because it made automating routine, mundane tasks fast, easy and dare I say, fun," explained Aslani. "It made motivation-killing work, like monotonous, cut-and-paste data entry, a drudgery of the past."

"Where does RPA go from here?" he questioned. "It's all about workflow. The new normal is accelerating the call for digital transformation, creating streamlined, frictionless experiences that delight customers and employees."

Part of this evolution involves harnessing RPA for a variety of systems within organizations.

"Organizations increasingly are bridging their RPA expertise to higher-value initiatives -- business workflow transformation," said Aslani. "Workflows are organizations' secret sauce -- the end-to-end processes encoding how they do things smarter, faster, better, cheaper.

"For savvy companies, the future is about harnessing their RPA automation expertise, and leveraging it with complementary technologies like process orchestration and document intelligence to automate their mission-critical business workflows," he reasoned.

"Additionally, there is a shift in utilizing more low-code capabilities, enabling citizen developers to develop automation and collaborate with professional developers to drive agility and speed in their digital workflow transformation journey," Aslani noted.

Intelligent Automation

RPA is steadily becoming part of an entire business ecosystem, which includes work done by both humans and non-humans.

"For the last five or so years, RPA has enabled organizations in all sectors to increase efficiencies, streamline their internal and customer-facing processes and, perhaps most importantly, free up their highly-skilled employees from repetitive, low-value work," Eric Tyree, head of research and AI for Blue Prism, explained to TechNewsWorld.

"Now, as the technology matures and the early-adopter phase is truly over, organizations are looking for more. We will see a seamless mix of digital workers, human workers, and ever-evolving systems," he said.

Intelligent automation, in other words, is becoming perpetually intelligent.

"Business leaders are recognizing the potential for intelligent automation, where RPA technology is integrated with AI capabilities, to become a strategic lever for widescale transformation, innovation, and competitive difference.

"Organizations are starting with their big ambition and working backwards from there. We'll start to see significant numbers of organizations moving towards this automation-first approach," said Tyree.

Ultimately, RPA can help businesses as a whole, as it frees up human employees to do things that humans do best -- like thinking creatively and solving problems.

"RPA is evolving to become even more democratized, thereby unlocking automation's potential at scale to transform the way people work," said Kahlon. "With the rollout of more low-code and no-code solutions, those with less tech experience can increasingly harness the technology's capabilities to optimize their workloads.

"Instead of relying on IT support, they can design their automation applications that make sense to their unique roles," he reasoned. "The more employees who can take advantage of automation, the closer their organization comes to becoming a fully automated enterprise."

Vivian Wagner has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2008. Her main areas of focus are technology, business, CRM, e-commerce, privacy, security, arts, culture and diversity. She has extensive experience reporting on business and technology for a variety of outlets, including The Atlantic, The Establishment and O, The Oprah Magazine. She holds a PhD in English with a specialty in modern American literature and culture. She received a first-place feature reporting award from the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, and is the author of Women in Tech: 20 Trailblazers Share Their Journeys, published by ECT News Network in May 2020. Email Vivian.


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Athens, AL (35611)

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Showers early becoming less numerous later in the day. High 79F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

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A California bill centered around warehouse labor issues is set to go to a State Senate vote this week. Should it become law, the legislation could require Amazon and other warehouse companies to make significant changes. Bill AB-701, which passed the State Assembly in May, would force warehouse operators like Amazon to be transparent about the quotas their workers are expected to meet.

"The bill would provide that an employee shall not be required to meet a quota that prevents compliance with meal or rest periods, use of bathroom facilities or occupational health and safety laws," the legislative counsel's digest for the proposed legislation reads. The bill also seeks to ban employers from punishing employees who don't meet quotas that don't allow them to take breaks or comply with health and safety rules. If workers can't realistically hit Amazon's productivity expectations, the company may have to lower quotas in the state.

Several Amazon workers have spoken of foregoing or minimizing bathroom breaks to ensure they meet quotas. According to reports, the company's expectations lead many delivery drivers to pee in bottles and coffee cups instead of taking time to use a restroom. Warehouse workers have shared similar complaints. Amazon closely monitors worker productivity, including how long each employee spends away from their stations.

An Amazon spokesperson told The New York Times that "terminations for performance issues are rare," but they didn't comment directly on the bill.

Last year, it emerged that Amazon reportedly expects workers to scan 400 items an hour at fulfillment centers that use robots. According to a report from the Center for Investigative Reporting, the rate of serious injuries sustained at those warehouses was 50 percent higher than in Amazon warehouses that aren't automated.

Warehouse injury researcher Edward Flores, faculty director of the Community and Labor Center at the University of California, Merced, told the NYT that repetitive strain injuries are a problem in automated warehouses. Workers are "responding to the speed at which a machine is moving," which leads to "higher incidence of repetitive motions and thus repetitive injuries," Dr. Flores said.

Amazon announced some measures aimed at reducing warehouse injuries in May. The plans included meditation kiosks and zones where workers can stretch, as well as hourly mind and body prompts.

The company has a long history of controversial labor practices. At the start of this year, Amazon shut down a warehouse in Chicago where workers held walkouts and protested for improved working conditions. Some of those employees said they were given a choice between working 10-hour graveyard shifts at other fulfillment centers or finding a new job. At the time, Amazon denied that was the case.

In August, a National Labor Relations Board official recommended that workers at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama hold another union vote. The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union accused Amazon of violating labor laws by interfering with the process. Workers at the fulfillment center voted against unionizing.
Will Queen Elizabeth, Baby Lilibet get to see each other soon? Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly extended a massive olive branch to the palace by offering the monarch a chance to meet their second child, which reportedly rocked the palace.

If the reports are true, the couple who shunned their royal positions is set to introduce the Queen to her namesake great-granddaughter Lilibet in the coming weeks.

Despite reported fractures between Prince Harry and his brother Prince William and other royal family members, the Duke of Sussex is said to still have a good relationship with the monarch. This is said to be only one of the many attempts to reconcile with the palace after the fallout from the bombshell Oprah interview. It's unclear who's releasing an olive branch to whom though, because there are also other reports of the Queen said to be the one trying to mend things.

According to the new report however, this time, it is definitely Prince Harry and Meghan Markle who are acting to improve their relationship with their family - royal or not.

ALSO READ: Mercedes Morr Dead in Apparent Murder-Suicide: Model Active in OnlyFans a Few Hours Before Death

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly asked the Queen if they can fly to the UK so that the longest-reining monarch can finally meet Lilibet already, who's just four months old. It has been surmised that it's taking too long for the two to present the baby to the public because they might have wanted the Queen to see her first.

This would be Harry's third return to the UK ever since Megxit. However, it would be Meghan's very first after she and Harry decided to renounce their royal duties in March 2020 and then proceeded to build a life in the United States.

The shock that allegedly reverberated across the palace over this bold move is not a positive kind though. Reportedly, the staff and other royal members are shocked by the sheer audacity.

Insiders say Harry has been calling home in preparation of Lilibet's christening, with Windsor Castle reportedly being the top as a possible venue, the Sun reports. However, the royals are not happy, regardless if they like to see the baby or not. They just do not like the "sheer nerve" that triggered this move.

A source said: "Harry and Meghan have made this offer but a lot of people are shocked by the sheer nerve of it. They may genuinely want to see the Queen but it's breathtaking given what they've put her through this year.

ALSO READ: Royal Massive Update: Prince Andrew Won't Talk; Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Preparing to Slay More 'Personal Demons'
Mark Hamill earned the internet's attention after he proved the possibility of a hilarious theory.

On Twitter, users were surprised upon seeing the actor's name on the list. While his fans thought he could have been cast for another series or movie, his name actually popped out due to a hilarious reason.

One of his followers mentioned him in a tweet, saying that writing "Mark Hamill" can bring him thousands of likes.

The 69-year-old "Star Wars" actor then tried the magic and retweeted the post alongside his full name, "Mark Hamill."

For a celebrity who has over 4.7 million followers, he immediately reached 100,000 likes in an hour. The actor also pinned the tweet on his page already so fans could see it immediately.

The tweet gained hilarious responses from fans and celebrities who want to try the "theory."

Tara Dublin said, "My best tweet ever got around 32K likes. If I can't beat that with my Dave Grohl story in my pinned tweet, maybe tweeting this will: Mark Hamill."

"I love how the timeline be assembling to show love for Mark Hamill," another wrote with a clip from "Avengers: Endgame."

Mark Hamill in Demand

Aside from gaining people's attention by tweeting his name, the actor recently made online fuss again as reports about his cameo in the season two finale "The Mandalorian" emerged.

ScreenRant noted that bringing back the actor to voice Luke Skywalker was a tough job since the actor is already is in his 60s while the character is 28 years old in the timeline.

The crew then did all the possible ways to create a young Jedi out of Hamill, including Deepfake technology and de-aging. They also tried using special light for the character's facial textures so Hamill's face could be perfectly superimposed.

The show's creator, Jon Favreau, spoke candidly about the replication process.

READ ALSO: LeVar Burton As 'Jeopardy!' Permanent Host Petition Poses Threat to Other Aspirants

"Something people didn't realise is that his voice isn't real," the director said. "His voice, the young Luke Skywalker voice, is completely synthesised using an application called Respeecher."

Meanwhile, "The Mandalorian" supervising sound editor Matthew Wood detailed how they used technology in the episode of the finale.

Per Wood, they still had clean recorded ADR from the original films and the "Star Wars" radio that shows what he did before. From there, the team fortunately made clean recordings out of the materials.

READ MORE: Willard Scott Cause of Death: 'Today' Weatherman Dead At His Virginia Farm
Impact initiative of the year - Africa; Asset manager of the year - small: Conservation International

Winning the award for Impact initiative of the year Africa, Conservation International (CI) led an initiative that delivered investment capital in the form of loans to the Maasai Mara Conservancies in Kenya in a time of crisis, with the aim of sustaining livelihoods through ongoing conservancy lease payments and protecting the Mara Ecosystem.

Home to 25% of Kenya's wildlife and the greatest annual migration of animals on Earth, the Greater Mara ecosystem is one of the most important conservation areas in Africa, according to CI.

The land is owned by the indigenous Maasai people, who lease it to conservancies for tourism operations, which in turn fund conservation efforts that drive wildlife tourism.

However, within months of the Covid-19 pandemic, this model faced collapse. The loss of lease income due to the halt in tourism and future uncertainty threatened to force the Maasai landowners to sell or convert their lands to farming, putting wildlife conservation in the region at risk.

Recognising this threat, CI worked with the Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association (MMWCA) to establish the African Conservancies Fund.

By the end of 2020 CI had created a loan mechanism, set up the African Conservancies Fund, raised the first round of capital required, and deployed the first set of loans to two of the conservancies.

This was the first step towards the creation of a $5 million loan fund which aimed to help the conservancies through the crisis, thereby indirectly supporting nearly 10,000 Maasai landowners and their dependants and safeguarding 140,000 hectares of wilderness.

Daniel Ole Sopia, chief executive officer of MMWCA, commented: "Over the last two decades, local communities and tourism investors have worked to find a way that nature and people can thrive together. Our conservancies both secure critical wildlife populations and benefit local people. This is what successful conservation looks like. Covid-19 has put this model at risk. This innovative fund will help us withstand this shock, and better prepare for future ones  it will help us, our hard work, survive."

Through the loan programme, conservancies across the Maasai Mara are now able to secure short-to-medium term funding to offset the revenue loss from Covid-19 and support long-term sustainability.

The loans will be repaid out of future tourism returns and conservation fees that the conservancies collect from tourism operators.

As a condition of the loan, the conservancies will be required to implement governance, operational and financial strengthening activities to ensure long-term sustainability of the conservancy model. These include commitment to transparency and inclusivity in leadership elections and resolving to build up reserve funds in the future as better financial practice.

One Impact Awards judge praised the initiative for its "innovative replicable approach combining conservation and sustaining livelihoods in times of crisis.

CI said the fund had "demonstrated to the investment world that biodiversity and ecosystems are investible and can pay for itself even in the time of crisis, and as such this mechanism is scalable and replicable across multiple geographies where ecotourism funds landscape conservation... we are confident of being able to deploy up to $50 million over the next three years to secure conservancies in key landscapes and seascapes across Africa.

CI is also exploring opportunities to diversify revenue streams through the development of a carbon offset project across the Mara ecosystem.

For its second award, the Conservation International Ventures fund (CI Ventures)  a global fund for enterprises that prioritises conservation impact  topped the category for Asset manager of the year - small.

CI Ventures aims to invest in small and medium enterprises that have the potential to deliver measurable and scalable conservation impacts in places that CI says other firms typically overlook.

At the moment, investment is not flowing to those businesses with the potential to drive outsized change on the ground. They are often perceived as being too small, too new, too risky, or just too difficult to find and fund. As impact-first investors, we are laser-focused on doing just that, and with great results thus far, said Agustin Silvani, chief investment officer for CI Ventures.

Since 2019, CI Ventures and its co-financing partners have invested $14 million in 10 enterprises. According to CI, those investments have helped to create nearly 1,000 jobs, generate over $11 million in sustainable production revenue, and restore and protect more than 10,000 hectares of critical natural habitat.

Today, CI Ventures portfolio consists of eight sustainable enterprises around the globe. Those projects include businesses that keep forests intact, provide technological solutions to save mangroves, produce sustainable low-carbon protein, transform invasive vegetation into compost and create jobs for local communities.

As a revolving fund, it invests in companies that generate positive financial returns over a specified period, with returns flowing back into the fund to finance future investments. CI Ventures also provides financial backing to the CI African Conservancies Fund.

CI Ventures aims to execute 100 high-impact deals and invest $200 million with its co-financing partners by 2028. Through those efforts, it intends to protect and restore 500,000 million hectares of land and sea while supporting 60,000 livelihoods around the world.
Impact project/investment of the year - financial services: The Savannah Fund/IFC

In March, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) led a $25 million fundraising for the Savannah Fund, which invests to increase lending to sub-Saharan start-ups with a focus on supporting women entrepreneurs and "disruptive companies in high-growth sectors".

Mbwana Alliy, Savannah Fund's managing partner, said in a press release at the time: "Entrepreneurs in residence, especially female founders, are a key part of our investment strategy. We're especially bullish on start-ups that have the potential to scale beyond the continent and that can expand into Silicon Valley and emerging markets like South East Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America."

IFC invested $3 million, which added to $500,000 from the Women's Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, and a group of other, unidentified investors, who committed a total of $25 million.

The fund will provide early-stage funding to start-ups in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, with an eye on expansion to Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Uganda in East Africa, as well as Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana in West Africa. The fund will invest in companies that support development at the bottom of the pyramid in sectors including fintech, education, logistics and e-commerce, healthcare, and agtech.

It is Savannah Fund's second seed fund. It has invested in more than 30 companies across seven countries on the continent.

Kevin Njiraini, IFC's regional director for Southern Africa and Nigeria, said: "Early-stage funding is vital to enable more of Africa's emerging and growing tech founders to grow their businesses and fuel the transformation of Africa's Internet economy."

A joint report by the IFC and tech giant Google published last year estimates that Africa's Internet economy has the potential to represent 5.2% of the continent's gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025, contributing nearly $180 billion to its economy. The projected potential contribution could reach $712 billion by 2050.
Young professional of the year/rising star: Virginia Wasikowska, NN Investment Partners

Virginia Wasikowska, a portfolio manager in commercial real estate, seeks to go the extra mile to examine the soft factors behind investment deals with a positive impact, according to NN Investment Partners (NN IP).

Wasikowska, the winner of Young professional of the year at the 2021 Impact Awards, started her job at the Dutch asset management giant NN IP in 2018.

She joined a sector that has been and still is facing challenges when it comes to measuring non-financial/non-traditional metrics. According to NNIP, the lack of ESG reporting standards and limited availability of data has hampered the company's ability to understand what effect its projects were having.

"I found that we already had quite a lot of transactions that had a positive impact, but we weren't really capturing it anywhere, so we underplayed our results to our clients," Wasikowska told Environmental Finance.

She impressed her colleagues by coming up with a methodology that captured the positive and negative impact of transactions and could identify potential 'greenwashing' through flagging offsets.

As well as improving impact data, she has provided a quantitative angle to the company's impact investing.

"Identifying positive or negative impact of an investment involves looking at often fuzzy, qualitative details," Wasikowska said.

"They are sometimes a little bit difficult to capture unless you are really willing to dig deeper and try to understand them from multiple stakeholders' perspectives.

"It's not enough to just be analytical, you have to have the softer side as well to be able to capture these things consistently when making an assessment."

For example, during the organisation of a residential deal in The Hague this summer one of the tenants caught her eye. On closer inspection she realised they were on the investor's exclusion list due to human rights violations  firing debate about whether the tenant was a major enough part of the deal to be a red flag.

Wasikowska's colleague Ulla Fetzer, NN IP client portfolio manager, said: "It's about not just doing the obvious work but going the extra mile  looking through all levels of a transaction to get a thorough understanding not only of financial factors but also of non-financial issues, and making them visible so they can contribute to a more a balanced decision.

"Virginia has been instrumental in helping the commercial real estate team of NN IP achieve its ambitions on integrating ESG considerations into real estate financing to define impact.

"By developing deeper expertise on ESG issues in the context of real estate and private debt investments, she helps to further embed a culture that champions including ESG consideration in each decision."

The young portfolio manager helped develop minimum ESG standards, ensuring that scores were accurately attributed and weighed across the commercial real estate portfolio to better inform investing decisions.

In 2019, she closed one of her first deals in a "unique" $500 million transaction for a Dutch office campus of 40 buildings. The project aimed to contribute to advancing health technology by providing financing secured against real estate assets with an environment designed to foster innovation and collaboration.

Wasikowska is particularly good at filtering deals to determine their potential impact, Fetzer said.
2021-09-06

Maeci

Minister Luigi Di Maio ends his regional trip dedicated to Afghanistan with a visit to Pakistan, where he will meet with local officials. Pakistan is one of the countries most affected by the Afghan crisis and most involved in the diplomatic activities related to it.
2021-09-06

Maeci

A journey through the iconic creations of Italian designers and design companies. This is the proposal of the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles with the exhibition opening on September 23, hosted in the Institute's premises and curated by Mattia Biagi, 2021 ambassador of Italian design.

Bringing Italian design and creativity to a broad audience has been one of Biagi's goals ever since he moved to Los Angeles 18 years ago. Mattia Biagi has created installations in numerous galleries and museums around the world, such as the Palais de Tokyo and the Louvre Abu Dhabi, including video installations and large-scale works. His work is part of permanent collections in American and Italian museums such as the Mint Museum and Castello di Rivara. His aim with the exhibition "A Journey Through Italian Design" is to lead the viewer to discover a selection of Italian design classics. Italy is internationally renowned for transforming basic materials such as wood, fabric, glass, stone and plastic into true works of art through the talent and knowledge of our craftsmen
Dentsu International has announced the appointment of Rohit Suri to the role of Chief HR Officer (CHRO), South Asia, effective 15 September 2021. The appointment is key to the dentsu India 2.0 transformation agenda, designed to unlock higher levels of business performance, innovation, and solution-led strategies for its people and clients.



Based in Mumbai, Rohit will build a high-performance team in India and Sri Lanka, establishing new skills and talent initiatives while shaping a people-oriented, value-led culture. His core focus will be to drive the India 2.0 transformation journey. Rohit will accentuate the Leadership agenda and talent pipeline, pivotal in futureproofing the long-term competitiveness of the business. He will report into Ashish Bhasin, CEO dentsu Asia Pacific (APAC) and Chairman dentsu India and Kinch Ong, Regional HR Director, dentsu APAC.



Rohit is a business-focused professional with close to 23 years of progressive experience in fast-paced Consumer Internet, Technology and Media companies. He has worked across South Asia, APAC, and Europe. Over the last 16 years, Rohit has held leadership roles spearheading Change, Business Transformation, Leadership Development Programmes, HR Project Management, and Cultural Integration.

Most recently, Rohit was Chief Talent Officer (CTO) at GroupM South Asia, leading human resources and talent operations in the region. As part of the leadership team, he focused on ensuring enriching career experiences and development for all employees while maximising their full potential in line with the business objectives.



Sunil Seth, HR Operations Transformation Head, South Asia, will continue to support the business with a tighter focus on HR Operations transformation and the Sri Lanka market, reporting to Rohit.



Ashish Bhasin, CEO dentsu APAC and Chairman dentsu India, said, This is the beginning of our transformation journey and the dentsu India 2.0 path to success. Rohit is a proven, dedicated talent acquisition expert, within the industry and beyond, in driving a high-performance culture. With Rohit on board, he will be a leading force in our journey in building a new team for South Asia. He will ensure we have a compelling talent acquisition strategy for future talent. This is crucial as the region accelerates in growth and continues on the journey to realising our global ambition of becoming the most integrated network in the world, making us more agile and simpler for our clients to access our world-class capabilities and talents.



Rohit Suri, Chief HR Officer, dentsu South Asia, commented, This is an exciting time and opportunity to join dentsu and be part of a pioneering team of next-generation leaders. With the pandemic, it is important, now more than ever, that we create real human connections and build a powerful culture. How can we bring incremental value by fostering a team spirit of excellence and togetherness? This is what I plan to achieve, together with my team, in the coming months and I cannot wait to get started.



Kinch Ong, Regional HR Director, dentsu Asia Pacific, said, Rohit is a pivotal hire for our team, a well-known name in the industry with a solid track record that we are confident will extend to our dentsu HR function through the impact from his integral role in Indias transformation 2.0. We look forward to having him join us, working together to advance our efforts to cement dentsu Asia Pacific as an employer of choice for people across the region.

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The Pound New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) exchange rate has found itself weakening throughout the majority of the week on the back of lacklustre economic data from the UK.

At the time of writing on Friday the pair are trading at around the NZ$1.9402 level as the risk-sensitive New Zealand Dollar is supported by an upbeat market mood.

Pound (GBP) Exchange Rates Weaken on UK Services PMI Figures

The Pound has weakened against the New Zealand Dollar for much of the week as disappointing economic data from the UK did little to support the appeal of Sterling.

Furthermore, concerns have begun to creep back in regarding the UKs economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

It comes as coronavirus cases in the UK remain high, and daily deaths hit their highest level since March.

Friday saw a further fall in the UK services PMI for August as staffing issues continue to plague businesses.

Tim Moore, Economics Director at IHS Markit, which compiles the survey commented on the latest PMI, saying:

The service sector lost momentum for the third consecutive month as the impact of looser pandemic restrictions faded in August. Many businesses suffered constraints on growth due to staff shortages, self-isolation rules and stretched supply chain capacity.

Service providers signalled the sharpest rise in employment since data collection began 25 years ago. Additional staff recruitment typically reflected efforts to return workforce numbers to pre-pandemic levels after widespread job cuts last year. Many survey respondents commented on long wait times to fill vacancies and an unexpectedly high staff turnover as the UK economy reopened.

New Zealand Dollar (NZD) Exchange Rates Supported by Risk-on Mood

The New Zealand Dollar has found support throughout the week on the back of a more upbeat market mood.

Though New Zealand continues to deal with an ongoing coronavirus outbreak, investors are becoming more optimistic surrounding the global economic recovery from the virus.

New Zealand recorded 28 cases of coronavirus on Friday, 21 less than the day previous as lockdown restrictions appear to be working.

Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand Grant Robertson commented on the fall in cases, saying:

These results are encouraging, but the job is not done. We must continue to be vigilant and get on top of this outbreak.

Director of public health, Dr Caroline McElnay, also spoke on the current situation in New Zealand:

While this fall in todays numbers is encouraging, we are mindful that these outbreaks can have a long tail and we cant afford to become complacent. Ongoing investigations by Auckland Regional Public Health have resulted in the total number of unlinked cases falling from 65 to 31.

GBP/NZD Exchange Rate Outlook: UK Construction PMI in Focus

Heading into next week, Pound traders will be keeping an eye on the latest construction PMI from the UK for August.

Any indication that the UKs construction sector is struggling on the back of supply-chain issues could cause Sterling to fall further.

New Zealand Dollar traders will themselves be focusing on the global market mood at the start of next week, a resurgence in the US Dollar could see the Kiwi stumble.
The Pound South African Rand (GBP/ZAR) exchange rate dipped this week, as an increasing appetite for risk among forex investors boosted the appeal of the riskier South African Rand (ZAR).

Sterling, meanwhile, found its support waning amid growing concerns over the UKs economic recovery, particularly around the worsening supply chain crisis.

Pound (GBP) Exchange Rates Slide as Supply Chain Crisis Worsens

The Pound (GBP) started the week on the back foot, as thin trading conditions over the bank holiday weekend left Sterling open to losses.

GBP faced further headwinds on Tuesday as consumer credit in the UK fell by 0.042bn in July, versus the 0.441bn increase expected by economists. This surprising fall in consumer credit indicated a decline in consumer spending, which has been a key driver of the UKs economic rebound from the effects of the pandemic.

The challenges continued for the Pound on Wednesday. Despite being revised marginally higher than preliminary estimates, the UKs final manufacturing PMI revealed the fourth consecutive month of slowing expansion in UK factory output.

Concerns are mounting over the UKs supply chain crisis, with staff and supply shortages due to both rising Covid cases and the knock-on effects of Brexit weighing on Britains manufacturing industry.

Despite this, GBP managed to regain some of its losses on Thursday without any clear catalyst for the movement. The upside came as business groups and politicians called on the UK government to get a handle on the supply chain crisis as the country faces shortages in the run up to the Christmas period.

But Friday saw Sterling soften once again following the UKs dismal services PMI, which dropped from 59.6 to 55  a larger fall than analysts had anticipated and its worst level in six months.

The decline was partly due to activity returning to normal following the post-pandemic surge, but the supply chain crisis and worker shortages were also key factors in the slowing growth.

South African Rand (ZAR) Exchange Rates Gain as Risk Appetite Improves

The Rand, however, rose steadily for most of the week as the emerging-market currency enjoyed an increased appeal amid the prevailing bullish market mood.

Although the pandemic continues to present a risk to the global economic recovery, markets took an optimistic tone this week.

Vaccination is proving effective against serious illness and death, and vaccine rollouts are accelerating across the world. As a result, more economies are reopening and the risk of new strict lockdown measures being introduced has decreased.

Additionally, taper talk from the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank (ECB) and Bank of England (BoE) suggests that these central banks believe their respective economies are nearly strong enough for monetary stimuli to be withdrawn. Yet the cautious, patient approach that these banks are taking has also alleviate fears that they may make a policy mistake.

The Rand has also been supported by rising gold prices, with gold being one of South Africas key mineral exports. The price of gold has steadily risen over the last month, hitting a five-week high on Friday. It is also holding some of the best sustained prices since mid June.

Finally, better-than-expected PMIs for South Africa have also increased the appeal of ZAR. The ABSA manufacturing PMI for August smashed forecasts, printing at 57.9 versus the expected 47, showing that factory activity in the country expanded rather than contracted. Similarly, the IHS Markit PMI printed at 49.9, up from 46.1 and above predictions of 48.

GBP/ZAR Exchange Rate Forecast: Will Poor Data Dent the Rand?

Risk appetite could continue to be a defining factor in GBP/ZAR in the coming week. Will the upbeat mood prevail or will market sentiment sour?

The Rand faces some challenges as South Africas quarter-on-quarter GDP growth is expected to have contracted by 1.7% in the second quarter of this year. In addition, business confidence for the third quarter is expected to drop from 50 to 45.

The Pound could be open to losses in the coming week as UK data is thin on the ground. The major data releases for the UK all come on Friday, though they arent forecast to be particularly positive. The UKs trade deficit is expected to widen as exports to the EU fall, while industrial production and GDP are predicted to have slowed month-on-month in July.

Additionally, the ongoing supply chain disruption could continue to weigh on GBP exchange rates.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  A court in Belarus on Monday sentenced two leading opposition activists to lengthy prison terms, the latest move in the relentless crackdown that Belarusian authorities have unleashed on dissent in the wake of last years anti-government protests.

Maria Kolesnikova, a top member of the opposition Coordination Council, has been in custody since her arrest last September. A court in Minsk found her guilty of conspiring to seize power, creating an extremist organization and calling for actions damaging state security and sentenced her to 11 years in prison.

Lawyer Maxim Znak, another leading member of the Coordination Council who faced the same charges, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the convictions were unjust, adding we call for their immediate, unconditional release and for that of all other political prisoners held by the Lukashenko regime. Western European officials also denounced the sentences.

Kolesnikova, who helped coordinate monthslong opposition protests that erupted after an August 2020 presidential vote, resisted authorities attempts to force her to leave the country.

Kolesnikova and Znak went on trial behind closed doors, with their families only allowed to be present at the sentencing hearing on Monday.

For many, Maria has become an example of resilience and the fight between good and evil. I'm proud of her, Kolesnikova's father, Alexander, told The Associated Press on Monday. It's not a verdict, but rather the revenge of the authorities.

Belarus was rocked by months of protests fueled by President Alexander Lukashenkos being awarded a sixth term after the August 2020 presidential vote that the opposition and the West denounced as a sham. He responded to the demonstrations with a massive crackdown that saw more than 35,000 people arrested and thousands beaten by police.

Kolesnikova, 39, has emerged as a key opposition activist, appearing at political rallies and fearlessly walking up to lines of riot police and making her signature gesture  a heart formed by her hands. She spent years playing flute in the nations philharmonic orchestra after graduating from a conservatory in Minsk and studying Baroque music in Germany.

In 2020, she headed the campaign of Viktor Babariko, the head of a Russian-owned bank who made a bid to challenge Lukashenko, but was barred from the race after being jailed on money laundering and tax evasion charges that he dismissed as political. Babariko was sentenced to 14 years in prison two months ago.

Kolesnikova then joined forces with former English teacher Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who was running in place of her jailed husband Sergei, an opposition blogger, as the main candidate standing against Lukashenko, and Veronika Tsepkalo, wife of another potential top contender who had fled the country fearing arrest.

The three appeared together at colorful campaign events that were in stark contrast to Lukashenkos Soviet-style gatherings.

Shortly after the election, Tsikhanouskaya left Belarus under pressure from the authorities and is currently in exile in Lithuania.

In September 2020, as Belarus was shaken by mass protests, the largest of which drew up to 200,000 people, KGB agents drove Kolesnikova to the border between Belarus and Ukraine in an attempt to expel her. In the neutral zone between the two countries, Kolesnikova managed to rip up her passport, broke out of the car and walked back into Belarus, where she was immediately arrested.

Just before the start of her trial last month, Kolesnikova said in a note from prison that authorities offered to release her from custody if she asks for a pardon and gives a repentant interview to state media. She insisted that she was innocent and rejected the offer.

Speaking to the AP on Monday, Tsikhanouskaya described Kolesnikova's ripping up her passport as a historic deed.

Along with it (her passport), she tore apart all the plans of the regime, Tsikhanouskaya said.

The regime would want to see Maxim and Maria broken and weakened. But we see our heroes and strong and free inside. They will be free much earlier. Prison terms invented for them shouldn't scare us  Maxim and Maria wouldn't want that. They would want us to remember how Maria smiles, and to listen to Maxim singing, Tsikhanouskaya added.

In London, U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the sentencing of Maria Kolesnikova and Maxim Znak shows the Belarusian authorities continuing their assault on the defenders of democracy and freedom."

Locking up political opponents will only deepen the pariah status of the Lukashenko regime," Raab said.

In Brussels, European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said that the EU ... reiterates its demands for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in Belarus (now numbering more than 650)," including Kolesnikova and Znak.

The verdicts Monday are a symbol of the ruthless methods, the repression and intimidation by the Belarusian regime of opposition politicians and civil society, German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse said in Berlin.

___

Associated Press writers Lorne Cook in Brussels, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Danica Kirka in London contributed.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany's new ambassador to China, who was previously a senior adviser to Chancellor Angela Merkel, has died at age 54, the German government said Monday.

The Foreign Ministry announced Jan Hecker's sudden death in a short statement in the early hours of Monday. It didn't give details of when or where Hecker died, or specify a cause of death.

Ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse said there are no indications that the death is connected to Ambassador Hecker's political function. Asked at a regular government news conference whether authorities will release further details, she said that the ministry has nothing to add at present.

Hecker, who became ambassador in August, was married and had three children, according to his biography on the Foreign Ministry website.

He arrived in China on Aug. 1 and presented his credentials on Aug. 24, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Hecker, a former Interior Ministry official and then a judge at Germany's Federal Administrative Court, started work at the chancellery in 2015 as the head of a unit coordinating refugee policy. He became Merkel's foreign policy adviser  an influential post, though one with a low public profile  in 2017.

Merkel said in a statement that Jan Hecker's death shocks me deeply.

I am mourning an esteemed long-time adviser with deep humanity and outstanding expertise, the chancellor said. She added that she was full of gratitude to have worked with him for years and expressed her condolences to his family.

The Chinese government also offered its condolences.

We are shocked to learn of this sudden death of Ambassador Jan Hecker, who had been working actively to promote China-Germany relations since assuming his post, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing in Beijing.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP)  Israel launched a massive manhunt in the country's north and the occupied West Bank early Monday after six Palestinian prisoners tunneled out of their cell and escaped from a high-security facility in the biggest prison break of its kind in decades.

The escape marks an embarrassing security breach just ahead of the Jewish New Year, when Israelis flock to the north to enjoy beaches, campsites and the Sea of Galilee. The prisoners appear to have gone into hiding and there was no indication Israeli authorities view them as an immediate threat.

Palestinians consider prisoners held by Israel to be heroes of their national cause, and many celebrated the escape on social media. Efforts to capture the escapees will likely draw attention to the Palestinian Authoritys security coordination with Israel, which is deeply unpopular among Palestinians. There was no immediate comment from the PA, but President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah party praised the escape.

Israeli officials said they have erected roadblocks and are conducting patrols in the area. Israel's Army Radio said 400 prisoners are being moved as a protective measure against any additional escape attempts. The radio said the prisoners escaped through a tunnel from the Gilboa prison, just north of the West Bank, which is supposed to be one of Israel's most secure facilities.

A photo released by the prison service showed a narrow hole in the floor of a cell, and Israeli security forces could be seen examining a similar hole on a stretch of gravel just outside the walls of the prison.

It appeared to be the biggest Palestinian escape from an Israeli prison since 1987, when six militants from the Islamic Jihad group broke out of a heavily guarded prison in Gaza months before the outbreak of the first intifada, or Palestinian uprising against Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called it a grave incident that required maximum effort by Israels various security branches.

He said he was receiving constant updates on the prison break, which occurred just hours before Israel was to mark the Jewish New Year. There were no instructions for people to alter their routines.

Israeli media quoted Public Security Minister Omer Barlev as saying that extensive planning went into the escape and that the prisoners likely had outside assistance. Palestinian prisoners are believed to use smuggled cellphones to communicate with people outside, and the escapees may have arranged for a getaway vehicle.

Police commander Shimon Ben Shabo said officials have reinforced emergency response call centers in the area to respond to any reports about the prisoners and there are forces available to arrive at any location.

The escapees are suspected of having headed back to their hometown of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, about a 25 kilometer (15-mile) drive away. The internationally recognized PA wields little control in the town, where militants in recent weeks have clashed with Israeli forces. Israeli helicopters were seen flying over Jenin on Monday morning.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club, which represents both former and current prisoners, identified the men as ranging in age from 26 to 49 years old.

The most well-known is Zakaria Zubeidi, 46, who was a prominent leader in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed group affiliated with Fatah, during the second intifada from 2000-2005. He was later granted amnesty along with other Fatah-affiliated militants, but was arrested again in 2019 on what Israeli authorities said were new terror suspicions.

As a child, Zubeidi had been part of a children's theater troupe in Jenin established by Arna Mer-Khamis, an Israeli rights activist, that was the subject of a 2004 documentary.

The other five prisoners were members of Islamic Jihad, and the prisoners' group said four were serving life sentences.

Hundreds of Islamic Jihad supporters rallied in Gaza, and the militant group sent incendiary balloons across the frontier into Israel in support of the escaped prisoners.

This is a great heroic act, which will cause a severe shock to the Israeli security system, said Daoud Shehab, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad.

Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for the militant Hamas movement that rules Gaza, said the escape shows that the struggle for freedom from the occupier is continuous and extended, inside prisons and outside.

Even Abbas' Fatah party praised the escape, with an official Twitter account posting a picture of Zubeidi and hailing what it called the freedom tunnel.

The escape poses a dilemma for Abbas, who met with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz a week ago in the first high-level meeting between the two sides in years. Abbas has said he hopes to revive the peace process after more than a decade-long hiatus under former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

But Abbas' PA is deeply unpopular. He canceled the first elections in 15 years in April when it appeared his Fatah party would suffer an embarrassing defeat. The Palestinian Authority was largely sidelined during the Gaza war in May, and it has cracked down on a wave of protests following the death of an activist in PA custody in June.

PA security forces coordinate with Israel to target Hamas and other militants that both view as a threat. But any effort to help Israel re-arrest the escaped prisoners risks further undermining the PA in the eyes of Palestinians.

___

Krauss reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Jack Jeffery in Ramallah, West Bank, and Wafaa Shurafa in Gaza City contributed to this report.
A Texas school district is now requiring masks on campus after nearly 800 students have quarantined due to COVID-19 cases.

The Lockhart ISD board of trustees voted 5-2 to enact the new coronavirus protocol, authorizing the superintendent to implement regulations to require the use of masks for all students, staff and visitors while on campus.

On ExpressNews.com: S.A. schools worst-case COVID plans have a teacher problem

Since the start of the school year on Aug. 18, district officials have cancelled four classes and a student program due to 20 percent or more of the students being diagnosed with COVID-19, Superintendent Mark Estrada said in a letter home to parents Friday.

The district, located about an hour northeast of San Antonio, has 781 students quarantining with 204 active cases. Of those, 181 active COVID-19 cases are students.

Estrada said they "expect there will be a need to close more classes in the coming weeks." If any campus reaches 10 percent or more of campus-wide COVID-19 cases, they district will start temporarily closing schools and transitioning to online learning.

The virus has also taken a toll on staffing levels, with 80 substitute teachers needed around the district on Thursday, Estrada said. Officials were only able to fill 28 spots and had to reassign other instructors in order to help cover classes.

I ask for your patience and support for our staff who are working hard to keep everything running," Estrada said. "They are doing the best they can under ever-changing circumstances."

The new mask requirement went into effect on Friday.

taylor.pettaway@express-news.net
On a four-wheeler at the edge of the Hill Country, geologist Mark Hamilton rolls and bumps across a 151-acre property at the Edwards Aquifer Conservancy Field Research Park.

He pulls up to the end of a steep hill and points out a sunken, marshy spot along the bottom. With several recently planted trees and bushes of native plants nearby, the spot is among many that Hamilton and his team have resculpted by hand.

But their work is about much more than landscaping. Its about water  developing natural methods and standards that communities can implement to accommodate growth while maintaining the health of the Edwards Aquifer, this regions most important water source.

At the marshy spot where Hamilton stopped, he said water runoff from the top of the hill will be captured there instead of flowing into Cibolo Creek and seeping into the aquifer. The process slows the water and filters sediments and organic matter, resulting in healthier soil and cleaner water.

Its nothing fancy, and its incredibly low-tech, said Hamilton, executive director of aquifer management services at the Edwards Aquifer Authority. But its really impressive.

As development in this region continues to rapidly expand, concerns for the environment and the aquifer grow with it. So Hamilton and others are seeking ways to change the current landscape  literally.

He and a team of environmental researchers, permaculturalists and scientists are creating a system of land management practices for conservation easements and developments that is native to the region. Since 2019, Hamilton spends a few days each week conducting research on the property, which the city of San Antonio bought under a conservation easement and gifted to the conservancy for research.

While there are several requirements for developing property over the aquifer that address issues such as water runoff, Hamilton and his team hope their work can offer more tools to manage growth.

Changes in Texas are coming no matter what, Hamilton said. But we believe we can try to restore the balance.

A bang in development

New Braunfels is one of the focal points in the quest to safeguard the aquifer. The city and unincorporated parts of Comal County sit over the recharge zone, an area that collects water to refill the aquifer.

Weve been having conversations not only about the impact that growth would have on the general drinking water supply, but also the impact that growth will have on infrastructure, stormwater runoff and transportation, Comal County Judge Sherman Krause said. Its been a much broader discussion that has been going on for a long time.

From 2010 to 2019, New Braunfels population increased by 56.4 percent, from 57,676 to more than 90,000. Some of that growth moved north and west of the city into the recharge zone. Any development in the area must comply with requirements of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and Comal County has additional regulations for developing subdivisions, including water availability plans and rules to contain water runoff.

Improperly controlled water runoff from impervious cover, such as streets and driveways, can drag oil, pesticides or other chemicals into the recharge zone.

Its definitely a balancing act between allowing growth and new homes and protection of the Edwards Aquifer, said Mark Enders, the watershed program manager for New Braunfels.

The city inspects subdivisions over the recharge zone to ensure developers are complying with TCEQ requirements on such things as stormwater treatment systems.

Meanwhile, conservation activists such as Helen Ballew of the Comal County Conservation Alliance believe that development over the recharge zone is fraught with peril.

New Braunfels is built on water. Its economy is built on water, Ballew said. Land protection has to go hand in glove with managing all the development. The consequences of inaction are too great. Preserving some of what we love about this place is an imperative we cant ignore or put off another day.

The Conservation Alliance has been looking for ways to work with officials to fund land protection in watersheds, an initiative that Krause said has been a consideration for some time in Comal County. Unlike Bexar County, Comal does not have a conservation easement program.

Recently, Comal County commissioners approved an application to the Texas Water Development Board for funding for water quality and habitat conservation.

Weve been talking about how we can better serve not only our property and the Hill Country character, but what we can do about loss of habitat here and around Comal County, Krause said.

The next generation

Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

Hamilton knows well the ongoing issues in Comal County and the need for conservation. As he rounds a corner on his four-wheeler, he points out another sunken spot with native plants  called a berm and swale system. The hope is that by slowing the runoff, the process will improve the quality of surface water and groundwater and will increase the quantity of water in the aquifer.

Eventually, if Hamiltons research is successful, these berm and swale systems could be implemented in established conservation easements, and if that goes well, the systems could be incorporated in new developments in the recharge zone  supplementing TCEQ requirements  or even in the aquifer drainage areas in Bandera and Kendall counties.

Its all very new though, Hamilton said. The work at the Field Research Park is on a small scale. And while the science is still underway, the methods being tested appear to work.

Through ground sensors, the team can analyze how healthy the soil is in areas that have been managed, compared with those that havent. So far, data shows that the soil where Hamilton has put in his berm and swale system is stronger and healthier.

Deeper and healthier soils with more organic matter are able to filter more water and contribute more to the recharge zone.

Were trying to restore this land to what it mightve looked like 200 or 300 years ago, he said, before any development or settlers, when the system could function on its own without our help.

By protecting the recharge zone and improving the quality and quantity of the water, this region can have fewer drought restrictions, higher spring flows at Comal Springs and San Marcos Springs, and more protection for endangered species  even as development and growth continue.

Its like building something by 1,000 little steps, said Roland Ruiz, general manager of the Edwards Aquifer Authority. Its not a silver bullet, not something we can do with one fell swoop, but we can start building, and maybe we can do something to preserve this resource.

To the Field Research Park team, its not necessarily a choice between development or conservation. Its a matter of making sustainable natural resources that can lead to sustainable human development and  if done the right way  be part of the conservation cycle.

But Hamilton doesnt want to get too far ahead of himself. Its all observational at the research park; almost like watching one of his young native trees grow, it will take a while to have final results.

Thats the hard part, that it might take five, six, seven years.  It might take a few million more dollars of funding to get there, he said. But you know, were going to continue to try.

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
For as much as I disliked writing obituaries, Ive always been moved by their stories of heartbreaking loss and overwhelming love.

Such final tributes often represent the only time most people get mentioned in a newspaper and are often focused on what they did.

Their tributes stick close to accounting lives of work, whether garbage collector or CEO, and in South Texas, obituaries often sum up hard labor equally devoted to family, faith and country.

Ive written many obituaries over the years that reflect lives devoted to the hardest, most thankless work of all: picking the nations fruits and vegetables.

All those who work in any field deserve our thanks on every first Monday in September, when a federal holiday reminds us how treacherous, unscrupulous workplaces have been throughout history and how unfairly workers have been treated.

U.S. labor history cannot begin when Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894. It begins with indentured servitude and slavery.

It must include the dystopian images of child workers that forced all kinds of labor laws to emerge.

And it must include the reality that at every turn, workers fought for laws, and owners and shareholders fought against them.

For as much as labor unions have fallen away, their legacy lives on in the eight-hour workday; the 40-hour work week; sick day, vacation and retirement benefits; and health and safety regulations.

As wage and income inequality escalates, union organizing and union membership remain low. They also remain risky endeavors.

This Labor Day arrived with hard-hitting news that COVID-19 unemployment benefits have expired.

An estimated 8.9 million U.S. workers lost those benefits Monday, and 2.1 million lost $300-a-week supplemental unemployment benefits from the federal government.

When their time comes, their final tributes will tell stories of endurance and perseverance.

Like the pecan-shellers of San Antonio in the 1930s who walked off their jobs to protest wage cuts already at poverty level, and then their jobs were mechanized.

Theyll still have stories to tell about the pride they had in work, and the history they made.

Like the hospital housekeeper in Express-News reporter Marina Starleaf Rikers Sunday story, who cleans after patients and looks out for them, too.

Chicano writer Benjamin Alire Saenz, whose young adult novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe has won numerous awards and will become a movie, last year paid tribute to his father, a cement finisher, and his mother, who cleaned houses, worked in a cafeteria and in a factory.

Growing up, we all picked onions, he said of his brothers and sisters.

I am an intellectual, a retired professor, a writer, and an artist. But my heart belongs to the working class, he wrote. They have shaped my politics and taught me whatever I know of humility.

Like the tribute San Antonio lawyer Maria Salazar gave to her parents on Facebook last year, recalling a form she filled out for them in third grade. To a question about her fathers occupation, her mother spelled what he did for a living.

L-a-b-o-r-e-r, she spelled out to Salazar.

When she asked about the words meaning, her mother said, It means your father, Aurelio, works very hard. He does everything. He does all the hard work. He hauls the sugar beets. He lifts the potato sacks. He drives the watermelon trucks all night. He digs the ditches for the new fields. He puts together the heavy harvest combine machines.

He uses his body to do all the hard work no one else does, her mother said. He labors.

Her mother worked hard, too, sorting potatoes at an Ore-Ida frozen foods factory. She ran a shredding machine and hovered over conveyor belts. She loaded trucks with boxes of frozen tots and crinkle fries.

Is this why we have Labor Day? Salazar recalled asking, to thank the laborers?

Her mother looked amused. Yes, this is why we have Labor Day, to thank the workers.

And, yes, we dont do that nearly enough.

eayala@express-news.net
You may think you understand the difference between seeing something and imagining it. When you see something, its really there; when you imagine it, you make it up. That feels very different.

The problem is that when researchers ask people to imagine something, like a tomato, and then give some of them a just barely visible image of a tomato, they find that the process of imagining it is hard to totally separate from the process of seeing it. In fact, they use a lot of the same brain areas.

And when you stop to think about it, that makes some sense. Your brain is locked in the pitch-black bony vault of your skull, trying to use scraps of information to piece together the world. Even when its seeing, its partly constructing whats out there based on experience. It turns out, reality and imagination are completely intermixed in our brain, Nadine Dijkstra writes in Nautilus, which means that the separation between our inner world and the outside world is not as clear as we might like to think.

We grew up believing that imagining and seeing describe different mental faculties. But as we learn more about whats going on in the mind, these concepts get really blurry really fast.

This is happening all over the place. Over the centuries, humans have come up with all sorts of concepts to describe different thinking activities: memory, perception, emotion, attention, decision-making. But now, as scientists develop greater abilities to look at the brain doing its thing, they often find that the activity they observe does not fit the neat categories our culture has created and which we rely on to understand ourselves.

Let me give you a few more example:

Reason/emotion: It feels as if the rational brain creates and works with ideas but emotions sweep over us. But some neuroscientists, like Lisa Feldman Barrett of Northeastern University, argue that people construct emotions and thoughts, and there is no clear distinction between them. It feels as if we can use our faculty of reason to restrain our passions, but some neuroscientists doubt this is really whats happening. Furthermore, emotions assign value to things, so they are instrumental to reason, not separate from or opposed to it.

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Observation/memory: Observation feels like a transparent process. You open your eyes and take stuff in. In fact, much or most of seeing is making mental predictions about what you expect to see, based on experience, and then using sensory input to check and adjust your predictions. Thus, your memory profoundly influences what you see. Perceptions come from the inside out just as much, if not more, than from the outside in, the University of Sussex neuroscientist Anil Seth has observed. The conversation between senses and memory produces what he calls a controlled hallucination, which is the closest we can get to registering reality.

Understanding/experiencing: Understanding seems cognitive; you study something and figure it out. Experience seems sensory; you physically live through some event. But Mark Johnson, now a professor emeritus in the University of Oregons Department of Philosophy, points out there is no such thing as disembodied understanding. Your neural, chemical and bodily responses are in continual conversation with one another, so both understanding and experiencing are mental and physical simultaneously. When faced with a whole person, Joe Gough, a Ph.D. student in philosophy at the University of Sussex, writes, we shouldnt think that they can be divided into a mind and a body.

Self-control: We talk as if theres a thing called self-control, or self-regulation, or grit. But the Stanford psychology professor Russell Poldrack tells me that when you give people games to measure self-control in a lab, the results do not predict whether they will be able to resist alcohol or drug use in the real world. This suggests, Poldrack says, that what we believe is self-control may really be a bunch of different processes.

Jordana Cepelewicz recently had an excellent essay on this broad conceptual challenge in Quanta Magazine. You realize that neither the term decision-making nor the term attention actually corresponds to a thing in the brain, the University of Montreal neuroscientist Paul Cisek told her. She also reported that some in the field believe that the concepts at the core of how we think about thinking need to be radically revised.

That seems exciting. Ive long wondered if in 50 years terms like emotion or reason will be obsolete. Some future genius will have come up with an integrative paradigm that more accurately captures who we are and how we think.

I love how holistic the drift of research is. For a while, neuroscientists spent a lot of time trying to figure out what region of the brain did what function. (Fear is in the amygdala!) Today they also look at the ways vast networks across the brain, body and environment work together to create comprehensive mental states. Now there is much more emphasis on how people and groups creatively construct their own realities and live within their own constructions.

Ive often told young people to study genetics. That will clearly be important. But Im realizing we all need to study this stuff, too. Big, exciting changes are afoot.
Ive been drinking a lot, I said to my fellow Marine on the other end of the call.

Me, too. I feel like its all we can do besides be pissed, call each other, and cry.

We laughed and made jokes about our alcohol tolerance. Have you heard from Brad? Hes there, but no. Have you reached out to  ?

Was it worth it?

These are conversations many veterans, military members and families have had since the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan began, Kabul fell into the hands of the Taliban and chaos ensued.

Of course, most of us did not just sit around and cry. We checked on our military family or searched for ways to help our Afghan friends. Government staffers worked around the clock to help. Some of the most extraordinary among us acted like real-life superheroes, stealthily evacuating Afghans who had risked their life, and their familys lives, for an ideal so many of us take for granted.

As fearful, desperate Afghans held on to rolling airplanes, and as thousands of Americans and Afghans swarmed the airport in a desperate search for safety, it was difficult to fight back overwhelming feelings of sadness, anger, empathy and frustration.

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It was excruciating to watch our brothers and sisters in such chaos. We are proud of their monumental accomplishment of evacuating more than 120,000 people. But as we hoped everyone would make it home safe, it was a punch to the gut, a bullet to the chest, to see 11 Marines, a sailor and a soldier killed by a suicide bomber in the final days of our longest war.

In true American fashion, it wasnt long after those images crossed our screens that the finger-pointing and political bickering began. Our fallen had not even left Kabul, and we were still at risk for more casualties as TV and social media blew up and demands were made for resignations of senior leaders. Understandably, emotions were high.

There is plenty of responsibility to go around, not excluding four commanders in chief, Congress and the State Department for a cumbersome special immigrant visa program that, while necessarily in-depth, was bogged down by bureaucracy, exacerbated by the last administration. Perhaps some blame rests with senior leaders for poor decisions, some individuals who stayed well beyond warnings to leave, and even many everyday citizens for not paying enough attention over the last two decades, or not caring enough whether those Afghan allies were brought to safety after they put their lives on the line with our countrys sons and daughters.

However, as any leader knows, he or she is ultimately responsible for what happens under their watch. No excuses. The situation is complex, and ordinary citizens are not privy to decision-making at those levels. What we do know is based on what is in plain view. The war had to end, but the fact is, people died, Americans and allies were left behind, and this clearly was not our best operation. The current administration bears the ultimate responsibility.

Our involvement in Afghanistan will be dissected for generations. As Americans, we live in a country where we can demand an investigation and accountability for mistakes that cost lives. And we should.

Was it worth it? For 20 years our military and civilian counterparts kept terrorism at bay. Afghan women and girls were given hope and the will to continue to fight for basic human rights. Many of our Afghan brothers and sisters are now living a life they could not have imagined.

The men and women who lost their lives or pieces of it in Afghanistan were honoring their commitment to service. As a result, many Americans, Afghan and allied partners are safe today. They deserve nothing less than respect, accountability, the fulfillment of our promise to our allies, and for us to remember the ideals for which the people of Afghanistan strive, and the reason so many of our young men and women serve in the first place.

Queta Rodriguez is a retired Marine captain and veteran of Afghanistan.
Michael Conroy/AP

WASHINGTON (AP)  An inmate who was transferred to one of the most secure federal prison facilities in the U.S. was stabbed to death within hours of arriving, raising fresh questions about the governments ability to keep prisoners safe amid severe understaffing and a myriad of crises plaguing the federal prison system.

Stephen Dwayne Cannada was killed in an altercation with a fellow inmate the same day he arrived at USP Terre Haute, a high-security prison in Indiana, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The 47-year-old was stabbed repeatedly by a fellow inmate, according to the people, who could not discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany has protested to Russia over attempts to steal data from lawmakers in what it suspects may have been preparation to spread disinformation before the upcoming German election, the Foreign Ministry in Berlin said Monday.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse said that a hacker outfit called Ghostwriter has been combining conventional cyberattacks with disinformation and influence operations, and that activities targeting Germany have been observed for some time.

She said that, ahead of Germany's parliamentary election on Sept. 26, there have been attempts - using phishing emails, among other things  to get hold of personal login details of federal and state lawmakers, with the aim of identity theft.

These attacks could serve as preparations for influence operations such as disinformation campaigns connected with the parliamentary election, she told reporters in Berlin.

The German government has reliable information on the basis of which Ghostwriter activities can be attributed to cyber-actors of the Russian state and, specifically, Russia's GRU military intelligence service, Sasse said. It views this unacceptable activity as a danger to the security of the Federal Republic of Germany and for the process of democratic decision-making, and as a severe strain on bilateral relations.

She said Germany calls on the Russian government to end such activity immediately, and has made that demand directly to Russian officials  most recently during a meeting on Thursday and Friday of a German-Russian working group on security policy, at which German deputy foreign minister Miguel Berger raised the issue with Russia's deputy foreign minister.

Sasse wouldn't comment on the extent of the cyberattacks or possible damage, saying only that they are of course completely unacceptable, and that the German government reserves the right to take further measures.

In mid-July, the head of Germanys domestic intelligence agency said that since February his agency had seen activity focusing on phishing attempts on the private email accounts of federal and state lawmakers and their staff. But he said that very few of those attempts were successful, and in cases where they were successful it appeared little damage had been caused.

Germany's concerns about Russian interference have extended to the activities of state-funded broadcaster RT, whose online-only German-language service has for years emphasized divisive issues such as migration and the restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Chancellor Angela Merkel recently denied during a visit to Moscow that her government had exerted political pressure to block the station's request for a regular broadcast license, which was turned down last month by authorities in neighboring Luxembourg.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Monday accused Germany of trying to suppress the channel, claiming that it says what the German media dare not say.

In the Sept. 26 vote, Germany will elect a new parliament that will determine who succeeds Merkel. She is not seeking another term after nearly 16 years in charge. The outcome is wide open, with polls showing the main parties fairly close together.

___

Daria Litvinova in Moscow, and Frank Jordans in Berlin, and contributed to this report.

___

Follow APs coverage of Germanys election at https://apnews.com/hub/germany-election
FAIRFIELD  On Sept. 11, 2001, the world changed forever.

At 8:46 a.m that day, the lives of millions were impacted as a hijacked American Airlines flight crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Seventeen minutes later a second airplane crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

Not far from the attack was New York Fire Department Lt. Dave Russell, a fourth-generation firefighter from Southport.

Russell was off-duty that day, attending to his house in Westchester at the time that was under construction, when he received a call from his wife.

She mentioned that I was going to work which meant that there was a fire or something, Russell said. I said What are you talking about? and she said, Youre going to work. She repeated it twice.

Russells wife told him a small plane had crashed into the World Trade Center and it was on every channel. As Russell turned on the television, he quickly realized that it wasnt just a small plane. He hung up the phone and rushed to his firehouse in the Bronx.

Duty called.

It wasnt even a choice for me. You had to go. I didnt even think about anything else besides you had to get there, Russell said. Your sense of duty, sense of human kindness and sense of human responsibility, you just did it.

As Russell got the firehouse to muster up tools, many of his firefighters from Engine 62, Ladder 32  feeling the same sense of duty  started to show up. They then traveled to the fire department headquarters about 20 blocks away to gather up more radios, tools and equipment.

Once they were ready, Russell and a fellow lieutenant walked across the street and commandeered a city bus. As Russell puts it, he not so politely kicked everybody off the bus and the driver drove the 50 or so firefighters from the Bronx to Manhattan.

They made it to the Major Deegan Expressway and found no one north or southbound.

It was pretty wild, Russell said.

As you looked south you saw the smoke coming from the lower half of Manhattan. I always called it the horizontal tornado going towards Brooklyn, he added. As we got closer you saw literally hundreds of thousands of people walking over the Brooklyn Bridge walking out of Manhattan. Some were as clean as we were and there was people completely covered in what we now know as the World Trade Center dust.

Russell and his team got off the bus just below Broadway, walking through the area, looking for things to do and people to help.

Every time you turned the corner, it just got worse, he said.

Russell said there were buildings and firetrucks on fire, buildings crushed, cars and trucks flattened, broken fire hydrants. Bodies lay on the ground.

The group of firefighters was looking for the mass rescue to save civilians, police officers and whoever else they could find, but Russell said there was no one to rescue.

Basically that day you either walked away from it or you died, there was really no in-between, Russell said.

Prior to joining the NYFD in 1984, Russell served in the Air Force for eight years. He specialized in crash rescue during that time and then continued serving the country in the same capacity for another 22 years in the Coast Guard reserves.

While traveling through the city, Russell fell back onto his military training  constant situational awareness.

I knew after the second plane had hit that we were at war, Russell said. Just knowing that, you are also thinking about secondary attacks or sabotage. You had no idea and once we found out the Pentagon was on fire we knew the world was over as we knew it.

Russell said as a lieutenant his number one goal was to keep his guys safe, however, walking through the death and destruction had its effect.

It was sort of to the point where it was sensory overload, Russell said. That part fatigues you, but you just keep going.

This attack was my generations Pearl Harbor, he added.

The chaos of that infamous day still sticks in the hearts and minds of those in American society even 20 years later.

Russell recalls that after the attacks, America was America. He said everybody bonded and it didnt matter who someone was or what they were. There was pride in the country and people respected each other, something that he believes is no longer the case.

The motto is never forget, but it seems like a lot of people have,  Russell said. That whole pride thing is gone.

In 2005, Russell retired from the military and in 2006, five years after Sept. 11, he retired from the NYFD and has since returned to Connecticut.
Case IH has announced plans to return to major agricultural shows during the remainder of 2021 and 2022 following the machinery firm's absence due to the pandemic.

The company said it will re-commence exhibitions at major agricultural events throughout Europe, with an emphasis on safety for its customers and employees.

Its exhibition programme, which remains subject to change depending on Covid-19 measures, will start with Innov-Agri in Paris from Tuesday to Thursday (7-9 September).

It will also attend Agribex, Belgiums largest indoor international trade fair for agriculture and the green sector, which will be held at Brussels Expo from 7 to 12 December.

Case IH said it will be exhibiting a range of new products, including the first public showings of the AFS Connect versions of the Quadtrac and Optum tractors.

It will also show the latest versions of the Puma 150-175 and 185-240 models, together with the Axial-Flow 9250 AFS Harvest Command combine and LB436 HD baler.

For 2022, the machinery company has confirmed its attendance at five major shows, starting with FIMA 2022 from 8 to 12 February.

A major showcase for the agricultural sector in Southern Europe, the 42nd International Fair of Agricultural Machinery will take place in Zaragoza, Spain.

Case IH will then head to Hannover in Germany for Agritechnica, where the worlds leading trade fair for agricultural machinery will be held from 27 February to 5 March.

Later in the year Case IH will exhibit at SIMA 2022. Marking the 100th anniversary of the SIMA show, the event will take place at the Parc des Expositions de Paris-Nord Villepinte, Paris, from 6 to 10 November.

During November, the company will also attend EIMA International 2022, the 45th International Agricultural Machinery Exhibition, in Bologna, Italy.

The final date in the Case IH events diary for next year will be Agraria 2022 at Wels in central Austria from 23 to 26 November.
Expanding hedgerow cover across the countryside could create tens of thousands of jobs in hard-hit rural communities, according to new research.

The government has been told to set a target to increase the UK's hedgerow network by 40% by 2050 as recommended by the climate change committee.

The new research, by the countryside charity CPRE, said this move would have environmental and economic benefits, including 25,000 new jobs over 30 years.

For every 1 invested in hedgerows, as much as 3.92 would be generated in the wider economy due to key environmental and economic benefits provided by them.

The charity's new report explained that the move would be a 'win-win-win for climate, nature and the economy'.

Since the second world war, half of the UK's hedgerows have disappeared from the landscape as part of efforts to boost domestic food production.

But Crispin Truman, CPREs chief executive, said a bigger hedgerow network would support nature, battle the economic downturn and tackle the climate emergency.

"Were calling on ministers to set a target to increase the hedgerow network by 40% by 2050 with improved protection for existing hedgerows," he added.

"This would be seen as a bold step by government in the lead up to hosting the international climate summit.

"Local authorities can support community groups to plant more hedgerows while farmers can help by letting hedgerows grow taller and bushier."

It comes as the UK is set to host COP26 - the international climate summit - in Glasgow in less than two months times.

Many of the governments nature-based solutions to the climate crisis to date have focused on trees, but experts say that hedgerows are also crucial in soaking up carbon.

They capture carbon and store it in their woody plants above ground and their roots in the soil below, which can be increased by allowing hedgerows to become wider and taller.

Hedgerows also teem with life, with one in nine of the country's most vulnerable species significantly associated with them.

Responding to the new report, Lord Deben, chair of the Climate Change Committee, said: "Reintroduction and proper maintenance of hedgerows transform all-too sterile prairie land into the countryside, which we have long loved.

"But, as this report shows, this is not about romance  the hard facts are that hedges contribute to profit as well as to wellbeing."

What can farmers do to help?

CPRE's new report 'Hedge fund: investing in hedgerows for climate, nature and the economy' calls on farmers and land managers to:

 Maximise hedgerows' environmental benefits by allowing them to grow taller and wider and ensuring flowering plants are allowed to grow around them at the field margin

 Maximise their biodiversity benefits by ensuring that no more than half of a hedgerow is ever coppiced for wood fuel and no more than 5% is coppiced in any year
Farmers have just days to respond to a Welsh Senedd consultation looking at the potential impact of controversial water quality regulations.

The Welsh government's rules came into force in April and designated the whole of Wales as a nitrate vulnerable zone (NVZ).

NVZs are areas that contain surface water or groundwater susceptible to nitrate pollution from agricultural activities.

It means farmers now face tougher rules on the storage and spread of slurry. Previously, only 2.4% of the land area of Wales was designated as NVZs.

Farming unions in the country have frequently slammed the 'heavy and disproportionate' rules, which in turn would 'punish' the whole industry.

They have also highlighted the steep costs involved in upgrading on-farm infrastructure to meet the regulations.

But agricultural pollution incidents in Wales remain 'very high', according to the Welsh government, averaging over three per week in the last three years.

The Labour-led government said some of these had led to the contamination of drinking water sources and the destruction of plant and aquatic life in parts of waterways.

In June the Senedd voted to call upon the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee to urgently review the regulations following criticism from farming groups.

The committee is still gathering views on the regulations and the deadline for submissions has been set for Friday 10 September 2021.

Farmers' views are needed on the positive or negative aspects of the current all-Wales approach, as well as the process for developing the current approach.

The Committee is also seeking views on the alternatives to the current approach, and how it could be improved.

Responding to the review, the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) warned that the rules may cost farmers and rural communities 'millions'.

FUW vice president Dai Miles said: We sincerely hope that the review will take into full consideration the financial implications these regulations have on small and medium sized farm businesses.

As farmers we care deeply about the environment and with this acceptance of a need for a review we have the opportunity to once again become partners with Welsh government in the efforts to tackle pollution and to protect our environment.

NFU Cymru has also been vocal in its opposition to the new restrictions. The union's president John Davies said he was particularly concerned about the impact on family farms.

He said an all-Wales NVZ was 'indiscriminate and punitive', which would 'cause problems' for producers in terms of meeting storage of manure regulations and application rate limits.

He added it would leave "many businesses to question whether they can afford the required additional investment in infrastructure to meet compliance and the difficulties they may face in manure spreading or export to other farms."

Mr Davies said: It will affect every sector, every area of Wales, and every farmer will be subject to draconian record keeping and complex restrictions on the day-to-day running of their business for environmental benefits that appear to be quite small.

We have put forward to Welsh government farmer-led voluntary initiatives, which have worked in the past, supplemented by targeted and proportionate regulation."
The NFU is on the hunt for young people passionate about agriculture to become an ambassador to represent farming and the union at future events.

1826-year-olds in England and Wales are being encouraged to apply to the Student and Young Farmer Ambassador Programme, now in its third year.

As an ambassador, the successful candidate will represent farming at events such as the Lord Mayors Show and the NFUs annual conference.

They will also gain the opportunity to network and experience new aspects of agriculture, from the supply chain to politics.

New to the scheme is the inclusivity pledge. Applicants who feel their community has been underrepresented in agriculture, whether that is race, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, are urged to apply.

NFU president Minette Batters said the union wanted to hear from anyone who felt passionately about agriculture and who wanted to champion the future of faming.

"The Student and Young Farmer Ambassadors are some of the most integral people to the NFU, helping to tell the fantastic story of British farming," she said.

That is why this year we have introduced the Inclusivity Pledge this year to ensure the ambassador scheme is the most representative and diverse it can possibly be."

Katie Smith, a 2020/21 ambassador from the West Midlands, said the programme was a 'fabulous opportunity' for young people interested in the future of agriculture.

"As someone who is keen to get involved in the industry but doesnt come from a farming background, it has given me many opportunities to speak to industry experts, receive invaluable training and give my opinions on projects.

Applications to the programme opened on Monday (6 September), and are open to 1826-year-olds who are NFU Student & Young Farmer members.
Police are appealing for more information after livestock rustlers stole 50 sheep from farmland in Flintshire, North Wales.

The Welsh mule sheep were stolen between Thursday 2 September and Saturday 4 September, according to North Wales Police.

The livestock were stolen from farmland alongside the A550 in Penymynydd.

The force has issued a public appeal for witnesses following the incident.

North Wales Police Rural Crime Team said: "50 Welsh mule sheep with ear tag number UK713344 & a fleece marking of "E" on their right side in blue have been stolen.

50 Welsh mule sheep with Ear tag number UK713344 & a fleece marking of "E" on their right side in blue. Have been stolen between Thursday 2nd September and Saturday 4th from a field alongside the A550 in Penymynydd, Flintshire. Any info it's ??101, webchat police ref: Z131063 pic.twitter.com/xXNKKrbTF4  NWP Rural Crime Team /Tim Troseddau Cefn Gwlad HGC (@NWPRuralCrime) September 5, 2021

"Any info it's 101, webchat police ref: Z131063"

Farm animals worth an estimated 2.3m were stolen from UK farms in 2020, making it one of the most costliest crimes for farmers.

How can I help prevent livestock rustling?

Modern livestock thieves scout the countryside for targets and come equipped to steal with large vehicles.

Protecting flocks requires increasingly sophisticated measures, according to guidance by NFU Mutual:

 Ensure stock is clearly marked and records are up to date

 When possible graze livestock in fields away from roads

 Check stock regularly - and vary times of feeding/check ups

 Consider a high-tech marking system such as TecTracer which puts thousands of coded microdot markers into a sheeps fleece

 Join a Farm or Rural Watch scheme to share information about rural crime in your area

 Ask neighbours to report any suspicious sightings to the police, or to give information 100% anonymously to the Crimestoppers Hotline 0800 555 111

 Dial 999 immediately if an incident is taking place - do not approach criminals


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Femina

This August, the month of our 75th Independence Day,celebrates the Defenders of Our Freedoms, women who are at the forefront of ensuring liberty and safety on a national level. With this feature on women from across Indias armed forces  the Army, Navy and Air Force  we reiterate our respect and gratitude both for the service they offer and the inspiration they provide to women across India and the world





Lt Cdr Prerna Pravin hails from Mumbai. She completed her schooling from the Convent of Jesus and Mary, and her post graduation in psychology from St Xaviers College. She joined the Indian Navy in 2009. Her mother retired as Chief Financial Officer, Mumbai Port, in August 2020, and she has a sibling who is also a commissioned officer with the Indian Navy. She is married to Cdr Rohan; the couple has a one-year-old daughter. She is a Qualified Navigation Instructor for Naval Aviation.



What made you join the Navy?

Since childhood, I have been fascinated with aircraft and helicopter operations which I could see while in Mumbai. In addition, my brother, too, joined the Indian Navy, which further motivated me.

The armed forces require total devotion, sacrifice, honour and prestige.  Lieutenant Commander Prerna Pravin

What is a typical day like for you?

Since I am a qualified navigational instructor, I am responsible for the training of newly-inducted Observers (Airborne Tacticians) in the Indian Navy. Most of my day is involved in training them, both on ground as well as in the air (in flight). Apart from these professional activities, I love reading and sporting activities, and spending quality time with family.



What have been the top lessons you have learnt from the armed forces?

The armed forces teach management skills as well as professional competency. I have also learnt that the most important thing is to be self-disciplined and keep calm under any situation or pressure. Apart from overall personality development, the main lesson, of course, is to strive for excellence.





The Indian Navy provides an ocean of opportunities, which enables any individual  male or female  to grow.  Lieutenant Commander Prerna Pravin

Next Story : #DefendersOfOurFreedom: Lieutenant Commander Priyanka Choudhary

Freedom is being who you are. It should be valued, and never taken for granted.The armed forces require total devotion, sacrifice, honour and prestige. It gives me a sense of satisfaction, both professionally and personally, to be in uniform, serving the nation. The Indian Navy provides an ocean of opportunities, which enables any individual  male or female  to grow.Life is short and you only live once, so make full use of it. Dream big because no dream is small or silly. What is life if not a roller-coaster ride? Everyone faces difficulties, but never give up because you are a guiding light for someone else who is following you.
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BEIJING and MUMBAI, India, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) China, announces the approval of Abiraterone acetate 250mg of Qilu Pharmaceuticals for marketing purpose.

Applicable Bioequivalance studies for marketing authorization were conducted at Accutest Research Laboratories (I) Pvt. Ltd., at its Indian facility.

Accutest is a Contract Research Organization (CRO) offering full range of services based in India. Originally the projects were done for USFDA in late 2017. In early 2018, subsequent to approval from USFDA, Qilu Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., China, had applied for NMPA's approval and license was granted in Apr-2020.

An official from Clinical affairs department of Qilu Pharma said, "Thanks to Accutest Research Laboratories, we have successfully achieved our goal in the advance for the Abiraterone acetate projects. They have good experience on many projects and investigators also have too much patience towards subjects."

Accutest is the undisputed and independent Global partner for clinical research and drug development. Accutest offers services like BABE, Phase II-IV Clinical trials and testing of Biologics/Biosimilar products. It has passed multiple regulatory inspections from USFDA, EMA, ANVISA-Brazil, WHO, MHRA-UK, MCC-South Africa and other international regulatory bodies (based on projects).

Accutest is operating from 3 facilities (Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Navi Mumbai) that are approved from ANVISA-Brazil, NPRA-Malaysia, DCGI-India, MOH-Turkey, ISP-Chile, MOH-UAE, MOH-Thailand etc.

The Managing Director and CEO, Dr Satish Sawant said, "We are extremely happy to assist our client Qilu in achieving their marketing approvals from USFDA and NMPA. We take pride in providing accuracy, data integrity and cost effectiveness.

We have been providing high quality research services to the pharma industry across the globe for more than two decades now. Accutest has dedicatedly executed many projects during critical COVID-19 period to meet the sponsor dossier timelines."

About Us

Accutest is a global independent and internationally accredited Contract Research Organisation ("CRO") founded in 1998. We are offering services to customers around the world with operations in India, across Asia, and in Brazil. Accutest is the market leader amongst independent CROs, with the highest quality standards and quick turnaround times. We have a strong regulatory track record and numerous accreditations/approvals from global regulatory agencies.

Contact
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.
Regulatory News:

Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies (ISIN: FR0013451044, Ticker: ALHGR) (Paris:ALHGR) ("Hoffmann Green Cement" or the "Company"), a pioneer in clinker-free low-carbon cement, today announces that it has been granted a European patent for its H-P2A technology.

This issuance of a second patent for the Company's H-P2A technology, following the one granted in the United States in 2020, further strengthens the protection of Hoffmann Green Cement's intellectual property and therefore intensifies the barriers to entry on the decarbonized cement market. Following over five years of appraisals, the H-P2A patent was validated by the European Patent Office under number 3274315.

As a reminder, H-P2A (High Performance Alkaline Activation) is a geopolymer technology enabling low-carbon cements to be formulated, based on the co-products produced by industry, for the mortar and industrial adhesive markets.

Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann, co-founders of Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies, say: "As the decarbonization of the construction sector is a crucial challenge, notably in Europe, we are proud to announce the granting of a patent for our H-P2A technology for this region. In keeping with our innovation strategy, meeting this new milestone rewards all the investment and efforts undertaken since the Company's creation in terms of protecting our intellectual property. The granting of this European patent will enable us to begin marketing this technology from 2022 in France and across Europe

Characteristics of H-P2A technology

Composition of cement produced using this technology: flash clay mixed with silicate and activators and superactivators specifically formulated by the Company;

A tensile strength on concrete of more than 25 MPa for H-P2A cement;

H-P2A cement is a two-component cement consisting of either an active powder and a liquid solution or a blend of two pastes mixed to obtain a fast-setting effect;

Perfectly compatible with existing production processes;

Intended for the formulators market for the manufacturing of 100% mineral, non-flammable and VOC (volatile organic compound)-free adhesives.

Financial schedule:

H1 2021 revenue and results will be published on September 20, 2021 (before market)

About Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies

Founded in 2014, Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies designs, produces and distributes innovative clinker-free low-carbon cement with a substantially lower carbon footprint than traditional cement. Fully aware of the environmental emergency and the need to reconcile the construction sector, cement manufacturing and the environment, the Group believes it is at the heart of a genuine technological breakthrough based on altering cement's composition and the creation of a heating-free and clean manufacturing process, without clinker. Hoffmann Green's cements, currently manufactured on a first 4.0 industrial site with no kiln nor chimney in western France, address all construction sector markets and present, at equivalent dosage and with no alteration in the concrete manufacturing process, higher performances than traditional cement.

For further information, please go to: www.ciments-hoffmann.fr

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210905005003/en/

Contacts:

Hoffmann Green Cement

Jerome Caron

Chief Financial Officer

finances@ciments-hoffmann.fr

+33 (0)2 51 46 06 00

NewCap

Pierre Laurent

Thomas Grojean/Quentin Masse

Investor Relations

ciments-hoffmann@newcap.eu

+33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

NewCap

Nicolas Merigeau

Media Relations

ciments-hoffmann@newcap.eu

+33 (0)1 44 71 94 98
Patrice Soudan, co-opted independent Director

Regulatory News:

ESI Group (Paris:ESI) (ISIN Code: FR0004110310, Symbol: ESI) announces the evolution of its Board of Directors to continue supporting the company's transformation toward best-in-class international listed company. During its meeting of September 3rd, 2021, the Board of Directors co-opted Patrice Soudan as independent Director. He takes over the mandate of Vincent Chaillou, who resigned. Patrice's mandate ends at the shareholders meeting of 2024.

As Director Patrice Soudan represents a valuable asset for ESI Group thanks to his expertise in leadership and financial management of global publicly listed industrial and technological companies. Patrice Soudan will be member of the Strategic Committee, the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Technology and Marketing Committee.

"During these past months, the Group accelerated its transition towards best-in-class governance practices. The arrival of Patrice confirms this, as well as the Group's ability to attract board members with relevant talent and experience. Patrice's considerable experience in marketing, R&D, industrial and financial matters will be of great help to the Group and its management to reach the next level of performance. I also want to warmly thank Vincent Chaillou for his contributions to the Board of Directors during these past years." states Alex Davern, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ESI Group

Patrice Soudan, French citizen, was born on September 29, 1958. He joined Legrand in 1991, as Management Controller, then Director of Management Control, and finally Group Chief Financial Officer in 2001. Appointed Deputy CEO and member of the Legrand Executive Committee in 2008, he took over the management of the Group's main industrial division, and then of all the Group's industrial divisions and operations as of 2014. During this period, Legrand has enhanced growth profile by boosting new business segments, created product platforms and deployed a multipolar back office organization, all this contributing to its well-known long-term value creation.

"Happy to join a high potential company under the leadership of Cristel de Rouvray as CEO and Alex Davern as Chairman of the Board. I am committed to bring my knowledge and expertise in an industrial global company to ESI board of directors and its executive team" commented Patrice Soudan

This cooptation will be submitted to the vote of next Shareholders' meeting, planned in June 2022. The Board now consists of 8 members, including 6 independent members and 3 women.

Upcoming events

H1 Results September 9 th , 2021

, 2021 Investor Day October 5 th , 2021

, 2021 Q3 revenues October 28th, 2021

About ESI Group

Founded in 1973, ESI Group envisions a world where Industry commits to bold outcomes, addressing high stakes concerns environmental impact, safety comfort for consumers and workers, adaptable and sustainable business models. ESI provides reliable and customized solutions anchored on predictive physics modeling and virtual prototyping expertise to allow industries to make the right decisions at the right time, while managing their complexity. Acting principally in automotive land transportation, aerospace, defense naval, energy and heavy industry, ESI is present in more than 20 countries, employs 1200 people around the world and reported 2020 sales of 132.6 million. ESI is headquartered in France and is listed on compartment B of Euronext Paris.

For further information, go to www.esi-group.com.

Follow ESI

http://www.esi-group.com/linkedin

http://www.esi-group.com/facebook

http://www.esi-group.com/twitter

http://www.esi-group.com/youtube

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210905005025/en/

Contacts:

ESI Group

Florence Barre

investors@esi-group.com

+33 1 49 78 28 28

Verbatee Press Shareholder Relations

Jerome Goaer, j.goaer@verbatee.com, +33 6 61 61 79 34

Aline Besselievre, a.besselievre@verbatee.com, +33 6 61 85 10 05
To Advise the Company's Mitral Transcatheter Edge-to-edge Repair Project and the Company in General

SUZHOU, China, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Peijia Medical Limited (HKEX: 9996) is pleased to announce Saibal Kar MD, FACC, FSCAI, board-certified interventional cardiologist has agreed to become our exclusive consultant in China to advise the research and development of our Mitral Transcatheter Edge to Edge Repair project ("Peijia TEER", or "Project Gemini") and to advise the Company in general.

Dr. Kar is a world leading doctor well-known for his research and achievement in the field of structured heart therapies, particularly in mitral repair space and the winner of several high caliber awards including Man of the Year Award by Centric Health Group. Dr. Kar currently serves as the Director of Structural Heart Disease Interventions and Clinical Research at Los Robles Health System, and Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He is recognized as the leading physician in developing and implementing minimally-invasive techniques in structural heart disease interventions. Dr. Kar has taught and mentored many physicians all around the world, and was instrumental in helping China's transcatheter heart valve repair/replacement development in the past. Dr. Kar receives research grants from and is a consultant to multinational companies, such as Boston Scientific Corporation, Gore & Associates, and Abbott Vascular.

"With the exclusive service from Dr. Kar, we are able to better understand the latest development in advanced structural heart interventions, improve Peijia's market-leading innovative products, and accelerate market access of best-in-class minimally invasive technologies," said Dr. Yi Zhang, Peijia's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "By working directly with world-class KOLs like Dr. Kar, our team will have the unique opportunity to be at the forefront of structure heart interventions, which will better position Peijia as a global innovation company." Dr. Kar will also advise Peijia's R&D, Clinical, Business Development, etc.

Peijia Medical was founded in 2012 and its headquarter is based in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. It was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in May 2020. With "Devotion to the Heart, Reverence for Life" as its vision, Peijia Medical always puts life and safety in the first place, striving to maintain human life and health from its years of exploration in technology and its innovative persistence. Peijia Medical's strategic layout can be summarized as the "Innovation-oriented, Simultaneous Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases". It is dedicated to the innovation, R&D and production of high-end medical devices for structural heart disease and cerebrovascular interventions--covering aortic valve, mitral valve, tricuspid valve, surgical accessories, and diseases related to hemorrhage, ischemia and pathways in cerebrovascular intervention. It has built a relatively comprehensive array of product and solution portfolios in the field of structural heart disease and cerebrovascular interventions for use throughout China.
- BNG Bank on track with its 'Our road to impact' strategy

- Long-term loan portfolio stable at EUR 86.1 billion

- Net interest income increases by EUR 3 million to EUR 228 million

- Net profit of EUR 187 million

- Remaining dividend for 2019 and 2020 to be paid out in October

- Operating expenses increase by EUR 4 million

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 'We are satisfied with our financial results,' says Gita Salden, Chief Executive Officer of BNG Bank. 'We can look back on a good first half-year in which we were able to provide our public-sector clients with long-term loans worth EUR 5.6 billion. We are reporting an increase in our net profit, primarily due to an improved economic outlook, which is resulting in lower loan impairments and a better result on financial transactions. The underlying net interest income increased by EUR 3 million to EUR 228 million; we passed the favourable short term ECB funding rates on to our clients. We are on track with our "Our road to impact" strategy, which we are using to continuously enhance our social impact.'

Financial results

BNG Bank can look back with satisfaction on the financial results of the first half year. BNG Bank's net profit for the first half of 2021 amounted to EUR 187 million. The increase of EUR 87 million compared to the first half of 2020 can be attributed to the diminishing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Western economies. In particular, the improved economic outlook is positively effecting the bank's results on financial transactions and the model-based loan impairments.

Increased operating expenses of EUR 4 million

Compared to the same period in 2020, regular consolidated operating expenses rose by EUR 4 million to EUR 48 million. As anticipated, staff costs and the hiring of external support saw a particular increase, to allow the bank to continue to fulfil its client integrity and gatekeeping responsibilities.

Dividend payout

In late July 2021, the ECB announced that it would end the dividend restrictions starting 1 October 2021. BNG Bank will pay out the remaining dividend of EUR 148 million in October.

Long-term loan portfolio stable at EUR 86.1 billion

The volume of new long-term loans in the reporting period amounted to EUR 5.6 billion, an increase of EUR 0.2 billion compared to the equivalent period in 2020. With an increase of EUR 0.1 billion to EUR 86.1 billion, the long-term loan portfolio remained virtually unchanged compared to year-end 2020.

Good access to funding

In the first half of 2021, BNG Bank raised EUR 6.4 billion in long-term funding by issuing bonds, including a new EUR 2 billion SRI bond. The transaction constitutes BNG Bank's inaugural bond issue under its renewed sustainability framework for Dutch municipalities. This framework links the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to municipal budgets. The proceeds of the euro-denominated bond will be used for loans for all SDG-related expenses of Dutch municipalities. Pricing in the first half of the year, as measured by the credit spread, is comparable to the last quarters before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Strong capital position with a CET 1 ratio of 31% and Tier 1 ratio of 36%

BNG Bank continues to have a strong capital position. The risk-weighted solvency ratios decreased slightly. This was due to the amended capital requirements (CRR 2), with capital reserved for credit risk on derivatives exposures increasing in particular. As a result, the bank's Common Equity Tier 1 ratio and Tier 1 ratio decreased to 31% and 36% respectively as at the end of June 2021. BNG Bank's leverage ratio at the reporting date was 9.9%. The increase compared to year-end 2020 (3.5%) was caused by the possibility of excluding the bank's promotional loans under the new capital requirements. The bank is also utilising the possibility to exclude the liquidity position at the ECB in calculating the ratio. The ECB has extended this option until the end of March 2022. Without the possibility of exercising this option, the leverage ratio would drop slightly to 3.3%. All of the bank's capital ratios remain well above the minimums set by the regulator.

Outlook

BNG Bank is on course to meet its annual target of EUR 10.5 billion of new long-term loans not subject to solvency requirements. BNG Bank's net interest income in 2021 is expected to be in the range of EUR 440 million to EUR 470 million. As future market value fluctuations and the development of impairments are by definition uncertain, the bank does not consider it prudent to communicate on the expected net profit in 2021.

The full half-year report is available at bngbank.nl.

BNG Bank is a committed partner for a more sustainable world. We enable the public sector to achieve socially relevant objectives. BNG Bank is a relevant player in the funding of Dutch local authorities as well as in the housing, healthcare, education, energy, environment, mobility and networks sectors. BNG Bank does not strive for profit maximization but for a fair return that benefits the shareholder governments.

This is an unofficial translation of the Dutch press release. This translation is provided for convenience only. In the event of any ambiguity, the Dutch text will prevail.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET

Amounts in millions of euro's 30/06/2021 31/12/2020 ASSETS



Cash and balances with central banks 15,713 2,312 Amounts due from banks 127 120 Cash collateral posted 14,544 20,361 Financial assets at fair value through the income statement 1,376 1,452 Derivatives 6,167 8,540 Financial assets at fair value through OCI 9,474 9,738 Interest-bearing securities at amortised cost 7,704 7,880 Loans and advances at amortised cost 89,230 88,942 Value adjustments on loans in portfolio hedge accounting 15,100 20,816 Associates and joint ventures 31 31 Property & Equipment 16 17 Current tax assets 11 1 Other assets 347 149 TOTAL ASSETS 159,840 160,359





LIABILITIES



Amounts due to banks 18,729 12,221 Cash collateral received 1,191 858 Financial liabilities at FVTPL 625 656 Derivatives 18,733 26,965 Debt securities 109,026 108,615 Funds entrusted 6,068 5,599 Subordinated debts 35 35 Deferred tax liabilities 85 98 Other liabilities 287 215 TOTAL LIABILITIES 154,779 155,262





EQUITY



Share capital 139 139 Share premium capital 6 6 Retained earnings 3,740 3,712 Revaluation reserve 60 86 Cash flow hedge reserve 9 11 Own credit adjustment 4 5 Cost of hedging reserve 183 184 Net profit 187 221 Equity attributable to shareholders 4,328 4,364 Hybrid capital 733 733 TOTAL EQUITY 5,061 5,097





TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY 159,840 160,359
-The Brand Store is located by the Dusseldorf's Konigsallee, one of Europe's most visited fashion destinations.

-Store combines customer experience centre, sales and support.

-Opening of more brand stores underway.

AACHEN, Germany, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the successful start of production and launch of nation-wide sales, Next.e.GO Mobile SE, the independent German EV manufacturer, has begun opening its Brand Stores across Europe with first stop in Dusseldorf, the capital of Germany's most populous state.

Inaugurated on the 4th of September with the presence of media and guests just ahead of IAA 2021, the first Brand Store is located at the iconic Schadow-Arkaden by the Dusseldorf's Konigsallee, one of Europe's most visited fashion destinations.

In the brand stores, visitors can experience the vehicles personally up close and get acquainted with e.GO's disruptive production technology, unique design elements and its smart features. Customers could also do test drive and order the vehicle directly at the Brand Store.

The company is accelerating the opening of its new brand stores in other cities with Hamburg, Munich, Milan, Athens and Dubai on the way.

Alongside the start of company's global campaign "The Time Is Now", the opening of the first brand store marks another important milestone in e.GO's journey to accelerate the much-needed transformation in the urban e-mobility by offering a sustainable, durable and affordable electric car that is also unique in many aspects.

"The Time is Now reflects our profound conviction of the urgency for a collective action as well as the need for individual responsibility to combat climate change. We ought to challenge the old habits and limitless consumption, to rethink mobility with enhanced utilization and circular economy being front and center. Our children only have one planet to live on!" said Ali Vezvaei, Chairman of the Board at Next.e.GO Mobile SE.

Accelerating adoption in urban environment

Affordability, ease of use and life cycle sustainability are key to driving the adoption of electro mobility in the ever growing urban environment. And e.GO offers them all. The robust aluminium spaceframe and the highly durable polymeric outer body give the e.GO Life a longer life cycle and lower total cost of ownership. The smart battery swap feature, first of its kind for an urban electric car, provides a different user experience and peace of mind while enhancing the ecological footprint of e.GO compared to many other choices in the market.

Press photo: Opening ceremony of the e.GO Brand Store in Dusseldorf

Copyright - Next.e.GO Mobile SE

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1608720/eGO_store_Dusseldorf.jpg
-CEO Suh Kyung-bae delivered a message about 'New Beauty'

-Employees participated in the various programs in a 3-day festival in the metaverse to celebrate together

SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Amorepacific hosted an online ceremony for its 76th anniversary in the metaverse from September 1 to 3. All Amorepacific members both in Korea and abroad were invited to take part in the 3-day festival from their home or office and celebrated its 76th anniversary together.

The main facilities in Amorepacific HQ were recreated in the metaverse for a virtual tour and experience. Amorepacific members, who joined the festival online in celebration of the anniversary, could leave congratulatory messages to the employees receiving long-term service awards, and participated in various programs including a corporate history quiz, an escape room game and a heritage treasure hunt.

Through the virtual programs, the company members also reflected on the foremost principle of Amorepacific that has remained unchanged over the past 76 years - 'Customer Centricity'. With the founding philosophy of contributing to humanity through beauty and health, they once again aligned themselves with the company's strategic direction for the future in pursuit of its mission to make 'A MORE Beautiful World'.

At the event on September 3, Chairman and CEO Suh Kyungbae delivered a message celebrating the 76th anniversary, rewarded long serving members and declared the 2025 Vision together with all of the Amorepacific members. In his video message, he encouraged members to create a world of 'New Beauty' in which everyone discovers their unique beauty and truly enjoys a happy life. The vision he declared aims to 1) Focus on the growth of high-functional products including bio and derma cosmetics and the wellness category to expand its business into 'Life Beauty' spanning every moment of life, 2) Provide super-personalized beauty solutions using the company's detailed customer data accumulated for a long time and advanced digital technology and 3) Create an advanced business ecosystem based on proactive 'empathy' for every stakeholder.

Since its establishment on September 5, 1945, Amorepacific Group has continued to communicate with the world to find true beauty and its value. This year, in particular, the company announced its five sustainability goals '2030 A MORE Beautiful Promise' and put effort into corporate social responsibility and ESG management to fulfill its duty as a responsible corporate citizen.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1608879/Amorepacific_hosted_an_online_ceremony_for_its_76th_anniversary_in_the_metaverse.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1608880/Amorepacific_Chairman_and_CEO_Suh_Kyungbae_delivered_a_message_celebrating_the_76th_anniversary_in_t.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607411/Amore_Pacific_Logo.jpg
MOSCOW, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The winners of the 2021 Global Energy Prize were announced on 6th September in Kazan. The laureates were: Russian scientists Zinfer Ismagilov and Suleyman Alakhverdiev, as well as American academic Yi Cui.

Zinfer Ismagilov was the winner in the category "Conventional Energy" for his fundamental contribution to the chemistry of carbon materials, heterogeneous catalysis, and climate action.

Suleyman Alakhverdiev became the laureate in the "Non-conventional energy" category for an outstanding contribution to the development of alternative energy, scientific achievements in the design of artificial photosynthesis systems, a cycle of scientific works in the field of bioenergy and hydrogen energy.

Yi Cui was selected in the category "New ways of energy application" for exceptional contributions in nanomaterials design, synthesis and characterisation for energy and the environment, particularly for transformational innovations in battery science.

"By choosing these three laureates, I am sure the Global Energy Prize sent out a strong message that scientific and technological innovations in the field of both conventional and non-conventional energy can lead us to a clean energy future," Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Rae Kwon Chung says, who is a Head of the Global Energy Prize International Award Committee. "I would like to congratulate the hard work of the Secretariat of the Global Energy Association led by Sergey Brilev who successfully expanded the number of countries that produced the nominations from around the world and garnered more than one hundred new candidates."

The ceremony announcing the names of the laureates took place in the Kazan Town Hall. Taking part in the gala event were the President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of the Global Energy Association, Sergey Brilev, as well as members of the International Award Committee - Marta Bonifert from Hungary and Dmitry Bassarabov. Joining the event by video link was Rae Kwon Chung.

On the eve of the ceremony, the laureates were determined at a closed session of the International Committee. The Committee required six ballots to determine the winner in some categories. The spirited competition was the result of efforts to internationalise the Global Energy Prize undertaken by the association over the past year and a half.

The prize will be presented in October during the Russian Energy Week forum.

The new nomination cycle will open on 1stDecember 2021.
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Standard Chartered PLC (SCBFF.PK, STAC.L, STAN.L) announced a shareholders' agreement with respect to the formation of a joint venture SC Bank Solutions, in which Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore) Limited and BetaPlus will respectively hold 60% and 40% of the issued and paid up share capital. Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore) or SCBSL, is a subsidiary of Standard Chartered, and BetaPlus is a holding company controlled by NTUC Enterprise. SC Bank Solutions, a fully licensed bank, will focus on providing digital banking services in line with Singapore's efforts to digitalise economy. Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore) and BetaPlus will contribute to SC Bank Solutions an aggregate cash amount of S$240 million. Standard Chartered Bank Singapore will contribute S$144 million to the joint venture. The funds will be used to develop the business of SC Bank Solutions. Standard Chartered will continue to consolidate interest in SC Bank Solutions following completion of the deal. 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.
- It thus becomes the most successful issue ever launched in Spain. In total, it has raised 7.5 million euros through its B2M token

- The second phase will start on September 13 and the third phase on September 21

- Tokens can be reserved at https://bit2me.com/es/token

MADRID, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bit2Me has closed the first phase of its ICO (Initial Coin Offering) in just 59 seconds, raising a figure of 5 million euros. This is the most successful token issue ever launched in Spain.

The Spanish cryptocurrencies platform had already raised 2.5 million in a private round in early August. In total, it has achieved an investment of 7.5 million euros through its B2M token, which can be reserved from the website https://bit2me.com/es/token

After the success of the first phase, the company is preparing the second phase of the ICO, which will take place on September 13, with the greatest of guarantees. The third and final phase will start on September 21. It is possible to join the queue for both and schedule a purchase through a form available on the website.

On September 6, Bit2Me issued a total of 500 million tokens. Another 500 million will be put into circulation in the second phase, while 250 million will be launched in the third phase. In total, Bit2Me will issue 1.25 billion tokens.

The interest in the ICO was so great in the days prior to the first phase that the company opened operations in 13 other countries in order to meet demand. In this way, citizens of Uruguay, Panama, Colombia, Bolivia, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Dominica, Martinique and Guyana had the opportunity to invest in B2M. These countries join the more than 70 others in which B2M operates.

One of the advantages for B2M token holders is that they will be able to benefit from discounts of up to 90% on commissions, access better conditions for various associated services, and play a role in governance for certain decisions in the company's future.

"It was very important for us to demonstrate that from Spain we can also digitally transform the world in the style of Silicon Valley. We are the pioneers in a technology that is revolutionizing the whole planet. We have demonstrated why we are one of the engines driving this disruptive proposal", says CEO and Co-founder, Leif Ferreira.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1609071/Bit2Me_Logo.jpg
Nicosia, Cyprus--(Newsfile Corp. - September 6, 2021) - AlphaTrion Tech now combines blockchain technology with its financial services, helping its AlphaX trading platform gain an edge in a highly competitive market.

AlphaTrion Technology is registered in Cyprus on the 20th of July, 2015 with the Cyprus Registrar of Companies. Founded in 2015, the goal is to build a team with a trusted platform from the ground up that can help everyone stabilize their crypto earnings, keeping in mind investor sentiment that can lead to losses. AlphaX, a trading platform of AlphaTrion is committed towards revolutionizing cryptocurrency trading owing to the unfavourable trading of cryptocurrencies directly on exchanges due to constant monitoring of positions so as to maximize profits and avoid losses.

Fintech is gaining momentum, especially in the minds of many investors. The astronomical growth of financial technology and the integration of financial technology and services are consistent with the needs of the time. These technologies can not only improve service, but also consolidate the customer experience.

Chris Skinner claimed that "ignoring technological change in a technology-based financial system is like a mouse starving because someone moved its cheese." It sounds hilarious, but it is factual and obvious, as can be seen from the explosive development of financial companies and start-ups to the technological dimension after following the trend. Furthermore, as the banking industry has evolved from a traditional system in a closed physical building to a technical support system for financial services, the system has been greatly improved by integrating blockchain technology, as seen by AlphaTrion Technology.

AlphaTrion Technology is committed to spreading financial technology, integrating innovative technology components such as big data and artificial intelligence, and transforming business software, keeping in mind AlphaTrion Technology's pioneering role in subverting traditional industries in automated data trading algorithms.

Following the overwhelming popularity of using data to optimize data-driven decision making, AlphaTrion has made the most of the enormous opportunities of cryptocurrencies and their proprietary algorithms.

The desire to educate, support and strive to see investors succeed in their goals are some of the approaches to business adopted by AlphaTrion Technology, with these approaches built around four cornerstone tenets which are;

High Quality Performance: Ensuring a sustainable high return-on-investment with a very low risk despite market conditions Competence: Inculcating skills, knowledge, relationships and attitude dedicated to establishing strength. Diligence: Diligently approaching all work situations with integrity and commitment to duty. Innovation: Open to new ideas, products, structures, and markets with the hope of creating unique and innovative products to the market.





AlphaTrion

AlphaX Trading Platform possess an ardent focus on social trading, user experience and knowledge sharing. The trading platform is built with utmost security in mind, simplicity, and functionality. It is an invaluable tool well equipped for both expert and novice investors.

New investors in AlphaX platform are allowed to enter the highly lucrative crypto assets market with reduced risk and reward expert investors with tokens from their followers after offering value-added services to their follower base.

Benefits of AlphaX Automated Trading Platform

Guaranteed profits Able to operate 24/7 with high-speed auto-trading No transfer time required; less liquidity tied up More markets to arbitrage

Averagely, traders tend to have at least 2-3 exchange accounts since their tokens are listed on different exchanges. Managing portfolio and trading across different exchanges poses a serious bottleneck and thus, AlphaX remains resolute about addressing this problem.

It is quite challenging for investors to track all profit through many exchanges. Rather, tracking profits through diverse platforms wastes time and consumes energy. AlphaX Portfolio Tracker was designed to address this menace.

In order to manage portfolios and trade effectively and efficiently, compared with other arbitrage software, AlphaX possess the following features;

Simple/Fast Registration Profit sharing program Easy to add Fiat/Crypto World Standard Security 24/7 Customer support Advanced Trading Design Advanced Trading Engine





AlphaX Trading Platform

In short, AlphaX focuses on building a platform that monitors major cryptocurrency exchanges and is constantly looking for arbitrage opportunities and thousands of other types of transactions to use robots to initiate these transactions.

A real advantage of AlphaX is that it has a powerful and advanced combination of cross trade order books and uses statistical methods to predict potential arbitrage opportunities.

Contact:

AlphaTrion Customer Service

Email: contact@alphat.io

Official Website: https://www.alphat.io/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95632
Publication in Nature Communications of a paper describing the mechanism of enzymes yielding renewable isobutene

Evry (France), 6September2021 -A paper describing the results of collaborative work between Global Bioenergies and the team of Dr. David Leys at the University of Manchester has been published today in Nature Communications.

This paper describes the evolution and mechanism of isobutene forming enzymes far superior to previously used catalysts. Isobutene, a gaseous hydrocarbon, is one of the major building blocks of the petrochemical industry: 15 million tons are produced every year and are turned into fuels, plastics, elastomers and cosmetic ingredients.

This is the first time a member of a widespread enzyme family that depends on an unusual vitamin B2 derivative has been repurposed to yield isobutene. This has been made possible through the extensive work performed on both sides of the Channel, with laboratory guided evolution carried out at Global Bioenergies, and detailed structure analysis of the the evolved enzymes at the University of Manchester.

David Leys, group leader at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology of The University of Manchester, says: "Our collaboration with Global Bioenergies on the subject of isobutene production combines in a unique manner quantitative molecular bioscience and industrial, high-throughput approaches. It is very satisfying to see how fundamental understanding of these enzymes obtained with European Research Council funding supports industrial application. The evolved enzymes represent several orders of magnitude improvement in the efficiency of isobutene bioproduction, directly contributing to an economically viable and renewable process, thus contributing to a more sustainable future."

Marc Delcourt, co-founder and CEO of Global Bioenergies, adds: "Nature Communications stands among the high-class peer-reviewed scientific journals. We are very pleased to see the work we conducted jointly with the team of Dr. David Leys reaches such a striking scientific recognition. The evolved enzymes, on which Global Bioenergies holds exclusive intellectual property rights for the isobutene production, will have a significant role in the environmental transition our world is now engaged in."

As an alternative to fossil isobutene, Global Bioenergies assembled a modified pathway and developed a process for the fermentative conversion of glucose and other feedstocks into isobutene. The crucial final step yielding the desired product makes use of a decarboxylase enzyme. This particular enzyme has been evolved from naturally occuring microbial decarboxylases that depend on an elaborately modified Vitamin B2 (called prenylated flavin or prFMN) for activity. The Leys group has been at the forefront of studying these prFMN-dependent catalysts, and determined structure and biochemical properties of isobutene yielding enzymes evolved by Global Bioenergies. The company screened an enzyme library for inherent isobutene production activity, and used directed evolution to yields variants with up to an 80-fold increase in activity. Structure determination of the evolved catalysts reveal that changes in the enzyme pocket are responsible for improved production.

About GLOBAL BIOENERGIES

Global Bioenergies has developed a process to convert plant-derived resources into a key family of ingredients used in the cosmetics industry. The process was first developed in a laboratory, where the Company is further enhancing performance. It now operates as a pilot and a demo plant, with sufficient capacity to enable the Company to access the market by first creating a long-lasting makeup home brand launched in 2021'. The Company is gradually increasing its production capacities and is looking to improve the environmental footprint of not only the cosmetics industry but also that of other areas such as transportation and materials. Global Bioenergies is listed on Euronext Growth Paris (FR0011052257 - ALGBE).

Should you like to be kept informed, subscribe to our news feed onwww.global-bioenergies.com

Follow us on Twitter: @GlobalBioenergi

Contact

GLOBAL BIOENERGIES

Pauline Bayec

Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Communication

Phone: +33 (0)1 64 98 20 50

invest@global-bioenergies.com

Attachment
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Babygotchi, a frictionless yield generation DEFI technology has been introduced to improve gaming experience in the world of cryptocurrency and still earn while it is being played. The gaming industry has mostly focused more on the owners profiting from the market and less on users who spend time without making money. Game lovers can now earn massively as they spend time playing games from Babygotchi, a unique game project.

The Babygotchi team includes experienced technicians and engineers. With a team of hardworking individuals, the company is destined to go far with time. The company also knows how important marketing is, which is why they have hired one of the best marketing teams in space, so that everyone who loves playing gaming can make a decent amount of money.

Babygotchi is built on blockchain network technology, thus has users personal information secured, saves a lot of money from enhanced speed, promotes high transparency, efficiency and automation. Third parties in verification of transactions are eliminated with blockchain network technology. It is both mobile and desktop friendly. Everyone can enjoy the gaming experience as well as earn money through it from the comfort of their home.

Babygotchi is built to have user's interest at heart as this unique game project promotes gaming experience, earning potential as well as being favorable to the current market conditions. Its play-to-earn tokens feature gives users another income source to earn money.

Babygotchi is designed after critical analysis to meet the need of the business world of creative and innovative technology or techniques for exploiting all potential of cryptocurrency. Babygotchi is a multiplayer game for family and friends to enjoy together from the battle competition and earn. Earning can also be made from holding - passive income.

Babygotchi will complete the incubation and dissemination of games and provide a lot of solutions to empower NFT, such as synthesis, casting, breeding, attribute refinement, and others. Babygotchi will create a Market that will facilitate BEP20 Token transactions, NFT transactions, and NFT auctions while also supporting the issue of $BABYGOTCHI Tokens and providing a powerful driving force for the operation of the $BABYGOTCHI economic system.

In the simplest terms, NFTs transform digital works of art and other collectibles into one-of-a-kind, verifiable assets that are easy to trade on the blockchain. The sales volume for NFTs hit $2.5 billion in the first six months of this year, up from a total of $13.7 million in all of 2020. This rapid Increase is driven by recent headlines involving the growing interest of celebrities and businesses looking to leverage this cutting-edge technology. From 'Acker', the world's largest fine and rare wine auction house announcing its first-ever NFTs from Burgundy, 'Beeple' selling his digital NFT art for $69M, or the listing of first 'Publicly-traded' NFTs investment vehicle, NFT Investments plc in London, 2021 will forever be remembered as the year of NFTs.

The initial price will be $0.000005, where the users can purchase 80,000,000 BabyGotchi from 1 BNB (1 BNB = ~ 400$). For presale 1 which is five times cheaper than the launch price, that is $0.000001, BabyGotchi users can buy 400,000,000 BabyGotchi from 1 BNB. For presale 2 which is three times cheaper than the initial launch price, 0.00000167, where the users can buy 240,000,000 BabyGotchi from 1 BNB.

According to the company's roadmap, they would start their 1st pre-sale in Q4 2021 after which the 2nd pre-sale will commence. In case the presale doesn't reach Hardcap, Babygotchi company will have the remaining token burned periodically within a year to ensure scarcity.

Contact Media

Company Name: BABYGOTCHI

Media Contact: BABYGOTCHI

Email: babygotchi.official@gmail.com

Website: http://babygotchi.net

All investment strategies and investments involve the risk of loss. Consider doing your own due diligence before making financial decisions related to any crypto or stocks.
Next step towards fully integrated marketing and communication platform

AMSTERDAM, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Candid announces today that communication agency Coopr is joining the Candid platform. The founders, Jody Koehler and Jos Govaart, will join as partners of Candid and at the same time will continue as the management of Coopr. With this latest acquisition, Candid is taking the next step in bringing together all marketing and communications disciplines into a fully integrated platform for advertisers.

Coopr was founded in 2009, is based in Rotterdam and Antwerp and works for well-known clients such as adidas, Coca-Cola, Coolblue, LinkedIn and TikTok.

Coopr will continue to operate as an autonomous agency under its own name within the Candid platform. "By joining the Candid platform, we retain our individuality, but we can immediately deepen and broaden our offer and at therefore offer our clients more integrated and other disciplines", say owners Jody Koehler and Jos Govaart. "In addition, the correlation between PR and other communication disciplines is more relevant than ever. Good brand ideas are most credibly propagated through PR efforts." By becoming part of the Candid platform, Coopr can now also shape its ambition with regard to further internationalization with a London branch in the not too distant future.

Ruud Wanck, CEO of Candid: "Coopr is an absolute premium brand in the field of PR and corporate communication. Their entrepreneurial spirit fits in perfectly with our platform strategy in which we bring together strong and distinctive agencies into an integrated platform. Within Candid, agencies retain their own culture and identity, but our clients always have direct access to our services across the full range of the marketing and communication profession. With the acquisition of Coopr, we now also have a leading agency within our platform in the - increasingly important - field of PR and corporate communication."

This expansion fits in seamlessly with Candid's ambitions to grow. Through acquisitions of media agencies STROOM, M2Media and BBK media, digital agency Online Company and digital experience agency Havana Harbor, social media expert Daily Dialogues, advertising agency XXS, global brand design specialist Millford and marketing innovation agency Cogonez, Candid became the largest independent marketing and advertising platform in the Netherlands. More acquisitions will follow this year, both at home and abroad. "With the addition of a high-quality agency like Coopr, we are once again demonstrating the growth ambitions and the abilities of our platform," says Candid founder & chairman of the board Gerard Ghazarian.

About Candid platform:

We unify the creative and strategic powers of, amongst others, the media agencies Stroom and M2Media, the digital agencies Online Company and Havana Harbor, the social media expert Daily Dialogues, advertising agency XXS, marketing innovation agency Cogonez and brand identity specialist Millford.

In the past years, Candid has become the first fully integrated communication platform in the Netherlands. We unify the skills, cultures and identities of these strong, independent, specialized agencies in a single platform and let them cooperate optimally, driven by our candid culture of transparency and our T-shaped organization.

By doing so, Candid supplies marketing and communication solutions that are inspired by data, enabled by technology and driven by creativity. But above all, they realize growth for our clients.

About Coopr:

Coopr is a communications agency, specialized in three areas of expertise, which are inextricably linked: Brand PR, Corporate Communication and Content Marketing. We enable organizations to communicate better, more effectively, more creatively and more honestly. We help them determining the best story at the right time and through the right channel.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1608691/Candid.jpg
DGAP-News: Armacell / Key word(s): Half Year Results/Half Year Report

Armacell H1 2021 Results (news with additional features)



06.09.2021 / 18:30

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Press release

Armacell H1 2021 Results

- Record net sales of EUR 338.6 million (+17.4%) in the first half of 2021

- Strong commercial momentum across regions and business areas

- Adjusted EBITDA of EUR 59.8 million; adjusted EBITDA margin at 17.7%

- Increase in production capacity for Advanced Insulation and Engineered Foams

Luxembourg, 6 September 2021 - Armacell, a global leader in flexible foam for the equipment insulation market and a leading provider of engineered foams, announced its H1 2021 results on 12 August 2021.

In the first six months of 2021, Armacell achieved record net sales of EUR 338.6 million (H1 2020: EUR 288.4 million), thus surpassing the previous peak in the first half of 2019 (EUR 321.8 million). The strong sales growth of +17.4%, compared to H1 2020, was driven to an equal extent by higher volumes and price increases in all regions, mitigating the effect of rising raw material and freight costs.

In the first half of 2021, adjusted EBITDA rose to EUR 59.8 million, after EUR 52.5 million in H1 2020, as higher sales volumes compensated for increased raw material costs. The adjusted EBITDA margin reached 17.7% (H1 2020: 18.2%). This slight margin decline is attributed to the time-delay effects of measures taken to pass on higher raw material and transportation costs to customers.

"Armacell had a good start into 2021," says Patrick Mathieu, President & CEO of the Armacell Group. "With our markets steadily recovering, we continued with our growth strategy and expanded our global production footprint and product portfolio. Our new sales record and stable EBITDA performance underline the success of our strategy. While uncertainty prevails in the short-term, our mid-term growth and margin drivers are intact and provide us with a strong organic growth potential."

Armacell furthermore announced additional production capacity of its Advanced Insulation and Engineered Foams businesses. Before year-end, a third production line will be installed in Yukon, Oklahoma, to meet the ongoing high demand for component foams in the USA. To support the diversification of Armacell's PET foam solutions, the Group will install additional production lines in Belgium and Turkey. In EMEA, Armacell will further increase production capacity through a second elastomeric line in Bursa.

"Armacell has performed well throughout the global pandemic," Wim van Acker, CFO of the Armacell Group, adds. "With EUR 62.7 million in cash and unused credit facilities of EUR 105.4 million, we have sufficient liquidity headspace to react to short-term uncertainties as well as to continue following our strong growth strategy."

Armacell is currently rated B by Standard & Poor's and B3 by Moody's.

-ends-

About Armacell

As the inventors of flexible foam for equipment insulation and a leading provider of engineered foams, Armacell develops innovative and safe thermal, acoustic and mechanical solutions that create sustainable value for its customers. Armacell's products significantly contribute to global energy efficiency making a difference around the world every day. With more than 3,000 employees and 23 production plants in 15 countries, the company operates two main businesses, Advanced Insulation and Engineered Foams, and generated net sales of EUR 591 million and adjusted EBITDA of EUR 120 million in 2020. Armacell focuses on insulation materials for technical equipment, high-performance foams for high-tech and lightweight applications and next generation aerogel blanket technology.

For more information, please visit: www.armacell.com

Media & Investor Contact

Tom Anen

Director Corporate Communications & Investor Relations

+352 2484 9828

press@armacell.com




LONDON, Sept 6, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - Baanx, the fast-growing B2B2C "Better than a Banking Platform" specialising in fintech services & lending, becomes the third-largest shareholder in the United States regulated Maxwell State Bank in a multi-million-dollar deal to enhance cybersecurity and banking access to communities throughout America.Maxwell State Bank is a fintech bank and VISA Principal Member established circa 1943 in Iowa. With total assets of $29,655,000 and deposits of $25,058,000 Maxwell has been FDIC certified since 1943 for insured deposits. Maxwell was acquired by serial fintech entrepreneur Ronald Ingram, founder of multi-billion dollar fintech programs and companies. He has ambitious plans to make this bank the most secure and future-proof bank in America by expanding their services. He plans to achieve this by working with fintech leaders in cybersecurity, cryptography, tokenization and private/public key infrastructure companies.Baanx has rapidly become a market leader in secure transaction payment systems, secured lending and banking services with a focus on fast growing verticals. Offering VISA & Mastercard programs through their platform, combined with secured lending services from as little as 0% APR, they are expanding quickly through their B2B2C business model. Baanx partners with leading corporate communities, white-labelling as a leading brand, whilst completely managing the delivery and support of the service to each community they engage with.Garth Howat, CEO of Baanx said, "We are very excited to have taken a stake in Maxwell and working with Ronald Ingram, who has a strong track record of delivering high performing secure fintech services, having been responsible for $100s of billions of fintech transactions in recent years."Ronald Ingram, Chairman of Maxwell said, "We are very pleased to welcome Baanx as an investor in Maxwell State Bank. Maxwell Bank has been profitable and well managed for decades, Maxwell, as of 2021, is the most connected bank in North America with direct fiber and low earth laser satellite connectivity. We expect Baanx will expand upon Maxwell's commitment to futurize banking. Baanx is a money center fintech, in the historical banking center of the world, London, with specializations across cryptography, lending, cybersecurity and public/private key infrastructure. We look forward to strategic partnership opportunities such as state-of-the-art cyber security, access to digital safe-keeping of assets and general privacy that we expect to evolve out of this strategic investment."About BaanxBaanx "Better than a Banking Platform", offers banking services to fintechs, including secured lending against digital assets and payment authorisation integration into VISA, Mastercard & other transaction payment systems. Baanx headquarters are in London (UK) with subsidiaries in Delaware (United States), Portugal and Lithuania. Baanx manages digital assets using military grade cryptography for maximum privacy and security with digital asset insurance through their partners up to $100M. Baanx is managed by a seasoned team with over a hundred years of combined experience in banking, financial technology, cryptography, finance and digital marketing.About MaxwellMaxwell State Bank has been serving Americans for nearly 75 years. January 2021 it was acquired by Ronald Ingram, a serial entrepreneur in fintech, who created a roadmap to ensure the future of this well-established profitable bank for the next generations in the community, region and beyond.Source: BaanxCopyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Accenture (NYSE: ACN) acquired Gevity, a Victoria, B.C., Canada-based strategy and consulting service provider focused on enabling healthcare industry clients to transform their businesses through innovative technology solutions.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

With the acquisition, Accenture will expand its capabilities to deliver health transformation services in Canada and internationally.

Led by Marc Koehn, CEO, Gevity specializes in providing strategic consultancy services to health sector clients spanning capability areas such as health systems integration, informatics and analytics, and solution implementation and program management. The firm also leads clients through digital transformations and information systems design implementations. In addition, Gevity offers proprietary methods and tools to support its work, including project and program management, inter-organizational collaboration, and health informatics.

Founded in 1995, the firm has grown into an established health consulting firm with a team of nearly 100 experts and practitioners across Canada who support clients globally. The firm works with organizations that span the continuum of healthcare, from providers as well as public and private payers to regulators and healthcare non-profit stakeholder organizations.

In addition to the Victoria headquarters, Gevity has people located across Canada in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, as well as in the United States and the Philippines, who will join Accenture.



This is the second acquisition for Accenture Canada in 2021 to bolster its strength and capabilities in the Canadian market. In July, the firm acquired Cloudworks, a Oracle Cloud service provider based in Toronto. In 2020, Accenture acquired Avenai, an Ottawa consultancy focused on public service organizations, and Callisto Integration, an Oakville, Ontario, provider of consulting and technology services in digital manufacturing in food and beverage, chemicals, utilities and other industries.

FinSMEs

06/09/2021
Dukaan, a Bengaluru, India-based platform for merchants with zero programming skills to set up their e-commerce site, raised $11m in pre-Series A funding round.

The round was led by 640 Oxford Ventures with participation from Snow Leopard Ventures, Lightspeed Partners, Matrix Partners India, Venture Catalyst, HOF Capital, Old Well Ventures, LetsVenture, 9Unicorns and angels Ritesh Agarwal, and Carl Pei.

The company intends to use the funds to expand its business reach and technology efforts.

Co-founded by Subhash Choudhary (left) and Suumit Shah, Dukaan providesa a DIY platform that enables merchants to launch an e-commerce web site using their smartphone, customize them in terms of design and functionality including digital payments. It can be used by businesses of any size, volume, and geographical location.

FinSMEs

06/09/2021
Mehdi Rejraji, Josefine Vinberg, Max Friberg and Filip Gruvstad

Inex One, a Stockholm, Sweden-based expert network marketplace, raised $3m in funding.

Backers included Richard Thornton (former CCO and deputy CEO at Cint), Brad Brown, Ajay Gupta (both McKinsey senior partner emeriti), who joined the board, former senior partners from consulting firms Bain, Boston Consulting Group, Oliver Wyman, McKinsey, Kearney, private equity firms Advent International, Accent, and Triton Partners, and existing investors Curitas Ventures and angels.

The company intends to use the funds for continued rapid expansion, with an emphasis on the US market.

Led by CEO Max Friberg, Mehdi Rejraji, Josefine Vinberg, and Filip Gruvstad, Inex One provides a digital platform and marketplace that connects strategy teams and investment professionals with expert networks around the globe.

Clients access 20+ expert networks on the Inex One platform, to arrange 1-on-1 conversations with experts from all over the world. Expert networks are reviewed for compliance and service quality, with continuous feedback loops that help them improve.

Clients include the bank DNB.

FinSMEs

06/09/2021
Fiji gets ready to welcome visitors once again toward the end of the year. (Dreamstime/TNS)
Many regions across the globe are currently experiencing either high cattle livestock prices or high beef prices. While there are some common factors, such as strong... Read More
Paxton, IL (60957)

Today

Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High near 80F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 53F. Winds light and variable.
SANGEH, Indonesia (AP)  Deprived of their preferred food source  the bananas, peanuts and other goodies brought in by tourists now kept away by the coronavirus  hungry monkeys on the resort island of Bali have taken to raiding villagers homes in their search for something tasty.

Villagers in Sangeh say the gray long-tailed macaques have been venturing out from a sanctuary about 500 meters (yards) away to hang out on their roofs and await the right time to swoop down and snatch a snack.

Worried that the sporadic sorties will escalate into an all-out monkey assault on the village, residents have been taking fruit, peanuts and other food to the Sangeh Monkey Forest to try to placate the primates.

We are afraid that the hungry monkeys will turn wild and vicious, villager Saskara Gustu Alit said.

About 600 of the macaques live in the forest sanctuary, swinging from the tall nutmeg trees and leaping about the famous Pura Bukit Sari temple, and are considered sacred.

In normal times the protected jungle area in the southeast of the Indonesian island is popular among local residents for wedding photos, as well as among international visitors. The relatively tame monkeys can be easily coaxed to sit on a shoulder or lap for a peanut or two.

Ordinarily, tourism is the main source of income for Balis 4 million residents, who welcomed more than 5 million foreign visitors annually before the pandemic.

The Sangeh Monkey Forest typically had about 6,000 visitors a month, but as the pandemic spread last year and international travel dropped off dramatically, that number dropped to about 500.

Since July, when Indonesia banned all foreign travelers to the island and shut the sanctuary to local residents as well, there has been nobody.

Not only has that meant nobody bringing in extra food for the monkeys, the sanctuary has also lost out on its admission fees and is running low on money to purchase food for them, said operations manager Made Mohon.

The donations from villagers have helped, but they are also feeling the economic pinch and are gradually giving less and less, he said.

This prolonged pandemic is beyond our expectations, Made Mohon said, Food for monkeys has become a problem.

Food costs run about 850,000 rupiah ($60) a day, Made Mohon said, for 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of cassava, the monkeys' staple food, and 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of bananas.

The macaque is an omnivore and can eat a variety of animals and plants found in the jungle, but those in the Sangeh Monkey Forest have had enough contact with humans over the years that they seem to prefer other things.

And theyre not afraid to take matters into their own hands, Gustu Alit said.

Frequently, monkeys wander into the village and sit on roofs, occasionally removing tiles and dropping them to the ground. When villagers put out daily religious offerings of food on their terraces, the monkeys jump down and make off with them.

A few days ago I attended a traditional ceremony at a temple near the Sangeh forest, Gustu Alit said. When I parked my car and took out two plastic bags containing food and flowers as offerings, two monkeys suddenly appeared and grabbed it all and ran into the forest very fast.

Normally, the monkeys spend all day interacting with visitors  stealing sunglasses and water bottles, pulling at clothes, jumping on shoulders  and Gustu Alit theorizes that more than just being hungry, theyre bored.

Thats why I have urged villagers here to come to the forest to play with the monkeys and offer them food, he said. I think they need to interact with humans as often as possible so that they do not go wild.



Karmini reported from Jakarta. Associated Press writer David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.
GUANABO  Miguel Matos for Renier Perfumes

New Fragrances

Guanabo is a new fragrance by Renier Perfumes. The fragrance was inspired by the scent of freshly sun-dried skin after a swim in the waters of the Caribbean Sea.

Renier Perfumes is a Czech perfume brand founded by artist Renier Rodriguez Mendez, born in Cuba. All his fragrances have their visual counterpart. The picture above visualizes the newest perfume Guanabo, created for Renier by perfumer Miguel Matos.



There are people who see colors when they smell fresh rain or a flower. There are also people who feel the sun and the aroma of flowers when they see a work of art. I align both pleasures." Renier Mendez.



Guanabo is the scent of summer, a feeling of vacation. This fragrance invites us to live the moment and enjoy it without thinking about responsibilities or the future. It is the scent of an evening in front of the sea where opportunities for conquest not only do not escape but knock on our door.

Guanabo in the authentic language of the Taino Indians means "small island in the middle of the sea." On the coast of East Havana in Cuba, a beach bears the same name. We wanted to create this perfume thinking of the son of a great cacique; young, virile, unbridled, adventurous, and a heartbreaker."



Bergamot, Lemon and Petitgrain

Lily-of-the-Valley, Passionfruit, Jasmine, and Rose

Sea Notes, Seaweed, Ambroxan, and Leather

The perfume opens with notes of lemon and petitgrain rounded with Italian bergamot. It starts from the first minute with a wave of joy that fills us with a desire to start the day knowing in advance that everything will be fine.

As it starts to dry down is when danger emerges, and magical things start to happen. It becomes a semi-salty perfume that smells like the fusion of two freshly sun-dried bodies after a swim in the waters of the Caribbean Sea. Salty and sweet at the same time. Floral and pirate.

The body notes of the fragrance were inspired by lily of the valley and natural jasmine, with a slight touch of leather and seaweed, generating a sense of security and relaxation all around. It becomes a spring of haunted seawater, spicy, sexy, and floral; a scent for those who choose to live and enjoy the present, the here and now.

The Ambroxan in the base makes it a vibrant, awake, and mischievous fragrance that does not go unnoticed. It is the sexiest perfume in the collection.

Guanabo EDP is available in different sizes (including samples) on the official website of Renier Perfumes.
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New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson speaks to media during a news conference at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021. New details emerged Sunday about how an extremist inspired by the Islamic State group was able to remain in New Zealand despite his fraudulent refugee application and alarming behavior. (Hagen Hopkins/Pool Photo via AP)
A video screen displays images of Canadians Michael Kovrig, left, and Michael Spavor at an event held in connection with the announcement of the sentence for Spavor at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. A Chinese court has sentenced Spavor to 11 years on spying charges in case linked to Huawei. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 03/07/2021

Johannes Knop

Randwerk

Embargo: Tuesday, 7. of September

Berlin, Germany - September 03, 2021

Randwerk Games releases the demo of their first game, ABRISS - build to destroy. ABRISS is an atmospheric physics-destruction building game. Players can build structures from parts with different properties to let them crash into the level in beautiful spectacles. It will be released on Steam end of Q1 2022.

ABRISS was first revealed in June at the #PitchYaGame awards, where it could secure a place as finalist. After the reveal, they built a community on Discord, which helped them develop the Demo: Around two weeks before Demo release, the community got an early look and was able to leave feedback to the three student developers, Till Freitag, Friedrich Beyer and Johannes Knop. Some of the feedback and requests from the community are now in the official demo.

"The version we posted to our discord was the fourth version of the demo already, we had extensively tested with our friends before. We're really thankful for everyone's feedback" - Till Freitag, Developer

The Demo features an excerpt from the Campaign as well as a Sandbox mode. To celebrate the Demo release, the east-german trio has Key giveaways and contests on their twitter page this week.

About Randwerk

Randwerk is the first games studio in the german cooperative legal form. They state they believe making games as a democratic entity could both lead to better games, better pay and combat video game industry problems like crunch. Randwerk is supported by the DE:HIVE Institute's Incubator program and ABRISS receives funding by the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg media fund.

Demo Download:

Steam Page:

Twitter:




[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press.]

Tokyo, Japan  September 6, 2021  KLab Inc., a leader in online mobile games, together with BROCCOLI Co., Ltd., announced that its smartphone rhythm game UtanoPrincesama Shining Live celebrated its 4th anniversary on Saturday, August 28. In celebration of the 4th anniversary, a special livestream was held on Friday, September 3. Takuma Terashima and Kohsuke Toriumi appeared as guests to present various special Shining Live segments. Read further for information from the livestream and special present campaigns for users. Livestream Archived Links

English Commentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayoLGfc0z_w Japanese: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2pTd16JoSs 4th Anniversary Countdown Missions: More Daily Free 11-Shot Photo Shoots! As a result of the Shining Live Challenge corner from the livestream, the number of daily free 11-Shot Photo Shoots for the 4th Anniversary Countdown Mission has increased! You will be able to perform the daily free 11-Shot Photo Shoots for up to 7 days during the campaign period! This is a great chance to get a lot of your favorite idol Photos  *Check out the archived livestream for Live Challenge information. Event Period Monday, September 13 to Thursday, September 30 (UTC+9) Idol Birthday Campaign Renewal! From this year, a special event "Happy Birthday" will be held for the idol's birthday. Collect Whipped Cream Bags from live shows and Jobs to complete your birthday cake! Every time you collect Whipped Cream Bags, the cake will be ranked up and become more gorgeous. Make a gorgeous cake to celebrate your idol's birthday! The special event will be held 3 days before the idol's birthday. Please look forward to it  Chibi Idols and Prince Parka Release! The chibi idols from this years exclusive April Fools Day event are now on sale! These chibi idol characters can be set on the home screen. New voice clips will also be added! Please look forward to the talking chibi characters  In addition, the popular Prince Parka will be on sale as a Live2D costume. If you previously purchased a Prince Parka you will be able to change your idols Live2D costume as you please. We recommend taking pictures of them in camera mode! More details will be announced at a later date. *Live2D by Live2D Inc. is used for this application.

#ShiningLivestream_4th Tweet Campaign



A special UtanoPrincesama Shining Live 4th Anniversary Livestream Twitter Campaign is happening now! 33 people will be chosen at random and win a Shining Live 4th Anniversary canvas board. Be sure to check out the livestream archived video and join in the campaign! Event Period Friday, September 3 to Saturday, September 11 (UTC+9) Notes *See the official website or in-game announcement for details and information. *Game content is subject to change without prior notice. *"Photo Shoots" are the in-game system where players randomly obtain the in-game "Photo" items. About UtanoPrincesama Shining Live UtanoPrincesama Shining Live is a rhythm game for Android and iOS mobile devices based on BROCCOLIs UtanoPrincesama series. SAOTOME GAKUEN  KLabGames UtanoPrincesama Shining Live Overview Title: UtanoPrincesama Shining Live Supported OSes: Android 4.4+, iOS 9.0+ * Not available on some devices. Genre: Rhythm game Price: Free-to-play (In-app purchases available) Supported Regions: Global (Excludes Japan) Supported Languages: English and Traditional Chinese Official Website: https://www.utapri-shining-live.com/en/ Official Twitter Account: @shininglive_en Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ShiningLiveEN Copyright: SAOTOME GAKUEN  KLabGames Download the Game App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1284790977 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.klab.utapri.shininglive.global
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Montreal, Quebec, Sept. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading Canadian e-commerce platform, ShopperPlus (or the Company), has successfully raised a C$17 million Series-A financing co-led by Celtic House Asia Partners (CHAP) and the Canadian Business Growth Fund (CBGF), with participation from Celtic House Venture Partners and the National Bank of Canada. Individual investors include e-commerce shopping app Wish co-founder, Danny Zhang, and Sequoia China Managing Director, Kevin Pan.

After more than a decade of pathfinding in e-commerce, the Companys product portfolio has grown to include office supplies, electronics, lifestyle, kitchen utensils and other home goods categories. ShopperPlus platform customizes and makes targeted product recommendations based on individual purchase patterns and seasonality, with more than 30 percent of goods being produced in Canada. Since 2007, the Company has been able to provide its customers with consistent, cost-effective, and reliable everyday products. The Company is also successfully developing a business-to-business stream whereby it helps corporations efficiently and economically purchase its office supplies.

ShopperPlus aims to provide Canadians with strictly selected goods and services to make their lives easier and better while helping companies become more efficient. said Jack Zhan, Founder and CEO of ShopperPlus. Im thankful for the support from Celtic House Asia Partners, CBGF and our other investors. Besides financial investments, Celtic House Asia Partners is also assisting ShopperPlus with supply chain and ecosystem integration. The funds raised this round will drive future platform expansion to include more vertical product offerings as well as broaden in-house fulfillment centre coverage.

In Canada, ShopperPlus has two warehouses which together stock over 60,000 products. The Company has also established a new product development center and technology research center in Canada and China. Leveraging a global workforce combined with local experience, ShopperPlus continues to make its mark as an international brand.

Jack Zhan noted that e-commerce has profoundly impacted retail with youths, especially Canadians, becoming increasingly receptive to online shopping. ShopperPlus own logistics infrastructure increases order fulfillment speeds, making it much faster than typical delivery turnaround times in Canada. We are proud to back Jack and his team as they expand into new markets and continue to develop its private label offerings, stated George Rossolatos, CEO of CBGF.

ShopperPlus has a stellar business model, said Jie Chen, Managing Partner at Celtic House Asia Partners. Its data-driven product suggestions and self-owned fulfillment centres provide competitive advantages. With support of this financing, ShopperPlus will continue to scale its service across Canada and major U.S. cities.

About ShopperPlus

www.shopperplus.ca was created with a simple goal in mind  to provide quality ink and toner cartridges, printers and office supplies, cables and adapters, cellphone and camera accessories, and more at the lowest price possible for our Canadian customers. The Shopperplus.ca family now is composed of 3 websites including www.123ink.ca; www.primecables.ca and www.living.ca. The companys head office and principal warehouse is located in Montreal with a Distribution Center in Vancouver and another Branch Office in Guangzhou, China.

About Canadian Business Growth Fund

Launched in 2018, the Canadian Business Growth Fund (CBGF) provides long-term, patient, minority capital to ambitious entrepreneurs to fund growth and expansion of mid-market businesses in Canada with typical investments between $3 and $20 million. An evergreen investment fund with capital commitments of $545 million from Canadian financial institutions, CBGF is committed to long-term partnerships with the companies it invests in. For more information visit www.cbgf.com

About Celtic House Asia Partners

Celtic House is a veteran Canadian venture capital firm with nearly 30 years of experience focus on B2B SaaS. In recent years, it has developed a new investment fund in Asia. The Asia Arm specializes in consumer platforms and digital health, with disrupted portfolios including Applyboard, GrubMarket, Cerebral, Fantuan and others.

Attachment
New York, Sept. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Industrial Laser System Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06134970/?utm_source=GNW

26%, during the period of 2021-2026 (henceforth, referred to as the forecast period).





The various technological advancements in the industrial environment, such as industrial automation, industrial robots, 3D Printing, etc. due to the advent of Industry 4.0 and Industrial IoT, are expected to boost the adoption of laser systems in industries. Companies integrate the existing manufacturing processes with several technological advancements across lasers and laser systems to enhance productivity and stay ahead of the competition.

MKS Instruments, Inc. launched spectra-physics Talon 355-45, a high-power UV laser results in faster UV processing at a significantly lower cost per part. It is ideal for industrial manufacturing of PC boards, electronic components, semiconductors, flat panel displays, lithium-ion batteries, and LEDs for consumer electronics, clean energy, and other demanding applications. Further, the industrial laser systems are being adopted in several end-user industries such as aerospace and defense, automotive, medical, and semiconductor, amongst others. In the automotive sector, laser systems deployed are used mainly for cutting and welding applications. This enables higher productivity and reduction of down-time while substantially reducing the manufacturing costs.

As of April 2020, Jenoptik supplied its laser systems to an automotive supplier Xinquan in China, looking for a laser-scoring machine for precision airbag perforation, for processing automotive interiors. Further, processing a diverse range of materials (plastics, metals, textiles, glass, and rubber) requires a versatile tool, and thats where carbon dioxide (CO2) laser demand increases. CO2 lasers possess the capability to mark a variety of materials with precision. Also, as automotive production transition towards automation, these laser systems find usage in conjunction with robots, replacing conventional tools. In the aerospace and defense industry, the extensive manufacturing capabilities encompass all areas of metal fabrication, joining, and coating.

Furthermore, direct laser etching across industrial products, such as medical devices, components for the automotive industry, or electronic components, utilize UV lasers and CO2 lasers as industry requirement desires many materials, surface quality, and the desired marking effect as prerequisites. Several organizations are adopting fiber lasers for similar programs catering to industrial and energy efficiency. For instance, the Clean Energy and Industrial Efficiency Program of the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER), adopted these technologies for the industrial sector. Then, as of July 30, 2020, TRUMPF and Fraunhofer Institute formed a research alliance towards manufacturing engineering and automation IPA, set to run until 2025.

Across the industrial laser systems market, the COVID-19 virus has been witnessed, impacting the near-term demand environment and internal operations. With multiple component manufacturers facing material sourcing and working capital issues, the demand for new laser systems or retrofit is expected to stall. For instance, the Electronic Component Manufacturing supply chains been notably impacted being mostly concentrated in China. As medical-related orders became high priority and demand for the same surged in March 2020, additional pressure was put on distributors and other component suppliers. Subsequently, Hans Laser and HG Laser among a few Chinese companies turned their system integration capabilities into manufacturing mask-making machines.





Key Market Trends



Solid State Laser is Expected to Hold Significant Share





A solid-state laser is a laser which uses solids such has glass or a crystalline material as a laser medium. Solid-state lasers are widely used in metal processing, medical applications, such as eye surgery, redgreenblue (RGB) light sources in laser printers and projectors, environmental instrumentation measurements and optical transmission systems

Due to its advantages over others types, solid state lasers are a preferred alternative amongst multiple industries. Both, continuous and pulsed output is possible from solid state lasers. Along with simpler construction, the beam diameter of solid state laser is very less than CO2 lasers. This allows for precise measurements.

There is a pressing demand for improvements to the capabilities of automated high-content imaging, with the increasing use of highly-complex cell-based 2D and 3D assays in biologic research. Imaging systems with lasers substantially decrease exposure times, which result in increased imaging speed and assay throughput. Developments such as AgileOptix technology enable the system to deliver the same by combining an advanced solid-state light engine with seven laser lines and eight filter combinations, proprietary spinning disk technology, state-of-the-art optics, and a scientific CMOS sensor.

Ziemer Ophthalmic received a CE Mark clearance for its solid-state laser with proprietary developed crystals that produce a very stable beam with excellent quality in September 2020. The new ablation laser Aquariuz, is a solid-state ablation laser for used for refractive surgery.

The increasing demand of refractive eye-surgeries across both developed and developing nations is set to increase with the growing investments in healthcare and research. This shall indirectly impact the growth of solid-state lasers for use in non-invasive surgeries.





North America is Expected to Hold Significant Share





The North American region is anticipated to dominate the market due to technological advancements across various industries, such as manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, etc. Similarly, on the vendors front, the region houses some important players, such as IPG Photonics and Coherent Inc., among others.

Several companies, especially among small and medium enterprises (SME) and startups, have been raising significant funds to develop innovative laser technology solutions. For instance, UAVenture Capital Fund, which is based in Tuscan and is dedicated to the commercialization of University of Arizona discoveries, products, technologies, and services, invested in DeUVe Photonics Inc. to improvise its technology, thus, enabling the company to become a major player in existing and developing deep UV laser markets.

Also, significant developments by laser systems manufacturers has indicated a consolidation and expansion spree. For instance, in July 2020, CORE Industrial Partners, based in Chicago, completed its acquisition of Incodema, a precision sheet metal engineering solutions provider. The former is set to leverage laser welding solutions being offered to expand its existing supplier base.

Similarly, RPMC Lasers Inc., a distributor of solid-state lasers in North America, expanded its non-exclusive distribution agreement with Sheaumann. Such initiatives by market players are anticipated to boost the market growth in the region.

Multiple launches are signifying favorable demand for laser systems across all end users in the region. For instance, as of June 2020, Coherent Inc. added EasyMark XL to its Laser Marking Systems Product Line, which caters to applications spanning from marking codes on stainless steel medical devices to the deep engraving of casting molds. Additionally, in order to offer advanced welding capacities, the company further launched HighLight FL4000CSM-ARM fiber laser for high thermal conductivity metals. This is a response to market requirements for e-mobility, energy storage, and general electrical interconnects.





Competitive Landscape



The Industrial Laser Systems market is highly competitive, owing to the presence of multiple vendors. The market appears to be moderately concentrated. The market is home to some of the largest vendors as well as various regional smaller vendors operating and catering to their markets. Vendors in the market are prioritizing research, innovation, and product development as their growth strategy. Such developments enabled the companies to increase their presence in the space.



Being a highly capital-intensive market, the smaller revenue companies are subjected to higher barriers to exit, and in most cases get acquired by high revenue companies. Moderate firm concentration and consolidated state of the market further intensify the competitive rivalry.



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Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06134970/?utm_source=GNW



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ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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WILMINGTON, Del., Sept. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reolink, a global innovator in smart home and business security solutions, will launch its first-ever smart dual-lens camera lineup to help cover larger areas before this October rolls around.

From September 6th, Reolink will unveil more details about this new camera series on its official site and social media. Subscribe to get the latest news, https://reolink.com/product/reolink-duo

Unlike most of the mono-lens cameras available in the market, Reolink's latest innovation integrates two lenses into one housing, which vastly increases the cameras' field of view. Besides, the dual-lens series features 2K/4MP resolution and built-in spotlights for super clear and color images at daytime and nighttime.

"Many homeowners and business owners are looking for a reliable surveillance option with a wider viewing angle to monitor large properties. To meet this need, we offer a cost-efficient option with 150combined field of view," said Sharon Guo, product manager at Reolink, "Customers can enjoy an expanded view without investing in multiple cameras. Even better, there will be four models available in this lineup, fitting every security need and application scene at home or store."

Boasting advanced detection technology, this new camera series can differentiate the person/vehicle activities from the background movements. Offered, too, are detection zone and alert customization. So, users can filter out specific areas and tailor the alerts to get notified by the events that they truly care about only.

More info about the new camera line will be released in the coming weeks before Reolink launches a pre-order event in late September, with an early-bird discount and special gifts included.

Also, Reolink plans to provide a limited amount of free dual-lens cameras in its product trial program to its users to apply and test. To keep in the know, customers interested in the dual-lens series may click here to subscribe or follow Reolink on social media.

About Reolink

Reolink, a global innovator in the smart home field, is always dedicated to delivering reliable and user-friendly security solutions for homes and businesses. Reolink's mission is to make security a seamless experience for customers with its groundbreaking security products. Reolink products are available and sold worldwide, providing video surveillance and protection for millions of homes and families.

Contact

Reolink PR Team

Email: pr@reolink.com

Address: 251 Little Falls Drive, Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware 19808

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Reolink's Next-Gen Cameras Coming Soon

Reolink will launch its new dual-lens camera line soon this September.

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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Ottawa, Sept. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ottawa, Sept 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)  According to Precedence Research, the global automotive collision repair market size was valued at USD 185.9 billion in 2020. Increasing consumer spending for luxury as well as comfort product for previously owned vehicles to enhance it aesthetics and comfort level is one of the primary factors that accelerates the market growth for automotive collision repair in the coming years.



Automotive manufacturers focus prominently on the product differentiation along with collaboration with other globally renowned players to expand their customer reach. Further, rising international trade activities are likely to propel the number of heavy commercial fleet across the world that in turn prospers the growth of automotive collision repair market. This also increases the availability of the state-of-art service garages & automotive repair shops equipped with advanced technologies for repairing, painting, body repair, and denting of the vehicle.

Get the Sample Pages of Report for More Understanding@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/sample/1268

On the other hand, introduction to advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), anti-lock braking technology, collision detection systems, and sensors have prominently reduced the rate of road fatalities and accidents that hampers the market growth for automotive collision repair market. Further, the government bodies of various regions also support the integration of such advanced technologies in the upcoming models of vehicles, this also likely to restrict the market growth significantly during the forthcoming years.

The automotive industry is amongst the most exposed sectors to the coronavirus outbreak and is currently facing unprecedented uncertainties in the market. The COVID-19 has significantly impacted the supply chain as well as the product delivery system on the global scale in the automotive industry. Apart from this, changes in the buying behavior of consumers have created more uncertainty to the vehicle sale and have serious implications on the growth of automotive industry in the near future. This all factors also negatively impact the growth of automotive collision repair market.

The paints & coatings product segment expected to register the fastest growth over the forecast period owing to rising environmental concern for the use of synthetic coating materials and other refinishing products used in the automobiles. Further, technological advancements in the paints & coating products that meets the rising aesthetic demand as well as better protective material that prevent scratches and other harm to the outer body parts of the automobile are some of the prime factors that excels the market growth for automotive collision repair during the forecast period.

Get Customization on this Research Report@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/customization/1268

Based on service channel, Do-it-yourself (DIY) exhibits the highest growth rate of approximately 3% during the analysis time frame because of increasing trend for self-servicing the vehicles for minor repair and painting. In addition, various companies also offer DIY kits to their customers along with the vehicles to attract large volume of customers. The Asia Pacific region exhibits the fastest growth for the DIY segment followed by Latin America. Moreover, the trend for DIY kits is more popular in the European and North American countries owing to larger volume of population favoring DIY services.

On the basis of vehicle type the global automotive collision repair market has been bifurcated into light-duty vehicle and heavy-duty vehicle. Light-duty vehicle captured the largest revenue share of nearly 70% in the year 2020 and anticipated to register the fastest growth over the forthcoming years. The prominent growth of the region is majorly attributed to the increasing sale of light-duty vehicles such as passenger cars and recreational vehicles. Besides this, electric vehicles and green mobility solutions have revolutionized the light-duty vehicles market and spur the rate of sales to a greater extent. Governments of various regions are also favoring the adoption of green mobility for curbing the rate of pollution and in accordance to the same they are designing near future plans for transforming their mobility into green mobility. Hence, the aforementioned factors are likely to prosper the market growth for automotive collision repair in the coming years.

The Asia Pacific region predicted to witness the highest CAGR of about 4% during the analysis period due to higher rate of road traffic crashes along with high sale of passenger cars in the region. Apart from this, the region also accounted significant share in the global trade that again increases the risk for vehicle crashes particularly on the highways and other connecting roadways. However, Europe being an automotive hub occupied the largest share of revenue in the year 2020.

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Automotive Communication Technology Market - The global market size was valued at USD 7.63 billion in 2020 and expected to hit around US$ 36.30 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.4% from 2021 to 2030.

- The global market size was valued at USD 7.63 billion in 2020 and expected to hit around US$ 36.30 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.4% from 2021 to 2030. Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Market - The global market size was valued at USD 29.69 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach US$ 47.89 Bn by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.3% from 2020 to 2030.

- The global market size was valued at USD 29.69 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach US$ 47.89 Bn by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.3% from 2020 to 2030. Automotive Electronics Market - The global market size was valued at US$ 255.98 billion in 2020 and is predicted to reach US$ 640.56 billion by the end of 2030, representing impressive CAGR of 7.64% during the forecast period 2021 to 2030.





The industry players in the global automotive collision repair market experience heavy competition from their competitor players owing to large number product differentiation and development in the market. For instance, in July 2018, 3M division for automotive aftermarket launched an application for cost-free collision repair.

Some of the magnificent industry participants listed in the global automotive collision repair market include Automotive Technology Products LLC (ATP), 3M, Continental AG, Denso Corporation, Federal-Mogul LLC, Faurecia, Honeywell International Inc., Johnson Controls Inc., International Automotive Components Group, Magna International Inc., Martinrea International Inc., Mann+Hummel Group, Mitsuba Corporation, Takata Corporation, and Robert Bosch GmbH among others.

Market Segmentation:

By Product

Consumables

Paints & Coatings

Spare Parts





By Service Channel

DIFM

DIY

OE





By Vehicle Type

Heavy-duty Vehicle

Light-duty Vehicle

By Regional Outlook

North America US Rest of North America

Europe UK Germany France Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific China Japan India Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America Brazil Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa (MEA) GCC North Africa South Africa Rest of the Middle East & Africa







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Precedence Research is a worldwide market research and consulting organization. We give unmatched nature of offering to our customers present all around the globe across industry verticals. Precedence Research has expertise in giving deep-dive market insight along with market intelligence to our customers spread crosswise over various undertakings. We are obliged to serve our different client base present over the enterprises of medicinal services, healthcare, innovation, next-gen technologies, semi-conductors, chemicals, automotive, and aerospace & defense, among different ventures present globally.

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Gloucester, MA (01930)

Today

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 78F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms in the evening, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low around 65F. WSW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
FILE - This Aug. 28, 2020, file photo shows the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Ind. A former Bureau of Prisons officer who was serving time behind bars for an inappropriate sexual relationship with an inmate and a plot to kill his wife, as well as a separate plot to kill a federal agent who was investigating him, has been beaten to death at the USP Terre Haute federal prison in Indiana, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
MONGO [mdash] Ida Mae Christner, 94, Mongo, died at her home Sept. 9. Mrs. Christner was born July 28, 1927, in Topeka, to Martin W. and Lovina (Yoder) Yoder. Living her lifetime in LaGrange County, she was a homemaker and loved to cook and bake. She was a volunteer for many years at Miller'
Governor Northam Grants Posthumous Pardons for Martinsville Seven 70 Years After Unjust Executions

With todays act, Governor Northam has granted more pardons than previous nine governors combined

RICHMONDGovernor Ralph Northam today granted posthumous pardons for the Martinsville Seven, a group of young Black men executed by the Commonwealth for alleged rape of a white woman in 1951. While these pardons do not address the guilt of the seven, they serve as recognition from the Commonwealth that these men were tried without adequate due process and received a racially-biased death sentence not similarly applied to white defendants.

With todays action, Governor Northam has granted a record-breaking 604 pardons since his term beganmore pardons than the previous nine governors combined.

This is about righting wrongs, said Governor Northam. We all deserve a criminal justice system that is fair, equal, and gets it rightno matter who you are or what you look like. Im grateful to the advocates and families of the Martinsville Seven for their dedication and perseverance. While we cant change the past, I hope todays action brings them some small measure of peace.

Frank Hairston Jr. (18), Booker T. Millner (19), Francis DeSales Grayson (37), Howard Lee Hairston (18), James Luther Hairston (20), Joe Henry Hampton (19), and John Clabon Taylor (21) of Martinsville were executed in 1951 on charges of raping a white woman. Prior to abolishing the death penalty earlier this year, Virginia had executed more people than any other stateand studies have shown that a defendant is more than three times as likely to be sentenced to death if the victim of a crime is white than if the victim is Black. From 1908 to 1951, all 45 prisoners executed for rape in Virginia were Black men. In 1977, the Supreme Court ruled that imposing the death penalty for rape was cruel and unusual punishment.

Governor Northams pardons recognize the unjust, racially-biased sentences these men received, as well as the disturbing lack of due process in their trials and convictions. All members of the Martinsville Seven were convicted and sentenced to death within eight days, and each defendant was tried by juries made up entirely of white men. Some of the defendants were impaired at the time of arrest or unable to read the confessions they signed, and none had attorneys present during their interrogation. Governor Northam made the announcement in a Richmond meeting with descendants of the Martinsville Seven.

Pardons should not have to be a part of the process to ensure a fair and equitable justice system, but unfortunately thats been case for far too long and Im happy we have a Governor that believes in using his clemency powers to right the wrongs and provide second chances, said Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Thomasson. Governor Northam is committed to criminal justice reform, and has made it a priority to thoroughly review and act on pardon petitions. Were seeing the results today.

To date, Governor Northam has granted a record-breaking 604 pardons and acted on over 2,000 pardon petitions. The large number of pending petitions is a result of an influx received by the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth under the Northam administration, coupled with the thousands of petitions that were already pending review when former Governor Terry McAuliffe took office in 2014.

In May, Governor Northam announced new steps to streamline the pardon process, including increased staff, a redesigned pardons website, and a new petition portal that allows electronic tracking submission and tracking of pardon requests.

The pardon grant for the Martinsville Seven is here.

# # #
Australia-based Arafura Resources Limited has awarded Hatch a contract to carry out Engineering and Procurement Services for the Nolans NdPR project hydrometallurgical plant.

The Nolans project in Australia will encompass a mine, process plant (comprising beneficiation, extraction and separation plants) and related infrastructure to be constructed and located at the Nolans site, 135 kilometers north of Alice Springs in Australias Northern Territory.

The project is underpinned by low-risk mineral resources that have the potential to supply a significant proportion of the worlds NdPr demand, according to the company. It is a globally significant and strategic NdPr project which, if developed, could become a major supplier of these critical minerals to the high-performance NdFeB permanent magnet market.

The projects cornerstone asset is the Nolans Bore rare earths-phosphate-uranium-thorium (REE-P-U-Th) deposit, one of the largest and most intensively explored deposits of its kind in the world. The deposit contains a JORC 2012-compliant Mineral Resources of 56 million tonnes at an average grade of 2.6% total rare earth oxides (TREO) and 11% phosphate (P 2 O 5 ) that extends to 215 meters below the surface. Two-thirds of the contained rare earths are in high confidence Measured and Indicated resources.





Mineral resources at Nolans.

The most abundant rare earth-bearing minerals at Nolans Bore are apatite, monazite (both phosphate minerals) and allanite (a silicate mineral). These mineral species present a highly desirable rare earth mix at Nolans Bore, with 26.4% of the mix represented by NdPr.

Open-cut mining will selectively target phosphate-rich material types in seven pit stages over the life of mine with ore being fed to a single-stage crushing and milling circuit at the process plant approximately 8.5 kilometers south of the mine.

Milled ore will initially be processed using flotation. This reduces the mass for subsequent processing and produces a phosphate-rich, rare earth-bearing concentrate, as well as tailings. Tailings will be pumped to a Residue Storage Facility (RSF) for containment and long-term management.

The concentrate will be fed to an adjacent extraction plant, where it will be subjected to a number of hydrometallurgical processes including pre-leach, sulfation, water leach, precipitation, dissolution, and purification. The extraction plant will produce 144,000 tonnes of fertilizer-grade (54%) phosphoric acid each year as a by-product of the pre-leach process. This product is earmarked for export and direct sale. Waste streams, including gypsum, from extraction processing will be neutralized before being pumped to an RSF.

Rare earth chloride from the extraction plant will be further refined at an adjacent separation plant into two final rare earth products for export and sale: 4,440 tonnes per annum of NdPr oxide and 470 tonnes per year of a mixed middle-heavy rare earth (SEG/HRE) oxide.

Hatch was selected from three international engineering firms through a competitive process to ensure full project understanding, cost assessment, and risk and liability management.

This next phase of the project will see front end engineering design (FEED) works completed over the next 9 months to advance engineering and equipment procurement. The resul t of this work will allow thecompany to tender a fixed price construction contract which will be the basis of making a Final Investment Decision (FID) in the second half of 2022.

In parallel, the Integrated Project Management Team, with KBR Pty Ltd and Wave International, will progress the remainder of the project as the Company prepares for a Nolans Final Investment Decision (FID), with work including:

Incorporating best practice ESG measures to ensure we meet our commitments to our global customers;

Scoping the Beneficiation Plant and Sulfuric Acid Plant which will be tendered as fixed price Engineering, Procurement and Construction contracts concurrently with the hydrometallurgical plant construction tender;

Ensuring all early works construction is ready for tendering concurrently with the hydrometallurgical plant construction tender;

Completing detailed mine design for the initial mining period to allow for tendering of the contract mining services following FID; and

Updating the overall project control budget and schedule to reflect the final design and tender submissions and to support FID.

Roskill observes that despite the potential, challenges associated with the rare earth mineralization and project funding remain, with the project requiring an estimated initial capital of US$768 million for development and commissioning.

In 2021, it is estimated that China will account for 57% of mined supply and 84% of refined production of rare earths. This has encouraged governments around the world to establish secure supply chains for critical raw materials. Despite the work to diversify the supply chain, particularly at the mined supply stage, Roskill believes refined supply and subsequent downstream processing will remain China-centred.
Construction of the first stage of the Saskatchewan Research Councils (SRC) Rare Earth Processing Facility, which includes a Monazite Processing Unit (MPU) and a Solvent Extraction Unit (SXU), is underway The facility will be the first of its kind in Canada.

In August 2020, the Government of Saskatchewan announced $31 million in funding for the facility.

The conversion of REE ore to individual REE products is done in two main stages. The first is the concentration of ore to mixed REE Carbonate. The second is the more complex separation stage that converts the mixed REE Carbonate to commercial pure-grade REEs. The facility will address both stages of REE processing.

A private sector landlord is handling the construction of the building in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, which will be leased to SRC. SRC is continuing to make progress with the facilitys design and the procurement of the highly specialized plant equipment.

The MPU is expected to be operational ahead of schedule, in early 2023. The fully-integrated Facility is expected to be operational by mid-2024.

In July 2021, SRC procured up to 800 tonnes of monazite concentrate from Industrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB), S.A., in Brazil from their mine and processing facility. The monazite concentrate will arrive at SRC in the spring of 2022 and will be used as a feedstock for the MPU, once operational.

SRC continues to source additional preconcentrated monazite globally prior to the MPU commissioning. SRCs Facility will require 3,000 tonnes per year of monazite concentrate on a 90 per cent basis (equivalent to 60% Total Rare Earth Oxide). However, SRC would like to secure a stockpile of feed in advance of commissioning.

SRC is Canadas second largest research and technology organization.
To come up with a list of the top 10 rock concerts in Connecticut history, you have to cast your mind back through thousands of glory days and glory nights at the states many and varied venues, from the intimacy of Toads Place to the Yale Bowl and that universitys stone-columned Woolsey Hall. As the rock music critic for the New Haven Register during much of those fabled times, I got the chance to see six of the shows on my list and seven of the 10 runners-up. My ears are still ringing! Youll be able to read about the Toads shows in much greater detail in the forthcoming book, The Legendary Toads Place: Stories from New Havens Famed Music Venue (Globe Pequot Press, Oct. 1), which I co-wrote with the clubs longtime owner-manager Brian Phelps.

Original article: Looking back at the greatest rock concerts in Connecticut history
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  A former Marine sharpshooter accused of invading the home of apparent strangers in Florida and fatally shooting a woman, her 3-month-old baby and two others was ordered held without bail during his first court appearance Monday.

Authorities did not give a motive for the grisly attack, but they said Bryan Riley may have a mental illness and that he told investigators said he was high on methamphetamines at the time. His girlfriend said had been saying for weeks that he could communicate directly with God.

At this court appearance Monday, Riley, 33, said that he intended to hire a lawyer, but one will be appointed for him in the meantime.

Riley surrendered on Sunday morning after a furious gunbattle with authorities who brought in at least one armored vehicle during their standoff. After it was over, an officer rushed into the home and rescued an 11-year-old girl, who was still conscious despite being shot seven times. She was in critical condition on Monday, the sheriff's office said.

According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Riley told interrogators that the victims begged for their lives, and I killed them anyway.

Judd said Riley told detectives, You know why I did this. But Brian Haas, the local prosecutor, said investigators dont.

The big question that all of us has is, Why? Haas said. We will not know today or maybe ever.

On Saturday evening, hours before the attack began, Riley stopped by the victims' home in Lakeland, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from Tampa, where he lives, Judd said. Authorities have found no connection between Riley and the victims.

At the time, Justice Gleason, 40, was outside mowing his lawn, and Riley told him that God had sent him there to prevent a suicide by someone named Amber. Gleason and another person Judd described as one of the victims told Riley no one by that name lived at the house and told him to leave. They called the police, but when authorities arrived, Riley was gone.

Riley returned around 4:30 a.m. Sunday, arranging glowsticks to create a path leading to the house in what Judd said may have been an attempt to draw officers into an ambush.

Shooting began shortly thereafter  and when an officer in the area heard popping noises, he sounded the alarm, bringing state and local law enforcement officers to the scene. When the first ones arrived, they found an apparently unarmed Riley outside, dressed in camouflage, and his truck ablaze.

But Riley then ran back into the house, where authorities heard more gunfire, a woman scream and a baby whimper, Judd said.

Officers tried to enter the house, but the front door was barricaded. Judd said when they went around to the back, they saw Riley, who appeared to have on full body armor.

Riley and the officers exchanged heavy gunfire, with dozens if not hundreds of rounds fired, before Riley retreated back into the home, Judd said.

Everything fell silent, until a helicopter unit noticed that Riley was coming out, the sheriff said. He had been shot once and was ready to surrender. Authorities did not say where he was shot.

Officers heard cries for help inside the home but were unsure whether there were additional shooters and feared the home was booby-trapped. Still, one officer rushed in and grabbed the wounded girl, who told authorities there were three dead people inside.

Officers sent robots into the home to check for explosives and other traps. They eventually found the bodies of Gleason; a 33-year-old woman; and her baby. The babys 62-year-old grandmother was found was in another home on the property. It's not clear when she was shot.

Authorities released only Gleasons name, and did not say if or how he was related to the other victims, but on a Facebook page for a woman who identified herself as Gleason's girlfriend, friends posted comments lamenting her death. From the page, it was evident that she recently had a baby.

Pansy Mincey Smith, who told The Ledger that she went to school with Gleasons father, said that the last time she saw the younger man he had just had a baby.

RIP Justice Gleason. The last time I saw you, you were getting on the elevator at the hospital, Smith wrote on Facebook. You were smiling from ear to ear about your new little baby boy, you had that big teddy bear for him. This is so heartbreaking, son.

The sheriff's office declined to say how many times the victims had been shot, but said they had all been huddling in fear, with the boy dying in his mother's arms. Even the family dog was shot to death.

Authorities said Riley's girlfriend told investigators he was never violent but had become increasingly erratic. She said he claimed to be on mission from God, stockpiling supplies for Hurricane Ida victims including $1,000 worth of cigars.

Riley's vehicle had also been stocked with bleeding control kits and other supplies for a gunfight, authorities said.

He worked as a private security guard and had no criminal history, the sheriff said.

Prior to this morning, this guy was a war hero. He fought for his country in Afghanistan and Iraq, said Judd. And this morning hes a cold-blooded killer.

While being treated at the hospital, Riley remained aggressive, at one point trying to grab an officers gun. He was ultimately tied down and medicated.

Officers took Riley to jail in a white jumpsuit later Sunday. He appeared downcast, hanging his head and hardly opening his eyes, as reporters asked why he killed the family.

___

Associated Press reporter Kelli Kennedy contributed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Barrie Rein Thunemann was a spiritual seeker for decades, looking for a deep Jewish spirituality guided by socially liberal ethics. It took the pandemic for her to find it.

Thunemann, 52, once lived in an ashram - or spiritual retreat center - and years later tried to start a havurah, or lay-led Jewish community, outside Seattle. But logistics like commuting and the rush of parenting two kids got in the way of finding something that felt right.

Suddenly, in March 2020, Thunemann, a childbirth educator - she specializes in helping people who have had difficult birth experiences - was stuck at home, where life shrank and slowed. The circumstances proved fertile. Thunemann began connecting with Talmud study groups on Facebook; taking a course exploring 10th-century Jewish ethics on Zoom; stopping driving and using technology on the Sabbath and, perhaps most importantly, launching a small, monthly women's group centered on the moon, the Jewish calendar and ancient Jewish beliefs about natural cycles and patterns. The Hebrew Bible establishes the Jewish calendar as based on the moon and calls for Jews to celebrate the new moon each month. The practice is called Rosh Chodesh (or "new month," or "head of the month").

"My spirituality has increased hundreds-fold because of the pandemic, because everything under the sun became accessible online. If it wasn't for the pandemic I wouldn't have had the opportunity to turn inward as much as I did and slow down," she said, her voice breaking. "It helped me to prioritize the things that really were the most important to me in my heart. It changed my journey."

For millions of Americans, the coronavirus pandemic has changed the course of their spiritual journeys. Some have shut off completely, questioning their faith beliefs and practices, while others have maintained a steady connection to their regular religious communities or routines, more often online than in person. Still others have dove into new, deep religiosities.

For some Jews, the arrival this month of another Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - the second time these holidays have been observed during the pandemic  offers concrete evidence that this period has changed them.

Thunemann's newfound focus on the cycles of the moon means a different way of observing Rosh Hashanah, which stretches from Monday at sundown to Wednesday and marks the beginning of the Jewish calendar year. It's one of the most common times of the year when U.S. Jews attend synagogue. Going to services used to be the main way Thunemann observed the holiday, which calls for self-reflection, repentance and betterment. This year, her observance centers on her Rosh Chodesh women's group, and she will virtually join a new synagogue, where she recently became a member, that focuses on meditation.

The group of eight spread across the western United States gathered Thursday on Zoom, where for 90 minutes they discussed the specific spiritual energy of the new month, called Tishrei, lit candles, and talked about how Judaism discusses infertility. They tied the topic to the holiday since the new year is a time when Jews are called to think more about their goals, and for some expanding their family is part of that.

Research about the impacts of the pandemic on religious and spiritual life in America is still evolving. At The Well, the Washington, D.C.-based group that organizes small Rosh Chodesh groups like Thunemann's, found that the pandemic magnified interest in environmental-based spiritual practices that already existed. The number of women contacting the group since March 2020 has multiplied 30 times, said Sarah Waxman, At The Well's founder and a member of a Rosh Chodesh group for more than five years. There are at least 230 "Well Circles" across the globe, she said, with the pandemic significantly expanding participants from mostly millennials to many women over 45.

"I never considered doing women's circles online before the pandemic," Waxman said. "I thought the richness of it and the energy of being together with other people meant you really needed to be together in person. I was wrong and blown away that you don't need to do that. People are looking for spirituality, belonging and connection like never before."

During the pandemic Waxman saw some in-person circles disband because people moved, but then even more would come together as people became more open to doing it online. Some are just coming together in person this fall because of vaccinations and are marking Tishrei, the first month of the Jewish year, which includes Rosh Hashanah and means "new year" or "head of the year."

Nicole Quallen, 37, a lawyer in Durham, N.C., couldn't imagine what her monthly Well Circle would feel like online. Her group of about a dozen women started up in March 2019 with what she describes as an explosion of "wine and glitter and candles" all over the hostess's house. "This circle is an embarrassment of specialness."

Being together in person in a women-led, women-only group, connecting intensely through prayer and practices that are ancient, she said, is part of what helped her see how Judaism "can continue to be relevant and fruitful and alive and frankly female, feminine."

The group had seen her through a divorce, through others' marriages, miscarriages and fertility issues. When someone was going to give birth, "we'd wrap her in prayer and love and witchiness."

But when the pandemic started and everything went online, giving up the group wasn't an option, she said, even though she doesn't like Zoom and doesn't do it with other friends. Now online, they plan spiritual practices for the group and drop things off at one another's homes to use during the circles, such as pastel crayons for coloring, face masks or copies of books to discuss.

"The digital circles were very comforting, especially when things were very scary and very isolated," Quallen said.

The pandemic, she said, revealed to her that the Well Circle was not really an add-on to traditional things she'd done such as attend synagogue; it was her primary Jewish community.

When it comes to Rosh Hashanah, while in the past she would have attended synagogue services, this year she'll probably take her two small daughters to an outdoor shofar-blowing event and on Sept. 12 mark the new year and new month with her Well Circle at a fireside discussion.

"During the pandemic the Rosh Chodesh group was a very special, safe, supportive place to continue to have spiritual connection and community," she said. "After the pandemic some of the more traditional rabbi-congregation-based things will probably continue to be a part of my life in different seasons but the spiritual sustenance of the group feels more rich and immediately nourishing."

Kara McGee, who lives in Temecula, Calif., says the pandemic and being able to go online "was a game-changer" for her faith.

The Jewish community where she lives is very small, she said, and divided further among multiple synagogues. The period of the pandemic was also politically divisive, including at the school district where she works as risk management director. She was already comfortable with spiritual work online because she is studying for an adult bat mitzvah with a rabbi in Colorado, so when she heard about a totally virtual Rosh Chodesh group, she thought: "This is going to be Jewish, positive, and we aren't going to talk about" petty disagreements like those she sometimes saw at her local synagogue.

She began attending a synagogue online in New York City and her bat mitzvah rabbi's services in Denver. She also badly wanted something healing during the pandemic and always was drawn to spiritualities that were nature-based and women-centered.

The virtual At The Well circle she joined a year ago "is like oxygen. I don't know if I could have done the pandemic without it." She has started another one, in person, in Temecula.

McGee is also attending two Well groups and not attending synagogue for Rosh Hashanah. She also hopes to participate in one of the outside aspects of the holiday, such as a practice called Tashlich, which involves prayers and casting sins and apologies into a moving body of water in the form of breadcrumbs. And, of course, listening to the shofar being blown.

It's not that traditional, in-person Jewish practices don't hold meaning, she said. She recently attended a small bar mitzvah at a synagogue.

"It was emotional to be in front of the Torah again. And to hold it. I don't think online will ever replace in person but it's definitely supplementing it," she said.
In collaboration with the American Medical Center, the Guam Department of Education will be hosting a Covid-19 Vaccination Outreach on Sept. 18 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Tiyan High School gymnasium. This outreach is available to students 12 years or older. For information, email info@gdoe.net.
Guams Mary Therese Perez Hattori, interim director of the Pacific Islands Development Program, will be participating in a deep-dive conversation about art, identity and activism in an online conversation this week.

The free event, which takes place from 2-3:30 p.m. Sept. 9, is sponsored by Hawaii Council for the Humanities and The Value of Hawaii: Hulihia.

Facilitators Mara Mahoney and Seru Taguvakatini will be leading the presentation with Hattori, a CHamoru author, poet, public speaker, philanthropist, community organizer and advocate for Pacific islanders in Hawaii.

The conversation will be based on Hattoris essay, We Are Art, which was published in The Value of Hawaii 3: Hulihia.

Our creative expression communicates Indigenous wisdom to diverse communities, celebrates the best elements of our cultures, and helps us connect to other native peoples with spiritual affinities and shared values, Hattori wrote in her essay.

Doing what is best for the collective rather than the individual, respect for elders, living in harmony with the natural world  these are life-affirming, value-generating customs of Pacific Island heritage that could mitigate the societal problems we are currently facing.

During the event, Hattori will discuss what changes when you get the chance to tell your life story in your own words.

The event is one in a series of Try Think: Hulihia events sponsored by the Hawaii Council for the Humanities and The Value of Hawaii: Hulihia. The series provides an opportunity for small groups of diverse voices from across the islands can speak, be heard and connect.

Go to hihumanities.org/what-we-do/try-think/try-thinkhulihia/ for more information about the series.
The University of Guam Calvo Field House clinic has reopened to meet increased demand for COVID-19 shots following the governors order requiring vaccine proof for some business patrons and employees.

The clinic reopened on Saturday after a recent federal extension of Guam National Guards orders, and it will help relieve the long lines at the Micronesia Mall.

Two weeks ago, there was a surge of people who went to the mall clinic to get their first shot of the vaccine to meet the requirement in the executive order, said Guam National Guard Task Force 671 medical commander Capt. Denise Chargualaf.

The Field House clinic will help process that same large number of people who will return for their second dose on Sept. 13. The clinic was also set up in anticipation of booster shots.

It is another reason why we wanted to stand up this space, just because the mall was definitely not an environment conducive for that, Chargualaf said.

On Saturday, there were 330 who showed up for a shot, while on Monday the number dropped to about 230. Chargualaf said fewer people came because of the Labor Day holiday.

Matthias Borg, a member of AmeriCorps Guam UOG Branch, who was helping people who had been vaccinated in the waiting area, also served at the Field House clinic when it first opened in February.

A change he noticed after reopening on Saturday was a rush of people getting vaccinated when the clinic opens in the morning and fewer people coming in the afternoon.

Nick Capule, 32, from Chalan Pago, went to the clinic after he learned about the vaccine mandate so he could get his first shot of the Pfizer vaccine.

He said he decided to set up an appointment to receive a shot after learning about the mandate.

The majority of the reason is the governor passed that law that you need a vaccine to go to certain areas. Its going to be quite difficult, especially when I have a grandmother Im taking care of and she likes to go out a lot, Capule said.

He believes it should be peoples choice to get vaccinated or not, but said, looking at the bigger picture we might want to prepare ourselves and the whole island and everybody for their future. There are probably good reasons why they are doing this.

Capule said he also wants to show his relatives, who may be afraid to get vaccinated, that the shots are safe.

We urge the community to come out and get vaccinated. Its to help prevent any complications of the disease. There are test sites available. There are vaccination sites available, said Army nurse and Guam Memorial Hospital health supervisor Maj. Roseann Apuron.

The UOG clinic will be open for walk-ins and appointments from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday. You can make an appointment at tinyurl.com/vaxguam to expedite the process. Please bring your appointment confirmation and proof of identity.
A Now Hiring sign at a business in Richmond, Va., Wednesday, June 2, 2021. U.S. employers posted a record 10.1 million job openings in June, another sign that the job market and economy are bouncing back briskly from last years coronavirus shutdowns. The Labor Department reported Monday, Aug. 9, 2021 that job openings rose from 9.5 million in May.
Batesville, AR (72501)

Today

Partly cloudy with afternoon showers or thunderstorms. High around 85F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.




Haiti - Religion : Islam is progressing in Haiti and begins to appear in DR





Academic and international relations expert Ivan Ernesto Gaton, said there is a significant presence of Islam in Haiti that is beginning to appear in the Dominican Republic.



"Haiti has about 40 mosques and some of them with funding over $ 100,000 that comes from extremist groups, 10 to 15% are radicalized [...]", said Gaton in an interview on ColorVision (channel 9) in Dominican Republic.



According to some estimates there are at least 5,000 Haitians who have converted to Islam in the past 20 years in Haiti. In 2016, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship officially listed 36 mosques and around 50 Koranic schools.



The academic pointed out that young Dominicans, including women, were discovering Islam in universities, stressing "[...] You go to San Jose de los Llanos, to San Pedro de Macoris and you will find a mosque". According to estimates there are nearly a thousand Muslims in Dominican territory.



Ivan Gaton explains that in the face of Islamism in the Caribbean and Latin America, the American authorities and other strategic experts in the United States have expressed their concern about the risk of radicalization of some converts recalling in other than "[...] ISIS (Islamic State) was providing sniper training in Trinidad and Tobago; that one of the terrorists who was part of the attack in Bali, Indonesia, in 2002 where more than 200 people died, was Ali Imron a teacher at a primary school in Suriname [...] one of those involved in the John F. Kennedy airport bombing in New York was a former member of Congress from Guyana [..]; One of the terrorists involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States passed through Haiti and left through the Dominican Republic. "



Adding "Islam is the fastest growing religion" recalling that besides the Caribbean, "[...] in Latin America, Islam continues to grow in Brazil, Argentina and Chile."



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-3969-haiti-security-ten-pakistanis-arrested-in-artibonite.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-1350-haiti-religionthe-haitian-muslim-community-rebuild-their-mosques.html



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Earthquake : The Minister of Health on assessment tour in the South





Marie Greta Roy Clement, the Minister of Public Health, her Director General Dr Laure Adrien and several executives of the Ministry made a 3-day tour in the south of the country to assess the damage caused by the earthquake of August 14 to several health infrastructures in Nippes and the South.



These assessments will allow the Ministry to know which health institutions need to be repaired and which need to be demolished to rebuild them. The Minister of Health took the opportunity to meet the health directors of these departments as well as the heads of health establishments to assess the lack of health personnel, equipment and medical supplies so that the Ministry can continue to reinforce them.



In the department of Nippes, Minister Clement and her team visited health establishments in the towns of Miragoane, Anse-a-Veau, Ano and L'Asil.



In the South department, the delegation visited health establishments in the towns of Les Cayes, Coteaux, Port-Salut, Port-a-Piment and Aquin. Assessment visits to health facilities in the department of Grand'Anse are scheduled for the near future.







The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) which also participates in the post-earthquake assessment of health infrastructure in the 3 departments of Haiti (Grand'Anse, Nippes and South) severely affected by the major earthquake of magnitude 7.2 on the Richter scale, August 14, 2021 drew up a partial bian :



Of the 88 health infrastructures already assessed, 59 (67%) are affected of which 32 (54%) are damaged and 27 (46%) severely damaged and 29 are intact (32%)



Grand'Anse, 15 establishments affected :

 6 damaged

 9 severely damaged



Nippes - 7 establishments affected :

 5 damaged

 2 severely damaged



South - 37 establishments affected :

 21 damaged

 16 severely damaged



The assessment is continuing...



Read also about the earthquake :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34639-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34600-haiti-flash-post-earthquake-situation-report-partial-assessment.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34586-haiti-earthquake-550-churches-and-more-than-400-catholic-and-protestant-schools-destroyed.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34559-haiti-flash-the-death-toll-rises-to-2-207-dead-and-12-268-injured.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34554-icihaiti-earthquake-the-army-to-protect-humanitarian-convoys.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34551-haiti-earthquakethe-ccrif-will-pay-nearly-$40m-compensation-to-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34545-haiti-earthquake-the-private-sector-is-mobilizing-to-come-to-the-aid-of-the-victims.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34543-haiti-flash-at-least-266-national-schools-damaged-or-destroyed.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34540-haiti-earthquake-the-international-community-continues-to-mobilize.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34538-haiti-flash-at-least-3-aftershocks-between-47-and-51-in-48-hours.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34537-haiti-earthquake-more-than-half-of-churches-are-destroyed.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34525-haiti-flash-the-toll-is-growing-nearly-15-000-victims-partial-assessment.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34522-haiti-humanitarian-update-on-international-aid.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34520-haiti-unicef-nearly-540-000-children-in-haiti-were-affected-by-the-earthquake.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34516-haiti-flash-nearly-2-000-dead-and-10-000-injured-partial-assessment.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34512-haiti-earthquake-rain-of-messages-of-sympathy-part-2.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34509-haiti-earthquake-mexico-chile-taiwan-japan-venezuela-international-aid-is-coming.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34507-haiti-flash-1-417-dead-6-975-injured-84-225-houses-destroyed-or-damaged-partial-assessment.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34501-icihaiti-earthquake-food-for-the-poor-in-action.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34500-haiti-usa-american-aid-arrives-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34498-haiti-flash-the-partial-death-toll-increases-nearly-1-300-dead-and-5-700-injured.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34496-haiti-flash-the-toll-is-increasing-724-dead-international-aid-is-arriving.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34493-haiti-earthquake-rain-of-messages-of-sympathy-part-1.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34492-haiti-earthquake-the-international-community-has-started-to-show-its-solidarity.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34488-haiti-flash-more-than-300-dead-nearly-2-000-injured-very-significant-material-damage-provisional-assessment.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34487-haiti-flash-the-human-toll-promises-to-be-heavy-already-227-dead-and-hundreds-injured.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34486-haiti-flash-7-new-aftershocks-in-the-southern-peninsula.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34480-haiti-flash-second-earthquake-in-haiti-magnitude-52.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34479-haiti-flash-magnitude-72-earthquake-in-the-nippes-updated-10am.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















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Sources from within the democratic council of Syria told our agency that a delegation from the Syrian Democratic Council would soon visit both the United States and Russia to meet with officials in the two countries.

The source did not discuss the agenda of the Delegation of the Council to the United States and Russia, but the meetings would be addressed in the recent developments in the region and the situation in Syria and ways of solution, as well as relations with Autonomous Administration and the Turkish occupation attacks on regions north and eastern Syria.

The visit comes ahead of an expected meeting, brings both of the Middle East and North Africa official at the US National Security Council, Bret McGgork, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Verschenin and Russian President for Syria Alexander Lafrantev.

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Appointment

6 September 2021

Following the recent appointment of global hotelier Mr. Roberto Pelliccia as Vice President of Development and Operations - Asia & Africa, Mr. Sarbendra Sarkar, Founder and Managing Director of Cygnett Hotels & Resorts Group is delighted to announce the appointment of another veteran and well-known professional Mr. Amir Ahmad Mohamad as Director - Development - Vietnam and welcomes him to his executive team.

Amir is an accomplished hotelier who holds a master's degree in Hospitality Management and brings with him over 30 years of experience in the travel, tourism and hospitality industries across the ASEAN region.

His various achievements have earned him numerous prestigious individual and professional awards, for and on behalf of the properties he managed, including the American Express Service Excellence Award, Mayors Commendation Awards, Ministerial Award from the Minister of Culture Sports, Tourism and the Hospitality Superstar Award from Asia Pacific Tourism & Travel Federation.

Besides his professional responsibilities, Amir dedicates much of his free time in voluntary social works in Vietnam and Indonesia. He has authored and published a book for young hoteliers and aspiring future industry's key players, which has been very well received in Vietnam's progressively growing hospitality industry at large, and he is currently working on his 2nd book which is expected to be released before the end of this year.

Based in Ho Chi Minh, in his role Amir leads the business development across Vietnam and is responsible to spearhead and increase Cygnett Hotels & Resorts footprint in the country.

Currently the group manages and operates - under 11 distinctively different brands, that cater for a wide spectrum of different clientele, business partners and owners' needs, over 1500 keys across 33 locations in India and Nepal, including 15 in pre-opening, and is actively working on opportunities to establish its presence in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Cygnett is a tech savvy hotel company evolved as an aggrandized hospitality group with its powerful multi- brand portfolio, delivering Cygnetture experience through constant innovation while expanding boundaries.
Appointment

6 September 2021

Singapore - Award-winning strategy, branding and design firm EDG Design has appointed Robert Shen as Managing Director and Partner to bolster their senior leadership team in Singapore. As a trained architect, Robert has over 25 years of design, management and business development experience across luxury and boutique hospitality, F&B, residential and retail sectors. Robert has worked with hundreds of owners and developers around the world and brings extensive international experience to the EDG team. Having developed reliable and trustworthy partnerships with leading hotel brands such as Hilton, Hyatt, Accor, Marriott, IHG, Four Seasons and Shangri-La, as well as independent operators including City of Dreams, Sands and Armani Hotels, Robert's affinity for strategic thinking and business acumen, coupled with his refreshing Californian approach, places him in the ideal position to lead EDG Design into its next chapter. Robert will be taking over the reins from Michael Goodman, who is leaving to pursue his long-held passion in F&B development and ownership.

Working alongside Rob is EDG's senior leadership team, comprised of Principal and Creative Director Piya Thamachariyawat, Design Director Simon McDonald, and Senior Creative Strategist Sam Sheldon. Known for her innovative and richly layered, emotive designs, Piya has been with the company for over 20 years and manages the conceptual direction for all projects. Sam heads up EDG's in-house branding and strategy studio, Catalyst, and as a professionally trained chef and former hospitality analyst with HVS, he combines quantitative, research-based analysis with creative, strategic planning to provide innovative, market-driven F&B solutions. EDG's combination of strategic concepts and branding, coupled with their signature of bespoke, narrative-driven interiors has resulted in multiple awards and accolades, most recently with the openings of The Chinese National in Jakarta and Firangi Superstar in Singapore.
Press Release

6 September 2021

Lausanne  Committed to embrace diversity and foster inclusion among its community, EHL Group dusts off its historical dress code and introduces a new Guide for Professional Appearance that complies with industry requirements, while enabling students and staff members to express their personalities and individual identities.

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Learning real-world applications on campus

The famous EHL dress code has been a fundamental element of the institution since its creation in 1893. Of course, the dress code has always evolved over time in order to remain as close as possible to the expectations of society and the industry. With the new Guide for Professional Appearance, one essential element has remained: the establishment of an educational tool, a framework, that aims to support the development of soft skills and knowhow by applying the standards of a professional environment on campus.

Learning is also a social and experiential process at EHL, where education goals are defined in- and outside of the classroom. In opposition to strict uniforms, the Guide for Professional Appearance is an extracurricular learning activity that enables a tangible demonstration and practice of life skills.

Being the best version of yourself implies staying true to yourself

Among the main new features, the Guide for Professional Appearance is now inclusive of cultural and religious diversities which means that the wearing of religious symbols (such as Christian medals, headscarves, kippahs, turbans, etc.) is now accepted on EHLs campuses in Switzerland and in Singapore. Another notable new feature, the Guide for Professional Appearance is now gender neutral which concretely means that EHL will no longer make any distinction based on a binary view, between a dress code for men and a dress code for women and thus, the wearing of a tie is no longer mandatory.

In order to rethink this iconic educational tool in an inclusive and benevolent manner, the institution has surrounded itself with experts from the associative world such as Transgender Network Switzerland (TGNS).

"With over 120 nationalities among our students, offices around the world and a brand new campus in Singapore, it seemed obvious to us to implement more inclusive standards for our community so that everyone can express their choice of style and live their identity to the fullest. Within an established framework, our staff members and the future managers we train are now invited to self-reflect on the most appropriate manner of presentation, which is a great pedagogical exercise. enthuses Prof. Michel Rochat, CEO of EHL Group.
Press Release

6 September 2021

Universal Studios Debuts in China

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On 1 September 2021, Universal Studios first theme park in China had a soft opening. Located in Beijing, the park hosts several rides inspired by blockbuster Universal films franchises, such as Harry Potter and Jurassic World, and includes two hotels and a shopping street. The Universal Studios Grand Hotel is the world's first Universal-themed hotel and comprises 800 rooms and suites, including a few family-friendly themed accommodations. The NUO Resort Hotel is the country's first homegrown luxury hotel brand and features 400 rooms and suites. The park features water shows and animatronic characters, along with facial recognition technologies that allow visitors to open lockers, pay for meals, and join express queues without the need for a physical ticket. With the official opening date set for 20 September 2021, the park is expected to see a surge of visitors in October, due to the upcoming week-long National Holidays, paired with the pent-up tourism demand from the COVID-19 lockdowns that marred the summer holidays. The state media reported that searches for the theme park on the Ctrip booking site have soared by more than 800% since the opening date was announced. Universal Studios Beijing is Universals fifth park globally, with other parks in Singapore, Japan, and the United States.

Con Dao Airport in Vietnam to be Expanded

The Transport Ministry of Vietnam has approved an upgrade for the Con Dao Airport located in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau. First built by the French in the 20th century and upgraded in 2003 for commercial use, the airport currently handles smaller aircraft with a capacity of 72 to 78 passengers and is unable to operate at night due to the absence of a runway lighting system. The new upgrade will increase the 1,830-metre-long runway's width from 30 to 45 metres to receive larger aircraft. A parallel taxiway and three new taxiways connected with the runway will also be built to improve the airport capacity. Other improvements will include a new passenger terminal, cargo terminal, an apron for eight aircraft, an air traffic control tower, a synchronous airport beacon system and a landing gear system. Once fully completed, it is expected to increase its current capacity of 400,000 to two million passengers a year in 2030. Currently, Vietnam Air Services Company, and Bamboo Airways are the only two carriers operating regular flights to the island.

Cambodias Mondulkiri Tourism Plan for 2021 to 2035 Approved

The Cambodian government has approved the draft Mondulkiri Tourism Development Master Plan 2021-2035. This comes amidst a wider initiative to attract about three million domestic and international tourists annually to the regional biodiverse powerhouse in northeastern Cambodia. Mondulkiri is expected to receive 900,000 foreign tourists and two million domestic tourists by 2035, while also creating 80,000 jobs and generating USD500 million direct income and USD1 billion indirect income. Currently, about 1,200 hotels and guesthouses operate in the province. This master plan will complement a 2021-2025 three-phased national tourism roadmap and a 2021-2035 Siem Reap provincial tourism development master plan to map the sectors emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic and support its recovery. The government has also agreed to designate Mondulkiri as an international eco-tourism destination and a major supplier of flowers, meat, and agriculture. The six key priorities set forth in the master plan includes the natural eco-tourism areas and corridors of the five wildlife sanctuaries; the Bou Sra-Dak Dam Cultural and Ecotourism Corridor; the provincial capital Sen Monorom town; and the development of a regional-level airport in ORaing district. Meanwhile, the aforementioned USD80 million airport will be built on a 300-hectare site and is slated to break ground next year.

Malaysias Terengganu Reopens Tourism Sector on 1 September

Malaysias Terengganu tourism sector has officially opened on 1 September 2021 to individuals who are fully vaccinated. State Tourism, Culture and Digital Technology Committee chairman, Ariffin Deraman, said that this reopening included popular island resorts such as Pulau Kapas in Marang, Pulau Redang in Kuala Nerus, Pulau Tenggol off Dungun and Tasik Kenyir located in Hulu Terengganu. With the tourism sector reopening, activities such as snorkeling and diving will be allowed, under the conditions that the domestic tourists are fully inoculated and adhere to public health protocols relating to COVID-19 prevention. Furthermore, accommodation services like lodges, home stays and hotels are also allowed to operate while large-crowd destinations like zoos, museums, theme parks and art galleries remain closed. Excluded from the reopening is Pulau Perhentian as COVID-19 cases were detected on the island. Meanwhile, Terengganu was third in average hotel occupancy for the first half of 2021, after Sarawak and Perlis. Terengganu registered an average occupancy rate of 35%, trailing behind Sarawak (62%) and Perlis (42%).
Press Release

6 September 2021

Recharge your batteries and soak up the sunshine with our roundup of top European coastal walks, as endorsed by our travelers. For the whopping 83%* of travelers who consider beautiful natural scenery to be an important factor when deciding on a vacation destination, as it becomes safe to do so again, these seaside destinations offer plenty of revitalizing fresh air and open spaces. From quaint seaside towns, to soaring clifftops, to historic promenades, there is something for every type of walker.

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With a magnificent coastline and impressive beaches, Nice is full of coastal walks just waiting to be explored. One of the most recommended footpaths is the Cap de Nice, which leads to the charming fishing village of Villefranche sur Mer. This trail is easy to follow, consists of rocky beaches and coves offering a perfect picnic spot and includes many spots for swimming and sunbathing.

Hotel Suisse  Photo: Booking.com

Hotel Suisse  Photo: Booking.com

Where to stay: Set on the spectacular seafront in Nices Old Town, the elegant Hotel Suisse - partnered with a local private beach - boasts a bar, lounge area and rooms with balconies offering panoramic sea views.

Situated on the Baltic coast, this beautiful metropolis is one of Polands oldest cities. Travelers can hike up the Vistula Spit and admire the wide beaches from the side shore of Gdansk Bay, or cross forests and fields in the Tricity region.

Navy Group - Willa Marina  Photo: Booking.com

Navy Group - Willa Marina  Photo: Booking.com

Where to stay: Located right on the beachfront and surrounded by restaurants and bars, Navy Group - Willa Marina features spacious rooms with a bright and colorful interior. There is also a cozy tavern that offers Polish, as well as international cuisine.

This delightful resort town has many walking routes, notably the Bournemouth coastal path which leads you along the Dorset and Hampshire coastline. You can marvel at the cliff tops and visit the gorgeous nature reserves at Studland and Hengistbury Head, where there is a variety of coastal birdlife.

Westcliff Penthouse  Photo: Booking.com

Westcliff Penthouse  Photo: Booking.com

Where to stay: The well-equipped, modern Westcliff Penthouse has a large terrace overlooking the sea. West Cliff Lift, just a short stroll away, takes you from the beach up to the top of the cliffs, where you can soak up the stunning coastline views  perfect if youve exhausted your energy after all those walks!

San Sebastian offers 55 fantastic hiking excursions, surrounded by green mountains and sea, leading to the most picturesque villages. Put on your walking shoes and journey from San Sebastian to the neighboring Pasajes de San Juan, where you can enjoy lunch and a fabuous view.

Lasala Plaza Hotel  Photo: Booking.com

Lasala Plaza Hotel  Photo: Booking.com

Where to stay: Located in the heart of San Sebastian, the luxurious Lasala Plaza Hotel has tastefully decorated rooms, a restaurant serving Basque cuisine and an outdoor swimming pool. Guests can watch the sun rise over the picturesque harbor and beach as they get ready for a day of hiking ahead.

This resort city stretches along the Black Sea coast, with numerous parks, stunning beaches and pine trees. Enjoy a walk along the Olympic waterfront that surrounds most of the Imereti Harbor, which provides a wonderful backdrop for your travel pics.

Bridge Resort  Photo: Booking.com

Bridge Resort  Photo: Booking.com

Where to stay: The stylish Bridge Resort includes a vast outdoor and indoor pool, several restaurants, a fitness centre and has various activities and facilities to keep the kids entertained.

*Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of 47,728 respondents across 28 markets (1,997 from USA, 1,987 from Canada, 1,999 from Mexico, 2,003 from Colombia, 1,996 from Brazil, 2,002 from Argentina, 1,994 from Australia, 985 from New Zealand, 1,993 from Spain, 1,993 from Italy, 1,993 from France, 1,984 from UK, 1,989 from Germany, 1,977 from Netherlands, 983 from Denmark, 986 from Sweden, 998 from Croatia, 1,997 from Russia, 999 from Israel, 1,997 from India, 1,992 from China, 991 from Hong Kong, 1,991 from Thailand, 1,977 from Singapore, 998 from Taiwan, 953 from Vietnam, 1,990 from South Korea, 1,987 from Japan). In order to participate in this survey, respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have traveled at least once in the past 12 months and be either the primary decision maker or involved in the decision making of their travel. The survey was taken online and took place in November 2020.
Press Release

6 September 2021

WASHINGTON - Roger W. Miles, chairman of the board of Miles Partnership, will be honored as the 2021 inductee into the U.S. Travel Association Hall of Leaders, the organization announced Friday.

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Distinguished individuals are named to U.S. Travels Hall of Leaders for sustained, noteworthy contributions that have positively impacted the travel industry and raised industry-wide standards.

With this induction, 103 travel industry luminaries have been named to the U.S. Travel Hall of Leaders since it was established in 1969.

Roger is a trailblazer whose ingenuity, creativity and business acumen shaped the modern-day field of destination marketing, inspiring countless visits to a host of American cities and travel businesses and sights, said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. He graciously shares his knowledge on place-based marketing and has contributed in meaningful ways to the success of every entity and leader that hes advised over the years.

Miles founded Miles Partnership in 1990. He leveraged his background in business and engineering to bring an analytics-driven approach to destination marketing, leading to the development and evolution of groundbreaking digital marketing strategies. Miles played an instrumental role in the creation and utility of destination travel websites.

Miles is also credited as a leading voice in evolving cooperative marketing models from media-driven display advertising into content-rich storytelling. Core to this approach was the creation of tangible assetsarticles, photos, videos and moreto help destination marketing organizations (DMOs) promote themselves to digital audiences. Miles was instrumental in developing programs that helped individual tourism businesses collaboratively market with local DMOs, and local DMOs partner with state tourism organizations. This approach also helped build out national programs in support of Brand USA.

Prior to founding Miles Partnership, Miles had more than 17 years of management experience in the publishing industry. He currently serves on the board of trustees of Thornton Academy in his hometown of Saco, Maine, and has held board and officer positions for numerous tourism-related startups and national trade associations, as well as chambers of commerce and convention and visitor bureaus.

Miles will be honored by the U.S. Travel board of directors at a dinner on November 17, 2021, during its fall meeting.

The 2020 inductees were Joe DAlessandro, president and CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association, and Ernest Wooden Jr., former president and CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board. A list of all previous Hall of Leaders honorees is available here.
Press Release

6 September 2021

The Arabian & African Hospitality Investment Conference (AHIC) returns to Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai live in person from 20-22 September 2021, bringing together four powerful, active investment communities from across the region.

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For the first time, AHIC 2021, organised by Bench and MEED, will house the four close-knit investment communities of the Arabian Hospitality Investment Conference (AHIC), Saudi Arabia Hospitality Investment Conference (SHIC), Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) and the Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF) under one roof.

United by the theme Rise Together, investors, owners, private equity firms, financiers, franchise owners, innovators, developers, and government entities will meet to network, share insights and do business, with the potential for partnerships greater than ever.

Jonathan Worsley, chairman of Bench and founder of AHIC, says: To be able to bring together these four major hospitality investment communities for the first time, at our first live, in person event for this sector in the Middle East and Africa post-pandemic, is truly special. We have created a robust buyer and seller platform teaming with opportunity and developed a unique programme inspired by the key themes of innovation, sustainability and the future. With less than a month until we kick-off AHIC 2021, we are now working closely with our moderators, speakers and sponsors to ensure we spark conversations that will help this resilient and innovative industry rise from this pandemic towards a bright, successful future, says Worsley.

The AHIC 2021 programme combines on-stage one-to-one interviews, roundtables, discussions and workshops with innovation pitches, off-stage individual meetings and networking experiences.

AHIC Intelligence

Many of these sessions will be underpinned by AHIC Intelligence, with industry data, insights and predictions for the regions pipeline, performance and profitability expected to be key. On day one on 20 September, Robin Rossman, managing director, STR, will present some of the key learnings from the past 18 months.

Speaking ahead of AHIC, STRs Rossmann says: The pace and shape of hotel performance recovery continues to vary significantly around the world, dependant on vaccination rates as well as the spread of the Delta strain. In the Middle East and Africa, performance has also varied significantly based on some markets greater reliance on international travel and corporate demand. The markets able to generate more demand from domestic leisure sources are further ahead in the recovery process.

He adds: Looking ahead, the balance between domestic and international travel is set to change fundamentally as the industry transitions to the new normal post-pandemic. Data shows the reality of current travel hesitancy contrasted by the significant pent-up demand that will emerge once Covid travel restrictions are eased.

Meanwhile, Dr. Martin Berlin, partner & global deals real estate leader, PwC, will unveil exclusive research on the impact of Covid as a never-before-seen catalyst for innovation.

Berlin reveals that the pandemic has caused a loss of US$1.3 trillion in tourist receipts.

In a sneak preview of the data, he says: International tourist arrivals declined by 74% due to Covid in 2020, compared to only a decrease of 4% after the financial crisis, while the global airline industry declined by more than 50% during Covid. This means that currently, 100-120 million jobs in the global tourism sector are at risk due to the pandemic.

AHIC 2021 will explore how and when the industry can return to the status quo.

Day two will follow with insights on how covid-19 has changed the hotel operating model from Michael Grove, chief operating officer, HotStats; analysis of UAE and KSA consumer data from Muhammad Ali Syed, chief executive officer, Mingora; and learnings from 22,000 restaurants in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from Alexis Marcoux-Varvatsoulis, Foodservice consulting lead, Middle East and Africa, JLL  one of several sessions set to inspire the GRIF community.

Grove says his session will explore the cost cull, as operators look at large scale changes to both fixed and variable costs, as well as how the luxury hotel operating model is being redefined.

He adds: We will also discuss the importance of ancillary revenues in the Middle East and Africa. With more than 40% non-rooms revenue, how important are other revenues when considering ramp up?.

AHIC Exclusive

Meanwhile, Hala Matar Choufany, president  Middle East, Africa and South Asia for HVS, will launch the companys latest Valuation Index for the Middle East & Africa on day two.

In an exclusive preview of the report, Choufany says: Hotel ownership and investment are considered as a long-term investment as the value is based on the future income that the asset is likely to generate, with valuers adopting the discounted cashflow method of valuation. As such, one year of minimal income does not mean the value of the asset has disappeared completely. The key will be the length of time it will take for the hotels/markets to recover and whether the recovery will surpass the previous levels of operation".

She reveals: Although there was a limited number of hotel transactions that took place in the MEA region during the last 18 months, the trading performance of hotels that remained opened or re-opened suggests that leisure and resort hotels have performed better than the corporate and commercial hotels. Specifically, cities that have better managed the pandemic and gradually re-opened their borders have registered lower decline in hotel values when compared to other cities".

In value terms there has been a significant immediate impact, registering between 20% and 25% decline in regional values in 2020, but most markets in the MEA are forecasted to recover at 10-15% per annum for the next three to four years. The MEA average is likely to achieve a CAGR of 1.3% between 2019 and 2025 and a CAGR of 8% between 2021 and 2025, asserts Choufany.

She adds: What the Covid-19 pandemic has shown is the importance of sensible development costs, the need to appoint an experienced operator and brand that delivers as well as the importance of decreasing operational costs and increasing efficiencies. With the continued uncertainty, it is more important than ever that owners take the opportunity to regularly review the performance of their hotels as the cashflows will impact the financial risk associated with their investment perhaps now more than ever.

Saudi Focus

AHIC has already released its exclusive fourth annual AHIC Hotel Investment Forecast in partnership with MEED Projects.

According to this research, more than US $3.5bn worth of new hotel projects in the GCC have been awarded over the past 18 months during the height of the pandemic, indicating that investors expect the market to return to normality in the next two to three years when the new projects are due to open.

Ed James, director of content and analysis at MEED Projects, says: Longer-term, the industry is even more bullish, with US $27bn worth of hotel investments in the pipeline.The majority of these are comprised of the giga project tourism investments in Saudi Arabia led by the Red Sea Project, NEOM, AMAALA, Diriyah Gate and Al-Ula, to name but a few.

These giga projects will have a major presence at AHIC 2021, with Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO, Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA), kicking off the Saudi Day on day three, 22 September, with a live-on-stage morning talk with Gloria Guevara Manzo, chief special advisor, Ministry of Tourism  Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

As part of Saudi Arabias far reaching Vision 2030 strategy, Diryah is an iconic lifestyle and hospitality destination projected to add SAR 27 billion to Saudi Arabias GDP.

In a teaser to his session, Inzerillo says: After the most tumultuous period the global hospitality and tourism industry has seen, its apt that the leading sector stakeholders and the investment community from the region will congregate under the banner of Rise Together".

Whilst there is no doubt that globally the pandemic has been challenging for our industry, as a community of leaders, owners and investors, we are well-placed to steer the next phase of growth and development in the region to the wider benefits of our nations and societies".

In Saudi Arabia we are witnessing great transformation, of which hospitality and tourism will play a crucial role in defining the nation of the future. As some of the worlds foremost hotel brands are on the cusp of entering the Kingdom and Middle East for the first time, DGDAs goal is to attract 27 million visitors by 2030, he continues.

DGDA alone will provide 55,000 jobs offering diverse employment creation for its highly dynamic Saudi youth population and will see talent retained in the country for the Kingdom to benefit from in years and generations to come, says Inzerillo.

Adapting to the changing dynamics and the new future will best place our region to maximise the opportunities we have before us to ensure the AHIC nations stand at the front of the post-Covid hospitality world, he adds.

AHIC 2021 will also feature speakers from another of Saudi Arabias giga projects, NEOM, with Andrew McEvoy, head of tourism sector, NEOM, set to discuss the foundations of developing a future destination with sustainability at the core of investment.

In a teaser to the session, McEvoy says: Over-tourism has stripped travel of its core themes of individual self-discovery and authenticity. The future of tourism will have sustainability at its heart. Those who embrace it will win.

On a similar topic, John Pagano, chief executive officer, The Red Sea Development Company and AMAALA, will deliver a keynote entitled: Regenerative tourism and partnerships which enable it to be a reality.

Into Africa

AHIC 2021 will also feature several sessions focused on the African investment community, with an interactive debate moderated by Philippe Doizelet, director, hotels and real estate, Voltere by Egis, designed to analyse the concepts most ripe for investment based on the changing behaviour of consumers.

While Africa welcomed some 70 million tourists in 2019 according to UNWTO, following an average growth of about 6% over the last five years, Doizelet says there are still barriers to entry, from visa policies to health requirements.

Therefore, sub regional tourism will stimulate the creation of tourism complexes and urban and peri-urban business and leisure centres that can become real destinations. Doizelet predicts that over the next two decades, the following countries will emerge as the most credible regional players: Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Senegal to the west; Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda in the East; and South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to the south.

He says: Finally, central Africa should rely rather on local demand and create opportunities for exclusive tourism clusters, particularly in Cameroon and Angola. From the above, it is clear that talking about African tourism in a global way makes little sense. National or sub-regional realities continue to prevail, thus reflecting the geographic, human, economic and political diversity of the continent.

It is these realities that will be discussed in depth at AHIC, with leaders from this unique continent present to review the numbers and delve into the opportunity.

Panel Debates

In addition to the focuses on the different investment communities present at this years AHIC  those from Saudi Arabia, Africa and the global restaurant sector in addition to the Middle East at large  there will also be numerous plenary sessions that tap into the high level issues impacting hospitality investment across the board.

Topics to be covered include: conversions and M&A; third party operators; implementing ESG into investment strategies; FDI investment funds; development bright spots in the Middle East and Africa; the regional tourism outlook; and the new normal for profitability. In this session, Alison Grinnell, chief executive officer, RAK Hospitality Holdings, will moderate a conversation between Hassan Ahdab, president of hotel operations, Dur Hospitality; Marcus Bernhardt, chief executive officer, Steigenberger Hotels AG/Deutsche Hospitality; and Hamid Sidine, chief operating officer MEA, Millennium Hotels & Resorts, on the shifting of operating models and whether this impacts operators expectations on profitability.

Sidine says: I will highlight the continuous efforts of Millennium Hotels & Resorts MEA, adapted to meet the new hospitality normal and to continue staging our guest experience while maintaining profitability.

As always, the on-stage debate is expected to be lively and intriguing, with numerous opportunities to continue the discussion off-stage.

AHICs Worsley concludes: AHIC 2021 has been in the planning for a long time now. Over the course of this year, in all our conversations with our Advisory Board, speakers, sponsors and delegates, one thing has been crystal clear: people are ready to meet, eager to share, and excited to do business.

Hard Talk

Under the banner of Hard Talk, live on-stage interviews will feature revealing conversations with industry leaders including:

Sebastien Bazin, CEO and chairman, Accor

Simon Vincent, executive VP and president Europe, Middle East and Africa, Hilton

John Pagano, chief executive officer, The Red Sea Development Company and AMAALA

Jose Silva, chief executive officer, Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts, host sponsor of AHIC

Federico J. Gonzalez, chief executive officer, Radisson Hotel Group

Kenneth Macpherson, chief executive officer, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa, IHG

Ahead of his session, Bazin says: Building on its leadership position in the Middle East & Africa region, with a pipeline of over 100 new projects, Accor Group will be focusing its efforts on expanding its collection of brands in the lifestyle, luxury, leisure and resorts arena".

Our Lifestyle portfolio is flourishing, with three new brands being introduced into the region this year, the recently opened SLS which has been an amazing success as well as the soon to open HYDE Hotel Dubai Business Bay and the 25 Hours Dubai which will be something very special, opening in Q4".

In addition, the luxury and leisure market continue to be at the forefront of expansion efforts, with new luxury properties being unveiled in the later part of the year, including the Banyan Tree Doha and the much-anticipated Raffles The Palm Dubai. More than ever, we want to make a difference with our pioneering approach, which is focused on inspired experiences that define trends and answer guest needs, says Bazin.

HAMA Workshop

AHIC 2021 will kick off with the HAMA Asset Management Members Workshop from 09:00-11.30 on 20 September, hosted by Rene Beil, president HAMA MEA, and managing director, Beaufort Global, and Amit Nayak, vice president and executive board member, HAMA MEA.

According to Nayak, topics set for discussion include:

Support systems and mechanics for a successful investment cycle

Building a resilient ecosystem for FDI

The hard reset and relaunch of economies and destinations

New innovations with respect to data collection and analytics

Key learnings from the pandemic

With regard to the latter, Nayak says: As asset managers we have proactively managed risks, by implementing contingency plans to constantly adapt to the ever-changing business environment. Calling in the right shots at critical times to protect owners interests has led us to minimise damage during the pandemic, but we have also taken calculated risks to open strategic projects and take advantage of new opportunity and business segments.

He adds: Asset managers are now more dynamic and adaptive on both scale and operation, clustering roles and business processes, with new synergies increasing productivity. Technology has played a critical role, and as an industry, we must embrace systems that increase overall efficiency and remove operational bottle necks.

Sustainability Hospitality Challenge

AHIC 2021 will present the finals of the Sustainability Hospitality Challenge (SHC), in partnership with Hotelschool The Hague, NEOM, Bench and the Sustainability Hospitality Alliance.

SHC addresses the urgency of the climate crisis as it relates to travel and tourism by challenging international hotel school students to develop sustainable innovations for the future of hospitality in the context of 2050, along one of three pillars  future real estate, future brand, and future community.

Whittled down from 60 students from 30 of the worlds best hotel schools, three sets of finalists will present their solutions to a jury of 11 top hoteliers from global brands on the morning of day one of AHIC 2021.

The winning team will be revealed on day two, with the presentation given by Sebastien Bazin, chairman and chief executive of Accor.

Paul Griep, director of industry relations at Hotelschool The Hague and the driving force behind the challenge, says: We look forward to an exciting final of the Sustainable Hospitality Challenge and are excitedly anticipating the presentations of students from the top hotel schools of the world. They will present the innovative solutions theyve worked on during the past year, which have already made quite an impression on the jury and which may have a permanent impact for our industry when it comes to sustainability.

Exclusive New Launches

AHIC is well known as an event where deals are done and headlines are made, from the announcement of new owner-operator partnerships and hotel brands through to entrepreneurial set-ups and innovative company launches.

This year, Michael Levie, co-founder of citizenM and David Keen, founder of QUO, have come together in a dynamic new partnership to create KUBE Ventures, an investment incubator focused on global hospitality start-ups, which will be unveiled for the first time at AHIC.

Levie says: We want to give back to the hospitality industry. All of our shareholders have united with a crystal clear purpose. We want to be a catalyst for transformation: be it in technology, operations or human resources.

We will look back at the post-pandemic era as one of extraordinary opportunity. Our purpose is to realise our industrys potential and to bring it to par with the worlds most dynamic industries and organisations, adds Keen.

Marloes Knippenberg, chief executive officer of Kerten Hospitality, and a change merchant in her own right, will interview Michael and David in a session on 20 September 2021 at 16:00 entitled How do we foster transformation and change in hospitality.
Press Release

6 September 2021

Choice Hotels Europe has repositioned itself as Choice Hotels EMEA as it continues its master license agreement with Seera Hospitality, a fully owned subsidiary of Seera Holding Group, the largest publicly listed travel company in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, to open at least ten hotels in the Kingdom within the next five years.

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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.

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.

Commenting on the agreement, Choice Hotels EMEA CEO, Jonathan Mills said: Im 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."

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. We have been focused on this approach for some time, so I am pleased to be continuing this agreement today."

I look forward to the first properties opening within the third quarter of this year and am sure our guests will be excited by their offerings.

Majed Alnefaie, CEO of Seera Group 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.

Shuja Zaidi, Seera Chief Hospitality Officer 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.

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.

For further information on Choice Hotels, please visit: https://www.choicehotels.com/en-uk.

About Clarion Hotel Jeddah Airport

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.

About Comfort King Road

The Comfort King Road, with 125 rooms, is located in one of the most prominent areas of Jeddahand in close proximity to the Jeddah corniche, Jeddah International Airport, and the Medina Road.

About Comfort Olaya Riyadh

The Comfort Olaya Riyadh is located in Olaya, in one of the most prized locations in the central business district near the iconic Kingdom Tower. The hotel boasts 97 well-appointed extended stay suites with roof top lounge with unique views of the Riyadh skyline.

About Choice Hotels EMEA 

With more than 7,100 hotels representing nearly 600,000 rooms, in over 40 countries and territories, Choice Hotels International, Inc. is one of the largest hotel groups in the world (as of June 30, 2021). In EMEA Choice Hotels EMEA is represented by more than 400 hotels under the Ascend Hotel Collection, Clarion, Quality and Comfort brands, including around 80 hotels in Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic and Turkey. The award-winning Choice Privileges rewards programme offers guests a wide range of benefits, from small conveniences in everyday travel to extraordinary extra benefits.

Forward-Looking Statement

This communication includes "forward-looking statements" about future events, including anticipated development and hotel openings. Such statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including construction delays, availability and cost of financing and the other "Risk Factors" described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, any of which could cause actual results to be materially different from our expectations.

About SEERA

Seera is the leading provider of diverse travel services in the Middle East and North Africa region. With its balanced portfolio of brands across seven verticals, Seera is regarded as the most knowledgeable and accomplished travel service provider. The Group is a significant contributor to the growth of the domestic, inbound, and outbound tourism economies of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a best-in-class business partner in unlocking the opportunities in the region. Providing technology-powered travel services for consumers, businesses, government partners and pilgrims, Seera offers the opportunity to travel in the Kingdom, across the region, and beyond, like never before. Seeras strategic business units as below:

Elaa, Seeras travel management company, leading in the Corporate and Government sector in KSA

Mawasim, Seeras wholesale tour operator for Hajj & Umrah

Almosafer, the flagship brand of Seeras consumer travel business unit

tajawal, a leading online travel agency in the UAE

Lumi, Seeras car rental and leasing brand

Discover Saudi, Seeras integrated destination management company

Almosafer Concierge, Saudi Arabias first holistic luxury travel concierge service catering to the discerned needs of travelers from the Kingdom. do we add this?

Seera  Imagine Where Travel Can Take Us Together
Opinion Article

6 September 2021

A short welcome message

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This is my first article on the Hospitality Net platform. You are among the first to read my articles here.

It is always a privilege to address fellow hotel management professionals like yourself. Sharing thoughts among industry experts has been always an important part of keeping hospitality management progressive, and I believe we can all benefit from discussing our views.

The main reason I decided to share content on HospitalityNet is to bring attention to the ongoing changes in hotel and travel marketing. From time to time, we need to slow down and observe how the world is changing. This helps to keep our industry, as well as our managed hotel brands up to date. We live in exciting times, where the post-pandemic travel rebound is not the only challenge for hotel marking professionals.

Although hospitality is known as a late adopter of technology and know-how, I was always lucky enough to have progressive and forward-thinking hotels among my clients. Our hotel brand and marketing management programs and business development programs always had a strong emphasis on thinking out of the box and adjusting to macro-trends.

We need to maintain an open mindset to look ahead and re-evaluate the status quo, beliefs, "proven best practices" and to avoid gimmicky solutions we never even needed.

Hopefully, you will find valuable thoughts and information in the content that I will be sharing here in the coming months. Your feedback, comments, and opinions are always welcome - so feel free to connect with me any time on my website.

The 2010s are over - the hotel marketing challenges of the 2020s are different

The hotel and travel marketing challenges of this decade are not the same as those of the past decade. Most hospitality experts talk about pre-pandemic and post-pandemic times, however, the most fundamental hotel marketing changes have little to do with the pandemic.

Long story short, your hotel brand needs to cut through the online noise to reach and engage those people who would be happy to become your guests. It is way more than doing the basic Google Ads & Social Media combo that used to be the standard hotel digital marketing setup of the 2010s.

Before thinking about advertising more, or setting up better campaign, you need to understand the new environment your hotel brand needs to adjust to.

So what are the factors that we need to observe to adjust our hotel brands and marketing?

Generation Z has a fast growing share of the travel market and they see the "millennial" way of thinks miserably outdated, let alone "boomers" Changes in travel philosophy and behavior Changes in luxury consumerism philosophy Hotel marketing technology and solutions became commoditized Too many hotel brands making noise online and many more...

Today, we have matured online distribution systems, revenue management tools, excellent website booking engines, reliable and transparent advertising technology.

Online hotel sales, marketing, and distribution tools are available for minimal monthly fees. Right now, the hotel technology market is going through a commoditization phase, making once-expensive tools and solutions cheaper and cheaper.

Technology should not be a problem for any hotel at this stage. If your hotel or resort still struggles with basic hotel marketing technology and know-how, then you have serious disadvantages to sort out.

The hotel online marketing challenges of the past decade

Looking back to the late 2000s and the early 2010s, those were the digital transformation times of the hotel and travel industry. But today, our marketing challenges are entirely different.

During the past decade, hotel brands were busy setting up channel managers, revenue management tools, e-mail marketing automation systems, and other technical prerequisites of a functional digital hotel sales and marketing setup.

Same with online advertising. Hotel marketing teams used to have difficulties using Facebook Ads, Google Ads, Instagram, and other popular advertising tools. These days, it is common knowledge.

The new hotel marketing challenges of the 2020s

Before getting comfortable with a functional hotel digital marketing setup and basic ad campaigns, we must not forget that the same hotel marketing technology and know-how are available for every other hotel.

That means doing average things and copying other hotels is not going to set your hotel brand apart. Today, even the simplest hotels can set up direct booking funnels, e-mail marketing automation, semi-automated social media content sharing, and beautiful websites.

As a result of all hotels moving their marketing online, the online competition is more intense than ever. The hotel and travel marketing business is a mature sector today, and there is a lot of noise in it. Travelers are barraged with hotel and travel ads as soon as they look up vacation ideas. Those guests who would love your hotel see ads of dozens of other hotels, and your property will be just one of the many.

What are you doing to capture the attention of your ideal guests? Do you even know who are your ideal guests, and what hotel experiences are they searching for?

The new challenge we face is how to connect with potential guests, how to get their attention, and how to make them interested in choosing our hotel?

What to show to your guests?

What to say to your potential guests?

How to craft our hotel marketing communications and brand experiences to win their liking and desire?

During the past 10 ten years, I have guided a number of high-end independent hotel brands through digital transformation, and on top of that, purposeful brand and marketing communications had been always a priority.

We have grown new hotels like The Anam in Vietnam into iconic status with superb marketing communication and product presentation. I have been involved in moving the Corinthia Group with all their 5-star luxury hotels online, with laser-targeted Google Ads. I have made Ayada Maldives into a top-performing resort, beating most independent hotels and chain-resorts in the Maldives.

Welcome to the decade of purposeful hotel brand management

With so much noise in the hotel marketing space, purposeful branding is more important than ever. Building on the technology and analytical insights, progressive hotel marketing are all about attracting guests by addressing their needs, wants, and desires.

Sounds good - but how to do that?

In the coming months, I am going to share several articles, opinion articles, and information content about:

Brand growth

Developing your brand voice and marketing communications

Making use of consumer insights

Developing multi-channel marketing strategies that grow performance on all sales channels

Auditing what potential guests like and dislike about your hotel product

Crafting a relevant and attractive product presentation for your key guest segments

Evaluation of your hotel brand and marketing effectiveness

These are the important topics to discuss when it comes to hotel marketing management today. Should you be interested in learning about these topics, stay tuned for the content I will be sharing exclusively on Hospitality Net.

I will be sharing by-weekly articles - sometimes sharing tips and tricks that we learn by managing brand growth and online business for our clients. Meanwhile, feel free to connect on my website, or look me up online.
Dr. Anthony Fauci revealed on CNN, Sunday night, that Moderna's anticipated COVID-19 booster shot will not be available the week of September 20 as had been previously announced. He added that, as for Pfizer, "things look like they're ready to go."

I dont think that is a major issue there, but we would have liked to have seen it happen all together, simultaneously. But ultimately the plan will be implemented, as was put forth, Fauci told CNNs Jim Acosta. He added that Moderna could be ready a week or two later.

Pool / Getty Images

Fauci also spoke about the prevalence of the Delta variant in the United States: What were observing now  not only here in the United States but in other countries, including Israel and the UK  [is] that the durability of the protection tends to wane, particularly in the context of the Delta variant, Fauci said

Fauci went on to use the success of the booster shots in Israel as an example of how much good they can do. He says the country is a month or so ahead of the U.S. and their booster data shows a substantial diminution in protection against infection and an unquestionable diminution in the protection against hospitalization."

Importantly, their data also show that when you give those boosters you reconstitute, to an even higher level than before, the protection against both infection and hospitalization, Fauci explained. The boosters really jack up the response very, very high, and we hope that that response would be durable.

[Via]
Mark Felix / Bloomberg

The lingering effects of Hurricane Ida and sentiments about the strength of the U.S. economy will likely drive the price of oil this week, analysts said.

Ida made landfall Aug. 29 as a Category 4 hurricane, knocking out power to residents along the Louisiana coast as well as to the dense network of refineries. Port traffic remains closed to some degree or another, with the authority at the Port of New Orleans saying late last week that operations would resume Tuesday, but with only limited gate and terminal services.



Royal Dutch Shell and Noble Corp. reported damage to their offshore installations, and an oil spill was discovered in the Gulf of Mexico about 2 miles off the Louisiana coast.



Gains and losses on the week added up to leave crude oil prices in relatively stable territory. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, closed the week up 0.8 percent to finish trading Friday at $69.29 per barrel.



Looking ahead to the holiday-shortened trading week, Frank Maisano, senior principal at energy law firm Bracewell, said the hangover from Ida will likely spill over into trading this week.



The hurricane uncertainties on supply and demand remain the most immediate important factors, he said.



The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, part of the Interior Department, estimated Saturday that about 92 percent of total offshore oil production and 86 percent of the natural gas production remains shut in.



On the refinery side, Maisano added, those facilities remain dependent on the status of the regional grid. President Joe Biden last week called for a release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a relatively common response to hurricane-driven outages as of late. That extra oil, however, does no good if refineries dont have power, though outages are a temporary factor.



Ole Hanson, the head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank in Denmark, said that hes waiting to see how the employment situation plays out.



Next week, the market will be focusing on the non-farm payroll aftermath and whether the weak number was due to peak growth or more likely a temporary hiccup due to the Delta variant, he said.



Private payroll processor ADP reported payrolls increased by 374,000 in August, below the estimated 600,000. Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moodys Analytics, blamed the lingering strains from the COVID-19 pandemic for the dismal reading.



The Labor Department on Friday confirmed the woes, reporting that non-farm payrolls increased 235,000 last month, after a 1 million payroll increase in July. WTI fell a full percentage point on that data.



Hanson added that hell be looking for more clues about economic momentum when the U.S. Energy Information Administration releases its monthly market report on Wednesday. The EIA in its report from August based its estimates on GDP growth at 6.6 percent for 2021, though the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta estimates 3.7 percent growth in the third quarter. Thats down from an early-September estimate of 5.3 percent.



Major deviances in the September market report from the EIA report will influence the price of oil. The EIA last month added that global consumption of petroleum and liquid fuels was not yet at pre-pandemic levels.



For Tamas Varga, an analyst at London oil broker PVM, the market mood is uncertain. Economists at the Organization of the Petroleum had previously lowered their demand forecast for 2022, but raised it during their most recent meeting, adding to the confusion.



There is a huge and understandable uncertainty surrounding the changes in global oil demand, he said.



Elsewhere, travel demand figures from the long holiday weekend could set the tone, with price watchers at GasBuddy showing the travel appetite looked to be waning. Turmoil in oil-rich Libya could also grow to be an underlying concern for the market. Weekly U.S. jobs data also could drive price direction given last weeks poor showing. The EIA inventory data that is typically a market-mover is delayed one day, to Thursday, because of the Labor Day holiday.
Three years ago, East Texas federal prosecutor Joshua Russ was hours away from filing a landmark multibillion-dollar lawsuit in a Texas federal court against Walmart, accusing the retailer and its 5,000 pharmacies of illegally turning a blind eye to thousands of opioid prescriptions they knew to be suspect.

Families of opioid death victims had been notified. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had signed off on the suit. Russ and colleagues in the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Texas prepared for a legal war against the worlds largest corporation and its legion of law firms.

Russ was then 33 years old and one of the youngest civil division chiefs in DOJ history, leading one of the largest and most important public health suits in American history. He needed just one thing to file the historic lawsuit: final signoff of superiors at Main Justice in Washington, D.C.

He waited and waited and waited, but it never came.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas law firms collected more than $1 billion in PPP loans

A year later, Russ resigned in frustration.

Corporations cannot poison Americans with impunity. Good sense dictates stern and swift action when Americans die, Russ wrote in his resignation letter. Now, cognizant of the many deaths it has caused, (Walmart) redefines shamefulness by claiming it is a victim.

That same day, he filed a confidential whistleblower complaint with the DOJs inspector general alleging interference by the departments political leaders, whom he accused of blocking efforts by prosecutors to obtain key evidence and providing special treatment to Walmart.

In December, on Attorney General William Barrs last day, the Justice Department finally filed a 160-page lawsuit accusing Walmart of thousands of violations of the Controlled Substance Act and seeking billions of dollars in damages.

While Russ and East Texas prosecutors have been off the case for nearly two years, their fingerprints are all over the legal and factual allegations made in the lawsuit.

Walmart denies it has done anything wrong and argues that DOJs lawsuit is flawed for several reasons, and that Russ and other Texas prosecutors acted unethically in their dealings with the retailer.

The Justice Departments investigation of Walmart was riddled with misconduct and it ended with the Department filing an unjustified lawsuit in which it invented legal theories out of whole cloth to try to extract a massive payment from the company, Walmart spokesperson Randy Hargrove said in a statement.

Blocked from above

In an exclusive interview since resigning as co-chair of DOJs multijurisdictional Prescription Interdiction & Litigation Task Force in 2019, Russ told The Texas Lawbook that he was handcuffed by political appointees and that he wasnt able to do the key investigation into Walmart. Main Justice interfered, he said, in his teams efforts to collect key evidence core to the case.

I had never seen that in an investigation, said Russ, who was interviewed last year by investigators for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and is now a lawyer in Plano representing whistleblowers reporting fraudulent use of federal funds.

My blowing the whistle really had very, very little to do with the company itself, he said of Walmart. It was about the departments conduct  I want the DOJ to be running better for the American public. I couldnt resign without lodging that complaint.

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The OIG and the Justice Department declined to comment on Russ whistleblower complaint and declined to answer written questions provided by The Texas Lawbook.

Lawyers, including former DOJ officials, say they are not surprised that Russ rebelled at a challenge to his integrity.

Maybe one in 100 have the same type of skills he does, but one in 1,000 who will really put his money where his mouth is, said former Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney Matt Orwig.

Hes one of those people that you look at and think, Gosh, I wish I would behave the same way in those same circumstances, and wonder if you would do it that right, said Orwig, now a partner at Winston & Strawn.

Russ hired David Seide, a lawyer with a whistleblower advocacy organization, the Government Accountability Project, to help him navigate his dealings with the IG and Congress.

(Joshs) case is important because its all about the opioid crisis and participants who enabled it, Seide said. Its fair to say that it wasnt just the manufacturers of the products that have some responsibility, but its everyone else who participates in the distribution of narcotics throughout the system.

Legal background

Russ comes from a family of Texas trial lawyers. His grandfather, Bryan F. Russ, was a storied East Texas prosecutor who gained national attention because of his 1962 grand jury investigation into the death of a U.S. Agriculture Department official found dead while investigating legendary swindler Billie Sol Estes. He served 24 years as Robertson County Attorney.

His father, Bryan F. Rusty Russ Jr., was recently elected as district judge in Robertson County. And his brother, Trey Russ, represents the third generation to practice in Franklin at Palmos, Russ, McCullough & Russ  the firm founded by his grandfather.

If he sees something thats wrong, then hes going to speak out against it, Rusty Russ said.

There was never any question that Josh would follow in the family tradition. He said his best day as a lawyer was when he was sworn in as a federal prosecutor in 2015.

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Russ' first exposure to the devastating, widespread impact of opioids came in 2016 as part of the team that prosecuted a Dallas doctor who sold prescriptions for painkillers without ever seeing the patients.

The turning point in his education was observing the prosecution of two Texas doctors, Howard Diamond and Randall Wade, charged in connection with overdose deaths linked to their questionable prescriptions for opioids.

Diamond frequently prescribed the Holy Trinity, a dangerous drug combination of benzodiazepine with an opioid and a muscle relaxant. In 2016 alone he prescribed 1.46 million dosage units of hydrocodone, 97 percent of which were for 10mg tablets, the highest strength available.

Their convictions helped put the Eastern District on the map for prosecuting opioid cases and gave you a sense that the opioid crisis was here in our backyards, Russ said.

But the investigation also revealed that an inordinate amount of their prescriptions had been filled by pharmacists at Walmart. A DEA agent testifying at Diamonds 2017 detention hearing revealed a raid on at least one Walmart pharmacy in East Texas.

In 2018, the DOJ promoted Russ to chief of the civil division in the Eastern District of Texas, which followed Russ extensive work with criminal prosecutors in his district to develop a policy for parallel proceedings  criminal and civil  against defendants.

Heather Rattan, the lead East Texas prosecutor who initiated the criminal investigation into Walmart, approached Russ about working in parallel.

People started seeing what we (the civil division) were doing, and its why people like Heather called me and started seeing the value of the civil division and what we could do, Russ said.

Walmart pushes back

According to a March 2020 investigative report by ProPublica, Rattan informed Walmart officials in the spring 2018 that she was prepared to indict Walmart for violations of the Controlled Substances Act.

Walmart lawyers asked to meet with the criminal prosecutors to make their side of the case. Walmart, seeking a more universal agreement, asked in writing that Russ also attend the meetings, according to the ProPublica report.

What followed, according to Russ and the ProPublica article, was delay after delay from DOJ leadership in Washington, including a six-month cooling off period mandated by politically appointed Justice Department officials  during which Walmarts counsel wrote to DOJ officials in Washington complaining about the investigation.

At the same time, Russ said his superiors in Washington blocked his efforts to collect key evidence from Walmart, which he believed was based on special treatment.

Arguments that Main Justice was waiting for the right time to file a lawsuit did not square away with what was being said and happening at the time, Russ said.

There were delays for all sorts of reasons that kept changing, he said. I was saying, If were going to keep investigating, lets get the key information. I was trying to do what Main Justice wanted but I wasnt able to do the key investigation.

But in the meantime, people were dying.

DOJ officials apparently believed that Russ leaked hundreds of internal Walmart emails and investigative documents to ProPublica  an allegation that Russ told The Texas Lawbook was false.

Russ said he was, at first, skeptical of making a case against Walmart.

If you had told me at the beginning of the process where we ended up, I probably wouldnt have believed you, he said. Even when we started to follow it, I was still very skeptical, like, This has to be a one-off. Its got to be a mistake or something. We were a very skeptical unit.

We werent trying to make headlines, Russ said. We were trying to just follow the evidence.

For a longer version of this article, please visit TexasLawbook.net.
POCATELLO, Idaho (AP)  Bodies that were to be donated to Idaho State University for educational purposes have not been received by the school, officials said, as several agencies investigate the funeral home that was supposed to be facilitating the donations.

Police searched Downard Funeral Home in Pocatello on Friday, two days after a state licensing inspector reported finding a decomposing body at the business, the Idaho State Journal reported.

Lance Peck, who purchased the funeral home in 2007, surrendered his licenses to operate the business on Wednesday, Idaho's Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses said. Peck did not return several requests by the newspaper for comment about the investigation. A phone message left at the funeral home Sunday was not immediately returned.

Peck has a history of licensing violations, including failing to donate the remains of a person who died in 2012 to Idaho State University, the licensing agency said.

Police reported finding several unrefrigerated bodies and several fetuses in their search of the funeral home on Friday, but declined to say how many.

The Ada County Coroners Office brought its mass casualty refrigeration trailer to Pocatello to store some of the remains while those that could be identified were transferred to other funeral homes, who would notify families, police said.

We know there are a lot of unanswered questions about the case, Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei stated in a statement. Our department has those same questions."

Idaho State University had received anatomical donations through Downard Funeral Home dating back to 1996 and received an average of eight donations each year, ISU spokesperson Stuart Summers said. Cadavers can be kept for up to four years before being returned to the funeral home, according to the university's anatomical donation program.

However from 2008 to 2020, ISU received nine total donations despite an exclusive agreement with Downard to handle the donations. There were two three-year periods in which ISU did not receive any anatomical donations, Summers said.

ISU entered into a relationship with the University of Utah to obtain anatomical body donations, Summers said, before setting up a donation agreement with another funeral home.

When (ISU) began working with Wilks Funeral Home, the university notified individuals who had filed an intent-to-donate form of the change. In the process, the university learned some families believed the remains of their deceased loved ones had already been donated to Idaho State University through Downard Funeral Home, but the university had no records of these donations," Summers told the newspaper.

ISU returned its final five anatomical donations to Downard Funeral Home in April 2017. About four years later, one of the families contacted the university to report they had not received their loved one's remains from the funeral home, Summers said.

Idaho State University's audited its records and dealings with Downard Funeral Home last fall and found multiple causes of concern, Summers said. The university filed a formal complaint with the Bannock County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Pocatello Police and the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses this spring.

That investigation continues, said Bannock County Prosecutor Steve Herzog.

As of Friday, no charges had been filed and no one was in custody in connection to the investigation, authorities said.

Peck has faced other licensing violations.

In 2016, he was placed on probation for two years over allegedly performing 100 cremations without a license from November 2014 through June 2015.

In 2018, he was placed on probation for two years after telling a family their loved one's remains would be donated to a forensic canine program that trains search dogs, but the program did not receive the remains. Peck eventually found the person's cremains in his crematory in November 2017, the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses reported.
MARRERO, La. (AP)  Amid the devastation caused by Hurricane Ida, there was at least one bright light Sunday: Parishioners found that electricity had been restored to their church outside of New Orleans, a small improvement as residents of Louisiana struggle to regain some aspects of normal life.

In Jefferson Parish, the Rev. G. Amaldoss expected to celebrate Mass at St. Joachim Catholic Church in the parking lot, which was dotted with downed limbs. But when he swung open the doors of the church early Sunday, the sanctuary was bathed in light. That made an indoor service possible.

Divine intervention, Amaldoss said, pressing his hands together and looking toward the sky.

A week after Hurricane Ida struck, many in Louisiana continue to face food, water and gas shortages as well as power outages while battling heat and humidity. The storm was blamed for at least 17 deaths in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

On Sunday, state health officials announced that the death toll in Louisiana has climbed to 13, including a 74-year-old man who died of heat during an extensive power outage. In the Northeast, Idas remnants dumped record-breaking rain and killed at least 50 people from Virginia to Connecticut.

As Mass began Sunday, Amaldoss walked down the aisle of the church in his green robe, with just eight people spread among the pews. Instead, the seats brimmed with boxes of donated toothpaste, shampoo and canned vegetables.

For all the people whose lives are saved and all the people whose lives are lost, we pray for them, he said. Remember the brothers and sisters driven by the wind and the water.

Through the wall of windows behind the altar, beyond the swamp abutting the church, the floodgates that saved the building could be seen. The Gospel was the story of Jesus bringing sight to a blind man, and throughout the tiny church, stories of miracles were repeated.

Wynonia Lazaro gave thanks for newly restored power in her home, where the only casualties of Ida were some downed trees and loosened shingles.

We are extremely blessed, she said.

Some parishioners suffered total losses of their homes, or devastating damage. Gina Caulfield, a 64-year-old retired teacher, has been hopping from relative to relative after her cousins trailer, where shed been living, was left uninhabitable. Still, she was grateful to have survived the storm.

"Its a comfort to know we have people praying for us, she said.

Some parishes outside New Orleans were battered for hours by winds of 100 mph (160 kph) or more, and Ida damaged or destroyed more than 22,000 power poles, more than hurricanes Katrina, Zeta and Delta combined.

More than 630,000 homes and businesses remained without power Sunday across southeast Louisiana, according to the state Public Service Commission. At the peak, 902,000 customers had lost power.

Fully restoring electricity to some places in the state's southeast could take until the end of the month, according Phillip May, president and CEO of Entergy, which provides power to New Orleans and other areas in the storm's path.

Entergy is in the process of acquiring air boats and other equipment needed to get power crews into swampy and marshy regions. May said many grocery stores, pharmacies and other businesses are a high priority.

We will continue to work until every last light is on, he said during a briefing Sunday.

In Jean Lafitte, a small town of about 2,000 people, pools of water along the roadway were receding and some of the thick mud left behind was beginning to dry.

At St. Anthony Church, the 4 feet (about 1.2 meters) of water once inside had seeped away, but a slippery layer of muck remained. Outside, the faithful sat on folding metal chairs under a blue tent to celebrate Mass. Next door, at the Piggly Wiggly, military police in fatigues stood guard.

In times such like these, we come together and we help one another, the Rev. Luke Nguyen, the churchs pastor, told a few dozen congregants.

Ronny Dufrene, a 39-year-old oil field worker from Lafayette, returned to his hometown to help.

People are taking pictures of where their houses used to be, he said. But this is a chance to get together and praise God for what we do have, and thats each other.

In New Orleans, many churches remained closed due to lingering power outages.

But First Grace United Methodist Church opened its doors and held service without power. Sunlight from large windows brightened the sanctuary, where about 10 people sat.

Whatever situation youre in, you get to choose how you see it, said Pastor Shawn Anglim, whose first time pastoring the congregation was after the church recovered from Hurricane Katrina 16 years ago. You can see it from a place of faith, a place of hope and a place of love, and a place of possibility.

Jennifer Moss, who attended service with her husband, Tom, said power had been restored to their home on Saturday.

Weve been blessed throughout this entire ordeal," she said. That storm could have been a little closer to the east, and we wouldnt have a place to come and worship."

In Lafitte, about 28 miles (45 kilometers) south of New Orleans, animal control officer Koby Bellanger experienced his own little blessing after he heard the sounds of an animal crying as he rode through the flooded streets with a sheriff's deputy.

Bellanger waded through the water and found a tiny, green-eyed black kitten clinging to the engine of a car outside a devastated house. He hoisted the animal up, to the delight of Lafayette Parish Deputy Rebecca Bobzin.

Bring him! Bobzin screamed in delight.

Louisianas 13 storm-related deaths included five nursing home residents evacuated ahead of the hurricane along with hundreds of other seniors to a warehouse in Louisiana, where health officials said conditions became unsafe. On Saturday, State Health Officer Dr. Joseph Kanter ordered the immediate closure of the seven nursing facilities that sent residents to the warehouse.

Edwards was briefed Sunday about a cluster of thunderstorms near Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula, but said forecasters "dont see much potential at all for it developing into a storm of any real significance and we're very, very thankful for that.

He said it does have the potential to bring some rain to coastal Louisiana and southeast Louisiana.

___

Morrison reported from New Orleans. Associated Press writer Denise Lavoie in Richmond, Virginia, contributed.
Mark Winema / Getty Images/Mark Wineman / Getty Images

Authorities are investigating a fatal shooting at an Aldine bar Sunday afternoon.

Harris County Sheriffs Office deputies say they found a man shot in the chest around 3 p.m. at Micheladas El Guero at 10405 Airline Drive near Mading Lane.
A few dozen people protested Texas new abortion law in downtown Houston on Sunday, calling the restrictions a savage assault on womens reproductive rights.

Im 67 years old, said Rona Smith, an activist with Houston United Front Against Fascism. I remember when women did not have the right to a legal and safe abortion and it was very, very, very scary. I do not ever want us to go back in time.

At issue is a new Texas law that went into effect last week that bans most abortions after six weeks  before many women realize they are pregnant.

The law is among the strictest in the nation, and was allowed to take effect last week after the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to deny an emergency appeal from abortion providers.

On HoustonChronicle.com: 7 things to know about Texas' virtual ban on abortions after 6 weeks

The law allows private citizens 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 the state. Successful suits can garner up to $10,000.

Texas abortion clinics from lawsuits by the nonprofit Texas Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, under the new law in a narrow ruling handed down Friday. The case will now wend its way through lower courts before a possible resolution in the Supreme Court.

Activists said Sunday the law is likely to increase inequality, and called it part of a broader assault on women.

Its not only anti-women, said David Michael Smith, a former professor of government at College of the Mainland. It is anti-worker and racist.

Other groups plan to protest the law at a rally next Sunday at City Hall.

robert.downen@chron.com
Your friend and mine, the longtime KPFT deejay Larry Winters, died Sunday after a battle with lung cancer. He was 75.

Winters started as a volunteer at KPFT in 1979, when the progressive Pacifica station was still in its relative infancy. He launched Spare Change about 10 years later, a Saturday afternoon program where he blended a heady mix of folk, Americana, country and rock music with sly political commentary that could both raise eyebrows and elicit chuckles.

He was one of KPFTs most subversive programmers, because he might not say it through his words on the air  he might beat around the bush with an aw shucks, lordy, lordy country guy persona  but his choice of topical music, and the way he wove it thematically week to week, spoke volumes to what he really believed in, said friend Duane Bradley, former general manager at KPFT.

Winters was born Jerry Sumrall in Sumrall, Mississippi, a hamlet founded by his great-grandfather outside of Hattiesburg, according to a 2014 Houston Chronicle profile. He grew up in Cut and Shoot, near Conroe, but adopted a somewhat nomadic lifestyle as a carpenter in the 1970s after marrying, having a child and divorcing.

When he settled back in Houston, he put his carpentry skills to use helping KPFT move into their iconic home at 419 Lovett, which was put up for sale in July. After taking over the stations weekly bluegrass show, he adopted the persona of Larry Winters for safety reasons  KPFT was bombed twice less than 10 years earlier  and a legend was born.

He put on things that no one else would play, and with such a humorous twist to things. He wasnt afraid, he would say what he wanted, said Jill Morgenstern, host of KPFTs Bayou Brew program. His show was its own genre, really.

Winters was dedicated to KPFT  he worked without pay as interim general manger for about a year after Bradley retired  and garnered a loyal community of listeners, volunteers and musicians in return. Many took to social media following his death to express their love for Winters.

I loved listening to his show and I always looked forward to getting to visit with him at KPFT. He always encouraged me, busted my chops, and made me laugh. I will miss him, said country artist Hayes Carll, a Woodlands native, on Facebook.

Bradley says that Winters was so popular with listeners because he was relatable. The proof was in the stations fund drives, which received most of their donations during Spare Change and other weekend shows.

His every-man nature made him sound like he was the guy who lived next door. Hed fumble around and make self-deprecating comments, and have wink wink nudge nudge moments, but you could feel through what he said and didnt say, and what he chose to play, you got a sense of who he was, Bradley said.

It wasnt just through his radio work, however, that Winters made a difference. Friends and loved ones like to say that he lived two lives: one as Larry Winters, radio host, and another as Jerry Sumrall, professional counselor.

Winters worked out of an office over the Corner Pub in Conroe, partnering with the state to provide counseling to people on probation and those struggling with substance abuse. A former user himself, Winters obtained his masters degree from Sam Houston State University after his 19-year-old son Kelly died of an overdose in 1990.

For all the people who knew him as Larry Winters, theres a whole other 1000s of people who knew him as Jerry Sumrall, the professional counselor who got them into Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, or dealt with their probation officer and helped them get clean, and he was really proud of that work, Bradley said.

He had a session every Saturday morning where guys who were on probation would come and talk, and hed have his pot of coffee and his talking circle, and then the session would end and hed hop in his vehicle and hightail it down to Montrose [for his show], Bradley said.

Bradley and Winters were planning a sendoff concert at the Corner Pub in October after Winters was diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this year, but Winterss condition deteriorated rapidly over the last two weeks. The concert will go on in Winterss honor but likely not until next spring, when the COVID-19 situation has hopefully improved, Bradley said.

For now, Winters will be remembered as someone who touched peoples lives in a variety of different ways.

Ive already heard from a lot of people he counseled that said he saved them, and Ive heard from musicians who said he made them feel like they were at the Grand Ole Opry when they played on his show, said his nephew, Brent Sumrall. He was a big part of a lot of peoples lives, in both of his lives.
An asthma attack on Tuesday pushed Andrea Dutta one step closer to getting fired.

Duttas employer, a security contractor at Bush Intercontinental Airport, gave her a day off to recover, and then added a punitive point to her personnel file. If Dutta gets sick or has to miss work for any reason, even with a doctors note, the company adds a point. If she accrues more than seven points, she will lose her job.

Workers such as Dutta are vital to the airport ecosystem. As a wheelchair agent, she spends her days helping elderly or disabled people who need assistance boarding or deplaning, collecting their baggage and safely handing them off to family members or connecting them with ground transport. For this, Dutta makes $11 an hour, which is actually four dollars more than what she was paid when she started two years ago.

The pay raise isnt part of a company merit system. It was the result of a 2019 executive order from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner that bumped up wages for hundreds of airport employees to at least $12 an hour by 2022.

The hike was a nice lift for Dutta, but it doesnt address the other stresses of her job. She has two children, and her job provides little flexibility to pick them up from school or care for them when they get sick. She has no health benefits, and has to pay out of pocket for parking as well as personal protective equipment to keep her safe from COVID-19. She relies heavily on tips from the people she helps, but not everyone tips.

Do they expect us to live on a $600 check every two weeks? Dutta told the editorial board on Thursday.

While some employees are reaping the benefits of a more dynamic pandemic economy that allows for greater flexibility in working from home and, in some cases, opportunities for higher pay, low-wage essential workers arent faring as well, even amid a national labor shortage. Often, they disproportionately bear the costs of states inability and in some cases unwillingness to slow the virus spread, further exacerbating the inequality in our labor market.

Many have lost jobs and seen their hours cut. Even those who have been revered as essential workers often dont find the title, or their daily toiling on the front lines of this pandemic, have earned them higher pay, status or regard in the eyes of higher-ups within their companies.

For those workers such as Dutta, who managed to hold on to low-paying jobs, there are few opportunities for upward mobility. Economists and policymakers who hailed the countrys low pre-pandemic unemployment rate overlooked the fact that wages at the bottom have stagnated and benefits have dried up. A nation whose essential workers cant access paid sick leave, childcare options or health insurance is one whose economic growth will eventually hit a brick wall.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced in July that while the economy added 850,000 jobs in June, there are 7 million fewer jobs than there were before the pandemic  a gap that has disproportionately hit the low-wage workforce. According to the Brookings Institute, low-wage workers comprise more than half of all pandemic-induced job losses. In Texas, while gross domestic product has surpassed pre-pandemic levels, unemployment is 2 percent higher than it was before March 2020. While some business owners contend that the states enhanced unemployment benefits, which paid jobless workers an extra $300 a week, played a role in delaying their return to a job, Texas was one of a handful of states to end those benefits early at the end of June. Economists note the July jobs report did not show any significant employment gains for Texas.

These vacancies are nonetheless hurting businesses all across the state. Stroll past your local Whataburger or Fuddruckers and youre likely to see a help wanted sign in the window. The reasons seem to be mixed, ranging from health concerns about COVID-19 exposure, opportunities to earn better pay elsewhere and parenting or caregiving responsibilities. Gov. Greg Abbotts ban on mask mandates for school districts, for instance, means any given week, hundreds of kids could be forced home from school, creating a headache for working parents who cant afford childcare. Its increasingly difficult for workers to commit to jobs that barely make ends meet, when they might have to quit in a week if the babysitter gets sick.

There are hopeful signs, though, that businesses are beginning to understand the need to step up and improve pay and conditions for workers. McDonalds, which employs 800,000 people across the country, announced in July that, in addition to increasing its starting pay at franchisees from $11 to $17 an hour, it would be adding emergency childcare, paid time off and help cover tuition costs in an attempt to draw more workers.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions, which manages employer-based childcare, is seeing greater demand for its services, with more than 100 of its clients adding child care benefits last year, the company announced in July.

More employers should join the trend.

Of course, the U.S. cant afford to rely solely on the good faith of business owners to rectify economic disparity. Policymakers should prioritize and empower essential workers such as Andrea Dutta to fight for higher wages and critical health and childcare benefits at the bargaining table so that the flaring of a chronic illness isnt grounds for termination.

The federal government already requires workers on federally funded infrastructure projects to be paid a prevailing wage. With a proposed bipartisan infrastructure bill set to pump $25 billion into airports, the Biden administration could extend the same to airport workers, boosting a critical sector out of poverty. The U.S. House has already passed the PRO Act, a sweeping bill which strengthens the ability of workers in the private sector to form unions and engage in collective bargaining, which could lead to better wages and benefits for essential workers across the country. We urge President Biden and the Senate to seriously consider passing that bill ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

Bidens proposals to expand paid sick leave to seven days, establish a national paid family and medical leave program  building on the unpaid leave afforded by the Family and Medical Leave Act  and make childcare affordable or even free for lower-income working parents, would also be ground-breaking achievements. The American Families Plan, which is being incorporated into a proposed $3.5 trillion budget bill, would spend $225 billion over 10 years  paid for by raising taxes on the wealthiest earners  to fund these measures.

The help wanted signs across America arent a mystery  theyre a message: essential work deserves essential compensation.

We cant allow the economic recession caused by this pandemic to be a dead end for working families. We must seize this moment to expand the market economy, and show that we value our American laborers at least as much as we value the products they make and services they provide.
Jay Janner, MBO / Associated Press

While governors across the country are publicly announcing their support for receiving Afghan refugees, Special Immigrant Visa holders and applicants in their home state, one official who has been silent on the matter is Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. It is uncharacteristic of Abbott to be so mum on the issue, since just a year and a half ago, he rushed to make Texas the first state to opt out of the federal refugee resettlement program. Now, as the first 300 Afghan refugees escape the chaos of their home country and arrive in the Lone Star State, Abbott must stand on the right side of history and proclaim that these Afghans are welcome.

Refugee resettlement is not a partisan issue. Last year, when Abbott made the heartless decision to turn the worlds most vulnerable away, over 40 governors of both parties had already expressed their support for them. Abbott defended his policy by claiming that Texas already had to deal with undocumented migrants crossing the states southern border and urged resettlement agencies to instead focus on refugees who had already resettled there. Unsurprisingly, refugee advocacy groups condemned the move  and the order was struck down by the courts.
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Williamstown Planners Consider Comprehensive Changes to Zoning Bylaw

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The chair of the Planning Board last week told his colleagues that he will bring them a comprehensive markup of the town's zoning code in hopes that the body might propose some of the changes to this spring's annual town meeting.

"What I'm going to do is be the maverick opinion on the fringe and let you guys talk me back," Chris Winters said. "I will take a redline, track changes version of Chapter 70, go through the whole thing, which I haven't done in many years because it's 138 pages long, and I'm going to make changes to it that I think would make progress of not the 'low-hanging fruit' variety but the mid and upper fruits that are left, that are available to us.

"That will be something for all of us to react to. I think that would be helpful."

Winters kicked off the board's 2021-22 meeting cycle with a "maverick" proposal to slash the current code's requirements for frontage, setbacks and lot size in the residential districts in an effort to increase the number of available lots and, he hopes, increase the housing stock in an effort to make housing more affordable in the town.

"What we would have to decide as a Planning Board is where's the most bang for the buck from a proposal or, maybe a series of proposals, to town meeting," Winters said. "I really would like to move something forward, or maybe some things, in the spirit of supply. Because I've been on this board a long time, and we've made nibbles at the edges of this.

"If you can imagine, it used to be even harder to do two-family or multi-family [housing] than it is today, and it's still not easy. But we've never addressed  creating more lots, more usable lots through changing our setbacks and lot sizes. We've never talked about changing district boundaries."

Town Planner Andrew Groff advised the board that there are three ways town meeting could allow for more housing supply: changing the dimensional table as Winters has proposed, addressing the major residential development bylaw or addressing the subdivision rules.

Stephanie Boyd advocated for changes that would allow more dense development of the town's residential core.

"I think we probably require a discussion on why we need more density, what do we want that more density to achieve," Boyd said. "I think what we want to do is have more density so people of a variety of incomes can live in town. I could be wrong on that. But let's just say that's what our desire is, as a board.

"I think that can lead to different ways of allowing more density to occur. For example, if we choose to go the way of allowing more single family homes, we could have more expensive homes built in Williamstown that, only on the margins, lowers property values to the point that some people can move here who can't afford to do so today. If we, for example, focus on allowing denser units, smaller units, more variety of units from apartments to town houses, I think that we can more directly address the issue of income disparities and access to Williamstown."

Peter Beck pointed out that whatever changes the Planning Board proposes  and town meeting approves  to the zoning bylaw would be aspirational at best. Simply allowing for an increase in the housing stock does not guarantee it would increase.

"Our blunt tool is: What do we allow to exist in Williamstown?" Beck said. "I think we should allow for all the things we'd like to see in town without having the hubris to expect we know what will be the exact size and shape of the development 20 years from now.

"I think we should allow houses to be built on two-thirds the size lot, I think we should allow houses to be built with two-thirds the frontage, and I think we should allow people to convert one family [houses] up to two, two-families up to three  I think we should allow those, but not because I can pretend to say, 'Ten years down the line, you're going to have 14 ADU lots, these underutilized lots will be converted to a larger development, someone is going to come in and build four-unit affordable housing.' I think that's a little bit pretend.

"But I think any of these housing types that think should exist in Williamstown, we should make sure the bylaws allow them to exist."

Dante Birch said he was interested in addressing the bylaw's current limitation on multifamily housing, particularly as it relates to adaptive reuse of existing structures in town.

Roger Lawrence said he has been compiling an inventory of "dozens" of underutilized properties in town that could be converted to multifamily dwellings.

Lawrence also, not for the first time, pushed back against Winters' contention that reducing lot size requirements to allow homes on smaller parcels will lead to increased supply and, thus, lower prices. Winters replied by asking Lawrence to provide evidence that the basic precept of microeconomics does not apply to the Williamstown housing market.

"We know, empirically, that simply increasing housing supply will not do anything to increase affordability," Lawrence said. "We know that because the population of Williamstown is continuing to drop, and we know the housing supply in Williamstown is continuing to increase. That means we have more supply and fewer people. By definition, if there were only a linear relationship between supply and cost, that would mean that the cost of housing would drop, and that is not the case. The cost of housing is going up."

"What you're ignoring is the unmet demand, Roger," Winters replied. "I don't care how many people live here. I care how many people want to live here and don't."

Boyd encouraged all of her colleagues to do some "homework" before the September meeting and read through Chapter 70 of town code themselves, perhaps with an eye toward improvements they might make, in anticipation of a discussion of Winters' suggested changes.

Winters noted that all of the discussion around opening up housing options and creating opportunities for new residents to come to town relates to the "Equity" article, Article 37, passed overwhelmingly by town meeting in August 2020.

"[Article 37] speaks to boards and committees in town tackling issues related to affordable housing, accessible housing, and trying to increase the communication of those efforts across boards," Winters said. "The Planning Board is tackling these issues currently and, for as long as I've been on the board, has tackled it annually  moving incrementally in the right direction, not often in leaps and bounds. But there has been progress there, and there continues to be progress.

"And I welcome conversations with other committee members, chairs, townspeople about the Planning Board's past and current efforts in that direction at any time."

In other business on Tuesday, Boyd said she and Beck have identified a slate of nine residents to serve alongside the two of them on the Master Plan Steering Committee. She was waiting to hear back from three of those selections to confirm that they are still interested in serving, and she hopes to bring the full slate to the board for confirmation at its next meeting.

Boyd said that just more than 40 people indicated an interest in participating in the Master Plan process in some capacity, not necessarily on the steering committee, and the opportunity to volunteer is still available.
Name: Bill VanCuren

Company: NCR Corporation

Job title: SVP & Chief Information Officer

Date started current role: March 2008

Location: Atlanta, GA

Bill VanCuren is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for NCR Corporation. In his role, VanCuren is responsible for the full strategic IT portfolio, global networks and processing services for both internal and external customer managed services, as well as all workgroup collaborative and mobile computing. He also oversees information security and compliancy as well as NCRs SaaS datacenter strategy and operations. As a result of implementing leading practice strategies, VanCurens organisation has been named to the InformationWeek Elite 100 (previously the InformationWeek 500) four times over the last six years and has been recognised by CIO magazines CIO 100, honoring organisations that are using IT in innovative ways to deliver business value. VanCuren was also named CIO of the Year in Georgia in 2011.

What was your first job? My first job, where I received a real paycheck, was bagging groceries as a grocery store clerk when I was a junior in high school at 16 years old. This was where I learned the importance of customer service.

Did you always want to work in IT? No, I actually wanted to be a farmer. But when I found out I had pretty bad respiratory allergies, my allergy doctor told me working on a farm would be bad for my health and advised I work in an air-conditioned environment. I then researched steady, growing job markets and good paying jobs in air-conditioned environments and discovered computer programming.

What was your education? Do you hold any certifications? What are they? I have an undergraduate degree in business administration with a major in computer science and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Explain your career path. Did you take any detours? If so, discuss. My career path has been primarily in IT roles, either embedded in the business or in central corporate IT spending. This gave me time to learn all the disciplines of IT while also making sure I spent time in the business functions. My IT job rotations included software engineering, development, project management, IT business partner, liaison roles, management roles, architecture roles, regional and international exposure, and eventually global responsibilities for development and deployment, all leading me to the CIO role.

This type of path is the career advice I give to people who want to become CIO  it gives you cross-functional capabilities and an understanding and empathy for all the various business functions in an organisation.

What business or technology initiatives will be most significant in driving IT investments in your organisation in the coming year? Initiatives must be aligned to the company's strategy. Any initiatives we're doing must enable the company's overall strategy to really be an as-a-Service provider. For example, moving our customers  banks, retailers and restaurants, primarily  to high-value services and subscription offers while enabling NCR to run their operations.

Our technology investments are very focused: endpoint edge, Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, cloud-based enablement technologies and mobile applications for the consumer so they can easily bank, buy from stores or order from restaurants. All of those initiatives are technology enablers, but ultimately, make the customer experience better. This allows our customers to focus more on their consumers and NCR can be their trusted technology provider to run their operations.

What are the CEO's top priorities for you in the coming year? How do you plan to support the business with IT? First and foremost, our priority is enabling the company's strategy to effectively allow NCR to be the enterprise technology provider for our restaurant, banking and retail customers, so in turn, our customers dont have to worry about technology and can do what they do best, create a great experience for their consumers.

My objective is to make sure we have the capability for customers to easily order the solutions they need so they can have the entirety of digital services that NCR provides. I want to make sure that we make the whole ordering and invoicing experience easier as a whole package, opposed to segmented pieces of the solution. The whole solution offer must be commercially workable through an IT infrastructure that's efficient and effective. This approach supports NCRs goals, which our CEO calls 80, 60, 20; 80 percent of our revenue should be coming from software and services, 60 percent of that revenue should be recurring every year and 20 percent is the goal for our EBITDA margin.

Does the conventional CIO role include responsibilities it should not hold? Should the role have additional responsibilities it does not currently include? The CIO role should be shifting more and more responsibility to customer-facing, revenue-generating front office technologies and spending less time and budget on proverbial back office internal technologies.

Are you leading a digital transformation? If so, does it emphasise customer experience and revenue growth or operational efficiency? If both, how do you balance the two? I think every CIO, whether they know it or not, is part of a digital transformation. If they weren't actively transforming for their own customers, they certainly, over the past 12 months, had to transform in order to survive the pandemic when their workforce went virtual. If your employees are working outside of the office, you're absolutely digital. Employees no longer have access to a big multi-function printer, whiteboards or face-to-face collaborative spaces. The CIO has enabled, to some degree, your company to be digitally transformed during the pandemic. Employees are essentially ITs internal customers, and they need digital transformation, especially during the pandemic. When employees can safely return to office, their expectations will be even higher than they were when they left the office a year ago.

Regarding customer experience  yes, digital transformation drives customer experience, especially if youre a CIO who wants to truly service your external customers. The design thinking you're going through (or should be going through) must be led by customer experience. I recommend all CIOs partner more closely with their marketing and sales organisations to align the customer experience, regardless if you have a chief digital officer role or not. If you don't have the digital officer role in the CIO organisation, embrace this role as one of your more important partner in the business.

Describe the maturity of your digital business. For example, do you have KPIs to quantify the value of IT? Strategically speaking, being a customer-focused as-a-service business and meeting our 80/60/20 objectives guides everything we do. We are shifting to more business-driven metrics while still preserving the importance of traditional metrics like uptime, availability and response. In that sense, yes, we're definitely introducing more digital business metrics into our nomenclature. Additionally, we are transitioning to look at more value metrics, such as the percent of orders or invoices that are digital versus manual, and the number of customer devices that are connected to our support platforms.

What does good culture fit look like in your organisation? How do you cultivate it? Culture is the number one barrier to digital transformation. If you are part of a digital transformation, the first thing you should address, and what I've been trying to address in the past couple of years, is the culture of IT. Ask yourself: What is the culture? How well do you embrace a customer-first culture when collecting digital experience input from your users? How do you reward employee behaviour? For example, their focus on business outcomes as opposed to technology outcomes? How do all those things inculcate into a culture?

Me, my IT leaders and employees understand the value of trust, empowerment, different styles of working and collaboration, embracing diversity and inclusion. Developing and nurturing a trusting, customer-focused IT culture is one of our top goals for the year. In summary, I would say its mandatory table stakes for the CIO and for digital transformation to have a culture revolution to be successful long-term.

What roles or skills are you finding (or anticipate to be) the most difficult to fill? As a CIO, I feel like this changes daily. The demand for IT skills in many geographies and many skill areas exceeds the supply. Depending on the day of the week or the year, this could fluctuate. Generally speaking, I would say application development for the vertical industries we serve, security and data analytics skills. Data engineering and data science skills are still in high demand, although I think that gap is closing as most of the universities are embedding a data analytics course in all majors now. I think the gap in data analytics skills will close faster than security skills. In general, we need a better balance of business skills and soft skills paired with technical skills. Finding, developing and retaining that really balanced individual who has a little bit of both is important.

What's the best career advice you ever received? The best career advice I ever received was, hey, Bill, spend time learning all the functions. The point there is that lateral moves can be just as important as vertical moves and may be more critical than the upward promotion.

Do you have a succession plan? If so, discuss the importance of and challenges with training up high-performing staff. We have a succession plan for all executives in the company and it involves a diverse group of experienced candidates. In terms of training IT staff, we build on the traditional NCR HR developmental curriculums to cater specifically to IT career growth, including mentorship programs, industry networking events and hackathons with other IT-specific growth opportunities, such as career development videos from IT leaders and external speakers.

I leverage CIO professional forums to connect with other CIOs who can be mentors for high-performing individuals who are aspiring to be a CIO someday, making sure they are exposed to other industries and other CIOs ways of thinking.

What advice would you give to aspiring IT leaders? First, be yourself. Second, learn the technical and functional skills you need, but thats not everything. To be a successful IT leader, continuously learn, work on and improve your business skills and soft skills such as listening, communicating and relationship-building.

Work on improving those skills. If youre an aspiring IT leader, don't try to win the contest of being the most technical or have implemented the most or largest projects. You want to have at least one transformational initiative on your resume, but you don't need many to be a well-rounded leader.

What has been your greatest career achievement? Id have to say the longevity in the role I've been in for 10 years as CIO of NCR. Ive helped the company manage through some tremendous changes: some challenging cycles in the economy, acquisitions and spin offs, a world headquarters relocation across different states. I believe my biggest achievement is being able to help NCR stay very relevant in the marketplace and making sure the business process enablers and the infrastructure that run the company are still very reliable and trustworthy, in order to support our growth and our brand. It makes me and my team immensely proud to have contributed to the transformational journey that has made NCR the company it is today.

Looking back with 20:20 hindsight, what would you have done differently? I greatly value the path that I have travelled that has shaped me into the senior executive I am today, and I have the honor to serve as CIO of one of the most iconic technology brands in the world. That being said and if I were to be more introspective, I would have taken more job rotations outside of technology, for example, in sales and marketing. I think I would have ended up a little more well-rounded if I had more experience in more customer-facing, revenue-producing roles.
Fahim Dashti, a veteran leader of the Afghanistan National Journalist Union (ANJU), was killed in Panjshir province on September 5 during a clash between the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA) and the Taliban. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliates ANJU and the Afghanistan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) express deepest condolences and sadness at the loss of a respected fighter for media freedom in Afghanistan.

The 48-year-old former chief executive of ANJU had recently taken up the role as the chief spokesperson for NRFA and had joined forces in the north-eastern Panjshir province. He was killed in the Dashtak area of Anaba district along with NRFAs General Abdul Wodo Zara, the nephew of Panjshir resistance leader Ahmad Massoud  almost 20 years to the day he nearly lost his life in a suicide attack. Just a few days earlier Dashti told Afghanistans NDTV: "If we die, history will write about us, as people who stood for their country till the end of the line". It is reported that he had refused the offer of joining the government with the Taliban.

The Panjshir Valley lies in the Hindu Kush mountains, approximately 90 miles (145km) north of Kabul and has been mostly safe from Taliban forces due to its mountainous terrain. The Taliban said on September 6 that the group had "completely captured" Panjshir, the last stronghold in Afghanistan against the hardline Islamist group, after days of fighting.

Dashti was known as a powerful champion for a free media and a key voice in the collective of journalists, the Federation for Afghan Journalists and Media Entities established since 2012. On September 9, 2001, he was badly injured in an al-Qaeda suicide bombing along with anti-Taliban leader, Ahmad Shah Massoud. His son, Ahmad Massoud now leads the NRFA.

Dashti founded a newspaper in Kabul after the US-led invasion in 2001 and provided regular updates on Twitter on the conflict in Afghanistan right up to his death. He was also a contributor to the IFJs South Asia Press Freedom Report and had been instrumental in recently leading ANJUs successful bid to join the IFJ as an affiliate member in 2021.

The ANJU said: With great sorrow and regret, one of the prominent figures of the Afghan press family and a well-known man of the country passed away forever. Fahim Dashti has been active, effective and successful in the field of journalism for nearly three decades in difficult conditions.

ANJU said Dashti worked with the union for eight years as its executive director and general director and did significant work for the family of the Afghan press.

The board of directors of ANJU said :  It expresses its condolences for the martyrdom of Fahim Dashti, former president of ANJU and one of the best Afghan press families in the country in the last three decades. We deliver our condolences for his family and the family of the Afghan press.

An IFJ affiliate leader in exile told IFJ: Fahim was a good friend and strong colleague struggling with us closely to fight for press freedom and freedom of expression in the past 21 years. We had a difficult time to protect journalists rights. It is shocking and sad news, a big loss for all of us.

AIJA described Fahim Dashti as one of the best journalists and defenders of journalists in the country in the last 30 years.

It said: AIJA considered Mr Fahim Dashti a wise journalist, with good morals and very patient in the face of professional problems. His absence is a great loss to the Afghan media community and is will be impossible to fill his place.

IFJ general secretary, Anthony Bellanger said: The IFJ mourns the loss of Fahim Dashti as a brave voice, a fighter for press freedom and mentor to many. His death is a great loss for both the Afghanistan and international journalist community. It is indeed a sad day.
Local media groups left in Afghanistan met with Taliban leaders on September 3 to address concerns around journalist safety. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is cautious over the Talibans commitment to combating impunity for crimes against journalists in Afghanistan.

The meeting, chaired by Ahmadullah Wasiq, a senior official of the Talibans cultural affairs, was attended by the Kabul Police and local media organisations. Hujatullah Mujadidi, vice president of IFJ affiliate, the Afghanistan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA), is serving as a focal point for local media groups to report on attacks against the media and journalists.

According to Mujadidi, the meeting noted the Taliban militant raid of Zalmai Lotfi, the head of Enikaas TVs house on August 20, and the attack against Tolo News reporter Ziar Khan Yad on August 26. The meeting raised that security and intelligence agencies are working on these cases and have arrested one person in each case.

Since the Taliban seized Kabul on August 15, two journalists have been killed while carrying out work, and two others were killed fleeing the country. The IFJ and its affiliates have logged more than 2,000 requests for assistance from media workers trying to flee the country, seek refuge or request financial support.

The IFJs South Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN) urged the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) governments to respect press freedom and the safety of media workers in Afghanistan.

The IFJ said: While Taliban officials have expressed sentiments in support of press freedom in Afghanistan, the actions of Taliban militants are contradictory. The IFJ remains concerned about the facade of press freedom created by the Taliban.
Vote Pilipinas, the official voter information registration campaign of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), partners with Grab Philippines launches Grab the Vote to encourage more Filipinos to exercise their equal right to suffrage.

With just less than a month left before the end of voter registration, together, Vote Pilipinas and Grab Philippines embark on a voters education campaign to encourage more Filipinos to Grab the Vote.

Sharing the same goal of inspiring the Filipino community to exercise their civic duty to vote, Vote Pilipinas teams up with Southeast Asias super app Grab as its official mobility partner for its 2022 voter registration campaign. Together, Vote Pilipinas and Grab support the governments ongoing efforts and goal in targeting 7 million individuals to register as new voters through the campaign in providing the community with accessible, simplified, unbiased information, and data on voter registration.

We are grateful that more organizations are participating and moving together in ways that they can to encourage more Filipinos to register and vote for the 2022 polls. Together with Grab, we continue to find ways to cultivate a sense of community and unity to move our country forward says Ces Rondario, Impact Hub Manilas co-founder and head of Vote Pilipinas

Grab, known for its tech expertise, and having launched programs through the years that educated both its driver- and delivery-partners as well as merchant-partners and consumers, continues its active movement with Vote Pilipinas as it combines its tech expertise to bring voter registration access to users from the comfort of their own homes.

Given the stricter community quarantine measures, efforts were ramped up in providing the opportunity to register online, with the Voter Registration Service Test now being available on the Vote Pilipinas website as well as in-app advisories designed and incorporated into the Grab platform. To keep users informed, in-app advisories are sent throughout the day containing deadline reminders, tips, and even up to the minute updates on registration, and mobility restrictions.

We are steadfast in our commitment to leverage our tech and platform towards nation-building. We believe that the voice of every Filipino is vital in this upcoming election, and we want to help amplify each and every voice through safe and reliable mobility solutions for Filipinos who need to go to registration sites and express their intent to exercise their civic duties, shared Grab Philippines Country Head Grace Vera Cruz.

To further entice its users to register, Grab also rolled out a GrabCar promo this month of September. Users will be able to redeem discounts for their GrabCar rides going to and from registration booths using the promo code GRABTHEVOTE. The Php50 off discount can be redeemed in select cities with open voter registration such as Metro Manila, Baguio, Naga, and Davao.

All of this in an effort to empower the public through proper access to correct and unbiased information as well as to motivate the community, especially the youth, to speak up and have their voices heard.

For cities that are under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified ECQ (MECQ), the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has suspended voter registration activities and offices for the time being.

Learn more about Vote Pilipinas through www.votepilipinas.com.
Of all the odd statistics I've picked up writing about big airlines and smaller businesses, one of my favorites is the one about Delta Air Lines and its flight attendants.

It's exactly the kind of thing I write about in my free book, Flying Business Class, which you can download here, and it goes like this: If you crunch the numbers the right way, you can make an argument that it's statistically harder to become a Delta Air Lines flight attendant than it is to gain admission to Harvard University.

Take 2017, for example, when according to Delta's numbers, more than 270,000 people applied for roughly 1,700 open Delta flight attendant jobs, which works out to about a 0.62 percent success rate.

That year, Harvard had a 5.2 percent acceptance rate. (It's now down to 3.4 percent at Harvard.)

Last week, just in time for Labor Day, Delta Air Lines announced plans to hire 1,500 new flight attendants, along with an additional 1,500 flight attendants who made it through the hiring process before the pandemic began in early 2020, but who weren't able to start work due to the crisis.

All of this comes not a moment too soon for the people who are currently employed as Delta Air Lines flight attendants, and it's safe to say they'll be very happy about the announcement.

Roughly 4,000 of their fellow flight attendants took early retirement or other separation options during the pandemic, and the strain on those who stayed has gotten more difficult.

Now, Delta isn't alone in its hiring plans. United Airlines recently announced it's going to hire more flight attendants after its pandemic pause. As the cabin crew recruitment site Paddle Your Own Kanoo reported, American Airlines is looking to hire 800 flight attendants, while JetBlue wants to hire 2,500 new flight attendants.

On top of that, Southwest Airlines increased its recruiting and also recently announced it's going to reduce its schedule after its flight attendants wrote that they felt "weary, exhausted, frustrated, and forgotten."

Still, given the history, it's the Delta Air Lines announcement that caught people's attention.

Now, I tend to put an asterisk on the Delta-versus-Harvard acceptance rate comparison, simply because it doesn't actually cost anything to begin the application process at Delta.

Applying to Harvard at the very least requires an application fee. The top of the funnel at Delta is simply bigger, so the odds of making it to the bottom of the funnel are longer.

But I still think it's both a slick statistic to be able to mention, and a legitimate expression of how desirable these jobs seem to many people.

Or at least, how desirable they once were.

It's going to be very interesting to see now just how many people apply for these jobs. And whether the allure of flying for a living--along with the perks of nearly unlimited, nearly free travel around the world--will still be enticing in our current world situation.

For that matter, the job itself has become much more demanding across the industry, both because of airlines' challenges in maintaining the correct ratio of staff to flights, and because of the seemingly infinite new ways passengers have found to behave badly over the last 18 months.

Here's an indication: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued more than $1 million in fines to unruly airline passengers this year, and has started more than four times as many incident investigations as it did in all of 2019.

Some of the details of these passengers' transgressions are surreal. Here's the first one listed in the FAA's report:

$45,000 against a passenger on a May 24, 2021, JetBlue Airways flight from New York, New York, to Orlando, Florida, for allegedly throwing objects, including his carry-on luggage, at other passengers; refusing to stay seated; lying on the floor in the aisle, refusing to get up; and then grabbing a flight attendant by the ankles and putting his head up her skirt. The passenger was placed in flexi-cuffs and the flight made an emergency landing in Richmond, Virginia.

As a business owner in any industry, I think it will be instructive to watch and learn from how this turns out.

Because while it's impossible to know ahead of time whether Delta's low hiring rate will be similar to what it was years ago under current conditions, it's clear Delta will be facing some of the same challenges you probably face in your business:

If you need a steady stream of new employees, how do you manage the flow of applicants and training?

What do you do when circumstances suddenly change, and the job is perceived differently?

In 2021, what concessions do you need to consider making, if there's no way your employees can do any of their work remotely?

If you've built an air of selectivity around your business and employees, how do you react when you run a risk that the trend might go against you?

How will the simple things you've taken for granted in the past change now in your business, as a result of the second and third-order effects of the pandemic?

If you're a business owner, I assume you're not interested in becoming a flight attendant. But just in case you know anyone who might be interested, or if you'd just like to see how Delta runs its process, you can find their application site here.
More than half of women entrepreneurs are concerned that a talent crunch could harm their businesses.

In a new survey, 54 percent of respondents, women entrepreneurs whose businesses have at least $1 million in annual sales and are primarily based in North America, said that the "great threat to their bottom line" was sourcing and keeping high-caliber employees. Ernst & Young (EY) and the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO) shared results of the survey, which comprised of 374 women, exclusively with Inc.

"Historically, this has been the No. 1 issue for entrepreneurs," says Lisa Schiffman, director of brand, marketing, and communications with Americas EY Private, which supports business owners in the Americas and Israel. In spite of the retention challenges and myriad other difficulties business owners have faced, only 34 percent of respondents said they have reduced headcount during the pandemic, while 18 percent reported increasing it.

The survey also highlighted how much business owners have relied on their employees to manage through the past year and a half. Roughly half of the people surveyed reported increasing their revenue post-Covid. Among that group, 66 percent attributed their success to their team's ability to "adapt to change." Increased demand was another major factor, at 63 percent.

There was a theme of optimism in the survey results, with 79 percent of the group indicating they have a "positive outlook" about their businesses' ability to expand in 2021. However, the poll was taken in April and May, before the Delta variant swept the U.S.

Even before Delta, the pandemic had an effect on respondents' mindsets and strategies: 71 percent said COVID-19 altered how they see positive performance in their businesses, and 73 percent said they have made diversity and inclusion a greater priority.

One troubling finding, for Schiffman, is that the women surveyed reported relying heavily on funding from banks (42 percent) or the government (32 percent), sources that she says don't offer the same expertise and opportunities for scaling as venture capital.
Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh paid tribute to her former bandmate Sarah Harding on Instagram on Monday.

Following news of the 39-year-olds death, Walsh shared photos of the two together, with the caption, "Beautiful Sarah this hurts so bad. To wake up and know that you are really gone is too much to bear.

In memory of Harding, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, Walsh continued: "Your fire burned so bright and you loved, lived and laughed so hard.

Walsh, who joined Harding, Cheryl Tweedy, Nadine Coyle and Nicola Roberts in British-Irish girl band Girls Aloud on the 2002 show Popstars: The Rivals, said her heart is broken.

Roberts also shared pictures of Harding and her taken during the bands early years on Instagram and wrote, "Im absolutely devastated and I cant accept that this day has come. My heart is aching and all day everything we went through together has raced round my mind.

Calling Harding the electric girl, Roberts added that she gave it (her battle with cancer) everything and with a smile.

Coyle, too, posted a smiling photograph of Harding and said she was "absolutely devastated" by the news.

Music manager Louis Walsh, who helped create Girls Aloud, in a statement said he would remember Harding with "great fondness" and that she was always fun and the life and soul of the party.

Hardings mother Marie announced the pop stars demise on Sunday, saying her daughter had slipped away peacefully.

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Many of you will know of Sarahs battle with cancer and that she fought so strongly from her diagnosis until her last day.

Earlier this year, Harding shared that a doctor had told her she probably wouldnt make it till next Christmas.

In her memoir Hear Me Out, she wrote that she was "trying to live and enjoy every second of my life, however long it might be and having a glass of wine or two during all this to relax.

Harding thanked her fans for the support she received after publicly revealing her diagnosis. "Ive been inundated with lovely messages from my fans, she said. Im grateful beyond words for that."
Brazil has suspended beef exports to its largest market China after two cases of atypical mad cow disease were confirmed in meat plants of two states.

The ban began immediately, the agriculture ministry of Brazil, the worlds largest exporter, announced, adding that China will decide when to lift the temporary ban.

The ministry said that the two cases, found in states of Minas Gerais and Mato Gross, were atypical since the disease first appeared spontaneously and sporadically, unrelated to the ingestion of contaminated food.

Commonly referred to as mad cow disease, Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a progressive neurologic disease in cows which get infected after eating feed contaminated with parts of another cow that was sick from BSE.

The ministry said they were the fourth and fifth cases of atypical mad cow disease in 23 years and there was no risk to human and animal health.

It said the two cases were found during inspection before the animals were slaughtered.

Brazil has never recorded a classic case of BSE, said the ministry, adding that it has officially notified the World Organization for animal health.

World animal health authorities do not include occurrence of atypical cases in BSE in assessing a countrys risk status, the agriculture ministry added.

In this way, Brazil maintains its classification as a country with an insignificant risk for the disease, not justifying any impact on the trade of animals and their products and by-products, it added.

Brazil is the worlds largest exporter of beef, generating sales of $2.4bn between January to July this year, marking an increase of 13.8 per cent, according to the Brazilian Meat Exporting Industry Association.

Meanwhile, China is the worlds largest importer, marking an 18 per cent increase year-on-year.

In June 2019, Brazil temporarily halted its exports of cattle to China after a BSE case was detected in a 17-year-old cow.

The disease was first detected in the UK in the 1980s, causing alarm in the beef industry after its cases spread in many countries in Europe and elsewhere. A total of 177 people died in the UK in the 80s and 1990s after contracting the human variant of the disease, known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Germany's ambassador to China has died suddenly, some two weeks after taking on the job, officials have confirmed.

Jan Hecker's exact cause and time of death remain unclear.

"It is with deep sadness and dismay that we learned of the sudden death of the German ambassador to China," Germany's Federal Foreign Office said on its website when confirming the death.

The 54-year-old, a foreign policy adviser to Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, presented his credentials at China's foreign ministry on 24 August, Beijing said.

An embassy spokesperson declined further comment.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin offered condolences when asked about Mr Hecker's death during a regular media briefing.

"We are shocked to learn about the sudden death of Ambassador Hecker, who had been working actively to promote China-Germany relations since assuming his post," he said.

China would provide assistance to Hecker's family and the embassy, he added.

Mr Hecker had appeared "happy and all right" when he hosted an event about German artist Joseph Beuys at his Beijing home last Friday, a guest at the event said.

The deceased's family remains in Beijing.

He is survived by his wife, who also works in the embassy, and their three children.

Before entering politics, Mr Hecker worked as a federal judge.
The head of NATO has urged China to join international treaties which limit the growth of nuclear weapons, warning Beijings arsenal is rapidly expanding.

Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of the military alliance, said more countries needed to be included in future arms control talks, not simply the United States and Russia.

"As a global power, China has global responsibilities in arms control. And Beijing, too, would benefit from mutual limits on numbers, increased transparency, and more predictability," Mr Stoltenberg said at NATOs annual arms control conference.

"These are the foundations for international stability."

Mr Stoltenberg warned China was building a large number of new missile silos, which would significantly increase its nuclear capability.

All of this is happening without any limitation or constraint. And with a complete lack of transparency."

The US under Donald Trump pulled out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty in 2019, accusing Russia of breaking the rules of the pact.

The treaty banned ground-launched cruise missiles with a range between 500km and 5,000km.

Russia has denied it broke the rules, but as the pact fell apart, China continued to build weapons banned by the measure and has shown little sign that its inclined to join in future arms proliferation talks.

Although the true scale of Chinas nuclear arsenal is not known, international observers estimate it has between 100 and 400 nuclear warheads.

The country officially had adopted a policy of having a minimal nuclear deterrent and no first strike policy, promising it would never use nor threaten to use nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear state and would only ever fire back after first being attacked.

Last year, China was invited to join the New START treaty between Russia and the US which binds the two countries to halve their nuclear stockpiles.

However, Beijing refused, arguing its own nuclear forces were small in comparison to the two former Cold War giants and as such it was unnecessary to attempt to wind them down.

In January, shortly after Joe Biden took office, American and Russian officials agreed a deal to extend New START for a further five years, until 2026.

China is however a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, in which the five formally-declared nuclear weapons states agreed to try to stop any other countries from acquiring them.
Indias southern state of Kerala has reported its first death from a new outbreak of the Nipah virus after a 12-year-old boy died of the infectious disease on Sunday, even as the state battles a deadly Covid-19 surge that accounts for a significant chunk of the countrys daily caseload.

At least two health workers have also been infected in the state, according to local reports.

This is the first death reported from the viral disease in Kerala after nearly three years, prompting health officials in it and neighbouring states to go into a state of alert.

The disease is usually caused by the consumption of food contaminated by animals, mostly bats. The virus carries a high fatality rate, ranging from 40 per cent to 75 per cent.

The administrations health officials have cornered at least one likely source of the infection: Rambutan, a lychee-like fruit consumed by locals. Officials are attempting to identify whether the infection was carried through the fruit after bats contaminated it, said a Hindustan Times report.

Officials have also identified 18 family members and relatives who came in contact with the infected 12-year-old boy, and quarantined 150 secondary contacts.

Officials from Delhis National Centre for Disease Control have tried to identify the fruits the boy may have consumed and any animals he could have interacted with, the report added.

Locals have been advised to follow protocols after the Kerala administration declared the area around the victims house a containment zone and imposed lockdown-like rules within a three-kilometre radius.

The Nipah virus case has raised fears of an outbreak of another disease after Covid, even as Kerala accounts for at least 50-60 per cent of the countrys daily Covid cases.

The southern state alone also reported more than 26,000 cases and 74 deaths in a span of 24 hours on Sunday, according to official data, keeping state authorities in a state of alert as they remain wary of a possible third wave.

What is Nipah virus

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nipah is a zoonotic virus, which means it is transmitted from animals to humans. The virus can also be transmitted through contaminated food and has been directly transmitted between people in some cases.

The Nipah virus causes a range of illnesses. Some patients remain asymptomatic, but others exhibit acute respiratory symptoms and fatal encephalitis. It is also known to infect a number of animals, especially pigs, impacting local livestock trade among farmers.

What is the origin of Nipah virus

The virus was first recognised in 1999 in Malaysia, after an outbreak was reported among pig farmers. The second time the Nipah virus reared it head was in 2001 in Bangladesh, which is also Indias neighbour.

Bangladesh has since then continued to report annual outbreaks, according to the WHO. There have also been reports of cases in eastern India after 2001.

Several other countries are also said to be at risk, as evidence of the virus has been found in several bat species that are found in countries like Cambodia, Ghana, Indonesia, Madagascar, the Philippines and Thailand.

How is Nipah virus caused

The disease is carried by fruit bats of the family Pteropodidae  particularly species belonging to the Pteropus genus  who are the natural hosts of the Nipah virus. It can be transmitted between animals, animals to humans via contaminated food and among humans via direct contact.

What are the symptoms of Nipah virus

A person infected with Nipah will initially develop symptoms like fever, headaches, myalgia (muscle pain), vomiting and sore throat. This can be followed by dizziness, drowsiness, altered consciousness and neurological signs that indicate acute encephalitis, according to the WHO.

An infected person also experiences atypical pneumonia and severe respiratory problems, including acute respiratory distress. Encephalitis and seizures occur in severe cases, progressing to coma within 24 to 48 hours, says the WHO.

What is the incubation period of Nipah virus

The interval from infection to the onset of first symptoms is believed to fall between four and 14 days. In certain cases, an incubation period spanning 45 days has also been reported.

What happens to those who contract Nipah virus

While some remain asymptomatic and most who survive Nipah virus make a full recovery, others have reported long-term neurological conditions.

Approximately 20 per cent of patients are left with residual neurological consequences such as seizure disorder and personality changes. A small number of people who recover subsequently relapse or develop delayed onset encephalitis, the WHO says.

How can Nipah virus be treated

At present, there are no drugs or vaccines specifically designed to counter the Nipah virus. The global health body has recommended intensive supportive care to treat severe respiratory and neurological complications for this priority disease under its Research and Development Blueprint.

When did India last report the Nipah virus

India reported its last Nipah virus case in 2019 in Kerala, but it was quickly contained by the state administration without reports of deaths or any further infections taking place. Before that, Kerala grappled with an outbreak in 2018 that had led to the death of 17 people.

Kerala announced it had overcome this outbreak on 10 June 2018.

The very first Nipah outbreak in India occurred in 2001 in Siliguri in the state of West Bengal, in which 45 people died, followed by a second outbreak in 2007, in which five died from the infection.

How can a Nipah outbreak be prevented

Animal premises, in case an outbreak is suspected, should be quarantined immediately, according to the WHO. Culling of infected animals  with close supervision of burial or incineration of carcasses  may be necessary to reduce the risk of transmission to people, it says.

The movement of animals from infected farms to other areas should be restricted or banned to reduce the spread of the disease.

As Nipah virus outbreaks have involved pigs and/or fruit bats, establishing an animal health/wildlife surveillance system, using a One Health approach, to detect Nipah cases is essential in providing early warning for veterinary and human public health authorities, the WHO says.

Human-to-human transmission can be stopped by avoiding close unprotected physical contact with those infected by the Nipah virus. Regular hand washing should be carried out after caring for or visiting sick people.

Humans can avoid the risk of transmission via contaminated fruits or fruit products by washing them thoroughly and peeling them before consumption. Fruits with signs of bat bites should be disposed of, according to the WHO.
 Close Free people 'still choose Western values', says Blair

The Talibans claim to be in total control of Afghanistans Panjshir province has been disputed by the National Resistance Front (NRF), which condemned the declaration as false.

A Taliban spokesman on Monday declared victory for the Islamist group, saying it meant our country is completely taken out of the quagmire of war. However, resistance fighters swiftly said they were still present in all strategic positions and continue to fight.

Images on social media appeared to back up the Talibans version of events, though.

Meanwhile, Tony Blair has conceded Western forces acted with some naivety during the invasion of Afghanistan two decades ago. But despite being unrealistic about how the country could be remade by foreign occupation, the former prime minister, who ordered British soldiers into the country in 2001, said he continued to believe in liberal intervention.

In a speech this morning, Mr Blair said the chaos that saw tens of thousands flee its returning theocratic rulers showed people identified with Western liberal values no matter where they lived.

Sign The Independents petition urging the UK to take in more refugees from Afghanistan here.
The young leader of the resistance in the Panjshir has called for a national uprising against the Taliban as the Islamist group claimed to have broken the last stand of the opposition and gained control of the whole of Afghanistan.

Ahmad Massouds cry for revolt came less than 24 hours after he had announced that the National Resistance Front would take part in the ceasefire urged by religious leaders. But the Talibs are scenting victory and feel there is no need to talk, saying that the opposition had given negative answers at earlier negotiations.

The resistance continues to dispute the claims of victory by the Talibs, insisting that they are continuing to fight from strategic positions and have captured or killed hundreds of Islamist fighters.

But with photos on social media of Talibs at the gate of the Panjshir provincial governors compound, and raising its banner in the centre of the capital, the Islamists chief spokesman announced the end of the war in Afghanistan.

With this victory, our country is completely taken out of the quagmire of war. The last remaining nest of the escaped enemy was cleared this morning and last night, Emirate forces [Taliban] have an active presence there now, said Zabihullah Mujahid at a press conference.

Massoud, the 32-year-old son of the renowned mujaheddin leaders Ahmad Shah Massoud, has sent messages stressing that he remained in the Panjshir. The whereabouts of his fellow leader, Amrullah Saleh is unclear amid reports that he may have gone to Tajikistan. An implacable adversary of the Islamists and their Pakistani sponsors, he was not expected to survive long in Talib captivity.

While asking for a revolt against Taliban rule Ahmad Massoud said members of his family have been killed in the fighting. The resistance has reportedly lost a number of senior figures including General Abdul Wudod Zara, a nephew of Ahmad Shah Massoud and commanders Gul Haidar Khan and Munib Amiri.

Fahim Dashti, a journalist and the spokesperson of the resistance was also killed, in a drone attack which the opposition alleged was carried out by the Pakistani military.

Dashti, a former chairman of the Federation of Afghan Journalists (FAJ), was the nephew of Abdullah Abdullah, a former senior member of the Afghan government who is conducting negotiations with the Taliban. He was seriously injured in an al-Qaeda suicide bombing in which Ahmad Shah Massoud was murdered in the run-up to the 9/11 attacks on the US.

The Taliban are also reported to have lost some prominent figures including Maulvi Fassihuddin, the chief of its opposition in northeast Afghanistan who had played a key role in the Islamist offensive in the region.

Questions are being asked, however, about the costs incurred by the opposition in senior and experienced figures, as well as fighters, in deciding to continue the conflict in an area which had been a bastion in the past, but was now surrounded by enemy occupied territory.

Members of the resistance said they hoped that their refusal to give up would help galvanise a actions against the Talibs in other parts of the country. They also hoped to get foreign support. Ahmad Massoud, who had been to Kings College, London and Sandhurst had written a piece in The Washington Post requesting help and other senior members have been lobbying politicians abroad.

The opposition had repeatedly wanted to stress that they were not only fighting the Taliban but foreign jihadists, Isis and al-Qaeda on behalf of the international community.

There is bitterness at the way Afghanistan had been abandoned.

The betrayal of Afghanistan by the west is colossal.... The scenes at Kabul airport in recent days represented the humiliation of humanity, an embarrassment for any nation that has been involved in Afghanistan since the Taliban were routed by the US-led Coalition Force in the aftermath of the 9/11 atrocity, Saleh had charged. This is not only shameful for President Biden, it is shameful for the whole of Western civilisation.

Amrullah Saleh says the betrayal of Afghanistan by the west is colossal (Reuters)

There has been limited international reaction to what has happened at Panjshir.

Iran has  strongly condemned the Talib offensive saying it was  truly worrying and the siege of Panjshir is by no means acceptable in terms of international law and humanitarian law. But there has been no move to offer concrete help.

There has been persistent opposition to Taliban rule  from women. A protest march was held at the northern city of Mazae-e-Sharif on Monday, following ones in Kabul and Herat. The Taliban, who had promised equal rights for women under the tenets of Islam, have broken up each one with varying degrees of violence.

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. 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. We thank you for your support. To sign the petition click here
The US Department of State has been accused of delaying clearances for flights evacuating Afghanistan to land in neighbouring countries, say reports.

Rick Clay, the operator of PlanB, a private group organising evacuations out has said the State Department is the only entity stopping his planes from leaving the airport, according to reporting by Fox News.

He outlined that he was desperate to get the required State Department clearance to land in Doha and has 4,500 people waiting; US citizens, visa and green card holders and Afghan refugees. This comes after Afghanistan fell to the Taliban after the US military withdrawal last month, and despite a federal government attempt to get everyone out by the end of August.

Mr Clay alleged the State Department is not allowing any private charters carrying refugees to land anywhere in bordering countries, and they are said to be giving varying excuses as to why, such as air traffic control and radar problems. Two other unnamed individuals have made similar claims.

One told Fox News, This is zero place to be negotiating with American lives. Those are our people standing on the tarmac and all it takes is a f****** phone call.

But Rep. Michael Caufield, who serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee, claims that he has received classified reports about hundreds of people awaiting departure from Mazar-i-Sharif airport due to the Taliban holding up the planes and turning it into a hostage situation.

We have six airplanes at Mazar Sharif airport, six airplanes with American citizens on them as I speak, also with these interpreters, and the Taliban is holding them hostage for demands right now, The Texas congressman told Fox News Sunday.

Eric Montalvo, a ex major with the US Marines tasked with helping with the evacuation process told The New York Times: Taliban are not holding the planes hostage.

Documents seen by NYT showed US authorities had cleared a total of 1,000 people who had been taken to Qatar via three planes.

If and when the Taliban agrees to take off, we are tracking that the landing sites will be prepared to accept the expected flights, read the email from the State Department.

The State Department said they understood the concerns of those waiting to leave Afghanistan, but said the situation was complicated due to not having control in the country anymore.

Given these constraints, we also do not have a reliable means to confirm the basic details of charter flights, including who may be organizing them, the number of U.S. citizens and other priority groups on-board, the accuracy of the rest of the manifest, and where they plan to land, among many other issues, a State Department spokesperson said in a a statement, seen by CNN.
As private universities prepared to open on Monday in Afghanistan, the Taliban issued a decree asking all women students to wear clothes that cover their faces and bodies.

The group issued a lengthy document that said women students should wear abaya and niqab, and only be taught by other women or old men of good character.

An abaya is a loose-fitting, full-length robe, mostly black in colour, which Muslim women are required to wear under the Taliban. A niqab is a veil that covers most of the face except for the eyes.

Classes in universities have to be segregated by gender and if that is not possible, then the two should be divided by a curtain, the Taliban said.

The Talibans education authority said the decree applies to private colleges and universities in the country.

There was no order for women to wear the burqa, that covers the body, in the new regulations issued by the group but the Taliban has ordered that women students wear the niqab that covers most of the face.

The decree said: Universities are required to recruit female teachers for female students based on their facilities. It also said that men and women should use separate entrances and exits.

If it is not possible to hire women teachers, then colleges should try to hire old men teachers who have a good record of behaviour, the Talibans new rules say.

Women students will also end their lesson five minutes earlier than men to stop them from mingling outside. The Talibans higher education ministry has also said that the women must stay in waiting rooms until their male counterparts have left the building.

A university professor was quoted by the AFP as saying that Practically, it is a difficult plan - we dont have enough female instructors or classes to segregate the girls. But the fact that they are allowing girls to go to schools and universities is a big positive step.

The Taliban had also promised to have a more inclusive government after the group overtook Kabul last month. They have claimed to be more accommodating than their first stint in power.

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. 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. We thank you for your support. To sign the petition click here
With the school holidays all but over, those of us at Bella Vista PR who dont have children could at last take our annual leave. My colleague George was straight on a flight to Mykonos. I loaded up my car for a week with my mother.

We had originally planned to take a river cruise along the Rhine, but gave up believing it would happen at some point in April, by which time holiday options in the UK were already few and far between, even with six months lead time. Thats why we were booked to stay in the Cumbrian hotel next door to the one that had been my fathers favourite.

I thought Id done quite well to grab the last two single rooms, considering the competition. At least I knew Mum liked the town we would be staying in.
The House of Commons, for all its faults, still has its uses. Three weeks ago, the prime minister endured one of the worst days of his premiership when he had to go to the house to defend his policy and the conduct of the foreign secretary in the immediate aftermath of the evacuation of Afghanistan. It featured genuinely impassioned speeches from the likes of Tom Tugendhat, who served in the campaign and has proved a sharp and well-informed critic of the prime minister, and many more deeply damaging criticisms. Although there was no question of his resigning, though Dominic Raab remains vulnerable, it was a moment when his own party visibly and vocally attacked him. Trying to hide behind the tributes to the armed forces, he sounded risible. He had virtually no support from his own side, where he could normally count on at least a few sycophants and job seekers getting up to congratulate him on a good job well done. Boris Johnson could offer parliament nothing but excuses and evasions, and they were not having it. It was a poor performance, even by his own sloppy standards, and he did not rise to the occasion. It was not his finest hour, and far from it.

On Monday, perhaps because of the slight passage of time, and some rest and recreation, tempers had cooled and the prime minister, mostly, caught the mood of the House much better in addressing the question of Afghanistan. If he was just as bored by the futile exercise this time as last  because, after all, the war is lost  he did much better at disguising it. His most implacable and influential enemies on the Conservative backbenches, such as Tugendhat, Tobias Ellwood and Johnny Mercer, confined themselves to asking practical questions about foreign policy and rescuing Afghan refugees. Theresa May resisted the temptation to ridicule him. When angrily challenged by a Labour MP about refugees being ejected from air transports out of Kabul the prime minister was meekness itself. He thanked local authorities for helping, and implied some should do more. The leader of the opposition made the right points, but failed to skewer the prime minister. Johnson survived in a less stormy session.
Mangal II has existed in many forms since I first visited and fell in love with it. I was a little late to the party, dining there for the first time in 2019  on one of my first dates with my now-boyfriend  when it was a cult favourite BYO spot that punched well above its weight in terms of the food one would expect from a pre-night out destination.

The next iteration was after the first coronavirus lockdown. Over that four-month period, Ferhat Dirik took stock of what he wanted the restaurant to be and began to make changes. He called his brother, Sertac, back from Copenhagen. BYO was scrapped in favour of a considered natural wine list and brewery collabs. The menu was refined, and notable dishes began to creep their way in: mushroom manti dumplings (luscious, silky, tangy, the kind of thing you want to scoop and slurp for all of eternity), grilled onion salad (lathered in sumac, the onions releasing a kind of hard-earned sweetness that comes from slow, generous cooking) and fried okra covered in sucuk jam (the crunchy, lightly fried green vegetable coated in sucuk that has been cooked until it releases its lightly spiced, jammy juices).

This edition stuck for a while. Special dishes hinted at what was to come, almost like the restaurant was testing the waters, seeing if there was an appetite for what could be. And then lockdown hit again. Before our January move further east, my partner and I made lunchtime pilgrimages to Mangal II for their pide sandwiches. It was the kind of midday meal that made sluggish, aimless days all the better  even when scoffed roadside, the footpath eerily empty of bodies. While we were eating, however, Ferhat and Sertac were obviously scheming, taking the time to overhaul the restaurant for a second time.

The Cull Yaw mutton chop, which appeared as a chop in the mains and a crisp kofte in the starters (Molly Codyre)

In my most recent visit, it was like attending Mangal II in its final stage of metamorphosis. A few of those original menu changes had remained  the mushroom manti dumplings, notably  but many newbies were in existence. Cull Yaw, the revolutionary Mutton product courtesy of Matt Chatfield at The Cornwall Project and ingredient de la mode of the London food scene, featured throughout. It was in the starters as a crisp kofte paired with a chicken fat mayo that was so good it almost shouldnt be allowed. It popped up on the main dishes as a chop, salted til it gave Utah a run for its money, and so damn tender I had to explain to my fellow diners the abridged version I had gathered of the Cull Yaw ageing process from a Vittles article.

A dish simply listed as smoked mutton sausage arrived curled upon itself, spicy, smokey and reminiscent of a Spanish merguez, a delicately sweet glaze below perfectly balancing the deep savoury flavours of the meat. Grilled lobster roll almost didnt need the seafood at all  thats how good the buttery brioche roll (crisp on the bottom, fluffy as all hell in the body) and green mayo was. It was messy, drippy, finger-licking food that proves Mangal IIs culinary prowess.

One of the most controversial changes of Mangal IIs puberty period was that they stopped giving away bread for free. Their social media posts loosely alluded to local rivals who threatened them and regulars who iced them out for the decision  who knew carbs were such high drama? What the detractors didnt understand is that Mangal II had bigger, breadier dreams in mind. These manifested themselves in the sourdough pide, a slab of flour you would happily pay good money for in any trendy Eurocentric restaurant these days  and probably for something a little too crisp, a little less aerated, a little more dry, wholly less wonderful  so why complain here? They still bring you one with the dishes that need it, removing any accusations of cheapness or money grabbing.

The bread at Mangal II is a definite highlight (Molly Codyre)

Chargrilled octopus was deceptively barren on the outside, the blackened exterior hiding a wonderfully creamy flesh. The doner kebab meat, meanwhile, is a menu staple, but exists now like a 1990s romcom character after a particularly emotional makeover scene. All the Cady Herons, Andy Sachs and Laney Boggs of the world could only dream of a tearjerker glow-up like this. It is exactly how lamb should be; tender yet crisp, the fat still holding its integrity for flavour purposes, without feeling like unwelcome gristle. The doner meat has always been good at Mangal, but now it is some of the best, firmly existing in a league of its own. Chicken thigh shish arrived on inexplicably enormous metal skewers (so long, in fact, that my dining companion pretended to knight me with it. I, meanwhile, was considering its use in repelling anyone who got too heated during dinnertime debates) and had soaked up all the carcinogenic wonder of the coals while still being juicy and moreish.

Anyone familiar with the Dalston area will know Kingsland Road has a series of infamous characters. Living for a year and a half on the corner of Dalston Junction, I became intimately familiar with how these people contribute to the fabric of the neighbourhood. It is not uncommon for someone to pop into a restaurant, pub or cafe to ask for money, and it is indicative of a wider problem around homelessness and a fundamental lack of social care in the country. This is of course a quandary for businesses: you want to support every member of the community, but there are inevitably going to be some diners who frown upon the interruption. Unsurprisingly, someone came into Mangal II during our meal to ask for some money. Our waiter leant across the table and mentioned conspiratorially that one of the countrys most notable critics had visited the week before (He was here to review us, I think). He told me that they had parked someone at the door so as to ensure no one came in during their meal. Im not sure what his reaction would have been but I would like to think he wouldnt have minded. Dalston is not Kensington; real life exists in every inch of this wonderful neighbourhood. If you dont want to be reminded of that while youre eating your dinner, then perhaps the W postcode would be a better spot for you.

Chicken thigh shish arrived on inexplicably enormous metal skewers (Molly Codyre)

Mangal II is attempting to redefine what Turkish cuisine is. Fehrat has a lot to say on the topic, largely querying why the food has so often been relegated to the gastronomical area where freebies and cheap and cheerful menus are expected. Anyone who has the audacity to complain about paying for a wonderful piece of bread at the new version of Mangal II is wholly missing the point: this is Turkish food how Fehrat and Sertac want it to be. If you dont like it, go somewhere else. Itll leave more tables for the rest of us.

Counter culture

This weeks food and drink news

Dishpatch x El Pastor

As post-pandemic life gets into full swing, and restaurant reservations are still increasingly hard to come by, home kits havent quite slunk back into the shadows. Dishpatch cemented themselves as one of the industry leaders in the field, and shows no signs of slowing down. Their most recent collaboration is with famed taqueria El Pastor, to celebrate Mexican Independence Day. Feast on a range of their tacos, alongside extras like guacamole, tuna tostadas and margaritas.

Celebrate Pride at the Blue Posts

Just because the official event has been cancelled, doesnt mean you cant still go out, have a great time and support the LGBT+ community. Multi-level Soho pub the Blue Posts is putting on a cracker of a party. Starting from 12pm til late, they have DJ Wayne David on the decks, the Mulwray wine bar upstairs for when you need a break from the dance floor and a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Albert Kennedy Trust.

Kudu Grill opens in Peckham

Inspired by their South African roots, owners Amy and Patrick have been quietly taking over London with the Kudu Collective. They launched their fourth outpost, Kudu Grill, last week, which focuses on the use of the Braai  a South African way of grilling  bringing a playful twist to the countrys food.
A massive bitcoin price pump has been proposed by leading industry figures to celebrate El Salvador officially adopting the cryptocurrency as legal tender on 7 September.

Popular crypto forums on Reddit, as well as prominent Twitter accounts, have called on people to buy $30 of bitcoin to coincide with the Bitcoin Law coming into effect, which will see every citizen in El Salvador offered $30 in bitcoin through a specialised wallet app.

>> Follow all the latest crypto market updates with The Independents live blog

As part of the law, citizens of El Salvador will have access to $30 in bitcoin from the government through a specialised wallet app.

One popular post on the sub-Reddit r/Bitcoin called for a Global Bitcoin Day where people invest what they can in the cryptocurrency every year on 7 September.

Lets make September 7th Global Bitcoin Day! In support and celebration of BTC officially becoming legal tender in El Salvador we should mint this day as a day of support on an annual basis, the post stated.

The Reddit community alone can add billions of dollars to BTCs market cap.

Bitcoin crossed $50,000 over the weekend and has continued to rise at the start of the week  potentially in anticipation of the price pump.

Bitcoins notorious volatility makes any price prediction difficult but a similar phenomenon was seen in May when fans of dogecoin invested heavily in the meme-inspired cryptocurrency ahead of Elon Musks appearance on Saturday Night Live.

The SpaceX and Tesla boss was widely expected to make references to dogecoin and bring it to mainstream attention, with fans hoping it could hit $0.69 during his time hosting the show on 8 May.

Dogecoins price rose from around $0.25 in the weeks leading up to the date and hit the target during the broadcast before eventually peaking at $0.74. It has since crashed and is now trading at around $0.30.

Bitcoin remains a long way off its peak of $64,000, which it hit in mid April, however it has staged a remarkable recover in recent months.

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Some analysts believe bitcoin could see new record highs before the end of 2021, with some projections putting its price above $100,000 by Christmas.

Prominent figures supporting the latest price pump include Danny Scott, CEO of cryptocurrency exchange CoinCorner, and Michael Saylor, CEO of MicroStrategy.

MicroStrategy is the worlds biggest corporate investor in bitcoin, having recently added a further 4,000 bitcoins to its already considerable balance sheet. The software firm now holds nearly 109,000 bitcoins, worth more than $5.5 billion at todays rates, and Mr Saylor has signalled that another purchase could happen on 7 September.

Every cyber hornet I know is planning to buy $30 in BTC tomorrow in solidarity with the people of El Salvador, he tweeted on Monday. Will you join us?
[This article was originally published in January 2018]

Have you ever had a flirtatious exchange with a co-worker or classmate, but decided to keep the conversation a secret from your significant other?

Or perhaps you used the fire emoji with someone other than your significant others Instagram post  simply because you thought they looked good.

Well, according to dating expert Melanie Schilling, who spoke to HuffPost Australia, this type of behaviour isnt as innocent as you may think.

The behaviour actually makes you guilty of something Schilling refers to as micro-cheating, or as she defines it, a series of seemingly small actions that indicate a person is emotionally or physically focused on someone outside their relationship.

If this sounds a bit extreme  we agree. So how do you know if you are encouraging or engaging in micro-cheating?

According to Schilling, you might be engaging in micro-cheating if You secretly connect with another guy/girl on social media; if you share private jokes; if you downplay the seriousness of your relationship to another guy/girl; or if you enter their name under a code in your phone.

Is micro-cheating as bad as real cheating?

So basically all human interaction with members of the opposite sex outside of your relationship.

While Schilling does make some interesting points to back up her claim, like it all comes down to intention, we cant help but express doubt over her belief that if you share private jokes or connect with another guy/girl on social media it is a subtle betrayal.

And, if you dont nip this behaviour in the bud, Schilling warns You are effectively saying Its okay to flirt with him/her, Im happy to take second place and I dont really matter.

We asked relationship expert Susan Winter if she agrees with these claims - and it turns out she does - but believes it all comes down to intention and context.

Winter told The Independent: Although micro-cheating may not be physical cheating, its certainly testing the borders of emotional cheating. Flirting is flirting. And flirting is the act of fanning a spark that can easily spread to a flame.

Emotional cheating can be just as harmful to a relationship

But should this behaviour really be a deal-breaker in a relationship? If it makes you feel uncomfortable or insecure in your relationship, then perhaps.

However, Winter recommends first talking to your partner about the issue in a diplomatic and rational way  by explaining the observations youve made, and how they have affected you.

And if you think there may be more to the story, Winter suggests asking your significant other, "Is there something I need to know about your feelings for this person?

Another effective approach would be to ask: How would you feel if I did something like this? according to Winter.

But, if you find yourself guilty of micro-cheating as well, as many of us are, it seems more appropriate to take Schillings warning with a grain of salt.

After all, everybody flirts.
Princes Charless trusted aide and former valet could face a police investigation following cash-for-honours claims.

A former Liberal Democrat MP and author of a book on royal finances, Norman Baker, has written to the Metropolitan Police asking the force to launch an investigation into Michael Fawcett.

Fawcett has been accused of promising to help secure a knighthood and British citizenship for a Saudi billionaire who donated to Prince Charles charity, The Princes Foundation.

Bakers request comes after a letter written by Fawcett in 2017 offered to support and contribute to Saudi tycoon Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouzs application for citizenship in light of [his] ongoing and most recent generosity.

The letter, seen by the Mail on Sunday, added: I can further confirm that we are willing to make [an] application to increase His Excellencys honour from Honorary CBE to that of KBE in accordance with Her Majestys Honours Committee.

Mr. Mahfouz was previously awarded a CBE by Prince Charles in 2016. He is also listed as a community patron on The Princes Foundation website.

In an appearance on talkRADIO on Monday 6 September, Baker described Fawcett as the closest person to Prince Charles apart from Camilla.

The idea that Michael Fawcett would write letters or undertake policies in this kind of rogue operation without Prince Charles knowing is just with the fairies, he said. Absolutely Prince Charles knows whats going on.

Fawcett, who became chief executive of The Princes Foundation in 2018, offered to temporarily step down from his duties at the foundation on Saturday 4 September, while the charity carries out an investigation.

Douglas Connell, chair of The Princes Foundation told The Independent: The Princes Foundation has accepted this offer. Michael fully supports the ongoing investigation and has confirmed that he will assist the investigation in every way.

A spokesperson for The Princes Foundation added: The Princes Foundation takes very seriously the allegations that have recently been brought to its attention and the matter is currently under investigation.

The scope of The Princes Foundation investigation has been extended to cover this weekends newspaper reports. The Trustees had already arranged an independent review by an external senior forensic accountant from a big four accountancy firm.

We are incredibly proud of The Princes Foundations charitable work and the positive impact it has on our beneficiaries throughout the UK and across the world.

Our education and training programmes, in particular, benefit more than 15,000 people every year, and provide our students with the skills and confidence needed to gain employment or start their own businesses.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: We are aware of the media reports and await further contact in relation to this matter.

Fawcett is one of Charless most trusted aides, with the prince once stating: I can manage without just about anyone, except for Michael.

Fawcett first began working with Charles as his personal valet, later becoming his personal assistant.

He quit the role in 2003 after he was accused of selling unwanted royal gifts but was cleared of financial misconduct by an internal inquiry.
More than three-quarters of married people have no idea what their spouses pensions are worth, according to research.

Some 78% of married people who are yet to retire are unaware of the value of their other halfs retirement savings, a survey of over 4,000 people across the UK for LV= found.

Nearly half (47%) of non-retired married people have not spoken to their spouse about their retirement plans, the pensions and retirement specialist said.

And 85% of non-retired married people are not aware of the tax efficiencies of planning retirement together, according to its wealth and wellbeing monitor.

People with assets between 100,000 and 500,000 excluding property were more likely to be aware of the value of their spouses pension.

Couples who jointly plan their retirement can be much better off when they stop working Clive Bolton, LV=

But the majority (60%) did not intend to plan their retirement finances with their spouse and 78% were not aware of the benefits of planning retirement together.

Clive Bolton, managing director of savings and retirement at LV= said: LV=s research indicates that millions of married people are not talking to their partners about their pensions and retirement plans.

Thats a mistake because couples who jointly plan their retirement can be much better off when they stop working.

Most people have a good idea of what their house is worth, and the same attitude should apply to their retirement funds. After a lifetime of saving, the value of a retirement fund can be worth as much as a property so its important that people know how much their retirement savings worth and the potential death benefits they offer.

Here are LVs pension tips for couples:

 Consider paying into the partners pension

A higher earning partner could pay additional contributions into their partners pension, so that the contributions attract tax relief.

 Do not forget the death benefits and inheritance tax benefits of pensions

Pensions will not normally form part of the estate for inheritance tax purposes and on death before age 75 they can usually be paid out tax-free.

It can make sense to discuss when and how to access a pensions and if it would be better to spend any other savings first.

 Avoid unnecessary large withdrawals from a pension fund

Couples should consider how much money they need to withdraw from their pension funds.

Drawing too much too quickly can lead to large tax bills

 Make sure your partner knows who to contact about your pensions if you die

You may have carefully arranged all your finances so that they can be passed to your loved ones in the most tax efficient way possible.

However, if your partner has not been part of the conversation, they may make uninformed decisions.

It is worth remembering that adviser/client relationships end on death.
ITVs new three-part drama series Stephen airs on Monday night and tells the true story of the ongoing legal fight to bring Stephen Lawrences killers to justice.

The black teenager was attacked and fatally stabbed at a bus stop in south east London on 22 April 1993 by a gang of white men, one of the most shocking crimes in recent British history.

A sequel to the same channels The Murder of Stephen Lawrence (1999), the series sees Hugh Quashie reprise his role as the victims father Neville.

Sharlene Whyte, recently seen in the Education episode of Steve McQueens acclaimed Small Axe (2020), plays the fearless Doreen Lawrence, whose single-minded pursuit of her sons murderers won huge admiration but came at tremendous personal cost.

Stephen is directed by Alrick Riley and written by Frank and Joe Cottrell Boyce, based on the book In Pursuit of the Truth (2015) by DCI Clive Driscoll, who is played in the show by Steve Coogan.

Still best known as Alan Partridge, Coogan has proven himself an adept impersonator of real people in more serious projects like Tony Wilson in 24 Hour Party People (2002), Paul Raymond in The Look of Love (2013), Martin Sixsmith in Philomena (2013) and Stan Laurel in Stan & Ollie (2018).

In an interview with The Radio Times, the real Mr Driscoll revealed that he had spoken to Coogan at length in preparation for his role.

I spoke to him on Zoom for two-and-a-half hours. He was incredibly lovely and down to earth, Mr Driscoll said. We were going to meet up, but that was impossible due to the lockdown. He is a very talented man.

I thanked him for actually taking the part, being part of the story and keeping Stephens story out there. I still think we can all learn from Stephens story and we should cherish his memory.

Coogan himself was equally complimentary: It was an honour to play Clive really because as an actor I dont often play nice people. So it was a nice change for me to play someone who had integrity, simple unannounced integrity, if you like.

He was a very attractive person to play. He has a sense of humour, he doesnt go around with a sort of shield and sword of truth, he just quietly does his job, and thats something I thought, ironically, it was nice to celebrate someone who wouldnt celebrate themselves in this story.

Mr Driscoll was born in Battersea in 1951 and began his career as a constable in Sutton in 1971 before heading to Brixton as a sergeant in 1985 and forming one of the forces first domestic violence units in 1987.

Five years later, he joined New Scotland Yard, where he was placed in charge of policy for the Sexual Offences, Domestic Violence, Child Protection and the Paedophile Unit.

By July 1998, he transferred to Lambeth to serve on a specialist Scotland Yard unit dedicated to child protection, working as a detective inspector.

Another promotion followed in 2003 when Mr Driscoll was appointed detective chief inspector and senior investigating officer with the Mets Racial and Violent Crime Task Force.

High-profile cases he worked oin over the course of his career included: Operation Care, investigating a Lambeth paedophile ring; the arrest of Nicholas Goldtooth Stewart, a serial robber who preyed on gay men on Hampstead Heath, in 2004; and Operation Yewpool, a 2007 robe into the honour killing of Surjit Athwal, a British Indian woman from Coventry murdered in Punjab in December 1998.

Steve Coogan as DCI Driscoll in ITVs new drama Stephen (ITV)

Mr Driscoll retired in 2014, claiming he was forced out by senior officers, and wrote the memoir on which the new series is based.

The book recounts his involvement in the Lawrence case, known as Operation Fishpool, from 2006 onwards and the last-ditch attempt to secure a conviction after two prior cases made against the suspected attackers had collapsed.

Whyte credits Doreen Lawrences integral role in helping the detective achieve that aim, which saw new forensic evidence come to light and two of the original suspects - Gary Dobson and David Norris - finally jailed in 2012.

By 2006, she knows how the Met works; she knows its corrupt, and its almost like the anger has dissipated. She teaches Clive Driscoll how the Met works, Whyte told the i newspaper in an interview.

De Montfort University Leicester, which awarded Mr Driscoll an honorary degree, has said of his dedication to the Lawrence case: He immersed himself; amid the complexity and confusion, he always remembered Stephen, a young man who had been so badly failed. With flask and sandwiches, Clive Driscoll went daily to Well Hall Road, in Eltham, the scene of Stephens murder. He read files while sitting on a bench opposite.

Interest in the murder remains intense 28 years on and was documented extensively, most recently by Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees in their BBC series Stephen: The Murder That Changed a Nation (2018).

Stephen airs on ITV at 9pm on Monday 30 August
A man charged with murder in connection to the death of a woman who fell from Arthurs Seat in Scotland has appeared in court.

Kashif Anwar appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court where he made no plea.

On Thursday, Fawziyah Javed from Pudsey, West Yorkshire, fell from the hill in Holyrood Park.

She is understood to have been in Edinburgh on her honeymoon after celebrating her wedding reception the previous weekend.

Police and emergency services were called at around 9pm, but the 31-year-old died at the scene.

Arthurs Seat rises more than 800 feet above the city and is popular with walkers for its panoramic views.

Mr Anwar has been remanded in custody and is due to reappear in court within the next eight days.
A centuries old village pub has a new name this week, after brewery Greene King was moved to change it following the Black Lives Matter protests.

The historic Black Boy, in Shinfield, Berkshire, is now the Shinfield Arms  a change that has been welcomed by race campaigners, if not by all regulars and locals.

The brewery said there had been complaints over the old names connotations of slavery and oppression.

The decision to rename the pub was backed by Readings Alliance for Cohesion and Racial Equality. Earlier this year, Victor Koroma, the groups general manager, explained that the change was necessary because the historical connotations of the name were offensive.

He said: I think that we (the Black community) would love to see it go and have a decent name on what is a public amenity rather than to keep harping back to the days that will hopefully never come again.

Greene Kings managing director Wayne Shurvinton said there was a perception today that the old names were linked with racism, and the chain knew we had to take this step if we wanted to continue on our journey to become a truly anti-racist organisation.

Historians have proposed a number of different explanations for the origin of the Black Boy name. A book entitled The history of the Parish of Shinfield, Berkshire, written by a former Naval commander Douglas Doble and published in 1961, suggests two possible ways in which the name could be linked to slavery, Berkshire Live reported.

The first possible explanation is that two men living in the Coley Park area of Reading had kept slaves and had links to Jamaica, according to the book. Another could be related to an image of a Black boy smoking a long pipe which was used by tobacconists during the 18th century.

Other historians claim the Black boy was a nickname for King Charles II in reference to his dark hair and complexion. He is reported to have stayed in Shinfield during the English Civil War between 1642 and 1651.

Dr Halima Begum, director of The Runnymede Trust, told The Independent: We commend Greene Kings efforts to address this issue in a sensitive manner.

One can imagine how distressing it is for black families to walk past a sign like this with all its connotations of slavery and oppression, and in particular what this does to the self-esteem of our children and the questions this raises about their place and belonging in society, in the historical context.

Greene Kings efforts to address this issue in an appropriate and sensitive manner sets an important precedent on how Britain can reconcile with some difficult histories.

The new name was chosen in a poll of over 7,000 people that suggested three new names for the pub: The Kings Rest, The Merry Monarch and winner The Shinfield Arms.

The renaming of the pub comes as part of Greene Kings inclusion and diversity strategy. Last year, the companys historic links to slavery were exposed through a University College London (UCL) database of slave profiteers, prompting the firm to pledge significant investment in Black and minority ethnic (BAME) communities.

When the UCL database was revealed in June 2020, Nick Mackenzie, the CEO of Greene King, admitted the companys links to slavery were inexcusable. It was reported that Greene Kings 19th century founder, Benjamin Greene, received the equivalent of 500,000 in compensation for his West Indies plantations after abolition.

The brewery said it also planned to change the names of two other pubs named The Black Boy, both in Suffolk.

Some locals were less enthusiastic about the name change. Commenting underneath the pubs Facebook post announcing the change on Monday, one woman wrote: So sad hundreds of years of history gone. What a horrible name.

Mr Mackenzie said there is not a consensus on the historical origin of the name but many people who had been consulted felt it was offensive.

He continued: It is important to acknowledge our history but just as important to work proactively to eradicate racism in our society today.

Weve thought long and hard and feel this is the right thing to do.

The Shinfield Arms pub declined to comment on the name change when approached directly by The Independent.

It is believed there are around 70 pubs named The Black Boy in the UK. In February, The Independent reported how JD Wetherspoon would not be renaming its pub named The Black Boy in Newtown, Wales as they believe it is the historic name for a chimney sweep.

A Wetherspoon spokesperson said the company had received no complaints from customers about the name.
A miniature poodle has died after she and her owner were attacked by three pit bull terrier-style dogs in a park in east London.

Anna Guglielmi, 32, said she let three-year-old Ruby off the leash in the dog enclosure in Bartlett Park, Poplar, when they were attacked by the out of control dogs.

She told the Evening Standard: We were walking into the dog park and I took Ruby off the lead. Then these three huge dogs came running towards me.

I immediately grabbed Ruby and was holding her but they jumped on my back and were biting her. They bit me. It was terrifying.

They were pit bull terrier-style dogs and the owner couldnt control them. He didnt even have a lead.

One of Ms Guglielmis friends, a man who was passing by, stepped in to try to separate the dogs and had to prise one of the dogs jaws off Ruby, who was still in her owners arms.

The man was bitten on the face, while Ms Guglielmi received puncture wounds to her legs.

Ms Guglielmi called the police and took Ruby to a nearby vet.

But Rubys injuries were so severe, as her organs had been punctured, and she had lost so much blood that vet said she had to be put down.

Ms Guglielmi told the Standard that she believes the police were so quick to take [the dogs] in because they had bitten her leg, and her friends face.

In most cases, dogs are only considered dangerously out of control if they attack a person.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to Bartlett Park just before 3pm on 26 August and that they seized three dogs for assessment.

There have been no arrests and inquiries are ongoing, the force added.
A minister was forced to backtrack after claiming a British veteran who served in Afghanistan had taken their own life  admitting he had made a deeply embarrassing mistake after seeing the post on social media.

Armed forces minister James Heappey said on Monday morning that a soldier who had been with him on his own last tour in Afghanistan had died by suicide in recent days, apparently distraught over the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.

But Mr Heappey later apologised and said the claim was inaccurate  revealing that he had based his claim on an apparent suicide note posted on social media.

A suicide note was shared on social media at the back end of last week which referred in very, very accurate detail to the tour that I served on which was with 2 Rifles in Sangin in 2009, he told ITVs Good Morning Britain.

The minister added: I am deeply embarrassed to have reflected on something which I had seen on social media, and struck me as very true and had affected me deeply.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it was still looking into the viral social media post shared on Facebook  but officials believe it is likely to be a fake.

The Independent understands that MoD is still looking into the origin of the initial post as well as double-checking service personnel records. But officials have conducted an initial check through personnel records, and are confident the suicide note is fraudulent.

The blunder occurred when Mr Heappey told Sky News host Kay Burley that at least one veteran from the conflict had taken their own life because of their feeling over the consequences of withdrawal.

But he later corrected himself on both BBCs Breakfast and GMB  and apologised to Sky News journalists on Twitter for making the claim on air.

Im sorry to have said something that might not be true. The note referred very accurately to my last tour of Afghanistan with 2 RIFLES in 2009 & Ive spent weekend fearing colleague had taken their life, said Mr Heappey.

He added: However, MoD arent certain that note is real so wanted to clarify  Army & MoD working quickly to establish whether note is real or not.

Despite making the claim during his Monday media round, the defence minister also admitted there had been an awareness, I think, already within the MoD over the weekend, that potentially that suicide note may not be real.

Mr Heappey, a former army major who served in Afghanistan with The Rifles, said his main message had been that too many veterans had taken their own lives while struggling with mental illness in recent years.

Im very worried about the mental health my friends and former colleagues at his time, Mr Heappey said. Thats why the government, the nation, needs to put our arm round our veterans and tell them how proud we are of what they did.

Boris Johnson will announce details of an additional 5m to help military charities offering support on mental health issues to veterans with the aim of ensuring no veterans request for help will go unanswered.
The government is investigating whether or not a veteran from the war in Afghanistan took their own life because they were distraught by the Taliban takeover, a defence minister said on Monday.

During a round of broadcast interviews, armed forces minister James Heappey told Sky News at least one veteran  dismayed by the fall of Kabul  had taken their life in recent days.

But the minister later admitted it had been inaccurate to say a former soldier had died by suicide because of the US-led withdrawal, and said the government was still looking into the possibility.

Weve had a number of reports that the thing I was referring to [on Sky News] was inaccurate, Mr Heappey told BBC Breakfast. Were looking very, very carefully at whether or not it is true that someone has taken their own life in the last few days.

Mr Heappey  who served in Afghanistan during his own time in the British Army  also told BBC Radio 4s Today programme he was embarrassed to have made the error.

He earlier told Sky News host Kay Burley that at least one veteran from the conflict had taken their own life because of their feeling over the consequences of withdrawal.

But the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Mr Heappey had misspoken, and clarified that it had no confirmed suicide cases among Afghanistan veterans due to the recent withdrawal.

The Independent understands the ministry is investigating whether there was a recent suicide case involving someone who served in Afghanistan, but officials believe the department received a false report.

The junior defence minister said he is very worried about the mental health of veterans since the fall of Kabul, as he called on the public to support military charities.

Im very worried about the mental health my friends and former colleagues at his time, Mr Heappey said. Thats why the government, the nation, needs to put our arm round our veterans and tell them how proud we are of what they did.

No 10 said Boris Johnson will announce on Monday an additional 5m to help military charities offering support on mental health issues to veterans with the aim of ensuring no veterans request for help will go unanswered.

Mr Johnson will also reiterate his pledge to use every economic, political and diplomatic lever to help the Afghans left behind by Britain as he defends his handling of the crisis to highly-critical MPs.

The prime minister will make a statement to the House of Commons on Monday afternoon when parliament returns from its summer recess to confront a potential humanitarian disaster in the making.

Mr Johnson will also use the Commons speech to thank the 150,000 British service men and women for their work in Afghanistan over the past two decades.

Mr Heappey, who reached the rank of major before entering politics, said he had heard that the Taliban was now in control of the whole of Afghanistan, but that the situation in Panjshir did not change the big picture.

The Taliban said on Monday they have taken control of Panjshir province north of Kabul, the last holdout of anti-Taliban forces in the country and the only province the Taliban had not seized during their blitz across Afghanistan last month.
Britain's Brexit minister warned Saturday of a long-term chill in relations between the U.K. and the European Union if agreed-upon trading arrangements governing Northern Ireland are not resolved.

David Frost said in a speech at the British-Irish Association in Oxford that the Northern Ireland Protocol needed substantial and significant change.

The post-Brexit trading arrangement between the British government and the 27-nation EU has seen customs and border checks imposed on some goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K.

As well as seeking to respect the rules governing the EU's single market for goods, the regulations seek to keep an open border between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland, a key pillar of Northern Irelands peace process. However, they have angered Northern Irelands unionist community, who say the checks amount to a border in the Irish Sea and weaken Northern Ireland's ties with the rest of the U.K.

The stakes are high, the arguments can be bitter," Frost said. And I worry this process is capable of generating a sort of cold mistrust between us and the EU which could spread across the relationship.

Frost has for months sought changes to the protocol, which he helped to craft, but the EU has repeatedly rejected opening up discussions again after years of protracted negotiations.

Its holding back the potential for a new era of cooperation between like-minded states in a world which needs us to work together effectively," Frost said.

Though Frost stressed the need for changes, he sought to downplay concerns in the EU that Britain would unilaterally seek to sweep away all existing arrangements.

That is not our position, he said. It is obvious there will always need to be a dedicated U.K.-EU treaty relationship covering Northern Ireland. It is a question of finding the right balance.

Britain formally left the EU in January 2020, but remained within its economic orbit until the start of this year, when a new much looser free trade agreement took hold.

At that time, Northern Ireland was given separate status that effectively keeps it in the EUs single market for goods, a decision that prevents a hard border with Ireland, which would go counter to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 that ended decades of sectarian violence.

Ultimately, Britain's Conservative government is seeking to remove most checks, replacing them with a light touch system in which only goods at risk of entering the EU would be inspected.

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Widespread staff shortages caused by post-Brexit immigration policies, training shortfalls and the Covid pandemic could continue for another two years, putting a brake on the UKs recovery from lockdown, a leading business organisation has warned.

Alongside the widely publicised shortage of HGV drivers, the CBI reported companies in other sectors cutting back on activities due to a lack of staff, including hotels reducing bookable rooms, restaurants choosing between opening for lunch and dinner, and suppliers doubling lead-in times for big purchases.

The CBI called on ministers to put trades including drivers, welders, butchers and bricklayers on the shortage occupation list, to make it easier for companies to recruit from abroad.

And it said that in the longer term, skills policies must be tailored to supply the workers needed to fill vacancies.

CBI labour-market intelligence released today points to labour shortages as a growing constraint on businesses plans to invest in the year ahead.

And the organisation warned that recruitment gaps would not be resolved by the withdrawal of the furlough scheme on 1 October, which is expected to result in a wave of redundancies, forcing thousands of workers onto the jobs market.

In a message to Boris Johnson and his government, CBI director general Tony Danker warned: Standing firm and waiting for shortages to solve themselves is not the way to run an economy. We need to simultaneously address short-term economic needs and long-term economic reform.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA 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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Mr Danker added: Labour shortages are biting right across the economy. While the CBI and other economists still predict growth returning to pre-pandemic levels later this year, furlough ending is not the panacea some people think will magically fill labour supply gaps.

These shortages are already affecting business operations, and will have a negative impact on the UKs economic recovery.

He said that other European countries were also experiencing staffing shortages, but said that pressure on sectors including hospitality, logistics and food processing had been heightened in the UK by the numbers of overseas workers leaving the country during the pandemic.

New immigration rules make replacing those who left more complex, said the CBI chief.

Building a more innovative economy  coupled with better training and education  can sustainably improve business performance, wages and living standards. But transformation on this scale requires planning and takes time.

The governments ambition that the UK economy should become more high-skilled and productive is right. But implying that this can be achieved overnight is simply wrong. And a refusal to deploy temporary and targeted interventions to enable economic recovery is self-defeating.

The CBI has heard from companies actively cutting capacity because they cant meet demand, like the hoteliers limiting the number of bookable rooms because they dont have enough housekeeping staff and cant get linen laundered. Meanwhile some restaurant owners have had to choose between lunchtime and evening services when trying to make the most of summer.

Its also visible to consumers when lead-in times for purchases like kitchens or furniture double.

Lets be clear: employers back existing government schemes to get people back into work, and businesses are already spending significant amounts on training. But that takes time to yield results, and some members suggest it could take two years rather than a couple of months for labour shortages to be fully eliminated.

Using existing levers under the UKs control  like placing drivers, welders, butchers and bricklayers on the shortage occupation list  could make a real difference. The government promised an immigration system that would focus on the skills we need rather than unrestrained access to overseas labour. Yet here we have obvious and short-term skilled need, but a system that cant seem to respond.

The general secretary of the GMB union, Gary Smith, said: We are paying the price for years of cost-cutting and austerity on workers pay and conditions.

Instead of easing the labour market crisis, a furlough cliff-edge risks choking a recovery before it even begins.

The lessons of the last decade must be learned  you cant cut your way out of a crisis.

Its time to end Britains race to the bottom on pay and conditions.
A quarter of parents in England believe their children will need a year or more to catch up on lost learning during the coronavirus pandemic, according to new research published today.

Despite improvements to provision online teaching between the first schools shutdown in spring 2020 and the later closures early this year, some 40 per cent of children did not meet the governments minimum guidelines for learning time during the 2021 lockdown, found the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

And the resources provided to children self-isolating while their classmates were at school during the autumn of 2020 were even worse than those on offer during lockdown, with only 40 per cent having access to online lessons.

Despite concerns over lost education, the IFS found that the governments offer of catch-up tutoring is not reaching the pupils who need it most.

Among the poorest fifth of families, who were most likely to lack the computer equipment to access online learning, nearly one in three of those offered tutoring chose not to take it up. This compared with only one in seven from the most affluent households.

The research showed a stark contrast between the teaching offered to pupils stuck at home during the national lockdowns of spring 2020 and spring 2021.

During the first lockdown, children in the poorest fifth of families did nearly eight fewer hours of learning per week than their peers in the richest fifth, found the IFS.

But that disparity vanished during the closures early this year, when study time was similar across all groups.

During the second period of school closures, the richest pupils were 5 percentage points more likely to be offered interactive resources such as online classes than the poorest (89% vs 84%). During the first lockdown, that gap had been 20 percentage points (67% vs 47%). Poorer pupils also benefited from expanded access to in-person schooling during the second period of school closures.

Outside of national school closures, however, provision for students sent home to self-isolate was poor, said the economic thinktank.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA 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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Pupils in England missed an average of one in 10 school days during the Autumn 2020 term.

And just 40 per cent of them had access to interactive learning resources such as online classes during the period, compared to 55 per cent in the first lockdown.

While 43 per cent of secondary school pupils in the richest fifth of families had access to online classes while self-isolating, this was available to just 35 per cent of their peers in the most disadvantaged homes.

IFS research economist Adam Salisbury, an author of the report, said: Thanks to the efforts of teachers, schools, families and policy-makers, the second round of remote learning went far better than the first time around.

But even with this welcome improvement, many children still struggled with home learning; around four in 10 pupils did not meet the governments minimum guidelines for learning time during the second round of school closures.

With this huge hit to childrens learning we have seen so far, it is perhaps unsurprising that a quarter of parents think their child will need a year or more to recover learning lost during the pandemic.

Co-author Angus Phimister added: The first lockdown was particularly tough on the schooling of children from disadvantaged backgrounds, who spent around eight fewer hours a week learning than their better-off peers.

Welcome improvements during the second round of school closures meant that learning experiences looked much more similar. But catch-up policies need to be carefully designed to be taken up by poorer pupils if they are to have any chance of putting a dent in the educational inequalities that have grown so much wider during the pandemic.

Children and young people across England are being offered up to 100 million hours of free tuition as part of a 1.4 billion government package to catch up on education lost due to the pandemic.

But the governments catch-up education tsar Sir Kevan Collins quit in June after ministers rejected his recommendation of a far more ambitious 15bn programme. Sir Kevan said the governments funding falls far short of what is needed.

Labours shadow education secretary Kate Green said: The Conservatives have treated children as an afterthought throughout the pandemic and their chaotic, last-minute response in schools failed children at every turn.

Ministers left thousands of children without the ability to learn, with months of school being missed before even the first laptops were sent out.

The priority must now be preventing further disruption in school and helping children bounce back.
A group of 24 peers have been have been placed under investigation following allegations they breached transparency rules by failing to give details about the companies they run.

Conservative peer Lord Julian Fellowes, creator of the Downton Abbey series, is among the group of politicians to be probed by a parliamentary watchdog over their financial interests.

Cross-bencher Lord Alan Sugar, star of The Apprentice, will also be investigated by the Lords Commissioners for Standards  the body examining whether peers failed to properly declare details about their companies.

Campaign group Unlock Democracy had submitted a formal complaint to the watchdog  claiming dozens of peers were in breach of the rules by failing to provide clarity about the nature of their businesses.

Tom Brake, the former Lib Dem MP who is now director of Unlock Democracy, said he welcomed the fact that the commissioner had now launched an investigation.

He told The Independent: Its about transparency and accountability. The public is entitled to know when a peer is making a contribution to a debate whether they or not they have a potential business interest. Its not burdensome to comply with the rules.

It follows an investigation by Open Democracy, which first highlighted the potential breach of transparency rules over the apparent failure to declare basic details about the companies they run.

Code of conduct rules state clearly that if a peer is a director of a company, they are expected to explain to the parliamentary what that company does where this is not self-evident from its name.

Major Conservative Party donor and Tory peer Lord Bamford  owner of the digger firm JCB  is another of the 24 peers subjected to the probe announced on Monday.

His declaration on the Lords register of interests lists his directorship in a company called Editallied Limited, but does not provide any more details.

Labour peer Lord Carter is also under investigation by the standards watchdog. He has declared his directorship of offshore company Primary Group Limited, based in the tax haven of Bermuda  but has not provided further details.

Tory peer Lord Nat Wei claimed he had made only an administrative error in his declaration, saying he had already apologised to the commissioner and updated his details.

I believe the omission of information on my register of interests was an administrative oversight on my part and having apologised for this to the Standards Commissioner my register of interests has now been updated in line with the revised code of conduct, he said.

Labour MP Margaret Hodge, the former chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said in July, when the potential rule breach emerged, that the whole thing leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

She added: Failure to [explain what a company does] is of course not itself an indicator of wrongdoing, but the sheer scale of the problem shows that there is a problematic lack of transparency in the Lords.
Soldiers occupying parts of Ethiopias war-torn Tigray region are engaged in an ethnic purge of native people who are being thrown into concentration camps and massacred by the dozen, a report has claimed.

The Daily Telegraph cited witnesses in the northern city of Humera, near the border with Eritrea, as saying soldiers from Amhara province had been conducting a door-to-door search for ethnic Tigrayan people and that thousands of residents had been forced into makeshift detention centres.

The campaign of slaughter reportedly began in July following a decision by occupying soldiers to, the paper quoted an apparent witness as saying, exterminate all Tigrayan residents in the city.

If it is written in your identity card that you are Tigrayan, there is no mercy, another person told the Telegraph.

It is only the latest report of brutal attacks on civilians in Ethiopias civil war. The conflict began late last year when Abiy Ahmed, the prime minister, ordered troops into the region in an attempt to crush the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF).

Following decades of dominance the TPLF had seen its power in government reduced after Mr Abiy became prime minister in 2018, and it withdrew its representatives from Addis Ababa entirely when he cancelled elections during the coronavirus pandemic  before holding its own polls.

Tensions that had simmered since Mr Abiys victory boiled over into all-out war once the sides each came to regard the other as illegitimate.

The UNs human rights office said in March it had corroborated reports of mass killings in the Tigrayan city of Axum and Dengelat, a village, for which Eritrean soldiers allied to Mr Abiy had been blamed.

And last week several witnesses told the Associated Press they had seen Tigray forces attack a hospital and religious site in Amhara province, including with artillery. They killed civilians and looted medicine, the news agency reported.

US officials say Tigrayan fighters have looted the warehouses, theyve looted trucks and they have caused a great deal of destruction in all the villages they have visited.

Tens of thousands of Ethiopians have been displaced internally or forced by the fighting to flee over the border into Sudan.

The Independent has contacted Mr Abiys office for comment on the reports from Humera, as well as the office of Michelle Bachelet, the UNs human rights chief, for more information.

The Twitter account of Ethiopias foreign affairs ministry promoted a post late on Sunday that read: A new wave of false allegations being lodged by TPLF operatives giving falsified accounts to what are considered reputable Intl media outlets.

Reporting without accurate facts that show causation simply on testimony of TPLF operatives cannot be considered fact.
Guineas president has been detained by soldiers in an apparent coup detat after hours of heavy gunfire rang out near the presidential palace in the African nations capital.

In an announcement on state television on Sunday, Col Mamadi Doumbouya said that the countrys borders had been closed, its constitution had been declared invalid and its government had been dissolved.

Mr Doumbouya addressed the nation from state television headquarters, draped in a Guinean flag with about a half dozen other soldiers flanked at his side.

We will no longer entrust politics to one man; we will entrust it to the people, the colonel said in the announcement.

A video of the countrys president, Alpha Conde, emerged on Sunday showing the 83-year-old leader tired and disheveled in military custody  although it is not clear when or where the video was taken.

Mr Doumbouya later told France 24 television that Mr Conde was being held in a secure spot and had seen a doctor.

The president, who has been in power for more than a decade, had seen his popularity plummet since he sought a third term in office last year, arguing that term limits did not apply to him.

On Sunday night, the military takeover was condemned by the African Union (AU) bloc, who demanded the immediate release of Mr Conde.

In a statement, AU chairman and Democratic Republic of Congo president Felix Tshisekedi and AU Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat called on the body's Peace and Security Council to meet urgently to examine the situation and take appropriate measures in response.

The Economic Community of West African States also demanded a return to constitutional order in the country on Sunday and threatened to impose sanctions if the president is not freed.

Mr Doumbouya has claimed that he is acting in the best interests of Guinea, citing a lack of economic progress since the country gained independence from France in 1958.

If you see the state of our roads, if you see the state of our hospitals, you realise that after 72 years, it's time to wake up, he said.

However, some observers in the country argue that the tensions between Mr Conde and the army colonel come from a recent proposal to cut some military salaries.

When Mr Conde won the countrys first democratic election since independence in 2010, it was hoped his victory would mark a fresh start for the country, which has been mired by decades of corrupt and authoritarian rule.

His opponents have criticised his presidency for failing to improve the lives of Guineans, many of whom still live in poverty despite the countrys vast mineral riches.

Additional reporting by agencies
At least 22,000 civilians have been killed by US-led airstrikes in a number of countries in the Middle East and Africa over the last two decades of the forever wars, according to an approximation by a conflict monitor.

Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, London-based organisation Airwars released its estimate of civilian deaths  that it said could be as high as almost 50,000.

Since 2001, when the US-led war on terror was launched after the attacks in New York and Washington DC, US actions likely killed at least 22,679 civilians, and as many as 48,308, according to Airwars.

The numbers take into account civilians that died during occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as bombing campaigns against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (Isis), and targeted strikes in Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen.

The deadliest year  when looking at the minimum total death toll  was 2003, when at least 5,529 civilians were reported to have been killed by alleged US strikes, almost all during the invasion of Iraq.

The next deadliest year was 2017  Donald Trumps first year as US President  when at least 4,931 civilians were likely killed, the vast majority in alleged coalition bombing of Iraq and Syria.

When looking at the maximum possible death toll, the deadliest year was 2017. Airwars said that as many as 19,623 civilians were killed by US or coalition strikes that year against Isis.

The vast majority of civilian harm  97 per cent  occurred during the occupation of Iraq between 2003 and 2009, the 20-year-long occupation of Afghanistan, and the bombing campaign against Isis militants.

The Talibans return to power last month saw the official end of the US occupation of Afghanistan after all troops withdrew last week.

The occupations peak was in 2011, when more than 100,000 US troops were stationed there. In Iraq, troops numbers peaked at 166,000 in 2007, though forces withdrew by 2011.

The report from Airwars cited data from several sources, as the US Department of Defense does not publish full counts of civilian casualties recognised by the agency.

Airwars cites statistics from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Bureau of Investigative Journalism, The Nation, and the volunteer project Iraq Body Count.

The Independent has contacted the US Defense Department for comment on the Airwars report.

In recent days, officials have stressed that the US military goes to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties during operations.

An official with US Central Command told Airwars that the information you request is not immediately on hand in our office as it spans between multiple operations/campaigns within a span of between 18 and 20 years when asked about obtaining data for the report.

No military on the face of the earth works harder to avoid civilian casualties than the United States military, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said during a news conference when asked about the possibility of civilian casualties in the final Kabul strike, which he did not dispute.

We take it very, very seriously. And when we know that we have caused innocent life to be lost in the conduct of our operations, were transparent about it.

US President Joe Biden has vowed in recent days that just because US ground troops have exited Afghanistan does not mean that America has ceased pursuing Isis-K and other militant groups, leaving open the possibility of more airstrikes and the devastation that typically follows.

To Isis-K, we are not done with you yet, Mr Biden said on Tuesday, while promising to enact a tough, unforgiving, targeted, precise strategy against the Afghanistan-based terror group.
Balbir Singh Sodhis family thought America would be different. They fled Indias Punjab province in the 1980s to get away from religious violence. At the time, pogroms against Sikhs killed thousands, often with complicity from police and government leaders.

I heard that this was the country that had freedom of religion, and this was the country that stands for justice for all colors, creeds, and genders, his brother Rana says. When I came here, before 9/11, I never ever had one per cent of thought in my mind that theres hate that exists in our community in America. I never thought about that.

Balbir became an entrepreneur in Mesa, Arizona, and owned a petrol station. He would give children free candy and let them use his parking lot to skateboard. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, he talked about trying to fly to New York to help at Ground Zero.

He wanted to go to New York and help those victims, the people who were still suffering and buried in those buildings, he really wanted to go and help them, Rana says. He had that kind of heart.

On 15 September, Balbir emptied out his wallet at a local Costco to donate to the 9/11 relief effort. That same day, a white man named Frank Roque set out, as he told a waiter four days earlier,  to shoot some towel heads , adding: We should kill their children, too, because theyll grow up to be like their parents.

Roque killed Balbir as he was planting flowers in front of the store, then shot at a Lebanese-American clerk and an Arab family. When police arrested Roque, he screamed that he was a patriot.

Balbir Singh Sodhi is regarded as the first person killed in post-9/11 hate violence. Ten months later, Sukhpal, his brother, was killed driving a cab in San Francisco, in what his family believes was a similar attack.

A portrait of Balbir Singh Sodhi. (Unknown)

Often, the narrative remembered each 9/11 anniversary is that the best of America emerged: brave firefighters and community members banding together to search for victims and process a national tragedy. It is also true that on 12 September, life changed forever for millions of Muslims, as well as Sikhs, Middle Eastern and South Asian people, who suddenly found themselves stigmatised as a national threat. Between 2000 and 2009, hate crimes against Muslims spiked 500 per cent .

For people of colour in America, 9/11 was a double tragedy. It was soon clear they would be made to suffer for the USs suffering.

Within hours, we got news of attacks on city streets across the country. This was before social media, YouTube, before we had any channels to tell our own stories, says Valarie Kaur, a Sikh-American activist and family friend of the Sodhis.

Listservs and text messages served as an alternative news ticker to the one on TV: family members shot and beaten, mosques and gurdwaras (Sikh houses of worship) burned and vandalised.

It felt like the ground had fallen out beneath me, Valarie remembers. Here I was still trying to process the horror of the magnitude of the devastation of 9/11, and all that loss of life, and within hours we had to worry about whether we would survive as a family and a community.

Her family had been in America for a century, the descendants of farmers who settled in Northern California. Overnight, they were viewed by many as not being real Americans anymore. She took time off of university to drive around the country recording stories of people like her, in a film that later became the 2006 documentary Divided We Fall .

For days, TV news circulated photos of the turbaned Osama bin Laden alongside photos of Sher JB Singh , a man mistakenly arrested on a train on 12 September for carrying a kirpan , a blunt, entirely ceremonial dagger meant to symbolise the Sikh duty to stand up against injustice.

Rais Bhuiyan, who emigrated to the US from Bangladesh and worked at a friends convenience store in Dallas, immediately began to fear for his safety.

I could not help but begin to worry, he tells The Independent. For many of us, the horror, the fear and the violence was just beginning once the Twin Towers fell. Many customers came to me angry at the gas station. Some threatened me. Some even tried to harm me.

He hadnt always felt this way. He arrived in America in 1999, a winner of the so-called  visa lottery , and would spend nights in his first home of New York City cruising along dreamily with a friend who worked for a limo service. Customers were eager to learn about him

They were curious to know more about me and what brought me to America, he says. I very much enjoyed those times. I felt, people are so interested, so curious to know about other cultures, other people. I never felt any kind of discrimination.

On 21 September, a white supremacist named Mark Stroman asked Mr Bhuiyan that same question, Where are you from? before shooting him in the face with a shotgun, part of a rampage in which he killed two South Asian men over the course of three weeks.

On 21 September, 2001, a white supremacist named Mark Stroman shot Rais Bhuiyan at close range in the convenience store where he worked in Dallas, Texas, one of numerous hate crimes targeting Muslims after 9/11. (Courtesy of Rais Bhuiyan)

The crackdown against Muslims in America played out in Washington, too. George Bush won plaudits for giving a speech at the Islamic Center of Washington, DC, on 17 September, telling Americans  Islam is peace , and not to fear their Muslim brothers and sisters.

But his administration wouldnt take its own advice. It launched a sweeping immigration program called NSEERS , a registry tracking almost exclusively those from Muslim countries in the US that included up to 84,000 people. NSEERS was used to send at least 14,000 Arabs and Muslims into deportation proceedings. FBI informants infiltrated houses of worship. The federal Transportation Security Agency began all but officially subjecting people with beards, turbans, or a certain skin tone to humiliating extra security at airports. George Bush once claimed that Al Qaeda attacked America because  they hate our freedom , but freedom in America after 9/11 would prove to be conditional.

Taken together, the new climate was devastating for people like Rais Bhuiyan. They came to America to find a new place to belong, and that place was violently trying to make them leave. Some did.

Most Americans are not aware that many people were brutally attacked after 9/11, some were killed, and hundreds of thousands of peoples lives were displaced, he says. Many people were traumatised even though they might not be attacked physically, but psychologically, mentally, many people were extremely traumatised. I know some of those who left the country because they were extremely afraid of being attacked.

Rana Singh Sodhi remembers speaking with other Sikhs about whether it would be safer if they took off their turbans, a central pillar of the Sikh faith.

I should stay in India if I need to do that, he says. I choose this country for freedom of religion. I can enjoy my life with my turban and my life, practice what I believe in. Why do I need to take off my turban? People who are ignorant, they need to learn who I am. Thats the beauty of this country.

Both men, informed by their faiths, became activists, sharing their stories and trying to make their adopted country less hateful. Rais founded an organisation to further that work, World Without Hate .

As is so often the case in America, it was those already the victims of the most inhuman violence who had to teach the country about humanity. That work took many forms. Sikhs, despite being the worlds fifth-largest religion, were not a very visible group in the American mainstream before 9/11, so they set about organising and raising their profile through groups like the Sikh Coalition, which lobbied to stop descrimination at airports and get schools to buy textbooks that educated kids about a diversity of faiths, including Sikhism.

They also intervened in discrimination cases popping up around the country. They launched a long-running federal lawsuit against New York Citys MTA subway system, after it began requiring Muslim and Sikh workers, but not others, to brand religious headdresses with the MTA logo or work out of public view. The case was settled in 2012 . One of the plaintiffs was Sat Hari Singh, a Sikh man who drove his train in reverse to save passengers from smoke-filled tunnels on 9/11.

Rais and Rana also reconciled with the men who hated them. The former had a revelation during a 2009 pilgrimage to Mecca. Mark Stroman, his would-be killer, was on death row, and Mr Bhuiyan began lobbying to stop the killing.

I thought about my shooter and I realised that by executing him, we would simply lose another human life without dealing with the root cause. I began to see him as a human being like me, not as a killer. I saw him as a victim too, he says. I know what it feels like to be on the brink of death and to beg God for a second chance. How could I then deprive another human being of life?

He was unable to stop the execution, but the two spoke on the phone before Stroman was killed. The man denounced his hateful views and called Rais his brother.

We did not fail. Humanity won. The love won, he says. We lost him physically, but at the end of his life, Mark was at peace. He found kindness, mercy from the same people he once haunted.

Thirteen years after Balbir was killed, Rana Sodhi ran into Frank Roques family while he was buying flowers to mark the anniversary of his brothers death. He invited them to join him at the gas station, where they held a remembrance and dinner each year.

I never feel the need for revenge, Mr Sodhi says. In my Sikh religion, we dont believe in eye for an eye. We dont believe those things. Kindness and forgiveness are very important.

Roques family declined, but Rana found different ways to reach out. On the 15th anniversary of Balbirs death, he, along with Valarie Kaur, called Roque for the first time. He apologised and said he would ask both God and Balbir for forgiveness in the afterlife. In 2006 , Roques death sentence was overturned, a step which the Sodhis supported. Roque has said he hopes to join Rana in anti-hate work once he is released.

We want him behind bars so nobody gets hurt, but that doesnt mean we want to take his life because he hurt our family, Mr Sodhi says. We dont feel like we are enemies. Rana is hoping the Roque family joins them for the memorial this year.

It would be easy to believe this is all behind America, but thats not the case. Assaults against Muslims peaked not in 2001, but in 2016 , the year Donald Trump took office. He campaigned on promises for  a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States , which later became his controversial travel ban policy. Hate attacks still rage against Asian-Americans in the age of coronavirus, showing the country hasnt yet learned how to keep fear from becoming violence.

Attacks targeting Sikhs have continued as well, including a shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin in 2012 by a white supremacist that left six people dead, and another this year at an FedEx facility in Indianapolis , where four of the eight people killed were Sikh, leading community leaders to believe it was another hate attack.

Indian Sikhs place flower petals and candles near pictures of those killed at a Sikh Temple shooting in the United States during a vigil in Mumbai on August 8, 2012. A suspected gunman, 40-year-old Wade Michael Page, allegedly killed six people at a Sikh temple in the United States on August 5, and was shot to death by police at the scene. (AFP via Getty Images)

And things havent changed all that much in that most enduring symbol of post-9/11 discrimination: the airport security line.

Invariably, 99.9 per cent of the time youll be pulled aside for a second rescreening, even if the metal detector doesnt go off, says Harpreet Singh, a board member of the Sikh Coalition and Harvard University professor. Thats profiling. Its illegal in America, but it happens to every Sikh who has a turban and beard.

Worse than the current discrimination, perhaps, is the fact that for many victims of post-9/11 racist violence, they havent even been allowed to be part of the official history of the day, erased from the record even as the country vows to Never Forget.

The victims of and families of post-9/11 hate crimes feel continued pain and trauma, but with no hope for closure, healing, or recognition, Mr Bhuiyan says. We all go into hiding while the entire nation mourns every year.

Their deaths, invariably, are left out of the 2,977 officially recognised as those killed in 9/11.

Thats why Valarie Kaur, the activist, hopes on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Americans see Balbir Singh Sodhis gas station as a second Ground Zero, a place to reckon with the full impact of those years and work towards something better.

My hope is that this 20 year anniversary will be different and that we will be able to expand our hearts to grieve the 3,000 people who died that day and recognise and mourn for all of the people whose lives have been lost or shattered by the way our nation has responded to 9/11 in the last 20 years, she says.

That expanded frame of care is the key behind her current endeavour, The Revolutionary Love Project , which teaches community building and anti-racist activism. And despite some of the setbacks of the post-9/11 years, things like the Black Lives Matter movement give her hope.

Its so easy to feel like nothing has changed, but what we saw last summer was white people standing in front of Black people, kneeling in the streets in front of police officers, she says. We have never seen a multi-racial uprising for Black lives in human history. I take that and say, If there are more of us than ever before, if we are not alone anymore, what might we be able to do?

Rana Sodhi believes if we take the long view, theres still reason to be optimistic. His parents fought for, and then finally saw, India secure its independence. In his own lifetime, the civil rights movement has won new rights for minorities in the US.

Those things didnt happen just like that, he says. It took years to make a moment, to educate people to do these things. But it has worked.
Tuesday, 11 September, 2001, began as a normal day. In both New York City and Washington, DC , the morning weather was sunny and clear. Students went to school, workers went to the office, and about 17,000 people commuted to their jobs at the World Trade Center .

By the end of the day, the world had changed. The United States had suffered its worst-ever terrorist attack, nearly 3,000 people were dead, and history had suddenly veered onto a vastly different and more violent trajectory.

Heres a detailed look at how the days events unfolded.

World Trade Center

At 8:46am, an American Airlines plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. On board were 76 passengers and 11 crew members, all of whom were killed instantly. In the minutes that followed, some believed this was an accident.

At 9:03am, a second plane crashed into the South Tower. At this point it was clear that this was no accident. A terrorist attack was underway, conducted by al-Qaeda extremists who had hijacked several planes and were now using them as missiles.

Fires from the crashes at the Twin Towers, made worse by the planes ignited jet fuel, badly damaged the buildings steel. At 9:59am, after burning for 56 minutes, the South Tower collapsed. At 10:28am, the North Tower collapsed as well.

As the towers fell, an enormous cloud of dust and ash flooded the surrounding streets, chasing pedestrians as they fled. Debris from the North Tower also fell onto the nearby 7 World Trade Center building, causing it to catch fire and eventually collapse.

In total, 2,753 people died in the New York City attacks.

The second plane crashes into the World Trade Center on 11 September, 2001 (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Pentagon

At 9:37am, a third plane crashed into the west wall of the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, near Washington, DC. All 64 people on the plane were killed, along with 125 people in the building.

The crash caused part of the building to collapse, and started a fire that took several days to put out. Many of the survivors in the building were badly burned; 106 people were injured in total.

Remembering 9/11: What happened, when, and how many people died (Getty Images)

Flight 93

A fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93 , met a different fate. According to the 9/11 Commission Report issued years later, passengers managed to overpower the hijackers on this plane and stopped them from reaching their target.

Since all those who were on the flight perished, details on what happened are sketchy. But investigators believe at a certain point after four terrorists took control of Flight 93, some of the planes passengers learned of the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Suspecting that the hijacking they were experiencing was part of the same plot, a group of brave civilians stormed the cockpit.

What happened next is not exactly clear, but voice recordings indicate that there was a violent struggle between the passengers and the terrorists. Shortly after the confrontation, the plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:03am. All 44 people aboard were killed.

Investigators believe the hijackers intended target was the White House or the US Capitol .

Officials examine the wreckage of United Airlines Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania (AFP via Getty Images)

Aftermath

In total, the 11 September attacks killed 2,977 people at the time.

Thousands of volunteers and rescue workers sifted through the ruins of the World Trade Center, then known as Ground Zero , to look for survivors, recover bodies, and clean up the wreckage. The effort took until 30 May, 2002, when the last piece of steel was removed. Many of those who worked on the cleanup developed illnesses , including cancers, from breathing in toxic dust. It is believed that more than 2,000 first responders who worked on the site have since died from cancers that may be linked with 9/11.

Politically and culturally, 9/11 sent the United States into a period of intense fear. Briefly, it also united much of the world behind the US, and much of the American public behind President George W Bush . In late September, Mr Bushs approval rating soared to 90 per cent , the highest recorded for any president in history.

For many Americans, 9/11 also stoked an angry desire for retribution. The Bush administration invoked 9/11 in its justifications for new wars in Afghanistan , where al-Qaeda had been based, and Iraq , which had no connection to the attacks. Twenty years later, the world is still grappling with the consequences.
A group of world leaders has warned that Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and his allies may be plotting a military coup that could endanger democracy in Brazil.

In an open letter, some 150 parliamentarians, ministers, and ex-presidents from 26 countries sounded an alarm about a potential insurrection on 7 September, modeled after the stop the steal uprising at the US Capitol in January.

The letter says: Right now, President Jair Bolsonaro and his allies  including white supremacist groups, military police, and public officials at every level of government  are preparing a nation-wide march against the Supreme Court and Congress on 7 September, stoking ears of a coup in the worlds third largest democracy.

It details the ways in which the world leaders  including Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the former prime minister of Spain, and Fernando Lugo, the former President of Paraguay  claim Mr Bolsonaro has undermined democratic institutions in recent weeks.

On 10 August, he directed an unprecedented military parade through the capital city of Brasilia, as his allies in Congress pushed for sweeping reforms to the countrys electoral system, widely considered to be one of the most trustworthy in the world.

The group of leaders also noted that Mr Bolsonaro has tried on multiple occasions to cancel the 2022 presidential elections if these reforms are not approved by Congress.

The letter warned of the potential insurrection, noting that on 21 August, Mr Bolsonaro said that the 7 September march would be preparation for a probable and necessary counter-coup against Brazils democratic institutions, notably Congress and the Supreme Court.

Mr Bolsonaro shared this message via WhatsApp, The Huffington Post reported, urging his supporters to stage the largest demonstration in Brazils history, in order to prove their strength. The message also claimed that Brazils communist constitution had taken away Mr Bolsonaros power, and accused the judiciary, the left, and a whole apparatus of hidden interests of conspiring against him.

The letter continued: Members of Congress in Brazil have warned that the 7 September mobilisation has been modelled on the insurrection at the United States Capital on 6 January 2021, when then-president Donald Trump encouraged his supporters to stop the steal with false claims of electoral fraud in the 2020 presidential elections.

It ended with a reiteration of the world leaders concern, noting that Brazil has struggled for decades to achieve a democratic government. It insisted that the president must not be allowed to reverse that progress and return the country to military rule.

Other signatories on the letter included Ernesto Samper Pizano, the former president of Colombia, Manon Aubry, the French presidential candidate and MEP, American linguist and social critic Noam Chomsky, and 21 British MPs, including former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Recent polls have shown that around 60 per cent of voters do not plan to support Mr Bolsonaro under any circumstances in the 2022 election, due to his mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Previously, Mr Bolsonaro has said that there were only three possibilities for his future: victory in the 2022 presidential elections, prison or death. But polls have put Mr Bolsonaro well behind former president and leftist leader Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, making his first option, under the current electoral system, less likely.

Ahead of Tuesdays planned demonstrations, Mr Bolsonaro took to Twitter to encourage his supporters to join in and celebrate the 199th anniversary of Brazilian independence.

Independence is associated with FREEDOM, he said, the Brazilian population has the right, if they want, to go to the streets and participate in our great date IN PEACE AND HARMONY.

The same applies to all members of the Federal Executive Branch who are not on duty. May individual freedom be the ultimate in this remarkable event of our sovereignty.
CNN anchor Jim Acosta has berated Tucker Carlson for spreading race-baiting conspiracy theories about Afghans being resettled in the United States.

Mr Acosta called the Fox News host a human manure-spreader for his claim that President Joe Biden was deliberately sending Afghan refugees to swing states to influence the outcome of future elections.

In a monologue delivered on his primetime show, Mr Carlson claimed refugees were being relocated in states such as Florida, Nevada, Georgia, and Pennsylvania to disfranchise voters there.

Are you surprised by this? Funny, Mr Carlson said, adopting a typically conspiratorial tone.

He went on to claim Afghans were being secretly settled in Wisconsin, another key swing state that flipped from Donald Trump to Mr Biden in 2020.

Tucker Carlson (Getty Images)

What do the people of Wisconsin think? Its not their country. Oh, but it is.

Responding to the comments on CNN, Mr Acosta said: Over on Fox, human manure-spreader Tucker Carlson has floated yet another race baiting conspiracy theory that tens of thousands of Afghan refugees are being sent over to this country in order to change the outcome of elections.

Mr Acostas comment attracted an outpouring of support  and some condemnation  online.

Tucker and his kind are dangerously deceptive and its costing people their lives, Rex Zane wrote.

Acosta has become my favorite person on CNN, wrote another.

Newscasters be beefin like rappers, Jamaal S. Abdul-Alim said. They might as well start doing battle raps.

Republicans had no problem having Afghans help American troops in Afghanistan but now want nothing to do with them!

Newscasters be beefin' like rappers. They might as well start doing battle raps.



Now CNN's Jim Acosta is labeling Tucker Carlson a 'human manure spreader'  and threat to democracy https://t.co/IxNVSnurtM  Jamaal S. Abdul-Alim (@dcwriter360) September 5, 2021

Jim Acosta's line about Tucker Carlson being a "human manure spreader" is getting the RTs but we can't ignore the fact that he's right...Tucker and his kind are dangerously deceptive and it's costing people their lives.  Rex Zane (@rexzane1) September 5, 2021

Tens of thousands of Afghans who worked as translators and contractors for the US military were evacuated from Kabul as the Taliban took the country at breakneck speed last month.

Many qualified to come to the US under the special immigrant visa category.

According to the State Department, newly arrived Afghans will be dispersed between more than a dozen cities, including Phoenix, Jacksonville, Portland, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City. Many will go to states considered safely Democrat or Republican.

Its not the first time Mr Acosta has gone after Mr Carlson for airing his race-baiting views.

In April, he called the Fox host the chief white power correspondent over his reaction to Derek Chauvin being found guilty of the murder of George Floyd.

Mr Carlson has a long history of promoting a conspiracy popular among the white supremacist movement known as the great replacement theory on his prime time Fox show.

The theory posits that white people are being replaced by non-whites through immigration and birth rates and has been cited by at least four white supremacist mass murderers since 2018, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
A 24-year-old from Colorado was found seated at the summit of Bolivias second largest mountain after his lungs collapsed during a climb.

Daniel Granberg died two days into the trek across Illimani, which is 21,004 feet (6,402 meters) in elevation and visible from La Paz, the Bolivian capital.

Sergio Condori Vallejos, a mountain guide who works with Bolivian Andean Rescue, said Daniel was found lifeless and seated at the summit, which is part of Bolivia's Cordillera Real range.

Mr Vallejos also told The Associated Press (AP), that Daniel had embarked on the longest and toughest route across the Cordillera Real range, and Illmani, before falling ill.

He was accompanied by two guides who alerted rescuers to his death, before his body was carried down the mountain from an elevation of 20,391 feet (6,216 meters), which took two days.

His body was taken to a morgue at a hospital in La Paz.

According to Daniels mother, Jean Granberg, her son was suffering from a shortness of breath the night before and had a mild headache, but nothing that indicated his life was at risk.

Ms Granberg told the AP that her son died from high-altitude pulmonary distress, which can affect climbers at elevations above 8,000 feet (2,438 meters).

Daniel had already been in Bolivia for two months, where he had climbed several of the Andean nations tallest summits, including Huayna Potosi, which is (19,973 feet )6,088 meters, his social media posts showed.

His mother described him as being warm-hearted, well-travelled and adventurous young man, and said his family were touched by messages of support from his friends across the world.

But I, just as a mom, my heart's broken. Twenty-four years is not long enough and I just wish somehow there'd been some kind of warning, said Ms Grenberg. If he had felt like he was in danger in any way, he would have come down the mountain. But I think it happened so fast.

Daniel was said to have taught himself physics, and was described by his mother as being the smartest person she knew.

He left Princeton University to become a subcontractor for the US Department of Energy.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
A statue of Christopher Columbus is to be permanently removed from Mexico Citys most prominent boulevard.

The statue, which has for decades held pride of place on the Paseo de la Reforma, will be replaced by a memorial to the countrys indigenous women, mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced.

A Mexico City statue of Christopher Columbus was defaced last September (AP)

The Columbus statue was removed before last years Columbus Day, known as Day of the Race, reportedly for restoration.

It had been repeatedly defaced by activists who denounced Europeans conquest and suppression of Mexicos indigenous peoples.

The mayor said the 19th-century bronze statue would be shifted to a worthy but less prominent location elsewhere in the city.

She said the European vision of the discovery of America, was often associated with Colombus, even though civilisations existed for centuries before his arrival in the Americas in 1492.

Of course we recognise Columbus. But there are two visions, Ms Sheinbaum said.

Theres another vision from here, that in reality a European arrived in America, who made an encounter between two places, and then came the (Spanish) conquest, she added.

Statues of Columbus were a source of tension for activists during widespread protests by the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States last summer.

According to CBS News , at least 33 Columbus statues were removed across the US last year.

Reuters reported that Ms Sheinbaum is a close ally of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who came to power with the promise to defend poor and indigenous communities.

The Associated Press reported that when the statue was removed last year, Mr Obrador said that Day of the Race was a date that is very controversial and lends itself to conflicting ideas and political conflicts.

Desaparecer, quitar monumentos y otros elementos arquitectonicos y artisticos y que forman parte de la gran identidad de la Ciudad de Mexico, sin siquiera preguntarle a los ciudadanos, me parece una arbitrariedad.  Felipe Calderon (@FelipeCalderon) September 6, 2021

Former Mexican president Felipe Calderon took to Twitter to criticise the statues removal.

"To disappear, remove monuments and other architectural and artistic elements that are part of the great identity of Mexico City, without even asking citizens, it seems arbitrary to me, Mr Calderon said.

This year marks the 700th anniversary of the founding of Tenochtitlan  the former capital of the Aztec empire and what is now Mexico City  as well as the 500th anniversary of its fall to the Spanish conquistadores, and the 200th anniversary of Mexicos final independence from Spain.

An estimated 55 million people died between 1492 and 1600 in the Americas, many due to disease, war and famine. Columbus has been accused by protesters of enabling a genocide of indigenous populations.

Ms Sheinbaum said she is hopeful that the replacement statue Tlali would be erected by this years Day of the Race on October 12.
A former US marine allegedly shot four people, claiming God was speaking directly to him - including a mother, her 3-month-old infant, grandmother in Florida on Sunday, officials said.

The 33-year-old man also severely injured an 11-year-old and killed the family dog in the same attack in Floridas Lakeland, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.

Bryan Riley, the suspect, had served in Iraq and Afghanistan as an ex-marine before leaving the service in March 2011, according to a report by Buzzfeed News.

According to police officials, Riley had no prior relationship with any of the victims and met them for the first time that weekend. Claiming to carry Gods message, Riley pulled up in the rural neighbourhood on Saturday evening around 7:23 pm and said he wanted to speak to Amber, alleging she was the daughter of one of the victims Justice Gleason. He told Mr Gleason, who was mowing his lawn, that he had been sent by God to stop Amber from killing herself and refused to leave the spot, the police said. Gleason told Riley that nobody named Amber lived in the area.

Gleason and another person, asked Bryan Riley to leave and called the police but by the time they got there, he had left.

He returned 10 hours later, around 4 in the morning. The sheriffs office then received calls about a shooting in the neighbourhood at the same location. When the police arrived, the path leading up to the victims house was lit up with glowstick and a truck outside the house had been set alight. Riley, dressed in camouflage, was waiting outside but then ran inside the house when he saw the police.

Shortly after, the police officers heard gunshots, a womans scream and a babys cry, police told Buzzfeed. Finding the front door locked from the inside, police rushed into the house through the back entrance. The former marine was waiting inside in full body armour and opened fire at the police officials, injuring three of them.

A gunfight between Riley and police deputies ensued - where dozens if not hundreds of rounds were exchanged, Sheriff Judd told Associated Press, after which the injured suspect surrendered. When officials went inside the house, they found the three victims including the mother, her infant boy still clinging to his mother and Justice Gleason. They also found the body of the infants 62-year-old grandmother in a neighbouring house.

The police also found an 11-year-old girl with several bullet wounds, but conscious. The girl  the only survivor from the attack  is now stable, the report added.

Riley admitted to the crime during the interrogation and said, they (victims) begged for their lives and (he) killed them anyway.

Riley has been taken into custody but has not yet been charged for the attack, officials said. Riley reportedly told the police that he was on methamphetamine and is a survivalist. He also tried to overpower an officer and steal a firearm, forcing the authorities to sedate him to gain control, Sheriff Judd said.

Calling the crime a horror of the utmost magnitude, Sheriff Judd said in a press conference that it was a totally unprovoked mass murder and the crime scene was one of the worst things hed seen in his career, the report added.

Sheriff Judd described Riley as evil in the flesh and said he was criminally responsible for the attack.

Somebody so heartless, so calculated, that theyll shoot a mother clinging to her 3-month-old baby and shoot the baby and shoot the family dog, Judd said.

According to the police, Riley had mental health issues and had a history of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This was confirmed by Rileys girlfriend who said he had shown erratic behaviour in the days leading up to the attack.

He had told her that God was speaking directly to him and as a result, he was asked by God to buy supplies for victims of Hurricane Ida. Riley purchased supplies and cigars worth $1,000 for the survivors of Ida, his girlfriend reportedly told the police.

She said Riley had told her about his vision to save Amber from killing herself. When she woke up on Sunday morning and did not find Riley in the house, she tracked him down to the location of crime scene. Rileys partner has been cooperative with the police officials, the Sheriff said.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Police have captured a former United States Marine Corps sharpshooter who allegedly broke into a pair of homes while high on methamphetamine in Tampa, Florida, and killed four people, including a three-month-old baby.

Prior to this morning, this guy was a war hero. He fought for his country in Afghanistan and Iraq, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told reporters . And this morning hes a cold-blooded killer.

The suspect, Bryan Riley, 33, had no apparent connection to the victims, but had become increasingly erratic in the weeks leading up to the shooting and told his girlfriend he was speaking directly to God.

Heres what we know about the shooting:

What happened?

Early on Sunday morning, deputies in Lakeland, Florida heard gunfire and rushed to the scene. When they arrived, they found a truck in flames and a trail of glowsticks leading to a property.

There, they reportedly encountered Riley kitted out in camouflage clothing, before he fled inside a home, and officers reported hearing a woman scream and a baby whimper.

Officers and Riley exchanged dozens if not hundreds of rounds. A helicopter unit on the scene eventually alerted responders that Riley, now wearing full body armour, was exiting the home to surrender.

Unsure if Riley was the lone gunman or had laid traps inside the home, police sent in a remote control robot to clear the scene.

Once in custody, Riley, who had been shot during the encounter with officers, was taken to hospital, where police said he tried to take a gun from an officer, after which point he was tied down and medicated.

Who are the victims?

Four people were killed in the shooting, including a three-year-old baby, the childs 33-year-old mother and 62-year-old grandmother, as well as a 40-year-old man named Justice Gleason. The family dog, Diogi, was also shot.

An 11-year-old girl was also shot multiple times and airlifted to Tampa General Hospital for surgery. Shes expected to survive, and was in stable condition on Monday.

Who is the shooter?

Riley served in the Marines for four years and was honourably discharged after a 2008 tour in Iraq, a 2009/2010 tour in Afghanistan, and three more years in the reserves. He confessed to being high on methamphetamines during the shooting, according to police.

Rileys girlfriend told authorities he had PTSD and had been acting strangely, stockpiling $1,000 worth of cigars and saying after working security at a church the previous week that he could speak directly with God.

"Were not dealing with a traditional criminal here, sheriff Judd said. What were dealing with is someone who obviously had mental health issues at least this last week, had PTSD.

Riley told officers he had committed the shooting because Im a sick guy, and that he wants to confess to all of it and be sent to jail, according to police.

He was employed by a company called ESS Global Corporation working as security and a bodyguard, and has a concealed weapons licence and no criminal history. He also told deputies he was a survivalist, a subculture that prepares for a post-apocalypse.

What was his motive?

Riley lives in Brandon, Florida, 45 minutes away from the scene of the shooting, and has no apparent connection to the victims. He

The big question that all of us has is, Why? State Attorney Brian Haas told The Associated Press . We will not know today or maybe ever.

The day before the shooting, Riley showed up at the same house, telling those inside he was sent to stop someone named Amber from dying by suicide, even though no one named Amber lived there. Residents threatened to call the police and Riley fled.

What comes next?

Riley has been charged with four counts of first degree murder, as well as attempted murder, arson, armed burglary, and shooting into a building.

He has been appointed a public defender for legal representation, who did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent.

He appeared in court on Monday and is being held without bond pending a trial.
El Salvador bought its first 200 bitcoins on Monday ahead of formally adopting the cryptocurrency as legal tender.

The countrys president, Nayib Bukele announced the purchase on Twitter, adding that more would be purchased in the coming days.

He said: El Salvador has just bought its first 200 coins.

Our brokers will be buying a lot more as the deadline approaches.

In anticipation of the formal adoption, he added: Tomorrow, for the first time in history, all the eyes of the world will be on El Salvador.

In June, the Congress of El Salvador approved a law that would make bitcoin legal tender in the country from 7 September, with the goal of boosting the economy.

This change in legislation will make El Salvador the first country in the world to recognise the cryptocurrency as legal tender.

The president has said that the use of bitcoin will save Salvadoarans who live internationally millions of dollars in commissions on money that they send back to the Central American country.

Earlier this year he said that the currency will be a great benefit for our people.

But many Salvadorans have been wary about using the cryptocurrency, most notably around its volatility. In April, a full bitcoin was worth around USD$65,000 (47,000), in June it was worth half that. Now, it has rebounded to around USD$50,000.

Critics have also suggested that using bitcoins as legal tender could increase regulatory and financial risks for financial institutions, particularly around international anti-money laundering and terrorist financing rules.

Ratings agency Fitch Ratings said: Capital gains will not be taxed and taxes can be paid in bitcoin, which could attract foreign inflows of bitcoin to the country. This may increase the risks that proceeds from illicit activities pass through the Salvadoran financial system

Despite concerns, all businesses will have to accept payment in bitcoin from Tuesday, apart from those that lack the technology to do so.

The government has established a digital wallet app called Chivo that can be used for payments and remittances in Bitcoin.

All Salvadoran citizens who download it and sign up are being offered $30 worth of bitcoin in credit as an incentive. Some 200 kiosks are also being set up throughout the country to enable people to make deposits or withdraw their money in dollars.

The costs to setup the new system have come from a $150m trust fund administered by the legislature.

From Tuesday, bitcoin will be considered legal tender in El Salvador, but the US dollar will continue to be the countys main currency and those who prefer to use dollars will not be forced to switch to the cryptocurrency.

With additional reporting from Reuters
A gay substitute teacher was wrongfully let go from the Catholic school he taught at, a North Carolina federal judge has ruled.

Lonnie Billard, 69, was fired from his Drama and English teaching role at Charlotte Catholic High School after he shared his plans to marry his long term partner on Facebook in 2014. Weeks after posting the news, he was told that he was being terminated from his position. Legal proceedings were launched by Mr Billard in 2017, according to documents.

Mr Billard started working at the school fulltime in 2001 but retired in 2012, the year he was voted Teacher of the Year, according to court documents. Following his retirement, Mr Billard transitioned to a substitute role at the school.

Mr Billard said he never hid his sexuality from the school, as his partner had attended school events and met members of staff. Their October wedding announcement on Facebook came after North Carolina allowed same-sex marriage. He was told he was no longer employed as a substitute teacher on Christmas Day the same year, after a complaint was received by the school and church officials.

According to local reports at the time, a Diocese representative said Mr Billard was fired for going on Facebook, entering into a same-sex relationship and saying in a very public way that he does not agree with the teachings of the Catholic Church, according to the Charlotte Observer.

US District Judge Max Cogburn Jr ruled that the school and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Charlotte had broken workplace sex-discrimination laws for dismissing him for being gay, citing the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

The judge granted a summary judgement and a trial to decipher the damages Mr Billard was entitled to. He is asking for back pay, employment benefits, damages for the emotional strain and a ban on them doing the same again.

After all this time, I have a sense of relief and a sense of vindication. I wish I could have remained teaching this whole time, he said in a statement from by the North Carolina chapter of the ACLU, who represented him during the proceedings.

Officials from Catholic Church responded to the ruling, saying they respectfully disagree ... and are considering next steps.

The First Amendment, federal law and recent Supreme Court decisions all recognise the rights of religious organisations to make employment decisions based on religious observance and preference, they continued. They do not  and should not  compel religious schools to employ teachers who publicly contradict their teachings, they told the Charlotte Observer.

The Catholic schools offered by the Diocese of Charlotte exist to provide high-quality education and transmit the Catholic faith to the next generation. Like all religious schools, Catholic schools are permitted to employ educators who support our Churchs teachings and will not publicly oppose them, they continued.

The defendants argued that Mr Billard was not let go because he was gay, but because of his advocacy of beliefs that went against the Churchs when he announced he was going to be marrying a man, according to the ruling.

Judge Cogburn Jr ruled that they had broken under labour law and were not protected by religious liberty exemptions on 3 September.

He wrote: Plaintiff is a lay employee, who comes onto the campus of a religious school for the limited purposes of teaching secular classes, with no mandate to inculcate students with Catholic teachings.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Doha on Monday to support ongoing efforts to pull the remaining Americans and its at-risk allies out of Afghanistan.

Mr Blinken said he would also be visiting Germany on the trip to thank US partners for the outstanding support theyve given to safely transit US citizens, Afghans, and other evacuees from Afghanistan.

The visit came as a State Department official said four more Americans had been taken safely out of Afghanistan over an unspecified land border.

On Sunday, planes that were ready to evacuate American citizens and green card holders out of Afghanistan were being denied permission to leave by the Taliban.

Departing for Doha, Qatar and Ramstein, Germany where Ill have the opportunity to thank our Qatari and German friends in-person for the outstanding support theyve given to safely transit U.S. citizens, Afghans, and other evacuees from Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/ZQDDiaCJ5y  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 6, 2021

CBS News reported that charter flights were ready to depart from the Mazar-i-Sharif airstrip in northern Afghanistan and had permission to land in Doha.

The Taliban is basically holding them hostage to get more out of the Americans, a source told CBS News.

The US military has evacuated 120,000 Americans and Afghan allies since it announced its withdrawal from the country after a near 20-year occupation and war.

While plans for the evacuation began some time ago, the US military did not anticipate the speed at which the Afghan government would fall.

On August 30, Mr Blinken announced the airlift phase of the operation had been finished, but efforts to withdraw remaining Americans was continuing.

Weve gotten many out, but many are still there. We will keep working to help them. Our commitment to them has no deadline.

An estimated 2,000 US Embassy contractors and immediate family members remain stranded in Afghanistan, some of the many vulnerable Afghans who slipped through the cracks of the hasty departure.

President Joe Biden has blamed the rapid Taliban takeover on the Afghan military and government, and called the withdrawal an extraordinary success.

However, Republicans have castigated Mr Biden over the way the operation was handled.

After facing a barrage of criticism over the evacuations, Mr Bidens approval rating dropping from 50 per cent in June to just 44 per cent last week.
Joe Biden will travel to neighbourhoods in New Jersey and New York on 7 September to survey impacts from the remnants of Hurricane Ida after flash flooding killed at least 43 people across four northeastern states and damaged thousands of homes.

The president will visit the borough of Queens in New York City, where at least 13 people were killed in flooding on 1 September. Most of the victims were immigrants living in illegally constructed lower-level units without legal approval for residential spaces, according to the citys Department of Buildings.

Five of the six properties where people died in the floods were illegally converted basement and cellar-level apartments. Four of those addresses are in Queens.

Illegal conversions include altering a building into apartments without permits or city approval. Those units often do not include emergency exits, have illegal gas and electrical work and a lack of ventilation and light.

As of this month, the city has collected more than 8,000 complaints this year for suspected illegal apartment conversations. Some estimates put the number of illegal conversions at more than 100,000.

In the neighbourhood of Woodside, Queens, dozens of homes were inundated, and many residents have reported not receiving any aid or support from elected officials or emergency response teams.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and US Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will visit the neighbourhood on 6 September.

At least 26 people died in flooding in New Jersey; at least 18 died in Central Jersey, including four people in Somerset County, where Manville is located.

Emergency response crews rescued roughly 500 people in the town, as gas-fuelled fires burned several homes and businesses, with floodwaters making them unreachable.

The president has activated emergency federal assistance for both states to aid state, county, local and tribal recovery efforts.

His travel to the northeastern US follows his tour of damage in several areas in south Louisiana devastated by Idas lethal-force winds and floods after it entered the state on 29 August.

Thousands of homes in the state were destroyed, and much of the region remains without power, as utilities dispatch thousands of workers from several states to repair downed transmission lines.

The White House has deployed eight FEMA teams across four states; five are in Louisiana, and one each is in Mississippi, New Jersey and New York.

Were in this together, and so were not going to leave any community behind  rural, city, coastal, inland, the president told local leaders in Louisiana on Friday as he addressed Ida response efforts. And I promise were going to have your backs until this gets done.
Texas governor Greg Abbotts popularity has taken a hit after the state passed a restrictive new abortion law and as it grapples with spiralling Covid cases.

A survey from The Texas Policy Project at the University of Texas at Austin found just 42 per cent of Texans approve of the direction the state is going in, Mr Abbotts lowest approval rating since he was first elected in 2014.

A slim majority - 52 per cent - said the state was on the wrong path, the worst figure recorded by the institute since it started in 2008.

The University of Texas poll found Mr Abbotts rating had fallen among registered Republicans (77 to 73 per cent) and Democrats (8 to 6 per cent).

The steepest drop came among independents, with just 30 per cent supporting Mr Abbott, compared to 41 per cent in June.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Mr Abbotts approval rating was 56 per cent and his disapproval was at 32 per cent.

The poll was taken last week on the eve of a draconian new abortion law taking effect.

The Supreme Court refused to take up the bill last week, with many observers saying it spelt a death knell for Roe v Wade which has been precedent in the US for nearly 50 years.

Under the law, any bystander could sue someone for $10,000 who aids or abets a woman seeking an abortion.

Critics including President Joe Biden described it as a vigilante law designed to instill fear into the already fraught process of getting an abortion.

Jim Henson, executive director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas, told KXAN the poll was an eye-opener.

He said dissatisfaction with the way the pandemic was being handled was a recurring theme behind falling support for Mr Abbott.

Its been a tough year in Texas. The power outages, the infrastructure failures, we could go on. I think its an amalgam of a lot of things that weve reached the watershed on, Mr Henson said.

Governance is tough, and hes the face of governance in the state right now.

More than 27,000 Texas students and 4,400 staff have tested positive for Covid-19 in public schools in the last week, official state data shows.

Local governments and school districts are trying to sue the state to prevent Mr Abbotts ban on mask mandates.

Mr Abbott himself tested positive for Covid-19 last month.

The GOP-led Texas legislature also passed sweeping new voter laws which will restrict access to polls.
A parent at a school board meeting in Seminole County, Florida, told members that Covid vaccines were a deep state conspiracy and that scientists and the medical community wanted to depopulate us.

The comments, which were recorded and shared on social media at the weekend, came amid a meeting on whether or not to continue mandating masks for schools in the area, which has seen higher numbers of children with Covid than this time last year, according to Click Orlando.

Some 648,000 Americans have lost their lives to the coronavirus since it reached the United States early last year. Some states, including Florida, are seeing a massive uptick in cases and deaths because of the Delta variant.

Several parents argued against masks during the meeting to reconsider the decision on Thursday, despite fears over rising infections and warnings from doctors, who also attended the meeting of the school board.

The deep state medical establishment wants all of us to be depopulated. I know you guys think thats a conspiracy theory, but its not, its a fact, said the parent, without providing evidence.

They want us divided. They want us to fight each other so they can win, he continued, before alleging that US scientists and medical professional were in cahoots with each other to depopulate us.

Every parent here wants freedom, maybe except some of them who are brainwashed by the deep state media, the parent added, in footage that has since been viewed 500,000 times on Twitter.

Before finishing, he also listed a number of infamous conspiracy theorists and Dr Scott Atlas, who controversially served as a medical adviser to Donald Trump and frequently clashed with other members of the former presidents Covid task force.

Dr Atlas was among the high profile figures to criticise the introduction of restrictions and mask wearing to fight Covid  in contradiction with medical findings and the US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC currently recommends that all staff and students wear masks indoors because of the highly infectious Delta variant of Covid, which has seen rising infections and hospitalisations throughout the US, and particularly in Florida.

Dr Kevin Baker, the Seminole County Department of Health Chief Epidemiologist, told parents at the meeting on Thursday that during the first three weeks of the 2021 school year, 1,149 students tested positive for Covid.

The same figure for 2020 was 29 cases.

According to Click Orlando, Seminole County school board members agreed to continue with mandating masks, with local officials in Florida awaiting the results of a legal case against governor Ron DeSantiss attempt to forbid ordering the wearing of face coverings.
The Department of Justice has said it will protect women who are seeking abortions in Texas after the states highly restrictive abortion law came into effect last week

In a press release, attorney general Merrick Garland said that the department will explore all options to challenge the new Texas law, adding that it will provide support for women in the state who are still seeking abortions.

The department will provide support from federal law enforcement when an abortion clinic or reproductive health center is under attack. We have reached out to US attorneys offices and FBI field offices in Texas and across the country to discuss our enforcement authorities, Mr Garland said in the statement.

It continued: We will not tolerate violence against those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services, physical obstruction or property damage in violation of the Face Act.

The Face (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act, as the press release explained, prohibits the use or threat of force and physical obstruction that injures or interferes with a person who is seeking to obtain or provide reproductive services. Signed into law in 1994, the act also prohibits damage to a facility providing reproductive health services.

Texas new abortion law came into effect on Wednesday, and effectively bans almost all abortions from around 6 weeks onwards  ostensibly when a heartbeat can first be detected in pregnancy.

However, medical and reproductive health experts have fiercely criticised the bill, saying the reference to a heartbeat is medically inaccurate as an embryo does not have a developed heart at six weeks gestation.

Many women do not know they are pregnant so early, and abortion rights advocates estimate that 85 to 90 per cent of women needing an abortion in Texas are at least six weeks into pregnancy.

The new law was met with dismay by many in the United States and around the world as a major step backwards for womens rights. It is expected to impact black women and other women of colour and those with low incomes the hardest, say pro-choice advocates.

In addition to effectively blocking abortion access  the law makes no exceptions for rape, sexual abuse or incest  it also allows Texans to sue an abortion provider or anyone else they suspect is aiding and abetting abortions after six weeks, with a $10,000 (7,200) award to be granted for any lawsuit that successfully stops an abortion.

The Supreme Court did not step in to block the enactment of the law, and although justices said they were aware of serious questions regarding the constitutionality of the Texas law, it will remain in effect while legal challenges are brought.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden said the law blatantly violates the constitutional right established under Roe v Wade and upheld as precedent for nearly half a century.
Former President Donald Trump dodged questions about whether he would support Texass new law banning abortions after six weeks as controversy over the Supreme Courts decision not to stop it from going into effect continues to swirl.

In an interview with Sinclair Broadcasting Groups Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson, the former president would only say that he was studying the new law, while adding that he had great confidence in the states Trump-acolyte governor, Greg Abbott, who signed the bill into law.

Well, I will tell you this: We do have a Supreme Court that's a lot different than it was before, it was acting very strangely. And I think, probably not in the interests of our country, he said when asked about the role the three justices nominated under his presidency played in the ruling, and whether he supported it.

We're studying the ruling and we're studying also what they've done in Texas, he added, before expressing his faith in Mr Abbott.

The controversial new Texas law goes in a completely different direction than previous GOP-led attempts at banning abortions have taken; the legislation bans the practice after six weeks, effectively eliminating the option for many if not most women, but bars state officials from enforcing it. Instead, private citizens are essentially deputized with the promise of $10,000 bounties to file lawsuits against anyone accused of aiding or abetting the practice of an abortion after six weeks, other than the patient themselves.

The Supreme Court declined to intervene on an emergency plea last week, allowing the law to go into effect, but could still throw out the ban in the future. In the meantime, the practice of abortions will likely be severely limited across the state of Texas.

White House chief of staff Ronald Klain said on Sundays State of the Union on CNN that the Justice Department under President Joe Biden had its best lawyers looking for legal remedies for women in the state.

We are going to find ways to make a difference for the women of Texas to try to protect their constitutional rights, he said.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki added at a news briefing on Wednesday that the president will continue to push Congress to codify abortion rights into law at the federal level, which would negate the efforts to ban it at the state level.
The White House estimates that around 100 US citizens remain in Afghanistan, despite the administrations deadline for evacuating them having passed almost a week ago.

Speaking on CNNs State of the Union, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said on Sunday Were in touch with all of them who weve identified on a regular basis.

He added that the White House was hopeful that in the coming days the Qataris will be able to resume air service out of Kabul. If they do, were obviously going to look to see if Americans can be part of those flights," he said.

Mr Klain went on to speak to the issue of the thousands of Afghans with Special Immigrant Visas who were also left behind when the US military ended its presence in Afghanistan on August 31. Many have reportedly been targeted by the Taliban.

He said the administration was in close communication with our sources and our contacts in Afghanistan to try to get [Afghan] SIVs out safely,

I know some are coming out by land, he added. We are continuing to work on efforts to get them out by air as well. Were going to continue to move those SIVs out of the country.

We launched a historic airlift that brought 124,000 people out of Afghanistan, American citizens, legal permanent residents of this country, residents of other countries, and a lot of Afghan nationals, Mr Klain added.

Were ultimately going to resettle them in Europe and the United States, and thats a big part of rescuing that SIV population.

The Republican National Committees RNC Research account posted a scathing response to Mr Klains comments, posting: Biden Chief of Staff Ron Klain doesnt know how many Americans are stranded in Afghanistan, how many have gotten out since the military pulled out, or how theyll be evacuated.
For the first 20 years of Vladimir Putins rule, Russian elections resembled a theatrical ruse. Every few years, parties of all colours would be rolled out onto the stage. But with tricks and lookalike candidates and parties, it was difficult to work out who was who.

This year, the Kremlin appears to have dispensed with any facade, removing even the illusion of choice for most democratic Russians  and criminalising many forms of dissent.

An unprecedented clampdown ahead of the 19 September elections has cleared the field of serious opponents of the regime. The main focus has been on Alexei Navalny and his political network.

Since the longtime nemesis brave (and perhaps foolish) return in February, the state machine has been working in overdrive.

First, he was jailed in a prison colony, then his organisation was banned, and his staff, supporters and anti-corruption ideology were labelled as extremist. The Navalny network was officially disbanded in April. And since then, many of his top associates and 37 regional managers have emigrated. Some have been jailed. About a quarter remain politically active in some way or another. Informally, they try to keep the Navalny mission relevant  but they face an uphill struggle.

Semyon Kochkin, who for nearly five years headed the Navalny movement in Cheboksary, central Russia, is one of the most active of those left behind despite being banned from running for elections for at least the next five years.

But neither that nor the threat of arrest, has stopped him from campaigning on YouTube. He continues to broadcast to his 30,000 followers on matters of corruption and local politics. His onscreen presence is engaging and he makes gestures uncannily similar to his boss.

Kochkin made a calculation that he continues to fall below the political radar and that local authorities believe arresting him will cause too much noise. Thats not to say he isnt frightened. Every day you read some new horror story, and you understand they might decide at any moment to strike, he says. I havent yet had clear signals they will, but maybe Im just dumb.

Opposition activist Violetta Grudina poses for a photo in Murmansk, Russia (via REUTERS)

Violetta Grudina, 31, is another member of Navalnys diehard brigade. A steely LGBT+ activist who headed the Murmansk office before April, she says the announcement to disband the network destroyed her. It was always more than just a job for me, she tells The Independent: I loved my colleagues and what we were working on, and I believed in the mission.

Ms Grudina quickly moved on from the disappointment though, launching a local election bid. But that was when her problems really began. Her office was vandalised and shot at. Anonymous leaflets, distributed among her neighbours, attacked her and her sexuality. She became a hate figure for local and national propaganda.

Even one defeated United Russia candidate in the September elections would be a victory for us, and the Kremlin knows it. Ruslan Shavedinnov, one of Navalnys closest lieutenants

Given the clear orders from above, it was no surprise that Grudinas election bid was blocked. More surprising was how local authorities handled it  hospitalising the apparently healthy Grudina in a Covid ward in Murmansk just before the deadline to file papers. It was arguably the most outrageous manoeuvre of hundreds of operations employed nationwide to keep independents off ballot papers.

But Team Navalny insists it is not yet a spent force in Russia, with hope still riding on its leaders campaign for smart voting. This calls on Russians to vote tactically for the strongest opponent in battles with candidates from United Russia, the ruling party. Navalnys team has come up with a list of least bad candidates in all national and some local elections.

Ruslan Shavedinnov, one of Navalnys closest lieutenants, claims the ferociousness of the Kremlins crackdown is proof of the effectiveness of smart voting.

"Our task has always been to ruin United Russias party, he said. Even one defeated United Russia candidate in the September elections would be a victory for us, and the Kremlin knows it.

Russian riot policemen stand guard in front of the Russian Supreme court as people holding stuffed toys take part in a rally to demand the release of two teenagers accused of extremism (AFP via Getty Images)

Russias parliament is elected by a hybrid voting system. Half of its 450 deputies are elected by proportional representation lists, while the other half by first past the post. Navalnys team are pinning most of its hopes on successes in the latter  especially in Moscow, where it believes several alternative candidates could be elected.

Competitive elections, and, more importantly, relatively honest counting, are also possible in major urban centres like St Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Khabarovsk, in the far east. Khabarovsk emerged as an unexpected centre of protest in the weeks leading to Mr Navalnys poisoning in August 2020.

Dmitry Oreshkin, a longtime election observer, said the success or otherwise of the strategy would depend on the ability of Navalnys mostly foreign-based team to win the digital fight.

The battle is down to who is able to block who, he said. Theres bound to be some diversionary conspiracy nearer election day, perhaps some fake smart voting list that will take time for people to untangle.

Here, lines already appear to be drawn, with Russias state regulator on Friday calling on Apple and Google to remove Navalnys extremist apps. Failure to do so would be an infringement of Russian law ... and be viewed as foreign interference in our elections, a statement read.

For twenty years, the system of power was built around the idea of monopolistic control, and that has only accelerated in the last year Dmitry Oreshkin, election observer

Two days later, a court ruled that Navalnys smart voting brand violated the intellectual rights of a wool company in southern Russia. It banned Google and Yandex, Russias main search engine, from showing Navalnys campaign in search results but it is unclear if the search giants will fulfil the request.

Whatever the success of the Navalny tactical voting campaign, Russias voting system means that Vladimir Putin is guaranteed a 2/3 constitutional majority. This will happen either directly from United Russia deputies, or in combination with co-opted, controlled opposition parties.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the second stage of the XX congress of the United Russia party ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election (EPA)

Yet given the nature of Russias increasingly authoritarian politics, the appearance of any alternative political power in the parliament  of any candidate included in Navalnys lists  would be seen as a worrying defeat.

"For 20 years, the system of power was built around the idea of monopolistic control, and that has only accelerated in the last year, says Oreshkin.

It isnt hard to understand why even the prospect of even one alternative candidate is seen as an existential crisis.
Alexander Lukashenkos 13 month intensive crackdown continued on Monday with the sentencing of two prominent opposition activists to multi-year jail sentences.

Maria Kolesnikova, the driving force behind a female triumvirate that likely defeated the longtime autocrat in August 2020 presidential elections, was sentenced to 11 years.

Her colleague, the lawyer Maxim Znak, was given 10 years.

Both were charged with undermining Belarusian state security, though their exact charges  like the trial and verdict itself  were kept secret until the end.

Given the current political atmosphere, and Belaruss 99.7% conviction rates, the guilty verdicts were a foregone conclusion. But Judge Sergei Ephikhov offered a small surprise by reducing the sentences to slightly less than the 12 years state prosecutors originally sought for both.

The discount may reflect pressure on Mr Lukashenko to show signs of clemency. Alternatively, it could represent the unpredictable autocrats desire to keep people guessing.

Ms Kolesnikova and Mr Znak have been in detention ever since they were arrested in September last year. Both began the election cycle as part of Viktor Babarikos presidential campaign team, but the former bankers June 2020 arrest propelled the charismatic campaign manager Ms Kolesnikova to prominence.

Ms Kolesnikova was the engine behind a joint election platform with Veronika Tsepkalo and Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, wives of the two other barred candidates. The three campaign teams united behind Ms Tikhanovskayas presidential bid to offer Belarusians the opportunity of a fresh, female start.

Judging by independent opinion polls conducted on Election Day, Belarusians embraced the prospect of an overwhelming majority. In the event, the 26-year-long autocrat Mr Lukashenko claimed his own landslide victory.

By the time she was snatched from the streets, Ms Tikhanovskaya and Ms Tsepkalo had fled the country, and the charismatic Kolesnikova was the most recognisable face of the opposition. Her stock grew in democratic circles after it emerged that she had resisted being forcibly removed from the country by ripping up her passport on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border.

Ms Tikhanovskaya described Ms Kolesnikovas ripping up of her passport as a historic deed.

The regime would want to see Maxim and Maria broken and weakened. But we see our heroes and strong and free inside. They will be free much earlier, she told AP after the sentencing.

International condemnation of the Belarus regime was swift. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the sentencing showed the Belarusian authorities continuing their assault on the defenders of democracy and freedom.

European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said the EU reiterated its demands for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in Belarus, including Kolesnikova and Znak.

Attorneys acting for the jailed opposition activists announced they would appeal the verdict.

"This sentence is illegal and unjustified, and is not based on any evidence," said lawyer Yevgeny Pylchenko. "The trial neither affirmed their guilt or the crimes which they were supposed to have committed."
Why has the opposition leader been sent to jail?

Maria Kolesnikova - a prominent member of the opposition Coordination Council in Belarus who has spoken out against the countrys despotic leader, Alexander Lukashenko - has been sentenced to 11 years in prison, alongside her lawyer, Maxim Znak, who was jailed for 10 years.

The pair have been detained since their arrest 12 months ago and were charged with conspiring to seize power, creating an extremist organisation and calling for actions damaging state security.

A classical flutist and Baroque music scholar, Kolesnikova, 39, had previously been the campaign manager for Viktor Babariko, an ex-banker who had planned to run against Lukashenko in August 2020s disputed presidential election prior to his own arrest the preceding June on questionable money laundering and tax evasion charges that in turn saw him jailed for 14 years.

The detention of Babariko prompted Kolesnikova to join forces with Veronika Tsepkalo and Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the wives of the two other barred candidates.

Tikhanovskaya, an English teacher by trade, duly launched her own presidential bid and promised a fresh, female-led start for the former Soviet satellite state, which has been ruled by Lukashenko, an old-fashioned strongman often branded Europes last dictator, since July 1994.

On Election Day last year - 9 August - Lukashenko quickly declared a landslide victory for himself despite accusations of widespread electoral fraud and vote rigging, leading to weeks of angry mass protests inspired by Tikhanovskayas claim that she believed she had received between 60-70 per cent of the vote, the largest gathering of which saw 200,000 come together as one.

Despite international condemnation from the US, EU, the UK and Canada and heated anti-government demonstrations outside of the Independence Palace in Minsk, Lukashenko was subsequently inaugurated for a sixth term on 23 September and has been carrying out a vendetta against his critics ever since.

Tikhanovskaya and Tsepkalo were forced to flee the country.

What has been the reaction?

For many, Maria has become an example of resilience and the fight between good and evil. Im proud of her, Kolesnikovas father, Alexander, told the Associated Press (AP) on Monday. Its not a verdict, but rather the revenge of the authorities.

His daughter has indeed become a protest icon, known for her fearless appearances at political rallies and in facing down lines of riot police.

Last September, she cemented her reputation when KGB agents drove her to the border between Belarus and Ukraine in an attempt to expel her. But, in the neutral zone between the two countries, the activist managed to rip up her passport, break out of the car and storm back into Belarus, where she was immediately re-arrested.

The latest twist in Kolesnikovas story could yet inspire fresh waves of anti-Lukashenko anger.

Speaking from exile in Lithuania, Tikhanovskaya told the AP: The regime would want to see Maxim and Maria broken and weakened. But we see our heroes strong and free inside. They will be free much earlier. Prison terms invented for them shouldnt scare us - Maxim and Maria wouldnt want that. They would want us to remember how Maria smiles, and to listen to Maxim singing.

British foreign secretary Dominic Raab was one of the first international statesmen to decry her situation, commenting: The sentencing of Maria Kolesnikova and Maxim Znak shows the Belarusian authorities continuing their assault on the defenders of democracy and freedom.

Locking up political opponents will only deepen the pariah status of the Lukashenko regime.

German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse said in Berlin that the verdicts are a symbol of the ruthless methods, the repression and intimidation by the Belarusian regime of opposition politicians and civil society.

In Brussels, European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said that the EU reiterates its demands for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in Belarus (now numbering more than 650).

Why are we asking this now?

An estimated 35,000 people were arrested in the violent state crackdown that surrounded Lukashenkos eventual inauguration last autumn and thousands more were beaten by police.

His regime, not recognised as legitimate by many Western powers but endorsed by Vladimir Putins Russia and by China, among others, has continued to oppress its political enemies ever since.

Most recently, Belaruss Supreme Court ordered the closure of the the Belarusian Association of Journalists, the liquidation following the jailing of some 30 journalists, raids on newspaper offices, the blocking of websites belonging to major independent media organisations and the shutdown of the PEN Center writers organisation, headed by Nobel literature laureate Svetlana Alexieveich.

Lukashenkos administration also cancelled accreditation for foreign news organisations after the protests erupted last August.

But his opponents remain unbowed and will continue to take courage from Kolesnikovas example.

Footage from the Sputnik Belarus channel showed her and Znak in a glass cage before their sentence was announced and she was seen raising her handcuffed hands once more to make her trademark heart sign, smiling for the cameras as though entirely undaunted.
The Inspiration4 mission is about to set off to orbit, with perhaps the four most unusual space explorers in history.

Together, they will represent a milestone in space tourism, as the first ever human spaceflight to orbit by a crew entirely made up of private citizens. And they will represent a breakthrough for SpaceX, as it works towards its plans to make space travel somewhat cheaper and accessible to people who havent been through national selection programmes.

But individually they are remarkable too. They are made up of a billionaire business owner, a healthcare worker, another entrepeneur who was selected through a process something like Dragons Den, and a private engineer whose friend won a raffle and passed on their ticket.

The four of them will take a three day trip into orbit, going up into space, around the Earth and splashing back down in the ocean. As they do so they will undergo an experience that has never been available to private citizens before.

The funder of the mission is Jared Isaacman, a billionaire business owner who also trains as a pilot in his spare time. He made his money through financial services  he is the owner and chief executive of the company now called Shift4 Payments, which does payment processing  and has used some of the money he gained from establishing the company to train himself to fly jets.

He also used some of that money to buy the trip to space, the full cost of which has not been announced. In doing so, he got access to a ticket for himself but also three others, and the option to choose how those tickets would be distributed.

Two of them were to be sold off to raise money for St Judes Childrens Research Hospital, which offers free healthcare to families dealing with childhood cancer as well as doing research to help fight it.

The first of those was given to someone who symbolises the work the hospital does. Hayley Arceneaux is a bone cancer survivor who was treated at the hospital, and then went on to work as a physician assistant there too.

The 29-year-old will break a number of records during her journey, including being the youngest American in space. She was set to be the youngest person in space, but was beaten to that by the 18-year-old Oliver Daeman whose father bought him a seat on Jeff Bezoss rocket.

The other St Judes seat was raffled in an attempt to raise more money for the hospital. That seat was not originally won by Christopher Sembroski  instead, he was given it by a friend who transferred it to him, apparently in recognition of his longstanding interest in space.

The last seat will go to Sian Proctor, which those behind Inspiration4 describe as a geoscientist, explorer, and science communication specialist with a lifelong passion for space exploration. She has got close to space many times before: she has participated in four analog missions, during which people live in simulated space conditions as part of studies, as well as getting to be a finalist for the Nasa astronaut programme in 2019.

But its not those accomplishments that actually got her seat on the trip. Instead, she was given the one that was designated for a customer of Shift4 Payments  Mr Isaacsons company  through a competition that encouraged people to design an online store as well as sharing messages through social media.

The four members of the crew have each been given values that they will represent on their journey, each of them related to how they got their ticket for the trip. Mr Isaacman is Leadership, Dr Proctor is Prosperity, Ms Arceneaux is Hope and Mr Sembroski is Generosity.

Each of the four have also been given positions, or titles, during the mission, though their primary role is as tourists. Mr Isaacman will be the commander of the spacecraft, Dr Proctor will be its pilot, Ms Arcenaux is its chief medical officer, and Mr Sembroski has the position of mission specialist.

And they also each have call signs by which theyll be known. Mr Isaacman is Rook, Dr Proctor is Leo, Ms Arcenaux is Nova and Mr Sembroski is Hanks.
While the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan is primarily a societal, security and economic disaster for Afghanistan, it also creates a climate of extreme danger for the West. The attack on Kabul at the end of August has starkly underscored the growing terrorist threat in Afghanistan, which will undoubtedly seep into neighbouring countries and beyond. UK intelligence and security services must act now to protect British citizens from a renewal of the same terrorist threat which led to 9/11 and the rise of Isis.

It has been well known for some time that key Taliban powerbrokers, such as the leaders of the Haqqani network, remain intimately connected to international jihadist terror groups. A militant Islamist movement dedicated to establishing an Islamic state in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Haqqani network has, in recent years, significantly embedded itself with Al-Qaeda and is now widely regarded as a leading insurgency force in South Asia.

For the Haqqani network to be put in charge of Kabuls security amounts to giving a fox the run of the chicken coop. It is delusional to think that, despite what the Taliban are saying, the Haqqani network is willing to prevent Al-Qaeda from once again using Afghanistan as a base from which to coordinate attacks against the West.

Another equally dangerous jihadist threat, rising inexorably out of the chaos sewn by Kabuls seizure, will prove entirely beyond the Talibans ability to control. The Islamic State-Khorasan Province, commonly referred to as Isis-K, IS-K or Iskp, was founded in 2015, when Isis leaders sought to expand their influence beyond the borders of Iraq and Syria. The group grew quickly, orchestrating regular attacks throughout Afghanistan and recruiting directly from the Talibans ranks those most dissatisfied by their unwillingness to fight western forces more aggressively.

The Iskp has long desired to do battle with the West directly but, until now, has lacked the capacity to mount an international attack. With many of its members having been freed from prison upon the withdrawal of our military forces, the group is rapidly returning to full strength, and is considered a dire and imminent threat to the safety of UK citizens and those Afghans who have stood alongside our forces who have yet to be evacuated from Afghanistan. Iskp has taken responsibility for Kabuls bombings. Already, the Taliban has proven itself completely incapable of containing them.

Beyond the borders of Afghanistan in the emerging Afghan refugee crisis, both the Haqqani network and Iskp will see the perfect opportunity to carry out attacks in major western cities before the end of the year.

The UK has committed to taking in 20,000 Afghan refugees. While this is without question a moral duty that we must fulfil, integrating and settling such a large number of people, in a safe and orderly fashion, will be a monumental and dangerous logistical task that we have to be prepared for. To ignore the potential for terrorist attacks would demonstrate perilous naivety about the way in which events over the past two weeks are being interpreted by jihadists globally.

What in western eyes simply appears to be an embarrassing retreat is, for those committed to the cause of perpetual global jihad, a glorious defeat of the West, a divine validation of their lifes work and a call to go further than ever before. It is therefore irrational and reckless to imagine a softer, moderate Taliban, or for an Isis humbled by their hard-fought defeats to western forces over the past decade.

After the fall of Kabul, every jihadist group with whom the West has battled over the past 20 years will take heart and inspiration from the Wests retreat and inevitably pursue their jihadist agenda more aggressively and actively. Not just in Western cities but in South East Asia and Africa. Boko Haram in Nigeria will have cheered the Taliban victory to the rafters.

In the coming weeks and months, our intelligence and counterterrorism agencies must therefore prepare for a terrorist threat more serious than any this country has faced since Isis and Al-Qaeda were at their respective heights of power.

While increased emergency funds must be diverted towards these services in order to ensure they can scale up to the increased threat in a timely fashion, we need to ensure that those already inside the country who have been flagged as having connections to any members or associates of the Haqqani network or Iskp are monitored more closely. A very labour intensive task. Later, as we begin to integrate our share of Afghan refugees into British society, it will also be important to bolster efforts at deradicalisation, through programs like Prevent.

Crucially, this is not a threat that can be avoided without international cooperation. Cross border counter-terror coordination such as we practised with the rest of Europe in the years following the 7/7 London bombings will be essential. This will undoubtedly be more difficult, in the current post-Brexit political climate, but ensuring it remains effectively in place will save lives.

Our task has not been made easier by the precipitate withdrawal from Afghanistan and by the chaotic and tragic scenario unfolding at Kabul airport. But by preemptive measures today, we may yet minimise the worst consequences of the decision.

Sir Ivor Roberts is a senior advisor for the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), an international non-profit organisation working to combat the growing threat of terrorism and extremist ideology
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Since our founding in September of 1963, The Independent has been dedicated to giving Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, and Sunol readers the news they need to be in-the-know about what's going on in the Tri-Valley region.
In Kashmir, it is the wedding season and there is a demand for the dry fruits. But things have changed on the ground as the prices have surged and the supply is short after India-Afghanistan trade has come to a standstill.

Sitting in his shop at Mahraja Bazar, a famous and oldest dry fruit market in Srinagar, 55-year-old dry fruit trader Haji Mehraj has been only hoping to get things normal soon.

Photo by Idrees Bukhtiyar

With trade between the two countries coming to a halt, several varieties of dry fruits are in short supply and prices have skyrocketed that too when the valley is witnessing the wedding season, Mehraj told Indiatimes.

Kashmir is one of the leading importers of essential commodities from Afghanistan, mainly dry fruits. It gets the direct supply from the top traders in New Delhi. The market receives at least 15,000 tonnes of the supply in a month.

Photo by Idrees Bukhtiyar

Mehraj who has been in the field for the last 30 years says that he has seen such a situation for the first time. In past our businesses have been affected due to lockdown or COVID-19 but there used to be a surety that things will come back on track. But in this case everything looks blurry with less hopes, he says.

Hajis son Omer Mehraj says that with the absence of new stock, suppliers are selling the old stock at higher rates. We are left with less stock. We dont know how long it will go on. Our market will be totally affected if the traders didnt get stock on time, he says.

Soaring Dry Fruit Prices

Sameer Liyaqat, a trader who runs his dry fruit shop namely- Occasions Store says that rates have been doubled fifty percent. We used to sell the almond kernels at Rs 300 kg now the rate has gone up to Rs 550 kg, cashew nuts were sold at Rs 200 kg now it is Rs 800 kg, raisin at Rs 100 kg now Rs 450, pistachios at Rs 200 kg now Rs 800 and importantly dry figs (Anjeer) used to be sold at Rs 200 now its rate has gone up to Rs 800 kg, says Sameer.

Photo by Idrees Bukhtiyar

He says that there are over sixty dry fruit shops in the market and the livelihood of traders only depends on it. We dont have any other source of income. We request our government to talk to the concerned authorities in Afghanistan and restore the trade links between both the countries, he said.

Wedding Season Also Got A Hit

The months of July to November are considered to be the wedding season in Kashmir. However with the higher prices of dry fruits the number of wedding customers too has gone down.

Earlier we used to get ten customers a day but now it has plummeted to three or four. The conditions have become worse for us, said Nasrullah Mir, who runs Bazaz General Store in the market. He added, Now very small number of people are purchasing the other items related to weddings from our shops.

Photo by Idrees Bukhtiyar

When asked about if trade is not restored at the earliest so what next, he says things would get tougher for them. The material would get more costly and I believe that it would be impossible for a common man to afford it as it would come indirectly and more charges would be applied on it, says Mir.

Consumers Cry For Help

Mushtaq Ahmad, a Srinagar resident said that life has been thrown out of gear since the surge in the prices of dry fruits. Few days back, I went to purchase one kg of almonds and he sold it at Rs 500 and the same were sold at Rs 250 earlier. It has become tough to live a normal life, he says.

Photo by Idrees Bukhtiyar

Khursheed Ahmad Shah, President Mahraja Bazar Traders Association told Indiatimes that stock has been short and prices have been up after the Afghanistan issue. Everything has gone costlier now. COVID too has worsened the situation making life of a common man tough, he says.

We are hoping that the prices stabilize but there is yet no clarity on how and when the situation will be better, he said.

Date With Historic Mahraja Bazar

Maharaja Bazar, one of the oldest markets of Kashmir, dating back to the 19th century is still a major attraction among the residents as well as the tourists.

Photo by Idrees Bukhtiyar

According to traders, Dogra ruler of the state Maharaja Ranbir Singh had set up the Maharaja Bazar to develop this market so as to be used by the local population.

Historians say it used to house a stock exchange-cum-business center for the traders from Amritsar, Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi and even Central Asia.
Deprived of their preferred food source of bananas and peanuts, hungry monkeys in Bali have taken to raiding villagers homes in their search for something tasty, as per AP.

Villagers in Sangeh say the monkeys have been venturing out from a sanctuary about 500 meters (yards) away to hang out on the roofs and wait for the proper moment to swoop down and snatch a snack.

Worried that the sporadic sorties will escalate into an all-out monkey assault on the village, residents have been taking fruit, peanuts and other food to the Sangeh Monkey Forest to try to placate the primates.

We are afraid that the hungry monkeys will turn wild and vicious, villager Saskara Gustu Alit said.

About 600 of the macaques live in the forest sanctuary, swinging from the tall nutmeg trees and leaping about the famous Pura Bukit Sari temple, and are considered sacred.

AP

In normal times the protected jungle area in the southeast of the Indonesian island is popular among local residents for wedding photos, as well as among international visitors. The relatively tame monkeys can be easily coaxed to sit on a shoulder or lap for a peanut or two.

Ordinarily, tourism is the main source of income for Balis 4 million residents, who welcomed more than 5 million foreign visitors annually before the pandemic.

The Sangeh Monkey Forest typically had about 6,000 visitors a month, but as the pandemic spread last year and international travel dropped off dramatically, that number dropped to about 500.

Since July, when Indonesia banned all foreign travelers to the island and shut the sanctuary to local residents as well, there has been nobody.

Not only has that meant nobody bringing in extra food for the monkeys, the sanctuary has also lost out on its admission fees and is running low on money to purchase food for them, said operations manager Made Mohon.

The donations from villagers have helped, but they are also feeling the economic pinch and are gradually giving less and less, he said.

AP

This prolonged pandemic is beyond our expectations, Made Mohon said, Food for monkeys has become a problem.

Food costs run about 850,000 rupiah ($60) a day, Made Mohon said, for 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of cassava, the monkeys staple food, and 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of bananas.

The macaque is an omnivore and can eat a variety of animals and plants found in the jungle, but those in the Sangeh Monkey Forest have had enough contact with humans over the years that they seem to prefer other things.

And theyre not afraid to take matters into their own hands, Gustu Alit said.

Frequently, monkeys wander into the village and sit on roofs, occasionally removing tiles and dropping them to the ground. When villagers put out daily religious offerings of food on their terraces, the monkeys jump down and make off with them.

A few days ago I attended a traditional ceremony at a temple near the Sangeh forest, Gustu Alit said. When I parked my car and took out two plastic bags containing food and flowers as offerings, two monkeys suddenly appeared and grabbed it all and ran into the forest very fast.

Normally, the monkeys spend all day interacting with visitors  stealing sunglasses and water bottles, pulling at clothes, jumping on shoulders  and Gustu Alit theorizes that more than just being hungry, theyre bored.

Thats why I have urged villagers here to come to the forest to play with the monkeys and offer them food, he said. I think they need to interact with humans as often as possible so that they do not go wild.
The Taliban pledged to guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers and aid access in Afghanistan in a meeting with the UN humanitarian chief in Kabul, according to a UN spokesman as per AFP.

Martin Griffiths spoke with Taliban leadership amid a looming humanitarian disaster in the country.

"The authorities pledged that the safety and security of humanitarian staff, and humanitarian access to people in need, will be guaranteed and that humanitarian workers -- both men and women -- will be guaranteed freedom of movement," a statement from UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Griffiths reiterated in the meeting that the humanitarian community was committed to delivering "impartial and independent humanitarian assistance," the statement added.

Reuters

He also called on all parties to ensure the rights and safety of women, both those contributing to aid delivery and civilians.

Women's freedoms in Afghanistan were sharply curtailed under the Taliban's 1996-2001 rule.

The UN says Afghanistan is mired in a humanitarian crisis affecting 18 million people, or half the population.

Even before the Taliban's lightning offensive that ousted the Western-backed government on August 15, Afghanistan was already heavily aid-dependent -- with 40 percent of the country's GDP drawn from foreign funding.

AFP

But the future of aid missions in the country under the Taliban has been a source of concern for the UN and aid groups, despite Taliban pledges of a softer brand of rule than during their first stint in power.

Several relief organizations have previously confirmed to AFP they were in talks with the Taliban to continue their operations, or have already received security guarantees for existing programs.

The UN said this week humanitarian flights had resumed to several Afghan provinces.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged "the Taliban and all other parties to exercise utmost restraint to protect lives and to ensure that humanitarian needs can be met" in a report to the Security Council this weekend.

The report was compiled as the mandate of the UN political mission in Afghanistan is scheduled to expire on September 17.

Meanwhile, Panjsher resistance spokesperson and former journalist in Afghanistan Fahim Dashty was killed in the Panjsher valley.

Panjsher resistance spokesperson and former journalist in Afghanistan Fahim Dashty has been killed in Taliban and ISI attack in the Panjsher vally. Fahim has been fighting for free press, and recently he became the face of NRFA.

May your soul rest in peace my Freind.Khuda Khair pic.twitter.com/CrpKQTQoTO  ASHUTOSH MISHRA (@JournoAshutosh) September 6, 2021

Fahim was fighting for a free press, and recently became the face of NRFA.


Mammals and birds that reside in mountainous regions evolve quickly compared to creatures on the sea level.

Unsplash

Also Read: Six Changes That Prove Humans Are Still Evolving, With Natural Tweaks To Body

This is according to a study (published in Nature Ecology and Evolution) conducted by the authors at the University of Cambridge which highlights that the fall and rise of Earths land surface over the last three million years has enabled the evolution of birds and mammals.



According to the researchers, elevation has more impact on the formation of species than Earths temperature and climate change.

How do mountain-dwelling mammals evolve faster?

For the study, researchers combined reconstructions of the Earths changing surface elevations over the past three million years with data on climate change over the same timeframe and with bird and mammal species' locations.



Researchers found that as the land elevation increases, temperature generally drops while also increasing habitat complexity.

Unsplash

Also Read: Humans Are Evolving: Science Finds Evidence Of An Extra Artery Growing In Our Arm

In some instances like places where mountains form, increasing elevation creates a sort of barrier that doesnt allow moving and mixing of species, isolating the populations.



And according to experts, this is the first step towards the formation of new species.



The study gives the example of the bird Kea, where changes in temperatures affect the timing and extent of mating, risking reproductive isolation from populations of the same species elsewhere.

Unsplash

Also Read: Scientists Find Billion-Year-Old Fossil That Can Unlock Mystery Of Animal Evolution

To the uninitiated, reproductive isolation is the prevention of two populations or more from interbreeding with each other.



The only exception to these findings is the Amazon rainforest, despite lacking much elevation.

Dr Javier Igea at the University of Cambridge's Department of Plant Sciences explained, It's surprising just how much effect historical elevation change had on generating the world's biodiversity  it has been much more important than traditionally studied variables like temperature. The rate at which species evolved in different places on Earth is tightly linked to topography changes over millions of years.

Unsplash

Also Read: Sharks Have Evolved To Walk: New Walking Shark Species Found Off Australian Coast

This work highlights important arenas for evolution to play out. From a conservation perspective, these are the places we might want to protect, especially given climate change. Although climate change is happening over decades, not millions of years, our study points to areas that can harbour species with greater potential to evolve.



Researchers conclude by stating that as the Earth's surface continues to rise and fall, topography will continue being an important factor in evolutionary change.



For more cool science and tech news, keep visiting Indiatimes.com, and let us know if you think mammals who live in mountainous regions evolve faster than sea level dwelling animals.
Marriage is pretty much the best day of a person's life. However, it pretty much turned around for a guy in Florida, USA.

Nicholas Ruthenberg, 25, was taken into custody after he allegedly drove the wrong way down Vero Beach street and crashed into another vehicle on Monday afternoon. This happened just a few hours after he got hitched.

Indian River County Sheriff's Office

Ruthenberg fled from the scene on foot, but was soon apprehended by authorities and was taken to the Indian River County Sheriff's Office.

The other driver was rushed to hospital with "neck, back, and leg pain".

Ruthenberg, a registered Democrat, yelled "all hail Donald Trump" as he arrived at the Sheriff's Office and refused to pose for a mugshot, according to court records obtained by The Smoking Gun.

Photos taken from inside the premises show handlers struggling to get him to hold still for the camera.

Indian River County Sheriff's Office.

Ruthenberg returned a blood alcohol level reading of 0.0, and police subsequently asked him for a urine sample to 'determine the presence of chemical or controlled substances.



According to the arrest report, he "started to take his pants off and spread his buttocks". He then "placed two fingers in his own anus" before cops quickly put him back in handcuffs.

Indian River County Sheriff's Office.

A detective said Ruthenberg's erratic behaviour "was consistent with someone under the influence of some kind of stimulant". Ruthenberg was charged with driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident causing serious bodily injury.



He was released from the county jail on Wednesday after posting a $2,000 bond. He will, however, return to the courthouse on October 1st.

Some wedding!
A policeman stands alert on a deserted road during restrictions imposed following the death of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, in Srinagar. Authorities on Sept. 5 eased some restrictions that had been imposed since Geelanis death. (Saqib Majeed/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
A friend recently sent me a DM on Twitter, suggesting the thing AWS really needs is a flagship [open source] project to boost its open source bona fides. He then offered some examples of what others have done: Wheres AWSs Android, Kubernetes, Tensorflow, VS Code? Most of these are from Google, with the exception of vscode, which is a Microsoft project (not to be confused with Visual Studio Code, which is built on vscode but isnt itself open source). Its a familiar argument, but not a persuasive one. After all, AWS has Firecracker, the CDK, and other open source projects. But thats not really the issue.

My problem is with the implied suggestion that companies contribute open source out of altruism, that theyve built up positive open source reputations by blessing the world with peace, love, and open source code. This makes for clever tweets, but its a false narrative. Developers may contribute for the sheer love of code; companies dont. Never.

Therefore, its useful to ask why a company has, or has not, contributed code.

Open source is hard work

Perhaps youve worked for companies with unlimited resources. I havent. Even fabulously wealthy organizations funded by runaway successes like Googles advertising business, Adobes Photoshop, Microsofts Windows and Office cash cows, etc., always have finite resources.

Now, couple that with the reality that open source is hard.

How hard? Matt Klein, a senior engineer at Lyft and founder of the successful Envoy open source project, says that its a f-ing lot of work. Not just coding, either, but all the other things (marketing, business development, etc.) that go into making a project successful. Worse, theres no way to know in advance if all that work will pay off: The benefits are not super clear. Its not a slam dunk. You dont know if youre going to win, and if you dont win, its a net negative.

Even if youre an unaffiliated developer building open source code in your free time, the demands on your time keep increasing, as Tidelift Cofounder Luis Villa has explained. Developers clearly serve their self-interest by learning basic programming and people skills. It is less clear that they serve their self-interests by becoming experts in issues that, in their day jobs, are likely delegated to experts, like procurement, legal, and security. Yet an open source project maintainer increasingly needs to think about end-to-end security of her project, file-level licensing, and more. Its a f-ing lot of work, to borrow Kleins phrase.

This is why Lyft now evaluates whether to open source code based on whether or not they think they can win with the project, attracting enough outside interest to make it worth all the bother. Im not an open source purist, Klein says. Im a capitalist.

Hes not alone.

The why of open source

We can laud Facebook and Google for their contributions to open source artificial intelligence (AI) software like PyTorch and TensorFlow, respectively, but lets not kid ourselves that the companies released this code out of dazzling benevolence. In the past, Ive talked about cloud companies using open source as on-ramps. Recently, Brookings Institution Fellow Alex Engler picked up this theme, suggesting that for Google and Facebook, the open sourcing of their deep learning tools (TensorFlow and PyTorch, respectively), may have [the effect of] further entrenching them in their already fortified positions. Half a decade after releasing the code, these companies still do most of the development (which is just as true of AWS and its Firecracker and CDK projects and Microsoft with vscode, lest you think Im picking on Google and Facebook.)

Why does it matter? Because open source gives both companies a key, strategic lever to pull, argues Engler: By making their tools the most common in industry and academia, Google and Facebook benefit from the public research conducted with those tools, and, further, they manifest a pipeline of data scientists and machine learning engineers trained in their systems. In a sector with fierce competition for AI talent, TensorFlow and PyTorch also help Google and Facebook bolster their reputation as the leading companies to work on cutting-edge AI problems.

Im not suggesting the companies are bad for doing this. Im simply suggesting that companies dont contribute code out of charity. Resources are finite. If a company spends money and resources to contribute code, its because theyve done the math and believe theyll earn a return on that investment.

Lets look at Microsoft as an example.

A few examples of capitalistic open source

Microsoft is the worlds largest open source contributor as measured by the total number of employees actively contributing on GitHub. (Yes, I know this is an imperfect way to measure. Happy to hear your alternatives.) Why does Microsoft contribute? A few years ago I argued that quite often, Open source is what underdogs do to win. Despite its heft on the desktop and enterprise data center, Microsoft used to be a rounding error in cloud. One way the company sought to earn developer love and a seat at the cloud table was by metamorphosing from open source pariah into open source hero. It took years, but its paying dividends in terms of rising market share for Microsoft Azure.

Then theres Google. Beyond its high-profile projects like Kubernetes (an opening salvo in the multicloud war, which has become a primary competitive wedge for Google) or Android (helping dislodge Apples lock on the smartphone market), Google has also been quick to partner with open source companies. But that work, Google Open Source Director Chris DiBona said back in 2019, isnt due to some sort of generous magical deal. It was a way to give customers what they want. At the time, it also happened to be a way to effectively position Google Cloud against its competitor AWS.

What about AWS? AWS has arguably had less need to open source its code. Why? As the cloud market leader, anything that potentially helps competitors catch up would probably not get approval within the company, unless there was overriding strategic value. Using that lens, lets look at Firecracker, a new kind of virtualization technology that powers AWS serverless products such as Lambda. When announced, company representatives noted: As our customers increasingly adopted serverless, we realized that existing virtualization technologies were not developed to optimize for the event-driven, sometimes short-lived nature of these kinds of workloads. We saw a need to build virtualization technology specifically designed for serverless computing.

I wasnt part of the team that released Firecracker, so I have no inside knowledge of the rationale. But those two sentences suggest that the company is hoping that more Firecracker equals more serverless adoption which, presumably, will increase the AWS lead in that market. Nefarious? Absolutely not. But at AWS, as at Lyft, Microsoft, Google, and every other company, things dont get open sourced unless theres a compelling business reason.

Perhaps my friend is correct. Perhaps AWS does need to open source some big flagship product. But if it does, it wont be because AWS wants to improve its reputation with random folks on Twitter (or writers like me). The reason will be, as with Google and others, to help drive greater customer adoption of its own products. This is just how (open source) business works.
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Only Fans: Irelands X Rated

Virgin Media One, 9pm

Some of Irelands OnlyFans content creators: Irish dad Matty Gilbert, aka The Irish Viking, who earns 50K a month. And Irelands highest-paid female Only Fans user.

The Killing of Fr Niall Molloy

RTE One, 9.35pm

Fr Niall Molloy was found dead in the bedroom of his close friends, Richard and Teresa Flynn, at the end of a wedding weekend in 1985

Two-part documentary. Fr Niall Molloy was found dead in a bedroom in the house of his close friends, Richard and Teresa Flynn, at the end of a wedding weekend in 1985. Includes new information that points towards a motive, and possibly the involvement of a third party in his death.

United 93

TG4, 9.30pm

United 93: passengers challenge terrorists

A real-time account of events on United Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked on September 11, 2001, when passengers foiled the terrorist plot.

Radio

Arena, RTE 1, 7pm: Tara Brady reports from Venice Film Festival, and we hear from two of the new poet laureates named for Poetry Irelands Poetry Towns scheme  Vincent Woods of Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, and Grace Wells from Ennistymon, Co Clare.
A student housing crisis is forcing some students to defer third-level education until they have saved enough money to cover escalating accommodation and college costs.

Caillum Hedderman is hoping to move from Limerick to Dublin to study political science this month but will only discover tomorrow where he should try to find a home to rent.

He said he was lucky to get work in a rural pub over the summer which gave him the opportunity to save for the move to Dublin.

But many of his friends have only applied to local colleges or decided to defer their studies for at least a year so they can work and save for their third-level accommodation and tuition fees.

Accommodation is definitely a concern for students, Mr Hedderman said.

Affordability and availability are the key issues.

Mr Hedderman has to wait until CAO offers are issued before he pays the deposit on one of two rooms he has tried to reserve in Dublin.

"Its a catch-22. You cant do anything before the offers come out. Hopefully it will all be over soon. All the uncertainty is fuelling anxiety for students," he said.

The rooms are expensive. For Mr Hedderman, 800 per month for a room has been the average cost for properties he has enquired about, although he has also been quoted up to 1,200 in a house share with all shared facilities.

"Its a high price, especially for young students.

Youre looking at spending 14,000 per year on accommodation and tuition fees before even feeding yourself.

Charlotte Kelly has spent days refreshing her computer every few minutes and checking multiple tabs for any new property listing around Galway.

The third-year film, English and classics student in NUIG said accommodation is harder to secure this year than other years and prices have risen.

A further complication is that she will be in Galway for one semester only this year as she is then moving to study in Utrecht on an Erasmus scholarship.

She has been searching for accommodation since March but landlords have been reluctant to accept her shorter tenancy.

If she does not secure a place to live, she faces almost a four-hour roundtrip each day, leaving home at 5.30am each morning and returning at night.

But she said she is one of the lucky ones because at least a commute is possible, if lengthy, from her family home in Roscommon.

Prices quoted to her have ranged from 350 to more than 900, with the latter figure being completely unaffordable for many students, she said.

Caoimhe Walsh, welfare officer with University College Corks Students Union, said she is getting multiple calls every day from concerned third level and Leaving Cert students and their parents who are struggling to find accommodation.

A spokesperson from UCC said the university is 'acutely aware' of the challenges facing students in securing accommodation, particularly first years.

"Campus Accommodation UCC is holding 45% of its rooms for first years which is equivalent to 565 rooms  an increase of 10% on last year's allocation of first year spaces," they said.

"The UCC First Year Accommodation Placement Service will commence the day first round CAO offers are issued. This service is available to incoming first year students who will be travelling to the university from over 45kms away. Through this service we aim to assist students in finding full-time accommodation for the duration of the academic year.

"Campus Accommodation UCC's purpose-built accommodation at the Crow's Nest site is due for completion in May 2022 and will add to the number of student beds available close to campus."

Emer Neville, president of the Irish Second-Level Students' Union (ISSU), said that the ISSU and other student unions campaigned for the Government to give students some time between CAO offers being released and term-time starting to give new students a chance to find accommodation in a limited and competitive housing market.

Housing is definitely a concern, but most colleges have been quite accommodating, saving spaces for first year students.

Mary Immaculate is not allowing other years to book their student accommodation until college offers are made next week to give Leaving Cert students a chance."

If any recently graduated Leaving Certificate students or their parents are concerned about securing somewhere to live for first year, she encouraged them to email leavingcert@issu.ie or call the National Parent helpline.

People can reach out if they have any concerns, she said. We're happy to help.
Negative attitudes among gardai to ethnic minorities and reports of racial profiling in stop and searches must be addressed, according to the States human rights body.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has called on the Government to prohibit any racial profiling in An Garda Siochana and introduce an independent complaints mechanism.

It also wants specific targets in recruiting people from ethnic minorities into the police force.

In a detailed set of recommendations to Irelands first National Action Plan Against Racism, due later this year, the commission also called for:

An implementation body to correct the slow progress in transferring school patronage from the Catholic church  and sanctions for inadequate implementation;

Effective and proportionate sanctions for internet companies that fail to adhere to take-down procedures for removing online hate speech and other illegal content;

Measures to combat labour market discrimination, which is prevalent for minority ethnic groups;

Traveller-focused suicide prevention supports.

Racial discrimination leaves a trail of human destruction for those targeted, which can lead to substance abuse, depression, thoughts of suicide, and people cutting themselves off from public services, IHREC chief commissioner Sinead Gibney said.

The commission has heard directly how mental health problems among ethnic minority children and young people are not taken seriously enough.

She said that for the plan to be effective, there have to be clear targets, time frames, and budgets, with independent evaluation.

We see a need for prioritisation of policing and law enforcement in the content of Irelands National Action Plan Against Racism, Ms Gibney said.

While welcoming measures taken by An Garda Siochana in relation human rights, the IHREC report wants to see a greater sense of urgency.

It has called for specific targets for diversity in recruitment and evaluation of promotion policies to address under-representation of minorities.

There are negative attitudes amongst Garda members towards minority ethnic groups, as well as reports of racial profiling in the use of stop and search powers, including reports from young minority ethnic people," it said.

IHREC pointed out that discrimination does not explicitly constitute a breach of discipline under current Garda regulations and also said concerns have been raised about Gsoc's ability to effectively address and investigate complaints of racial profiling by Garda members.

The commission recommends the Government prioritise legislation to prohibit racial profiling and take measures to address it, including an independent complaints mechanism.

Garda HQ produced a Garda Diversity and Integration Strategy in October 2019, including a definition of hate crime. Last July, it introduced a new online hate crime reporting system.

Last December, it published the Garda's Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Strategy Statement & Action Plan 2020-2021, which included measures in attracting and retaining a diverse workforce.

IHREC said NGO reports indicate that racism in society increased in 2020, with a particular growth in online racism via social media. It also noted the escalation in incidents of far-right rhetoric and racist hate crime.

It urged the Hate Crime Bill 2021 be given absolute priority from Government in terms of enactment and full commencement.

It said it has consistently highlighted the persistence of institutional racism and a culture of discrimination against Travellers, which gave rise to increasingly "urgent concerns".

The commission added: Young people of African descent reported that racism and racial discrimination are widespread in their daily life in the education system.
The European Medicines Agency (AMA) is evaluating an application from Pfizer to use its vaccine as a booster for anyone over 16.

In Ireland, only immunocompromised people, including children, are in line for a third vaccine shot, following advice given to Government last week.

The EMA said that Pfizer has applied for approval to use a third dose of the vaccine as a booster to be given six months after the second dose in people aged 16 years and older".

It will assess data including results from an ongoing clinical trial with around 300 adults. These people, all with healthy immune systems, received a booster dose approximately six months after the second dose, the EMA said. A decision is expected in the new few weeks.

EMA: 'Most people don't need booster shot'

However, the EMA also repeated advice given last week, stating a vaccine booster in healthy people is not considered to be urgent.

Separately, the EMA is also evaluating evidence on whether immunocompromised people who received two doses of mRNA vaccines from either Pfizer or Moderna have a medical need for a third shot.

It said: People with severely weakened immune systems who do not achieve an adequate level of protection from their standard primary vaccination may need an additional dose as part of their primary vaccination.

The EMA also stressed that, while it offers advice, it is up to each countrys health authorities to assess their local situation and prepare accordingly.

3.2m people now fully vaccinated

Meanwhile, the Irish vaccine rollout continues at pace. Up to Sunday, over 6.9m doses had been given and there are now 3.2m fully vaccinated people.

HSE chief executive Paul Reid said 9,500 people attended walk-in vaccination centres over the weekend.

Positively, over 50% of these were in the 12 to 15 age groups, he said.
A charity-funded air ambulance service has launched 388 times in the first eight months of the year.

That comes at an average cost of 3,500 per mission, according to the Irish Community Air Ambulance (ICAA), which has launched a fundraising campaign as part of International Air Ambulance Week.

July was one of the air ambulance's busiest months to date; crews were tasked to 57 separate incidents in eight counties at a cost of almost 200,000.

Deirdre Ormonds 41-year-old son Paul was milking cows when he was attacked by a bull last month; he suffered serious injuries and was airlifted from the family farm near Clonmel to hospital in Cork by the ICAA.

Paul has no recollection of what happened but it's believed the bull went for him as he went to bring in a line of cows," Ms Ormond said.

"The bulls dead weight was 460kgs, which meant that his live weight was over 900kgs. He was a huge bull, Paul was lucky he wasnt killed.

We are eternally grateful to the emergency services. The helicopter was here within 20 minutes, its unbelievable

"The local paramedics told me that the helicopter would be in Cork with a team ready to work on Paul before they would be back in Clonmel," she said.

"I am surprised that the Air Ambulance has to be funded by donations. Every single rural organisation should be funding that helicopter service.

The Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) works in partnership with the National Ambulance Service and is ready to respond to serious incidents and medical emergencies from its base in Rathcoole in north Cork seven days a week.

Micheal Sheridan, CEO of ICAA, says they bring hope when its needed most.

"Over the last two years, we have been tasked to more than 1,000 missions which proves that our organisation is a vital life-changing service," Mr Sheridan said.

"Our crews have brought the most seriously injured and sickest patients to the hospital that best suits their life-saving needs."

The question is though, what would have happened if there was no Air Ambulance to respond to these emergencies?

The ICAA is on track to complete more than 500 missions this year and is predicting a 10% increase in call-outs this year.

Cork and Kerry are the counties most likely to require the service however, the Air Ambulance is regularly called to Limerick, Tipperary, Clare, Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, and Wicklow, and sometimes as far away as Galway and Mayo.

Incidents range from road traffic collisions, cardiac arrests, and farming accidents, to equestrian incidents, and falls from heights.

For more information about the service, or to make a donation directly visit communityairambulance.ie. You can also donate 4 by texting FLIGHT to 50300
If Ireland is successful in its bid to host the America's Cup, an upfront fee of 9m is expected to be paid.

Sources close to the bid say the money will be payable by whichever country wins the right to host the yacht race to the organisers, America's Cup Events Ltd (ACE), on the day the successful bid is announced.

Cork North-Central TD Mick Barry said the Government needs to clarify what the event will cost the Irish State, and how the funds will be paid. He called on Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney, who has spearheaded Ireland's campaign to secure the event at government level, to spell out exactly what are the costs involved.

"He seems keen to spend a lot of taxpayers' money on this elite sporting event that was a loss-maker for Auckland," Mr Barry said.

Cork Harbour tipped to host 2024 race

Cork is hotly tipped to be the main host venue for the 2024 America's Cup, held this year in Auckland, New Zealand, and is running neck-and-neck with the Spanish city of Valencia, which has hosted the contest before, and already has dedicated infrastructure in place.

Simon Coveney, who has spearheaded the Cork bid, told reporters recently he is hopeful the announcement of the successful host on September 17 will be good news for Ireland.

There are two tranches of funding required by the America's Cup  the infrastructure costs to prepare for the event, and the organisers' fee.

No comment from the department

It is understood that Valencia has also been asked to agree to make a payment of NZ$15m  just under 9m  to the organisers.

Both Valencia and Cork are understood to have sought indemnities in the event that the race is cancelled or the subject of a legal challenge.

Asked about the upfront fee, the Department of Tourism and Sport said: "This is under consideration by Government Departments and we are not in a position to comment further at this time.
Corporate money has a powerful and malign influence on so many aspects of American life.

But even by that low standard, events this past week in a New York bankruptcy court are shocking.

The legal system has effectively allowed one of Americas richest families to buy its way out of accountability for what a White House commission called Americas national nightmare of mass opioid addiction.

Last Wednesday, the court approved a deal for the dissolution of the opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma, which kicked off the opioid epidemic two decades ago with its illegal drive to sell a high-strength painkiller, OxyContin.

Ed Bisch, who lost his 18-year-old son Eddie to an overdose nearly 20 years ago, has spent more than a decade pushing for the Sacklers to be criminally prosecuted. Picture: AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Purdues owners, members of two branches of the now-notorious Sackler family, are estimated to have made more than $10bn from the drug  even as the opioid crisis claimed more than 600,000 lives, with the toll climbing higher by the year.

Astonishingly, the Sackler family seems to have been able to work the bankruptcy process to buy themselves immunity from accountability in the civil courts  in return for handing over only a small fraction of the money they made from OxyContin  and still remain one of the richest families in the country.

All while continuing to deny their responsibility for their role in creating the opioid crisis.

At this point, Purdue Pharmas reputation is little better than that of a Mexican cartel.

The company has twice pleaded guilty to felonies  in 2007 and last year  including lying about the risk of addiction from OxyContin, bribing doctors to prescribe it and defrauding the US federal government.

But that barely scratches the surface of the companys corruption in pursuit of profit: it used its money and influence to warp the practice of medicine, compromise drug regulators and keep open the doors to mass prescribing of opioids even as evidence of an epidemic grew.

No bystanders

The Sacklers behind Purdue were not bystanders. Several members of the family served on the companys board and as senior executives, and some were directly involved in the drive to push OxyContin on unsuspecting Americans. And they happily creamed off the profits.

Yet the bankruptcy process has granted them sweeping immunity from further civil lawsuits over the opioid crisis without acknowledgment of wrongdoing. In fact, in exchange for a payment of $4.5bn (3.8bn), less than half of their earnings from Purdue, the Sacklers as individuals wont have to declare personal bankruptcy.

In addition, as a Georgetown university law professor, Adam Levitin, told the US Congress in July, the Sacklers have worked the system so that they will actually emerge from Purdues bankruptcy richer than they went into it because the payments will be spread over nearly a decade during which the familys assets are likely to grow by more than $4.5bn.

The US justice department has questioned whether the agreement is legal because it deprives those victimised by the Sacklers, who oversaw and profited from Purdue Pharmas criminal behaviour, of their right to a day in court.

Other critics of the decision have wondered how a bankruptcy court can grant legal immunity to people who have not declared bankruptcy.

But that is the practice that has evolved under laws, many written under the influence of corporations, that enable businesses to in-effect hand-pick the judges who will handle their bankruptcy cases.

The US has 375 bankruptcy judges but, as Levitin told Congress, just three oversaw the majority of cases filed by large companies last year. Purdue Pharma chose to file with one of those three, Judge Robert Drain, to decide the conditions of its bankruptcy.

Although Purdue is based in Connecticut, it filed for bankruptcy in White Plains, New York, where Drain is the only bankruptcy judge. Its unlikely to have gone unnoticed by the Sacklers lawyers that Drain had an unusual record of putting lawsuits on hold against third parties who have not filed for bankruptcy.

One of Drains first steps was to block efforts to sue individual members of the Sackler family, even though they were separate from the Purdue bankruptcy case.

Then he permitted the Sacklers to effectively hold the plaintiffs hostage by offering a stark choice between settling for a cut of the profits of misery in return for wiping the legal slate clean or facing years of court battles.

States, municipalities and families desperate for money to cope with the huge social consequences of the epidemic were left with little choice but to agree, although many expressed their distaste.

'Morally and legally bankrupt'

Others intend to challenge the deal in different courts, including Washington states attorney general, Bob Ferguson, who called the plan morally and legally bankrupt.

All of this might be more palatable if the Sacklers had shown remorse for the blood on their hands.

Dr Richard Sackler, a former president and chairman of Purdue Pharma, was instrumental in persuading the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve OxyContin on the false grounds that it was less addictive than other prescription opioids. He then promised that a blizzard of prescriptions for the drug would bury the competition.

When Sackler was asked at the bankruptcy hearing whether he, his family or his firm bore any responsibility for the opioid epidemic, he simply replied: No.

Instead, Sackler and other members of his family have spent their time smearing the victims. They have claimed that OxyContin was a legal drug used illegally and that responsibility therefore falls on the criminal addicts who overdosed.

Judge Drain said he was unhappy with the outcome of the case but that his hands were tied. He said:

This is a bitter result.

He argued that he had little choice but to agree to the Sacklers demands or risk no financial settlement at all.

The judges critics say the outcome was preordained from the moment Purdue filed its case in his court.

But it is an outcome that fits with the history of a uniquely American epidemic.

No other country has experienced the same scale of opioid addiction and death, in part because corporations in other countries do not wield the same influence over the practice and regulation of medicine.

Neither did Purdue act alone in this crisis. Drug distributors and pharmacies jumped on the bandwagon.

Other opioid manufacturers, such as Johnson & Johnson, raked in the profits of narcotic painkiller addiction. Even as evidence of a crisis grew and doctors witnessing the devastation sounded warnings, the din of corporate money drowned them out.

The quarter of a billion dollars a year the drug industry spends on lobbying bought the complicity of politicians, influenced regulators, weakened investigations by the justice department and stalled action by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Purdue used its political muscle to head off even more serious criminal charges and to keep its executives out of prison.

Above all, the drug industry kept the doors to mass prescribing of opioids open for years not because they were an effective way to treat pain but because they were hugely profitable.

Those same firms are now increasingly agreeing to payouts to head off a torrent of lawsuits  but its hard to conclude that they regard it as anything more than the cost of doing business.

Not least because, like the members of the Sackler family behind Purdue, none of them admit to having done anything wrong.

Chris McGreal is the author of American Overdose: The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts
The staging of a commemorative event for the Royal Irish Constabulary in London next year speaks volumes about the immaturity of one aspect of Irish societys approach to history. A police force that was made up of Irish people from most sections of society cannot be remembered in its own country because of fear of the infliction of political damage a century after it was disbanded.

The commemorative service is to take place in St Pauls Cathedral next April. It is being organised by a group of former gardai who approached the British Police Roll of Honour Trust, which honours police services primarily in the UK. The trust agreed to mark the centenary of the disbandment of the RIC with a service for relatives. Government representatives and the Garda Commissioner are likely to be invited to attend.

The RIC barracks on King St (now MacCurtain St) was one of three barracks within a square mile in Cork City burnt out by Cork No 1 Brigade IRA on July 20, 1920. Picture: Irish Examiner Archive

The retired gardai, who are members of the Historical And Reconciliation Police (HARP) Society, acted after the abandonment of a State commemoration scheduled for Dublin Castle in January 2020. That proposal turned into a debacle after opposition to it grew following public pronouncements from Fianna Fail councillor Cathal Crowe that he would not attend. Mr Crowe had been invited in his capacity as Mayor of Ennis. Opposition to the event began to gather around him and, within ten days, the event had been cancelled. He went on to be elected to Dail Eireann in the general election the following month.

Controversy attributable to the handling of proposed commemorations Certainly, some of the controversy could be attributed to the handling of the proposed commemoration. It was to be the first scheduled event of the seminal centenary anniversary of 1920. The commemorations were going to be difficult enough as it was, but kicking them off with such an event was playing with fire. If, for instance, the year had progressed with a degree of maturity and harmony, it may have been possible towards the latter half to accord the RIC the basic respect of a State event. Then councillor, now TD, Cathal Crowe publicly stated he would not attend a centenary commemoration of the RIC in January 2020. His opposition snowballed, then the pandemic struck, and the rest is history. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins As it turned out, the original plan had been to hold the state commemoration in December 2019, but the scheduled date clashed with another event in Dublin Castle so it had to be postponed. Things were moving along until the Department of the Taoiseach sent out invitations to local authorities inviting various elected representatives. That was where Cathal Crowe made his stance and before you could say hop aboard', his bandwagon was full to the brim. The opposition really took off on social media where the event was characterised as one to remember the Black and Tans, which was a complete distortion, but worked a treat with the twitterati. The Government stopped digging within a week and announced a postponement. In reality, it was a cancellation, as nobody was going to risk shipping any more political damage for a police force that was never regarded with affection or respect and ended up on the wrong side of history. Two months later, the pandemic struck and, to a large extent, the most difficult aspects of commemoration in 2020 were relegated to an afterthought in light of the existential crisis. Now it has emerged that the RIC will be commemorated  but not in the country where it was operated, or from which its members were largely drawn.

If Ireland were now a single political entity allied in disdain for its colonial past, the incapacity to commemorate people of their time might be understandable. But there is a large cohort of unionists in the North East of the island who identify with the former colonists. Ironically  or, some might say, stupidly  the most voracious opposition to the RIC commemoration came from those most intent on wooing northern unionists to come join the southern state.

While the RIC debacle was abandoned, other commemorative events for police on this island did go ahead during the year. A recent event was the unveiling of a commemorative plaque by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris for two gardai  Sergeant Patrick McKeown, and Garda Richard Hyland  who were shot dead by members of the IRA in Dublin in 1940.

The chair of Dublin City Councils commemorative committee, Sinn Feins Micheal Mac Donncha, failed to attend, and nor has he cited any prior engagement or emergency that prevented him doing so. Fine Gael councillors accused him of boycotting the event which he denied but neither did he send a party colleague to deputise for him.

An obvious question arises as to whether Mr Mac Donncha would have been comfortable taking part in an event to commemorate gardai murdered by the IRA. That in turn raises the question as to whether, should Sinn Fein enter government, its members will selectively decide whether to attend State commemorative events for An Garda Siochana, depending on how the gardai met their deaths. Remembering dead policemen on this island is unlikely to get any easier.
House building in the 1950s and 1960s produced many thousands of houses in towns, cities, and in rural areas at a time when the countrys finances were in a far more perilous condition campared with now.

What were the conditions then which allowed this to happen, and provided the populations families with affordable and adequate houses  usually with gardens?

How can young people today expect to be able to bring up families in blocks of grossly overpriced and undersized flats and houses if bought with crippling mortgages, or if rented with little in the way of security?

It is high time that the Government found ways of breaking the stranglehold of developer and builder greed.

Martin McDonald

Carrigaline

Cork

Local authorities are back building

Michael Clifford highlighted the lengthening public housing waiting list when analysing Housing For All Strategy is a gentle squeeze when the housing crisis really needs radical action (Irish Examiner, September 4).

In fact, public housing waiting lists have fallen to 61,880 households in November 2020, a decrease of 29,720 or 32.4% since Fine Gaels Rebuilding Ireland started in 2016.

Since then, about 22,000 social homes have been built  including direct builds by local authorities and approved housing bodies, extensive refurbishment of voids, and Part V agreements.

This excludes any homes being rented or leased.

In 2019, 428 new public homes were built within South Dublin County Council and 569 new public homes within Dublin City Council  the last full year before public health restrictions.

This year, 9,500 new public homes are to be built, an extraordinary increase on only 600 built in 2015 before Rebuilding Ireland.

Local authorities are back in the business of building.

David McManus

Fine Gael councillor

South Dublin

Banks and property go hand in hand

Rory Hearne: Generation Rent has been failed once again (Irish Examiner, September 3) correctly highlights most of the reasons that this policy will fail.

However, he leaves out one of the main players.

Our banks are overly reliant on property-based securities for their solvency. A reduction in property prices would probably lead to a collapse of the pillar banks and force our leaders to admit the failure of their policies.

Until the banks again become genuine service providers, this problem will continue.

Eamonn Moloney

Knocknacarra

Galway

Bailing out their developer friends

Once again, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, ably assisted by the Greens, are nailing their housing ideology to the already sunken ship of private enterprise and are preparing to bail out their developer friends, this time under the guise of the Land Development Agency.

Welcome to New Ireland  worse than Old Ireland.

Liam Power

Dundalk

Co Louth

Greyhound body is right to protest

Greyhound Racing Ireland are correct in protesting to Folens Publishers and to the Department of Education regarding the article entitled Going to the Dogs in secondary school text books  Publisher defends portrayal of greyhound racing in Junior Cycle book (Irish Examiner, August 24.)

Any other national corporate body would have done exactly that, as encouraging young adults to write to a minister to have greyhound racing banned is inappropriate in a school textbook.

The CPSE range of 'Make A Difference' books by Folens included a piece entitled Going to the Dogs.

If there was an issue with greyhound racing  and I do not believe that there is  then why didnt the publication encourage young people to engage in a research project and educate themselves through listening to both sides of an argument?

The insidious and gradual creep of animal rights activism here in Ireland should concern not only our national politicians and civil servants but also the silent thousands who farm, hunt, shoot, go coursing, deer stalking, or fishing; who train greyhounds, foxhounds or terriers; who go horse racing, point-to-pointing, or those who just ride a horse for whatever purpose, including a sport.

Putting animals rights before those of humans is clearly wrong; trying to infiltrate the minds of young people through the State national secondary school curriculum is equally wrong, and denigrating the minority of those that support coursing and greyhound racing is also wrong.

Thankfully, in a country that still has a strong rural base, the radical extremists that purport rights for animals are marginalised, but they are certainly adept at getting media coverage for their activities.

Every man, woman, and child that carries a gun, a rod, or has a greyhound or terrier; that either rides to hounds or engages in farming, or goes horse racing, greyhound racing or point-to-pointing, and anyone who engages in equestrian activity, needs to realise the threat of the animal rights agenda.

It behoves us all to stand firm and remind our politicians of their duty of care to protect the legitimate rights of those who live in, love and preserve the countryside.

James E Norton

Trim

Co Meath

We must stand up against extreme abortion laws

Texas is seeing the most extreme abortion laws in the US come into law. This shocking disregard for human rights and access to healthcare is putting womens lives at risk. Not in an abstract way but in real way, right now.

However, what is also worrying is the way in which these new laws give power to individuals to sue abortion providers. This imbalance of power is damaging to the very fabric of humanity, allowing for extremists to remove access to safe healthcare.

The world is watching as reproductive rights are being significantly reduced in Texas.

In Ireland, while we have begun taking steps in the right direction  repealing the Eighth Amendment provided improved access to abortion services  but what is happening in Texas highlights how tenuous these steps can be, how steps in the right direction can be unpicked and unwound with a campaign of fear, hate, and discrimination.

Texas is a stark reminder that reproductive choices are always the first target for those who refuse to accept bodily autonomy.

Without robust protections and comprehensive supports for people seeking abortions, then what has been achieved here in Ireland remains a soft target.

It also shows the importance of the promises that were made to bolster these rights  such as exclusion zones.

We need to ensure the inroads we have made are protected and that we stand up against what is happening elsewhere in the world.

On Saturday, September 25, I will stand at the Dail at 2pm along with other pro-choice supporters and I urge you to join them.

Marie Mullholland

Ballydehob

Co Cork

Leaving Cert doesnt have to define you

I would like to express my congratulations to everybody who got their Leaving Cert results on Friday.

I would also like to offer some words of contemplative wisdom.

Completing your Leaving Cert may have a shaken you a little bit, the process may have shaped you somewhat. Overall, though, a Leaving Cert wont define you. Its what you do next that does that.

So reach for the stars, follow your dreams, and even if you only land on the moon or orbit the earth once, achieving the best that you can be, that will surely be the best you that you can be.

Paul Horan

Asst Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing & Midwifery

Dublin

Public transport in a pandemic

It beggars belief that, with more than 1,500 daily Covid cases, we are returning to 100% capacity on long journeys in trains with windows that cannot open, no fresh air ventilation, and no CO2 monitors.

We are returning to 100% capacity on long journeys in trains with windows that cannot open, no fresh air ventilation, and no CO2 monitors. Picture: Larry Cummins

Provincial buses are in a similar condition and Dublin City buses at peak times are at overflow.

If an alien arrived from another universe and was told there was a pandemic in progress they might well conclude that malign policy-makers were attempting to escalate a crisis.

A more benign interpretation might be that government, health policy advisers, and politicians in general are (despite many written appeals) so far removed from the public transport experience that its reality does not appear on their radar.

Windows on long-journey intercity trains could be retrofitted to open and monitors could be installed. The fact that these matters were not even debated by our national parliament speaks volumes.

From a perusal of the record and to a significant degree, the health of those having to use public transport appears unwittingly or otherwise, not to have weighed a feather in the balance of this particularly egregious decision.

Richard Knight

Rathgar

Dublin 6
Burma 11 Myanmar Junta Soldiers Killed in Weekend Clashes

Junta soldiers seen during a crackdown on anti-coup protests in Yangon. / The Irrawaddy

At least 11 Myanmar military soldiers were reportedly killed over the past three days in firefights and ambushes with civilian resistance fighters in Mandalay, Sagaing regions and Chin State.

On Sunday afternoon, a military vehicle triggered a landmine near Taungthaman Lake in Amarapura Township, Mandalay Region. A video shows the vehicle being targeted by an explosion.

Two regime soldiers were reportedly killed in the attack, according to locals. Junta forces subsequently inspected all vehicles entering Mandalay, a resident told The Irrawaddy.

In Hakha, capital of Chin State, a clash occurred on late Saturday night between junta soldiers and an unknown armed group at the State Administration Office. Videos reveal gunfire being exchanged between the two groups. At least one Myanmar military soldier was killed, according to local media.

Around eight junta troops were killed in fierce firefights with the Peoples Defense Force  Kalay (PDF-K), in Kale Township, Sagaing Region on Friday and Saturday, according to PDF-K.

PDF-K fighters ambushed regime forces who were raiding villages in the south of Kale Township and calling in artillery strikes on them. At least eight junta soldiers died in the clash and three civilian fighters were injured, said PDF-K.

Armed resistance to the military regime began in late March, after the juntas lethal crackdowns on peaceful anti-coup protesters, with regime forces facing attacks by PDFs or ethnic armed organizations in every part of the country, apart from Rakhine State.

As of Saturday, the regime has killed 1,046 people during their arrests, crackdowns, interrogations, raids and random shootings, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Another 7,876 people, including elected government leaders, have been detained by the junta or face arrest warrants.

Yangon Blast

Two civilians were killed in an explosion in the car park of a condominium in Yangons Mayangone Township on Sunday evening. One of the people killed was a condominium security guard. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast as yet.

Junta Says Five Attackers who Killed Police Arrested

Five out of 16 people reported to have killed five police on Yangons circular railway in August have been arrested, according to a statement released Sunday by the military regime. The arrests were made on Friday in Yangons Tamwe and Thingangyun townships. Four firearms taken from the dead police were also seized.

Six policemen working as onboard security officers on a circular railway train travelling from Yangons Central Station to Kyimyindaing in the citys west were shot at close range on August 14. Five of the policemen were killed in the attack, and one injured.



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Burma ASEAN Envoy to Myanmar Says Military Agrees to Four-Month Ceasefire to Deliver Aid

ASEAN envoy to Myanmar Erywan Yusof gives an online interview on Sept. 4, 2021. / Brunei government / Kyodo

SINGAPOREA special ASEAN envoy to Myanmar said in an interview that he has called for a four-month ceasefire by all sides in the countrys conflict to enable the smooth delivery of the first batch of humanitarian assistance to the country expected as early as mid-September.

Speaking exclusively to Kyodo News online Saturday, Erywan Yusof, Bruneis second foreign minister, said he proposed the ceasefire until the end of this year in a videoconference with Myanmars military-appointed foreign minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, last Tuesday, and that the military had accepted it.

Read more.

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Burma China Tests New Trade Route With Myanmar in Show of Support for Junta

The rail line opening ceremony on the Chinese side of the border on Aug. 25. / Chinese Embassy in Myanmar

China held a test run of a new overland trade route with Myanmar last month in a show of support for its neighbor, which has been hit with Western sanctions after a coup this year, the South China Morning Post reported.

Around 60 containers were sent in the first trial of the China-Myanmar corridor last month. The cargo traveled by road from Yangon, entering China at the border crossing between Shan States Chin Shwe Haw and Lincang in Yunnan Province, before continuing by rail to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, the newspaper said.

The test comes after the first visit to Myanmar by a Chinese high-level officialSpecial Envoy for Asian Affairs Sun Guoxiangsince the military junta seized power in February, the paper said. The junta has not released any statement on the visit, but the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced the trip, saying the envoy met with junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the envoy exchanged views with Myanmar leaders on the political landscape in the country, and China-Myanmar cooperation in combating COVID-19.

The new route could help boost trade with Myanmar and link China with the Indian Ocean, the report said. China is keen to increase its influence in Southeast Asia through its Belt and Road Initiative, and has invested heavily in transportation infrastructure in the region.



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Burma Myanmar Junta Steps Up Arrests of Striking Civil Servants

Protesters near the Central Bank of Myanmar office in Yangon calling on staff to join the CDM in February. / The Irrawaddy

Myanmars regime has intensified arrests of striking civil servants, including teachers, medics and administrators, who joined the civil disobedience movement (CDM) as it undermines the juntas ability to govern.

At least two teachers in Myaung Township, Sagaing Region, were detained on Sunday.

According to residents, junta forces raided Daw Zarchi Lins home on Sunday and, after failing to find the teacher, her father and brother were beaten and taken instead.

She later turned herself in in exchange for the release of her father and brother.

Another teacher, Daw Tu Tu Khin, was detained on Sunday, according to the Civilian Defense and Security Organization in Myaung.

At least seven teachers were also detained in Kalay, Depayin and Shwebo townships in Sagaing Region last month.

In Pauk Township, Magwe Region, junta forces detained a striking civil servant from the Land Statistics Department and at least four other civilians on Sunday.

Since the February I coup, government employees, including directors, police, soldiers and staff at the military-controlled home affairs and defense ministries, have refused to work for the regime, preventing the junta from running the country properly. Many striking civil servants have been sacked or threatened with arrest. Many are in hiding.

During last month alone, at least 21 civil servants, including eight teachers, five medics, five administrators, two public servants and a police officer, were arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

The National Unity Government (NUG), which was formed by elected lawmakers from the ousted National League for Democracy and its ethnic allies, is trying to pay salaries for striking civil servants, especially junior staff.

Over 400,000 civil servants have been on strike since February, according to the NUG.



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Burma Myanmar Shadow Govt Claims 580 Junta Troops Killed Last Month

Weapons seized from regime troops in late August clashes in Mongkoe, northern Shan State.

Around 580 junta soldiers were killed and almost 190 wounded during 443 shootouts and assassinations with ethnic armed groups and civilian resistance fighters in August, according to Myanmars parallel National Unity Government (NUG).

Based on media reports, the NUG said almost 73 civilians were killed and another 45 wounded by junta forces during 129 acts of violence by the regime.

Myanmars military regime has been facing armed resistance from people using air-guns, homemade firearms and bombs across the country, except in Rakhine State. The state reported no resistance and only one civilian death in August.

In August, regime forces faced 81 firefights with ethnic armed forces and 57 with civilian Peoples Defense Forces (PDF).

Junta forces also faced 74 assassinations, 94 explosions and eight shootouts.

The regime suffered its heaviest losses in Sagaing Region with 33 incidents with the civilian resistance, two shootouts with ethnic armed forces, 22 assassinations and 11 explosions. Junta forces committed a reported 38 acts of violence against civilians in the region.

An estimated 222 junta soldiers were killed and 59 wounded while 37 civilians were killed and eight wounded by junta forces in August.

In July, 417 junta soldiers were killed and 270 injured in the region.

The NUG said Yangon Region reported the second-largest amount of violence with 64 cases in August.

It reported 37 explosions and 14 assassinations by the PDF and 11 acts of junta violence against civilians.

Seven junta troops and 11 civilians were killed, the NUG said.

Myanmars junta continues its atrocities, killings, arrests and raids against those who allegedly oppose military rule and their relatives.

By Saturday, the regime killed 1,046 people, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Another 7,876 people, including elected government leaders, have been detained by the junta or face arrest warrants.



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Burma NUG Questions ASEANs Ceasefire Agreement With Myanmar Junta

Regime security forces arrest a civilian during a raid in Yangon in March. / The Irrawaddy

Myanmars parallel National Unity Government (NUG) has said that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) special envoy to the country should have got an agreement from the military regime to cease civilian arrests, as well as an assurance to allow him to meet Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, before calling for a ceasefire to enable the delivery of humanitarian aid.

On Saturday, ASEANs special envoy for Myanmar, Erywan Yusof, told Kyodo News that he had proposed a four-month ceasefire until the end of this year to the junta-appointed Foreign Minister, U Wunna Maung Lwin, last Tuesday, and that the regime had accepted it.

The Brunei diplomat said that it was not a political ceasefire but to ensure safety, as well as the security of humanitarian workers distributing aid.

Erywan Yusof, Bruneis second minister for foreign affairs, was appointed by ASEAN last month as a special envoy to Myanmar, as the regional bloc steps up its efforts to end the violence in Myanmar by encouraging dialogue between the regime and its opponents.

But the NUGs Human Rights Minister, U Aung Myo Min, said that the current turmoil in Myanmar was political, and that humanitarian issues should be dealt with later.

The human rights violations by the military persist and these abuses should not be forgotten, even though we understand the ASEAN special envoy wants to provide humanitarian assistance quickly and effectively, said U Aung Myo Min, referring to the regimes ongoing raids, arrests and killings of anti-coup protesters.

As of Sunday, the junta has killed 1,046 civilians, arrested 7,879 people and issued arrest warrants for another 1,984 people during brutal crackdowns against peaceful pro-democracy protesters. Some 6,230 people are still being detained, including ousted State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint, who were both arrested in the early hours of the juntas February 1 coup.

Myanmar has been in crisis since the military takeover and the ousting of the National League for Democracy government led by Daw Aung Suu Kyi. Armed resistance to the regime by civilian fighters and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) has spread to every part of the country, apart from Rakhine State.

On Sunday, the NUG called on the international community to help stop the juntas crimes against innocent civilians.

The NUG requested that the international community work effectively to stop the militarys operations as soon as possible, to end the suppression and torture of innocent civilians, and to bring an end to the coup detat and hold it [the regime] accountable for the crimes it has committed.

Myanmar junta forces are waging military offensives with excessive force in EAO-controlled areas, despite the pledges of the coup leaders and the State Administration Council, the juntas governing body, that they are working for peace, added the NUG.

The request coincided with the ceasefire call by ASEANs special envoy.

Special envoy Erywan Yusof said that the first batch of aid consists of medical equipment that is urgently needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, including oxygen compressors and personal protective equipment, and that it will go to all the people of Myanmar.

Humanitarian aid bound for border areas controlled by EAOs may be routed by land via neighbouring Thailand, added the envoy.

Erywan Yusof said that he hopes to visit Myanmar this month and that he had requested a meeting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. However, the military regime has not yet said if he will be allowed to do so.



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The 7.2 earthquake that struck Haiti on August 14 caused significant damage throughout the island country, with the death toll at 2.200 and hundreds more still missing, and left many without homes.

It also left thousands of kids unable to continue attending school.

The earthquake destroyed 173 schools and significantly damaged 270 more, according to the GoFundMe page launched by a Key Biscayne youth, Julian Moise.

Moise has been a volunteer with the Key Biscayne-based Flying High 4 Haiti, founded by Ines Lozano, for five years -- even traveling to Haiti with the organization. He wants to help 750 students who attend one of the destroyed schools -- the Saint-Michel de Charpentier School in Les Cayes  get back to learning.

School officials are trying to restart school by using large commercial tents as classrooms. On his GoFundMe post, Moise says he wants to raise $5,550 to send four tents to Les Cayes. Each tent costs $1,259.

Lozano told Islander News Sunday that she visited St Michelle de Charpentier school in Les Cayes and the principal requested the large tents. These tents are a great temporary solution so students can begin classes and have some sort of normalcy, added Lozano.

Moise wrote: Education is a driving force in any country, and is especially important in a developing country. Education gives children the knowledge and skills they need to help themselves out of poverty and into prosperity. Education gives hope and helps build self-reliance.

All funds raised will be donated to Flying High 4 Haiti to purchase the tents, ship them to Haiti, and oversee the setup. If you would like to help Moise in his fund-raising efforts, click here

For more information on Flying High 4 Haiti, click here.
Ithaca, NY (14850)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 77F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Low 56F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Telecommunications firm Ericsson and multinational corporation Qualcomm Technologies have completed the first over-the-air 5G new radio (NR) call on CBRS (citizen broadband radio service) spectrum in a recent field trial.

This combination of 5G NR over CBRS will enable a wide range of new applications for enterprises and industry verticals, which in turn supports the proliferation of private networks, Qualcomm says.

The promise of 5G NR in the CBRS band offers nearly unlimited potential for enterprise applications and industries, and we are excited to once again collaborate with Qualcomm Technologies, says Ericsson North America vice president network product solutions Paul Challoner.

This collaboration enables the full potential of 5G and will help address the increasing data demand and evolving use cases for wireless connectivity among consumers, enterprises, governments, and other organisations, notes Qualcomm Technologies vice president product management Qualcomm Technologies Francesco Grilli.

Qualcomm Technologies has since supported its Snapdragon Mobile Platforms, LTE modems, and the Snapdragon X55 and X65 5G Modem-RF Systems since 2017. We are excited to create opportunities for deployment and to enable better user experiences in a wide array of scenarios, adds Grilli.

CBRS, shared spectrum from 3.55 to 3.7GHz, has been the catalyst for innovation to expand cellular usage beyond enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) in the US.

Combined with the commercial rollout of Priority Access Licenses (PAL), LTE-based CBRS network deployments are rapidly proliferating across thousands of sites.

These sites enable use cases such as fixed wireless access (FWA), mobile network densification, and private cellular networks.

As the rollout of 5G NR network equipment in the CBRS band continues, private cellular network performance will deliver improved throughput, reduced latency, enhanced reliability, and greater connection density  thereby allowing for advanced applications such as mobile robotics, connected manufacturing and facilities, augmented reality industrial applications, according to Qualcomm.

In addition, the coordination of CBRS and licensed spectrum, such as C-band, through carrier aggregation further delivers increased capacity to enhance the user experience.

The field trial took place at Ericssons North America headquarters in Plano, Texas, utilising the previously announced Ericsson 5G Distributed Innovation Network together with a smartphone form-factor test device powered by Snapdragon 888 5G Mobile Platform with the Snapdragon X60 5G Modem-RF System.

The standalone 5G network configuration with rooftop radios emulated various real-life test scenarios, including intra- and inter-band mobility and carrier aggregation (3.55-3.7GHz TDD and C-band), as well as mobility between n48 and 5G low-band, or 4G.

Ericsson radios 4408 and AIR 6449 and the smartphone form-factor test device were used for this trial and the over-the-air environment was made possible with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) test licenses in the respective bands.

Both Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies offer a full suite of solutions to support customers on their journey as industries like manufacturing, mining, and ports look to cellular indoors for low-latency, reliability, and to support massive numbers of IoT devices.

Ericsson says it has been focused on strengthening its 5G indoor portfolio to help make it the simplest and most flexible product range on the market.

As the field trial ends, both companies say they are one step closer to 5G services on the CBRS shared spectrum.
GUEST RESEARCH by Data Central: Andrew Cunningham, CEO of Data Central , an Australian managed service provider, spent 36 hours last week rebuilding systems after a catastrophic ransomware attack on an un-named customer.

The initial demand was for US$75,000 in bitcoin  the customer decided not to pay.

Andrew had been in discussions with the victim (who wishes to remain anonymous) for some time. The victim had been moving offices and decided to wait until the relocation was complete before updating security and backup infrastructure.

But a hacker breached their current security app (a household name product) and launched the ransomware attack on Monday night. By morning, all systems were infected. Backups were unrecoverable. All files were encrypted and could not be restored. All but two PCs and servers were infected with ransomware.

Fortunately, we had installed Comodo advanced endpoint protection (AEP) on two PCs as part of a trial and proof of concept for the customer  and the only two machines with zero infection were running Comodo, said Andrew.

That is the best endorsement for a security solution in a real world, side-side comparison against a live ransomware attack. If I hadnt seen it, I would not have believed it

He added: I first spoke to Comodo earlier this year as they were setting up their Australian operations. The local team of Ian Clarke (technical pre-sales) and Greg Wyman (sales) walked us through their solution and quite frankly we were concerned it was perhaps more marketing hype than actually working technology.

We did our due diligence, tested it and found that the Comodo auto containment technology and Valkyrie (the Comodo artificial intelligence engine) worked flawlessly in every test we threw at it.

The ability to stop all files from allowing malicious writes to the hard disk, COM Interface and Registry are truly game changing, and no other security product has this functionality or how Comodo delivers superior prevention of malware from breaching an endpoint.

He added: We had deployed Comodo Advanced Endpoint Protection to almost every customer, and thank goodness we did.

Until you see first-hand the devastation that a ransomware attack causes, you cant believe the pain. I have just gone through almost 36 hours with almost no sleep. The customers business has been dreadfully impacted.

It could have all been avoided if we had deployed Comodo before they moved to the new office. It wasnt even a financial issue, as the Comodo AEP solution is less expensive than most competitors.

Data Central is now deploying Datto backup and disaster recovery to provide an even higher level of recoverability for the customer.

Final word from Andrew Cunningham: My one suggestion to every business is deploy auto containment and Valkyrie before it is too late. We are happy to help any customer who is running traditional anti-virus, next gen anti-virus or even EDR product as those products simply cannot stop the new attacks.

Headquartered in Clifton NJ, Comodos global development team and threat intelligence laboratories deliver innovative, category leading, security solutions for thousands of companies endpoints, network boundaries, and internal networks. For more information visit https://www.comodo.com/
GUEST OPINION by Guilad Regev, SVP Customer Care, Claroty: Whenever there is any discussion around cybersecurity in manufacturing facilities, some common themes emerge. The first is that operational technology (OT), once isolated from the global internet and all its cyber threats, is now increasingly interconnected with IT systems, and therefore exposed to a host of new dangers.

Secondly, OT networks are particularly vulnerable because they operate with many proprietary, and often legacy, devices that can be difficult to identify and secure. Third, this problem is often exacerbated by a lack of communication and collaboration between the people responsible for OT and those for IT.

Board recognition

One of the best things an organisation can do to overcome these challenges is recognise the unique requirements of OT security and prioritise this at a board-level. Thats what happened at pharmaceutical multinational Pfizer.

In 2017, Merck MSD, one of Pfizers competitors, was severely impacted by the NotPetya ransomware attack. This was a wake-up call for the wider manufacturing sector, which resulted in the Pfizer board issuing a strong directive to strengthen the security of its production systems across all manufacturing sites.

Although Pfizer had already established an industrial cybersecurity program a few years prior, the board directive led the company to zero in specifically on securing the OT environment and the IT and engineering organizations to begin working closely together on the program.

Identifying partners

Pfizer started by determining how it could best meet its cybersecurity objectives and identifying the partners and cybersecurity consultants it needed to work with to help achieve this.

The company built its security strategy for its manufacturing facilities on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, and the NIST 800.02, Guide to Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security.

One of Pfizers first challenges was to bridge the gap between OT and IT. We had no idea which IT tools would work in the OT world and which tools wouldnt, Pfizer Head of Global Automation Engineering, Jim LaBonty said.

Pfizer embarked upon a series of pilots, testing out various technologies, and after extensive studies and the analysis, it homed in on a few key technologies to cover the production floor environment.

Pfizer selected Clarotys industrial cybersecurity platform to gain visibility into its OT environment. We knew that we needed to have a tool that gave us full visibility into our production environment. You cant protect what you dont know is actually out there, he said.

Accurate inventory essential

Only once you identify all the assets on the network, can you protect them. Having a complete OT inventory, which gives visibility over which assets are communicating, is imperative to being able to understand and protect manufacturing environments.

While Pfizer needed to bridge the gap between IT and OT, it also needed to secure that bridge, with OT-IT segmentation. In the past couple years, weve seen attackers be highly successful in their use of phishing as a conduit for delivering malware to the OT environments in networks that lack proper segmentation, Mr LaBonty said.

Pfizer recognised that segmentation was a good defence mechanism to safely connect the production floor with IT systems. Pfizer has strictly limited which assets are able to communicate between the production floor and IT, limiting this to only the critical business functions.

Firewalls for OT/IT segmentation

Pfizer had been using industrial firewalls at some production facilities since 2014 with good results, so it moved to achieve segmentation with a large-scale rollout and followed this with the deployment of The Claroty Platform.

Production will always be king in manufacturing. And we wanted to ensure what we put in place was monitoring the network traffic in the production environments, but we didn't want to impact it in any way, shape, or form.

He said he had been impressed with the speed and the ease of implementing The Claroty Platform. It was very straightforward, and we were done within a week. The level of administration required is very low, and its providing rich data to people who need it on a timely basis. Claroty has taken a lot of the heavy lifting out of understanding whats in your production environment, which is important when youre not in a position to hire an army of people.

Tackling the human factor

Pfizer has also successfully tackled the human aspect of OT-IT convergence, getting its IT and OT teams to collaborate effectively to boost its security levels. Pfizer paid special attention to educating its staff, to ensure they were confident in working across both OT environments and traditional pure IT environments, which has been key to the projects success.

In any large manufacturing organisation, achieving collaboration and communication between teams might be one of the biggest challenges to ensuring a secure converged, or at least communicating, OT and IT environments.

Its a journey, and its not very quick. Its not all over in a year. It takes time. Cultural differences need to be melded and blended. We're getting there. We're not perfect yet. But we've made huge, huge strides, especially in the last six months ensuring that our OT cyber technologies are getting implemented at our manufacturing sites.
UK-based technology and engineering consultancy BJSS has appointed Julian Gilchrist to the role of head of delivery at its Melbourne office.

"As COVID restrictions ease, we can continue our growth plan in the APAC region. We're delighted to have Julian lead our Melbourne operation. Julian's experience in the Melbourne market, coupled with his delivery and consulting background, is hugely significant as we embark on the next phase of our growth and expansion in the region." said BJSS head of international expansion Amir Soufizadeh .

Gilchrist is the most senior BJSS employee in Australia. The company expanded into APAC last year, and the Melbourne office is its first in the region. Key sectors for the BJSS in Australia are government, retail and financial services.

He will be recruiting at team of skilled consultants, including senior architects, software engineers, and cloud consultants.

Gilchrist joins the company from EY, where he most recently served as a director at the firm's Melbourne operation following a longer period in New York.

He previously held technical roles at Reactive, igloo, CCMedia, Hippo.,com.au, Immersive, and Adweb Agency.

Gilchrist holds a Bachelor of Multimedia from Swinburne University of Technology, and is a certified Scaled Agile Framework scrum master and release train engineer.

"BJSS is renowned for delivering high-quality technology solutions to the world's leading organisations. BJSS has a strong and proven engineering heritage, and I am looking forward to helping the company grow its capability and presence in the region," he said.
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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 
Managing Editor Rebecca Huntington has worked for newspapers across the West. She hosts a rescue podcast, The Fine Line. Her family minivan doubles as her not-so-high-tech recording studio.
Since moving to Jackson Hole in 1992, Richard has covered everything from local government and criminal justice to sports and features. He currently concentrates on arts and entertainment, heading up the Scene section.
Joplin, MO (64801)

Today

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A mostly clear sky. Low near 65F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
Joplin, MO (64801)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 85F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low near 65F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
Bay2Brooklyn riders, active and retired firefighters from California and Arizona, are traveling from California to New York to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The group met with members of Friendship Fire Company in Harpers Ferry on Saturday evening.
Jean-Marie Kasulas name has become known around the world. His brush with officials of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP) in southeast Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) brought sudden notoriety to this leader of a small village of indigenous pygmies. When his arrest was announced in January 2020, some local media portrayed him as a warlord spreading terror and desolation like the leaders of armed groups active in the region.

But when the trial opened, he was not charged with killing or ordering the killing of people, nor of raping women. The Twa chief was charged with acts harmful to the PNKB. On February 4, 2020, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for criminal conspiracy, illegal possession of weapons and destruction of flora in protected areas. Seven other members of his community, including two women, were also sentenced.

A family on its ancestral land

Kasula and his family immediately appealed, with the support of some one hundred local and international organizations angered by the ruling. They deny that they are a criminal association formed to plunder the park, instead presenting themselves as a family claiming their right to their ancestral lands. They say they returned to the park not to engage in wicked destruction of nature, as described in the sentence, but in search of means of survival, the park being their motherland. They also asserted that there had been several violations of their rights during the trial.

Kasula and the two women were released on bail pending the appeal case, while the other five men remained in jail. One of them died because of the poor prison conditions. There was also another twist: Kasula was re-arrested in January 2021 for entering the park. A second case was brought against him  in which he was again provisionally released.

The park is still the winner

On the afternoon of July 30, the appeal judgment in the first trial was handed down. The Military Court of South Kivu acquitted the Twa of the criminal conspiracy charge, which was the most serious one brought against them. However, it found Kasula and four other men guilty of illegal possession of weapons and destruction of flora, sentencing each of them to 15 months in prison. The two women were found guilty only of destroying flora in protected areas, and were sentenced to 12 months. Since all of them had already spent more time in prison than the sentence, the appeal judges ordered their immediate release.

Indigenous Twa people in Kalehe territory, eastern DRC. The creation of the Kahuzi Biega National Park in 1971 left thousands of them living in precarious conditions outside their ancestral lands.  CAMV

On the afternoon of July 30, the appeal judgment in the first trial was handed down. The Military Court of South Kivu acquitted the Twa of the criminal conspiracy charge, which was the most serious one brought against them. However, it found Kasula and four other men guilty of illegal possession of weapons and destruction of flora, sentencing each of them to 15 months in prison. The two women were found guilty only of destroying flora in protected areas, and were sentenced to 12 months. Since all of them had already spent more time in prison than the sentence, the appeal judges ordered their immediate release.

The court understood and did not retain the charge of criminal association, because the defendants are all from the same family. It would be illogical to treat a whole family as a criminal association, said David Bugamba, one of the defence lawyers in the appeal. But the park is still the winner: each of the convicts must pay one million Congolese francs (about 500 USD) in damages for the harm done to the park. And the appeal ruling still does not grant land to the Twa.

A reserve for indigenous people?

But well continue the fight because the rights of the indigenous pygmy peoples are still being violated, continues Bugamba. If they dont get their own space, that would be considered cultural genocide, because the Twa indigenous peoples are linked to the forest, they live better in the forest. In many countries in the world, there are spaces reserved for indigenous people, but in our country, there are none. This is an ongoing problem.

The Congolese lawyer urges the government to respect its commitments to the Twa. There have been many meetings, there have been recommendations, but the Congolese state is dragging its feet. It does not want to honour its commitments, including granting space to these indigenous people. The lawyer is referring to negotiations between 2014 and 2019 aimed at finding an amicable settlement with the PNKB. During the last round of discussions in September 2019, it was agreed that land would be identified and made available for the benefit of indigenous communities bordering the PNKB. In return, the Twa were to stop deforestation activities and leave the areas they occupied at the time.

Reduced to wandering

Bugamba does not rule out taking the matter to regional and international bodies such as the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights if the government does not grant land to the Twa, who are now reduced to wandering.

For Lassana Kone, a lawyer with the Forest Peoples Programme (FPP), one of the many international NGOs that mobilized for the appeal, the military court in South Kivu could have granted the defence request by confirming the obligation of the Congolese state, which has been slow to find a satisfactory and lasting solution to the fragile situation of the Twa communities it expelled from their ancestral lands without their consent, without any compensation, or any resettlement plan.

The challenges remain and the main issue today is to find a lasting solution to the fragility and misery caused by dispossessing the communities of their ancestral lands, he continues. He urges the Congolese government to recognize that the current marginalization and poverty of these communities is a consequence of their expulsion from the park in the 1970s. After that, he says, this injustice must be redressed so that they can live in dignity.

Park boundaries will never be touched

The PNKB says it is out of the question to give park land to the Twa. The boundaries of the park will never be touched for that, park director De-Dieu Byaombe told Justice Info. According to him, the communities bordering this protected area sold the 15,000 hectares of land they had been given in 1975 by the state (Zaire, at the time). The same thing will happen again: they will sell and nothing will be sustainable, continues Byaombe, who says he has never accepted the story that the Pygmies, who are nomads, were chased out of the park.

Speaking about the July 30 ruling, Byaombe gets angry: We know that there are NGOs that gave a lot of money to buy this ruling. This weakens justice in our country. But then he changes his tone: Our greatest concern is for peaceful cohabitation, and getting the Twa people living near the park to understand that this conservation is for them, their children and their grandchildren. Its true that we should be concerned for these forest dwellers and that they have a decent life, he says. According to Byaombe, the PNKB is contributing to the schooling of 1,500 Twa children for the current school year, and employs 60 members of this community among its staff.

A regional problem

The Twa of the Great Lakes region can also be found in Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda, facing similar problems. In an August 20 ruling in Kampala, Ugandas Constitutional Court found the government guilty of driving the Twa from their land. The Batwa have been left disadvantaged, owing to their eviction from the said land, and also due to the nonpayment to them of adequate compensation which would have facilitated in their relocation to similar lands. This has rendered them landless and has severely affected not only their livelihoods but has destroyed their identity, dignity and self-worth as a people and as equal citizens with other Ugandans, the five judges concluded unanimously. In Uganda, these indigenous people were driven out of their natural environment in Echuya Forest, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, three protected areas in the southwest of the country.

In Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, as in the DRC, the Twa suffer from social marginalization and are among the poorest in the population.
Fourteen members of the Palestinian security forces will face a military trial after being formally accused Monday over the killing of prominent activist Nizar Banat, whose death sparked protests and global condemnation.

Banat  a leading critic of the Palestinian Authority and its 86-year old president Mahmud Abbas  died in June after security forces stormed his home in the flashpoint city of Hebron and dragged him away.

A post-mortem found he had been beaten on the head, chest, neck, legs and hands, with less than an hour elapsing between his arrest and his death.

Banats family has said it has no confidence in the PAs capacity to deliver justice, and called for an international probe.

But the PA, notably Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, has promised accountability, and ordered a full investigation.

Palestinian security service spokesman Talal Dweikat said Monday that 14 of the services personnel have been formally accused of beatings causing death, abuse of power and violations of security instructions.

Under the Palestinian justice system in the West Bank  a territory occupied by Israel since 1967  a Palestinian military court will conduct the trial.

Banats family last month stepped up their fight for international justice, seeking intervention from British police and the UN.

Nizars brother Ghasan Khalil Banat said the so-called investigation that was carried out into his murder is an embarrassment and the PA should feel ashamed of it.

Activists have staged a series of protests in the West Bank demanding justice for Banat.

The UN and the European Union last month raised alarm over a spate of arrests of activists by Palestinian security forces since Banats death, warning the PA appeared to be cracking down on basic freedoms across the West Bank.
Swedish jihadi Osama Krayem, who on Wednesday will stand trial over his alleged involvement in the 2015 Paris attacks, is also under investigation in his home country for war crimes committed in Syria, Swedish prosecutors said Monday.

A preliminary investigation by the Swedish prosecutors offices is underway for aggravated war crimes committed in Syria, a spokesman for Swedens Prosecution Authority told AFP on Monday.

Krayem has also been implicated in the March 22, 2016 attacks in Brussels, and identified by Belgian investigators as one of the executioners of the Jordanian pilot murdered by the Islamic State (IS) group in early 2015 in Syria.

Locked in a cage, the pilot was burned alive and images of his death were broadcast by the jihadist group.

Newspaper Le Monde reported that Sweden is investigating Krayem in relation to this execution.

The prosecution authority did not confirm this point, saying preliminary investigations are confidential.

Originally from Malmo in southern Sweden, Krayem joined IS in Syria in 2014 before returning to Europe by taking advantage of open routes for migrants.

Investigations have established that Krayem travelled with Saleh Abdeslam, the last surviving member of the Paris attackers, and two other members of the cell, in October 2015.

The Swede, from a Palestinian family living in Sweden, was arrested in April 2016 in Belgium.

Around 300 Swedes or Swedish residents, a quarter of them women, joined jihadist organisations in Syria and Iraq, mainly between 2013 and 2014, according to the Nordic countrys intelligence service, and half of them have since returned home.

Due to a lack of Swedish legislation at the time to prosecute returnees for associating with a terrorist organisation, charges against them have remained rare.

However, two Swedes were sentenced to life in prison in Gothenburg in December 2015 thanks to videos showing their participation in beheadings.

A 31-year-old Swedish woman was also sentenced in March to three years in prison for taking her son to Syria.
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The author is the founder and director of the Global Prosperity Institute, University College London

The British governments unfinished commitment to rebuild better and upgrade the country faces the unpleasant fact that all the difficult things before Covidincreasing productivity, turning economic growth into well-being, and protecting the earths resources , The transition to renewable energy-has not suddenly become easy.

The question for rebuilt better suppliers is whether they can define goals that are not just transportation infrastructure, housing construction, and job creation. The road to prosperity is often paved by goals that measure success in terms of GDP growth, but these goals have limited practical impact on improving the living standards of individuals, families, and communities.

For decades, economic orthodoxy has held that large-scale spending plans will increase GDP and eventually penetrate gradually to promote personal prosperity. But what if this is not enough to really upgrade? If the US Presidents US$3.5 trillion infrastructure bill and Boris Johnsons US$6.6 billion upgrade fund succeeded in boosting GDP, but the residents of the Rust Belt and Durham Coalfields in Pennsylvania feel that their prosperity is indifferent? What if building more houses in Carlisle does not reduce the unemployment rate in the citys residential areas because the parents who live there cannot access affordable childcare services? If rebuilding better in 2021 requires us to reimagine what prosperity is like?

A four-year research project in East London provides a new approach.Focus on the communities that are expected to benefit from it Olympic heritage regeneration strategy, A team of civil society scientists and community organizations created a Local climate index According to the local residents, what prosperity means to them, what factors support their ability to prosper and lead a good life, and what factors hinder them.

The index does not measure growth, productivity, and income. Instead, it identifies 15 main indicators that reflect the life experiences of people in these places. It establishes that human infrastructurepublic transportation, affordable or free childcare, social care, and low-cost or free digital servicesis what makes life livable and lays the foundation for a prosperous life. Prosperity is also affected by high-quality and truly affordable housing, the feeling of being integrated into urban economic and social life, rewarding work, lifelong learning, good health, a healthy living environment and hope for the future.

Some (but not all) of them can be delivered from the center. Much depends on whether residents participate in policies that improve their prosperity. The core is to emphasize people and society, rather than physical infrastructure.

Interestingly, the United States, the leader of the free market, came closest to realizing this. This is why Joe Biden plans to invest more than $1 trillion in human infrastructure in the form of the American Family Plan. In contrast, based on evidence of his plan to so-called backward towns so far, Johnsons upgrade plan is almost entirely focused on physical infrastructure.

If Biden and Johnson are to create common prosperity, they must start by reimagining the role of the economy in society. They must re-establish the link between macroeconomic policies and the daily struggles of the people in Pennsylvania and Durham, realities that are not the same even within the community.

In order to heal their divided country, both need to replace their unequal economy with a sense of belonging. They must stop believing that prosperity is something that can be built with bricks and plaster, and instead promote a human-centered response to promote long-term prosperity.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) finally shortlisted 15 companies that will assist in the development of retail CBDC. These companies will participate in the global CBDC challenge and help establish an internal retail central bank digital currency.

but announcement Said that the participants included four companies from the United States and six companies from Singapore. There is one company each in Barbados, France, Switzerland, Australia and Germany. Among all the participants, only three winners will appear and are committed to establishing a retail CBDC in Singapore.

On June 28, the Central Bank of Singapore announced a cash reward for digital currency ideas. This has led to challenges involving more than 300 fintech companies from more than 50 countries.

Related Reading | Ethereum software client Geth releases patch to strengthen security

Some of the global finalists are Criteo (France), Bitt (Barbados) and Soramitsu (Switzerland). In addition, there are ANZ Banking Group Limited (Australia) and Giesecke+Devrient Advance52 GmbH (Germany).

The shortlisted US companies include Consensys, cLabs Inc., IBM and Extolabs LLC.

Singapores local consortiums shortlisted are IOG Singapore Pte Ltd, Citibank NA, Standard Chartered Bank and IDEMIA. Others include HSBC Bank plc and HSBC Holdings plc, and Xfers Pte Ltd

Finalists will be rewarded for developing CBDC retail

The cash prize of SGD 50,000 (approximately USD 37,000) complements Singapores initiative to establish a retail CBDC. An earlier announcement disclosed the guidance of MAS to the 15 finalists.

In addition, finalists can access the APIX digital currency sandbox, which will facilitate rapid prototyping of digital currency solutions.

The sandbox ecosystem should contain more than 100 APIs related to payments and core banking.

In addition, it will include MasterCards digital fund API. Finalists now have the opportunity to promote their CBDC solutions during the Singapore Fintech Festival from November 8 to 12, 2021.

Throughout 2021, the countrys authorities have taken measures to support cryptocurrency. For example, MAS recently issued Approval in principle to the Independent Reserve of the Australian cryptocurrency exchange. The company is Singapores first cryptocurrency exchange to receive such approval.

The approval will enable the company to operate as a regulated digital payment token (DPT) service provider. Through approval, the independent reserve is expected to provide its users with the greatest consumer protection. It will also ensure compliance with anti-money laundering rules.

Related Reading | Bittrex global CEO announces that Dubai will benefit from the expansion of the cryptocurrency market

In addition, there are reports that Singapore has 170 cryptocurrency exchanges, including Germini and Binance. These companies seek approval to conduct business in the country.

Featured Image From Pixabay
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The British government will extend the so-called grace period in order to relieve the burden of the disputed part of the Brexit agreement regarding trade with Northern Ireland after Brexit.

This move is expected to be formally confirmed in a written ministerial statement submitted to Parliament earlier this week, aimed at allowing future negotiations on the problematic agreement (called the Northern Ireland Agreement) to continue for a few more months.

Both parties stated that they are seeking to avoid a repetition of the tensions that some Brexit-supporting British media called the sausage war earlier this year, and to allow more time to negotiate and resolve the issues caused by the agreement.

Two senior EU officials with knowledge of the EUs discussions with the UK said that the expected extension will not cause a strong reaction in Brussels.

The idea is that the UK will continue to apply the same conditions, and we will assume that this will continue to allow the discussion to end, an EU official said.

Lord David Frost, Secretary of State for Brexit, requested Destructive change He warned that the current form of the agreement was unsustainable due to the bureaucratic burden faced by British companies shipping goods to the region.

According to the terms of the agreement, all goods shipped from the UK to Northern Ireland must comply with EU customs regulations and product regulations.

Bureaucratic requirements, including export health certificates, were initially alleviated through a grace period that lasted three to six months, aimed at reducing paperwork and allowing companies time to make adjustments.

The grace period was extended, first unilaterally by the United Kingdom in March, and then again by the agreement of Brussels in June. The latest extension will expire in October.

The new extension will allow continued negotiations on Britains request to amend the agreement. However, officials on both sides said that almost no progress has been made in the summer negotiations, and the UK and the EU are still adopting antagonistic approaches to resolve difficulties.

in a Speech last weekend Frost reiterated to the British-Irish Association that the United Kingdom is seeking a fundamental rewrite of the agreement and warned that solutions involvingflexibility in the current rules will not work for us.

However, the EU is very clear that EU capitals are not interested in rewriting the agreement, and any solution must come from the flexibility of the agreement.

Irish Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar (Leo Varadkar) reiterated this position on Monday. He acknowledged that the agreement caused some real interference and the European Commission is willing to resolve these issues within the terms of the existing agreement.

We really dont see a reason to renegotiate [the protocol] Soon, we think most solutions can be found in existing agreements, he told BBC Radio 4s Nowadays program.

According to the terms of the Northern Ireland Protocol, all goods shipped from the UK to Northern Ireland must comply with EU customs and product regulations, establish a trade border in the Irish Sea, and now divide the UKs own internal market.

As part of the agreement negotiated by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in October 2019, new border inspections are required to complete Brexit and avoid restoring the North-South trade border on the island of Ireland, which was set in 1998 got canceled. Good Friday agreement to end decades of sectarian conflict in the region.

The governments of Brussels and Ireland argued that the UK should reach a veterinary agreement with the European Union to reduce the need for inspections of agricultural products, which is responsible for most of the difficulties. But the British government stated that it cannot accept the level required to be consistent with EU laws and standards.

If an acceptable solution cannot be found, Frost warns that the trade interruption between Great Britain and Northern Ireland is severe enough to justify the use of Article 16. This is a safeguard clause in the protocol that allows any party to take unilateral but limited actions while negotiating a mutually agreed solution while mitigating the impact of the agreement.

Downing Street said it will soon inform the council of its so-called pause arrangement, which will provide certainty for businesses.
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Following news of a coup in Guinea, the worlds second-largest producer of raw material bauxite, aluminum prices hit their highest level in a decade on Monday.

The price of metal used in beer cans, construction and automobiles rose by 1% on the London Metal Exchange to US$2,776 per ton, the highest level since May 2011. Shares of aluminum producers in China and Europe also rose.

Guinea soldier Said On Sunday, they overthrew President Alpha Conte in an apparent military coup, sparking concerns about the supply of bauxite needed to make aluminum.

Guinea supplies about 25% of the worlds bauxite, mainly to China and Russia. Refining raw materials into alumina is the starting point for aluminum production.

The shares of Rusal producer Rusal rose 4% in Moscow on Monday and then fell, while Chalcos shares rose 5% due to the rise in aluminum prices. In Europe, Norsk Hydros share price rose 5% in Oslo.

JPMorgan Chase analysts said: The increased uncertainty of the new political system in one of the worlds largest bauxite producers may disrupt global commodity export flows and increase the possibility of renegotiation of export contracts. Putting upward pressure on alumina and aluminum prices.

Guinea is Chinas largest source of bauxite, and Rusal owns three bauxite mines in the country, accounting for 50% of its total supply last year.

According to ING analysts, in the first seven months of this year, Guinea supplied 55% of its bauxite supply to China. In turn, China is the worlds largest aluminum producer.

Australia is the largest producer of bauxite. The countrys mining company shares rose on Monday, and Alumina Ltd rose 3% on the Australian Stock Exchange.

An analyst at BMO Capital Markets said: We expect China to buy alumina more actively in the coming weeks as a supply hedge.

Guinea also has some of the highest grade iron ore in the world, including the giant Simandou deposit in a protracted legal dispute.

BMO Capital Markets said that the countrys gold and iron ore projects may need to be renegotiated.

The shares of China Hongqiao, the worlds largest aluminum producer, fell 4% in Hong Kong trading on Monday, and the company is part of a consortium that is developing the Simandou deposit.
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One of the worlds largest port and terminal operators warned that the global shipping and supply chain crisis that has left empty shelves in commercial streets can only be resolved by slowing consumer demand.

Morten Engelstoft, CEO of Maersks APM Terminals, said the surge in demand has put pressure on container groups, suppliers and logistics companies because they have difficulty delivering goods, creating a vicious circle .

We need to figure out how to break this vicious circle, said the boss of APM, the port and terminal division of the worlds largest shipping group, in an interview with the Financial Times.

We need to lower [consumer demand] Growth allows the supply chain time to catch up, or decentralize growth in different ways. For a long time, we will need to restore efficiency. 

Although acknowledging that ports need more investment to improve infrastructure, he emphasized that the soaring consumer demand in the United States is the cause of system pressure.

U.S. imports of goods in July increased by 20% from the previous year and 11.5% from 2019. This was due to consumer spending, whose spending has been supported by stimulus measures since the second half of last year.

Engelstoft said that the percentage increase in U.S. imports and exports has led to a much larger volume growth than elsewhere.

This is a huge percentage of the volume. The scale of the business is huge, with port capacity, truck drivers, warehouses, and even the number of manually operated equipment all creating bottlenecks.

Due to the global shortage of truck drivers and limited warehouse space, congested ports are being hit, leading to further delays in deliveries that were interrupted by the Covid-19 crisis.

Respected

Since the beginning of the pandemic, congestion at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California reached its peak last week-this is the main gateway for Chinese cargo to enter the United States, and APM has terminals.

More than 40 container ships berthed outside the port waiting to be berthed, breaking the record in February.

Retailers and wholesalers in the U.S. and Europe are also worried that supplies may be interrupted during the peak season before Christmas.

In addition, retailers have increased the pressure by stocking up for Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving in the United States in November, which is the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season), and it is unlikely that the pressure will ease before 2022.

Alex Hersham, CEO of freight booking platform Zencargo, said that demand may slow during the Lunar New Year period in February, giving the shipping industry a chance to catch up with the backlog.

But even if there is a slowdown, some executives have warned that the need to restore depleted inventories will reduce the likelihood of a reduction in freight volumes, which are usually four to six weeks before and after the Chinese New Year.

Brian Sondey, CEO of Triton International, the worlds largest container leasing company, said the number of containers was too large to be emptied during that window.

The consensus in the industry is that we are unlikely to see an improvement in the situation before next year, he added.
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.
Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar called for immediate action from Democrats in the wake of the US Supreme Court allowing Texas' restrictive abortion law to stand and said the filibuster should be abolished in order to codify abortion rights protections.

"Now and over the next years, we just will get nowhere if we keep this filibuster in place," the Minnesota Democrat, who has previously come out against ending the filibuster to address issues like voting rights and climate change, told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union" Sunday.

"I do not believe an archaic rule should be used to allow us to put our heads in the sand -- to use Justice (Sonia) Sotomayor's words -- to put our heads in the sand and not take action on the important issues," Klobuchar said, calling the Texas law and the Supreme Court's response "an assault on women's health."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said last week the chamber would take legislative action when the House returns from recess and "bring up Congresswoman Judy Chu's Women's Health Protection Act to enshrine into law reproductive health care for all women across America." But even if a bill on the issue were to pass in the House it is likely to face hurdles in the Senate where Democrats hold a narrow majority and 60 votes are required to break the filibuster. There is no indication 10 Republican senators would side with them on the issue.

In a midnight order last week, the high court denied a request from Texas abortion providers to stop the state law that bans abortions after six weeks despite the fact that it violates Roe v. Wade, a 1973 opinion legalizing abortion nationwide prior to viability. The Texas law, which is one of the strictest in the country, has drawn outrage from Democrats and sparked concerns that the Supreme Court could overturn or undercut the longstanding decision.

"This decision that they made with the state of Texas is unbelievable," Klobuchar said. "Here you have them this year, this week, basically telling women in Texas that 85% of them seeking abortion services cannot exercise their constitutional rights. ... And basically greenlighted a law that is blatantly against Roe v. Wade."

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican, said Sunday that backlash over the Supreme Court's decision regarding the Texas law is being used for political theater by Democrats to "distract" from the other issues facing the party.

"People are using it to gin up their base to distract from disastrous policies in Afghanistan, maybe for fundraising appeals," Cassidy said in an interview on ABC's "This Week." "If it is as terrible as people say it is, it'll be destroyed by the Supreme Court, but to act like this is an assault upon Roe v. Wade is again something that the President's doing I think to distract from his other issues."

Calls to change the high court

The Supreme Court's decision has also renewed calls to reform the makeup of the high court and for liberal Justice Stephen Breyer to retire, including by Klobuchar who reiterated her stance he should do so "sooner rather than later."

"I believe, if he is seriously considering retirement -- and he has said he would do it based on not only his own health, but also the future of the court -- if this decision doesn't cry out for that, I don't -- I don't know what does," she told Bash. She also added that she supports adding more seats to the Supreme Court, but that she doesn't think the current make up is "going to change any time in the near future."

Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas said Sunday that people are "shocked, horrified, outraged" in her state about the law and said she supports expanding the Supreme Court.

"I do think we also need to expand the court. We have now seen SCOTUS basically engage in late night decisions through their shadow docket. We've seen them become an activist court. We need to restore integrity to the court," Escobar said in an interview on CBS' "Face The Nation."

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New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh gets his picture taken as he is presented with a t-shirt in support of Indigenous children and residential school survivors during an election campaign stop in Hamilton, Ont., Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. The three main party leaders are promising better working conditions and more benefits for Canadian workers along with additional support for businesses during election campaign events on Labour Day. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
For decades, Kenosha and Wisconsin labor unions have been on the decline. In a state where a third of workers were once union, membership has now dropped to under one in 10, lower than the national average.

But as labor shortages continue to afflict nearly every industry, and businesses compete for employees, labor unions could be seeing an opportunity to rebuild.

In Kenosha, the story of labor unions is much the same as it is across the state. Around 40 to 60 years ago, unions were a ubiquitous part of work life in A manufacturing town, according to Richard Gallo, president of the Kenosha branch of the AFL-CIO.

Kenosha is a town that has a very robust history, as far as unions are concerned, Gallo said. You had a whole pocket of very large union industries that employed thousands of people.

John Drew, vice president of UAW Local 72, once the largest labor union in the state, agreed.

Kenosha has a very deep and strong labor tradition, Drew said.

Today however, that influence has drastically decreased. The last big protest Gallo can recall was in 2009, during rallies against the closing of the Chrysler plant.
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In June 2020, I wrote a short piece about the COVID vaccine that turned out to be prophetic. I said that the vaccines immunity might wane over time, that there might be bothersome side effects immediately, and that the public might ignore social distancing and mask-wearing once they were vaccinated. I worried that there would be political pressures to focus more on the economy than on public health.

And I wrote, But wait, it could be worse. The coronavirus might mutate. By June 2020, the coronavirus from Wuhan did, in fact, mutate as it spread across the globe. I also said that the virus could escape from whatever vaccine is finally developed, and then we will be in big trouble. That was my nightmare scenario, and that is where we are now with the Delta variant. Everything that I predicted has happened, but there was another nightmare that I did not anticipate.

In December 2020, I wrote that the success of Warp Speed is going to depend on the American public accepting the vaccine and believing that it is both safe and effective. I worried that people would refuse to be vaccinated. I take this personally, because I have a form of leukemia that prevents me from making antibodies. Despite my being fully vaccinated, I have no measurable antibodies against COVID. The vaccine deniers can kill me as well as killing all the other people who are immunosuppressed. And they can also kill one another and children too. That is what we are seeing in the ICUs in areas where there is vaccine hesitancy and refusal.

There are many factors that made it possible for vaccine refusal and hesitancy to occur. Since the 1980s, we have heard the slogan that government is the problem. When the government-funded Operation Warp Speed to develop the vaccine, people who do not trust the government automatically became suspicious. We have heard that professors are not to be trusted because they are liberals who are out of touch with society. When a professor of public health urges vaccination, s/he is doubted. When a renowned government scientist like Dr. Fauci warns that COVID is dangerous, he is vilified. When disadvantaged populations were advised to be vaccinated, the inequitable and poor medical care that they have experienced led them to distrust the advice. When the extremely rare side effect of anaphylaxis occurred, the stage was set for false information to invade social media. All these factors were amplified by scurrilous politicians who stoked doubt and mistrust for their own ends.

But wait, it could get worse. Everyone who is not vaccinated is a potential host who will facilitate a new variant. And there are billions of people around the globe who have not been vaccinated. Every one of them is also a potential host for the vaccine to mutate again. Coronaviruses have been mutating ever since the first human caught a cold. They can evolve to weaken the protective response gained from previous infections and from vaccines. That is why I think that we will be dealing with different variations of COVID for a long time. Therefore, we need to have a strategy for overcoming vaccine reluctance and refusal when boosters and new vaccines for new variants become necessary.

The first step is for trusted leaders to urge vaccination and public health measures vigorously and effectively. Every community leader, every health care professional, every scientist, every elected official, every pop star, and respected athlete should continue to speak out about vaccination and public health measures. But this approach has so far been insufficient to convince the reluctant and the refusers. My fantasy had been that Donald Trump could reverse the resistance to vaccination. It is not a coincidence that the states that voted for him are the states with the lowest vaccination rates. Unfortunately, after he said at a rally in Alabama, I recommend: Take the vaccines. I did it  its good, the crowd jeered. It demonstrated that the top-down strategy of leaders talking to the refusers, even by the leader most likely to be believed, does not change their beliefs.

My hope is that many things will happen. I hope there will be a gradual appreciation of the following: 1) vaccinations have worked; 2) vaccines for more than 150 million were safer than aspirin; 3) more refusers who know someone who is ill or who has died from COVID will be encouraged to be vaccinated; 4) friends and neighbors will talk to one another and help to modify the resistance; and finally; and, 5) as more refusers are infected, they will speak out about their illness to encourage vaccination. This is a person-to-person strategy, the opposite of the top-down strategy that has not worked. We still need to continue the top-down initiatives. The person-to-person strategy, while not dramatic, is what I think will work now.

David Galinsky is an internal medicine physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
PORTLAND, Ore.  The city of Portland is joining other entities around the state and country in fighting a new and controversial abortion law in Texas.

Mayor Ted Wheeler announced Friday that city commissioners will vote on an emergency resolution this week. It would declare the city's intent to ban future trade, exchange of government services, and travel on behalf of the city to Texas.

If passed on Wednesday, the resolution would stand until Texas withdraws its ban on abortion or until the ban is overturned in court.

This all comes after the US Supreme Court ruled last week 5-4 not to strike down the Texas law, which is now is the strictest of its kind in the country.

The law bans abortions after fetal cardiac activity is detected, typically after six weeks of pregnancy. Most women don't know they are pregnant by that point. The law also does not offer exemptions for victims of rape, incest or domestic violence.

The law also incentivizes individuals to come forward and report anyone who somehow assists in getting someone access to abortion. Family members, health care providers, and even Uber drivers could face up to $10,000 in damages.

"This law does not demonstrate concern for the health, safety, and well-being of those who may become pregnant," the city of Portland's statement said. "We urge other leaders and elected bodies around the nation to join us in condemning the actions of the Texas state government."

However, anti-abortion groups around the country see the high court's decision as a victory and blueprint for future opportunity.

"Our legislative team has already been working with a couple other states on what we did differently," said Elizabeth Graham, vice president of Texas Right to Life.

Republican lawmakers in Florida and South Dakota are already looking to make similar restrictions to abortion practices.

Oregon Right to Life (ORTL) also voiced support for the Texas ban and Supreme Court decision.

"Marked an incredible pro-life victory," ORTL said on Facebook. "We as a pro-life community are celebrating the fact that countless innocent lives will get the chance to experience life outside of the womb."

The Supreme Court's decision neither endorses nor condemns the Texas ban, simply allowing the law to take effect. The court could still potentially decide on the ban's constitutionality at a later date.

In the meantime, many Democratic lawmakers have vowed to fight the Texas law.

President Joe Biden said he will make a full government effort to review the ban's legality, using health and justice departments at the federal level. He said women should have the right to choose.

"I respect those who believe life begins in the moment of conception," Biden said last week. "I don't agree with that, but I respect that."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she will push for Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark abortion rights decision, to become federal law.

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley echoed that intent on Twitter.

Access to abortion isnt just under threat in Texasthis is happening across the country.https://t.co/PGEtL48lqI  Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) September 5, 2021
COBURG, Ore. -- Police have identified the person who was killed in a single-vehicle, rollover crash Saturday morning just south of the Coburg interchange on Interstate 5 southbound.

RELATED: ONE KILLED, TWO OTHERS INJURED FOLLOWING SINGLE-VEHICLE CRASH ON I-5

The person killed was Sherwood resident, Alexander Haluk, 26. Police said Haluk was not wearing a safety belt and was ejected from the car. Haluk was pronounced dead at the scene.

An investigation revealed a red Toyota Tacoma was traveling SB on I-5 when the driver, Portland resident, Kristan Birni, 26, fell asleep, officials said.

The Tacoma veered onto the shoulder of I-5, striking a sign, according to police. The Tacoma then rolled over a series of times before coming to rest in the southbound lane.

Birni and the front passenger, Portland resident, Patrick Dorme, 33, were using safety belts and suffered serious injuries, police said. They were taken to RiverBend Hospital by ambulance.

The driver told police he fell asleep while driving. Toxicology at the hospital combined with in-person observations and statements determined impairment was not a contributing factor, according to police.

Oregon State police were assisted by Lane County Sheriff's Office, Coburg Fire, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
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The search for Irelands Heritage Hero for 2021 was launched today by the Heritage Council.

Every year, the Heritage Council seeks nominations for an individual or a group of people who have worked tirelessly to protect and promote heritage. People from County Kilkenny are invited to nominate the person or group that they feel is most deserving of the award by completing the Heritage Hero nomination form. Nominations close at noon on Monday, September 20.

Speaking about the call for nominations, CEO of the Heritage Council, Virginia Teehan said: Heritage Heroes come in different forms: last year, the Heritage Council acknowledged Christy Cunniffe, who had recently retired as the archaeological field monument advisor for Co Galway. Mr Cunniffe was recognised as a Heritage Hero for his efforts throughout his 30 years of involvement in heritage, in engaging with local communities and heritage groups, and sharing his own knowledge and enthusiasm with those around him.

Heritage Heroes are special people who have made a significant contribution to maintaining and promoting our heritage: it may be natural heritage, built heritage or our intangible heritage, which comprises everything from traditional skills to language and sport.

The heritage hero award is part of the National Heritage Awards, which takes place annually to celebrate the outstanding projects and events from National Heritage Week. National Heritage Week 2021 ran from August 14  22, and comprised a mix of online, in-person and community activities and projects. In total, over 1,000 projects and events took place around the country and there were 32 National Heritage Week projects and events shared by project organisers in County Kilkenny.

At the National Heritage Awards, the Heritage Council will also recognise the most successful heritage project from County Kilkenny as part of the County Award category.
The Australian government said Monday that the country would keep producing and exporting coal "well beyond 2030," despite a stark warning from a top UN climate official that failing to scrap the fossil fuel will "wreak havoc" on the economy.

The comments, made in a rebuke by the minister for resources and water, Keith Pitt, puts Australia at odds with several other developed nations, which are working towards phasing out coal by the end of the decade.

"The future of this crucial industry will be decided by the Australian Government, not a foreign body that wants to shut it down costing thousands of jobs and billions of export dollars for our economy," Pitt said in a statement Monday.

In his 360-word statement, the minister listed a number of economic benefits coal has brought the Australian economy but made no mention of the climate crisis.

Pitt's statement added that figures showing coal's "impending death are greatly exaggerated and its future is assured well beyond 2030."

"Coal consumption throughout Asia is forecast by the International Energy Agency to grow over the next decade to meet the energy demands of countries like China, India and South Korea," Pitt said.

"Australia has an important role to play in meeting that demand. Coal will continue to generate billions of dollars in royalties and taxes for state and federal governments, and directly employ over 50,000 Australians."

Australia is the second-largest exporter of coal in the world and the country has a high per capita carbon footprint, largely because of its coal industry. An Australian emits an average of 17 metric tons of carbon dioxide, while the global average is less than 5 tons per person, European Commission data shows.

Of the world's 176 new coal projects, 79 of them are in Australia, according to Fitch Solutions' Global Mines Database.

Pitt made his comments as the UN's top climate envoy, Selwin Hart, said the global phase-out of coal was not happening fast enough "to avert a global climate catastrophe."

"We fully understand the role that coal and other fossil fuels have played in Australia's economy, even if mining accounts for a small fraction  around 2%  of overall jobs," Hart said during a video address to the Crawford Leadership Forum at the Australian National University on Monday.

"But it's essential to have a broader, more honest and rational conversation about what is in Australia's interests, because the bottom line is clear: If the world does not rapidly phase out coal, climate change will wreak havoc right across the Australian economy, from agriculture to tourism, and right across the services sector. Similarly, construction, housing and the property sector, in a country where the vast majority live on or near a coastline. It will be even more catastrophic in your neighborhood."

Hart added that business and investors were increasingly abandoning coal in favor of renewable energy that is now cheaper in most places.

By not cutting coal, Australia is setting itself up for a future of climate disasters such as droughts, heatwaves, fires and floods, which will become more frequent and severe as the planet warms.

"It is increasingly clear that decarbonization is inevitable, and it is the greatest commercial opportunity of our age," Hart said, adding that the world is "at a critical juncture in the climate crisis."

Australia's climate record

Coal is the biggest single source of carbon emissions in the world, and the UN has called on OECD countries, including Australia, to phase out the fossil fuel by 2030.

China is the world's biggest consumer and producer of coal, accounting for around 50% of the world's production, and pressure is growing on the country to phase out the fossil fuel quicker than planned.

Scientists say key economies must cut carbon pollution by 45% this decade if the world is to contain average global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Going beyond that, scientists say, will mean more frequent and intense climate impacts, including droughts, heatwaves and wildfires, as well as heavy rainfall and floods.

Australia has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28% by 2030, from 2005 levels, a pledge that sits well below renewed commitments by the United States, European Union and United Kingdom, among other developed nations.

US President Joe Biden increased his country's pledge in April to reduce emissions by 50-52% in the same timeframe.

Australia, like dozens of other countries, missed a July 31 deadline, laid out in the 2015 Paris Agreement, to increase its pledge, though the government says it will do so ahead of the COP26 international climate talks to be held in Glasgow in November.

Australia has also not committed to net zero emissions by mid-century, a goal that the United States, European Union and United Kingdom, among other countries, have done. Net zero is where the amount of greenhouse gas emitted is no greater than the amount removed from the atmosphere.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said Australia is aiming to reach zero "as soon as possible," and preferably by 2050, but has stopped shot of anything more concrete. Many Australian states have, however, committed to net zero independently of the central government.

Much of the developed world is switching to renewable sources to generate electricity, while Australia's power grid remains heavily coal-reliant.

Coal is, however, still used extensively around the world for heavy industry, such as steel making, where energy from sources like wind and solar are not able to meet power requirements. Alternatives, like green hydrogen, are in development and are slowly coming into wider use.

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ROCHESTER, Minn. - Islamophobia, or the irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against Islam and people who practice the religion, has roots in America dating back to slavery. After September 11, 2001, America's Islamophobia intensified in the wake of the terrorist attacks. As the nation commemorates the 20 year anniversary of 9-11, KIMT News 3 examines how Islamophobia has changed over the past two decades.

According to a Pew Research report released on Sept. 1, 2021, in 2017, about half of Muslim American adults said they have personally experienced some form of discrimination because of their religion within the previous year.

From a young age, Yasmin Ali learned that some people would treat her differently because she is Muslim. She remembers her father showing her an article about perceptions of Muslims when she was a child. "He showed me an article or a piece in the news about public perception of Muslims in America. I was really young at that age. I think I was in elementary school. He was showing me like, this is what they think of us. This is kind of how the world perceives us and sees us... that's when it really started to sink in.

Ali is a senior at Mayo High School and the operations officer for the Rochester Community Initiative, a youth-led local organization that assembles events on topics young people are passionate about, such as environmental issues and racism. Ali's family immigrated to Marshall, Minnesota from Yemen in 2000 before moving to Rochester. Ali was born four years after her family's immigration.

She tells KIMT she's received prejudiced comments and looks throughout her years growing up in Rochester. "It's not always a big infringement on my life, but when it is, it just kind of takes over the whole day."

Ali recounts an interaction that stands out in her memory. "Somebody shouted like, go back to your country and some other Islamophobic comments like you don't belong here, take that off your head." She and her sister were in a Walmart parking lot after buying school supplies when a man began harassing them. "He was saying stuff to us, but he was also turning to his kid and saying like, these people are the ones who need to leave the country. Like, kind of like a teaching moment. So that was especially disturbing to me because that made me realize how much these things are taught and how much these things just fester between generations and generations."

Ali was born three years after the hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. She explains to KIMT that her image of that day is shaped by the memories recounted by adults in her life. Learning about the devastating event in her history classes throughout her education has often left her feeling alienated. "I'm getting these stares now, but is anybody gonna approach me after this conversation or after this class time? That's kind of always what goes through my head but it just feels very like... like you're alone," she expresses.

KIMT News 3 sat down with Luther College religion Professor Todd Green, a scholar of Islamophobia, to learn about how Islamophobia has evolved over the past two decades. Green authored The Fear of Islam: An Introduction to Islamophobia in the West and Presumed Guilty: Why We Shouldn't Ask Muslims to Condemn Terrorism.

FBI data shows 28 hate crimes committed against Muslims in 2000. That number spiked to 481 in 2001. Muslims became heavily scrutinized and surveilled. Registrations, deportations, detentions, and other policies emerged targeting Muslims.

"The argument could be made, fairly effectively, that Muslims became public enemy number one after 9-11," states Prof. Green. "Muslims basically became a suspect population. Presumed guilty of harboring terrorist sympathies unless proven otherwise and that became the new status quo broadly speaking for Muslims after 9-11."

Now, with twenty years behind us since that tragic day in our history, you may think we are past the worst of America's Islamophobia.

"There's a lot of evidence that suggests that some of the worst islamophobia in terms of policies, in terms of overt targeting of Muslim communities has taken place in the past decade, from efforts to restrict the building of mosques; to efforts to ban Sharia Law in some state legislatures; hate crimes continue to be quite persistent," Prof. Green explains.

Green argues that in some ways, Islamophobia has become mainstream. "There's a long way to go in terms of sort of dampening down on the worst of Islamophobia and when we reflect on 20 years after 9-11, we have to recognize that in many ways, not all ways, but in many ways, in many quarters, things have gotten worse for a lot of Muslims."

In 2021, Green explains how Islamophobia takes a variety of both explicit and softer forms. "We've got to remember even just a few years ago, in a presidential election cycle, we had a prominent candidate for the presidency who said Islam hates us. We had another candidate who wanted to have law enforcement patrol Muslim neighborhoods. Another candidate who suggested that Muslims should never be elected to the presidency. They shouldn't qualify for the presidency."

It exists on both sides of the political spectrum. "There are also what I call softer forms of Islamophobia that we have to pay attention to in 2021. These often come from more progressive or left side of the political spectrum where Muslims are embraced but they are embraced only as long as they are good Muslims." Green puts the term in air-quotes. "and by good Muslims, I mean that they support the national security apparatus, they support the war on terror as it's currently being conducted, they recognize the importance of trying to pay attention to potential extremist elements within Muslim communities."

It isn't all bad news when it comes to America's Islamophobia. Green explains how some strides have been made. "That includes Muslims being elected to public office around the United States at the local level, the state level, in some state legislatures. We currently have three Muslims serving in the US Congress and House of Representatives. Our fourth one, Keith Ellison is currently the attorney general of the State of Minnesota. So Muslims have made some gains as well in this Islamophobic age so it's not all bad news but we do have a long way to go still."

Professor Green tells KIMT there are ways we can combat Islamophobia. Politically, we can challenge anti-Muslim legislation. On a personal level, we can call it out when we see it. "We also know from research that having a personal relationship with someone who is Muslim significantly affects the chances of someone being Islamophobic or not," says Green.

According to Pew Research, though many Americans have negative views toward Muslims and Islam, 53% say they don't personally know anyone who is Muslim. 52% say they know "not much" or "nothing at all" about Islam.

As we remember the people who were killed in the 9-11 attacks and reflect on the Muslims who have suffered from anti-Muslim policies and hate crimes, 17-year-old Yasmin Ali believes we'd all be much better off if we remembered what makes us the same as humans, not what makes us different. "You're afraid of what you don't know but if people just realized I'm more like you than I'm different from you, a lot of the issues regarding Islamophobia would go away."
HAMPTON, Iowa - More than a year after a 23-month-old boy died due to multiple blunt force injuries, a man has been arrested for his death.

The Hampton Police Department said Jhonny Junior Salvatore Suarez Rivera is facing charges of first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death.

Police said the child was taken to Franklin General Hospital on Aug. 1, 2020, and was pronounced dead about an hour after arriving.

Two days later, the death was ruled a homicide.

"An investigation conducted by the Hampton Police Department with assistance from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation identified Jhonny Junior Salvatore Suarez Rivera as a caretaker of the child and a suspect in the boys death," police said.

Rivera was taken into custody Sunday and is being held in the Franklin County Jail.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Five days from now marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11, where nearly 3,000 lives were lost.

Most of the students in school today weren't around when the World Trade Center collapsed to the ground. James Ford is a history professor at the University of Minnesota-Rochester. He said new information, data, stories from witnesses continue to emerge every day about 9/11 and it's his job to make sure the world never forgets. "This is something that will always provide lessons. So, we need to keep it alive," explained Ford. "Whether it's through maybe not so much textbooks, but through documents. We have the videos, we have the eyewitness accounts."

Ford was teaching a history class the morning of Tuesday, September 11th, 2001. A few years later, he was still grappling with the tragedy. He felt such a strong impact that he joined the military and was deployed to Afghanistan.

Being a history professor, who served in the war, Ford said it's not always easy bringing every side to the table when teaching about 9/11. "Kind of cutting through the conspiracy theories, the political views, the maybe in some cases racist views or what have you," he explained. "It can be a problematic topic."

While Ford can't bring his battlefield experience to the classroom, he knows he can teach his students what still matters, 20 years later. "And I don't think that it's necessary that we don't care about that anymore," he said. "It's more of as you move on in time, you're less focused on the details."

It's the big picture. It's remembering what happened and how we use that today. "We live in the shadow of 9/11. Just like, unfortunately, we live in the shadow of other terrible things," explained Ford. "Meaning that these events had such long-term consequences on how we view the world and or what steps we take particularly as Americans."

Ford says the tragedy of 9/11 united Americans and he felt a sense of solidarity across the nation. That's what he wants his students to know.
The American Red Cross released a list of water safety tips for those looking to enjoy water-related activities during Labor Day weekend.

The list of tips include: swimming parallel when getting caught in a strong current, staying sober while swimming, being mindful of the activities environment and ensuring a lifeguard is on duty while enjoying the water.

This summer has been the deadliest for water-related activities since 2005, with a total of 17 deaths.

Mary Torok said she does not swim alone.

"Tips for water safety is number one, I would not swim alone no matter what your age. I think it is important to always have someone with you in the event of an emergency," Torok said.
Like a "nuclear incident" - that's how a local doctor is describing his time in ICUs across the region, as he sees deaths back-to-back among COVID-19 patients. Early Sunday morning, Dr. Steven Brown went to Twitter saying "In 40 years, I have not encountered so much death in 12 hours, as las
A nurse marks a coronavirus vaccination card with a third booster dose of Pfizer, at a vaccine clinic on Aug. 19 in Pasadena, California. It's likely that three doses of the vaccine are needed for full protection, Dr. Anthony Fauci said.
Child endangerment charges have been filed against 25-year-old Haley Kester (right) and 40-year-old John Carpenter (left) Saturday.
NBC News' Willard Scott in is seen here in 1980. Scott passed away at the age of 87.
A commercial satellite image by 38 North shows North Korean troops preparing for a military parade in Pyongyang. Yonhap



Pyongyang anxious about no action from US



By Kang Seung-woo



North Korea appears to have increased its provocative military activities on purpose in a bid to get the attention of the Joe Biden administration, according to Pyongyang watchers.



According to 38 North, a U.S.-based website specializing in the North Korean regime, troop formations were observed earlier last week at Mirim Airport in Pyongyang, raising speculation that the country is preparing for a military parade ahead of its state and ruling party founding anniversaries on Sept. 9 and Oct. 10, respectively. The airfield has served as a rehearsal ground for large-scale military parades.



"This could indicate an upcoming military parade in Oct, as we saw in 2020," it said on Twitter, Thursday.



"The unification ministry will closely watch any signs, without prematurely determining, for the possibility of the North holding a military parade," Cha Deok-cheol, deputy spokesperson of the unification ministry, told a regular press briefing, Friday.



The observation by a commercial satellite image followed a recent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report indicating that North Korea has restarted its nuclear reactor in Yongbyon.



However, some are questioning whether North Korea intentionally displayed its activities to pressure the United States to re-focus on its nuclear issue given that it could have hidden the activity of the nuclear reactor by operating it underground. Currently, Washington is busy grappling with the fallout from its withdrawal from Afghanistan.



"Both the nuclear reactor and preparations for a military parade are North Korea's way of showing off to gain an upper hand in future negotiations with the U.S.," said Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha Womans University.



"They are safe yet effective measures to pressure the U.S."



On Thursday, the North Korean foreign ministry issued a statement denouncing the U.S. policy toward the totalitarian state for adopting the "strategic patience" policy once pursued by the Obama administration.



The policy meant no engagement with the reclusive state as long as its leadership persisted with nuclear weapons development and ballistic missile testing, but many critics say the policy failed to address the North's growing nuclear and missile programs.



"A typical example is that of a Member of the European Parliament from a political party of the Netherlands, which censured the current U.S. administration for following the strategic patience policy," it said via the state-run Korean Central News Agency.



"He ridiculed the United States for acting stupidly while impatiently waiting for the collapse of the DPRK till now even in the face of the great pressure from the Afghan crisis."



The DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name of North Korea.



Park said the North Korean regime may be anxious about the U.S. negligence over its issue.



"North Korea may be fretting about no action from the U.S.," the professor said.



In fact, Noh Kyu-duk, South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator, met with his U.S. counterpart Sung Kim earlier this week following the IAEA report, but they did not issue a statement on the issue.



"Given that North Korea is well aware that the Biden administration will not get drawn into Pyongyang's intention, the North is likely to be jittery about it," Park added.




Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a Lanting Forum themed "China and the UN: Cooperation in 50 Years and Beyond," held in Beijing, China, June 25. Reuters-Yonhap



Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi plans to visit South Korea early next week for talks on bilateral relations and North Korea, diplomatic sources said Monday.



During the visit, Wang will hold talks with Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and meet with other officials, sources familiar with the matter said. He could also pay a courtesy call on President Moon Jae-in.



Wang's visit, if realized, will come about five months after he last held talks with Chung in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen. Wang's last visit to Seoul took place in November last year.



South Korea has sought to maintain close ties with Beijing despite an intensifying rivalry between China and the United States, as the country tries to enlist support from Beijing to move the stalled nuclear talks with Pyongyang forward.



"We have a shared understanding with the Chinese side on the need for high-level communications, and we're closely consulting with them on various ways for exchanges," a foreign ministry official said, without giving further details.



The talks will come amid renewed tensions on the Korean Peninsula after the North warned of "a serious security crisis" in protest of the joint military exercise that Seoul and Washington staged last month.



China has expressed objections over the military drills between the South and the U.S., saying the exercise is not "constructive" and calling for Washington to avoid any action that would cause tension with the North.



While in Seoul, Wang is also expected to underscore Beijing's positions on key regional issues, including Taiwan and Xinjiang.



The two sides could also discuss possible ways to create fresh momentum for dialogue with North Korea on the occasion of the Beijing Winter Olympics slated to take place in February next year.



In February 2018, North Korea sent athletes to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea, which led to the historic first-ever summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then U.S. President Donald Trump four months later. Kim also held three summits with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in 2018.



Also on the table will likely be efforts to boost people-to-people exchanges, as next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.



Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to South Korea may also be discussed during Wang's trip, a Cheong Wa Dae official said.



However, when asked if any progress has been made on arranging Xi's trip to Seoul, the Cheong Wa Dae official responded, "There's nothing I can tell you at the moment." (Yonhap)


By John Burton





North Korea surprised the world last week when it said that it was rejecting an offer by COVAX, the U.N.-supported global vaccine distribution program, to provide around 3 million doses of China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine.



The decision by Pyongyang was puzzling since North Korea has been in severe lockdown for around 20 months, which has done immense damage to its economy. The supply of vaccines offered the hope that the country might be able to reopen its borders to humanitarian aid and ease the economic pressure when it is also suffering from international sanctions, natural disasters and worsening food shortages.



So what is going on?



One explanation is that the rejection bolsters North Korea's repeated claims in the face of global skepticism that it has suffered no COVID-19 cases, while justifying its "Juche" policy of self-reliance. It also provides an opportunity to score propaganda points against the U.S., which has been criticized for not doing enough in providing vaccines to poor countries. Pyongyang said it was declining the COVAX offer so that the vaccine would be available to "severely affected" nations when there is a global shortage amid a surge in virus cases.



But North Korea has also been very picky about what vaccines it would accept, reflecting an attitude that borders on the paranoia of anti-vaxxers or at least reveals signs of vaccine hesitancy. The state media has declared that vaccines are "never a universal panacea."



Pyongyang may have decided to reject the Sinovac vaccine in response to reports that question its efficacy. North Korea also turned down a COVAX offer in July to provide 1.7 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to concerns over its side effects, including blood clotting.



North Korea might prefer the high-quality Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, but it lacks the ultra-cold storage units to preserve them except in limited geographical areas such as Pyongyang. A compromise choice would be Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, but there are reports that Pyongyang is demanding that Moscow deliver free supplies.



If North Korea does acquire vaccines, there is reasonable confidence that it could stage a successful rollout of jabs. It has already developed a national vaccine deployment program with the help of UNICEF and it is working to ensure that proper storage and delivery systems are in place, according to the World Health Organization. But less certain is whether North Korea will allow the entry of foreign humanitarian workers to supervise vaccine distribution.



North Korea has a history of successfully carrying out vaccine campaigns. For example, it conducted a measles vaccine program in 2007 that eradicated the disease. It is estimated that it has the capability to inoculate 3.3 million people per day.



Since initial supplies would fall far short of covering North Korea's entire population of 25 million, priority is likely to be given to health care workers, people over 65, those suffering from serious underlying illnesses and some military units.



North Korea's muddled response bodes ill for expectations that the pandemic might provide an opportunity for it to cooperate more closely with international agencies and other countries on health issues.



U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, for example, recently urged Pyongyang to do whatever it could to secure vaccine supplies for the population.



North Korea has also rebuffed offers by Seoul to work together on a COVID response. In his Liberation Day speech last month, President Moon Jae-in highlighted health as an issue that could serve as a bridge between the two Koreas.



Seoul has also been pushing a proposal for North Korea to join the Northeast Asia Conference on Health Security, which was set up at Moon's suggestion to deal with COVID-19 and future pandemics in the region. But Pyongyang has not responded.



Seoul and Washington have also discussed providing COVID-related humanitarian aid to North Korea either directly or through international organizations, such as the U.N., or NGO groups.



Although it is clearly in North Korea's interest to accept vaccine shipments soon and help relieve the economic strain, Pyongyang may be operating on a different calculation, deciding on an "all or nothing" strategy.



Watching how the pandemic has played out in the West, with regular surges of the virus following the relaxation of social restrictions as vaccines become more available, North Korea may have concluded that the early introduction of vaccines might have the same effect in its own society.



Officials may have concluded that they cannot risk letting their guard down since a widespread outbreak of COVID-19 could quickly overwhelm the tottering health care system. Vaccinating some of the population now would raise false hopes among the public that the country could soon return to what passes for normality in North Korea. Better to keep controls in place until enough vaccine is available to quickly inoculate most of the population at once.





John Burton (johnburtonft@yahoo.com), a former Korea correspondent for the Financial Times, is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and consultant.






Tens of thousands protested in Switzerland on Saturday for the legalization of same-sex marriage in the Alpine country.







The protests came ahead of a national referendum on Sept. 26 on the legalization of gay marriage, which has already been introduced in many other European countries including Germany, Austria, France and the Netherlands.







Public broadcaster SRF reported that tens of thousands participated in the Zurich Pride parade which had the slogan ''You can do it. Marriage for everyone now.''







So far, same-sex couples in Switzerland can only get official approval for civil unions, which are not on equal footing as marriages. If a majority votes for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Switzerland this would also allow couple to adopt children. In addition, lesbian couples would have easier access to sperm donations if they wanted to start a family and it would be easier for foreign partners to get Swiss citizenship.







Opponents of the legalization say that marriage should be reserved for a man and a woman together only and that children should have the right to have both a traditional father and a mother.







SRF reported that 70 groups from the LGBTQ community supported the protests. (AP)


By Arthur I. Cyr





The visit of newly installed Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of Israel to the United States could not be more timely. On Aug. 27, he met with President Joe Biden at the White House. The photo op handshake between the two is especially important right now.



The security of Israel along with regional stability are sustained United States foreign policy priorities. The interests of our two nations have not always coincided, yet the partnership endures.



Prime Minister Bennett's statement in the Oval Office is of self-evident importance, and is worth quoting at length:



"I bring with me a new spirit, a spirit of good will, a spirit of hope, a spirit of decency and honesty, a spirit of unity and bipartisanship, of folks who  harbor very different political opinions, even opposing, yet we all share the deep passion to work together to build a better future for Israel." Biden reciprocated the warm words.



Bennett's predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu was in office for 12 years. The intense nationalism of that leader led to aggressive annexation of territory, confrontational policies and difficult relations with the U.S. and other allies. Netanyahu currently is on trial for corruption, which appears to mark the end of his long turbulent political career.



Netanyahu's relationship with President Barack Obama was unpleasant. President Donald Trump purchased better relations through considerable accommodation of Israel.



This included moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem with no concessions in return. Trump does deserve credit for securing diplomatic recognition of Israel by Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates.



Bennett has seized the opportunity to emphasize a fresh start, and positive opportunity represented by his government, a relatively broad coalition. The government includes the United Arab List.



Welcoming the Arab political party into government is an Israeli first. This is encouraging in the volatile, divided Middle East, which witnessed brutal combat between Hamas and Israel earlier this year.



Bennett's visit also occurred during the continuing disastrous debacle of the costly, rushed American withdrawal from Afghanistan. Indirectly, U.S. cooperation with ally Israel may increase as a result, especially given Bennett's forthcoming style and positive, pragmatic approach so far.



Despite Afghanistan, in the long term the U.S. has provided significant strategic leadership in the Middle East and Persian Gulf region. In 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower rightly opposed and forced termination of a misguided effort by Britain, France and Israel to retake the nationalized Suez Canal from Egypt by military force.



In 1973, defense and diplomatic efforts of the Nixon administration were crucial to Israel's ultimate survival against a combined attack by Arab states. Five years later, President Jimmy Carter brokered peace between Egypt and Israel.



During 1990-91, President George H.W. Bush led an international military coalition that drove invader Iraq from Kuwait. Secretary of State James Baker demonstrated extraordinary energy and ability in successful diplomacy that followed.



The U.S. refrained from destroying the Iraq government, did confirm America's regional leadership, and established a partially independent Palestine authority.



Today, Iran and Russia steadily expand influence in the Middle East. The first is a militant adversary. The second was our principal enemy during the Cold War.



George H.W. Bush and James Baker decisively demonstrated American leadership. That legacy remains, awaiting leaders equal to the demanding work.



Israel's government has a promising opportunity today to work with the U.S. to further regional stability.





Arthur I. Cyr (arthuri.cyr@gmail.com) at Carthage College is the author of "After the Cold War" (NYU Press and Palgrave/Macmillan) and other books.


An actual view of Samsung Electronics' foundry chip-making plant in the U.S. state of Texas is seen in this file photo. Korea Times file



By Kim Yoo-chul



Samsung Electronics denied reports Monday that the city of Taylor in Williamson County, the U.S. states of Texas, has been decided on as the location for its new foundry semiconductor plant.



"Regarding the location of Samsung's new semiconductor plant, we are in the process of reviewing details such as incentive packages and other forms of administrative support submitted by cities in different U.S. states," a Samsung official said Monday.



Despite the company's official denial, procedural steps were reportedly underway for a meeting Thursday (KST) among Taylor, Williamson County and Samsung Electronics to discuss measures that would support Samsung Austin Semiconductor's selection of the city as the site for the new plant



At the meeting, the Taylor City Council is set to authorize City Mayor Brandt Rydell to execute a "tax abatement agreement, a development agreement and a development review services reimbursement agreement," according to reports.



While Samsung Electronics stressed the meeting doesn't necessarily mean it has reached an agreement with the city and county for the new plant, investors and market watchers speculate the company is close to deciding on Taylor as the location. Located 60 kilometers away from Austin  where Samsung already operates massive foundry chip facilities  the city has been considered as the prime spot for the new investment.



In February this year, heavy snow in Texas halted the operation of the company's Austin plant due to a power outage, which resulted in financial losses and awakened Samsung to the need to explore new places other than Austin to hedge against infrastructure-related risks. In June this year, Samsung Electronics requested Taylor to provide $314 million in tax incentives over the next 10 years including property tax value limits, which was approved by Taylor Independent School District.



During President Moon Jae-in's first face-to-face summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in May, Samsung announced plans to construct a second foundry line in the United States. However, questions on the details and a project timeline were put on hold. Biden earlier proposed $50 billion in support for semiconductor manufacturing, which has attracted major companies such as Intel, and TSMC of Taiwan to review sizable new investments.



The release from prison on parole of Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong raised the possibility that he would address pending investment plans in the United States and other areas as these require his signoff which he was not legally permitted to do while incarcerated.


PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) - Portland police are investigating yet another shooting that occurred in the downtown area over the weekend.

Police said officers were in the Old Town Chinatown area at about 12:43 a.m. on Sunday when they heard gunshots near West Burnside Street and Northwest 4th Avenue. Officers responded and found people scattering from the area.

According to police, it appears people associated with two vehicles stopped in the area to fight each other and someone fired a gun during the fight. One person was injured and taken to an area hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.

3 injured in shooting at Pearl District restaurant PORTLAND, OR (KPTV)  The Portland Police Bureau said three people have been injured in a shooting at a Pearl District restaurant on Saturday 

Officers later located both vehicles involved and recovered a gun, according to police. The suspect had fled on foot and has not been located. A description of the suspect has not been released by police. No additional details were provided, and the investigation is ongoing.

Portland police are also investigating a shooting that occurred in the Pearl District on Saturday afternoon. According to police, there had been a physical fight at the restaurant Everybody Eats and then shots were fired as people were leaving. Three people, a woman and two teens, were taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
WASHINGTON COUNTY, OR  The Washington County Sheriffs Office said one man died in a road rage shooting Friday night near Beaverton.

Road rage incident leads to shooting in Hazel Dell HAZEL DELL, WA (KPTV)  The Clark County Sheriffs Office said a road rage incident turned into a shooting in Hazel Dell on Friday.

WCSO said just before 7 p.m. Friday, deputies and Beaverton police officers responded to a shooting on Southwest Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway and Southwest 103rd Avenue. When they arrived, they learned two men had been involved in a road rage incident that continued on the side of the road. Both men got out of their vehicles armed with handguns.

The sheriffs office said multiple shots were fired and one man died at the scene. He has been identified as 51-year-old Mark E. Stadamire of Salem.

The other man remained on scene and was cooperative. The investigation continues and no arrests have been made.
(ST. JOSEPH, Mo.) The state of Louisiana has seen major devastation in the wake of Hurricane Ida.

The category 4 storm's wrath destroyed homes and sent many in search of basic needs. Scenes from the area inspired Ed Defenbaugh, a local American Red Cross volunteer to help those in need.

"The devastation is unbelievable," He said. "You can't fathom it unless you're there."

Defenbaugh has volunteered with the Red Cross for 5 years and has been deployed four times to assist in relief efforts across the country and locally.

"It's great when we can put a local face to help those in their darkest hour," Angie Springs, Spokesperson, American Red Cross said.

Springs said Defenbaugh is just one of the many local volunteers being dispatched across the nation

In addition to Hurricane Ida's devastation, other natural disasters have kept Red Cross volunteers busy, furthermore, the ongoing pandemic has kept some volunteers at home for fear of contracting the virus.

"We don't have enough volunteers with all the things that are going on in the country," Defenbaugh said.

"Our volunteers are tired," Springs said. "We have a great need for [new] volunteers to step up and help."

Defenbaugh and Springs said they're both hoping more people answer the call to help so many people recover from disasters.

"The need doesn't seem to take a break," Springs said. "When you volunteer for the American Red Cross, you're volunteering to provide help and hope to those on what could potentially be the worst day of their life."

Defenbaugh left St. Joseph late Sunday morning with the Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) headed for Baton Rouge later in the week.
Tough decisions about who gets an ICU bed are getting 'perilously close,' Fauci says
WEST GLACIER, Mont. - A plan has been proposed regarding authorization of existing commercial air tours over Glacier National Park.

According to a release from Glacier National Park, the proposed Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) would authorize the existing commercial air tour operators to provide up to 144 air tours per year on defined routes.

The draft ATMP also includes a provision to phase out commercial air tours through attrition, which is consistent with the Parks General Management Plan.

There are 24 parks in the National Parks System, including Glacier National Park, that are developing air tour management plans in cooperation with the FAA.

The parks release says the agencies hope to complete all air tour management plans by the end of August 2022

The schedule is part of a plan approved by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for the agencies to comply with the National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000 within two years the release said.

At this time the public can give feedback on the draft ATMP, and anyone with an interest or a concern about air tours over Glacier National Park is encouraged to review and comment.

Public feedback can be provided through the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website from September 3, 2021, through October 3, 2021. The NPS and FAA will consider comments to help inform the final ATMP for Glacier National Park. The project website is available at: online here.

A public meeting for Glacier National Parks ATMP is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 4:30 - 6:00 pm MT / 6:30-8:00 pm ET and will be live-streamed via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Links to meeting notifications and recordings will be posted to the project website.

We encourage anyone who is interested in air tours over the park to share their thoughts on the proposed plan for Glacier National Park on the project website, said Pete Webster, Acting Superintendent. The draft plan continues scenic air tour activity over the park at current levels while reducing the number of flight allocations annually from what was set during the interim operating authority provided by the National Air Tour Management Act. It achieves the direction, set forth in Glaciers General Management Plan, to eventually phase out air tour activity over Glacier National Park.
With Laconia becoming a performing arts city, what supporting businesses do you think we need?
ROME, SEP 6 - A man was detained by highway police late on Sunday in relation to the murder of a 27-year-old woman in the town of Calmasino di Bardolino, near Verona, sources said on Monday. The woman was found in a pool of blood in her home by her partner. The suspect was stopped by police while riding a motorbike on the A1 highway near Florence, the sources said. He has confessed, the sources said. (ANSA).
ROME, SEP 6 - The Lombardy regional government has approved draft legislation to be put to parliament that would ban electric scooters being used by minors and make it obligatory for adults riding them to wear helmets. The move comes after a 13-year-old died last week following an accident on an electric scooter on a cycle path in Sesto San Giovanni, near Milan. "Unfortunately, the dramatic events that keep happening make necessary a more careful reflection on how these vehicles should circulate," said Lombardy Governor Attilio Fontana. (ANSA).
ROME, SEP 6 - The meeting of G20 health ministers on Monday approved the 'Pact of Rome' and pledged to make sure the population of the whole world has access to COVID-19 vaccines. "The Pact of Rome was unanimously approved by all of the G20 countries," Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza told a news conference at the end of the two-day meeting in Rome. "Together it was decided to make a commitment to reinforce the health systems. "The first point in investment in health systems. "We want to defend the universal framework - you have the right to be treated regardless of your class or race". He said that the world's largest economies had made a commitment to "take the (COVID-19) vaccines to the most fragile countries". "We want to build the conditions to make it possible for production to other parts of the world," he added. Speranza called for the adoption of a 'one-health' approach. "We want to invest in the One Health approach, looking at human beings, animals and the environment as a single ecosystem to respond to the health emergencies of today and tomorrow," Speranza said. European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, meanwhile, described antibiotic resistance as a "silent pandemic" and said the issue should be included in an international agreement on preparation for, and responses to, pandemics. (ANSA).
When minor children disagree with their parents opposition to vaccination, they must look to statutes or case law for assistance, and may find it lacking.

As of 2021, roughly one-third of U.S. states have passed laws establishing the mature minor doctrine: a legal framework allowing minors to independently obtain health care without parental consent, within specified limitations. Some, but not all, specifically include vaccination.

In other states, minors may still be able to make their own medical decisions thanks to state court rulings establishing the mature minor doctrine.

The 1928 Mississippi case of Gulf & S.I.R. Co. v. Sullivan is one of the earliest of these rulings. In this case, the parents of a 17-year-old railroad employee sued his employer, alleging that a smallpox vaccination administered by the company physician had injured the teen. The parents had neither consented nor objected to his employment by the railroad or the vaccination, but later claimed that their consent was needed for the smallpox shot.
Wearing gloves has gone in and out of fashion for centuries, but regardless of personal style, many antiquers enjoy collecting gloves and glove boxes.
The San Diego coast helicopter accident happened on Aug. 31, forcing the United States Navy to conduct search-and-rescue to see if the missing sailors are still alive.

However, the defense department of America now confirmed that the missing individuals aboard the MS-60 S helicopter, which crashed after lifting off from the USS Abrahan Lincoln aircraft carrier.

According to New York Post's latest report, the chopper crashed in the Pacific Ocean after the sailors were conducting their routinary flight operations.

"The #USNavy has declared the five missing crew members of an MH-60S helicopter crash, deceased. Search and rescue efforts have shifted to recovery operations," said the U.S. Navy via its official Twitter account.

"As a matter of respect for the families and in accordance with Navy policy, the identities of the Sailors will be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified," added the agency.

San Diego Helicopter Crash's Cause

As of the moment, the reason for the latest helicopter accident on the San Diego coast is still undetermined. But, the U.S. Navy said that they would further investigate the accident to know what really caused the crash so that it would not happen again.

READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden Flip-Flops on When Life Begins in Abortion, Says Life Does Not Begin at Conception Contradicting Past Claims

Aside from this, USA Today reported that investigators are still trying to find out if the MS-60 S chopper hit some parts of the aircraft carrier. On the other hand, authorities explained that the chopper crashed around 70 miles or 112 kilometers off San Diego.

As a matter of respect for the families and in accordance with Navy policy, the identities of the Sailors will be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified. (2/2)  U.S. Navy (@USNavy) September 4, 2021

Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy said it would not provide the exact identities of the deceased sailors since the investigation is not done yet. Right now, the best thing you can do as an American resident is to wait for further announcements of the military agency.

Reasons Why a Helicopter Could Crash

The Lambert Firm provided some of the most common reasons why a helicopter might malfunction and lead to a sudden crash:

Failing to plan a flight path properly.

Failing to undergo appropriate training for flight and maintenance personnel.

Failing to provide proper training manuals and operational procedures.

Failing to adequately maintain the helicopter.

Failing to follow proper oversight and review procedures.

Failing to operate the craft properly.

Operating the helicopter in an unsafe condition.

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A new Emerson College poll showed that former President Donald Trump would beat President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election. The latest poll has also included a hypothetical match-up between Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

There was 47 percent of American voters who leaned toward Donald Trump compared to 46 percent for Joe Biden in a 2024 hypothetical election survey, The Blaze reported.

In the national poll of 1,200 registered voters between August 30 and September 1, it also revealed that Joe Biden received 48 percent of the vote compared to DeSantis' 36 percent.

Sen. Mitt Romney would also be beaten by the current president in the hypothetical match-up, with Romney getting 23 percent of the vote, while Biden with 42 percent.

Spencer Kimball, director of Emerson College Polling, said the data reminds him of 1912 when Teddy Roosevelt failed to win the Republican nomination from former President William Taft.

Kimball noted that the data suggests that Republicans want either Donald Trump or a Trumpian candidate to be their nominee. Otherwise, they may split from the party, according to the director of the polling.

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Joe Biden's Approval Rating

Newsweek reported that a separate poll released by ABC News and The Washington Post showed that Joe Biden's approval rating had plummeted from the end of June to the beginning of September.

Biden's approval rating has been at 50 percent on June 30. It then declined to 44 percent as of September 1. The poll also showed 51 percent of Americans disapproving of the president.

Afghanistan has been the main factor for Joe Biden's rising disapproval rating, with 61 percent of the Americans disapproving of Biden's handling of the withdrawal.

Seventy-one percent think the war in Afghanistan was a failure, with 38 percent saying that the U.S. should have withdrawn but left some troops, NPR reported.

Meanwhile, 37 percent said it should have been pulled out completely, and just 10 percent said no troops should be withdrawn.

Forty-nine percent of voters also believed that former President George W. Bush should be held accountable for the war in Afghanistan. Joe Biden came second at 24 percent, while former President Barack Obama got 18 percent.

Only 10 percent of voters believe that Donald Trump should be held the most accountable for the war in Afghanistan, Daily Mail reported.

Republicans mostly pin the blame on Biden and Obama, who announced Osama bin Laden's death in 2011. The former Democratic president vowed to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan, but he never entirely did so.

On the other hand, Democrats are blaming Bush and Trump. Donald Trump earlier negotiated the exit deal with the Taliban without the then-Afghan government at the discussion.

Donald Trump's 2024 Presidential Run

Donald Trump and his allies had been suggesting that he will run again in 2024. Former top Trump adviser Jason Miller said it's somewhere "between 99 and 100 percent" that Trump would run once again for office.

Miller noted that Donald Trump has not exactly said that he will run, but if one would talk to him, they would get the idea that he's running.

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: Joe Biden Aays Afghanistan Exit Marks End of US Nation-Building - From Al Jazeera English






A doctor from South Florida said she would refuse to treat patients who were unvaccinated against COVID-19. Linda Marraccini announced her decision by sending letters to her patients.

The Florida doctor informed them that unvaccinated patients would no longer be allowed to book in-person appointments at her practice since the Pfizer vaccine was fully approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"This is a public health emergency - the health of the public takes priority over the rights of any given individual in this situation," Marraccini said in the letter.

READ NEXT: Heart Inflammation Link to Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines Still Rare, New Study Shows

Florida Doctor Says Unvaccinated Patients Will not be Treated

The Florida doctor said she has other patients, who are immunocompromised or in chemotherapy, adding that she does not want to expose them to the virus in her clinic, Business Insider reported.

"We will no longer subject our patients and staff to unnecessary risk," Marraccini underscored.

The Florida doctor noted that the new policy in her clinic would take effect by September 15. Despite her announcement she will no longer provide in-person treatments to her unvaccinated patients, the Florida doctor said she would not leave her unvaccinated patients "in the cold."

Marraccini noted that she would continue to see the said patients through virtual meetings. The Florida doctor also said she would make an exception for patients who cannot get the COVID-19 vaccine for health reasons.

After receiving backlash from her decision, the Florida doctor defended her decision, saying it does not defy or violate the Hippocratic Oath that centers on treating any ill patient to the best of the doctor's ability.

According to a modern version of the said oath, doctors pledge that they shall "prevent disease" whenever they can, "for prevention is preferable to cure."

"The Hippocratic Oath is very science-based. I am following the science. I'm applying to the benefits of the sick," Marraccini said.

The decision of the Florida doctor also came as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in May signed a new law that prevents businesses, government, and educational entities from requiring people to prove their COVID-19 vaccination status.

Marraccini noted that it was "infuriating" for doctors like her to see children suffer as DeSantis rejects protection from the virus, such as masks and vaccinations.

According to a vaccine racker from The New York Times, about 54 percent of Florida's population were recorded to be fully vaccinated. John Hopkins University's latest data showed that more than 46,000 individuals from the state die due to COVID-19.

Alabama Doctor Says He Won't Treat Unvaccinated Patients

Marraccini was not the first doctor who refused in-person treatment among unvaccinated patients. In August, Alabama doctor Jason Valentine from Mobile's Diagnostic and Medical Clinic Infirmary Health posted a photo on his social media showing him next to a sign that says the doctor will not see COVID-19 unvaccinated patients effective on October 1.

In a letter Valentine posted on his social media account, the doctor said he "cannot and will not force" anyone to take the vaccine. However, the doctor further noted that he could not continue to watch his patients "suffer and die" from an "eminently preventable disease."

USA Today reported that Valentine's post has since been deleted from his social media account.

READ MORE: Pfizer, Moderna Booster Shots Will Be Available to the Public Starting Next Month, Biden Administration Says

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WATCH: Florida Hospitals See Tenfold Jump in Kids Hospitalized for COVID-19 Since School Began - From FOX 13 Tampa Bay
Jeff Bezos and Yuri Milner are reportedly investing in a startup biotechnology firm aiming to discover a way to reverse aging.

Incorporated in the U.S. and the U.K. earlier this year, Altos Labs had raised at least $270 million to look into the possibility of a cell reprogramming technology to turn back aging in animals and eventually humans, Daily Mail reported.

Jeff Bezos and Yuri Milner are not new to investing in labs that are focusing on anti-aging solutions. Bezos has previously invested in anti-aging firm Unity Biotechnology.

On the other hand, Yuri Milner has been funding longevity research through the Milky Way Foundation. He made a fortune on Facebook and Mail.ru. He invested in technology firms Facebook and cofounded internet company Mail.Ru.

READ NEXT: Jeff Bezos Is Resigning as Amazon CEO, Who Will Replace Him?

Altos Labs

Altos Labs is pursuing biological reprogramming technology and will establish several institutes in places like Bay Area in San Diego, Cambridge in the U.K., and Japan, MIT Technology Review reported.

Biological reprogramming technology is a way to rejuvenate cells in the lab, and several scientists think it could be extended to revitalize animal bodies and ultimately prolonging human life.

Altos Labs made new hires, including Peter Walter. Walter's laboratory at the University of California in San Francisco is behind a molecule that shows remarkable effects on memory.

Wolf Reik is also joining the team. He recently resigned as the director of the Babraham Institute in the U.K. after he said he was taking a job with another research organization.

Altos Labs is recruiting university professors by offering salaries worth $1 million a year or more, with freedom from the hassle of applying for grants.

Manuel Serrano of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine said the company would pay him five to 10 times what he earns now.

Dr. Alejandro Ocampo noted that the concept is strong, but there is a lot of hype. He added that it's far away from translation. Ocampo used to work on Spanish biologist Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte's team at the Salk Institute in California.

Belmonte is among the scientists said to be joining Altos Labs. Belmonte, known for his research in mixing human and monkey embryos, has predicted that human lifespans could be increased by 50 years.

Anti-Aging Companies

Aside from billionaires Jeff Bezos and Yuri Milner, Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel also invested in South San Francisco-based United Biotechnology, a company aiming to extend human healthspan.

Anti-aging company Calico was also formed in 2013 by Google. Google co-founder Larry Ellison donated hundreds of millions of dollars to aging research, CNBC reported.

Other research companies diving into the aging study include BioAge, BioViva, The Longevity Fund, the Methuselah Foundation, and AgeX.

Nir Barzilai, author of "Age Later," said people who believe death is an option rather than an eventuality are given the right hacks. Barzilai is also the director of the Institute of Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

He noted that they expect $45 billion to be invested this year alone in life-extending science, New York Post reported.

David Sinclair, head of labs at Harvard Medical School and University of New South Wales in Australia, believes in extended life spans. He wrote in his book "Lifespan" that living until 150 may not be out of reach.

Altos Labs is being led by CEO Richard Klausner, a former chief of the National Cancer Institute. The lab is being created without the expectation of revenue. However, any anti-aging treatment it might discover would be worth billions.

READ MORE: Jeff Bezos Warns Employees "One Day, Amazon Will Fail"

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WATCH: How Jeff Bezos Built Amazon - From NBC News






Before engaging in a gunfight with the Florida law enforcement, a man wearing full-body armor fatally shot four individuals, including a mother and her three-month-old baby she's cradling, a Florida sheriff said Sunday.

The Florida shooter, who was identified as a former Marine, exchanged fire with the police before he ended up wounded and surrendering to law enforcement.

Florida Shooter's Background

According to NPR, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a press conference that 33-year-old Bryan Riley was arrested Sunday morning after shooting in two different homes along North Socrum Loop Road.

Despite being on a hospital gurney, Riley was still so aggressive that he even tried to wrestle an officer to get his gun. Judd said the former marine who served as a sharpshooter in both Iraq and Afghanistan was apparently suffering from mental health issues after he has targeted his victims at random.

Judd noted that Riley's girlfriend and family said he was an honorably discharged Marine who had PTSD and was slowly unraveling for weeks.

The suspect repeatedly told her girlfriend that he could communicate directly with God. Judd said the Florida shooter told them that his victims "begged for their lives and I killed them anyway."

READ NEXT: FBI, DHS Anticipate Foreign Terrorist Messages Exploiting Upcoming 9/11 Anniversary, U.S. Withdrawal From Afghanistan: Report

Victims of Florida Shooting

Preliminary investigation's evidence showed that the 40-year-old Justice Gleason just happened to be an unlucky stranger. He was out mowing his lawn Saturday night when the former Marine drove by his home in Lakeland and said that God instructed him to stop because Gleason's daughter Amber was going to commit suicide.

Aside from the death of four individuals, Riley shot an 11-year-old girl seven times, but authorities reportedly expect her to survive after she received treatment at Tampa General.

Authorities responded to the scene after receiving calls but never found the Florida shooter. However, nine hours later, at around 4:30 a.m, Judd said Riley returned to his home and created a path that led officers "into an ambush."

After hearing popping noises, a lieutenant far in the distance immediately put the agency on active shooter mode and brought all state and local law enforcement in the area to the scene.

Authorities arrived at the home and found an unarmed Riley outside, dressed in camouflage. However, Riley immediately ran inside, and officers heard a round of gunfire and heard a woman scream and a baby whimper.

Officers tried to enter the front door of the house, but Riley barricaded it. When the officers attempted to enter at the back of the house, they were surprised by Riley, who already wore his full body armor, including head and knee coverings and a bulletproof vest, ABC News reported.

After authorities outmanned him during the exchange of fires, Judd said it forced Riley to retreat back into the home.

Despite the possible threat, a sergeant rushed inside and grabbed the 11-year-old girl, who had been shot at least seven times. Before she was rushed into surgery, the girl told the deputies that three people inside the home were already dead, Bay News 9 reported.

Deputies have sent robots into the home to check for explosives and other traps. When it was clear, they found the bodies of the victims, Gleason; the 33-year-old mother; the baby; and the baby's 62-year-old grandmother, who was in a separate home nearby.

Authorities released only Gleason's name and did not say how he was related to the other victims.

READ MORE: Florida Judge Dismisses Hunter Biden Laptop Repairman's Defamation Lawsuit Against Twitter

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WATCH: Florida Gunman Kills 4 people, Including Mom Still Holding Baby - From WGN News
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had reportedly asked for a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II, with hopes to plan a christening with their daughter Lilibet at Windsor Castle.

Reports noted that palace staffers were left stunned with their request to meet the Queen, according to a Page Six report.

A source said that the Sussex couple had made the offer, but many people were shocked by the "sheer nerve of it." The source added that the couple might genuinely want to see the Queen. However, it's "breathtaking" due to the situations that they have put her through this year.

The monarchy is also reportedly preparing for the release of Harry's memoir next year, with reports saying that the Queen's aides were getting lawyers against any new claims, according to The Sun report.

Sources said the Queen has not yet responded, adding that there has been a discussion about whether an invitation should be sent to Harry and Meghan for Christmas.

The Queen was said still be very fond of Harry and would love to see her grandchildren Lilibet and Archie. However, courtiers were reported surprised by the move, particularly from Meghan. However, the Queen was reportedly "exasperated" with attacks by the Sussexes. She has ordered staff to be read to refute any new claims in Harry's memoir.

READ NEXT: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Had Considered Naming 'Royal Racist' Who Asked About Archie's Skin Color

Prince Harry's Memoir

In July, the Duke of Sussex had announced that he would be releasing a book about his life in the public eye. According to an Express report, its publisher Penguin Random House branded the book as a "definitive account."

Reports had also been released that the duke had signed a four-book deal, with at least one to be released after the Queen's death.

One source said that the family is concerned that Harry will go into his feelings about his mother's death, including his initial feelings about his father's relationship with Camilla.

Daily Mirror Royal editor Russel Myers said that he does not think Harry will do one book and leave it at that. He said that it will not be the last, almost certainly.

Finding Freedom was a book written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand. It was released in August last year.

The couple had initially denied having anything to do with the book. However, Meghan later admitted that she had allowed a friend to speak to the authors.

Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Interview

The Sussex couple had also done an interview special with Oprah Winfrey and discussed their reasons for leaving the monarchy. They had also talked about issues of race and mental health while they were serving as royals.

Meanwhile, Harry had been featured in a doc-series "The Me You Can't See," which he co-created with Oprah for AppleTV+. The said doc-series focuses on mental health, wherein the Prince had openly talked about his own experiences.

On the other hand, Meghan was also said to be planning to release a book about wellness.

READ MORE: Prince Charles Won't Allow Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Kids to Receive Royal Titles When He Becomes King

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WATCH: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly want to visit the Queen - from Today Show Australia






Governor Gavin Newsom made his rounds around Southern California over the weekend as he continues to fight the nearing of the recall elections in the state that can remove him from his office.

Newsom continued to urge the people to "Vote No," nine days ahead of the upcoming elections, where he would face several Republican gubernatorial hopefuls.

READ NEXT: Pres. Joe Biden Backs California Gov. Gavin Newsom in Upcoming Recall Election, Urges Voters to Vote 'No'

Democrats Show Support to Gavin Newsom as California Recall Elections Near

Some big-name Democrats from across the country touted their support as Newsom faces possible removal from his office.

On Sunday, California representative Maxine Waters joined Newsom when he appeared at a campaign event in MacArthur Park. The said campaign was attended by the L.A. County Federation of Labor as well as large crowds from union members and volunteers.

On Saturday, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren joined the California governor in Culver City. Warren and Newsom were reported to take part in an outdoor rally at Culver City High School, where polls show that left-leaning younger and Latino voters were slow to turn in their mail ballots.

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar was scheduled to join the California Governor in his rally on Sunday. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris was scheduled to travel to the Bay Area on Wednesday to show support to Newsome, according to Harris' chief spokesperson Symone Sanders.

In an interview on Friday, Newsom shared that he was honored by the support he receives from the Democrats, whom he called "strong women."

Although Kamala Harris was confirmed to join Newsom in his campaign, there were no announcements regarding President Joe Biden traveling to California, despite White House press secretary Jen Psaki saying in her August 25 briefing that the "president still plans and campaign for Gov. Newsom in California."

Poll Shows Gavin Newsom Leads Recall Election Race

As recall elections in California are just a day ahead, Newsom is set to face notable Republican gubernatorial hopefuls.

Republican governor hopefuls such as Larry Elder, John Cox, Kevin Faulconer, Caitlyn Jenner, Kevin Kiley are among the candidates who seek Newsom's removal from his current post.

Meanwhile, Kevin Paffrath also ran in the recall elections, making him the only Democrat who seeks to replace Newsom from his Governor duties.

A recent poll mentioned by ABC 7 revealed that Newsom established a lead in the recall elections. Meanwhile, Conservative radio host Larry Elder leads the gubernatorial hopefuls to replace Newsom, based on a Five Thirty-Eight poll, garnering 24.2 percent.

Democratic strategist Michelle Jeung said that if more Democrats will go out to show support for the California governor, Newsom will be fine in the recall elections. Jeung further noted that Democrats need national figures because Californians do not "necessarily feel highly motivated by Gavin Newsom himself."

In mid-August, State election officials started mailing the ballots to California's 22 million registered voters. The said ballots need to be returned in person or postmarked by September 14. The said ballot would ask voters from the state if Gavin Newsom should be removed from office. If more than 50 percent answered "Yes," then the leading candidate among the governor hopefuls will replace Newsom from his post.

READ NEXT: California Secretary of State Faces Lawsuits From Governor Hopefuls Kevin Faulconer, Larry Elder as Recall Election Nears

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WATCH: Democrats Campaign for Newsom Before California's Recall Election - From Good Morning America
Indigenous groups in Brazil are urging world leaders to support their new target to protect 80 percent of the Amazon from deforestation by 2025.

Indigenous groups are saying that bold action is needed to stop deforestation in the Earth's largest rainforest before the effects come to the point that it cannot be reversed, according to an Aljazeera report.

The Amazonian indigenous have launched their target on Sunday during a nine-day conference in Marseille, France.

Several thousand officials, scientists, and campaigners are present at the conference, laying the foundation for United Nations talks on biodiversity in the Kunming next year.

Jose Gregorio Diaz Mirabal, the lead coordinator for COICA, said that they are inviting the global community to join them in reversing the destruction of their home.

COICA represents the Indigenous groups in nine Amazon-basin nations.

The group also wants Congress to endorse its "Amazonia80x2025" declaration to give the proposal a chance of gaining attention in Kunming, according to a Voice of America News report.

READ NEXT: Amazon Rainforest in Brazil Is Being Plagued by Armed Violence Linked to Illegal Gold Mining

Amazon Deforestation

Under 50 percent of the Amazon basin is currently under some form of official indigenous stewardship.

However, pressure from mining and oil exploration, as well as ranching is growing, according to a Reuters report.

Deforestation has grown since President Jair Bolsonaro became the president of Brazil in 2019. It has reached a 12-year high last year, which had gained international traction.

The rainforest has lost 10,476 square kilometers between August 2020 and July 2021. The lost area was nearly seven times bigger than Greater London.

In addition, it can also be compared to being 13 times the size of New York City.

Data released by Imazon also noted that the figure is 57 percent higher than in the previous year and is considered worst since 2012, according to The Guardian report.

Carlos Souza, a researcher at Imazon, said that deforestation is still out of control, adding that Brazil is going against the global climate agenda.

Souza has called out the government to act on the ongoing enforcement of illegal agriculture-led deforestation in the region.

Bolsonaro has deployed thousands of soldiers to combat illegal deforestation and fires as a response.

However, Marcio Astrini said the policy has been ineffective. Astrini is the Climate Observatory executive-secretary.

Former environment minister Ricardo Salles had resigned amid a criminal investigation in June. The investigation is about allegations that a police investigation into illegal Amazon logging was blocked.

Militant groups in the Amazon have taken the matter into their own hands when it comes to protecting the forest from illegal land grabbers, loggers, and miners.

However, many of the Guajajara Guardian members live in constant danger, according to a Vox report. At least 113 indigenous people were killed in the country in 2019, with the majority of those were committed to the protection of the borders of their territories.

Those who were killed have also fought against logging and mining.

Some of the members are armed. However, the group's chief noted that the group uses nonviolence in their work.

With the current rate of deforestation, the Amazon could be turned into savannas.

READ MORE: Parts of Amazon Rainforest in Brazil Are Being Illegally Offered for Sale on Facebook Marketplace

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WATCH: 'Lungs of the world' - Amazon rainforest now emits more CO2 than it absorbs - from Fox 13 Tampa Bay






The national network representing the interest of rural communities, Irish Rural Link (IRL), has launched it's new Meals on Wheels Network website and Interactive Service Map.

The National Meals on Wheels network was established under the umbrella of IRL in 2015. The aim of the network is to provide a local, community led professional facility to assist people who require services to maintain optimum health, independence with strong life extending possibilities.

Demand for Meals on Wheels was increasing prior to the pandemic, but increased significantly during this time. With an ageing population, demand is expected to continue to increase in the coming years. Meals on Wheels is more than just a meal, It also helps reduce isolation and loneliness with a social element to it. Meals on Wheels aligns with many of the objectives of Slaintecare  the Governments new healthcare framework  providing health and social care in the community and allowing people to age in their own home.

Over the past few months IRL undertook a needs assessment of the service across the country and developed an Interactive map to help identify gaps in services. This map is available on the new website and is the first of its kind for Meals on Wheels. It is a valuable resource for people to find a service in their local area for themselves or family member or friend who could benefit from the service.

National Meals on Wheels Network website and interactive map is now live. If you or you know someone who would like to use the service you can find a local service on https://t.co/3vNT9mZkxV pic.twitter.com/sfnQ70qyuv September 6, 2021

Seamus Boland, CEO of IRL, said: The CSO report published last week on Irelands population showed there was a 17.9% increase over the past 5 years in the number of people over 65 years. These numbers will continue to increase. How we deliver healthcare to older people must change and community services such as Meals on Wheels plays a key role in ensuring people can age at home with easy access to services.

Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler TD says: "The new National Meals on Wheels Network website will provide an invaluable resource for individuals and families in communities across the country seeking these vital services. The interactive Map available on the website is the first of its kind in Ireland providing a dedicated resource for people looking for information on services in their local area.

The development of the Network and website will not only help those availing of this service today but also those who will be utilising services in the future and will allow for greater inclusivity for people in rural communities. The delivery of these vital services align with Governments priority of supporting people to live in their own homes and communities, with dignity and independence for as long as possible.

Anyone wanting to avail of Meals on Wheels can check out the map on the website on https://mealsonwheelsnetwork.ie/. Any service provider who would like to join the network can do so through the website also or contact Irish Rural Link on 090 6482744.
Kildare communities and local groups are being invited to apply for grants which can help them Recover Better as the country emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Community Foundation for Ireland has re-opened its Covid-19 Recovery Fund in response to research which shows that voluntary, community and charitable groups in Kildare and across the country are struggling to meet demand for lifeline supports and services.

According to the Charities Regulator, 74% of charities reported a severe impact on their organisation's income for 2020. The Wheel, the national association of community and voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises, has published that 82% of charities are very concerned about whether they will have sufficient funds to provide their services in 2021.

The Community Foundation, which is providing the support from private donations, says its aim is to ensure communities in Kildare recover better than the pre-pandemic status quo. To achieve this ambitious goal there are two areas which have been identified as needing immediate support:

 Community Recovery and Resilience: Overcoming Isolation

 Sector Recovery and Resilience: Building Capacity

A total of 580,000 is being made available.

Overcoming Isolation

Isolation and the impact on health and wellbeing is affecting people of all ages. Through this funding we will support social prescribing initiatives in outdoor spaces and online. This will encourage peer support, a sense of community and improved mental wellbeing. Communities and organisations working with them have especially highlighted the need to develop outdoor opportunities for those they work with, as they grapple with living with Covid-19.

Grants of up to 3,000 will be available for grassroots and community development organisations for projects that encourage communities to overcome the isolation of the last year and a half. The key outcome of your project should be building a sense community that encourages socialising, peer support and improved wellbeing.

Building Capacity

In order to recover stronger from the uncertainty of the pandemic, space to think, plan and strategize is crucial. Furthermore, with the uncertainty and even greater marginalisation created by the pandemic, research and advocacy is essential for creating a more equal and resilient society. This open grant round aims to build capacity, strength and resilience within the sector to build a more equal and empowered society.

Grants of up to 20,000 are available to organisations that have been deeply affected by the pandemic.

Applying

Communities and groups in Kildare are being advised that applications are now open and can be made through www.communityfoundation.ie

Announcing the re-opening of the Covid-19 Fund, Denise Charlton of The Community Foundation for Ireland said:

Over the past 18-months we have seen the very best in people, as Kildare communities came together to over-come an un-precedented challenge. Our donors have been to the fore in offering support with our grant-making this year alone set to exceed 20 million. However, it is also true that lifeline services and supports in communities have been deeply scarred while the recovery is also presenting new challenges. Our approach is a partnership one working hand in hand with those on the ground, listening to their emerging needs and responding to them.

As the recovery unfolds we remain committed to working with advocates, community volunteers and workers, our donors as well as Government to ensure that together we can truly Recover Better.

The Community Foundation for Ireland and its partners believe in equality for all in thriving communities. We work with individuals, families, corporates and other trusts and foundations as well as Government to translate giving in the moment to giving that is strategic, sustainable and impactful. We use our skills and knowledge developed over 21-years to help donors turn aspirations into effective investments.

In 2020 alone we provided over 15 million in grants. At a time of national crisis we have adapted and responded forming new and unique partnerships, including a Covid-19 Emergency Fund, RTE Does Comic Relief as well as the Late Late Toy Show Appeal. Together we have given frontline organisations and lifeline services the resources for digital transformation so their vital work can continue through the Pandemic.

Since our establishment, we have provided in excess of 75m to communities through strategic investments. Our Donors provide leadership and support across areas as diverse as engaging communities on climate action, restorative justice for young people, human rights as well as identifying future priorities, including support for all-island civic society engagement.

In addition, the issues of climate change, domestic violence, as well as rights for minorities such as travellers, migrants and LGBTI+, still need to be urgently addressed. Brexit and the post-Covid scenario will also present their own challenges.

We have a dedicated and committed team; they have extensive experience of grant-making from working with over 5,000 non-profit organisations at a national, regional and local level throughout Ireland and overseas. With over 1,800 community foundations globally, the community foundation model is proven and effective model for social change.
A Kildare Senator has written an op-ed piece for The Irish Sun calling on the health service to ease restrictions for gay and bisexual men who wish to donate blood.

Under current Irish law, gay and bisexual men who have sex with men (gbMSM) must abstain from any sexual contact (regardless of the use of condoms and/or PrEP) for a minimum of 12 months before meeting the criteria for donating blood.

The same criteria does not apply to heterosexual blood donors.

Fiona O' Loughlin, a member of Fianna Fail, said in her piece that if it is safe for gay men in the UK to donate blood, then it is also safe in Ireland.

She made reference to how a recent rule change in the blood donation criteria for gay and bisexual men in Northern Ireland came into effect in Northern Ireland last month.

Senator O' Loughlin also made reference to the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) importing a large consignment of blood from the UK for the first time since the 1990s in June of last year.

It has been speculated that it is likely that some of this blood is made up donations from gay and bisexual men in the UK.

The new rules allow for men who have been in a same-sex relationship with one partner for more than three months are now able to donate, thus increasing the number of eligible blood donors.

In her op-ed piece, Senator O' Loughlin said: "To date, in Ireland we continue to exercise blatant inequality, despite the urgent need for blood donations."

"It is not acceptable that we are discriminating against one section of society in Ireland, and time accepting blood from that same community in the UK."

She added that each individual donor should be assessed for their individual risk, regardless of their sexual orientation, and that given the current blood shortage in Ireland, such an amendment would be of the utmost importance.

According to the IBTS, this shortage came about as a result of the pandemic, and earlier this year, it revealed that it currently undertaking a social behaviours review at its existing deferral practice across a number of areas, including MSM (men who have sex with men) donation.

Senator O'Loughlin has been public in her support for allowing gay and bisexual men to donate blood on her social media profiles.
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The Heritage Council has invited people from all over County Kildare to nominate their Heritage Hero for 2021.

People from County Kildare are invited to nominate the person or group that they feel is most deserving of the award by completing the Heritage Hero nomination form.

CEO of the Heritage Council, Virginia Teehan said about the call for nominations: "Heritage Heroes come in different forms: last year, the Heritage Council acknowledged Christy Cunniffe, who had recently retired as the archaeological field monument advisor for County Galway."

"Mr Cunniffe was recognised as a Heritage Hero for his efforts throughout his 30 years of involvement in heritage, in engaging with local communities and heritage groups, and sharing his own knowledge and enthusiasm with those around him."

She continued: "Heritage Heroes are special people who have made a significant contribution to maintaining and promoting our heritage: it may be natural heritage, built heritage or our intangible heritage, which comprises everything from traditional skills to language and sport."

The heritage hero award is part of the National Heritage Awards, which takes place annually to celebrate projects and events from National Heritage Week.

National Heritage Week 2021 ran from 14  22 August, and comprised a mix of online, in-person and community activities and projects.

A total of over 1,000 projects and events took place around the country, 35 of which were shared by project organisers in County Kildare.

At the National Heritage Awards, the Heritage Council will also recognise the most successful heritage project from County Kildare as part of the County Award category.

Nominations for the Heritage Hero of Kildare for 2021 close at 12pm on Monday, September 20.

National Heritage Week is co-ordinated by the Heritage Council as part of European Heritage Days  a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Union in which more than 50 countries participate each year, with further support from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Failte Ireland.

The Heritage Council was established under the Heritage Act 1995 with responsibility to propose policies and priorities for the national heritage.

It works in cooperation with a range of agencies, communities and individuals to promote education, enjoyment and understanding of our national heritage.

For further information, visit www.heritagecouncil.ie.
Live entertaintment is officially back and the Landmark Hotel is delighted to announce a series of indoor seated performances.

All of this has been made possible with the support of the Live Performance Support Scheme (LPSS). Launched by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, the LPSS assists venues, promoters and producers to employ artists and musicians of all genres, performers, technicians and other support staff in the live performance sector.

Capacity will be limited and proof of immunity required.

The full line-up of September/October in-door intimate seated shows is as follows:

Friday 10th September - Derek Ryan in Concert with The Tumbling Paddies

Friday 17th September - The Stunning

Sunday 19th September - Mike Denver & Guests

Thursday 21st October - Phil Coulter in Concert

Thursday 28th October - Pat Shortt & The Dirtbirds

Friday 29th October - The High Kings

First up this Friday is Derek Ryan with The Tumbling Paddies. Derek is no stranger to the Landmark Live stage - hes been a frequent visitor over the years and always packs the house. During his enforced break from the road Derek kept busy writing and recording his new album, Soft Ground, set for release in October and featuring 12 brand new original songs, including a collaboration - On the Sesh - with his support act for his Landmark Live show.

That act, The Tumbling Paddies are six talented Fermanagh musicians who put their own twist on a range of Irish folk classics, country, rock, pop and traditional. More recently, they have started to write their own material to much acclaim including their most recent single from July of this year The Bottom of the Rainbow.

Tickets for this and all Landmark Live upcoming shows are available online at tickets.ie for 35 (plus booking fees) and at the Landmark Hotel Reception. Over 18s only (R.O.A.R.). Door times for each show will be 7:30pm, with show time at 8.30pm.

In accordance with government guidelines, all shows prior to October 22 will require attendees to be fully vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 within the previous 6 months. Proof of immunity will be required. No entry will be permitted nor refunds made to those without proof of immunity.

For full details of all Landmark Live follow them on Facbook @TheLandmarkLive.
MORE than 2.5m worth of illegal drugs and cash have been seized in Limerick so far this year, new figures have revealed.

Statistics circulated to members of the Limerick Joint Policing Committee, show that drugs with a street value of 2,246,437 were seized across the Limerick division between January 1 and August 31, 2021.

The figures, collated by the divisional drugs unit, show that 249 search warrants, under Section 26 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, were executed in Limerick over the eight month period - the equivalent of almost one search per day.

According to the figures, cannabis, worth 1,552,052 has been seized so far this year along with cocaine, worth 562,170; cannabis plants, worth 65,600; heroin, worth 31,403 and tablets worth 19,623.

Cash totalling 263,455, which gardai suspect is linked to illegal drugs, has also been seized since January.

At the quarterly meeting of the JPC, which took place virtually, gardai also revealed that seizures of drugs for personal use have increased by 16% in Limerick so far this year compared to 2020.

In contrast, offences relating to possession of drugs for the purpose of sale or supply have fallen by 10% year-on-year.

A number of individual are currently before the courts in relation to seizures in Limerick earlier this year.
LIMERICK City and County Council is supporting a Limerick GAA club in the GAA Green Clubs pilot initiative which aims to develop good practice guidance for clubs focusing on five key areas to support sustainability challenges.

The Green Club Programme is a partnership between the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association and local authorities across Ireland and is structured around five key areas; Waste, Water, Biodiversity, Energy and Travel and Transportation.

St Patricks GAA club in Limerick city is one of several GAA clubs that have been chosen nationally to participate in the pilot phase of the programme.

The Limerick clubs focus is waste.

St Patricks will work with the GAA, Regional Waste Management Offices, and Limerick City and County Council to develop guidelines and share knowledge on how to manage waste in GAA Clubs.

The final stage of the project will be to develop a waste management toolkit, which will be made available to GAA clubs across the country.

Welcoming the initiative, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick Cllr Daniel Butler said: I would like to thank St Patricks GAA club for embarking on this GAA Green Clubs initiative. Preventing waste is the key to waste management and an important climate action. I am delighted to support St Patricks by gifting them 50 reusable bottles and 50 reusable cups to distribute within their club as part of this initiative.

Speaking on behalf of St Patricks GAA Club, Sammi Chang said: St Patricks GAA has hundreds of members and we are a huge part of the community here in Rhebogue. We are delighted to be part of this national GAA Green Clubs programme and look forward to helping clubs to identify and implement simple measures to protect our natural heritage and secure a sustainable future for all our local communities.

Sinead Mc Donnell, Environment Awareness Officer with the local authority said its wonderful to see a local club embracing reuse for waste prevention. This is a great example of a local climate action and is in line with the sustainability goals around sustainable cities and communities, around responsible production and consumption, climate action and life on land. We look forward to clubs around Ireland learning as a result of the hard work of St Patricks GAA club here in Limerick.
PASSENGER numbers at Shannon Airport have risen 130% from the same week in 2020, the Minister of State for Transport has said.

Hildegarde Naughton visited the base this morning to see how the base is functioning since non-essential international was allowed to recommence back in July.

She met the chairman of its parent company Mary Considine.

The Galway TD said: During my visit today I saw first-hand strong evidence of recovery for our aviation sector, Shannon Airport and the region as a whole. Last week alone, passenger numbers were up by approximately 130% on the same period on 2020 and the airport has seen an 84% rise since the lifting of restrictions. While these are encouraging numbers, I am aware that this is only the beginning of recovery for aviation. Government is committed to ensuring that Shannon Airport, and the Shannon region, continue to be supported in the weeks and months ahead. We will continue to work closely together so as to ensure Shannons deserved position on the international map for visitors. Shannon Airport is doing what it does best  safely serving the needs of the mid-west region and our national and international travellers."

During her visit Minister Naughton was also given a tour of the new hold baggage screening facilities in the airport, which the exchequer provided some 6m in funding to ensure its completion.

She also visited the US Customs and Border Protection operation in the airport which was the first preclearance facility for scheduled transatlantic traffic in Europe.

Excellent visit to @ShannonAirport this afternoon I saw first-hand strong evidence of recovery for our aviation sector, Shannon Airport & the region as a whole. This is just the beginning - Government is committed to supporting Shannon in the weeks and months ahead pic.twitter.com/eQbSX0Via6 September 6, 2021

Ms Considine said: "It was great to welcome Minister Naughton to Shannon Airport to see the progress we have made on upgrading our core infrastructure including our new Hold Baggage Screening facility which will be completed shortly. We have used the downtime during the Pandemic to progress these essential works which would not have been possible without Government support. We also welcomed the opportunity to update the Minister on some of the exciting developments taking place on the airport campus including our ongoing work with Future Mobility Campus Ireland to develop a test-bed for driverless cars and future plans to establish Irelands first passenger and cargo vertiport."
A LIMERICK woman has made her on-screen debut following her appointment as a news presenter on the daily RTE news2day programme.

Reem El-Hassany from Limerick is the newest addition to the news2day team, RTEs news service designed specifically for children, featuring Irish and international news aimed at young audiences.

Following a call out to media and journalism graduates across the country followed by a comprehensive audition process, Reem was chosen to join the team with her first broadcast taking place this Monday on RTE2 and RTE News Now.

Reem was born in Iraq but has lived in Limerick since she was a baby when her family moved to Ireland.

She studied her undergraduate degree in pharmacy at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK and worked as a pharmacist for a year, before moving to South Korea to teach English to young children.

Keen to follow her passion for journalism, she returned home to Limerick to study the MA in Journalism at UL. During her studies, her hunger for work experience resulted in a secondary school radio show as well as presenting the MA in Journalism's live news day programme this year.

Her five siblings and her younger cousins are all very excited to watch her present news2day, which broadcasts Monday-Friday at 4.20pm on RTE2 and RTE News Now.

Watch Reem on RTE news2day here or follow the programme on Twitter.
Reliance Jio completed five years of operation on Monday and wishes poured in from those who benefitted from the cheap data plans offered by the telecom disruptor - tech giants and unicorns.

Since Mukesh Ambani launched Jio in India back in September 2016, data usage in the country has zoomed 1,300 per cent and the number of broadband users quadrupled.

Among tech companies who wished the telecom company on its fifth anniversary were Google, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Xiaomi, Zomato PhonePe, Apollo Hospitals, Ashok Leyland, Tinder India, Voot, Zee5, Samsung India, Vivo, Oppo, Dominos India, and Sony Liv.

Google tweeted, Ok Google, sing happy birthday", while Xiaomi said, 5 years of fueling the Internet revolution in India! @RelianceJio, we're glad to be friends on this mission together. May the fifth be with you!"

Samsung joined the festivities too, posting, Its five, its fast, its fantastic. Its Jios Fifth Anniversary! Congratulations on completing this milestone."

Ok Google, sing happy birthday   #5yearsOfJio  Google India (@GoogleIndia) September 5, 2021

5 years of fueling the Internet revolution in India! @RelianceJio, we're glad to be friends on this mission together. 



May the fifth be with you!  #JioHazaaronSaal #5YearsOfJio  Mi India (@XiaomiIndia) September 5, 2021

Netflix wished with *Pauses episode to wish you a happy 5th anniversary*". Meanwhile Zomato tweeted, Birthday cake is on its way! Happy 5 years! Jug jug Jio."

*Pauses episode to wish you a happy 5th anniversary*   Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) September 5, 2021

Birthday cake is on its way!



Happy 5 years! Jug jug Jio :)#5YearsOfJio  zomato (@zomato) September 5, 2021

OnePlus joined the list of companies wishing Jio well saying Happy 5th birthday! We arent settling for just one cake this year." Nokia congratulated the telco for its commitment on keeping India connected."

Happy 5th birthday! We arent settling for just one cake this year  #5YearsOfJio  OnePlus India (@OnePlus_IN) September 5, 2021

Congratulations on #5YearsOfJio and kudos to your commitment on keeping India connected   Nokia Mobile India (@NokiamobileIN) September 5, 2021

TRAI broadband subscriber's report shows that the number of data users has gone up 4 times in the last 5 years. The number of broadband users increased from 19.23 crore in September 2016 to 79.27 crore in June 2021.

This led to an exponential increase in data consumption with monthly data consumption per user witnessing over 1,303 per cent jump from 878.63 MB to a staggering 12.33 GB between December 2016 to March 2021, revealed the latest quarterly telecom performance indicator report published by TRAI.

Since the beginning of the commercial operation of Jio in September 2016, internet data cost has gone down by over 93 per cent from around 160 per GB to 10.77 a GB, as per performance indicators reports published by TRAI.

Experts say that Jio broke the digital divide and helped usher in an era of true democratisation of digital technology - empowering every Indian in the process.

Before Jio ushered in the digital revolution, India had 10 unicorns; this list has now burgeoned to at least 53.

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Mumbai: The family of actor Sidharth Shukla today issued their first statement, after his death. In the statement, the family thanked the actor's fans and well-wishers for showering him with love.

"Heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has been a part of Sidharth's journey and showered him with unconditional love. It definitely doesn't end here as he now resides in our hearts forever," the statement read.

The family requested that they be given privacy to mourn the loss.

The late actor's family also thanked the Mumbai police for protecting them like a "shield" and showing enormous sensitivity.

"A special thank you to the Mumbai Police force for their sensitivity and compassion. They have been like a shield, protecting us and standing by us every minute of the day! Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers," they said.

The 40-year-old actor died in Mumbai on September 2. His sudden death has sparked a fresh debate on the stresses of showbiz. According to police and hospital sources, there were no external injuries on Shuklas body and initial reports did not reveal any signs of unnatural death.

Shukla is survived by his mother and two sisters.

His prayer meet is being organised by his family and will be held virtually today at 5 pm. Fans can also join it through a zoom link. Karanvir Bohra shared the update on Instagram and wrote, "Let's all come together today at 5pm for special prayers and blessings for our friend #sidharthshukla organized by his mother #ritaaunty and his sisters #neetu and #preeti and sister #shivanididi #seeyouagain on the other side bro."

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For the first time, Singapore is trailing ground robots on its streets to patrol and survey a public area with high foot traffic to augment the work of public officers and deter poor social behaviour.

The trials are being conducted via joint project involving five public agencies, namely HTX (Home Team Science and Technology Agency), National Environment Agency, Land Transport Authority, Singapore Food Agency, and Housing & Development Board.

Ranked one of the safest countries in the world, Singapore has put two autonomous robots on trial to detect bad behaviour such as flouting of COVID-19 safety measures, smoking in prohibited areas and the improper parking of bicycles, Singapore's Home Team Science and Technology Agency said in a statement on Sunday.

It said the two patrol robots, named Xavier, are equipped with cameras that can detect bad social behaviour and trigger real-time alerts to the command and control centre.

The trial is taking place at an area with high foot traffic in central Singapore.

The agency said that during the three-week trial, the robots would be used for surveillance and displaying messages to educate the public on proper behaviour. A spokesperson from the agency said on Monday the robots would not be used for law enforcement during the trial.

"The deployment of Xavier will support the work of public officers as it will reduce the manpower required for foot patrols and improve operation efficiency," the agency said.

Singapore's home affairs minister, K Shanmugam, said in August the city-state aimed to have more than 200,000 police cameras by 2030, more than double the current number of cameras deployed across the island state in Southeast Asia.

Being one of the words most vaccinated countries, Singapore is taking new steps to slow a rampant increase in Covid-19 cases but cant rule out returning to closing restaurants and restricting public life if serious infections continue to rise.

We have to slow down the transmission rate," Finance Minister and co-chair of the governments virus taskforce Lawrence Wong said Monday. We will attempt to do so without going back to another heightened alert. These are last-resort measures and we will try our best to refrain from using them, but we should not rule them out entirely."

With inputs from Reuters

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ISLAMABAD : The Taliban on Monday asserted that it will not allow any country, including Pakistan, to interfere in Afghanistan's internal affairs as it confirmed that ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed met the insurgent group's de-facto leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul, amidst efforts to finalise a government in the war-torn country.

The questions of interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs were raised after the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Hameed dashed to Kabul on an unannounced visit last week.

Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said that the group will not allow any country, including Pakistan, to interfere in Afghanistans affairs, Afghanistan's Khaama news reported.

Lt Gen Hameed was the first high-ranking foreign official to visit Afghanistan since the Taliban seized the Afghan capital in mid-August.

During a press conference in Kabul on Monday, Mujahid confirmed that the ISI chief had met with Mullah Baradar during his visit to Kabul, BBC Urdu reported.

The Taliban has assured Islamabad that Afghan territory will not be used against Pakistan, he said.

Earlier, Pakistani media reported that a delegation of senior officials led by Lt Gen Hameed was in Kabul at the invitation of the Taliban, but the insurgent group said that Islamabad had proposed his visit.

On Sunday, the Taliban said that the Pakistani spy chief was in Afghanistan to improve bilateral relations between Kabul and Islamabad.

Ahmadullah Wasiq, deputy head of the Talibans Cultural Commission, said that the Taliban leaders talked with Lt Gen Hameed about bilateral relations and the problems of Afghan passengers at the Torkham and Spin Boldak passes between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"This Pakistani official has come to solve Afghan passengers problems at the border areas, especially in Torkham and Spin Boldak. They wanted (his visit to Kabul) and we accepted," Wasiq was quoted as saying by TOLO news.

Pakistan on Thursday temporarily closed the Chaman border crossing - the second-largest commercial border point with Afghanistan after the Torkham commercial town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa  due to security threats.

At his press conference, Mujahid noted that the recent delegation to Kabul said the crossings had been closed due to security concerns linked to release of prisoners inside Afghanistan, and requested checks for those seeking to enter or leave the country.

Citing sources close to Hizb-e-Islami party leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the channel said that Pakistan's intelligence chief also met him and discussed the current situation in the country.

In a short video clip circulated in the media last week, Lt Gen Hameed was seen trying to respond to questions by a journalist who first asked: Will you be meeting senior people in the Taliban?"

"No, Im not clear" the ISI chief said and looked towards Pakistan ambassador to Kabul Mansour Ahmad Khan, who was standing by his side, to respond to the question.

In response to another question, Hameed smiled and said: "Dont worry, everything will be okay."

Hameed's visit to Afghanistan came amidst mounting pressure on the Taliban to form an inclusive government acceptable to the international community. The insurgent group is struggling to give shape to a broad-based and inclusive administration acceptable to the international community.

It was the first high-level visit of any Pakistani official to Afghanistan since the Taliban took over Kabul on August 15, in a move that surprised both their foes and friends.

Since then, the Taliban have been trying to form a government but so far have held back the announcement.

Pakistan was often accused by the Afghanistan government of giving the Taliban military aid, a charge denied by Islamabad.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Doha on Monday, an AFP correspondent saw, ahead of crisis talks with the Qataris after the Taliban claimed to have full control over Afghanistan.

Blinken, accompanied by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, is the most senior US official to visit the region since the Taliban's lightning takeover of Afghanistan on August 15 and the conclusion of Washington's chaotic withdrawal.

"We are thankful for Qatar's close collaboration on Afghanistan and its indispensable support in facilitating the transit of US citizens, Embassy Kabul personnel, at-risk Afghans, and other evacuees from Afghanistan through Qatar," the State Department said ahead of Blinken's arrival in Doha at 1500 GMT.

Meanwhile, four Americans left Afghanistan by land on Monday with Taliban knowledge in the first departures arranged by the US government since its military pullout, a US official said.

The four US citizens left by land and were greeted by US diplomats, said a senior official, without specifying to which country they crossed.

"The Taliban did not impede them" and were aware of the effort, the official told reporters accompanying Secretary of State Antony Blinken flying to Qatar.

Qatar, which hosts a major US airbase, has been the gateway for 55,000 people airlifted out of Afghanistan, nearly half the total number evacuated by US-led forces after the Taliban's lightning takeover.

Before his arrival, Blinken said that in Qatar he would "express our deep gratitude for all that they're doing to support the evacuation effort" and meet rescued Afghans.

He will also meet US diplomats, who have relocated functions from the shuttered embassy in Kabul to Doha.

The State Department said Blinken would discuss with Qatar its efforts, alongside Turkey, to reopen Kabul's ramshackle airport -- essential to fly in badly needed humanitarian aid and to evacuate remaining Afghans.

The Taliban on Monday claimed total control over Afghanistan, saying they had won the key battle for the Panjshir Valley, the last remaining holdout of resistance against their rule.

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Astronomers may have captured the best view yet of matter colliding with the surface of a young star, findings that may shed light on what the sun looked like in its youth.

Newborn stars are surrounded by a disk of gas and dust from which planets, asteroids, comets and moons are born. The star's magnetic field connects the star with this protoplanetary disk, "funneling material from the disk onto the star," study lead author Catherine Espaillat, an astrophysicist at Boston University, told Space.com.

In the new study, Espaillat and her colleagues investigated the spot where a star's magnetic field deposits protoplanetary disk material onto a star. "This footprint is called the 'hot spot,' since the material is very hot when it slams on to the surface of the star," she explained.

Related: How did the solar system form?

Computer simulation of an accretion disk and funnel streams (green) and the magnetic field lines (multi-colored) on an emerging star. The young star grows as the magnetic field feeds material from the disk onto the north and south poles of the star. (Image credit: Courtesy of Marina Romanova)

The scientists focused on GM Aurigae, a star about the same mass as the sun located about 420 light-years away in the constellation Auriga. GM Aurigae is only about 2 million years old  in comparison, the sun is about 4.6 billion years old.

Previous work could not get a clear picture of the structure and dynamics of these hot spots. In the new study, the researchers analyze GM Aurigae with multiple observatories  the Hubble, Swift and TESS space telescopes, as well as the Small and Moderate Aperture Research Telescope System in Chile, the Lowell Discovery Telescope in Arizona and the Las Cumbres Observatory global network of telescopes.

"This is the first time such an extensive time-coordinated study has been done on a young star," Espaillat said.

The scientists found the visible light they detected from GM Aurigae peaked in brightness about a day after the ultraviolet light. They suggested this happened because the source of the visible and ultraviolet light moved into and out of view as it rotated along with the star.

When combined with computer models of matter accreting onto stars, these findings suggest the hot spot varies in density from its center to its rim on the star's surface, the researchers said. Areas of the hot spot with different densities have different temperatures, and so emit different wavelengths of light.

"For the first time, we map the structure in this hot spot using observations and confirm theoretical predictions," Espaillat said. "This result teaches us more about what our sun looked like when it was young. Now our sun has sunspots, dark areas where the temperature on the surface is cooler. When our sun was young, it also had hot spots."

Future research will analyze GM Aurigae and other stars to detect more details about these hot spots.

The scientists detailed their findings online Sept. 1 in the journal Nature.

Originally published on Space.com.

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The end of the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy case has left a bitter taste for those who wanted to see more accountability for members of the Sackler family.

The Sacklers will give up ownership of the company, go out of the international opioid business and pay $4.5 billion in cash and charitable assets under the settlement. But they also will escape any future liability over the nations addiction and overdose crisis as part of the deal that was given preliminary approval this week by a federal bankruptcy judge.

Some state attorneys general and one federal government office are planning appeals.

The question at the heart of their arguments: Is it appropriate for members of a wealthy family that did not file for bankruptcy themselves to get such a broad protection?

Attorneys and victim advocates involved in a case that included lawsuits from some 3,000 governments and other entities said the members of the Sackler family who have owned Purdue played instrumental roles in overseeing the company and marketing OxyContin. Critics say the company's best-selling prescription painkiller helped fuel the opioid crisis in the U.S.

They get to retain literally billions of dollars they took out of Purdue Pharma while it was causing addiction and death all across our country and all across the world, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh told The Associated Press in an interview.

Frosh said he was considering an appeal.

Lawyers for Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Washington state and the U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee, an arm of the federal Department of Justice tasked with protecting the bankruptcy process, have said they intend to appeal.

Under the settlement, Sackler family members are getting what's known in the bankruptcy world as a third-party release. It's one of the most contentious issues in bankruptcy law.

The releases have been used in complicated bankruptcy cases involving multiple parties to encourage settlements that might be difficult or impossible to reach otherwise. Dow Chemical, an owner of Dow Corning, was released from lawsuits in the 1990s over dangers of the latter company's silicone breast implants. Owners of companies that produced asbestos were protected from lawsuits over cancer risks associated with their products that began in the 1980s.

Some federal appeals courts have rejected the releases, but the majority have accepted them. That includes the 2nd Circuit, which could handle appeals of decisions from U.S Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain, who ruled in the Purdue case from his courthouse in White Plains, New York.

Longshot legislation pending in Congress, titled "The SACKLER Act," would ban third-party releases. Even if it were adopted, it would be too late to affect its namesake case.

In his preliminary ruling from the bench earlier this week, Drain discussed at length the reasons he was allowing the protection for family members as part of the settlement.

I wish the plan had provided for more" from Sackler family members, he said, but I will not jeopardize what the plan does provide by denying confirmation.

The settlement forces the Sacklers to give up ownership of Purdue and turns it into a new company with a board of directors appointed by government officials. Money from the family, company accounts and future profits are to be used to pay some individual victims of the opioid crisis and to fund treatment, education programs and other efforts to combat the epidemic.

The crisis has been linked to more than 500,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. since 2000 involving either prescription painkillers or illicit ones such as heroin or illegally made fentanyl.

Purdue Pharma, based in Stamford, Connecticut, has estimated that the settlement could be worth $10 billion, including the value of overdose antidote and addiction treatment drugs it's been developing.

Sackler family members, whose combined wealth has been estimated at over $10 billion, have been clear that without protection from lawsuits, they would not contribute to the settlement.

During a hearing on the reorganization plan last month, experts said it could be impossible to force payments without a settlement because much of the family's fortune is overseas. The bankruptcy judge said some family members are foreign citizens, potentially putting their assets further out of reach.

A further complication: Purdue pleaded guilty last year to federal criminal offenses, agreeing to a $2 billion forfeiture. Under their plea deal, the company has to pay only $225 million of that to the federal government as long as it settles its other opioid lawsuits and uses proceeds to fight the crisis. If the bankruptcy settlement is upended, Purdue would have to pay the federal government another $1.7 billion  and that would leave far less money to divide between the states, local governments and opioid victims.

If they continue to appeal, if they win, what do they get?" said Lindsey Simon, an assistant law professor at the University of Georgia School of Law who teaches bankruptcy law. "The answer is, probably complete chaos and less money.

That's a view that many state government lawyers have adopted.

About half the nation's state attorneys general, including nearly every Democrat to hold the office, initially opposed the settlement. In an interview with the AP last June, Massachusetts Attorney Genera Maura Healey heavily criticized the protections for Sackler family members: They want to continue to be rich and they will likely be richer after paying the settlement than they are today. That doesnt sit right with me, and it shouldnt sit right with anyone, she said.

But in July, Healey and the majority of other attorneys general came to accept the plan after Sackler family members agreed to pay more money and dole it out faster. Purdue also agreed to make public millions of company documents, including some that would normally be protected by attorney-client privilege.

Those still pushing against the deal include Connecticut Attorney General William Tong.

This is some of the worst corporate misconduct we have ever seen," he told the AP. "It's not just about taking the deal or getting as much money as you can and getting out of Dodge. It's about doing justice, holding them accountable.

Anthony Casey, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School, said those upset at the judge for the third-party releases might not be steeped in bankruptcy law: The criticisms of him are a little outrageous in the fact that hes doing what bankruptcy judges do."
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Film Movement has acquired U.S. rights to Italian director Mario Martones The King of Laughter (Qui Rido Io) ahead of its world premiere Tuesday in competition at the Venice Film Festival.

The film, being sold internationally by Italys True Colours, toplines Toni Servillo (The Great Beauty) as popular and prolific early 20th century Neapolitan actor and playwright Eduardo Scarpetta.

In 1904, at the height of his popularity, Scarpetta took a great risk: he staged a parody of La figlia di Iorio, a tragedy written by the greatest Italian poet of the day, Gabriele DAnnunzio. After all hell broke loose, Scarpetta ended up being sued for plagiarism by DAnnunzio himself. It was the beginning of the first copyright lawsuit in Italy, and a draining experience for Scarpetta and his family. It was also a challenging time that he overcame with an act worthy of a great thespian.

Film Movement is planning a limited theatrical release of King of Laughter in select U.S. cities, according to True Colours head of sales Giulia Casavecchia, who negotiated the deal with Film Movement president Michael Rosenberg at the Venice market. We are delighted that we made this sale ahead of the films Venice premiere, Casavecchia said. Lets hope it bodes well for the six other Italian titles we are selling here.

The King of Laughter is produced by Italys Indigo Film with backing from Rai Cinema, and in co-production with Spains Tornasol.

Film Movement previously handled the U.S. release of the restored version of Martones drama Troubling Love (Lamore molesto), an Elena Ferrante adaptation that launched from Cannes in 1995.

Since then, however, Martone has become a Venice veteran. He was in competition on the Lido recently in 2018 with Capri Revolution and then again in 2019 with The Mayor of Rione Sanita, a contemporary adaptation of the play about organized crime by late Neapolitan playwright Eduardo De Filippo. However, neither of those pics got a North American release.

The King of Laughter will go on theatrical release in Italy Sept. 9 via RAI Cinemas 01 Distribution unit.

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French sales and co-production company Charades has forged an alliance with Italys I Wonder Pictures to jointly seek out projects by under-the-radar Italian cinema directors that they can board as co-producers and distribute in Italy and around the world.

The pact between Charades, a prominent Paris-based indie outfit headed by veteran sales agent and former Wild Bunch exec Carole Baraton, and I Wonder, a growing niche Italian distributor owned and operated by Biografilm Festival founder Andrea Romeo, reflects the increased international interest in new Italian cinema and also the need for European companies to join forces as the market consolidates.

The first collaboration between the two outfits will be on Amanda, the directorial debut of Italian screenwriter Carolina Cavalli, a writer on Netflix Italian original series Zero.

Set in Turin, Amanda is about a 24-year-old woman who, having returned back to her native Turin after a stint in Paris, feels uncomfortable there and then intersects with a childhood friend she hasnt seen in ages, which marks the start of a strong rapport.

Its about an against-all-odds friendship between two young and beautiful girls who could both be very successful, but are both kind of misfits, said Baraton.

Shooting on Amanda is set to start in Turin in early October, said the films producer Annamaria Morelli, head of Elsinore Film, whom I Wonder and Charades are partnering with. Casting is being kept under wraps.

As for how the alliance between Charades and I Wonder will work, Baraton said they would rather come in early on projects and that the model of investment is totally flexible, depending on the opportunity.

We like to come on board as producers, or co-producers, in the sense that we want to be very involved on the artistic and marketing side, she added.

When we come on board they will basically get a portion of their budget, and Italian distribution that will be coordinated in tandem with international distribution, noted Romeo. They will also find a joint marketing team since the two teams will be working together.

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Update: One hospital has denied Dr. Jason McElyeas claim that ivermectin overdoses are causing emergency room backlogs and delays in medical care in rural Oklahoma, and Rolling Stone has been unable to independently verify any such cases as of the time of this update.

The National Poison Data System states there were 459 reported cases of ivermectin overdose in the United States in August. Oklahoma-specific ivermectin overdose figures are not available, but the count is unlikely to be a significant factor in hospital bed availability in a state that, per the CDC, currently has a 7-day average of 1,528 Covid-19 hospitalizations. The doctor is affiliated with a medical staffing group that serves multiple hospitals in Oklahoma. Following widespread publication of his statements, one hospital that the doctors group serves, NHS Sequoyah, said its ER has not treated any ivermectin overdoses and that it has not had to turn away anyone seeking care. This and other hospitals that the doctors group serves did not respond to requests for comment and the doctor has not responded to requests for further comment. We will update if we receive more information.

The rise in people using ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug usually reserved for deworming horses or livestock, as a treatment or preventative for Covid-19 has emergency rooms so backed up that gunshot victims were having hard times getting access to health facilities, an emergency room doctor in Oklahoma said.

This week, Dr. Jason McElyea told KFOR the overdoses are causing backlogs in rural hospitals, leaving both beds and ambulance services scarce.

The ERs are so backed up that gunshot victims were having hard times getting to facilities where they can get definitive care and be treated, McElyea said.

All of their ambulances are stuck at the hospital waiting for a bed to open so they can take the patient in and they dont have any, thats it, said McElyea. If theres no ambulance to take the call, theres no ambulance to come to the call.

Dr. Mary Clarke, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association told the Tulsa World that hospitals are so short on beds, they have to transfer patients out of state to get them the care they need. We know that patients are being transferred out of state for beds, Davis said. We are increasingly concerned about the number of holds that are in emergency rooms waiting for ICU beds.

Im trying to help people understand this is not just COVID, said Clarke. This is a domino effect to every other health condition that may need a hospital bed. Everything else. Period.

People getting sick from ivermectin  especially as some people take a formulation of the drug used in livestock  has become so frequent that this month the Food and Drug Administration released a statement imploring Americans to stay away from the drug that has not been approved to treat or prevent Covid-19. You are not a horse. You are not a cow, the agency said while linking to an explainer about the dangers of ingesting ivermectin designed for livestock.

Animal drugs are highly concentrated for large animals and can be highly toxic in humans, the FDA cautioned. The agency went on to explain that although the medication is sometimes used in humans as a treatment for parasites or scabies, or in topical form to treat rosacea, the doses are much smaller than are given to livestock. Still, people have been going to feed stores and purchasing livestock doses of the drug, leading many stores to post warnings next to the ivermectin supply, cautioning it is not for use in humans.

As people take the drug, McElyea said patients have arrived at hospitals with negative reactions like nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, and cramping  or even loss of sight.

The scariest one that Ive heard of and seen is people coming in with vision loss, the doctor said.

According to a health advisory issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on August 26, prescriptions for ivermectin have increased 24-fold over pre-pandemic numbers. That amounts to more than 88,000 prescriptions for the drug issued between early July and mid-August of this year. Even podcaster and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Joe Rogan bragged that he took ivermectin along with other experimental treatments after he tested positive for Covid-19. As a result of the drugs increased publicity, calls to poison control centers nationwide regarding ivermectin have multiplied, as have hospital and emergency room visits, the CDC said.

Theres a reason you have to have a doctor to get a prescription for this stuff because it can be dangerous, McElyea said.

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The white-hot moment of the Romanian new-wave film renaissance is long in the past. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu came out in 2005, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days in 2007. Other landmarks of Romanian cinema also now go back quite a ways, like Police, Adjective (2009), If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle (2010), and Graduation (2016). Thats not to say there havent been good Romanian films of late  earlier this year, I championed Two Lottery Tickets, a kind of droll Romanian Jim Jarmusch film. The bitter truth, though, is that over the last decade the profile of international impact and acclaim that Romanian cinema once held has radically diminished.

It might jump-start again with the appearance of Miracle, one of the best films Ive seen at the Venice Film Festival. Its the third feature written and directed by Bogdan George Apetri, and it shares many of the classic qualities of Romanian cinema. Its an offhand and sardonically bleak portrait of the country as a place of disgruntled souls mired in the burnt embers of socialism. It features long, winding, digressive conversations. But its also a crime drama of absorbing authenticity, and if that entity once known as the art-house audience were still concretely there, watching movies in brick-and-mortar theaters like New Yorks Lincoln Plaza Cinemas (can you really have an art-house audience withouta house?), I have little doubt that the movie would make its mark. Maybe it will anyway. Miracle is staged with an inexorable skill that tugs you along like a Patricia Highsmith novel. Its a tale of mystery, of scalded innocence, and of the staggering evil that ordinary men can do.

The movie is the second part of a trilogy, and it features a sprinkling of characters from the first film, Apetris Unidentified (also a crime drama). But it expands on that films edgy mood of everyday dread. In the opening scene, Cristina (Ioana Bugarin) is preparing to take a trip out of the convent where she lives. Watching her in her black cloth habit, we assume shes a nun. Actually, shes a novice, who has been at the convent for only two months; she wont be considered a nun for several more years. Just communicating that seemingly minor-but-maybe-not-so-minor detail is, in a sense, a spoiler  not because the film presents it as such a surprise, but because Apetri reveals crucial things throughout Miracle in a different order than youd expect. The information spills out, at times almost at random, placing us in the position of a detective who has to keep re-assessing what he sees.

Cristina, her lips parted in a gaze of dolorous anxiety, walks out of the convent and gets into a taxi, so that she can visit a hospital in the nearby town. The driver has a sister who is Cristinas friend in the convent; thats how the ride was arranged. But the driver is a prickly pill who wont even call his sister by her rechristened nun name. Cristina explains that shes going to the hospital because she suffers from a chronic headache, and theres no reason not to believe her. But when she arrives, she walks into the Ob/Gyn clinic. We can guess why shes there.

Shes arranged to meet that same driver at 5:00 p.m., so that hell return her to the convent. Instead, long after her appointment ends, she walks over to a line of taxis and gets into the next available one. This driver seems nicer: a nerd with a tersely sympathetic manner. He relaxes by lighting up a cigarette, and says that he has a wife and daughter. But appearances can be deceiving. When he stops the car so that Cristina can change back into her habit, she has a flash of nerves. And so do we. But she lets it pass, walking off to a wooded section near a bridge in order to change. Then we spot the driver through the trees, ambling toward her

Apetri, who is 45, has lived in New York City for the last 19 years, and while he has said that he still identifies as a devoted citizen of Romania, you can sense an underlying trace of American immediacy in his work, the way you could in the early films of Denmarks Nicolas Winding Refn. Miracle feels like it could almost be a second cousin to Refns Pusher trilogy. A police inspector arrives, named Marius, and the actor who plays him, Emanual Parvu, in his trim haircut and owlish specs, looks like a handsome young literature professor. We assume that hes going to be the civilized face of the law. But Parvu, who appeared in Graduation, is a wily actor who throws curveballs without the audience seeing it. His Marius doesnt suffer fools gladly, and feels hes surrounded by them. Its as if he has run out of all tolerance for the entropy of Romania  the bureaucratic inefficiency, the way that so many citizens (like his police partner) allow themselves to be crusted over with a Christian piety they dont really believe in.

Marius, under his calm facade, is as possessed by this case as Gene Hackmans Popeye Doyle was with nabbing the heroin smuggler in The French Connection. The second half of the movie is less a whodunit than a can-he-find-the-evidence-to-nail-him. Marius leads interrogations, but he also plants evidence, and when he encounters the victim (who we assume, for a while, might not even be alive), their communion, which starts with the simple act of Marius trying to get her to identify her attacker from a photo, evolves into a moment of haunting closeness and mystery. (Theres a key piece of dialogue the film doesnt let us hear.) Marius isnt just solving a crime, hes trying to restore order to a place that has gone to the dogs.

That, at least, is the way that numerous characters in Miracle describe Romania. The country  and, it would seem, the countrys cinema  is mired in a kind of stubborn self-hatred. Maybe that, in its way, is one reason why the Romanian film movement of the 2000s began to fade. But its my impression (far from definitive, but a hopeful hunch) that theres a new spirit at work in the nations cinema. Two Lottery Tickets had a chucklehead slyness I hadnt seen in a Romanian film before. And Bogdan George Apetri holds the audience and then, in the last scene, melts it with a single audacious teardrop.

Reviewed at Venice Film Festival (Orrizonti Competition), Sept. 6, 2021. Running time: 118 MIN.

Production

A The East Company Productions, Cineart TV Prague, Tasse Films production. Producers: Oana Iancu, Bogdan George Apetri.

Crew

Director, screenplay: Bogdan George Apetri. Camera: Oleg Mutu. Editor: Bogdan George Apetri.

With

Ioana Bugarin, Emanuel Parvu, Cezar Antal, Ovidiu Crisan, Valeriu Andriuta.

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For the former owners of La Posada Hotel in downtown Laredo, Saturday was a full-circle event as the family celebrated a wedding in what once belonged to the brides grandfather who established a surviving legacy with the hotel.

The ground was broken on the current site of the La Posada Hotel on Aug. 4, 1960 by Tom F. Herring Sr., and 51 years and one month later, his granddaughter Torrey Herring, 32, and her husband Robert Joel Martinez, 29, were back in the Gateway City exchanging vows.

She was looking at places like Tulum, places in San Antonio, but then she said, Im grandpas granddaughter, I should be married at grandpas hotel. I should be married there for them, Tom Herring Jr. said. Even though they are deceased, I know that in spirit they will be there. I said that it was a beautiful thought, and they decided to come down and see what they can do. However, this was before the pandemic.

According to Herring, the pandemic caused the wedding to be postponed for a whole year as the couple was slated to get married on Sept. 4, 2020. The couple was grateful they were able to get married this year despite the continued presence of the pandemic.

I know that my grandfather and grandmother are with us today in spirit, Torrey Herring said. I only wish they were with us in body, but that cant be, but I feel their presence at the wedding, and I long for their presence in body and I know they are in attendance and proud.

I am so in love with Torrey, Martinez said. We will accomplish great things together as we are made one for the other.

The Herrings choose La Posada Hotel as their wedding destination as it is where the legacy of their grandfather began. Even though Herring Sr. ventured out the La Posada brand in 1967 to San Antonio in what is present-day La Mansion and in 1974 acquired the Casa de Las Palmas, the Herrings always looked to Laredo as their true home.

Herring Sr. became the vice president in the early 1980s of the American Hotel & Motel Association in British Columbia by representing La Posada and became the president in 1984.

Despite his own wishes and that of Hering Jr.s grandmother to not sell the hotel, the family decided to do so when presented an offer by the Fasken family which has retained ownership of the property for the past 26 years.

My grandmother, five days before she passed away, looked me in the eye and said, Never sell this hotel, Herring Jr. said. No one could envision what happened, and I am talking about economics and things like that, and so really the thought of selling the hotel was never in our mind. All the while the hotel was booming, gaining in value, and the reputation had just spread all the way internationally.

On the same day that the hotel was sold, Jose Luis Rodriguez, who was general manager at the time, decided to quit.

I left with them just like I started with them, Rodriguez said. Actually, Tim and Ardy and I (Herrings Jr.s brother and sister-in-law) went outside and crossed into la plazita and looked at it and said, Man, 34 years and we were owners of this place, and I walked out that day.

Rodriguez had worked in the hotel since he was 20 years old as a bell boy as he climbed the ranks to assistant manager then general manager of the hotel from 1977 to 1994.

Herring Jr. considers Rodriguez a huge part of the family as he was only 10 years old when Rodriguez began working at the hotel, and they created a friendship.

Joe is as much a part of our family as we are Herrings by blood, Herring said. Joe is our brother, and his brother Gerald is our brother as Joe was one of, if not the very first hire, to be a bell boy in 1961.

Rodriguez said had the Herring family kept the hotel, he would have continued to keep working there as he saw the Herrings not as bosses as family. He considered Herring Sr. to be a father figure.

I used to call it my home, and I still consider it my home, Rodriguez said. I used to bring my kids and allow them to swim in the swimming pool, get to know many important people like the owners of the Sauza Tequila who came here and got to know and do many things.

Herring Jr. said the decision to sell was a hard one but one that had to be made considering the economical issues facing the area. Despite this, he feels like the Fasken estate has done a great job in maintaining the authenticity of the hotel.

Herring said his father would be very proud of how the hotel has been maintained. His legacy was leaving behind a hotel offering a look into another country just like the second honeymoon they took in 1994 to Niagara Falls.

While the pandemic did not cancel the wedding plans this year, it did impact the family as Torreys brother Thomas Herring IV was unable to attend. He lives in Missouri and just had a newborn child, and the doctor advised against any travel.

As for the couple, they plan to go to Paris for their honeymoon soon. The father of the bride wished nothing but the best for their future with a little Spanish he learned from his time in Laredo.

Salud, amor, pesatas y tiempo para gozar (health, love, money and time to enjoy it) is what I wish for them, Herring said.

jorge.vela@lmtonline.com
Laredo College is a growing institution that has seen immense changes in the past 75 years since opening in 1947. Therefore, it was no surprise it was recently ranked the No. 1 community college in Texas.

The ranking was conducted by BestColleges, which is a non-biased college ranking website that utilizes criteria beyond just academics.

Laredo College is proud of our ranking as the best community college in Texas for the second consecutive year, Laredo College Senior Director of External Affairs Michael Gonzalez said. This ranking is a testament to the efforts of our team of administrators, faculty and staff that constantly innovate to provide our students with a quality education and meaningful learning experiences at affordable costs.

Gonzalez believes all of this criteria plus the fact that graduation rates for the college are high help it maintain this level of excellence. He said according to BestColleges, the rankings utilized statistical data to evaluate academic quality, affordability and online competency.

Laredo College excels in all of these areas because we maintain a constant focus on our students and how to enrich and further their academic, professional and personal goals and aspirations, Gonzalez said.

Current and former students shared high praise for the college.

I loved the fact that the college has always been good in working with the schedule of people by having many classes to offer in-person or many online ones for those that work a lot, former student Roy Vasquez said. Never did I feel that the college did not allow me to do things. It allowed ample time for people to enjoy and continue their everyday life.

Current student Gaby Villarreal said she also enjoys how the professors give their attention to the students and are fun and engaging.

In none of my classes have I ever been bored at all, and that is a fact, Villarreal said.

Gonzalez said this is a reason why many students locally, from Mexico and from other parts of the world continue to choose LC.

Over our 75-year history, students from across our region have come to know Laredo College as an institution of higher education that will provide them a quality education at affordable costs, Gonzalez said. We also believe that students have found that Laredo College programs are innovative and can transform their lives and help them reach their goals.

Gonzalez said students keep coming back to Laredo College because they enjoy the professors.

The outstanding faculty at Laredo College are innovative, dedicated and student-focused, Gonzalez said. Their continuous efforts translate into our institutions ability to offer certified, award-winning programs, degrees and certifications to our students and community. Our faculty connects with our students and provides a rigorous education while keeping our students engaged and motivated.

Gonzalez said the institutional success seen by LC would not be possible without the support of the colleges Board of Trustees and college leadership.

In a time of transition, our interim college president Dr. Marisela Rodriguez Tijerina has continued to lead our college with vision and determination to ensure the instructional quality and program affordability that our community merits, Gonzalez said. We would also like to thank our community who has continued to support the college and its efforts to provide educational opportunities and transform our students lives.

Gonzalez said LC will continue to build on this legacy through innovation and a relentless focus on the needs of the students. This includes a second bachelors degree program that is on the horizon.

Our recently-announced second baccalaureate degree, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Organizational Leadership, will provide an exciting educational opportunity for our students and will transform their lives and careers, Gonzalez said. As legislation has recently changed allowing for community colleges to offer five baccalaureate degrees, our community can expect more impactful, affordable and innovative programs in the future.

jorge.vela@lmtonline.com
3 1 of 3 Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy photo /Texas DPS Show More Show Less 3 of 3





A second person has died in the head-on crash that killed a Zapata County Sheriffs Office jailer, according to state police.

The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the second victim as Abelardo Dominguez Jr., 44, a resident of Zapata. He was the driver of the white pickup.
CONAKRY, Guinea (AP)  Guinea's new military leaders sought to tighten their grip on power Monday after overthrowing President Alpha Conde, ordering the soldiers from his presidential guard to now join the junta forces and barring government officials from leaving the country.

After putting the West African nation back under military rule for the first time in over a decade, the junta already had dissolved the National Assembly and the country's constitution. On Monday, regional military commanders replaced Guinea's governors as the junta solidified its control.

Junta President Col. Mamady Doumbouya said the new military regime would not pursue vendettas against political enemies, but he also instructed the officials he'd summoned from Conde's deposed government to turn over their passports immediately.

There will be no spirit of hatred or revenge. There will be no witch hunt, said Doumbouya, 41, addressing officials in a red beret and dark sunglasses beside a throng of armed soldiers. But justice will be the compass that will guide every Guinean citizen.

For former members of the government, travel outside our borders will not be allowed during the transition," said Doumbouya, who had led the Guinean armys special forces unit before seizing power Sunday. "All your travel documents and vehicles must be handed over to the general secretaries of your former departments."

The military junta has refused to issue a timeline for releasing Conde, saying the 83-year-old deposed leader still had access to medical care and his doctors. The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS, though, called for his immediate release and threatened to impose sanctions if the demand was not met.

Conde's removal by force Sunday came after the president sought and won a controversial third term in office last year, saying the term limits did not apply to him. State television showed the junta being greeted by jubilant Guineans, some of whom chanted Freedom! at the passing military convoy in the streets.

While the political opposition and the junta both sought Conde's ouster, it remained unclear Monday how united the two would be going forward.

In its first comments since the coup, the longtime opposition National Alliance for Change and Democracy party said Sunday's government overthrow carries the hope of a new beginning for our nation. But the party also encouraged the military rulers to rapidly establish the rule of law.

It also was unknown Monday just how much support the junta leader had within the larger military. As the commander of the army's special forces unit he directed elite soldiers but it was still possible that others who remained loyal to the ousted president could mount a countercoup in the coming hours or days.

In announcing the coup on state television, Doumbouya cast himself as a patriot of Guinea, which he said remained poor despite decades of independence from its former colonizer, France. Observers, though, say the tensions between Guineas president and the army colonel stem from a recent proposal to cut some military salaries.

Condes 2010 election victory  the countrys first democratic vote ever  was supposed to be a fresh start after decades of corrupt, authoritarian rule and political turmoil. Opponents, though, said Conde, too, failed to improve the lives of Guineans, most of whom live in poverty despite the countrys vast mineral riches of bauxite and gold.

The year after Conde's first election he narrowly survived an assassination attempt when gunmen surrounded his home overnight and pounded his bedroom with rockets. Rocket-propelled grenades landed inside the compound and one of his bodyguards was killed.

Violent street demonstrations broke out last year after Conde organized a referendum to modify the constitution. The unrest intensified after he won the October election, and the opposition said dozens were killed during the crisis.

In neighboring Senegal, which has a large diaspora of Guineans who opposed Conde, news of his political demise was met with relief.

President Alpha Conde deserves to be deposed. He stubbornly tried to run for a third term when he had no right to do so, said Malick Diallo, a young Guinean shopkeeper in the suburbs of Dakar.

We know that a coup detat is not good, said Mamadou Saliou Diallo, another Guinean living in Senegal. A president must be elected by democratic vote. But we have no choice. We have a president who is too old, who no longer makes Guineans dream and who does not want to leave power.

___

Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Babacar Dione in Dakar, Senegal, contributed.
A migrant died after escaping from the U.S. Border Patrol and falling off a cliff near the Rio Grande, according to authorities.

At about 6 a.m. Sept. 3, a U.S. Border Patrol assigned to the Laredo South Station apprehended four migrants near the Rio Grande River about 1  miles southeast of the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge.
Some residents of the Loma Alta area on SH 359 are mad that a recent median TxDOT project is not allowing them to exit the subdivision properly, and they expressed their displeasure by signing a petition calling for local leaders to meet with TxDOT.

More than 100 people who live in the area or travel there frequently signed the petition. Even though meetings have been held between residents of the community and TxDOT and the issue is a state matter, on Tuesday the City of Laredo City Council will discuss the issue as Councilmember Vidal Rodriguez plans to present an agenda item regarding the issue.

They are continuing with the project, they have extended it beyond the front of the neighborhood here in Loma Alta and they are extending it to Loop 20 and past Loop 20 up to the south area and a little bit past that as well, Loma Alta resident Victor Vasquez III said. They have added a light within a block radius of the other one there in Boomtown in front of Cheyenne saying that it would benefit the Loma Alta subdivision, but in reality, in our belief, it has made it worse.

There is more traffic congestion, we are encouraged to use that light to do a u-turn, but in reality it is not safe to do so as Loma Alta residents are at least 75% elderly which is very dangerous for individuals like them to be given u-turns, especially if you are doing a grocery run very late in the evening.

Vasquez said last month the residents held a rally and called for a petition to amend the project or make TxDOT find a better alternative for people travelling through the area.

It was not much of a protest but rather an organization to sign a petition that we have already delivered to TXDOT, Vasquez said. We already shared it with the local state officials such as the senators office and also have come in contact with Representative (Richard) Raymond but have not sent it to the representative yet.

According to Vasquez, the petition said the residents of the Loma Alta area want a safe way out of their subdivision when going to SH 359 as the residents can only turn right. There is a logistical company on the right of that turn which means in case of an accident it could cause major delays.

Vasquez said the flooding of the Chacon Creek is another thing that worries him as they can only turn right and this would again stagnate them.

In case of an emergency, where would we go? Vasquez said. How will we be exited out? Logistically it would be a nightmare as the first responders located close to our area are located at the SAC, and the residents south of SH 359 for those located in Ejido and North Smith and the responding emergency would come through the lane west, and in order to get to them there is that median, and they would have to go over the overpass on U.S. 83 and then back around in order to get to that lane and get into Ejido and North Smith. Well, those two to three minutes are critical when it consists of an emergency whether it be 9-1-1, the police, the fire department or EMS. Its very critical.

Knowing about the petition and the concerns of the project, TxDOT has made it clear it has already met with Vasquez and discussed the matters and that it plans to educate residents about safe alternatives.

TxDOT met with Mr. Victor Vasquez III, representative resident of the Loma Alta Subdivision, and has since addressed concerns of the State Highway (SH) 359 raised median project, mainly the new traffic flow pattern leaving and entering the subdivision, TxDOT communication department employee Raul Leal said. TxDOT received a petition from residents to readjust the newly built median on Highway 359 between Highway 83 and Dorel Drive.

TxDOT has addressed these concerns and will continue to monitor the project to ensure the traveling public's safety. Both parties agreed upon educating the Loma Alta residents through viable means (such as) letters, maps and social media posts on Twitter @txdotlaredo and news media sources.

Leal said the new change is for people who used to turn left to get access on eastbound SH 359. Now, the spokesman for TxDOT said exiting traffic must turn right at Cordova Lane to the US 83 South turnaround then eastbound on SH 359. Access will remain the same for traffic traveling westbound on SH 359 into Cordoba Lane.

In addition to the raised median, a new traffic signal was installed at Dorel Drive and SH 359 as a safety improvement, Leal said. The new traffic signal will improve safety for intersection traffic and passenger vehicles, cars and pickup trucks traveling east on SH 359 and provide a turnaround for traffic wishing to travel westbound on SH 359.

TxDOT said the added median will make the road much safer.

As a result of the raised median installation, some changes in access have occurred for the surrounding community, Leal said. However, daily access to State Highway 359 will be much safer.

Texas State Senator Judith Zaffirinis office has also been notified about the matter. Even prior to getting the petition, her office set up a meeting between TxDOT and Vasquez.

Victor Vazquez and other people have reached out to us, and we understand their concerns as they have very legitimate concerns, so I reached out to TxDOT and asked them to meet with Victor Vasquez. I told them that he was a smart and very hard-working man and a serious person, Zaffirini said. They did meet as far as I know. I have not talked to either one of them since then.

TxDOT disagrees with Vasquezs opinion that the median has created a safety hazard.

The safety of the traveling public and for residents of Loma Alta was the determining factor for the need and construction of the State Highway (SH) 359 raised median project, Leal said. It was constructed on the existing center median lane of State Highway 359 (SH 359) from United States Highway (US) 83 to State Loop 20 (SL 20) in Laredo, Texas.

Zaffirini said issues are raised from time to time about TxDOT completing a project, and she hopes a solution can be found.

This has happened several times over the years as it has happened as TxDOT has their budgets and also have their own calendar, and they want to do certain things, and their constituents who are impacted negatively then reach out to us, and then we reach out to TxDOT and ask them to reach out to them and work it out, Zaffirini said. While TxDOT is trying to do its job and tries to implement its plan, a lot of times they do not realize the impact on the people that are affected by it. So, they have to stop and take into consideration the impact on these people such as the u-turns that are required, the barriers that are required and made, the businesses that can be reached as reality sets in and the impact on real people and that is what TxDOT has to step back.

Zaffirini recalled a time TxDOT was doing a project on I-35 during the high shopping season that almost redirected traffic away from the mall, and she took action to resolve the matter as best as possible.

I remember one year that they were working on I-35 and trying to stay on schedule, and so they announced that they were going to close I-35, but at the point it included the exit to the Mall Del Norte, Zaffirini said. And Simon Deutsch, one of the owners of Joe Brand called me and he wanted that fixed, and so I called the guys at TxDOT and they revised their schedule.

But see, TxDOT was trying to stay on schedule. And TxDOT cannot stay on schedule at the expense of local businesses, especially at a critical time like that, so that was worked out and they did not do the closing of that exit at that time.

jorge.vela@lmtonline.com
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Polands parliament voted Monday to uphold the state of emergency along the border with Belarus that was declared last week amid migration pressure.

The vote came after Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told lawmakers that the country faces a threat from Russia and Belarus as he sought support for the state of emergency, which was declared last week by President Andrzej Duda  a step unprecedented in the country's post-communist history.

Morawiecki told the parliament that the defense of the Polish borders is the responsibility of the state, and that "in Moscow and Minsk scenarios are being written" that threaten Poland's security and sovereignty.

Poland, Lithuania and Latvia  the three European Union nations that border Belarus  accuse Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of pushing migrants from Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and elsewhere into their countries illegally. They call it an act of hybrid war against their countries in revenge for EU sanctions.

Morawiecki and other officials have defended the state of emergency also by noting that Moscow will begin large military exercises in Russia and Belarus later this month.

The state of emergency allows the authorities to prevent journalists and other civilians from operating within 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) from the border with Belarus. Some lawmakers accused the government of using it to limit the rights of journalists to work, and citizens the right to obtain information, from the border.

Tomasz Siemoniak, deputy leader of the main opposition party, Civic Platform, said there was no doubt that Poland has external opponents seeking to weaken it, a threat he said should never be taken lightly. But the former defense minister argued there was no justification for the state of emergency now. He accused the ruling authorities of using it to distract from rising prices, scandals and problems in the health system.

Morawiecki said at an earlier news conference that migrants trying to enter into Poland illegally from Belarus are being provided with food and money by the Belarusian security services.

While thousands of migrants have been pushed back or put in closed centers for immigrants, the main focus for weeks has been around 30 people stranded on the Poland-Belarus border.

The International Organization for Migration in Geneva said it is deeply concerned about the dire conditions they are in, saying they are facing extremely harsh conditions, with limited access to drinking water and food, medical assistance, sanitation facilities and shelter.

Prolonging this unacceptable situation poses a grievous threat to the migrants lives and health, the IOM said.

Polish officials pushed back strongly against the view that the migrants are victims deprived of humanitarian aid. In Warsaw, the Polish authorities released images which they said showed Belarusian security forces providing the migrants with food, clothes and transport by car. Some appeared to show officials from the Belarus Red Cross, which visited them last week.

Blazej Pobozy, a deputy interior minister, said it was a false narrative to view the people at the border as poor, hungry refugees who do not get help from anywhere.

Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said most who crossed into Poland illegally are Iraqis who traveled by plane from Baghdad to Minsk. He said there was also a group of Afghans who have lived for years in Russia and were now offered access to the EU.

The fate of the group has raised concerns among some in Poland who accuse the government of being inhumane. Poland has deployed soldiers to the border, reinforced it with razor wire and refused to let the group apply for asylum.

With Russia beginning military exercises this month, Morawiecki said we have not had such a tense situation for 30 years.

___

Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Christopher Columbus is getting kicked off Mexico City's most iconic boulevard.

Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced that the Columbus statue on the Paseo de la Reforma, often a focal point for Indigenous rights protests, would be replaced by a statue honoring Indigenous women.

To them we owe ... the history of our country, of our fatherland, she said.

She made the announcement on Sunday, which was International Day of the Indigenous Woman.

The Columbus statue, donated to the city many years ago, was a significant reference point on the 10-lane boulevard, and surrounding traffic circle is  so far  named for it.

That made it a favorite target of spray-paint-wielding protesters denouncing the European suppression of Mexico's Indigenous civilizations.

It was removed last year supposedly for restoration, shortly before Oct. 12, which Americans know as Columbus Day but Mexicans call Dia de la Raza, or Day of the Race"  the anniversary of Columbus' arrival in the Americas in 1492.

When the statue was removed last year, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador noted that it is a date that is very controversial and lends itself to conflicting ideas and political conflicts.

This year is the 700th anniversary of the founding of Tenochtitlan  what is now Mexico City  as well as the 500th anniversary of its fall to the Spanish conquistadores, and the 200th anniversary of Mexico's final independence from Spain.

Most Mexicans have some indigenous ancestry and are well aware that millions of Indigenous people died from violence and disease during and after the conquest .

SheInbaum said the new statue, Tlali, might be ready near the date of Dia de la Raza this year.

The Columbus statue isn't being discarded, but will be moved to a less prominent location in a small park in the Polanco neighborhood. Sheinbaum referred to Columbus a great international personage.
Lockport, NY (14094)

Today

Showers in the morning, then cloudy in the afternoon. High near 70F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable.
Lockport, NY (14094)

Today

Showers in the morning, then cloudy in the afternoon. High near 70F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable.
The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks!

Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics.

The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc.

The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics.

The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates.

Access to college recruiters and advisors  its harder to line up higher education.

Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family.

Vote

View Results
Social Justice Ireland is calling on Government to increase core social welfare rates by 10 per week in Budget 2022 and to commit to benchmarking core social welfare rates to 27.5 per cent of average earnings over two years.

Dr Sean Healy, CEO, Social Justice Ireland, urged Government not to leave those on social welfare behind for a third successive budget.

He said, The prospect of people on social welfare being left behind for a third successive budget is very concerning. A lesson from past experiences of economic recovery and growth is that the weakest in our society get left behind unless welfare increases track improvements elsewhere in the economy. Budget 2021 was the second budget in a row which failed to deliver an increase to the minimum social welfare payment.

Dr Healy added, "A repetition of this failure in Budget 2022 would leave those who are most vulnerable in a very difficult position and see them fall further behind. Delivering a fair recovery means that no-one should be left behind, especially those who are most vulnerable."

Increase current social welfare rates by 10

Dr Healy stressed, Social Justice Ireland is proposing a 10 increase in core social welfare payments in Budget 2022. This would set Government on the correct path to benchmark social welfare rates to 27.5 per cent average weekly earnings (222 per week) over a two-year period, which was the standard set in 2007. Given the very difficult situation people across the country are in as a result of Covid-19, benchmarking minimum rates of social welfare payments to movements in average earnings is an important policy priority."

Outlining the main findings of Social Justice Irelands briefing for Government on Social Welfare Rates and Budget 2022, Michelle Murphy, Research and Policy Analyst, Social Justice Ireland, noted that the benchmark of 27.5 per cent of average earnings is so important to the living standards of many in Irish society, and to meeting our own anti-poverty commitments. We estimate that more than 12,000 working age adults would have been raised out of poverty in 2016 had minimum social welfare payments been benchmarked at 27.5 per cent of average earnings.

Summary of Social Justice Ireland social welfare proposals Budget 2022:

Minimum Social Welfare rates: Minimum social welfare rates should increase by 10 per week in Budget 2022. This would see the basic social welfare rate rise to 213 in Budget 2022.

State Pension contributory and non-contributory: Introduce a single-rate universal state social welfare pension from January 2022 at the rate of 258.30.

Carers Support Grant: Increase the annual Carers Support Grant to 2,000 and extend the Carers GP Visit Card to those in receipt of Carers Support Grant.

Domiciliary Care Allowance: Increase the domiciliary care allowance from 309.50 to 330. Expand the Free Travel Scheme to include people in receipt of the Domiciliary Care Allowance.

Jobseekers rates  under 25: Continue the process started in Budget 2020 and equalise Jobseekers rates for all those under 25 at the increased rate of 210 per week.

Cost of Disability: Introduce a cost of disability payment of 20 per week.

Supporting a Universal Basic Income (UBI) Pilot: Budget 2022 should commit to introducing a universal basic income pilot and funding the evaluation process to accompany it.
The search for Irelands Heritage Hero for 2021 was launched on Monday, September 6, by the Heritage Council.

Every year, the Heritage Council seeks nominations for an individual or a group of people who have worked tirelessly to protect and promote heritage.

People from County Longford are invited to nominate the person or group that they feel is most deserving of the award by completing the Heritage Hero nomination form. Nominations close at 12 noon on Monday, September 20.

Speaking about the call for nominations, CEO of the Heritage Council, Virginia Teehan said: Heritage Heroes come in different forms: last year, the Heritage Council acknowledged Christy Cunniffe, who had recently retired as the archaeological field monument advisor for Co Galway. Mr Cunniffe was recognised as a Heritage Hero for his efforts throughout his 30 years of involvement in heritage, in engaging with local communities and heritage groups, and sharing his own knowledge and enthusiasm with those around him.

Heritage Heroes are special people who have made a significant contribution to maintaining and promoting our heritage: it may be natural heritage, built heritage or our intangible heritage, which comprises everything from traditional skills to language and sport.

The heritage hero award is part of the National Heritage Awards, which takes place annually to celebrate the outstanding projects and events from National Heritage Week. National Heritage Week 2021 ran from August 14  22 , and comprised a mix of online, in-person and community activities and projects.

In total, over 1,000 projects and events took place around the country and there were 11 National Heritage Week projects and events shared by project organisers in County Longford.

At the National Heritage Awards, the Heritage Council will also recognise the most successful heritage project from County Longford as part of the County Award category.
The IFA Livestock Committee has strongly criticised the proposals put forward for suckler and beef farmers in the Department of Agricultures CAP consultation document.

IFA Livestock Chairman Brendan Golden said members are very disappointed at the lack of ambition to provide meaningful support to the sector, and at the underhanded attempts to limit the national suckler herd through the proposed suckler cow scheme.

The Livestock Committee, which met recently, consists of democratically-elected representatives of suckler and beef farmers from every county in the country.

Setting out the conclusions of the Committee, Brendan Golden said any attempt to limit or cap the national suckler herd has been rejected out of hand and will not be accepted by IFA.

He said Irish suckler farmers operate one of the most environmentally sustainable beef farming systems in the world and are a critical component of beef production, within the higher environmental standards that are being imposed on farming and food production by the EU in the new CAP.

The IFA Livestock Chairman said suckler farmers must be directly supported in the Strategic Plans for what they do. These must include a payment of 300/cow with no underhand attempts within the scheme to limit or cap the national herd.

The Livestock Committee also strongly rejected the compulsion to be part of the Bord Bia Quality Assurance Scheme (QA) as a condition of eligibility to receive payments. QA is recognised as a market requirement and as such farmers who participate must be rewarded from the market place.

Its not acceptable or appropriate to impose this requirement as a condition of the suckler scheme. Farmers are already measuring carbon in existing schemes without the requirement to be part of the Bord Bia QA Scheme, he said.

The Livestock Chairman was also very critical of the Departments failure to include a cattle rearing and finishing scheme in the Strategic Plans.
Gardai have made significant strides in tackling cyber crime and the hackers that targeted the HSE earlier this year.

A significant disruption operation targeted the IT infrastructure of the cyber crime group and was conducted by the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau.

They have seized several domains used in ransomware attacks.

The seizure of these domains from the grasp of the Cyber Crime group has directly prevented a large number of further Ransomware Attacks across the world, gardai have said.

GNCCB have subsequently deployed a splash screen onto the seized domains in order to notify any potential victims of the likelihood that their system has become compromised by Ransomware. This will enable them to take appropriate security measures. The pop-up warning from An Garda Siochana will appear if you click a dubious link aimed at scamming you.

A process has also commenced between the Garda Siochana and their Law enforcement partners at Europol and Interpol, to provide the details of the visiting URLs to the member countries to ensure that the infected systems are appropriately decontaminated.

"This is a crime prevention operation and to date a total of 753 attempts were made by ICT systems across the world to connect to the seized domains," a garda statement read.

"In each instance, the seizure of these domains by the GNCCB investigation team is likely to have prevented a Ransomware Attack on the connecting ICT system, by rendering the initially deployed Malware on the victims system, as ineffective."
Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: September 06 2021

Candidates can learn about becoming a New York State Trooper and sign up to take the exam at joinstatepolice.ny.gov.

Governor Kathy Hochul has announced that applications are now open for the next New York State Police Trooper Entrance Exam. The exam, which will be administered from January through April of 2022, will be given online at authorized testing centers for the first time in State Police history, part of an effort to make the exam more accessible to the general public. In addition, the State Police have launched a reimagined recruitment outreach program designed to increase the number of minorities and women serving in the ranks.

Candidates can learn about becoming a New York State Trooper and sign up to take the exam at joinstatepolice.ny.gov

"The New York State Police's proud tradition of public service dates back more than a century, and we're opening applications to become part of one of the elite law enforcement agencies in the nation," Governor Hochul said. "It's critically important that our troopers reflect who we are as a state, and that's why we're reaching out to all communities to find the future leaders of the State Police. We encourage anyone looking to make a difference to consider a career as a New York State Trooper."

The State Police have contracted with Pearson VUE to offer the Trooper Entrance Exam at 54 testing centers in New York State, more than 250 locations in the United States, and 112 military locations around the world. Candidates will be able to choose where and when they take the exam. In the past, the exam was written and candidates were required to take it at a specific location, date, and time. Interested candidates serving in the military needed to take leave and travel back to New York State to take the exam on one of the designated dates. The new online testing process is more convenient and accessible for interested candidates. Candidates have a total of two hours to complete the exam. There is a $20 fee to take the test and an additional $35 fee payable once the candidate selects a testing site, date and time.

State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen said, "The New York State Police has a reputation and tradition of excellence. To maintain and build upon that reputation, we need to attract the most talented and diverse group of candidates possible. Being a state Trooper is about helping people and being a force for justice. We encourage anyone who is looking for a rewarding and exciting career to sign up for the exam."

In addition to the new exam, the State Police has redesigned its recruitment program to reach more potential female and minority candidates. This effort has included meeting with leaders in communities that are underrepresented within law enforcement, with the goal of building positive long-term relationships. The State Police has also created recruitment teams in each troop to network at events and within neighborhoods. The agency will also use social media and other outlets to inform the public about the exam and the benefits of a career with the State Police.

Currently, the New York State Police has about 4,640 sworn members. Approximately 6 percent are Hispanic, 4 percent are Black, 1 percent are Asian or Pacific Islander, while 11 percent of the total force are women.

A study guide for the exam is available at this link: https://joinstatepolice.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2021/08/study-guide-practice-test-for-the-nysp-trooper-examination.pdf

Exam Qualifications:

US Citizen

20-29 years of age (The maximum age may be extended one year for each year of full-time active military duty - up to a maximum of 7 years)

High school diploma or equivalent

There are additional qualifications required at time of appointment. Those can be found here: https://joinstatepolice.ny.gov/appointment-qualifications

Salary & Benefits:
Ensure you get a print copy of the Loudoun Times-Mirror delivered weekly to your home or business!

Complete online access is included with all print subscriptions purchased online. Plus, up to four other members of your household can share online access through this subscription with their own, individual linked accounts at no additional charge.

(Are you a current advertiser? Ask your sales rep for our special advertiser rate code!)
Spectral MD Holdings Ltd - London and Texas-based predictive analytics company - Announces securing USD18.8 million of additional funding from the US Biomedical Advanced Research & Development Authority. The funds will be used to expand the current clinical training study of Spectral's DeepView system for burn wound healing assessment, the company notes. The news means around USD93 million has now been received from BARDA in total to support the development of the company's artificial intelligence and multi-spectral imaging for wound healing assessment.

"We are grateful for the additional award of USD18.8 million from BARDA which was originally expected for March 2022," Chief Executive Wensheng Fan comments.

"Due to the strong collaboration between BARDA, Spectral MD, and our clinical partners, we were able to have the successful kickoff of the study at the first five sites which has enabled the award of this funding earlier than anticipated."

Current stock price: 45.80 pence

Year-to-date change: up sharply from June IPO

By Will Paige; willpaige@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - England's rate of new cases of coronavirus has started to rise once more, latest figures show.

Some 315.3 cases per 100,000 people were recorded in the seven days to September 2, the third day in a row the weekly rate has increased.

It means three of the four UK nations are now experiencing a jump in rates.

Scotland is continuing to see a sharp rise in numbers, with 796.3 cases per 100,000 people recorded in the seven days to September 2 a up week-on-week from 644.8.

One month earlier, on August 2, Scotland's rate stood at just 142.8.

The rate for Wales currently stands at 479.6, up week-on-week from 411.8.

In both these nations, rates have been rising steadily for several weeks.

It is too early to say whether the same will be true for England a though with pupils now back at school and a growing number of people mixing on public transport, in workplaces and at sport and music events, there is more potential for the virus to spread than at any point since lockdown restrictions were eased.

Schools returned in Scotland several weeks ago, which is likely to have contributed to the sharp rise in cases, but experts have cautioned against assuming a direct link.

Kevin McConway, professor of applied statistics at the Open University, said: "There has been discussion of whether the effects of school reopening are because of children mixing more at school, or instead because there's more mixing between both children and adults, not in school, when schools are open.

"But either way, the reopening might well increase the numbers who are infected, and if that feeds through into considerably more hospitalisations or more deaths, that would be particularly concerning."

All figures have been compiled by the PA news agency, and data for September 3-6 has been excluded as it is incomplete.

Northern Ireland is the only one of the four UK nations where the rate of new cases is currently falling, though numbers are still very high and recently hit a level close to the peak of the second wave in January.

Some 536.3 cases per 100,000 people were recorded in Northern Ireland in the seven days to September 2, down week-on-week from 607.6.

By Ian Jones

source: PA

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Shanta Gold Ltd on Monday said visible gold was identified at West Kenya Project in three intersections across 11 holes drilled.

The Guernsey-based gold miner made the discovery during 3,205 metres of high grade drilling in Phase 2, conducted in June and July.

The width of mineralisation is estimated around 60% to 70% of the intercept core length.

This is the second set of results recorded by Shanta from Phase 2, marking 45% of total planned infill drilling for 2021 and 17% of total planned infill drilling over three phases for West Kenya.

In the first set of results, it identified visible gold in two intersections across 13 holes drilled.

Shanta reported in August that its gold output decreased by 32% in the first-half of 2021, lowering to 28,842 ounces from 42,383 ounces year-on-year.

"We are delighted with our second set of results from Phase 2 drilling at West Kenya," said Chief Executive Eric Zurrin. "Whilst the intersections across the board have been very strong, we are particularly pleased with a new intersection of 3.9m at 63.80 grams per tonne."

Zurrin added that the company expects to release a resource update due to be released at the end of September.

Shanta Gold shares were up 5.5% at 14.50 pence in London on Monday morning trade.

By Josie O'Brien; josieobrien@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
CEG Information

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Today

Periods of rain. Potential for flooding rains. High around 80F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a half an inch.

Tonight

A steady rain in the evening. Showers continuing late. Low 72F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.

Tomorrow

Thunderstorms. High 83F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Today

Rain. Potential for flooding rains. High 79F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch.

Tonight

A steady rain in the evening. Showers continuing late. Low 72F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.

Tomorrow

Thunderstorms likely. High 83F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Jefferson, GA (30549)

Today

Cloudy this morning with showers during the afternoon. High 81F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Cloudy with showers. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Malibu, CA (90265)

Today

Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High around 70F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low 58F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Bill Flanagan, of Mankato, had to have his leg amputated after a motorist hit him and drove off while he was riding his moped in May. Flanagan credits blood transfusions with saving his life, and hes now encouraging people to donate blood to help others in similar situations. The American Red Cross has an annual blood drive scheduled between Tuesday and Friday.
Child Tax Credit Updates - Child Stimulus

In 2021, changes on the US Child Tax Credit system mean that most qualifying families are able to receive half of their 2021 child tax credit money in advance, before the other half of the sum is received in 2022 during tax season.

Child Tax Credit highlights

Unemployment Benefits

Federal unemployment benefits had their expiration date on September 6, 2021 and a number of states have put an end to the benefits early, but an unemployment benefit extension could be the solution in some states.

Unemployment Benefits highlights

IRS Tax Refunds

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is continuing with its post COVID-19 initiatives, and the unemployment refunds are set to arrive for the public in the next days.

IRS Tax Refunds highlights

4th Stimulus Checks

It is increasingly unlikely that a Federal fourth stimulus check will arrive in the US, that is why state governments are looking to do their bit to help their citizens.

4th Stimulus Check highlights
Were toasting a glorious new week here at Master of Malt with a limited edition Oloroso cask Deanston 12 year old. But thats not all. Not by a long way. Alongside it, Distell has released three other limited editions from Bunnahabhain, Tobermory and Ledaig. Yes its bonus week!

Earlier this month we joined some of the team from Distell for one of those online tastings that have become fashionable of late. On the call were master blender Julieann Fernandez, master distiller Brendan McCarron and travel writer Robin McKelvie, who has just made a film about the three Scotch whisky distilleries in the Distell stable: Tobermory, Bunnahabhain and Deanston.

Not faceless whisky factories

McKelvie spoke passionately about his film. He said that the distilleries are not faceless whisky factories, they mean something to the local community. The real stars are the distillery workers who during the height of the pandemic were frustrated that they could not share the love of whisky with visitors. You can watch the film here.

Julieann Fernandez commented on the film: To be able to tell the stories behind each distillery and showcase the team who have worked so hard behind the scenes to keep our whisky flowing, is a real honour for us. These film clips pay tribute to these teams and our distillery homelands.

This was Brendan McCarrons first public engagement since his surprise move from Glenmorangie earlier this year. He described himself as the new boy  and seemed to be enjoying his new job thoroughly. The only problem is hes spending too much money on whisky especially Ledaig, the peated expression from Tobermory: my wife banned me from bringing anymore in.

As well as enjoying McKelvies film, we were there to try four limited edition whiskies from the three distilleries. They range from the classic to the slightly off-the-wall, but all are worth trying especially as none is overpriced. Fernandez commented: Were incredibly excited to share these four wonderful, limited-edition whiskies with fans around the world, each with their own defining characteristics and flavour profiles.

Heres what we tried:

This was distilled in 2008 before filling into an American oak Oloroso cask. McCarron is clearly a massive fan of his local distillery located near Stirling in the central belt of Scotland. It has a waxy texture which is impossible to copy. You can try but you wont succeed, he said, it has a robustness about it which suits the high ABV. Its bottled at 52.7% ABV.

This has an amazingly fruity nose with sweet orange notes, bitter orange peel and that classic Deanston waxy flavour. The palate is an explosion in the mouth of dried fruits, waxy notes (naturally), cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and honey with aromatic wood notes. McCarron described it as having a bitter cherry note like an old Chianti. Its a big sweet dram but that spiciness balances the sweetness nicely.

This is a daring whisky from Islays famous unpeated distillery. Its aged in sherry casks but with a Port finish. Does sherry go with Port? McCarron commented: It shouldnt work but it does and praised how the Port and sherry were harmonised. Fernandez explained how it was a matter of mixing a range of Port finishes together some at four, five or six years in the Port casks, finding the right length of time in cask. Its bottled at 56.2% ABV.

So does it work? The nose is massive, lots of wood, caramel, cloves and cardamom with distinct varnish notes. Its certainly distinctive. The palate is much more classic with sweet toffee balanced by a salty dryness and then in comes a massive wave of nuts, walnuts, brazil nuts and chestnuts. Its like Xmas day on Islay. One that tastes far more harmonious than it smells. One to discuss at your whisky group!

Weve been fortunate enough to try a lot of long-aged sherry cask malts from Tobermory recently and this is a classic example. It was distilled in 2004 at the Isle of Mull distillery and aged in Oloroso sherry casks. Nothing strange going on here. According to Fernandez, Tobermory has a light new make so you have to be careful not to swamp it in sherry. Its bottled at 55.9% ABV.

This is a lovely dram for fans of sherry cask whisky. The nose is sweet with malt, toffee and dark chocolate, a dash of water brings out orange, orange peel and for one taster a little lime. I loved the sweet nuttiness on the palate, like roasted walnuts and coconut, with a thick full texture like creamy toffee. A load of spice comes in towards the end and it finishes dry to prepare you for another sip. Another great old sherried Tobermory.

Distilled in 1999, this was fully matured in a Pedro Ximenez cask before bottling at 55.6% ABV. Ledaig is the peated version of Tobermory but its very much not a peat monster according to McCarron.

At first the main smell is the wine, floral like a muscat with dried fruit, then comes the wood smoke and bacon-flavoured crisps. The mouth is all about the balance of sweet grapey notes with cigar smoke, bonfire and roasted nuts. This is a very special dram. You can see why McCarron is spending so much money on Ledaig.

All in all some seriously distinctive and impressive drams from the Distell stable.

They are available to buy from Master of Malt. Click on links above to buy.
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
Atlanta, GA (30303)

Today

Overcast with showers at times. High 79F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
The Blue Streak rollercoaster has been closed during the 2021 season at Conneaut Lake Park and is pending an assessment in the fall.
VANCOUVER, BC

GARLAND, Texas

Sep. 6, 2021

Garland, Texas

Jake Levy

Vancouver, Canada

Paul Sharman

and/PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Patients of BriteStar Primary Care who require blood pressure monitoring at home will now be equipped with remote monitoring technology, under a new partnership with Claris Healthcare. The partnership marks an expansion of BriteStar's telemedicine services, part of an ongoing shift toward telehealth across the U.S.BriteStar, based in, selected the Claris Continuum Remote Patient Monitoring platform to provide blood pressure monitoring for an initial group of hypertensive patients at risk of cardiac disease.The system provides patients with a cellular-connected blood pressure cuff, which automatically uploads readings into the Claris cloud-based platform. On the physician side, care providers access a dashboard where they can easily view patient information, monitor vital signs, and set alerts that identify patients whose readings require immediate attention."Providing cardiac care in a remote setting means that closely monitoring vital signs like blood pressure is essential," said Henna Xiang, Nurse Practitioner at BriteStar. "Claris Continuum's intuitive software, state-of-the-art sensors, and professional implementation has made this a critical tool as we continue to expand our telemedicine practice."In addition to monitoring vital signs, the Claris Continuum platform also supports physicians with Medicare billing, reporting, and reimbursement. Specifically, BriteStar is using the platform to manage Medicare reimbursement of remote patient monitoring codes CPT 99453 (setup), CPT 99454 (device readings), CPT 99457 (20-minute remote patient monitoring) and CPT 99458 (40-minute remote patient monitoring).Telemedicine has surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to patient demand, increased uptake by providers, and regulatory changes that have made reimbursement easier. Surveys have found that telehealth use has stabilized at levels 38 times higher than before the pandemic.That increase in demand has left many medical practices looking for solutions to continue providing a high level of care without increasing the cost to patients, notes, CRO of Claris Healthcare."During the pandemic, we've seen more and more care providers seeking practical solutions for remote patient monitoring of patients with chronic conditions, and we believe this trend is only going to continue to grow," Levy said. "BriteStar represents the future of how physicians will manage and treat chronic conditions to improve patient outcomes, optimize staff resources, and lower the overall cost of care."About BriteStar Primary Care BriteStar Primary Care provides the highest quality of medical care. We are committed to be involved in our community and treat our patients as family. We believe that preventive medicine is the best medicine, and we promote the slogan "Healthy Individual, Healthy Family, Healthy Community." We are committed to be partners of your health and provide individualized high quality and affordable health care to children who are 12 years and older, adults, and senior citizens. We offer same-day, walk-in, and telemedicine appointments and accept most major insurances.About Claris Healthcare Founded in 2012 and based in, Claris Healthcare has developed the world's most engaging, flexible, and accessible platform designed to deliver care into the home. The company's Claris Continuum platform is a software solution designed to address the challenges of chronic care management of adults aged 65-plus in the home, and has applications in family care, chronic care, and rehabilitation care. The platform offers flexible deployment options including cellular sensors, pre-configured tablet kits, and dedicated patient and caregiver apps., Claris Healthcare, +1 1-866-284-4939 Ext: 5, media@clarishealthcare.comTwitter, FacebookSOURCE Claris Healthcare
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Alarming Concern

Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants - (https://www.who.int/en/activities/tracking-SARS-CoV-2-variants/)

It was first identified in Colombia in January 2021. Nonetheless, it has now been confirmed in at least 39 countries.says the WHO.Since the variant has genetic mutations , itHowever, further studies are mandated to prove the contagiousness, deadly nature, and resistance to current vaccines and treatments.As the infection rates are reaching their heights globally again with the highly transmissible Delta variant, there is a broad concern over the evolution of new virus mutations. The global prevalence of the Mu variant has been declined and is currentlyBut theExperts around the world are on a quest to explore if the Mu variant is more transmissible and dangerous than the Delta variant.says WHO.Any change in the genetic material of an organism, such as damaged DNA causes mutation. It results in the alteration of the genetic message carried by that gene. Generally, all the viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 mutate over time.These genetic mutations may have little or no effect on the properties of the virus. However, certain mutations mayThese changes may also cause resistance to vaccines, drugs, and other countermeasures.With few reports on the phenotypic and clinical characteristics of the Mu variant currently, theto overcome vaccine protection Over the past four weeks with 4,500 genome sequences (3,794 B.1.621 sequences and 856 B.1.621.1 sequences) analyzed, the data designated these samples as Mu variants. These sequence data helpan open-source genome repository.along with the cases being reported in the US, UK, and Hong Kong. So far, the United States has recorded 4000 cases of the Mu variant.The pattern of infections in the UK depicts that it was brought in by travelers on multiple occasions especially in London and in people in their 20s as per a report by Public Health England (PHE) in July.The variant C.1.2 has been found in countries like China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritius, England, New Zealand, Portugal, and Switzerland.The PHE has included the new variant into the list of variants under investigation asin July. This involves periodical monitoring of the variant for its behavior.The risk assessment of the Mu variant by the PHE (August 2021) suggested that the variant isThe concerns of viral mutations carried by the Mu variant include the(faster transmission) that was found in the Alpha variant. The others includeHowever, laboratory studies and real-world cases (with faster spreading capacity) of the variant are required to draw further conclusions.Source: Medindia
Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested actress Leena Maria Paul for helping her husband Sukesh Chandrasekhar who has been accused of defrauding many people of hundreds of crores.





All We Know About The Extortion Case

Sukesh has already been arrested along with seven others, including a bank manager, for their alleged involvement in the extortion case. He had allegedly extorted Rs 200 crore from a businessmans wife by impersonating a central government official over a phone call while he was in Rohini Jail.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had recently conducted a raid at his sea-facing bungalow in Chennai and they discovered around 16 luxury cars and clothes of international brands worth crores of rupees.



They also got to know that Leena had also been using the money he got through extortion. The ED has confiscated her bungalow, 6 luxury cars, 2 kilos of gold, Rs.82.50 lakh in cash, and a number of expensive bags and shoes from her house.

She has also been interrogated by the ED several times before getting arrested.

All We Know About Leena Maria Paul

1: The life story of Leena has all sorts of drama and can actually become a Bollywood movie about a mafia and his girlfriend. She is a Malayalam actress and has featured in one of the movies alongside South superstar Mohanlal. She was also seen in Bollywood movie Madras Cafe featuring John Abraham.

2: She was going to pursue a BDS course and her goal was to become a dentist but she ended up becoming a model and eventually a film actress.

3: According to reports, her husband and she were also arrested for allegedly cheating a bank of Rs 19 crore in 2013.

4: She also owns a beauty parlour in Kochi. The parlour was also raided by the CBI last year.

5: She was also in the news when underworld don Ravi Poojari's team tried to shoot her dead in her parlour but no casualties happened. Poojaris team tried to kill her as they thought she would become the custodian of all the assets owned by Sukesh.

We wonder if the movie Bunty Aur Babli was inspired by them and their story.
Meridian, MS (39302)

Today

Rain. Potential for heavy rainfall. High 71F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

Tonight

Overcast with rain showers at times. Low 68F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
In summer 2020, The New York Times coordinated a nationwide project to document the lives of Americans out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved collaborating with 11 other local newsrooms around the U.S. The Messenger-Inquirer was the only newspaper from Kentucky in the collaboration. The resulting collection of stories was published Oct. 23, 2020, in the New York Times print edition and at nytimes.com/outofwork. The following list is the Messenger-Inquirer's local unemployment coverage from that time period; read more by clicking the "New York Times Project" header. Click on "Out Of Work In America" to go to the full
Miami, FL (33127)

Today

Partly cloudy in the morning followed by scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 87F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms in the evening. Partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 76F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
MDHHS provides $11.5 million in federal Disaster Food Assistance Program benefits to 22,000 households in Washtenaw, Wayne; Gov. Whitmer presidential disaster declaration request paved way for support

MDHHS provides $11.5 million in federal Disaster Food Assistance Program benefits to 22,000 households in Washtenaw, Wayne; Gov. Whitmer presidential disaster declaration request paved way for support

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 24, 2021

CONTACT: Bob Wheaton, 517-241-2112

LANSING, Mich.- More than 22,000 Wayne and Washtenaw county households received more than $11.5 million in federal Disaster Food Assistance Program benefits during a special application opportunity Aug. 12-19.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) accepted in-person applications over a seven-day period to provide benefits to eligible households affected by severe flooding and power outages at the end of June.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sought a presidential disaster declaration for the two counties due to the flooding and power outages on June 25-29. Whitmer and MDHHS sought and received Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) approval from the Biden administration through the Food and Nutrition Services within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"No Michigander should have to worry about putting food on the table, especially as they're facing extreme weather events and persistent flooding of their home and other property," said Gov. Whitmer. "This food assistance, approved by the Biden administration, helped 22,415 families in Washtenaw and Wayne counties as they continued to rebuild their lives after this summer's historic flooding. We will ensure that impacted families have the support they need right now and invest in our infrastructure to make it more resilient to increasingly extreme weather."

The total number of residents to receive disaster assistance is 87,517.

"Improving access to services and benefits, including food assistance, is an important MDHHS priority," said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. "I'm pleased we were able to provide assistance to residents of Wayne and Washtenaw counties affected by the flooding earlier this summer. I appreciate the dedication of the MDHHS staff who worked tirelessly to ensure this process ran smoothly and that Michiganders in need were able to get help."

MDHHS staff from over 60 of its offices across the state, including staff who relocated from other county offices to support the application process, assisted residents with their applications at eight locations in Wayne and Washtenaw counties.

Households determined to be eligible received a one-time-only benefit to spend on food. Households approved for Disaster Food Assistance Program benefits were issued a Bridge Card, an electronic benefits card similar to a debit card that can be used to redeem their food assistance benefits at eligible retail stores and farmers markets.

The federal Disaster Food Assistance Program application period is over, however, Michiganders in need of food assistance should visit Michigan.gov/FoodAssistance to learn more or they can apply for food assistance or other public benefits at www.Michigan.Gov/MIBridges.

# # #
Executive Order 2021-13: Declaration of State of Emergency

Executive Order 2021-13: Declaration of State of Emergency

EXECUTIVE ORDER

No. 2021-13

Declaration of State of Emergency

On August 30, 2021, the city of Flat Rock, located primarily in Wayne County, experienced a hazardous materials emergency in the form of an unknown odor, posing a serious health and safety threat to residents. The contaminant and source of the odor have not been identified, but the leak has the potential to be explosive. The Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy and the United States Environmental Protection Agency are involved in investigation and testing. On September 1, 2021, Wayne County and the city of Flat Rock declared local states of emergency in response to this situation. As of September 2, 2021, detectable levels of the contaminant in the sewer system continue to warrant a concern of explosion and several homes have been evacuated.

Section 1 of article 5 of the Michigan Constitution of 1963 vests the executive power of the State of Michigan in the governor. Under the Emergency Management Act, 1976 PA 390, as amended, MCL 30.403(4), "[t]he governor shall, by executive order or proclamation, declare a state of emergency if he or she finds that an emergency has occurred or that the threat of an emergency exists."

Therefore, acting under the Michigan Constitution of 1963 and Michigan law, including the Emergency Management Act, 1976 PA 390, as amended, MCL 30.401 to 30.421, I find it reasonable and necessary to order the following:

A state of emergency is declared for the city of Flat Rock and the counties of Wayne and Monroe.

The Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division of the Department of State Police must coordinate and maximize all state efforts and may call upon all state departments and other member states of the Interstate Emergency Management Assistance Compact to use available resources to assist in the designated areas under the Michigan Emergency Management Plan.

The state of emergency is terminated at such time as the threats to public health, safety, and property caused by the emergency no longer exist, and appropriate programs have been implemented to recover from the effects of this emergency, but in no case later than September 30, 2021 unless extended as provided by the Emergency Management Act.

Related Documents
LANSING  The last payable week of benefits from federal unemployment benefit programs that were established with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and continued under the American Rescue Plan Act ended on Friday.

Since March 15, 2020, more than 2.4 million Michigan residents have received more than $38 billion in unemployment benefits, which has supported local businesses, helped families to pay their bills and contributed to the state's overall economic recovery.

About 442,000 Michiganders will see their pandemic unemployment assistance benefits end.

Heres what you need to know:

What unemployment benefits expired Sept. 4?

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance: For the self-employed, freelancers, independent contractors and others who don't qualify for regular unemployment benefits.

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation: Additional benefits for those on regular unemployment claims after their regular benefits have been exhausted.

Pandemic Unemployment Compensation: The extra $300 a week for all eligible claimants.

Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation: An additional $100 per week to certain claimants who have earned at least $5,000 in net self-employment income.

When will I receive my last payment for federal benefits?

The week ending Sept. 4 was the last week for which you can receive federal benefits. You may file your weekly certification for that week on or after Sept. 5, and if eligible, you will receive payment for your last week of federal benefits.

What if I still have weeks remaining on my claim?

The Sept. 4 end date applies even if you still have benefit weeks left on your claim. No PUA, PEUC, PUC or MEUC benefits will be paid for weeks ending after Sept. 4 because of the expiration of these programs.

What if I have weeks before Sept. 4 that still havent been paid?

If you are eligible for benefits for those weeks, the Unemployment Insurance Agency will continue to process and pay benefits for weeks you claimed through the week ending Sept. 4.

What if my claim is still being reviewed or I have filed an appeal?

If there is an issue with your claim, the UIA will continue to work on it. If its determined that you are eligible for benefits, you will receive those retroactively.

If I am receiving PEUC, will I be eligible for regular state benefits after Sept. 4?

Some claimants receiving PEUC benefits may be eligible for state benefits. To apply, log into your MiWAM account. Under Account Alerts, click the link to reopen/file a claim.

Do I have to do anything to close my account with UIA?

No. But you should continue to respond to any of our requests for information. Even if you have stopped claiming benefits or found a job, the UIA may still need to contact you. Continue to check your account for the next year to assure no new claims have been filed in your name. If you see signs of fraud file a fraud or identity theft referral through your MiWAM account or contact the UIAs fraud hotline at 866-500-0017.

Will I be able to continue using my UIA debit card?

Yes. Because UIA changed its debit card provider, any unemployment funds received as of Aug. 25, 2021, will post to the new U.S. Bank debit card. However, if you have funds remaining on your Bank of America card, you can continue to use it until Nov. 30, 2021. Be sure to review all Bank of America correspondence regarding deadlines and how to access funds on Bank of Americas debit cards.

What other type of assistance is available to me?

There are numerous programs and resources available to support you and your next steps. Start your job search on Pure Michigan Talent Connect by visiting MITalent.org. This free resource will help you search through the more than 90,000 jobs currently available in Michigan. Additionally, access services such as career exploration, resume assistance, interview skills, classroom and on-the-job-training, virtual and in-person job fairs and more though your local Michigan Works! service center. Call 800-285-WORKS or visit michiganworks.org.

You can apply for healthcare coverage, food and cash assistance through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services MiBridges system. Visit Michigan.gov/mibridges to get started.
For Pigeon residents enjoying the latest additions to their now renamed Veterans Park, they can thank a group of women who want nothing more but to improve their community.

The General Federation of Womens Club of Pigeon Area has been involved with many community service projects since it was formed back in 1911. Branch President Jean Sturm said the members are from the Pigeon area, but the work they do benefits organizations near and far.

For their work at Veterans Park, a boulder bearing the new name of the park was installed along with new lighting fixtures earlier this summer. The club is working on other enhancements projects for the park, including putting in new benches and sidewalks.

We always take it to the village before doing anything, Sturm said. We made the plans five years ago to get it started.

The club itself has a widespread presence in the Pigeon community, hosting fundraisers and appearing at events to benefit local institutions. It has been involved with the Huron County Nature Center since it started back in 1941, with two positions on its board consistently filled by club members.

The club also works with the Pigeon District Library, holding its meetings there, a gingerbread brunch in the fall, the bingo and art events at the Pigeon Farmers Summerfest, and a rummage sale as its own fundraiser. During the Christmas season, they also take gift baskets to shut-ins.

We fund a blood drive every year, but not recently due to COVID, Sturm said. We hope to get that running next year."

The fundraising that the GFWC Pigeon branch does helps organizations like Huron County Safe Place, which helps survivors of domestic and sexual abuse, Bay Cliff Health Camp, a disabled kids camp in Big Bay, Michigan, and Guiding Harbor, which provides child caring and placement services for abused and neglected children.

We want to concentrate on what we have planned at Veterans Park, Sturm said, adding that future fundraisers will go toward continuing to enhance the park.
Cromwell, Portland, Durham and Middlefield students returned to school last week with plenty of new policies in place, including a variety of options for students forced to quarantine at home due to COVID-19.

All of these school districts, as well as Middletown Public Schools, where classes start Thursday, will be following advice from the state departments of health and education, Gov. Ned Lamonts office, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when it comes to masking and vaccine policy.

At least through Sept. 30, all students and staff are required to wear a mask when inside. There is no COVID-19 vaccination requirement for children. Employees of school districts, including contractors or anyone else who regularly operates in school buildings, will either need to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 27 or submit a weekly negative test.

Vaccination rates

Middletown schools reported that 94 percent of employees had been vaccinated as of Friday. Portland reported a nearly 96 percent vaccination rate for their employees.

Cromwell schools and District 13, which includes Durham and Middlefield, are still in the process of gathering this data, but both indicated the majority of employees are fully vaccinated.

Quarantine policies

The quarantine policy is also universal for all these school districts. Students exposed to COVID-19 in classrooms who remain asymptomatic  regardless of vaccination status  do not have to quarantine if they are spaced at least three feet apart and wearing masks.

If they are not adhering to the mask and distancing guidelines, unvaccinated students will have to quarantine for 10 days, with a negative test between days seven and 10, or 14 days without a test. Any students who experience symptoms will follow the same protocol.

Opportunities for quarantined students

With no hybrid learning model this year, it is up to each individual district to decide how students will continue to learn while in quarantine.

Superintendent of Portland Schools Charles D. Britton said while he hopes it doesnt happen, he expects there to be instances when students have to quarantine.

In Portland schools, all students are given a Chromebook, which gives them access to their teachers and assignments. No lessons will be taught over Zoom, but students can use the computers to interact with their teachers.

This way, our students have full access to their teachers, their work, and their classmates if needed, Britton said.

In Cromwell, a handful of students already had to quarantine beginning Thursday after coming in close contact with the virus at an event outside of school. Superintendent Enza Macri said the students were really bummed they could not stay in school.

They had just gotten to come back, Macri said, but we know there are going to be these challenges.

Cromwell schools will use tutoring staff to help guide students in quarantine through their lessons. For those at the elementary level, tutors will be available throughout the day to ensure no one falls behind.

For secondary-level students, these tutors are available after school hours, and students will have to check in at least three times a week to track their progress.

We have a pretty good plan, Macri said. Were hoping that less students will be quarantined because more are getting vaccinated.

In Middletown, an asynchronous learning platform like Google Classroom will give students access to assignments.

This is also the case in District 13 schools. Superintendent Doug Schuch said teachers will have the freedom to provide additional assistance on a case-by-case basis.

Schuch said the pandemic has provided extensive insight into how to support learners when they are not in class.

We feel like we have a lot more tools to support that when its needed, Schuch said. Wed be remiss not to take some of the lessons we learned last year.

Returning to in-person learning

Students and faculty in all districts said they are just glad to be in the buildings. Its absolutely delightful to see everybody back, Britton said. Im really proud that we got off to a great start.

The most important thing is that the kids are here in school, and they are so happy to be back, Macri said.

Middletown Public Schools Director of Communications Jessica B. Lavorgna said educators are optimistic about the year ahead.

We are ready, were excited, she said. The energy around here is palpable.

adam.hushin@hearstmediact.com
Deadly flooding delivered to the Northeast by the torrential rains of what remained of Hurricane Ida has brought a new urgency and a fresh look to how roads, sewers, bridges and other infrastructure must be improved to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again.

The world is changing and our whole mindset, the playbook that we use, must change too, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday as he toured Mullica Hills, New Jersey, where a 150-mph (241 kph) tornado splintered homes. We have got to leap forward and get out ahead of this.

The devastation exposed flaws in preparation plans even after New Jersey and New York spent billions of dollars to prevent a reoccurrence of Superstorm Sandys destruction in 2012, with much spent to protect coastal communities.

Flash floods are now coming. Its not waves off the ocean or the sound, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said soon after last weeks storm swept through.

Hochul and Murphy, both Democrats, agreed that the increasing frequency and intensity of storms demand a new approach that factors in flash floods.

The storm dumped so much rain so fast that a record 3 inches (7.5 centimeters) fell in an hour in New York Wednesday, overwhelming drainage systems. Some lives were lost when water flooded basement apartments, subway stations and vehicles. At least 50 people died in five northeastern states.

I dont think many people could have predicted the severity of the loss of life and damage done by the flash rains, said Dr. Irwin Redlener, founding director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University. People drowning in their basement apartments, in cars and so on is not something we typically would ever see in New York.

Hochul promised new answers to pressing questions, like whether warnings were clear enough and communications with the weather service were flawed as well as if subways needed a faster shutdown.

The effects of climate change are happening right now, Hochul said. It is not a future threat.

Warnings of worsening storm damage are not new.

In August 2011, the aftermath of Hurricane Irene killed six in Vermont, left thousands homeless, and damaged or destroyed over 200 bridges and 500 miles of highway. Of the states 251 towns, 225 had infrastructure damage. Thirteen communities were severed from the outside world after flooding washed out roads, electricity and telephone communication. National Guard helicopters ferried supplies to stranded residents for days.

More than half a billion dollars was spent by the state and federal governments, and in donations by private individuals, to help Vermont recover.

To weaken effects of future storms, New York and other areas can learn from other cities like Singapore, Copenhagen and Amsterdam, where solutions included turning asphalt parking lots and schoolyards into spaces that can retain water, said Amy Chester, managing director for the nonprofit Rebuild by Design.

Climate change is expensive. Were going to have to spend money on it and every single dollar we spend in any type of infrastructure needs to take into consideration the future, she said.

Redlener, the disaster preparedness expert, said New York City and other communities need to rethink warning systems and consider reengineering drainage, electrical and storm warning systems.

He noted that the city's aging subway system has long been relied upon to absorb excess water from heavy rains, but that was before record rainfalls set off unprecedented flooding.

That cant work because theres people in the subways and we have to think about their safety also, he said.

And he said the future of New York City's basement apartments, which could number in the thousands, must be reconsidered.

"What are we going to do for them now and what are we gonna do for people in the future? Are we going to even permit people legally to live in basement apartments, and if not, do we have the capacity and the resources to have other alternatives? I dont know that we do, he said.

The system for warning people in areas threatened must be rethought and plans should be in place for what people should do and where they should go, he said.

Linda Shi, an assistant professor in the department of city and regional planning at Cornell University, said there are limits to what infrastructure improvements such as larger storm pipes and road elevation can bring.

She said most planners agree the strategies only buy time.

If the worsening storm trends continue, she said, ultimately there will be increased conversations about managed retreat.

"If you want to make space for water, that means making space for water by moving people out of those places, Shi said.

____

Associated Press reporters Larry Neumeister in New York City, Wayne Parry in Piscataway, New Jersey, and Michael Hill in Albany, New York, contributed to this story.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP)  Tens of thousands of people forced to flee South Lake Tahoe could begin returning to their homes after evacuation orders were downgraded to warnings Sunday afternoon as crews made progress against a massive wildfire.

The orders that sent 22,000 people in and around the resort fleeing last week were reduced to warnings as the fire virtually stalled a few scant few miles from the forest areas straddling the California-Nevada border.

California Highway Patrol officers began taking down roadblocks on State Route 50 at Stateline, Nevada, KCRA-TV reported. Members of the National Guard who had helped on the fire had left the area.

The threat from the Caldor Fire hasn't entirely vanished but downgrading to a warning meant those who wish could return to their homes in what had been a smoke-choked ghost town instead of a thriving Labor Day getaway location.

So far it hasn't been a mad rush of cars," South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Clive Savacool said at an evening briefing. We're happy to see that people are slowly trickling in, just because the city does need time to get ready."

Savacool said officials hoped to have the local hospital emergency room open within 24 hours and said paramedics were staffing fire engines for emergency medical care.

However, he said people with health problems might want to consider staying away because of the smoky air.

People who do return should have enough medication and groceries and a full gas tank in order to be self-sufficient, Savacool said.

Law enforcement was still patrolling so your home will still be safe, Savacool said.

However, authorities also warned that in the absence of humans, bears had gone to town, spreading trash everywhere that must be picked up.

The delicate balance between humans and bears has been upset, and anyone who thinks a bear may have entered their home should call law enforcement, El Dorado County sheriff's Sgt. Simon Brown said.

Mandatory evacuation orders on the Nevada side of the state line were lifted Saturday, although Douglas County authorities urged residents to stay alert, saying the fire still has the potential to threaten homes.

The wind-driven fire, which at its peak had burned as much as 1,000 acres an hour in the northern Sierra Nevada, was mainly held within current containment lines overnight and was now 43% contained, according to Cal Fire.

Most of the western and southern sides of the fire had been corralled, although some areas still were off-limits.

No homes had been lost on the eastern side of the fire nearest to the lake and crews managed to carve more fire line along one edge of a fiery finger, which hadnt moved east, Tim Ernst, a fire operations chief, said at a morning briefing.

Everything has held real well despite some flareups among timber and some hot spots in the west and southeastern sections of the nearly 340-square-mile (880-square-kilometer) blaze, Ernst said.

Winds that drove the flames through tinder-dry trees, grass and granite outcroppings eased in recent days, and fire crews were able to double down on bulldozing, burning or hacking out fire lines.

The fire that began on Aug. 14 has destroyed more than 700 homes, razed much of small hamlet of Grizzly Flats and injured nine firefighters and civilians, Cal Fire reported.

California and much of the U.S. West have seen dozens of wildfires in the past two months as the drought-stricken region sweltered under hot, dry weather and winds drove flames through bone-dry vegetation.

In California, nearly 14,500 firefighters were battling 13 large, active fires. Since the year began, more than 7,000 wildfires have devoured 3,000 square miles (nearly 8,000 square kilometers), Cal Fire said.

No deaths had been reported specifically from the fires. However, authorities said two people assigned to fire-related duties died from illness this week, officials said.

Marcus Pacheco, an assistant fire engine operator for Lassen National Forest with 30 years of experience, died on Thursday. He was assigned to the Dixie Fire burning north of the Caldor Fire, authorities said.

Other details werent immediately released.

The Dixie Fire began in mid-July in the northern Sierra Nevada and is the second-largest wildfire in recorded state history. It has burned nearly 1,400 square miles (3,625 square kilometers) in five counties and three national parks and forests, according to Cal Fire.

A retired firefighter who was hired to help with the French Fire died from complications of COVID-19, authorities said.

He was identified as Allen Johnson.

Our team, the firefighting community and the world lost a great friend, mentor, teacher and comrade last night, said a Facebook posting last Wednesday from California Interagency Incident Management Team 14.

The French Fire in Kern County was 52% contained after burning about 41 square miles (106 square kilometers).

Fire concerns have shut down all national forests in the state.

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.
MILWAUKEE (AP)  Authorities say an infant whose body was discovered Friday was placed outside a Milwaukee funeral home.

Police said the cause of death is undetermined and the case remains under investigation. Police said they are looking for the parents of the child.
SARATOGA, Wyo. (AP)  The North Platte River in southern Wyoming has been so low in places lately that a toddler could easily wade across and thick mats of olive-green algae grow in the lazy current.

Just over two years ago, workers stacked sandbags to protect homes and fishing cabins from raging brown floodwaters, the highest on record.

Neither scene resembles the proper picture of a renowned trout fishing destination, one where anglers glide downstream in drift boats, flinging fly lures in hope of landing big brown and rainbow trout in the shadow of the Medicine Bow Mountains.

But both torrent and trickle have afflicted storied trout streams in the American West in recent years amid the havoc of climate change, which has made the region hotter and drier and fueled severe weather events. Blistering heat waves and extended drought have raised water temperatures and imperiled fish species in several states.

In the Rocky Mountains, the attention is on trout fishing, a big part of both the United States' $1-billion-a-year fly fishing industry and the region's over $100-billion-a-year outdoor recreation industry.

It seems the extremes are more extreme, said Tom Wiersema, who's fished the upper North Platte as a guide and trout enthusiast for almost half a century.

Some years, Wiersema has been able to put in and float a section of river about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of the Colorado line all summer. This year, Wiersema hasn't bothered to float that stretch since late June, lest he have to drag a boat over wet, algae-covered rocks.

Thats what the river is at that point. Round, slippery bowling balls, he said.

In nearby Saratoga, population 1,600, leaping trout adorn light posts and the sign for Town Hall. The North Platte gurgles past a public hot spring called the Hobo Pool, and trout fishing, along with the fall elk hunt, are big business.

Phil McGrath, owner of Hacks Tackle & Outfitters on the river, said low flows haven't hurt his business of guided fishing trips on drift boats, which launch from deeper water in town. The fishing has been excellent, he said.

You want to go easy on the little guys in the afternoon, he urged a recent group of customers who asked where they could wet a line before a guided trip the next morning.

It's basic trout fishing ethics when temperatures get as high as they were that day, 85 degrees (29 Celsius), and water temperatures aren't far enough behind.

The problem: Water above 68 degrees (20 C) can be rough on trout caught not for dinner but sport  and release to fight another day. Low water warms up quickly in hot weather, and warm water carries less oxygen, stressing fish and making them less likely to survive catch-and-release fishing, especially when anglers don't take several minutes to release fish gently.

As air temperatures soared into the mid 80s and beyond this summer, Yellowstone National Park shut down stream and river fishing from 2 p.m. until sunrise for a month. Montana imposed similar hoot owl restrictions  so called because owls can be active early in the morning  on fabled trout rivers including the Madison flowing out of Yellowstone.

Low, warm water prompted Colorado for a time to impose voluntary fishing restrictions on the Colorado River's upper reaches  even as spasms of flash floods and mudslides choked the river and closed Interstate 70.

In rivers like the upper North Platte, which flows north out of Colorado, low water runs not only warm but slow and clear, cultivating algae. Mats of algae can collect insects while offering trout shade and cover from predators, but they're also a symptom of warm and stressful conditions, said Jeff Streeter, who guided on the upper North Platte before becoming a local representative for the fishing-oriented conservation group Trout Unlimited.

"Where that threshold is, Im not sure. I worry about it a little bit, he said.

Like Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming didn't order anglers to stop fishing. Such an order was unlikely to have much benefit, Idaho officials decided.

Wyoming's rivers would be difficult to monitor for enforcing closures because temperatures fluctuate widely throughout the day and from riffle to hole, said David Zafft, fish management coordinator for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

Drought and heat  beneath skies smudged by wildfire smoke  also have varying effects from one big Western river to the next. Many are dammed, including the North Platte as it begins a 100-mile-wide (160-kilometer-wide), 180-degree loop through a series of reservoirs that serve farmers and ranchers in Wyoming and Nebraska.

The largely predictable, cold flows out of Seminoe Reservoir make the North Platte's Miracle Mile section just upstream of Pathfinder Reservoir a trout fishing paradise.

Upstream of Seminoe, however, the river is more subject to the vagaries of nature. For trout fishing, mountain snows are at least as important as rain patterns in warmer months but expectations based on decades of snowpack records have come under doubt.

"Things have changed too much and too rapidly, said Zafft. We are in the midst of figuring out how this climate is going to impact our snow, our runoff and temperatures. I dont think we can really answer those questions yet.

Records going back to 1904 back up Wiersemas suspicions about extremes on the upper North Platte.

In 2011, high flows smashed all previous monthly averages for June and July. The 2019 flood was the worst by a more than 20% margin over the 1923 runner-up.

Yet since 2000, the river has had eight of its lowest-flowing Augusts on record. They included the sixth-lowest in 2012, 12th lowest in 2018, and third-lowest in 2020.

August 2021 verges on the 10 lowest on average. Mountain snow last winter and spring was about normal, but the ground was so dry from last year that much of this year's melt soaked in without contributing to the flow.

The pattern is becoming more common in the West, said David Gochis, a hydrometeorologist with the Boulder, Colorado-based National Center for Atmospheric Research.

"A greater fraction of the snowpack, even if it's an average snowpack year, is just going into replenishing the water in the landscape  in the shallow aquifer, in the soils  versus that water fully filling up the soils and then filling up the streams," Gochis said.

Yet no heavy rain might not be all bad for the river's trout, given a massive 2020 wildfire that charred a vast area just east of the upper North Platte, in Medicine Bow National Forest.

In July, a mudslide in a burn area just 50 miles (80 kilometers) away in Colorado killed three people and clogged the Cache la Poudre River with silt. That hasn't happened on the North Platte, but the West's ever-hotter wildfire seasons are a threat to trout populations, said Helen Neville, senior scientist with Trout Unlimited.

Fire is of course a natural process and something to which Western trout and salmon are well-adapted to, but the scale and intensity of recent fires may be pushing beyond their natural resilience in some cases, Neville said by email.

Climate change is especially worrisome for cutthroat trout, which unlike brown, rainbow and brook trout are native to the Rockies, according to Neville.

What's in store for the North Platte will depend on future rain, snow and melt patterns, not to mention ever-growing human demand for water. McGrath, the fly-fishing guide and tackle store owner, didn't doubt climate change is at work and that it's human caused. But he didn't seem to be losing sleep over it.

If the world continues to get warmer, is trout fishing going to get worse? Yeah, of course. Trout is a cold-water animal, right?" said McGrath. "But is this going to happen tomorrow? No."

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Follow Mead Gruver at https://twitter.com/meadgruver

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Follow APs complete drought coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/droughts.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP)  Connor Jones sunbathed with his dog on the otherwise empty beach at Ski Run Marina on Monday, as residents trickling back into town filled up their cars at a gas station behind him and employees of a water sports rental company docked jet skis and boats they had anchored away from the shores of Lake Tahoe to prevent them from igniting from wildfire.

He and others living in the resort city of South Lake Tahoe breathed a collective sigh of relief on Sunday when officials downgraded a mandatory evacuation order put in place a week ago to a warning.

I figure they wouldnt take repopulation lightly and, if they made the decision to allow people to come back, then they were probably confident that theyre not going to have any issues, he said.

When the Caldor Fire gobbled up pine trees and crossed the Sierra Nevada last week, South Lake Tahoe, a scenic community of 22,000 people on the California-Nevada state line, transformed into a smoke-choked ghost town.

After worrying throughout all of last week about the fire approaching their homes and landmarks they hold dear, residents who returned on Monday said they were thankful firefighters had stopped the blazes on the towns doorstep. But it appeared most residents remained away and most shops remained closed in usually thriving Labor Day destination town.

While many large wildfires have ripped through large swaths of Northern California in recent years, it's the first time in more than a decade that South Lake Tahoe residents saw a blaze get this close. As of Monday evening, 5,072 firefighting personnel were battling the Caldor Fire, which had scorched roughly 338 square miles (876 square kilometers) and is 48% contained.

The threat to the region hasn't entirely vanished, with mandatory evacuation orders remaining for parts of unincorporated El Dorado County south of South Lake Tahoe, including Meyers and Christmas Valley. And questions remain about the smoke blanketing the region and how long it may take for the clean air and crystalline waters that draw millions of tourists to the area annually to return.

Authorities warned residents, that in the absence of humans, bears had gone to town, spreading trash. The delicate balance between humans and bears has been upset, and anyone who thinks a bear may have entered their home should call law enforcement, El Dorado County Sheriffs Sgt. Simon Brown said.

Chirawat Mekrakseree said he had seen signs. of bears sifting through the trash at his restaurant on Lake Tahoe Boulevard, My Thai Cuisine.

Mekrakseree plans to reopen and start serving curries and noodle dishes on Wednesday but worries the tourists he depends on may not come back while the smoke lingers. And he doesnt know what to tell his staff about when business will return to normal after an already uncertain year with the pandemic, he said.

Everybody has expenses, rent, car payments, he said as he power-washed ash off outdoor picnic tables. Theyre asking me how long (until they return to work) and I cant tell them how long.

California and much of the U.S. West have experienced dozens of wildfires in the past two months as the drought-stricken region swelters under hot, dry weather and winds drives flames through bone-dry vegetation. More than 14,500 firefighters were battling 14 active fires in the state on Monday, and since the year began more than 7,000 wildfires have devoured 3,000 square miles (8,000 square kilometers).

The lifting of mandatory evacuation orders for the Tahoe area marked a milestone in the fight against the Caldor Fire, which erupted Aug. 14 and spread across nearly 338 square miles (876 square kilometers) of dense national parks and forests, tree-dotted granite cliffs and scattered cabins and hamlets in the northern Sierra Nevada. As of Monday, it is 48% contained. At its peak, the fire was burning as many as 1,000 acres an hour and virtually razed the small community of Grizzly Flats.

In recent days, winds eased and firefighters took advantage of the better weather to hack, burn and bulldoze fire lines, managing to contain 44% of the perimeter by Monday. Authorities said containment lines were holding up but they were concerned about extremely low humidity and a slight increase in wind, which could spur spot fires up to half a mile (0.8 kilometers) away.

We are drier than I have seen on my 20 days on this fire, Jim Dudley, incident meteorologist, said Monday. Theres a lot of potential weather-wise for little things to become maybe not so little.

In South Lake Tahoe, gas stations and grocery stores quickly reopened but eateries and a ski gear shops remained closed.

Dakota Jones returned Monday to his apartment with his roommates, who were in the process of moving when the fire approached, and a U-Haul full of their belongings. The Lake Tahoe Community College student said he worried hed find buildings damaged and ashen, and was pleasantly surprised to see the town largely untouched.

I was honestly convinced this place was gonna go down, said Jones, who is not related to Connor. It was nice to see that I was wrong.

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 specifically from the fires, which have shut down all national forests in the state.

In Northern California, the weather is expected to cool slightly and the humidity to rise starting on Tuesday.

Further south, the National Weather Service in Oxnard, California said hot dry weather was expected for interior valleys and deserts with elevated fire conditions through Friday.

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Taxin reported from Orange County. 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.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden will visit all three 9/11 memorial sites to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and pay his respects to the nearly 3,000 people killed that day.

Biden will visit ground zero in New York City, the Pentagon and the memorial outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Flight 93 was forced down, the White House said Saturday. He will be accompanied by first lady Jill Biden.

Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, for a separate event before joining the president at the Pentagon, the White House said. Harris will travel with her spouse, Doug Emhoff.

Biden's itinerary is similar to the one President Barack Obama followed in 2011 on the 10th anniversary of the attacks. Obama's visit to New York City coincided with the opening of a memorial at the site where the iconic World Trade Center towers once stood.

Next Saturday's anniversary falls less than two weeks after the end of the nearly two-decade-long U.S. war in Afghanistan. The war was launched weeks after the 9/11 attacks to retaliate against the al-Qaida plotters and the Taliban, who provided them safe haven.

Biden has found support from the public for ending the conflict but has faced sharp criticism, even from allies, for the chaotic evacuation of U.S. troops and allied Afghans during the final two weeks of August.

Biden on Friday directed the declassification of certain documents related to the Sept. 11 attacks in a gesture toward victims' families who have long sought the records in hopes of implicating the Saudi government.

The conflict between the government and the families over what classified information could be made public came into the open last month after many relatives, survivors and first responders said they would object to Bidens participation in 9/11 memorial events if the documents remained classified.
How to use the mindat.org media viewer

Click/touch this help panel to close it.

Welcome to the mindat.org media viewer. Here is a quick guide to some of the options available to you. Different controls are available depending on the type of media being shown (photo, video, animation, 3d image)

Controls - all media types

Zoom in and out of media using your mousewheel or with a two-finger 'resize' action on a touch device.

Use the mouse or your finger to drag the image or the view area of the image around the screen.

< and > at the left and right hand side of the screen move forwards and backwards for the other images associated with the media you selected. Usually this is used for previous/next photo in a gallery, in an article or in search results. Keyboard shortcuts: use shift + the left and right arrow keys.

< and > in the bottom center are used for switching between the photos of the same specimen. Keyboard shortcuts: use the left and right arrow keys.

> in the bottom center, raises the information box giving details and further options for the media, < at the top of this box then hides it. Keyboard shortcuts: use the up and down arrow keys.

? opens this help window. Keyboard shortcuts: use the H key or the ? key.

Other keyboard shortcuts:

1 Fit image to screen 2 Fill screen with image 5 Display at full resolution < Make background darker > Make background lighter space Hide/dim titles and buttons

Scalebar

If the field of view (FOV) is specified for the photo, the scalebar appears in the left bottom corner of the viewer. The scalebar is draggable and resizeable. Drag the right edge to resize it. Double click will reset the scalebar to it's default size and position. If the scalebar is in default position, double click will make it circular.

Controls - Video

Video files have a standard set of video controls: - Reset to start, - Skip back, - Play, - Pause, - Skip forwards. Keyboard shortcuts: You can stop/start video play with the P key.

Controls - Animation (Spin Rotation)

Animation (usually 360 degree spin rotations) have their own controls: - enable spin mode. Note that while images are loading this option will not be available but will be automatically activated when the animation has loaded. Once active you can spin the image/change the animation by moving your mouse or finger on the image left/right or by pressing the [ or ] keys.

The button switches to move mode so that you can use your mouse/fingers to move the image around the screen as with other media types.

The button, or the P key will start playing the animation directly, you can interrupt this by using the mouse or finger on the image to regain manual movement control.

Controls - 3D Stereoscopic images

If a stereoscopic 3D image is opened in the viewer, the 3D button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "3D settings" menu. The 3D images can be viewed in several ways:

- without any special equipment using cross-eyed or parallel-eyed method

- with stereoscope

- with anaglyph glasses.

- on a suitable 3D TV or monitor (passive 3D system)

For details about 3D refer to: Mindat manuals: Mindat Media Viewer: 3D

To enable/disable 3D stereo display of a compatible stereo pair image press the 3 key. If the left/right images are reversed on your display (this often happens in full-screen mode) press the 4 key to reverse them.

Controls - photo comparison mode

If a photo with activated comparison mode is opened in the viewer, the button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "Comparison mode settings" menu.

Several layouts are supported: slider and side by-side comparison with up to 6 photos shown synchronously on the screen. On each of the compared photos a view selector is placed, e.g.: Longwave UV . It shows the name of currently selected view and allows to select a view for each placeholder.

Summary of all keyboard shortcuts
The Pirates claimed right-hander Connor Overton off waivers from the Blue Jays on Monday, according to a club announcement from Pittsburgh. To make room on the 40-man roster, righty Duane Underwood Jr. was transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.

Overton, 28, was designated for assignment by the Jays last week to make roster space for their waiver claim of veteran infielder Jake Lamb. Overtons initial call the Majors this season was his first, and he responded by tossing 6 2/3 innings of scoreless ball with four strikeouts and a pair of walks. It was the continuation of a strong season in Triple-A, where hed logged a 2.03 ERA with a below-average 21.6 percent strikeout rate but an excellent 4.3 percent walk rate and an above-average 47.9 percent ground-ball rate.

The bulk of Overtons career has been spent in the Giants organization, although he was originally a 15th-round pick of the Marlins back in 2014. Hes been a minor league free agent on three occasions, going first to the Nationals, then to the Giants and lastly to the Blue Jays. Along the way, Overton has battled multiple injuries, including Tommy John surgery, and played for a pair of teams on the independent circuit: the Atlantic Leagues Lancaster Barnstormers and the American Associations Sioux City Explorers.

It hasnt been the most straightforward path to the big leagues for Overton, but hell get another opportunity to add to an impressive start now that hes headed to the Pirates. Overton has all of his minor league options remaining, so he could be a flexible depth option for the Bucs next season if theyre willing to keep him on the 40-man roster all winter. In parts of three Triple-A seasons, Overton has a 2.39 ERA with a 22.4 percent strikeout rate, a 5.4 percent walk rate and a 46.9 percent ground-ball rate.
Visitors to Moab often inquire about the origin of the citys name. Whats the story behind the name? Why Moab?
The faceless scheme was expected to give a facelift to the tax administration in the country providing taxpayers the convenience of filing returns online with least physical interface. As it turns out now that the automation drive of the Income Tax (I-T) Department has gone completely awry with taxpayers thrown at the mercy of officials once again to be on the right side of compliance.

Ever since its June 7 launch, the revamped I-T portal developed by Infosys has which was suppose as to usher taxpayers into a new era of tax administration, has become a system generating heartburns with problems at it each step be it faced in generating passwords, linking data for past returns, and filing of returns.

The problems which started with minor glitches on the portal on day one, has gradually aggravated with each passing day so much so that the finance ministry had to summon Infosys MD & CEO Salil Parekh late last month. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held two meetings with Parekh in two months to understand the reasons for continuing glitches on the tax and had now given the developer a deadline of September 15 to resolve these.

The launch of the new portal has brought home the truth about how the I-T Department has made taxpayers dependent on technology in fulfilling their income tax obligations. The previous running website was made non-functional from June 1, with a new era starting from June 7.

But in the two weeks into its launch, logging remained a challenge, and even if one surmounted that, none of the functions worked. The case after two and half months of the launch is no better, as documents are still not getting uploaded, there is complete failure to link old data for past returns, and problems in filing returns continues. The problems have now expanded to include errors in interest calculation, incorrect capturing of details from Form 16, and inability to add details for tax exemption for trusts.

Taxpayers are also facing problems on not getting acceptance for their ITR-1 days after submission, inability to e-verify the ITR after filing, Form 26AS details not getting automatically populated, and the portal not having a secure connection and taking time to load properly. In some cases, individual taxpayers are also being asked to pay penalty for delayed submission of ITR even though the government had earlier extended the deadline for all categories of taxpayers with individuals now requiring to file their ITR only by September-end.

"I tried again and again to pay my calculated income tax for 2020-21 but the online system did not accept the payment. Besides, I was shown a late fee which was varied depending on the total tax calculation with minimum starting amount of Rs 1,000/- which was also wrong. Now I am waiting for the revamped website to go online to file my taxes before September 30," Arpit Dutt (name changed), 30, a self-employed professional in the textile industry told IANS.

The problem is not only for novices and individual taxpayers, even experts are scratching their heads to see firms go through and tabulating returns with past data.

According to noted tax expert Ved Jain, tax portals are not social media platforms where you just communicate your views, here it is a statuary platform that is essential for compliance of tax regulations by the taxpayers otherwise there are issues of penalty, interest payments etc.

"The glitches have not only impacted taxpayers but also created for tax professionals as a complete stop on filing of tax returns has piled up case files in their offices and they are seen in a confused state on how to deal with compliance matters when systems are not functioning."

Jain has a simple solution to the current problem.

"Why can't we switch back to the old portal till the time a new one is rectified for all its issues and is ready to offer seamless service to taxpayers from day one? But the issue I suppose is, have we kept the old portal intact before getting a new one live," he said.

What had baffled many in the current mess is the selection of Infosys once again to be the vendor for software offering services to millions of Indian taxpayers. The same agency has developed the GSTN software that was also full of glitches in the earlier run and with several days when the system completely crashed. Even now GSTN, the software running the indirect tax administration in the country is generating false information with regards e-way bills creating problems on inter state movement of goods and services.

"The problem I see is in the process how government contracts are awarded to the cheapest bidder or the one who gives the lowest quotes. Low margins in government contacts means that an implementing energy may cut corners to develop a software that is needed to support over five million taxpayers. I am fearful, that the system, which is working as of now, may crash soon on the sheer load of its users," said Sumit Agarwal, a chartered accountant who runs his own firm in Delhi.

"Don't shoot the messenger. There is something seriously wrong in our processes. Another thought: while Infosys might be good in business processes, it might not be in such government legal frameworked processes. So this is an opportunity to hone skills," said a taxpayer who has been regularly checking the status of his tax returns with a chartered accountant.

The government in early 2019 selected Infosys Ltd. to develop the next-generation income tax filing system for Rs 4,241.97 crore which would cut down the processing time for returns from 63 days to one day and expedite refunds.

The cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then gave its approval for the Integrated E-filing and Centralised Processing Centre 2.0 Project of the I-T Department.

Though the ambitious project is still taking shape, like several big initiatives, it seems even the this initiative is in for initial pains for maximum gains in future.

All eyes are now on September 15 by when the developer is rod system of all its snags. But not all are buying the deadline.

According to Agarwal, the problems could persist for long and it would not be easy for the developer to rid the system of glitches in the complex process at this stage with such a short span.

In the meanwhile, the suggestion is to move back tax administration a decade back to the era of paper forms and manual interactions between taxpayers, professionals and officials.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
Multiple high courts (HCs) from across the country have almost simultaneously admitted petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Banking Regulation Act 2020 and stayed the execution of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) circular issued on 25 June 2021. This circular notified several conditions related to urban cooperative banks (UCBs), including the appointment of managing director (MD) and whole-time director (WTD).

High courts from Rajasthan, Punjab & Haryana and Madhya Pradesh (MP) have issued a stay order on the RBI circular while hearing a writ petition challenging the constitutionality of the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2020 and the RBI circular.

These are: High Court of Judicature for Rajasthan Bench of Jaipur (SB Civil Writ Petition No. 9412/2021), HC of Judicature for Rajasthan at Jodhpur (SB Civil Writ Petition No. 11222/2021), High Court of Punjab & Haryana at Chandigarh (CWP 165090/2021) and the latest one the High Court Madhya Pradesh ( WP 16168/2-21).

A division bench of Madhya Pradesh HC, comprising chief justice Mohammad Rafiq and Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla, passed the interim order on 3 September and issued notice on a writ plea filed by Bhopal-based Mahanagar Nagrik Sahkari Bank Ltd. The Bank contended that the RBI circular is ultra vires of the Constitution of India. The HC has now listed the matter after eight weeks.

Counsel for the petitioner, Ajay Gupta, along with Ravi Kant Patidar and Milind Sharma, submitted that incorporation, regulation and winding up of cooperative societies is a state subject under entry 32 of List II of Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. There is a specific exclusion of incorporation, regulation and winding up of cooperative societies from Union List at entry 43 of List I of Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.

It was also argued that Parliament has competence only to legislate concerning banking as provided in Entry 45 of List I of the Constitution. Earlier in 1966, such provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 were made applicable to cooperative banks, which related to banking activity and the rest of all provisions that touched incorporation, regulation and winding up of cooperative societies' were kept in omission.

Part IXB was inserted in Constitution, vide 97th Constitutional Amendment, 2011, whereby 2nd Proviso to Article 243ZL made all the provisions of Banking Regulation Act, 1949 applicable to all such cooperative societies doing the business of banking.

On the strength of this provision in the Constitution of India, the Parliament made Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2020, whereby all such provisions which were touching upon incorporation, regulation and winding up were also made applicable to cooperative banks, though Parliament did not have the competence to legislate on it, as it was a state subject covered by Entry 32 of List II, the petitioner contended.

Once the omitted provisions were made applicable, RBI issued a circular on 25 June 2021 directing UCBs to appoint MD or chief executive officers (CEOs) of such banks, as per the eligibility criteria prescribed by the central bank, and remove or terminate all such MD and CEOs who are not fit and proper.

The Supreme Court struck down Article 243ZL, along with Part IXB of the Constitution of India, in its judgement dated 20 July 2021 passed in Union of India Vs Rajendra N Shah matter. Thus, the petitioner contended that the basis of promulgating the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2020 has been struck down by the apex court.

Moneylife had earlier reported on how the Madhya Pradesh government was in a quandary after the new RBI guidelines were issued.

The Madhya Pradesh government had even allowed the appointments of MPs and MLAs to the position of chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of the cooperative banks through an ordinance last year. The ordinance has since been turned into law despite severe criticism. Banking experts had even pointed out that all cooperative banks are now mandated to follow the norms set by the RBI. There would be no other option for the Madhya Pradesh government but to repeal the law promulgated as the Madhya Pradesh Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Ordinance 2020.

In the writ petition of Manish Gupta Vs Union of India and RBI, the Rajasthan HC observed that Meanwhile, no action shall be taken against the petitioner pursuant to the clause (4) of the communication dated 25 June 2021, issued by the RBI.

In the case of Dr Karan Sharma vs RBI and others, the case was heard through video conferencing, the HC observed case is adjourned till October and status quo regarding service be maintained until then.

In the matter of Dharmendra vs RBI and others, justice Dinesh Mehta observed that (the) Matter requires consideration. Issue notice. Issue notice of stay application also, returnable within six weeks. Meanwhile, no action shall be taken against the petitioner pursuant to clause (4) of the communication dated 25 June 2021, issued by the RBI.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse Patil has said that the state government will amend the Cooperative Societies Act, 1960 during the winter session of the state legislature. A study group has been formed to draft the proposed amendment to the state law, and its report was expected in three months and the Cabinet will discuss the recommendations.

Earlier, Sharad Pawar, president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), wrote to prime minister Narendra Modi expressing reservations about the amendments to the Banking Regulations Act. Mr Pawar met the PM and Union home minister Amit Shah.

It may be recalled that the Union government has recently even carved out a ministry (handled by Mr Shah) exclusively for cooperatives, seen as questioning states authority on the subject.

State cooperative banks have for long been the Achilles heel of the Indian banking sector. Politicians have run them as pocket boroughs and many cooperative banks have been run into the ground due to lack of professionalism and fraud. Hundreds of them have failed and it is only the failed cooperative banks that have failed to be revived.

According to RBI data, as of 31 May 2021, there were 1,531 UCBs in the country  53 scheduled and 1,478 non-scheduled.
We had mentioned in previous weeks closing report that Nifty, Sensex were headed higher. On Monday, the indices opened higher and closed with minor gains. On the NSE, there were 978 advances, 985 declines and 90 unchanged.

The trend of the major indices on Mondays trading are given in the table below:

Reliance Industries subsidiary Reliance Strategic Business Ventures acquired 2.28 crore equity shares in Strand Life Sciences for Rs 393 crore.

Welspun India claimed to have become the first Indian company to receive one of the stringent and most recognised quality approvalsUS Food and Drug Administration 510 (k) clearance for its 3-ply surgical masks.

ICICI Lombard received the final approval from the insurance regulator IRDAI for the proposed scheme of arrangement with Bharti AXA General Insurance Company.

Ashoka Buildcon received a letter of award from Adani Road Transport for an EPC contract for six laning of the NH-19 corridor in West Bengal for a price of Rs 1,567.45 crore.

Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited awarded a project to Engineers India for a value of Rs 1,039 crore.

M&M Financial Services reported disbursements of Rs 2,150 crore in August 2021, 57% higher over the August 2020 figure.

The RBI approved Jammu and Kashmir governments proposal to acquire 16,76,72,702 shares on a preferential basis in the bank.

Ahluwalia Contracts India secured new order worth Rs 890 crore for the construction of an Animal Science University at Patna in Bihar.

TARC Limited has completed sale of its warehousing asset in North Delhi to an affiliate of funds controlled by Blackstone Inc, for a total consideration of Rs 295 crore.

Action Construction Equipment approved the raising of funds by issuance of securities by way of private offerings for up to Rs 175 crore.

Zen Technologies secured an order of around Rs 155 crore from Indian Air Force (IAF) for the supply of Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (CUAS).

VA Tech Wabag secured a USD 11.45 million order from Dialog E&C Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia for establishing a new effluent treatment plant for Pengerang Integrated Complex in Johor, Malaysia.

Gensol Engineering received a work order from a reputed client in Gujarat for fixed lump-sum contract price of Rs 6.88 crore.

The top gainers and top losers of the major indices are given in the table below:

The closing values of the major Asian indices are given in the table below:
September 06, 2021 Why You Should Get Vaccinated But Don't Need A Third Shot There were again a number of misleading comments about Covid-19 in yesterday's open thread. I have deleted a dozen or so of those. It doesn't help that the media are currently back at bad reporting about the various vaccine issues. Here are some clarifications about the current situation: Q: Why do people who were vaccinated still get Covid-19? A: The vaccines are not giving a 'sterilizing immunity'. They were not designed for that and never promised to do so. What the vaccines do in fairy reasonable quality is to prepare the body to fight Covid-19 early and effectively. Nearly all people who got vaccinated will be protected from a severe progression of the disease. Q: If the vaccine does not protect me from getting Covid-19 why should I still take one? A: SARS-CoV-2, which causes Convid-19, is a new virus and our bodies are not prepared to fight it. The vaccines, by looking like a part of the virus, are teaching the body to fight the real virus. Once that is done special cells in our bodies will remember that fight. As soon as they detect a real infection they will be ready to attack it. Q: But would that not also happen if just get infected by SARS-CoV-2 without being vaccinated? A: Yes it would. But the speed at which the body can fight the virus is much slower in unvaccinated people. Speed is of great importance here. Remember that the Covid-19 disease happens in two phases. The virus first attacks in the upper respiratory tract - the nose and throat. Some seven days or so later it goes down into the lungs. It then can cause a so called cytokine storm during which the body overreacts and attacks itself in multiple organs. To avoid a progression into the second phase of Covid-19 the body must fight the virus as fast as possible. Q: But the vaccine efficiency is waning over time and they are telling us that we need a third or even a fourth shot. A: Yes, Pfizer and Co want to sell more vaccines. But for most people a third or fourth shot will not be necessary at all. Let me explain: The vaccines induce certain cells in our immune system (B- and T-cells) to create specific antibodies (proteins) against the virus and to detect and kill infected cells. After the virus is eliminated from the body there is no need to keep the antibodies around. A few weeks after a vaccination or infection the body slowly discards them. The measurable level of antibodies in the blood decreases. This process, which is normal, has been depicted in the press as 'waning immunity'. But that is pretty much nonsense. Once a vaccine induced infection is fought off special B- and T-cells will remember the fight and what specific antibodies they had to produce to kill the virus. These memory cells will hibernate in our bodies until they are again needed. As soon as a new infection is detected they wake up and start to produce a huge amount of specific antibodies to (again) fight the virus. Ask a Biologist has a fine explanation of that process: Toward the end of each battle to stop an infection, some T-cells and B-cells turn into Memory T-cells and Memory B-cells. As you would expect from their names, these cells remember the virus or bacteria they just fought. These cells live in the body for a long time, even after all the viruses from the first infection have been destroyed. They stay in the ready-mode to quickly recognize and attack any returning viruses or bacteria. Quickly making lots of antibodies can stop an infection in its tracks. The first time your body fights a virus, it can take up to 15 days to make enough antibodies to get rid of it. With the help of Memory B-cells, the second time your body sees that virus, it can do the same thing in 5 days. It also makes 100 times more antibodies than it did the first time. The faster your body makes antibodies, the quicker the virus can be destroyed. With the help of Memory B-cells, you might get rid of it before you even feel sick. This is called gaining immunity.

bigger Now think of the 'first infection' in the graphic as the vaccination. It has trained the B and T memory cells to fight SARS-CoV-2. Unlike the antibodies the B and T memory cells do not go away. When the next infection comes along the body will be quickly produce new antibodies and wrangle the virus down. Q: But would not a third or fourth vaccination increase the efficiency with which the body can fight the virus? A: That probably would happen but the effect would be very marginal. Unless someone is immune-compromised or has some other specific issues it is likely a waste of scarce resources that are better applied elsewhere. Q: But why has the White House announced a third vaccine shot for everyone? A: Well, that's actually a scandal the pro-Biden media do not like to talk about. The White House, which claimed to follow the science, did not follow the science but pharma lobbyists. It announced that everyone would get a third shot before the FDA had collected data on third shots, discussed the issue, and made a decision on it. Stephen Gowans @GowansStephen - 14:00 UTC  Sep 4, 2021 Here's who it's supposed to work:

FDA recommends -> White House approves -> Big Pharma acts

Here's how it really works:

Big Pharma recommends -> White House approves -> FDA rubber stamps -> Pfizer, Moderna, J&J shareholders (including a hefty part of Biden's cabinet) cash in The head of the FDA vaccine office and her deputy resigned in protest over the White House announcement as there is not nearly enough data to justify a third vaccine shot. Scientifically there is simply no compelling reason for a third dose. The White House will now have to walk back its statements on the issue. Q: So there is no reason at all to get re-vaccinated? A: Currently there is no reason for an additional shot. But the virus is mutating over time and the vaccines we currently have were made to fight the original virus. They are a little less effective against the now predominant delta variant. There will fairly soon be new vaccines that are specifically designed to fight new variants of the virus. People who are in risk groups, the very old and those with diseases that may make a Covid-19 infection more problematic, should probably take those new shots when they become available. For most people they will most likely still be unnecessary. Q: But what about the reports of vaccinated people in hospitals and ICUs? A: Those people are probably very old or have significant additional diseases. The media have overplayed the issue and most reports about severe 'breakthrough' infections are just sensational crap that is not based on actual data. Most people who now end up in the hospitals and ICUs are in fact not vaccinated: Most people here are unvaccinated, says Dr. Ilya Kagan, head of the coronavirus intensive care ward at Beilinson Hospital near Tel Aviv, standing at the bed of a man in his 50s who is sedated and on a ventilator. If you are vaccinated the chances for you to end up in the ICU is much, much lower than it is for not vaccinated people. Q: Do you expect to get Covid-19? A: Yes I do. The virus is now endemic and will likely - over time- infect every human (and many other mammals). But I am now vaccinated and my body has learned and remembers how to fight the virus. It will most likely do that fast enough to prevent extraordinaire damage and a severe disease. After that first infection a second or third will likely happen over the next years and decades. Each one will also reinforce my body's defenses, especially against the then predominant variant. --- Q: Why is there currently a shortage of microchips? A: Bill Gates has bought up all the production facilities to produce the chips he is secretly putting into the Covid-19 vaccines. Note: I will delete comments on Covid-19 that are just stupid nonsense like that last Q+A. I will also delete links to sensational 'snake oil fights Covid' salesmen or other unscientific crap. Repeated offenders will get banned from this site. Posted by b on September 6, 2021 at 18:47 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
Step aside George Clooney. One of his best mates, actor Brad Pitt, is now the newest star for one of the biggest coffee brands in the world.

While George Clooney covers Nespresso, Brad Pitt is all about the DeLonghi in the latest ad for the brand.

The 'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood' actor leaves home to bikes his way around Los Angeles, hunting for his specialty coffee beans and servicing his motorbike, before settling at home with a fresh cappuccino. Because if you're Brad Pitt, what else will you do in your day?

Watch Brad Pitt's latest ad above.
OCKLAWAHA [mdash]Elizabeth Lynn Keigans, 55, of Ocklawaha, formerly of Moultrie, died Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at her home. Born on December 20, 1965, in Moultrie, she was the daughter of the late Joe Ellis Keigans, Sr. and Ruby Lynette Conger Keigans. She is survived by her daughter, Cara
Joel Martinez/AP

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Justice Department said Monday that it will not tolerate violence against anyone who is trying to obtain an abortion in Texas as federal officials explore options to challenge a new state law that bans most abortions.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department would protect those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services under a federal law known as the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.
HAMPTON, Iowa (AP)  Police in north-central Iowa have arrested a man suspected of beating a nearly 2-year-old boy to death last year.

The Hampton Police Department reported that Jhonny Junior Salvatore Suarez Rivera was arrested Sunday in the 2020 death of 23-month-old boy. Rivera is charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death, police said.
Gustavo Huerta/Staff photographer

A group of teachers at a north San Antonio elementary school have tested positive for COVID-19, though the school staff did not alert the community at large.

All kindergarten teachers at Kinder Ranch Elementary, part of Comal ISD, tested positive, according to a report from mycanyonlake.com. The COVID-19 cases were confirmed and news was shared on Open Comal Schools Safely, a Facebook page dedicated to updates on the school district.
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.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  The mother of an Islamic State-inspired extremist who stabbed shoppers in a New Zealand supermarket said her son was radicalized by neighbors from Syria and Iraq who helped him recover from an injury.

The attacker, Ahamed Samsudeen, was a 32-year-old Tamil Muslim from Sri Lanka. He arrived in New Zealand 10 years ago on a student visa, and applied for refugee status on the basis of being persecuted back home in the island nation off the southern coast of India.

Samsudeen was shot and killed by police, who said five people were stabbed and two others injured in the chaos of last weeks attack in Auckland.

His mother, Mohamedismail Fareetha, said his descent into extremism began after he fell several stories in 2016 while attending university.

Because he did not have anyone there, it was people from Syria and Iraq who helped him. It looks like they brainwashed him. Then he started posting on Facebook," Fareetha said in a phone interview Saturday with a local TV station from her home in eastern Sri Lanka.

He changed only after going abroad, she added.

Police first noticed Samsudeens online support for terrorism in 2016, and the following year he was arrested at Auckland Airport. He was headed for Syria, authorities say, presumably to join the Islamic State insurgency. He was later released on bail.

After being arrested in 2017, he talked less with us, it was about once every three months, Fareetha said, adding that two of her other sons were angry with him and scolded him."

In a statement Saturday, Fareethas son Aroos said his brother would hang up the phone on us when we told him to forget about all the issues he was obsessed with. Then he would call us back again himself when he realized he was wrong. Aathil was wrong again yesterday. Of course we feel very sad he could not be saved."

In 2018, Samsudeen was jailed for three years after he was found with Islamic State videos and knives, and the following year, his refugee status was canceled after authorities found evidence of fraud. Immigration authorities tried to argue he should remain behind bars, but in July, Samsudeen was set free.

Police trailed him around the clock, fearing he would launch an attack, but unable to do more. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said her government will change the laws this month to enhance penalties for terrorist plots.

Samsudeen's family is from Kattankudy, a coastal city 220 kilometers (135 miles) northeast of the capital, Colombo, which police view as a hotbed for extremism.

Since Sri Lanka's decades-long conflict between the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils ended in 2009, a religious divide has taken hold.

The alleged mastermind of Sri Lanka's 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, Mohammed Zahran, preached an increasingly extremist version of Islam in Kattankudy glorifying the killing of nonbelievers. Two local Muslim groups that had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group were blamed for the six near-simultaneous suicide bomb attacks on three churches and three hotels.

However, it was not immediately clear whether Samsudeen had any links to extremist groups in his home town.

Rishvin Ismath, the spokesman for the Council of Ex-Muslims of Sri Lanka, said the government should focus on broad-based rehabilitation, such as making changes to what is preached in mosques and reforming school textbooks, which he said still contain extremist material.

If they focus only on identified terrorists, they are not going to finish this problem, he said.

Asanga Abeyagoonasekera, the former head of Sri Lanka's Institute of National Security Studies, said extremist militants across South Asia could become emboldened after seeing Taliban fighters quickly capture most of Afghanistan last month and the departure of U.S. forces.

I dont see China or Russia taking that place to balance the regional security architecture. The vacuum that is being created will have ripple effects to many nations," he said.

He also cautioned lawmakers in New Zealand against taking overly drastic steps when reforming their anti-terror laws, which he said could spark further radicalization.

By locking up hundreds of people, jails themselves could turn into breeding grounds for extremism, he said.
Overnight reports from Jacksonville police:

 Lizbeth S. Pineda, 40, of Wilmington, California, and Isaac A. Caballero, 25, of Los Angeles were arrested at 1:01 a.m. Monday on charges of trafficking in methamphetamine. Pineda was also cited on charges of driving while license is suspended and operating an uninsured motor vehicle and a turn signal violation after a traffic stop in the 800 block of West Morton Avenue.

 Police recovered five bicycles after a group of eight boys and girls between ages 7 and 12 were seen taking two bikes from the 900 block of Doolin Avenue at 7:43 p.m. Sunday.

 An apartment in the 700 block of East Douglas Avenue was damaged during a break-in, according to a report filed at 12:46 p.m. Sunday.

 A black Kent bicycle worth about $400 was stolen from the front yard of a residence in the 800 block of West State Street between 11 p.m. Saturday and 8:13 a.m. Sunday.

 Thomas S. Sanders, 48, of Jacksonville was cited on a disorderly conduct charge at 2:21 a.m. Sunday at Super 8 motel, 1003 W. Morton Ave., after police said he caused multiple disturbances.
A South Jacksonville man was arrested after a 58-year-old woman found unconscious and not breathing on West Michigan Avenue early Sunday later died.

Emergency dispatchers were called about 3:20 a.m. with a report of the woman being found on the grounds of Prairieland Heritage Museum at 1005 W. Michigan Ave.
An artists rendition of the restored Route 66 Park bridge was shown during an Aug. 21 presentation about the project.
UK aircraft carrier visits Japan for drill amid China worry View Photo

TOKYO (AP)  Japans defense minister on Monday welcomed the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth as it made its first Japanese port call, saying the involvement of European nations in the Indo-Pacific region is key to peace and stability as Chinas military strength and influence grow.

Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi met the strike groups commander, Commodore Steve Moorhouse, on board the carrier.

The ship arrived at the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka near Tokyo on Saturday. Japan is seeking to expand its military cooperation beyond its traditional alliance with the United States as Chinas navy expands and increasingly presses its territorial claims.

The Queen Elizabeth participated in a joint exercise with warships from the United States, the Netherlands, Canada and Japan before arriving in Yokosuka. The exercise was part of efforts to achieve a free and open Indo-Pacific vision led by Washington and Tokyo.

European countries interest in (Chinas) unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas  contributes to the peace and stability in this region, Kishi told reporters. I expect the port call will contribute to a further development of Japan-British defense cooperation.

Japan has become increasingly worried about Chinas growing military influence in the region as well as Beijings escalating tensions with Taiwan and rivalry with the United States. Japan has repeatedly protested to China over its increased activity near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which are also claimed by China, which calls them Diaoyu.

After arriving in Yokosuka, Moorhouse tweeted that the strike groups interaction is part of Britains commitment to strengthen our diplomatic, economic and security ties in the Indo-Pacific. He said it will take ties between Japan and Britain to a whole new level.

The Carrier Strike Groups presence embodies the United Kingdoms support for the freedom and security of the regions vital trading routes, and for an international system that benefits all countries, Moorhead said.

The strike group departed from Britain in May. Commissioned in 2017, the HMS Queen Elizabeth is Britains largest and most powerful warship. It is capable of carrying up to 40 aircraft such as F-35 stealth fighters, according to the Royal Navy.

By MARI YAMAGUCHI

Associated Press
Guineas new junta leaders seek to tighten grip on power View Photo

CONAKRY, Guinea (AP)  Guineas new military leaders sought to tighten their grip on power Monday after overthrowing President Alpha Conde, ordering the soldiers from his presidential guard to now join the junta forces and barring government officials from leaving the country.

After putting the West African nation back under military rule for the first time in over a decade, the junta already had dissolved the National Assembly and the countrys constitution. On Monday, regional military commanders replaced Guineas governors as the junta solidified its control.

Junta President Col. Mamady Doumbouya said the new military regime would not pursue vendettas against political enemies, but he also instructed the officials hed summoned from Condes deposed government to turn over their passports immediately.

There will be no spirit of hatred or revenge. There will be no witch hunt, said Doumbouya, 41, addressing officials in a red beret and dark sunglasses beside a throng of armed soldiers. But justice will be the compass that will guide every Guinean citizen.

For former members of the government, travel outside our borders will not be allowed during the transition, said Doumbouya, who had led the Guinean armys special forces unit before seizing power Sunday. All your travel documents and vehicles must be handed over to the general secretaries of your former departments.

The military junta has refused to issue a timeline for releasing Conde, saying the 83-year-old deposed leader still had access to medical care and his doctors. The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS, though, called for his immediate release and threatened to impose sanctions if the demand was not met.

Condes removal by force Sunday came after the president sought and won a controversial third term in office last year, saying the term limits did not apply to him. State television showed the junta being greeted by jubilant Guineans, some of whom chanted Freedom! at the passing military convoy in the streets.

While the political opposition and the junta both sought Condes ouster, it remained unclear Monday how united the two would be going forward.

In its first comments since the coup, the longtime opposition National Alliance for Change and Democracy party said Sundays government overthrow carries the hope of a new beginning for our nation. But the party also encouraged the military rulers to rapidly establish the rule of law.

It also was unknown Monday just how much support the junta leader had within the larger military. As the commander of the armys special forces unit he directed elite soldiers but it was still possible that others who remained loyal to the ousted president could mount a countercoup in the coming hours or days.

In announcing the coup on state television, Doumbouya cast himself as a patriot of Guinea, which he said remained poor despite decades of independence from its former colonizer, France. Observers, though, say the tensions between Guineas president and the army colonel stem from a recent proposal to cut some military salaries.

Condes 2010 election victory  the countrys first democratic vote ever  was supposed to be a fresh start after decades of corrupt, authoritarian rule and political turmoil. Opponents, though, said Conde, too, failed to improve the lives of Guineans, most of whom live in poverty despite the countrys vast mineral riches of bauxite and gold.

The year after Condes first election he narrowly survived an assassination attempt when gunmen surrounded his home overnight and pounded his bedroom with rockets. Rocket-propelled grenades landed inside the compound and one of his bodyguards was killed.

Violent street demonstrations broke out last year after Conde organized a referendum to modify the constitution. The unrest intensified after he won the October election, and the opposition said dozens were killed during the crisis.

In neighboring Senegal, which has a large diaspora of Guineans who opposed Conde, news of his political demise was met with relief.

President Alpha Conde deserves to be deposed. He stubbornly tried to run for a third term when he had no right to do so, said Malick Diallo, a young Guinean shopkeeper in the suburbs of Dakar.

We know that a coup detat is not good, said Mamadou Saliou Diallo, another Guinean living in Senegal. A president must be elected by democratic vote. But we have no choice. We have a president who is too old, who no longer makes Guineans dream and who does not want to leave power.

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Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Babacar Dione in Dakar, Senegal, contributed.

By BOUBACAR DIALLO and KRISTA LARSON

Associated Press
Plea and a trial loom in next month for Giuliani associates View Photo

NEW YORK (AP)  The October illegal campaign contribution trial of an associate of Rudy Giuliani  and a guilty plea set to occur this week by a second associate  puts a spotlight on Giuliani as a criminal probe of the former mayor and his dealings with Ukraine move closer to a decision on whether hell face arrest.

A judge last week refused to delay the Oct. 12 trial of Lev Parnas and Andrey Kukushkin on charges that they made illegal campaign contributions to U.S. politicians. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Meanwhile, a review of electronics materials seized in raids on Giuliani continues before prosecutors decide whether his dealings with Ukrainian officials while he worked as a personal lawyer for then-President Donald Trump required him to register as a foreign agent.

A decision on whether to charge Giuliani with a crime is unlikely to occur before a former federal judge finishes the court-appointed task of separating privileged materials from other data pulled from 18 phones taken during raids of Giulianis home and law office earlier this year. Some phones belonged to employees of the former New York mayors firm.

Igor Fruman, a Soviet-born Florida businessman who assisted Giuliani in seeking damaging information about Joe Biden in Ukraine when Biden was running for president, is scheduled to plead guilty on Friday in the illegal campaign contribution case.

Fruman and Parnas worked with Giuliani to try to convince Ukraine to open an investigation into Bidens son, Hunter, over his connection to a Ukrainian energy company. When Parnas was arrested in October 2019, Democrats in the U.S. House were seeking his testimony about his involvement with Giulianis Ukrainian effort.

Giuliani, a Republican, has acknowledged working extensively with the pair in connection with Ukrainian figures but said he had no knowledge of any illegal campaign contributions.

Giuliani, who was widely praised for his actions as New York Citys mayor after the Sept. 11 attacks, has insisted his Ukrainian activities were conducted on behalf of Trump, not a foreign entity or person.

Trumps efforts to press Ukraine for an investigation of the Bidens led the House to impeach Trump, though he was acquitted by the Senate.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken in Manhattan rejected a request by lawyers for Parnas and Kukushkin to postpone next months trial, set to start October 12, until February.

Oetken noted that the trial was set to occur a year after it had been first scheduled and two years after the charges were brought.

Further delay would potentially prejudice the Government in its ability to prosecute this case at trial, and it would undermine the publics significant interest in timely resolution of these charges, he wrote.

Parnas, a Soviet-born Florida businessman who came to the U.S. as a young child, and Kukushkin, a Ukrainian-born U.S. citizen, face trial in a scheme to make illegal campaign donations to local and federal politicians in New York, Nevada and other states to try to win support for a new recreational marijuana business.

By LARRY NEUMEISTER

Associated Press
The Latest: More U.S. first responders are dying of COVID-19

The Latest: More U.S. first responders are dying of COVID-19 View Photo

UNDATED  The resurgence of COVID-19 this summer and the national debate over vaccine requirements have created a fraught situation for the United States first responders, who are dying in larger numbers but pushing back against mandates.

Its a stark contrast from the beginning of the vaccine rollout when first responders were prioritized for shots.

The mandates affect tens of thousands of police officers, firefighters and others on the front lines across the country, many of whom are spurning the vaccine. That is happening despite mandates consequences that range from weekly testing to suspension to termination  even though the virus is now the leading cause of U.S. law enforcement line-of-duty deaths.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 132 members of law enforcement agencies are known to have died of COVID-19 in 2021. In Florida alone last month, six people affiliated with law enforcement died over a 10-day period.

Despite the deaths, police officers and other first responders are among those most hesitant to get the vaccine and their cases continue to grow. No national statistics show the vaccination rate for Americas entire population of first responders but individual police and fire departments across the country report figures far below the national rate of 74% of adults who have had at least one dose.

-

MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 European Union regulator pondering whether to recommend Pfizer booster shots for 16 and older

 Two anchors of COVID safety net ending, affecting millions in US

 Volunteers help poorest survive Thailands worst COVID surge yet

 Hospitals in crisis in Mississippi, the least-vaccinated US state

 Want to attend Hamilton? Not unless you meet virus protocols

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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:

AMSTERDAM  The European Medicines Agency says it has started an expedited evaluation on whether to recommend use of a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech.

In a statement Monday, the EU drug regulator says it is considering whether a third dose of the vaccine should be given six months after people over age 16 have received two doses to restore protection after it has waned.

EMAs experts are carrying out an accelerated assessment of data submitted by Pfizer and BioNTech, including results from an ongoing research trial in which about 300 healthy adults received a booster dose about six months after their second dose.

Pfizer has already submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administer for authorization of a third dose and the U.S. government said last month boosters would likely be available in late September. Israel has already started administering booster doses and the plan is under consideration in other countries for vulnerable populations, including France and Germany.

The Amsterdam-based agency said it expects to make a decision in the next few weeks.

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DETROIT  Five federal courthouses in eastern Michigan will fully reopen Tuesday for the first time since COVID-19 restrictions were put in place in March 2020.

Lawyers, news reporters, jurors and court spectators will be required to answer questions about their health and have their temperature checked at courthouse entrances. Masks will be required.

Courthouse employees who have not been vaccinated will be required to share the results of two weekly COVID-19 tests at their own expense.

The court is doing everything in its power to make sure that everyone who uses our facilities are protected, said Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood.

The main courthouse is in downtown Detroit, but there are other federal courthouses in Flint, Bay City, Ann Arbor and Port Huron. Remote video access will be provided for some hearings in civil lawsuits. But nearly all criminal cases will be conducted in person at the courthouses.

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SANTIAGO, Chile  Chiles Public Health Institute has approved the Chinese-developed Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for children older than 6, though the health minister must approve the plan before shots enter arms.

The panel of senior physicians, including presidents of the associations of pediatrics and infectology, analyzed a Chinese study of 500 children aged 3 to 17, all of whom produced antibodies. A similar study of 4,000 children is being organized in Chile.

Brazils health regulatory agency, however, recently rejected a similar request by Sinovac, and asked for data involving a larger study.

Chile already had authorized vaccinations for children as young as 12, though only with the Pfizer vaccine. Supply shortages have stalled that effort.

Chilean officials plan to vaccinate 15.2 million of the countrys 19 million people. So far they have given a full double dose regimen to 86% of those now eligible. The country last month also began giving AstraZeneca booster shots to fully vaccinated people people older than 55.

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ROME  Life expectancy for men in some of Italys worst-hit provinces in the pandemic dropped by more than four years.

ISTAT, Italys national statistics bureau, in a report on Monday said that compared with 2019, nationwide life expectancy for those born in 2020 dropped by 1.2 years.

In 2020, the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the sharp increase in the risk of mortality that derived from it abruptly interrupted the increase of life expectancy at birth that had marked a trend up to 2019, ISTAT said.

The pandemic first erupted outside Asia in northern Italy, and much of the north reeled with confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the initial wave of cases. In the northern provinces of Bergamo, Cremona and Lodi, life expectancy for men decreased by some 4.3 to 4.5 years. For women in those provinces, the reduced expectancy ranged from 3.2 to 2.9 years.

For a child born in 2020, male life expectancy nationwide is 79.7 and female life expectancy is 84.4, ISTAT said.

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PHOENIX  A program announced by Arizonas Republican governor last month giving private school vouchers to students whose parents object to school mask requirements has seen a surge of applications.

More than 2,700 applications have been started or completed in less than two weeks. Thats twice as many as can be funded with the $10 million in federal coronavirus relief cash earmarked for the program.

Gov. Doug Duceys plan will give $7,000 a year to each student to pay for private school tuition.

School voucher opponents worry they will permanently get vouchers and some Republican lawmakers say they hope thats the case.

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ROME  Italys health minister says a two-day meeting of his G-20 counterparts yielded resolve to help poor nations obtain more COVID-19 vaccines.

Minister Roberto Speranza told reporters in Rome on Monday that achieving that includes vaccine production in less developed nations. The goal is to bring vaccines to every corner of the world, said Speranza. He described the meetings unanimous final document as a departure point.

Stronger nations, starting with the G-20, are committing to more resources and to sending vaccines to the more vulnerable countries, he said, adding that efforts like COVAX need to be strengthened.

We want to build on conditions so that production can be brought to the countries. Its not enough merely to transfer doses, Speranza said.

COVAX is an international mechanism created in part to share vaccines so that poorer wouldnt have to rely on donations. But in some cases, wealthy nations have received doses through COVAX.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Danish health authorities say they are offering jabs in supermarkets as they are aware of differences in the vaccination pattern even though more than 80% of people over 12 have had two shots of vaccine.

It is especially young people who have not received the first jab, said Soeren Brostroem, head of the Danish Health Agency.

On Saturday, vaccines will be offered in two of Denmarks largest supermarket chains, Bilka and Foetex, No appointments are needed.

We want to ensure that the offer of vaccination is as accessible as possible, so that, for example, it is possible to get a shot while shopping, Brostroem said, adding there are many young people working in retail.

Denmark has a target of reaching 90% of people above the age of 12 by Oct. 1.

As of Sept. 10, the digital pass  a proof of vaccination or a negative test which was required to enter nightclubs  becomes the last COVID-19 safeguard to fall.

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PRISTINA, Kosovo  Kosovos Health Ministry said it has received half a million Pfizer vaccines Monday sent from the United States.

Kosovos 1.8 million people have faced a surge in new infections during the last month. On Monday there were 28 deaths and 489 new cases.

The ministry said it had received 503,100 Pfizer shots from the United States through the COVAX program. It strongly called on people older than 16 years old to take the jabs as the only way to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

About 17% of Kosovos people have gotten both shots of the vaccine so far.

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SEOUL, South Korea  South Koreas daily increase in coronavirus infections has exceeded 1,000 for the 62nd consecutive day as officials are raising concerns about another viral spike during this months Chuseok holidays, the Korean version of Thanksgiving.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said more than 940 of the 1,375 new cases reported Monday were from Seoul and the nearby metropolitan region, where a rise in infections have been linked to the reopening of schools and people returning from summer vacations.

While the virus has slowed outside the capital area in recent weeks, KDCA official Kim Ki-nam said transmissions could worsen nationwide during the Chuseok break, which starts on Sept. 20, a time when millions usually travel across the country to meet relatives.

Officials are enforcing the countrys strongest social distancing rules in the greater capital area, where private social gatherings of three or more are banned after 6 p.m. unless all are fully vaccinated.

A slow vaccine rollout has left less than 35% of South Koreans fully vaccinated as of Monday.

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HANOI  About 23 million Vietnamese students have started a new school year, most of them in virtual classrooms, amid a COVID-19 lockdown to contain a virus surge in the country.

Since April, when the latest wave of the virus spread in the country, Vietnam closed down schools and education institutes in pandemic areas and move learning activities to online platforms.

Millions of students spent their summer break at home as more than half of the country is in lockdown. In hard-hit provinces, schools have been converted into quarantine facilities and field hospitals.

In Ho Chi Minh city, the epicenter of Vietnams worst virus outbreak, teachers and students observed a minute of silence to pay tribute to those who died of COVID-19 and honor front-liners before opening classes Monday.

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand  Most of New Zealand will move out of lockdown Tuesday except for the largest city of Auckland, which will remain in the strictest type of lockdown until at least next week, the government announced Monday.

The nation has been battling an outbreak of the delta variant of the coronavirus since last month. All recent cases have been found in Auckland, including 20 that were found on Monday.

There have been a total of 821 cases found in the outbreak. The government is pursuing an unusual strategy of trying to eliminate the virus entirely.

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JERUSALEM  Israel says it will soon reopen its gates to foreign tour groups  even as it battles one of the worlds highest rates of coronavirus infections.

The countrys Tourism Ministry on Sunday said it will begin allowing organized tour groups into the country beginning Sept. 19.

Tourists will have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, present a negative PCR test before their flight and undergo both PCR and serological testing upon arrival. Visitors would have to quarantine in their hotels until the test results come back  a process expected to take no more than 24 hours.

Tourists from a handful of red countries with high infection rates  including Turkey and Brazil  will not be permitted to visit for the time being.

Israel launched a similar program in May after vaccinating most of its population early this year. But the program was suspended in August as the delta variant began to spread.

In recent weeks, the country has begun administering booster shots to anyone who was vaccinated over five months ago.

By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON  The United States is confirming for the first time that it has helped a U.S. citizen and family members to escape Afghanistan through an overland route to a neighboring country.

A U.S. official says Monday that the citizen and the citizens children successfully departed Afghanistan using an overland route and were met by U.S. Embassy staff at the border. The official would not speak to details of the evacuation or to the country in which they arrived, citing security reasons and the need to preserve the viability of the route for possible future efforts.

The evacuation is the first overland extraction the U.S. government has confirmed since it ended its air evacuation effort last week with the final withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan.

 By Matthew Lee

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MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:

 Taliban say they took Panjshir, last holdout Afghan province

 Over 24 hours in Kabul, brutality, trauma, moments of grace

 US: Afghan evacuees who fail initial screening Kosovo-bound

 Rescue groups: US tally misses hundreds left in Afghanistan

___

 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan

___

HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

ISLAMABAD  Pakistans powerful army chief is urging Afghanistan's leadership to try to amicably resolve all issues related to forming a stable and representative government.

Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa commented Monday in a televised speech at a ceremony marking Defense Day of Pakistan, the day on which Pakistan claims its forces repulsed a 1965 Indian attack.

He spoke hours after the Taliban said they had taken control of Panjshir, the last holdout province located north of Kabul, the Afghan capital.

Bajwa also urged the United Nations and the international community to play positive roles for peace in Afghanistan.

We also expect that the world will not abandon the Afghan people at this difficult time, Bajwa said.

He said Pakistan wants human rights, including the rights of women, to be respected in Afghanistan, and that Afghan soil not be used to launch attacks against other countries.

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MOSCOW  Russia's foreign minister says officials from his country could attend a swearing-in ceremony for a new Afghanistan government if it is inclusive of all the countrys ethnic groups.

Sergey Lavrov says Monday: We want to support the government-forming process if this government reflects the whole spectrum of the Afghan society, including the Taliban and other ethnic groups, not just Pashtuns, such as Uzbeks, Hazaras and Tajiks.

___

PRISTINA, Kosovo  Kosovos prime minister said he had a telephone call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, who thanked his country for housing Afghans during their transition.

Kosovo has temporarily sheltered up to 700 Afghans since the first arrivals Aug. 29, accommodating them at a former camp of a road construction company and at the nearby U.S. Camp Bondsteel in the south.

Our alliance with the U.S. is unwavering and our friendship is growing stronger, Prime Minister Albin Kurti tweeted Monday.

State Department spokesperon Ned Price, said Blinken thanked Kurti for Kosovo's "early generous agreement to temporarily host at-risk individuals from Afghanistan.

Kosovos steadfast humanitarian support during this transition is a testament to its willingness and capacity to contribute to global peace and security, said a statement from Price.

Kosovo has said it may temporarily shelter up to 2,000 Afghans while they process documentation on their final destination to the United States.

A U.S. official said last weekend that Kosovo had agreed to take in Afghanistan evacuees who fail to clear initial rounds of screening and host them for up to a year. That helps Washington to fix one of the security problems of the frantic U.S. evacuation from the Kabul airport.

___

KABUL, Afghanistan  The Taliban say they have taken control of Panjshir province north of Kabul, the Afghan capital.

The province was the last holdout of anti-Taliban forces in the country and the only province the Taliban had not seized during their sweep of Afghanistan last month.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement Monday, saying Panjshir was now under control of Taliban fighters.

Thousands of Taliban fighters overran eight districts of Panjshir overnight, according to witnesses from the area. The anti-Taliban fighters had been led by the former vice president and the son of the iconic anti-Taliban fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was killed by a suicide bomber just days before the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Click here to read the full article.

Rickie Lee Reynolds, guitarist for rock band Black Oak Arkansas, died on Sunday morning. He was 72.

Reynolds daughter, Amber Lee, confirmed the news of his death on Facebook, as did current Black Oak Arkansas member Sammy Seauphine. According to Lees previous posts, Reynolds had been hospitalized due to COVID-19 and then suffered from kidney failure and cardiac arrest.

Unfortunately, this morning he suffered another cardiac arrest, which they were unable to resuscitate him from. We are all heartbroken by this massive loss, and the whole world feels colder and more empty without his presence among us, Lee wrote. Please take a moment of silence today to remember all of the love he gave to the world, and take some time to give back some of those wonderful feelings that he gave us all in our times of need.

Reynolds was a founding member of Black Oak Arkansas  which was named after the bands hometown  along with original vocalist Ronnie Smith, fellow guitarists Stanley Knight and Harvey Jett, bassist Pat Daugherty and drummer Wayne Evans. The band then decided that their friend Jim Mangrum was better suited as the bands frontman, and Smith became their stage manager.

With a sound influenced by rock, country, blues and gospel, Black Oak Arkansas achieved success in the 60s and 70s with three gold-certified albums. The band was also known for their singles such as Up, Gigolo, Hot Rod and When Electricity Came to Arkansas, which received criticism from Christians who believed it contained Satanic messaging. Reynolds departed the band in 1977, but eventually rejoined in 1984 and had toured with them ever since.

All of my love goes out to those who feel this overwhelming loss right now, just as I do, Lee wrote in her tribute to her father. Please take heart in knowing he loves all of us, as much as we love him. And he felt that love every day in the center of his big ole heart. He will continue to feel that love, forever. Just as we will never forget the love he bestowed upon us.

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By Janet Bednarek, Professor of History, University of Dayton. Originally published at 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.

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
Happy Labor Day!

This Labor Day, We Remember Our Essential Workers Capital & Main

Heron becomes NYC icon after being pictured devouring rat for breakfast in Central Park Independent

Theologys Invisible Hand Commonweal

The Publishing Ecosystem in the Digital Era: On John B. Thompsons Book Wars LA Review of Books

HOW THE FRENCH CONNECTION REINVENTED (AND EXPLODED) THE POLICE PROCEDURAL Crime Reads

How American Environmentalism Failed The Wire

Wildlife Red List a grim tally of extinction threat Phys.org

River of life: zoos yearly count finds seals thriving on Thames Guardian

Why wont TV news say climate change? Columbia Journalism Review

Hurricane Idas death count rises to 63 nationwide while 600,000 still lack power as search continues for two college students whose car was swept away Daily Mail

Defensive, Not Aggressive London Review of Books. Andrew Cockburn.

Rats, drought and labour shortages eat into global edible oil recovery Reuters (re/silC)

Guinea coup: Soldiers detain President Conde, dissolve government Deutsche Welle

#COVID-19

Chicago just forced 70+ school bus drivers  10% of its entire fleet  out of work with vax mandates, leaving working class parents of special needs kids w/o rides Mayor Lightfoot told families to rely on Uber, which will cost them thousands a month. https://t.co/WVU1kwiG5t pic.twitter.com/WG8dEFymQ7  Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) September 5, 2021

18) Just how damn bad is #COVID19 deaths in Florida & Texas & rest of conservative South right now? Its so severe per capita that it even shows up in global comparisons. Hope @GovAbbott @GovRonDeSantis at paying attention.  Figure by World Bank economist @fibke. pic.twitter.com/smo4301lcF  Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) September 6, 2021

So this is how humanity falls pic.twitter.com/VFKCQ9EYyS  Benjamin Dixon (@BenjaminPDixon) September 4, 2021

Yet another achievement! With more than 180 million vaccine doses administered in the month of August, India leaves a mark on the Global map of leading its way in vaccinating its population on priority. #LargestVaccineDrive pic.twitter.com/ftvdHVIWMk  MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) September 5, 2021



Class Warfare

Biggest Crypto Coin Sale Fueled by Pump Scheme, Research Says Bloomberg

People Will Lose Their Lives: Texas Isnt Doing Enough to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Deaths, Critics Say ProPublica

DARK MONEY GROUP HARASSES SCHOOL BOARDS ACROSS CALIFORNIA Left Coast Right Watch (chuck l)

Big Brother IS Watching You Watch

Sports Desk

Trump Transition

Trump takes credit for Supreme Court not blocking Texas abortion law NY Post

China?

India

OP-ED: Why is Bangladesh so prone to floods? Dhaka Tribune

The Soviet Water Legacy in Central Asia The Diplomat

Syraqistan

Does the NYT Editorial Board know the difference between the American dream and American exceptionalism? For centuries, the former has generally been held to be upward social mobility. Re-making the world in the national image is American exceptionalism. pic.twitter.com/Hwp6czqOBG  Sam Haselby (@samhaselby) September 5, 2021

Antidote du Jour (via):

And a bonus video (furzy):

And a second bonus video (chuck l):



See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She is currently writing a book about textile artisans.

A major biodiversity conference kicked off in Marseille last week with the release of the latest Red List of Threatened Species. The first such list dates to 1964, in the latest, The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assessed the health of the worlds biodiversity.

The IUCN found more than 38,500 of the 138,374 species assessed  28%  to be threatened with extinction. Broken down by type of species, that translates to 41% of amphibians, 26% of mammals, 34% of conifers, 14% of birds, 37% of sharks and rays, 33 % of reef corals, and 28% of selected crustaceans.

According to Common Dreams, Red List of Threatened Species: A Grim Tally of Those Facing Extinction:

The red list status shows that were on the cusp of the sixth extinction event, the IUCNs Head of Red List Unit Craig Hilton-Taylor told Agence France Presse on the eve of the congress. If the trends carry on going upward at that rate, well be facing a major crisis soon.

The Marseille conference runs through the 11th of September and has drawn prominent speakers, including French president Emmanuel Macron and actor Harrison Ford. As reported by the Guardian, Emmanuel Macron: There is no vaccine for a sick planet:

Speaking at the opening of the IUCN World Conservation Congress, the president echoed warnings from leading scientists that humanity must solve ongoing crises with climate and nature together or solve neither, urging the world to catch up on preventing the loss of biodiversity. There is no vaccine for a sick planet, Macron said, detailing the urgent tasks of phasing out pesticide use, ending plastic pollution and eradicating raw materials linked to deforestation of rainforests from supply chains around the world. In a lengthy speech, he said the world must agree goals and make financial commitments for nature equivalent to those for the climate, and said he would push for Earths polar regions to be recognised as common global assets at the launch of the congress.

Ford seems to be aware of the scope of the problem. Alas, this isnt a movie, and he cannot throwing those terrorists off of Air Force One a far easier task than fixing the biodiversity crisis.

WATCH @ConservationOrg Vice Chair Harrison Ford address the #IUCNCongress calling for urgent action in the fight against the climate crisis. pic.twitter.com/Qa1yP1NR7S  Conservation Intl (@ConservationOrg) September 3, 2021

According to Common Dreams:

The main message from the IUCN World Conservation Congress, which opened Friday in Marseille, France, is that disappearing species and the destruction of ecosystems are no less existential threats than global warming. At the same time, climate change itself is casting a darker shadow than ever before on the futures of many species. Habitat loss, overexploitation and illegal trade have hammered global wildlife populations, but scientists say they are increasingly worried about the looming threats of climate change.

What Can Be Done?

The biodiversity crisis is just one existential threat facing the planet. Im in Brooklyn at the moment and last week had first-hand experience of extreme weather, when Tropical Storm Ida stalled over the city, dumping lots of rain and causing widespread flooding. Wednesday my husband and I stayed awake through the worst of the storm, hoping that our house wouldnt flood. We had a small surge of water come into the downstairs foyer under the stoop, one drain backed up, and a mall slick of water appeared in the basement. Prompt action, plenty of towels and a wetvac took care of the water, which didnt cause any lasting damage. Many others werent so lucky. Seeing some of the reports of extensive flooding of basements and the subway, I realize we got off very easy.

NYC isnt alone in seeing climate change. Wildfires in Europe, Siberia, and the western U.S., flooding in China, Germany, and New Orleans, drought and extreme heat in the western U.S. and Canada, offer nearly daily reminders of how the planets weather is changing  and not for the better.

World leaders are uttering pretty words in Marseille, but as with many other environmental crises, proposed solutions dont seem to match the magnitude of the problems  either in scope or degree. Per the Guardian:

In a recorded message, the Chinese prime minister Li Keqiang said countries must work together to create a clean and beautiful world, highlighting the enormous journey of a herd of Asian elephants in Yunnan as an example of Chinas growing success with conservation efforts. Many places have been hit by rare storms and floods. The weather events pose a severe threat to the survival and development of humanity, and make protecting nature and global not-traditional security issues more prescient, Li said.

Protecting Piping Plovers

I dont want to close this post bogged down in this environmental slough of despond. So at risk of appearing to be a Pollyanna  irrationally upbeat in the face of civilisation-ending threats, Ill risk mentioning another article I read today over breakfast, Threatened Birds Have a Defender on N.Y. Beaches: The Plover Patrol. The article discusses the activities of a group of volunteers, the NYC Plover Project, who patrol local beaches to help protect the endangered piping plover, a wee shorebird. About one hundred of the roughly 8,000 of these birds remaining in the world nest in NYC.

The projects website discusses the recent launch of a volunteers program in conjunction with partners at the National Park Service at Gateway National Recreation Area. Every day, over 50 volunteers connect with beachgoers at Fort Tilden, Jacob Riis and Breezy Point Tip, raising awareness about piping plovers nesting on these beaches.The project also works with schools and educators along the Rockaway Peninsula. From the website:

We are an unwavering voice for Piping Plovers and other nesting shorebirds as residents of the Rockaways, Queens and NYC. We are looking to work with elected officials and agencies alike, to make sure we are doing all we can to protect these magnificent birds. If you are a NYC elected official, or work for one, please reach out to us! We showcase information about the Piping Plover and other at-risk shorebirds. We seek to engage the public with photography and up-to-date scientific information about Piping Plovers.

The NYT article is well worth a read and contains some great photos of piping plovers and a ghost crabs. Many people are unaware of the perilous existence these tiny birds lead. Its all too easy for unaware beachgoers to stumble over them birds, or trod on their nests, crushing them or their eggs. Unleashed dogs pose another common hazard.

Chris Allieri recently started the NYC Plover Project. Per the NYT:

Mr. Allieri, 47, lives in Brooklyn and owns a public relations company that specializes in clean energy and climate technologies. He saw his first plover as a child with his father, an avid birder, at the Jersey Shore. He said it was like seeing a unicorn. Last year, Mr. Allieri was at Fort Tilden Beach at Gateway National Recreation Area in Queens when a plover appeared next to him on the beach. Then he saw another, and another. He also saw dogs, off-leash, chasing the fragile birds. Whos protecting them? Mr. Allieri said. He spent much of the first summer of the coronavirus pandemic photographing plovers and communicating with the National Park Service, which oversees Gateway. This spring Mr. Allieri started the Plover Project to educate beachgoers about the birds and to call authorities if necessary to protect them. Plovers have seen their coastal habitat destroyed by human development and erosion. At one point there were barely more than 720 breeding pairs of Atlantic piping plovers The birds are federally protected under the Endangered Species and Migratory Birds Treaty Acts. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there were a total of 5,983 cases investigated in 2020 under both acts, of which investigations into plovers make up a fraction. Plover chicks begin to run and feed on their own practically from birth, and they are mostly defenseless against predators like ghost crabs, gulls and raccoons, among many others. Human proximity can prevent the chicks from feeding, which can be a death sentence.

Alas, the birds arrive at NY and NJ beaches in March and stay through the autumn, when they migrate south again for the winter. Their Mid-Atlantic sojourn coincides with our peak beach season. From the NYT:

That timing is unfortunate, and some beachfront communities have resented the birds for decades because protecting them often means restricting beaches. Whole stretches of beach can be cordoned off. Walking dogs, flying kites, lighting fireworks or off-roading to a secluded spot for fishing are banned. Anyone caught harming a plover can face stiff financial penalties and even jail time. Protecting the birds can also mean capturing or killing animals that eat them, like foxes in New Jersey or feral cats on Long Island, actions that have angered residents. In the Hamptons, some homeowners turned against the birds, so much so that one outspoken critic published a recipe for spit-roasted plover in a local newspaper. The village of West Hampton Dunes on Long Island was incensed over plover regulations, which required fencing about half its beaches, erecting protective structures around nests and hiring plover monitors, who patrol the sands and keep cars moving at a crawl on nearby roads, said the mayor, Gary Vegliante. We were quarantined from our beach, Mr. Vegliante said.

But over the years residents have mostly come to accept the restrictions, Mr. Vegliante said. The birds are cute, nobody wants to see them abandoned or lost, he said.

The private citizens who participate in the NYC Plover Project have no legal authority to take direct actions against anyone who threatens the plovers or their habitat. They must call on the U.S. Park Service to deal with difficult situations. Per the Grey Lady:

U.S. Park Police enforce the laws that protect plovers and other threatened species on the Queens beaches that Mr. Allieri watches. But there are only so many park rangers available. Mr. Allieris group is a big help monitoring miles of beach, said Tony Lordo, a lieutenant with the Park Police. Its the extra eyes and ears, thats really what we need, Lt. Lordo said at Fort Tilden Beach. The Park Service partnered with Mr. Allieri and helped teach him and the volunteers about conflict de-escalation and the best way to approach people on the beach. Many people, he said, are eager to learn about plovers, which are undeniably cute  their chicks look like a kindergartners art project, a pair of cotton balls glued to pipe cleaner legs. . Samantha Philbert, 30, said she joined the Plover Project because she found the birds adorable.

Few of the species on the IUCN Red List are quite as adorable as the piping plover, which is an exceptionally cute bird. Watching them skitter about a beach to the waters edge always makes me chuckle. But it seems much of what the group has done so far is merely to raise awareness that these birds exist, as well as to draw attention to threats to their survival. Such conservation consciousness-raising can more broadly apply to protecting other vulnerable birds, especially nesting shorebirds. I imagine other critters  sea turtles, for example  also might benefit from similar general conservation awareness efforts. Ive never seen a sea turtle in Long Island, but I understand Long Island Sound hosts five different species of turtles, see Sea Turtles of Long Island Sound.

Its a laudable aim to make more people aware that many species nest along our sea coasts and that their eggs are fragile and easily damaged. Dogs shouldnt romp freely in nesting areas, but should be leashed, or in some sensitive areas, banned entirely. And a walk along the public beach, looking out for the plovers, might alleviate  for a moment at least  broader worry over the catastrophic worldwide loss of biodiversity.
(Natural News) If you still werent quite convinced that our countrys moral compass has shattered and that our value and belief systems have been completely corrupted by greed and lust, this should finally convince you.

Longtime readers of this site know weve consistently reported on how the big tech giants have censored conservative outlets and content, and the allegations arent simply part of some wild conspiracy theory.

In fact, much of our reporting has cited experts who have found evidence of the censorship (which occurs by adjusting search and content algorithms to downplay/downgrade conservative content) and insiders who came forward as whistleblowers with stories of outright censorship of right-leaning sites.

A multitude of conservative sites reported on this censorship because they had found evidence of it, but then all of a sudden, the criticism from these sites turned to pained explanations of how, as conservatives, we shouldnt bash Facebook, Google, Twitter and YouTube over it because they are private companies and they can do as they please.

This is America, after all.

Now mind you, these tech companies operate under Sect. 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996; the section protects them from liability for content posted to their sites. But when these same platforms censor content or otherwise control what content users are permitted to see, they then become publishers and as such are no longer just social media platforms, thus subject to the same liabilities as publishers are.

There is also this: Big tech takes in hundreds of millions in advertising and marketing money from conservative page operators who are trying to grow their pages and expand the reach of their content, so when their content is throttled and hidden, that amounts to a massive RICO statutes violation and fraud.

But what about the sudden change of heart among the once-critical conservative sites? Newsmax TVs ace reporter Emerald Robinson, writing on her SubStack page, has the answer: They were bought off by the big tech giants:

There were rumors in the summer of 2018 that an audiotape was circulating that would send shockwaves through the think tanks of Washington and the conservative intellectual movement in particular. A top Google executive had been recorded telling his fellow employees that Google generously donated to conservative think tanks and magazines to dampen criticism of their anti-conservative bias. In essence, Google was buying off Conservatism Inc. and the GOP establishment to stay silent while Google monitored, harassed, and excluded Trump supporters. If true, the tape sounded like a smoking gun: incontrovertible evidence of the corruption and double-dealing of Conservatism Inc. that would permanently discredit it with Republican voters.

To summarize, the tape was offered as an exclusive scoop to The Wall Street Journal last fall, but because that outlet is also compromised and operated as another right-leaning NeverTrump rag, the best the paper did was a weak offering months later that didnt name any names  and only then after Robinson herself took to her Twitter account to break the story with the hopes that doing so would empower the WSJ and give the paper some cover.

It didnt.

Instead, she was attacked by a consummate fake conservative, National Reviews Jonah Goldberg, who used to like every single one of Trumps conservative positions until Trump the D.C. Outsider won the election.

Robinson went on to name names:

I was told that the tape had been offered as an exclusive to the Wall Street Journal. Months went by, and nothing happened. (There were rumors during that time that Big Tech lobbyists were trying very hard to get the Wall Street Journal to kill the story.) Then I began to get a series of messages from various anonymous sources that the organizations that were guilty of taking Google money to stay silent included: the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), the Cato Institute, CPAC, the Weekly Standard and the National Review.

You realize, of course, that this means these conservative entities and outlets are literally no better than the left-wing trash media for they, too, took their manna from their big tech masters while betraying their readers.

There is some solace in all of this: That piece of RINO garbage, The Weekly Standard, co-founded by very fake conservative William Kristol, folded anyway. And for the record, it appears as though Robinson was late to the party; LifeSite News had the story in June 2020.

Needless to say, Robinson was mocked and attacked by the same losers  we are looking at you, Goldberg  for reporting what was ultimately accurate, proving again that these fake conservative outlets literally are no better than the left-wing trash they supposedly oppose.

They blamed her for exposing their hypocrisy, in other words.

Sources include:

SubStack.com

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A new study says that cows have their own language and can talk to each other about food and the weather. Researchers, led by a Ph.D. candidate from the University of Sydney, discovered that dairy cows have their own individual voice and they respond to positive and negative emotional situations.

The team of researchers created a software program that they dubbed Google Translate for cows to get a better idea of what the animals are saying when they moo. They did this by listening to Holstein-Fresian heifers, a European breed, mooing into a microphone and analyzing their pitch.

They also found that each animal retains its own distinct moo and can give cues in different situations to maintain contact with the rest of the herd. They are said to be able to express excitement, arousal, engagement, and distress as well.

Cattle can produce vocalizations with frequencies over 1,000 Hz, which are likely to occur during arousal. It has been hypothesized that high-frequency calls should contain more individual information than low-frequency ones due to their propagation over long distances.

We found that cattle vocal individuality is relatively stable across different emotionally loaded farming contexts, lead author Alexandra Green said.

The findings could help farmers keep their cattle healthy by understanding their moods and translating their individual sounds.

Communication among cows

This is not the first study that has looked into communication between cows. An earlier study found that mother cows and their offspring communicate by maintaining the individuality of their lowing  the low, deep sound cattle make. The new study, however, confirms that cows maintain their individual mooing through their lives, even as they natter among themselves. (Related: Calves have conversations with their mothers: cows are intelligent, conscious animals.)

The scientists recorded hundreds of moos from 13 heifers for the study using acoustic analyses programs. The calls were collected during different situations. Green and her team put the cows in heat, gave them food, deprived them of food and separated them from the herd.

Using acoustic analyses programs, the researchers found that cows maintained their individual vocal cues, and it is likely that they recognize other members of the herd through these calls.

They found that dairy cows tend to communicate with each other all the time, and their moos become more sonorous when they talk about happy things like food. But when they are moaning about the weather, their moos tend to pitch lower.

Cows are gregarious, social animals. In one sense it isnt surprising they assert their individual identity throughout their life and not just during mother-calf imprinting. But this is the first time scientists have been able to analyze voice to have conclusive evidence of this trait. Green said.

The findings also align with previous observations that indicate cattle herds have observable hierarchies. They experience long-term effects when separated from their mothers at an early age, and learn better when they have friends around. Because of these indications, it makes sense that the animals could use vocal cues to recognize other herd members.

The findings suggest that farmers should integrate the knowledge of individual cow voices into their farming routines to tune into the emotional state of their cattle, and therefore, improve animal welfare, especially during a time where cow welfare is severely compromised by mass farming practices. In the dairy industry, herd sizes are getting bigger, and farmers need to find more novel ways to look at cow welfare.

By understanding these vocal characteristics, farmers will be able to recognize individual animals in the herd that might require individual attention.

Read more unusual facts about animals at WeirdScienceNews.com.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Nature.com

SmithsonianMag.com
(Natural News) Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and chief medical advisor to the president, had been warned early last year that SARS-CoV-2 was possibly engineered around the same time he was publicly downplaying the idea that the virus escaped from a laboratory.

On Jan. 31, 2020, a little more than a month before the World Health Organization (WHO) characterized the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic, Fauci sent an email to infectious disease expert Kristian Andersen and Sir Jeremy Farrar, who runs a global health charity in London.

The email included a link to an article titled, Mining coronavirus genomes for clues to the outbrebioweaponsaks origins. Fauci said it just came out that day and that it was of interest to discussions about the virus at the time.

Andersen, head of a genomics laboratory at the Scripps Research Institute in California, wrote back that night, saying that the virus looks normal on a phylogenetic tree or from an evolutionary perspective.

However, the unusual features of the virus, which make it a novel virus to researchers, make up a small part of its genome. This is why their phylogenetic analyses couldnt tell for sure whether the sequences of the new coronavirus were unusual at individual residues except if they were completely off, added Andersen.

Therefore, one has to look closely at all of the viruss sequences to determine that some of its features look engineered. Andersen also said he and his colleagues find the virus inconsistent with expectations from evolutionary theory. But further analyses need to be done so those opinions could still change, he said.

Meanwhile, Farrar sent an email to Fauci and other top U.S. health officials two days later. He asked them to a conference call to discuss their response to a pending announcement from the WHO.

More than 2,000 pages of Faucis emails, posted Tuesday, June 1, by Buzzfeed News, also revealed that he and Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), corresponded in April 2020. The two talked about how some news outlets reported increased confidence that SARS-CoV-2 began in a Wuhan laboratory. Buzzfeed News obtained the emails through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

On April 16, 2020, Collins also sent Fauci and other health officials an email with a subject line that read, conspiracy gains momentum. But its contents were blacked out save for a link and Collinss name at the end.

In an article about the emails, journalist and political commentator Raheem Kassam said the emails show that both the U.S. government and the scientific community had been considering an engineered virus theory since the beginning of the pandemic.

Many health officials and scientists had repeatedly dismissed that theory despite former President Donald Trumps claims last year that he had evidence that SARS-CoV-2 came from a laboratory in Wuhan.

Fauci backtracks on comments about pandemic origins

Since the pandemic began last March, Fauci had insisted that COVID-19 was the result of an unusual human-animal interface in a Chinese wet market. He also said that the mutations that occurred so far were consistent with a jump of a species from an animal to a human. Fauci was also adamant that SARS-Cov-2 was not man-made. Fauci had also repeatedly defended China from proponents of the so-called lab leak theory.

In an exclusive interview with National Geographic last May, Fauci said the scientific evidence was very, very strongly leaning toward the idea that the virus was not artificially or deliberately manipulated based on its evolution in bats.

However, Fauci has since changed his opinion about the matter. During an event last month called United Facts of America: A Festival of Fact-Checking, Fauci was asked if he was still confident that the virus evolved naturally. Fauci said he wasnt convinced that was the case.

Moreover, he said the U.S. should continue to investigate what went on in China to determine the true origin of the virus. Certainly, the people who investigated it say it likely was the emergence from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals, he said. [But] it could have been something else, and we need to find that out.

Fauci also said thats the reason he is in favor of any investigation that looks into the origin of the virus. (Related: Email: Researcher who funded Wuhan lab admitted to manipulating coronaviruses, thanked Fauci for dismissing lab leak theory.)

Last month, Fauci also admitted to lawmakers that the NIH had allocated $600,000 to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), the laboratory from which SARS-CoV-2 is thought to have escaped, over a five-year period. The money would fund research on whether coronaviruses from bats could be transmitted to humans.

Read more articles with updates on the coronavirus pandemic at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

TheNationalPulse.com

NYPost.com
(Natural News) Young girls everywhere are addicted to social media platforms like TikTok, and many of them are having to be rushed to the hospital for emergency care due to all that tiny screen addiction damaging their brains.

According to reports, rampant social media use among children is creating an entire generation of brain-dead, disabled people who can longer function like normal human beings. Experts say that the level of disability now being seen is extremely high and that many kids are losing their motor skills entirely  or never developing them at all.

Strange vocal tics are among the many symptoms being observed in damaged youth, which is prompting some tech insiders with children to restrict their offsprings use of screens. These Silicon Valley Parents see the writing on the wall and are taking steps to protect them.

Long-term use of social media and technology in general has been shown to have a profoundly detrimental impact on the developing brain. Smartphone addiction is causing people to drown in dopamine, experts warn, while also fueling depression and other mental health problems.

Social media is also a cesspool of misinformation, which is only further damaging peoples ability to think and reason. For children, it is especially problematic and often results in a lifetime of mental illness.

TikTok is destroying an entire generation of women

Dr. Kathrin LaFaver recently interviewed Dr. Tamara Pringsheim about the current epidemic of acute-onset explosive tic-like behaviors. This phenomenon is a direct result of social media use, particularly in adolescent girls who are presenting with extreme forms of the disease.

The level of disability was extremely high, with many of these young people unable to attend school due to the severity of their symptoms and some even requiring hospital admission, Pringsheim says.

Subsequent discussions with colleagues in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia revealed that they all were seeing comparable cases with striking similarities in the phenomenology of these tic-like behaviors. Since October, the number of cases has continued to grow, and we are also seeing an increasing number of young adult women with similar symptoms.

TikTok is a particularly offensive app where a high number of women seem to demonstrate serious mental illness while filming themselves. Both on-screen and off-, females seem to be undergoing serious brain changes from the use of TikTok that is damaging their ability to function.

We believe that these TikTok videos may be a trigger for functional tic-like behaviors on the basis of a disease-modeling mechanism, and also be a trigger for tics similar to the echophenomena that we frequently observe during social gatherings of people with tics, Pringsheim says.

In the rapid-onset cases, the majority of tic-like behaviors we are witnessing are complex, with large-amplitude movements resulting in self-injury or directed toward other people, and complex vocalizations consisting of the repetition of random words, as well as coprolalia in the majority of cases. Many of the same words and phrases are in common between patients.

There are more people developing social media-induced tics, Pringsheim suggested, than there are people developing Tourettes syndrome. This is based on Pringsheims own personal experience with her patients, many of whom are manifesting social media illness at an alarming rate.

Exposure to radiation from mobile phones themselves is also a huge problem that is believed to be exacerbating the problem. Long-term users are prone to developing behavioral, emotional, mental and physical illnesses including cancer.

To keep up with the latest news about the collapse of humanity under the weight of tech oppression, be sure to check out Collapse.news.

Sources for this article include:

ActivistPost.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The fake news cesspool known as Reuters published a bizarre piece the other day glorifying the rag-tag bunch of pasty-white domestic terrorists known as Antifa (antifascists) for their militant activism against the extremist right in America. At the very same time, Reuters continues to attack and vilify doctors who prescribe healing ivermectin rather than vaccines to their Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) patients.

In the Antifa puff piece, Reuters highlighted the life of an entitled white woman and proud Antifa member who has spent much of her life screaming, yelling and throwing things at people who hold different beliefs than she does. Throughout the course of her privileged life, the woman has been arrested on multiple times for committing blatant acts of violence against Nazis, meaning conservative people with whom she disagrees.

Rather than highlight the womans threatening existence and obsessive propensity towards violence against people who are not just like her, Reuters instead chose to glorify her as some kind of national hero  as if disgruntled white females with an axe to grind are somehow rare in this country and worthy of placing on a pedestal.

Reuters lauded the woman with a several-thousand-word expose, portraying her life of malcontent as a natural and expected response to the Donald Trump presidency, which has been over for nearly eight months now. Armbruster is apparently upset about the fact that some Americans still support Trump and his politics, which is why she continues to engage in extreme activist behavior whenever the opportunity arises.

Because Joe Bidens Department of Justice (DOJ) claims that white supremacy is somehow the biggest domestic terror threat in our country right now, Reuters ran with the narrative that the womans participation in the Antifa cult is just what this country needs to stamp out the threat of white people. This apparently constitutes modern-day journalism.

How many Americans have died because of fake news hit pieces against ivermectin?

Meanwhile, no less than 10 articles about ivermectin currently litter the Reuters website, nearly all of them containing blatant misinformation about how the FDA-approved drug is dangerous for treating the Chinese Flu.

One of the articles cites pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., which claims that the anti-parasite drug is not a viable remedy for the Fauci Flu and should not be prescribed for this use. The establishment insists that the only viable remedies for the plandemic are experimental drug injections and face masks, not tried-and-true remedies like ivermectin.

The company said its analysis of existing and emerging studies of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 found no scientific basis for a potential therapeutic effect against the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, Reuters reported back in February.

In another propaganda piece, Reuters falsely called ivermectin an animal drug, the suggestion being that it is only administered to cattle. Truth be told, ivermectin was developed as a drug for humans long before it was discovered that it also worked in animals.

Back in May, Reuters railed on India for widely distributing ivermectin to its population. The fake news outlet cited the World Health Organization (WHO), a politically motivated extension of the United Nations that says using ivermectin to treat the Chinese Virus is not backed by current evidence.

Perhaps if Reuters spent a little more time investigating the scientific merits of ivermectin, and less time casting radical Antifa terrorists as patriotic Americans, more people could receive this life-saving medication and avoid dying from experimental gene therapy, ventilators and other Western medicine quackery.

You will find more of the latest news stories about mainstream media deception concerning ivermectin and other politically incorrect remedies for the Wuhan Flu at Propaganda.news.

Sources for this article include:

ThePostMillennial.com

Reuters.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) No one is surprised anymore when a left-wing media outlet fabricates a story out of thin air and tries to publish it as fact, but when Rolling Stone completely fabricated a recent story trying to destroy ivermectin, it blew up in their faces in spectacular fashion.

The original story falsely claimed that hospitals in Oklahoma were filled with ivermectin-poisoned patients who had all overdosed on the drug, including a bizarre claim that one patient had gone blind. As the hospitals were being overrun with ivermectin injuries, Rolling Stone dramatically claimed, gunshot victims were forced to wait for medical treatment. The feature photo used in the story began raising questions almost immediately, however, when it appeared to show hospital patients wearing winter coats, supposedly standing outside emergency rooms in August in Oklahoma.

The story had all the accoutrements of a typical left-wing media smear piece: The sense of alarm, condemnation for those advocating ivermectin, and a supposed real-world cost in lives lost because hospitals were being completely overrun. (The media has been lying about overrun hospitals since day one of the plandemic)

Heres the screen shot of the Rolling Stones story headline and subhead:

Theres only one problem with this dramatic story: It was all made up.

Just like the time Rolling Stone utterly fabricated a series of stories claiming campus rape was exploding across America  which turned out to be completely false  the discredited rag did it yet again, trying to discredit ivermectin but only discrediting itself.

As InfoWars reports in exposing the fake Rolling Stone hit piece:

The problem is, Northeastern Health Systems Sequoyah branch thats the focus of Rolling Stones article released a statement on its website claiming Dr. Elyea does not work at the hospital, and has not treated any patients in at least two months. Furthermore, the hospital itself claims it hasnt treated a single patient for ivermectin overdose.

NHS Sequoya also refuted Elyeas claim that its hospital was overwhelmed with patients who overdosed on ivermectin and had not turned any patients away as a result.

NHS Sequoyah has not treated any patients due to complications related to taking ivermectin. This includes not treating any patients for ivermectin overdose.

All patients who have visited our emergency room have received medical attention as appropriate. Our hospital has not had to turn away any patients seeking emergency care.

Left-wing fake news media rags parroted the story as fact

Of course, the total fakery of the story didnt stop left-wing media rags from catapulting the claims into popular consciousness. Business Insider, The Independent and The Guardian were among left-wing news outlets that ran with the story, not bothering to conduct even bare minimum fact checking before reporting the ivermectin scare story as if it were real.

Left-wing propagandists like Rachel Maddow (MSNBC) ran with the fake news story, repeating the lie that ivermectin was backing up rural Oklahoma hospitals, ambulances and claiming that people were suffering with vision loss.

Not only were the claims against ivermectin utterly fabricated, but even the gunshot victims part of the story was complete hogwash, likely a figment of imagination from another hyperventilating left-wing anti-gun nut who imagines the entire world being overrun with guns that shoot people all by themselves. As Zero Hedge explains:

Whats more, Grove, OK  with a population of 7,129, had just 14 aggravated assaults in all of 2019 according to the FBIs latest data. We somehow doubt that gunshot victims were lining up outside the ER, while just 11 ivermectin related hospital cases have been reported in the entire state since the beginning of May.

Mocking the fake news media, InfoWars founder Alex Jones trolled the left-wing media and hilarious consumed ivermectin horse paste live on air yesterday, demonstrating the drugs safety and revealing how left-wing media whips itself into an irrational fear about almost everything:

In todays Situation Update podcast, I delve into the total fakery of the smear attempt against ivermectin, pointing out that while typical Leftists are scared to death to touch ivermectin, theyre more than happy to inject themselves with biological weapons that are dishonestly labeled vaccines. Democrats also seem to love toxic fluoride and now GMOs, as mainstream left-wing media outlets have all gone pro-GMO in their coverage.

Brighteon.com/73a770d9-0873-426d-8040-b7329e53922a

In attempting to discredit ivermectin, left-wing media only discredited itself

The beautiful conclusion of all this is that in their desperate attempts to discredit ivermectin, the lying left-wing media only further discredited itself. As Glenn Greenwald pointed out, this entire incident once again proves that Democrats are happy to lie about anything as long as it serves their political agenda. They have no commitment to honesty, accuracy or truth of any kind. They will parrot a completely fictional story if it helps them push more vaccines that are killing people (while Big Pharma funds their operations with advertising money).

That's the same reason the hard-core Dem Party media loyalists, led as usual by @Maddow, spread this fake story all over based on what appears to be a fraudulent source without checking. Fake News is 100% acceptable if done with good political motives:https://t.co/lzAXAHKrfN  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 5, 2021

Twitter, of course, which routinely bans those who criticize vaccines, Joe Biden or abortion, allowed the fake Rolling Stone story to trend and be openly shared, despite the fact that it was entirely fabricated.

No one is surprised.

In the end, while conservatives may be consuming completely harmless (and highly effective) ivermectin  which was approved as a drug for use in humans by the FDA in 1996  Democrats are jabbing themselves with deadly bioweapons that will kill millions in the coming years, leading to collapse in Democrat voters (and an even more desperate effort by Democrats to make sure the dead can still vote).
(Natural News) The City Council of Melbourne, Australia, has voted to open a second safe injection room in the heart of Melbournes central business district (CBD). This has stirred up controversy with business owners fearing that the safe injection room will be a catastrophic honeypot for drug addicts to flock to.

These business owners have strongly criticized the city council for supporting a plan proposed by the government of the state of Victoria to open the safe injection room within the vicinity of Flinders Street Railway Station. This station is one of the busiest railway stations in the entire Southern Hemisphere with over 110,000 commuters passing through it each day.

The safe injection room would have also been located close to Degraves Street, a popular outdoor dining street frequented by both locals and tourists alike.

Local business owners warn that if the safe injection room were to open here, hordes of drug addicts would flock to the CBD and destroy all the progress the CBD has made trying to bounce back from the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and lockdowns. (Related: SHOCK: Melbourne to start arresting COVID-19 conspiracy theorists and throwing them in concentration camps.)

Its just catastrophic on all levels, said Mark Laurence, a senior manager for Melbourne-based real estate agency Teska Carson. Teska Carson manages the building right next to the planned safe injection center on Flinders Street.

Theres a lot of pedestrian traffic there, the subway, the businesses in our building and the backpackers hostel. Young people are easily led astray, said Laurence. You dont want to be rubbing shoulders with junkies. People on drugs are unpredictable.

People say you dont want it in your backyard. Well, this is our front yard, he added.

The building Laurence manages at Flinders Street hosts tourist hotspots, such as several restaurants and the aforementioned hostel. He is afraid that the safe injection center will drive away foot traffic from his building.

They are scared, said Laurence of his buildings commercial tenants. We were never consulted. The first we knew about this was when we saw it on television.

I am concerned the injection room would contribute and increase concern for safety, said a representative of the nearby Doubletree by Hilton Hotel. The spokesperson warned the city council that the already high rates of homelessness and drug use in the city would rise.

Motion for safe injection room passed city council vote despite clear arguments against it

The vote to approve the safe injection room in the CBD was passed by the Melbourne City Council on Tuesday night, May 25, after a furious debate between the councils 11 members.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp, the head of the city council, supported the creation of the safe injection room at the CBD.

I acknowledge that it will be controversial, but the evidence shows that services such as these save lives and they do reduce the number of people who are shooting up in our city streets, said Capp. Reducing drug use and dependency would benefit our entire society.

Deputy Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece, who also supported a safe injection room in the CBD, revealed during the debate that he had lost a brother to a drug addiction-related incident.

I know the terrible personal toll that addiction can bring to peoples lives and their family and the loved ones around them, he said. He also expressed his support for setting up the safe injection room in the CBD. he argued that, as the CBD recovered from the coronavirus pandemic, it should not leave behind people suffering from addiction.

Councilor Roshena Campbell, a member of the Australian Liberal Party, attempted to defeat the creation of a safe injection room at the CBD. She tried to pass a motion opposing a safe injection room anywhere in the inner city. This motion was defeated.

Campbell argued that a safe injection room would actually harm the CBDs post-coronavirus recovery. She said it would destroy the reputation of Melbourne as a place of safety and amenity.

Its nothing short of insanity, said Campbell. Its on the doorstep of our iconic Degraves Street, a postcard location, and we want to attract visitors and tourists back to our city.

Councilor Philip Le Liu, who seconded Campbells motion, presented a report from the Police Association of Victoria, a police union that represents members of the state police. The report warned that a safe injection room at the CBD would increase crime in the area and divert police resources and officers from other important operations.

The safe injection room at Melbournes CBD would be the second such location in the city. The first is located in Richmond, an inner-city suburb, and was also met with controversy when it was first proposed.

Campbells motion pointed out that the Richmond site led directly to a 27 percent increase in the discovery of discarded syringes in the suburb within 10 months of the safe injection room opening.

Only two other councilors supported Campbell and Le Liu, Kevin Louey and Jason Chang. Louey changed his vote to now be against the safe injection room due to the need to support businesses in the aftermath of the coronavirus lockdowns. All seven other councilors voted in favor of the site.

Learn more about how places like Melbourne are handling their addiction epidemics at Addiction.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

WhatsOn.Melbourne.vic.gov.au

TheAge.com.au
(Natural News) Dr. Steven Quay, a Seattle-based physician-scientist and former faculty member at the Stanford University School of Medicine, has uncovered new evidence of two genetically modified (GMO) viruses in patient samples collected from Wuhan, China, during the early days of the plandemic.

The patients from whom the samples were collected had unidentified pneumonia disease, according to December 2019 reports. Their samples were uploaded into GenBank, a genetic sequence database on the website of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), where researchers were able to examine them for evidence of SARS-CoV-2.

Quay, however, went a different route by looking into what else might be present in the samples. He found that they contained evidence of Henipah virus, a GMO virus that is one of two types sent to China by Chinese-born scientists who at the time were working at a Canadian laboratory  we covered this back in January 2020.

Based on what we knew at the time and have since learned about the plandemic, Chinese military researchers infiltrated Canadian research labs and engineered synthetic viruses that they then shipped off to China back in Spring of 2019. Not even a year later, the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) appeared out of nowhere and became the global freak show we are still dealing with today.

We started fishing inside for weird things, Quay told The Epoch Times about his research on the samples. We found genetic manipulation of the Nipah virus, which is more lethal than Ebola, he further explained, Nipah being a type of the Henipah virus.

It would appear as though these Henipah viruses may have contaminated other experiments on what has come to be known as covid. That contamination then made its way across the pond to Asia, where it seems to have merged with Chinese Germs to become a global pandemic.

Does SARS-CoV-2 really exist, or is it some other genetically modified abomination under a different name?

Dr. Joe Wang, Ph.D., who formerly spearheaded a vaccine development program for SARS in Canada with one of the worlds top pharmaceutical companies, verified Quays findings. After examining the evidence and replicating it, he confirmed that the Henipah virus is, in fact, present in the earliest known Chinese Virus samples.

The purpose of its presence, he says, was probably to develop a vaccine. This is corroborated by documents from the government of Canada showing that the samples were sent to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) for the stated purpose of stock virus culturing.

The samples were not, however, supposed to be genetically manipulated, which is what appears to have happened. Mad scientists either crossed them with the Fauci Flu, or perhaps their contents are the Fauci Flu under a different name, seeing as how SARS-CoV-2 has never actually been isolated and proven to exist.

Did Canadas only Level 4 biosafety lab knowingly contribute to illegal gain of function research?

What is further interesting about this major scandal is the fact that Canadian authorities have remained mostly silent as to why two primary researchers at the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) in Winnipeg, Canadas only Level 4 (P4) biosafety laboratory where the controversial virus experiments had taken place, were fired.

The Canadian government has refused to release any details about the case, citing national security and privacy concerns. The only thing the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), which runs the NML, has stated is that an administrative matter prompted the firing because of possible breaches of security protocols.

One of the terminated researchers, Xiangguo Qiu, had traveled to the WIV on numerous occasions in an official capacity to help train other researchers on Level 4 safety. These scientists were later determined to have collaborated with Chinese military researchers on deadly pathogens, one of them having also worked at the NML.

With the permission of the NML, shipments of both Henipah and Ebola were sent to the WIV, we now know. David Safronetz, chief of special pathogens at PHAC, told then-head of the NML Matthew Gilmour that the specimens would be shipped to the WIV because I trust the lab, were Safronetzs words, in an email.

It was never specified by Safronetz what the samples would be used for in China, just that the purpose was due to collaboration.

Historically, its also been easier to obtain material from us as opposed to U.S. labs, Safronetz wrote in an email response to Gilmour when asked about the nature of the shipment. I dont think other, closer labs have the ability to ship these materials.

Canadian members of parliament (MPs) have repeatedly asked the NML management if it was known what the samples were for and whether or not they knew if the samples would be used to conduct illegal gain of function research in China.

According to Guillaume Poliquin, the NMLs acting scientific director general, the samples were only sent after the lab received reassurance that no gain of function research was to take place, despite the WIV having a history of theft and lies, according to conservative MP John Williamson.

Much like Tony Fauci, who lied under oath to Congress about his contributions to illegal gain of function research, it would appear as though Canada was also complicit in the scheme. One wonders how much deeper the rabbit hole goes in this apparently global conspiracy against humanity.

To keep up with the latest news about the Chinese Virus conspiracy, be sure to check out Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The Supreme Court of Virginia (SCV) upheld a decision to reinstate a public school teacher who refused to address students by their so-called preferred pronouns, which are made-up virtue signaling terms that have no basis in reality. The states high court ruled on Aug. 30 that Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) must reinstate physical education teacher Byron Tanner Cross. Cross sued the school board after it suspended him, with a lower court judge ordering the teachers return.

In its Aug. 30 decision, the SCV ruled that rights guaranteed in the states constitution  which included the right to petition and the right to peaceful assembly  also applied to Cross. [It] is settled law that the government may not take adverse employment actions against its employees in reprisal for their exercising their right to speak on matters of public concern, the high court said.

The Aug. 30 ruling followed the footsteps of a lower court ruling that mandated Crosss reinstatement. Judge James E. Plowman Jr. of the 20th District Court of Virginia granted an injunction sought by Cross, who challenged his suspension in court. In his June 8 decision, Plowman said Crosss remarks are considered protected speech under the First Amendment since he spoke as a citizen on a matter of public concern. The circuit court judge added that Crosss rights to free speech and religious freedom played a key role in the case.

LCPS suspended Cross from his duties at the Leesburg Elementary School following remarks he made during a May 25 school board meeting. The teacher said he would not call transgender students by their chosen pronouns, which went against a mandate by the school district. Cross cited his deeply held religious beliefs for objecting to the preferred pronouns mandate.

Im a teacher, but I serve God first. I will not affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa because its against my religion. Its lying  [and] abuse to a child, and its sinning against God. I love all of my students, but I will never lie to them regardless of the consequences, Cross said.

Schools giving in to the demands of the LGBT mafia

Cross later defended his stance during a June 4 rally. I went to [a] school board meeting and respectfully objected to two proposed policies. When I spoke, I was thinking about my values, my students, my parents and my fellow teachers. The truth is Im not alone. Many of us are concerned that [the] proposed policies would harm students and require us to violate our beliefs by saying things that are not true, he said.

On the other hand, LCPS argued that Crosss comments caused a disruption. Five parents also reached out to the principal of Leesburg Elementary School, requesting that their children do not interact with the suspended teacher. However, both Plowman and the SCV argued in their decisions that the alleged disruption was insufficient to merit Crosss suspension. (Related: Judge orders reinstatement of Virginia teacher fired over comments against transgenders.)

Following Plowmans ruling in favor of the suspended teacher, LCPS said in a statement that it respectfully disagrees with the circuit court judges decision. It added that it would appeal Plowmans decision to the SCV.

The LCPS statement noted that while the district respects employees rights to freedom of speech and religion, those rights do not outweigh the rights of students to be educated in a supportive and nurturing environment. It continued: Many students and parents at Leesburg Elementary [School] have expressed fear, hurt and disappointment about coming to school.

An LCPS spokesman later said the school system has no comment on the Aug. 30 ruling. But lawyer Stacey Haney, who represented LCPS, had a different take on the matter. She argued that existing school board regulations already banned discrimination based on gender identity. Haney continued that Crosss refusal to use transgender childrens preferred pronouns articulated a defiance to follow existing school policies.

Lawyer Tyson Langhofer of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) welcomed the state high courts Aug. 30 ruling. He said: The lower courts decision was a well-reasoned application of the facts to clearly established law, as the [SCV] found. Langhofer represented Cross in the initial lawsuit the latter filed against the school system.

ADF President and CEO Michael Farris earlier emphasized that educators exercising their First Amendment rights do not deserve suspension or termination. Dozens of other teachers have shared their beliefs on various policies without retaliation. Tanner deserves to be treated with the same respect, he said. (Related: Parents who spoke out against critical race theory curriculum now being harassed by leftist groups.)

GenderConfused.com has more stories about Byron Tanner Cross and other teachers refusing to lie through preferred pronouns.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

WTOP.com

NBCWashington.com

TheFederalist.com
Cougars are among the biggest cats in the western hemisphere, but since they are naturally secretive as ambush predators with a deep-rooted dislike for humans these animals are rarely seen.

There's also the matter that in eastern United States, cougars have formally been declared extinct.

In spite of this, spokesman Greg Lucas from S.C. Department of Natural Resources reveals that the department gets at least a call in one month from people who claim to have spotted one of the big cats.

Lucas said: "In South Carolina and in the wildlife community, there is no debate" that concerns the existence of cougars in the east, "There's just no scientific documentation to back that up."

Some reports - from people in regions like Travelers Rest and Simpsonville - have to do with only sightings. The encounters of others are more direct, like the one from an employee of U.S. Forest Service who disclosed that a big cat had pursued him into the Chattooga River.

Also Read: Mother Cougar in Slate Canyon, Utah Follows and Threatens Jogger for Six Minutes

Cougars Sightings

But Lucas says if the big cats are skulking in Upstate regions, he is certain there would be more encounters, because of the capacity of deer hunting in Carolinas. There's also the issue of the complete lack of any big cats being knocked down and killed by cars on highways.

Lucas points to Florida where, in spite of a well-known population of lower than 200, several Florida panthers are killed yearly by cars.

Rather, he said most of the sightings are possibly misidentification of other animals such as coyotes, bears, or large dogs. When it is suspected that some kind of big cat has been sighted, he said the most suspected culprit is a western cougar that ran away from captivity as a person's pet.

In recent years, there is another chance that appears to be boosting in possibility. Whether they're referred to as cougars, pumas, mountain lions, or catamounts, wildlife experts think the cats exist in the western U.S as a steady, breeding population and, as per the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, transient western cougars have been sighted in the two states since 2015.

Things to do if you Encounter a Large Predator

Make sure you don't turn your back. Slowly back away to a place of shelter like a vehicle or a building if possible.

Do not run. Running could possibly prompt an attack.

Pick up little children or pets because they are more likely to run and are more susceptible.

Make some noise, make yourself look bigger by waving your arms. Throw objects and then shout.

If the animal attacks you, fight back. Avoid playing dead.

Related Article: Eastern Puma Extinct After Years of Cougar Confusion

For more news, updates about cougars and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
WASHINGTON (AP)  Divers at the site of an ongoing oil spill that appeared in the Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Ida have identified the apparent source as one-foot diameter pipeline displaced from a trench on the ocean floor and broken open.

Talos Energy, the Houston-based company currently paying for the cleanup, said in a statement issued Sunday evening that the busted pipeline does not belong to them.

The company said it is working with the U.S. Coast Guard and other state and federal agencies to coordinate the response and identify the owner of the ruptured pipeline.

Two additional 4-inch pipelines were also identified in the area that are open and apparently abandoned. The companys statement did not make clear if oil was leaking from the two smaller pipelines, but satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press on Saturday appeared to show at least three different slicks in the same area, the largest drifting more than a dozen miles (more than 19 kilometers) eastward along the Gulf coast.

The AP first reported Wednesday that aerial photos showed a miles-long brown and black oil slick spreading about 2 miles (3 kilometers) south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana. The broken pipe is in relatively shallow water, at about 34 feet (10 meters) of depth.

Talos said the rate of oil appearing on the surface had slowed dramatically in the last 48 hours and no new heavy black crude had been seen in the last day.

So far, the spill appears to have remained out to sea and has not impacted the Louisiana shoreline. There is not yet any estimate for how much oil was in the water.

The Coast Guard said Saturday its response teams are monitoring reports and satellite imagery to determine the scope of the discharge, which is located in Bay Marchand, Block 4. Talos previously leased Bay Marchand, Block 5, but ceased production there in 2017, plugged its wells and removed all pipeline infrastructure by 2019, according to the company.

The area where the spill is located has been drilled for oil and gas for decades. Federal leasing maps show it contains a latticework of old pipelines, plugged wells and abandoned platforms, along with newer infrastructure still in use.

With the source of the oil unclear, Talos hired Clean Gulf Associates to respond to the spill. Clean Gulf, a nonprofit oil-spill response cooperative that works with the energy exploration and production industry, has had two 95-foot vessels at the scene of the spill since Wednesday attempting to contain and recover crude from the water.

The Bay Marchand spill is one of dozens of reported environmental hazards state and federal regulators are tracking in Louisiana and the Gulf following the Category 4 hurricane that made landfall at Port Fourchon a week ago. The region is a major production center of the U.S. petrochemical industry.

The AP also first reported Wednesday on images from a National Atmospheric and Oceanic Survey that showed extensive flooding and what appeared to be petroleum in the water at the sprawling Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery located along the Mississippi River south of New Orleans.

After AP published the photos, the Environmental Protection Agency tasked a specially outfitted survey aircraft to fly over that refinery on Thursday, as well as other industrial sites in the area hardest hit by the hurricanes 150-mph (240-kph) winds and storm surge.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality said a state assessment team sent to the Alliance Refinery observed a spill of heavy oil 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.

State environmental officials said there was also no estimate yet available for how much oil might have spilled from the Phillips 66 refinery.

___

Follow AP Investigative Reporter Michael Biesecker at http://twitter.com/mbieseck

___

Contact APs global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org.
It was 1967, the so-called Summer of Love, and across the Atlantic Ocean in England, Christopher Rollins made a decision that would change the rest of his life.

Rollins decided he would become a hair stylist, instead of going to university, just to p off my parents, he said.

Rollins left school at 16, dashing his parents hopes he would become a history teacher.

Instead, he landed a job as an apprentice at a salon.

Contributed photo

It was a nice way to meet girls, Rollins said.

He came to America in 1977 to work at a Connecticut salon in called British Hairways, which featured a staff of English stylists.

Now after owning his own salon for nearly 40 years, first in New Havens Westville neighborhood and later in Guilford, Rollins is looking to slow down a little bit.

I still love working with customers, but (the) business side has tired me out, he said. I wanted to distance myself from the pressures of owning the salon. I could have easily sold this to someone, but I wanted the people who have worked for me for so many years to have some stability and not worry what a new owner might do.

The salon employs about 15 people, according to Rollins.

Time for a change

Rollins solution was to turn the business over to Carissa Tropiano, a Northford resident who started working for him 25 years ago. So without asking for any payment, he is turning over the ownership of the salon to her.

The transition will occur Sept. 7, when the business takes on a new name: Carissa & Co. and moves from its second floor space in a office complex on the Boston Post Road in Guilford to a newly decorated ground floor space.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

Tropiano, who calls Rollins my friend and mentor, said as the date for the change in ownership draws near Im getting a little nervous.

Im excited and hopefully everything will go smoothly, Tropiano said. Hopefully all our customers will stay. Everyone has been very positive about this so far.

Rollins will to continue to work at the salon, albeit working a somewhat reduced workload.

Im still going to be part of the crew, but Ill have a little more time for myself, he said.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

Loyal staff, loyal customers

Tropiano probably doesnt have worry about customer or employee loyalty.

Many customers of the salon have been coming there for decades and some of the staff and stylists have worked for the business for two decades or more. Cindi Gardner first started having her hair cut by Rollins when she was a teenager and said she has stuck with him from his days at British Hairways to the present.

My mother became friends with him shortly after he came to the United States, Gardner said. She would bring me and my sister. Then I had three girls and they have all gone there and now my granddaughters go there, even though they are very young.

Gardner, who is a Madison resident, said the reason her family has been loyal to Rollins and his staff for so long is that they make us feel like family,

My mother was his first client when he came here and they developed a really nice friendship, Gardner said. My mom went to his wedding.

Retiree Ray Celmer, of Killingworth, has had Rollins cut his hair for the past 41 years.

My previous barber had left town and a friend suggested I give Mr. Rollins a try, Celmer said. Since then no one else has cut my hair. Many friendships do not survive that long.

Celmer said Rollins has an uncanny talent for cutting hair.

My hair is one giant cowlick; I have very difficult hair to cut, Celmer said. When he first went to work on my hair, he spent a long time lo0king at my hair, sizing it up and asking a few questions. When he was done, I said to myself, One haircut and this guy has really nailed it.

Celmer said part of the salons success is that Rollins and his staff treat everyone like a valued customer.

It doesnt matter who you are or how well he knows you, everyone gets the same treatment, Celmer said. He is the consummate gentleman in his dealing with people.

Gardner said she trusts Rollins and his staff completely to make she and her family look their best.

I dont know about men, but for women, there is a high value on appearance, not only in the workplace, but in life in general, Gardner said.

Christopher and his staff listen to you, she said.

Its not only trust but he and his staff listen to you, so they know what we want. And we get honest feedback from them to help guide you to your best look, Gardner said.

Shannon McCarthy, a resident of Rhode Islands South County region, has been having Tropiano do her hair since she was in high school. Now, McCarthy works in the admissions department of a Rhode Island private school and regularly drives more than an hour to Guilford in order to get her hair done.

When you get your hair done, you feel better about yourself and are more confident, McCarthy said.

Changes

Rollins first salon was on the border between Woodbridge and New Havens Westville neighborhood. He opened it in April, 1982.

Four years later, he opened a second location in Village Walk in Guilford. The Westville salon burned down in 1990 after it was struck by lightning.

He moved the Guilford salon to its current space at 1575 Boston Post Road in 1996.

Celmer said Rollins and his staff have dealt with cutting clients hair during the pandemic and not made a big out of it.

When the state allowed salons to reopen again, I had no reservations whatsoever about going in to get my hair cut, Celmer said. If it can be done right, Christopher is the one to do it.

Rollins said the salon has regrown the business it lost when it had to close at the start of the pandemic.

People appreciated our cleanliness and word spreads, he said.

For a time, Rollins operated a cosmetology school before selling it to a friend.

Employees at the salon say their workplace family is what keeps them from leaving for another salon or a different line of work.

Tim Dvorsky has worked as stylist at the salon since 1997. He once lived on the Shoreline, but now commutes from Bethlehem to work part-time.

I was one of three boys growing up and this is like having 20 sisters I never had ... and never wanted, Dvorsky quipped.

His hair cutting sisters say Dvorsky has driven to Providence more than once in the middle of the night to pick one of them up after a bad date.

Sarah Brayfield has worked at the salon for more than 15 years. The Southington resident said she started working for Rollins in her early 20s.

Were like a family, Brayfield said. When you find a place really like and work you really enjoy, theres no reason to leave.

The hair styling business often sees a great deal of turnover. Some stylists leave to find other lines of work, others to start salons of their own.

Rollins said he doesnt begrudge former employees who have left to start their own salons.

People should be allowed to grow, he said.

Rollins estimated his salons customer base is 68 women and 32 percent men.

He said what is hot in terms of hairstyle and the techniques used to achieve those looks sometimes changes monthly or quarterly.

You see a wide variety of looks on the guys, he said. Because (types of) hair are so diverse, the biggest thing is texture. Not one of us is happy with what weve got.

Rollins said many older women these days are going from getting their hair colored on a regular basis to au natural.

We do some coloring to enhance the naturalness of the gray, he said.

But the double standard about men and women letting their hair go completely gray hasnt changed, according to Rollins.

If woman have gray, theyre aging, he said. If men go gray, people say it looks distinguished.

The salons number is not changing: 203-453-6836.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
New Castle, PA (16103)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 72F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy early, then clearing overnight. Low 54F. Winds light and variable.
SHARON  Buhl Mansion Guesthouse and Spa Manager Laura Ackley hired six employees last week for the upscale Sharon hotel.

Problem is, none of them showed up.

Ackleys employee shortage is just a snapshot of a growing labor problem, here and around the country: Lower-wage employers often cant fill jobs.

Owing to the labor shortage, its not unusual for consumers to hit their favorite fast-food spot, only to find the restaurant is serving only beverages, or is closed because of reduced hours. Even a local steel mill had to take out billboard ads to entice applicants.

The labor shortage has had another impact, too: It has, in effect, driven up the states minimum wage, officially set at $7.25 an hour. Thats the same as the federal minimum wage, which hasnt risen since 2009.

But check out help-wanted signs in local gas stations, fast-food restaurants, or liquor stores. Traditional minimum- or near-minimum-wage jobs are starting at $12 or $13 an hour, or even more.

Last year, at the pandemics peak, employers began massive layoffs. Mercer Countys jobless rate surged to 17.7 percent, while the national jobless rate hit 15 percent. (Mercer Countys unemployment rate in June was 6.8 percent.)

The pandemic was hardly the first time exceptionally high unemployment rates plagued Mercer County. In the early 1980s, when major factories started to close, the countys employment rate exceeded 22 percent.

This may, however, be the first time high unemployment rates co-existed with severe labor shortages for certain employers.

Some employers say the government has made it more lucrative to sit home. When COVID-19 tossed many people out of work, weekly unemployment checks were boosted by $300 a week.

The government is giving people more money if they stay at home than if they worked, said Brandon Johnson, a manager at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in Hermitage.

But Pennsylvania will end the extra unemployment benefit Monday, raising the question of whether that will lure more people back to work.

Meantime, a lack of employees has strained workers still on the job, including salaried managers like Ackley and Johnson. On this day, Ackley  who also manages Donnas Diner in downtown Sharon  was elated. She didnt have to work a double shift, so she got to sleep nine hours.

Hourly workers, too, have been pressed.

Story continues below video

In April, Dominick Dodson of Sharon was hired on-the-spot as a cook when he applied for a job at Popeyes. Dodson continues to serve in his post  with little time off. Hes worked seven straight days and four straight double-shifts. Im a little tired, said Dodson, who wants to become a manager.

And he may get his chance for a break.

With the workforce stretched thin, current employees can quickly ride up to management jobs.

In May, Johnson, who works with Dodson, started in Popeyes kitchen. Several months later, he became a manager. I learn quickly. he said with a smile.

A Youngstown resident, Johnson contrasted the labor market in Youngstown with that of the Shenango Valleys.

In our Youngstown restaurant, we get two to three people a day coming in, asking for a job, he said. Here in Hermitage, we havent gotten one person in four days. Its depressing.

Hes willing to reach out to those with criminal records for most positions. If I have a good vibe about someone and our general manager has a good vibe  well hire felons.

Cooks are in heavy demand. At 63, Donna Vigus, a former dishwasher, cooks at Tara, A Country Inn. Its a manual job  but not an overwhelming one, she said.

There are occasional dust-ups among the staff, she acknowledged. But at the end of the day, we all leave here as friends, Vigus said.

To attract more potential employees, employers have boosted wages. Over the past 18 months, Ackley has raised wages for entry-level jobs by 50 to 65 percent. Without the loyal staff who stayed on their posts, the doors would close, Ackley said.

We have an amazing core of staff that have been working tirelessly through these last 15 months or so of a staffing crisis, she said. They have had more put on their plates, too. We wouldnt survive without them.

Another uncertainty in the new economy: Once people flock back to the workforce, will higher wages stick?

Said Phil Smalley, a Hermitage human resource consultant and former steel mill executive: Once you give somebody something, its hard to take it away.
Latest job opportunities

Use this website to help find the best person to fill your role. This is a paid-for service aiming at advertising jobs which are of interest to the Norwich and Norfolk Christian community and its many churches, groups and organisations.

To advertise a vacancy, simply e-mail the details such as job and person specifications, approx salary, contact details and a closing date to us here .

For full details of the service, and our cost-effective fee, please click here.

Word of thanks

Stewart Barber, Eckling Grange Care

We had a great advert on Network Norwich for many weeks with great layout, unlimited words, colour logo and a direct link from the weekly newsletter! We also found our new manager through the website.

Tom Howell, Halls of Residence

Thank you for all your help with our recruiting process during 2019. We have some great new staff at the Matthew Project as a result. God bless."We had a good response to our advert on Network Norwich for a Project Worker. We were able to short-list some very possible applicants and have now made an appointment of a lady whom we expect to fit well into our existing team and who brings to us some useful past experience.Thank you for your help, what a useful medium this is.""We see the Network Norfolk website as a good place to advertise the organisation and Im very pleased to say that the recent advert for an account assistant led to an appointment."
Methodists recall good times as church closes Methodists recall good times as church closes

After 46 years of fruitful ministry, the Methodist Church in White Woman Lane has closed. Marion Baxter recalls some of its rich history.

In 1973-74 Wroxham Road Methodist Church was involved in an ecumenical Step Forward Together campaign for the whole of the Norwich area. This campaign included asking people what they could contribute to the work of the churches, what they might like to see in the life of the church, and any ideas and projects for the future.



One of the suggestions from Wroxham Road was for the provision of worship in the White Woman Lane area. This resolved itself into a request to White Woman Lane School to allow their premises to be used. The Headmaster, Mr D Cossey, agreed for the use of the School Hall each Sunday, and in April 1975 the first Sunday morning Service was held, attended by approximately 10 people from various denominations, and led by Rev Arthur Windridge.



Until August 1976 Church Services were led on a rota basis by the Revd Arthur Windridge and five Local Preachers  Mr Albert Ward, Mr Ivor Harrowven, Mr Ivor Boulton, Mr Kenneth Lusher and Mr Charles Lemmon.



My father was a Methodist local preacher, remembers Alan Lusher, and following the closure of the North Walsham Road fellowship, he was keen that a new society should be started to provide for the expanding population of Sprowston and Old Catton. He got together with other local preachers, and they established the chapel at White Woman Lane. It has been a powerhouse and much-loved fellowship for 46 years.



From September 1976, 10.00 am Sunday worship at White Woman Lane appeared on the full Norwich Circuit Methodist Quarterly Plan. A Sunday School was formed from June 1975 and by January 1977 an average of around 20 adults worshipped each Sunday and nearly 30 children attended the Sunday School.



For 18 years the congregation met under the umbrella of Wroxham Road Methodist Church but then took on the challenge to become independent. In September 1993 the congregation decided to become an autonomous Methodist Society - Old Catton Methodist Church  White Woman Lane. This brought about different challenges and also opportunities during the next 28 years, until from the beginning of the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 when Sunday worship had to be suspended.



We now had an elderly congregation whose numbers during this time depleted, and due to various healthcare reasons, others felt unable to continue transforming a School into a Church. At the end of April 2021, a decision was made to request permanent closure of The Church in the School by the Norwich Methodist Circuit and was confirmed on July 7.



We wish to thank White Woman Lane School and the communities of Old Catton and Sprowston for their support over the last forty-six years.



The people have many positive memories: celebrations of Sunday School and Church Anniversaries; House Groups encouraging fellowship and Bible Study, links with White Woman Lane School, where members of the Church community have been Governors, school assemblies led by Methodist Church Minister, and fundraising for both Church and School charities, with help from pupils, teachers and congregation.



Other than White Woman Lane Junior School, many community links have been forged over the years. Redmayne View a residential home for the elderly, where a fortnightly Thursday morning Art Group and monthly Sunday evening Songs of Praise took place. Some of the residents also joined The Church in the School for Sunday worship and assisted with the Link to Hope Romania Shoebox Appeal.



John Wesley said: The Best of All God is with us and God has been with us as we have worshipped and witnessed through The Church in the School in the community of Old Catton and Sprowston. In the words of a hymn by Charles Wesley, Well praise him for all that is past, And trust him for all thats to come.



Pictured above are members of the congregation on the 33rd anniversary, April 20, 2008, with Rev John Fenn, Norwich Methodist Circuit Superintendent Minister. Below is White Woman Lane School with the church banner displayed on the gate.







Eldred Willey, 06/09/2021
Newburyport, MA (01950)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High near 85F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

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Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low near 65F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
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March 11, 2021. It was supposed to be a turning point in the coronavirus pandemic for Erin Tokley, a longtime Philadelphia police officer, Baptist minister and 47-year-old father of three. It was supposed to be the day of his vaccine appointment.

Instead it was the date of his funeral.

Tokley  Toke to his friends and family  died on March 3, becoming the Philadelphia Police Department's sixth confirmed COVID-19 death.

Philadelphia officers first became eligible for their shots in late January and Tokley was eager to get it as soon as he could. But he fell ill in early February, before it was his turn to roll up his sleeve.

The resurgence of COVID-19 this summer and the national debate over vaccine requirements have created a fraught situation for the nations first responders, who are dying in larger numbers but pushing back against mandates.

It's a heartbreaking situation for Tokley's widow, Octavia, as the 21st anniversary of their first date approaches on Sept. 10. She said she has moved beyond her anger at other police officers who are refusing the vaccine, and is now disappointed. Her husband's life couldn't be saved, but theirs still can.

I dont want to have to be there to support your family for this," she said. "Nobody deserves this, especially when it can be prevented.

Her husband is one of 132 members of law enforcement agencies who are known to have died of COVID-19 in 2021, as of Monday, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. In Florida alone last month, six people affiliated with law enforcement died over a 10-day period.

In the first half of 2021, 71 law enforcement officials in the U.S. died from the virus  a small decrease compared to the 76 who died in the same time period in 2020, per data compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Last year, the total figure was 241  making the virus the the leading cause of law enforcement line-of-duty deaths.

Despite the deaths, police officers and other first responders are among those most hesitant to get the vaccine and their cases continue to grow. No national statistics show the vaccination rate for America's entire population of first responders but individual police and fire departments across the country report figures far below the national rate of 74% of adults who have had at least one dose.

Frustrated city leaders are enacting mandates for their municipal employees  including police officers and firefighters  as the delta variant surges. The mandates' consequences range from weekly testing to suspension to termination. Its a stark contrast from the beginning of the vaccine rollout when first responders were prioritized for shots.

It makes me sad that they dont see it as another safety precaution," Octavia Tokley said. "You wear masks, you wear bulletproof vests. You protect each other. Thats what you do, you protect and you serve.

Nearly 3,000 miles (4,828 kilometers) away, San Francisco firefighter Christopher Salas offers his condolences to Tokley's family. I feel for her, I feel for her husband, he said.

Salas, 58, has nearly 28 years on the job  21 of them in the city's tough Tenderloin district. He wears a mask and washes his hands and sanitizes himself. But he stops short at getting the shot  and plans to retire early instead of acquiescing to the city's ultimatum of get vaccinated or get terminated.

Im not an anti-vaxxer," he said. "I have all my other vaccines. Im just not taking this one.

He considered it, just to be able to finish out his career with three decades of service. But after praying about it with his wife, he remains concerned about the efficacy and side effects of the vaccine.

I dont think Id be comfortable with myself if I did something that went against my belief, he said of getting the vaccine. Its about liberty and having your own choice to be your own person.

Public health professionals and elected officials, however, contend that it's bigger than that.

Dr. Jennifer Bryan, a family physician and member of the Mississippi State Medical Associations Board of Trustees, says she's working to change minds a half-hour appointment at a time in a state with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country. With first responders, she reminds them that they can become patients, too.

It's harder when you want to protect those who are on the front lines, she said. When you share air with someone, theres a risk. If you share more air with sick people and your job is more public-facing, then you are at risk.

This vaccine really is about not just protecting yourself but protecting your coworkers, your community, people who go to your church, people in your kids' school, said Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, whose city requires all employees to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or face termination.

Unions across the country are fighting back. Shon Buford, president of San Francisco Firefighters Local 798, is urging city leaders to delay their Oct. 13 vaccinate-or-terminate deadline.

Twenty workers who did not disclose whether they had received a shot by a previous deadline may receive 10-day unpaid suspensions. One firefighter has sued San Francisco, which was the first major U.S. city to adopt a vaccine mandate for its workers. The overwhelming majority of the city's workforce of 36,000 is vaccinated, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.

Buford, who is vaccinated, says he needs more time to educate his hesitant members, and he's disappointed that San Francisco took such a harsh stance from the beginning. Firefighters like Salas have threatened to retire, and others say they will risk termination.

To me, they deserve more than an ultimatum, Buford said.

In Los Angeles, over 3,000 employees in the police department have been infected by the virus and the numbers continue to climb. Ten LAPD workers have died, as well as three spouses.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents rank-and-file officers, has proposed required weekly testing for cops like the New York City Police Department  in lieu of the mandate signed by Mayor Eric Garcetti on Aug. 20 that makes vaccinations part of city workers' job conditions.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore said 51% of the department has been vaccinated as of Aug. 31 and more than 100 personnel got their shots in the last week and a half.

In California's state prisons, a federal judge could order all correctional employees and inmate firefighters to be vaccinated under a class-action lawsuit. In mid-July, 41% of correctional officers statewide had at least one dose of a vaccine, compared to 75% of inmates.

Officials fear a repeat of last summer's outbreak at San Quentin State Prison north of San Francisco, which sickened 75% of the prison's incarcerated population. Twenty-nine people, including a correctional officer, died.

Every minute, every day, every week we delay, its putting our clients at greater and greater risk, said Rita Lomio, a staff attorney at the nonprofit Prison Law Office, which is representing the state's incarcerated people in the lawsuit.

Octavia Tokley, the 41-year-old Philadelphia widow, got her first dose just three days after her husband died, collapsing in a stranger's arms in grief as they waited in line. Her 5-year-old daughter, Amethyst, constantly asks why her father didn't get one, too.

He tried, her mother says, but the shot wasn't ready for him yet.

Every night, their child struggles to fall asleep.

I miss Daddy, I miss Daddy," she cries. "I feel so lonely, I miss Daddy.

___

Associated Press Writer Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia contributed.
As she held up her cell phone to take back-to-school selfies with the new school resource officers last week, the excitement of the first day swept through Liz Pray just as it had in previous years. But Pray, a school nurse, was nervous, too.

"I don't know what the school year is going to bring," she said.

With the highly transmissible Delta coronavirus variant circulating in the United States and tensions boiling over around masks and vaccine requirements, this school year will be like none she has experienced before.

For the past seven years, Pray cared for young students across four different elementary school buildings within Moses Lake School District in central Washington state. Now, she will care for older students at Moses Lake High School, more than 2,000 students total.

"It's so fun to see those students coming back to me, and seeing how much they've changed over the last few years, and the young adults that they're molding into," Pray said. "I'm excited to see them all at the same time, but I'll admit I'm nervous."

Pray is one of about 96,000 full-time school nurses in the United States who are facing an uncertain school year ahead. Even before the pandemic expanded their workloads and altered their day-to-day tasks, the United States was grappling with a shortage of school nurses.

By the end of her first day back, Pray had taken on a stack of paperwork an inch thick, found time for a single restroom break and managed a late lunch around 3:15 p.m.

"If I had to sum up the day -- check on your school nurse, because they are not OK," Pray said.

Pandemic sheds new light on old problem

Pandemic aside, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that schools have one full-time nurse for every 750 students. Now, when students and schools may need nurses more than ever, it's estimated that about a quarter of schools still have no nurse at all.

The latest data from a national school nurse workforce study, published in the Journal of School Nursing in 2018, found approximately 39% of schools employ full-time nurses and about 35% employ part-time school nurses, while 25% do not employ school nurses.

In Washington, where Pray is based, a working paper from the University of Washington's Center for Education Data & Research in Seattle found last year that the statewide student-to-nurse ratio during the 2019-2020 school year was one nurse for every 1,173 students on average.

The country has had a shortage of school nurses for years, but the burden is clear now.

"I would love to see a school nurse in every school across our country," said Linda Mendonca, president of the National Association of School Nurses.

"That would be my magic-wand dream, because every American schoolchild deserves a school with a full-time school nurse, not just to help them navigate through a pandemic, but to support students every day with their physical and mental health and making sure that they're academically ready to learn," Mendonca said.

Pray said she spent the summer as she normally would: checking records to verify which students are caught up on routine immunizations and organizing files for those with chronic illnesses, among other back-to-school tasks -- but the workload was much greater than years' past.

"When I moved to the high school this year, not only did my caseload almost triple making that move, because I'm the only nurse in the high school, but we haven't seen a good majority of those kids in the building for 18 months," said Pray, who also serves as president of the School Nurse Organization of Washington.

"So, we're dealing with all of their chronic health conditions like diabetes, asthma, allergies, and then on top of that, toss in all of the mental health pieces. The anxiety about walking in the door that first time. Depression because they've been at home without any socialization with their peers," Pray said.

"And then you've got Covid."

'You can definitely tell there's a lot of tension'

Due to the pandemic, Pray has other responsibilities now added to her plate: planning Covid-19 testing strategies and pop-up vaccine clinics, analyzing ways to disinfect surfaces and improve air ventilation, preparing for potential Covid-19 outbreaks and disgruntled parents who may be against masks or vaccines.

"In our district, there was a protest down at our administrative office about the mask mandate," Pray said. "You can definitely tell there's a lot of tension in our state right now, regarding masks and vaccines."

That tension also has been seen nationally. During a school mask meeting in Florida, scuffles broke out. Outside of a school board meeting in Tennessee, angry anti-mask protesters harassed a parent. In Louisiana, protesters forced the shutdown of a school board meeting after not complying with a statewide mask mandate.

The division over masks and vaccine requirements within communities tend to reflect the variability among US school districts when it comes to rules and policies.

"You can't really say anything in general about the role of the school nurse during the epidemic, because of the variability from one district to another," Linda McCauley, dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, told CNN.

Nationwide, some schools mandate that students and staff wear masks to reduce the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19. Others don't.

Some schools require anyone exposed to the coronavirus to quarantine to reduce the risk of spreading the pathogen to others if they are infected. Others don't.

Some schools require staff to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to protect young students who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated. Others don't.

Because Covid-19 policies vary across school districts, the responsibilities of the school nurse can vary as well. And in some schools where mitigation measures to reduce spread of the coronavirus are not followed or enforced, that can increase a school nurse's risk of exposure to the virus.

Rural schools more likely to have no nurse

Some of these differences in school policies, practices and behaviors can vary by geographic region.

For instance, in rural regions of the United States, Covid-19 vaccine uptake generally has been slow -- and it's also in these regions, where positive Covid-19 cases cripple health care systems, that the shortage of school nurses appears to be greater.

Schools in the rural regions of the United States appear to be "significantly more likely" than schools in urban areas to report having no nurse at all, according to the study published in the Journal of School Nursing in 2018. In that study, 23.5% of rural schools report having no nurse compared with 10.3% of urban schools.

"When you get into a rural setting, you've got school districts, pre-pandemic, that saw a nurse once a week or once a month depending on where they were, and they share nurses with multiple districts that could be an hour away from each other -- and then you get in the middle of a pandemic, and the nurses are needed, and we've never been leaned on in that way," said Pray, whose Moses Lake School District is considered to be in a rural area.

To address the nation's school nursing shortage and also improve the number of school nurses in rural regions, funding is needed, Laura Searcy, a pediatric nurse practitioner who is a past president of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and a fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, wrote in an email to CNN.

"Funding is a key issue. There is an inconsistent mishmash of state and local funding that puts small rural school districts with inadequate tax bases at a disadvantage," she said in the email. "And those areas also are likely to have a shortage of primary care pediatric health care providers as well."

In those schools where no nurse is on staff, often teachers are trained and relied on to provide certain aspects of medical care that typically would be performed by a school nurse.

"We wouldn't accept medication being given to a child from unlicensed support staff in a hospital, for example, so it's always baffling to me that we accept this in the school setting for our medically fragile students," Gloria Barrera, president of the Illinois Association of School Nurses, told CNN.

In Illinois, the Chicago Teachers Union went on strike in 2019 while calling for a full-time nurse in every school. Chicago Public Schools, according to its website, is still hiring nurses to meet that goal. Even before the strike in Chicago, the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2016 recommended that pediatricians can advocate for a minimum of one full-time professional school nurse in every school.

"As a school nurse, I know that I'm serving as a bridge between the health care and education systems and other sectors, as well as a link to broader community health issues through the students I serve. That continuity of care is why I became a school nurse," Barrera said. "For any nurse that's considering a career as a school nurse as a specialty, it really has historically played an important role in promoting public health within our schools and larger communities -- and you are needed."

School nursing jobs can be hard to fill

Nationwide, there is an overall shortage of nurses -- not just school nurses. The American Nurses Association has even called for the US Department of Health and Human Services to declare the nurse staffing shortage a "national crisis."

But there appear to be several factors driving the nation's school nursing shortage specifically, including the funding needed to hire, no direct pipeline to connect nurses to schools and lower wages compared with other nursing roles in hospitals or other settings.

"I know very few nurses who right when they graduate go into school nursing. They find it along the way, and there's a number of reasons for that," said McCauley, dean of Emory University's School of Nursing.

"Students who are passing their licensure exam and getting their first degree in nursing rarely have rotations in school nursing. It's not impossible, but it's rare," she said. "Students may not have exposure to school nursing."

Therefore, on one hand, younger nurses applying for school-based positions might not have that much experience within educational settings. Then on the other hand, more experienced nurses might not be satisfied with the pay offered in schools.

In May of last year, the median annual wage for registered nurses in US hospitals was $76,840 compared with $64,630 for registered nurses in educational services, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The disparity in pay for school nurses compared with other nursing positions could be due to most school nurses not working year-round, McCauley said.

"You have to keep in mind that they work probably 10 months out of the year," McCauley said. "So their salary looks lower than other registered nurses, but I can't seem to tell whether that's adjusted for a yearly salary."

Overall, "there is a national nursing shortage, so school districts find themselves competing against health care facilities for the same pool of applicants," said Searcy, s pediatric nurse practitioner.

"The compensation is not quite equitable, so that's always been a concern," said the National Association of School Nurses' Mendonca.

"I have heard anecdotally too that for nurses who were close to retirement, or thinking about it, that the pandemic has maybe pushed them in that direction sooner than what they may have been planning on," she said. "So that makes the shortage even a little more critical than what we've been dealing with."

Lawmakers push for more school nurses

Some Democratic lawmakers want to help improve funding for school nurses through proposed legislation called the Nurses for Under-Resourced Schools Everywhere Act, introduced by Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus and Montana Senator John Tester.

The NURSE Act would create a grant program at the US Department of Education to reduce the cost of hiring nurses in elementary and secondary public schools, according to Titus's office. School districts could apply for the grants if at least 20% of their students are eligible for low-cost or free school lunches.

Titus on Wednesday urged Congressional leaders to include the legislation in the upcoming budget reconciliation package. The National Association of School Nurses also has announced support of the NURSE Act.

But for some school nurses like Liz Pray in the state of Washington, they wish the push to get more funding for school nursing happened sooner, before the pandemic.

Now, "there's a nursing shortage everywhere across the nation," Pray said.

"For school nursing, we thought for sure that after the wave of Covid went through this last year, you would see nurses wanting to leave the hospital and go to something that had a more firm schedule -- Monday through Friday, potentially summers off -- but we're not seeing them making that transition over because there's such a drop in pay," Pray said.

"It's not set up like the medical field. They've got to do some work to attract the nurses to come over, but at the same time, they're needed in the hospitals too. There's just a shortage all around."

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Dr. Anthony Fauci says there's an important step adults can take to protect children who are too young to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

"The way you protect children who, because of their age, cannot get vaccinated yet is to surround the children -- be it friends, family, school teachers, personnel in the school -- surround the children with vaccinated people," the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told CNN on Sunday.

More children have needed emergency room visits and hospitalizations in states with lower vaccination rates, according to a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the two-week period in mid-to-late August, ER visits for kids up to age 17 were 3.4 times higher in the states with the lowest vaccination rates and hospitalizations were 3.7 times higher than in states with the highest vaccination rates.

Some states are working to get ahead of the latest surge by getting as many eligible people vaccinated as possible.

The state of Washington, which has an October vaccine mandate for teachers and staff going into effect, is seeing "great news" regarding youth vaccination efforts, according to state health secretary Umair Shah on Thursday.

At least 41% of children between 12 and 15 years old are vaccinated and just under half of the state's 16- to 17-year-olds are fully vaccinated as well.

"Washington schools have the structure, protocol and people to have successful in-person education," Shah said.

If the US wants to keep children in the classroom this school year, people have to wear masks, Fauci said. But while some areas have adopted mask and vaccine mandates, others have curbed such measures.

In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said he's limited on what he can do because state officials opposed his attempt at a school mask mandate.

"If I had the ability to do it right now, we would have a masking order when you are in public and indoors. We know that's a proven way to slow the spread of the virus, and ultimately help our healthcare capacity," Beshear told NBC on Sunday.

Tough choices loom about who gets an ICU bed, Fauci warns

Some hospitals in the United States are close to full capacity as Covid-19 continues to spread, and soon officials could be making choices about who gets an intensive care unit bed, Fauci said.

"We are perilously close," he said. "You're going to be in a situation where you're going to have to make some very tough choices."

Fauci told CNN's Jim Acosta the best way to prevent health care workers from having to make those tough choices is to "pull out all the stops on everything we can do to prevent new infections."

Masking is important, Fauci noted, but "vaccination is the number one" method of lowering hospitalizations.

Across the US, 79.83% of ICU beds are in use -- almost a third of which are occupied by Covid-19 patients, according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services. Eight states had more than 90% of their adult ICU beds occupied Sunday: Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Nevada and Kentucky.

A federal medical team arrived in Kentucky this weekend to help increase medical assistance and the ability to open more hospital beds in light of record-breaking coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, according to a statement from Gov. Beshear's office.

"Our situation is dire," Beshear told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "We are hit very, very hard, but we are going to continue to fight. When you're at war, you don't get to cry about what you can or can't do. You've got to do your very best every day because this is a battle of life versus death."

Beshear said he sent the National Guard to the hardest-hit hospitals to work on logistics and free up clinicians to attend to patients.

In Albany, Georgia, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital Director of Emergency Services Dr. James Black told CNN's Amara Walker that his hospital nearly doubled its ICU capacity yet is still faced with an overflow of patients.

"The emergency department is full and the hospital is full," Black said. "Anytime a patient is discharged, we have patients waiting on those beds."

Moderna may lag behind Pfizer in booster rollout

With the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant disrupting life across the US, officials and health experts are working toward administering a booster dose of vaccine to Americans.

President Joe Biden had planned to roll out booster doses for Pfizer and Moderna at the same time, but Fauci told CNN on Sunday that may not happen.

Fauci said vaccine maker Pfizer has gotten its information to the US Food and Drug Administration, the information has been examined and "things look like they're ready to go."

But, he said Moderna might be a little bit behind Pfizer, and if it is, rather than seeing a simultaneous rollout of both products, it would be a sequential roll out by about a week or two.

"I don't think that is a major issue there, but we would have liked to have seen it happen all together, simultaneously. But ultimately the plan will be implemented, as was put forth," Fauci said.

The plan is contingent, first, on the companies submitting the appropriate data to the FDA, and second, getting an approval from the FDA and then a recommendation from the CDC's vaccine advisers, he said.

With the potential timing discrepancy, researchers are looking into whether different types of Covid-19 vaccines can be mixed and matched.

"We're lining up Pfizer against Pfizer, Pfizer for Moderna, and vice vera," Fauci told Weijia Jiang on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "Hopefully, within a reasonable period of time, measured in a couple weeks, we will have that data."

Fauci said hopefully it will work out that people who got Pfizer will boost with Pfizer, and people who got Moderna will boost with Moderna.

"But we are doing the studies to determine if you can ... switch one with the other," he said.

Number of Covid-19 cases four times higher than Labor Day 2020

This Labor Day weekend, the 7-day average of new coronavirus cases was more than four times higher than it was on Labor Day 2020, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Covid-related deaths have also increased, according to JHU, and the US Department of Health and Human Services reports that Covid-related hospitalizations have gone up, too.

Here's how the Covid statistics have changed from Labor Day 2020 to Labor Day 2021, according to data from JHU and the DHHS.

Daily cases (7-day average)

 Labor Day 2020 (September 7): 39,355

 Labor Day 2021 (September 5): 163,728

Daily deaths (7-day average)

 Labor Day 2020 (September 7): 804

 Labor Day 2021 (September 5): 1,561

Hospitalizations (Totals on these dates)

 Labor Day 2020 (September 8): 40,600

 Labor Day 2021 (September 6): 99,270

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The German Ambassador to China, Jan Hecker, has died suddenly at 54, after only a few weeks in his position, according to a statement posted on the German Embassy to China's website on Monday.

Hecker had worked as a foreign policy adviser to German Chancellor Angela Merkel before taking up his ambassadorial posting in Beijing on August 24.

"We are deeply saddened and shocked to learn of the sudden death of the German Ambassador to China," the spokesperson of the German Foreign Ministry said on Monday. "Our hearts are with his family and his friends and colleagues at this time."

The circumstances around the diplomat's death have not been disclosed.

Hecker took up his post as the 14th German Ambassador to China in late August. Prior to his appointment, he served as Director of the Department of Foreign Policy, Security and Development Policy and had been Merkel's foreign policy adviser since 2017, the embassy in Beijing said on its official Weibo account.

"I am deeply shocked by the death of Jan Hecker," said Merkel in a written statement Monday. "I mourn the loss of a highly esteemed adviser of many years, with deep humanity and outstanding expertise. I think of our cooperation with gratitude and am glad to have been so closely associated with him over the years. My deepest sympathy goes to his wife, children and other relatives in their immeasurable grief."

When starting the role, Hecker said his goals for the new mission were "to contribute to the long-term and stable development of Germany-China relations through our work" and to "further strengthen dialogue and partnership," the embassy said.

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A toddler was found three days after he went missing in the Australian wilderness, authorities confirmed on Monday.

New South Wales (NSW) Police responded to reports just before 12.30 p.m. on Friday that three-year-old Anthony "AJ" Elfalak had gone missing from his family's property in the rural area of Putty, where he was last seen.

AJ is autistic and non-verbal, according to CNN affiliate Seven News.

When he couldn't be found, officers organized an extensive search operation with the help of local authorities, including NSW Ambulance, State Emergency Service, Rural Fire Service and the Volunteer Rescue Association.

They were also helped by hundreds of emergency service volunteers.

Around 11.30 am on Monday, after a lengthy search, aviation support service PolAir spotted AJ and was able to guide ground search teams to him.

"A three-year-old child missing on a rural property in the Hunter region since Friday has been located following a large-scale search," NSW Police said in a Twitter post on Monday. The post also included a video of AJ drinking water on a nearby riverbank.

The toddler has since been reunited with his family, NSW Police confirmed.

Diaper rash and ant bites

"It's a miracle. He's alive. It's amazing," AJ's father, Anthony Elfalak, told the media, Seven News reported.

"I've been in the bush for four days, I haven't slept," he added.

He said his son was suffering from diaper rash and ant bites, and had fallen over.

Alan Hashem, a family friend, told Seven News he felt "incredible" that AJ had been located.

"But we still need to find out what happened, we need answers," Hashem said. "How did he leave? Who did he leave with? Did anything sinister happen?

"We will not stop until we find the truth," Hashem added. "Thank you to every Australian that was praying, because miracles do come true."

'He is a little survivor'

AJ was found in the Australian bush, an unforgiving environment known for its steep terrain and dense forests.

NSW Police Superintendent Tracy Chapman said in a press conference that she felt "relief" when he was located.

"Obviously after three days, you know, desperate to find him, desperate to get an outcome such as this, so certainly standing here today, it's a good news story," Chapman said.

"I think (being) so close to water is potentially what gave him that opportunity to survive," she added.

Paramedic Gerry Pyke, from NSW Ambulance, told reporters AJ was in "remarkable" condition when he was found.

"He is a little survivor," Pyke added. "He was very, very thankful, you could see that in his eyes."

Pyke said AJ had been taken to a nearby hospital as a "precautionary" measure.

"Our family is together again. For that we are grateful to everyone who has assisted in any way over the last three days," the boy's family said in a statement.

"Thank you to the NSW Police, Rescue Services, volunteers, community members, friends and family who have worked tirelessly to find AJ," they added. "AJ is fine. Hold your kids close."

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The Taliban murdered a pregnant policewoman in front of her family on Saturday night, according to her son. Her death, in the central Afghanistan province of Ghor, adds to mounting concerns about the repression of women under the Taliban's rule.

The victim's full name was Negar Masoomi, her sister told CNN. Her killing was also confirmed to CNN by a local journalist in Ghor, who said she worked in Ghor prison and was eight months pregnant when she died.

The Taliban told CNN they were not involved in her death, but have launched an investigation.

Video obtained by CNN showed her son Mohammad Hanif giving his account of the murder, saying that the Taliban came inside the house where his family lives, then took himself and his brothers outside and tied them up.

"They killed our mother before our eyes. They killed her with a knife," Hanif said.

Because she was pregnant Hanif said the Taliban carried out two murders and called upon the government to act to find the killers and bring them to justice. If nothing is done, Hanif warned "we might have to take the law into our own hands."

Bilal Kareemi, a Taliban spokesman, denied the accusations. "She hasn't been killed by the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate, probably it is because of a personal animosity, but we haven't received the final result of the investigation," he said.

"Our Mujahideen are busy investigating the incident and we will share with you our final findings as soon as we receive it," he added.

Taliban leaders have insisted publicly that women will play a prominent role in society in Afghanistan and have access to education.

They are still involved in talks over forming a government, but in recent weeks have signaled women should stay at home, and, in some instances, militants have ordered women to leave their workplaces.

These moves are at odds with the group's attempt to seem more tolerant, and have instead stoked fears of a return to the harsh policies of Taliban rule two decades ago, when women all but disappeared from public life.

Some Afghan women are already opting to remain indoors as fears mount over their safety, with some families purchasing full-length burqas for female relatives.

But others are taking to the streets, risking their safety in protests to demand equal rights under Taliban rule and full participation in political life.

On Monday, over a dozen women rallied in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, according to the Women's Political Participation Network and a local journalist covering the demonstration. Videos and photos shared on social media showed protesters holding signs that read, "An inclusive government without the presence of women has no meaning," and "Women cannot be eliminated."

In one clip, a woman said that the group had been told to leave by the Taliban or face being "badly beaten." Another woman interviewed by the BBC said that the protesters were threatened by Taliban fighters, who pulled guns and blocked journalists from reporting on the demonstration. But she added that the protest had continued peacefully, unlike a demonstration in Kabul over the weekend that was met with tear gas after Taliban forces prevented the women from marching on to the presidential palace.

CNN has reached out to the Taliban for comment.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Monday also tweeted a video that he described as a group of women rallying in support of the militant group in Mazar-i-Sharif.

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Columnist

Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich).
The rights of vaccine clinical trial volunteers must be safeguarded to help protect everyone against future health crises, Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid will tell G20 health leaders in Rome today (Sunday 5 September).

Attending his first international meeting of global health leaders since becoming Secretary of State, Sajid Javid will push for the UK's COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial participants to have their vaccination status recognized globally.

This expands on the commitment made at the G7 Health Ministers' Meeting - held in Oxford earlier this year - to protect the freedoms of those who helped pioneer medical advances and save lives around the world.

The UK has been a leading force in identifying new treatments and vaccines during the pandemic, with clinical trials resulting in the ground-breaking discovery of dexamethasone for treating serious COVID-19 cases - saving more than a million lives globally. It has also supported the scientific research, clinical trial and at-cost production of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine which has now shipped tens of millions of doses globally.

Vaccine clinical trials

Many British citizens who took part in vaccine clinical trials to tackle COVID-19 have not had their status recognised for overseas certification purposes, because the vaccine they received is not yet approved for use in their destination country. This may mean they have to quarantine on arrival and cannot access certain settings where vaccine certification schemes are in place.

The government is committed to seeing a safe and sustainable return to international travel, and continuing to lead the way to make sure this is inclusive of clinical trial participants in the UK and beyond.

Under our amber arrivals policy, if a person is arriving from a country where the UK already exempts fully vaccinated travellers from quarantining, trial participants that have adequate proof of their participation in a trial will also be exempt from quarantining. We are proud to publicly recognise their vital role in the ongoing global efforts to combat the pandemic.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid said:

The UK has been a trailblazer in clinical trials during the pandemic and we must harness that progress to fight future health threats. If those who go above and beyond by taking part in clinical trials are disadvantaged in activities such as overseas travel, it threatens the future of medical break-throughs and our ability to combat health threats. Participants put themselves forward to benefit the global community and without them, the lives of millions of people worldwide would be in danger due to a lack of progress on new treatments and vaccines. I will be urging my G20 health ministerial counterparts to stand up for the rights of those who have helped protect us all and ensure they can live their lives unhindered."

The UK is now embarking on a range of vital studies to monitor the impact of vaccines on pregnant women and teenagers as well as the impact of new vaccines, boosters and mixing types of vaccine. Recruitment is ongoing for these studies and the government is committed to ensuring people are not discouraged from participating and minimise the risk of drop out, by working hard to meet their needs.

Vaccines clinical trials charter

At the UK-hosted G7 health meetings, representatives from some of the world's largest democracies committed to a new Therapeutics and Vaccines Clinical Trials Charter, making it easier and quicker to share results from vaccine and therapeutic trials to tackle COVID-19 and prevent future health threats.

This will help deliver high-quality, reliable and comparable evidence from international clinical trials to speed up access to approved treatments and vaccines, benefitting people in the UK and globally. It will also include greater diversity of participants, including pregnant people and children.

The Health and Social Care Secretary will also speak to his ministerial counterparts about the need to improve vaccine confidence around the world, helping tackle dangerous misinformation and targeting communications through impactful routes for people from different backgrounds.

The government has expanded the Community Champions Scheme so that communities have trusted local leaders who can help answer questions about the vaccine and work with the NHS and public health teams to support local communities. Overall the UK has one of the highest vaccine uptake rates in the world and vaccine hesitancy has fallen among ethnic minority groups from 22% in the Jan-Feb survey to 9% at the most recent wave (May-June).

Over 91 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across the UK, with nearly 80% of everyone aged over 16 receiving both doses, including more than 50% of those aged 18-29 being double jabbed.

Background
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) delta variant of concern (B.1.617.2) was first noted in India in October 2020 and has since become one of the most widely spread and dominant strains globally. Reports have indicated that, like other variants of concern, the delta variant is more highly transmissible and better evades vaccine-induced immunity than wild-type SARS-CoV-2.

Study: High diversity in Delta variant across countries revealed via genome-wide analysis of SARS-CoV-2 beyond the Spike protein. Image Credit: Dimitris Barletis/ Shutterstock

Mutations characteristic of the SARS-CoV-2 delta variant spike protein that result in greater virulence have been well described, though mutations to the envelope, membrane, nucleocapsid, 16 non-structural proteins (NSP), and six accessory proteins (NS) of SARS-CoV-2 have been less well documented. In a paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv*, nearly 2 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes from around the world were analyzed, finding great diversity within the delta variant that exceeds that observed in the more widely spread alpha variant.

A preprint version of the study is available on the bioRxiv* server, while the article undergoes peer review.

Delta-specific mutations

The research group obtained genomic sequences from the "Global initiative on sharing all influenza data" (GISAID) database sourced from 176 counties and focussed on 8,157 unique mutations spanning 24 of the 26 SARS-CoV-2 proteins that were present in at least 100 of the collected sequences. Of the nearly 2 million genomes gathered, around 200,000 belonged to the delta variant, and it was found that there was an extremely high prevalence of the T19R, L452R, T478K, and P681R mutations to the spike protein, present in 99.86% of delta variant genomes and only 0.04% of other strains. These mutations have typically been used to identify the delta variant and contribute greatly to the enhanced transmissibility widely observed.

Despite these highly prevalent mutations of the spike protein, the group found that only around 6.3% of mutations spike protein-specific, with the remainder distributed across the proteome of SARS-CoV-2. Seven other highly prevalent mutations were noted amongst the delta variant, to the membrane: I82T (99.9%); nucleocapsid: R203M (99.9%) and D377Y (99.6%); NSP12: P323L (99.9%); NS3: S26L (99.9%); and NS7a: V82A (99.4%) and T120I (99.7%). As with the characteristic spike protein mutations, almost all of these mutations were highly exclusive to the delta variant, with only mutation P323L to NSP12 being commonly shared by other strains.

Country-specific mutations

The group generated mutational prevalence vectors to understand better the mutations adopted by the delta variant in each country, tracking the development and spread of prevalent mutations over time in each location. Several mutations contributing to country-specific differences in the delta variant were noted, with the delta USA and delta India strains in particular chosen for more detailed analysis. Both strains were found to bear 16 common mutations spanning the proteins of SARS-CoV-2, while delta USA possessed 13 additional country-specific mutations, and delta India had three. The implication of these mutations has yet to be determined, though some may be inferred by the normal function of the protein in question. For example, the delta USA strain bears a mutation to NSP14 that may inhibit host translational machinery.

Conclusion

The more widely spread alpha variant emerged before vaccine programs had been rolled out, while the delta variant emerged once vaccination had begun. Given the sizable disparity in vaccine availability worldwide, the group states that it may be possible to estimate vaccine efficacy against the delta variant by comparison. More importantly, the emergence of mutations that may have been caused by vaccine distribution can be identified. Other factors such as population density, the implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions, demographic differences, and many more may also contribute to the divergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. The group emphasizes the importance of ongoing genome surveillance to develop comprehensive and location-specific therapeutic measures in the future.

*Important notice

bioRxiv 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.
New research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress suggests that the seemingly innocuous environment of an office can cause asthma in some workers.

The study found a variety of triggers from printer toner and cleaning products to poor ventilation and mold circulating in air conditioning. It also found that employees with asthma brought on by office work left their jobs and, if employers did not make changes to tackle the problem, this was more common.

Researchers say that their work provides another reason for allowing home working to continue beyond COVID-19 restrictions, to benefit office workers' health and help businesses retain staff.

The study was presented by Dr Christopher Huntley, from Birmingham Regional Occupational Lung Disease Service at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust in the UK. He said: "Any work environment can induce occupational asthma if it harbors a respiratory sensitizer. This is a substance that triggers an irreversible allergic reaction, such as paint spray or dust. We usually think of an office as a safe environment, so it's possible that when asthma is diagnosed in office workers, occupational causes may be overlooked. As a result, there has been very little research on this issue.

However, we have been diagnosing increasing cases of occupational asthma in patients who work in office environments, as well as detecting clusters of cases in specific offices." Dr Christopher Huntley, Birmingham Regional Occupational Lung Disease Service, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Huntley and his colleagues studied the cases of 47 office workers with occupational asthma that had been reported to the Birmingham Regional Occupational Lung Disease Service. The majority had had their asthma confirmed by serial peak flow monitoring. This measures the fastest rate patients can breathe air out of their lungs. Seventeen of the patients had also been tested and found to have lungs that react strongly to a test for sensitive airways.

The researchers identified three main categories that were causes of occupational asthma in the office workers. These were: triggers found inside the office (printer toner, floor tile adhesive, mold and cleaning products), triggers coming from the office ventilation system (mold in air conditioning and ventilation shafts that had been installed incorrectly), and triggers from the office's immediate environment (nearby workshops, paint and vehicle fumes).

They also investigated whether employers made any adjustments to support office workers with occupational asthma and what workers did as a result. Their most striking finding was that when employers failed to act, workers were 100 times more likely to quit their job.

Dr Huntley said: "Although we only looked at the patients who were referred to our service and this is a relatively small study, it is still one of the largest studies reporting occupational asthma in office workers. We discovered some key causes to be aware of in an office environment, but there will certainly be others.

"If a worker develops occupational asthma, workplace adjustments can and should be made to improve asthma symptoms and help retain staff."

Dr Huntley says that there have been fewer new referrals for patients with occupational asthma during COVID-19 restrictions and that those already suffering with occupational asthma have seen improvements while working from home. He adds: "Working from home has been useful for patients in both establishing their diagnosis and as a form of non-pharmacological treatment. Allowing workers with occupational asthma to continue working from home may help keep office workers in their jobs as they require fewer sick days."

Arzu Yorgancoglu, who was not involved in the study, is Chair of the European Respiratory Society Advocacy Council Chair and Professor in Pulmonology at Celal Bayar University, Turkey. She said: "Because we tend to think of office environments as relatively safe, compared with other occupational settings where exposure to pollutants may occur, it is likely that there are more patients out there with undiagnosed office work-related asthma.

"For office workers with asthma who experience an unexplained deterioration in their symptoms, this study highlights the importance of identifying and removing any potential occupational triggers. Where we see clusters of work-related asthma in offices it is vital to investigate the underlying cause, as the causes may be surprising."
Since it was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)  the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)  has infected over 217 million people worldwide. To date, this has led to over 4.56 million deaths worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect more people globally, highlighting the need for widespread and rapid use of effective vaccines.

Although several vaccines have been approved in the USA for emergency use, the increasing number of SARS-CoV-2 spike variants of concern emerging in different parts of the world raise major concerns about the continued efficacy of the currently approved vaccines.

High infectivity and immune resistance of SARS-CoV-2 variants

Research has shown that over 90% of neutralizing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies taken from COVID-19 patients and vaccinated individuals act on the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. Monoclonal antibodies developed by different companies specifically target the Spike protein and have been approved for emergency use by the FDA.

The original (wildtype) SARS-CoV-2 virus that was first detected in Wuhan, China, has around 6 times higher binding affinity toward RBD and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)  the host cell receptor that facilitates viral entry  compared to SARS-CoV-1. Similarly, each SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern has some unique mutations and features that help them become the dominant strain in some places. Studies have shown that newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants from India (Delta) variant and South America (Lambda) variant have higher infection rates in vaccinated as well as unvaccinated people.

Study on Delta and Lambda variants highlights the significance of a third booster shot

A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms that render these variants more infectious and vaccine-resistant is essential for battling the pandemic. Researchers in the USA and China recently published a report in which they discussed the potential factors that confer high infectivity and immune resistance on the Delta and Lambda variants. Their report suggests that the Lambda variant could become dominant in future surges. This study is published on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

The study found that sera from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccinees had high reactivity toward the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the Delta variant and poor reactivity toward RBD of the Lambda variant. Moreover, the overall antibodies titers of individuals vaccinated with Pfizer-BioNTech dropped 3-fold 6 months after vaccination. This could be one major reason for breakthrough infections, which emphasizes the significance of a third booster shot.

Interestingly, the overall titer of antibodies of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccinated individuals drops 3-fold after 6 months, which could be one of major reasons for breakthrough infections, emphasizing the importance of potential third boost shot.

Currently approved vaccines are effective against the Delta variant in the USA

Biochemical analysis showed that the Delta variant slightly increases ACE2 binding compared to the wildtype virus. The authors observed that Ramanavami, a therapeutic antibody, decreases binding affinity to Delta variant by nearly 20 fold, and fully inhibits binding to the Lambda variant. Although the L452R mutation decreases binding to Bamlanivimab, the mutated RBD still binds to most antibodies generated after the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination.

Over 90% of patients infected by the Delta variant in the USA were unvaccinated, showing vaccines do protect against this variant.

Structural modeling of RBD complexes with the human host cell receptor, ACE2, and Bamlanivimab show the potential basis of binding changes. The results of the study demonstrate possible danger and an increase in the Lambda variant in the near future.

*Important notice

bioRxiv 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.
While authorities in Uttar Pradesh are narrowing down on dengue as the 'mystery disease' behind the deaths of more than 50 people, mostly children, in the last fortnight, they are not ruling out scrub typhus or other monsoon-related infections.

Navneet Sehgal, additional chief secretary in charge of information, told a press conference in the state capital of Lucknow on 3 September that "in some districts, including Firozabad, cases of dengue and seasonal diseases were reported". Sehgal said a special sanitation drive was being launched in the state.

Leading pediatricians, citing UNICEF reports, lay the blame for the deaths and the failure to conclusively identify the cause, on insanitary conditions and poor health infrastructure in the sprawling province of 200 million people.

Sumbul Warsi, a leading pediatricians and a native of Uttar Pradesh, says: "Every monsoon season there is a resurgence of viral fevers  and now we have COVID-19 as an add-on."

She adds that the "the value of overall improvement in hygiene, vector control and proper nutrition for disease prevention among children cannot be underestimated, but that would be up to the administrative authorities in Uttar Pradesh".

According to UNICEF, one in every two children in Uttar Pradesh is stunted. Based on official figures from the 2011 census report UNICEF says that "the child sex ratio has deteriorated and the number of children forced into work has increased".

"Regular systemic surveillance, reliable investigations and genome analysis are required to be able to take away the mystery from the present illnesses and deaths," says Warsi. "The symptoms may be similar in dengue, scrub typhus (caused by a bacterium that spreads through the bites of infected larval mites) and COVID-19 and only proper investigation can help both diagnosis and treatment."

The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, who last week toured Firozabad district and visited hospitals where a number of children were admitted for the mysterious fever told reporters that blood samples of patients were being sent to the King George's Medical University in Lucknow and to the National Institute of Virology in Pune.

Dinesh Raj, a pediatric specialist at the Holy Family Hospital in New Delhi, tells SciDev.Net that it may be beyond the capacity of the state to handle the mystery outbreak.

The epidemiological evaluation of the mystery fever in Uttar Pradesh that caused the deaths of more than 40 children is an uphill task for a state with poor medical and public health infrastructure." Dinesh Raj, pediatric specialist, Holy Family Hospital, New Delhi

While some patients have tested positive for dengue, adds Raj, many have tested negative, pointing to the possibility of an unusual vector-borne disease such as scrub typhus or even co-infection with dengue.

"Dengue typically has a very classical presentation in children and often it is possible to diagnose it on the basis of clinical or easily available laboratory tests when the standard NS1 antigen (non-structural protein of dengue virus that is released into the blood on infection) or IgM (immunoglobulin M) tests are not readily available," Raj says.

"A collaborative effort of clinical specialities involving the public health department and institutions involved in virological research, such as the National Institute of Virology in Pune, is needed to pinpoint the reason behind this mysterious illness," he adds.

Manu Raj, professor of pediatrics at Amrita University's School of Medicine, describes the yearly outbreaks of fevers in Uttar Pradesh as a "regular mystery that needs proper investigation" by the best institutes in India or abroad. "Every year, post-monsoon, there is a spike in deaths among children that mostly resembles viral encephalitis  several studies were done but they were all inconclusive," he says.

An official in Uttar Pradesh, who does not wish to be named, says one issue preventing a thorough investigation was the lack of transparency in Uttar Pradesh which is going to the polls to elect a new state assembly in FebruaryMarch 2022. "The chief minister does not brook any adverse comment on his administration and does not hesitate to jail critics," he said.

In August 2017, when 175 children died of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in the Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh, mainly because of lack of oxygen, the chief minister ordered the arrests of several people including a senior doctor who had blamed the local administration for neglecting to maintain oxygen supplies.

Similarly, when a second wave of COVID-19 swept across India in March and hundreds of bodies were seen floating by on the Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, arrests were made of people who had criticized, on Twitter and other social media, Adityanath's handling of the pandemic.

Uttar Pradesh, India's politically most important state, sends 80 members to the law-making lower house of Parliament which has a total of 543 seats.
Researchers have found further evidence that exercise during pregnancy is good not only for mothers but also for their offspring.

In research presented at the 'virtual' European Respiratory Society International Congress today (Sunday), Dr Hrefna Katrin Gudmundsdottir said that a study of 814 babies had, for the first time, showing a link between lower lung function in babies born to physically inactive mothers compared to those born to active mothers.

Dr Gudmundsdottir, a pediatrician and PhD student at the University of Oslo, Norway, said: "Previous studies have shown that individuals with low lung function in infancy have a higher risk of asthma, other obstructive lung diseases, and lower lung function later in life.

Therefore, exploring factors that can be associated with lung function in infants is important. If being physically active during pregnancy could reduce the risk of impaired infant lung function, it would be a simple, low-cost way to improve the respiratory health of offspring.

"In our study, we found that babies born to inactive mothers were more likely to be in the group with the lowest lung function compared to babies born to active mothers."

Of the 290 babies of inactive mothers, 8.6% (25) were in the group with the lowest lung function, and 4.2% (22) of the 524 babies of active mothers were in this group, making a total of only 47 babies (5.8% of all 814 babies) with low lung function. The average lung function was slightly higher among babies of active versus inactive mothers.

"We observed a trend that adds to the importance of advising women of child-bearing age and pregnant women about physical activity. However, there may be factors that affect both maternal physical activity and lung function in offspring that we have not accounted for and could affect the results and so more research is needed," said Dr Gudmundsdottir.

Researchers assessed data from 814 healthy babies born to women in Oslo and Stockholm who were part of a larger group enrolled in the Preventing Atopic Dermatitis and ALLergies in Children (PreventADALL) study between December 2014 and October 2016, conducted at Oslo University Hospital and stfold Hospital Trust, Norway, and at the Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

The researchers asked the women to complete questionnaires at around 18 and 34 weeks of pregnancy about their health, lifestyle, socioeconomic factors, and nutrition. The women reported how often they exercised, for how long, and at what intensity at 18 weeks, and then were classified as inactive, fairly active, or very active [1].

Lung function measurements were performed when the babies were about three months old and were assessed by measuring normal breathing in calm, awake infants. This was done by holding a face mask over the baby's nose and mouth, recording the flow and volume of air breathed in and out. The mask was attached to measuring equipment and as many breaths as possible were recorded.

The most important measurement for this study was the ratio between the time to Peak Tidal Expiratory Flow and Expiratory time (t PTEF /t E ). A low t PTEF /t E represents a limitation in the flow of exhaled breath. The average t PTEF /t E measurement for all 814 infants was 0.391; the 290 babies of inactive mothers had the lowest average (0.387) and the 299 babies of very active mothers were the highest (0.394), which is not a statistically significant difference.

The researchers took account of the mother's age, education, pre-pregnancy body mass index, nicotine use during pregnancy, and if she had given birth previously, as well as asthma and other allergy-related illnesses in either parent in their analyses.

The researchers did not find a significant, continual increase in t PTEF /t E measurements from babies of inactive mothers through to babies of very active mothers. However, they did find that babies of inactive compared to active mothers were more likely to have a t PTEF /t E of less than 0.25, which was statistically significant and which indicates low lung function.

"Although there is no clear definition for 'low' lung function, studies, including from our own group, have found that infants with a t PTEF /t E measurement of less than 0.20 shortly after birth were more likely to have a history of asthma by the age of 10 years. Also, children with lung function in the bottom 50% of the group were both more likely to have current asthma at 10 years and to have a history of asthma," said Dr. Gudmundsdottir. [2]

The researchers will be following the babies as they grow to see how lung function progresses and how it relates to the development of respiratory diseases, such as asthma.

"We also hope to explore associations between maternal physical activity and asthma, allergies and other non-communicable diseases in the future," she concluded.

Jonathan Grigg, who was not involved in the research, is Professor of Paediatric Respiratory and Environmental Medicine at the Queen Mary University of London, UK, and Chair of the European Respiratory Society Tobacco Control Committee. He said: "There is much that we know already about the importance for expectant mothers of staying physically fit and active, but far less is known about the impact of this on their babies. This study offers a fascinating hint that increased physical activity of mothers is associated with better lung function in their babies and, therefore, possibly their health in later life. More research is needed to confirm this link, but it is important that women feel supported by their healthcare providers to be active in a way that is comfortable and accessible to them."

It's also worth keeping in mind that the single most important thing that mothers can do for their own health and that of their baby is to ensure that they do not smoke or use other tobacco products before, during and after pregnancy. A smoke-free home has the biggest impact on lung function and health in childhood and later life." Jonathan Grigg, Professor, Paediatric Respiratory and Environmental Medicine, Queen Mary University of London

Moderate intensity exercise was defined as "somewhat sweaty and short of breath (strenuous)", high intensity as "very sweaty and heavy breathing (very strenuous)", while low intensity was defined as "no sweat or shortness of breath (not strenuous)". They were considered to be inactive if they only walked, slowly, took part in low-intensity exercise, or did no exercise at all. If they did moderate or high-intensity exercise for up to 120 minutes a week, they were defined as fairly active, while those who did 120 minutes or more a week were defined as very active.
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants has been a source of mounting concern to governments and public health authorities worldwide.

A new variant (lineage C.37) initially identified in Lima, Peru, has since been classified as Lambda by the World Health Organization (WHO). The lambda variant was classified in June 2021 by the WHO as a variant of interest.

Studies conducted on this variant suggest that it may have greater infectivity and can escape the bodys immune system, even when an individual has been fully vaccinated or has had the infection in the past.

With the dramatic rise of cases in Peru, from 0.5% of cases in December 2020, up to 96.6% in April 2021, the researchers utilized this as an opportunity to investigate infodemiologic trends in symptoms, testing, and other crucial parameters associated with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) following the spread of SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant in Peru.

Infodemiology is an area of scientific research focused on scanning the internet for user-contributed health-related content, with the ultimate goal of improving public health. In this study, the researchers focussed on Google web searches for specific keywords to predict regional epidemiological trends, symptoms and anticipating demand for specific diseases, especially in the case of novel pathogens. Such an analysis provides the real-world significance of trending search topics. In this case, the Google web searches focused on COVID-19 symptoms over time and SARS-CoV-2 testing.

A preprint version of the study, which is yet to undergo peer review, is available on the medRxiv* server.

How was the internet used to trace symptoms for the Lambda Variant in Peru?

Researchers used Google Trends to gather all information. They obtained Weekly Google Trends scores for each symptom keyword between March 1st, 2020, and July 4th, 2021, within Peru, which has a population of approximately 31 million with Spanish as its official language.

The common keywords searched were fever, cough, shortness of breath, headache, smell loss, taste loss, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, nasal congestion, muscle pain and stuffy nose in Spanish.

A single unit in Google Trends corresponds to the relative search interest per week based on a 100-point scale, where the maximum value correlates to the highest search volume for a particular term in the period studied. On the other hand, researchers obtained the weekly confirmed SARS-CoV-2 case counts in Peru from the Peruvian Health Ministrys Open Data Repository.

Weekly SARS-CoV-2 cases in Peru and Google Trend Scores for specific symptom keywords for searches conducted within the country from March 1st, 2020, to July 4th, 2021.

What were the main observations?

The study period lasted from March 1st, 2020, to July 4, 2021. During this period, there was an alarming rise in the weekly SARS-CoV-2 cases; the numbers ranged from 8 in the week of March 1st, 2020, to 63,558 in the week of April 4th, 2021. A total of 1,013,930 cases were observed in the months before December 27th, 2020, and 1,061,554 cases after that following emergence of the Lambda variant. Two major peaks in cases were observed in Peru, a pre-Lambda peak the first in the week of August 16th, 2020, and a Lambda peak in the second week of April 4th, 2021.

During the study period, shortness of breath was the most consistent symptom associated with all the major variants circulating in the region. The Lambda variant introduced a new trend of diarrhea, which did not exist previously. No significant association was found with other gastrointestinal symptoms (i.e., nausea, vomiting) after the emergence of the Lambda variant.

The other known symptoms of the disease that were searched before the Lambda variant emerged were fever, cough, nasal congestion, fatigue, and muscle pain. These remained stable throughout. So did the key indicators of loss of taste and smell. This showed that there was no direct correlation between these general symptoms and specific variants, unlike in the pre-lambda wave where loss of taste and smell seemed to be the most prominent symptoms.

Importantly, headache showed a rather consistent tracing across the study period, with positive search correlations, similar to shortness of breath, to weekly case counts. This stressed the importance of headache in COVID-19 symptomatology.

What were the implications of this study?

This infodemiologic study shows that the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant in Peru is mainly marked by headaches, diarrhea, and shortness of breath. On the other hand, common cold symptoms appear to be less frequently associated with searches, indicating that they are not as much related specifically to the Lambda strain, and can vary among individuals.

The pattern of search terms studied through infodemiologic searches can thus provide valuable insights on some striking features relative to infections by specific strains, as more mutants of the novel coronavirus are studied. Infodemioolgy can be an important tool to trace symptoms of new variants, in the future.

*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 Government announced that from September 8, it will accept vaccination records issued by India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand and Korea as recognised vaccination records for Hong Kong residents returning from Group A specified places.

Hong Kong residents holding vaccination records issued by the relevant authorities of these places in the prescribed formats can board a flight for Hong Kong from Group A specified places. The vaccines administered to the travellers must be those recognised by the Government.

Although Korea is currently not classified as a Group A specified place, the Government explained that the recognition arrangements will enable Hong Kong residents holding vaccination records issued by this country in the prescribed format to return to Hong Kong from Group A specified places.

Click here for the updated list of places that are accepted for issuing recognised vaccination records.
(Newser)  The delta variant of the coronavirus appears to be having an effect on President Biden's popularity. His overall approval rating in a Washington Post-ABC News poll, taken early last week, fell to 44% from 50% from June, while his disapproval rating hit 51%. At the same time, concern about the disease has been on the rise, the Washington Post reports. There was an 18-point climb from June in the share of Americans who consider their risk of becoming infected to be moderate or high, to 47%. The part of the population with at least one shot of vaccine who are worried about contracting the illness rose from 32% to 52%, and among the unvaccinated, the climb reported was 22% to 35%.

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Then there's Afghanistan. Support for pulling out US forces was overwhelming77%, per ABC. But 60% of Americans didn't like the way Biden managed the withdrawal, the poll shows. About half of respondents wanted the withdrawal but didn't like Biden's handling of it. And just 8% say the withdrawal made the US safer from terrorist attacks; 44% think the withdrawal left the nation less safe. In the end, only 36% of Americans say the 20-year war was worth waging. It's the first time Biden's approval rating has been below 50%, and the Afghanistan situation appears to be the main driver, per a Post analysis.

Afghanistan is the major issue on which Biden polls worst. It could well fade in urgency among voters before long, per the Post, but the risk to the president is that it combines with other issues to undermine his promise of a competent administration. Political differences fade when it comes to helping individual Afghans, the poll found. Accepting screened refugees into the US has the support of 79% of Democrats, 71% of independents, and 56% of Republicans. The telephone poll surveyed 1,006 adults, with three-fourths reached by cellphone and the rest by landline. Its overall findings carry a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. (Read more President Biden stories.)
(Newser)  Update: England won't require vaccine passports for entry to nightclubs and other large venues after all. Days after the plan was announced, officials sounded cool to it, the BBC reports. A Labor leader said there was confusion about how the passports might work, calling the government's approach "shambolic from the start." On Sunday, the health minister said the plan was off. "I've never liked the idea of saying to people you must show your papers or something to do what is just an everyday activity, but we were right to properly look at it," Sajid Javid said. The plan could be revived, per the AP. Our original story follows:

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Patrons soon will have to show certificates proving they've been vaccinated for COVID-19 before entering England's nightclubs. The government's vaccines minister made the announcement Sunday in interviews. The notion has opposition, but Nadhim Zahawi said the plan will protect the economy, the BBC reports, even through future coronavirus surges. "The best thing to do then is to work with the industry to make sure that they can open safely and sustainably in the long term, and the best way to do that is to check vaccine status," he said. The requirement also will apply to large events and venues.

"The worst thing we can do for those venues is to have a sort of open-shut-open-shut strategy," Zahawi said. The plan would take effect around the end of the month, Zahawi said, because everyone over 18 would have had a chance to receive two doses of vaccine by then, per the AP. Scotland, where COVID-19 cases are surging, plans to require passports, as well. Opposition is building, however, per the BBC. Government data show one in 75 people in Scotland had COVID last week, up from one in 140 the week before. Officials in Wales said they don't plan to require vaccine passports, citing "ethical and equality considerations." No decision has been made on Northern Ireland. (Read more coronavirus vaccine stories.)
(Newser)  When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan last month, they didn't take all of the country. One holdout regionthe mountainous Panjshir Valleycontinued to fight. On Monday, however, the Taliban finally claimed control of that province, too, reports the Washington Post. A Taliban spokesman said the region is "completely conquered," and an official with the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan confirmed. Yes, Panjshir has fallen," he said. "Taliban took control of government offices." Meanwhile, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, tells Fox News that conditions are ripe in Afghanistan for a civil war. Milley was at a US base in Ramstein, Germany, on Saturday to thank troops for rapidly throwing together a tent city for evacuees and processing about 30,000 people, per Fox.

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The general said he didnt know if the Taliban could consolidate power and set up a government. You could see a resurgence of terrorism coming out of that general region within 12, 24, 36 months," Milley said Western nations are concerned that the power vacuum in Afghanistan could make it a sanctuary for terrorist organizations planning attacks in other countries. "I think there's at least a very good probability of a broader civil war, and that will then in turn lead to conditions that could in fact, lead to reconstitution of al-Qaeda or a growth of ISIS or other myriad of terrorist groups, Milley said, per the Hill. That said, Milley wasnt advocating for a swift return to Afghanistan, instead emphasizing the need to monitor intelligence coming out of the country. (Read more Afghanistan stories.)
(Newser)  Far-right followers of Steve Bannon are heeding his unusual battle cryto start working in their local election precincts. And as an investigative piece by ProPublica explains, this seemingly innocuous suggestion has the potential to affect election results around the country. To be clear, Bannon is not urging his followers to run for officehe's urging them to assume roles in which they will have a say in the logistics of the elections themselves. "Precinct officers are the worker bees of political parties," explains the story. Often, they deal with mundane stuff such as knocking on doors. "But collectively, they can influence how elections are run," and this is what Bannon has seized upon. For example, precinct officers might choose poll workers or the people who sit on boards that oversee elections. Essentially, Bannon wants conservatives to seize control of the GOP from the ground up.

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The Trump ally began sounding his call immediately after the 2020 election, and he has kept up the drumbeat. "Its going to be a fight, but this is a fight that must be won, we dont have an option, Bannon said in May. Were going to take this back village by village  precinct by precinct. The story makes clear that people are listening:

"ProPublica contacted GOP leaders in 65 key counties, and 41 reported an unusual increase in signups since Bannons campaign began. At least 8,500 new Republican precinct officers (or equivalent lowest-level officials) joined those county parties. We also looked at equivalent Democratic posts and found no similar surge."

County party officials all over the US have been deluged with calls, but only from the right. Ive never seen anything like this, people are coming out of the woodwork, says JC Martin, the GOP chair in Polk County, Fla. Since January, his county has added 50 new committee members. (Read the full story .)
(Newser)  Divers at the site of an ongoing oil spill that appeared in the Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Ida have identified the apparent source as a 1-foot-diameter pipeline displaced from a trench on the ocean floor and broken open. Talos Energy, the Houston-based company currently paying for the cleanup, said in a statement issued Sunday evening that it's not the owner of the busted pipeline. The company said it's working with the US Coast Guard and other state and federal agencies to coordinate the response and identify who the ruptured pipeline belongs to.

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The broken pipe is in relatively shallow water, at about 34 feet of depth. Two additional 4-inch pipelines were also identified in the area that are open and apparently abandoned. The company's statement didn't make clear if oil was leaking from the two smaller pipelines, but satellite images reviewed by the AP on Saturday appeared to show at least three different slicks in the same area, the largest drifting more than a dozen miles eastward along the Gulf coast. The outlet first reported Wednesday that aerial photos showed a miles-long brown and black oil slick spreading about 2 miles south of Port Fourchon, La.

Talos said the rate of oil appearing on the surface had slowed dramatically in the last 48 hours and no new heavy black crude had been seen in the last day. So far, the spill appears to have remained out to sea and hasn't impacted the Louisiana shoreline. There isn't yet any estimate for how much oil was in the water. The area where the spill is located has been drilled for oil and gas for decades. Federal leasing maps show it contains a latticework of old pipelines, plugged wells, and abandoned platforms, along with newer infrastructure still in use.

With the source of the oil unclear, Talos hired Clean Gulf Associates to respond to the spill. Clean Gulf, a nonprofit oil-spill response cooperative that works with the energy exploration and production industry, has had two 95-foot vessels at the scene of the spill since Wednesday attempting to contain and recover crude from the water. The Bay Marchand spill is one of dozens of reported environmental hazards that state and federal regulators are tracking in Louisiana and the Gulf following the Category 4 hurricane that made landfall at Port Fourchon a week ago. The region is a major production center of the US petrochemical industry.

(Read more Gulf oil spill stories.)
(Newser)  A man wearing full body armor fatally shot four people, including a mother and the 3-month-old baby she was cradling, and engaged in a massive gunfight with police before he surrendered, a Florida sheriff said Sunday. An 11-year-old girl who was shot seven times survived, notes the AP. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said that even after 33-year-old Bryan Riley was arrested Sunday morning, he was so aggressive that he tried to wrestle a gun from police as he lay on his hospital gurney. Judd said Riley, a former Marine who served as a sharpshooter in both Iraq and Afghanistan, seemed to have targeted his victims at random and appeared to be suffering from mental health issues. Judd said Riley's girlfriend told authorities Riley had been slowly unraveling for weeks and repeatedly told her that he could communicate directly with God. They begged for their lives and I killed them anyway, Judd said Riley told them during an interrogation.

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Investigators said 40-year-old Justice Gleason just happened to be out mowing his lawn Saturday night when Riley drove by his home in Lakeland, saying God told him to stop because Gleasons daughter was going to commit suicide. Authorities responded but never found Riley. Around 4:30am, Riley returned to the home, laying out glowsticks to lead officers to the house into an ambush, Judd said. Authorities exchanged heavy gunfire, with dozens if not hundreds of rounds fired, before Riley retreated into the home. Everything fell silent, Judd said, until a helicopter unit alerted authorities on the ground that Riley was coming out. He had been shot once and was ready to surrender. Meanwhile, officers heard cries for help inside the home, but were unsure whether there were additional shooters.

A brave sergeant rushed in and grabbed the 11-year-old girl who had been shot at least seven times. She told deputies there were three dead people inside, Judd said, adding that she was rushed into surgery and expected to survive. Deputies found the bodies of Gleason; the 33-year-old mother; the baby; and the babys 62-year-old grandmother, who was in a separate home nearby. Authorities said Rileys girlfriend of four years, whom he lived with, has been cooperative and was shocked, saying he was never violent but suffered from PTSD and had become increasingly erratic. Prior to this morning, this guy was a war hero. He fought for his country in Afghanistan and Iraq, said Judd. And this morning hes a cold-blooded killer.

(Read more shooting stories.)
(Newser)  A 3-year-old boy missing in the Australian bush for three days has been found. The BBC reports that little Anthony "AJ" Elfalak, who was last seen at his Putty home on Friday morning playing with his brothers, was spotted on his family's property by New South Wales police helicopters on Monday, drinking water out of a muddy creek about a third of a mile from his house. Authorities and AJ's family say the boy, who has autism and is nonverbal, was soaked and scraped up from a fall, had diaper rash, and had been bitten by ants, but otherwise seemed OK.

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Aussie Prime Minister Scott Morrison expressed relief at AJ's rescue, thanking local police and paramedics. "I can't imagine how traumatic this experience has been for AJ and his parents," Morrison tweeted. "Glad to hear he's safe." AJ's father shared his own feelings after his son was found, calling it a "miracle," per the BBC. What helped the dad stay strong during the torturous waiting game over the weekend: "Just to see my son, he's named after me," Anthony Elfalak tells Reuters, which notes it still hasn't been said why AJ wandered away from his home. In fact, what happened to AJ has local law enforcement puzzled.

Police are scratching their heads over how, after three days and nights in the harsh environment, AJ was barely injured, and why earlier thermal imaging scans of the property didn't locate him, reports 7News. AJ's family and friends had feared an abductionpolice even seized a white pickup truck on Sunday, after the family said they'd spotted one like it on their propertybut there were other strange happenings that didn't add up, including the fact that four hours of CCTV footage taken around the time AJ went missing had vanished. Tracy Chapman, the superintendent of the New South Wales police force, says an investigation is ongoing. (Read more Australia stories.)
(Newser)  The world just got a few ounces cuter. Hua Zuiba, a giant panda on loan to the Madrid Zoo from China, gave birth Monday morning to twins. Hua Zuiba and Bing Xing, the father of the twins, have four other adorable offspring, including another pair of twins, per the AP. Twins arent all that rare among pandasa pair was born last month at the Beauval Zoo near Paris. Veterinarians say Hua Zuiba had a calm experience giving birth, thanks to being an experienced mother.

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In a video posted by the zoo, Hua Zuiba can be seen crouching down until a little hairless pink baby pops out, which she picks up with her mouth and holds in her lap, licking it. The twins were born about four hours apart, and vets and zoo staff dont know the sex of the babies yet. They will be completely dependent on their mom for about four months, when they will learn to walk, per Reuters. The great big cuddly looking panda bear is no longer endangered and is considered vulnerable, thanks to massive conservation efforts. Captive breeding programs have been successful, and a few years ago the species got a huge conservation parkthe Giant Panda National Park in Chinaso now they can have a little privacy in the wild to let nature take its course. (Read more giant pandas stories.)
(Newser)  Officials in New Orleans are thoroughly inspecting senior living apartments in the city in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida after finding people living in buildings without working generators, trapping residents in wheelchairs in dark, sweltering upper floors. Five people died in the private buildings Sunday, and hundreds have already been evacuated, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Monday. The coroner's office is investigating whether the deaths will be attributed to the hurricane, the AP reports, which struck land nine days before. The managers of some of the homes for seniors have disappeared without adequately taking care of the residents, City Council member Kristin Palmer said at a news conference.

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"They're hiding under the loophole of 'independent living,'" Palmer said. "It's not independent living if there's no power and youre in a wheelchair on the fourth floor." The city is creating teams of workers from the health, safety and permits, code enforcement and other departments. Their first focus is to make sure the senior homes are safe and evacuate people if necessary, Cantrell said. After that, management will be held accountable, and the city will likely add requirements that include facilities having emergency agreements in place with contractors who will make sure generator power is available at the sites, the mayor said.

Crews have restored power to nearly 70% of greater New Orleans and nearly all of Baton Rouge after Hurricane Ida, but outside the large cities, getting lights back on is a complex challenge that will take almost all of September, utility executives said Monday. It's going to involve air boats to get into the swamps and marshes to string lines and repair the most remote of about 22,000 power poles that Ida blew down when it came ashore on Aug. 29 as one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the U.S. mainland, Entergy Louisiana President and CEO Phillip May said. More than 530,000 customers still don't have power in Louisiana, just under half of the peak when Ida struck eight days ago. It's going to be a rebuild, not a repair, May said.

(Read more Hurricane Ida stories.)
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty the King for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, received some of his former teachers at Ibn Khaldoun National School at the start of the 2021-2022 academic year.

HH Shaikh Nasser stressed that the support accorded by HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to education in Bahrain has opened wide horizons in education based on a well-defined methodology that contributes to the formation and development of Bahraini youth.

Modern education holds a significant importance in the vision of HM the King for a bright future for the Kingdom, he added.

HH Shaikh Nasser commended the interest of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, in high education standards that support the achievement of sustainable development goals in Bahrain.

Today, we recall those beautiful days that we lived during our education since childhood at Ibn Khaldoun National School, and I am happy to meet my distinguished teachers who are the ones who take the special credit for taking me to where we are today, HH Shaikh Nasser said.

HH Shaikh Nasser also took to Instagram to pay tribute to all teachers, quoting a famous verse in Arabic urging people to pay their highest respects to teachers who should hold a status close to that of Messengers.

HH Shaikh Nasser praised the prominent role of Ibn Khaldoun National School in building the capabilities and developing the aptitudes of Bahraini students since their early age.

The educational plan at Ibn Khaldoun National School is based on modern, advanced and innovative methods, which emphasizes the long-term vision of the schools educational approach and policies, he added.

HH Shaikh Nasser wished the school faculty and students a successful academic year.

The teachers expressed appreciation and thanks to HH Shaikh Nasser for his continuous support to education in Bahrain and stressed that HH is an inspirational figure to students in the school for presenting ideas and innovations in various fields thanks to his special skills and remarkable abilities that have contributed to the success of many Bahraini youth.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain is committed to continuing humanitarian work which its society has always been known for around the world. This comes as a humanitarian relief aid shipment dispatched by the Kingdom to support the Afghan people arrived yesterday at Kabul Airport.

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa had issued directives to flow the urgent humanitarian relief aid to Afghanistan. He also assigned the Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF), chaired by His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, HM the Kings Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, to supervise the operation.

A delegation led by RHF Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Planning and Charity Resources Development Mohammed Aqeel Al Awadhi and Aid Department Chief Hani Mohammed Al Ansari handed over the shipment.

The delegation conveyed greetings from HM the King as well as the government and people of Bahrain, wishing Afghanistan security, stability and peace.

The Afghan Health Minister welcomed Bahrains humanitarian relief shipment which landed at Kabul Airport, as Afghanistan goes though difficult times. HH Shaikh Nasser said that the consignment represents Bahrains contribution to meeting the basic needs of thousands of Afghan families, particularly vulnerable people including women, children and the elderly.

RHF Secretary-General Dr Mustapha Al Sayyed also paid tribute to HM the King for his directives and humanitarian initiatives in favour of needy and disaster-stricken people.

He also praised the governments support, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

He lauded the efforts of HH Shaikh Nasser, as well as his support for the foundation to dispatch humanitarian relief aid to the Afghan people.

Dr Al Sayyed also commended the supportive role of the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Health and Bahrain Defence Force so as the consignment could be flown quickly to Afghanistan
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain has strongly condemned and denounced the continuous Houthi terrorist attacks against Saudi Arabia. The latest attack was the launch of three ballistic missiles and three explosive-laden drones towards the eastern region and the cities of Jizan and Najran, injuring two children and damaging dozens of residences.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wished speedy recovery to the injured in the terrorist attacks that reflect the Houthi groups obstinacy to undermine security and stability in Saudi Arabia. The Shura Council also strongly condemned the terrorist attacks.

The ministry affirmed Bahrains full support for Saudi Arabia and all the measures it takes to confront the terrorist Houthi militia and its criminal acts. It also called on the international community to condemn the repeated terrorist attacks that impede efforts aimed at maintaining regional security and stability.
Thumbs up for Bahrain health sector achievements and early response to pandemic

Thumbs up for Bahrain health sector achievements and early response to pandemic

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) President, Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, has commended the unflinching royal support to the health sector.

Also head of the National Taskforce for Combating Coronavirus (COVID-19), Dr Shaikh Mohammed said the royal initiatives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, helps Bahrain overcome the critical conditions related to the pandemic.

This came as Dr Shaikh Mohammed met with the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) President, Eng. Ali Ahmed Al Derazi, and members of the Board of Commissioners.

They discussed boosting cooperation regarding issues of common interest, particularly on health and safety of all amid the pandemic, to achieve the desired goals.

Eng. Al Derazi praised the Kingdoms health achievements and its early response to the pandemic by relying on the best national competencies and forming a national taskforce to coordinate the national efforts and lead all initiatives to handle the pandemic.

He pointed out respect an appreciation of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and many countries for Bahrains remarkable endeavour to mitigate the pandemic and lessen its impact.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Two Asian men who swindled a woman out of BD2,000 after deceiving her to expose her bank account information have had their jail terms reduced on appeal.

The pair were earlier sentenced to seven years behind bars each, followed by deportation. However, the High Appeals Court reduced their jail time to five years in prison each.

They were also fined BD1,000 each. The accused are said to have posed as officials serving in a local exchange company, and they requested the woman to reveal her bank card details through a phone conversation. They threatened that her card will be deactivated in the event she doesnt collaborate with them, so she decided to meet their request.

Her decision has backfired on her as the culprits used the information to withdraw BD2,000. She directly informed the Anti-Economic Crime Directorate about the incident. To her luck, the two were arrested.

However, one of them denied involvement in scamming the victim, stating that he was serving in a local car workshop and his friend came to him and requested him to download a financial programme.

He then told me I would receive two text messages. He requested me to register the information in the text messages and re-send it. He offered me BD100, the first suspect said.

His co-suspect had another version of events. I received a phone call from an unknown man and he told me that he transferred BD2,000 to my account by mistake.

And he requested him to transfer the money to another person living outside Bahrain in return for BD100. And I requested my friend to do that because he was in need of money, the co-suspect said.
TDT | Vienna

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahraini women have been impressively successful in confronting the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to their rapid and effective response in all workplaces, Council of Representatives Speaker has said.

They contributed to the development of an advanced Bahraini model, which demonstrates their remarkable role in national development through their high-profile presence in the front lines to confront the virus, representing 75% of all the workers in the national taskforce to combat the epidemic, Fawzia bint Abdullah Zainal said.

The Speaker was addressing the 13th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament (13SWSP) in the Austrian capital Vienna.

Zainal was the only Arab woman Speaker participating in the summit.

In her keynote speech, she highlighted the contributions of Bahraini women in confronting the Covid-19 pandemic and indicated that the percentage of female doctors in Bahrain is 66%, higher than the global average of 46%, while the percentage of Bahraini nurses is 76%.

Within the national taskforce to combat the epidemic, women represented 80% of the workers in executive positions, 69% in specialized jobs, and 64% of the total workers in quarantine, isolation and case detection, and 71% of the total number of laboratory staff. The percentage of women working on analyzing and collecting data was 78%.

Zainal hailed the generous commitment and dedication of women to humanity and protecting societies from risks and challenges.

Womens standing on the front lines to address the Covid-19 pandemic reveals their leadership capabilities and their readiness to assume responsibilities in the treatment and isolation sites, in science and research centers, and in volunteering to serve humanity, she said.

Women were among the first to respond to the challenges of the crisis and the world witnessed their efforts within the medical, nursing and administrative teams, and in scientific laboratories, where researchers and scientists made impressive discoveries about vaccines and contributing to potential treatments.

Within this momentum by women in the front lines to confront the pandemic, it is necessary to take a serious look at the level of womens representation in leadership positions and decision-making processes in the health care sector and work to consolidate their fair and equal participation in assuming leadership roles and decision-making nationally and internationally, she said.

Putting and end to the pandemic requires, in a fundamental way, the promotion and protection of womens health and rights, the establishment of an appropriate environment for them and the provision of privileges commensurate with the scale of the simultaneous practical, societal and family challenges they are addressing, Zainal stressed.
Everything we know about work is wrong
DANBURY  Before she boarded American Airlines Flight 11, Candace Lee Williams sent a birthday card to her little brother.

She told him she was proud of him, how she wished she could be there for his upcoming 10th birthday and how she looked forward to seeing him for the holidays.

But she never came back, said her brother Corey Gaudioso, who is now 29.

Williams plane was hijacked and crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center, killing 81 passengers and 11 crew members. The 20-year-old Danbury native, who interned at Merrill Lynchs World Trade Center office while a student at Norheastern University, was one of 161 Connecticut victims from the Sept. 11 attacks.

Twenty years later, her friends and family are still grappling with the pain of losing Williams, who they said has shaped their lives.

That was the end of my childhood, said Gaudioso, who turned 10 five days after his sister died.

She had been the shining light of the future of his family, which splintered after her death, he said. Their mother died from cancer in 2010 and their father died in the years after.

She was the best of us, Gaudioso said.

The schools she attended  Immacuate High School in Danbury and Northeastern University in Boston  offer scholarships in her name. Her friends organized a run for several years to benefit the Immaculate scholarship. Immaculate has a bench in her honor, while there is a tree remembering her at Tarrywile Park in Danbury.

She was just very warm and giving and smart and kind and wise beyond her years, even at that age, said Kristy Gray, who said Williams was like a little sister to her.

She could have changed this world

Williams had big dreams.

She was just starting her life, Gaudioso said. She knew exactly what she wanted, how to get it and they were going to give it to her.

She earned top marks in high school and deans list in college. She was hungry for success, planning to work on Wall Street as a stockbroker after graduation, he said. Her brother described her as Merrill Lynchs No. 1 intern, adding the company sent her home in a limo on her last day.

Not only was she driven, she had a sense of maturity about her that I had never experienced in my high school years, said Lauren Memoli, her friend from Immaculate High School.

She really could have changed this world in whatever capacity, she added.

Friends said she could balance working hard and having fun.

She had a serious side, but she also had a free, wild, sort of lighthearted side to her, too, that I think people always loved about her, said Amy Martins, her friend from Immaculate High School.

Kate Resendes, her friend from Immaculate High School, compared Williams to sunshine because of her personality, blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

She was just a ray of light, she said.

Her friend T.J. Blackman described her similarly.

We had a very short time of seeing that light, he said.

Erin Harju Aliperti, who lived with Williams at Northeastern University, said they enjoyed visiting each others homes in the summer and going to Cape Cod.

Their next adventure was Los Angeles. Williams wanted to see the Hollywood sign.

The plan was for Williams to fly from Boston to L.A. on Sept. 11 to meet Aliperti, who was visiting her dad there.

The night before, Williams called Aliperti, who was with her dad at a restaurant in Newport Beach, Calif. The song Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper played in the background as Aliperti wrote down Williams flight information.

Flight 11 on Sept. 11. Thats weird, Aliperti recalled thinking.

That day

Aliperti woke at 5 a.m. Pacific Time to go with her dad to work, so they could pick up Williams at the airport later. They stopped at a tiny, hole-in-the-wall coffee shop and saw everyone crowded around a small TV, watching the Twin Towers on fire.

Aliperti didnt think much of it, but it was the talk of her dads warehouse. She started to worry when air traffic was halted and began picturing her friend stranded in Ohio.

She tried calling American Airlines, but couldnt get through.

Then, one of her dads coworkers said Flight 11 crashed into the building.

Thats is when it became real, really, Aliperti said.

Meanwhile, Williams friend Alyson Halas was in a common area at Boston University, where footage of the planes crashing into the World Trade Center played on a loop. She remembered Williams was flying that day.

My whole body just like froze and panicked, Halas said. Right now my body still shakes. And I just started frantically trying to figure out how to get in contact with her.

She called Williams phone over and over, then her grandparents, but couldnt reach anyone.

In Connecticut, Gray heard about the plane crash because a coworker was listening to NPR. The following hours were chaos as Williams loved ones tried to figure out her flight number, she said.

Only Aliperti knew the number, and her cell was off while in L.A.

Aliperti eventually reached Williams family and had to confirm the flight number.

I think all I could mutter was Im sorry, Aliperti said. I felt very responsible for it all because she was coming to see me.

Family and friends hoped she may have missed the plane. But that wasnt Williams. A friend eventually confirmed dropping Williams off at the airport.

My person didnt come home, Gray said. So many peoples persons didnt come home.

At elementary school in Danbury, 9-year-old Gaudioso was called to the principals office. His mom was waiting for him.

They told me I was leaving school because your sister was just killed in a plane crash, he said.

Thats when Gaudiosos world fell apart, he said.

Fluffy stuff stopped being fluffy, he said. Crisis and survival became the goal.

Halas finally reached someone Williams family, who told her shes gone.

I can still see myself like completely collapsing on my floor, Halas said.

In New York City, Memoli, a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology, could see the smoke clouds from outside her on-campus housing. A friend called in the late afternoon and told her to sit down.

Memoli couldnt believe then Williams had been on the flight. Its still hard to process.

Its still unimaginable to me and truly unbelievable that Candace happened to board Flight 11, she said. I dont know if Ill ever be able to come to complete terms with it because the loss of that day is so great, but my person loss is immense, and it hurts.

Resendes had forgotten Williams was flying that day. She was at a family friends house that night when her mom came and told her. She vomited over the back of the porch.

It was such a weird moment because the whole world was experiencing this level of grief and it was so big, she said. And then all of a sudden it got small and so acute and personal.

After

With flights canceled, Aliperti was trapped in L.A. She eventually drove cross-country with an uncle she hadnt seen in 10 years.

I felt like I was stuck on an island with no way home, and thats all I wanted to be was home, she said.

Aliperti and Williams had lived together in an off-campus apartment. She brought friends with her the first time she returned, but couldnt sleep there by herself.

She didnt go into Williams room until before a memorial service at Northeastern.

There, Aliperti found Williams journal, where she listed the most important people in her life, including her mother, her grandmother, her boyfriend, friends and mentors.

These people have touched my life tremendously, along with many others, Williams wrote. I am truly the person I have become to be because of these Angels in my life. They will always be there for me....If not I know I will always be there for them.

The words gave Aliperti the courage to speak at the memorial, she said.

In the months following Williams death, Halas said she had panic attacks on planes and her hands shook badly.

It was because I was traumatized, but nobody could find a physical cause for it, said Halas, adding shes a trauma therapist, in large part because of Williams.

She was an inspiration in life, and she remains that now, Halas said. Shes become a beautiful piece of me.

Memoli keeps a chest of memories with newspaper articles and other mementos.

Shes been a guiding light and guiding source, Memoli said. Even though her physical body isnt here, I speak to her every day, and I ask for advice and I ask for help.

Gray, too, keeps a box of memories. Included is a card Williams wrote about being excited for the internship in the World Trace Center and the memorial bracelet created for 9/11 victims.

The bracelets arrived on what would have been Williams 21st birthday. Theres a typo. It says Candance  as in can dance. Gray took it as a sign that Williams got the last laugh.

I just remember showing it to her mom and her mom cackling, Gray said. Were both laughing and crying at the same time.

After graduating from Northeastern, Aliperti moved to New York City to work for Lehman Brothers. Everyone thought it was unsafe to live in the city back then, but she felt close to Williams there, she said.

When looking for grad schools, she visited Pepperdine University in California and saw the 911 memorial there.

I knew thats where I was supposed to be, Aliperti said.

She moved to Los Angeles and became closer with her dad, who died while she lived there.

I was meant to be there, to have that time with him and do those things and see the Hollywood sign that Candace never got to see, Aliperti said.

Gaudioso said he lived in a snow globe of a nightmare for years. But he is now married and has an nine-month-old boy, Salvatore.

Here I am now, the year 2021, the 20th anniversary, and I can finally say Im doing her so proud, he said.
National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune has confirmed a sample of a 12-year-old boy from Kerala has turned Nipah positive. The patient passed away on Sunday morning.

The Central government has rushed a public health team to the Kozhikode district of Kerala as the state reported the first death due to the Nipah virus, the Union Health Ministry informed on Sunday. To provide technical support to the state, a team of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has been rushed to the state.

Kerala Health Minister, Veena George on Saturday said, National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune has confirmed a sample of a 12-year-old boy from Kerala has turned Nipah positive. The patient passed away on Sunday morning. The minister further added, We had a meeting with the ministers from the district along with concerned officials about the Nipah virus. A team will be formed to handle the situation. We have initiated the contact tracing measures. I will be visiting Kozhikode on Sunday, where state Tourism Minister PA Mohammed Riyas will also join me.

As of now, there is no need to panic, but we need to exercise caution, she added. Till now, no one from the family or other contacts of the 12-year-old has any symptoms, she said.

World Health Organisation said that Nipah Virus is caused by fruit bats and is potentially fatal to humans as well as animals. Along with respiratory illness, it is also known to cause fever, muscular pain, headache, fever, dizziness, and nausea.

The following immediate public health measures have been advised by the Centre: The Centre has advised immediate public health measures for the state of Kerala that includes: active case search in the family, families, village and areas with similar topography (especiallyMalappuram), active contact tracing (for any contacts) during the past 12 days.

It has calls for strict quarantine of the contacts and isolation of any suspects. Collection and transportation of samples for lab testing.

Earlier in 2018 also, there was a Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts of Kerala.
Griffiths emphasized the critical role of women in the delivery of aid and called on all parties to ensure their rights, safety and well-being. He called for all civilians - especially women and girls and minorities - to be protected at all times.

United Nations Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths on Sunday reaffirmed the United Nations commitment to delivering humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. The developments came after Griffiths met with the Talibans deputy head Mullah Baradar in Kabul, a statement from the United Nations (UN) informed.

I met with the leadership of the Taliban to reaffirm UNs commitment to deliver impartial humanitarian assistance & protection to millions in need in Afghanistan, Griffiths said in a tweet.

Griffiths emphasized the critical role of women in the delivery of aid and called on all parties to ensure their rights, safety and well-being. He called for all civilians  especially women and girls and minorities  to be protected at all times. Griffiths expressed his solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, a statement from the UN informed.

Further meetings between both parties are expected in the coming days. Meanwhile, the Taliban have also committed to cooperate with the humanitarian community to ensure assistance is delivered to the people of Afghanistan, added the statement from the UN.

Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had said that he will convene a high-level humanitarian conference for Afghanistan on September 13. Secretary-General Guterres had also expressed his deep concern about the humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan and the threat of a total collapse in basic services.
DANBURY  A plane landing at Danbury Airport on Sunday afternoon traveled off the runway and into the grass.

The plane, which was flying in from Ocean City Municipal Airport in Maryland, traveled about 100 feet off the runway when landing around 3 p.m. Sunday, according to airport administrator Mike Safranek.
MIDDLETOWN  Its been a long process for Matteo Lockwood, who has overcome bullying and stage fright, to become confident enough to get up on stage in drag.

Over the course of three years, Lockwood has done that  and much more.

Lockwoods family owns Jerrys Pizza, which hosts drag queen brunches, dubbed Legs & Eggs, on Sundays once a month at the South Main Street restaurant.

But the road has been a difficult one, according to Lockwood, saying bullying was an issue during the first two years of high school. And it had an effect on Lockwoods self-esteem.

I didnt understand who I was, Lockwood said.

Last year, Lockwood, 18, began wearing wigs and makeup every day.

Lockwood, whose stage name is Astra SLay, discovered RuPauls Drag Race on VH1 and things started to change.

It all started clicking  being able to be Matteo and switching to Astra at night, Lockwood said. It was really cool for me.

Eventually, Lockwood and Astra merged into one person.

Were anomalies, said Gio Martinez, Lockwoods close friend whose stage name is Ambrosia.

The duos acts are not traditional, compared with others who perform as Dolly Parton, Cher, Liza Minelli, Joan Rivers and others, Lockwood said.

This is a whole different drag, said Lockwoods mother, Carmela Schiano, who owns Jerrys. This is drag for 2021.

One time, Martinez incorporated laser gloves into an act with an alien theme.

They lit up the walls, Martinez said.

For certain queens, its a character thing, Martinez said. Were always doing something different. Were chameleons in the sense that we try to pick from every pool. Some people are like, Im only a dancer, I only wear sequins, or beaded fringe, and I dance the house down.

After several years of perfecting the style and practicing at home, Lockwood landed a slot at the Chez LGBTQ restaurant in Hartford  at age 17.

In the first week, Lockwood was a finalist and then was runner-up in the second week.

That was crazy for me, Lockwood said. I was super shocked.

Thats when Lockwood began booking professional, paying gigs.

I started getting known, Lockwood said.

This year, Lockwood won the competition.

I didnt believe it at all. I didnt think I was going to be in the top three, Lockwood said.

When Schiano learned her child had won, she said a lot went through her head.

All I could think of was the very first time you actually put everything on, she told Lockwood.

She and a friend were watching a movie when Lockwood walked through a dark hallway into the living room.

All the dogs went nuts, she said, laughing at the memory of her child in full costume, makeup and heels. Here is this 8-foot tall person standing in the doorway. Your drag has come so far, she told Lockwood.

After winning the biggest competition in Connecticut, Lockwood started stepping everything up.

A lot of it is self-taught, Martinez said of how performers perfect their craft. You experiment, you go on the internet, you watch videos of people who have done it.

Before settling on Astras appearance, Lockwood would copy a drag queens eye makeup or cheek contouring  until coming up with a unique style with help from Martinez.

Gio is an awesome support for Matteo, Schiano said. Martinez has since become a close family friend.

Ambrosia stuck up for me a lot, Lockwood said.

Once monthly on Saturdays, Jerrys holds an evening performance, which is more of a traditional drag show.

Before the shows, Schiano admitted she wasnt sure what to expect from her regular customers.

There were construction workers still here, she said.

But, the act was a success. Customers who saw Lockwood every day in the restaurant traveled to the casino to see Astra, Schiano said.

Something that would change my life is if I saw somebodys aunt or father, or somebodys uncle saw me, and then they saw the kid, and didnt think of him as such a weirdo, Lockwood said. It would be so different and make my life a lot easier.

I want to be that persons gateway to be able to come out, and love the skin theyre in, Lockwood said.

The next night show will be held Saturday, and the brunch will be held Sept. 26.

For information, visit the Jerrys Pizza & Bar Facebook page, where a tickets link and location will be posted closer to the events.
WEST HAVEN  In West Haven, Richard Gabrielle found peace and quiet he had not always had in life.

George Gabe Gabrielle, Richards older brother, said he believes their parents decision to relocate from Long Island to New York City was one that led to some degree of isolation within Richard, an athlete who found himself constrained in a high-density city.

Richard Gabrielle eventually married his wife, a former high school classmate, and the pair later moved to West Haven with their daughter, where Richard had a yard and was able to take on home improvement projects. As a successful insurance broker, he commuted daily to his job in Manhattan.

He was more a Connecticut person than a New York person, I believe. I think he lived most of his adult life in Connecticut and he came to New York to work, but I think his home was Connecticut, George Gabrielle said. Im sure he just wanted to get away from the city.

On Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked planes struck the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Richard Gabrielle, who worked on the 103rd floor of the south tower, never made the trip back home to West Haven. He was 50.

Richards niece and goddaughter, Gabrielle Gabrielli, is the only member of Richards family who makes an annual trip to New York City from her home in Florida to partake in the annual memorial ceremony, reading the names of the victims. She said that for most others in the family the memories are too painful, but for her its part of a healing process.

They never found his remains, they never found his DNA, theres not a grave to visit, theres not anywhere but ground zero or the World Trade Center site, she said.

As a result, Gabrielli said shes forged new familial connections, forever bonded to family members of others who died with her uncle Richie. When audio recordings of firefighter communication were released to the press a year later, the Gabrielle family  who thought Richard had died alone  received confirmation that he was not alone at the time.

While waiting for an express elevator with about 200 people on the 78th floor, Richard was knocked against a wall by an explosion, breaking both legs, and was pinned to the ground by a marble slab that fell off a wall. New York City Fire Department Battalion Chief Orio Palmer spoke Richards name on those tapes, indicating he still was conscious when firefighters arrived, giving the family the knowledge that Richard did not die alone.

Gabrielli said she now has a close relationship with Palmers family.

I feel like part of my mission is to thank the first responders, she said.

Gabrielli said she had been expecting many requests from reporters for the 20th anniversary of the attacks, and she scheduled a time to speak with the Register so as not to interfere with an oncology appointment  something she ties to the day she lost her uncle.

I volunteered at ground zero for the few weeks after and got leukemia, which Im in treatment for. (9/11) does define me in so many ways: it defines my health, my spirituality, my connection to my uncle Richie, she said.

George Gabrielle, a former engineer at the Kennedy Space Center who now speaks at youth space programs, has a different approach to remembering 9/11 than his daughter Gabrielli. He said he is more concerned with keeping his brothers memory alive and not leaving him in the past.

We lose people in our lives all different ways. You still have to deal with it. For me, within hours and within days, I didnt think of him in the World Trade Center, I thought of him having fun with me, he said.

I talk to him every day and I think of him every day and I laugh every day when I think of him.

He said he remembers how funny his brother was. He said Richard would lovingly imitate family members, several of whom were from Italy and did not all speak English.

He had ways to imitate them. I was laughing so hard I thought I might die from lack of breath, he said.

Gabrielli said she, too, remembers those impressions.

He just had the best sense of humor and the best way of looking at life and he always had everybody just laughing, she said. He would do impressions, including of my grandmother, and only those who knew my grandmother would crack up. He was just so full of light and laughter and love.

When George Gabrielle visited New York City in the aftermath of the attack, he said he found it unsettling.

There were people screaming and crying and yelling. That was the worst part of it for me, he said.

Visiting West Haven in the aftermath was different, he said.

I had talked to him the morning of 9/11 and we talked about what we were going to do on the weekend and stuff like that. It was kind of eerie in some ways when I went to his house after 9/11, I saw all these building supplies and a wheelbarrow, he said. It was something he had planned to do and it was left undone.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
NEW HAVEN  As a former elementary school teacher in a predominantly Black Detroit school system, Nicole McGowan Madu became frustrated with the way discipline was handled for young boys of color.

Madu was part of a system, she said, in which the misbehavior of young Black boys disproportionately resulted in suspensions, expulsions and referrals to special education and social services.

I thought we were continuing to do more harm by continuing to push them out of the classroom, said Madu, who taught mainly kindergarten and first grade. As a teacher I didnt have any say on how to manage Black boys.

What they really need, Madu said, is affection in the form of hugs, high-fives and positive, encouraging messages.

Those negative early experiences of being repeatedly marked as a bad kid, she hypothesized, sets the stage for ongoing problems in school because of lowered self-expectations and reinforced stereotypes.

She said the boys need to be allowed to make mistakes because thats how kids learn.

So Madu, now an assistant professor at Southern Connecticut State University, decided to look at the issue up close, and did the research and made it the subject of her doctoral dissertation.

Madu has a specialty in teaching literacy and as a professor trains teachers.

She also is working with leaders at SCSU find ways to attract more Black men to the teaching program.

Dean Stephen J. Hegedus of SCSUs College of Education said he has not read Madus dissertation, but was excited about her recent hire in the Department of Curriculum and Learning.

Dr. Madus work directly aligns with our college priorities and strategic initiatives in recruiting and retaining minority educators, Hegedus said. This includes teachers, school professionals and district leaders. Such work takes time, involves strong school partnerships and dedicated professors to develop pathways into teaching starting in school.

It has been said that Black student outcomes are made more positive by Black teachers as role models.

I can tell you that there are studies that show the more Black male teachers a Black student has, the more likely that the student will be successful in school and the chance for graduation increases quite a bit, said Lorenzo M. Boyd, vice-president for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer at University of New Haven, who has not read Madus dissertation. There is no downside at all to increasing the diversity of K-12 teachers  particularly the increase of Black males.

Madu focused on those earliest experiences between ages 5-8.

I wanted to focus on what could be done to make sure Black boys were viewed as brilliant capable learners, as opposed to being pushed out, Madu said. Its about the relationship between Black boys and Black male teachers in early childhood education.

While attending graduate school in New York City, Madu chose to study two Black male teachers in a city charter school and a boy in the school.

Both teachers worked to strengthen and reinforce students.

The two black male teachers whose interactions with students Madu observed came from different backgrounds  one was Senegalese and the other from Long Island.

She studied them for 16 weeks, conducted individual interviews with each as well as with a youngster, Malik, 8.

The teachers werent afraid of hugs, high-fives, telling them I believe in you or Im proud of you.

In her research, The Black male teachers were showing love and affection. She said the acts of showing warmth and affection are the critical difference between success and failure.

In the beginning, Malik talked about having an attitude problem; by the end, after receiving that affection, he expressed feeling capable, she said.

He said, Sometimes I get angry and upset. Mr. G knows I need to calm down. He gives me high-fives, joke, a hug.

To think that child has already labeled himself as having an attitude, Madu said.

She said perception of self is important at that age, and negative perception can lower self-esteem and expectations.

You can express love to Black boys in a way that supports their learning, she said. There are ways Black men can interact that I cant.

Although the phrase Black boy can be viewed as racist in some contexts, such as when referring to an adult male, Madu said she uses boys to make it clear she is referring to young children in a way that conjures a vision the word student does not.

As a teacher in Detroit, Madu said she didnt have any say in the disciplinary rules, as there were prescribed ways they were supposed to handle behaviors.

I figured I needed to do more research, she said. I wanted to reframe the narrative of Black boys in early childhood education.

She touches in the dissertation on the broader issue of systemic racism in America. On that topic, the landmark ruling Brown v. Board of Education comes to mind for Madu.

We think of it as a huge transformative policy, that it would level the playing field, Madu said. We often dont think of the resources that were stripped.

She said 38,000 teachers and administrators in Black schools lost their jobs because Black schools were closed and they werent hired elsewhere. Those educators, she said, were thought of as the pillars of society and, suddenly, their status was gone.

Because the ruling was desegregation instead of integration, Black children were forced to leave their neighborhoods to attend school, she said.

Desegregation didnt change the mindset of teachers, parents or children, she said.

She said Black children  girls and boys  are suspended in school at a higher rate than their white counterparts.

That implicit bias is not something you want to admit. You might not know it, she said.

She had seen research on Black teachers, role modeling and empowerment that showed positives, but nothing focused on early childhood education and expressed affection from Black male teachers to Black boys.

We need to give boys a way to make mistakes without being penalized, she said.

She saw the suspension factor at work with her own brother who was notoriously suspended, and disciplined until he had a male teacher in the sixth grade who said, Im not going to call home every day.

Madu said her brother went on to college and became a success.

To think he lived with that through fifth grade. He was not a bad kid, she said. We need more Black men in early childhood spaces, so children know theyre loved and cared for, she said.
Niagara Falls, NY (14301)

Today

Thunderstorms during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 72F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
Niagara Falls, NY (14301)

Today

Showers in the morning, then cloudy in the afternoon. High 72F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
Northern Elders Forum has warned that some of the measures being taken by some state governments will compound the desperate conditions of...

Northern Elders Forum has warned that some of the measures being taken by some state governments will compound the desperate conditions of living of many communities in the north.

The forum pointed out that measures such as suspension of markets, restrictions on sale of petrol, closure of schools and some roads, declaration of curfews, and restriction on movement of cattle and the Federal Governments plans to restrict communication will only do more harm to the people.

This was contained in a statement signed by Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, Director, Publicity and Advocacy of Northern Elders Forum and made available to journalists in Abuja,

The organisation said it was closely monitoring the condition of many Northern communities that have become particularly vulnerable to attacks and abuse by bandits, kidnappers and related organized criminals.

The Forum said that the government should not stop at imposing this restrictions, demanding that those who have powers to impose them also have clear ideas over what they could achieve and when.

The group pointed out that these measures bring about virtual economic and social lockdowns on people who had been at the mercy of criminals for a long time.

Unless they are accompanied by an aggressive and effective assault on the banditry and kidnapping industry, they will merely add to the misery and hopelessness of our communities, the statement added.

Worse, they could further embolden the bandits and the kidnappers when it becomes clear that governments and security agencies cannot go beyond lockdowns on communities.

Communities themselves will lose even more faith in the capacity of the Nigerian State to respond to their desperate circumstances.

The perception that communities are on their own must never be allowed to take deeper roots, but it will, when people see only the bandit and the kidnapper winning.

The Forum calls on the federal government to assist States to relieve communities that are now living under additional pressures.

State governments imposing additional hardships on communities must know that the measures they are introducing must produce tangible results within a period that makes them meaningful and tolerable.
The wife and two children of Dr. Ibrahim Kurami, the lawmaker representing Bakori Constituency in Katsina State House of Assembly were kidna...

The wife and two children of Dr. Ibrahim Kurami, the lawmaker representing Bakori Constituency in Katsina State House of Assembly were kidnapped by suspected bandits late hours of Saturday.

A reliable source informed newsmen that the bandits who stormed the Kurami residence of the lawmaker in Bakori Local Government Area settled for his wife and children when they discovered that the lawmaker was nowhere to be found.

The source also revealed that the bandits shot the security guards they met at the gate before proceeding to whisk away the family of the lawmaker to an unknown destination. The security guard is said to be undergoing treatment in an undisclosed hospital.

On Saturday night, about 11 pm, many bandits entered our village, Kurami and threw people into commotion as they began to shoot their guns.

The bandits entered the house of our lawmaker, Dr. Ibrahim Kurami, to kidnap him but when they could not find him, they took his wife and two children instead. They also shot the security guard at the gate and he is in the hospital receiving treatment, the source said.

Up till the time of filing this report, the State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Gambo Isah, could not be reached to make an official statement on the attack.

Similarly, efforts to get across to the lawmaker has yielded no result as he has not been reached on phone since after the APC local government congress that held on Saturday.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Thunderstorms this morning, then variable clouds during the afternoon with still a chance of showers. High 67F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 53F. Winds light and variable.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Showers likely along with a possible rumble of thunder in the morning, then cloudy skies late. High 68F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 53F. Winds light and variable.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm during the morning, then some lingering showers still possible this afternoon. High 68F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 53F. Winds light and variable.
What happens to those inch-thick electricity transmission cables that Entergy exploded off the top of its 400-foot tower in Harahan?

After Friday's night's detonation on the east bank of the Mississippi River, the seven cables were severed Saturday on the other side of the river at Bridge City - and allowed to slide to the bottom of the river. That allowed the Coast Guard to reopen ship traffic on the lower river, which had been shut down since the storm, Saturday morning.

+2 Entergy to detonate cables on Harahan transmission tower, begin clearing Mississippi River Entergy on Friday afternoon was expected to blow up cables on transmission tower in Harahan in an effort to clear debris from the Mississippi 

"They're just too heavy to be removed onto land," said regional director Nicholas Cali of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-West, who was part of the team coordinating removal of the lines.

The cables ended up hanging low across the river when Hurricane Ida crumpled an Entergy tower at Bridge City into a heap of rusted metal on Sunday night. They blocked river traffic for six days, as a queue of commercial barges awaiting passage piled up downriver while Entergy, the Coast Guard, State Police, the state Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and demolition contractors worked out the removal process.

On Friday, Entergy and State Police informed nearby residents and created a 1,500-foot exclusion zone around the Harahan tower, while contractors in a box were hoisted by crane to place shape charges around the cables near where they connected to the top. That took more than six hours because the demolition specialists also attached shape charges to the landward side of the tower, to ensure cable tension on that side didn't topple the structure and risk damaging houses and businesses.

Entergy spokesperson Brandon Scardigli said the cables were dumped into the Mississippi because it was unsafe to try to retrieve them.

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"Along with the weight of the cables, pulling against the weight of the water itself and the current would have made retrieving the lines in the timeframe available impossible," Scardigli said. "It also would have added unnecessary safety risks for those involved."

Among those gathered on the West Bank to observe Friday night's demolition was Mark Louviere, a tugboat captain who regularly works the busy stretch just upriver from the Huey P. Long Bridge where the lines came down.

He and colleagues speculated whether the cables would be worth the effort for professional salvagers, those who are licensed by the state to go "magnet-fishing" with large barge-borne submersible magnets, to retrieve them from a river that runs as deep as 200 feet in that area.

Transmission cables typically are made from hard PVC-covered aluminum with a steel core. They weigh about 2 pounds per linear foot, and roughly a mile's length of the seven cables went in the river. That works out to about 37 tons of cable now underwater. According to scrap metal dealer forums, transmission line metal usually fetches 50 cents to $1 per pound.

By these estimates, the total scrap value of the cable is $36,960 to $72,920.

Louviere and colleagues concluded that the firms they know, such as Baton Rouge-based McKinney's Towing, would be too busy with other work to retrieve the cable. He said he planned to engage McKinney in the next few days to lift one of several big barges that Ida sank in the river.

"I don't think it's going to be worth it for them with all that's going on," he said.
When Shirell Parfait-Dardar returned to her home in Dulac, she found that Hurricane Ida's unforgiving winds had ripped the roof off and blown the walls in. A dressmaker by trade, she discovered her sewing shop seemed to have been lifted off the ground, flipped upside down and smashed.

"Every building on my property was destroyed," said the chief of the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw, now staying with her mother in Thibodaux. Almost every member of her Native American tribe suffered the same fate. Those who lived in mobile homes saw their trailers blown up or "thrown to the ground and beaten up to the point where it's unlivable," she said.

+26 Photos: Hurricane Ida destruction in Pointe-aux-Chenes For Louisiana's coastal tribes, 'being at the end of the earth is a dangerous place'

"If they haven't lost their home, they're on the verge of losing their home because there's so much damage to it," she said. And for those residents, the clock's ticking a week after the Category 4 storm struck: They must salvage what they can and secure their property before mold sets in.

From the air, tribal communities across Louisiana's coast appear to have been decimated by Hurricane Ida:

In Pointe-aux-Chenes, home of the Pointe-au-Chien tribe, the storm leveled the elevated houses near the bayou's end. Left behind were piles of splintered wood surrounded by a pool of water five days after the storm. Just 15 homes remained livable, said Theresa Dardar, a Pointe-au-Chien tribal member.

The United Houma Nation, a tribe of 19,000 spread across several communities from Houma to Golden Meadow and the Lafitte area, saw more than three quarters of its residents' houses destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, said Thomas Dardar, the tribe's hurricane relief manager. "The storm was pretty much as if a bomb went off," he said, speaking from the tribal center where more than a dozen people and several pets were still sheltering Friday. Recovery will take years, he added.

Just west on its own sinking island, the Isle de Jean Charles Band of the Biloxi-Chitimacha Confederation of Muskogees saw similar devastation. Homes crumpled and the marina lost its roof.

All four of the state-recognized tribes suffered tremendous loss from Ida, as well as several other tribes without any formal status such as the Grand Bayou Indian Village in Plaquemines Parish. Surveying the coast by airplane, Tammy Greer, a United Houma Nation citizen with family in other tribes, was astounded by the scope of the damage.

"This one was so spread out," she said. "Usually it's one or two communities affected, and we can help each other out. This time, everybody else is just as bad as you are."

Without federal recognition, recovery will be slower. None of the coastal tribes has met the criteria put in place for Washington, D.C., to recognize their tribal governments as sovereign powers.

Adam Crepelle, an assistant law professor at George Mason University and a United Houma Nation citizen, said federal recognition would allow tribes to negotiate directly with the U.S. government and open up more aid money and relief programs.

"As far as the federal government is concerned, they're not a tribe," Crepelle said, who specializes in federal law concerning Native Americans. "It's definitely a barrier because, historically, the tribe was denied access to education and things like that, so they're already starting from lower opportunities to begin with."

Instead, unrecognized tribes are treated as nonprofits. That lets them apply for some grants, but their citizens are treated the same as any other U.S. citizen: Each must file an individual claim if aid is wanted. And the lack of federal recognition precludes some relief money for the tribes, Crepelle said.

"I'm definitely Indian, but I'm not Indian enough," said Parfait-Dardar, who views the recognition process as discriminatory.

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Without direct help from the federal government, each tribe leans on its own networks to obtain supplies and donations and shares with other tribes. They also try to secure help from the parish and state governments. So far, however, Parfait-Dardar and Theresa Dardar said they've yet to hear from Terrebonne and Lafourche parish officials as of Sunday.

Louisiana tribes outside of the disaster zone, and ones out of state, also send help. Thomas Dardar said the United Houma Nation had already begun distributing supplies and was working alongside Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes to erect communications towers in some of the hardest-hit areas.

"We're operating in a disaster, but we're not in disaster mode," he said.

Greer and Parfait-Dardar expect many of their tribes' citizens to return and rebuild. Still, each storm can make their citizens anxious over a loss of culture and identity should members choose to migrate inland.

Thinking of her tribe's elders, Greer said the constant rebuilding process can take a physical toll. And for those who make money off traditional wood carving or basket weaving, losing a home means losing inventory and income.

Plus, as storms grow more intense and Louisiana's coast continues to recede, tribes have less protection from the sea and cultural sites such as sacred mounds or cemeteries are at risk of washing away, taking history with them.

"We're not protecting them, and that's the history of this land and this place," Greer said. "Being at the end of the Earth is a dangerous place to be."

Outsiders forget, she said, that the tribes didn't choose to settle in the swamp but were forced there as others moved onto their land to the north. Yet they made it work and adapted over centuries.

As Ida relief donations trickled in, Parfait-Dardar hoped her community will manage to build back stronger, using more innovative techniques to live with water.

"I cant live anywhere else. I love my home, I love our people, and I love the environment that I'm in," the Dulac chief said. "We need to respect the environment were in if were going to live here safely."

+15 Louisiana tribes say federal recognition will help to face threat of climate change Crab traps and shrimp boats line Louisiana 665 down to Pointe aux Chene Marina, about 20 miles southeast of Houma. Nailed to a tree in the mar
The U.S. Coast Guard has begun setting up a pollution response team in Baton Rouge after state and federal officials received reports of several dozen oil spills or sheens since Hurricane Ida.

Coast Guard Capt. Kristi Luttrell, former commander of the 8th District headquarters in New Orleans, has been named Federal On-Scene Coordinator for the Ida response efforts.

The Environmental Protection Agency has said it will be the lead agency investigating spills in inland waters in the state.

The Associated Press and New York Times published satellite photos earlier this week of what looks like a major plume of crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico just south of Port Fourchon. NOAA National Geodetic Survey aerial survey photos also showed at least one sheen in the port.

On Monday, the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office reported that it had been told by the Coast Guard that the initial release off Port Fourchon originated from a damaged, shut-in pipeline owned by Talos Energy Offshore, which is about 3 miles south of the port in Lafourche Parish waters of the Gulf.

"Amount of oil released is unknown, but, according to Talos, only residual oil remaining in the pipe; The sheen was reported to be up to 10 miles in length," said a statement released by LOSCO. "Talos has deployed skimmers but there has been little recoverable product reported."

The company had a dive boat on scene on Sunday to locate the puncture in the pipeline and attempt repairs, the statement said.

Also on Monday, the Coast Guard reported that Coast Guard crews flying over that pipeline break location "observed no active discharge at the Bay Marchand site" or near an Enterprise Offshore drilling rig in the Gulf also suspected as the source of that original plume. On Sunday, a crew flying over that area reported seeing an 11-mile-long rainbow sheen of oil, which Coast Guard officials said on Monday was "characteristic of a site that is not actively leaking but where residual oil may be present."

However, the crew did discover a wellhead belonging to S2 Energy was discharging oil about 5 miles from the original Bay Marchand spill location.

"The S2 Energy facility reports they have since secured the wellhead and it is no longer discharging oil," the Coast Guard said in a Monday news release. "S2 Energy has contracted an Oil Spill Response Organization to boom the area in order to mitigate the spread and collect any recoverable product. The impacted area is approximately 100 yards long by 100 yards wide. Estimates of release are yet to be determined."

The Coast Guard's National Response Center and the state Department of Environmental Quality have received dozens of reports of potential spills and sheens, in addition to reports of upsets at refineries and petrochemical plants that have resulted in air emissions.

The response center's public listing of its reports is only updated weekly, on Mondays. Its Monday morning update, listed 250 incidents reported between August 29, the day Ida hit, and Sept. 5 in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico. In its Monday news release, the Coast Guard said it was "prioritizing nearly 350 reported incidents for further investigation by state, local and federal authorities in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida," and in response to a query said all were in Louisiana.

Sam Jones, director of the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, said his agency had received 200 reports of potential spills so far, but have only confirmed 30 of the reports.

Reports made to the state environmental agency, most of which reference response center reports, included 16 filed by Hilcorp Energy concerning the release of crude oil or the spotting of sheens at six locations in Terrebonne Parish, six in Plaquemines and four in Jefferson.

The agency released the information in the form of brief listings in a spreadsheet, with explanations including "sheen near well site into Terrebonne Bay discovered during overflight," "crude oil release from damaged platform discovered during overflight," and "crude oil discharged from a well head."

Officials with Hilcorp did not respond to email requests for information on Sunday.

Clean Gulf Associates, a company that responds to oil spills, provided information about sheens coming from unknown sources apparently spotted during a flyover of the coast. Those included three locations in Bay Marchand in Plaquemines Parish, two more Bay Marchand locations in Lafourche, and a location in South Timbalier Bay in Lafourche.

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Clean Gulf did not immediately respond to a request for more information.

Forefront Emergency Management, which has agreements with a number of companies to respond to spills, reported either oil or sheen in 11 different locations, with comments like, "potential release, oil barge hit platform & storage tank went into the water," about one site near Jean Lafitte, and "spill found during flyover at what may be a tank battery facility," near Cocodrie in Terrebonne Parish; and "missing barge carrying approx. 1000 bbls. of crude," in Lake Salvador.

Forefront did not immediately respond to requests for comments on Sunday.

Witt O'Briens, another oil spill response company, filed four reports with the state, including one about a sheen near the Bonnet Carre Anchorage on the Mississippi River near Montz, where sheen was coming from an unknown source, the potential release of diesel or some other oil from an oil-service barge stuck in sand in Plaquemines Parish, sheen from an unknown source in the Gulf of Mexico, and three facilities "in state waters knocked down by Ida."

A company spokesman said it could not comment beyond what was in the reports filed with the state and the response center.

Shell Pipeline Co., had four notifications on the list, all of them sheens discovered during a flyover in locations along the coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

At. 10 p.m. Sunday, Shell Offshore Inc., another subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell PLC, said in a news release that damage assessments at its West Delta-143 offshore facilities, a platform that serves as an oil-transfer station for the company's Mars corridor oil wells in the southwestern Gulf, were continuing. On Thursday, the company had reported that it had identified damage to the platform during a flyover.

Shell Offshore owns 71.5% of the platform and operates it, with BP owning the other 28.5%.

"We are working to understand the full extent of the damage and the degree to which production in the Gulf of Mexico will be impacted," the release said.

The release also said other Shell Pipeline offshore assets remain evacuated, "and the ability to send personnel to them has been impacted by disruption to the logistics network in Southeastern Louisiana."

The company reported that it began redeploying personnel on Sunday to its Enchilada/Salsa offshore assets 105 miles south of the Louisiana coast, and that its Perdido asset in the southwestern Gulf was not disrupted. However, the company's deepwater assets -- Appomattox, Mars, Olympus, Ursa, Auger, and Enchilada/Salsa -- remained shut in, meaning about 80 percent of Shell-operated production remains offline.

"Our inspections on board confirm that there is no significant structural damage to these Shell Deepwater assets impacted by the storm," the release said.

The release also said that its Norco manufacturing facility is still without electrical power "and remains in the elevated flare with visible smoking."

"Air monitoring is being conducted on the fence line and we are utilizing a third party resource for air monitoring in the community," the release said. "We will continue this monitoring through the duration of this event."

The release did not say where the public could see the results of that monitoring, though it likely will be filed with the state Department of Environmental Quality in coming days.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Wildlife & Fisheries and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service are responding to a report from a cleanup contractor at the Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery that a number of birds were oiled at the site. The refinery was flooded with surge water after a nearby levee was breached, and satellite photos showed oil on the refinery site.

According to the LOSCO statement, "it is unknown how much oil is trapped within the facility containment area."

It said Wildlife & Fisheries had observed a number of oiled birds in the area and a wildlife rehabilitation center is being set up. Oil spill response personnel were at the refinery using vacuum trucks and boom to remove the oil from the floodwaters.

Note: This story was updated on Monday, Sept. 6, with new information from Shell, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office.
As power slowly returns to more than 1 million Louisiana households maimed by Hurricane Ida, evacuees are trickling back home. But the region's critical infrastructure, including drinking water and sewerage, remains compromised in many places.

Further threatening the systems: A flash flood watch is in effect until 9 p.m. Monday for much of southeast Louisiana as thunderstorms roll though.

Here's a region-wide water update, listed by parish.

Orleans Parish

The New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board (S&WB) states that water has been safe to drink for the duration of the storm and its aftermath. But residents should minimize their water use so as not to further tax the sewerage and drainage systems as they shift from generator to Entergy power. Don't take long showers, avoid water-hungry appliances like washing machines and minimize toilet flushing (flush No. 2, don't flush for No. 1), officials said in a Monday morning press conference.

SNAP recipients can buy more food thanks to 55% benefit increase post Hurricane Ida Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients in 18 parishes will see a 55% increase in benefits automatically loaded onto their

As of Sunday, 56 of 84 sewer pump stations were operating on portable pump, generator or Entergy power. The S&WB shifted the Carrollton Water Plant and its substations (Hamilton, Sycamore, Claiborne) back to Entergy power Sunday. Water pressure and quality are stable, and the water is safe to drink.

"Service interruptions are ongoing," Laura A. Mellem, communications director at NOLA Ready, said in an emailed statement. "That includes significant power outages affecting traffic lights, an ongoing shortage of commercial gas in the region and impacts to the sewer system compelling the Sewerage and Water Board to ask residents to limit their use of dishwashers, showers and laundry."

NOLA Ready officials urged citizens to clean out their catch basins so storm water can flow unimpeded into the city's drainage system and prevent flooding. The neutral ground parking restriction has been lifted.

+2 Heavy rainfall possible Monday in metro New Orleans; storm debris could block drains The storms could drop 2 to 3 inches of rain in a short period of time.

Jefferson Parish

It is safe to drink the parish's tap water on both banks of the Mississippi River as of Tuesday afternoon. Boil water advisories had been in place due to storm damage and widespread power outages.

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The east bank's boil advisory stemmed from a number of water line breaks due to trees falling during Hurricane Ida. Water pressure on the east bank dropped to near zero Sunday, Public Works Director Mark Drewes said, which led the parish to issue the advisory. The west bank boil advisory was triggered after a generator failure caused water pressure to drop, officials said. Pressure has been restored, and samples show the water is safe to drink.

St. Tammany Parish

At the time of this report, St. Tammany Parish's Water Works District 2 was closed for Labor Day. As of Sunday, Tammany Utilities had lifted its boil water advisory, and Mandeville and Slidell had safe drinking water.

Residents should check with their provider to verify the status of their water.

St. John the Baptist Parish

St. John the Baptist remains under a boil water advisory while workers repair leaks.

St. Charles Parish

After lifting its mandatory evacuation order Saturday, officials urged evacuated residents to bring enough food, water, fuel and supplies to last a week when they return home.

A parish-wide boil water advisory is in effect until power returns, which could take four to six weeks.

Staff writers Faimon Roberts, Carlie Kollath Wells, Liam Pierce and Jeff Adelson contributed to this report.
New Orleans on Friday and Saturday evacuated 10 apartment complexes full of senior citizens, five of whom died amid the sweltering heat following Hurricane Ida, in the latest incident raising questions about the care for older residents after the storm.

The extended power outages after Ida left residents in broiling conditions in the buildings for days, something they endured without staff to help them or in some cases without adequate food and water. Many were stuck on high floors and were unable to leave because of mobility issues and broken elevators.

As reports of the deteriorating conditions at Renaissance Plaza apartments in Algiers and Annunciation Inn in Gentilly rolled in, the city did checks on other complexes and evacuated residents, putting many on buses to shelters in northern Louisiana, according to a news release sent late Saturday night.

+5 New Orleans health department evacuates 8 senior living complexes, announces 4 new deaths City officials evacuated eight senior apartment complexes and deemed them unfit for occupancy on Saturday, while reporting four new deaths the

In the wake of the deaths and evacuations, city officials decried what they described as deeply concerning conditions. But the Archdiocese of New Orleans, which runs several of the complexes through a subsidiary, Christopher Homes, said it had sought help multiple times from city officials over the course of the week but didn't receive any assistance.

"In the days following Sundays landfall, Christopher Homes leadership repeatedly requested assistance and resources from civil authorities. After the death of one of our residents was reported five days later, on Friday, September 3, civil authorities finally responded and provided resources to evacuate those residents who had not voluntarily evacuated," said Sarah McDonald, spokesperson for the Archdiocese. McDonald later clarified that "civil authorities" referred to city officials.

City Communications Director Beau Tidwell said Sunday night that city leadership is "not aware of any requests for assistance made to the city which were denied or delayed."

Both the Archdiocese and HRI properties, which owns one of the other buildings that was evacuated, said they could not force residents to leave their apartments short of a mandatory evacuation order. That order wasn't issued because Ida had sprung up too quickly for the city to enact the complex arrangements required to move hundreds of thousands of people out of the metro area. But residents of the buildings said staff had left before the storm without providing guidance or resources to those who stayed behind.

The evacuations eventually grew to encompass Peace Lake Towers in New Orleans East, St. John Berchman in Gentilly, St. Martin Manor in the 7th Ward, Delille Inn in New Orleans East, Nazareth Inn 1 & 2 in New Orleans East, Flint Goodridge Apartments in Milan and Christopher Inn in the Marigny. Residents from those complexes were among the 600 people brought out of the city to shelters elsewhere on the state on city-chartered buses on Saturday, the first day the post-storm evacuation was made available.

All those complexes are apartments for seniors capable of independent living, not nursing homes where residents are dependent on nurses and staff for their care. Still, many of the residents have some medical needs, or have limited mobility, and the conditions in the facilities prompted condemnation from city officials.

I am deeply concerned to have seen the conditions of these private apartment facilities where some of our most elderly and vulnerable community members reside, New Orleans Health Department Director Dr. Jennifer Avegno said in a written statement. It saddens me to have witnessed the failure of these facility operators to adequately prepare and protect their residents in one of our greatest times of need."

Two residents at the Flint Goodridge Apartments on Louisiana Avenue, where the city reported two deaths, said the buildings staff left residents in the middle of the afternoon the Friday before the storm. The only instructions were emergency phone numbers posted in elevators.

A janitor came to turn on a generator once the storm passed, said resident Joyce James, 66.

James said she was able to get out on Wednesday, after more than 48 hours without power in a room with sealed windows. The front door of the building was open on Sunday afternoon, and there was a strong stench in the interior.

I caught pure hell in my apartment, James said by telephone from Atlanta. They left us like we were dogs.

+5 New Orleans evacuates some senior apartments as Ida conditions worsen At-risk populations struggle five days after storm knocked out power in New Orleans region

In a statement emailed to the media on Sunday, HRI said it offered condolences for the deaths and said company executives agreed with the city's decision to evacuate the complex.

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But it also stressed that while the storm left "a dire situation for anyone who did not evacuate," the company could not force anyone to leave because a mandatory evacuation had not been ordered for the city.

"We are committed to working with the city and state to develop new evacuation protocols and advocate for prioritizing utility restoration to these sorts of facilities as critical infrastructure to prevent this from happening ever again," according to the statement.

The company said it had provided onsite security "24/7," something that resident Debra Pierre agreed with. But when told the company also said it had checked in daily with residents after the storm and provided food and water, Pierre said that wasn't the case.

Providing water and food? Thats a lie, Pierre said. Those people didnt send us anything.

After staff left the building on Aug. 27, Pierre said she did not hear from staff at all until one week later, when an assistant manager started calling from Texas.

Deaths were also reported at Nazareth Inn 1 and 2, Annunciation Homes and Christopher Inn. The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office has not released information on the cause of any of the deaths in the New Orleans apartments.

The evacuations began on Friday as residents at Annunciation Inn and Renaissance Place were brought from the buildings after City Councilmembers were alerted to the lack of staff and electricity.

It was a day after state officials evacuated a warehouse in Independence full of nursing-home residents that had been sent there after the storm. Seven of those residents, kept in conditions state officials called "an affront to human dignity," died and the seven facilities they were from have been shut down.

At Christopher Inn on Frenchmen Street, residents were left taking care of themselves after the power went out, said Justin "Dr. Sick" Carr, a musician who began ferrying supplies to the complex after learning of the conditions mid-week. Food and ice disappeared quickly after he and other volunteers brought it to the building, Carr said.

McDonald, with the Archdiocese, said 280 residents chose to stay in their apartments or "did not have the means to evacuate without the resources usually provided by the City of New Orleans in a mandatory evacuation." Management was available during and after the storm and generators powered elevators at all the buildings, McDonald said.

The evacuations of senior-living facilities across the city have continued at a fast clip, so much so that one resident, Darnell Smith, missed his chance. Smith, who is married to Faye Thomas, was away from his Renaissance Place apartment when the city helped Thomas and other residents clear out on Friday. Since the building has been closed, he's been living in his car, which as of Sunday was parked in Luling.

"She is in a shelter in Shreveport, Louisiana. I can't call her. I can't talk to her," he said in a phone interview before breaking down in tears. "I don't know what to do."

Rose Brundage, a St. Martin Manor resident, elected to stay at her moms home in the St. Roch area once the building was shut down.

My mom didnt want to go to a shelter because of COVID and stuff like that, she said. We just came to her house. We dont have power or anything, but we were able to get some ice.

As bad as things are, Brundage, who remembers Hurricane Katrina and other storms, thinks her family got off easy.

Were just thankful that the water didnt come," she said.

The Times-Picayune | The Advocate staff writer Chad Calder contributed to this report.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the correct address for Rose Brundage. She is a St. Martin Manor resident.
The Sewerage & Water Board is ramping up the amount of material processed at its East Bank Wastewater Treatment plant, with the goal of bringing it back to full operations within the next day, utility officials said Monday.

If successful, that would mean residents would be able to once again turn on dishwashers and washing machines and take long showers and baths, activities that the S&WB has warned over the past week could overload the system and lead to sewer backups.

The wastewater treatment plant was knocked offline when Entergy New Orleans' transmission lines into the region failed during Hurricane Ida, plunging the metro area into darkness. The loss of power at the treatment plant forced the S&WB to divert raw sewage into the Mississippi River and Bayou Bienvenue and the broader blackout meant sewer pump stations went offline.

+2 S&WB asks residents to keep conserving water as post-Ida power issues continue Six days after Hurricane Ida knocked out power to the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board's sewer stations, the S&WB reiterated its ple

Those emergency measures are still in place, but Executive Director Ghassan Korban said the wastewater plant is slowly being brought back online.

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"We are in the process of diverting less flow to the bypassing process to bring more flow to the plant, but we want to be careful not to overwhelm the system," Korban said in an emailed statement Monday afternoon. "We will continue to increase flow into the plant and plan to reach normal capacity within the next 24 hours.

In the meantime, Korban urged residents to continue foregoing activities that would send more water than necessary into the sewer system.

Of the S&WB's 84 sewer pump stations, all of which lost power during the storm, 67 are now online using either portable pumps, generators or Entergy power.

The S&WB's water system, which supplies the city with clean drinking water, is fully operational and there are no boil water advisories in New Orleans.
Kathy Pardue returned Friday from Memphis, where she and her 12-year-old granddaughter had evacuated, to find their rental home on Slidell's Camellia Drive had flooded when Hurricane Ida pushed nearby Bayou Bonfouca over its banks.

"I was in shock, I was really sad," Pardue said Monday as she stood on her porch, surveying the pile of soaked furniture and other belongings that she and a friend, April Spring, had spent hours hauling out. Her granddaughter was having a harder time with the loss of her things, she said.

Pardue, who had been taking care of a sick relative out of state during Katrina, said she wasn't prepared for the scale of destruction and had just grabbed important paperwork and a few clothes before they fled.

"I would have brought more with me," she said, shaking her head. "I would have rented a U-Haul and gotten my things out. We will be more prepared next time."

All down Camellia Drive off Bayou Liberty Road similar mounds of debris were growing, and contractors were already gutting houses that had taken on 3 to 4 feet of water during the storm.

In contrast to the rest of the city, which didn't experience significant flooding from Hurricane Ida, Camellia Drive looked like the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer said.

Nearby Palm Lake subdivision also took on water during Ida, something that's not usual for the neighborhood. But unlike Palm Lake, most of the homes on Camellia Drive have not been raised.

Up the street from Pardue's home, workers with West Home Interiors  all family members  were taking a break outside a rental house that they were gutting for Distinctive Real Estate.

They had already cut out 4 feet of drywall and removed sodden insulation, work that Greg West said that they can complete in about a day if they don't have to haul out flooded furniture and other belongings.

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After that, it's a matter of allowing seven to 10 days for the studs to dry out and spraying with mildew remover and disinfectant before new walls go up.

It's nothing new to the West family; they gutted 45 houses after Hurricane Katrina. "My dad's been in the business for 40 years," Greg West said. Another team of six or seven were out doing roof work, his brother, Jeff West, said.

Further along Camellia Street, Jamie Cruz, her father, Larry Wheeler, and two others were gutting another house.

They had just finished pushing out a sofa and were preparing to tear out the molding around the door frames. "All the insulation is soaking wet," said Wheeler, whose usual job is floating Sheetrock.

Wheeler, who lives in Picayune, Mississippi, said he moved to the area from Salt Lake City in 1995. The first flood he worked was from the torrential rainfall on May 1995. "That was when everyone woke up and put their feet down in water," Wheeler said.

His daughter got her introduction into flood rehab in Hurricane Katrina, where she gutted houses in Eden Isles at the age of 15.

Wheeler said that the work on the house they were gutting would be finished with new walls in place within two weeks. But then, he said, there are plans to get it raised in October.

"They'll have to move out for that," he said.
Access to water has been a significant issue in southeast Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, as many parishes are asking residents to conserve water and/or boil it before drinking.

Here's the list, parish-by-parish, of how water has been affected seven days out from the storm:

Jefferson

Jefferson Parish is still under a parish-wide boil water advisory as of last night around 9:30 p.m., per Councilman Scott Walker.

Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng described the parish as a "broken community" with a "fragile" sewer system on Sunday morning and said it may take up to a week for things to get back to fully functional.

Orleans

Orleans Parish indeed is not under a boil water advisory, making it safe to drink the tap water.

Where to find food, water and supplies in southeast Louisiana; see parish-by-parish list As residents in Southeast Louisiana deal with widespread power outages and a lack of resources because of Hurricane Ida, distribution centers 

In fact, Orleans Parish was never under a boil water advisory after Hurricane Ida, according to Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans spokesperson Courtney Barnes. Barnes described a "herculean effort" of the utility to monitor the pressure around the clock, combined with help from Entergy and Hancock Whitney Bank generators.

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Several ambiguous national reports had people questioning the status of Orleans Parish's water situation, but it has been fully potable during and after the storm.

St. Tammany

In St. Tammany, things are a bit more case-by-case. The city of Covington remains under a precautionary boil water advisory until power is restored to wells, according to Mayor Mark Johnson. The cities of Mandeville and Slidell were never under a boil advisory.

Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer said all wells had generators throughout the power outage, which he said was a lesson learned from Hurricane Katrina. People who get their water from the parish-owned Tammany Utilities remain under a boil advisory except for Crossgates and Meadowlake, which are not under a boil advisory. Many residents in St. Tammany Parish get their water from a myriad of private utility companies and should check with their providers.

St. John the Baptist

St. John the Baptist Parish is under a parish-wide boil water advisory according to a representative over the phone, and has been without water as early as August 31.

St. Charles Parish

St. Charles Parish has a parish-wide boil water advisory that's in effect until they receive power, according to a parish representative.
A tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to stay south of Louisiana and head for Florida, hurricane forecasters said Monday.

Update: Tropical disturbance in Gulf heads to Florida

However, it could still bring rain to Louisiana and the Gulf Coast toward the middle of the week. The heaviest rain is possible south of Interstate 10, according to the National Weather Service in Slidell.

Forecasters said the additional rain would be problematic because much of southeast Louisiana is still soaked from Hurricane Ida, which hit as a Category 4 storm a week ago. Any more rain could lead to flash flooding and slow down cleanup and restoration efforts.

+2 Heavy rainfall possible Monday in metro New Orleans; storm debris could block drains The storms could drop 2 to 3 inches of rain in a short period of time.

Parts of southeast Louisiana are under a flash flood watch Monday related to another storm threat. And, there's a heat advisory in effect, with forecasters warning the "feels like" temperature could reach 105 degrees Monday. Thousands remain without power after Ida, complicating efforts to find relief from the heat.

Meanwhile in the Atlantic, Hurricane Larry has strengthened into a large Category 3 storm.

Here's what to know about the tropics as of 11 a.m. Monday.

Tropical disturbance heading for Gulf of Mexico

Forecasters are tracking a disturbance over the Gulf of Mexico that's expected to head north toward the Gulf Coast.

It has a 30% chance of developing into at least a tropical depression within five days and will be named Mindy if it strengthens into a tropical storm.

As of 7 a.m., disorganized showers and thunderstorms associated with the system were over the northern portion of the Yucatan peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico.

It's expected to move slowly north to northeast and reach the northern Gulf Coast in a few days, the National Hurricane Center said.

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. The categories, in order of increasing strength, are tropical depression, tropical storm and hurricane (categories 1 through 5).

Development possible

Environmental conditions are expected to be "marginally" conducive for tropical development in a couple of days, forecasters said. The disturbance then is expected to cross the southeastern U.S. toward the middle of the week and head into the Atlantic.

Some development is possible once it emerges into the Atlantic late this week, forecasters said.

Read the full advisory.

Hurricane Larry a powerful storm in Atlantic

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Hurricane Larry is a large, powerful storm in the Atlantic, forecasters said in their morning advisory.

As of 10 a.m., it was about 715 miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and about 1,015 miles southeast of Bermuda. It's moving northwest at 10 mph.

Larry has winds of 120 mph, making it a Category 3 hurricane. Category 3 storms and stronger are considered major hurricanes by the National Hurricane Center.

Some fluctuations in strength are possible during the next couple days, forecasters said, and then some gradual weakening is expected.

Swells generated by Larry are effecting the Lesser Antilles and will spread west to portions of the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas and Bermuda Monday and Tuesday. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

"Significant" swells are expected to reach the U.S. East Coast by mid-week and continue through the end of the week.

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.

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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More Entergy customers got the lights back on in the New Orleans area eight days after Hurricane Ida's intense winds blew through, though progress remained slower outside of the city itself.

Company executives announced Monday that as a result of the storm, Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans would be waiving late fees and suspending shut off for impacted customers.

Ida led to a catastrophic black out in the city when its devastating Category 4 winds took out all eight transmission lines that connect New Orleans and Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes to the national grid. That left all customers in those parishes in the dark for days as the lines were brought back online.

The storm destroyed more than 30,000 poles statewide, as well as thousands of transformers, according to Entergy. The overall damage to the company's distribution system was greater than what it suffered during Hurricane Laura last year or from hurricanes Katrina, Delta and Zeta combined.

+3 Entergy gave shifting rationales for New Orleans East plant at center of Ida response When Hurricane Ida's winds knocked down transmission lines and plunged the New Orleans area into darkness Sunday night, many residents turned 

About 136,000 homes and businesses in New Orleans - roughly 66% of customers in the city - had power back by 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Entergy New Orleans President and CEO Deanna Rodriguez said. In Jefferson, only about 27% of customers - 54,782 homes and businesses - had their power restored by mid-day.

Entergy has estimated the "vast majority" of customers in most of the urban and suburban areas of Orleans and Jefferson will have their power restored by Wednesday. Residents in some of the farther reaches of both parishes may not see power until the end of the month.

Cleco, which provides power on the north shore, did not provide an update Monday. Late Sunday, the company said it had restored power to 82% of its customers in St. Tammany and Washington parishes.

Statewide, about 47% of Entergy customers who had lost power in Ida still could not turn on the lights or air conditioning, including many in the hard-hit parishes of Lafourche and Terrebonne.

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"I know not everybody has their power on but since were all in this together I think we should all acknowledge weve been successful for those who have had their power restored," Rodriguez said.

Power restoration in New Orleans has gone neighborhood by neighborhood, with progress generally moving in from the west and east toward the central parts of the city. However, there have been some areas that have been left without power, including neighborhoods where Entergy missed the estimated dates they'd have power restored over the past few days.

Rodriguez said that was in part due to crews finding more damage in some areas than had been anticipated.

Follow live: Entergy gives update on power restoration in southeast Louisiana after Ida Entergy is planning to give an update on efforts to restore power to southeast Louisiana after Hurricane Ida at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

"Restoration times are estimates and subject to change, as we go into the areas, as we find more information as we find whether the damage is on our side or the customer's side that will tell us if we can bring the customers back up," she said.

81% of St. Tammany Parish customers have power back, Cleco says A week after Hurricane Ida blew through the region, toppling trees and power lines, 81 percent of Cleco customers in St. Tammany Parish have t

Entergy officials also announced they would not be charging late fees or disconnecting customers for non-payment in the storm's aftermath and directed customers to their online accounts for more information.

That move was made "given the level of devastation and upheaval in our customers' lives," said Entergy Louisiana President and CEO Phillip May.
Curtis C. McKnight, 76, passed away on Sept. 11 in Norman. Services are pending at First Christian Church. In lieu of flowers please make donations to First Christian Church in Norman. Please sign the online guestbook at www.primrosefuneralservice.com
Bloomsburg, Pa. -- COVID-19 financial assistance continues into the 2021 college season. All enrolled students of Bloomsburg University will receive assistance, but the amount varies.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania is set to receive $10.7 million in federal funding in the form of block grants and special conditions awards. The funding is part of the American Rescue Plan and Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III).

The Federal Government provides significant discretion on how to award the emergency financial aid grants to students; however, it clearly articulates that institutions are expected to prioritize students with exceptional needs.

These grants may be used for any component of a student's cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care, or child care.

The grants will range from $200 to $1,250 for the fall 2021 semester and will be based on expected family contribution (EFC) per submitted FAFSAs. Students with no submitted FAFSA will receive $200.

A portion of the funding will be set aside to fund special conditions awards for students with emergency needs related to the pandemic that may arise during the academic year.




Harrisburg, Pa. -- The 2020 election underscored to many just how important it is to vote. Even more important is to know what your registration status is. But, are you sure that you are registered? Do you even know where you go to vote? Do you know how to get an absentee or mail-in ballot?

According to the Pa. Department of State, which oversees the election process in the state, certain obstacles could prevent you from voting this year, such as moving or a name change.

"Help spread the word, and make sure all fellow Pennsylvanians can cast a ballot on November 2. Make sure your voice is heard," said Acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid.

The next election is on November 2, 2021, and if you are not registered to vote, it is not too late. October 18 is the last day to register before the November election this year.

Typically, in Northcentral Pa., mostly Republicans and Democrats run for the major offices we vote for, such as mayor, county commissioner, or governor. And the nominees for all those offices are chosen by voters during a primary election, which is held early each year.

Related reading: Primary election results from around the region, 2021

Now is the time to make sure your voter registration information is correct and up to date. In addition, you may change your name, voter address, or party affiliation with the click of a button. You must make any updates to your voter registration by October 18 for them to take effect by the November 2021 election.

Although the pandemic is far from over, you may still apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot this year.

Many may believe their vote "doesn't matter," but few may realize local elections may impact your life in a greater way than many actions made by any president or congress. Elections also have been decided by just a few votes, according to OnPointFacts.

For instance, for some local offices in Lycoming County, other people have been elected by a single or double write-in vote, like school board member, township auditor or tax collector.

The argument can be made that elections have consequences.
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters.

Pat Loughney was sleep-deprived and panicked as he dug a partially eaten bar of medicated soap from his wifes mouth in the narrow confines of their upstairs bathroom. Minutes later, her face swelled and her throat began to close.

At the hospital, Pat explained to the staff that Candy had Alzheimers disease and her condition had been deteriorating.

Run-of-the-mill forgetfulness had progressed to a dizzying string of misplaced cars, wandering incidents, locks being placed inside their home near Pittsburgh, and Pat staying awake at all hours to make sure his greatest fears werent realized.

There were moments of relative clarity along the way, too.

Alzheimers is like a floor lamp with a loose light bulb on a creaky floor, Pat recalled a physician telling him. Every once in a while theres a connection.

But things kept trending worse, until that September night in the hospital when Pat knew Candy needed more care than he could give. After two days in the ICU, his wife of nearly 40 years  real name Alice, playfully nicknamed Candy because her maiden name is Barr  would leave their home for a long-term care facility in Monroeville.

She did so in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, a public health emergency that tore through similar facilities across Pennsylvania. The result laid bare chronic oversight failures in homes that account for half of all COVID-19 deaths statewide.

Medical professionals and memory care experts say the chaos confirmed what they already knew: Pennsylvania, one of the nations most elderly states, is unprepared for another kind of public health emergency  this one with no vaccine, few preventative measures, and its own set of dire economic implications.

There are 280,000 Pennsylvanians over the age of 64 currently living with Alzheimers disease, the most common cause of dementia, and another 100,000 with related disorders  Parkinsons disease dementia, Lewy body dementia, and vascular dementia, to name a few.

The Alzheimers figure alone is expected to reach 320,000 by 2025 and swell exponentially from there as the baby boomer generation, one of the largest in U.S. history, continues to age.

The longer cases progress, the more likely they are to require full-time supervision that is incredibly costly and already in high demand.

Right now, few state-licensed eldercare facilities have dementia-specific accommodations, with a maximum capacity of 17,157 patients between them.

With hundreds of thousands of cases and the potential for half to be moderate or severe, according to new research, the math favors a growing wave of under-supervised cases and cases managed by loved ones, like Pat Loughney, in sometimes excruciating fashion.

If you want to talk about the future and people with Alzheimers, I think youre going to see the need for more and more of these kinds of places where people can get the specialized care they need, said Diane Menio, executive director of the Philadelphia-based Center for Advocacy for the Rights & Interests of the Elderly.

Experts and advocates give the state a near-failing grade in its efforts to prepare for the coming crisis in dementia care, a PublicSource/Spotlight PA investigation found. An official state action plan has sputtered for years, high costs could push families and facilities to the brink, and those serving on an unfunded state task force concede time is running out  and fast.

This is a public health crisis, said Jen Ebersole, the director of state government affairs for the Alzheimers Association of Greater Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania is not addressing it like a public health crisis.

A need for beds and staff

In Pennsylvania, less than a third of licensed personal care homes and assisted living facilities have dedicated dementia units, with a 10,595-person combined capacity.

Less than a fourth of the states separately licensed skilled nursing facilities, or nursing homes, have Alzheimers disease beds, 6,562 between them.

We do hear time and time again that its just such a challenge to find space, Ebersole said.

The reason there arent more dementia-dedicated spaces already, according to multiple sources, is a mix of economics and the slow evolution of eldercare as attitudes toward, and expectations of, dementia services change.

But limited space in facilities is just one part of the problem.

Specialists are wildly outnumbered, too, a dynamic not unique to Pennsylvania.

There arent more than 1,500 board-certified geriatric psychiatrists for the whole U.S. population now, Joel Streim, a Philadelphia-based geriatrician and professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, said. To put that in context, there are more than six million Americans with Alzheimers who are older than 64.

Perhaps even more pressing, though, is a lack of trained staff who directly care for patients in an industry noted for extreme turnover even before the pandemic prompted resignations.

If you could make more money in Walmart or fast food, why would you come work in a nursing home and, you know, toilet people and take care of their most basic needs? said Kim Jackson, a Service Employees International Union-affiliated nurse with decades in the field.

Setting a higher minimum wage for direct-care workers, like nursing home staff, could curb turnover and give patients more continuity in their care, said state Rep. Dan Miller (D., Allegheny), who hosts an annual disability and mental health summit.

But the idea is likely to draw pushback from the homes themselves, many corporate-owned, if the response to a recent proposal from the Wolf administration is any indicator. That plan would require nursing home staff to spend more time daily with patients and, in turn, nursing homes to hire more workers.

In our current operating environment, this proposed regulation is an unattainable, unfunded mandate that will cripple an essential component of the long-term care continuum, said Zach Shamberg, CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, an industry group representing more than 400 facilities statewide.

Jackson said she was the lone nurse responsible for 40 residents before the pandemic prompted a spate of staff departures and unexpected absences. (Fearing repercussions, she asked that her facilitys name not be used.)

She said shes still coping with the strain of the past year while dealing with a profound and lingering case of compassion fatigue.

I had people dying without their families.

Pressing demand, slow response

Those who cant afford long-term care on their own and who demonstrate an urgent need can apply for coverage through Pennsylvanias Medicaid program, and many do.

Roughly 85% of nursing facility services in Pennsylvania are paid for by the states Medicaid program, per the state Department of Human Services. Pennsylvania spent nearly $33 billion on the program overall in 2019, with the federal government covering more than half the cost.

The number of Medicaid and Medicare recipients in Pennsylvania with Alzheimers disease or a related dementia disorder has also grown every year since 2015  from 37,052 to 58,342 in 2020.

Advocates have for years warned that rising rates of Alzheimers, the most expensive disease in the world to treat, could bankrupt the programs or, at a minimum, lead to deep cuts.

Gov. Tom Corbett in 2013 commissioned a state plan to define a response to Pennsylvanias growing dementia crisis. Among dozens of recommended action items, the plan called for an analysis of negative economic impacts on state programs like Medicaid.

But seven years after the plan was released, that recommendation and many others still havent been completed, limiting the states preparedness for a massive and fast-moving public health emergency.

>> READ MORE: Scoring Pa.s response to the dementia crisis

Pennsylvanias Department of Aging notes some progress: Partnerships with stakeholders have been launched along with dementia-friendly programs and an annual statewide forum on the subject.

Still, without adequate funds, some of the more ambitious  and advocates say meaningful  recommendations in the plan have faltered.

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging blames a lack of resources, adding that its prioritizing activities and focusing our existing resources where we can have the most impact.

Meanwhile, the task force charged with overseeing implementation of the states plan has no money at its disposal.

This is the thing: You can have a plan without a budget, [but] that has no future, said Dr. Oscar Lopez, director of the University of Pittsburghs Alzheimers Disease Research Center.

Jennifer Holcomb, the chair of the task force and a director of memory support at a nonprofit retirement community in central Pennsylvania, agreed with others who rate the states level of preparedness at a C or D, noting a public health crisis of epic proportions does not have a funding stream to match.

The problem is now, Holcomb explained. Its today. Its not coming, its here.

Staggering costs

Advocates described a public health crisis with a looming financial crisis on top, one with disproportionate impacts on the middle class as well as people of color, who are almost twice as likely as white people to be diagnosed with Alzheimers or dementia.

Alison Lynn, a social worker at Philadelphias Penn Memory Center, said its those in the middle class  making too much to qualify for Medicaid and too little to comfortably absorb the costs of long-term care for a loved one or themselves  that will feel the greatest squeeze.

PublicSource and Spotlight PA talked to nearly a dozen at-home caregivers across the state. Almost all said money was an inescapable concern.

Its really scary, said Cathy M., who acts as a caregiver to a husband with Alzheimers at their home in the North Hills outside Pittsburgh. (Cathy asked that her last name be withheld for privacy reasons.)

My daughter thinks that I should be looking more actively right now, and quite frankly, a lot of these places want an entrance fee of over $200,000, she said. And some of the places dont require an entrance fee but its a higher rent. And if your spouse has to go into memory care, that money is used up. And what happens to the remaining spouse?

Cathy said theyve looked at nursing homes with price tags between $6,000 and $10,000 a month when dementia-specific memory care services are factored in.

If he has to go into memory care, we probably have enough money for one year for him. And then what happens to me? she asked.

Medicare does not cover most long-term care needs, often to the surprise of beneficiaries, giving rise to a long-term care insurance market with low rates of participation, sky-high premiums, and a dwindling number of providers. State-run Medicaid programs will cover long-term care, but only for those who qualify, and only in enrolled nursing homes.

In Mt. Lebanon, Moira Aulbach was one of four siblings who each paid $1,500 per month to keep their mother in an assisted living facility that cost around $6,000 a month total.

Their mothers long-term care insurance policy had lapsed, and her savings had already been used to cover long-term care for Aulbachs father, who also had dementia.

Aulbach said her fathers long-term care insurer had refused to cover his stay, believing his condition wasnt grave enough. Aulbach spent months appealing on his behalf, to no avail.

It wasnt a very good long-term insurance policy, but he didnt know, Aulbach said of her father. My parents did save a lot of money, and they tried really hard to make it last, but you just dont know whats going to happen. Aulbachs father died in March 2018 and her mother in June 2019. Moira is now aggressively saving with her own children in mind.

Maryanne V. Scott of Bucks County tried to keep her father, Sam, in his own home as long as she could.

At first, he would forget the year or president. He would mow the lawn but miss large patches. Then he grew paranoid, suspecting someone was breaking in to shut his water heater off.

Scott and her brother eventually found a room for their father that cost around $5,000 a month in 2011  an amount covered by Sams aid and attendance benefits as a veteran of World War II, his Social Security checks, and his pension. The cost ballooned to around $6,500 a month when he was moved to a memory care unit.

I dont know how else you afford it, Scott added of her fathers benefits. Sam died in 2014 at the age of 93 after Scott says he literally forgot how to eat.

One of the states more pointed legislative accomplishments is a newly expanded support and reimbursement program that helps unpaid at-home caregivers cover related costs.

But Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Robert Torres acknowledges the program has been historically underutilized, no question.

During the fiscal year that ended in July 2020, the program paid out more than $7 million in reimbursements to 4,564 individuals. The Alzheimers Association counts half a million family caregivers statewide.

I think theres a lot of room to really solidify what were doing, Torres said. I think were doing some things that are going to improve the situation, but its going to need the focused attention of not just the government but also the general public and private sector.

Brian Duke, former secretary of Pennsylvanias Department of Aging, was in office when the state plan was commissioned by Corbett. The plan is intentionally far-reaching and comprehensive, Duke said  too comprehensive for state government to carry out alone. In short, solving an enormous problem requires an enormous coalition spanning both the public and private sectors.

On a recent trip to see his wife at the long-term care facility where she now lives, in a courtyard surrounded with fences and locks, Pat Loughney held Candys hand in the open air. She looked disoriented and anxious in the sun.

A veteran of the war in Vietnam, Pat described the costs of dementia as emotionally, physically, and financially staggering, adding, I dont think we have come to grips with it yet as a nation.

This story is a collaboration between PublicSource and Spotlight PA, published as part of a Pittsburgh Media Partnership project.




Harrisburg, Pa. -- Home owners should be wary of home repair or improvement scams in the wake of Hurricane Ida, according to a consumer alert issued by Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

He also reminded homeowners of their rights when interacting with home improvement contractors.

As Pennsylvania rebuilds and recovers from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, scammers will try to take advantage of consumer panic to make a profit. Im asking Pennsylvania homeowners to report suspicious offers to my office, said Attorney General Shapiro.

If you have concerns about an unsolicited home improvement contractor, or just want to verify a contractors registration information before paying for home repairs, contact my office by emailing scams@attorneygeneral.gov or calling 1-800-441-2555.

As part of Pennsylvanias Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, homeowners should remember:

A home improvement contractor must provide you with a copy of the complete contract, free of charge.

You have the right to rescind your home improvement contract without penalty within three business days of the signing date, except as provided under law for immediate emergency situations including power or water outages.

A home improvement contract is not enforceable against a consumer if it does not include all of the information required by law.

A contractor may not demand or receive any payment for a home improvement before the home improvement contract is signed. After the contract is signed, the contractor cannot request more than one-third of a contract price totaling more than $5,000 before completion of the project.

All contractors must display their official registration number on all contracts, estimates, proposals, and advertisements distributed within the Commonwealth.

The Office of Attorney General reminded Pennsylvanians that:

After major storms like Hurricane Ida, homeowners may see more instances of scams related to home improvement contracting and government loans or grants.

Legitimate contractors and government agencies will not send Pennsylvanians unsolicited offers.

Legitimate organizations will also not ask for large sums of money, and will provide written estimates and contracts before entering into any agreements.

Under Pennsylvania law, contractors who perform home improvements totaling more than $5,000 per year are required to register with the Office. Pennsylvanians are encouraged to verify contractor registration by calling or emailing the Office.

Pennsylvanians are also encouraged to take proactive steps to protect themselves from home improvement scams by:

Contacting their insurance companies to ensure that improvements are covered under their policy. Once a homeowner selects a contractor to complete repairs, they should not sign insurance checks or claims over to a contractor.

Arranging with their bank or credit union for a Certificate of Completion. The bank will pay the contractor for each stage of the job after they have given their approval.
Lock Haven, Pa.  On August 26, a lawyer reached out to City Police in Lock Haven to report the theft of more than $11,000 stolen from their office.

The accuser told officers he received a phone call on Aug. 25 from a lawyer in Maryland, who claimed a man pled guilty to theft charges and attempted to pay $11,000 toward restitution. When questioned, the man allegedly said his employer advanced him the money.

Michael Todd Doubles, 49, of Renovo was charged with three third-degree felonies that included theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, identity theft, and second-degree felony forgery after the discovery.

Doubles allegedly used a stamped signature to sign the check. He then took the check and had a cashiers check created at Jersey Shore State Bank made out to his attorney.

When questioned by his employer, Doubles allegedly to him the money was out of his 401k.

A partner, who also owned the business where Doubles was employed, said he gave Doubles $550 that Doubles was supposed to put into an escrow account to pay for items. When confronted, Doubles pulled the money from his pocket and returned it, according to the report.

Doubles was given $25,000 unsecured bail and released on Sept. 1. He is scheduled to appear before Judge Frank Mills on Sept. 7 for a preliminary hearing.

Docket sheet
Calhoun, GA (30701)

Today

Cloudy with showers. High 79F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

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Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Local

3 presentations set for Cave Spring City Council work session; residents have ideas about school closing, open container ordinance

Olivia Morley Cave Spring City Hall, 10 Georgia Ave.

The Cave Spring City Council will be hearing from three residents on ideas for the town at an upcoming work session on Tuesday.

The first is from Kym Tillery, who is planning on starting a Pre-K program in the community.

Cave Spring Elementary School is slated to close at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. School system officials have said the closure is due to the gap between student enrollment numbers compared to the number of buildings they own and operate.

However, without the elementary school, there wont be a Pre-K available to children in the area. Tillery said she plans to start her own preschool for the community.

Judy Taylor will also be giving a presentation on her own ideas for the school property.

So far, only the Cave Spring Housing Authority has shown interest in the property, which sits on just over eight acres of land adjacent to the citys downtown area.

Cave Spring leaders have voiced concerns that it could be left vacant or used for an activity that would have an adverse impact as the gateway to the historic town that is trying to boost its economy via tourism.

Also, Linde Marie Wentz, owner of Linde Maries Steakhouse, plans to talk to councilmembers about a potential open container ordinance in downtown as well.

Councilmembers will also be discussing staffing needs for the Nov. 2 municipal election, which will decide three out of the five seats on the city council.

Incumbents Nancy Fricks, Nellie McCain and Charles Jackson are being challenged by Steven Price, Jason West and Stacey Royston respectively.

Where to use Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant money is also on the agenda.

The Georgia Department of Transportation funding is allocated to improve roads in the city that dont belong to the state or federal government. The annual LMIG award is funded through the state gas tax.

The work session will take place Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Fannin Hall on Georgia Avenue. The regular meeting will take place on Sept. 14. Both sessions are public.
Cedartown, GA (30125)

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Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain for the afternoon. High 77F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

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Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
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Xiaomi is planning a huge product launch event for September 15, and it is believed the Xiaomi 11T, 11T Pro, 11T Lite, and the Xiaomi Pad 5 are going to be the stars of the show. A promo video doing the rounds on social media showing 120 W fast charging in action has led to false hopes of a Mix 4 global release.

Working For Notebookcheck Are you a techie who knows how to write? Then join our Team! English native speakers welcome! News Writer - Details here



A video clip of a Xiaomi smartphone enjoying some seriously fast charging support has been popping up online, leading to some hope that the Chinese OEM could be preparing to include a Mix 4 global release in its upcoming online product launch event. The event, which takes place on September 15 at 20:00 (GMT+8), has been given the promotional tag let the magic begin. While the Xiaomi 11T, 11T Pro, and 11T Lite are the obvious main contenders for products to be launched at this event, there could also be room for the recently leaked global edition of the Xiaomi Pad 5, too.

False hopes for a potential Xiaomi Mix 4 global release have been created by a different edit of the promo clip (see embedded tweet below). This particular 11-second shot, as shared by tech stalwarts such as @UnboxTherapy, only shows a mystery Xiaomi smartphone being charged at 120 W max. With no further details or smartphone name offered in the video, many have speculated that this is the Mix 4 on display here, as it is already known that this phone supports 120 W wired charging.

Unfortunately for those hoping to get their hands on a global Mix 4, which has already had its production in China hampered for various reasons, it seems the truth is that the mysterious smartphone on show is actually the Xiaomi 11T Pro. Its already been rumored that the Pro variant of the Xiaomi 11T would support 120 W fast charging, and a different edit of the clip confirms this with the words Xiaomi 11T Pro is coming your way. In addition, Xiaomi has also been teasing its HyperCharge technology in conjunction with the expected 11T range launch.

Buy the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite on Amazon
Melissa Barb, a kindergarten teacher at Middletown Elementary School, has been named the 2022 Frederick County Public Schools Teacher of the Year.
This week we are focusing on cross country. We will rotate through each of the varsity sports going on during the current season. We will post the nominations online, and you get to pick the winner. The winner will have a short feature printed in this week's edition of The N'West Iowa REVIEW. POLL CLOSES 9 A.M. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 15.

You voted:
Don't forget to advertise in the local paper. Use a cash-only policy, or if you feel comfortable taking a check, then go ahead and accept checks. If someone asks you to hold something for them, the answer is no. You'll probably sell it to someone else, and you have no assurance the other person will return to buy it.

Have plenty of one dollar bills and change on hand, and keep a close eye on the cash box.  Heloise

Odds and ends

Dear Readers: Here are some hints that might be helpful to you around the house:

 While making candied yams, try taking a stick of cold butter and grating it over the yams instead of trying to use small chunks.

Painting a wall? First, use a clean broom and sweep the walls in a downward motion to remove dust and pet hair. Your new paint will adhere to the wall better.

 Wax on your rug? Place a metal pan filled with ice on the wax. When the wax is frozen, use a dull knife to crack off the wax.  Heloise

Dear Readers: As we're turning the corner on COVID and the economy recovers, you may find yourself interviewing for a new job or promotion. You need to talk during the interview, of course, to sell yourself, but what are some things you should NOT say? Let's take a look:

-- Never say: "I'm the greatest in my department." Boastfulness can be off-putting. Instead, say, "I'm proud of what I've accomplished."

-- Never say bad things about a past supervisor. If you're talking bad about him or her, you'll talk bad about your new boss. You can say what you've learned, but keep it professional.

-- Don't let on that you like to work alone. Whether it's your thing or not, you'll probably have group projects at some point. You must be a team player.

-- Never state that you are desperate for a job. The employer wants to know what skills you can add to the position. Research the company and talk about that and what your contributions can be. Specific examples of how you grew your previous department would be helpful.

-- Always ask questions about the position and what the expectations and goals are. The one question NOT to ask: What is the salary? The employer wants to know what you can bring to the company before they offer you a compensation package.

Good luck in your job search. Let your confidence and your verbal skills shine, but just be careful not to say the wrong things. -- Heloise

TECH TALK TUESDAY

Dear Readers: We've probably all deposited a check remotely at this point by taking a picture of the check on the financial institution's app. But did you know you can pay bills the same way?

It's called Picture Pay, and it's easy. First, take a picture of the billing statement. Then, in your bank's app, confirm the amount to be paid and submit the payment. Your bank uses technology called optical character recognition (OCR). OCR reads the information from your bill and, with built-in analytics, the bill gets paid.

You don't have to enter your account number or the name of the company either. The computer software does all of that. Check it out. -- Heloise

DISTRACTED DRIVING

Dear Heloise: My friend lost her son tragically to distracted driving. He was shooting video with his phone while driving and took his eyes off the road for just five seconds. That was enough for him to lose control of the car, and he crashed.

My friend wants you to know: Distracted driving is, yes, fussing with your phone, but it is also putting on makeup, fiddling with the radio, eating while driving -- anything that takes your focus and eyes off the road. -- Marisol R. in Texas

Marisol, I'm so sorry about your friend's son. Readers: you must concentrate on driving when you are behind the wheel. -- Heloise

HAIR CARE

Dear Readers: Protecting your hair from chlorine in the pool is smart. Coat dry hair with a tiny glom of hair conditioner especially made for swimmers; it's a good barrier from chlorine. -- Heloise

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can't answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.
Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent of Vermont overseeing the development of the economic package as chairman of the Budget Committee, spent three days traveling across the Midwest, explaining the policy ambitions of the Democratic majority before hundreds of people in Republican-leaning districts.

The Democratic National Committee just concluded a multistate Build Back Better bus tour. Participants extolled the virtues of Democratic governance, trying to show voters in places like Arizona, the Carolinas, Michigan, Nevada, Texas and Wisconsin the real-life ramifications of the bills yet to pass and measures already approved, such as the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief legislation enacted this year over unanimous Republican opposition. Other Democrats are making similar appeals and pushing the legislation on their social media accounts.

At the end of the day, these are real-world things that will have a huge impact on how people will live their lives in a way that we have not seen in policy from the federal government in a very long time, said Jaime Harrison, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a regular on the bus tour.

Understand the Infrastructure Bill One trillion dollar package passed. The Senate passed a sweeping bipartisan infrastructure package on Aug. 10, capping weeks of intense negotiations and debate over the largest federal investment in the nations aging public works system in more than a decade. The final vote. The final tally in the Senate was 69 in favor to 30 against. The legislation, which still must pass the House, would touch nearly every facet of the American economy and fortify the nations response to the warming of the planet. Main areas of spending. Overall, the bipartisan plan focuses spending on transportation, utilities and pollution cleanup. Transportation . About $110 billion would go to roads, bridges and other transportation projects; $25 billion for airports; and $66 billion for railways, giving Amtrak the most funding it has received since it was founded in 1971. Utilities . Senators have also included $65 billion meant to connect hard-to-reach rural communities to high-speed internet and help sign up low-income city dwellers who cannot afford it, and $8 billion for Western water infrastructure. Pollution cleanup : Roughly $21 billion would go to cleaning up abandoned wells and mines, and Superfund sites.



But Democrats are not going to have an open field to make their case. Congressional Republicans are solidly lined up against the budget proposal, which Democrats plan to push through unilaterally using a maneuver known as reconciliation. Together with conservative advocacy groups, they are already on the attack, using the plan as fund-raising fodder and airing ads in the states and districts of vulnerable Democrats in Congress, urging them to oppose a measure that will require complete Democratic unity to pass the evenly split Senate.

For instance, Senator Todd Young, an Indiana Republican up for re-election, noted in a fund-raising appeal that Mr. Sanders made a stop in Indiana to push a reckless liberal wish list budget and warned that the cost would hurt American families.
Covid deaths surge across a weary U.S.

A summer that began with plunging caseloads and real hope that the worst of Covid-19 had passed is ending with soaring death counts, full hospitals and a bitter realization that the pandemic is far from over in the U.S.

The country is now reporting more than 160,000 new cases a day and about 100,000 Covid patients hospitalized nationwide, even as vaccination rates tick upward and caseloads start to fall in some hard-hit Southern states. The resurgence has left the country exhausted and less certain than ever about when normalcy might return.

More than 1,500 Americans are dying most days, fewer than during the winter peak but worse than last summer. With millions of schoolchildren returning to classrooms  some for the first time since March 2020  public health experts say that more coronavirus clusters in schools are inevitable.

Highs and lows: Things got so good in May and most of June that all of us, including me, were talking about the end game, said Dr. John Swartzberg, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, Berkeley. We started to enjoy life again. Within a very few weeks, it all came crashing down.
SEOUL  When he watched the scenes of desperate refugees trying to escape Afghanistan during the American withdrawal  mothers clutching babies, men begging to board airplanes in Kabul  Sohn Yang-young, 70, felt tears welling up in his eyes, his heart aching as if he were there.

His family had lived through a similarly traumatic wartime experience.

Mr. Sohns parents were among 91,000 refugees that the American military evacuated from Hungnam, a port on the eastern coast of North Korea, in a frantic retreat from Chinese Communist troops during the Korean War in 1950. They boarded the last ship leaving the port with refugees  the S.S. Meredith Victory, a United States merchant marine cargo freighter.

Mr. Sohn was one of five babies born on the ship.

When I watched the chaotic scenes at the Afghan airport, I thought of my parents and the same life-or-death situation they had gone through in Hungnam, Mr. Sohn said in an interview. I could not fight back tears, especially when I saw those children.
On a blistering afternoon in late August, a dedicated crew of construction workers moved through the corridor connecting Times Square and Grand Central Station, home to the 42nd Street Shuttle. Here, under the streets of New York, over two dozen figures made of vibrant glass danced along the subway walls.

On Friday, M.T.A. Arts & Design will officially unveil Every One, the first of a three-piece installation by the artist Nick Cave, inside the new 42nd Street connector. The other two parts  Each One at the new shuttle entrance and Equal All on the center island platform wall  will be installed next year.
I lived in New York, so I was always used to having all different kinds of cultures in my friend group, Montgomery said. So that was not unusual. But this was purely Black and Latino kids. And how we all stayed in touch and continue to collaborate with each other is really the strength of the organization.

She has been associated with Sphinx for years, performing in the Sphinx Virtuosi chamber ensemble and eventually building a relationship that extended to teaching at the Sphinx Performance Academy and, shortly before the pandemic, being awarded the organizations medal of excellence.

Jessie was a beautiful chamber musician from the beginning, Dworkin said. Then she had a voice as a composer. It wasnt until several years in that I knew there was this other side.

There was a third side to her artistry as well: teaching. Shortly after graduating from Juilliard, she joined Community MusicWorks in Providence, R.I.  inspired in part by her own education at the Third Street Music School Settlement in New York, and by her mothers community-based practice.

I use the word rigor a lot, but I think the thing that makes anything valuable is the amount of rigor, the amount of focus. The amount of energy that youre putting into it is the thing that really counts, she said. With that guiding her, she added, I watched kids lives in some cases change from really, really challenging situations to  you know, five or six of the students were the first in their family to go to college, and some of them to Ivy Leagues. It was intense, but beautiful.

Throughout her career, Montgomery has tried  with mixed success for her sanity  to balance pedagogy with performance and composing. She was a founding member of the chamber group PUBLIQuartet and later joined the Catalyst Quartet.
Impeachment, which begins Tuesday, leaves little out. There are few historical bases it does not tag. But despite several striking performances, its perspective and ideas break out only occasionally from underneath the pancaked strata of details.

Past installments of this Ryan Murphy-produced franchise took on the O.J. Simpson murder case and the killing spree of Andrew Cunanan. Impeachment, credited to head writer Sarah Burgess, focuses less on the White House and more on the women who drove, or were run over by, the scandal. You might say that this avoids the crime that the title promises. But it also invites you to ask what the crime was, if any, and who committed it.

The first half falls to the modern TV ailment of setup-itis, spending somber hours skipping around the 1990s to recap familiar points: the sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton by Paula Jones (Annaleigh Ashford); the investigation by the independent counsel Kenneth Starr (Dan Bakkedahl); the beret; the blue dress. You may struggle to stay interested if you followed the case (i.e., were alive) at the time, or listened to the Slow Burn podcast season about it.

The through-line is the experience of Tripp, Lewinsky and, to a lesser extent, Jones, each of whom became famous and vilified. Lewinsky meets Tripp after shes been exiled from the White House to keep the president from temptation and scandal. Lonely and bereft, she turns to her older colleague as a sounding board.

At times, its a delicate treatment of an ambiguous relationship  is Tripp genuinely concerned for Lewinsky, grooming her or both? But too often their conversations, which draw on Tripps tapes and other records, feel more like dramatic re-enactments than interactions between real people.
After the coming apocalypse, when prizes are handed out for the best novels that presaged our end, Joy Williamss new one, Harrow, will be a contender in the experimental category. Our mutant overlord critics will ask about it, squatting around a pixelated campfire, wearing goggles, sucking the marrow from squirrel bones, What the hell was that?

As Williamss books go, this isnt a very good one. Her wit misfires more than usual; the ecological themes are overly familiar; there are no real characters to hang onto, and very little plot, not that anyone comes to Williams for scenario.

Expectations are funny things, though. If you blacked out Williamss name on the cover and told me that Harrow was written by a recent graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop, I would probably have thought to myself, A wild one has escaped the infirmary! I greet you, wild one, at the start of an interesting career. Please stop making me laugh while unspooling my intestines.

Such are the mental contradictions when reading a lesser Williams novel.

Harrow is her fifth novel. Its about a teenager named Khristen who washes up, after some undefined natural cataclysm  there are no more birds or oranges, and cockroaches are kitten-size  at a faded retreat filled with elderly, vaguely fatuous eco-warriors.
While the elder Sorrentino gains his sons devotion  and perhaps unjustly escapes some of the parental chaos  through a maddeningly regular routine, Vicki seems consumed by her own dissatisfaction. Despite his best efforts to construct what we now call boundaries, Sorrentino aches to gain his mothers acceptance, a lifelong effort that often results in disappointment.

This all probably sounds very depressing. But more than resentment or self-pity or even grief, what animates this memoir is the very human curiosity about the psychology of ones parents and therefore the preconditions of ones own life. One therapist diagnoses Gilbert and Vicki as codependent; readers might use other terms for members of the family  narcissist, bully, abuser, enabler, victim. But Sorrentino is wary of leaning on the language of trauma, helpful as it might be, to prescribe familiar roles to his parents, or for that matter, to himself. He is more interested in describing the way it feels to exist in a dysfunctional, sometimes estranged, always paradoxical family  unhappy in its own way  from the inside out, and each description feels truer than the last, closer to the center of the familys shared nervous system: I did not think about what made her happy or unhappy; I felt only that my own unhappiness with the situation was the price for having escaped from confinement within the narrowest definition of what it was to be myself.
Agnes He, a university student in the southeastern Jiangsu Province of China, said that she believed it could help rein in fan behavior that had gone too far. But she also fretted about whether she could still buy albums at a discounted price through group purchases organized by the fan accounts.

I am quite sensible when chasing stars, Ms. He said in a phone interview on Monday, adding that she saw pop idols as positive and energizing influences. Its a personal freedom. Just because I like Korean pop idols doesnt mean Im not patriotic.

K-pop fans around the world are known for their organizational prowess, with many decking out billboards, giant LED screens and public transportation vehicles to show support ahead of an album release or a favorite band members birthday. Some have turned to political activism, and others took credit for helping to inflate expectations for a rally in Oklahoma for Donald J. Trump, then the American president, by reserving tickets they had no intentions of using.

But the online armies of Korean pop music fans are running up against President Xi Jinpings sweeping agenda to clean up aspects of the entertainment industry in China. The Cyberspace Administration of China banned the ranking of celebrities by popularity. A regulator also accused an actress, Zheng Shuang, of tax evasion, fined her more than $46 million and ordered broadcasters to stop showing content in which she had appeared.

BTS ran afoul of Chinese patriotic sentiment last year, when its leader, Kim Nam-joon, who performs under the stage name RM (formerly Rap Monster), made a seemingly innocuous remark about the shared suffering of Americans and Koreans during a ceremony commemorating the Korean War.

Chinese internet users erupted in anger, questioning why he had not also recognized the sacrifices of the Chinese soldiers who had fought on the side of North Korea. To pre-empt a nationalistic backlash, multinational brands scrubbed references of their collaborations with BTS on their Chinese websites and social media accounts.

This week, Chinese internet users both celebrated and criticized the suspension of the K-pop fan accounts. Some saw it as a necessary balm against idol worship and excessive spending on celebrities, even going as far as to call BTS an anti-China group and Korean pop music a form of cultural invasion.
How much certainty are you really giving people by throwing an arbitrary date out there? said Todd Brady, Intels director of global public affairs. If we say Oct. 1, who knows?

Intels chief executive, Patrick Gelsinger, acknowledged in an interview that the new wave of Covid-19 cases had definitely stretched things out. The company has been relying on data to decide when to slowly phase employees back into offices, Mr. Brady said, but that does not make the process any easier.

Its challenging for all of us, he said. We get our hopes up, were ready to return to our quote-unquote normal lives, and then we take a few steps back.

In a recent poll of 1,600 employers by the employment and labor law firm Littler, 40 percent of respondents said they had delayed plans to return more employees to in-person work. Half of respondents with more than 10,000 employees said the same.

Leading the charge of postponements are technology firms, which tend to have significant portions of employees who can do their jobs from home. In April, before Delta had become the dominant strain of the virus in the United States, Airbnb moved its date all the way to September 2022.

We anticipate the Covid situation will remain fluid for the upcoming months, making it difficult for us to land a clear return date without a possibility of moving it again, Logan Green, the chief executive of Lyft, told employees in late July after announcing that they would not be expected to return to Lyfts offices until February.

One reason some firms have delayed back-to-office dates is to take into account new considerations as vaccine mandates become more common, advisers say. In a recent Willis Towers Watson survey of nearly 1,000 companies, which together employ almost 10 million people, 52 percent of respondents said they planned to have vaccine mandates by the end of the year, compared with 21 percent that said they already had vaccine requirements.
Divers searching for the origin of a substantial oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico  one of several spotted off Louisianas coast after Hurricane Ida  have discovered three damaged pipelines near the leak, though murky conditions on the seafloor prevented the team from finding the source.

The Gulf of Mexico is covered with a tangle of pipes, wells and other energy infrastructure, much of it no longer used, as a result of generations of oil extraction there.

Late on Sunday, Talos Energy, the oil and gas producer that had been tasked with the cleanup, said that it did not own the three damaged pipelines. The Coast Guard had previously said the spill was thought to be coming from an old pipeline used by Talos, the former holder of offshore leases in the area. The Houston-based company had been conducting an intense cleanup involving a lift boat and other vessels.

The New York Times examined pipeline permits for the area and identified at least nine pipeline segments operated by seven oil and gas producers within a three-kilometer (1.8-mile) radius of the observed origin of the leak. Some of the pipelines were abandoned years ago.
Id also like to recommend this chicken congee I recently adapted from Fuchsia Dunlops recipe, using an Instant Pot instead of the stovetop, with a couple of chicken thighs added to the rice mixture as it cooked for 15 minutes on high pressure, and a dramatic increase in the amount of ginger and scallions. That with some pickled wood ear mushrooms as a mix-in, with splashes of soy sauce and sesame oil? What a comfort of a meal. I had two in my crowd laid low with stomach ailments. This congee got them back in the game.

There are thousands and thousands more recipes to make today and in days to come waiting for you on New York Times Cooking. Its true that you need a subscription to access them. We think our work is worth the scratch. If you havent already, I hope you will subscribe today.

Join us on other platforms as well, if youre seeking further inspiration. Were on Instagram and YouTube (where Sohla El-Waylly and her husband Ham recently joined us to make a meal out of  bananas). And we post our news and criticism on Twitter. (I maintain a place there myself: @samsifton.)

We will meantime remain standing by to help, just in case something goes awry while youre cooking or using the site. Just write: cookingcare@nytimes.com. Someone will get back to you. And if not? Write to me: foodeditor@nytimes.com. I read every letter sent.

Now, its a far cry from smores and stewed rabbit, but Dwight Garners review in The Times of Colm Toibins The Magician got me off to the bookstore right quick.
The leadership at Central Synagogue in Manhattan had big plans this year for the Jewish High Holy Days: After celebrating via livestream during the pandemic last fall, they rented out Radio City Music Hall for a grand celebration.

But the spread of the Delta variant has upended those plans. Now, theyll still use the 5,500-seat music hall, but only at 30 percent capacity. And everyone must show proof of vaccination and wear masks.

In some ways, last year was easier to plan because it was so absolutely clear we would be gathering virtually, said Angela W. Buchdahl, the synagogues senior rabbi. This year we certainly expected all the way until early July that we would be able to be in person for this years High Holy Days.

Many congregations plan their celebrations for the High Holy Days, which are among the most important dates in the Jewish calendar, months in advance. But the recent surge of coronavirus cases has driven synagogues across the New York region  home to the largest concentration of Jews outside of Israel  and around the country to address safety concerns they had thought had been rendered moot by the arrival of the vaccines.
Piping plovers, dun-colored shorebirds that lay their eggs in tiny scrapes in the sand, are easy to miss as they dart over the beach. Chris Allieri is harder to overlook.

This past spring, Mr. Allieri started the N.Y.C. Plover Project, an organization dedicated to protecting the threatened birds on beaches in the Rockaways in Queens. He has recruited more than 50 volunteers who have spent most of the spring and summer patrolling the beaches to defend plovers from dogs and oblivious beachgoers.

Some interactions can be uncomfortable, like when Mr. Allieri intercepted a young woman carrying a small dog from her boat to the shore of Breezy Point Tip on a sweltering Saturday. Not far away a handful of fledgling plovers wheeled over the waves while at least three chicks scampered over the sand.

Mr. Allieri explained that the dog was forbidden. The woman said she understood and returned to the boat. But then a man stomped from the boat through waist-high water, asking Mr. Allieri, You work for the government?
The record rainfall from Hurricane Ida appeared to damage every home on one block in Queens, where some families had lived for decades.

Chelsia Rose Marcius and

The sun beat down on homeowners along 153rd Street in Queens as they hauled waterlogged bags of rubbish out to the curb and placed them alongside heaps of splintered tables, stained mattresses and other vestiges of their lives before the flood.

It was less than 48 hours after the remnants of Hurricane Ida swept through New York City, bringing rushing water that had risen to over six feet, engulfing basements and sluicing through upper floors. Neighbors on the block in Flushing  a stretch surrounded by Kissena Park  had fallen into a quiet, steady rhythm of removing their most treasured belongings and tossing them into the trash on Friday.

Marco Velasco, 51, leafed through a soaked, leather-bound Bible, a present his wife received when the couple purchased their home in 2006.
OnlyFans became a household name during the pandemic, when demand for pornography skyrocketed. People started living their lives online, domestic violence exploded, women lost their means of economic survival even more than men, and inequalities increased. OnlyFans, niche pornography as mediated soft prostitution, was positioned to take advantage of these dynamics.

OnlyFans has been to conventional pornography what stripping has been to prostitution: a gateway activity, sexual display with seeming insulation from skin-on-skin exploitation, temporary employment for those with their financial backs against the wall and few if any alternatives. It offers the illusion of safety and deniability for producer and consumer alike. But the outcry over the proposed ban made clear that only explicit sex  mostly, the sexual consumption of feminized bodies, usually female, gay or trans  sells well in pornographys world. As Dannii Harwood, the first so-called content creator on OnlyFans, told The New York Times, Once subscribers have seen everything, they move on to the next creator. Empirical research has also documented that dynamic.

Though OnlyFans said its motive for the now-retracted ban was to comply with the policies of credit card companies that process payments on the platform, there is some reason to think that the platform was trying to get ahead of its Pornhub moment, in which the possible conditions of its girlfriend fantasy  youth, diminished agency and destitution among them  might be exposed. Allegations have already been made of inadequate screening for incest, bestiality and child sexual abuse. A complaint recently filed in South Korea alleged that OnlyFans hosted videos of minors. (OnlyFans has said the company does not tolerate any violations of our policies and we immediately take action to uphold the safety and security of our users.) There is no way to know whether pimps and traffickers are recruiting the unwary or vulnerable or desperate or coercing them offscreen and confiscating or skimming the proceeds, as is typical in the sex industry. OnlyFans takes 20 percent of any pay, its pimps cut.

Silent in the discussion of OnlyFanss proposed rule is whether preventing underage youth from being used on the site has ever been possible. Prepubescent children, maybe. But almost anyone past the onset of puberty can be presented as a so-called consenting adult. Most women enter the sex industry underage, their vulnerability central to their appeal, hence marketability. Children cannot be protected from sexual exploitation as long as pornography is protected and prostitution of adults is tolerated, because these are the same group of people at two points in time, sometimes no more than one day apart, sometimes at one and the same time  children presented as adults, adults presented as children.

Equally missing in the conversation is any concern for people who have been forced, pimped or deceived or had their intimate pictures stolen. Much of the commentary on OnlyFanss once-proposed rule wails that the consumer should have the right to buy what the producer should have the right to sell. Meanwhile, the coerced, violated, exploited and surveilled have no effective rights against being bought and sold against their will. As long as the violated lack effective rights and equality based on sex, ethnicity and gender, survivors of abuse through these sites  including Pornhub and SeekingArrangement and sites adjacent  will be exposed to theft, coercion and all manner of unauthorized expropriation of their sexuality.
Vaccine hesitancy has never been a core religious belief of evangelical Christians. The vast majority of evangelicals have historically chosen to be immunized against polio, measles, tetanus and other diseases. As a child, I attended evangelical summer camps that required vaccinations, and as an adult, I worked for ministries with similar mandates. Some conservative evangelicals just dont like the political taste of this particular vaccine on the menu.

Even if we grant that individual Christians sincerely (though mistakenly) believe that their religious faith prohibits a coronavirus vaccination, that still does not justify an exemption. Sincerity does not justify putting others at risk. I can sincerely (though mistakenly) believe I should sacrifice a burnt offering to God. All the sincerity in my heart does not justify my setting my neighbors house on fire in the process.

There are, however, proper applications for religious exemptions in other cases. For instance, if my employer offered a mindfulness seminar that required me to utter incantations to a New Age deity, I as a Christian should be able to request a religious exemption. The biggest threat to any legitimate right is the illegitimate abuse of that right.

But even with legitimate religious claims sincerely held, the law allows companies to forgo offering exemptions if doing so places an undue hardship on the employer. Increasing the risk of bringing an infectious disease into the workplace certainly qualifies. For jobs that involve exposure to vulnerable populations, minimizing that risk via immunization is clearly an appropriate job requirement. Religious freedom for a teacher who opposes vaccines does not mean having the right to jeopardize children by being unvaccinated. Religious freedom means that if she doesnt wish to fulfill her employers job requirement, she is free to find another job.

All employers should eliminate any religious exemptions for coronavirus vaccines for Christians, period. New York State has removed its religious exemption option for health care workers, and other institutions should follow suit.

Similarly, religious leaders will need to join with secular institutions in opposing exemptions. Pastors are already being inundated with requests for letters supporting exemptions. As a former pastor of an evangelical church, I know it will be difficult to say no. But my colleagues should do the right thing and refuse such requests. Refuse to mislead our secular neighbors. Refuse to abuse our precious religious liberty. Refuse to be complicit in putting our neighbors at risk.

We need to keep trying to persuade those hesitant to get a vaccine. But we also need to allow employer vaccine mandates to erect a trustworthy shield that protects staff members, patients, customers, students and others. Religious exemptions risk blowing a hole in that shield, jeopardizing everyone.
And yet, despite these indisputable indicators of failed public policy, Mr. Lee has no intention of reversing course. Most Southern Republicans dont, either, and thats why Southerners will continue to die unnecessary deaths  if not from Covid, then from natural disasters, or self-administered abortions, or gun violence, or any number of other preventable tragedies.

Whether you believe in climate change or not, living without access to electricity and safe drinking water is a public health emergency. Whether you need an abortion or not, living where it is difficult or impossible to obtain one is a public health emergency because clinics that provide abortions also provide crucial preventive care like mammograms and cervical cancer screening  services that will no longer be offered when those clinics close. Having more people carrying more guns into more public places is clearly a hair-on-fire public health emergency.

There are people down here working harder than you would believe to make life better for everyone, including for the folks who keep voting charlatans into office. These heroes are working to get their communities vaccinated, to defend mask mandates in schools, to protect the environment, to increase access to health care, and to reform a hopelessly broken criminal justice system, just for starters. Every day I hear a new story about someone, or some organization, whose work gives me renewed hope, just when I am in danger of succumbing to despair.

But every step of the way they are fighting against their own elected officials to accomplish anything. And it is long past time to recognize that some matters are too important to be entrusted to state governments anymore.

If there is anything this pandemic has taught us, its that public health is not a local matter. When hospitals in the red-state countryside close, their patients arrive in blue-city hospitals, taking up beds and lifesaving equipment and putting health care workers at risk. When people in the red states arent vaccinated, the virus continues to evolve, creating variants that pose a health risk to people everywhere else.

We dont trust red-state governments to set baseline environmental-protection standards. Thats a responsibility of the federal government because air and water do not observe state borders. In the same way and for the same reasons, we can no longer trust Republican governors and legislatures to protect public health.

Its great that the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education is investigating Mr. Lees executive order allowing parents to opt out of school mask mandates. It will be even better if federal legislation shoring up the social safety net is signed into law, expanding Medicaid in Tennessee and the other 11 states that so far have refused to accept this desperately needed health care funding. But we still need federal gun-safety legislation. We still need a federal law that protects a womans right to choose.
I think Im sort of exaggerating what the author meant, but theres a bit in there that talks about gossip as an evolutionary tool to bind people together. The actor Adam Chanler-Berat is paraphrasing the Israeli author Yuval Noah Hararis best-selling book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011) on a bench near the entrance of Greenpoints Transmitter Park, a few blocks from the Brooklyn apartment he shares with his boyfriend, the actor Kyle Beltran. In the days of cave people, he explains, gossip was that persons going to steal your food. It was useful!

Its natural for the subject to be on the 34-year-olds mind because hes just finished shooting the debut season of HBO Maxs Gossip Girl reboot, the first six episodes of which premiered this summer, with the rest airing in November. In line with the shows secrets, which are disseminated via smartphones and social media, he found out about his casting when the creator, Joshua Safran, sent him a photo of his headshot on the wall of the writers room, along with an offer to star as a nerdy computer science teacher who helps revive the online rumor mill depicted on the original show. Though Chanler-Berat is an established stage actor, this is his first major screen role  a winking take on millennials whove been dethroned by a younger generation that now rules the internet they once claimed as their own. Not having auditioned, the invitation came as a surprise to the self-described theater dweeb, who first broke out in 2008 as the only Next to Normal cast member to have stayed throughout the musicals entire original Off Broadway and Broadway runs. Since then, he has been repeatedly enlisted to help develop and refine new productions, a shrewd choice for creators looking to tap into the alchemy of intellect and emotional intuition evident in both his work and conversation.
It was a pitch tuned for a politically polarized audience. Erik Finman, a 22-year-old who called himself the worlds youngest Bitcoin millionaire, posted a video on Twitter for a new kind of smartphone that he said would liberate Americans from their Big Tech overlords.

His splashy video, posted in July, had stirring music, American flags and references to former Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Donald J. Trump. Conservative pundits hawked Mr. Finmans Freedom Phone, and his video amassed 1.8 million views. Mr. Finman soon had thousands of orders for the $500 device.

Then came the hard part: Building and delivering the phones. First, he received bad early reviews for a plan to simply put his software on a cheap Chinese phone. And then there was the unglamorous work of shipping phones, hiring customer-service agents, collecting sales taxes and dealing with regulators.

I feel like practically I was prepared for anything, he said in a recent interview. But I guess its kind of like how you hope for world peace, in the sense you dont think its going to happen.
BLAIR, W.Va.  On the shoulder of a lonely stretch of highway miles into the hills, a sign stands in the weeds. Battle of Blair Mt., it says, informing the tumbledown cinder block building across the road that here, 100 years ago, was the largest armed labor uprising in U.S. history.

In late August 1921, thousands of rifle-bearing coal miners marched to this thickly wooded ridge in southern West Virginia, a campaign that was ignited by the daylight assassinations of union sympathizers but had been building for years in the oppressive despair of the coal fields. The miners army was met at Blair Mountain by thousands of men who volunteered to fight with the Logan County sheriff, who was in the pay of the coal companies. Over 12 miles and five days, the sheriffs men fought the miners, strafing the hillsides with machine-gun fire and dropping homemade bombs from planes. There were at least 16 confirmed deaths in the battle, though no one knows exactly how many were killed before the US Army marched in to put a stop to the fighting.

The roadside marker and the spent shell casings found in the hillsides are the only reminders at Blair Mountain that this took place.
Minnesota State Patrol troopers deleted text messages and emails shortly after responding to protests that erupted over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year, according to a major who testified in federal court in July.

The testimony was included in court documents that were released on Friday as part of a lawsuit that the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed last year on behalf of journalists who said they had been assaulted by law enforcement officers while covering the protests.

The purge was neither accidental, automated nor routine, lawyers with the A.C.L.U. said in a court memo on Friday, adding that no one had been able to review the deleted communications to see if they might have been relevant to the case.

The absence of both contemporaneous communications and documentation makes it nearly impossible to track the State Patrols behavior, apparently by design, the memo added.
WASHINGTON  When congressional committees meet this week to begin formally drafting Democrats ambitious social policy plan, they will be undertaking the most significant expansion of the nations safety net since the war on poverty in the 1960s, devising legislation that would touch virtually every Americans life, from conception to aged infirmity.

Passage of the bill, which could spend as much as $3.5 trillion over the next decade, is anything but certain. President Biden, who has staked much of his domestic legacy on the measures enactment, will need the vote of every single Democrat in the Senate, and virtually every one in the House, to secure it. And with two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, saying they would not accept such a costly plan, it will challenge Democratic unity like nothing has since the Affordable Care Act.

That is largely because the proposed legislation would be so transformative  a cradle-to-grave reweaving of a social safety net frayed by decades of expanding income inequality, stagnating wealth and depleted governmental resources, capped by the worst public health crisis in a century.

The pandemic loosened the reins on federal spending, prompting members of both parties to support showering the economy with aid. It also uncorked decades-old policy desires  like expanding Medicare coverage or paid family and medical leave  that Democrats contend have proved to be necessities as the country has lived through the coronavirus crisis.
Mr. Garlands statement appeared to be an initial step by the Biden administration to find a way to counter a state law that has pushed the issue of abortion rights back into the center of American politics.

I think he was trying to send a signal to people on the ground that they need to physically leave clinics alone. I think theres a concern that, from reports on the ground, activists are hanging out at the clinics and theyre watching who goes in and out, said Howard M. Wasserman, a law professor at Florida International University in Miami. There may be some intimidation going on, and so FACE would be a way to stop that.

Senate Bill 8 prohibits state officials from enforcing the abortion ban, a feature intended to make it difficult to challenge in the courts. Instead, it effectively deputizes ordinary citizens to sue anyone who performs the procedure or aids and abets it. Plaintiffs are entitled to at least $10,000 if they are successful.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed the measure into law in May. It went into effect on Wednesday after the Supreme Court, in a 5-to-4 vote, decided not to block it, despite the precedent of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that established a constitutional right to abortion.

Though the majority stressed that it was not ruling on the constitutionality of the Texas law, the decision appeared to confirm the worst fears of reproductive rights activists, who have warned that conservatives were moving aggressively to put in place a court majority that would upend abortion rights.
Jacob Zuma, the former president of South Africa, has been released on medical parole a little over two months after he was ordered imprisoned on contempt charges.

The governments department of correctional services said in a statement on Sunday that Mr. Zumas parole had been impelled by a medical report, but it provided no details about the nature of his illness. Mr. Zuma was admitted to a hospital to undergo the first of several medical procedures last month, the department said then.

Mr. Zuma will serve the remainder of his 15-month sentence under supervision in the community corrections system, the department said, adding that he would be subjected to supervision until his sentence expires. But it gave no details about where exactly he would serve his parole.

His release comes after his staggering downfall as a once-celebrated freedom fighter who fought against apartheid alongside Nelson Mandela and was a powerful figure in the governing African National Congress.
MATAMOROS, Mexico  When the Supreme Court effectively revived a cornerstone of Trump-era migration policy late last month, it looked like a major defeat for President Biden.

After all, Mr. Biden had condemned the policy  which requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico  as inhumane and suspended it on his first day in office, part of an aggressive push to dismantle former President Donald J. Trumps harshest migration policies.

But among some Biden officials, the Supreme Courts order was quietly greeted with something other than dismay, current and former officials said: It brought some measure of relief.

Before that ruling, Mr. Bidens steps to begin loosening the reins on migration had been quickly followed by a surge of people heading north, overwhelming the southwest border of the United States. Apprehensions of migrants hit a two-decade high in July, a trend officials fear will continue into the fall.
The Taliban claimed on Monday to have captured the Panjshir Valley, raising their flag over the last Afghan provincial capital not firmly under their control, even as representatives of the opposition forces there maintained that they would fight on from the mountains.

If the Taliban manage to keep Panjshir under control, it would be a symbolic capstone to the groups lightning-quick conquest and return to national power.

The Taliban never managed to control Panjshir the last time they ruled Afghanistan, from 1996 to 2001, and it was the launching point for the U.S.-led invasion after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon.

Soviet forces, during their occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, made advances into the territory on at least nine occasions, only to be repelled each time, sometimes after suffering heavy casualties.
LONDON  Prime Minister Boris Johnson once famously said he believed in having his cake and eating it, and during a career of dizzying highs and lows he often got what he wanted while avoiding difficult choices.

But the days when he could have it both ways appear to be running out.

Mr. Johnson now needs to choose between two emphatic but contradictory pledges: to put more resources into social care, but also to avoid raising taxes. And as Parliament returned from its summer break on Monday, that has put him on a collision course with lawmakers and some of his own cabinet members.

On Tuesday Mr. Johnson is widely expected to break his vow not to increase taxes when he announces a plan to bolster the nations social care services, a longtime goal of his that he announced outside Downing Street soon after becoming prime minister in 2019. Even before the announcement, the blistering dissent from members of his own Conservative Party has underscored the problems that lie ahead for a government that has ramped up borrowing during the pandemic yet faces huge pressure to spend and deliver on its domestic policy pledges.

Its getting quite crunchy, said Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London. The 2019 general election was all about getting Brexit done  but getting Brexit done so as to be able to get on with improving public services.
JERUSALEM  Six Palestinian prisoners escaped a prison in northern Israel early Monday morning, in the first such jailbreak in more than two decades, the prison service said Monday.

The six men broke free at approximately 1 a.m. after removing a layer of flooring underneath a cell in the Gilboa prison, southwest of the sea of Galilee, according to the prison service commissioner, Katy Perry. That allowed them to access a cavity underneath the prison, through which they were able to escape.

The prison service said five of the men were members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a militant Islamist group, while the sixth, Zakaria Zubeidi, was a former commander of the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a militant group loosely associated with Fatah, the secular party that dominates the Palestinian Authority.

Four of the six had been convicted of terror offenses and were serving at least two life sentences, the service said. Legal proceedings for the other two, including Mr. Zubeidi, the most widely known of the escapees, had yet to be completed.
Surgeons in Israel have separated 1-year-old twins who were conjoined at the head, the first time the unusual surgery has been performed in the country.

The successful surgery at a hospital in the southern city of Beersheba on Thursday was a moment of triumph both for the family and the medical team of 50 that performed the feat after months of preparation. The rare and the complex operation has only been performed about 20 times, Dr. Mickey Gideon, director of pediatric neurosurgery at Soroka Medical Center, where the surgery was performed, said in a statement.

They are expecting a full recovery, he told the Israeli news site Ynet.

It was a moment of weeping and laughter with the family, he said. For the first time the family can hold the babies separately.

The surgery lasted more than 12 hours and involved input from specialists in several fields including neurosurgery, plastic surgery, pediatric intensive care and brain imaging. Two experts from London and New York with experience separating twins took part.
Leading edge of fire: Aug. 30 Burned areas Residential area Fallen Leaf Lake Lake Tahoe Airport Areas burned since Aug. 31 Hospital Shops, restaurants and hotels Heavenly Ski Resort South Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe Leading edge of fire: Aug. 30 Burned areas Residential area Fallen Leaf Lake Lake Tahoe Airport Areas burned since Aug. 31 Hospital Shops, restaurants and hotels Heavenly Ski Resort South Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe Leading edge of fire: Aug. 30 Burned areas Residential area Lake Tahoe Airport Areas burned since Aug. 31 Hospital Shops and hotels Heavenly Ski Resort South Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe Leading edge of fire: Aug. 30 Burned areas Residential area Lake Tahoe Airport Areas burned since Aug. 31 Shops and hotels Heavenly Ski Resort South Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe Leading edge of fire: Aug. 30 Burned areas Lake Tahoe Airport Areas burned since Aug. 31 Heavenly Ski Resort South Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe Sources: CalFire (burned areas through Sept. 5). Satellite image by Copernicus Sentinel-2.  By The New York Times

On Aug. 30, more than two weeks after it was ignited dozens of miles away, the Caldor fire lurched over the Sierra Nevada mountains and began pushing toward Lake Tahoe, one of Californias most recognizable tourist destinations.

Days later, the fire was burning a few miles just to the south of the city of South Lake Tahoe, whose 22,000 residents had been ordered to evacuate.

By this weekend, the fire had not inched much closer, offering hope that a community on edge may be spared.

Even as its path so far has mostly avoided South Lake Tahoe, the Caldor fire has become a stark reminder that few places in the West Coast may be immune to the risk of burning. The fire is now the second-largest actively burning in California, a state that sets new records for wildfires each year.

Caldor and the Dixie megafire, the second-largest blaze in recorded state history, this year became the first two fires to burn across the Sierras.

Area of detail NEV. Lake Tahoe CALIF. CALIF. South Lake Tahoe Areas burned since Aug. 31 Aug. 31 Aug. 30 Aug. 29 Aug. 24 Leading edge of fire: Aug. 20 Caldor Fire Sierra Nevada ridge line 5 miles Fire started Aug. 14 NEV. Area of detail Lake Tahoe CALIF. South Lake Tahoe CALIF. 5 miles Areas burned since Aug. 31 Aug. 31 Aug. 30 Aug. 29 Aug. 24 Leading edge of fire: Aug. 20 Caldor Fire Sierra Nevada ridge line Fire started Aug. 14 Area of detail Lake Tahoe South Lake Tahoe CALIF. CALIF. Areas burned since Aug. 31 Aug. 31 Aug. 29 Leading edge of fire: Aug. 24 Caldor Fire Sierra Nevada ridge line Fire started Aug. 14 10 miles Area of detail Lake Tahoe CALIF. South Lake Tahoe CALIF. Areas burned since Aug. 31 10 miles Aug. 31 Aug. 29 Leading edge of fire: Aug. 24 Caldor Fire Sierra Nevada ridge line Fire started Aug. 14 Source: CalFire (burned areas through Sept. 5)  By The New York Times

In Lake Tahoe, as the community braced to see if it would be spared large-scale destruction, the summer tourism season was cut short and schools were closed. Clouds of smoke and ash have covered a place that has long stood as a symbol of Californias natural beauty.

Since starting on Aug. 14, the Caldor fire has consumed more than 200,000 acres of land, bringing down more than 900 buildings along its path. As it moved closer to Lake Tahoe, fire officials tried desperately to control its flow before it wreaked more havoc.

As of Sunday, the front line of the fire was still limited to the south of the Tahoe area, satellite imagery showed. Mandatory evacuations were downgraded in South Lake Tahoe, creating the opportunity for thousands of residents to return to their homes.

Lake Tahoe Shops and hotels 3 miles Lake Tahoe Airport Fallen Leaf Lake Areas burned since Aug. 31 South Lake Tahoe Aug. 31 Residential area Aug. 30 Leading edge of fire: Aug. 29 Lake Tahoe Shops and hotels 3 miles Lake Tahoe Airport Fallen Leaf Lake Areas burned since Aug. 31 South Lake Tahoe Aug. 31 Residential area Aug. 30 Leading edge of fire: Aug. 29 Lake Tahoe Areas burned since Aug. 31 South Lake Tahoe Aug. 31 3 miles Aug. 30 Leading edge of fire: Aug. 29 Lake Tahoe Areas burned since Aug. 31 South Lake Tahoe Aug. 31 3 miles Aug. 30 Leading edge of fire: Aug. 29 Sources: CalFire (burned areas through Sept. 5). Satellite image by Copernicus Sentinel-2.  By The New York Times

Wildfires in the West: Were tracking dozens of fires burning right now. See the latest here 
The Techa River flowing down the eastern flank of the Ural Mountains in Russia is considered the worlds most radioactive river, as a result of having been used as a dumping ground for nearly 80 million tons of radioactive wastewater over several years.

At first glance, the Techa River looks pristine, inviting even, and youd never guess that it once was  and by some accounts, still is  the dumping ground of a secret nuclear compound responsible for exposing tens of thousands of people to as much as 20 times the radiation suffered by the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. 23 or the 24 rural communities that the Techa flowed by have been evacuated in the last 13 years, but not before thousands of people developed cancers, or suffered chromosomal abnormalities and birth defects. Even today, when authorities claim the levels of radiation in the Techa River are acceptable, Geiger counters still beep ominously when placed near the waterline

Photo: Ural-66/Wikimedia Commons

Sometimes they would put up signs warning us not to swim in the river, but they never said why, pensioner Gilani Dambaev told the Associated Press in a 2016 interview. After work, we would go swimming in the river. The kids would too.

The reason Russian authorities didnt mention the nature of the danger posed by the waters of the Techs River is that for many decades the general public didnt even know about the Mayak nuclear complex located upstream. It didnt show up on maps and people were forbidden to come anywhere near it. Even today, the area is off-limits, so its impossible to say for sure what goes on there.

My opinion is theyre still dumping radioactive waste, Vladimir Slivyak, an activist for the Russian environmentalist group EcoDefense, said. But proving that is impossible unless Mayak says: Yes, were dumping radioactive waste.'

What cannot be denied is that between 1949 to 1956 Mayak dumped an estimated 76 million cubic meters of wastewater in the Techa River, knowing full well that it was used as the main water source by two dozen villages with a combined population of around 28,000. Evacuations of these communities only began in 2008, decades after Russia admitted to the disasters of the past, and by that point, it was already too late for many.

A 2007 study by Greenpeace citing hospital records and door-to-door surveys in the Muslyumovo region traversed by the Techa showed cancer rates 3.6 times higher than the Russian national average and a birth-defect rate 25 times higher than average. A long-term study carried out by Russian and American scientists from the Radiation Research Society also found that out of 17,435 residents born before 1956, 1,933 had cancer and that the vast majority of the population had high deposits of strontium-90 in their bones.

Up until the late1980s, Russian authorities denied the very existence of Mayak as well as the several nuclear disasters it had been a part of. In the end, it had no choice but to admit the damage, reporting that an estimated 450,000 people had been affected by two major nuclear incidents at Mayak. However, they offered no data on immediate deaths, exposure rate or developed illness in the affected population.



Representatives of Russias Romatom and Nuclear Safety Institute describe the current radiation level of the Techa River as incomparably less to what it used to be and completely compliant with the standards of the Russian Federation. And while its certainly better than what it used to be decades ago, according to the AP, the water still has more background radiation than usual. Measurements near the waterline ranged from 8.5 to 9.8 microsieverts  80 to 100 times the level of naturally occurring background radiation.

Russian authorities seem to be acknowledging the danger posed by the Techa to anyone clueless about its nuclear past, as Nuclear Engineering magazine last year reported that hundreds of warning signs were to be installed along its banks.
A precious work of art has been unveiled in Offaly.

This beautiful stained glass window by renowned 19th Century artist Mary Lowndes had lain for years gathering dust in an attic in the rectory in nearby Ettagh.

The Shinrone Bicentenary Book Committee decided to do something about this and they had it restored and put on permanent display in St Mary's Church of Ireland Shinrone.

At Saturday's unveiling David Meredith of the committee said the event was community driven and, without the people of Shinrone, there would have been no such event.

He said the committee was formed for the bicentenary of St. Marys Church. They published a book last November, which has only 40 copies left of a 500 print run. There were almost 40 contributors from across the community to the book. He gave special thanks to Amanda Pedlow, Offaly Heritage Officer, for her support and guidance throughout both the publication of the book and subsequent conservation of the window.

Sharon Greene, also of the committee, spoke as well. She said she was very happy to see this beautiful work of art, once forgotten, now on display agian. Aishling Stanley, aged 13, recited a poem she had written. Stained glass historian Dr. Richard Kimble spoke of the window's conservation. Rev Charles McCartney led a service of dedication with the The Right Reverend Dr Kenneth Kearon, Bishop of Limerick, Killaloe & Ardfert.

Bishop Kearon marvelled at how both the wider community, parishioners and committee had, in such a short period of time and in the midst of Covid, achieved so much. He reflected on how the bicentenary book had raised awareness and greater appreciation of the community's rich history and deep ties to Shinrone.

Richard Kimble said Reggie Goodbody had made an outstanding display cabinet for the window. He said the conservation of this window was undertaken by Marija Kovac, his colleague and friend. The conservation was based on the principle of 'Primum non nocere' - 'first do no harm.' Dr Kimble pointed out that while the window was fragile, it was fundamentally intact. The focus of the conservation was on stabilising the window to support its own weight, reseating the lead where needed and replicating two of the Celtic knots in the bottom.

He said Mary Lowndes was a remarkable woman who became one of the first women to become a professional stained glass artist.

She forged a full-time career for herself when women were normally amateurs, who might occasionally design windows and even take some part in their execution, but they rarely if ever practiced the whole art independently as a full-time professional occupation. She trained under Henry Holiday, who was very helpful to her career.

Samples of Holidays exquisite work can be seen not far from here in St. Michael and All the Angels in Abbeyleix. In fact, it is quite possible that Lowndes may have assisted Henry Holiday with this project, as well as with the series of windows by James Powell and Sons, since Lowndes worked for Holiday, and both worked periodically with James Powell and Sons. These windows in Abbeyleix were commissioned by Lady de Vesci, (another notable woman of her time and patron of the arts). Now, since Ettagh is not a million miles away from Abbeyleix, I suspect the commission for Ettagh had something to do with the impression Lowndes may have made on Lady de Vesci.

The window was commissioned by Warner Hastings, the 15th Earl of Huntingdon, who lived in Sharavogue House, an elegant house which, sadly, was demolished in the mid 1920s after the Earl and Countess of Huntingdon relocated to Leicestershire), and it's possible that Lady de Vesci recommended Mary Lowndes to the 15th Earl.

Apart from Shinrone there is only one other intact Lowndes window in Ireland, in Drumcliff, just outside Ennis.
WORK on what will become a major new amenity in Tullamore is well underway.

The wetlands river project will cover an area of the Tullamore River from the rear of the Tullamore Library following the river downstream and westwards to the railway line.

The main wetland area is at Srah and Kilcruttin, with riparian widening at Marian Place, wetland creation at the old mill pond at Main Street and Kilcruttin, tree trimming at the rear of Main Street and the Bridge Centre car park and river enhancement measures to the rear of Tullamore Library.

Main wetland area at Srah and Kilcruttin

It is proposed to convert this land into an attractive wetland filter area and wetland park as part of the project.

A raised berm or bank is to be sited perpendicular to the existing route of the river channel and used as an island for habitat value. The plan is to allow the main river channel to flow through a wide wetland area, creating filter and habitat marsh areas within the main body of the site. Over time it is envisaged that the river channel itself will become encroached with tall vegetation to provide physical filtration of any floating debris within the river and to slow the flow of water to allow sediments to settle out.

"Essentially we help to replicate the work carried out for free by beavers on natural river systems," says the water section of Offaly County Council.

The wetland will also help to provide space for the settlement of river-washed sediments which will help with downstream water quality improvement.

"Sediment accumulation will need to be addressed as part of an ongoing maintenance programme," a report into the plan states.

It is envisaged that this area of the project will provide valuable habitat for wetland wildlife such as riverside flora, dragonflies, butterflies and bird species. "Flowers such as lady's smock, meadowsweet, yellow flag, water mint and king cup are all beautiful wetland plant species that would grow well in this new area,'' it's envisaged.

Wetland creation at old mill pond (Main Street and Kilcruttin)

To the rear of the buildings on the south side of Main Street the river flows past the old mill. The weir and mill race are in disrepair and the mill pond has become silted and grown over with riparian vegetation. It is proposed to reinstate a riffle feature at the location of the old weir, with natural stone over a long run to allow ease of fish movement while at the same time allowing for a slight rise in the elevation of water levels upriver. This will raise the water level across the vegetated area within the mill pond and create a wetland habitat with the potential to allow greater silt removal than is currently the case, thus contributing to water quality improvements in the river.

Tree trimming of trees at the rear of Main Street

Litter has accumulated along the riverbank and gathered where the trees come in contact with the water. Provision of access for litter picking would allow for safe and straightforward removal by Tidy Towns groups or others as needed, the report highlights. It is proposed to avoid clearing too much overhanging vegetation at this location. Sycamore can be removed or cut back if desired, but alder, willow and elder all provide food for pollinators and birds and should be left to thrive. Similarly the bramble cover also provides food and shelter for birds and pollinators and should be left as is. Indeed, any tree or vegetative cover provides shelter for birds and mammals, including the otter, a report highlights.

River enhancement measures to the rear of Tullamore library

The river has become relatively ''canalised'' and slow in the area upstream of the library building. The plan for this location is to import gravel to raise the river bed level along a section of the canalised river base to allow for greater turbulence of the flowing water. The new riffle area will start just above the bridge to the rear of the library building, and continue upstream for c.50m.

For further habitat enhancement the area could be extended to the new Lidl car park, with alternating pool and riffle sections, it is suggested. This would further increase movement, sound and aeration of the water. The sinuous nature of the gravel placement will increase edge habitat and encourage more natural flow. Benefits for wildlife will include greater diversity of habitat for fish, aquatic insects and other wildlife.
Irish broadband provider, Imagine Network Services (Imagine), today announced it has switched-on a further high-capacity broadband transmission hub in Co. Offaly.

The Irish provider now provides immediate connectivity to over 31,000, homes and businesses in Offaly with 90% of this connectivity being within the NBP intervention area or those properties that are in urgent need of better broadband.

Imagines latest news comes as the company continues to receive strong demand for its service with the Irish provider continuing to win fans amongst its customers with over 60% of new subscribers calling to be connected being referred from existing users of its service.

Sandra Dinan, who heads up the Connecting Communities Team commented: The continued rapid expansion of our exclusive 5G Fixed Wireless Network along with our extensive coverage is a game changer, not only for the people of Offaly but for all of regional and rural Ireland. We have huge plans for Offaly and we look forward to investing even more in future to provide the county with reliable broadband.

She continued: Irelands rural communities need better broadband now which is why we are seeing such demand for our service and why we will continue to invest and focus all our efforts on the rapid expansion of our 5G Fixed Broadband Network. Our network can be deployed in these poor broadband areas within a matter of weeks ensuring we continue to meet this demand and bring high-speed broadband to the families and businesses that need better broadband now.

Homes and businesses that need better broadband can check their Eircode for coverage at imagine.ie

Local TDs, Broadband Officers and community action groups who are being contacted by families and business owners needing better broadband are urged to contact Sandra and her team directly via the dedicated Free Phone 1800938414 or via mail at betterbroadband@imagine.ie
As the COVID-19 pandemic rolls on, so too does its devastating impact on those in the most vulnerable situations. Migrants have been one of the groups very much affected, with their rights to life, health, work and social protection under significant, ongoing threat.

As highlighted by a new report by UN Human Rights on the situation in Libya, the human rights risks for migrants  who already faced violations such as enforced disappearance, physical and sexual violence, arbitrary detention, discrimination, xenophobia, exploitation and trafficking - have only multiplied as a result of COVID-19.

While thousands of migrants continue to take the perilous central Mediterranean route from Libya by boat in search of safety and dignity in Europe, those who remain trapped in Libya, including migrants who are intercepted and forcibly returned to the country, are faced with a precarious and a highly uncertain future.

This has only been worsened by the continued effects of the pandemic.

Based on research and interviews conducted between March 2020 and June 2021, the report looks at migrants experiences in Libya in the context of the pandemic, and urges that migrants human rights be respected and guaranteed as the COVID-19 response and recovery continues.

Migrants face discrimination when accessing healthcare in Libya

I was in pain, and bleeding, said Abdul,* a 16-year-old Sudanese migrant who tried to seek care after being injured in an accident in Tripoli. I collected money and went to a hospital. I was desperate to stop the pain. Once at the gate, no one wanted to rescue me. I was told that there was no doctor to take care of me. I was asked simply to leave.

Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, access to medical care was at a critical juncture, with health systems in the country overwhelmed and vastly under-resourced. Migrants had even less access to healthcare in Libya than the general population. An assessment by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs found that almost two-thirds of migrant and refugee households reported difficulties accessing healthcare, in comparison to 50 percent of Libyan households.

With the onset of the pandemic, medical facilities became even more overburdened, and access to testing, prevention and treatment was limited. When vaccines became available worldwide, they were scarce in Libya, and remain so today.

The report details that hospitals and health authorities in Libya have openly discriminated against migrants, refusing to offer them medical services or care on the basis of their migration status.

Many migrants also fear seeking healthcare, due to the risk of arbitrary arrest and detention because of their irregular migration status. One woman, who had survived a shipwreck and witnessed men, women and children drown, told of her arrest when she went to a hospital.

I was so exhausted and traumatised, she said. I went to the hospital with a baby and other women. The police came and arrested all of us. We were wet and had no clothes to change into. Instead of taking care of us, we were all taken to a detention centre and locked up.

In its report, UN Human Rights is calling on the Libyan Government to ensure timely and effective access to healthcare for all people, regardless of their migration status. It is also urging a guarantee that migrants are included in vaccination programmes, with priority given to those who are at high risk of contracting COVID-19.

Racism and xenophobia against migrants on the rise

The report also found that the COVID-19 pandemic fanned the flames of already high levels of racism and xenophobia in Libya. Migrants were, and continue to be, painted as responsible for the spread of the virus and other contagious diseases, and face deliberate discrimination in access to healthcare, adequate housing and other basic services as a result.

Social media statements from official accounts of the Libyan authorities said the spread of the virus could be stemmed if illegal immigration were stopped. And in Tripoli, people at a protest, including the mayor of a nearby municipality, tried to block the opening of a healthcare facility that aimed to provide care to both migrants and Libyan nationals.

The report calls for action from the Libyan Government to address harmful and negative public discourse related to migrants and migration, including by introducing measures to prevent, monitor and address stigma and incidents of racism, xenophobia, incitement to discrimination, hatred and violence.

The spread of COVID-19 in detention: Social distancing is just a joke

Dramatic increases in the number of people held in immigration detention in Libya are also detailed in the report, alongside a rise in COVID-19 cases due to overcrowded and unsanitary conditions and limited testing and medical supplies. As of April 2021, it is estimated that at least 4000 people were being detained across a patchwork of both official and unofficial detention centres in Libya, which are widely understood to be arbitrary, dehumanising and failing to meet minimum standards for due process or detention conditions.

We are crammed like sardines in a box, said one 22-year-old female migrant. We have no water, no ventilation, no adequate food, no sanitation, no hygiene kits, no clothes. How do you want us to apply these measures? Social distancing is just a joke.

The report is calling for an immediate end to all arbitrary detention in Libya, and to urgently release migrants from immigration detention centres. Human rights-based alternatives need to be instituted, says UN Human Rights, and children, families and other migrants in vulnerable situations should be immediately released.

A call for a more just post-pandemic society

The report highlights the amplification of a situation that was already desperate and dangerous in Libya, where social protection gaps have been further widened, and where the respect and protection of the human rights of migrants have been seriously undermined.

COVID-19 has shown us that excluding and discriminating against groups of people makes us all weaker, said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. To build societies that can be more resilient and resistant to all kinds of shocks, we need to act with greater solidarity.

Echoing this statement, the report says that by implementing its recommendations, the Libyan Government can take concrete steps to stem the negative effects of the pandemic, to recover better, and to create a more just, resilient, prosperous and peaceful society in Libya and beyond.

*Name has been changed to protect identity

6 September 2021
Olean, NY (14760)

Today

Thunderstorms likely. A few storms may be severe. High 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 51F. Winds light and variable.
New Jersey Is The First State To Legalize Fixed-Odds Betting

Published September 5, 2021 by Sol FH

NJ Governor signs bill to put into effect the US-first legalized fixed-odds betting legislation.

The state of New Jersey has become the first state in the US to sign into law, legislation supporting legal fixed-odds horse racing betting after its Governor Phil Murphy signed the proposed new bill.

Commonly known as the Fixed-Odds Wagering Act, the new law allows customers to place fixed-odds horse racing bets with official license-holders, rather than only pari-mutual bets.

Offering the odds, the licensees will have to pay a share of the revenue from fixed-odds wagering to the horse's permit holder.

New Jersey has been a pioneer in all things gambling. Governor Murphys signature comes after the bill saw unanimous approval in both the New Jersey Senate and the Assembly in June.

Major licensee and online wagering solutions provider BetMakers holds an exclusive 10-year fixed-odds agreement on thoroughbred horse racing in the state, welcomed the announcement.

Embracing the Change

The introduction of fixed-odds betting on horse racing by law in New Jersey is a historic moment for wagering in the US and a landmark achievement for BetMakers, BetMakers CEO Todd Buckingham said.

New Jersey has become the first state in the US to offer fixed-odds betting on horse racing and opens the door for the thoroughbred industry to offer fixed-odds betting markets on racing in the same way as sports.

Legalized fixed-odds betting on horse racing in the US has been a pillar of BetMakers strategic vision and this announcement enables the company to press forward with the roll-out of fixed-odds betting in New Jersey, while also setting a precedent legal framework that is relevant for our discussion with other states in the US.
Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia:

Trill Impact, a joint venture between former EQT partner Jan Stahlberg and Nordea Asset Management (NAM), has closed 900m in commitments for its inaugural impact mid-market buyout fund from prominent global institutional investors.

The fund, which was found to invest in non-listed companies with strong sustainability targets, launched in 2019 and has completed four transactions so far, all in northern Europe, said a press release from the independent private investments firm.

The midmarket buyout fund has a strategic partnership with NAM through which it works with responsible investments, global investor relations, and fundraising teams in Europe and overseas markets.

Its limited partners' advisory committee includes AP4, AP6, Allianz Global Investors, New York Life Insurance Co., Lucie, and Andre Chagnon Foundation, Danish pension provider Velliv, Pension & Livsforsikring, and Nordea Life & Pensions, a news release said.

"Despite the fundraising occurring in unprecedented times during the global pandemic, the Fund is one of the largest in terms of capital commitments raised by an emerging manager since the global financial crisis. It is also one of the largest first-time funds raised during the COVID-19 pandemic by an independent private investments firm. Nordea Asset Management has acted as the global distributor for the capital raise, Acalyx Advisors Inc. has acted as sole placement advisor in the US market and Campbell Lu......................

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Steven Behr B. G., Opalesque Geneva:

Steven Behr, the former head of RBS's principal strategies team, has come out of an eight-year retirement during which he managed his own family office to launch a European high yield (HY) credit fund, a spokesperson told Opalesque. This is partly due to consistently outperforming the benchmark with average returns of about 12% p.a., before selling at the top of the market before the pandemic and returning 20% from May 2020 to year-end.

Behr has more than 25 years of experience working in the finance industry. He worked at RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) from 2001 to 2008, initially on the structuring side, then moving to credit research achieving a number One European ranking. He was then asked to set up the bank's proprietary long/short credit trading business, which he ran with a gross AuM of $10bn. He also set up an ABS trading business at Tradition and ran the ABS trading business at Christopher Street Capital until 2012.

In March 2013, he launched Geneva Capital Partners LLP (GCP), an FCA-regulated asset manager specialising in managing bond portfolios based in London. His GCP Fixed Income Master Fund, a portfolio of European HY bonds, averaged over 1.1% gross returns per month from 2016 to 2020.

He then launched the European High Yield Investment Fund, a long/short portfolio of European high yield corporate bonds, for outside investors in April 2021. The fund has......................

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A Review- Keto Gummies Canada - You all recognize that weight management is a significant problem these days when all of you are currently very hectic in your chaotic way of living however certainly, it not a difficult job, right? What then? Don't you wish to keep your body weight normally? Yes? What you have believed after that? Exactly how will you control your continuously boosting body weight? If you are 
The IT and Media Group of Indraprastha Adhyayan Kendra and Centre for Knowledge Sovereignty (CKS) jointly organized a National Webinar on "The IT (Information Technology) Rules 2021" September 4, 2021 (Saturday) at 4 PM online through Zoom in which a total of 241 people from different states of the country participated including many academicians, research students and other distinguished people. The main speaker of this program was Advocate-On-Record (AOR) in the Supreme Court of India, Mr. Ashwini Dubey, who recently filed a PIL in the support of the Government of India in the countrys Supreme Court in the dispute between the Government of India and Twitter. This program was presided over by Dr. Kamlesh Raghuvanshi (Assistant Professor, Ramanujan College, University of Delhi), and the audience associated with this program got the guidance of Shri Ajey Kumar (Head of North Region Intellectual Learning, RSS).

The program started with the worship of Maa Saraswati. After that, the program's keynote speaker, Advocate Ashwini Dubey, explained why India needed a new IT (Information Technology) rule. He said that big Internet companies working in India, in recent years, are working in their own arbitrary ways. While these companies failed to crack down on the fake news, hate speech etc. being spread on social media platforms (which was hurting the peace and harmony of the country and society) they, on the other hand, ignored the instructions of the Government of India. To tighten screws on this, the new IT rule was implemented by the Government of India on May 2021. Dr. Kamlesh Raghuvanshi, presiding over the same program, said that the revolution in the field of the Internet has given a new edge to indigenous startups, which need to be strengthened further so that the arbitrariness of foreign companies can be challenged. Mr. Ajey Kumar of RSS, who was guiding everyone in this program, call upon the countrymen using the internet to become responsible Internet users and they shouldnt work in any way that could harm the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the country.

Shri Vinod Sharma "Vivek" (Head, Indraprastha Adhyayan Kendra), Dr. Deepa Prakash (Director, Centre for Knowledge Sovereignty), Shri Vinit Goenka (Secretary, Centre for Knowledge Sovereignty) and all respected members of Indraprastha Adhyayan Kendra as well as that of CKS were present in this program. This webinar was hosted by Mr. Abhay Pratap and Ms. Anushka while Journalist Meena Trivedi (MCD News) gave the thanksgiving note to everyone. The program ended with the Kalyan Mantra.
Though Amit Shah didn't mention the suggestions, there has been a demand to scrap specific laws that are being misused by some anti-national forces.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday (September 4) that various states, UTs, NGOs and central forces submitted their views on the reforms in the Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and the Evidence Act.

The centre has received suggestions from 14 states, 3 UTs, eight central police organisations, six central armed police forces (CAPF), and seven NGOs on possible changes in British era laws in forces.

A government functionary said it's a work in progress. The home ministry's consultation exercise also covers courts and bar associations.

While addressing at the 51st Foundation Day of Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Shah said the organisation is a key part of the consultation process that's been going for over two years and offered constructive suggestions as part of the centres' efforts to overhaul laws and bring them in sync with modern times and Indian conditions.

Shah also said the police receive unfair criticism, though they are often tasked with difficult and sensitive arguments.
The Mob attacked Hindus from a poor background in the Bhainsa district in January 2020 and burnt ten houses and many vehicles.

Seva Bharati, along with Keshav Seva Samiti, handed over ten new houses it built for the victims of Bhainsa violence. A mass griha pravesh was conducted on September 1, 2021, during which Akhila Bharatiya Seva Pramukh, Parag Abhayankar, handed over the new houses, which were built at the cost of one crore.

Speaking on occasion, Parag Abhayankar stressed the urgent need for unity among Hindus. The Hindu society must inculcate self-confidence and mutual generosity. He explained various social service activities and projects undertaken by Seva Bharati and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Member of Parliament of Adilabad, Soyam Babu Rao, participated in the program and condemned the ruthless attacks on the Bhainsa Hindus. He promised to stand by the Hindus in their hour of need. Sanghchalak of RSS Telangana, Burla Dakshina Murthy, observed that Seva Bharatis initiative in building new houses was very reassuring.

Hooligans launched an unprovoked and premeditated attack on Hindus at Bhainsa in January 2020. The mob burnt the houses, destroyed all the household belongings of the Hindus living in that area. Twelve houses were partially burnt, while ten houses were turned into ashes along with many vehicles.

Seva Bharati swiftly came to the rescue of the victims, along with many philanthropists, and provided immediate help like food grains, assurance, and daily needs to the members of the 22 families. After providing immediate assistance, Seva Bharati volunteers decided to construct ten new houses for the victims and undertook the project with the cooperation of Telangana state Seva Bharati and Keshav Seva Samiti, Bhagyanagar. Most of the beneficiaries were a meat seller, a small shopkeeper, a simple clerk, a widow, and two farmers.
The U.S. House of Representatives wants to include India, South Korea, Japan, and Germany in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance. The House Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations submitted last month a draft amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for next year.

The Five Eyes (FVEY) is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States. These countries were parties to the multilateral UK-USA Agreement, a treaty for joint cooperation in signals intelligence. It evolved during the Cold War as a mechanism for monitoring the Soviet Union and sharing classified intelligence. It is often described as the world's most successful intelligence alliance. The FVEY further expanded their surveillance capabilities during the war on terror, emphasising the monitoring of the World Wide Web. The former NSA contractor Edward Snowden described the Five Eyes as a "supra-national intelligence organisation that does not answer to the known laws of its own countries."

Five Eyes processed intelligence is gathered from multiple sources; the intelligence shared is not restricted to signals intelligence (SIGINT) and often involves defence, intelligence and human intelligence (HUMINT), and geospatial intelligence (GEOINT). Backdoor entry into applications like WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram so that intelligence agencies and other law enforcement agencies can access the content in these messengers legally when it comes to public safety issues like human trafficking, sexual exploitation of vulnerable groups and terrorism.

Encryption is vital, and privacy and cybersecurity must be protected, but it should not come at the expense of "wholly precluding law enforcement, and the tech industry itself, from being able to act against the most serious illegal content and activity online." End-to-end encryption means that the messages are visible only to the sender and the recipient, not even to the tech company that provides it, such as WhatsApp or any third party. The U.S. House of Representatives wants to include India, South Korea, Japan, and Germany in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance. The House Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations submitted last month a draft amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for next year.

The committee directs the director of national intelligence, in coordination with the secretary of defence, to provide a report not later than May 20, 2022, on current intelligence and resource sharing agreements between the United States and the countries of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom; as well as opportunities to expand intelligence sharing with South Korea, Japan, India, and Germany.

The committee said the threat map has changed significantly since the launch of Five Eyes, and the main threat now comes from China and Russia. It reiterated the importance of closer cooperation in the face of rivalry between superpowers and the need to tighten alliances with other democracies with similar beliefs.

The council's secretariat is at the Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, Washington DC, United States. In September 2018, India and the U.S. had signed the landmark Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), which has led to India having access to real-time American intelligence and vice versa. This intelligence also includes critical intelligence on military deployments by China and Pakistan. India will have a significant presence and usefulness in the Five Eyes network, especially when facing the Two and Half War digital war and next-generation technology. We need to make decisions that are based on present and future threats.

Five Eyes have jointly condemned China's treatment of its Uyghur population in Xinjiang province. They have expressed concern over China's de facto military takeover of the South China Sea, its suppression of democracy in Hong Kong and its threatening moves towards Taiwan, which China has vowed to take back by 2049.

At the last one can conclude that given India's bilateral, regional and global sudden geopolitical changes. Pakistan Proxy government in Afghanistan, never fading Taliban and China friendship: Russia's gamble via Central Asia with Taliban and coming together with China and Pakistan, China's everyday threat in all forms surrounding us making global alliances in all forms and with all like-minded countries can be useful for India's geopolitical interest? Though there are questions that there was an intelligence failure to assess Taliban sudden takeover or Mumbai blasts or 9/11 minimum mechanism and an Indian fortress of alliances can be done to deter future course of events. For India, we need alliances, intelligence sharing, a democratic nation's assimilation for the future peace and tranquillity of the world. The alliance has to transcend into a unified, diplomatic or political pressure group so that the democratic world wins and the enemies are contained?

(The writer is a Political Analyst, Columnist, International Affairs & Korea Expert.)
The aphorism "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - World in One Family" is quite often invoked by many high and mighty idealists to lay claims to high order civilizational and philosophical heritage as an alternative ideology to resolve endemic conflict proliferations worldwide.



None can deny the uniqueness of the concept with its focus on oneness, cosmic unity, morality and ethics. Unless there is reciprocity, it is not possible to effectively implement it. Mankind's history abundantly testifies futility of reciprocity, which is an imperative if the ideology of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is to guide the course of mankind's affairs. Ipso facto, wars and violence have always been endemic and will be so even in posterity. Let none suffer from illusions on the above count.



If the principle of reciprocity is not kept in mind then an ideal like Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which is our greatest strength based on the principle of self restraint, can turn into our greatest weakness. After all, national power today is assessed by the hard power of countries. Ironic, India too is pursuing hard power accretion to deter and dissuade adversaries.



Indian history offers many lessons to highlight woeful absence of reciprocity. Stating the obvious, treachery, intrigue, internecine wars of indigenous dynasties paved the way to Muslim invader Muhammad of Ghor to defeat Prithvi Raj Chauhan at the Second Battle of Tarain (1192) that resulted in Islamic consolidation in India.



In retrospect, alien - either the Muslims or the British - invaded to plunder the wealth of India by "divide and rule" policies. What does it imply? Lack of internal unity paves the way for exploitation by aliens, who have scant respect for the idealistic concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam .



Otto von Bismarck ruminated that 'Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others." In retrospect, "Idiots refuse to learn from their own mistakes".



None can deny that the spectrum of intellectual critical thought swings between idealists, optimists, pessimists and pragmatists. To make sense out of differing views is vexatious what to talk of culling out and reconciling them in the current context and content of geopolitics in pursuit of power. Nonetheless an attempt is made to provide a perspective of realities.



However, today mankind is traversing in the throes of the "Kaliyug Age", most hawkish and predatory. "Might is Right" and "Survival of the Fittest by hook or crook" are real. Upholding "Dharma" may have been relevant during the Mahabharata era; but not in today's hawkish global security strategic environment.



Viewed in the above developing transformational and transactional strategic context, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam conceived during the Vedic Age - Maha Upanishads (1200-1000 BCE) - when India's population could have been barely 25-30 million (169 million in 1800 AD) and highly insular from the rest of the world, is a highly idealistic or optimistic by original conception in Sanskrit language understood by civilized people, but unacceptable to uncivilized and uncultured people who cannot grasp its meaning and cannot be applied to them.



"Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" was part of Maha Upanishads. And Bhagavad Purana of bygone ancient era hails it as the "loftiest Vedantic thought" - highly idealistic and utopian.



Basic understanding of the evolution of religion in India is vital to know more about "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam". Interactions based on egalitarian and collective principles between various clans during 2nd millennium BCE (between 2000 through 1001 BCE) produced higher order philosophies during three periods: Vedic, Brahmanism and Hinduism. Brahmanism gradually evolved into Hinduism between the 6th and 2nd centuries BCE. Internal contradiction of religious philosophies followed during the above periods led to the emergence of two new religions - Buddhism and Jainism. Later, followed Sikhism, the Sakti Cult, Brahmo and Arya Samaj and many other philosophies.



In retrospect, the fusion of many different religious philosophies took place over a number of millennia's to cater for the politico-socio-economic needs of the then existing societies to assume the form of Hinduism - the religion practiced by the Hindus, a derivative of Sindu as labeled by the Arabs.



The religious philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is highly idealistic by conception. Its purpose is not imposition, but enabling understanding. The shift is from an I-Thou approach to an I-We approach: harmony of civilizations. And, not a clash of civilizations. Also, it should be based on holistic-Unitarian-organic approach, but not on individualistic- isolationist-dichotomous approach. Its end objective is harmony and peace.



Dharma is yet another highly idealistic universal principle in today's world due to competing religions to claim pole positions. "Sanatana Dharma (the original name of what is known as Hinduism today)" is yet another highly idealistic philosophy. After all, national interests override "Dharma". Nations invoke policies and strategies most appropriate to environmental contexts and contents - not "Dharma Centric". Thus, "Dharma or Sanatana Dharma '' as the bedrock of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam philosophy is utopian and mirage.



Any attempt, therefore, to apply Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam as guidelines for foreign policy and security strategy postures with utter disregard to prevailing global security environment is doomed for disaster. Reciprocity is an imperative in international affairs if one wants to forge peace.



Realpolitik, that is, a system of politics or principles based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations must, therefore, form the basis of India's foreign policy particularly with regard to admission of refugees of alien religions from other countries. Pragmatic thought processes must govern strategic approaches; but not egalitarian idealistic philosophies.



What are current realities of conflictual rivalry between the three religious philosophies/political ideologies and their likely course in posterity? To recount, Christianity was much later in development (Jesus was born between 6 and 4 BCE and crucified in AD 30 or 33). Christianity claims that the full truth has been revealed 2000 years ago only to Jesus Christ by the one Supreme Being (called God in English), and therefore truth is only with his Church. All must become Christians and follow what Christ said, if they want to be saved from hell.



Islam was much later development in 622 AD. Islam claims that the final truth has been revealed some 1400 years ago to Prophet Mohamed by the one Supreme Being (called Allah) and therefore Islam is the only true religion. All must become Muslims and follow what Prophet Mohamed said, if they want to be saved from hell.



Today, all three religions in India are locked in a grim fight to gain ascendancy with Sikhism too locked in the battle. India faces a grim challenge from within exacerbated by external actors. Let none suffer from illusions on the above count.



Add to them, three politico-economic ideologies in conflict with each other: liberal and democratic; leftist and autocratic; and Islamist political Ideologies. Human rights, particularly women's rights is yet another critical issue.



Let me highlight experts views that Ideological approaches by nature are different from philosophical approaches. Ideologies are exclusive and based on the attitude: I am right, you are wrong. The philosophical approach is that of also: I am right, you may also be right.



Ipso facto, Islamist political ideology is "revolutionary" strategy of Islamizing society through exercise of state power, or alternately a "reformist" strategy to re-Islamizing society through grass-roots social and political activism. Islamists emphasize the implementation of Sharia, pan-Islamic political unity, the creation of Islamic states, or the selective cleansing of non-Muslim influences; particularly of Western economic, military, political, social, or cultural nature in the Muslim world.



The triumph of the Taliban over the American led INSAF in Afghanistan is today viewed by quite a few as civilizational blow and almost cultural defeat - the worst capitulation of Western values in our lifetimes or "end of an era of Western liberalism and democracy "or a defeat of Western ideology. Liberalism is the root cause.



Radical Islamists are hell bent upon reclaiming their lost glory and spread their religion global wide by al Jihad or Technology Age Crusades. For tactical or strategic reasons, they may offer temporarily a "New Image" - strategic retreat to moderation. After consolidation in Afghanistan, they are mostly likely to collude and resume their offensives into vulnerable neighboring nations particularly liberate Kashmir in the immediate context.



Finally, the issue of providing shelter, safety, and security to the migrating exodus of Afghan refugees fleeing from the Taliban regime from Afghanistan invoking Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam as justification is the most heinous fraud on Hindu community.



The real issue raised in social media that needs to be squarely addressed is simple. When there are over 52 Muslim majority countries with Islamic State credentials, surely they must be the first ones to provide shelter to refugees and advance their rehabilitation and resettlement in their domestic backyards by giving asylum.



For example, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia competing for dominant status in the Middle East region must first accept refugees. Add to them, all Muslim neighboring nations like the Gulf Countries, Iraq, Syria, Central Asiatic Republics (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan), Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Malaysia, Indonesia and others. Even Russia and China must accept Afghan refugees since they too have Muslim minority dominated provinces.



First, the Muslim countries neighboring Afghanistan must share the burden of Afghanistan refugees. Next only other nations with the U.S. and the NATO countries accepting all those who worked for them during the past 20 years.

Yet another significant factor that must govern India's policies is the land bearing capacity. With nearly 140 crores of population soon, India is mired in poverty, unemployment besides caste, communal and class conflictual divide. By adding more one sided communal numbers, one is only compounding the challenges and accompanying risks associated with them.



In sum, India political and policy decision makers must not get carried away by the idealistic philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam to conflate the prevailing communal divide. Even in exceptional cases on purely humanitarian grounds, India should give transit temporary visas only keeping in view of the irrefutable fact that children born to them would claim natural citizenship status.
Dilip Ghosh leader alleged that EC has taken the responsibility of making Mamata Banerjee win.

Kolkata: West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Sunday (September 5) questioned Election Commission (EC) over its decision to hold by-polls in West Bengal and said if it is the responsibility of the EC to make Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee win the polls and allow her to retain the chief ministerial post.

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari defeated Banerjee in the Nandigram assembly constituency in the Assembly polls held earlier this year. She will now contest from Bhabanipur seat, which is going to the polls on September 30.

Speaking to ANI, Ghosh said, "The Election Commission has clearly written in its press note that it was told by the Chief Secretary that if this election is not conducted, then a situation of constitutional crisis will arise since Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is not elected to the state assembly."

"I believe that the responsibility of forming the new government rests with the Election Commission. It is their responsibility to conduct fair elections. The election has happened and the TMC has come with the majority. But making one particular person the chief minister is not the responsibility of the Election Commission," emphasised the BJP leader.

He said the by-elections were not conducted in Tamil Nadu, Bihar and even in Uttarakhand, where the BJP had to replace the chief minister. The BJP leader alleged that EC has taken the responsibility of making Mamata Banerjee win.

"In the EC press note, it is stated that election is being held for Mamata Banerjee to remain in the post of the chief minister. But what is the guarantee that she will win the election? Why is this being said a constitutional crisis? Any other can also become chief minister in her place," Ghosh said.

"For two-and-a-half years, the elections for the municipal bodies were not conducted stating the COVID situation. But why is there so much deliberation for the by-election? Bye-elections are not being held in many places in the rest of the country. Do the people there not have the right to elect their representatives?" he added.

Meanwhile, the TMC announced that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would contest from the Bhabanipur assembly constituency on Sunday. Further, TMC leaders Jakir Hossain and Amirul Islam will be the party's candidates from Jangipur and Samserganj seats, respectively.

On Saturday, the Election Commission has announced to hold by-elections to three assembly seats in West Bengal on September 30.

These constituencies include Bhabanipur, the traditional seat of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, from where she will contest the by-elections. Besides Bhabanipur, by-polls will be held in Samserganj and Jangipur constituencies. The counting of votes will take place on October 3.

In May, the Bhabanipur assembly seat was vacated by West Bengal Agriculture Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, making way for Mamata Banerjee to contest from the seat. The election on the seat is crucial for Banerjee to win if she has to remain the chief minister of the state.

The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC registered a landslide victory in polls, winning 213 seats in the 294-member West Bengal assembly.

Despite aggressive campaigning, the BJP lost the polls but emerged as the second-largest party with 77 seats.

Courtesy: ANI
Taiwans Defence Ministry said that 19 Chinese military aircraft including fighters and nuclear-capable bombers entered its Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) yesterday.

Taipei has been complaining for more than a year about repeated missions by Chinas Air Force near the island. China sees democratic Taiwan as a breakaway province, but Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign state.

Taiwans Defence Ministry said, Sundays mission by the Chinese Air Force involved four H-6 bombers, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, as well as an anti-submarine aircraft.

Taiwan deployed missile systems and dispatched combat aircraft to warn away the Chinese planes, the Ministry added.

Last week Taiwans Defence Ministry warned that Chinas armed forces could paralyse Taiwans defences and that the Chinese threat is growing.

It was not clear what might have prompted China to launch its aircraft this time, but China has been describing its activities as necessary to protect the countrys sovereignty and deal with collusion between Taipei and Washington.

State media quoting Chinese mainland analysts said, it was a part of a routine drill, which displayed the unshakable power gap between the PLA and the armed forces on the island despite Taiwans recent military spending proposal targeting the PLA.

Beijing often launches such missions to express displeasure at comments made by Taiwan.

In June, it sent 28 military jets into the ADIZ  the largest incursion reported by Taiwan to date. On 24th of January, a similar mission saw 15 aircraft entering Taiwans air defence zone while on 12th of April, Taiwan reported 25 jets.

(AIR)
Unity in variety is the plan of nature, and the Hindu has recognised it. Every other religion lays down certain fixed dogmas, and tries to force society to adopt them. It places before society only one coat which must fit Jack and John and Henry, all alike. If it does not fit John or Henry, he must go without a coat to cover his body. The Hindus have discovered that the absolute can only be realised, or thought of, or stated, through the relative, and the images, crosses, and crescents are simply so many symbols-so many pegs to hang spiritual ideas on. It is not that this help is necessary for everyone, but those that do not need it have no right to say that it is wrong. Nor is it compulsory in Hinduism.

 Swami Vivekananda, PAPER ON HINDUISM, Read at the Parliament of Religions - Chicago, September 19, 1893

Talibanism is back with a bang. The ideology of terrorism that executed the 9/11 attack is regaining the space along with the concept of 'global Caliphate'. Communism, otherwise claims to be anti-religion, perceives the Islamists as strategic allies. The US led Western world has lost steam and strategy to deal with this deadly alliance. However, guess what? Globally, self proclaimed intellectuals are discussing Hindutva (Hinduness) as a threat, and devising strategies to dismantle the Universal thought. In Bharat, the same forces are conspiring to denegrade the civilisational legacy by mocking festivals and dividing the society on various faultlines. Why is Hinduness that stands for harmony among human beings and the entire universe at the receiving end?

For almost a thousand years, Islamists, followed by Western capitalists and then communists, tried to eliminate the Hindu civilisation physically and intellectually. Juxtaposed to other ancient civilisations that got buried under binary rules of existence, Hindu ethos survived like the sole sanctuary of celebrating diversity. This tenacity and perseverance of the Hindu civilisation is the biggest problem for ideological constructs that are parochial & exclusionary. Despite all their attempts to diminish Hindu thought and identity, Hinduness has been flourishing in diverse forms.

During the barbaric aggressions, Bhakti movement kept the flame of Hinduness alive through means of devotion. Later, Kshatra Dharma - the pursuit of protecting the seekers and punishing the evildoers - was rekindled in the form of Chhatrapati Shivaji and his Hindavi Swaraj. During the struggle against European colonisation, freedom fighters revitalised the philosophy of Karma Yoga. Swami Vivekananda and his message of Universal Brotherhood found global resonance with a beautiful blend of Bhakti, Jnana and Karma Yoga. The resilient Hindutva not just reinvent and reform but also resist the monopolistic and monotheistic impositions. The Ram Janmabhoomi Movement was a similar social awakening in recent times.

Adaptability, inclusiveness, harmony, and spiritual democracy are Hindutva's unique foundational features that make it 'Sanatan' - Eternal. It provides an alternative form of modernity and does not fit into the right-left ideological divide. The deep-seated dilemma of the Western constructs is their inability to deal with the dynamism of Hinduness. How can spirituality and prosperity, individual and collective, oneness and diversity be synthesised in one thought process; is a puzzle for them. So create confusions based on the Western paradigm is the primary strategy. Their prodigies in Bharat follow the same prism. Initially, they mocked and denied the national identity called 'Hindu'. When the same identity galvanised the entire socio-political milieu, they tried to create frictions based on smaller identities. With the limited results on that front, Hinduism is good but Hindutva should be dismantled is the next step, a clear sign of frustration.

As the inheritors of this eternal and all-inclusive civilisation, our solemn duty is to face the situation with a new resolve. Any attempt to exploit the non-monotheistic character of Hindutva must be resisted within and outside Bharat. The tendencies of bigotry, violence, environmental degradation and dehumanisation of economic activities are on the rise. For many, the Hindu paradigm is a solution to all these problems. So, there is a contradicting trend of increasing acceptance on one hand and attempts to spread hatred for Hindutva, on the other. Amidst such a scenario, revisiting the other 9/11, the Chicago speech and message of Universal Brotherhood delivered by Swami Vivekananda is the best way forward. When Swamiji declared, "I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance", he was articulating and presenting Hinduness to the world. For the sake of entire humanity, we must celebrate this Hindutvas message of Universal Acceptance while unitedly resisting the forces of hatred and exclusion.


New Delhi: Signaling the beginning of a possible paradigm shift in global approach towards the Af-Pak region, Iran on Monday, Sept 6, said that the siege of Panjshir is by no means acceptable in terms of international law and said it is examining the possibility of 'foreign intervention'

Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said: "We are currently examining the possibility of foreign intervention in the Panjshir attacks.

The remarks hinted towards Pakistan came shortly after Taliban claimed that the insurgents - all set to take over power formally in Kabul - have taken control of the Panjshir province.

The spokesman also said the "martyrdom" of the Panjshir commanders is utterly disappointing.

He also said, Afghan history shows that direct and indirect intervention will only result in the defeat of the aggressors.

"I strongly warn that all red lines and obligations under international law must be observed. Iran is closely following developments in Afghanistan," he said.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement saying Panjshir was now under the control of Taliban.

But the National Resistance Force (NRF) of Panjhir has strongly denied the claims.

"Talibans claim of occupying Panjshir is false. The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight. We assure the people of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban & their partners will continue until justice & freedom prevails," the NRF tweeted.

It further said in the micro blogging site: "Regretfully, The National Resistance of Afghanistan lost two companions in the holy resistance against oppression and aggression today. Mr. Fahim Dashty, NRF spokesperson, and General Abdul Wudod Zara were martyred. May their memory be eternal".

Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi has called for elections in Afghanistan and said on Sunday: A government should be established there which is elected by the votes and the will of the people.... The Islamic Republic (Iran) has always sought peace and calm in Afghanistan, and an end to bloodshed and fratricide, and the sovereignty of the peoples will".

While the Taliban follow the Sunni beliefs of Islam, the Hazaras are Shias. Iran also is a powerhouse of Shias.

Meanwhile, a write up in Iran's popular Tehran Times says: "US allies in the region have sensed the danger of being abandoned by Washington. Some believe that the US humiliating escape from Afghanistan would serve as a wake-up call for those who still pin hope on Washington to protect them".

Iran has had serious issues with the US for the last few years over the former's nuke programme.

Following the fall of Afghanistan, all eyes are now on Iran, Russia and China who are in the neighbourhood.

There is an apprehension that pushing of radical Islam vis-a-vis Taliban takeover could spell some bigger troubles in the region. There is always a chance of a spillover.

Lesson learned: Who can trust the United States anymore? ran a headline in Al-Arab newspaper, believed to be close to the United Arab Emirates. It said, With the last American planes leaving the capital, Kabul, policymakers' thoughts must turn to the future and how to deal with and rely on a new reality in the relationship with the United States.

The 'Financial Times' quoted an Arab foreign minister remarking that the main problem is the dependence of Arabs on foreigners, and then, when foreigners change their policies, "we are lost".
New Delhi: In the first BRICS Summit post-Afghanistan fall, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the session in presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on September 9.

"As part of Indias ongoing Chairship of BRICS in 2021, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will chair the 13th BRICS Summit on September 9, 2021 in virtual format," an MEA release said.

The meeting will be also attended by President of Brazil, Jair Bolsanaro and President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa.

Indias National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, President of the New Development Bank, Marcos Troyjo, the pro tempore Chair of the BRICS Business Council, Onkar Kanwar and pro tempore Chair of the BRICS Womens Business Alliance, Dr. Sangita Reddy, will present reports on the outcomes pursued this year under their respective tracks to the Leaders during the Summit.

The theme for the Summit is BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS cooperation for continuity, consolidation and consensus. The Indian Chairship of BRICS this year coincides with the fifteenth anniversary of BRICS, as reflected in the theme for the Summit.

India had outlined four priority areas for its Chairship.

These are Reform of the Multilateral System, Counter Terrorism, Using Digital and Technological Tools for achieving SDGs and Enhancing People to People exchanges.

In addition to these areas, the leaders will also exchange views on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other current global and regional issues.

This is the second time Prime Minister Modi will be chairing the BRICS Summit.



Earlier he had chaired the Goa Summit in 2016.

In view of fluid situations in Af-Pak region, the observations of Xi Jinping and Putin on BRICS stage would be important. Both Russia and China had abstained when UNSC under India's chairmanship had adopted resolution on Afghanistan situation.

China is known for having soft on Taiban and also hosted a delegation of the militants in July. India has been firm in its stance that no part of Afghanistan soil should be used for cross border terror activities against India or any other country.
The suspect coerced the woman to sit in his car and took her to a deserted area near Chaman Bypass and repeatedly tried to rape the sub-inspector while threatening her with his pistol.

Islamabad: A female sub-inspector from the Pakistan Police force has been abducted and sexually assaulted by a man on Sunday (September 5).

"A female sub-inspector who serves as a gender crime officer in Punjab's Muzaffargarh district was allegedly kidnapped and tortured by a man who also tried to sexually assault her, it emerged on Sunday," the Dawn reported.

A First Information Report (FIR) has also been filed against the man.

The suspect coerced the woman to sit in his car and took her to a deserted area near Chaman Bypass. He repeatedly tried to rape the sub-inspector while threatening her with his pistol.

Police spokesperson Waseem Khan Gopang informed that the sub-inspector has been shifted to Muzaffargarh District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in an injured state.

'The suspect involved in the incident has been arrested, and the car he used had also been seized," he added.

The safety and security of women have become a big question in Pakistan as everyday incidents of rape and sexual assaults are being reported from different parts of the country, the Dawn reported.

Despite the increasing number of cases, the government is silent and not taking any steps to protect the people. Even the minor girls are not safe at schools and seminaries.

Recently, a seminary principal and a female seminary teacher were booked by police in Rawalpindi after a student accused them of sexually assaulting and torturing her.

Courtesy: ANI
Banu Negar, who worked in the prison department in the Ashraf Ghani government before it fell on August 15, was tortured before being shot dead by the Taliban.

The Taliban executed a female police officer, Banu Negar, at her home in Firozkoh, the capital of central Ghor Province, on Saturday (September 4). She was killed in a door-to-door execution carried out by the Taliban. She was eight months pregnant.

Although the Taliban has announced an amnesty for the people who had worked in the previous governments, it looks more like media management.

We are aware of the incident and I am confirming that the Taliban have not killed her, our investigation is ongoing, the Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujaheed was quoted by BBC.

But local sources confirmed to multiple people that the Taliban gunmen executed the police officer while carrying out door-to-door executions.

The family members of the slain police officer, who were tied up, provided pictures of the mutilated body of Negar.

Earlier, the Taliban had brutally beaten another police officer, Gulafroz Ebtekar. She, believed to be 34, was a deputy head of criminal investigations in Afghanistan's Interior Ministry and was seen as a role model for Afghan women with a notable media presence.

After capturing Kabul on August 15, the Taliban has started implementing Sharia in the country and have completely barred the participation of women in public life. They have announced that they would strictly implement Sharia in the country.




CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)  Kurt Vonnegut was many things during a writing career that spanned more than half a century: best-selling novelist, counterculture cult figure, popular speaker and biting political satirist.

But is the Slaughterhouse-Five author  who once cameoed in a Rodney Dangerfield film and added an obscene drawing to his signature  worthy of academic study along the lines of Hemingway and Faulkner?

Without a doubt, according to Susan Farrell, a professor of contemporary American literature at the College of Charleston.

He holds up to some of the more canonized writers of the 20th century, said Farrell, co-founder of The Kurt Vonnegut Society, which aims to promote the scholarly study of Vonnegut, his life and works.

Farrell got the idea to create a group  Vonnegut might have called it a karass  devoted to the Hoosier author in 2007 while she was working on a book titled A Critical Companion to Kurt Vonnegut. There are about 80 similar literary societies with members who study authors from Nelson Algren to Walt Whitman, but there were none at the time focused on Vonnegut.

Today the society boasts membership from across the country, with some of the nations top Vonnegut experts holding panel discussions at literary conferences; collecting scholarly papers focusing on topics such as the historical accuracy of Slaughterhouse-Five; and advocating for his inclusion in high school and college literature courses. Farrell is one of the societys most active participants and the author of academic papers like Vonnegut and Religion and Art, Domesticity and Vonneguts Women.

Susan Farrell disproves the myth that one can either be a teacher or researcher but not both, said Marc Leeds, founding president of the Vonnegut Society, a founding board member of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library and author of The Vonnegut Encyclopedia.

For nearly three decades she has maintained a laudatory teaching career while contributing major milestones to the study of the American war machines effects through literature, Leeds said.

Farrell said a primary reason for the Vonnegut Society is to keep the authors intellectual reputation alive.

A lot of writers that are popular in their time fall into obscurity, she said.

That certainly hasnt happened with Vonnegut. His more than two dozen novels, short story collections and nonfiction works remain in print and continue to sell well each year.

But there are some who think of Vonnegut as a dime store, pulp science fiction writer  the kind of author whose popularity with the masses automatically negates his literary heft.

Farrell thinks thats giving the Indianapolis native short shrift.

A lot of people dont take Vonnegut that seriously, and thats for a number of reasons  he can be deceptively simple and, you know, maybe too accessible, she said. Critics in the 70s and 80s didnt take his work as seriously as maybe they should have. Theres been a lot written since his death (in 2007), though, and his reputation is very strong right now. He ushered in a whole new style of writing thats been very influential.

The style is postmodern and minimalist, with short sentences and paragraphs that are easy to read. His best-known passages often consist of just a few words, like the so it goes that serves as a coda to each death that occurs in Slaughterhouse-Five.

Farrell has said the first Vonnegut book she read was Breakfast of Champions after finding it on her parents bookshelves as a teenager. But she considers Slaughterhouse-Five to be her favorite of Vonneguts works and his masterpiece. She includes the book in her American literature classes but finds that while most students these days have heard Vonneguts name, they havent read his work.

I feel like Im introducing students more to him than I did when I first started teaching nearly three decades ago, she said.

Vonnegut loosely based Billy Pilgrim, the protagonist in Slaughterhouse-Five, on his own experiences surviving the bombing of Dresden, Germany, during World War II. In the novel, Pilgrim time travels between the war, his married adult life as an optometrist and his time living captive with a porn star as human specimens on the fictional planet Tralfamadore.

The plot might sound silly, but it packs an unexpected emotional punch.

Some of his works can seem almost cartoonish, but I think thats a deliberate stance, Farrell said. The things hes experiencing in the war are told in an almost naive, cartoonish point of view that makes it more poignant. You have that distinction between very simple, non-sentimental sentences and the horrors hes describing.

Earlier this year Farrell helped bring an art exhibit focusing on Slaughterhouse-Five to the colleges Addlestone Library. The 50 oil paintings created in 2019 by former College of Charleston studio arts major Lance Miccio were a tribute to the novels 50th anniversary.

I like to say that Vonnegut writes like a painter, Miccio told South Carolina Public Radio. So, I try to paint like a writer.

Farrell came to the College of Charleston in 1993 after earning her doctorate in English at the University of Texas in Austin. With her advanced degree in hand, Farrell scoured the national jobs lists for work as an English professor but found there was little available.

I had never set foot in South Carolina when I got the job at the College of Charleston, and I feel so fortunate to have ended up here, she said. Im very grateful.

Her latest book, Imagining Home: American War Fiction From Hemingway to 9/11, includes chapters on Ernest Hemingway during World War I, Vonnegut during World War II and Tim OBrien during the Vietnam War. Farrell said she has been fascinated by 20th-century war literature, which she teaches along with contemporary American authors such as Toni Morrison, Don DeLillo and Louise Erdrich. Farrell also is the author of A Critical Companion to Tim OBrien and her classes focus on contemporary American literature, women writers and gender issues.

Her classes seem to resonate with students, who use terms like really great, always interesting and really knows what shes talking about in online reviews to describe Farrell and her teaching.

Its a great field and a lot of students love it, Farrell said of contemporary American literature. They havent had a chance to study it in school. Their traditional classes have been in British literature or early American literature, so theyre usually very happy to read literature thats from their time and place.
Saginaw Valley State University will host a virtual presentation by a scholar of religion, gender and ethics. Kecia Ali will present Women and Islam: Unity and Diversity in a Global Tradition at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15. Ali is the featured speaker for the Dr. Raana Akbar Memorial Lecture on Islam and Culture.

During her presentation, Ali will discuss Muslim ways of understanding women and their social identities, as well as the diversity of Muslim perspectives about that topic.

Waheed Akbar, who established the lecture in memory of his wife Raana, said, Dr. Ali is a great authority and representative on women and Islam, a topic we have covered quite often under this lecture series. This is also what Raana would have loved to do, to host a female academic who can discuss and explain Islam and its relationship to women in our society at this juncture in history.

No one is more qualified to speak with us about this theme, Akbar added. Dr. Ali has done extensive research on the topic and has published several books relating to Islam.

The Akbar lecture will be delivered virtually. To register, visit svsu.edu/akbarlecture. Following registration, a link to the lecture webinar will be provided.

Ali is a renowned academic and serves as a professor of religion and chair of the religion department at Boston University. Her research ranges from Islams formative period to the present and focuses on Islamic law, gender and sexuality, as well as religious biography. More information about Ali and her work can be found at www.keciaali.com.

Alis visit to SVSU is supported through the Dr. Raana Akbar Memorial Lecture Series in partnership with SVSUs Edwards Lecture Series and the Dow Visiting Scholars Lecture Series.

The Raana Akbar Memorial Lecture on Islam and Culture was established in 2011 by Dr. Waheed Akbar in memory of his wife, Raana, a former member of the SVSU Board of Control, physician and community leader.

The William and Julia Edwards Lecture in Philosophy and Religion is a forum where recognized scholars in religion and philosophy are invited to share their work with the campus community.

The Dow Visiting Scholars and Artists program was established through an endowment from The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation to enrich our regional cultural and intellectual opportunities.

For more information, visit www.svsu.edu/publiclectures.
Rampart Reservoir can be seen beneath Pikes Peak in this image. If the image were to continue to the right and left, Colorado Springs would be seen on the left and Woodland Park on the right. Image Credit: @2021 Google Maps.
Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - Gambia has condemned the overthrow of Guinean President Alpha Conde and the dissolution of government on Sunday by soldiers calling themselves the National Committee for Reconciliation and Development
Athens-Greece(PANA) - Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias Monday stressed the need to withdraw all foreign troops and paramilitary and mercenary forces from Libya
Paper Excellence Proposes $350 Million Transformation of Nova Scotia Kraft Pulp Mill

Paper Excellence is proposing to transform the Mill into a best-in-class operation and one of the world's cleanest, most environmentally focused, and community-based mills. The mill has been in hibernation mode since January of 2020. Paper Excellence is proposing to transform the Mill into a best-in-class operation and one of the world's cleanest, most environmentally focused, and community-based mills. The mill has been in hibernation mode since January of 2020.

July 15, 2021 (Press Release) - Paper Excellence is proposing a complete transformation of Northern Pulp Nova Scotia Corporation ("Northern Pulp" or "the Company"), a producer of high-quality Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft pulp at its kraft pulp mill in Pictou County (the "Mill") that is used in the manufacturing of a variety of products from tissue and paper towels to food additives and packaging.

The Mill operated for more than six decades prior to its hibernation in January 2020. It is clear to Paper Excellence that future Mill operations and processes-from community engagement and transparency to forestry practices and addressing odour, air, and water emissions-must be better than the Mill of yesterday.

Paper Excellence is proposing to transform the Mill into a best-in-class operation and one of the world's cleanest, most environmentally focused, and community-based mills.

"Paper Excellence acknowledges community concerns and wants to work with community members to build trust, finalize a transformation plan for a clean and sustainable Mill, and develop a new relationship for the Mill and community moving forward," said Graham Kissack, VP, Environment, Health & Safety, and Corporate Communications, Paper Excellence.

Since hibernating the Mill in January 2020, Northern Pulp has reviewed findings and stakeholder input on the previously proposed replacement effluent treatment facility to inform the transformation plan. A significant part of Northern Pulp's community engagement over the past year has been through the formation of and engagement with an independent, volunteer Environmental Liaison Committee, which produced a report outlining the issues and concerns they propose need to be addressed if the Mill is to reopen.

The more than $350 million proposed transformation plan has been developed to address community issues and concerns while using Best Available Technology to transform the Mill into a best-in-class operation, environmentally and otherwise.

The proposed transformation plan will provide a sustainable future for the Mill and its workforce, the community, and the forestry sector throughout Nova Scotia. Among other things, the Mill transformation will result in:

No detectable odour in surrounding communities during normal operations, visible plumes above the Mill reduced by 70%, and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Water use reduced by 45%, and wastewater components to be treated and reduced by 75%. The treated wastewater will be released into Pictou Harbour, adjacent to the Mill site. The exact location will be determined through further environmental study and community engagement.

All new equipment is located on the Mill site and no pipeline crossing neighborhood communities.

Full implementation of the Lahey Report recommendations on Northern Pulp-owned and Crown-managed land.

A low-carbon and energy-efficient operation.

Key elements of the Mill transformation include:

A public dashboard on the Northern Pulp website to display live environmental data, such as ambient monitors, mill recorded environmental data, water use, etc.

Oxygen delignification to reduce bleaching chemical use.

Best new primary and secondary treatment systems to remove solids, organics, and colour.

Installation of a new tertiary effluent treatment system, consisting of rotating disc filters, to ensure the highest quality water release and colour removal. The continuously operating tertiary treatment will be the second of its kind in Canada.

Converting the recovery boiler to a low-odour configuration.

A new wet electrostatic precipitator to remove fine particles from being released into the air.

Implement the Lahey Report recommendations on Northern Pulp private lands and crown allocation.

Northern Pulp has launched a new information and engagement website, www.TomorrowsMill.ca, for community members to learn more and provide input on the proposed transformation plan.

Mill Rendering: A revitalized, efficient, streamlined, clean-looking operation includes repaint, installation of new siding, removal of unused equipment and tanks, and reducing the number of stacks. Mill Rendering: A revitalized, efficient, streamlined, clean-looking operation includes repaint, installation of new siding, removal of unused equipment and tanks, and reducing the number of stacks.

"We want to make it as easy as possible for community members to receive updates, review science-based information, ask questions, and engage in dialogue about the proposed transformation," said Kissack. "In the short-term, we will be hosting virtual and telephone town hall meetings and we will shift to in-person sessions as COVID-19 restrictions are eased."

Northern Pulp acknowledges it operates in Mi'kma'ki, the unceded territory and ancestral homeland of the Mi'kmaq Nation, and looks forward to meaningful engagement and collaboration with Pictou Landing First Nation and members of the Indigenous community in Nova Scotia.

The Company has filed the project description for the effluent treatment system including tertiary treatment with Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change. Filing the project description is the first step in the provincial environmental approval process.

"We look forward to working with the Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change, conducting thorough and transparent scientific research, and consulting with the public and aboriginal people throughout the environmental assessment process," said Kissack.

The transformation of Northern Pulp would result in hundreds of jobs during construction and re-establish more than 300 well-paying direct mill jobs in Pictou County and more than 2,500 forestry sector jobs throughout the province when the Mill is operational.

Paper Excellence, headquartered in British Columbia, is a diversified manufacturer of pulp and specialty, printing, writing and packaging papers. The company operates seven mills in Canada producing and shipping over 2.8 million tonnes annually with a workforce of more than 2,800. To learn more, visit: www.paperexcellence.com.

SOURCE: Paper Excellence
Pactiv Evergreen to Exit Coated Groundwood Paper Business Following Years of Market Decline

Pactiv Evergreen will permanently cease production of coated groundwood paper at its Pine Bluff, Arkansas, mill. However, liquid packaging board and extrusion manufacturing will continue." Pactiv Evergreen will permanently cease production of coated groundwood paper at its Pine Bluff, Arkansas, mill. However, liquid packaging board and extrusion manufacturing will continue."

July 29, 2021 - Pactiv Evergreen on July 28 announced that it has made the difficult decision to exit the coated groundwood paper business. As a result, the company will permanently cease production of coated groundwood paper at its Pine Bluff, Arkansas, location.

Pactiv Evergreen said it will continue to strategically invest in the Pine Bluff mill, which will remain an essential facility in the Pactiv Evergreen operations network, serving the fiber-based beverage packaging market.

"With the decline in the coated groundwood market, our decision to exit this business enables us to re-invest resources into our strategic core competency of liquid packaging board as well as other more profitable segments across the enterprise," said Mike King, CEO. "Pactiv Evergreen will continue to employ more than 650 employees at the Pine Bluff mill, where liquid packaging board and extrusion manufacturing will remain."

Pactiv Evergreen noted that it will work directly with its coated groundwood customers to meet their product needs and support their transition to new suppliers until production ends in Q4. The company expects to complete the closure by October 31, 2021, with shipments continuing until inventory is depleted.

Pactiv Evergreen noted that it will work closely with impacted employees and union leadership during this transition.

In a press release, Pactiv Evergreen said, "We are committed to helping support our team members during this difficult time. This decision is not reflective of the hard work and dedication of our team members nor the performance of the mill, but the reality of the coated publications business outlook. The Company thanks its hard-working team members for their many contributions. We also thank our long-term customers for their loyalty and understanding of this decision and are committed to working with them during this transition."

Pactiv Evergreen (NASDAQ: PTVE) is one of the largest manufacturers of fresh food and beverage packaging in North America. With a team of nearly 15,000 employees, the Company produces a broad range of on-trend and feature-rich products that protect, package and display food and beverages for today's consumers. To learn more, visit: pactivevergreen.com.

SOURCE: Pactiv Evergreen Inc.
Pratt to Build New $400 Million Recycled Containerboard Mill in Kentucky

Pratt's initial investment will support construction of a state-of-the-art, 450,000-square-foot recycled containerboard mill. Construction is expected to begin in March 2022. Pratt's initial investment will support construction of a state-of-the-art, 450,000-square-foot recycled containerboard mill. Construction is expected to begin in March 2022.

July 29, 2021 - Gov. Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman joined executives from Pratt Paper LLC and local officials in Henderson to announce the company's new $400 million paper mill, a project committed to creating 321 well-paying jobs over the next five years.

Pratt's investment is the largest investment in this region of Kentucky in more than 25 years, stands as the largest in the state in nearly two years and is the third largest job-creation announcement of 2021.

"This is a significant investment in Kentucky and one that will make Pratt Paper a major employer in Henderson County for years to come," Gov. Beshear said. "Pratt is a company with a vision for the future, and I could not be more proud that future will include Kentucky. We're not just rebuilding our economy in the commonwealth, but surging ahead to levels we have not seen before. This is happening because great companies like Pratt Paper and strong leaders like Anthony Pratt can see where Kentucky is headed and know our skilled workforce is the partner they need to succeed."

Pratt plans to build two facilities totaling 1.15 million square feet along Kentucky Highway 425 in Henderson County. The company's initial investment will support construction of a state-of-the-art, 450,000-square-foot paper mill that will manufacture 100% recycled products. Company leaders expect additional future investment to construct a 700,000-square-foot corrugator plant to produce corrugated sheet and boxes, including pizza boxes and packaging for major distributors and big box stores, using paper sourced from the new paper mill.

Pratt leadership anticipates construction of the roughly 120-job paper mill will begin in March 2022, with completion slated for fall 2023. The corrugator facility is expected to be completed by the end of 2026 and employ approximately 200 people once fully operational. Company leaders also expect the project to contribute to approximately 700 construction jobs over the coming years.

The new location builds on Pratt's existing presence in the commonwealth, which includes a Pratt Display manufacturing plant established in Hebron in 2011 that employs over 200 Kentuckians.

Anthony Pratt, executive chairman of Pratt Industries, said, "The paper mill will be the world's most advanced, environmentally friendly 100% recycled paper mill. This $400 million green manufacturing investment began in Gov. Beshear's office in April 2021. He was so welcoming and enthusiastic about the opportunity, and the speed with which he has moved - and the enthusiasm and professionalism of the Kentucky team - really encouraged us to make this investment in American green infrastructure. It is the single biggest investment our company has ever made and will create 1,000 jobs, including well-paying, American, green-collar manufacturing and construction jobs.

"We see further investment potential in this dynamic state, and Gov. Beshear's leadership has made Kentucky a great place to invest in. I believe in regional manufacturing. It's the heart and soul of America and there is no better place than Kentucky," Mr. Pratt added.

A division of Conyers, Georgia-based Pratt Industries Inc., Pratt Paper produces lightweight, high-strength containerboard and corrugated board sourced from 100% recycled products. Currently, the company operates paper mills in Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, New York and Ohio. Established more than 30 years ago, Pratt Industries employs more than 10,000 people in nearly 30 states. Pratt Industries is a sister company to Australia-based Visy, which was founded in 1948 and employs around 7,000 people in the Australasia region.

Pratt's new operation will support Kentucky's thriving logistics and distribution industry, which employs nearly 80,000 people at 590 facilities statewide. Due to online ordering throughout the pandemic, warehouses and shippers saw surging demand and expansion opportunities. In the past 12 months, distribution and logistics companies committed to creating nearly 2,000 full-time, Kentucky-resident jobs over the coming years with 34 facility expansions and new-location projects statewide. Those projects include nearly $285 million in private-sector investment in the commonwealth.

SOURCE: Commonwealth of Kentucky
Canfor Pulp Reports Results for Second Quarter of 2021

The upward trend in NBSK US-dollar pulp list prices to China from the first quarter continued in April, with prices reaching a near-record high of US$995 per tonne in April, before declining in May and June, to end the quarter at US$910 per tonne. The upward trend in NBSK US-dollar pulp list prices to China from the first quarter continued in April, with prices reaching a near-record high of US$995 per tonne in April, before declining in May and June, to end the quarter at US$910 per tonne.

Aug. 2, 2021 - Canfor Pulp Products Inc. on July 29 reported second quarter 2021 results. The company reported operating income of $51.0 million for the second quarter of 2021, up $46.1 million from the operating income of $4.9 million reported for the first quarter of 2021, in large part reflecting materially higher Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) pulp unit sales realizations, and to a lesser extent, an 8% increase in shipments following transportation disruptions experienced in the first quarter of 2021. These factors more than offset the impact of a 3% stronger Canadian dollar and market-related fibre cost increases in the current quarter.

Commenting on the company's second quarter results, CPPI's Chief Executive Officer, Don Kayne said, "We are encouraged by our improved operational and financial performance in the second quarter, which enabled us to capitalize on the favourable pulp market prices."

Following the sharp improvement in market fundamentals earlier in the year, global pulp market conditions were more stable in the second quarter. Demand was solid through the first part of the current quarter but a moderation in purchasing activity from China saw some downward pressure on prices in that region, particularly in June.

The upward trend in NBSK US-dollar pulp list prices to China from the first quarter continued in April, with prices reaching a near-record high of US$995 per tonne in April, before declining in May and June, to end the quarter at US$910 per tonne. As a result, the current quarter US-dollar NBSK pulp list price to China averaged US$962 per tonne, up US$79 per tonne, or 9%, compared to the previous quarter. Prices to North America (before discounts) saw sharp increases in the current quarter, largely in response to the uplift in China prices earlier in the year, up US$296 per tonne, or 23%, from the previous quarter, to US$1,598 per tonne.

As a result of the higher prices as well as a favourable timing lag in shipments (versus orders), NBSK pulp unit sales realizations recorded a substantial increase in the current quarter, which significantly outweighed the stronger Canadian dollar. Average Bleached Chemi-Thermo Mechanical Pulp (BCTMP) unit sales realizations showed more modest gains from the previous quarter, as positive trends in BCTMP US-dollar pricing early in the quarter more than offset the effects of a sharp decline in demand and prices as the quarter progressed, particularly for the printing and writing segment.

Pulp production was 290,000 tonnes for the second quarter of 2021, broadly in line with the previous quarter, principally reflecting improved operating rates at the company's Northwood and Prince George NBSK pulp mills throughout much of the current quarter, largely offsetting a decrease in operating days associated with the completion of a scheduled maintenance outage at the company's Intercontinental NBSK pulp mill (approximately 15,000 tonnes).

Pulp shipments were up 20,000 tonnes, or 8%, from the previous quarter, mainly due to the uptick in global pulp demand early in the current quarter, combined with increased vessel shipments in the current period, as global transportation challenges experienced in early 2021 eased somewhat in April and May 2021, before coming under pressure again in June.

Pulp unit manufacturing costs saw a slight increase compared to the previous quarter as increased fibre costs more than offset the benefits of higher production and seasonally lower energy prices and usage in the current quarter. The higher fibre costs reflected increased market prices for delivered sawmill residual chips (linked to Canadian dollar NBSK pulp sales realizations) combined with a seasonal improvement in chip quality, offset by a lower proportion of higher-cost whole log chips in the period.

Operating income in the company's paper segment was $0.9 million, down $3.3 million from the previous quarter, as increased slush pulp costs linked to higher Canadian dollar NBSK market pulp prices more than offset improved paper unit sales realizations.

Looking Forward

Looking forward, global softwood kraft pulp markets are projected to soften somewhat through the third quarter of 2021, driven by the current tepid Chinese demand and above-average global pulp inventory levels combined with the traditionally slower summer months. Weakness experienced in the high yield BCTMP markets, especially in Asia, late in the second quarter is anticipated to continue early into the third quarter of 2021, before a projected stabilization in prices through the balance of the period.

The recent wave of extreme heat across Western Canada has put further pressure on an already constrained global logistics network. As a result, early in the third quarter of 2021, the company has experienced limited and intermittent rail service to and from its pulp mills. While the company continues to monitor and adapt to the unfolding logistic situation, it anticipates that these transportation disruptions will result in lower projected shipment volumes for the third quarter of 2021.

Results in the third quarter of 2021 will also reflect the impact of scheduled maintenance outages at the company's Prince George and Taylor BCTMP ("Taylor") pulp mills, as well as incremental downtime at Northwood and Taylor reflecting both the aforementioned weather-related rail disruptions and pulp mill inventories nearing capacity as well as, in the case of Northwood, digester-related operational upsets in July. Combined, the currently anticipated third quarter downtime is projected to reduce NBSK pulp production by approximately 30,000 tonnes and BCTMP production by an estimated 12,000 tonnes.

Bleached kraft paper demand in North America is currently anticipated to show continued strength through the third quarter of 2021, largely driven by ongoing tight supply in the region. Offshore bleached kraft paper markets are also anticipated to be strong over the same period. A maintenance outage is currently planned at the company's Prince George paper machine in September 2021 with a projected 5,000 tonnes of reduced paper production.

Mr. Kayne noted, "The summer heat and wildfire conditions are impacting our pulp business, and we continue to actively monitor the ongoing weather-related situation, particularly with regards to transportation, while ensuring the health and safety of our employees which remains our top priority."

Canfor Pulp Products Inc. is a leading global supplier of pulp and paper products with operations in the central interior of British Columbia (Canada) employing approximately 1,300 people throughout the organization. Canfor Pulp owns and operates three mills in Prince George, BC with a total capacity of 1.1 million tonnes of Premium Reinforcing Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft Pulp and 140,000 tonnes of kraft paper, as well as one mill in Taylor, BC with an annual production capacity of 230,000 tonnes of Bleached Chemi-Thermo Mechanical Pulp. For further information, visit: www.canfor.com.

SOURCE: Canfor Pulp Products Inc.
Valmet to Supply New Tissue Production Line for Eczacibasi Consumer Products in Turkey

Valmet will supply Eczacibasi Consumer Products with an Advantage DCT 200TS machine, which will be installed at the companys Manisa Plant in Turkey. Valmet will supply Eczacibasi Consumer Products with an Advantage DCT 200TS machine, which will be installed at the companys Manisa Plant in Turkey.

Aug. 4, 2021 - Valmet will supply a new tissue production line to Eczacibasi Consumer Products at the company's Manisa Plant in Turkey. The new Valmet Advantage DCT 200TS line, including stock-preparation, automation and Focus rewinder will support the company's rapid growth in global tissue paper markets.

The value of the order will not be disclosed.

The new tissue machine will have a width of 5.6 meters and a design speed of 2,200 m/min. The new line will provide high-quality facial, napkin, toilet and towel grades for consumer and commercial use. The raw material will be virgin fiber.

Valmet previously delivered an Advantage DCT 200 tissue line to Eczacibasi Consumer Products' Manisa mill, which started up in 2015.

"We are honored to receive the second order from Eczacibasi and happy to continue the successful collaboration established in the previous project. The Advantage DCT 200 line is a reliable and highly efficient technology for production of high-quality tissue, proven by more than 100 sold machines in the past 15 years," said Jan Erikson, VP Sales, Valmet.

The delivery will include a complete tissue production line featuring Valmet stock preparation systems and an Advantage DCT 200TS tissue machine. The machine is equipped with an OptiFlo headbox, Advantage ViscoNip press with BlackBelt and Yankee cast cylinder with Advantage AirCap hood as well as a Focus rewinder.

Furthermore, the delivery will include an extensive Valmet DNA Automation System with process controls, machine controls, drive controls and machine condition monitoring. The delivery also includes Valmet IQ Web Inspection System (WIS) for quick and detailed web defect analysis.

Complete engineering, installation supervision, training, start-up and commissioning are also included in the delivery.

Valmet is a leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. The company's technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. To learn more, visit: www.valmet.com.

SOURCE: Valmet
Valmet to Upgrade a Recovery Boiler for Lee & Man's Chongqing Mill in China

Aug. 12, 2021 - Valmet will offer recovery boiler upgrade service to Lee & Man Pulp Manufacturing Limited's Chongqing mill in China.

The value of the order will not be disclosed.

"Valmet's solution will solve our actual issues and apply the proven advanced technical knowhow with the latest innovations," said Zhang Dingjun, Senior Manager, Chongqing Lee & Man Pulp Manufacturing Limited. "I believe that our recovery boiler will achieve safe, stable and efficient operation after this upgrade."

Valmet's delivery will include: a new recovery boiler floor with entire composite tube San38/SA210; new primary air ports and castings with Valmet design; new furnace screen, and erection advisor. All parts with composite tube San38/SA210 will be manufactured in Valmet's workshop in Lapua, Finland, and imported to customer mill after pre-assembly.

Fu Xuebing, Senior Mill Sales Manager, Valmet China South Region, explained, "We firmly believe that with Valmet's technical advantages and full service capability, the recovery boiler will be greatly improved in safety, operational efficiency and unplanned shutdowns."

The project is scheduled to be finished in the second quarter of 2022.

Valmet is a leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. The company's technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. To learn more, visit: www.valmet.com.

SOURCE: Valmet
UPM Urges Paperworkers' Union to Include Employee Representatives in Labor Negotiations

Paperworkers Union has previously stated that UPM's employee representatives cannot participate in collective bargaining, and all negotiations are to be held with the union management. Paperworkers Union has previously stated that UPM's employee representatives cannot participate in collective bargaining, and all negotiations are to be held with the union management.

Aug. 16, 2021 (Press Release) - Since spring, UPM has sought to enter into business-specific collective bargaining with the Paperworkers Union in the same way as UPM Timber and UPM Plywood businesses are negotiating with their employee representatives and the Finnish Industrial Union since May.

However, Paperworkers Union has stated that it will not negotiate with UPM's businesses but requires a single company-level collective labour agreement. Paperworkers Union has cancelled an appointment with UPM Biofuels business, even though UPM Communication Paper business has already met with Paperworkers Union and other businesses have prepared for similar meetings.

Paperworkers Union is a negotiation partner for five business areas within UPM. Each UPM business has revenues corresponding to at least a medium-sized listed company, and their products, markets and operating environment differ significantly. The current paper industry's collective labour agreement is more than 50 years old and does not meet the demands of today's work. It does not ensure competitiveness in the completely changed operating environment of the paper and pulp businesses. Neither is the agreement fitted for new, markedly different businesses, such as the production of biofuels.

At the company level, UPM offers equal, competitive benefits and incentives to all its employees, and as a modern employer, UPM has a long-term commitment to develop those. UPM wants to negotiate flexible ways of organising work, working hours and salaries, as well as competence development within businesses with Paperworkers Union and employee representatives.

Paperworkers Union has previously stated that UPM's employee representatives cannot participate in collective bargaining, and all negotiations are to be held with the union management. From the business and employee perspective, UPM considers that it is essential that the voice of personnel is directly heard in the collective bargaining negotiations. The competent employee representatives know the business circumstances and therefore have an essential role in negotiations. Paperworkers Unions policy of opposing employee representation in the negotiations contradicts the fact that, at the same time, trade unions are publicly calling for an increase in the role of employee representatives within companies.

For UPM, it is important that business-specific negotiations can be initiated with Paperworkers Union as soon as possible. The new negotiating team would include a much larger group of people than before: business management and local employee representatives would bring much-needed understanding of business and the everyday work at the mills to the discussions.

Through the renewing of the bio and forest industries, UPM is building a sustainable future across six business areas: UPM Biorefining, UPM Energy, UPM Raflatac, UPM Specialty Papers, UPM Paper ENA and UPM Plywood. For further information, visit: www.upm.com.

SOURCE: UPM
Felix Schoeller Plans Expansion of Release Liner Manufacturing at Its Facility in Pulaski, NY

The planned investment will physically expand the Pulaski facility while adding new capabilities. The planned investment will physically expand the Pulaski facility while adding new capabilities.

Aug. 19, 2021 - Felix Schoeller Group has announced plans to invest in a manufacturing operation for release liners at the company's Pulaski, New York facility.

The planned investment will physically expand the facility and also add new capabilities. The new operation is designed to coat both solventless and solvent based silicone systems to best meet the requirements of current and future customers.

"Building the new North American operation is a very logical step in our global Release Liner strategy," said Michael Szidat, CEO of Felix Schoeller North America. "A manufacturing presence in our key North American market will elevate us from an important supplier to a true partner for our customers. And expanding our technology to include solvent coatings will allow our customers and us to bring the Felix Schoeller performance promise to a whole new set of markets and applications."

The new operation is expected to be operational by 2023.

Based in Osnabruck, Germany, the Felix Schoeller Group produces specialty papers for photographic applications, digital printing systems, the packaging market, self-adhesive applications, as well as furniture, wood-based products and wallpaper industry. To learn more, visit: www.felix-schoeller.com.

SOURCE: Felix Schoeller
CTI Paper USA in New, Exclusive Partnership with Italy's Gruppo Cordenons

Under the partnership, CTI Paper USA will stock, service and distribute the following FSC-certified Cordenons brands: AstroKing, Canaletto, Leatherlike, Natural Evolution, Monnalisa, Moondream, Plike, Reef, Slide, SoSilk, Stardream, Stardream 2.0, and Wild. Under the partnership, CTI Paper USA will stock, service and distribute the following FSC-certified Cordenons brands: AstroKing, Canaletto, Leatherlike, Natural Evolution, Monnalisa, Moondream, Plike, Reef, Slide, SoSilk, Stardream, Stardream 2.0, and Wild.

Aug. 23, 2021 - CTI Paper USA announced a new partnership agreement with Milan-based Gruppo Cordenons to supply and serve merchants, converters and brand managers in the U.S. and Canada. The partnership takes effect September 1.

Cordenons is a leading Italian manufacturer of luxury specialty papers for printing, converting and packaging. CTI Paper USA is a leading North American provider of super-premium papers and envelopes for digital and offset printing as well as converting applications.

Under the partnership, CTI Paper USA will stock, service and distribute the following FSC-certified Cordenons brands: AstroKing, Canaletto, Leatherlike, Natural Evolution, Monnalisa, Moondream, Plike, Reef, Slide, SoSilk, Stardream, Stardream 2.0, and Wild.

CTI Paper USA President and Co-Owner John Kelly said the partnership with Cordenons  a manufacturer widely respected for its innovative, world-class coated and uncoated papers  will bring important, differentiated value to customers.

"Our two companies are a natural fit because of our mutual dedication to excellence and innovation in super-premium substrates," Kelly said. "Customers who buy premium products deserve premium service. Cordenons and CTI Paper USA take seriously our commitment to this very special market."

Cordenons Commercial Director Matteo Suardi added, "This is a partnership that is deeply committed to producing and delivering beautiful, high performing substrates, anticipating customer needs, and providing the exceptional service and support that buyers and end-users demand today."

The two companies said they are dedicated to creating a smooth transition for customers.

Kelly said his team is now in the process of stocking Cordenons inventory, samples and other sales promotion/support materials.

Kelly said CTI Paper USA will add new items to further support the growing small format market, including papers for toner-based digital equipment and other new cut-size offerings. It will also provide new matching envelopes, available from stock, for select Cordenons brands.

In the coming months, CTI Paper USA will develop a new swatchbook for the Cordenons brands, along with new collateral material for merchants, printers and other specifiers. Samples for all stocked items will be available from CTI Paper USA's dedicated sample services department.

Custom-making papers, including unique colors, textures and sizes will also be offered, along with technical products developed to meet specific customer applications.

Independent, family-owned CTI Paper USA is one of North America's largest suppliers of premium printing papers and envelopes for digital and offset printing. Products are used across a wide range of print, packaging and converting applications. To learn more, visit: www.thepapermill.com.

SOURCE: CTI Paper USA
Stora Enso Completes Union Negotiations at Its Kvarnsveden Mill in Sweden

The Kvarnsveden Mill in Borlange, Sweden has two paper machines with a combined annual capacity of 565 000 tonnes of supercalendered (SC) magazine papers and improved newsprint. A total of 340 people will be permanently laid off. The Kvarnsveden Mill in Borlange, Sweden has two paper machines with a combined annual capacity of 565 000 tonnes of supercalendered (SC) magazine papers and improved newsprint. A total of 340 people will be permanently laid off.

Aug. 31, 2021 - Stora Enso has completed the union negotiations regarding the closure of pulp and paper production at Kvarnsveden. A total of 340 people will be permanently laid off. Some 25% of the redundancies can be managed through pension arrangements, and 100 people have already found new jobs within Stora Enso or with an external employer. The redundancies will mostly take effect in November.

In April 2021, Stora Enso announced a plan to permanently close down pulp and paper production at its Kvarnsveden site due to the declining paper market. As a result of the co-determination negotiations regarding the Kvarnsveden site, pulp and paper production will be closed permanently from 30 September 2021. The customer service centre at Kvarnsveden will be closed by 31 December 2021. The power plant will continue to operate, but only for the purpose of district heating and for maintaining the buildings onsite.

When the co-determination plan was announced in April, the maximum personnel impact was estimated to be 440 people. As a result of the negotiations, 340 people will be permanently laid off. Some 25% of the redundancies can be managed through pension arrangements, and 100 people have already found new jobs within Stora Enso or with an external employer. This includes employees who will work with energy production at the power plant. The redundancies will mostly take place in November.

Stora Enso offers individual support to the affected employees. This includes re-training and relocation support for people who transfer to other locations for work. We will also offer financial support for employees starting up their own companies. Stora Enso collaborates with the City of Borlange and other local and regional stakeholders through various activities, such as recruitment fairs.

Stora Enso has initiated a project to find future options for the Kvarnsveden site. The process is being coordinated with the City of Borlange and other regional and national stakeholders. The Kvarnsveden site offers many advantages for future use, including strong industrial infrastructure, a railway connection to Gothenburg harbour, a connection to the national electricity grid, and availability of clean water.

Stora Enso continues to produce supercalendered (SC) papers at its Langerbrugge site in Belgium and its Maxau site in Germany, and improved newsprint at the Anjala site in Finland.

Kvarnsveden Mill

Kvarnsveden Mill in Borlange, Sweden has two paper machines with a combined annual capacity of 565 000 tonnes of supercalendered (SC) magazine papers and improved newsprint, used in magazines, newspapers, catalogues, supplements and retail advertising. The mill has also an integrated softwood thermomechanical pulp (TMP) mill with an annual capacity of 900 000 tonnes.

Part of the bioeconomy, Stora Enso is a leading global provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper. To learn more, please visit: www.storaenso.com.

SOURCE: Stora Enso

Go to a related article on PaperAge:

Stora Enso to Permanently Close Kvarnsveden and Veitsiluoto Mills, Reducing Paper Capacity by over 1.3 Million Tonnes - April 20, 2021.
Photo: (Photo : OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

A 9-month-old baby girl, who was aboard the C-17 military plane carrying Afghan refugees from Germany, has died shortly after landing in Philadelphia. Chris Mitchell of the Department of Defense confirmed that this was the first known death among the evacuees hoping to have a second life in the U.S.

Reports cited that the baby was with her father when emergency medical workers attempted to revive her at the Philadelphia International Airport. Members of the Philadelphia Police Department and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents were informed beforehand of a medical emergency on the plane.

Read Also: Afghanistan: Three Babies Born Aboard U.S. Planes During Evacuation

The baby and her father were transported to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where she was pronounced dead. The Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office said that it's still looking into the cause of death.

Nearly 4,000 Afghan Refugees in Philadelphia

From August 28 and September 1, the Philadelphia airport has processed nearly 4,000 Afghan refugees. The U.S. military operations have airlifted over 120,000 people out of the war-torn region, including 5,500 U.S. civilians. In a press statement on September 1, President Joe Biden said that some 200 Americans are still in Afghanistan but will likely remain as many are dual citizens.

Nineteen states in the U.S., including Philadelphia, have opened their airports to the Afghan refugees, who are immediately given food, hygiene kits, medical assistance, and COVID-19 tests upon arrival. After resting, some are transported out of Philadelphia and into a military base in New Jersey.

Some locals question whether state and federal officials should provide assistance to refugees when there are already more than 5,000 homeless people.

Yalda, 39, who arrived in Philadelphia in 2013 and is now working as a translator, said it's very difficult for these refugees to leave everything behind. Many of them still have families trying to get out. She said that it would take years for these refugees to resettle as they will continue to be gripped with fear, especially for their loved ones in Afghanistan. She appealed for the public to consider the trauma these people are going through.

Several organizations have also appealed for donations and volunteers, especially for interpreters who can speak Dari, Farsi, Pashto, or Urdu, to make it easier to help the families displaced by war. Volunteers may sign up with the Philadelphia Medical Reserve Corps.

Vigilance for Child Brides

Meanwhile, U.S. officials have received reports that some Afghan refugees have entered the country with their child brides in the middle of the chaos. Intake center workers in some army bases in the U.S. said they saw several older men who presented very young women as their wives. Officials in the United Arab Emirates have allegedly asked the U.S. for guidance on handling these cases.

According to reports, while child marriage is recognized in Afghanistan, young Afghan girls have been taken, raped, and forced to marry older men to escape the country. The State Department won't comment on the matter until they have looked into documents as some claims are simply anecdotal.

Related Article: Heartbreaking Photo of 7-Month-Old Baby Separated From Parents at Chaotic Kabul Airport Goes Viral
Photo: (Photo : Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

A serious data breach has transpired at a Dallas public school district, which may have exposed the personal information of students, teachers, and parents for the last ten years.

The Dallas Independent School District, the second-largest school district in Texas, confirmed the data breach in a public statement and stated that investigations with federal law enforcement officials are currently underway. The investigators are also working double time to contain the exposure.

Reports cited that the breach took place on August 8, where an unauthorized person managed to download data that included the contact information, birthdays, grades, and Social Security numbers in school records dating back to 2010. So far, however, the district hasn't received any reports of identity theft due to the exposure.

"At this time, it appears the affected information has been contained and that none of it has been shared or sold," the statement read, which also included the school district's apology.

Read Also: California School Board to Fire Antifa Teacher Following Disturbing Hidden Video Release

Thousands of Information Compromised

The Dallas Independent School District has over 22,222 workers spread out across 230 schools and a current student body of 153,861 kids. They offered a hotline number -- (855) 651-2605 -- for any alumni or former staff who might have questions about the data breach.

The district will also be informing individuals whose profiles and personal data may have been compromised and will be provided access to credit monitoring for 12 months. The victims may also be extended ID theft recovery services.

Kroll, an identity protection agency, will help with finding solutions to this incident while school district officials said they would conduct a comprehensive system review, as well as install added security measures to prevent a repeat of the breach.

In recent years, schools across the U.S. have been vulnerable to data breaches. According to a Government Accountability Office report, over 287 school districts have had comprised data from July 2016 to May 2020.

Over the summer, Judson Independent School District in San Antonio had to pay over $500,000 in ransom money following a cyber-attack. The money was meant to restore important data and prevent personal information from being exposed.

However, technology experts said they would know the full impact of the attack in the coming months. It takes a long time to process, determine and confirm if a third party took any information.

Data Breach in Dallas

Meanwhile, ABC News reported that the Dallas Independent School District data breach is the second information technology breakdown in the county this year. In August, an information technician at the local police department who was migrating files accidentally deleted police crime data, including case notes, video and audio recordings, and various information gathered by detectives.

More than half of the data has been recovered, and the staff was fired for the oversight. However, the technology breakdown resulted in the postponement of a murder trial due to the lost data. The suspect in the trial was also granted bail.

Related Article: More Tech-Savvy Teenagers Falling for Social Media Scams, Study Reveals
Photo: (Photo : Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Tiffany Trump, former President Donald Trump's youngest daughter, has recently returned from a holiday in Greece with her fiance Michael Boulos. Following their engagement in January, the couple has been planning their wedding far away from the controversies plaguing the Trump family, including her siblings Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Eric Trump.

According to reports, Tiffany, 27, and Boulous, 23, have not yet planned a wedding date, but they are likely to have a grand wedding reception. The couple has been together since 2018 and has flown to Greece quite frequently since their relationship started.

Friends of the couple said that they both want a big wedding filled and glitz and glamour. They might also have two weddings with one potential site at the Mar-a-Lago, the posh Florida exclusive club owned by Tiffany's father.

Read Also: Gold Star Father of Marine Killed in Kabul Blast Detail 'Unpleasant' Meeting With Biden

Tiffany's Life Away from Politics

Tiffany, who has graduated from law school at Georgetown, moved to Miami with Boulous to start fresh. According to People, the pair plan to buy a house in the city as they start their new life together.

The two started as friends after meeting in Greece. For some time, Tiffanny and Boulous kept their relationship off the press until she introduced him to her family at a Thanksgiving party in Mar-a-Lago. Tiffany's mom, Marla Maples, the president's second wife, told Town & Country magazine that she adores her future son-in-law.

In 2019, Boulous' family celebrated Christmas at the White House with the former president and First Lady Melania Trump. The Boulous clan runs a billion-dollar conglomerate with companies across West Africa.

Boulos, who grew up in Nigeria, was educated in business courses in Lagos and London. He is currently the associate director of SOCA Nigeria for furniture production, retailing, and trade.

On the other hand, Tiffany has stayed away from the public eye despite her father's very public profile. Sources said that she didn't have a solid relationship with her father as a child, and it was her mother who single-handedly raised her after their divorce.

Though Tiffany has a better relationship with her family today, the former president once admitted in an interview with Howard Stern that Tiffany's older half-siblings tried to cut her out of his will. She was also the only adult child who was not part of Trump's Transition Team when he assumed office at the White House.

Better for Tiffany

However, being excluded from the family's political circle might have been better for Tiffany. She is the only adult Trump child who was not asked to be present at the House of Representatives' investigations into the Capitol Hill riot in January. The Trump Organization is also under investigation by a New York grand jury for illegal business activities. Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Eric Trump are all part of the organization.

According to observers, Tiffany might have been cleverer to stay away from the family business while her siblings are getting tangled up in a significant legal problem. She is also charting her own identity and fame as one of the Rich Kids of Instagram.

Her relationship with Boulos has also been seen as a smart move because her fiance has a reported net worth of $20 million, and he is the heir to the billion-dollar conglomerate. Tiffany might be a billionaire's daughter as well, but that empire could crumble if the Trump family's illegal activities are proven in court.

Related Article: Barron Trump Becomes Part of Class of 2024 at Palm Beach Private School
Photo: (Photo : BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images)

Possible legal action could be underway against the makers of Boppy nursing pillows amid reports that the product has been tied to seven infant deaths.

In a statement to ABC News, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has been looking into filing a case as no changes have been made since the agency issued a warning against the baby product's risks.

In 2020, CPSC released a statement to inform parents and caregivers that pillow products designed for nursing and lounging are not meant to be used for sleeping. However, many parents still leave their babies on the pillow as they roll over and fall asleep.

Read Also: Texas Baby Grows Excessive Body Hair Due to Medication Saving His Life

At that time of the warning, the CPSC did not name any specific brand, but ABC News reported that the agency received new reports especially linking Boppy pillow products to at least seven infant deaths and one injury.

Boppy was established by a mother who wanted an ergonomic pillow to make breastfeeding easier. The item became an instant hit for many mothers, triggering the brand's growth as an online baby store. Their items are also available at major retailers across the U.S.

Instructions Provided in the Pillow Products

According to CPSC policy counsel Oriene Shin, it has been ten months since the warning was released, and yet Boppy has not taken any steps to remedy the safety concerns.

"Infants continue to die, and every day that passes without stronger action is another day a terrible tragedy could happen," Shin said.

However, Boppy marketing vice president Amy St. Germain said that they had given parents and caregivers "clear and unequivocal warnings and instructions" about the safe use of their products. Germain said they have "always stressed" to parents that the Boppy nursing pillows or lounging pillows should be used only when the baby is awake for feeding and resting. In June, the company came out with a Boppy Pledge to commemorate National Safety Month, which reiterated that mothers must use their pillows during adult-supervised times with the infants.

However, Shin said that the company should have done additional concrete actions to ensure the safety of the babies. The CPSC counsel said that Boppy could have changed design, but there are no indications of such plans from the company.

New Rules for Manufacturers

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), infants need to sleep in an environment where there are no pillows, blankets, or padded bumpers to prevent the risk of suffocation that could lead to death. If possible, parents should set their babies on their backs on a flat and firm surface when sleeping as they do not yet need the additional cushions from pillows.

In June 2022, the CPSC will strictly test baby sleep products that allow baby no more than 10 degrees of angle on the sleeping surface. Products that fail to comply with this standard might be recalled or taken off the market. The CPSC said that the new guideline is necessary to shift the "responsibility to manufacturers" to produce products that give parents the option to bed-share with their infants.

Related Article: AAP's New Breast Milk Storage Guidelines Allow Pooling Milk
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It's being reported today by India's Business Standard that in 2017, volume of Apple phones made in India as a percentage of the total sold there stood at only 5 per cent, according to Faisal Kawoosa, founder of Techarc which tracks volume production. In 2020 it had leapt to 60 percent. Today, it's even higher.

Apple's manufacturing partners have pushed 'Made in India' iPhones to 75% in 2021, an amazing leap since 2017. Apple's iPhones hold about 15% of the Indian market. The rise in local production is directly linked to the incentive plans put forth by India's government.

The only models still manufactured outside of India are their higher-end models 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max.

Beyond the rise in iPhone production in India, Apple is already in talks to strike component deals with Indian companies through its vendors. One such move which is under discussion is a tie up with the newly floated Tata Electronics that is setting up a mobile component manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu.

Tata Electronics is owned by the Tata Group, an Indian multinational conglomerate that manufactures automobiles, airplanes and other products, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Founded in 1868 by Jamshedji Tata, the company gained international recognition after purchasing several global companies. It is one of the biggest and oldest industrial groups in India.

By manufacturing locally, new iPhone models are now launching faster in India after Apple releases new models. This will carry through to the iPhone 13.

According to industry estimates, based on current trends, experts say that the company will hit revenues of $3 billion in India by the end of its fiscal year which has just ended in September. That represents substantial growth over the last year's fiscal in India when it was less than $2 billion. Though in the big picture, that's still a drop in the bucket for Apple, in fact less than 1 percent of Apples global revenue which is expected to hit $330-$340 billion.

Apple will be looking to increase business in India over the next 3-5 years with the addition of brick and mortar Apple Stores which were delayed due to COVID-19. Apple's ability to better connect with local customers directly by holding 'Today at Apple' in-store training sessions and provide all-around superior service should make a positive impact in India starting in 2022.
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has cautioned manufacturers and sellers of unregistered body enhancement products on the Ghanaian market to desist from such acts, as it is illegal and can have adverse health implications for consumers.



The FDA said in a statement that, as part of its routine market surveillance and monitoring activities, it has noted with utmost concern how some companies are producing, selling and advertising body enhancements products with no authorisation from the authority and in contravention of the Public Health Act 2021 (Act 851).



The statement warned companies that perpetuate such acts to cease the production, manufacture, selling and advertisements of such products with immediate effect.



The FDA said it will not hesitate to prosecute companies that are found to be flouting the law.



The authority noted that it will not relent on its mandate to protect the well-being of the consuming public while urging the public not to patronise such products, as their quality and safety cannot be guaranteed.





Source: classfmonline.com









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Ghana on Saturday took delivery of 1,229,620 doses of Moderna COVID -19 Vaccines from the United States (US) Government.



The donation was through the COVAX Facility and the largest shipment of COVID-19 vaccines received in Ghana.



The 1.2 million doses of Moderna will increase the range of COVID-19 vaccines available to Ghana and boost efforts at protecting more people from Coronavirus.



Alhaji Asei Mahama Seini, a Deputy Minister for Health, who received the vaccines said the US support to Ghana was highly appreciated and that the Government of Ghana would ensure that they were used in the fight against the pandemic.



He said an additional 1.3 million Pfizer vaccines were expected in the country by the end of September and thanked the development partners for the support to ensure that herd immunity was achieved in the country.



Madam Stephanie Sullivan, US Ambassador to Ghana, urged the media to keep educating the public on the availability of vaccines in the country and the benefits of vaccination.



She said the vaccines along with other proven COVID-19 prevention protocols would help control the pandemic and slow the development of new variants.



Madam Sullivan said the US Government was committed to leading the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerating global vaccine distribution as the world's largest single donor to COVAX.



She said the US had already delivered over 1. 25 million vaccine doses to more than 80 countries, including; 26 million doses to Sub Sahara Africa.



"Since the beginning of the pandemic, the USA has contributed over 30 million dollars to Ghana's COVID-19 response, building on decades of partnership in the health sector between the two countries," Madam Sullivan said.



She said the US support to Ghana was aimed at addressing the immediate and long-term effects of the pandemic on the health, agriculture and education sectors and support hard-hit private sector businesses.



The US Ambassador to Ghana said the US would continue to do all it could to build a world that was safer and secured against the threats of infectious diseases.



Madam Anne-Claire Dufay, United Nations International Childrens Emergency Funds (UNICEFs) representative to Ghana, commended the Government of Ghana for its efforts in containing and preventing the spread of Coronavirus in Ghana.



She said the arrival of the vaccines would ensure that more people in Ghana were protected to limit infection spread.



I would like to call on all Ghanaians to get immunized because this is the only way you can protect yourself and your loved ones," she said.



The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is the second vaccine to be granted Emergency Use Authorisation in the United States.



Currently, it is authorized for adults aged 18 and over.



The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) recommended the use of the Moderna vaccine at a schedule of two doses (100 g, 0.5 ml each) 28 days apart, if necessary, the interval between the doses may be extended to 42 days.



The Moderna vaccine has been shown to have an efficacy of approximately 94.1 percent in protecting against COVID-19, starting 14 days after the first dose.

Source: GNA









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Mali's anti-terror police have been widely condemned after armed officers marched on a prison to demand the release of their commander - who was then set free.



The exact circumstances of how Oumar Samake was released are not clear.



Some reports say prison guards stepped aside, while others say the government ordered his release to avoid unrest.



Commander Samake was accused of murder over the deaths of at least 14 anti-government protesters in July 2020.



Mali's interim government condemned the action by "uniformed and armed men" from the Special Anti-Terrorist Forces (Forsat) in a TV statement, AFP news agency reports.



The Malian Association of Human Rights (AMDH) said it was "deeply shocked" and called it a serious attack on the rule of law.

Source: BBC









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Several great projects have been initiated by the various regimes that have governed Ghana since 1992. But many of such projects have still not been completed, and some have been abandoned because of the very bogus and disingenuous practice of policy discontinuity that continues to frustrate our efforts at development.



President Akufo-Addos Agenda 111 is undoubtedly a commendable initiative that may help to tackle our health needs if completed. But the fact remains that there are some hospitals that were commenced by the previous regime whose completion has either been stalled, delayed or abandoned.



Kufuor commenced the affordable housing projects, but the NDC that took over from him, under Prof Mills, also commenced their own affordable housing project, abandoning the ones initiated by Kufuor. Moreover, Rawlings purchased the Isuzu Galloper vehicles parked at the Institute of Local Government Studies, which were never used and allowed to rot by the regimes he took over.



Agenda 111 may be one of President Akufo Addos plans for Ghana as part of his legacies. But given our history of policy discontinuities, it is well within the right of any Ghanaian to raise questions, particularly about whether the project may be completed before the President completes his second term. There is nothing sinful and demonic, both religiously and politically, about this.



Respectfully, I still believe that at this epoch of our development, building a National Cathedral should not be our priority. We may do so later, but not when our hospitals have become death traps, and people with kidney diseases are dying because they cannot afford the cost of dialysis. Regardless of what our revered men of God say in support of the cathedral, this is my view and, indeed, the view of many other Ghanaians that must never be stifled by any religious propaganda.



There is no way religion can be used to silence voices of dissent in any democracy. Dissent is not sinful. It is healthy for the survival of multiparty democracy and development. He who is cutting a path would not know if his back is crooked. Through constructive dissent (not cynicism), pitfalls of projects and governmental actions are exposed for introspection and redress.



It is, therefore, absolutely unacceptable and undemocratic for revered people of God to use their religious influence to attempt to silence dissent. It cannot work in a democracy, and when overly pushed, religious reverence may suffer needless partisan and, more importantly, societal disrespect. But, we do not have to get there. Our revered men and women of God must comment on public policies and on matters of partisan politics, in a manner that does not frustrate dissent through harsh judgemental invectives and vituperations.



We all cannot be forced to think alike. Society crumbles the day dissent is ousted. So, let the government be focused on what it wants to do and let those who want to dissent, freely do so. Should there be wisdom in dissent, it must be taken on board. Should there be nothing sensible in dissent, it should remain as dissent in the spirit of democracy.



Yaw Gyampo

A31, Prabiw Street

PAV Ansah Street

Saltpond

&

Suro Nipa House

Kubease

Larteh-Akuapim







Source: graphiconline.com









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Nana Agyenim Boateng I, Chief of Amoaman in the Atwima Nwabiagya District in the Ashanti Kingdom is known in private life as Mr. George Kwadwo Boateng. He was born in Kumasi on 19th October, 1958 and enstooled as Chief of Amoaman on 24th February, 2011. Nana Agyenim Boateng I will be among high profile personalities to be decorated with an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Kumasi this year, hopefully in October, 2021.



The Traditional Rulers immense contribution to the socio-economic development of the country drew the attention of Rectitude International Mission (RIM) and World Diplomatic Federation (WODIF).



These prestigious institutions recommended him for the award of an Honorary Doctorate Degree



Baring any unforeseen glitches, the governing council at George Fox University in Newberg, OR, USA, a renowned higher learning institution are expected in Ghana to do the honours.



Chief Executive Chancellor, WODIF, His Meritorious Eminence Rev. Dr Christian Kwetey Kweitsu explaining the criteria for Nana Agyenim Boateng I nomination, pointed out that it was based on the astute Ruler's social and administrative activities counting from social intervention, business life, work place and society.



Dr. Kweitsu told this writer that 'Nana Agyenim Boateng I having worked in his formative years at the Produce Buying Company, now known as PBC Ltd., contributed immensely to the general transformation of the Company when he assumed office as the Deputy Managing Director.



Dr. Kweitsu said Nana Agyenim Boateng I moved from PBC Ltd in 1998 to Global Haulage Group as CEO. He returned to PBC in 2006 as Deputy Managing Director (Operations)/DCEO where he assisted in reducing the Company's debt.



In his tenure at PBC Ltd, the Company rose to become number one in the Ghana Club 100 for two consecutive years, i.e 2010 and 2011 and again placed second in 2012. Nana Agyenim Boateng I carried out other developmental project at the PBC Ltd.



In 2017, Nana Agyenim Boateng I was made the Managing Director at the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) he is still the Managing Director to date. Together with his team of workers, they have succeeded in transforming CPC into what it is currently in line with the President's Value Addition and Ghana Beyond Aid initiatives.



Through hard work and exemplary leadership, the Traditional Ruler and his unrelenting team at CPC have introduced several new brands and products of the Company. Some have been launched and others are yet to be launched. Other projects are also in the pipeline for the Company.



On the traditional landscape, since his Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II enstooled him, he has been able to dutifully perform numerous developmental assignments on behalf of the Asantehene/Government.



Notable among these projects is acting as Liaison for His Majesty on projects between the King and the Government like the Kumasi Kejetia and Central Markets as well as the Komfo Anokye Hospital reconstruction, the Kumasi Airport and the new phase of the Central Market all being undertaken by Contracta Engenharia from Brazil and Contracta Construction UK. Ltd. These projects have expanded the citys infrastructural base and the nation at large.



At Amoaman, his first year of enstoolment saw the building of a creche to JHS classroom block with the support and collaboration of friends and organizations. These initiatives were in support of the Otumfuo Asantehene Educational Fund. Amoanhene also demarcated the lands in Amoaman for projects like Police and Fire Stations, CHIPS compound, Market, Lorry station and access roads to all parts of the community which has become great relief for his people



With all these qualities, it is no gainsaying that he has been able to distinguish himself as an outstanding personality with exemplary leadership qualities. Having done a background check on his person through interactions with diverse people, who confirmed and justified his exemplary attributes. This is a privilege for us therefore to award him with the Honorary Doctorate Degree, said the Chief Executive Chancellor, WODIF.

Source: Kofi Aduonum









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The KLM flight that was grounded at the Kotoka International Airport by a bird strike did not have its engine affected, the Ghana Airport Company Limited has said.



The strike affected an area close to the Amsterdam-bound planes windshield.



The passengers had to be disembarked and transported to their hotels after the incident.



The airline has commenced processes to get passengers back to their final destinations as soon as possible, a statement from GACL said.



The authorities have launched investigations into the bird strike.



GACL further assured that it has a robust Wildlife Management System in place and remains committed to the highest safety standards at the airport.













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The Commanding Officer of the Police Service Workshop at the Ghana Police Service, COP Ebenezer Francis Doku, has blamed the increasing armed robbery cases in Ghana on the high rate of unemployment and low level of formal education among the youth.



There has been a surge in robbery cases in many parts of the country compelling the acting Inspector General of Police Dr. George Akufo Dampare to deploy an Anti-Armed robbery task force to parts of the country to clamp down on the menace.



However, in an interview with Journalists in Eastern Region, COP Francis Doku said the panacea to the robbery menace is quality Education and job creation. What basically accounts for insecurity in our communities is about lack of jobs and also when people dont take to education they find themselves in the streets and naturally that must look for something feed on.



And so the basic thing is for us to get them back to school, once they are in school these robbery activities will stop, COP Doku said.







Source: starrfmonline.com









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Zoomlion Ghana Limited, the company at the forefront of managing and disposal medical waste at vaccination centres in the ongoing national vaccination programme, has donated trash bins to Jasikin District Hospital in the Oti Region.



The donation follows an appeal by the Administrator of Jasikan District Hospital, Mr Samuel Agbekponu, to the waste management company during a vaccination exercise at the facility on Saturday, September 3, 2021.



He, therefore, praised Zoomlion for their intervention, adding that it will help the facility to keep the used and discarded vaccine vials and other ancillary supplies in them.



On the vaccination programme, Mr Agbekponu disclosed that about 600 people had as of Saturday received theirs. These, he said, including staff members of Jasikan District Hospital, adding that we are still expecting more people to come for their vaccine.



He pleaded with those who had had their first jabs of the AstraZeneca vaccine to come for the second dose.



On the disposal of the medical waste at the vaccination centres, the Regional Health Director, Ghana Health Service, Oti Region, Dr Alfred Osei Kuffuor, commended the government and Zoomlion for the initiative.



He also applauded the efforts of the GHS for partnering with Zoomlion in the fight against the coronavirus disease.



According to him, 5,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines received by his outfit has already been distributed to the 8 districts in the Oti Region.



"People are taking the vaccine and it has no bad or side effect on them so I encourage those billed for the second jab of the AstraZeneca vaccine to go and take their second jabs, he encouraged.



Vaccination waste needs to be safely and properly managed with hazardous waste management protocols.



The Head of Medical Waste, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Engineer Senam Tengey, addressing the media, stated that his company will continue to support the government and its stakeholders to fight the virus.



*Also I want to thank GHS and other partners for giving Zoomlion the opportunity to help in the fight against Covid-19, he expressed.



Among vaccination centres that benefited from the medical waste disposal by Zoomlion on the day were Kejebi Hospital, St. Theresa Hospital  Dodi-Papase and the Ghana Health Directorate, and Oti Regional Health Directorate- Worawora.





It is in line with the above that Zoomlion medical waste teams have positioned waste bins with colour-coded liners in all vaccination centres across the country, serving as temporary storage containers for segregated waste.



The sharp and other infectious waste materials are then collected and transported by specialised medical waste trucks deployed across the country.

The collected waste will then be treated at centralised medical waste treatment facilities through sterilization and shredding. At this point, the waste is considered safe for final disposal.



The medical waste teams of Zoomlion are collaborating with technical experts from the Schools of Hygiene in Ghana to provide medical waste management services to all vaccination centres across the country.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Former Head of Monitoring at the Forestry Commission, Charles Owusu, has waded into discussions regarding a recent survey conducted by the Center for Democratic Development (CDD) about the Akufo-Addo administration.



The new survey reveals that majority of Ghanaians lack confidence in President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to fight corruption.



Sixty-two (62) percent of 2,400 Ghanaians interviewed in the CDD post-election survey conducted between May 23 and June 3, 2021 indicate a lot of the citizens don't trust the President to protect the countrys financial resources and curb corruption in the next four years.



While Ghanaians are split (48% vs. 48%) on the governments ability to ensure that rule of law is upheld in the next four years, majority [of them] are not confident in its ability to protect the countrys financial resources (53%) and curb corruption and official impunity (62%).



Making his submissions on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, Charles Owusu raised concerns about the corrupt practices not resolved by the incumbent administration.



To him, the government should be seen practically tackling corruption, but in reality, the government is not doing much as those who have to be punished are left off the hook.



He singled out the former National Coordinator of the defunct Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA), Abuga Pele who was sentenced to a six-year jail term but has been pardoned and freed by President Nana Akufo-Addo.



Mr. Pele, a former Member of Parliament for Chiana/Paga in the Upper East Region and a businessman, Philip Akpeena Assibit were both sentenced to a total of 18 years in prison on February 23, 2018 for their involvement in the GH4.1 million GYEEDA scandal.



Charles Owusu believed the Presidential pardon sends a wrong signal to the public.



He questioned why high-profile personalities found guilty of corruption are pardoned while ordinary Ghanaians who commit offences rot in prisons.



Speaking to host Nana Yaw Kesseh, Charles Owusu admonished the government to treat corruption with extreme seriousness and punishment saying, "corruption should be like death sentence. When we weigh corruption, it should be just as death sentence".





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Embattled General Secretary of the Peoples National Convention (PNC), Janet Nablah says the 2020 Presidential Candidate of her party, Mr David Apasara should be feared by Ghanaians.



She explained that the PNC Flagbearer is the most dangerous man on earth who has no respect for the constitution and is also a potential person to do a coup detat in the country.



Madam Janet Nablah who has been sacked from the PNC as the General Secretary lamented that the Flagbearer and the partys national Chairman have unconstitutionally plotted to have her sacked from the party.



Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Madam Janet Nablah noted that the partys Flagbearer and the National Chairman undemocratically held a meeting with only 6 regions representing the minority to decide for the lot; thus, the 6 regions at the meeting could not decide her future in the party except 9 regions.



Madam Janet Nablah indicated that basing on the Kangaroo Disciplinary Committee to sack her from the PNC was wrong as the Constitution of the party does not empower that Committee to be the final decider of someones fate in the party, but the report must move to the Standing Committee.



They claim that they sacked me based on the Disciplinary Committees report, but if you look into our constitution, it says that when the Disciplinary Committee is done with its report, it should be taken to the Standing Committee," she argued.



Ask the party Chairman and the flagbearer whether they took the Disciplinary Committees report to the Standing Committee? I was not given a fair hearing at the Disciplinary Committee before I was sacked as the General Secretary of the PNC, she grieved.



Madam Janet Nablah asserted that, "the 2020 Presidential Candidate of the PNC can plot a coup in Ghana. He is a dangerous man that we must fear. He was an MP in Bolgatanga and he was chased out because the people got to know that he was a dangerous man. He is a potential coup detat plotter in Ghana.





Watch video below





However, in a sharp response, National Youth Organizer of the party, Mark Awusi Arkoh, has described embattled General Secretary of the party as bitter and should desist from tarnishing the image of the former flagbearer of the party.Speaking on'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he explained that the party has rules and regulations which every member of the party must obey."I can tell you that, Mr. Apesera is an honest man who means well for the party and will ensure the party gets victory come 2024. Our General Secretary remains suspended," he added.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









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Charles Owusu has issued a stern warning to Ghanaians who use insults to address national issues.



He descended on this type of the citizenry while commenting on the recent kind gesture by the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, towards the National Cathedral.



The board of trustees of the National Cathedral Secretariat has rolled out the ketewa biara nsua initiative to raise funds to build the edifice.



Ghanaians are being encouraged to make a GHC 100 donation towards the project.



The National Chief Imam, on Thursday, August 26, made a GHC 50,000 donation to the National Cathedral project when the board of trustees paid a courtesy call on him at his office.



But the Chief Imam has come under criticisms following his donation.



Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, Charles Owusu noted that some of the criticims are insulting and therefore wondered why some people cannot make their arguments devoid of insults.



He lambasted the public generally for raining invectives on the leaders of the nation including the National Chief Imam who he reminded Ghanaians about his able leadership and long life.



"Let's be careful for the Bible says everything is permissible for me but not everything is beneficial," he warned.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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National Communications Director of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Buaben Asamoa, has welcomed the CDD report on corruption involving the Akufo-Addo administration.



CDD's new survey indicates a majority of Ghanaians have lost confidence in President Nana Akufo-Addo to fight corruption.



According to the survey, 62% of 2400 Ghanaians interviewed by the CDD lack confidence in the government.



While Ghanaians are split (48% vs. 48%) on the governments ability to ensure that rule of law is upheld in the next four years, majority [of them] are not confident in its ability to protect the countrys financial resources (53%) and curb corruption and official impunity (62%).



But to Yaw Buaben Asamoa, the survey is rather an indication that Ghanaians have noticed the good works of the government.



Speaking during Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'' programme Friday morning, Mr. Buaben Asamoa noted that the government is tackling corruption head-on.



He asked Ghanaians to continue to be confident in President Akufo-Addo, not pay attention to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) who he argued has nothing better to offer Ghanaians.



''We know what NDC can do, nothing!'', he stated, adding, "we're solving corruption. We're not afraid to say we're working about it . . . continue to have confidence in the NPP, for we will cause a major transformation in the country''.



Watch video below





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Bono Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe popularly known as Abronye DC, has rebuffed claims by the Member of Parliament(MP) for North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa that the private jet rented for President Akufo-Addo for his recent foreign travel costs $14,00 per hour.



According to Abronye DC this is just a deliberate attempt by the mischievous North Tongu legislature to throw dust into the eyes of the general public, adding that he will petition the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service to institute immediate Investigations against the MP.



A statement issued by the firebrand Regional Chairman retorted that the North Tongu MP is lifting pictures of luxury jet from google websites and throwing them to the public as the supposed private jet rented for the Presidents official travel.



Abronye further argued that, to add to that, at paragraph 10 of Okudzeto Ablakwas write up, he acknowledged the fact that the jet supposedly hired by the President has the capacity to accommodate only 19 persons.



"As a matter of fact, the delegation that travelled with the President were more than 19. Taking into consideration the fact that the President travelled with some officials of the presidency, officials from the foreign affairs ministry including the minister, officials from the Free zone authority including the CEO, officials from the Ghana Investment Promotion Center, the security detail of the president and certainly not forgetting the cabin crew ie 6 attendants. It is clear that the number of people who travelled with the President exceeds the required number of persons allowed to be on the fligh.



Read Kwame Baffoe's full write up



I have been reading and watching various analysis by some members of the NDC led by Hon Okudzeto Ablakwa insinuating that, the president hired another luxurious jet for his recent travel.



My simple question is that, per the pictures in circulation by Okudzeto that we have all sighted, did we see President Nana Addo or any of the people he travelled with sitting in that particular jet?



Why is the media not interrogating the authenticity of the allegations made by Hon Okudzeto?



Where is the prove that the president used that particular jet and paid $14,000 per hour?



You cant just go and download any luxurious jet from google, check its hiring price and expect us to believe the president travelled with it.



Okudzeto Ablakwa and the NDC are only being mischievous and throwing dust into the eyes of Ghanaians.



The MP must provide documents to substantiate his allegations.



The source of Hon Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwas pictures are all other information about the jet is google yet due to his malicious intentions failed to acknowledge same. Find the link attached.



I am calling on all well meaning Ghanaians to visit the link above, compare and contrast the information there with that of what was circulated by the North Tong MP.



Okudzeto Ablakwa copied and pasted every piece of his write up from the website and maliciously linked same to the recent travels of the President without any prove.



To add to that, at paragraph 10 of Okudzeto Ablakwas write up, he acknowledged the fact that the jet supposedly hired by the President has the capacity to accommodate only 19 persons.



As a matter of fact, the delegation that travelled with the President were more than 19. Taking into consideration the fact that the President travelled with some officials of the presidency, officials from the foreign affairs ministry including the minister, officials from the Free zone authority including the CEO, officials from the Ghana Investment Promotion Center, the security detail of the president and certainly not forgetting the cabin crew ie 6 attendants.



It is clear that the number of people who travelled with the President exceeds the required number of persons allowed to be on the flight.



In furtherance of the above, I will be petitioning the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service to institute immediate Investigations against Hon Okudzeto Ablakwa on grounds of publishing false news as provided for in section 208 of the Criminal Act, 1960 Act 29

















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Taliban officials have declared China as their closest ally in the international community.



The militants say Beijing is ready to invest in and reconstruct Afghanistan and describe the nation as their principal partner".



Zabihulla Mujahid, the spokesman for the group, stated the Chinese would help to revive Afghan copper mining. He also praised the Chinese for their One Belt One Road investment project which has forged forward despite criticism from western countries.



China is one of the few countries which did not evacuate staff from their Kabul embassy in the wake of the Talibans takeover.



It was also been reported that a Taliban delegation visited China in July for talks with the foreign minister Wang Yi, in Tianjin.



Mr. Mujahid told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica: China is our principal partner and for us represents a fundamental and extraordinary opportunity because its ready to invest in and reconstruct our country.



We hold in high regard the One Belt One Road project that will serve to revive the ancient Silk Road.



Beyond that, we have rich copper mines which thanks to the Chinese can be brought back into production and modernised.



"China represents our passport towards the markets of the whole world.



His comments come after Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab declared that Britain wont be recognising the Taliban at any time in the foreseeable future.



But he said there was a need for "direct engagement" with the group, to ensure UK nationals and Afghan allies could leave Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson reiterated the message, adding that if the Taliban wanted to engage with the West then the first priority for them for us is safe passage for those who want to leave".



Raab also said that evacuation flights from Afghanistan could resume in the near future after talks with leaders in Qatar.









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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.
Onasis Kobby, the Deputy Ashanti Regional Youth Organizer of the National Democratic Congress has indicated his readiness to drag Aker Energy to Norwegian anti-corruption agencies over its intended deal with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.



Speaking on Kasapa FM, Onasis advanced that GNPCs decision to purchase stakes in Aker Energy is a convoluted corruption scheme which is intended to satisfy the needs of certain persons at the expense of the country.



He posited that it does not make financial sense for GNPC to invest $1.6 billion in a company whose net worth is $210million.



He said that Aker Energy aware of the dire situation is seeking to leverage Ghanas oil resources to float shares and make a profit at the expense of the nations resources.



Its a convoluted corruption scheme because you cant budget $1.6 billion to go and buy a company. Nobody is against GNPC being an integrator but the value they are quoting does not make sense. Its a pure grand scheme of corruption and Im going to petition Norwegian anti-corruption agencies to look into this.



The GNPC boss is not telling how much has been invested in the field. The estimated cost of the entire field operation is $4.4billion and that money is not coming from Aker Energy alone. The net value does not support the potential benefit they claim Aker will get from this deal.



He cautioned Aker Energy that it will not be left off the hook regarding this deal and that he will use every available platform to ensure that Ghanaians are not fleeced in the deal.



Norway is a country that has benefited from the oil and gas industry and so we rely on the Norwegian Model to escape the resources curse and become a blessing. One thing that Norway has done is that, their penal code which is the law that put corruption to check is tough and so the whole of Europe, when it comes to the issue of oil and gas, their law is supreme. What Aker Energy is doing; they should know that they will never get escort-free because it has happened before and we will make sure it happens again, he noted.



The $1.6 billion deal has been met with stiff opposition from some 15 civil society organizations who say Ghana is been short-changed.



They posit that although the contract to give GNPC more oil stakes is in order, the value at which the deal is being reached does not show economic shrewdness on the part of the country.

Source: Ghanaweb









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Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Information, Sunday refuted claims that government has inflated the cost of district hospitals under the Agenda 111 project.



At a media briefing in Accra, Mr Nkrumah said the cost of 17 million dollars per a district hospital under the Agenda 111 constituted 50 percent of same constructed by the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) Administration between 2013 and 2016.



He said the then NDC-led government constructed each district hospital at a cost of between 25 and 35 million dollars, compared to 17 million dollars by the New Patriotic Party-led government.



Mr Nkrumah encouraged healthy conversations on the Agenda 111 project and condemned the deliberate whipping up of partisan political sentiments to discredit the programme.



The Minister explained that all the 88 hospital projects awarded to 217 contractors under the programme were legally done in compliance with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act.



He noted that the 100 million dollars (equivalent to GHC600 million) Commencement Funding had been made available to begin the construction and refuted claims that the amount had already been spent.



President Akufo-Addo announced in April, this year, that the Government would build 88 hospitals in districts without hospitals.



The number was later increased to 111 to include six regional hospitals in newly created regions, a new regional hospital in the Western Region, renovation of the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital, and two specialized hospitals in the middle and northern belts of Ghana following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: GNA









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A Private Legal Practitioner and a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, has debunked claims by the government communication machinery that the benevolence of some Western nations with respect to Covid-19 vaccines are as a result of the many travels of President Nana Akufo-Addo.



According to him, he has seen many posts of the government spokespersons attributing the countrys share of the 70 million doses of the vaccine gifted to developing countries as a result of President Akufo-Addos recent travel to Germany.



Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, the private legal practitioner posited that the assertions of the governments spin doctors and propagandists cannot be true as the German government had already promised 70 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to the developing countries before President Akufo-Addo travelled to Germany.



In recent travels of the President, I saw a post by some of the government spokespersons that when the President travelled, he came with the Covid-19 vaccines. Can you imagine that the government of Germany had already promised 70 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccines to the developing countries . . . he debunked.



It is not because of the Private Jet that the President chartered that influenced the Covid-19 vaccines. In fact, other Presidents of developing countries who didnt travel to Germany are entitled to the Covid-19 vaccines, and so let no one throw dust into the eyes of Ghanaians that it was President Akufo-Addos travel to Germany that influenced the Covid-19 Vaccines, he reiterated.



He insisted that the defence put up by the government communication machinery, suggesting that the country has benefited from it as against the cost on the taxpayers over the Presidents travel is falsehood.



That particular analysis is a non-starter, because before the recent travel to Germany, the German government had already promised to give developing countries 70 million dosages of the Covid-19 vaccine and so it has nothing to do with President Akufo-Addos travel, he debunked.





Germany to give Ghana 1.5 million AstraZeneca vaccines  Presidency



The government will receive 1.5 million vaccines out of the 70 million doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines granted to Africa by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel.



At a media briefing at the Jubilee House, last Monday, Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin said the gesture resulted from President Akufo-Addos bilateral discussion with his German counterpart during his recent visit to Germany.



According to him, having received confirmation in this regard, President Akufo-Addo is making arrangements to take delivery of the vaccines.



The German Chancellor made it known to the President that a total of 1.2 million vaccines, were to be given to Ghana but a few hours ago, I got confirmation from the President, that this has increased from 1.2 million to 1.5 million.



This comes days after Germany promised to make up to 70 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccines available to African countries this year.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









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President of the BC Teacher's Federation (BCTF) Teri Mooring is interviewed as she joins teachers who are protesting outside the BC NDP Convention at the Victoria Convention Centre in Victoria, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. The head of the B.C. Teachers Federation says parents and educators are anxious about no longer receiving notices about COVID-19 exposure in schools even as the number of overall cases in the province is expected to rise this fall. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
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Romanias Alexandru Papazian defeated Tal Noach in heads-up play to win Event #26: $888 CRAZY EIGHTS of the 2021 WSOP Online at GGPoker for his second WSOP gold bracelet and $241,128.

The event attracted 2,350 entries for a $1,982,460 prize pool.

Other Final Table Finishers

Other final table finishers include Patrick "CocoTheDog" Mahoney, who took a sizeable chip lead six-handed, but lost his lead and ultimately fell after getting coolered, running his ace-king into the aces of Noach. Nikola Minkov took his end of Day 1 short stack into a seventh place finish. Eugenio "Ausetep_255" Pernia squeaked into the final table after being the Day 1 chip leader and finished ninth.

Event #26: $888 CRAZY EIGHTS Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize 1 Alexandru Papazian Romania $241,128 2 Tal Noach Israel $180,818 3 Santiago "La Papualda" Varela Uruguay $135,595 4 Cristian "Peitodeperu" Nagaki Peru $101,682 5 Patrick "CocoTheDog" Mahoney United States $76,250 6 Aleksey "somebody444" Churbanov Russia $57,180 7 Nikola Minkov Bulgaria $42,879 8 Igor AMilhao Thiesen Brazil $32,155 9 Eugenio Ausetep_255 Pernia Venezuela $24,112

Papazian Wins Second Bracelet in Crazy Eights Event

This occasion marks Papazians second WSOP gold bracelet. Papazians first WSOP bracelet came in 2017, interestingly, in Event #60: $888 Crazy Eights No-Limit Holdem 8-Handed. For that effort, he took home his first bracelet and $888,888. Theres no doubt that Papazian is now a big fan of the Crazy Eight tournaments and it wouldnt be surprising to see him playing them in the future whenever he can.

Papazian entered Day 2 second in chips out of the 31 remaining players, partially sparked by an end of day pot where he eliminated Alejandro "adolfito" Sterling while holding pocket eights. He used that stack to make his way to the final table on Day 2, propelled by a big pot he won that eliminated Ian "potamophobia" Matakis in 14th place.

Once he made the final table, he was able to avoid large pots for the most part and eventually made his way into three-handed play. A big turning point in three-handed play occurred when he took most of the stack of Santiago "La Papualda" Varela with a set of deuces versus top pair. That led to him getting into heads-up play as the chip leader against Tal Noach, and eventually winning the tournament after calling Noachs river bluff and holding top two-pair.

This concludes the PokerNews coverage for this event in the 2021 GGPoker WSOP Online Series. Stay tuned as PokerNews continues to bring you coverage of all the bracelet events.
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Pilots of Ariana Afghan Airlines walk on the tarmac after landing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sept. 5, 2021. Some domestic flights have resumed at Kabul's airport, with the state-run Ariana Afghan Airlines operating flights to three provinces. Wali Sabawoon/AP
A new network is in the works to direct visitors to Gullah-Geechee owned and operated businesses in South Carolina.

Over the next couple years, the Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce, along with several partner groups, will be developing a "Gullah Geechee Seafood Trail" featuring businesses tied to seafood and maritime culture.

Creating some kind of Gullah Geechee trail was always part of the plan for Marilyn Hemingway, ever since she founded the group in 2018.

As she sees it, the trail can be an "economic game-changer," bringing foot traffic and offering support to businesses in Gullah Geechee communities.

Plans for the trail, which has a dual goal of preserving stories and traditions and promoting Gullah Geechee businesses, recently secured funding through the National Marine Fisheries Service's annual Saltonstall-Kennedy program. The project was awarded $283,000.

An application for the grant was submitted late last year, and Hemingway's group learned in June that the trail had been chosen, and planning is already underway.

This first year will be focused on pulling together information and determining what will be included on the trail. Year 2 will be more focused on creating the website where the trail will be laid out for visitors.

Organizers plan to cast a fairly wide net.

There will be the more obvious spots  restaurants, shrimpers, crabbers and others selling fresh-caught and cooked seafood. But, the trail is primarily focused on "preserving maritime heritage," so that could include storytellers, artists and historic sites.

"We definitely want this to be interactive, and to create foot traffic in businesses: in our restaurants and in our shops, in the studios of our artists," Hemingway said. "We want people to come and experience Gullah Geechee culture and maritime heritage  and eat some good food."

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Businesses included in the trail will be featured on the website and given a physical marker to display. Those markers can also serve as a way to verify that a business is Gullah Geechee-owned, Hemingway said.

Cultural appropriation has been and continues to be a big concern for Gullah Geechee communities, she said, especially when talking about tourism and who is profiting from the use of Gullah Geechee language, traditions and food.

Last summer, the Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce posted a public call to end cultural appropriation of Gullah Geechee culture "for the financial gain of those who cannot or are unwilling to trace their lineage back to the enslaved, Black persons who built this country..." The statement demanded that individuals and companies that were profiting from that appropriation stop immediately.

Some businesses did make changes last summer, after that statement and others. The former Geechie Boy Mill on Edisto Island is now the Marsh Hen Mill, and a North Carolina-based grits maker removed "Geechee Grits" from its product line.

The seafood trail would help people, especially out-of-towners, do another thing the chamber's statement called for  put dollars into "Gullah/Black-owned businesses." The trail would provide a kind of vetted guide of places to shop, dine and visit.

Business owners included in the trail will get support in the form business education classes, Hemingway said.

"We're about economic uplift," she said. "We want businesses to succeed."

The Gullah Geechee Chamber will also be working with the S.C. African American Heritage Commission, the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, the Gullah/Geechee Nation and Coastal Carolina University on development of the trail.

This initial two-year time period for the planning of the Gullah Geechee Seafood Trail will be focused on South Carolina, but Hemingway said the intent is to eventually expand the trail throughout the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, a Congress-designated National Heritage Area that also includes parts of Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.

Creating "trails" to promote tourism is a strategy employed to drive traffic to all kinds of places, from history-based trails, like the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, to trails focused on a region's signature product, such as Kentucky's Bourbon Trail. South Carolina's tourism department has its own: a barbecue trail that's broken down into maps for the Upstate, Midlands and coast.
The scene resembled more of a cattle call than an interview.

Three job seekers were seated side-by-side across a table from three representatives of an employment agency, with a dozen or more applicants in the next room waiting for their chance to hand over a resume.

What kind of pay are you looking for? Part-time or full-time? Can you work at night or on weekends? What experience do you have?

The room was a cacophony of rapid-fire questions and answers. Every now and then, someone would be hired on the spot and their photograph would be taken holding a white board featuring the name of their new employer  proof that employment fairs really are effective in some cases.

Jessie Spell didn't get the white board treatment but came away from her interview confident that she'll get the job she wants  driving a truck for the State Ports Authority at the Port of Charleston. The former school bus driver and retirement home worker said she wants to put her commercial driver's license back to use, and the $17 an hour the SPA is offering was right in her range.

It was a sharp contrast to some of the interviews Spell has had while looking for a new job.

"A lot of places say they're hiring, but they aren't offering you anything in return," she said. "They ask what you want and then they say, 'Well, this job only pays this or that.' So why bother going into details with them when you know it's not what you're looking for."

On this Labor Day weekend, industrial and manufacturing employers say they're having a tough time filling jobs. The reasons are debatable  the pay is too low, workers don't have the necessary skills, the hours aren't flexible enough or stimulus-charged unemployment benefits provide an easier living than a full-time job.

At any rate, the gulf between what job-seekers want and what employers are offering has rarely been wider.

Higher expectations

Patrick Wright, a management and human resources professor at the University of South Carolina, thinks the $300 per week in extra unemployment benefits  part of President Joe Biden's economic stimulus plan  has reset the pay rate for employers. Those extra benefits, which worked out to $15 an hour in some states when combined with regular unemployment pay, ended for South Carolina residents in late June. They end for the 25 states that are still taking them on Sept. 6.

"How many jobs are paying $15 an hour? And even if a job is paying $15 an hour, the choices were to go to work for eight hours a day and slog through some job or sit at home on the couch watching Netflix and playing video games for the same money," Wright said. "That's not a hard choice."

The dilemma forced some employers to raise their pay scales to entice workers off the couch, he said. Those who didn't bump up their salaries are probably still having trouble attracting applicants.

And when it's a buyer's market, job hunters will be much pickier about the types of positions they take. They'll hold out for flexible hours or better health insurance or more vacation days.

"Expectations are going up," said Charles Cates, manager of the Charleston office for MAU Workforce Solutions, which handles hiring for major corporations like BMW, Robert Bosch, Samsung and others.

"The wage is always number one, but the other things that are becoming really important are health benefits and hybrid work schedules," Cates said. "Some manufacturers have had to change shifts due to employees' child care or other factors. Priorities have really changed."

Cates said that's probably tied to COVID-19 and a greater emphasis on family and personal relationships during the lockdown last year. Also, some people have grown accustomed to working from home and do not want to return to an office or factory.

"It's been a tough year" for recruiting, he said. "But it's getting better."

Another little-discussed impediment to hiring, Wright said, is drug testing. As more states are legalizing marijuana, employers must decide whether a positive test is grounds for turning down an applicant.

"I'm not saying it's a good or bad thing, but does it makes sense to be testing for marijuana or cannabis any more?" he said.

Attitude or experience

Manufacturing has one of the highest disparities between the number of jobs available and the number of workers hired, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

As of June, the most recent figures available, about 826,000 manufacturing jobs were vacant nationwide compared with 469,000 hires that month. That means more than four out of 10 manufacturing jobs went unfilled. That compares to a three-out-of-10 rate for all private employers in June.

Wadmalaw Island resident Sean Cushing has applied for several welding jobs but has run into the roadblock of not having enough experience.

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"Being a young worker in this field, everyone is looking for someone with five-plus years of experience and I don't have that," said Cushing, who went to Trident Technical College to sharpen his skills after his previous employer cut jobs  including his  because of COVID-19. "I have the education, but very limited experience and getting those entry-level positions is a struggle."

Dennis Harbath, manager of Century Aluminum's Mount Holly smelter, said experience is second to attitude for the 100 or so positions he needs to fill as the company ramps up production near Goose Creek.

"We're willing to invest in our folks," he said, pointing to an up to three-month training program available to new employees. "If we get an applicant with the three A's  attitude, aptitude and attendance  we'll work to get them the training they need."

With an average wage of $27 an hour and benefits worth tens of thousands more each year, Century Aluminum doesn't get many complaints about pay. Still, Harbath said hiring has been a struggle, although "we're starting to see a little bit of an uptick."

Manufacturers are trying to keep up with the surge in consumer demand for appliances, furniture, computers and other goods. But a recent increase in COVID-19 cases, added to ongoing supply issues, is leaving many industries hamstrung.

Tom Fiore, chairman of the Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing committee, said there has been an increase in worker absences and that more employers are having to shut down temporarily because there isn't enough help to staff their assembly lines.

"Manufacturers are definitely short talent," Tom Barkin, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve of Richmond, told The Post and Courier after meeting with staffing agencies and employers during a swing through the Charleston area last month. He said a key reason is the spike in demand for factory goods from free-spending consumers.

"I think that makes the shortage in technical talent even more acute," Barkin said.

The spending spree is evident on the local waterfront. The state agency that owns and operates the Port of Charleston doesn't have enough workers to move all of the cargo that's coming to and from its container terminals. After putting a hiring freeze in place during the pandemic, the State Ports Authority is now looking to add 150 employees to its payroll, mostly in operations.

"Pandemic-related buying habits have resulted in sustained, record cargo volumes, requiring more operations employees to efficiently handle the unprecedented cargo volumes flowing through the Port of Charleston," Liz Crumley, spokeswoman for the maritime agency, said in a written statement.

She added that the SPA's participation in recent jobs fair is "not a sign of trouble hiring, but rather the need to identify and hire more employees to handle the cargo growth."

Shrinking labor pool

The worker shortage is perhaps best illustrated by the Worker Availability Ratio compiled by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce using federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Other than a COVID-19 induced blip last year  caused by millions of pandemic layoffs  the ratio has been steadily falling since 2009, when about 7 workers were available for every U.S. job. That spread has narrowed to about 1 available workers per job. The manufacturing sector is even lower, at 1.15 available workers per job.

"No more worker surplus means employers dont get the luxury of picking from multiple candidates," Patrick Mauldin, senior editor at Mauldin Economics, wrote in Forbes magazine. "Thats new to them and, naturally, some find it difficult."

The working age population  15 to 64 years old  is shrinking, Mauldin said, and that portends an even greater labor crisis for employers in the years ahead. A study by professional services firm Deloitte estimates 2.1 million manufacturing jobs will go unfilled through 2030, slowing economic growth nationwide.

All of that has Keenan House wondering why it's so difficult to find a job. He's been driving for Uber while applying for a full-time manufacturing position with nighttime hours. The job search has been fruitless so far, but he walked away from a recent job fair "thinking something will come out of it."

Defense contractor W International needs to hire 45 welders a month as it gears up for work on the U.S. Navy's next-generation nuclear submarine. The Goose Creek company isn't just counting on the labor pool for talent  it's trying to create the welders it needs through training programs at two Berkeley County high schools.

"Everybody wants a welder and they don't exist, so you have to grow them," said Kent Fonvielle, president of Cooper River Partners, which owns the industrial park where the W International plant is located. Cooper River Partners kicked in $700,000 to help the contractor start the welding programs at Cross and Timberland high schools.

Michelle Fowler, W International's chief administrative officer, said more programs are needed.

"Catching students straight out of high schools is the key," she said. "Once they start flipping burgers and obtaining debt it's hard to get them into a technical school program where it impedes their hours to earn money."

As tough as it is these days, Harbath  the Century Aluminum manager  said he'd rather struggle through the current labor shortage than repeat the events of 2015, when electricity costs forced the smelter to reduce capacity and cut jobs.

"I don't have to look at a 25- or 26-year-old guy who's trying to start a family and do the right thing and tell him he has to go somewhere else," Harbath said, adding the chance to add to his payroll "is one of the best things that's happened in my life, other than the birth of my daughter and the marriage to my wife."
My wifes granddaddy, a farmer from around Ninety Six, went to Europe for the first time in his old age. He saw wonderful sights and wanted to tell his friends about his trip when he got back. They didnt want to hear it, he said. All they wanted to do was talk about their operations.

Youve heard about the Grumpy Old Man, the Sour Old Woman. Life is a list of their operations. They always think the jokes on them. The weather is too hot or too cold, the soup too salty or too bland. Another old codger had scarcely ever left his county until he was taken to Europe for a grand tour. He came back and reported that everybody over there tried to cheat him.

Grumpy old men are a comic stereotype that bring a laugh on sitcoms, but a nervous laugh. They mirror back to you your own crankiness. Sometimes, though, what youre picking up is more subtle than plain grumpiness. Its more like when youre with certain people, you feel something being taken away from you, as though a lack or deficit in them wont rest until it creates a similar negativity in you.

Joan is that kind of woman in Maggie OFarrells novel Hamnet. When a flaw is revealed in her daughter-in-law Agnes marriage, Agnes sees her stepmother lick her lips, as if tasting something good, something sweet on them. She thinks again ... that Joan likes company in her perpetual dissatisfaction. How is Joan hoping to bring her down now?

You can get a chuckle out of grumpiness, but you are thrown out of kilter when its cynical grumpiness. You are left feeling diminished, brought down. And if I am that cynical old person, mired in perpetual dissatisfaction, thats my spouse and my friends feeling brought down.

"Grumpy," "sour," "cynical." Whatever word you use, they all point to something hollow or missing inside. Especially sad is when its one of us older people showing that shortfall, as though weve added up our life experience and found it wanting. That disappointed person hasnt realized that the sum of a life is a continually unfolding truth, not a bound conclusion, and that he or she is not finished yet.

Not finished yet: that brings up a story from Rumi, the 13th-century Sufi poet and sage.

There was once a man who inherited a lot of money and land. He squandered it and found himself impoverished. He grew sour and morose, weeping in shame, when finally in a dream he heard a voice: Your wealth is in Cairo. Go there to such and such a spot and dig, and youll find what you need.

So he left on his long journey to Cairo. But Cairo is a large city and he wandered about to find the spot, begging. Then he was seized by the night patrol, because there had been nighttime robberies. Wait! I can explain! he said to the officer. I am not a criminal! I am new in Cairo, I live in Baghdad. He told about his dream and the buried treasure.

The night patrol said, I know youre not a thief, but youre kind of a fool. Ive had that dream before. I was told, in my dream, that theres a treasure for me in Baghdad, buried at this address on such and such a street. The name of the street was the poor mans very street, and the address was his exact house! But I didnt do what the dream said to do, and look at you, who did, wandering the world, worn out and begging in the street!

So the man finally got it and said quietly to himself, What Im longing for lived in my house in Baghdad.

Rumi ended the story this way: He filled with joy. He breathed continuous praise. Finally he said, The water of life is here, Im drinking it. But I had to come the long way to know it!

If there are magic remedies to fill up what feels like a hole inside, I dont know what they are. Sometimes the emptiness may be real depression, a condition far beyond grumpiness that lies like a trap in the path of some older people and may require professional help. Or shame, also not easily undone.

But I do know that when one humbly feels filled, to use Rumis word, the name of that is joy. And the place to find joy? Just where you are, right where you live. Dig there.

There was a time I used to take Mabel the dog to the old Ansonborough Field for an early morning romp. A homeless man called David was always there. Hey Dave, howre you doing? I would say. Just livin another day in paradise! was always the reply. And he was. His address was contentment and he had come the long way to find it.

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So how are you doing? Thats a pretty standard question-greeting. But how are you, really? A wise psychiatrist at the Medical University of South Carolina said years ago, If someone says 'How are you?' when theyre standing up, its a pleasantry. If they say 'How are you?' when theyre sitting down, its a real question.

Lets sit down for a moment, then. How are you really? Try not to answer fine or OK, and you? Draw deeper from your feeling vocabulary and find a more exact label for whats going on inside. In this column Ive used the words "grumpy," "sour" and "dissatisfied." They name feelings we ought to pay attention to, because none of us wants to end up that way. Old age is much too precious to spend it in the doldrums.

It's also true that the words you find to describe inner states may be signposts and energy boosts on your path to carrying through in old age. Rumi may have had something like this in mind in this self-naming poem, from Coleman Barks book The Essential Rumi:"

I am a strong knife-blade word,

not some if or maybe

dissolving in air.

I am sunlight slicing the dark.

What is the body?

Endurance.

What is love?

Gratitude.

What is hidden in our chests?

Laughter.

What else?

Compassion.

So keep on slicing the dark and naming what you find, and the joy inside will eventually open the door and look out to see whos there.
EDITORS NOTE: This is the third update on the adventures of Tripp Brower and Zach Bjur, who are sailing the 40-foot yawl J. Henry in search of answers to the climate crisis. Read the original story at https://bit.ly/3yBf3Vl. Read the first update at https://bit.ly/3gOg2eA. Read the second update at https://bit.ly/38zFsrX.

Faced with the restrictions of a global pandemic, a sailor might be forgiven for curtailing an ambitious agenda designed to discover how people around the world are coping with environmental and cultural threats.

Prentice "Tripp" Brower, stranded for months in the Pacific Ocean by COVID-19, has made the best of it. And now hes underway again, circumnavigating not the entire globe, as originally planned, but the biggest of our oceans in the grand tradition of maritime exploration.

He became intimate with the Marquesas Islands and its residents, then examined the waters around Hawaii, then crossed to Alaska where the impacts of climate change often are acute.

Now, he is making his way south along the North American coast, back to the Panama Canal where he will reenter the Caribbean on a route that ultimately will bring him home to Charleston.

He had intended to sail his borrowed yawl, the J. Henry, ever westward, accompanied by his friend Zach Bjur and occasionally others who would join the crew for a leg of the journey.

But the personnel changed along with the itinerary and the schedule as soon as the explorers arrived in the Marquesas and found themselves stuck in quarantine. That threw everything off course  though it did give Brower and Bjur a chance to get to know this part of French Polynesia pretty well.

But dont assume this is a leisure cruise or a couple of young bucks seeking adventure for adventures sake. No, this is more an expedition with a purpose to find solutions to environmental and cultural crisis and to import good ideas to Charleston.

Brower witnessed protests. He met a cultural preservationist in the Marquesas. He talked with a Polynesian voyager and others who described profound changes that have occurred in the last couple of decades. He learned about Polynesian fishing techniques that furnish the people with an adequate supply of mature fish while respecting the delicate balance of the ocean.

When they learned the J. Henry would be stuck in the Marquesas because of the COVID quarantine, Brower decided to stay with the boat and Bjur decided to return to Charleston, leaving the Pacific in March 2020. Bjurs plan was to rejoin Brower in the South Pacific and continue the voyage. He flew to Tahiti in July 2020 to meet the J. Henry and strategize about the best course to take considering weather patterns.

They wanted to go to New Zealand but determined that goal was impractical. They decided to go east, back toward Panama, and they tried for a couple of weeks, but the wind was on the nose and the sea was crashing against the boat.

So they opted for an off-wind course to Hawaii instead.

'Full of trash'

Sailing is like that. You go where the winds want to take you  and thats not always part of your plan. A sailor is among the worlds best improvisers.

By early December, the J. Henry had navigated the high seas around Hawaii and found anchorage.

It can get quite windy there, and the waves can stack up, Brower said. The currents are strong, the shores are rocky and the whales abundant.

I have a lot of respect for anybody who sails here, he said.

Brower made Oahu his home base but spent months sailing about, from island to island. Bjur returned to the U.S. mainland.

In Hawaii, Brower did some boat maintenance, visited with friends and sorted out his plans. He also met some fascinating people doing important conservation work, such as the man who collected ghost nets adrift leagues under the sea, or the man who collects plastic debris from islands inhabited and uninhabited, reaching all the way to Midway. Some are covered in garbage.

The harbor in Waikiki is always full of trash, Brower said. Its overwhelming.

He also learned about the uses of the starchy taro root, a symbol in Hawaii of cultural preservation. Its grown in fresh water pools where the source comes from springs, then is returned to the river in a sustainable cycle of resource use.

He also interviewed a fish entrepreneur who lures fish into controlled ponds called loko ia, waits until they mature, then harvests them for food. In this way, he only uses what is needed to feed the people. This is the Hawaiian way.

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In Alaska

On June 20, Brower, accompanied by a friend from Charleston and a friend from Hawaii, sailed north on a beam or broad reach to the Aleutian Islands. They had to find a way to take advantage of, and not be overwhelmed by, an enormous rotating weather system that kicked up 35 knots of breeze or more.

It was the hardest crossing so far, Brower said. We were uncomfortable the whole time.

Either the wind was howling, or it disappeared entirely, forcing the crew to fire up the diesel engine.

They landed in Dutch Harbor, on Unalaska Island, where the fishing industry reigns supreme. Then they sailed northeastward to Kodiak, then through Prince William Sound, site of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, to Cordova and, finally, southeast to Sitka and Juneau.

Along the way, they saw an arctic fox, a big grizzly bear, barren mountains, rocky paths, and salmon-laded creeks. Human concerns were whittled down to essentials. Friendly people gifted them fresh fish everywhere they went.

In Alaska, a man called Dune Lankard is legendary. An Eyak Athabaskan Native, Lankard is an advocate of regenerative ocean farming and environmental restoration. Lately, he has been investing in kelp, an easy-to-grow nutritious seaweed with many uses.

After the 1989 oil spill, the Cordova resident became an activist interested in protecting not only the environment on which he and his people depended but also the rights of Native people to determine their own future. He worked to create land trusts that could limit logging and solutions to harvest the oceans bounty sustainably.

Brower badly wanted to meet him, but the conservationist proved elusive. Then while he was exploring one evening, Brower happened upon Lankard, binoculars in hand.

I met him on bridge looking at bears, and thats how we got our interview, he said.

'Part of nature'

Filmmaker Grey Gowder, who is making two documentaries about Brower and his voyages, met up with the J. Henry and its crew in Juneau a few weeks ago.

Together, they met with local scientists and conservationists, and got a lot of filming done. One of the movies, tentatively titled Apparent Winds after the name of the project, will be about the sailing adventure itself and feature Brower as protagonist. The other, likely to be called Sea Change, will tell the story of those Brower and Bjur encountered along the way, the people working to find solutions to our environmental challenges.

The story is one about trying to reconnect humanity with the natural world, Gowder said. We need to start thinking of ourselves as a part of nature as opposed to apart from it.

The Earth required our good stewardship, he said.

We made ourselves the keystone species in the Anthropocene; we have to accept our role. And that means taking responsibility for preserving what we have left.

The Sea Change documentary will home in on four projects led by indigenous people, he said. It will highlight young people confronting acute problems and finding creative answers.

In Charleston, Gowder and Bjur are hoping to establish a robust local chapter of the Sustainable Ocean Alliance, perhaps partnering with the S.C. Aquarium. And Bjur still is working on making Charleston a Mission Blue Hope Spot.

Now the J. Henry is making her way south to Port Townsend, Wash., on a tight timeline. There, Brower will get some boat work done, then proceed to San Francisco, Monterrey and the Channel Islands, then maybe San Diego and Baja Peninsula.

He wants to pass through the Panama Canal in November, stop in the Bahamas, then bring the J. Henry home to Charleston in time for Christmas.

Surely he has the skills to make it happen. Will Neptune cooperate?
Greenville, SC (29601)

Today

Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours will become overcast in the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Overcast with rain showers at times. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Theres another potentially deadly virus going around South Carolina, and too few people are getting tested for it.

According to officials at Palmetto Community Care, the number of people getting tested for HIV has decreased significantly since the start of the pandemic. But the virus persists, leaving many of those newly infected unaware of their status and unequipped to manage their symptoms.

Officials from PCC, a Charleston area organization that provides routine care for those living with HIV and AIDS, say the number of people getting tested in 2021 is increasing compared with 2020, but so are the number of positive tests.

Michael Luciano, a peer treatment educator and longtime AIDS survivor for PCC, said the treatment for HIV/AIDS has progressed tenfold since the start of the epidemic in the 1980s, when contracting the virus was a sure death sentence. Even so, the stigma associated with the virus has remained prevalent.

HIV disproportionately affects the Black community, which accounts for more than 50 percent of all cases and deaths. The latest data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control shows that while Black men account for just 13 percent of the state's population, the group makes up the largest proportion of people living with HIV/AIDS and new diagnoses.

The majority of people who died from AIDS in 2019 were also Black men, accounting for 50 percent of total deaths from the disease.

The lack of knowledge and education on the matter and the exclusion of talks about safe sex in church pews, pulpits and family dinner tables is partly to blame.

One of the biggest reasons we are still dealing with so many new cases of HIV is because of the stigma around it, Luciano said. People don't talk about it nor do they get educated about it. Here we are 40 years (since the first cases of AIDS were identified in the United States) and still no further ahead in some ways.

Surviving the hard years

Luciano has been living with HIV/AIDS for over 30 years. He was initially diagnosed in his hometown of New York City in 1987 at the height of the epidemic.

Hed just turned 26 years old and was focused on finishing up his bachelor's degree, eventually working toward a master's.

Luciano initially held off on treatment for HIV, putting it on the back burner until the disease worsened. In 1992, he was diagnosed with AIDS and could no longer ignore his status.

At the worst of his disease, Luciano was in and out of the hospital battling pneumocystis pneumonia, commonly known as PCP pneumonia. In the early 1990s, the survival rate for these cases was less than 50 percent. He spent five weeks in the hospital during his first bout and received his first round of highly active antiretroviral therapy in 1996.

For about five years I lived with one foot in the grave, said Luciano. More than once, a doctor has told me they were unsure if I would ever be discharged from my hospital stay, but I fired every doctor that gave me an expiration date.

The stigma persists

Luciano has lost what he said is a countless number of friends to AIDS, including his longtime partner Bill, who died from complications with AIDS at the age of 37 in 2005.

Bill was a graphic designer and photographer who Luciano remembers as more stubborn than most, but full of life and creativity. The couple moved to Florida during the last few years of Bill's life, where most of his family lived.

Since Bills passing, Luciano found his purpose working at PCC, teaching others living with HIV how to get the most out of their treatments and how to deal with the psychological impact of the diagnosis.

I never knew if I was going to be next, Luciano said. The people around me were dropping left and right. Becoming an activist and fighting for better medications and access to care with people that were equally as desperate and determined to improve our situation was how I got through it.

As a member of the steering committee for South Carolinas Ending the Epidemic campaign, a statewide effort to eradicate new cases of HIV, STDs, viral hepatitis and substance use disorders, Luciano says the shame and embarrassment that the stigma of HIV carries prevents many from getting tested and getting the care they desperately need to stay alive and healthy.

Luciano says his family played a major role in his recovery, educating themselves on HIV and finding ways to best support him during the most difficult years of his life.

Ensuring feelings of shame, guilt or embarrassment of any kind arent perpetuated from a family member can help people make the most of their treatments and their lives, said Luciano.

Kimberly Butler Willis of the Ryan White Wellness Center in North Charleston feels the same. As the center's director, Willis said living with HIV shouldnt be looked upon as anything different than living with cancer, diabetes or another chronic condition.

They all are chronic conditions that can be managed," Willis said, "and if done properly patients can still live well and be a productive part of our society.

How far weve come

The good news is that treatments for the virus are available, and patients who are diagnosed have options. There are even medications to prevent exposure and possible infection, such as PrEP, pre-exposure prophylaxis that prevents people from contracting the infection using antiretroviral medication. It has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

And in recent years, scientists have found that people living with HIV who achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load cannot sexually transmit the virus to others. The concept is called U=U, meaning undetectable is equivalent to untransmittable.

People living with HIV, as long as they are adhering to medical treatment ... can live the same amount of time with the same quality of life as those without HIV, said Willis. It's exciting to see how far weve come with HIV therapy.

There may even be a vaccine for HIV on the horizon.

Get tested For more information about where you can get tested for HIV, visit ryanwhiteofcharleston.org or palmettocare.org.

Moderna is expected to start the first phase of clinical trials for a new mRNA HIV vaccine later in September, using similar technology the company used to develop its highly successful COVID-19 vaccine.

The trials, sponsored by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and a variety of research universities including Emory University, will be the first in-human study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a mRNA vaccine for the disease.

An HIV expert from the Ryan White Wellness Center, Dr. Toby Fugate, said the hope for the vaccine is that the same mRNA technology used for COVID-19 can produce similar results for viruses like HIV.

The HIV virus mutates rapidly, Fugate said, which has always been a concern with an HIV vaccine. Messenger RNA is versatile and can be changed quickly, so the hope is that a mRNA HIV vaccine can be changed to keep up with the virus's mutations.

Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson recently shut down an advanced HIV vaccine trial in five sub-Saharan African countries. The trial, called Imbokodo, began in 2017 and was comprised of over 2,000 young women at high risk of infection. According to a statement released by the company on Aug. 31, data shows the vaccine did not provide sufficient protection from the HIV virus, only having a 25 percent efficacy rate. For this reason, the Imbokodo study will not continue.

The most recent data from South Carolina shows more than 20,000 South Carolina residents are living with diagnosed HIV. That was in 2019. Just two years prior, the state ranked 11th in the nation with an AIDS case rate of 8.6 per 100,000 residents. The Lowcountry and Midlands regions have the most cases in the state.

There's absolutely no reason for anyone else to die from this disease, said Fugate. The medications are simple and tolerable. They just have to be taken every day.

Many of the organizations, like Palmetto Community Care and the Ryan White Wellness Center, recognize the barriers that prohibit many people from getting the care they need and have programs in place to mitigate them.
Summerville, SC (29483)

Today

Showers this morning then scattered thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 87F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Cloudy. Low 71F. Winds light and variable.
This time of year, challah bread is made round and dipped in honey.

That's to represent the Earth, the cyclical nature of a year and the sweetness which is wished upon humanity for the upcoming cycle.

It's in preparation and celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which in 2021 takes place Sept. 6-8 and marks Year 5782.

On Sept. 3, Chabad of Charleston members prepared more than 500 challah bread to give out to the Lowcountry's Jewish community for the holiday.

"Rosh Hashanah is where we celebrate the creation of the world," said Rabbi Yossi Refson with the Chabad of Charleston. "It's not really a specific Jewish holiday. All messianic faiths believe in the creation of the world and specifically the creation of Adam and Eve."

Refson said during this time he believes new energy comes into the world, and followers of Judaism spend two days praying and asking for the Creator to infuse the upcoming year with positivity.

This year specifically, Refson said he's asking for healing and calming energy, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Refson said there is never a guarantee the year will be honey-laced, but if anything, the pandemic has provided a chance to reflect on the things in life that are taken for granted.

"I think COVID-19 has deepened all of our everyday experiences," he said. " It has allowed us to appreciate that we dont control our destiny and that we need faith in order to support our lifes journey."

According to Rabbi Scott Hoberman, at Brith Sholom Beth Israel Synagogue, the pandemic has added a lot of meaning to the annual prayers and spawned a humbling realization of God's power and control.

"Life, at least for me growing up in America, has been relatively calm, so the last year and a half, it kind of shakes you up to see how quickly our world can change and reality can be turned upside down," said Rabbi Hoberman. "The smallest of Gods creations can change the world in such a drastic way."

Despite the changes that have taken place this past year and a half, traditions still stand and provide a sense of peace and place, he said.

For example, the shofar (a ram's horn), will be sounded at upcoming services. It hails back to a reference in Exodus, where its blast emanated from a thick cloud on Mount Sinai to make the Israelites tremble in awe.

"To me, when you blow the horn, I find it is also like a prayer in its own right," said Rabbi Hoberman. "When we dont know what to say and how to relate to the Almighty, sometimes we throw up our arms and sound a wordless prayer."

Rabbi Refson noted the holiday's other food traditions: Putting a fish head on the table (to get ahead of things); making Tzimmes, a carrot dish with sugar and cinnamon (for a sweet new year); and dipping an apple in honey (hoping to be the apple of God's eye).

"We have special foods and traditions on Rosh Hashanah that are there to remind us to do certain things," he said, adding with a laugh, "It's just a religion of Post-It Notes."

Rabbi Hoberman, who took on his position in August of last year, said his hopes from last year's Rosh Hashanah were that this year would be back to normal.

It's not, but there's something nice about still coming together for the new year, he said, even though its a little bit more difficult.

The Chabad of Charleston will hold both indoor and outdoor, limited-attendance, masked Rosh Hashanah services on Sept. 7 and 8. Last year's services were entirely outdoors and significantly shortened.

Masks will also be required for Brith Sholom Beth Israel Synagogue's two indoor morning services on Sept. 7 and 8.

More details can be found at jewishchs.org and bsbisynagogue.org.
HANAHAN  Trooper Nick Pye of the S.C. Highway Patrol was nearly killed last year when a wrong-way driver slammed into his vehicle.

Pye, now spokesman for the Patrol's Troop 6, and another trooper were hit on Interstate 26 near Cosgrove Avenue in North Charleston about 5:15 a.m. Dec. 27. He and the other patrolman were hit by a car heading east in the left westbound lane, Pye said in an interview at the Hanahan Police Department.

He said he wants the tri-county community to understand the dangers of distracted and impaired driving and how quickly things can sour. At the time of the crash, Pye was a field-training officer educating the other trooper. Pye was in the passenger seat.

While on a bend of the interstate, a person driving under the influence was cruising in the wrong direction. The two saw headlights appear about 15 feet ahead, squarely moving toward their car at 60 or 70 mph.

The patrolman swerved right, and the oncoming car sideswiped the left side of the vehicle. The troopers' front right tire came off.

In this job, you have some near-death experiences for sure, but that's just one that sticks out in my mind, Pye said. If my partner hadnt paid attention, then I wouldn't have survived, no doubt.

No one died in the crash. Pye, his partner and the wrong-way driver were all injured. Pye and the other patrolman are still recovering, he said.

Wrong-way crashes do not happen often, but they consistently occur every year.

In August, a 32-year-old woman driving a Hyundai sedan was traveling north toward Mount Pleasant on the Charleston-bound side of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, according to the Charleston Police Department. She crashed head-on into another vehicle and died.

Charleston police are still investigating the crash. Police reports indicate it is unclear what ramp Swain took to get onto the wrong side of the bridge.

Since January, there have been 160 wrong-way crashes in the tri-county area  88 of them in Charleston County. In 2020, there were 263 wrong-way crashes in Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley counties. There were 260 in 2019.

These crashes combined have injured 500 people and killed 49 in the past three years.

Cpl. Tyler Tidwell, another highway patrolman for the states southern tip, said the deaths and injuries from these crashes impact loved ones across South Carolina.

One of the hardest aspects about our job is going to someone's house and knocking on the door and telling them that their loved one is no longer here, he said. If the collision is avoidable, then it is something that shouldnt happen.

Tidwell said wrong-way crashes can look vastly different. A car driving on the wrong side of the interstate is typically a much more severe crash compared to a wrong-way crash on a two-lane road, he said, though both are categorized the same.

Driving under the influence is the primary cause of driving the wrong way on interstates, Pye said.

Some of the ramps in the Charleston area may be confusing since it's grown so much, he said. But you don't get on the interstate and travel the wrong way for multiple miles and not have something be impairing your driving.

But wrong-way crashes are reflective of the dangers of the road, Pye said.

Driving is the most dangerous thing that a normal person would do on a daily basis, he said. Until that is in people's heads, we're going to continue to have these fatal collisions.

Pye thinks his crash is a reminder to pay attention to the road, he said. Even if a person is driving safe, they should be wary of those around them who arent as responsible, he said.
LANCASTER  The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating a police shooting that reportedly occurred after an officer confronted a man during a traffic stop.

No one was struck by gunfire, and no injuries have been reported, SLED spokesman Tommy Crosby said. Officers are still searching for the suspect, who ran off after the confrontation.

A Lancaster police officer was monitoring traffic when a red vehicle was spotted driving recklessly, police spokeswoman Kayla Vaughn said in a written statement. From there, she said the scene played out this way:

The officer caught up with the vehicle and realized the license tag matched a vehicle that fled from law enforcement officers a week before. The officer tried to approach the driver when the vehicle stopped, but the man reportedly tried to strike him with the automobile.

The officer fired his pistol at the vehicle. The suspect then drove into a yard off University Drive and ran off.

Other officers and detectives from the Lancaster Police Department and Lancaster County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene. SLED also was notified, as is the department's practice with all police shootings.

The incident marked the 27th police shooting in South Carolina in 2021. Last year, there were 49 police shootings in South Carolina; none involved the Lancaster Police Department.

Anyone with information about the incident or the suspects whereabouts can call the Lancaster Police Department at 803-283-3313.
COLUMBIA  Six years after the Confederate Army surrendered, bringing an end to the bloody Civil War, racist violence continued to plague South Carolina when the federal government sought to intervene again.

The Ku Klux Klan was terrorizing Black South Carolinians, and state government officials appeared helpless to do much about it. Republican victory in the 1870 election provoked a vicious campaign of night raids, beatings and lynchings.

By March 1871, the issue had become so extreme that Gov. Robert Scott, a Republican who had fought in the Union Army from Ohio and was elected thanks to huge turnout by Black voters, asked for federal reinforcements to help suppress Klan activities.

After months of warnings, President Ulysses S. Grant stepped in.

This fall marks the 150th anniversary of South Carolina's federal Ku Klux Klan trials, known as one of the most serious attempted interventions to protect the rights of new African American citizens during Reconstruction that ultimately exposed the limitations of the national government's power at the time.

The effort to reign in the Klan began in April 1871 with congressional passage of the Ku Klux Klan Act, giving Grant the authority to use the army to arrest violators who sought to deprive Black people of their constitutional rights, as well as to suspend habeas corpus and detain suspects without immediately bringing them to court.

A month later, Grant threatened to deploy the new law more forcefully if violence continued, singling out secessionist leaders in South Carolina in an attempt to make an example out of it for other Southern states.

The threats made little difference, so by Oct. 12, Grant issued a final five-day warning for the Klan to disperse. On Oct. 17, Grant suspended habeas corpus in nine of the state's northern counties and dispatched federal troops to begin mass arrests  an unprecedented act outside of war.

The initial results were a success. Approximately 600 South Carolina men had been taken into custody by December 1871, and commanding officers reported that only a small number were determined to have been apprehended in error.

"It is difficult to overestimate the effect of the arrests on the upcountry, particularly York County, where the government was most active," wrote historian Lou Falkner Williams in a 1996 book about the trials. "Virtually every family was affected."

Despite the large number of arrests, however, the situation soon proved too unwieldy for the courts and prosecutors to handle.

Of the roughly 1,300 people who were indicted by mid-1872, only 158 cases were disposed, with 23 convictions, 67 guilty pleas, 38 acquittals and 30 cases dismissed, according to Williams. More than 1,000 cases were still pending. Making matters worse, many of the most prominent targets fled before they could be captured.

Democrats used the trials to make an extensive constitutional case for state rights and undermine the new federal laws by pursuing narrow interpretations of their scope. Their victories in pretrial arguments made prosecution much more difficult, and the government eventually grew weary.

"The federal government's most sustained effort to provide positive civil and political rights for black citizens ended with no substantial constitutional gains," Williams wrote.

The initial display of federal force did have the promising impact of temporarily disrupting organized Klan terrorism. But the lack of results in the courtroom went on to have the opposite effect of emboldening White insurgents to resume their intimidation campaigns with impunity.

As Walter Edgar wrote in his seminal book "South Carolina: A History," acts of political terror began to pick up again in many Palmetto State counties even before the drawdown of army troops in 1873.

"Although the last thing white Carolinians had wanted to do was provoke federal intervention, once it occurred they realized they had nothing to fear," Edgar wrote. "Instead of suppressing the white insurgency, the feeble federal show of force encouraged it."

Democratic paramilitary groups continued to grow in numbers, and within a few years reclaimed control of South Carolina with former Confederate Lt. Gen. Wade Hampton's victory in the 1876 gubernatorial election, regarded as one of the most violent political races in state history.
After a final round of voting and creation of some new cans, you'll be able to get your paws on a beer that will benefit Charleston Animal Society.

Voting to select the Charleston Animal Society's new spokesdog and spokescat is underway. Two winners will be featured on the label of the upcoming 2021 "Rescue Brew Beer" from Palmetto Brewing Co.

There will be three top dogs and three top cats selected from more than 670 entries from Lowcountry pet owners. Of those, one grand prize-winning dog and one grand prize-winning cat will be selected by celebrity judges to appear on the beer labels.

The fluffy scuffle will result in a fundraising pool for the animal society, as each vote cast will cost $1.

Voting will continue through Sept. 17 at charlestonanimalsociety.org/rescuebrew, and the winners will be announced on Oct. 16.

This year's Rescue Brew is a clean, crisp and full-bodied golden ale, according to Collin Clark, director of brand development at Palmetto Brewing.

All of us here at Palmetto are thrilled to be able to bring this beer back in support of Charleston Animal Society this year, and were sure all the dog and cat lovers out there will enjoy it as much as we do," Clark said.

The beer will be available at the brewery's taproom in the fall.

Last year's beer featured in the contest was the Palmetto Brewing's Peace of Cookie milk and cookie stout.

We are telling everyone to vote early and often for the Rescue Brew Beer finalists, because every vote cast benefits the lifesaving work at Charleston Animal Society, the nonprofit's president and CEO, Joe Elmore, said.

The money raised will go toward the society's upcoming initiatives, including plans to make the state of South Carolina a no-kill state by 2024. Since that program began in 2015, the Charleston Animal Society reported that animal shelters across the state have saved more than 500,000 lives, with 30,000 fewer animals euthanized.

The three finalist dogs and three finalist cats in this year's competition each will receive a $100 gift certificate for pet supplies at Charleston Animal Society and a mega pupcake from Cupcake DownSouth.

The 2020 winners were spokescat Mr. T and spokesdog Pete. They were selected out of some 500 entries, and the fundraiser generated more than $70,000.
I disagree with some of the assertions in a recent editorial that criticized the proposed PRO Act and its strengthening of the right to organize and engage in collective bargaining.

The piece quotes experts such as the American Action Forum, a think tank that really is an industry-funded special interest group that purports to come up with nonpartisan ideas that would benefit America.

These ideas are funded by corporate boards and stockholders, and are meant to benefit them at the expense of the workers who make profit possible.

The editorial says this group found that in states with right-to-work laws, the number of businesses increased 13.3%, while those without such laws only experienced a 4.1% increase between 2005 and 2014.

Even if true, that still does not address the main point: Do we want South Carolina workers to be competitive with China or Silicon Valley?

Why do you think Boeing, Google and other tech giants come here? We have the best educated workers that can still be exploited.

My union job gave me proper pay, proper safety, a proper pension and proper representation on the job and at the bargaining table, things no one can achieve alone.

Companies are not forced to hire union contractors. When a company does hire a union contractor, it deserves to get one. The PRO Act is good for every worker, union or otherwise.

ANDREW M. WEINER

Executive Board, Local Union 776

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

Williamson Drive

Mount Pleasant

Afghan withdrawal

Some Republicans are calling for President Joe Biden to resign or even to be impeached, notably South Carolinas U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Missouris U.S. Rep. Josh Hawley, over his handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

While there were intelligence failures regarding the rapidity of the Afghan governments collapse, the seeds of this were sown well before Mr. Biden took office.

President George W. Bush started this war, which continued under both the Obama and Trump administrations. The deal Trump struck with the Taliban in February 2020 set the stage for what has unfolded in recent weeks.

President Biden was left with an untenable situation and has dealt with it as well as can be expected.

Amid the inevitable chaos of the withdrawal, more than 100,000 Afghan and U.S. citizens have been airlifted out of the country in little more than two weeks.

The Biden administration bears some responsibility for what has transpired during the withdrawal, and the president has said exactly that. I seriously doubt any of his detractors would have done a better job.

KEN SHUGART

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Childs Cove Circle

North Charleston

Leaders unqualified

Is incompetence baked into the U.S. system of government?

Is it unavoidable because of an ignorant electorate herded by corporate greed and politicians quests for reelection at any cost?

Are we doomed to repeating the same mistakes in foreign meddling and domestic inadequacy?

How can we expect a government designed in the late 1770s by colonials to apply to modern society?

Are there any real leaders in this country who arent corrupted by self-interest, and, if so, could they be elected in our sound-bite, knee-jerk, reactionary political climate?

Is there no way out of this spiral to the bottom?

LESTER STRINGER

Carolina Avenue

St. George

Mandates protect all

Dont like mandates designed to protect you?

Then dont wear a seat belt, expect waiters and cooks to wash their hands after using the bathroom, wear shoes in a restaurant, cross at a crosswalk, get a drivers license, follow safety protocols at work, stop at stoplights, learn gun safety, drive anywhere near the speed limit, require your surgical team to be licensed and wear masks, expect groceries to be disease free or worry about a couple of extra beers for the road.

Americans never like mandates. Yet every one of the listed mandates was designed to solve a problem that was injuring or killing the population. There was contentious when first passed, and there are still people who will not follow them. But every one has done what it was designed to do: save lives and reduce injury to all when followed.

No politics or spin, just common sense.

THOMAS BALLIET

Serenity Point Drive

Bluffton
Corporate America has largely aligned itself with the Left, a choice that is often reflected in advertising. Get woke, go broke is a nice sentiment, but unfortunately it isnt alwaysor, perhaps, usuallytrue. Nike, to name just one example, has profited greatly by being anti-American. Some of this probably has to do with catering to a non-American customer base, but sadly there is also no shortage of Americans who respond to leftist pitches.

The Telegraph covers a recent round of advertising awards and headlines, Advertising agencies woke campaigns misfire. The headline, though, is perhaps too optimistic.

The signals coming out of Cannes were clear. Brands must now have a higher purpose than simply peddling products. They should support, comfort and be a voice for change during tumultuous times. The general public, however, had other ideas.

Lord, I hope so! When I buy razor blades, for example, I just want sharp, competitively-priced blades, not a lecture on how women can be men too, as we got from Gillette. I no longer buy Gillette products.

A point that is not made often enough is that the profit motive is the purest, cleanest, most ethical motive a company can have. Obviously profits must be made honestly and legally. But providing goods and services of the best quality at the lowest price is the purest contribution that any company can make to society. Any pretense to do more than that can only represent a downhill trajectory and often an outright fraud, although charitable contributions out of net profits may sometimes be a good idea.

Woke advertising can be not just offensive, but downright disgusting, as in this appalling Burger King ad:

I am not sure what marketing genius thought that showing a moldy Whopper would cause people to buy more Whoppers. I dont know anyone who lets a fast food burger sit for one day, let alone 34. My own practice when eating a Whopper (more likely, a Big Mac) is to pick it up in both hands and not put it down until it is finished. Fast food burgers start to get disgusting in around 10 minutes, not 34 days.

Sadly, the people who follow advertising say that the woke trend will be with us for a while:

Amid the rise of ethical investing and pressure on companies to demonstrate their corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a sign of good corporate governance, brands are eager to promote their position on divisive issues despite a potential reprisal from customers or staff. I think you do have to have a point of view as a chief executive and a company, MacLennan adds. You wield power and influence. You are no longer allowed to say I just sell bread, you have to have a view. Purpose-driven advertising strikes a fine balance between winning customers that agree and alienating those with opposing views.

By definition, when companies weigh in on controversial issues they are pleasing some and alienating others. But the dilemma may be resolved to a considerable degree by Big Data:

Yet in the age of targeted advertising  where agencies can serve people with digital ads based on troves of personal data  such ads have the ability to preach to the converted. Sir Martin Sorrell, the executive chairman of S4 Capital, says there is a lot of greenwashing and virtue signalling going on from the advertising industry. But he believes the critics of purpose-driven advertising are simply failing to accept the industrys evolution. When you look at all the major issues we have to deal with: Covid, climate change, technological change, diversity and inclusion, the negative impacts of globalisation, political developments such as US/China relations or the lack of them, all of these issues do worry consumers, he adds. The market environment has changed and it is very difficult for people in the traditional part of the industry to get their minds around that. In that new world, the way you develop relationships with consumers has become much more personalised, activational and maybe much more short term. The industry looks back with rose-tinted spectacles at the Don Draper days  but times have changed.

Unfortunately, that assessment may be correct.
In Joe Biden displays his wisdom, Paul Mirengoff draws on Peggy Noonans current Wall Street Journal column for its insight into the failings of President Biden. I thought it was a good Noonan column and true even if it was Noonan speaking, but late and therefore hurried. Noonan is in a rush to make it clear she sees what everybody else has seen over the past few weeks.

Noonan doesnt mention her support for Biden in her September 2020 Wall Street Journal column when the choice was between Biden and Trump. Conrad Black observed that Noonan had gone full metal-jacket for Biden. Blacks column has stood the test of time. Noonans is already obsolete.

Noonan is a sore subject of long standing with me. She makes my skin crawl.

Noonan joined the crowd turning on George W. Bush in what I thought was (in Noonans case) a grossly unfair manner in 2008. Noonan wasnt just unfair, she was also cowardly. I made my case against her in connection with the weekly Wall Street Journal column in which she identified with the public disapproval of Bush that April in Season of the witch.

Having turned on George W. Bush, Noonan moved on to support the election of Barack Obama later that year. Noonan all but endorsed Obama in her 2008 column Obama and the runaway train. The anti-Bush and pro-Obama columns fit neatly together. She wrote of Obama just before the election:

He has within him the possibility to change the direction and tone of American foreign policy, which need changing; his rise will serve as a practical rebuke to the past five years, which need rebuking; his victory would provide a fresh start in a nation in which a fresh start would come as a national relief. He climbed steep stairs, born off the continent with no father to guide, a dreamy, abandoning mother, mixed race, no connections. He rose with guts and gifts. He is steady, calm, and, in terms of the execution of his political ascent, still the primary and almost only area in which his executive abilities can be discerned, he shows good judgment in terms of whom to hire and consult, what steps to take and moves to make. We witnessed from him this year something unique in American politics: He took down a political machine without raising his voice.

In a sense, Obama delivered, but in another sense Noonan got everything wrong. Obama certainly changed the direction and tone of American foreign policy, yet the change failed to yield the results Noonan anticipated. He betrayed allies and sold out to enemies for good measure, but for nothing in return.

Noonan then turned on Obama. In The unwisdom of Barack Obama, Noonan condemned Obama on one of the grounds she had supported him in 2008. It had dawned on her: His essential problem is that he has very poor judgment.

In her defense, Noonan might have pleaded that she acknowledged the paltry evidence in support of her 2008 claim that Obama has good judgment. If judgment were the issue, perhaps the excuse would mitigate the verdict that Noonan herself is guilty of incredibly poor judgment.

Well, I quit reading her. I dont understand why the Wall Street Journal continues to turn over valuable editorial page real estate to her on a weekly basis.

In August 2020 a reader drew my attention to a Noonan column that represented her return to the mode of her 2008 Obama love in The Rise of Kamala Harris. Subhead: The daughter of East Bay professors grew up to become an excellent performer of politics.

The column elicited thousands of critical comments. They almost made the column worth reading. They were certainly more perceptive or more realistic than Noonans column. Here are four.

Mark Pulliam:

Thin gruel from Peggy Noonan. If Kamala Harris is so smart, why did the daughter of a Stanford professor, whose parents both got graduate degrees at UC Berkeley, end up at Howard? Hastings is a second-tier law school, well below Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, and even USC. Failing the bar exam shows a lack of smarts. No mention of Willie Brown? Sugar coating her controversial tenure in California? WSJ readers interested in the rest of the story should check out my profile of Harris [The next Obama] in the Winter 2016 issue of City Journal.

Fred Scott:

The rise of Harris is a true LOL. With the Democrats identity politics she started the presidential campaign 100 yard dash at the 50 yard mark. She wasnt 5 yards in the race when she pulled up grasping for air pulling out after polling at a horrible 2%. Hilarious how the media including the WSJs job now is to try to convince America that someone in the Senate to the left of Bernie Sanders is a moderate. Democrats pick Harris who called her running mate racist during the national debate and called her own party racist and sexist when she dropped out early after horrible polling numbers. She accepts the nomination from someone who when asked about Bidens multiple accusers of physical assault was quoted as saying on April,3,2019  I believe them and I respect them being able to tell their story and having the courage to do it.

Elise Nappi:

This reads like a press release written by someone who has never worked for Harris, since rumor has it she doesnt have too many fans among her underlings, but by a sycophant. To say that Harris didnt do well in the primary is being overly kind. When she exited, she was polling at 2% nationally and 7% in her home state. An excellent performer of politics? Are you kidding me? Is that what she was doing when she viciously attacked Justice Kavanaugh during his Senate Confirmation hearings? Peggy Noonan has lost all credibility with this ridiculous piece. She should really be writing for the New York Times.

John ONeill:

Incomplete! Who is missing?

I gave ONeill bonus points for concision.

Noonan hasnt yet turned on Harris based on her patent idiocy or her actual performance as vice president, but I am quite certain we can look forward to the column in which Noonan turns on her without mention of her previous adulation.
Rep. Michael McCaul made news on FOX News Sunday yesterday morning. McCaul related the refusal of Joe Bidens new partners among the Taliban to allow flights to leave from Mazar-i-Sharif Airport in northern Afghanistan. The blocked flights were to carry Americans others to safety out of Afghanistan.

STUCK ON PLANES: @RepMcCaul says Americans and Afghan interpreters have been held hostage by the Taliban for days at the Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport in Afghanistan. #FoxNewsSunday pic.twitter.com/2gJfxNTIfJ  FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) September 5, 2021

The APs Kathy Gannon reported the story Taliban stop planes of evacuees from leaving but unclear why. The AP story paraphrases an unnamed State Department official to the effect that the department will hold the Taliban to their pledges to let people travel freely[.] NRs Zachary Evans provided a useful round-up of the story.

The Free Beacons Adam Kredo reports the comments he received from the State Department:

We do not have personnel on the ground, we do not have air assets in the country, we do not control the airspacewhether over Afghanistan or elsewhere in the region, a State Department spokesman told the Washington Free Beacon. We understand the concern that many people are feeling as they try to facilitate further charter and other passage out of Afghanistan.

The State Department response approximates Freddie Prinzes catchphrase: Its not my job.

Reports this morning add to McCauls disclosure:State Dept blocking private rescue flights from leaving Afghanistan, organizers say: Blood is on their hands' (FOX News) and Glenn Beck group-funded planes to be used for evacuations being grounded by Taliban (New York Post).
Peggy Noonan writes of Joe Biden and his disastrous Afghanistan decisions:

A longtime friend of his once told me Mr. Bidens weakness is that he always thinks hes the smartest guy in the room. I asked if the rooms are usually small, and the friend didnt bristle, he laughed. I suspect Mr. Biden was thinking he was going to be the guy who finally cut through, who stopped the nonsense, admitted reality, who wasnt like the others driven by fear of looking weak or incompetent. He was going to look with eyes made cool by experience and do what needed doingcut this cord, end this thing, not another American dead. History would see what hed done. It would be his legacy. And for once hed get his duehes not some ice-cream-eating mediocrity, not a mere palate-cleanser after the heavy meal of Trump, not a placeholder while America got its act together. He would finally be seen as what he isa serious man. Un homme serieux, as diplomats used to say. And then, when it turned so bad so quick, his pride and anger shifted in, and the defiant, defensive, self-referential speeches. Do they not see my wisdom?

This is close to the mark, I think. I suspect Biden knows deep-down that hes far from the smartest person in the room, any room, but is desperate to prove otherwise, especially to himself.

That desire  that imperative  is probably his true weakness.

A friend of mine who dealt with Biden in the Senate believes that Biden is out to prove hes smarter than those who, unlike him, attended prestigious universities and excelled there. They may have book learning, but Biden possesses wisdom. Thus, as Noonan recounts (per George Packer), Biden blew off Richard Holbrookes views on Afghanistan because Holbrooke didnt understand politics  he lacked practical wisdom.

Biden has, as Robert Gates said, been wrong about almost every major foreign policy and national security issue for 40  now almost 50  years. But Afghanistan was one area where Biden could believe he has been right. As vice president, he disagreed with the generals who thought the war could be won. Obama, as smart as hes thought to be by the people whose respect Biden craves, was snowed (or maybe rolled) by the generals, but Biden saw through them.

So, as Noonan says, the stage was set for Biden to prove his intellectual superiority by finally ending the endless war (in which about 15 American troops had been dying per year). And Biden was going to end it his way, not the way generals would end it.

Biden did. And once again he stands exposed as a fool.
Steve wrote about the latest Rolling Stone fiasco here. Basically, Rolling Stone picked up a local TV news story out of Oklahoma to the effect that large numbers of Oklahomans were overdosing on Ivermectin, to the point where hospitals were turning away gunshot victims and there were no ambulances to be had. Other leftists like Rachel Maddow picked up the story and ran with it, even though it was laughable on its face. Kyle Smith also has a good review of the story, and Iowahawk and others have fun at Rolling Stones expense at Twitchy. I think this is pretty funny:

For me, this episode prompts two questions. The first is, did anyone actually believe the Oklahoma story? In its original version, the TV news station quoted a single doctor but did not identify any of the hospitals that allegedly were turning away patients because of the supposed throng of Oklahomans overdosing on Ivermectin. Many have suggested that Rolling Stone must be thoroughly humiliated at being exposed peddling fake news, and that the magazine should have known better after the University of Virginia rape fiasco.

Im not so sure. The lesson Rolling Stone could have taken away from the Virginia case is that it should be careful about libeling identifiable people who may sue. In the Ivermectin story, there is no potential for defamation. And do leftists like Rolling Stones journalists and Rachel Maddow really care about getting facts straight? I question whether they are embarrassed at all. (For what it is worth, at last word Maddow had not deleted her tweet promoting the Rolling Stone story.) I wonder whether, instead, they are proud of being Liars For the Cause. After all, anyone can tell the truth, but to lie for leftism requires a higher level of commitment.

This is a big topic, but another, more major instance is the Russia collusion hoax. Have any of the reporters or editors at publications like the New York Times and the Washington Post, along with many others, apologized for promoting a wholly made-up story? Not that I know of. Are they sheepish about it? Has being so grotesquely wrong prompted any trend toward humility? I dont think so. My guess is that most of those who promoted the Russia hoax are satisfied that, while false, the story successfully served its intended purpose.

My second question is, why has relatively little attention been paid to potential treatments for covid? The Rolling Stone story referred to false claims [Ivermectin] could fight COVID-19. Are such claims false? I dont know, but I believe a number of practitioners have said that they got good results with Ivermectin. Similarly, early in the pandemic liberals violently denounced clinicians who reported that they saw good results with hydroxychloroquine when it was administered early, usually in combination with other drugs or supplements.

The only treatment for covid about which liberals have ever shown any enthusiasm was ventilators. Remember when there was talk about commandeering automobile companies production lines to produce vast numbers of ventilators? But a ventilator cant cure anything; at best, it can keep a patient alive for a few days to give another treatment a chance to work. But what treatment?

Beyond ventilators, the only response to covid of which liberals seem to approve is vaccination. Liberals have tried to coerce everyone to be vaccinated, even in the face of evidence that the vaccines are not as effective as originally hoped. (For the record, I was among the first to be vaccinated and encourage others to do so as well.) Why the over-the-top insistence on vaccination, at the same time when little attention is being paid to treatment of the disease?

Further, why is it that we constantly hear from bureaucrats like Dr. Fauci who likely havent seen a patient in decades, while the voices of actual practicing doctorsthe physicians who in some cases have treated hundreds of covid patientsare silenced? Especially when they try to report positive results from a course of treatment?

Granted, viruses are generally hard to cure or to treat. The conventional advice for covid is to treat it the same way you would a cold or the flua fact that seems revealing in itself. But I think the seeming disinterest in identifying practical remedies for covid, while we are awash in news stories about other aspects of the disease, is puzzling.
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The Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, and his fifth and youngest wife, Queen Aisosa, have welcomed a set of quadruplets, three boys and a girl.

Frank Irabor, the Secretary of the Benin Traditional Council, broke the news in a statement posted on the Oba of Benins official Facebook page on Friday night.

Mr Irabor described the birth of the babies as an unprecedented and historical event in the Benin Royal family.

By the grace of the almighty God and the benevolence of our ancestors, the Benin Traditional Council on behalf of his royal majesty Omo NOba NEdo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, Oba of Benin and the Royal Palace of Benin kingdom, joyfully wish to

The palace of the Oba of Benin is delighted to announce that her royal highness, Queen Aisosa Ewuare of Benin Kingdom, has delivered a set of Quadruplets (3 boys and a girl). Yes Quadruplets, the statement read.

The children and their mother are in excellent health, the statement noted.

The palace said that the date for the naming ceremony will be made public as soon as possible.

Background

Ewuare II, who is the 40th Oba of Benin and one of his queens, Owamagbe, welcomed a princess in October 2020.

The babys birth coincided with the monarchs birthday and coronation anniversary, October 20.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Edo State Government had approved the monarchs appointment on April 29, 2016.

Earlier before the appointment, the palace of the Oba had announced the death of his predecessor, Omo nOba nEdo Uku Akpolokpolo Oba Erediauwa on April 29 even though it was believed by many Nigerians that he had passed on long before the formal announcement.

Oba Erediauwa, who ascended the throne in 1979, was 92.

Earlier, the current oba, the then Crown Prince Eheneden, had been formally installed as the Edaiken of Uselu, the heir apparent to the throne on March 7, 2015.
Near the start of each school year, many U.S. schools wrestle with how to teach about 9/11  the deadliest foreign attack ever on American soil.

In interviews I conducted recently in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area  one of three places where hijacked planes crashed on Sept. 11, 2001  I found that Muslim students are often subjected to ridicule and blame for the 9/11 attacks.

Even if theyre joking around, theyll say terrorist and stuff like that, one student told me. That used to trigger me a lot.

Another student told me: 9/11, every single year, is so awkward. The administrators would be like On this fateful day, this happened then the Muslim jokes would come up, like Dont blow us up. When I was younger it bothered me, but now Im just desensitized to it.

Theres so much tension, just being even this color and then being a Muslim, period, yet another student told me. Its really strange, like, you feel it, theyre not saying it  You dont understand this question because youre Muslim, which is the strangest thing, but its definitely the tension that these teachers give off sometimes.

These students are among the 55 Muslim students, ages 12 to 21, whom I interviewed in the Greater Washington, D.C., area from 2019 through 2021 about their experiences in school during classroom lessons about 9/11. Their experience is part of a larger pattern of Muslim students being targeted and bullied in U.S. schools.

Increase in harassment

A 2020 poll found that 51% of American Muslim families reported that their children experienced religious-based bullying  insults or physical assaults  in school. Thats nearly twice the rate reported by parents among the general public, the same poll found. Perhaps more disturbingly, 30% of those incidents reportedly involved a teacher or school official  the same people whom students ought to be able to turn to for support.

Effects on learning

When Muslim students experience these kinds of challenges at school, it is associated with higher levels of psychological distress. Students can learn better when educators foster a sense of emotional safety and belonging.

Observers might conclude that its no big deal when students merely subject their Muslim classmates to jokes  that the teasing is all in good humor and a normal part of high school.

My research  which is ongoing and unpublished  suggests that this sort of cavalier attitude can be found among teachers and administrators. A few students in my study noticed their teachers would dismiss their concerns or make excuses for students who teased Muslim students about 9/11 by suggesting the other student didnt mean it or was misunderstood.

But calling Muslim students terrorists or telling them dont blow us up repeats deeply ingrained stereotypes that vilify Muslims as prone to extremist violence and should be considered anti-Muslim racism, I believe.

Opposition from the top

Beyond having their concerns about harassment dismissed, Muslim students sometimes must deal with school administrators who block their efforts to form identity groups. For instance, a 2018 study found that at a high school where the principal suspended meetings for a Muslim Student Association, Muslim students felt as if their school was characterized by exclusion and racialized surveillance. Muslim students also report that their commitment to democratic values is often called into question.

Despite the animosity that Muslim students face, scholars who specialize in Muslim student issues, such as Suhad Tabahi and Layla Khayr, argue that schools can do more to combat anti-Muslim racism.

Much of that work can be done in the classroom  and school-based 9/11 observances and lessons represent a prime opportunity.

As a teacher trainer who partly works in developing culturally responsive 9/11 teaching resources, I offer three strategies educators can use to reenvision how they deal with the 9/11 attacks and their aftermath.

1. Teach culturally diverse stories

Although its common for people to recall how Islamic extremists carried out the 9/11 attacks, its also true that Muslim immigrants, such as Mohammed Salman Hamdani, lost their lives serving as first responders. Those stories can help counterbalance the negative sentiments that arise from Muslim-blaming narratives that sometimes accompany lessons about 9/11.

2. Examine the social and political effects of 9/11

Teach students how immigration policies became linked to national security. Introduce students to how 9/11 gave rise to the USA Patriot Act, which authorized the broad use of federal surveillance to counter violent extremism, led to the formation of the Department of Homeland Security and informed the so-called Muslim ban.

Discuss how 9/11 led to no-fly lists and disproportionately affected the surveillance of Muslim Americans. Recount how the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were linked to 9/11.

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Show students how Muslims, and people assumed to be Muslim, feared for their personal safety because of all the backlash that followed 9/11.

This can help students better understand contemporary events, such as why Afghan refugees are coming to America, or why airport security increases around Sept. 11 each year.

3. Keep students safe

As the United States prepares for potential terror threats on the anniversary of 9/11, educators bear a responsibility to maintain a safe learning environment. Teachers should pay attention to the conversations between students to ensure that they are not repeating harmful words and actions that target Muslims.

Respond to students who express fear for their personal safety. Educators should consult their states anti-bullying policies to get up to speed on how to handle harassment.

But by offering a broader perspective of 9/11 and its aftermath, educators can create a safer learning experience for students as they reflect on 9/11 and how it forever changed Americans lives.

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Six Palestinian prisoners broke out of a high-security prison in Northern Israel on Monday, officials have said.

The prisoners escaped from the Gilboa prison, which is supposed to be one of Israels most secured facilities, according to Al Jazeera news network.

Such breakouts are extremely rare, the network said of the facility which is about 2 miles from the boundary with the occupied West Bank. Its one of the highest-security jails in Israel and houses Palestinians convicted or suspected of anti-Israeli activities, including deadly attacks.

The men, who likely shared the same prison cell, reportedly escaped through a tunnel and appeared to have received some outside help.

The tunnel appeared to have been dug from below a toilet in the cell, from which the prisoners crawled their way out of the facility.

Israeli police and the military forces have started a search, officials said, And sniffer dogs were deployed and checkpoints set up in the area surrounding Gilboa.

A police spokesman said security forces believed the fugitives might try to reach the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule; or the Jordanian border some 14 km (9 miles) to the east.

Israeli prison service said five of the fugitives belong to the Islamic Jihad movement and one is a former commander of an armed group affiliated with the mainstream Fatah party.

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The Times of Israel said five of the six were serving life sentences in connection with deadly attacks against Israelis, while one was on trial for two dozen crimes, including attempted murder.

Meanwhile, several Palestinian factions hailed the jailbreak.

This great victory proves again that the will and determination of our brave soldiers inside the prisons of the enemy cannot be defeated, Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for the Islamist militant group, Hamas, told Al Jazeera.

Hamas, the group that controls the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, called the escape a real defeat for Israels security system.

But, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in a statement called the escape a grave incident and said he was receiving regular updates about the search.

His office said he spoke with Israels internal security minister and emphasised that this is a grave incident that requires an across-the-board effort by the security forces to find the escapees.
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.

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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.

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It is increasingly hard to tell private and public firms apart in Nigeria, given that the portion of companies shares regulators require to be owned by outsiders  persons other than companies directors and insiders  already negligible before now, is fast shrinking out.

And market watchdogs appear to aid a trend that is not only diminishing the rights of minority shareholders, but increasingly making it a possibility for insiders to use their huge holdings to manipulate the market, a PREMIUM TIMES investigation has found.

The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX)s rule stipulates that every company listed on its premium and main boards, the two principal listing segments, ensure a minimum of 20 per cent of the companys total shares is held by the public and available for public trading. This portion of shares that can be publicly traded is called free float.

The remaining 80 per cent could be held by a league of privileged investors called insiders, often comprising directors and their relatives, promoters and, in some cases, governments. The premium board has an elite class of companies that meet the most stringent corporate governance, capitalisation and liquidity parameters.

As of July 11, at least 13 companies listed on the Lagos-based stock exchange fell short of the 20 per cent minimum free float requirement, according to data from Financial Times.

Such shortcoming can allow a powerful few sway a corporation in the direction they want, by overriding the resolutions of their boards as well as those of common stockholders. They can also manipulate share prices by refusing to sell their shares, or selling them in bits, forcing prices up.

Yet, even with these troubling implications, the defaulting public companies have not broken any regulation or law. The regulators, the Nigeria Exchange Limited and regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), have provided a leeway for companies to sidestep the 20 per cent requirement, by requiring that they alternatively ensure the value of their shares in the publics hand is equivalent to N40 billion or N20 billion minimum.

Market analysts say gatekeepers in Nigeria are letting down the guard on quoted companies and are literally aiding an abuse that could probably set up a devastating stock market collapse, the type witnessed in 2008 when Nigerias multi-trillion naira equities collapsed.

Increasingly, insiders of premium and main board firms have been storming the territory belonging to minority shareholders fast to claim parts of the latters statutory 20 per cent minimum shareholding, taking advantage of the escape clause provided by the regulators.

Some of the biggest corporations in Nigeria have exploited this clause for years to their advantage in what analysts say reek of market manipulation. In some cases, both rules may be flouted without consequences.

Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) PLC, acquired by the Sifax Group from the Nigerian government after privatisation in 2009, is almost 100 per cent owned by its chairman, Taiwo Afolabi, and his wife, Folashade Afolabi, as of August 3, data from African Xchanges, a website which tracks all the stock exchanges in Africa shows. Its free float is less than one per cent.

As of September 5, SAHCOs less than one per cent capitalisation stood at about N27.4 million, significantly less than the N20 billion prescribed by the escape clause. The figure was computed using the firms N4.05 share price as of Friday.

The ratio effectively makes the aviation ground handling services provider a private business masquerading as a public firm. SAHCO is not known to have faced the regulators sanctions.

A list containing sanctioned individuals and firms which the NGX shared with PREMIUM TIMES does not include SAHCO. The list contains mostly small stockbroking firms and a few individuals and dates between 2013 and 2018.

Controversial Rules

Rule 12.2 subsection B5 of NGXs rulebook says premium board firms may choose to disregard the 80 per cent limit provided the value of their shares in the publics hand is equivalent to N40 billion minimum.

Introduced into the NGX legal framework on July 15, 2015, the capitalisation clause was accepted as a premium board rule the same day when SEC gave the go-ahead for its adoption.

In January 2020, the NGX relaxed the already lax regulation, extending that controversial privilege to corporations on the main board in an amendment that again received the blessing of market regulator, SEC.

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The new rule gives main board firms the liberty to maintain a free float worth N20 billion in the event they are not able to meet the 20 per cent requirement.

Clearly, its not something that is favourable for institutional and minority investors, said Akinloye Ayorinde, research analyst at investment bank and broker United Capital Plc.

First, it eliminates that sense of belonging in the company for most of these shareholders because previously when the former free float was 20 per cent basically, as an institutional investor, I can own a certain percentage.

At least I need to be carried along in terms of whatever business decisions and things that go on in the company, particularly if I have above maybe five per cent. Sometimes you can nominate maybe a member of the board of directors.

But with the stock exchanges new policy adjustment, if the majority owners of companies or insiders decide to now acquire more shares such that they eliminate most of the other investors  then obviously it discourages investors from investing in those particular companies.

Mr Ayorinde said the latest policy shift might spark a liquidity crisis because the public float in many companies has become very small and thats one thing institutional investors dont like.

According to the World Bank, higher free float is commonly an indicator of better shareholder protection, since dispersed ownership necessitates stronger rights for minority shareholders.

Analysts argue that some quoted companies are supposedly large not because they truly have commensurate market value or have earned that status by way of impressive financial performances over the years, but because they can create a scarcity of their shares in a way that raises their prices and market capitalisation. Market capitalisation is the product of the total number of a companys shares and its share price.

When stock prices are divorced from fundamentals, it cements the public perception that markets can be manipulated  by a small group of insiders or a large group of determined traders  and therefore cant be trusted, equity analysts at New York Times said.

That could have long-term implications beyond what happens with AMC, GameStop or any other stock in the headlines.

Godstime Iwenekhai, who heads NGXs Listings Regulation unit, told PREMIUM TIMES the possibility of share price manipulation/market manipulation occurring is not largely or solely dependent on available float.

These egregious infractions can be perpetrated by holders of securities in companies with any stipulated free float, or even by persons who are not insiders.

Even if possible, the likelihood of minority shareholders of a firm with a three per cent float, for instance, orchestrating price manipulation is almost non-existent compared to the insiders.

The regulatory gap allowed by the NGX, and the apparent lack of sanctions, certainly provides a cover for insider manipulation.

It creates room for market manipulation actually. Yes, I know there are requirements that insiders should always disclose whatever shares they are buying in their companies and things like that, Mr Akinloye said of the new capitalisation clause.

As an insider, if I own 95 per cent of the shares of my company and I want my share price to be at a certain level, I can easily go there to buy or sell or do anything because I am controlling the majority of the volume.

BUA Cement Listing

Abdulsamad Rabiu, chairman of BUA Group, executed a merger of his Obu Cement Company Limited and Cement Company of Northern Nigeria, in which he owned a majority stake, in January 2020.

The ensuing entity, now known as BUA Cement Plc, became Nigerias fourth biggest company by market value, with a capitalisation of N1.18 trillion at listing.

Rabiu pulled off a public listing that seemed to defy logic, Forbes said in an article last year.

Through the magic of the markets, the combined entity, BUA Cement Plc, which listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange on January 8, 2020, is worth nearly 3 times what the two companies were worth before the merger.

In less than a year, the companys share price, originally listed at N35 per share had ballooned to N85.

The magic was simple. Mr Rabiu and his son held on to 98.5 per cent of the shares at listing, while only 1.5 per cent was available for the investing public to scramble for, easily creating a scarcity that turbocharged BUA Cements share price on the back of an overwhelming demand for its shares.

According to Forbes, that single factor lifted Mr Rabius wealth by an incredible 77 per cent to $5.5 billion in just one year, making him the biggest mover on the Forbes African billionaire Index for 2021 and catapulting him to the sixth position on the ladder.

Although the cement-maker clearly fell short of the 20 per cent minimum free float requirement, it latched onto the loophole in the NGX rule that allows at least N40 billion worth of shares to be public-owned.

For a firm whose market capitalisation was N1.18 trillion at listing and which touched N2.88 trillion on January 4, a N40 billion requirement for the minimum value of its shares to be held by the public clearly came a far too lenient option by all standards.

Companies with a tiny float and whose shares are artificially scarce, tend to be quoted well above their real prices because they carry a value that is not their own.

Ayodeji Ebo, head, retail investment at Chapel Hill Denham, acknowledged it is possible (that insiders of companies with tiny float dictate the direction share prices will go) because they control a major part of it.

But because of corporate governance, they will also be mindful of not trying to manipulate, he added.

MTN Nigerias Listing

The listing of the Nigerian unit of Johannesburg-based wireless operator, MTN, on the NGX in May 2019 got off to a turbulent start, and provoked a mixed bag of reactions from authorities and analysts.

Few days into MTN Nigerias debut, the pace of increase of its share price was so unprecedented it swiftly drew the attention and involvement of SEC and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which on suspecting a foul play, was compelled to meddle.

The telecom heavyweight got admission into the premium board listing around 20.4 billion common shares at N90 per share by introduction after the transaction got a go-ahead from SEC.

That brought its market value to N1.832 trillion, which ballooned to N3.033 trillion in just six days in a development that would rank as the most dramatic and puzzling rise in share price for a newly listed stock in Nigerias stock market history.

A frantic rush for the telcos shares followed as the share price rocketed 60 per cent in its fourth day and posted consecutive gains in its first six trading sessions.

The twin factors of MTN having a tiny float of less than five per cent at listing and its humongous reputation as Africas largest mobile network operator opened a floodgate of explosive demand for its shares, helping blow its share price out of proportion to its real value.

Suspicions grew among public investors and stakeholders. It was one of two options, shares were either being hoarded  market manipulation  to propel a higher share price before any share offering through an IPO or that the Exchange was conniving with existing shareholders of the company to avoid releasing larger share volumes for trading, said Ajifowoke Gbenga, business journalist at Ventures Africa.

This Day newspaper quoted a source as saying MTNNs original request for listing got turned down by the NSE (now NGX) because of grey areas and requests for certain waivers made by the company before the application was reviewed again without SECs authorisation.

About two weeks after the listing, EFCC officials launched a crackdown and swooped on MTNNs Ikoyis office to question the telcos management staff and demand documents connected to the listing.

Heineken B.V.

Heineken B.V, after discovering great potential in the Nigerian beer market, commissioned its special purpose entity named Raysun Nigeria Limited to mop up new shares in Champion Breweries equivalent to 24.3 per cent of the latters common stock.

The deal valued at over N4.9 billion, according to an NGX document, lifted Heinekens existing stake from 60.4 per cent to 84.7 per cent, making it the majority owner of the company, a status it also holds in the countrys biggest beer-maker, Nigerian Breweries.

The sky-high jump in share price that followed was not so much of investors confidence in Heinekens management ability or reputation driving huge demand for Champion Breweries shares as the scarcity Heinekens enlarged stake had created as reported elsewhere.

According to African Xchanges data, Champion Breweriess shares more than tripled within three weeks following the acquisition, its market capitalisation surging from N7.3 billion (at N0.93 per unit) to N29.4 billion (N3.76 per unit).

As of August 3, 2020, the portion of Champion Breweriess shares held by the public was not up to one-tenth.

The Nation, citing analysts reactions, said  the new transaction has created deeper free float deficiency for Champion Breweries.

A Lesson from India

When the scale of a companys share ownership is tilted more in the way of insiders, limited liquidity in its shares usually follows.

A lot of fund managers look at liquidity. They look at average volume before they buy stocks. You dont want to buy shares that you cannot sell. So if you dont ensure that you have average volume or you look at the value that is substantial, nobody will buy into those stocks because you will be trapped, Mr Ebo said.

Between November 2020 and last June 2, the shares of Orchid Pharma Limited, an Indian drug-maker soared 7,700 per cent, prompting the countrys securities regulator and analysts to scrutinise the unusually big jump, according to Bloomberg.

Close to 99 per cent of Orchids shares were held by founders and lenders, leaving barely 2,000 of the companys shares to be traded daily on average.

Orchid, which had just crept out of bankruptcy, found tremendous demand from investors desperate to own parts of the negligible floating stock, helping the share price to hit the maximum upward daily limit almost 100 times within seven months.

It followed that the stock, which was quoted at 18 rupees on November 3, began a steep crash in early April after it hit 2,680 rupees and fell to 1,401.95 rupees on June 2.

Such rallies could pose considerable risks for investors as those firms typically dont have good fundamentals, according to some market watchers, Bloombergs Ashutosh Joshi.

Indias market watchdog, sensing a bigger danger ahead, is contemplating cutting the time given to firms wanting to re-list after bankruptcy resolution to raise their public shareholding to a minimum of 10 per cent within six months from the present 18 months.

It will maintain the rule mandating companies of this type to ultimately attain at least 25 per cent free float within three years of relisting.

Other jurisdictions

While Page 436 item xxii of SECs rulebook recognises insider trading and market manipulation as designated categories of offences, the same commission that approved the capitalisation clause that makes it easy for premium and companies to manipulate shares if they wish.

SEC did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Its spokesperson, Efe Ebelo, did not reply to messages or answer calls.

In defending the alternative regulation, the NGX argued that free float by capitalization is the practice in other jurisdictions like Hong Kong, Shanghai and B3 (Stock Exchange of Brazil), where waivers are granted to highly capitalised companies with less number of shares in the hands of the investing public but with high value of shares.

But B3, located in Sao Paulo, Brazil, operates a minimum free float of 25 per cent across its listing segments without the capitalisation option, contrary to that claim.

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange and Shanghai do not permit the option also. However, these two allow reduction of the 25 per cent minimum free float in cases where companies have certain high threshold levels of market value.

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange demands that listed firms allow the public to hold at least 25 per cent of their shares but gives a concession of between 15 and 25 per cent free float to those companies with a minimum market value of HK$10 billion ($1.3 billion). The capitalisation clause does not exist in this market.

Whereas Shanghai mandates 25 per cent of companies shareholding go to the public, it allows corporations with a market value above CNY400 million to enjoy 10 per cent minimum float. Just like Shanghai, it forbids the capitalisation option.

The soft clause easing the path of entry for companies onto the premium and main boards is also absent in those of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), the only equity market bigger than Nigerias in Africa, as it is in bourses like Brazils Sao Paulo Stock Exchange, National Stock Exchange of India and even London Stock Exchange (LSE).

JSE runs a 20 per cent free float in its premium board listing, while Brazil, India and the UK each operate 25 per cent without any of all welcoming the capitalisation option.

In fact, moves by the British government with support from LSE authorities to water down its public float has been drawing fierce pushback from the shareholder community since the review began in November 2020.

The government wants the percentage slashed from 25 per cent to 15 per cent but institutional investors including mutual funds and pension managers fear the campaign will do enormous damage to corporate governance standards, with insinuation that what authorities hope will bring flexibility to the system will instead promote abuse.

Analysts observe that institutional investors who most times account for most of the activity and hefty flow of cash into and out of the open market, abandon stocks with small free float because those shares lack the liquidity needed to make them easily tradeable and their price movement and volatile.

Before you take decisions to buy (shares in) a company, the fact that the free float of a company is small is a red flag, Mr Akinloye said.

When you particularly find investors from like UK, one of these things you look at is the free float of the company. They want to be sure that whenever they want to sell, if the free float is very small, the insiders will be controlling the liquidity of the stock and if they decide they are not selling just because you want to drive prices higher and people want to buy.

Mr Iwenekhai of the NGX said the capitalisation clause requiring companies to meet the free float requirement through value was not designed to assist companies to subvert the rules.

The intent is to provide an alternative for companies to meet the free float requirement where market conditions do not allow substantial shareholders to sell down their holdings.

Foreign portfolio investment (FPI) into the Nigerian FPI into the Nigerian stock market shrank from N96.74 billion as of June 2019 to N23.42 billion at the end of June this year, figures from the NGXs Domestic and Foreign Portfolio Investment Reports show.

Analysts say the inadequacies in the regulatory framework of the NGX may open up a credibility gap and deal a blow to the image for an exchange, which itself transitioned to a quoted company this year.

They argue in support of strengthening regulations and enabling laws.

The chairpersons of Senate and House of Representatives committees on capital market, Ibikunle Amosun, and Ibrahim Babangida respectively, did not answer phone calls and text messages from PREMIUM TIMES seeking comment.
Preliminary report from an autopsy conducted on Monday has revealed that a university student who died in police custody in Akwa Ibom State, Nigerias South-south, was tortured.

Kubiat Akpan, 28, a fresh graduate of architecture, University of Uyo, was arrested by the police on August 29, while he was sitting out with some friends at a popular store in Uyo.

He was reported dead some hours later, tortured by some police officers, his lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, said.

The autopsy report invalidates the claim by the police that the student died of illness.

The suspect (Mr Akpan) said he was sick. He was taken to the police clinic for treatment but gave up the ghost in the process, the police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom State, Odiko MacDon, said in the statement on Saturday.

Mr MacDon said the late student was being investigated for robbery and cultism, a claim the lawyer, Mr Effiong, said was false.

A pathologist with the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, who performed the autopsy, said there were visible bruises on the body which indicated torture.

A PREMIUM TIMES reporter witnessed the autopsy.

The lawyer, Mr Effiong, including an investigating police officer, Udeme Ebong, as well as a man identified as Ene Inyang, said to be an uncle to the late student, were present during the autopsy.

There are signs of torture on this body, not one, not two. There are also signs of blunt head injury. Someone can have a blunt head injury from an accident, whereas the injuries here are torture-related, he said pointing at the bruises on the victims left arm.

From the mortuarys record book, sighted by a PREMIUM TIMES reporter, the police team who deposited the corpse lied to the mortuary attendant that the student died in Nsit Ubium, a local government area outside of Uyo where the student actually died.

The attendant said the men who brought the corpse did not identify themselves as police officers.

It was the next day that some people who said they were from the police came to take photographs of the corpse, he said.

Mr Effiong had said on Saturday that it was irresponsible for the police spokesperson, Mr MacDon to accuse late Mr Akpan of being a robbery suspect.

The statement by Odiko MacDon, as far as I am concerned, must have been issued under the influence of alcohol, he told PREMIUM TIMES.

There was never a case of armed robbery or cultism against the deceased at any time.

This was just a young boy who was picked up randomly by the police for reasons they are yet to disclose to us, taken into custody and tortured to death, the lawyer added.

The Nigerian police, over the years, have become notorious for torture and extra-judicial killing, one of the underlying problems that led to the historic #EndSars protest across Nigeria last year.

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Mutinous soldiers who deposed Guinean President Alpha Conde on Sunday after hours of heavy gunfire around the presidential palace said they did so because of the rampant corruption, disregard for human rights and economic mismanagement under the ousted president.

Mamadi Doumbouya, the 41-year-old colonel who appears to be the leader of the military takeover, said in a statement after a meeting Monday that the army had little choice but to give the people their freedom.

Quoting late Ghanaian ex-president John Rawlings who led a coup twice in Ghana, Mr Doumbouya said, if the people are crushed by their elites, it is up to the army to give the people their freedom.

The duty of a soldier is to save the country. We will no longer entrust politics to one man. We will entrust it to the people, the former French legionary, draped in the red, yellow, and green Guinean flag with about a half dozen other soldiers flanked at his side, said.

The putschists have since seized Mr Conde and his whereabouts or safety is uncertain.

The junta has continued to consolidate power as it announced that it will be replacing Guineas governors with regional commanders at an event Monday.

Any refusal to appear will be considered rebellion against the countrys new regime, it warned.

Mr Doumbouya noted that after consultations, the modalities for transition will be set out, and then a government of national union will be established to steer the transition.

He had earlier said on state television that the government had been dissolved, the constitution suspended and the countrys borders shut.

On Monday, he ordered former ministers to hand over their official vehicles to the military, and told them that they could not leave the country.

He urged mining companies to continue with their activities as they were exempted from the nationwide curfew.

After the meeting, Mr Doumbouya drove around the capital Conakry, BBC reported.

The medium added that a happy crowd, some undressed, were seen chanting Doumbouya, Doumbouya, Doumbouya and freedom, freedom, freedom.

READ ALSO:

This is believed to capture the mood of some Guineans who were tired of Mr Condes reign, especially because despite the countrys bauxite and iron ore wealth, about half of its 12 million people are poor.

The French-speaking West African country is home to the worlds largest reserves of bauxite, the main source of aluminum for cars, beer cans and foil wrap. The aftermath of the coup saw a climb in the prices of aluminium to their highest in over a decade.

Nigeria, neighbouring The Gambia, regional organisation ECOWAS, the African Union, the United Nations as well as other foreign allies have condemned the coup and called for a stand down.

Guineas coup came on the heels of four other military takeovers around the Sahel since August 2020. There have been two putsches in Mali, another in Chad, and a foiled attempt in March in Niger.

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Controversial Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi, has condemned the current military offensive against armed herders and bandits operating in the North-west region of Nigeria and declared that it would not stop their activities.

Mr Gumi in a long rant on his verified Facebook page on Monday, said the reported military successes against bandits in Zamfara forests will only complicate the crisis.

Let us face the reality, these herdsmen are going nowhere, and they are already in battle gear, and we know our military very well, so before things get messy, we need cold brains to handle this delicate situation. Its common sense that if you allow your neighbours to be your enemy you are already conquered. Because they can easily be used against you by other forces as we see now the herdsmen are ultimately used to destabilise the region, pauperize and even depopulate it.

In the statement, which he titled Zamfara: The Flaring of Crisis, Mr Gumi stressed that the military action is no solution or wisdom.

Now with the prodding of the government to take more military actions of an already ugly situation whereby they were left to amass weapons, a huge military budget that is almost draining the economy to a standstill in the purchase of fighter aircrafts (sic) and conducting military operations in the region has become to the authorities in their calculations a necessity.

Unfortunately, this is no solution or wisdom. When you dont have the monopoly of the instruments of violence, then dialogue has the monopoly of resolving the conflict.

This is what the UN is all about. i.e., roundtable resolution of conflicts. What we are seeing is more than just criminals and criminality, yes it may have started as such but like any conflict, it is dynamic.

Military actions in the past have worsen(ed) the situation stimulating herdsmen resistance. Any more action will push them closer to religious fanaticism. It gives them protection from discrediting them as thieves and also reinforce their mobilization of gullible young unemployed youth as we saw with BH.

I have met many of the bandit leaders to see a way out of this gridlock. I have talked to the political class and security agents. Except for an exception, most state governors want a peaceful resolution of the conflict. The Police and other security outfits have also realized the enormity of the problem. But, unfortunately, the presidency for what appears to be political gullibility and the military for budgetary reasons as they are the most beneficiary of conflicts of this nature doesnt seem to be on the same page.

Mr Gumi is a proponent of dialogue with the bandits despite their bloody imprint in most communities in the north.

He has visited many of them in their forest hideouts and urged the government to dialogue with the bandits in order to bring an end to banditry in the region.

Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle had engaged bandits in his state in dialogue but failed to end the menace. He has now withdrawn from the process and endorsed military actions.

Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and his Niger State counterpart, Abubakar Sani, are also opposed to dialogue with the outlaws.
The Federal Government will recover millions of naira wrongly paid to 588 medical doctors across the country, an official has said.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, stated this when he fielded questions from State House correspondents in Abuja.

He explained that affected doctors wrongly benefitted from Medical Residency Training Fund meant for particular category of doctors.

He said the names of the doctors were uncovered after a thorough scrutinisation of the 8000 names submitted by Chief Medical Directors of Federal Government health institutions for the training programme.

The minister, however, revealed that a substantial amount of the money had been refunded by some of the affected doctors while efforts had been intensified to recover the remaining balance.

He maintained that the delay in making the refund by the affected doctors was holding back the Residency Fund payment by the government.

Ministry of Health has gotten the list of doctors who supposedly are to benefit from the Medical Residency Training Fund.

Total submission of about 8000 names were gotten and the Ministry of Health is scrutinising them.

We have done the first round of scrutinization and they will now compare what they have with the Post-Graduate Medical College and the Chief Medical Directors who submitted the names.

The Association of Resident Doctors, in each of the tertiary centres, worked with the CMDs to produce those names, but now the names are being verified.

We discovered that about 2000 names shouldnt be there because they dont have what is called Postgraduate Reference Numbers of National Postgraduate Medical College and (or) that of the West African Postgraduate Medical College.

So, this is it and that is the only thing holding back the Residency Fund payment because it is there already for incurred expenditure has been done by the Finance Minister and an its in the Accountant-Generals office., he said.

So, once the verify they authenticity of those they are submitting, the Accountant-General will pay.

We are doing that verification because we do not want what happened last time in 2020 to reoccur.

In 2020, the submitted names didnt come through the appropriate source, which is the Postgraduate Medical College and payment was affected and it was discovered that about 588 persons, who were not resident doctors benefited from such money.

They are now finding it difficult to make the full refund. But they have to refund that money. Some are refunding, but there is no full consideration of the account.

That account has to be reconciled to enable the accountants pay the next round of funding for 2021, he said.

Strike

On the ongoing strike by Resident Doctors, Mr Ngige expressed the readiness of the Federal Government to withdraw the case it instituted against them, if they would go back to their duty post.

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He, however, insisted that the no work, no pay policy of the government would be observed because it is a global practice which is also captured in Section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act under the International Labour Organisation, ILO. (NAN)
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A Badagry Magistrates Court in Lagos State on Monday ordered that a 47-year-old man, Abodurin Ohai, who pleaded guilty to aiding a suspect to escape, be remanded in a correctional centre.

Me Ohai had stood as a surety for his brother, Olatunbosun, in a case of conspiracy, burglary and robbery and was granted bail by the court.

The Chief Magistrate, Fadaunsi Adefioye, who gave the order, adjourned the case until October 13, for mention.

The Prosecution Counsel, Clement Okuiomose, told the court that the surety aided the escape of the suspect from lawful custody in a case of conspiracy, burglary and stealing.

ALSO READ: Court orders judge accused of trespass to file defence in N25million suit

He said that the surety, thereby, obstructed, prevented and perverted the course of justice.

Me Okuiomose said that the surety entered into bond for the forfeiture of the sum of N100,000 in the case between Commissioner of Police and the accused reported by Oguntande Wole, the complainant.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened the provisions of sections 107 and 97 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. (NAN)
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The Vice-Chancellor of Benue State University, Makurdi, Tor Iorapuu, has expressed the institutions willingness to partner with the Premium Times Centre for Investigative journalism (PTCIJ) for training, mentorship and internship opportunities for students of the Mass Communication department of the university.

Represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Mike Odey, the professor expressed the readiness of the university to collaborate with PTCIJ for the promotion of academic excellence and any steps that will further enhance the cause of journalism in the country.

He spoke on August 25 during a visit to his office by a PTCIJ team led by its assistant programme director, Deji Adekunle.

The PTCIJ team was in the institution to train about 50 students of the Mass Communication department on investigative journalism.

There are lots of opportunities to leverage on this rare opportunity and the university will not fail in this regard especially with the daily rise of social media whose stock in trade is to propagate negativity, Mr Iorapuu said.

Commenting, the head of the Mass Communication department, Vitalis Torwel, expressed his gratitude to the PTCIJ team for taking their time to train the students of the department. The professor said he hopes to see the impact of the training when the students produce the university magazine and when they handle programmes on the universitys radio.

In his response, Mr Adekunle said the PTCIJ team was in the university to train the students on accountability journalism with the hope of contributing to the growth of journalism not only in BSU but across university campuses.

He described student journalists as the media of the future and spoke of the need to groom them from the university to enhance their hands-on capacities before they finally face the rigours of the profession after graduation.

So far, we have visited 16 universities across the country, establishing campus journalism, mentoring, creating social accountability awareness and the platform for the students to practice; which has helped many graduates who are currently working with reputable media organisations across Africa and beyond, he said.

Mr Adekunle appreciated the management of the university for the approval to host the training. He commended the performance of the students, saying it was an indication that there is hope for the future of journalism in Nigeria.

A highlight of the visit was the donation of various books published by PTCIJ to o the university while Mr Odey, a professor, also donated copies of his recently published book, titled, Principles and Practices of Research Methodology, to the guests.
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A justice of the Supreme Court, Chime Nweze, has asked members of the Old Seminarians Association of Nigeria (OSAN) to mobilise Nigerians towards building a better country.

Mr Nweze, who was the keynote speaker at the inaugural ceremony of OSAN on Saturday in Abuja, said corruption, baseless party politics and worsening security are frustrating national integration.

He noted that citizens need to think beyond their differences to propel the nation into maximising its potentials towards the actualization of greatness.

Mr Nweze argued that the clergy could not afford to be aloof and indifferent to the corrupt leadership which he said had inflicted so much pain on the people.

He called for envagelism of human structures, which according to him, is a new approach to confront the injustices ravaging the economic, social and political lives of the people.

The Clerk of the House of Representatives, Chinedu Akubueze, who was the chairman of the inaugural ceremony, said the members who are called to public life must lead by example.

Today is like our coming out to identify ourselves as old Seminarians. Some of us attended different seminaries across the country but did not succeed in making it to priesthood. Before it used to be seen as a failure. We are coming out today to correct the impression.

The essence of a seminary is to bring up good Catholic boys. The seminary develops various character traits, that should be part of our daily living. We expect our members who have the calling of going into politics to set an example. We will encourage them to play politics bearing in mind their Catholic seminary heritage, Mr Akadueze said.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, said Nigerians must begin to question the wealth of politicians and mobilise the people toward weeding them out.

He also raised alarm on the impact of cybercrime on youth, noting that several young people were becoming ex-convicts.

The challenge my Lord this is posing to us is that we must now begin to question the wealth of those politicians. And there is a new dangerous trend that my Lord touched, and that is the emergence of yahoo boys.

EFCC addressed a press conference yesterday, and identified Lekki in Lagos, that is where the nouveau rich stay as the hotspot of Yahoo Yahoo in Nigeria. If we are not careful, we are producing a generation of ex-convicts in Nigeria. Many of our young people are being convicted.

All old seminarians, we must mobilize our people to reject all politicians of doubtful integrity, politicians of questionable pedigree, so that we will not have a cause to regret our choices. In Latin America, they call it liberation theology, that is what they are asking our priests to do here, to ensure that we remain the conscience of Nigerians.

The inaugural ceremony was attended by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, a former Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, and other old seminarians.

The website of the association was also launched at the ceremony.
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Some members of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) in Jalingo local government area of Taraba State on Monday rejected the consensus arrangement adopted to pick the partys officials in Saturdays local government congresses.

A group that called itself Stakeholders of the party had earlier set out a consensus formula for the party and forwarded it to the state caretaker committee for implementation.

The protesters, however, said the decision was reached without consultation and should not be allowed to stand.

Ahmed Hamza, who led the protesters, told journalists that they opposed the arrangement at the stakeholders meeting held with the local government congresses committee.

During the meeting with the committee, we insisted that we prefer open election to the consensus arrangement, Mr Hsmza said.

We were then asked to proceed to the party office and wait for the officials who would come and conduct the congress. To our greatest surprise, none of them showed up.

Mr Hamza said the committee did not show up but went ahead to announce some names as consensus candidates.

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He said the party must do the right thing and stop promoting the interest of a group if it wants to make impact in the state.

You need to understand that there are people who paid for the forms to contest various positions at this congress. What happens to them? They did not subscribe to the consensus arrangement and yet they were tricked out of the meeting and abandoned.

Mr Hamza warned that the aggrieved members would consider their options if the party officials failed to address their grievances.

The APC is an all-inclusive party and encourages collective participation. We would not sit back and allow one or two people to highjack the party for their selfish interests. That is exactly what will kill the party.

As such, we have already prepared our petition and will proceed to the appeal committee as soon as it is appointed. This travesty cannot be allowed to stand, Mr Hamza said.

The state caretaker chairman, El-Sudi Tukur, had earlier told PREMIUM TIMES in an interview that the party would encourage consensus in electing its local officials.

We encourage consensus but where there is no consensus, we will go for election.

Mr Tukur said the decision was agreed to by critical stakeholders across the state and was not taken to favour any group.

He assures all party members of justice and fairness to ensure that APC takes over the state from PDP in 2023.
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The Kano State Fire Service has rescued a 60-year old man, Adamu Manjo, trapped in a well at Dandishe Quarters in Dala Local Government Area of the state.

Saminu Abdullahi, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the service, stated this in a statement he signed and released to reporters on Monday in Kano.

Me Abdullahi explained in the statement that the incident happened on Monday morning.

We received a distress call from one Zakari Abdulkadir at about 10:02 a.m., and immediately; we sent our rescue team to the scene at about 10:11a.m., he said.

He said that Mr Manjo was hired 0 by Abubakar Shehu-Musa to dig out sand for him but he got trapped in the well.

Me Abdullahi added that the victim was brought out from the well alive and had been handed over to Abubakar Shehu-Musa of Dandishe Quarters.

(NAN)
President Hakainde Hichilema has wasted no time in asserting his authority. The cabinet appointments announced by Zambias new head of state took second place to his bold move to retire security chiefs across all sectors, from the army through to correctional services.

His swift actions are a positive indication that the new era in Zambia puts respect for the Constitution and rule of law above loyalty to the ruling party and president.

This is a marked departure from the impunity that securocrats in Southern Africa and indeed the continent have become accustomed to. Security sector reform has remained elusive for most countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC)  something Hichilema seems intent on changing.

True to the businessman he is, he wasted no time in aligning the security forces. The president charged the former security heads of willfully negating the spirit and letter of Zambias Constitution and being brazenly partisan and unprofessional in their conduct.

These accusations were strengthened by his first-hand experience of the many arbitrary arrests and detentions of political activists. Under former president Edgar Lungu, the Zambian police and military became complicit in Lungus autocratic tendencies. Soldiers and officials were accused of various abuses, ranging from arbitrary detentions of those who spoke out against the government to killing protesters.

Mr Hichilemas move is a necessary first step in developing professional security forces and engendering citizens confidence in the integrity of these institutions. It can also help mend damaged relations between the public and the security forces, and show that the security sector should serve the nation  not the ruling party.

In a clear recognition of professionalism and integrity, Mr Hichilema promoted one of his jailers to Deputy Commissioner General of Correctional Services. This is likely to have a ripple effect across other sectors of government.

The new presidents critics are, however, urging caution. They point out that he has a long way to go in balancing competing interests within his winning alliance and securing the confidence of the entire state apparatus.

Mr Hichilemas actions could also, if not communicated well, fuel street-level retribution against those who abused power during the reign of Lungus Patriotic Fronts (PF). Already a video is circulating on social media of civilians apprehending and taunting a man accused of abuses during the PFs crackdown against the opposition.

While retiring the securocrats was necessary, some might perceive it as too drastic and too hasty. SADC governments have long grappled with the difficulty of successfully reforming their security sectors. Mr Hichilemas decision to tackle the problem head-on has undoubtedly been unsettling for some politicians in the region.

ALSO READ: Zambian opposition candidate Hakainde Hichilema wins presidential election after sixth trial

This sentiment is likely stronger in countries where police and soldiers have been willing accomplices in the abuse and torment of opposition parties and human rights activists. In countries like eSwatini, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique and Tanzania, ruling elites might find Mr Hichilemas measures unpalatable.

In most SADC countries, the military and ruling party are joined at the hip, enabling the army to act as guarantor of the regime. Despite numerous efforts by the regional bloc, it has not pronounced itself definitively on the matter, leaving citizens unsupported as they wrestle with partisan security forces. Recently, soldiers and police in eSwatini brutally repressed protests that erupted against the monarch.

In Zimbabwe, the military and police have a long history of impunity and partisan behaviour in defence of the ruling party. To date, the soldiers involved in the killing of unarmed civilians in the post-election violence of 2018 and subsequent clampdowns on protests have not faced justice. The script reads the same in Tanzania and Angola. Mr Hichilema is likely to touch a nerve in these countries, which may see ruling elites digging in their heels even deeper.

SADC should perhaps take lessons from Mr Hichilema and create inclusive platforms that civil society and opposition parties can participate in. Rather than tinkering on the margins as it has been doing for years without concrete action, the regional bloc could take inspiration from Mr Hichilemas courage on security sector reform.

It is not surprising that Zambias president is being greeted as a breath of fresh air by many in the region. Southern Africans living under autocratic and repressive regimes are looking up to him as a role model. Mr Hichilema is undoubtedly defining his own governance style. His actions in the first two weeks of his administration show that he walks the talk and is not afraid to make bold moves.

In a region desperate for better governance and stronger democracies, questions are already turning to whether he can galvanise a coalition of likeminded leaders and inspire reform in other Southern African countries.

Ringisai Chikohomero, Researcher, Institute for Security Studies (ISS), Pretoria

(This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish).

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The Lagos State government, through the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), says it would charge Chidinma Ojukwu and one other with the murder of Michael Ataga, the chief executive officer of Super TV.

The police prosecutor, Cyril Ajifor, said this on Monday when the defendants were brought before the magistrate court in Yaba.

Ms Ojukwu, a 21-year-old student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), was arrested by the police on June 23 for killing Mr Usifo at a short-let apartment in Lekki.

The suspect and one Adedapo Quadri were presented before the Chief Magistrate at Yaba on August 9 by the police to seek their remand in custody, which was granted by the magistrate.

The magistrate ordered the duo be remanded for 30 days at the first instance to allow the police continue with its investigation of the murder case and also advice from the DPP.

Re-appearing before the magistrate on Monday, Mr Ajifor told the court that the DPP had issued a legal advice on the case, recommending their trial for murder. This, he said, implies that they would be arraigned at the high court which has jurisdiction over such matters.

The persons to be charged are Ms Ojukwu; her elder sister, Chioma Egbuchu; and Mr Quadri.

A copy of the DPP advice dated August 20, which PREMIUM TIMES obtained, stated that a prima facie case of conspiracy to murder, murder, and conspiracy to commit forgery was established against the suspects.

After careful consideration of facts available in the case, this office is of the firm view that a prima facie case of conspiring to murder, murder, conspiracy to commit felony to wit; forgery, forgery and making documents without authority contrary to sections 233, 222, 411, 363 and 370 respectively of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, exists against Ojukwu Chindinma Adaora and Adedapo Quadri.

Facts available also establish the offence of having possession of thing reasonably suspected to have been stolen contrary to section 329 of criminal Law of Lagos against Egbuchu Chioma, the advice partly reads.

Discharged by court

Meanwhile, the four of five persons that the police arraigned before the magistrate for obstructing justice in the matter have been discharged.

The police earlier arraigned Chidinmas adopted father, Onoh Ojukwu, 57; Babalola Disu, 42; Jessica Egbuchu Chioma, 28; Abayomi Olutayo, 23; and Ifeoluwa Olowu, 23.

The DPP advised that all the defendants, except Ms Egbuchu, be discharged by the magistrate.

Ms Egbuchu, who was allegedly found in possession of the deceaseds iPhone 7, is ,however, to continue her trial according to the advice.

The magistrate adjourned the matter till September 29 for mention, and to await further information from the DPP as to the status of the case at the high court.
In a bid to regulate all aspects of exploration and exploitation of solid minerals in the country, the Nigerian government in 2007 re-enacted the Nigerian Mineral and Mining Act.

The step was also aimed at fostering the growth and development of the sector.

The Act vested the ownership and control of all lands in which minerals are found in commercial quantities in the government of the federation and thereby prohibits unauthorised persons from exploration or exploitation of these mineral resources.

The right to explore or exploit minerals in Nigeria is evidenced by the grant of a mineral title.

Application for a mineral title in Nigeria can be done by a qualified applicant under the Act and in accordance with the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Regulations (NMMR) and the submission of an irrevocable consent form by land owners or occupiers.

Mining cadastre office

The Mining Cadastre Office (MCO), an agency under the supervision of the federal ministry of mines and steel development, is responsible for the administration and management of mineral titles and the maintenance of cadastral registers.

The agency issues, grants, suspends, and upon written approval of the minister, revokes any mineral title where a title holder fails to pay a prescribed fee such as the annual fee.

It also keeps a chronological record of all applications for mineral titles in a priority register, which ensures the agency treats all applications on a first come first served basis and equally applies the principle of use it or lose it to mineral titles.

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However, an application for a mineral title may be refused where in the case of an individual is under the age of 18 years or is an undischarged bankrupt or otherwise declared bankrupt under any written law or has been convicted of a criminal offence under the act or regulations.

Also, it is noteworthy to know that no title can be revoked without giving a prior notice of 30 days to any defaulter, sent to a registered address.

Guidelines

Mineral titles are awarded in Nigeria by title applications or through a bidding process.

The processes involved in application include submission of an online application which is subject to review and evaluation.

The application may be successful or declined depending on the criteria met. Upon a successful application, the applicant is required to pay the necessary fees and the licence is issued thereafter.

For the bidding process, adverts are placed in national dailies for designated areas by the minister for exploration licence and mining lease only.

Interested investors are required to provide necessary information that would be reviewed by the committee set up for the bidding process. A winner emerges and is issued a licence after payment is made for the prescribed fees.

Mining rights

The right to search for or exploit any mineral in Nigeria is governed by different mineral titles. The titles obtainable in the country are the Reconnaissance Permit (RP), Exploration licence (EL), Small Scale Mining Lease (SSML), Mining Lease (ML) and Quarry Lease (QL) the Water Use Permit.

Reconnaissance Permit

This permit allows holders to search for mineral resources on a non-exclusive basis.

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It gives the right to obtain access into, enter on or fly over any land within the territory of Nigeria, likewise the permission to obtain and remove surface samples in small quantities which must be conducted in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.

Upon the payment of a prescribed fee, the MCO is subjected to approve applications from qualified applicants within 30 days of receipt of application with a processing fee of N50,000 payable to MCO through remittal. However, excavation drilling and other subsurface activities are not permitted.

Reconnaissance Permit is non-transferable and its issued for only one year but renewable annually.

Exploration licence

The holder of an Exploration Licence (EL) has the exclusive right to conduct exploration upon the land within the area of his licence. The mining area for EL usually doesnt exceed 200 square kilometres with a processing fee of N100,000 payable to MCO through remittal.

The MCO, under the law is obliged to approve the EL within 30 days of receipt of an application by a qualified applicant.

The holder is allowed to remove, conduct bulk sampling and testing, export and sell mineral resources not exceeding established limits. The licence is for a 3-year initial period but renewable two further periods of 2 years each. Each additional Cadastre Unit costs N1000.

Quarry Lease

This permit gives liability to exploit all naturally occurring minerals such as clay, marble, gypsum, limestone, gravel, sand, among others.

The lease is issued for five years and renewable every five years, provided the renewal application is made months before the lease expires. The sum of N100,000 is made for the processing fee payable to MCO through remittal for a land not exceeding 4 Cadastral Units. Each additional Cadastral Unit costs N50,000

The application is processed within 45 days of receipt of application.

Small Scale Mining Lease

The holder of the Small Scale Mining Lease has the exclusive right to carry out small-scale mining operations within a mining area greater than five acres but less than three kilometer square for a period of five years initial period but renewable for further period of five years only.

The lease is issued within 45 days of application with a processing fee of N50,000 payable to the MCO through remittal. Each additional Cadastre Unit costs N20,000.

However, when the level of operation of a SSML exceeds the defined area, the holder shall convert such a lease to a Mining lease by submitting a written application to the MCO.

Application Requirements for Exploration Licence, Quarry Lease and Small Scale Mining Lease

Mining Lease

The holder of this lease can exclusively use, occupy and exploit minerals within the lease area not exceeding 50 Kilometres Square.

The lease is granted within 45 days of receipt of application with a processing fee of N500,000. It is issued for a period of 25 years initial period and renewable every 24 years.

Water Use Permit

This is granted to the holders of Exploration Licence, Quarry Lease, Small Scale Mining Lease and Mining Lease who require the use of water for their operations.

Statistics

Nigerian Extractives Industries Transparency Initiatives (NEITI)s five year trend analysis report on the issuance of mining titles shows that a total of 6,360 licences and leases were issued between 2015 and 2019.

In 2015, 1,047 licences were issued; 1,153 licences were issued in 2016; 1,484 in 2017; 1,380 in 2018, and 1,296 licences were issued in 2019.

Of all the licences issued in the five-year period, exploration licence recorded the highest issuance, accounting for 43.51 per cent (2,763) while mining lease accounted for 1.98 per cent (126) to rank the least issued licence. Small Scale Mining Lease accounted for 35.79 per cent (2,276) while Quarry Lease accounted for 18.73 per cent (1,191).

Nigeria possesses vast mineral resources spread across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which are categorised as energy, industrial, metallic ores and precious stones.

The federal ministry of mines and steel development is an agency set up to unlock the economic potentials of the solid minerals sub-sector in Nigeria.
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The Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, on Monday said the government shut down all telecommunications networks in the state to check banditry.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had ordered telecom operators to suspend their networks in Zamfara.

The development followed the suspension of weekly markets and other drastic measures in the adjoining troubled North-west and North central states to check activities of bandits in the regions.

Following the development, bandits have reportedly intensified attacks in Zamfara and Katsina, looting food stuff to stock up while the measures remain in place.

Mr Matawalle told DW Hausa Service on Monday that the Chief of Army Staff, Farouk Yahaya, was in Zamfara and led troops into the forests to engage the bandits.

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The governor said the shutting down of telcoms networks and closing of local markets have starting making impact.

The bandits are releasing their captives, they are abandoning their motorcycles after running out of fuel. Many of the bandits have been killed by the security forces and the security personnel will sustain the offensive against them until we wipe them out from Zamfara, Mr Matawalle said.

The governor added that the security forces in collaboration with local vigilantes were taking the fight into the bandits enclaves as directed by the army chief, Mr Yahaya.

The security agents had been previously accused of ignoring distress calls from communities under attacks by armed bandits.

Residents of the state, who normally reported their ordeals with the bandits, could not be reached to speak on their current experiences because of the shutdown of telcoms services.
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The Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi said Gods anointing is needed for the Igbo to produce the president of Nigeria in 2023.

There has been an increasing agitation for President Muhammadu Buharis successor to come from Nigerias South-east.

We need Gods own anointing for our own anointed president for the interests and unity of this country, Mr Umahi said to reporters on Monday in the Presidential Villa after a meeting with Mr Buhari.

He was responding to a question from a reporter who asked him if, as the chairman of the South-east governors forum, he was going to put pressure on the two major political parties  the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  to pick their presidential candidates from the South-east.

My position about what you ask is that our people that are in those political parties are making the effort in selling the need for the south-east to produce the next president, the governor said.

Mr Umahi, however, said power rests in the hands of God.

The governor, apparently trying to play down on the issue, said he was much more interested in completing the infrastructural projects his administration was handling in Ebonyi State.

I came to thank the President

Mr Umahi said he was in the Presidential villa to thank President Buhari for the federal governments mega projects in the countrys South-east.

He said the second Niger Bridge and railway line that passes through some of the South-east states are part of Mr Buharis efforts at restoring that hope in the region.

The second Niger Bridge is fast becoming a reality. Each time we visit that bridge location its always like a dream. So we the people of the South-east are very grateful to Mr President for this.

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We also thank him for the award of these Eastern corridors of the railway line. This is a project that is going to fast track the commercial activities of our people. I recall that when I was in school, I used to join train from my state, Ebonyi and then get up to Maiduguri where my brothers were staying for my holidays.

Mr President is about restoring that hope. We are deeply very grateful, the governor said.

Mr Umahis defection last year from the main opposition party, the PDP, to the ruling APC has heightened speculations that he wants to run for president in 2023.

Apart from Nnamdi Azikiwe, who served as the first Nigerian president from 1963 to 1966, under a parliamentary system of government where Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was the prime minister with executive powers, and Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, a major-general, who became a military head of state after a bloody coup in January 1966, no person from Igbo ethnic nationality has ruled Nigeria.

Mr Ironsi, from Umuahia in the present-day Abia State, was head of state for just six months; he was outed and killed on July 28, 1966 in Nigerias second military coup generally referred to as the counter coup.

Some Nigerians believe the current agitation for an independent republic of Biafra would easily fizzle out if an Igbo person becomes the president in 2023.

2023 Igbo Presidency is not negotiable, and its our date with destiny and any manoeuvring may spell doom to the unity of the country, some Igbo youths, under the aegis of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, had warned in 2018, before the Biafra agitation degenerated to destruction and killings in the South-east.
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Armed bandits on Sunday night killed two people and kidnapped four children of a village head in separate attacks in Katsina State.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the bandits entered Mahuta in Dandume local government area around 12:12 a.m. and started shooting sporadically to scare away people.

A resident said two women were instantly killed during the attack while an elderly man died on Monday morning from wounds he sustained in the attack.

They abducted several people and as I speak with you now, many people have fled Mahuta for Dandume and Funtua. We are not yet sure how many have been abducted,. the resident said.

In Sabuwar Kasa, Kafur local government area, a local source, Jamilu Musa, who lives in Malumfashi, said the bandits targetted the home of the village head, Hamza Umar.

Mr Umar, whose children were kidnapped, is also the Director Administration and Finance in Funtua local government.

According to Mr Musa, the bandits came on motorcycles around 12:30 a.m. when most people were asleep. They went to the village heads house. He is the one in charge of Funtua local government Council but he was not in town when the bandits came.

He said the bandits kidnapped three girls and one boy, all of whom are Mr Umars children.

Those kidnapped were named as Aliyu Hamza, Aisha Hamza, Khadija Hamza and Fatima Hamza.

The telephone number of the police spokesperson in the state, Gambo Isa, could not be reached as of the time of filing this story.
Advancement in digital assets such as cryptocurrencies increasingly portends huge risks to the world economy, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, has said.

This, according to Mr Bawa, is partly because, many criminals now play significant roles in crypto-currency markets. He said the virtual currencies had become their preferred mediums of exchange.

Mr Bawa spoke while delivering his keynote address Monday at the 38th Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime, themed, Economic Crime-Who pays and who should pay?

The event was organised by the Centre for International Documentation on Organised and Economic Crime (CIDOEC), Jesus College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

EFCCs spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, who captured some highlights of the event in a statement, quoting Mr Bawa as saying, The developments in new technologies and the growth of cryptocurrencies portrays a far greater danger to the world economy than ever before with many criminals playing significant roles in crypto-currency markets.

Criminals now elect to transact or receive illegal monies (such as ransom money) for

cyber-attacks in cryptocurrencies with Bitcoins and Ethereum as the most commonly used mediums for these exchanges.

He lamented that the sophistication and complexity that defines the dynamics of economic crime in the 21st Century continues to evolve, spurred by technological advancement in the global economy that has become borderless and transnational.

This he said had inevitably led to the prioritisation of law enforcement action on crimes that drive Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) across the globe.

No nation is immune

According to Mr Bawa, economic crimes which are largely illegal acts committed for private gain affect the vital structures of global economies, causing significant damage to the Global Financial System and depriving developing nations of the needed resources for sustainable development.

He noted that developed countries are not immune to the scourge, which, according to him, has magnified with the proliferation of cyber-crimes which threatens the stability of Global Financial Institutions.

Mr Bawa said the platform of the event provided an opportunity to interrogate the challenges of economic crimes.

As the victims of crime continue to suffer globally from the effects of financial crimes, either directly or indirectly as part of a social system, the determination of who pays or who should pay becomes a critical measure of the criminal justice system in place.

He underlined the imperatives of an impartial judiciary in ensuring that the perpetrators of acts and not the victims pay for their crimes.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had barred commercial banks and other financial institutions from transacting with cryptocurrency in fear of the risks it poses to investments and the economy at large.

Despite these actions, there have been reports over the use of these digital or virtual currencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum and others, with criminals turning it to a haven to launder proceeds of corruption, fraud, drug trafficking, and other heinous crimes.

PREMIUM TIMES reported last month that the United States Department of Justice training over 50 Nigerian investigators and prosecutors to tackle cryptocurrency-enabled organised crimes.

Efforts to fight crypto-related crimes

While highlighting some of the transparency and accountability achievements of the current administration by President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Bawa pointed out that the EFCC, as the rallying point in the fight against economic crimes in Nigeria, has recorded important milestones in investigations, prosecutions and assets recovery.

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Since its establishment in 2003, the Commission has recorded no less than 3,500 convictions and recovered assets of significant value including properties in Nigeria, the UK, USA, and the UAE. All these have measurably contributed to the national efforts against economic crimes in Nigeria, he said.

The EFCC charged participants to come up with practical solutions to curb the international threat of economic crimes.

Meanwhile, the chairperson of the symposium, Saul Froomkin, thanked the EFCC boss for his insightful presentation, and the support received from Nigeria in organising the event.

Participants at the symposium were drawn from law enforcement and security agencies, accountability institutions and partners across the world.
in our journey to a more perfect union would be that we should de-emphasise negative energy, deactivate fault-finding but concentrate on building consensus and generating pragmatic solutions. Petty antagonism, ethnic profiling, religious clashes and hatemongering cannot build a nation. With a hopeful and positively minded people, there is no mountain we cannot surmount

I am particularly glad that the theme of todays dialogue is consistent with the title of the paper I delivered at Arewa House in 2020 where I spoke on the topic: Unfinished Greatness  Towards a more perfect union in Nigeria. And when I was asked to write the foreword to this book, I thought it was nice I wrote from the perspective of my idea of nation building as an unfinished business. I am therefore glad that the theme of this dialogue is very much in sync with my previous opinion. My contribution in this address will therefore be a reiteration of what I had previously voiced out on the future of Nigeria and what I think we need to do for us to have a more perfect union that gives her citizens a future that is inspiring and prosperous.

I sometimes ask the question on how best we should approach the challenge of nation building that ails Nigeria. There are those who think the problem with Nigeria is her size; some others think it is the many ethnic interests contesting with one another for domination. Others think it is all about bad leadership, while some others believe it has to do with the Constitution. There are those who blame poverty as the issue, while some pan-Africanists believe colonialism, foreign religions and intellectual imperialism are the reasons we are still lagging behind. The thirst for excuses and culprits to blame for our obvious challenges is an insatiable one. In the midst of these epistemological melee, there have even been more disillusioned solutions to how to end the problem  the loudest of these today are the clamours for secession and unending complaints about marginalisation, which is mutual anyway! I therefore tend to assume that the idea of remaking Nigeria itself stems from the mindset that sees the country as a fallen or collapsing edifice, rather than a country still in the hands of architects and builders. For me, the idea of remaking the nation should not suggest a strategic demolition, for us to erect a totally new structure.

The question that we must, however, be willing to answer is where the inhabitants of a nation as big as Nigeria would take shelter if we must collapse it, because for many, the idea of remaking Nigeria includes unmaking it. And if the problem with the current structure is less of the competence of the architects and structural engineers, as much as it is with the estate managers and occupants, how will the new erection or the remade structure fare in the hands of the same occupants who are unwilling to change until every other person has changed? For me, whatever defects that currently ails our country can be corrected without having to collapse the whole structure. This is very logical if we understand that nation-building is an endless endeavour and that no generation is ever satisfied with the work it has done; it is the generation that comes after that can truly appreciate the progress that has made when they begin to take for granted what was scarcely available for the generation before them. Nation-building is an unfinished business.

Every generation, Frantz Fanon said, Must out of relative obscurity discover its mission, fulfil it, or betray it. It is therefore illusory for us to believe that Nigeria can actually reach perfection from her foundation. To start with, there is no nation today that is wholly satisfied with its present status. Every nation at all times strives to better its best and reach new heights. For us as a people, our focus should be on how we can reinvent our nation, work for the prosperity of our people and ensure their peace and prosperity.

Indeed, few people would disagree with the view that there is a significant gap between our potential for greatness as a country, and the reality of where we are now. It is therefore a sacred duty for all of us to continue to seek every opportunity to make the dream of a great nation come to pass. It is even more important to know that for as long as man continues to sleep, he will continue to dream. There is no end to dreaming.

Imperatives for a More Perfect Union

Therefore, to speak of building a more perfect union is to be superfluous. But embedded in that deliberate superfluity is a fundamental notion of eternal work-in-progress, a perpetual commitment to, and improvement, no matter how satisfying or dissatisfying the present condition is. The second stanza of our national anthem ends with an infinitive that underlines that nation-building is an unending search for perfection. It says: To build a nation, where peace and justice shall reign. For the next one thousand years, no matter the progress we would have made, as long as this country continues to exist, generations after generations will continue to seek to build a nation, where peace and justice shall reign. It is credit to the genius of whoever invented that line that both the mission and the means to achieve the mission is captured in one simple phrase.

The path to nation-building is peace, the path to peace is justice, and the path to justice is equity and inclusion. Even for Americans who coined the mantra of a more perfect union, it was done out of the understanding that the work of nation-building is never done. If a country like the United States, forged out of a common purpose and common consent, perpetually seeks to achieve a more perfect union, we have no excuse to give up on the task of nation-building in Nigeria. This truth is what the celebrated novelist, Ben Okri makes the centre-piece of his magical realist novel, The Famished Road. He metaphorises the road as the unending journey of man and the unfinished work of nation-building. For him, in the road each new generation begins with nothing and with everything. They know all the earlier mistakes. They may not know that they know, but they do. They know the early plans, the original intentions and the earliest dreams. Each generation has to reconnect the dreams for themselves. They tend to become a little wiser, but dont go very far. It is possible that they now travel slower, and will make bigger mistakes. That is how they are, as a people. They have an infinity of hope and an eternity of struggles. Nothing can destroy them except themselves and they will never finish the road that is their soul and they do not know it. Okri tells us that the work of nation-building is for all generations. And how far each generation is able to go on the journey to nation-building and the attainment of greatness depends on the aggregate character and predilections of that generation. Perhaps, as products of a specific period of our history and national experience, we are distrustful of change, even if it is what our situation recommends. We must however take note that the generation that wants to take over from us are products of a different historical experience.

In essence, our desire to build a more perfect union should be anchored on the principle of devolution of powers  that is, re-allocation of powers and resources to the countrys federating units. The reasons for this are not far- fetched. First, long years of military rule has produced an over-concentration of powers and resources at the centre to the detriment of the states.

A great number of young Nigerians today did not experience colonialism or military dictatorship. They are akin to the post-apartheid South Africans, who are referred to as the born free generation. Because they can take the fact of democracy for granted, it is difficult for them to see democracy as an end in itself. What really matters to them is what democracy can do for them, how it can work for them and how it can help to facilitate their dreams. Nurtured in the cusp of some of the most rapid transformations in human history, they are less fearful of change and experimentation. If it is not working, they want it fixed urgently, sometimes, with little thought about the costs and benefits. The #EndSARS protest of2020 and its implications are an attestation to this proclivity. What started as an innocuous online protest over police brutality soon snowballed before our very eyes into a movement that assumed destructive dimensions.

But the core demands of #EndSARS, should not be lost today or tomorrow, not even in the ashes of the ruins that followed the protest. In the protest was a genuine desire for accountability, inclusion, and respect for human dignity; responsive and responsible leadership; and liberalisation of democratic gains in terms of economic opportunity, equity and fairness. For over a decade, several analysts have noted that our massive youth population could be a major demographic advantage to our country, if it is properly harnessed. Years of neglect and failure to make the right investments to support this population is now, quite predictably, turning it to a major disruptive force and a time bomb.

Restructuring, Devolution, Fiscal Federalism and Greatness

In our quest towards a more perfect union, therefore, the main challenge is one of remodeling the union and the basis of its fundamental national association.

Unfortunately, this is one issue that we have allowed to be implicated in our instinctive mutual suspicion and unnecessary brickbats. Caught in our politics of difference and otherness, devolution, decentralisation, restructuring and such other concepts have come to mean different things to different people, depending on the ethnic and regional toga they wear. Our age-long distrust and suspicion of one another are now being tested and contested on the basis of this issue that should be the pivot of our nation-building effort. However, stripped of all opportunism and dysfunctional baggage, these concepts should simply refer to ways of re-imagining and remaking our country to make it work well for everyone. I associate fully with the views of the respected scholar and former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, when he said that sooner than later, these matters have to be addressed squarely but dispassionately. The challenge is how to address the issue of restructuring the Nigerian federal system without upsetting the applecart; that is, how to add value to the structure and systemic efficacy of the federal arrangement, without unleashing instability occasioned by the mobilisation of ethnic, regional and religious sentiments and identities. (Jega: 2017)

I will argue, therefore, that our idea of restructuring must be motivated only by our generational responsibility to perfect our union and to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign, on the basis of an operative principle that true greatness lies in building a country that works for everyone, regardless of the language they speak, or how they understand and worship God. The evolution of Nigerias federalism has not served our best interests and it is not surprising that we have witnessed protests at every attempt at constitutional re-engineering. Two prominent examples were the 2005 Constitutional Reform Conference convened by President Obasanjos administration and the 2014 National Conference, at the instance of President Jonathan. In the two conferences, the delicate issue was that of restructuring (often dubbed Devolution of Power, Decentralisation, True Federalism, etc.). But for how long can we continue to run away from this issue and continue to pretend that somehow it would resolve itself someday? In my view, structural changes (like state creation and merger) would appear to me, unrealistic in a democratic dispensation. I also do not think we can easily go back to the pre-1966 regional structure or adopt the 54 federating-units proposal of the 2014 conference, which I find unrealistic, no matter the appeal or attraction. Rather, our preoccupations should be how we can make the current structure work better for us, in terms of, first, our governance system; second, our economy and national productivity; and third citizenship and inclusion. There may be other issues that should be the object of our restructuring, but I consider the foregoing to be paramount. Therefore, in my view, restructuring should be less about redrawing the map of Nigeria, but about building a more efficient governance system that is capable of delivering the greater good to the greatest number of our people.

In essence, our desire to build a more perfect union should be anchored on the principle of devolution of powers  that is, re-allocation of powers and resources to the countrys federating units. The reasons for this are not far- fetched. First, long years of military rule has produced an over-concentration of powers and resources at the centre to the detriment of the states. Two, the 1999 Constitution, as it has been argued by several observers, was hurriedly put together by the departing military authority and was not a product of sufficient inclusiveness. Part of the focus of such an exercise should be: What items should remain on the Exclusive Legislative List and which ones should be transferred to the Concurrent List? Other topical issues include the derivation principle; fiscal federalism and revenue allocation; land tenure, local government creation and autonomy; etc. All points considered, the fiscal burden of maintaining a largely inefficient and over-bloated bureaucracy is a metaphor for shooting oneself on the foot. Again, in arriving at a position on what ought to be in the quest for a more perfect union, I wish to further say that my sentiments are more associated with strengthening the sub-national units in the re-allocation of powers and resources.

The assignment of functions that would be consistent with a devolved but strengthened federal system should have a short, exclusive federal list focusing on national defence and security, the macro economy, foreign affairs, Customs and excise; joint responsibility in respect of certain functions that are currently assigned exclusively to the Federal Government (tor example, internal security and policing) and primary responsibility of the sub-national governments in respect to other functions in the Second Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, whilst the remaining powers devolve to states. On revenue collection and sharing, the position of the Nigeria Governors Forum, to which I subscribe, is that the sharing formula should be reviewed in favour of the states, especially given the argument of devolved responsibilities to the sub-nationals. In the context of the-proposed new federal structure, governors have argued for a formula along the lines of 42 per cent to states, 35 per cent to the Federal Government and 2.3 per cent to local governments.

Yet, important as the power of leadership is, until and unless we recompose the Nigerian state and make it derive her original consent and legitimacy from the people, then we labour in vain. Contrary to the pretensions of neo-liberal economists, without a modern state there cannot be an economy or society: therefore, before public governance, there must be a modern state in the real sense.

Remaking Nigeria through the devolution of powers and re-organisation of the federating units is an idea whose time has come. To quote Attahiru Jega again, by working hard and rationally, scientifically, to remove all the distortions in our federal system, we would have a better functioning federation with only states as federating units with conscious commitment to zonal cooperation among contiguous states, with local governments subsumed under states with substantial devolution of power, responsibilities and resources from the federal government to the states, and with mechanisms of ensuring greater equality of opportunity for all and affirmative action for inclusion of the marginalised, minorities and groups discriminated against in the country. (Jega 2017).

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Greatness Beckons  The Power of Leadership

While we set out as a country on a somewhat progressive footing under the Founding Fathers, the reversals that we experienced mainly from the implosions that arose within the polity and the incursion of authoritarian rule, alongside its civilian inflections, enthroned a paradigm of government and public governance that coalesced around waste, bureaucratic inefficiency, red-tapism and certainly, corrosive corruption. Thereafter, we witnessed how the State became more and more unitary, and how the contest for the privileges at the centre took on an increasingly desperate tenor among the different groups and stakeholders in the country. While corruption and state exclusion thrived, several groups began to feel a sense of alienation, leading to their desertion of a sense of national citizenship and affiliation to the State, which they subsequently considered as being a contraption to be exploited for individual gain  a cake that everyone needed to grab a share of. Thus, whatever could be taken out of the centre more illegally was considered acceptable and just within the perception of local interests. From the foregoing, what is evident is that most prominently at the national level, the Nigerian post-colonial state has not behaved in a fundamentally different way from the colonial state. Even though operated by Nigerians, the post-colonial state has been as alien and predatory as its colonial predecessor.

As late Professor Claude Ake argued in the early 1990s, this legacy has its roots in the colonial era when the political discourse excluded not only democracy but even the idea of good government, and politics was reduced to the clash of one exclusive claim to power against another. The question therefore is: How can the business of state be serious business in a context in which public governance is largely a predatory exercise in which power is captured from citizens and not freely given by citizens; a context in which the consent of the people is not integral to the constitution of legitimacy? Against the backdrop of the post-colonial state in Africa, it is still possible to argue that political leadership remains a major determinant of good public governance.

The African experience, among others, has shown that the quality, vision, patriotism and competence of the political leadership is critical to the transformation of African states and the possibilities of good governance. In our specific experience in Nigeria, we also have instances of how the quality of the leadership has produced good systems of public governance, even if few and far between. Yet, important as the power of leadership is, until and unless we recompose the Nigerian state and make it derive her original consent and legitimacy from the people, then we labour in vain. Contrary to the pretensions of neo-liberal economists, without a modern state there cannot be an economy or society: therefore, before public governance, there must be a modern state in the real sense. A predatory state cannot give birth to proper public governance and a sense of justice and fairness.

Those of us in public office may delude ourselves, but the events of recent times have brought the contradictions of the Nigerian state into sharper focus. Whether your immediate concern is police brutality and the need for police reform or you reflect upon the rationale and the challenges of those who insist that until Nigeria becomes a theocracy, there shall be blood and tears unlimited; whether you look towards the Niger Delta where, despite the amnesty and the industry of graft and greed that it has re-produced, there is a continuous and bloody demand for justice and equity; or you examine the endless pretexts for ethnic strife and blood-letting between the indigenous people and the settlers in the Middle Belt; whether you scrutinise the regular apocalyptic predictions of many Nigerians about the fate of the country, or you contemplate what would happen if measures are not taken to arrest the drift, you cannot escape the conclusion that Nigeria needs to be re-imagined and re-created. These are issues that need to be tackled frontally and courageously too. I have no doubt that Nigeria is a viable country and that her place in the comity of great nations is well assured. With all hands on deck, we will make this land a place of pride.

My final word in our journey to a more perfect union would be that we should de-emphasise negative energy, deactivate fault-finding but concentrate on building consensus and generating pragmatic solutions. Petty antagonism, ethnic profiling, religious clashes and hatemongering cannot build a nation. With a hopeful and positively minded people, there is no mountain we cannot surmount and thats why I commend the essays in this book to all Nigerians and friends of Nigeria.

Kayode Fayemi (CON) is the governor of Ekiti State, Nigeria, and Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum.

This is the text of the Keynote Address presented at Towards A Viable Union: National Dialogue on Remaking Nigeria, Abuja, August 19, 2021
there has never been so much anxiety and fear about the future, like we are presently witnessing. And most of it is caused by a generational shift in terms of attitude, outlook, and disposition to the very issues that matter. However way one views it, we are at a moment whereby there is shared apprehension about an uncertain future, given that the country is poised to be handed over to millennials.

Those who criticise the millennial generation forget those who raised it.  Sinek

From generation to generation, there seems to be a trend whereby the past is subjectively adjudged to be better than the present. Most older people would then passionately defend their generation as the best thing that ever happened to humanity.

Currently, persons aged about 60 years and above appear to be revelling in that euphoric stage. For them, everything is couched in terms of back in the day, during our time, schools were functional, feeding was free, the public service was excellent we had rivers flowing with milk and honey, etcetera, etcetera. One rarely heard the other side of the story.

Well, since they are our elders, let us indulge them in their nostalgia and retelling of their history. Their assessment of the actions of later generations  the immediate one being my generation  is usually full of reminiscences. Nevertheless, they never seem able to tell us how it was that they failed to transfer what they received from their forebears to the next generation, which is mine.

For categorisation, their generation was tagged as the Baby Boomers, encompassing those born between 1946 and 1964. They are currently within the age group of 57 and 75 years. The consensus is that with increased educational and financial opportunities, they enjoyed in comparison to previous generations. They are mostly confident, independent, self-reliant, goal-oriented, dedicated, and career-focused. One will notice that most of those in that generation were/are decent, urbane and they strive to make a difference in whatever they do.

Again, they too, mostly like their forebears, i.e. those born before the end of the Second World War, did not pass down much to ensure the sustainable transfer of requisite capacities across different endeavours of life. There was a general expectation for everyone to somehow become independent, blissfully forgetting that their generation was the last that was spoon-fed.

I belong to the next generation, popularly referred to as Generation X. We are the ones born between 1965 and 1979, and currently in the age bracket of 41 to 56 years. My bosses think that we are worse  perhaps even worse off?  than those of their generation, the Baby Boomers.

Nigeria is currently going through turbulent times. There is a consensus that we need to have in place a capable generation that is ready to take over the helm of affairs across (especially) the public and private sectors. Many pieces of research have surveyed, aggregated, and examined the opinions and attitudes of millennials across a spectrum of issues.

Anyway, according to Pew Research, the Gen Xers tend to be flexible and are adaptable; they value diversity, creative thinking and are amenable to change. They are self-sufficient, resourceful and individualistic, since they have been accustomed to caring for themselves before adulthood. They value freedom and responsibility, and try to overcome challenges on their own.

However, consistent with the natural flow of life, my generation is looking to expire in about twenty years from now. Ours would then be supplanted by  and give way to  the current generation of millennials, born between 1981 and 1996. They are currently between 25 and 40 years old. And then there is the Generation Z, who were born between 1997 and 2012.

However, there has never been so much anxiety and fear about the future, like we are presently witnessing. And most of it is caused by a generational shift in terms of attitude, outlook, and disposition to the very issues that matter. However way one views it, we are at a moment whereby there is shared apprehension about an uncertain future, given that the country is poised to be handed over to millennials. Time magazines edition of May 2013 dubbed them as The Me Me Me Generation.

Nigeria is currently going through turbulent times. There is a consensus that we need to have in place a capable generation that is ready to take over the helm of affairs across (especially) the public and private sectors. Many pieces of research have surveyed, aggregated, and examined the opinions and attitudes of millennials across a spectrum of issues. The preponderance of the evidence demonstrates that the millenial generation is highly educated, self-confident, technologically savvy and ambitious. Some of the outcomes indicated that this particular generation has been nurtured and pampered by parents who didnt want to make the mistakes of the previous generation.

The Time magazine edition referred to above summarises that millenials are lazy and entitled narcissists, drawing heavily from the work of Simon Sinek, a world reknown author and researcher. Sinek has argued that millennials are narcissistic, self-interested, unfocused, lazy, and, most of all, entitled.

Part of the problem is that millenials have a high degree of familiarity with mobile devices, high-speed internet services and the shark-infested waters of social media. Simon further argued that they usually have a self-centred work ethic and have not been raised in a way that demands them to exceed expectations. They rush to get over the smallest of tasks, with minimal (if any) zeal for efficiency and/or a vigorous pursuit of perfection. Due to globalisation, they have shared features in nearly every part of the world. And these findings are not problems limited to just rich kids: Millennials from poor backgrounds have been documented to exhibit even higher rates of obtuse materialism, narcissism and technology addiction.

So, then, there is a genuine need for us all to be worried.

In the near future, they will be entrusted and vested with authority to oversee our security, economy, politics, and to formulate policies. In about 20 years from now, they will be directors and heads of agencies. Most of them seem to have, needlessly, complicated views about life. This is partly attributable to their penchant for the high consumption of majorly useless and pointless information from the social media.

Permit me to focus attention on the millenials within the public sector. These are persons currently on grade levels 7 to 13, and they are to be found in almost every one of our public institutions. In the near future, they will be entrusted and vested with authority to oversee our security, economy, politics, and to formulate policies. In about 20 years from now, they will be directors and heads of agencies. Most of them seem to have, needlessly, complicated views about life. This is partly attributable to their penchant for the high consumption of majorly useless and pointless information of manifestly doubtful value, from the social media.

A research by Marc Prensky shows that those who used social media and decided to quit, tend to harbour the similar withdrawal symptoms of drug addicts who quit their stimulants. During meetings, it is usually the millenials phone that will ring, even where and when the housekeeping rule would have dictated otherwise. They are the ones who would write everything in their Instagram imagination without any scruples. They will carelessly write official letters with lingo that is straight out of an SMS chat conversation. They have the most egregious apathy for spelling checks. Rather than painstakingly exercising their mental faculties when faced with problems that require solutions, theyd rather dive under the soft and easy cover of Google for solutions. Of course, they have no concern for consequences. In their world, neither achievement nor failure matters.

One of the established adverse effects of the excessive use of social media, is the impairment of cognitive functions. Once Google is unable to supply the quick answers, many millenials have been known to struggle to think of solutions  which is a reflection of poor cognitive performance.

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A research carried out by Ohio State University also suggests that addictive social media use and consumption are the reasons why most millennials have short-term attention spans and memories  revealed in heightened attention-deficit symptoms. This is usually accompanied by social isolation, impaired brain development and disrupted sleep. Also, the incidence of narcissistic personality disorder is nearly three times as high for their generation than for 65 years olds or those even older. Twenge, a professor of Psychology, wrote in The Narcissism Epidemic that when they try to boost self-esteem, they accidentally boost narcissism instead.

And these same tendencies and deficiencies, as described above, are in full display by millenials daily in our public governance space. The implications are dire, as they are indeed troubling. Which leaves a question that then arises: What will Nigerian millenials do when they take over the country?

Umar Yakubu is with the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch. Twitter @umaryakubu
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The Emir of Borgu in Niger State, Muhammad Dantoro, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to order the deployment of troops to Borgu, to check the activities of kidnappers and criminal elements.

The emir made the call while reacting to the news on the kidnapping of the district head of Wawa, the Dodo of Wawa, Mahmoud Ahmed in Borgu, last week.

He said that the call became necessary because the vast Borgu forest is the nucleus of the famous Kainji Lake National Park.

This is an urgent appeal and call for immediate deployment of the military both on the air and ground to root out these insurgents, he said.

The monarch, however, denied media reports that he was kidnapped by the insurgents, noting that he was safe and healthy.

I have been receiving calls from Nigerians far and wide who wanted to confirm if I was safe. Yes, I am safe. I was not the victim but the district head of Wawa community in my kingdom.

Also, the district head of Dekara was kidnapped about four months ago and has not been found.

I am saddened over the development and request that the military respond and comb the forest of the Kainji Lake National Park and rescue the district heads and other victims held in the heart of the large expanse of the pristine forest ecosystem.

ALSO READ: Gunmen kidnap traditional ruler in Niger

This should be done before they move across the borders into Benin Republic, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Kainji National Park was established in 1978 and is divided into three distinct sectors, the Zuguma Game Reserve, the Borgu Game Reserve and the Kainji Lake.

Since 2005, the protected area is considered a Lion Conservation Unit.

The Borgu Game Reserve is mainly made up of Savanna forest and has an area of 3,929 km2 (1,517 sq mi).

(NAN)
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The CEO of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Adedayo Thomas, has urged film makers to produce films that depict Nigerian cultures positively, and not glamourise evil.

Mr Thomas made the call in an interview on Monday in Calabar at the opening of a five-day capacity-building on censorship and classification for students in the Department of Theatre and Media Studies, University of Calabar, Cross River State.

Nigerian films and movies should not only depict reality, but (should) also give-out moral lessons at the end.

Our films should identify a societal problem, go into action and at the end of the day, show what happens to perpetrators of evil in the film.

But when you produce a particular film and you glamourise or celebrate someone who has done terrible things against the culture or humanity without punishment, we dont approve such films.

So, this programme is to make people understand that when they do their scripting, there is a government regulatory agency that looks into it to ensure the film is morally right and protect our children from societal ills.

Even though we are aware that some defaulters still produce movies without passing through NFVCB, we want to make students understand the activities of the board, so that it becomes part of them, Mr Thomas said.

He said the workshop would also look into the use of hate-speech in movies, YouTube, Google and script development into movies.

Also speaking at the workshop, Florence Obi, the vice-chancellor of the University of Calabar, congratulated the students on being good ambassadors of the institution.

Represented by Angela Oyo-Ita, a deputy vice-chancellor of the university, Mrs Obi encouraged the students to be consistently diligent, while commending NFVCB for their choice of University of Calabar for the workshop.

The Head of Department, Theatre and Media Studies, Emmy Idegu, commended the board for choosing his school and department for the workshop.

ALSO READ: Groups seek enforcement of smoking ban in movies

Mr Idegu said the students may have been taught the theories and practical aspects of film-making in the classrooms, but for them to come in contact with officials of NFVCB was a big plus.

Like you know, there is hardly any federal university in Nigeria that has the facilities that students need to delve into the real practicals of what they have studied.

This is why I thank the board as they are empowering the students socially, academically and economically, he said.

The NFVCB was established in 1993 to regulate film and movie production in Nigeria.

(NAN)
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A former senator from Akwa Ibom State, Nelson Effiong, has reportedly been abducted by gunmen in Uyo on Monday.

The police spokesperson in the state, Odiko McDon, on a radio station in Uyo, Planet FM, said they had received a report of the incident.

The CP has ordered an investigation into the matter, Mr MacDon, a superintendent of police, said.

I believe that in no distant time we will get more information on it. But as I speak, yes, we have received that report and we are working to ensure he can be rescued, he added.

Mr Effiong was said to have been abducted at a bar by armed men who drove in a Toyota Camry car.

His abductors were yet to establish contact with his family as of the time of filing this report.

READ ALSO: Gunmen kidnap traditional ruler in Niger

The former senator represented Akwa Ibom South District from 2015 to 2019. Before then, he served as the speaker of the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly.

He is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress.

Abduction for ransom has become one of the prevalent crimes in most states in Nigeria, with criminal gangs going after school pupils and students, politicians, and just anyone they can place some value on.

Some bandits last month killed two officers and abducted a senior officer during a daring attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna.
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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will not tolerate voters whose identities fail the electronic authentication of its two-in-one accreditation device in the coming elections.

At its third regular quarterly meetings for the year with political parties in Abuja on Monday, the commissions Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, said the new device called the Z-pad, which has been integrated into the IVED currently used for voter registration, will help tackle the fear of identity theft during elections.

Mr Yakubu said the new device would be deployed in the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State.

Before the introduction of the Z-pad, the commission permitted the use of incident form to cover those whose fingerprints are not authenticated by the Smart Card Reader (SCR).

This approach has been judged by many experts to be susceptible to politicians maneuvering as there have been reports of the use of another persons PVC to vote during elections.

With the new device, Mr Yakubu declared no electronic authentication, no voting stance before the political parties in attendance.

The functionality of the Z-pad has now been integrated into the IVED currently used for voter registration,  he said.

On Election Day, the same device will be used for the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for fingerprint authentication during accreditation and where it fails for facial authentication.

READ ALSO:

We believe that this multi-layer process will eliminate the possibility of voting by identity theft using another persons PVC. Where the voter fails both the fingerprint and facial authentication, he/she will not be allowed to vote. In other words, no electronic authentication, no voting.

We are convinced that the new machine is robust enough to further guarantee the credibility of voter authentication and transparent management of results during elections.

Mr Yakubu said the commission would carry out a pilot exercise using the new device in Delta State during the Isoko South 1 State Assembly constituency bye-election holding on Saturday after which it would be deployed in the November 6 governorship poll in Anambra State.

The INEC chairman also announced the suspension of physical registration of voters in Anambra State, a move he said is in compliance with Section 9(5) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) which mandates 60 days gap interval between such an exercise and an election day.

He said the conflicting orders emanating from courts of coordinate jurisdiction on intra and inter party issues have continued to affect the discharge of its duties and innovations.

I must say that some of the cases are making our work difficult and we have been crying out loud for a long time. In particular, some pre-election litigations relating to the nomination of candidates for elections were not determined until after the elections.

Consequently, in some instances, political parties were declared winners without candidates to immediately receive the Certificates of Return on account of protracted and conflicting litigations or where Courts rather than votes determine winners of elections.

This situation is compounded by cases on the leadership of political parties, thereby making the exercise of our regulatory responsibilities difficult. It appears that in a number of electoral cases in Nigeria today, the settled law is now unsettled and the time-honoured principle of Stare decisis does not seem to matter any longer. What is most disconcerting for us is that the more INEC strives to improve the credibility and transparency of our electoral process, the more extraneous obstacles are put in our way through litigations, Mr Yakubu said.
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A trailer loaded with motorcycle spare parts was set ablaze in Enugu by unknown persons believed to be enforcing the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) sit-at-home order.

The incident happened at Eluagu Obukpa, in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State around 7a.m.

A resident said the arsonists, driving in a Sienna vehicle, double-crossed the trailer, forced it to stop before setting it ablaze.

They are suspected to be IPOB supporters.

By the time firefighters arrived at the scene, the trailer and its contents had been destroyed by the fire.

A spokesperson for the police in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, said the police were investigating the incident.

IPOB had declared a sit-at-home to be observed every Monday in Nigerias South-east to protest the detention of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who is standing trial for treason.

The exercise was later suspended by IPOB after its first week.

But despite its suspension, residents in the South-east have continued to observe the exercise.

Governments in the South-east states have made unsuccessful attempts to stop the sit-at-home exercise.

People are afraid  Gov Umahi

The Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, said the killings in the South-east had put fear in the minds of the people such that they are afraid to leave their homes whether IPOB suspends the sit-at-home or not.

READ ALSO:

Its not a question of compliance. Its a question of fear, Mr Umahi told reporters at the Presidential villa on Monday after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

The economy of the South-east would be destroyed if the sit-at-home exercise is allowed to continue, the governor said, adding that the security agencies owe residents of the region a duty to protect their lives.

No South-east man wants to miss a day of work. They like to work, they are into trade, commerce, and they want to earn their daily living, he said.
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Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State on Sunday has said he is praying to God and awaiting His direction on his 2023 re-election bid.

Mr Makinde, who disclosed this during the 2021 Hijrah luncheon held at the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, declared that 2023 belonged to God and that His will prevail in his political adventure.

The governor stated that he had observed that some of his supporters had started campaigning for his re-election with the insignia of 4 + 4.

Please let us go back to God. I did not tell the people in 2019 that I must be governor at all cost.

The prayer I prayed to God was to allow His will prevail. So, I am saying it again, he said.

He urged people to always factor in God into whatever they do, irrespective of their religious inclination.

Mr Makinde promised to ensure that his administration would continue to balance political appointments between Christians and Muslims in the state.

I have reappointed seven commissioners and for the remaining 10, it will be a balanced appointment.

On LAUTECH, we have done our best, I, a Christian from PDP and Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun, a Muslim from another party. We were able to work together and resolve the issue within a year or so, Mr Makinde said.

The governor reiterated his administrations determination to re-double its efforts to ensure the states progress and development.

In his sermon at the event, Daud Noibi, said the 2021 Hijrah celebration was the first of its kind, saying it was a day of joy for all Muslims in the state.

Mr Noibi expression appreciation to the governor for making the luncheon possible and assured him that the Muslim community in the state would continue to support his administration.

The President of the League of Imams in the Southwest, Edo and Delta, Daud Akinola, said the luncheon was a unique one for the Muslim community in Oyo.

Mr Akinola, who was represented by Najimudeen Alkubroh, said the governor had won the hearts of all Muslim faithful in the state because of the tremendous developmental projects being executed by his administration.

(NAN)
Authorities of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) have suspended a lecturer in the institution, AbdulAkeem Agboola, over alleged inconsistencies in the age and names on documents he submitted to the management.

Kola Adepoju, the universitys spokesperson, told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday that a committee has been set up to give a thorough look into the matter.

As a university we have an internal mechanism through which we address matters of such nature and the first stage is that a committee looks into the matter and that has been done, Mr Adepoju said.

The committee has asked that he should be suspended and as we speak he is still on suspension. That is not the end of the case as we would continue in the fact finding and we shall keep you abreast as the event unfolds.

Mr Agboola, a professor of Mathematics, joined FUNAAB in 1994 using a To Whom It May Concern letter to authenticate his MSc certificate, according to the university. He then proceeded with it to pursue his Ph.D.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr Agboola celebrated his 58th birthday in 2018, and then his 60th last year; the date of birth on the credentials he submitted to the university, however, reads 1965, indicating he is 56 years old as of 2021.

Sources at the university told PREMIUM TIMES that the FUNAAB management turned their searchlight on him after they learnt of his 60th birthday celebration last year.

Documents obtained by this newspaper showed that the institution wrote to Mr Agboola on April 13 requesting him to submit his birth certificate or affidavit as well as his MSc and PhD certificates.

The memorandum, with reference number, FUNAAB/R/A/SP.467/1/207, said in the course of a periodic review, it was observed that Mr Agboola did not submit the three documents to the universitys Registry.

In view of the above development, you are hereby requested to forward the above documents to the Academic Staff Establishment Unit, Unit Building Block A on or before Friday, April 16, 2021.

The request by the university infuriated Mr Agboola. In his response to the university management dated April 16, he said it is highly embarrassing and worrisome for me to be written that I did not submit my birth certificate/affidavit and M.Sc and Ph.D certificates to the registry.

READ ALSO:

Mr Agboola said he had taken part in two staff auditing exercises since he joined the university and his original credentials were shown to the panels during the exercise and photocopies submitted.

Apart from my Ph.D certificate which was submitted in 2002, all my other credentials were submitted in 1994 and they have since been inside my personal file in the department, college, and registry without any complaints from the registry.

I hope someone somewhere is not tampering and playing foul with my personal file in the registry.

Mr Agboola said consequent upon the request, he is resubmitting the requested documents.

Needless allegations

The university described Mr Agboolas suggestion of his file being tampered with as needless, adding that the registry, in its periodic review, typically requests for any document found missing in individual files of staff.

In the response to Mr Agboola dated April 26, the university reiterated that the lecturer submitted a To Whom It May Concern letter as evidence for completion of his M.Sc when employed as Assistant Lecturer in 1994, and not a proper certificate.

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The university said there was no evidence of a birth certificate submitted.

In any way, a quick review of the credentials submitted have shown various inconsistencies in the names on them, right from your birth certificate, through your doctoral degree certificate.

Consequently, there is immediate need for you to explain these inconsistencies as it cannot be safely said that various names on different certificate belong to the same person.

It also observed that the date on the birth certificate is not in tandem with the 60th birthday celebration you recently had in public space.

Mr Agboola did not respond to phone calls and text messages requesting for comments.

14-day ultimatum

Gbemileke Ogunroubi, the national president of the Indigenous Students of Ogun State, told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday that if found guilty, Mr Agboola should be expelled from the institution.

His high-handedness borders on sadism, coupled with his infamous ramshackle relationship with both students and staff members, he said.

Such a person, if found culpable, is not worthy of being found among academicians.

While we implore the management of FUNAAB, under the leadership of Prof. Felix Kolawole Salako as well as the Academic Staff Establishment Unit to observe due diligence and thoroughly investigate the allegations, we also urge that the issue be referred to relevant quarters for appropriate sanctions.

We also demand that the findings of the panel that was set up to investigate the allegations be made public and necessary actions taken within the next 14 days.

Should the management fail to do the needful, our members wont hesitate to take all legal steps within our constitutional rights to press home our demands.
Plattsburgh, NY (12901)

Today

Heavy thunderstorms this morning, then variable clouds during the afternoon with still a chance of showers. High 71F. S winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies. Low 53F. Winds light and variable.
In his new role as CEO, he will oversee the company's growth in the UK, US and Middle East.

Leading the charge on new client wins including Liontrust, Cooke Optics, ICIS and Saga - MacArthur says of his appointment: "It's an honour to be given the guardianship of Sagittarius from the original founders and previous CEOs, Paul Stephen and Nick Towers. Sagittarius has a long history in helping great brands shape their destiny online through creating experiences that convert and, as a creative leader that obsesses over my customer's customer, I'm thrilled to take that same winning mindset and apply it to our own growth story."

Bringing nearly 30 years of experience, MacArthur has held senior roles across client brands, consultancies and agencies. From large NGOs such as NSPCC/ChildLine, where, as CMO he led the FULL STOP Campaign, through to advising commercial brands like Apple and Nike.

MacArthur has been recognised in The Guardian's Future 50 to watch, The Drum's Digerati and BIMA HOT 100. He has also won a raft of awards and multiple Grand Prix for his groundbreaking use of digital in advertising, design, marketing and customer experience.

Outside of work, he continues his passion for supporting causes as co-chair of the British Interactive Media Association's charity council.

Sagittarius was formed in 2010, and counts five offices globally. In 2020 Sagittarius co-founders, Nick Towers and Paul Stephen, created the Remarkable Group, focused on connected digital experiences and digital transformation.

Commenting on the appointment, Nick Towers, Remarkable Group CEO, said: "We are really excited for Ian and his team to be taking the reins at Sagittarius. Ian has been a part of the senior leadership team for some time now, and has used that time to build a deep understanding of our clients, their needs and how to deliver great work and experiences that convert for them. We know he will do great things at the helm of Sagittarius."



About Sagittarius

Sagittarius is an award-winning digital agency that helps brands create high-converting digital experiences. We optimise web experiences and use data-lead decisions to power up your CRO, content, and UX, to deliver impressive ROI on your technology investment. We specialise in Sitecore as a complete or composable DXP platform, along with our Sitecore optimisation consultancy and training academy. https://sagittarius.agency/

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1608339/Sagittarius_Ian_MacArthur.jpg

SOURCE Sagittarius
NEW YORK, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global alkyl phenol derivatives market is estimated to expand at the rate of 3.3% over the assessment period of 2021 and 2031. Demand for alkyl phenol derivatives is expected to remain prominent from rubber and plastic, lubricant & oil, paint & coating, and adhesive industries. Phenolic resins are also expected to bolster consumption of alkyl phenol derivatives over the coming years.

The East Asia region is anticipated to remain the key manufacturer and exporter of alkyl phenol derivatives as compared to others. This is due to the strong presence of various manufacturers, especially in China.

As alkyl phenol derivatives can be used in the manufacturing of antioxidants, UV stabilizers, chemical intermediates and several resins, the product finds application across various industries, which is fueling its sales volume.

Market players are involved in capacity expansion and acquisition & JV agreements to enhance their presence in this space.

On 23 March 2021 , SI Group announced Tackifier capacity expansion in France .

, SI Group announced Tackifier capacity expansion in . In Sept 2020 , SI Group announced Tackifier capacity expansion in China .

, SI Group announced Tackifier capacity expansion in . In 2019, DIC Corporation acquired BASF Colors & Effect, which was BASF's subsidiary for the pigment sector.

In 2020, Songwon Industrial Co. Ltd. entered into a distribution agreement with A. S. Paterson Company Ltd. in order to support the growth of performance chemicals across Canada .

Request for sample PDF of report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/32713

Key Takeaways from Market Study

The global alkyl phenol derivatives market is anticipated to reach a value of US$ 640 Mn by 3021.

by 3021. Rubber and plastic segment is expected to remain a key end use of alkyl phenol derivatives.

East Asia is expected to hold a prominent share in the global consumption of alkyl phenol derivatives. The region is estimated to hold around 35.8% market share.

is expected to hold a prominent share in the global consumption of alkyl phenol derivatives. The region is estimated to hold around 35.8% market share. By application, antioxidants are anticipated to witness substantial growth of around 3.5%.

Pata-tert-butyl phenol is expected to remain a key product type. Global consumption of pata-tert-butyl phenol is expected to increase significantly for the production of phenolic resins.

"Key market players are focusing on expansion of their alkyl phenol derivatives business and increase their market footprint across the globe," says a Persistence Market Research analyst.

Ask an expert for any other query: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/ask-an-expert/32713

Competitive Landscape

The global market for alkyl phenol derivatives has been identified as a fairly consolidated space.

Some of the key market participants included in the report are DIC Corporation, SI Group, TASCO Group, Sasol Limited, United Chemical Products Ltd., Maruzen Petrochemical Co., Ltd., FabriChem (NutriScience Innovations, LLC), HELM AG, Jiyi Group, SONGWON Industrial Group, Qingdao Scienoc Chemical Co., Ltd., Red Avenue New Material Group Co., Ltd., Prasol Chemicals Pvt. Ltd., Vinati Organics Limited, Novokuibyshevsk Petrochemical Company, Afton Chemical Corporation, Dayang Chem (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd., and Nanjing Datang Chemical Co., Ltd.

Prominent players are anticipated to create a competitive environment across the globe.

Conclusion

The global alkyl phenol derivatives business is expected to witness considerable growth owing to increasing demand from rubber & plastic, lubricant & oil, adhesive, and various other end-use industries.

Wide range of applications of various product types of alkyl phenol derivatives has resulted in steady market expansion. Growing demand for various resins the market is expected to drive the growth rate of the market.

Get full access of report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/32713

More Valuable Insights

Persistence Market Research, a research and consulting firm, has published a new market research report on the Global alkyl phenol derivatives market that contains industry analysis of 20162020 and opportunity assessment for 20212031.

The report provides in-depth analysis of the market through different segments, namely, product type, application, end use, and region. The report also provides supply and demand trends along with an overview of the parent market.

Related Reports:

About Persistence Market Research:

Persistence Market Research (PMR), as a 3rd-party research organization, does operate through an exclusive amalgamation of market research and data analytics for helping businesses ride high, irrespective of the turbulence faced on the account of financial/natural crunches.

Overview:

Persistence Market Research is always way ahead of its time. In other words, it tables market solutions by stepping into the companies'/clients' shoes much before they themselves have a sneak pick into the market. The pro-active approach followed by experts at Persistence Market Research helps companies/clients lay their hands on techno-commercial insights beforehand, so that the subsequent course of action could be simplified on their part.

Contact

Rajendra Singh

Persistence Market Research

U.S. Sales Office:

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+1-646-568-7751

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USA - Canada Toll-Free: 800-961-0353

Email: [email protected]

Visit Our Website: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

SOURCE Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd.
While the figures may seem daunting, the question needs to be asked; is the aviation sector being over-vilified at a time when governance regarding sustainability in the industry has never been so focused?

Major stakeholders in the aviation sector are being faced with the need to comply with the long-term decarbonisation goals being set by governments. But it seems that the governance of these goals is a moveable feast, with global governmental regulations still to be unified.

Even before the Paris Agreement on climate change came into force, aviation  a traditionally conservative industry  had already set in motion its own proactive governance to halve CO2 emissions by 2050; a figure which later matched the Paris Agreement's goal to limit global temperature rises to below 20C.

Additionally, in 2016, and working as a united body, the ICAO decided to adopt a market-based global measure for aviation emissions  CORSIA, the Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation. The scheme, it is envisaged, will allow the aviation sector to cut its CO2 emissions by 2.5 billion tons between 2005 and 2035. This target will be reached through US$40 billion investment in carbon-reduction products backed by solid governance procedures.

The pre-emptive attention being paid to governance on sustainability right across the industry only serves to strengthen stakeholder and investor confidence in the future of aviation. Good governance also creates an environment equipped to identify, and profit from changes within the industry.

Already, investors are actively pursuing opportunities with businesses that promote sustainability in aviation backed by proper governance procedures. It has been established that the sustainable aviation fuel market alone will be worth $15,307 million by 2030, a hugely significant increase from $66 million in 2020.

Since the onset of the global pandemic, government support for airlines and the aviation industry has varied from country to country. In most countries, priority support and preferential treatment have been given to many 'national carriers' and larger airlines, which will most likely lead to these companies enjoying a bigger share of the market. However, if governments apply real governance, and aviation stakeholders are given strong financial incentives to meet emissions and CO2 reduction targets, an investment-friendly environment will be established.

Good governance will help ensure that sustainability-backed 'Green Finance', and accelerated efforts to reach the set targets will require vast capital investment. For investors, Green Finance offers the benefits of investment diversification and potential yield benefits arising from the governance driving sustainability.

Already, thanks to good governance, Etihad has secured a $111 million sustainability-linked loan to invest in biofuels, green buildings, waste management and other green issues.

The Royal Schiphol Group issued a 750 million green bond for investment in sustainable buildings across the airports it manages in the Netherlands. While Etihad also sold $600 million worth of Islamic bonds to finance the replacement of its old fleet along with investment in sustainable aviation fuel research.

In the case of the Etihad Islamic Bond deal, the coupon payments are dependent on the airline achieving a reduction in CO2 emissions of 17.8% across its fleet in comparison to 2017 levels.

Other examples of good governance in sustainability include the E7 billion support package for Air France by the French Government, a deal reportedly conditional on the airline cutting its carbon emissions and making a reduction in domestic flights. Under the conditions of the bailout package, Air France is banned from competing with high-speed TGV trains across a selection of routes taking less than 2.5 hours. The deal would see Air France losing approximately 18 slots per day from Paris Orly Airport while offering benefits to its competitors by allowing them to increase their operations and ensure the stability of airfares and increased customer choice.

Along with the constant striving to reduce emissions and improve fuel efficiency, other aviation sectors are also being influenced towards sustainability through good governance 'cross-pollination'.

Improved ground operations, more sustainable infrastructure, and a wide range of other sustainability measures and incentives are being courted by an ever-growing number of investors.

The implementation of good governance procedures means that an organisation is well-placed to respond to an ever-changing environment. To fully understand the change that is happening throughout the aviation industry requires commitment, vision, leadership, and access to resources, all of which can only be born from adherence to good governance at every level of the industry.

For media inquiries:

Vilma Vaitiekunaite

+370 686 16336

[email protected]

About Gediminas Ziemelis:

Throughout a business development career spanning more than 24 years, Gediminas Ziemelis has established over 50 start-ups and green-field investments in various industries such as IT, media, luxury furniture, pharma, clinics, agriculture, and across other industry sectors. At present, these companies are either owned by PE "Vertas Management", or have previously been sold and are now components of other sizeable organisations.

Gediminas Ziemelis is the founder and chairman of Avia Solutions Group - a leading global aerospace services group with almost 100 offices and production stations providing aviation services and solutions worldwide.

Spanning his career to date, G. Ziemelis has received many prestigious awards and industry recognitions. In 2016, G. Ziemelis received a prestigious European Business Award in recognition of his visionary business management and development skills. The same year, under his leadership, Avia Solutions Group was named a national public champion in the category of Entrepreneurship, earning a spot in the top 110 European businesses. Twice  in 2012 and again in 2014  Ziemelis was acknowledged as one of the top 40 most talented young leaders in the global aerospace industry by the leading USA aerospace magazine 'Aviation Week'.

Over his career, Gediminas Ziemelis has taken part in many impressive business ventures. Between 2014  2017, he personally supported and consulted Chinese Banks (including ICBCL, CMBL, and Skyco Leasing) concerning financing aircraft sale-leaseback transactions where the total value was more than US$ 4 bn.

Between 2006  2019, Avia Solutions Group Chairman executed successful IPOs of 4 companies at OMX and WSE, oversaw many public bonds issues, along with the raising of public capital worth more than US$ 400 M.

His total net worth is US$ 1.1 bn, according to local business media.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1608952/Avia_Solutions_Gediminas_Ziemelis.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1039700/Avia_Solutions_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Avia Solutions Group
DUBLIN, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Building Integrated Photovoltaics Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global building integrated photovoltaics market exhibited strong growth during 2015-2020. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to grow at a CAGR of around 18% 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.



Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs) refer to the solar power generating components that are used in constructing facades, roofs, and skylights in buildings. Generally, these components include the integration of photovoltaic modules, backup power supply system, charge controller, power storage system, and other supporting hardware. BIPV materials offer several benefits over their traditional counterparts as they provide onsite power generation, zero emissions, high energy conservation, superior architectural integration, and optimal shading. In addition to this, BIPVs also help in reducing labor and installation costs by replacing high-end roof membranes, skylight glazing, facade cladding, etc. Owing to these benefits, building integrated photovoltaic materials are widely installed across commercial, residential, and industrial sectors.

The increasing demand for building integrated photovoltaic materials can be attributed to the rising integration of solar energy solutions in commercial infrastructures for architectural optimization and energy conservation. Moreover, growing environmental concerns towards the depleting non-renewable power resources, such as oil, coal, etc., have further bolstered the demand for solar power generation. Additionally, rapid modernization in the construction and building sector along with the increasing focus on clean energy has fueled the demand for green or zero-emission buildings. Furthermore, the growing consumer awareness towards several ecological benefits of BIPV has resulted in the rising adoption of solar energy harnessing systems in the residential sector.

Apart from this, implementation of favorable government policies supported by several initiatives for promoting the need for reducing carbon footprints have also catalyzed the demand for building-integrated photovoltaics on a global level. Furthermore, the increasing demand for BIPV components in the developed regions, such as North America and Europe, is primarily driven by the supporting infrastructural developments in the form of optimum grid-parity of photovoltaic solutions supported by several financial incentives offered by regional governments. On the other hand, several emerging economies, such as India, China, Vietnam, etc., are experiencing high product demand due to the reduced solar installation costs and wide availability of BIPV materials across these countries. Moreover, various technological advancements coupled with the increasing penetration of wireless connectivity have led to the introduction of automated BIPV components, thereby bolstering the market growth. Additionally, rising investments in several R&D activities for the superior integration of advanced module technologies are also driving the product demand.

Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being Ankara Solar AS, Ertex Solartechnik GmbH, Hanergy Holding Group Ltd, Hermans Techniglaz, ISSOL sa, Navitas Green Solutions Pvt. Ltd, NanoPV Solar Inc., Polysolar, Sphelar Power Corporation, VIASOLIS,etc.



Key Questions Answered in This Report:

How has the global building integrated photovoltaics market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global building integrated photovoltaics market?

What are the key regional markets?

What is the breakup of the market based on the product type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the application?

What is the breakup of the market based on the end use?

What are the price trends of building integrated photovoltaics?

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 building integrated photovoltaics 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 Building Integrated Photovoltaics Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Product Type

6. 1 Polycrystalline

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Market Forecast

6.2 Thin Film

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Market Forecast

6.3 Other

6.3.1 Market Trends

6.3.2 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Application

7.1 Roof

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Facade

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast

7.3 Glass

7.3.1 Market Trends

7.3.2 Market Forecast

7.4 Other

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

8.3 Industrial

8.3.1 Market Trends

8.3.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by Region

9.1 Europe

9.1.1 Market Trends

9.1.2 Market Forecast

9.2 North America

9.2.1 Market Trends

9.2.2 Market Forecast

9.3 Asia Pacific

9.3.2 Market Trends

9.3.2 Market Forecast

9.4 Middle East and Africa

9.4.1 Market Trends

9.4.2 Market Forecast

9.5 Latin America

9.5.1 Market Trends

9.5.2 Market Forecast



10 SWOT Analysis

10.1 Overview

10.2 Strengths

10.3 Weaknesses

10.4 Opportunities

10.5 Threats



11 Value Chain Analysis



12 Porters Five Forces Analysis

12.1 Overview

12.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers

12.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

12.4 Degree of Competition

12.5 Threat of New Entrants

12.6 Threat of Substitutes



13 Price Indicators



14 Competitive Landscape

14.1 Market Structure

14.2 Key Players

14.3 Profiles of Key Players

14.3.1 Ankara Solar AS

14.3.1.1 Company Overview

14.3.1.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.1.3 Financials

14.3.1.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.2 Ertex Solartechnik GmbH

14.3.2.1 Company Overview

14.3.2.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.2.3 Financials

14.3.2.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.3 Viasolis

14.3.3.1 Company Overview

14.3.3.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.3.3 Financials

14.3.3.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.4 Hanergy Holding Group Ltd.

14.3.4.1 Company Overview

14.3.4.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.4.3 Financials

14.3.4.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.5 Hermans Techniglaz

14.3.5.1 Company Overview

14.3.5.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.5.3 Financials

14.3.5.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.6 ISSOL SA

14.3.6.1 Company Overview

14.3.6.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.6.3 Financials

14.3.6.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.7 Sphelar Power Corporation

14.3.7.1 Company Overview

14.3.7.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.7.3 Financials

14.3.7.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.8 Navitas Green Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

14.3.8.1 Company Overview

14.3.8.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.8.3 Financials

14.3.8.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.9 NanoPV Solar Inc.,

14.3.9.1 Company Overview

14.3.9.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.9.3 Financials

14.3.9.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.10 Polysolar

14.3.10.1 Company Overview

14.3.10.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.10.3 Financials

14.3.10.4 SWOT Analysis

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/38erei

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On the press day of IAA, September 6, Hyundai Mobis presented the company's ambitious plans to the press representatives. Axel J. Maschka, Executive Vice President Hyundai Mobis, represented the company at the press conference: "Europe is the heart of the global automotive industry where the headquarters of the world's largest manufactures are located. Positioning ourselves in Europe is the next logical step for us to continue the exceptional growth of our company."

As the first step, Hyundai Mobis explained that it will be able to expand the skateboard module business, leveraging the company's full portfolio of electric powertrain as well as experience and know-how as the global No.1 module provider.

Since the company started the electrification systems business in 2009, it has accumulated know-how for more than 12 years and now holds a full portfolio including motors, power systems, battery systems and fuel cell components. Hyundai Mobis' electric powertrain modules are now supplied to all sorts of environmentally-friendly vehicles called xEVs from EV, Hybrid EV, to Fuel Cell EV.

Recently, Hyundai Mobis has loaded its most advanced electrification components like 3-in-1 system(integrating motor, inverter and reducer in a single housing), Battery System Assembly(BSA), and Integrated Charging Control Unit(ICCU) on the all-electric Hyundai IONIQ5. At its booth at IAA, Hyundai Mobis is exhibiting a total of 30 innovative and strategically important components that go into the IONIQ 5.

The company also presented several innovative mobility technologies that will shape the era of future mobility from driving to charging. One key product here is the Augmented Reality Head-up Display(AR HUD). Based on the hologram technology, it projects intuitive driving information in real-time on the windshield, saving the drivers from insecure road exits or wrong turns.

The next thing, Communication Lighting technology utilizes the DMD(Digital Micromirror Device) lamps, projecting lights either on the vehicle itself or onto the road to indicate driving signs for both the driver and passengers/other drivers.

In addition, the Automatic Parking System will autonomously find the perfect parking spot for the car, while Autonomous Charging Module will enable the drivers to forget about their charging duties. These mobility technologies are certainly expected to protect the drivers as well as enhance their driving experience.

With these technology innovations and the mature overall portfolio, Hyundai Mobis showed confidence that it is going on the right track to help shape the future of the automobile in the paramount European market.

Hyundai Mobis exhibits in Hall B2 at booth C20 covering an area of about 358 square meters through the end of the International Motor Show(September 7-12, 2021). The booth presents innovational products such as electrification parts and other strategically important components in the IONIQ 5. In addition, the company also exhibits M.Vision X, an AI-included, all-electric and zero-emission concept car for fully autonomous driving.

About Hyundai Mobis

Hyundai Mobis is the global no.7 automotive supplier, with annual sales of nearly $30 billion. The company was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Seoul, Korea. Hyundai Mobis aims to become a lifelong technology partner for vehicles and for people. The company has outstanding expertise in sensors, sensor fusion in ECUs and software development for safety control. The company's products also include various components for electrification, brakes, chassis and suspension, steering, airbags, lighting and vehicle electronics. Hyundai Mobis currently employs more than 30,000 people worldwide and has its own production facilities in North America, Europe, China and India. In addition to its research and development headquarters in Korea, Hyundai Mobis has four technology centers in Germany, China, India and the United States.

https://en.mobis.co.kr/intro/contentsid/1983/index.do

Media Contact

Jihyun Han (+82-2-2018-6026, [email protected])

Choon Kee Hwang (+82-2-2018-5519, [email protected])

SOURCE Hyundai Mobis
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.

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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

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Launched in September 2006, ViendoMovies schedules premieres from all Ibero-American countries in all genres (romance, action, suspense, horror, comedy, etc.). Through its acquisition staff in Mexico, Spain and the United States, the channel licenses the most recent productions from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, other countries and Puerto Rico. The content and programming strategies keep the screen always fresh, with weekly premieres and fewer repetitions. ViendoMovies is in the main cable, satellite and telecommunications companies, as well as in the emerging market of virtual distributors via "streaming".

ViendoMovies is an essential window for the new Spanish-speaking cinema, which until the channel's launch had limited distribution. The channel offers a strong Free "On Demand" film offering for subscribers. The channel includes close caption in English and Spanish and a dynamic online and social media presence.

Luis Villanueva, President and CEO of SOMOS Group and SOMOSTV, stated: "this date is very important. It represents the entry into maturity and is the reward of a whole team dedicated to producing and distributing the best Spanish-speaking film channel. ViendoMovies fills us with pride and we maintain its reputation as the best representative of good contemporary Ibero-American cinema. We hope to have many more years introducing Latinos and independent film lovers to the highest quality films and talent of the Spanish-speaking industry. We thank our audience and our customers on this anniversary."

To celebrate this month, ViendoMovies premieres successful productions such as Yuli (Cuba), Que Te Juegas? (Spain), Perseguida (Colombia), Angels inc (Mexico), No Me Digas Solterona (Peru) and Blindado (Venezuela),among other films.

ABOUT VIENDOMOVIES: ViendoMovies is a Pay TV channel that broadcasts contemporary, exclusive Spanish-language films 24 hours a day with no commercial breaks, in a premium, culturally relevant on-air look. ViendoMovies is produced in the US for the Hispanic and Puerto Rico markets and is part of SOMOSTV LLC. For more information, please visit us at www.viendomovies.com and www.somostv.com

CONTACT: Lucia Pineda, [email protected]

SOURCE SOMOS TV

Related Links

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http://www.viendomovies.com


Coopr will continue to operate as an autonomous agency under its own name within the Candid platform. "By joining the Candid platform, we retain our individuality, but we can immediately deepen and broaden our offer and at therefore offer our clients more integrated and other disciplines", say owners Jody Koehler and Jos Govaart. "In addition, the correlation between PR and other communication disciplines is more relevant than ever. Good brand ideas are most credibly propagated through PR efforts." By becoming part of the Candid platform, Coopr can now also shape its ambition with regard to further internationalization with a London branch in the not too distant future.

Ruud Wanck, CEO of Candid: "Coopr is an absolute premium brand in the field of PR and corporate communication. Their entrepreneurial spirit fits in perfectly with our platform strategy in which we bring together strong and distinctive agencies into an integrated platform. Within Candid, agencies retain their own culture and identity, but our clients always have direct access to our services across the full range of the marketing and communication profession. With the acquisition of Coopr, we now also have a leading agency within our platform in the  increasingly important  field of PR and corporate communication."

This expansion fits in seamlessly with Candid's ambitions to grow. Through acquisitions of media agencies STROOM, M2Media and BBK media, digital agency Online Company and digital experience agency Havana Harbor, social media expert Daily Dialogues, advertising agency XXS, global brand design specialist Millford and marketing innovation agency Cogonez, Candid became the largest independent marketing and advertising platform in the Netherlands. More acquisitions will follow this year, both at home and abroad. "With the addition of a high-quality agency like Coopr, we are once again demonstrating the growth ambitions and the abilities of our platform," says Candid founder & chairman of the board Gerard Ghazarian.

About Candid platform:

We unify the creative and strategic powers of, amongst others, the media agencies Stroom and M2Media, the digital agencies Online Company and Havana Harbor, the social media expert Daily Dialogues, advertising agency XXS, marketing innovation agency Cogonez and brand identity specialist Millford.

In the past years, Candid has become the first fully integrated communication platform in the Netherlands. We unify the skills, cultures and identities of these strong, independent, specialized agencies in a single platform and let them cooperate optimally, driven by our candid culture of transparency and our T-shaped organization.

By doing so, Candid supplies marketing and communication solutions that are inspired by data, enabled by technology and driven by creativity. But above all, they realize growth for our clients.

About Coopr:

Coopr is a communications agency, specialized in three areas of expertise, which are inextricably linked: Brand PR, Corporate Communication and Content Marketing. We enable organizations to communicate better, more effectively, more creatively and more honestly. We help them determining the best story at the right time and through the right channel.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1608691/Candid.jpg

SOURCE Candid
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Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

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SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global chemical anchors market size is expected to reach USD 1.20 billion by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.1% from 2020 to 2028. Rising demand for chemical anchors across industrial and infrastructure projects owing to their superior performance and durability is expected to propel market growth.

Furthermore, the growing demand for anchors that are easy to install and are more efficient and reliable, coupled with the popularity of the technologies used in its production, is driving manufacturers to continuously engage in innovation, requiring them to take the necessary steps to maintain and improve the product standards.

Key Insights & Findings:

By product, capsule adhesive anchors are expected to register the fastest CAGR of 5.0% over the forecast period owing to the increasing use of the product in the infrastructure and commercial segments

In terms of resin, unsaturated polyester chemical anchors are primarily used in masonry and uncracked concrete applications. However, methacrylates and pure epoxy type anchors are better suited for more demanding applications, including rebar and fractured concrete

The rising construction spending, particularly in the emerging economies, is a key factor promoting growth in the chemical anchor industry. Rising product awareness, coupled with the high consumer spending in the residential sector, is propelling the demand for chemical anchors

In the U.S., the demand for chemical anchors is expected to increase on account of the growing investments in infrastructure repair and rebuilding. Chemical anchors are being used in a majority of steel constructions, column bases, and scaffold anchoring

Manufacturers in the chemical anchor industry are involved in adopting several strategies, including acquisition, joint venture, new product development, and geographical expansion, which aid in enhancing their market penetration

Read 100 page market research report, "Chemical Anchors Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Injectable Adhesive, Capsule Adhesive), By Resin (Epoxy Acrylate, Hybrid Systems), By Application (Infrastructure, Industrial), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2028", by Grand View Research.

Technological improvements have increased the functioning of the product. The product provides a fair shelf life and a high level of corrosion resistance that is at par with its counterpart two-component epoxy polyamide coatings. Epoxy is an important component in the chemical anchoring formulation, hence boosting its application as compared to its counterparts.

One of the major factors influencing the production is raw material availability, distribution network, and favorable geographical locations. The primary raw material used in the manufacturing of chemical anchors is polymer, which is directly being sourced from China. Major manufacturers have long-term tie-ups with key raw material suppliers from the country owing to the low cost and efficient supply chain.

However, in the post-pandemic scenario, manufacturers are looking for a diversified supply chain by focusing on raw material procurement from multiple locations. Thereby creating opportunities for a large number of manufacturers who are looking to build long-standing partnerships.

The use of the Internet of Things (IoT) has enabled companies to harness data in industrial environments, wherein they have started collecting data to understand and improve operational performance. Hilti Group in February 2020 paved the way for IoT to enter into the fasteners market by launching IoT-enabled smart fasteners that identify and document anchors, screws, and bolts installed.

Grand View Research has segmented the global chemical anchors market on the basis of product, resin, application, and region:

Chemical Anchors Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Injectable Adhesive



Capsule Adhesive

Chemical Anchors Resin Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Polyester



Unsaturated Polyester



Epoxy Acrylate



Pure Epoxy



Hybrid Systems

Chemical Anchors Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Residential



Commercial



Infrastructure



Industrial

Chemical Anchors Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

North America



U.S.





Canada





Mexico



Europe



Germany





U.K.





France





Italy





Spain



Asia Pacific



China





India





Japan





South Korea



Central & South America



Brazil



Middle East & Africa

&

Saudi Arabia

List of Key Players of Chemical Anchors Market

Hilti Group

MKT Fastening

Power Fasteners

FIXDEX Fastening Technology

Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Sika AG

Simpson Strong-Tie Company, Inc.

Henkel AG & Company, KGaA

EJOT

Ripple India

KoelnerRawlplug IP

MungoBefestigungstechnik AG

Chemfix Products Ltd.

Leviat B.V.

Check out more studies related to the Global Advanced Interior Materials Industry, conducted by Grand View Research:

Aerogel Market  The global aerogel market size was valued at USD 818.9 million in 2020 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.1% from 2020 to 2028. The rapid development of the aerogel for high-temperature insulation primarily in the oil & gas industry, due to low thermal conductivity is expected to drive the market over the forecast period.

 The global aerogel market size was valued at in 2020 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.1% from 2020 to 2028. The rapid development of the aerogel for high-temperature insulation primarily in the oil & gas industry, due to low thermal conductivity is expected to drive the market over the forecast period. Stone Paper Market  The global stone paper market size was estimated at USD 785.5 million in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.8% from 2020 to 2028. High demand for stone paper attributed to its sustainability and aesthetic quality from the paper packaging industry is one of the major factors driving the market.

 The global stone paper market size was estimated at in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.8% from 2020 to 2028. High demand for stone paper attributed to its sustainability and aesthetic quality from the paper packaging industry is one of the major factors driving the market. Can Seamers Market  The global can seamers market size was estimated at USD 495.8 million in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.7% from 2020 to 2028. Rising consumer awareness about health and wellness coupled with increasing demand for packaged food and beverage products are projected to drive the market over the forecast period.

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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.

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TAIPEI, Sept. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- D-Link Corporation today introduced their newest Outdoor Industrial AC1200 Access Point DIS-3650AP and Indoor Industrial Access Point DIS-2650AP. Industry X.0 has been described as the digital reinvention of industries by leveraging advanced digital technologies to drive innovation and growth. With this accelerated rate of technological transformation, organizations require solutions such as D-Link's industrial-grade access points to improve operational efficiency and facilitate the success of Industry X.0.

D-Link's DIS-3650AP and DIS-2650AP are a vital part of any organization's network infrastructure in applications such as Smart Cities, Smart Transportation, and Smart Factories, as they provide mission-critical connectivity for industrial environments. With dual-band 802.11ac Wave 2 Wi-Fi, the access points deliver superior speeds and throughput up to 1200 Mbps. They support MU-MIMO for better handling of multiple data streams, and Airtime Fairness, Band Steering, and Fast Roaming optimize connectivity for all devices. The DIS-3650AP and DIS-2650AP are also PoE ready and feature WPA2 security for powerful protection. Setup and installation are easy with the included DIN rail mounting kit, and centralized management is convenient with D-Link's free network management solution Nuclias Connect.

Both D-Link industrial access points are built for harsh environments with a wide temperature tolerance. The DIS-3650AP is IP-67 rated for robust protection against dust and water, and the DIS-2650AP is IP-30 rated for protection against solid objects. The DIS-2650AP also provides additional features, including a removable 4-contact terminal block that facilitates power supply redundancy. With built-in 2KV surge protection and 15KV ESD protection, the DIS-2650AP is compliant with IEC international standards for industrial use.

D-Link  Building Networks for People

For over 35 years, D-Link has been committed to building high-quality, user-friendly, and environmentally sustainable networking solutions to connect products and people around the globe.

About D-Link

D-Link is a global leader in connecting people, businesses, and cities with our computer networking solutions and technology. Our innovative products and services meet the needs of digital home consumers, small to medium sized businesses, enterprise environments, and service providers. D-Link implements and supports unified network solutions that integrate capabilities in switching, wireless, broadband, IP surveillance, and cloud-based network management. An award-winning designer, developer, and manufacturer for over 30 years, D-Link has grown from a group of friends in Taiwan into a global brand with over 2,000 employees in 60 countries.

For more information, visit https://www.dlink.com/.

SOURCE D-Link Corporation

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BANGALORE, India, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Data Center Accelerator Market is segmented By Types - GPU, CPU, FPGA, ASIC, By Application, Deep Learning Training, HPC and Other. Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212027. It is published in Valuates Reports under the Internet & Telecom Category.

The global Data Center Accelerator Market size is projected to reach USD 69440 Million by 2027, from USD 6960.5 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 38.7% during 2021-2027.

Major factors driving the growth of the data center accelerator market:

Factors such as growing demand for deep learning and surge in demand for cloud-based services are driving the growth of the data center accelerator market during the forecast period.

The need to manage increased networking bandwidth, optimize workloads and lower total cost of ownership and lower power is expected to drive the growth of the data center accelerator market. Data centers accelerators help achieve high-performance and hardware-based acceleration with excellent cost and power efficiency.

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TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF DATA CENTER ACCELERATOR MARKET

The rise in parallel computing in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers is fueling the expansion of the data center accelerator market. The rapid development of cloud-based services is also assisting the market's expansion.

Furthermore, rising demand for AI in High-Performance Computing (HPC) data centers, an increase in the number of companies offering machine learning around the world, as well as rising demand for application performance enhancement and increased consumer-driven data demand, are all contributing to the data center accelerator market's growth.

The growth of cloud-based services is expected to drive the data center accelerator market. Because of the growing demand for AI-based solutions, cloud data centers are dominating the data center accelerator market. Changes in cloud server setup are being driven by the growth of AI. The spike in the volume of data being transmitted to the cloud from customers has fueled tremendous growth in the cloud computing sector. The proliferation of co-processors (accelerators) installed in servers has been fueled by the spike of AI-centric data. By lowering latency, the accelerators improve data processing on the servers.

Because of the massive increase in data generation as a result of IoT and AI, data centers now need to be able to process more data while maintaining power efficiency, data center cooling requirements, and data center space. By the end of 2026, data centers are expected to consume roughly one-fifth of worldwide energy. Governments all across the world are concentrating their efforts on lowering data center energy consumption. These initiatives are projected to increase parallel computing in data centers, boosting the data center accelerator market over the forecast period.

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DATA CENTER ACCELERATOR MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS

Based on type, in 2018, GPU accounted for a major share of 85% in the global Data Center Accelerator market. And this product segment is poised to reach 29819 M USD by 2025 from 2983 M USD in 2018.

Based on application, the Deep Learning Training segment holds an important share in terms of application, and it is expected to reach 23381 M USD by 2025, at a CAGR of 40.16% during 2018 and 2025. It means that the Data Center Accelerator will be promising in the Deep Learning Training field in the next couple of years.

Based on region, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to be the most lucrative market. The increasing demand for data centers in China, as firms seek enhanced connectivity and scalable solutions for their growing businesses, is attributable to the market's expansion in APAC. Furthermore, the Chinese government is increasing its investments in order to drive technology growth, which has resulted in the widespread use of cloud-based services, big data analytics, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

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Data Center Accelerator Market By Types

GPU

CPU

FPGA

ASIC

Data Center Accelerator Market By Application

Deep Learning Training

HPC and Other

Data Center Accelerator Market By Regions

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

Germany



France



U.K.



Italy



Russia



Nordic



Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific

China



Japan



South Korea



Southeast Asia



India



Australia



Rest of Asia

Latin America

Mexico



Brazil



Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa

& Turkey



Saudi Arabia



UAE



Rest of MEA

Data Center Accelerator Market By Companies

Nvidia

Intel

Alphabet (Google)

Advanced Micro Devices

Achronix Semiconductor

Xilinx

Qualcomm

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SIMILAR REPORTS :

- Global Data Center Accelerator Card Sales Market Research Report contains Market Size, Market Share, Market Dynamics, Porter's 5 force Analysis, Segmentation, Regional and Competitor Analysis. Product: Data Center Accelerator Card, Product-Type: HPC Accelerator, Cloud Accelerator, Application: Deep Learning Training, Public Cloud Interface, Enterprise Interface.

- The global GPU market size was valued at USD 19.75 Billion in 2019, and is projected to reach at USD 200.85 Billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 33.6% from 2020 to 2027.

- In 2020, the global Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) market size was USD 5708.9 million and it is expected to reach USD 11420 million by the end of 2027, with a CAGR of 10.4% during 2021-2027.

- Global Application Specific IC ASIC Market Regional Analysis. The report offers in depth assessment of the growth and other aspects of the Application Specific IC ASIC market in important regions including the U. S. Product: Application Specific IC (ASIC), Product-Type: Full-Custom Design, Standard-Cell Based, Gate-Array Based, Application: AR and VR Devices, Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Other.

- The global Data Center Colocation market size is projected to reach USD 58140 Million by 2027, from USD 33110 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 8.3% during 2021-2027.

- The global modular data center market size was valued at USD 14,952 million in 2019, and is projected to reach USD 59,971 million by 2027, registering a CAGR of 18.7% from 2020 to 2027.

- The global Deep Learning market size is projected to reach USd 11910 million by 2026, from USd 2671.2 million in 2019, at a CAGR of 23.6% during 2021-2026.

Click Here To See Related Reports On Data Center Accelerator

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SOURCE Valuates Reports
The report on the flexitanks market provides a holistic update, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis.

The report identifies the growing demand for edible oil in Asian countries as one of the major factors driving the growth of the market. The report also provides information on other latest trends and drivers impacting the overall market environment.

Technavio analyzes the market by Application (Industrial, Food, Chemical, and Others) and Geography (APAC, North America, Europe, MEA, and South America). The cost advantages of using flexitanks is expected to have a positive impact on the growth of the flexitanks market during the forecast period.

This report presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources by an analysis of key parameters.

The flexitanks market covers the following areas:

Flexitanks Market Sizing

Flexitanks Market Forecast

Flexitanks Market Analysis

Download our free sample report here: www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR43987

Companies Mentioned

Hinrich Industries

JF HILLEBRAND GROUP AG

MYFlexitank Industries Sdn Bhd

Neoflex Logistics Services Industrial Packing SA

Philton Polythene Converters Ltd.

Qingdao LAF Packaging Co. Ltd.

Rishi FIBC Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

SIA Flexitanks

Sun FlexiTanks

Techno Group

Related Reports on Industrials Include:

Global Tank Container Shipping Market - Global tank container shipping market is segmented by end-user (oil and gas, chemical, and others) and geography (Europe, APAC, North America, MEA, and South America).

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Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2020

Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

Five Forces Analysis

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Application

Market segments

Comparison by Application

Industrial - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Food - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Chemical - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by Application

Customer landscape

Customer landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Overview

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Hinrich Industries

JF HILLEBRAND GROUP AG

MYFlexitank Industries Sdn Bhd

Neoflex Logistics Services Industrial Packing SA

Philton Polythene Converters Ltd.

Qingdao LAF Packaging Co. Ltd.

Rishi FIBC Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

SIA Flexitanks

Sun FlexiTanks

Techno Group

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Technavio's in-depth research has direct and indirect COVID-19 impacted market research reports.

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About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Email: [email protected]

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PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Fundus Camera Market by Product (Mydriatic Fundus Cameras, Non-Mydriatic Fundus Cameras, Hybrid Fundus Cameras, and ROP Fundus Cameras), Portability (Handheld and Tabletop), and End User (Hospitals, Ophthalmology Clinics, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030." According to the report, the global fundus camera market generated $445.60 million in 2020, and is expected to garner $710.20 million by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 4.5% from 2021 to 2030.

For Right Perspective and Competitive Insights, Get Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/13448

Drivers, restraints, and opportunities

Surge in prevalence of chronic eye diseases and favorable government regulations drive the growth of the global fundus camera market. However, high costs of initial investment and lack of awareness in low-income countries hinder the market growth. On the other hand, rise in strategic alliances and awareness regarding retinal disorders present new opportunities in the coming years.

Covid-19 Scenario

Healthcare institutions and providers have been carrying out surgical procedures and medical examinations only in extreme or emergency situations to conserve resources for treating Covid-19 patients.

Many ophthalmology departments witnessed a considerable decrease in imaging case volumes. Based on the location of practice and the severity of the pandemic in regions, ophthalmology clinics are estimated to manifest 50% to 70% reduction in imaging volumes for few months.

The non-mydriatic fundus cameras segment to maintain its leadership status during the forecast period

Based on product, the non-mydriatic fundus cameras segment accounted for the largest share in 2020, contributing to around two-fifths of the global fundus camera market, and is projected to maintain its leadership status during the forecast period. This is attributed to the ability to view detailed retinal anatomy and improvement of the diagnosis and management of eye disorders along with advancements such as fluorescein imaging, mobility, and live-action systems. However, the hybrid fundus cameras segment is projected to portray the largest CAGR of 5.4% from 2021 to 2030. This is due to increased prevalence of chronic diseases, rise in awareness of early diagnosis, and a higher number of diagnostic procedures.

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The hospitals segment to continue its dominance in terms of revenue during the forecast period

Based on end user, the hospitals segment contributed to the highest share in 2020, holding nearly half of the global fundus camera market, and is estimated to continue its dominance in terms of revenue during the forecast period. This is due to increased acceptance by optometrists for primary eye care and attendance of well-equipped hospitals in developing countries. However, the ophthalmology clinics segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 5.2% from 2021 to 2030.

North America to continue its lead position by 2030

Based on region, North America held the highest market share in 2020, contributing to more than one-third of the global fundus camera market, and is projected to continue its lead position by 2030. This is due to increase in healthcare expenditure and government support for reimbursement and device screening in this region. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 5.0% during the forecast period, owing to local presence of key players, availability of expert services, and surge in medical tourism. Moreover, increased awareness in the region about retinal and ocular illnesses as well as rise in awareness about treating diabetic retinopathy create opportunities for growth in the region.

Leading market players

Carl Zeiss Meditec AG

Kowa Company, Ltd.

Optomed Plc

Optovue Incorporated

Topcon Corporation

Clarity Medical Systems, Inc.

Canon Inc.

Epipole Ltd.

Revenio Group Corporation (Centervue SPA)

Clarity Medical Systems, Inc.

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We have also published few syndicated market studies in the similar area that might be of your interest. Below are the report title for your reference, considering Impact of Covid-19 Over This Market which will help you to assess aftereffects of pandemic on short-term and long-term growth trends of this market.

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Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
MIAMI, Sept. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 3, 2021, Gara Group Inc., the industry's leading development firm that provides white-glove solutions to companies in the direct sales industry, filed an amended complaint in the Superior Court of California for the County of San Diego against HOLISTA COLLTECH, LTD (37-2019-00053997-CU-BC-CTL).

The lawsuit alleges the Defendant, Holista Colltech Ltd, along with their partner iGalen International, Inc., and Dr. Rajen Manicka have breached their contract with Gara Group by refusing to fulfill their obligation to make timely payments, refusing to communicate assurance that payments would be made in a timely manner, and by refusing to operate in good faith to resolve any differences between plaintiff and defendants. The lawsuit alleges that defendant Holista Colltech deliberately failed to make payments, failed to make arrangements for payments with Gara Group, failed to acknowledge the existence of ongoing obligations, and repudiation of its agreed upon obligations under the terms of its contract with Gara Group. The total past due balance allegedly owing is in excess of $408,000.00. Payments were beyond 90 days past due at the time of the initial lawsuit in 2019. Moreover, pursuant to the contract signed by all parties, Gara Group is seeking additional $50,000,000 in liquidated damages

Additionally, the lawsuit alleges causes of action against the defendants for Breach of Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing, Quantum Meruit for Work & Labor Furnished, Intentional Misrepresentation, Negligent Misrepresentation, Open Book Account, Intentional Interference with Prospective Economic Advantage, Alter Ego Liability and Accounting.

About Gara Group

Gara Group provides state-of-the-art all-inclusive solutions and tools in launching and scaling operations worldwide - from corporate and replicated websites to distributor back-office, logistics, shipping, video production, social media, and customer service. With a multidisciplinary approach and over 70 years of combined experience working in software, direct sales, and marketing. Gara Group helps their clients get it right the first time and with lasting results for generations to come. Gara Group incorporates a suite of modules that provide flexibility to manage all corporate and distributor needs in a one-stop shop where our services are all under one roof and work flawlessly together! https://garagroup.com/

SOURCE Gara Group Inc

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https://garagroup.com/


Key Highlights Offered in the Report:

Information on how to identify strategic and tactical negotiation levels that will help achieve the best prices.

Gain information on relevant pricing levels, detailed explanation on pros and cons of prevalent pricing models.

Methods to help engage with the right suppliers and discover KPI's to evaluate incumbent suppliers.

Get a free sample report for more information

Insights into buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers:

Several strategic and tactical negotiation levers are explained in the report to help buyers achieve the best prices for the Environmental and Sustainability Advisory Services market. The report also aids buyers with relevant Environmental and Sustainability Advisory Services pricing levels, pros, and cons of prevalent pricing models such as volume-based pricing, spot pricing, and cost-plus pricing and category management strategies and best practices to fulfil their category objectives.

For more insights on buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers, www.spendedge.com/report/environmental-and-sustainability-advisory-services-procurement-market-intelligence-report

Key Drivers and Trends Fueling Market Growth:

The pressure from substitutes and a moderate level of threat from new entrants has resulted in the low bargaining power of suppliers.

Price forecasts are beneficial in purchase planning, especially when supplemented by the constant monitoring of price influencing factors. During the forecast period, the market expects a change of 3.00%-5.00%.

Identify favorable opportunities in Environmental and Sustainability Advisory Services TCO (total cost of ownership).

Expected changes in price forecast and factors driving the current and future price changes.

Identify pricing models that offer the most rewarding opportunities.

Some of the top Environmental and Sustainability Advisory Services suppliers listed in this report:

This Environmental and Sustainability Advisory Services procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies.

AECOM

ERM Group Inc

Oranjewoud NV

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Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

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SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

Contacts



SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us

SOURCE SpendEdge
DUBLIN, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Emerging Opportunities of Advanced Materials in Biosensors" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

In recent decades, there has been an increase of possibilities in the use of conducting polymers, carbon nanotubes, and graphene for building novel biosensors, due to the advancement of polymers and carbon nanomaterials. The use of polymers, CNTs and graphene as sensor components, due to their exceptional features, are intended to make sensors increasingly trustworthy, precise and speedy. Various techniques can be employed to design sensing devices based on the type of target molecule.

Point of care (POC) testing and diagnostics are a major growth area for biosensors, enabling remote health monitoring in real-time. Biosensor systems are used to detect diseases and infections, including diabetes, heart disorders, cancer, and contagious diseases more conveniently, efficiently and sensitively. Biosensor opportunities will also be pushed by the increased spread of mobile telephones to make health data easier to communicate.

Wearable biosensors discover expanding possibilities in remote places, which do not include medical and healthcare facilities, to continue monitoring of vital signs of patients, preterm infants, children, athletes, or fitness enthusiasts.

Factors influencing development and adoption - Key drivers and challenges

Patent landscape

Funding Insights

R&D ecosystem

Key growth opportunities

This report includes coverage of the following companies:

Archer Materials

Cardea Bio

Grapheal

HeMemics Biotechnologies

Sparc Technologies Limited



Key Topics Covered:

1. Strategic Imperatives

1.1 Why Is It Increasingly Difficult to Grow? The Strategic Imperative 8: Factors Creating Pressure on Growth

1.2 The Strategic Imperative 8

1.3 The Impact of the Top Three Strategic Imperatives on Growth of Advanced Materials in Biosensor Market

1.4 Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine

2. Growth Environment

2.1 Scope of the Technology and Innovation Research

2.2 Research Methodology

2.3 Research Process and Methodology

2.4 Summary of Key Findings

3. Technology Overview

3.1 Overview and Competencies of Advanced Materials for Sensors

3.2 Biosensors Addressing Common Needs in the Market

3.3 Role of Advanced Materials in Biosensor Technology Development

3.4 Graphene as an Essential Material in Biosensor Development

3.5 Conducting Polymers Gaining Attention in Biosensor Applications

3.6 CNT Materials Important for Developing Unique Biosensor Devices

4. Application Impact Analysis, Driving and Challenging Factors

4.1 Nanotech-based Biosensors and Noninvasive Sensing as Key Driving Factors

4.2 Government Regulatory Hurdles and High Production Costs as Major Challenge Factors

4.3 Key Application Impact of Biosensing Technology

4.4 Key Developments from Research Universities on Advanced Materials-based Biosensors

5. IP Innovation Trends & Funding Assessment

5.1 Key Patent Trends and Innovation Focus

5.2 Key Patent Trends in Materials Innovation for Biosensor Development

5.3 Funding Focus Areas and Regional Impact Analysis

5.4 Important Funding Grants for Developing Biosensors with Advanced Materials

6. Companies to Action

6.1 Archer Materials

6.1.1 Graphene Biosensors for Detecting Diseases

6.2 Cardea Bio

6.2.1 Graphene Biosensors for Detecting COVID-19 Virus

6.3 Grapheal

6.3.1 Graphene-based Biosensors for Smart Wound Management

6.4 HeMemics Biotechnologies

6.4.1 CNT-based Biosensors for POC Solutions

6.5 Sparc Technologies Limited

6.5.1 Noninvasive Graphene Biosensors for Breath Analysis

7. Growth Opportunities

7.1 Growth Opportunity 1: Advancements in Nanotechnology-based Materials Encouraging Biosensor Development in Remote Health Monitoring Applications

7.2 Growth Opportunity 2: Advancements in Materials Enabling Flexible Hybrid Electronics Trend in Industries

7.3 Growth Opportunity 3: Organ-on-a-chip Biosensor Expected to Disrupt Healthcare Market

8. Key Contacts

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/clzp3f

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

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DUBLIN, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Battery Market Outlook, 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report gives a complete insight on the battery classified on basis of type (primary & secondary), technology (lead-acid, lithium-ion, nickel cadmium & nickel metal hydride), and application (automotive, industrial & portable). The overall battery market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 8% during the forecasted period of 2021-26.

Globally the secondary battery type has been an unbeatable market dominator. The number of people without access to electricity in the African region is to increase by over 600 million in 2030, despite efforts to boost electrification. The Sub-Saharan and rural south Asian regions, in particular, are expected to be one of the central hotspots for off-grid solar initiatives. As a result, the use of energy storage with solar photovoltaic technology has been gaining popularity in these countries, which is likely to create an enormous opportunity for the battery market. The Middle East & Africa and Asia Pacific region together are expected to account for a market share of over 50% by the end of the forecasted period.



The lithium-ion battery segment is expected to cross a market of USD 60 Billion by the end of the forecasted period, recording the highest CAGR. Major factors driving the market include declining prices, rapid adoption of electric vehicles, growing renewable sector, and increased sale of consumer electronics. On the other hand, the demand-supply mismatch of raw materials is the hindrance to the market growth. Significant increases in battery energy density will probably require a disruptive technology involving a lithium anode. The market-leading segment of lead-acid batteries is expected to report the lowest CAGR of 5.98% through the forecasted period. High demand for portable electronics, including LCDs, smartphones, tablets, and wearable devices such as fitness bands, is boosting the market growth. The market is expected to observe substantial growth on account of technological advancements in terms of enhanced efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and product innovation.



The automotive sector recorded at a market of USD 37.65 Billion in 2015 is expected to be the major application segment for the battery market in the near future. In the current market scenario, policy support plays a crucial role in driving the adoption of electric vehicles. Policy support enables market growth by making vehicles appealing to consumers, reducing risks for investors, and encouraging manufacturers to develop electric vehicles on a large scale. Falling battery prices and improving technology are expected to bring price-competitive electric vehicles to the market, creating a demand for battery technologies. The share of portable battery applications is expected to decline further to a share of 32.54% by the end of the year 2026.



New markets that further boost battery growth are the electric bicycle and storage systems for renewable energy, from which homeowners, businesses, and developing nations are benefiting. Large grid storage batteries collect surplus energy during high activity and bridge the gap when the input is low or when user demand is heavy. The market comprises a network of players, including major global players as well as localized regional players. Most of these companies are headquartered in China, making it the highest contributing country, with 12.69% in 2020. Key players in the global battery market Johnson Controls, Exide Technologies, GS Yuasa, Robert Bosch GmbH, Saft Groupe SA, Delphi Automotive LLP, LG Chem, and Panasonic Corporation among others.



Companies Mentioned:



A123 System LLC, BYD Company Limited, C&D Technologies Inc, Clarios, Contemporary Amperex Technology Corporation Limited, GS Yuasa International Limited, Hitachi Chemical Corporation Limited, LG Chem Limited, Panasonic Corporation, Saft Group SA, Samsung Corporation Limited, Sony Corporation, Toshiba Corporation

Key Points Covered in this report:

Market Evolution through value and volume CAGRs at different verticals

Detailed discussion on the market dynamics that influence the market and the possible opportunities

In sights on the market leader's performance including market shares, strategies, products, financial positions, etc

This report would help you answer the following questions:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Battery Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Battery Market during the forecast period?

3. Which region outstands in the Global Battery Market?

4. Which are the segments to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Battery Market?

5. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Battery Market?

6. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Battery Market?

7. What are the major company in the Global Battery Market?



Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Report Methodology



3. Global Battery Market Outlook



4.1. Market Size by Value

4.2. Market Share

4.2.1. By Battery Type

4.2.2. By Battery Technology

4.2.3. By Application

4.2.4. By Region

4.2.5. By Country

4.2.6. By Company

4.3. Global Lead Acid Battery Market Outlook

4.4. Global Lithium Ion Battery Market Outlook

4.5. Global Nickel Metal Hydride Battery Outlook

4.6. Global Nickel Cadmium Battery Outlook



5. North America Battery Market Outlook

5.1. Market Size by Value

5.2. Market Share

5.2.1. By Battery Type

5.2.2. By Battery Technology

5.2.3. By Application

5.2.4. By Country

5.3. US Battery Market Outlook

5.3.1. Market Size by Value

5.3.2. Market Share

5.3.2.1 By Battery Technology

5.3.2.2 By Application

5.4. Mexico Battery Market Outlook

5.4.1. Market Size by Value

5.4.2. Market Share

5.4.2.1 By Battery Technology

5.4.2.2 By Application

5.5. Canada Battery Market Outlook

5.5.1. Market Size by Value

5.5.2. Market Share

5.5.2.1 By Battery Technology

5.5.2.2 By Application



6. Europe Battery Market Outlook

6.1. Market Size by Value

6.2. Market Share

6.2.1. By Battery Type

6.2.2. By Battery Technology

6.2.3. By Application

6.2.4. By Country

6.3. Germany Battery Market Outlook

6.3.1. Market Size by Value

6.3.2. Market Share

6.3.2.1 By Battery Technology

6.3.2.2 By Application

6.4. UK Battery Market Outlook

6.4.1. Market Size by Value

6.4.2. Market Share

6.4.2.1 By Battery Technology

6.4.2.2 By Application

6.5. France Battery Market Outlook

6.5.1. Market Size by Value

6.5.2. Market Share

6.5.2.1 By Battery Technology

6.5.2.2 By Application

6.6. Italy Battery Market Outlook

6.6.1. Market Size by Value

6.6.2. Market Share

6.6.2.1 By Battery Technology

6.6.2.2 By Application

6.7. Spain Battery Market Outlook

6.7.1. Market Size by Value

6.7.2. Market Share

6.7.2.1 By Battery Technology

6.7.2.2 By Application

6.8. Russia Battery Market Outlook

6.8.1. Market Size by Value

6.8.2. Market Share

6.8.2.1 By Battery Technology

6.8.2.2 By Application



7. Asia Pacific Battery Market Outlook

7.1. Market Size by Value

7.2. Market Share

7.2.1. By Battery Type

7.2.2. By Battery Technology

7.2.3. By Application

7.2.4. By Country

7.3. China Battery Market Outlook

7.3.1. Market Size by Value

7.3.2. Market Share

7.3.2.1 By Battery Technology

7.3.2.2 By Application

7.4. Japan Battery Market Outlook

7.4.1. Market Size by Value

7.4.2. Market Share

7.4.2.1 By Battery Technology

7.4.2.2 By Application

7.5. Australia Battery Market Outlook

7.5.1. Market Size by Value

7.5.2. Market Share

7.5.2.1 By Battery Technology

7.5.2.2 By Application

7.6. India Battery Market Outlook

7.6.1. Market Size by Value

7.6.2. Market Share

7.6.2.1 By Battery Technology

7.6.2.2 By Application



8. Latin America Battery Market Outlook

8.1. Market Size by Value

8.2. Market Share

8.2.1. By Battery Type

8.2.2. By Battery Technology

8.2.3. By Application

8.2.4. By Country

8.3. Brazil Battery Market Outlook

8.3.1. Market Size by Value

8.3.2. Market Share

8.3.2.1 By Battery Technology

8.3.2.2 By Application

8.4. Argentina Battery Market Outlook

8.4.1. Market Size by Value

8.4.2. Market Share

8.4.2.1 By Battery Technology

8.4.2.2 By Application

8.5. Colombia Battery Market Outlook

8.5.1. Market Size by Value

8.5.2. Market Share

8.5.2.1 By Battery Technology

8.5.2.2 By Application



9. Middle East & Africa Battery Market Outlook

9.1. Market Size by Value

9.2. Market Share

9.2.1. By Battery Type

9.2.2. By Battery Technology

9.2.3. By Application

9.2.4. By Country

9.3. UAE Battery Market Outlook

9.3.1. Market Size by Value

9.3.2. Market Share

9.3.2.1 By Battery Technology

9.3.2.2 By Application

9.4. Saudi Arabia Battery Market Outlook

9.4.1. Market Size by Value

9.4.2. Market Share

9.4.2.1 By Battery Technology

9.4.2.2 By Application

9.5. Qatar Battery Market Outlook

9.5.1. Market Size by Value

9.5.2. Market Share

9.5.2.1 By Battery Technology

9.5.2.2 By Application

9.6. South Africa Battery Market Outlook

9.6.1. Market Size by Value

9.6.2. Market Share

9.6.2.1 By Battery Technology

9.6.2.2 By Application



10 History & Manufacturing Process

10.1 Lead Acid Battery

10.2 Lithium ion Battery

10.3 Nickel Cadmium Battery

10.4 Nickel Metal Hydride Battery



11 Market Dynamics

11.1 Key Drivers

11.2 Key Challenges



12 Market Trends & Developments



13 Competitive Landscape

13.1 Porter's Five Forces Model

13.2 Company Profiles

13.2.1 A123 Systems LLC

13.2.2 BYD Company Limited

13.2.3 C&D Technologies Inc.

13.2.4 Clarios

13.2.5 Contemporary Amperex Technology Corporation Limited

13.2.6 GS Yuasa International Limited

13.2.7 Hitachi Chemical Corporation Limited

13.2.8 LG Chem Limited

13.2.9 Panasonic Corporation

13.2.10 Saft Group SA

13.2.11 Samsung Corporation Limited

13.2.12 Sony Corporation

13.2.13 Toshiba Corporation

13.3 Company Overviews

13.3.1 Akasol

13.3.2 Altairnano

13.3.3 AMBRI

13.3.4 American Battery Solution Inc

13.3.5 Aquion Energy

13.3.6 ARTS Energy

13.3.7 ATLASBX Corporative Limited

13.3.8 Automotive Energy Supply Corporation

13.3.9 Autox Limited

13.3.10 Battery Streak

13.3.11 Bosch

13.3.12 BroadBit

13.3.13 Continental AG

13.3.14 Coslight India

13.3.15 Crown Battery Manufacturing Company

13.3.16 Duracell

13.3.17 E4V

13.3.18 Electrovaya

13.3.19 Energizer

13.3.20 Enersys

13.3.21 Eveready Industries

13.3.22 Grepow

13.3.23 Johnson Controls

13.3.24 Leoch International Technology Limited

13.3.25 Middle East Battery Company

13.3.26 Nexeon

13.3.27 Northvolt

13.3.28 OptimumNano Energy

13.3.29 Oxis Energy

13.3.30 Phinergy

13.3.31 Primearth EV Energy

13.3.32 Solid Power

13.3.33 StoreDot

13.3.34 Targray

13.3.35 Varta Storage

13.3.36 Zhongyin Battery Corporative Limited



14 Strategic Recommendations



15 Disclaimer



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/roqz3w

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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DUBLIN, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Electronic Security Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global electronic security market reached a value of US$ 36.43 Billion in 2020. Looking forward, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.4% 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 industries. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.



Electronic security refers to a system of integrated electronic circuits that are used to ensure the physical security of an enclosed space. It is designed to deny access to unauthorized individuals from physically entering a building or accessing stored information. It uses both power and mechanical components, such as access control, surveillance through close-circuit televisions (CCTVs), fire alarms and intrusion control systems. It provides users with elaborate surveillance that enables them to monitor entry points and minimize both property damages and inventory losses by taking timely action. Owing to this, it finds extensive applications across various sectors, including residential, government, transportation, banking, healthcare, hospitality and retail.



Rapid urbanization, along with the increasing automation across industries, is one of the key factors driving the growth of the market. Furthermore, rising instances of property thefts and break-ins are acting as another major factor contributing to the market growth. Both government and private organizations are employing electronic security solutions to monitor the occurrence of terrorist activities, such as contraband smuggling, shoot-outs and bombings in high risk and sensitive locations. In line with this, the rising inclination of the authorities toward securing public transportation and infrastructures, such as power grids, water plants and oil and gas facilities, is also providing a boost to the market growth. Additionally, widespread adoption of electronic security systems in shopping malls, residential apartments and commercial buildings, is acting as another growth-inducing factor. Individuals are using these systems for access control, surveillance, fire detection, maintenance of attendance records and internet monitoring.

The publisher provides an analysis of the key trends in each sub-segment of the global electronics security market report, along with forecasts for growth at the global, regional and country level from 2021-2026. Our report has categorized the market based on region, product type, service type and end-use-sector.

Competitive Landscape:

The report has also analysed the competitive landscape of the market with some of the key players being Axis Communications (Canon Inc.), ADT Security Services Inc. (Apollo Global Management Inc.), Bosch Security Systems Inc., FLIR Systems Inc., Hitachi Ltd., Honeywell International Inc., IBM Corporation, Tyco International (Johnson Controls), Lockheed Martin Corporation, OSI Systems, Siemens AG, Thales Group, etc.



Key Questions Answered in This Report:

How has the global electronic 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 electronic security market?

What is the breakup of the market based on the product type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the service type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the end-use sector?

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 electronic 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 Electronic Security Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Product Type

6.1 Surveillance System

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Market Forecast

6.2 Access Control System

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Market Forecast

6.3 Intrusion Detection System

6.3.1 Market Trends

6.3.2 Market Forecast

6.4 Alarming System

6.4.1 Market Trends

6.4.2 Market Forecast

6.5 Others

6.5.1 Market Trends

6.5.2 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Service Type

7.1 Installation Services

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Managed Services

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast

7.3 Consulting Services

7.3.1 Market Trends

7.3.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by End-Use Sector

8.1 Government

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Residential

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast

8.3 Transportation

8.3.1 Market Trends

8.3.2 Market Forecast

8.4 Banking

8.4.1 Market Trends

8.4.2 Market Forecast

8.5 Hospitality

8.5.1 Market Trends

8.5.2 Market Forecast

8.6 Healthcare

8.6.1 Market Trends

8.6.2 Market Forecast

8.7 Retail

8.7.1 Market Trends

8.7.2 Market Forecast

8.8 Others

8.8.1 Market Trends

8.8.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by Region



10 SWOT Analysis

11 Value Chain Analysis



12 Porters Five Forces Analysis



13 Price Indicators



14 Competitive Landscape

14.1 Market Structure

14.2 Key Players

14.3 Profiles of Key Players

14.3.1 Axis Communications (Canon Inc.)

14.3.1.1 Company Overview

14.3.1.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.2 ADT Security Services Inc. (Apollo Global Management Inc.)

14.3.2.1 Company Overview

14.3.2.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.2.3 Financials

14.3.2.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.3 Bosch Security Systems Inc.

14.3.3.1 Company Overview

14.3.3.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.4 FLIR Systems Inc.

14.3.4.1 Company Overview

14.3.4.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.4.3 Financials

14.3.4.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.5 Hitachi Ltd.

14.3.5.1 Company Overview

14.3.5.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.5.3 Financials

14.3.5.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.6 Honeywell International Inc.

14.3.6.1 Company Overview

14.3.6.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.6.3 Financials

14.3.6.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.7 IBM Corporation

14.3.7.1 Company Overview

14.3.7.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.7.3 Financials

14.3.7.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.8 Tyco International (Johnson Controls)

14.3.8.1 Company Overview

14.3.8.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.9 Lockheed Martin Corporation

14.3.9.1 Company Overview

14.3.9.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.9.3 Financials

14.3.10 OSI Systems

14.3.10.1 Company Overview

14.3.10.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.10.3 Financials

14.3.10.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.11 Siemens AG

14.3.11.1 Company Overview

14.3.11.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.11.3 Financials

14.3.11.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.12 Thales Group

14.3.12.1 Company Overview

14.3.12.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.12.3 Financials

14.3.12.4 SWOT Analysis



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/tr2wbc

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


DUBLIN, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Language Services Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global language services market reached a value of US$ 57.8 Billion in 2020. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to grow at a CAGR of 7.5% 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 industries. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.



Language services stand for the set of language assistance solutions that offer varying degrees of interpretation, translation, comprehension, localization, and other training services. They include a wide range of electronic, written, and multimedia materials for transcription, dubbing, narration, voice-over, etc. Language services provide several benefits, such as effective communication, wide geographical outreach, high accuracy rate, skill development, along with offering a highly interactive learning platform to the users. Further, the adoption of these services promotes the integration of technology with human communication. Owing to this, language services are widely employed across diverse sectors, including legal, medical, IT and telecommunication, education, automotive, and BFSI.



The rising demand for language services can be attributed to the rapid advancements in the IT and telecommunication industry leading to software development for accurate translation and interpretation results. In addition to this, rapid globalization coupled with improving internet connectivity has further augmented the growing need for language services. With increasing geographical outreach, various companies are opting for translation services. This provides convenience to their international clients and allows companies to efficiently express their services. Furthermore, the growing consumer inclination towards language services for multilingual and cross-cultural communication to create an efficient and quicker learning platform has also led to its increasing global adoption.

Additionally, the rising influence of social media platforms resulting in the popularity of visual translations and content localization, is also driving the demand. Apart from this, the increasing investments in the field of language services coupled with the rapid influx of translation and interpretation outsourcing have also contributed to the strong market growth. Moreover, the increasing need for language services pertaining to international business tourism, medical tourism, leisure tourism, on-site work stays, etc., is also catalyzing the market. In the educational sector, customized foreign language training courses are being offered at on-site and off-site locations in classroom, private, semi-private, tutorial, and in-country immersion forums, thereby driving the demand for language services. In the coming years, several technological upgradations along with the emergence of artificial intelligence in the sector are expected to fuel the growth of the global language service market.

Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being Global Linguist Solutions, LLC, Hogarth Worldwide, Keywords Studios Plc, LanguageLine Solutions (Teleperformance), Lionbridge Technologies, Inc., Mission Essential Personnel, RWS Holdings plc, SDI Media, SDL plc, and TransPerfect Translations.



Key Questions Answered in This Report:

How has the global language services 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 language services market?

What is the breakup of the market based on the service?

What is the breakup of the market based on the component?

What is the breakup of the market based on the application?

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 language services 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 Language Services Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of Covid-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Service

6.1 Translation Services

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Market Forecast

6.2 Interpretation Services

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Market Forecast

6.3 Others

6.3.1 Market Trends

6.3.2 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Component

7.1 Software

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Hardware

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by Application

8.1 IT and Telecommunications

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Commercial

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast

8.3 Government

8.3.1 Market Trends

8.3.2 Market Forecast

8.4 Automotive

8.4.1 Market Trends

8.4.2 Market Forecast

8.5 Healthcare

8.5.1 Market Trends

8.5.2 Market Forecast

8.6 Others

8.6.1 Market Trends

8.6.2 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 Global Linguist Solutions, LLC

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 Hogarth Worldwide

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 Keywords Studios plc

13.3.3.1 Company Overview

13.3.3.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.3.3 Financials

13.3.3.4 SWOT Analysis

13.3.4 LanguageLine Solutions (Teleperformance)

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 Lionbridge Technologies

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 Mission Essential Personnel

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 RWS Holdings plc

13.3.7.1 Company Overview

13.3.7.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.7.3 Financials

13.3.7.4 SWOT Analysis

13.3.8 SDI Media Group Inc.

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 SDL plc

13.3.9.1 Company Overview

13.3.9.2 Product Portfolio

13.3.9.3 Financials

13.3.9.4 SWOT Analysis

13.3.10 TransPerfect Solutions

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/1pzm4

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


DUBLIN, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Neurovascular Devices Market - Forecasts from 2021 to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global neurovascular devices market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.96% over the forecast period to reach a market size of US$3.416 billion in 2026 from US$2.133 billion in 2019. Neurovascular devices are used as an aid in the treatment of various neurovascular disorders such as brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), and carotid artery disease. Growth in the market may be attributed to the upsurge in the number of patients suffering from neurovascular diseases and also rising preference for the minimally invasive devices owing to the quick healing time, fewer complications, and short hospital stay.



Increasing geriatric population



The demand for neurovascular devices is expected to surge due to the rise in the geriatric population, globally. According to the data given by the United Nations, there were around 703 million people, that were aged 65 years or over in the year 2019. The report also stated that the number of older people, worldwide, is expected to double to 1.5 million in the year 2050. An aging population is expected to put significant financial pressure on old-age support systems. During aging, a certain number of factors which include, automatic dysregulation, arterial stiffness, blood-brain barrier, and neurovascular uncoupling are expected to define the dynamics of local perfusion and brain blood flow. The atheromatous disease is a common factor among old age people. With the rise in neurological and neurovascular problems, the demand for neurovascular devices is expected to surge in the coming years.



Rising incidences of the neurovascular diseases to augment the market growth



The increasing population coupled with the rising geriatric population at the risk of neurovascular diseases will boost the market for neurovascular devices during the given time frame. As per the data by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (US), 7.4 million people suffered from a stroke in the US. Unhealthy lifestyles have increased the prevalence of the diseases such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and high blood cholesterol which have further raised the chances of cerebrovascular disorders, thus, boosting the growth of the neurovascular devices market for the treatment of the disorders. Advancement in the field of neurovascular disorder treatment such as the use of embolization for cerebral AVMs and internal carotid artery stenting for intracranial atherosclerotic disease will also bolster the market growth during the forecast period. However, the growth of the market might be restrained due to the high treatment cost and lack of trained professionals.



The Asia Pacific to be a lucrative market for Neurovascular Devices



Geographically, North America is estimated to hold the major share in the neurovascular devices market. The major factors driving the growth of the market in the region are the growing and quick adoption of neurovascular devices coupled with the favorable reimbursement policies. Rising awareness among the population regarding neurovascular devices will also boost the market in the region. Asia-Pacific will present a lucrative opportunity for neurovascular devices owing to the rising patient base suffering from diseases such as stenosis, AVM, and strokes along with the improving healthcare infrastructure. Stroke is a major cause of death in the region. According to the data from the National Centre for Healthcare Quality Management in Neurological Diseases in China and other major institutes, the total death rate in China for cerebrovascular diseases was 149.49 per 100,000, and it accounted for more than 1.5 million deaths in the year 2019. Stroke is also a major concern in India. According to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, stroke has become the fifth major cause of death in the country in 100,000 population. These developments are expected to accelerate the demand for neurovascular devices in the region, in the coming years.

Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction



2. Research Methodology



3. Executive Summary



4. Market Dynamics

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis



5. Neurovascular Devices Market Analysis, By Type

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Embolization Devices

5.3. Angioplasty and Stenting Devices

5.4. Neurovascular Access Devices

5.5. Neurothrombectomy Devices



6. Neurovascular Devices Market Analysis, By Applications

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Stenosis

6.3. Arteriovenous Malformation

6.4. Stroke

6.5. Aneurysms

6.6. Others



7. Neurovascular Devices Market Analysis, By End-User

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Hospitals

7.3. Ambulatory Surgical Centers



8. Neurovascular Devices Market Analysis, By Geography

8.1. Introduction

8.2. North America

8.2.1. United States

8.2.2. Canada

8.2.3. Mexico

8.3. South America

8.3.1. Brazil

8.3.2. Argentina

8.3.3. Others

8.4. Europe

8.4.1. UK

8.4.2. France

8.4.3. Germany

8.4.4. Italy

8.4.5. Others

8.5. Middle East and Africa

8.6. Asia Pacific

8.6.1. Japan

8.6.2. China

8.6.3. India

8.6.4. Thailand

8.6.5. Taiwan

8.6.6. Indonesia

8.6.7. Others



9. Competitive Environment and Analysis

9.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

9.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness

9.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations

9.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix



10. Company Profiles

10.1. Penumbra

10.2. MicroVention Inc.

10.3. Stryker

10.4. Evasc Neurovascular Enterprises

10.5. Acandis GmbH

10.6. Memry Corporation

10.7. Phenox GmbH

10.8. Spartan Micro Inc.

10.9. Johnson & Johnson

10.10. Shape Memory Medical Inc.



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The first CAR-T product independently developed in China and approved as a Category 1 biologics product, and the sixth approved CAR-T product globally

and approved as a Category 1 biologics product, and the sixth approved CAR-T product globally Currently the only approved CAR-T product that has been simultaneously included in the National Significant New Drug Development Program, granted priority review and breakthrough therapy designation

May provide a best-in-class CAR-T therapy in China given its demonstration of high rates of durable disease response and low rates of CAR-T associated toxicities

SHANGHAI, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- JW Therapeutics (HKEx: 2126), an innovative biotechnology company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing cell immunotherapy products, announced that the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China has approved the New Drug Application (NDA) for its anti-CD19 autologous chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell immunotherapy product relmacabtagene autoleucel injection (hereafter abbreviated as relma-cel, R&D code JWCAR029) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (r/r LBCL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy, and has released the drug registration certificate. Relma-cel is the first CAR-T product approved as a Category 1 biologics product in China, and sixth approved CAR-T product globally.

Relma-cel, JW Therapeutics' first CAR-T product, was independently developed based on a CAR T cell process platform of Juno Therapeutics (a Bristol Myers Squibb company) to meet the needs of the Chinese market. Currently, it is the only approved CAR-T product in China that has been simultaneously included in the National Significant New Drug Development Program, granted priority review (in r/r LBCL) and breakthrough therapy designations (in follicular lymphoma). To date, over 100 patients have been dosed with relma-cel in clinical studies, marking relma-cel a most studied anti-CD19 CAR-T product in China.

This approval is based on the results of a single-arm, multi-center, pivotal study (RELIANCE study) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of relma-cel in patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (r/r LBCL) in China. RELIANCE study results show that relma-cel demonstrated high rates of durable disease response and low rates of CAR-T associated toxicities, and may provide a best-in-class CAR-T therapy profile.

Professor Zhu Jun, the lead investigator of RELIANCE study, Chief of Internal Medicine Department and Lymphoma Department at Peking University Cancer Hospital, said, "The RELIANCE study is a registrational clinical study completed with high quality, and I'm very proud of that. Based on the outstanding efficacy and safety profiles it demonstrated in RELIANCE study, I believe that relma-cel will provide healthcare professionals in China with an additional treatment option and bring hope for long-term remission and even cure for lymphoma patients."

Edward Hu, Vice Chairman and Global Chief Investment Officer at WuXi AppTec, said, "Congratulations to JW Therapeutics for the approval of its first product. WuXi AppTec will continue to enable more companies to deliver advanced therapies for patients globally. Cell and gene therapy is one of the most promising therapies for curing cancer. As the co-founder and investor of JW Therapeutics, we are very pleased to witness its development over the past five years and are fully confident that JW Therapeutics will continue to lead the development of cell immunotherapy in China, and to bring us closer to a cure for cancer."

Lynelle Hoch, senior vice president, Global Cell Therapy Franchise Lead, Bristol Myers Squibb, said, "As a long-standing strategic partner of JW Therapeutics, we are pleased by our work together to advance the important science of cell therapy. Today's news, building from our CAR T cell process platform from Juno Therapeutics, marks an important milestone for patients in China and in achieving our shared goal of innovating breakthroughs for patients with cancer."

James Li, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of JW Therapeutics, said, "We sincerely thank all the patients and investigators who have participated and contributed in the clinical studies of relma-cel. We're also encouraged by the Chinese regulators for taking the lead in following the science and approving the NDA of the sixth CAR-T therapy on a global scale. JW is committed to serving every Chinese patient through continued technology innovation."

Sources:

Zhu J, et al. Clinical Response of CD19 CAR-T Cells (relma-cel) in Adults with Heavily-Pre-Treated Relapsed/Refractory (r/r) Large B-Cell Lymphoma in China. ASH 2020. Abstracts 1186.

About Relmacabtagene Autoleucel Injection (trade name: Carteyva)

Relmacabtagene autoleucel injection (trade name: Carteyva) is an autologous anti-CD19 CAR-T cell immunotherapy products that was independently developed by JW Therapeutics based on a CAR T cell process platform of Juno Therapeutics (a Bristol Myers Squibb company). The first product of JW Therapeutics, relma-cel was approved by the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in September 2021 for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy, making it the first CAR-T product approved as a Category 1 biologics product in China. Currently, it is the only CAR-T product in China that has been simultaneously included in the National Significant New Drug Development Program, granted priority review and breakthrough therapy designations.

About RELIANCE Study (NCT04089215)

RELIANCE study was a single-arm, multi-center, pivotal study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of relmacabtagene autoleucel injection (relma-cel) in patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (r/r LBCL) in China. At the time it was conducted, this study was the largest clinical study of CAR-T cell therapy in China under the Investigational New Drug (IND) pathway.

RELIANCE study enrolled 59 patients with r/r LBCL who had failed at least two lines of therapy, including a CD20 agent and anthracycline, and patients continue to be monitored for up to 2 years and beyond for long term outcomes. As of the June 17, 2020 data cut-off, the Best Overall Response Rate was 75.9% with a Best Complete Response Rate of 51.7% in 58 evaluable patients; of 59 treated patients, 5.1% and 3.4% of the patients experienced CRS and NT of Grade 3 or above, respectively. Rates for any severity grade CRS and NT were 47.5% and 20.3%, respectively.

About JW Therapeutics

JW Therapeutics (HKEx: 2126) is an innovative biotechnology company focusing on developing, manufacturing and commercializing cell immunotherapy products. Co-founded by Juno Therapeutics (a Bristol Myers Squibb company) and WuXi AppTec in 2016, JW Therapeutics is committed to becoming an innovation leader in cell immunotherapy. The company has built a top world-class platform for technology and product development in cell immunotherapy, as well as a promising product pipeline covering both hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, to bring the hope of a cure for Chinese and global patients, and to lead the healthy and standardized development of China's cell immunotherapy industry. For more information, please visit www.jwtherapeutics.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The forward-looking statements are based on the management's expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described. Significant risks and uncertainties, include those discussed below and more fully described in Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx) reports filed by the Company. Unless otherwise noted, the Company is providing this information as of the date it publicized, and expressly disclaims any duty to update information contained in the issues and relevant information, or provide any explanation. For detailed information, please visit the company website: www.jwtherapeutics.com/en/forward-looking-statements/.

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Reduction in usage of conventional energy resources and rise in applications of landfill gas in the commercial and industrial sector are primary factors driving the growth of the global landfill gas market.

PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Landfill Gas Market by Application (Electricity, Direct Use, Combined Heat & Power and Alternate Fuels: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030." According to the report, the global landfill gas industry was worth $1.4 billion in 2020, and is anticipated to reach $2.8 billion by 2030, showcasing a CAGR of 7.4% from 2021 to 2030.

Prime drivers of the market growth

Governments of many countries are undertaking waste management initiatives, helping the growth of the global landfill gas market. However, the high set-up cost needed to maintain the required moisture level to facilitate the organic waste decomposition is anticipated to hinder the market growth. Moreover, landfill gas may contaminate the soil and water, and the methane gas produced from the decomposition cause problems, restraining the growth of the landfill gas market. Contrarily, rise in the use of landfill gas and abundant availability of solid waste is anticipated to offer attractive opportunities for the key market players.

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Covid-19 Scenario

The unavailability of the labour force and uncertainties hindered transportation facilities during Covid-19 pandemic and put many energy producers in a tight situation.

 The rise in the presence of harmful gas and the presence of breeding sites for various harmful bacteria which can cause harmful disease during the COVID pandemic are a couple of factors leaving a positive impact on the development of the landfill gas market.

The electricity application segment will maintain the leading position throughout the forecast period

Based on application, the electricity segment contributed for the highest market share in 2020, accounting for more than three-fourths of the global landfill gas market, and is projected to maintain the leading position during the forecast period. This lead is attributed to the rise in the use of portable electronic devices and electric energy source-based products.

On the other hand, the alternate fuels segment is anticipated to manifest the highest CAGR of 9.5%

from 2021 to 2030, owing to the depletion of fossil fuels and the rise in demand for fossil fuels leading to the search and innovation of alternative fuels such as CNG and LNG from landfills.

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North America to maintain its lead by 2030

Based on region, North America held the highest market share in 2020, contributing to nearly three-fifths of the global landfill gas market, and is expected to dominate the market by 2030. This lead is possible due to the rise in health and environmental awareness among the people. The rise in technology across the world have offered various developments in the applications of energy utilization and processing of biofuels from biodegradable wastes.

On the other hand, Asia-Pacific is accounted for the highest CAGR of 9.1% from 2021 to 2030, owing to the increase in the demand for electricity and reduction in the pollution caused due to landfilling. Moreover, the rise in environmental concerns and increase in investments in R&D by key players caused an increase in the sales footprint.

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Leading Market Players

Covanta Holding Corporation,

Waste Management, Inc.,

Veolia Environnement S.A,

SUEZ SA, Kohler Co., Inc.,

Aria Energy Corp,

Granite Acquisition, Inc.,

Vectren Corporation

Shanghai Chengtou Holding Co., Ltd.

Pennon Group Plc.,

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CHICAGO, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the report "Machine Vision Market with COVID-19 impact, by Deployment (General & Robotic cell), Component (Hardware and Software), Product (PC-based and Smart camera-based), Application, End-user Industry, and Region - Forecast till 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Machine Vision Market is estimated to be valued at USD 11.0 billion in 2021 and reach USD 15.5 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 7.0%. The growing need for quality inspection and automation, increasing demand for machine vision systems in non-traditional and emerging applications, and rising need for vision-guided robots are the key factors driving the growth of the market. Likewise, government initiatives to support industrial automation and the integration of AI into edge devices are expected to create lucrative opportunities for the players in the machine vision market. However, rising security concerns related to industrial machine robots and devices are expected to restraint market growth.

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Software is projected to witness the highest CAGR for the forecast period

Software is expected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. It is segmented into traditional software and deep learning software. Software tools in a suite of industrial machine vision software provide an interface for production lines and cameras. Typically, older cameras use closed systems, meaning only the software from the same supplier could be deployed. This approach directly contrasts with modern automation goals that call for customization, flexibility, and scalability. By deploying smart cameras with Linux OS, the programmer can maximize the productivity of a vision system at a lower price.

In deployment, the general machine vision system is expected to account for a larger share of the market by 2026

General machine vision system takes pictures automatically and accurately to inspect materials as they come down the assembly line. These cameras can be fixed on assembly lines are typically used for quality assurance, sorting, and material handling in various industries, including electronics, food processing, pharmaceuticals, packaging, and automotive. They offer an economical way of rejecting substandard products. Machine vision cameras are used to inspect several product parameters, including geometry, placement, packaging, labeling, seal integrity, finishing, color, pattern, and bar code.

The market for smart camera-based machine vision systems is projected to grow higher by 2026

PC-based systems dominate the market as PC-based machine vision systems have greater processing power than smart camera-based systems and can handle complex operations relatively quickly. Also, unlike smart camera-based systems, PC-based machine vision systems are highly upgradeable, and one can swap the components easily.

Quality Assurance and Inspection to hold the largest market share in the machine vision market during the forecast period

The key factors driving the growth of the industrial machine vision market for quality assurance and inspection applications include the increasing demand for quality products, growing manufacturing capacity, and shortage of skilled labor. The system can also inspect the completeness of the production in many sectors such as ensuring a match between a product and its package in the food and pharmaceutical industries and checking safety seals, caps, and rings on bottles. However, Semiconductor and electronics companies are highly dependent on vision inspection technology to check their product quality as well as to speed up their production processes.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Machine Vision Market"

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The food and packaging industry is expected to hold the largest share in 2026

Dairy is the most automated industry in the food sector. The raw material, i.e., milk, can be handled in bulk. Therefore, this industry demands greater use of machine vision systems to minimize the possibilities of human errors in dry ingredients adding processes. Also, the food industry is highly labor-intensive. Which can leads to poor quality control and accidents. To provide quality assurance and inspection, minimize the labor cost, and increase efficiency, machine vision systems are being deployed at the highest rate in the food and packaging industry. After COVID 19 the demand for packaged food has increased so to maintain the supply of food industry is adapting moire machine vision system as per of their production.

APAC held the largest market share in the machine vision market during the forecast period

APAC is expected to grow at the highest CAGR in the AI in computer vision market. Countries such China, Japan, and South Korea are expected to be the major contributors to the market in APAC. Increased manufacturing operations contribute mainly to the economic development in China, while the rising demand to incorporate Industry 4.0 and advanced manufacturing techniques for increasing automation across various applications in India is contributing to the tremendous growth of machine vision in APAC. In addition, strong competition among consumer electronics companies in APAC is likely to boost the adoption of machine vision systems in the region.

Key Market Players in the machine vision market are Cognex Corporation (US), Basler AG (Germany), Omron Corporation (Japan), Keyence (Japan), National Instruments(US), Sony Corporation (Japan), Teledyne Technologies (US), Texas Instruments (US), Intel Corporation (US), ISRA Vision (Germany), Sick AG (Germany) and FLIR Systems (US).

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Industrial Control & Factory Automation Market by Solution (SCADA, PLC, DCS, MES, Industrial Safety, PAM), Component (Industrial Robots, Industrial 3D Printing, Process Analyzer, Machine Vision, HMI), Industry, Region - Global Forecast to 2026

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DUBLIN, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Military Flight Training Schools Market (Component: Hardware and Services; and Aircraft Type: Fixed Wing Aircraft and Rotary Wing Aircraft) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2020-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This study presents detailed information of key market dynamics, including drivers, trends, and challenges for the global military flight training schools market as well as its structure. The study offers valuable information on the global military flight training schools market in order to illustrate how the market is expected to expand during the forecast period i.e. 2020-2030.



An extensive analysis of business strategies adopted by leading market players is also featured in the publisher's study on the global military flight training schools market. This can help readers understand key factors responsible for growth of the global military flight training schools market. In this study, readers can also find specific data on avenues for qualitative and quantitative growth of the global military flight training schools market. This data would guide market players in making apt decisions in the near future.



Key Questions Answered in the Report

What would be the Y-o-Y growth trend of the global military flight training schools market between 2020 and 2030?

What is the influence of changing trends in technology on the global military flight training schools market?

Would North America continue to be the most dominant regional market for providers of military flight training schools over the next few years?

continue to be the most dominant regional market for providers of military flight training schools over the next few years? Which factors would hinder the global military flight training schools market during the forecast period?

Which are the leading companies operating in the global military flight training schools market?



Key Topics Covered:



1. Global Military Flight Training Schools Market - Executive Summary



2. Market Overview



3. Market Dynamics



4. Associated Industry and Key Indicator Assessment



5. Global Military Flight Training Schools Market Analysis and Forecast



6. Global Military Flight Training Schools Market Analysis By Component



7. Global Military Flight Training Schools Market Analysis By Aircraft Type



8. Global Military Flight Training Schools Market Analysis and Forecast, By Region



9. North America Military Flight Training Schools Market Analysis and Forecast



10. Europe Military Flight Training Schools Market Analysis and Forecast



11. Asia Pacific Military Flight Training Schools Market Analysis and Forecast



12. Middle East & Africa (MEA) Military Flight Training Schools Market Analysis and Forecast



13. South America Military Flight Training Schools Market Analysis and Forecast



14. Competition Assessment

14.1. Global Military Flight Training Schools Market Competition - a Dashboard View

14.2. Global Military Flight Training Schools Market Structure Analysis

14.3. Global Military Flight Training Schools Market Company Share Analysis, by Value (2019)

14.4. Key Participants Market Presence (Intensity Mapping) by Region



15. Competition Deep-dive (Manufacturers/Suppliers)

ATP Flight School LLC

Airways Aviation

CAE Inc.

ELITE Simulation Solutions AG

FlightSafety International Inc.

Indra Sistemas SA

L3Harris Technologies Inc.

Lockheed Martin

Phoenix East Aviation

Raytheon Technologies Corporation

Thales Group

Upper Limit Aviation Inc.



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BOSTON, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IDTechEx has recently released "Agricultural Robotics Market 2022-2032", a market research report exploring the technical and market factors that are shaping the emerging industry around agricultural robotics. The agricultural robotics industry has grown quickly in recent years, spurred on by advances in robotics technology and artificial intelligence (AI), and may be set to help alleviate some of the labor issues that are currently threatening global agriculture.

"Agricultural Robotics Market 2022-2032 provides ten-year agricultural robotics market forecasts by application area and region. Source: IDTechEx

Agricultural robotics, as covered in the new IDTechEx report, can be used to automate a range of agricultural tasks, including weeding, seeding, and harvesting of fresh fruit. Some applications of agricultural robotics, including robotic milking, are already developed industries attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue, whereas others, such as fully autonomous tractors, are still emerging and may only reach full commercialization by the end of the decade.

IDTechEx's latest report, "Agricultural Robotics Market 2022-2032", examines the key application areas within the industry. These include robotic weeding, robotic seeding, autonomous tractors, autonomous implement carriers and platform robots, robotic fresh fruit and vegetable harvesting, agricultural drones, and robotic milking. The report highlights companies within each application area working to commercialize products, including analysis of technology readiness and comparisons between products.

In addition to analyzing the key application areas within agricultural robots, IDTechEx also discusses the emerging technologies that are underpinning the growth of the agricultural robotics industry. These include positioning technologies such as RTK-GPS and LiDAR, artificial intelligence, imaging technologies such as hyperspectral imaging, soft gripper and end effector technology, and precision spraying technologies.

The report also includes a discussion of business models within the agricultural robotics industry, such as the advantages and challenges around pursuing a robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) business model, as well as some of the market challenges facing the industry, such as regulations, issues around data ownership, and establishing trust with farmers. 10-year market forecasts are provided for the future of the agricultural robotics industry, including breakdowns by region and by application area. Based on IDTechEx's technical and industry analysis, the agricultural robotics market size is forecast to reach $6.7 billion by 2032.

To find out more about IDTechEx's technical and commercial analysis of the agricultural robotics industry, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Agri. For the full portfolio of Food & AgTech research from IDTechEx please visit www.IDTechEx.com/research/AgTech.

About IDTechEx

IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.IDTechEx.com.

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BANGALORE, India, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pallet Pooling Market By Type - Tray static leasing, Tray dynamic flow, Pallet Pooling Market By Application, Fast consumer goods industry - Chemical Industry and Pharmaceutical Industry, Mechanical equipment, Other. Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2027. It is published in Valuates Reports under the Software Category.

The global Pallet Pooling Market Size is projected to reach USD 12480 million by 2027, from USD 8479.9 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 5.5% during 2021-2027.

Major factors driving the growth of the Pallet pooling market are:

The cost-effectiveness feature is expected to drive the growth of the pallet pooling market. Pallet pooling helps save money on additional storage as well as the people needed to run those facilities. Additionally, because the service handles pallet retrieval and recovery, it can also save money on transportation.

Pallet pooling companies provide a steady supply of pallets in good shape that are ready to use right away. As a result, your organization saves time and money by not having to worry about maintaining the quality of your pallet items. Furthermore, many businesses, for example, are attaching radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to pallets to simplify the recovery and management of pallets. This feature is in turn expected to drive the growth of the pallet pooling market.

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TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF THE PALLET POOLING MARKET

The increasing need for reducing the cost of logistics is expected to drive the growth of the pallet pooling market. Pallet pooling services handle the reverse logistics required to collect these pallets for reuse by you or other manufacturers across the supply chain. Pallet pooling decreases the complexity of pallet procurement, management, and recovery by removing the need for your organization to manage its own pallet supply. This saves waste while also lowering your Total Cost of Business(TCOB). Pallet pooling is becoming more popular as a result of cost and the necessity to focus on core business. Pallets are widely utilized in the food & beverage, FMCG, electronics, chemicals, and pharmaceutical industries, to name a few. As a result, rising demand from all of these industries is propelling the growth of the worldwide pallet pooling industry.

Technological advancements are expected to provide lucrative opportunities for the growth of the Pallet Pooling Market. Several pallet pooling vendors are concentrating on introducing technologically improved pallets to end-users. Many businesses, for example, are attaching radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to pallets. This notion is gaining traction due to the numerous benefits such as efficient monitoring of supply chains.

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PALLET POOLING MARKET MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS:

Based on region, North America is the largest market, with a share of about 45%, followed by Asia-Pacific and Europe. North America remains at the forefront of the worldwide pallet pooling market due to an increasing number of warehouse owners who prefer pallet pooling for the transportation of goods as well as packaged food, which is highly consumed in the region.

Based on product the Pallet Pooling is the largest segment, with a share of over 81%.

Based on the application, FMCG is the largest market, with a share of over 38%. Because warehouses are such an important part of the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, pallet pooling will continue to be popular in this sector over the next decade.

TOP COMPANIES IN THE PALLET POOLING MARKET:

Global key players of Pallet Pooling include Brambles Limited, Euro Pool Group, Faber Halbertsma Groep B.V, JPR and Korea Pallet Pool, etc. The top five players occupy a share of about 69%.

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Pallet Pooling Market By Type

Tray static leasing

Tray dynamic flow

Pallet Pooling Market By Application

Fast consumer goods industry

Chemical Industry and Pharmaceutical Industry

Mechanical equipment

Other

Pallet Pooling Market By Regions

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

Germany



France



U.K.



Italy



Russia



Nordic



Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific

China



Japan



South Korea



Southeast Asia



India



Australia



Rest of Asia

Latin America

Mexico



Brazil



Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa

& Turkey



Saudi Arabia



UAE



Rest of MEA

Pallet Pooling Market By Companies

Brambles Limited

Buckhorn

CABKA Group

Contraload NV

Demes Logistics GmbH & Co. KG

Euro Pool System International

Faber Halbertsma Groep B.V .

. iGPS Logistics LLC

Litco International

Loscam Australia Pty. Ltd.

PPS Midlands Limited

Schoeller Arca Time Materials Handling Solutions Limited

The Corrugated Pallets Company

Tianjin CIMC Logistics Equipment

Zentek Pool System GmbH

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SIMILAR REPORTS :

- Global Wooden Pallet Pooling Market Research Report contains Market Size, Market Share, Market Dynamics, Porter's 5 force Analysis, Segmentation, Regional and Competitor Analysis. Product-Type: Pallet Rental, Pallet Pooling, Application: Consumer Goods, Chemical & Pharmaceutical, Mechanical, Other.

- Global Metal Pallet Pooling Market Research Report contains Market Size, Market Share, Market Dynamics, Porter's 5 force Analysis, Segmentation, Regional and Competitor Analysis. Product-Type: Pallet Rental, Pallet Pooling, Application: Consumer Goods, Chemical & Pharmaceutical, Mechanical, Others.

- Global Pallet Pooling System Rental Market Research Report contains Market Size, Market Share, Market Dynamics, Porter's 5 force Analysis, Segmentation, Regional and Competitor Analysis. Product: Pallet Pooling System Rental, Product-Type: HDPE, Polypropylene, Advanced Composite Material, Application: FMCG, Food and Beverage, Pharmaceuticals, Electronics, Chemical and Petrochemical, Others.

- The pallets market size is expected to reach USD 110,565.7 million in 2027, from USD 79,008.6 million in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 5.1% from 2020 to 2027.

- Global Heat Treated Pallet Marke t Research Report contains Market Size, Market Share, Market Dynamics, Porter's 5 force Analysis, Segmentation, Regional and Competitor Analysis. Product: Heat Treated Pallet, Product-Type: US Standard Wood Pallet, Europe Standard Wood Pallet, Others, Application: Industrial, Logistics & Transportation, Others.

- Global ISO Standard Wood Pallets Market Research Report contains Market Size, Market Share, Market Dynamics, Porter's 5 force Analysis, Segmentation, Regional and Competitor Analysis. Product: ISO Standard Wood Pallets, Product-Type: Less than 3 Layers, 3-5 Layers, More Than 5 Layers, Application: Logistics & Transportation, Manufacturing Enterprise, Others.

- Global Block Pallets Market Research Report contains Market Size, Market Share, Market Dynamics, Porter's 5 force Analysis, Segmentation, Regional and Competitor Analysis. Product: Block Pallets, Product-Type: Composite Pallet, Solid Wood Pallet, Others, Application: Logistics & Transportation, Manufacturing Enterprise, Others.

- Global ISO Pallets Market Research Report contains Market Size, Market Share, Market Dynamics, Porter's 5 force Analysis, Segmentation, Regional and Competitor Analysis. Product: ISO Pallets, Product-Type: Paper Pallet, Wood Pallet, Plastic Pallet, Others, Application: Logistics & Transportation, Manufacturing Enterprise, Others.

- Global Plastic and Wood Trays Sales Market Research Report contains Market Size, Market Share, Market Dynamics, Porter's 5 force Analysis, Segmentation, Regional and Competitor Analysis. Product: Plastic and Wood Trays, Product-Type: Wood Pallet, Plastic Pallet, Application: Food Industrial, Medical Industrial, Chemical Industrial, Manufacturing Industrial, Logistics Industrial, Transportation Industrial, Others

- The global Plastic Pallet Pooling market size is projected to reach USD 1110.9 million by 2027, from USD 772.6 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 5.3% during 2021-2027.

Click Here To See Related Reports On Pallet Pooling

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Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. Our extensive report repository is constantly updated to meet your changing industry analysis needs.

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NEW YORK, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- "OBJECTS AND MEMORY remains one of the most poignant memories of anything I have ever done. It is a very timely piece still and will always be a current reminder in our present terrifying culture. I wish you all the best with what will remain one of the most noble projects I have been associated with in my career. Thank you for it."  Frank Langella

Twenty years after 9/11, what have we learned? How do we respond to momentous events, again and again? How do otherwise ordinary items come to symbolize experiences, aspirations, and identity? OBJECTS AND MEMORY, a PBS documentary, captures moving remembrances of extraordinary historical events and the innate human drive to maintain connections and continuity by preserving the past and speaking to the future.

OBJECTS AND MEMORY is about the things in our homes and museums that mean the most to us because of their associations with people, places, and experiences. These days with the extensive losses due to Covid-19, people are reflecting on what they most value and the things that represent those they love, as they did following 9/11.

Why are objects meaningful? What is it about a piece of paper, an ID card or a teddy bear that evokes powerful memories? How do deeply personal possessions create community and vitalize history?

When people's lives undergo sudden upheaval and incomprehensible loss, they seek a bridge between the irreplaceable past and a hopeful future. OBJECTS AND MEMORY uses 9/11 as the focal point of the documentary and also features visits to the memorial site of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial to elaborate on the power and poignancy of objects retrieved from and left at the sites. The film captures rarely seen footage of the recovery effort and its dramatic challenges, and presents moving, evocative images of everyday objects that became treasured possessions following the life-altering disaster. Stories by family members, witnesses to the tragedies, and historians tell how objects remind us of special experiences and emotional connections.

The filmmakers Jonathan Fein and Brian Danitz knew that many films  as good as they may be  grow dated and stale over time, so they strove to craft a work that, by illuminating ever-present, universal human responses and values, would remain relevant and meaningful. The fact that the film is sought out years after its original release is a testament to that achievement.

Shawn Halford, senior director of programming and scheduling at PBS's National Program Service for 21 years wrote, "Your program is one of the very few that continue to see broadcast play after so many years  the overwhelming majority of shows never see that much affection over time from PBS and stations." And recently the producers got email from a Massachusetts UPS driver who wrote, "I saw the film on PBS a few years back and it captured (excuse the language) the sh*t out of me. All of it was very moving. Now that my kids are old enough we want to share it with them."

When the Howard and Abby Milstein Foundation / Emigrant Bank secured a :15 second underwriting spot for the upcoming broadcast, Georgette Bennett, Ph.D., the foundation's Chief Grants Manager and the founder of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding wrote, "OBJECTS AND MEMORY is a lyrical, intimate, and beautifully-wrought film. I've never seen the 9/11 story told in this way and was deeply moved by the poignant speakers, the gorgeous videography, Frank Langella's eloquent narration, and Phillip Glass's haunting score. We're happy to support its redistribution."

Howard Milstein added, "Abby and I were deeply moved by this film. We felt it would be a fitting tribute to our dear friend, Neil Levin, to fund the film's rebroadcast in his memory. Neil was Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on 9/11 and was killed while helping others to evacuate the Twin Towers."

The other major underwriter of the film's upcoming broadcast is Chubb. In addition to supporting this documentary, Chubb has been a long-time supporter of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The insurer also donated to the museum the recovered Ground Zero flag, the iconic American flag three New York City firefighters raised above the rubble on September 11, 2001, which was seen around the world in Thomas E. Franklin's iconic photograph.

With the all-too-many traumatic events that have occurred since 9/11  and still are occurring  OBJECTS AND MEMORY sheds light on fundamental human responses and concerns and helps us understand how we navigate through a fraught material world by imbuing otherwise ordinary things with meaning.

In presenting meaningful physical symbols - those that speak, those that reach out, and those that heal - and their stories, in the unusually dramatic setting of their retrieval, OBJECTS and MEMORY explores the things we most value. Without the objects, the stories would lack vibrancy; without the stories the objects would lack significance. Taken together, the images of the objects, the stories they evoke, and the stories of their collection lead the viewer on a journey where the commonplace is transformed into the remarkable and where the stuff of history is highly personalized.

OBJECTS and MEMORY is a production of EVER, a filmmaking partnership of Jonathan Fein and Brian Danitz and is narrated by Frank Langella, with music by Philip Glass.

Producer/Directors' Biographies / Filmographies

Brian Danitz is an award-winning director of documentaries, an accomplished director of photography and a producer of new media whose work has been published on film, television and computer screens around the world. In 1995 he produced, directed and filmed the documentary Ecological Design: Inventing the Future. In 1993, he produced the documentary short N is for Nuclear. He was director of photography for Bowling for Columbine (2003 Academy Award winner) and for Sound and Fury (2001 Academy Award Nominee, PBS).

Jonathan Fein has long been interested in the interrelationships of the tangible and the intangible. As a sculptor (University of Pennsylvania MFA '78), his work has evolved from the manipulation of physical material to sculpting in time: filmmaking. His editing and/or producing credits include the documentaries Journeys to Peace and Understanding, The Competition, Death Row Diaries, and A Change of Heart; the Emmy award-winning series 4Stories; the PBS series The Fred Friendly Seminars; the television special of the Broadway musical Nunsense 2; and the Wisdom Channel series Interviews. This is his first feature as a director. He gives presentations that expand upon the issues raised by OBJECTS and MEMORY and is currently developing a series about innovation to solve problems and improve lives around the world.

For more information visit www.objectsandmemory.org or email [email protected].

SOURCE OBJECTS AND MEMORY

Related Links

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NEW YORK, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Resecurity, Inc., a cybersecurity company based in Los Angeles, California, was recently recognized by Inc. magazine's annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. Ranking in the top ten percent of recipients, Resecurity was number 317 on the list for achieving 1,466% of revenue growth in three years. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

Resecurity provides a unified cybersecurity platform for endpoint protection, risk management, and threat intelligence for enterprises and government agencies worldwide. By leveraging and investing in the latest techniques to combat cybercriminals and nation-state actors, Resecurity's intelligence-driven solutions enable organizations to combat even the most sophisticated cyber threats.

"In today's increasingly digital world, our mission to enable enterprises, national security and law enforcement agencies to combat cyberthreats is more important now than ever," said Gene Yoo, Resecurity CEO. "We provide next-generation technology that empowers organizations to reimagine cybersecurity and protect what matters. Resecurity's rapid growth and product development is a testament to the critical role cybersecurity plays and the impact our team can make. Our team is proud to be recognized by Inc. alongside true innovators across the nation."

Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this year's list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020's unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.

"The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. "Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we've lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people."

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc.

Methodology

Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this year's Inc. 5000. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.'s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Resecurity

Founded in 2016, Resecurity, Inc. has been globally recognized as one of the world's most innovative cybersecurity companies with the sole mission of protecting enterprises globally from evolving cyber threats through intelligence. Resecurity, Inc. has developed a global reputation for providing best of breed data-driven intelligence solutions.

Resecurity's mission is to enable organizations to combat cyber threats regardless of how sophisticated they are. To learn more about Resecurity, visit https://resecurity.com/.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.

SOURCE Resecurity

Related Links

https://resecurity.com


BANGALORE, India, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Market is Segmented by Type (Log and Event Management, Firewall Security Management, Patch Management, Others), by Application (BFSI, Government, Healthcare, Telecom and Information Technology (IT), Energy and Utility, Retail and Hospitality, Education and Academia, Others). The report covers global opportunity analysis and industry forecasts from 2021 to 2027. It is published in Valuates Reports under Computer Security Category.

The global Security Information and Event Management market size is projected to reach USD 6436.2 Million by 2027, from USD 3938.3 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period 2021-2027.

Major factors driving the growth of the Security Information and Event Management market are:

The important factors driving demand for the market are the necessity for continuous monitoring and incident response, adherence to regulatory requirements, getting and maintaining certifications, and managing and keeping logs.

The rise in Concerns Over IT Security is expected to boost the Security Information and Event Management market. SIEM provides threat, log, and event management at a low cost and in a consolidated system, making it easier to handle numerous security solutions while maintaining high productivity.

Globally, the SIEM market is further being driven by increased attention to comprehensive IT governance rules and compliance with the regulatory environment.

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TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF SECURITY INFORMATION AND EVENT MANAGEMENT MARKET

Increasing need for security solutions that help organizations recognize potential security threats and vulnerabilities is expected to drive the Security Information and Event Management market. Organizations require the level of visibility required to manage network hazards from outside the traditional network perimeter, as remote workforces, SaaS apps, and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies have grown in popularity. SIEM systems monitor all network activity across all users, devices, and apps, allowing for greater visibility throughout the whole infrastructure and the detection of threats regardless of where digital assets and services are accessed.

Furthermore, when a security issue happens, SIEM systems are suitable for performing digital forensic investigations. SIEM systems enable businesses to collect and analyze log data from all of their digital assets in one central location. This enables them to reproduce previous occurrences or evaluate new ones in order to examine suspicious activity and improve security systems.

Increased attention to comprehensive IT governance policies and compliance with the regulatory framework is expected to drive the SIEM market during the forecast period. SIEM solutions are a popular choice for businesses that must comply with a variety of regulations. SIEM is a powerful tool for gathering and verifying compliance data across the whole corporate infrastructure since it allows automated data collection and analysis. SIEM solutions may create real-time compliance reports for PCI-DSS, GDPR, HIPPA, SOX, and other compliance requirements, easing security management and detecting any violations early.

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SECURITY INFORMATION AND EVENT MANAGEMENT SHARE ANALYSIS:

Based on application, the retail SIEM market is predicted to develop the fastest, owing to increased concerns about the security of e-commerce data and in-store financial and personal information about customers; BFSI is also one of the top SIEM users, followed by the IT & telecom vertical.

Based on the region, North America is expedited to be the most lucrative during the forecast period. Several companies across verticals in North America are looking to enhance their breach detection and monitoring capabilities by deploying SIEM solutions. Companies that are focusing on security and compliance reporting requirements are rapidly adopting SIEM technology. Larger companies that follow a conservative approach in adopting technology are also deploying SIEM solutions.

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Major Players in the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Industry

IBM

Hewlett Packard

McAfee

LogRhythm

Splunk

AlienVault

BlackStratus

EventTracker

Dell Technologies

Fortinet

Micro Focus

SolarWinds

Symantec

Tenable Network Security

TIBCO Software

Trustwave

ZOHO Corp

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SIMILAR REPORTS

- The global fraud detection and prevention market size is projected to reach USD 45800 Million by 2027, from USD 16390 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 15.3% during 2021-2027.

- The global Network Security Firewall market size is projected to reach USD 5513.2 Million by 2027, from USD 3263.1 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 7.3% during 2021-2027.

- The global Managed Services market size is projected to reach USD 248750 Million by 2026, from USD 133440 Million in 2019, at a CAGR of 9.2% during 2021-2026.

- The global big data security market size was valued at USD 13,720 Million in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 54,237 Million by 2027, registering a CAGR of 18.8% from 2020 to 2027

- The global Security System Integrators market size is projected to reach USD 13600 Million by 2027, from USD 8965.8 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 5.7% during 2021-2027.

- The global Energy Security market size is projected to reach USD 87320 Million by 2027, from USD 60400 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 5.3% during 2021-2027.

- The global Data Center Logical Security market size is projected to reach USD 3515.2 Million by 2027, from USD 2617.6 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 4.3% during 2021-2027.

- The global SOC as a Service market size is projected to reach USD 772.9 Million by 2027, from USD 296.3 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 14.2% during 2021-2027.

- The global Security Assurance market size is projected to reach USD 6079 Million by 2027, from USD 4052.2 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 5.9% during 2021-2027.

- The global Electronic Security market size is projected to reach USD 259 Million by 2027, from USD 150.3 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 7.6% during 2021-2027.

- The global Cyber security as a Service market size is projected to reach USD 60480 Million by 2027, from USD 36320 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 7.1% during 2021-2027.

- The global Security Software in Telecom market size is projected to reach USD 5501.7 Million by 2027, from USD 3380.4 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 6.7% during 2021-2027.

- The global Payment Processing Solutions market size is projected to reach USD 52,060 Million by 2026, from USD 33,810 Million in 2019, at a CAGR of 5.9% during the forecast period 2021-2026.

To see the full list of related reports on the Security

ABOUT US:

Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. Our extensive report repository is constantly updated to meet your changing industry analysis needs.

Our team of market analysts can help you select the best report covering your industry. We understand your niche region-specific requirements and that's why we offer customization of reports. With our customization in place, you can request for any particular information from a report that meets your market analysis needs.

To achieve a consistent view of the market, data is gathered from various primary and secondary sources, at each step, data triangulation methodologies are applied to reduce deviance and find a consistent view of the market. Each sample we share contains detail research methodology employed to generate the report, Please also reach to our sales team to get the complete list of our data sources

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SOURCE Valuates Reports
DUBLIN, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Towers and Poles Report Ed 9 2021" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

415,000 lattice towers and 63 million utility poles were sold in 2019 for electricity transmission and distribution, telecoms, and street and car park lighting, each falling in 2020 due to Covid-19.

In the 2021 Tower and Poles report , the installed base and annual demand of the tower and pole fleet are analysed by:

Geography; World/9 Regions/217 Countries

World/9 Regions/217 Countries End-user segments: Electricity transmission lattice towers, Telecom lattice towers, Electricity transmission monopoles, Telecom macro monopoles, Telecom small cell poles, Electricity distribution poles, Telephone poles, Streetlight poles, Car park light poles, Total towers & poles

Electricity transmission lattice towers, Telecom lattice towers, Electricity transmission monopoles, Telecom macro monopoles, Telecom small cell poles, Electricity distribution poles, Telephone poles, Streetlight poles, Car park light poles, Total towers & poles Annual demand; Units and $ value from 2019 to 2026

COVID-19 - Review of the impact of the pandemic, regional commentary, analysis of supply and demand.

National market commentary for Utility Poles - Market commentary on installed bases and demand for utility poles in selected countries, with information on numbers and type of pole.

Long term demand cycle - The long term demand cycle is charted for new additions and replacements since 1900 and forecast to 2050.

The March of the Monopoles - a growing trend from lattice towers to monopoles is analysed with country reviews.

Street lighting - 323 million street and 29 million parking lights in a vigorous market driven by the conversion to high-efficiency LEDs, urbanisation and passive safety.

Parking is an urban priority and escalating population density puts pressure on demand for space. A small market for lighting poles to date but growing

Materials are changing - wood remains popular, but growing demand for steel, concrete and composite poles is analysed.

Composite poles industry -market development and production technology, with profiles of the main producers.

Competitive landscape - The principal vendors are reviewed in a 30-page section, with 102 companies manufacturing towers and poles are listed with brief reviews. The leading producers include - KEC, Valmont, Falcon, Skipper Ltd, Mitas, Al-Babtain, Brametal, Europole, Mercur Induo SystemHolztechnik GmbH, Bajaj Electrical, Kalpetaru, Al-Yamamah, Shakespeare Composite Structures, Strong- well, RS Technologies, Powertrusion, Duratel, Daji, Qingdao Sinostra, Qingdao , Megatro and more.

Passive safety regulation is having a significant impact on some markets - analysis of countries, legislation, the technologies and types of passive safety pole, road segments affected.

The Smart City and street lighting - efficiency, LEDs and the pole market.

Types of lattice towers - Lattice towers are designed for different functions and stresses and there is wide variation in cost - suspension towers, tension towers, angle suspension towers, dead-end towers.

Pole materials and service life - Real versus perceived service life and utility practices.

The Margin Stack - The value chain is a continuous process of adding value, cost and margin to a product. Each part that is outsourced to an external supplier means less profit for the principal manufacturer, the outsourced profits stack up.

Joint use of utility poles - Joint use by different utilities is a significant factor in the pole market. The protocols for space allocation and standards are outlined.

ROW - Rights of Way - A significant cost that can be an obstacle in designing networks and specifying equipment. With increasing pressure on space and environmental constraints, ROWs are becoming more scarce and expensive. ROW is a significant driver in the trend to Monopoles.

Dangers & mitigation of damage to towers and poles by birds - this is not only an issue of animal welfare but also of protecting the security of supply.

Different methodologies were required for each segment of the pole population. For the largest segment, utility poles, the cumulative installed base grows in a linear trend but demand fluctuates in cycles, consisting of units that are installed in one year, either as additions for expansion of the networks or replacements of aged towers or poles. The publisher has created databases of the fleets of towers and poles for every country, with historical records from 1900 and new build and replacements are calculated from these records, to create the long-term demand trend. These are reviewed with market intelligence and modified where necessary to estimate short-term sales trends. For other segments, populations were established from industry reports and gaps were modelled.

Companies Mentioned

Al-Babtain

Al-Yamamah

Bajaj Electrical

Brametal

Daji

Duratel

Europole

Falcon

Kalpetaru

KEC

Megatro

Mercur Induo SystemHolztechnik GmbH

Mitas

Powertrusion

Qingdao

Qingdao Sinostra

RS Technologies

Shakespeare Composite Structures

Skipper Ltd

Strong- well

Valmont

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/czvy59

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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DUBLIN, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Angioscope Device Market - Forecasts from 2021 to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global angioscope device is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.97% during the forecast period. Angioscope is a flexible endoscopic device that is used to assess and examine the interior of the blood vessel and is highly accurate in identifying and treating blood vessel obstructions. Angioscope is used to assess vascular diseases, thrombus composition, and staging of atherosclerosis.

The advantage of the angioscope is the onsite bypass process for direct visualization of valves and it also provides insight into the treatments that should be given to patients for best outcomes. An increase in the aging population coupled with the rise in prevalence of cardiovascular diseases is rapidly driving the need for angioscope devices globally, which in turn is anticipated to boost the growth of the global angioscope device market during the forecast period. Moreover, the rise in investments in research and development and the consequent innovations are further expected to propel market growth during the forecast period.



The recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus had a negative impact on the global angioscope device market. The pandemic led to the cancellation of surgeries in many parts of the world, as a measure to curb the spread of the disease, which led to a decline in the global angioscope device market in 2020. However, as the restrictions are being eased in most parts of the world, the market is anticipated to recover and continue at its normal pace from the year 2022 onwards.



Rise in innovations and research & development in angioscopy.



One of the major factors anticipated to drive the growth of the global angioscope device market during the forecast period is the research and developments being conducted in angiography and the consequent innovations, which are providing advancements in angioscopy. Cambridge Consultants, a UK firm, and OmniVision, based in California developed a high-definition miniature camera called "Leap", showcased at the Asia Pacific MedTech Forum 2018 in Singapore, for angioscopy which enables the surgeons to have a digital view inside veins and arteries which were not accessible with the previously available imaging techniques.

Rise in the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases.



The growing cases of cardiovascular diseases around the world have led to the increased use of angioscopy, which is anticipated to surge the growth of the global angioscope device market during the forecast period. A paper in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology stated in December 2020 that there were 270 million cases of cardiovascular diseases in 1990 which nearly doubled to 523 million in 2019. It also states that the number of people who died from cardiovascular disease increased from 12.1 million in 1990 to 18.6 million in 2019. The American Heart Association (AHA) predicts that 45% of the population of the United States will have at least one heart-related problem. It also estimates that the costs related to cardiovascular diseases will be increased by 100% from 2016 and 2035. According to WHO, cardiovascular disease has the highest share in the list of leading causes of death. The organization states that cardiovascular diseases caused 17.9 million deaths in 2019 around the world, and represent 32% of all deaths worldwide. Premature deaths are also increasing with the growing prevalence of heart diseases with 38% of all the 17 million premature deaths due to non-communicable diseases caused by CVDs in 2019. The increased threat due to CVDs has led to increased demand for angioscope, which is anticipated to propel the growth of the global angioscope device market during the assessment period.



North America to hold a significant market share.



Geographically, the North American region is anticipated to hold a significant market share owing to the high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, especially in the United States, and the presence of an advanced healthcare system. The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to witness substantial growth due to rising investment in healthcare and the growing number of CVD cases.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction



2. Research Methodology



3. Executive Summary

4. Market Dynamics

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis



5. Angioscope Device Market Analysis, by Type

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Non Occlusion Angioscope

5.3. Occlusion Angioscope



6. Angioscope Device Market Analysis, by Procedure

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Coronary

6.3. Cerebral

6.4. Pulmonary

6.5. Renal

6.6. Extremity

6.7. Others



7. Angioscope Device Market Analysis, by End-User

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Hospitals

7.3. Ambulatory Centers

7.4. Academic & Research Institutes



8. Angioscope Device Market Analysis, by Geography

8.1. Introduction

8.2. North America

8.2.1. USA

8.2.2. Canada

8.2.3. Mexico

8.3. South America

8.3.1. Brazil

8.3.2. Argentina

8.3.3. Others

8.4. Europe

8.4.1. Germany

8.4.2. France

8.4.3. UK

8.4.4. Others

8.5. Middle East and Africa

8.5.1. Saudi Arabia

8.5.2. UAE

8.5.3. Others

8.6. Asia Pacific

8.6.1. China

8.6.2. India

8.6.3. Japan

8.6.4. South Korea

8.6.5. Taiwan

8.6.6. Thailand

8.6.7. Indonesia

8.6.8. Others



9. Competitive Environment and Analysis

9.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

9.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness

9.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations

9.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix



10. Company Profiles

10.1. LeMaitre Vascular, Inc.

10.2. Fibertech Co. Ltd

10.3. Olympus Corporation

10.4. B. Braun Melsungen AG

10.5. Karl Storz SE & Co. KG

10.6. VerAvanti

10.7. Abbott Vascular (Abbott Laboratories)

10.8. Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation

10.9. Royal Philips Electronics

10.10. Cordis Corporation

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/fi6b8t

Media Contact:

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DUBLIN, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Cardan Shaft Market Research Report by End-User (Automotive, Machinery & Equipment, and Manufacturing), by Product Type (Heavy Duty, Medium, and Small), by Region (Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa) - Global Forecast to 2026 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Cardan Shaft Market size was estimated at USD 28.08 Billion in 2020 and expected to reach USD 29.90 Billion in 2021, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) 6.82% to reach USD 41.73 Billion by 2026.



Market Statistics:

The report provides market sizing and forecast across five major currencies - USD, EUR GBP, JPY, and AUD. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2018 and 2019 are considered historical years, 2020 as the base year, 2021 as the estimated year, and years from 2022 to 2026 are considered the forecast period.

Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Cardan Shaft Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.



Market Share Analysis:

The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits.



Company Usability Profiles:

The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Cardan Shaft Market, including Altra Industrial Motion Corp, Belden Tools, Inc, Dana Incorporated, Eugen Klein GmbH, Gelenkwellenwerk Stadtilm GmbH, GKN Plc, GSP Group, Hindustan Hardy Ltd, Joint shaft factory Stadtilm GmbH, JTEKT Corporation, Meritor, Inc., MISUMI USA, Inc, Neapco Inc, S.S. White Technologies Inc, Showa Corporation, Spicer Gelenkwellenbau GmbH, Voith Group, Wahan Engineering Corporation, Wanxiang Qianchao Group, Welte Cardan-Service GmbH, Wuxi Weicheng Cardan Shaft Co.,Ltd, Wartsila Corporation, and Xuchang Yuandong Drive Shaft Co., Ltd.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments



The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Cardan Shaft Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Cardan Shaft Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Cardan Shaft Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Cardan Shaft Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Cardan Shaft Market?

6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Cardan Shaft Market?

7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Cardan Shaft Market?



Key Topics Covered:



1. Preface



2. Research Methodology



3. Executive Summary



4. Market Overview

4.1. Introduction

4.2. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19



5. Market Insights

5.1. Market Dynamics

5.1.1. Drivers

5.1.1.1. Ever-increasing production and sale of automobile

5.1.1.2. Rising consumer demand for fuel-efficient and vehicle comfort automobile

5.1.1.3. Growing application in motorcycles attributed to zero maintenance and long shelf life

5.1.2. Restraints

5.1.2.1. Volatility in raw material prices

5.1.3. Opportunities

5.1.3.1. Emerging demand for light-weight cardan shafts

5.1.3.2. Ongoing demand due to strict mandates proposed by several governments to reduce carbon emissions

5.1.4. Challenges

5.1.4.1. Concerns over failure of cardan shafts

5.2. Porters Five Forces Analysis



6. Cardan Shaft Market, by End-User

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Automotive

6.3. Machinery & Equipment

6.4. Manufacturing



7. Cardan Shaft Market, by Product Type

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Heavy Duty

7.3. Medium

7.4. Small



8. Americas Cardan Shaft Market

8.1. Introduction

8.2. Argentina

8.3. Brazil

8.4. Canada

8.5. Mexico

8.6. United States



9. Asia-Pacific Cardan Shaft Market

9.1. Introduction

9.2. Australia

9.3. China

9.4. India

9.5. Indonesia

9.6. Japan

9.7. Malaysia

9.8. Philippines

9.9. Singapore

9.10. South Korea

9.11. Thailand



10. Europe, Middle East & Africa Cardan Shaft Market

10.1. Introduction

10.2. France

10.3. Germany

10.4. Italy

10.5. Netherlands

10.6. Qatar

10.7. Russia

10.8. Saudi Arabia

10.9. South Africa

10.10. Spain

10.11. United Arab Emirates

10.12. United Kingdom



11. Competitive Landscape

11.1. FPNV Positioning Matrix

11.1.1. Quadrants

11.1.2. Business Strategy

11.1.3. Product Satisfaction

11.2. Market Ranking Analysis

11.3. Market Share Analysis, By Key Player

11.4. Competitive Scenario

11.4.1. Merger & Acquisition

11.4.2. Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership

11.4.3. New Product Launch & Enhancement

11.4.4. Investment & Funding

11.4.5. Award, Recognition, & Expansion



12. Company Usability Profiles

12.1. Altra Industrial Motion Corp

12.2. Belden Tools, Inc

12.3. Dana Incorporated

12.4. Eugen Klein GmbH

12.5. Gelenkwellenwerk Stadtilm GmbH

12.6. GKN Plc

12.7. GSP Group

12.8. Hindustan Hardy Ltd

12.9. Joint shaft factory Stadtilm GmbH

12.10. JTEKT Corporation

12.11. Meritor, Inc.

12.12. MISUMI USA, Inc

12.13. Neapco Inc

12.14. S.S. White Technologies Inc

12.15. Showa Corporation

12.16. Spicer Gelenkwellenbau GmbH

12.17. Voith Group

12.18. Wahan Engineering Corporation

12.19. Wanxiang Qianchao Group

12.20. Welte Cardan-Service GmbH

12.21. Wuxi Weicheng Cardan Shaft Co.,Ltd

12.22. Wartsila Corporation

12.23. Xuchang Yuandong Drive Shaft Co., Ltd.



13. Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/gjc9uj

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

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In 2003, Kunming adopted a plan aiming at ecological environment protection and comprehensive management of the ecological wetlands of the Dianchi Lake.

By 2020, the total area of wetlands in Kunming city hit 62,403.27 hectares, among which the area of natural wetlands stood at 48,249.31 hectares, with respective protection rate up to 69.53 percent and 78.44 percent.

During the period, a 200-meter-wide self-sustaining ecological belt was constructed, covering an area of 33.3 square kilometers, of which over 80 percent was covered with vegetation.

The improving ecosystem of the Dianchi lake has also benefited the biodiversity of the region, with plant species rising from 232 to 303 and certain fishes and migratory birds recorded returning.

Described as "the kidney of the earth", wetlands are integral parts of the ecological system and the environment. Dianchi wetlands have made vital contributions to water conservation, biodiversity and local economic development in Kunming.

Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/323623.html

SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road
Cairo, Sep 6 : Egyptian universities have started to vaccinate employees in the education sector, teaching staff and students above 18 against Covid-19 pandemic ahead of the new academic year that begins next month.

Amid the campaign, the Egyptian Health Ministry has distributed locally produced Chinese Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines to universities nationwide. The vaccines are manufactured by Egypt's state-owned vaccine maker VACSERA as per an agreement signed in April with Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac, Xinhua reported.

The campaign is urged by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who stressed during a ceremony on Sunday that the country seeks to achieve high vaccination rates in a very short time to acquire herd immunity.

"In education, whether at schools or universities, we're keen that by the beginning of the new academic year, we will have vaccinated all teaching staffs and university students," the Egyptian president said, noting that there might be a chance to later vaccinate high school students as well.

Several universities have already started vaccinating its teaching staffs and some of its students over the past few days, including Cairo University, Ain Shams University and Helwan University in the capital Cairo, while others have just started to follow suit such as Minia University in Upper Egypt and Mansoura University of northeastern Dakahlia province.

Mansoura University has started vaccinating its students on Saturday, with the goal of getting all of its nearly 170,000 students, in addition to over 30,000 freshmen that will join the university, vaccinated by the beginning of the new academic year.

The 18 faculties of Mansoura Universities saw dozens of students receiving the jabs on the first vaccination days by medics from the university's general administration for medical affairs.

"I believe it's necessary to get the jab so that one can attend the classes safely and it will decrease the serious and deadly COVID-19 cases," Ahmed Ghazi, a senior student at the Faculty of Computers and Information Sciences (CIS) at Mansoura University, told Xinhua while sitting with his sleeve up to get the shot.

Omnia el-Siri, a doctor at the university's hospital, was organizing the vaccination process at the CIS faculty and insisting that all those present in the room or waiting outside must be wearing medical face masks.

"Vaccinating the youths at universities is a very good step to fasten the vaccination rate among young people. In addition, the new academic year is expected to start with attendance not online, so the move will help reduce the spread of the disease among students," she added.
Cape Town, Sep 6 : South Africa's jailed former President Jacob Zuma has been granted medical parole.

The 79-year-old is serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court at Estcourt Correctional Centre.

The nature of his illness was not specified, but a statement said he would complete the rest of his sentence in the community under special conditions, the BBC reported on Sunday.

Zuma has been in hospital for the past month where he has undergone surgery.

He will remain there until he has been discharged.

Zuma handed himself in to police in July after being sentenced for failing to attend an inquiry into corruption during his presidency.

His jailing was unprecedented for an ex-president, sparking violent protests and looting.

Though he was forced out of office by his own party in 2018, the African National Congress (ANC), he retains a loyal body of supporters, especially in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal.

Zuma was sentenced on June 29 for defying an instruction to give evidence at an inquiry into corruption during his nine years in power. He has testified only once at the inquiry into what has become known as "state capture" - meaning the siphoning off of state assets.

Businessmen have been accused of conspiring with politicians to influence the decision-making process while he was in office. Zuma has repeatedly said he is the victim of a political conspiracy.

The decision to grant him parole was compelled by a medical report to South Africa's prison department, it said.

He also faces a separate corruption trial, which is due to resume on September 9.

Zuma's medical parole could only be revoked if he does not comply with the placement conditions, Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said.

"We want to reiterate that placement on medical parole is an option available to all sentenced offenders provided they meet all the requirements. We appeal to all South Africans to afford Zuma dignity as he continues to receive medical treatment," said Nxumalo.

Zuma's spokesman said he had not spoken to the former president since the news broke, but that "he should have been relieved".
Kabul, Sep 6 : The leader of the Afghan resistance group waging an intense battle against the Taliban in the Panjshir Valley has said he is open to enter peace talks. Ahmad Massoud said he supported a plan, put forward by religious clerics, for a negotiated settlement, and called on the Taliban to end their offensive.

Earlier, reports suggested the Taliban had rapidly gained ground in Panjshir. The province, north of the capital Kabul, is the most prominent example of resistance to Taliban rule.

In a post on Facebook, Massoud said the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), which includes former Afghan security force members and local militias, would be prepared to stop fighting if the Taliban ceased their attacks, the BBC reported on Monday.

There was no immediate response from the Taliban.

The Islamist group took control of the rest of Afghanistan three weeks ago, taking power in Kabul on August 15 following the collapse of the Western-backed government.

Panjshir, a rugged mountain valley, is home to between 150,000 and 200,000 people. It was a centre of resistance when Afghanistan was under Soviet occupation in the 1980s and during the Taliban's previous period of rule, between 1996 and 2001.

The NRF said its spokesman Fahim Dashti and a commander, Gen Abdul Wudod Zara, had been killed in the conflict, while a prominent Taliban general and 13 bodyguards had also died.

Earlier, the Taliban said their forces were now in the provincial capital, Bazarak, where they inflicted "numerous casualties", though this was disputed by the NRF.

Meanwhile in Kabul, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths met Taliban leaders and urged them to protect all civilians, especially women, girls and minorities. He was pictured with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the founders of the Taliban movement.

A UN spokesman said the Taliban leaders had given a commitment to allow humanitarian access to all people in need and to guarantee freedom of movement for all humanitarian workers, both men and women.

According to the UN, 18 million Afghans, nearly half of the population, are in need of humanitarian assistance.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Prayagraj : , Sep 6 (IANS) The Allahabad University (AU) has decided to not only stop using single-use plastics on the campus but also spread awareness on the issue outside the campus.

The university administration has roped in senior faculty members and research scholars to lead efforts to make the central varsity campus free of single-use plastic in all forms.

On the initiative of vice-chancellor Prof Sangita Srivastava a dedicated team has been formed on the campus named 'Committee for the elimination of single-use plastic', headed by Prof Mohan Prasad.

The committee formed for the task also includes professors and head of the departments (HODs).

Events like awareness drives and visits to departments to motivate teachers and students to embrace a more environment-friendly style of working by shunning single-use plastics have been planned.

According to the public relations officer (PRO) of AU, Jaya Kapoor, "The university administration is determined to make the campus free from single-use plastics and therefore the same has been banned on the campus".

The University Grants Commission (UGC) in September 2019, had issued guidelines to higher education institutions across the country to impose a ban on single-use plastic.

The move had come ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching a mass movement against single-use plastic from October 2, which had marked the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

The guidelines had mandated that every higher education institution in the country should ban single-use plastics in canteens, hostels and shopping complexes in the institution's premises and carry out awareness drives and sensitisation workshops on the harmful impacts of single-use plastics.

The guidelines also mandated all students to avoid bringing non-biodegradable plastic items to the institution and install necessary alternative facilities like water units to prevent the use of such plastic.
Lucknow, Sep 6 : The Uttar Pradesh Sugarcane Development Department is going to set up drip irrigation plants in 30,000 hectares of sugarcane cultivation area to save water and help farmers.

This will be done using subsurface drip irrigation technology to save water for the farmers and increase the yield.

With the help of this technology, farmers will be able to reduce the amount of water required for irrigation in sugarcane cultivation, which will help more than 2,500 farmers across the state.

An official statement said, "Drip irrigation technology is one such endeavour of the Sugarcane Development Department which, in the long run, will make farmers prosperous with the technology of saving water." According to the sugarcane department, as many as 2,566 farmers of the state have been selected for the drip irrigation scheme who will benefit from it. Through drip irrigation, 50 to 60 per cent of water will be saved in the use of irrigation water.

Sanjay Bhoosreddy, Additional Chief Secretary, Sugarcane Department, said, "This technology will significantly reduce the exploitation of groundwater. In the crushing season 2021-22, it is planned to set up drip irrigation plants in 30,000 hectares of sugarcane area. After this, the scope of the scheme will be expanded." He further said, "Better management of water resources will increase the income of the farmers. The government plans to implement this scheme on a large-scale. The idea behind it is to link the farmers with technology so that their yield and in turn their income will increase."
Tel Aviv, Sep 6 : Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will fly to Moscow for an official trip to meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, according to an official statement.

The statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Sunday said that Lapid, who is also Israel's alternate Prime Minister, will depart on Wednesday for the one-day visit to Russia and will "hold a working meeting" with Lavrov, Xinhua news agency reported.

The statement however, did not without elaborate on which topics the talks will focus on.

The announcement came two days after a Russian-made surface-to-air missile was launched from Syrian territory towards Israel's airspace.

According to a statement issued by the Israeli army, the missile exploded over the Mediterranean Sea, offshore Tel Aviv.

Russia and Israel have coordinated their moves in Syria to avoid clashes.

Russian forces have fought alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's army while the Israeli air force has carried out numerous airstrikes targeting Iranian sites and weapons convoys to Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese armed group and political party.
Manila, Sep 6 : The Armed Forces of the Philippines will deploy an additional 4,500 troops next year in the southern islands of Sulu to fight terrorists, a lawmaker said on Sunday.

In a statement on Sunday, Johnny Pimentel, chairperson of the strategic intelligence committee in the House of Representatives, said the Department of National Defense will be spending 929 million pesos ($18 million) next year in deploying "a whole new Philippine army division to the Sulu archipelago", reports Xinhua news agency.

The army will put into operation an entire division of 4,500 soldiers in the municipality of Jolo in Sulu province, Pimentel said in the statement.

The division will be dedicated to fighting Islamic State (IS)-affiliated terrorist groups and will have operational responsibility over the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, Pimentel added.

Jolo is the base for the Abu Sayyaf militant group, which has recently become notoriously known for criminal brutality, kidnapping-for-ransom activities, bombings, and beheadings in western Mindanao, particularly in their lair in the island provinces of Basilan and Sulu.

In August 2020, insurgents affiliated with the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group detonated two bombs in Jolo downtown, killing 14 people and wounding 75 others.

In January 2019, the Jolo Cathedral was bombed during a mass, killing 21 people and wounding over 100 others.
Chennai, Sep 6 : The Hindu Munnani will conduct a hunger protest on Monday at Valluvar Kottam against the DMK government's ban on installing idols at the roadside during the Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations.

The BJP and the Hindu Munnani are up in arms after the DMK government announced that idols would not be permitted to be installed at roadsides and that immersion of these idols in water bodies was not allowed. The government in its order on August 30 said that this was to adhere to the Covid standard protocol and prevent the spread of the pandemic.

This has not gone down well with the Hindu outfits, and the BJP Tamil Nadu state president, K. Annamalai questioned the wisdom of the government banning Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations while allowing TASMAC liquor shops to function unabated.

The Hindu Munnani has announced that it would install one lakh idols at the residences and celebrate the Vinayaka Chaturthi festival. The Government has said that the festival has to be confined to the residences of the people. The organisation has also called upon the people to worship at Vinayakar temples and pray for good sense for the Tamil Nadu government to allow Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations.

BJP state president K. Annamalai has also said that the party would conduct protests across the state against the DMK government's decision to ban installing idols at waysides.

Hindu Munnani Tamil Nadu state president Kadeswara C. Subramaniam has said that the organisation would go ahead with the Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations on September 10. He also demanded that the DMK government conduct talks with the Hindu Munnani leaders immediately.

While speaking to IANS, Kadeswara. C .Subramaniam said, "The DMK government of Tamil Nadu is showing its true colours and is against the Hindu interests. The Hindu Munnani is conducting a hunger protest against the draconian policies unleashed by the DMK government against Hindu festivals and we will strongly oppose this across Tamil Nadu." The BJP has also raised the issue in the Tamil Nadu Assembly with party legislator M.R. Gandhi calling upon the government to permit Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations across the state.

However, state Minister of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department P.K. Sekar Babu in his reply said that the state government was only taking action on the basis of a circular issued by Union Home secretary Ajay Bhalla directing all states to take suitable measures to prevent crowd control and to avoid the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

DMK propaganda secretary, T. Sabapathy Mohan told IANS, "The BJP and Hindu Munnani are trying to politicise the issue. The government's ban is only for the welfare of the people and to prevent the Covid pandemic spread and nothing else. People know the real issues and politically charged issues and they will see through the plans of these organisations."

Latest updates on Ganesh Chaturthi Festival 2021

-- Syndicated from IANS
The Pakistan government at the moment seems to be in a quandary. The manner in which it wanted to exploit the Taliban victory in Afghanistan has rebounded threatening to reinforce religious fundamentalists inclinations in Pakistan itself. US President Joe Bidens decision to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan was due to the realisation that religious fundamentalism might not remain contained to Afghanistan.

The Taliban's victory in Afghanistan may give Pakistan a choice to look at its relationships with its neighbours, not just from an anti-India stance as it tries to rein-in and influence Taliban to remain pro-Pakistan and not adopt an independent policy of their own.

However, the religio-politico situation of the region which started rearing its head in 1980s with the help of US and Saudi-backed fanatical elements to drive out the Soviets from Afghanistan, has increasingly showed ripple effect in Pakistan, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains a prime example of such thinking.

Pakistan is seen as working in support of the Taliban as reports suggest that it was based on the advice of Pakistani military and government officials that the US generals stuck to the Taliban's August 31 deadline for an end to US evacuation so that the group can move forward with forming a government.

In fact the Pakistani military started working on 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. Based on those inputs the US started to engage with Taliban in early 2019.

Commenting on the evolving situation Ayesha Siddiqa, a geo-politics adviser at SOAS, UK, said that Rawalpindi invested primarily in the Taliban as it knew that US would ultimately leave Afghanistan. Rawalpindi's prime desire was to ensure a friendly establishment in its north-western neighbouring nation, which doesn't get exploited against Pakistan's interests, especially by India.

However, the investment over 27 years has produced mixed results. It certainly did not translate into the Taliban doing Pakistan's bidding. 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 realise 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".

While Pakistani fears that the Taliban victory may give a violent boost to the TTP, the Pakistani Taliban that has close ties to their Afghan kin, the TTP had started to be active again inside Pakistan even before the Taliban capture of Afghanistan.

The Taliban victory benefits from decades in which religious fundamentalism was woven into the fabric of Pakistani society as well as some of its key institutions.

Siddiqa comments: "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 north-western neighbour - more religious and more authoritarian." Pakistan understands the complex situation very well and that's why it was pushing the Taliban to opt for a truly inclusive government besides broadening its contacts with other Afghan groups. A visit last week to the Pakistani capital by representatives of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance and other Afghan politicians is a pointer in that regard.

In discussing the fallout for Pakistan of the Taliban victory, analysts have by and large focussed on Pakistan as fertile ground for the spread of Taliban-style religious fundamentalism as well as concerns that it would enable TTP to rekindle their campaign of attacks in Pakistan.

The TTP is a coalition of Pashtun Islamist groups with close ties to the Afghan Taliban that last year joined forces with several other militant Pakistani groups, including Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a violently anti-Shiite Sunni Muslim supremacist organisation.

"Pashtuns of the Afghan Taliban will, after a few years in power, find common cause with their Pashtun kinsmen in Pakistan... There are plenty of Pakistani Pashtuns who would prefer the whole of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North-West Frontier Province) to be part of a wider Pashtunistan," predicts scholar and former British ambassador to Pakistan Tim Willasey-Wilsey.

In fact, the events of the last 75 years confirm that the main focus of Pakistan's foreign policy has always been anti-Indian in tenor and practice. It became a fertile ground for Mujahideen in the 1970s, as it wanted to exert more influence on the Soviet state as compared to India besides stoking fire in Indian Kashmir.

Later it allied with the US just in order to belittle India, but the reality is that Pakistan has always tried to be involved in the Afghan affairs due to the economic gains also and this trend continues even now. The British Foreign Secretary Dominic Rabb, while in Pakistan last week, announced doubling of aid to Afghanistan to 286 million pounds and released the first tranche of 30 million pounds of that to support Afghanistan's regional neighbours including Pakistan. Thus, in a way the foreign aid has not only lined the pockets of Afghan gang lords and politicians but even the Pakistani generals and politicians.

Due to this complexity in the Afghan affairs and the recent announcements by senior Taliban leadership with regard to India puts Pakistan in a real quandary. Pakistan might also be concerned after a Taliban official Sher Mohammed Abbas Stanekzai declared in a rare statement on foreign policy that "we give due importance to our political, economic and trade ties with India and we want these ties to continue. We are looking forward to working with India in this regard".

Stanekzai is considered to have a soft corner for India, having trained at IMA, Dehradun, during the 1980s, and it is Taliban officials like him and others who might be more pro-India, which puts Pakistan at unease along with the concern that one day the Taliban style thinking might spread through Pakistan also.

(Asad Mirza is a political commentator based in New Delhi. He writes on Muslims, educational, international affairs, interfaith and current affairs. @asad-mirza.blogspot.com, Views expressed are personal)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
September 06 : Katrina Kaif is currently in Turkey, shooting with Salman Khan for Tiger 3. The actress has been sharing glimpses from her days when she is not shooting. While she shared a series of pictures of herself from Russia, where she was shooting before coming to Turkey, today, she shared a couple of pictures from Turkey.

Taking to her Instagram profile, the Zero actress shared two pictures, wherein she can be seen enjoying a sunny day in Turkey as she posed for the camera. Katrina can be seen in a purple floral dress with the sun rays lighting up her face as she posed for the camera. The actress skipped a caption, and just wrote, Turkey (flag emoji) and a heart emoji.

Image Source: Instagram/katrinakaif Katrina Kaif shares stunning sun-kissed picture from Turkey

Recently, Salman and Katrina met Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, minister of culture and tourism, Turkey, who said, Turkey will continue to host many international cinema projects. The minister shared a bunch of pictures from his informal meeting with Salman and Katrina on his social media handles, and wrote, We came together with the famous actors of Bollywood, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, who are in our country for their new project. Turkey will continue to host many international cinema projects.

Fans have also shared pictures of Salman and Katrina shooting in Turkey. One fan page shared a picture, where the actors can be seen having lunch, and as per the caption, after the days shooting. Another fan page shared pictures of the actors from the shoot, and even selfies with their fans.

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.
New Delhi, Sep 6 : Bringing photographs from his visits to the three remote, international locations -- Arctic Circle, Iceland (2010), Antelope Canyon, Arizona USA (2010); and the Great Namib Desert, Namibia (2015), an online exhibition titled 'Pristine', by opthalmologist and self-taught photographer Navin Sakhuja will go on view from September 6-19.

The photographs engage with the power and beauty of nature. Sakhuja in his art practice has been fascinated by and is drawn to the unknown, the unexplored, and the untouched, pristine and desolate parts of the planet.

"I have always been fascinated by the astonishing power and beauty of nature. It is this fascination with the unknown, the unexplored and the untouched which draws me repeatedly to these pristine and desolate parts of the planet. I am always looking for the planet as it was before we gnawed away at it and changed it to what it looks like today. I can only try and describe what I saw, although I know I cannot do justice to the amazing spectacles to which I was witness. This photo essay covers three different visits over the last 10 years, the only common thread being 'Pristine'," writes Sakhuja about the exhibition.

Contemplating on his visit to desert land in Namibia, he writes: "In all my life I have never seen anything as raw, as untamed, and as stunning. The Namib stretches for more than 2,000 km along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia and South Africa, over undulating seas of sand, gravel plains and rocky mountain outcrops. The 'roaring dunes'-- so called because they create a perfect storm of sand and air, begetting thereby a rumble that is as loud as a low-flying plane--are also distinctive to the Namib." Similarly, the medical professional has this to say about his observations in Arizona and Iceland:

"Today, nearly 200 million years later, these grand canyons, also known as slot canyons because of the thin cracks in the canyon roof which allows in slivers of the blazing Arizona sunlight, are widely accepted to be among the most beautiful, natural architectural features in the world. Slot canyons, typically, are much deeper than they are wide. Some are so narrow that you can touch both walls with your arms outstretched. Others are much wider, like large rooms that suddenly change in shape and size as you twist and turn round the next corner. You have no idea what to expect beyond a few yards. Nature retains her equal ability to surprise and mesmerise." "Most people would not catch a flight to Iceland in November, in the heart of a full-blown winter that does not seem to distinguish between night and day. And yet there is a certain kind of light, between the enormous storm systems--I was witness to one magnificent display of fire and ice--and large, dark masses of clouds that glower threateningly from the sky." Calling himself a "full-time eye surgeon, driven by a passion for photography", Sakhuja says, "The truth is that while ophthalmology and photography are all about perceiving light in the best way possible, there are several ways of seeing. Over the years, as I have wielded the camera, I know I have imbued my photographs with my own core. The eye looks through the lens, of course, but it is the mind which impels the finger to trigger the shutter." "I know that the perfect photograph has never been taken and the perfect eye surgery has never been performed. To have the opportunity to attempt both--I believe I am twice blessed. Every time I venture forth to some remote, untouched part of our planet, I think I have come very close to my own personal quest of taking the perfect photo. I can never click my camera fast enough--I have often thought I saw God in some of these places at least a few times. I know I always leave a little bit of my soul behind." The online exhibition is on view on www.iicdelhi.in.

(Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in)
New Delhi, Sep 6 : The Congress party is not in a mood to field candidate againt West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the larger interest of the Opposition unity, said a party source on Monday. WBPCC chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is likely to make a formal announcement in Kolkata.

During her meeting with Congress High Command Sonia Gandhi recently, Banerjee had emphasised on the importance of Opposition unity to take on the BJP.

The Election Commission on Saturday announced the date for the by-elections for three Assembly constituencies including Banerjee's stronghold Bhabanipur. The rest two are Samsergunj and Jangipur in Murshidabad district. The voting in these three constituencies will be held on September 30 and counting is scheduled for October 3.

The by-election in Samsergunj and Jangipur were withheld because of the death of the candidates before polls during the recently concluded Assembly election in West Bengal. On the other hand, by-election in Bhabanipur Assembly constituency necessitated because existing MLA Sovondeb Chattopadhyay resigned from his seat to make a room for Banerjee.

Banerjee lost to the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhiakri in Nandigram in the recently concluded polls and is still not an elected member of the legislative body.
Tel Aviv, Sep 6 : The Israeli military said that it will impose a series of total closures on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip during the Jewish New Year celebrations from Monday evening to Wednesday evening.

"During the closures, the crossings for goods will be shut down and passing (of people) would be possible only in exceptional humanitarian and medical cases," a military spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday.

The first closure will be imposed during the three days of the Jewish new year festival.

It will begin on Monday afternoon and is expected to be lifted overnight between Wednesday and Thursday.

On Yom Kippur, known as the Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, a two-day closure will be imposed, starting on September 15, the army said.

The crossings will be shut down again on Sukkot, a seven-day Jewish festival, from September 20 to 22, followed by another closure between September 27 and 29.

The military said that the reopening of the crossings is subjected to "security assessment".

Israel considers the main Jewish holidays as prone to attacks by Palestinian militants and regularly closes off the occupied territories during these times.
New Delhi, Sep 6 : It is too early to call the two new variants, "C. 1.2 and MU" of Covid-19, a variant of concern, claims top scientist of Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), Dr Samiran Panda. In an exclusive interview with IANS, Panda, the Head, Department of Epidemiology & Communicable Diseases (ECD) Division of ICMR, talks about the possibility of a third wave, the threat from the new mutants and what precautions need to be taken.

Talking about the third Covid wave, he said that the intensity of any wave in near future would be lesser than what the country witnessed a couple of months ago during the second peak in April-May 2021 and it may not affect the entire country.

Here are the excerpts of the interview.

Q. Have states started showing signs of third Covid wave amid rising Covid cases? A. Surges of infections of SARS-CoV-2 are being observed now in a few states; these should be examined by the respective states as such surges could serve as early warning sign. With a viral pandemic of this magnitude, there is always a possibility for future waves. But I feel that the intensity of any wave in near future would be lesser than what the country witnessed a couple of months back during the second peak in April-May 2021 and it may not affect the entire country.

If there is an increase in the symptomatic cases, it could burden the healthcare system. Therefore, it is important to study the possibility of future wave with respect to the last waves. The second wave in India hit Delhi, Maharashtra and a few other states hard. Eighty per cent of the recorded infections during the second wave came from about 10 states. But there were some states which were not affected to any great extent at that time, which makes their population more vulnerable to catching infections during the next viral wave. But this time, good coverage of vaccination in these districts or states could prevent severe illness. In states, where we already had a devastating second wave, the population has had exposure to such an extent that the chance of getting symptomatic disease in large number is quite low. We should also remember that vaccination in these states has also gained momentum.

Another point, which is worth appreciating, is that within a state, there could be districts experiencing different spread and intensity of infection. Therefore, analysis of local data - at state level and even at district level - should guide local action.

Q. Does the Covid variant C.1.2 detected in South Africa and other countries pose any threat to India? A. In India, the genomic surveillance initiative is named INSACOG, which is a consortium of 30 laboratories across the country including ICMR's to keep an eye on any new variant that could possibly lead to a surge in cases. These laboratories also track the new variants of concerns reported internationally. Any mutation that could lead to an increase in virulence, that could contribute to the greater or stronger attachment to the host cell, or could escape immunity developed through natural infection or post-vaccination, concerns us.

Q. Can the recently-detected MU variant evade the immunity? A. As far as the two new variants -- C.1.2 and MU are concerned, it is too early to call them a variant of concern. We need to keep an eye at the community level infections for any indication of clustering, or severity of the disease among hospitalized cases or increased reporting of deaths from an area due to SARS-CoV-2 infections. All these observations per se indicate events of concern, requiring epidemiological investigation as well as genomic surveillance.

Q. Health Ministry has confirmed 300 cases of Delta plus variant. How do you see it ahead of looming third Covid wave? A. Delta plus cases are increasing in number in the country but at a slower pace. There was a rapid spread of Delta variant during the second wave in a few states and in dense population area. What we need to be watchful about now is who is getting infected by Delta plus -- are they getting infected after receiving the vaccine and if yes, what is the severity of the disease in the vaccinated population. Importantly, what we are seeing in different states of India now is that most of the vaccine recipients, even after getting infected with SARS-CoV-2, are not progressing to the serious stage of the disease, neither do they require hospitalization. That is the advantage of Covid vaccine - they do not prevent transmission of infection but they do protect one from getting to a severe stage.

Q. How do you see the reopening of schools ahead of the third wave? A. The fourth national serological survey has clearly shown that a substantial proportion, about 55 per cent, of the children have already been exposed to the disease and developed antibodies. Besides, we have seen that the chances of children developing severe disease or those requiring hospitalization are rare. So, I feel that we can safely reopen the schools. If the parents get vaccinated, and the teachers of the schools get vaccinated, other support staff of the school get vaccinated, the children will be safe. Besides, we need to reduce the crowding in the school-buses, and in the classrooms and also ensure hand hygiene and mask-use.

Schools may also think of including Covid Appropriate Behaviour, creating peer groups to promote the same and visible display boards with 'Dos' and 'Don'ts' within the school campus could be of help. It is very important for the children to be able to go to school now because that contributes greatly to their growth and future life opportunities. The more we keep the children away from school we are creating hindrances in the path of their long term development. States should therefore have their respective plans for opening of schools in calibrated fashion where state specific epidemiologic data as well as examples from other countries could guide pragmatic public health action.

(Avinash Prabhakar can be reached to avinash.p@ians.in)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Baghdad, Sep 6 : Iraqi authorities have decided to limit the entry of foreign pilgrims for the major Shia ritual of Arbaeen over concerns of Covid-19 spread.

An official statement issued on Sunday said Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi headed a meeting of the Higher Committee for Health and National Safety and decided to allow 30,000 pilgrims from neighbouring Iran and 10,000 from other countries to observe the Arbaeen ritual which will start on September 27, reports Xinhua news agency.

The decision also stipulated that foreign pilgrims bring negative results of PCR tests conducted within 72 hours before they arrive at Iraqi airports, the statement said.

Meanwhile, a statement by the Ministry of Health said that it recorded 4,897 Covid-19 new cases on Sunday, raising the nationwide caseload to 1,917,292.

It also confirmed 58 more deaths, bringing the death toll from the virus to 21,100, while the total recoveries climbed by 7,706 to 1,771,707.

It also said a total of 75,690 people were vaccinated against Covid-19 in the past 24 hours across the country, bringing the total number of doses administered to 3,684,546.
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 6 : Already reeling under a massive Covid surge, the arrival of Nipah, after a 12-year-old boy succumbed to the virus attack, Kerala's famed health status -- of being the best in the country -- appears to have gone for a toss.

With the news surfacing that Nipah has returned after 2018 when 17 people lost their lives, new State Health Minister Veena George made a dash to Kozhikode to coordinate the work to contain any further spread of Nipah.

On Monday, George told the media that the current strategy was to identify the source of the outbreak and do the contact tracing of the deceased.

"Seven samples of the primary contact have been sent to the laboratory at Pune and the results are awaited. At present, 188 people have been identified and contact tracing is going on in a very aggressive manner. A goat which died some time back at the house of the present victim has been cleared of having nothing to do with Nipah virus," said George.

A central team is in Kozhikode and is covering the areas which have now been kept under lockdown, especially the neighbourhood of the dead boy.

Another team from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune laboratory is expected to arrive later in the day (Monday) and by then the first sample testing of the nearly 188 primary contacts would be done at Kozhikode.

On Monday morning, a team of veterinary experts also arrived in the area where the deceased lived and is trying to ascertain the source of the present outbreak.

In 2018, various tests revealed that 25 per cent of the bats is the primary source of the infection at Perambara in Kozhikode district, which had the Nipah virus.

Experts from the Centre have pointed out that similar tests carried out in 2018 using drones and GPS will be undertaken this time too.

Meanwhile, the mother of the 12-year-old boy denied media reports that she for the past two days was suffering from fever as she said she is fine and has no symptoms.

Kozhikode district after the boy died due to Nipah virus has been put on a high alert, and health officials in several parts of the district are being given special training on how to tackle Nipah.

Apart from George, ministers -- A.K. Saseendran, P.A. Mohammed Riyaz and Ahamed Devarkoil -- are all stay put in the district coordinating the combating of Nipah.
Mumbai, Sep 6 : The Draft Electricity (promoting renewable energy through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2021, announced by the Ministry of Power, if implemented as it is, could improve the certainty of cash flows for new renewable energy projects coming up through this route, ratings agency Crisil has said in a report.

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.

The draft rules aim to provide clarity on such open access charges - including, inter alia, 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) - and will help streamline the overall approval process to improve predictability of cash flows for renewable power producers, the report released last week said.

The ministry has sought feedback on the 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. 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. 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).

Ankit Hakhu, Director, CRISIL Ratings, 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." 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.

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. 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.

The draft rules also proposes 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.

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.

On an average, cross-subsidy and additional surcharges form 65-70 per cent of total open access charges.
Patna, Sep 6 : An Indian Army soldier opened fire at three women, including his wife in Bihar's west Champaran district, on Monday morning.

The accused Naresh Shah was posted in Delhi Cantonment and had come to Bihar on leave. He was in an inebriated state at the time of the incident.

"My husband was in a drunken state and assaulted me in the morning. I managed to escape from the house and hid behind a group of women in the village. My husband ran towards me carrying a double-barrel rifle. He threatened the women to move away from me which they refused to do to save my life. As a result, Naresh opened fire on them," said Anita Shah, wife of the accused and the complainant.

Anita has received two gunshot injuries in both the legs. Besides, a woman identified as Palmati Devi and a girl Kajal Kumari also sustained gunshot injuries in their legs.

Following the incident, police officials in Mufassil police station reached the Barwat village and immediately nabbed the accused.

"We have arrested the accused and also seized the weapon used in the crime. The accused was in a drunken state. We have sent him for a medical examination. He has been booked under attempt to murder case," said Upendra Nath Verma, Superintendent of Police (SP) of west Champaran district.
Seoul, Sep 6 : Samsung Heavy Industries on Monday said that it has succeeded in demonstrating a ship collision avoidance system.

The shipbuilder's remote autonomous navigation system, known as Samsung Autonomous Ship (SAS), helped two autonomous ships travelling their trajectories avoid by detecting each other in seas off the southwestern island of Gageo, Samsung Heavy said.

Samsung Heavy said that the demonstration on the sea is the first of its kind in the world.

A 9,200-tonne ship of Mokpo National Maritime University and a 300-tonne tug of Samsung Heavy were used to demonstrate the collision avoidance system, the shipbuilder said.

In October 2020, Samsung Heavy said that it successfully navigated its 300-tonne remote autonomous ship in seas off Geoje Island, 398 kilometres south of Seoul, via a remote control system at a research centre located in Daejeon, 250 kilometres away from the seas, reports Yonhap news agency.

Samsung Heavy plans to commercialise its independently developed autonomous navigation system SAS by 2022.

Back in July, Mega container ship ZEPHYR LUMOS collided with Panamax bulk carrier GALAPAGOS in Malacca Strait off Melaka, Malaysia, halfway between Singapore and Port Dickson. Both ships were proceeding in western direction.
Washington, Sep 6 : The US' booster shot campaign against Covid-19 will likely start with only the Pfizer vaccine from September 20, the country's top infectious disease expert has said.

The rollout for Moderna's booster vaccine could, however, be delayed, CNBC news quoted Anthony Fauci as saying on Sunday.

Although both drugmakers have applied to US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for authorisation of a third dose either six months or eight months after getting the second dose, they haven't been officially approved by the agency.

Even as the approvals are pending, the Joe Biden administration has announced plans to offer third doses to people who received the Pfizer and Moderna shots.

"Only the Pfizer vaccine booster may get FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approval in time for a rollout the week of September 20," Fauci was quoted as saying on CBS' aceFace the Nation." "Looks like Pfizer has their data in, likely would meet the deadline," the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told CBS. "We hope that Moderna would also be able to do it, so we could do it simultaneously." "But if not, we'll do it sequentially," he continued. aceSo the bottom line is, very likely, at least part of the plan will be implemented, but ultimately the entire plan will be." He was not in favour of mixing doses and said that for people who got two doses of the Moderna vaccine, "it's better to wait" for a third Moderna dose than get a Pfizer shot, CNN reported.

The booster doses of Pfizer and Moderna doses are based on CDC data that showed protection against infection waned several months after the second shot.

There was good reason to believe that a third dose "will actually be durable, and if it is durable, then you're going to have very likely a three-dose regimen being the routine regimen," Fauci was quoted as saying at a briefing last week.

An FDA advisory panel will review Pfizer's application for a booster on September 17, only three days before shots are supposed to start, the report said.

Meanwhile, the FDA recently amended the emergency use authorisations for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines to allow the administration of an additional dose to solid organ transplant recipients and other people who have an equivalent level of immunocompromise.

More than 1.3 million such immunocompromised individuals have received an additional shot, according to the CDC.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Sep 6 : Questions of Pakistan's interference in Afghanistans internal affairs have been raised after the chief of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Faiz Hameed visited Kabul unannounced to meet Taliban leaders.

Officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan said that no country will be allowed to interfere in the internal affairs of Afghanistan, Khaama News reported.

The officials have named the US and Pakistan in particular, but have acknowledged that no country of the world will be given the opportunity to meddle in Afghanistan's affairs.

The Pakistani government has not commented on the purpose of Hameed's visit to Afghanistan.

People have reacted to the visit of both officials and said that their visit before the announcement of any government is vivid interference in Afghanistan's affairs.

Acting minister of information and culture and Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that they will not allow any country including Pakistan to interfere in Afghanistan's affairs.

He added that the ISI chief may have brought the message of the Afghan politicians in exile in Islamabad.

Earlier, Sohail Shaheen, a member of the Taliban's political office based in Doha, had reacted to the US's officials' statements and had added that the country should not interfere in Afghanistan's affairs.

Shaheen had added that they are not violating women's rights of education and work as for as they observe Islamic hijab.
Chennai, Sep 6 : The Tamil Nadu government is contemplating reopening of lower and upper primary schools in the state after monitoring the situation of higher secondary classes which have already been opened.

The office of the state Education Minister, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in a statement on Sunday said the ruling DMK government will monitor the situation of the higher secondary students for eight days and then will take a call on reopening of primary schools, likely by September 8.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will take a decision on the reopening of primary schools after discussions with health department officials, including senior doctors and other health professionals, Poyyamozhi added. The input from the state Education department and the local body members will also be considered before a decision is taken.

The Tamil Nadu Minister in a statement said nearly 800 medical professionals are being deployed across the state to monitor and conduct surveillance to ensure the safety of teachers and students. This has been done after several schools in the state reported Covid positive cases of students and teachers.

The state Education department has closed classrooms for the students who tested positive for Covid-19 after sanitisation and were shifted to another classroom.

The state school education department is also promoting English classes among students to increase the proficiency of students in the language, the statement added.
Chennai, Sep 6 : The Tamil Nadu health department has said that it has inoculated 100 per cent of the adult population of the two main tourist destinations of the state -- Ooty and Kodaikanal, ahead of the tourist season. The department in a statement said that at least one dose of the vaccine is administered to all the adult population in both the main tourist attractions.

Health Minister, Ma Subramanian told IANS, "Tamil Nadu health department has administered at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to all the adult population of the two major tourist destinations, Ooty and Kodaikanal, of the state. We will be following up with the second dose as well soon." The minister said that presently vaccination is the only mode to prevent hospitalization and to prevent fatalities due to Covid and the government and the state health department is keen on conducting maximum vaccination drives across the state.

He also said that on September 12, the state health department would be vaccinating 20 lakh people in 10,000 vaccine camps spread across the state.

After the major tourist destinations, the state health department is conducting vaccination drives at major religious destinations like Velankani, Nagur, and Tiruvannamalai. At Palani, the department has already inoculated with the first dose to 100 per cent of the adult population.

The health department will be completing the first dose of vaccines to all the adult population in Nagur and Velankanni within the next few days. A senior health official told IANS, "At both these religious destinations, around 95 per cent of the adult population have taken their first dose of vaccine and in a few days time, we are expecting to complete the vaccine drive at these two places." The state health secretary, J. Radhakrishnan had on Friday told media persons that the state of Tamil Nadu requires an additional 1 crore doses of vaccines so that it can administer vaccine to the whole of the adult population by the end of December 2021.
New Delhi, Sep 6: When at the end of a 17-year-long mass movement Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah replaced Maharaja Hari Singh as Jammu and Kashmirs ruler, it was not an abrupt transition from autocracy to democracy. The states first free and fair elections were witnessed not before the one for Lok Sabha in March 1977 followed by the one for the Legislative Assembly in June 1977.

In between, there was a glimpse of democracy when Sheikh's Mahaaz-e-Rai Shumari (Plebiscite Front), which boycotted polls from 1953 to 1974, supported an independent candidate, Shamim Ahmad Shamim, in the 1971 Lok Sabha elections only to defeat former 'Prime Minister' Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad who had helped Jawahar Lal Nehru to dismiss and cage the man known as Sher-e-Kashmir (The Lion of Kashmir).

Shamim polled 1,28,948 votes against the government's candidate Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad who polled just 71,140. That election created a history. Another part of the same history was that when Sheikh had been deposed as PM and he was running from jail a movement for Kashmir's separation from India, with a call for boycott to Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and his Jamaat-e-Islami were part and parcel of the Indian elections-including rigging-in cahoots with the ruling Congress party.

Sheikh functioned as the head of the Emergency Government during the war which ended on 1 January 1948. On 5 January 1948, Sheikh was appointed as the first 'Prime Minister' and the head of an eight-member Cabinet. The state's Election and Franchise Commissioner conducted the elections for the Constituent Assembly in September-October 1948.

Sheikh's National Conference (NC) nominees were declared elected unopposed in all the 75 constituencies-including all 43 in the valley a week before the date of the polling. Praja Parishad fielded its candidates in 28 of the 30 constituencies in Jammu. As many as 13 of their nominations were nullified which prompted the party to boycott the polls. Consequently, the NC grabbed all the 75 segments without anybody voting at a polling station.

An identical practice marred the credibility of all the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections conducted after Sheikh's arrest and dismissal as Prime Minister on 9 August 1953. These included the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections in 1957, 1962, 1967 and 1972.

Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad's ruling NC presided over the infamous Assembly elections of 1957, grabbing 68 of the 75 seats. However, it left 5 seats to be won by Praja Parishad, one to Harijan Mandal and one to an independent. In 1962, the ruling NC grabbed 70 seats, leaving 3 to Praja Parishad and 2 to independents.

From 1965 onwards, Congress ruled Jammu and Kashmir directly with Ghulam Mohammad Sadiq as its first Chief Minister. It repeated more or less the same practice of sham elections from 1967 to 1972 in which nomination papers of most of the potential opposition candidates were declared invalid. Many of them were removed from contesting by threats, kidnapping and the bribes of money and prestigious positions in the government.

In the Assembly elections of 1967, Sadiq's Congress grabbed 60 of the 75 seats. It took as many 22 seats uncontested. As many as 118 opposition candidate's nomination papers were rejected. The uncontested winners included Mufti Mohammad Sayeed from Bijbehara who was inducted as a Deputy Minister and Abdul Gani Lone from Handwara, who was appointed as a Minister of State. In the same year's Lok Sabha elections, Congress swept all the 6 seats including Anantnag where Mohammad Shafi Qureshi was declared elected unopposed.

As Congress in J&K developed factionalism between GM Sadiq's and Syed Mir Qasim's groups, Jamaat-e-Islami discovered an excellent opportunity to align with one group. In defiance to Sheikh's boycott call, it fielded candidates in the Panchayat elections of 1969 which were contested on non-party basis.

After an understanding with one faction of Congress, JeI fielded candidates in 22 segments in the Assembly elections of 1971. Congress repeated the rigging of the previous elections and grabbed 58 seats but facilitated the JeI to win 5 segments-Sopore (Syed Ali Geelani (Sopore), Tankipora, now Habbakadal (Ghulam Nabi Nowshehri), Khanyar (Qari Saifuddin), Nandi, now Homeshalibug (Ali Mohammad) and Kulgam (Abdul Razaq Mir. It also left 3 to Bharatiya Jana Sangh.

In the 1971 Lok Sabha elections, JeI fielded none other than its 42-year-old firebrand leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani who lost to the Congress candidate Syed Ahmad Agha in Baramulla. Later, Geelani also tried his luck in the 1977 Lok Sabha elections from Baramulla which he lost to NC's Abdul Ahad Vakil.

Jamaat's base was limited to a class of well-educated people and it could not claim to be a victim of rigging till 1987 when alienation in the valley was at its peak and Muslim United Front (MUF) had captured a part of the space vacated by Farooq Abdullah's NC. Even after winning 5 seats courtesy Congress in 1972, JeI bagged only one seat of Geelani with a thin margin of 33 seats in Sopore in 1977. Geelani polled 16,717 votes against his NC rival Hakim Habibullah's 16,684. In 1983, JeI did not get a single seat.

Democracy dawned in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time in 1977 when history's cleanest Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were presided over by Governor L.K. Jha and both were swept by Sheikh's NC.

When, post-Emergency, Indira Gandhi's Congress lost the Lok Sabha elections to Janata Party and Morarji Desai took over as Prime Minister on 24 March 1977, Congress in J&K withdrew support from Sheikh's government on 26 March 1977. Before the floor test, Sheikh recommended to Governor Jha the dissolution of Assembly and fresh Assembly elections. After a huge constitutional controversy, Sheikh had the last laugh. President's rule was imposed and Jha supervised the first clean Assembly elections in J&K in June 1977.

Winning 47 seats out of 76-as many as 39 in Kashmir where JeI's Geelani got Sopore with 33 votes and Janata Party's Abdul Gani Lone and Abdul Rashid Kabli were returned from Handwara and Eidgah respectively-Sheikh was inducted as Chief Minister of the first legitimately elected democratic government.

While historic manipulation and established rigging, including invalidation of the opposition candidates' nominations and tactical victories of proxy candidates, took place at a phenomenal scale in 1951-1972, politicians, commentators and analysts have been selectively and conveniently referring only to the alleged rigging on some seats in the 1987 Assembly elections. It suited a populist sentiment after the eruption of the militancy in 1989.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Sep 6 : A day after the Kisan Mahapanchayat in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar, the BJP said Bhartiya kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait has defamed farmers by politicising the issue for his self-interest.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kisan Morcha national president and Lok Sabha member from Fatehpur Sikri, Rajkumar Chahar told IANS that he was fulfilling his political ambition by putting guns on farmers' shoulders.

Chahar claimed that most of the participants of the event were political workers of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and other political parties.

"Majority of participants of yesterday's event were workers of the SP, RLD and other political parties, while farmers stayed away from mahapanchayat. All the so-called leaders did not speak about the issues concerning farmers or they earlier used to raise like MSP as they also realize that their lies have been exposed," Chahar said.

He alleged that Tikait used farmers to fulfill his political ambition with support of some political parties who are misleading everyone over the new farm laws.

He further stated that it was not a mahapanchayat but a political rally organised with an eye on the next year's Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

"Tikait knows what mahapanchayat means. In mahapanchayat everyone holds a 'charcha' (discussion) over issues but in yesterday's event it was a rally in which leaders gave political speeches," he said.

Chahar challenged Tikait and other farmers leaders to organise a real panchayat by calling genuine farmers and agriculture experts to discuss the new farm laws.

"They should organise a panchayat by calling genuine farmers and experts for a serious discussion on new farm laws. But they will not do this as the new farm laws have been implemented to benefit the farmers and such discussion will expose them. These so-called farmer leaders are doing politics and they are least interested in the welfare of farmers," Chahar said.

Chahar further alleged that Tikait has communalised the farmer protest by chanting communal slogans to appease a particular community.

"While making a particular happy by raising a religious slogan, why Tikait did not ask the participants to chant 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan," the BJP Kishan Morcha national president said.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) had organised a kisan mahapanchayat on Sunday at the Government Inter College ground in Muzaffarnagar. Farmers across the country were said to have come together under the banner of the SKM. The Samajwadi Party (SP), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and other political parties had extended their support to the mahapanchayat.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Conakry, Sep 6 : International organisations such as the UN, the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as well as some regional bodies have condemned the military coup in Guinea and called for the release of the West African nation's President.

On Sunday morning, heavy gunfire was heard in the urban commune of Kaloum, downtown Conakry, in Guinea, where the Presidential Palace and several ministerial departments are located, reports xinhua news agency.

In the afternoon, Guinea's Defence Ministry said in an official press release that "the Presidential Guard, supported by the defence and security forces, contained the threat and pushed back the group of insurgents".

However, later in the day, Lieutenant-Colonel Mamady Doumbouya announced on national television that his forces have arrested President Alpha Conde, and dissolved the government and national institutions.

The country's borders were closed and its constitution was declared invalid in the announcement.

A video posted on social media showed that Conde was surrounded by a group of armed soldiers, but the capturing time and place of the video remain unclear.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the European Union, the AU and ECOWAS all condemned the coup and demanded that the rebels release Conde.

In a tweet, Guterres said: "I am personally following the situation in Guinea very closely. I strongly condemn any takeover of the government by force of the gun and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde." The 55-member AU also called for an immediate release of Conde in a statement.

Felix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who is also the current AU chairperson, and Moussa Faki Mahamat, the AU Commission chairperson, further called on the AU Peace and Security Council to meet urgently to examine the new situation in Guinea and to take appropriate measures in the circumstances.

"ECOWAS decidedly condemns this attempted coup d'etat that happened on Sunday," the community said in a statement, demanding the safe release of President Conde and other detained people.

"ECOWAS also demands restoration of the constitutional order in Guinea in order to avoid using sanctions," ECOWAS said.

The Nigerian government on Sunday condemned the takeover of power by force in Guinea.

"The government of Nigeria strongly condemns and rejects any unconstitutional change of government and therefore calls on those behind this coup to restore constitutional order without delay and protect all lives and property," Nigerian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esther Sunsawan said.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell condemned in a tweet the coup in Guinea, calling on the rebels to release President Conde.

In a statement, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price also condemned the seizure of power by the military in Guinea, urging all parties to avoid violence and engage in dialogue.
Shimla, Sep 6 : With authorities now gearing up to complete the coronavirus vaccination of all above 18 by November 30, tough Himalayan terrain and inclement weather conditions in Himachal Pradesh didn't deter healthcare workers and local authorities to become country's first state of giving the first dose of vaccine to all eligible people.

Even authorities had to face an uphill task in the naturally secluded Malana village, known for Malana cream, the most sought-after forms of hashish across the globe in the far end of Parvati Valley in Kullu district, where locals had not been allowing the 'outsiders' to enter their area since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

Elsewhere, Tribals, mainly Buddhists, settled in the Spiti Valley spread over the Himalayan peaks, have set an example for others in the country by demonstrating that vaccination is the only route out of this pandemic.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday virtually interacted with healthcare workers and beneficiaries of the state's vaccination programme.

He complemented the state under the leadership of Chief Minister Jairam Thakur for setting a benchmark in the fight against Covid-19 by giving the first dose of vaccine to all eligible people.

Interacting with Prime Minister Modi, Dr. Rahul, who is posted in the Shimla district's remotest Civil Hospital in Dodra Kwar, said the area comprising small, scattered villages, remains cut off owing to heavy snow accumulation for five-six months in a year.

"The communication network in the entire Dodra Kwar area was a major challenge, resulting in much delay in registering the beneficiaries on the Co-WIN app. An advance team of accredited social health activists (ASHA) and Anganwadi workers were sent to rope in the locals for the next day's vaccination. This helps minimising vaccine wastage," he said.

Health staff had to traverse at least eight to 10 hours on foot from the nearest road heads to the remotest hamlet for the vaccination programme. Sometimes they had to register the beneficiaries on the Co-WIN app the next day of the vaccine.

Modi said 10 per cent of the expenditure can be saved if all 11 shots in a single vial are used while administering vaccines.

Belonging to the Rann of Kutch, the salt marsh located in the Thar desert in Gujarat, Dr. Rahul apprised Modi about the challenges he faced with his posting in one of the remotest places in the country.

Interestingly, the locals in the landlocked Dodra Kwar have never used pesticides and fertilisers for growing crops. They are largely shepherds and keep on migrating for pasture of livestock.

ASHA worker Nirmal Devi apprised the Prime Minister about the challenges they faced in convincing the people of Malana, where the banned cannabis is the source of prime livelihood.

Officials told IANS that till May not even a single Covid-19 case was reported from Malana. Also, not a single person in the village was inoculated.

Also the health workers were barred from entering the village as the locals consider outsiders untouchable.

Nirmal Devi said with the permission from the local deity, Lord Jamlu, they were allowed to meet the locals and to convince them to go for inoculation.

Malana village, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, is located 45 km from Kullu town. Its nearest road is seven km down the hill that was constructed in 2007.

Before the road, the village, nestled at 2,700 meters (8,859 feet), is accessible only through three passes -- Jari, Rashol and Chandrakhani -- which can be traversed only on foot with at least three overnight stays through breathtaking snow-capped mountains, lush forests and the rugged landscapes.

During the vaccination drive, the health workers had to trudge at least six hours to reach Malana.

A senior doctor, requesting anonymity, told IANS that since the locals don't interact freely with outsiders, even with the inhabitants living in the nearby areas, it was somehow difficult to access the exact situation there regarding the viral epidemiology.

Modi in his address talked about the Malana inhabitants, who proclaim themselves as descendants of Alexander the Great, and have their own democratic 'government'.

Modi also praised nurse Karmo Devi, who has to her credit of inoculating 22,500 people despite suffering a fracture in her leg while on duty. She was advised four-week rest but after eight days of rest she joined the duty and worked even on government holidays.

Nawang Upashak, a resident of remote Buddhist-dominated Lahaul-Spiti district, said local spiritual leaders played an important role in convincing the people to go for vaccines.

"His Holiness the Dalai Lama's videos of getting a jab of vaccine played an important role in motivating his followers in Lahaul-Spiti to go for inoculation to save their lives from the virus," he said.

Upashak told Modi that the last year's inaugurated Atal Tunnel had given a boost to the tourism sector in the tribal district with 700-800 residents having sought an approval to open homestays.

In his address, Modi said Himachal Pradesh has become a champion by being the first state to administer the first dose of vaccine to all eligible people despite logistic difficulties.

"It became the first state to vaccinate 100 per cent of its eligible population with the first dose and one-third of the population with the second dose." Amid the pandemic, he said, Himachal Pradesh has become one of the favourite destinations among youngsters to continue work in 'work from home' mode.

After Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Dadra and Nagar Haveli have vaccinated 100 per cent of their population with the first dose of the vaccines. "More states are about to fully vaccinate their population with the first dose." Union Minister Anurag Thakur, BJP national President J.P. Nadda and Chief Minister Jairam Thakur were present during Modi's interaction with healthcare workers and vaccination beneficiaries via video conferencing.

The state has set a target of inoculating the first dose of vaccine to 53.77 lakh people but vaccinated 55.06 lakh. So far, 72 lakh people have got both the doses of the vaccine.

Officials said health workers were provided with a state-run helicopter to reach the remotest hamlet Bara Bhangal in Kangra district for the vaccination programme.

Otherwise, the journey on foot for Bara Bhangal, part of the Dhauladhar Wildlife Sanctuary that remains cut off from the rest of the world for over six months due to heavy snow, is 65 km from the last village that is connected by road.

Bara Bhangal has a population of around 400. During winters, most of them migrate to Bir village in Baijnath tehsil, near Palampur town, some 250 km from state capital Shimla.

Over 100 people of Bara Bhangal were inoculated.

Elsewhere, the entire elderly population -- those above 60-years-old -- in 13 panchayats of Kaza subdivision, a cold desert adjoining Tibet where there is shortage of health infrastructure, is now fully vaccinated. Those above 45-years-old have been provided the first vaccine dose.

The world's highest post office, Hikkam, located 15,000 feet above sea level and its nearby villages of Komik and Langche were among the worst hit in the first wave of the pandemic last year.

(Vishal Gulati can be reached at vishal.g@ians.in)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Sep 6 : Irwin Allan Sealy's "Asoca", an imagined memoir of Ashoka The Great, the emperor who ruled most of the Indian subcontinent and played a pivotal role in the spread of Buddhism from India to other parts of Asia in the 3rd century BC, is among the 10 novels in the longlist for the Rs 25 lakh JCB Prize for Literature, India's richest literary award, announced on Monday.

Six of the 10 authors are debutants, three Malayalam translations make it to the longlist and, as a reflection of the times, all novels prominently feature themes of self-reflection, duality and morality.

The longlist was selected by a panel of five judges: Sara Rai (Chair), author and literary translator; Annapurna Garimella, designer and art historian; Shahnaz Habib, author and translator; Prem Panicker, journalist and editor; and Amit Varma, writer and podcaster.

The 2021 longlist, chosen from a wide range of submissions by writers from 16 states writing in multiple languages published between August 1, 2020 and July 31, 2021 is: "Asoca" by Irwin Allan Sealy (Penguin Random House India)

"A Death in Sonagachhi" by Rijula Das (Pan Macmillan)

"What We Know About Her" by Krupa Ge (Westland)

"Anti-Clock" by V.J. James, translated from Malayalam by Ministhy S. (Penguin Random House India) "Name Place Animal Thing by Daribha Lyndem (Zubaan Publishers Pvt. Ltd.) "The Plage Upon Us" by Shabir Ahmed Mir (Hachette India)

"Delhi: A Soliloquy by M. Mukundan, translated from Malayalam by Fathima E.V. & Nandakumar K. (Westland) "Gods and Ends" by Lindsay Pereira (Penguin Random House India)

"The Man Who Learnt to Fly but Could Not Land by Thachom Poyil Rajeevan, translated from Malayalam by P.J. Mathew (Hachette India) "The Dharma Forest" by Keerthik Sasidharan (Penguin Random House India)

The books by Rijula Das, Krupa Ge, Daribha Lyndem, Shabir Ahmed Mir, Lindsay Pereira and Keerthik Sasidharan are all debut novels.

Commenting on the longlist and the overall reading experience, Jury Chair Sara Rai observed: "While reading through the great range of books, many of them translations, that were in the running for the JCB Prize 2021, there were certain things that we had in mind -- a cohesiveness of plot and narrative, of structure and texture, metaphor, point of view, and acute angles of invention. We looked for the focused gaze and the unique voice, one in tune with the setting and situation in the book that despite rough edges was particular and at the same time universal.

"We were after well-written and well-edited books, those that transformed you in subtle ways by providing a new perspective on contemporary Indian reality even if the work was one of historical fiction. We found that the books on the 2021 longlist not only met these criteria, but also passed the final test - they were unforgettable and stayed with us long after we had finished reading them," Rai added.

Talking about the outreach of the prize, its Literary Director, Mita Kapur, said: "What we were looking for in the submissions this year, I think, was a sense of the world beyond ourselves. We reached out to publishers, big and small, across the country, working with books originally in English and translated from Indian languages.

"The books we received surprised us by showing us multiple ways of living and being, taking us out of the spaces our bodies and minds were confined to. Our continued dedication to look for great literature beyond the narrow confines of genre means that the longlist will have something for every reader," Kapur added.

The jury will announce the shortlist of five titles on October 4 and the winner on November 13. If the winning work is a translation, the translator will receive an additional Rs 10 lakh. Each of the five shortlisted authors will receive Rs 1 lakh; if a shortlisted work is a translation, the translator will receive Rs 50,000.
Torkham, Sep 6 : The ousting of the Ashraf Ghani government in Afghanistan and the fast-paced takeover by the Taliban has certainly pushed the global powers into a state of shock. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in an offensive that took less than 20 days to not only force foreign forces out of the country, but also stormed into Kabul with the Ghani government and its security forces either fleeing or surrendering to the insurgents without any notable resistance.

The Taliban, after taking over control in Afghanistan, freed all Taliban prisoners, including many senior leaders of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

This has allowed or at least has given the opportunity to the Pakistani Taliban militants to re-activate their sleeper cells and re-emerge in different parts of Pakistan, majority of which are along the border with Afghanistan.

In the Torkham border, which has served as a major trade route for NATO supplies for decades, local residents of the area are fearful of the coming days, which may see a re-emergence of the Taliban, bringing back haunting memories of the past.

Wali Khan, a local resident of a small town, located at the edge of the Torkham border, says he fears for his and his family's well-being as movement of TTP militants is visibly increasing in the area.

"We have seen TTP militants in the past. However, they vanished or went underground for some time. But, now with Taliban government taking control across the border, I see new faces moving around in the area again," he said.

"We know they are Taliban. They move in the local vicinity unarmed for the moment. But I know and everyone else knows that they are the Taliban. Maybe they are just waiting for a green signal from across the border. But they are very much here," he added.

"Since the time Taliban have taken over, our lives have already started to come under stress", said Jan Muhammad, another local resident of LandiKotal, the last main city on the Pakistan side.

"Me and my children used to cross over the border for work. We used to work in a warehouse there. But now that the border is closed for movement, we are left jobless," he added.

One resident said that the Pakistani Taliban have always been there in the bordering areas and have been moving back and forth in an out of Afghanistan.

"The Taliban have always been here. Be it Afghans or Pashtuns, they have been living among the localities. But now, we can see them regrouping themselves. This is scary as we have seen them and their activities in the past," said Sharbat Khan, a shop owner in Landikotal.

The TTP re-emergence certainly is becoming a major challenge for the Pakistani security forces.

With the Afghan Taliban eyeing at a permanent government formation in Kabul, the Pakistani Taliban regrouping and re-emergence may just trigger a new wave of terror in the country.
Vijayawada, Sep 6 : A police constable in Andhra Pradesh who was absconding after allegedly stealing Rs 16 lakh from a police station was arrested on Monday.

Janardhan Naidu, attached to Nuzvid police station in Krishna district, was taken into custody at Chennai, where he was hiding after committing theft last month.

Police recovered Rs 14 lakh from the constable and are bringing him to Nuzvid, a police officer said.

Janardhan, working as a writer at the police station, stole the money on August 29 but the theft came to light on September 2 after the officials realised that the amount kept in the station was missing.

A local wine shop had kept the money at the police station for safekeeping as bank was closed on account of holiday. The money was to be deposited in the account of Andhra Pradesh State Beverage Corporation Ltd (APSBCL).

According to Krishna district superintendent of police Siddharth Kaushal, a case of theft was registered on a complaint by Station House Officer.

The police suspected Janardhan as he went on leave on August 30 without a valid reason. As he could not be reached over mobile phone, a police team was sent to his native Visakhapatnam.

The preliminary investigation revealed that the constable was in depression due to family dispute. The police found that after committing theft, the constable escaped to Chennai. He was finally arrested on Monday.

The incident embarrassed the police department. The SP has ordered a thorough investigation.
Chennai, Sep 6 : With 37.61 per cent of its paid up equity share capital or 53.59 million equity shares are subject to outstanding legal and regulatory proceedings including a 1:500 bonus issue Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB) has filed its Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP).

The bank has filed DRHP for a premium initial public offer (IPO) of up to 15,840,000 equity shares of face value of Rs 10 each - fresh issue of 15,827,495 equity shares and an offer for sale of 12,505 equity shares by six equity shareholders.

The offer will constitute 10 per cent of the post-offer paid-up equity share capital.

Currently TMB has an equity base of about Rs 142.51 crore.

According to DRHP, the allotment of 15,132,000 equity shares as bonus issue in the ratio of 1:500 to 41 members is held in abeyance due to reasons including, among others death of the members, outstanding legal proceedings, discrepancies in transfer deed and non-registration of instrument of transfers by TMB.

With regard to the 1:500 bonus issue, TMB had paid a penalty of Rs 6 crore for issuing bonus to six non-resident entities holding the Unacknowledged Shares which had been the subject matter of the RBI Order.

The TMB has said in its risk factors - 37.61 per cent of its of paid up equity share capital or 53.59 million equity shares are subject to outstanding legal proceedings which are pending at various forums and, in connection with which, proceedings against the Bank have been initiated by various regulatory authorities, including the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Directorate of Enforcement, some of whom have imposed and sought to impose penalties.

Further the issue of share transfers made to Katra Holdings and others without RBI permission and the fine slapped on TMB by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last year is also pending.

Last year, the Special Director, ED (southern region), had imposed a penalty of Rs 11.33 crore on TMB for recording in its books the transfer of 46,862 shares of the bank in the names of seven foreign entities -- RST Limited (wholly owned by Ravi S. Trehan), Katra Holdings Limited (wholly owned by Ramesh Vangal), GHI I Limited (wholly owned by Rajat Gupta), Kamehameha (Mauritius) Limited, FI Investments (Mauritius) Limited, Cuna Group (Mauritius) Limited, and Swiss Re Investors (Mauritius) Limited.

The above seven entities were not approved by the RBI for acquiring the shares of TMB.

A further penalty of Rs 5.66 crore was imposed on TMB for its act of recording in its books the subsequent transfer of 27,289 shares out of the above 46,862 shares in the names of two foreign entities -- Sub-Continental Equities Ltd, Mauritius, and Robert & Adris James Company Limited, Mauritius, without the permission of the RBI.

Penalty was also imposed on the directors of the TMB Board who had approved the recording of the transfer of shares of the bank.

The TMB is yet to pay the penalty and the matter is pending.

"We cannot assure you that these matters will be resolved in a timely manner or at all and any adverse developments in such proceedings could result in the imposition of injunctions or penalties or require us to incur significant costs to contest any of which could have a material impact on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operation," the bank said in DRHP.

The Tuticorin headquartered bank has been in the news for a long time for disputes over transfer of shares between various parties.

As regards the objects of the IPO, TMB said that the net proceeds are proposed to be utilised towards augmenting its Tier-I capital base to meet future capital needs owing to its growth.

According to TMB, as of June 30, 2021, it has 509 branches, of which 106 branches are in rural, 247 in semi-urban, 80 in urban and 76 in metropolitan centres.
Lucknow, Sep 6 : The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is playing the Brahmin card with a vengeance in Uttar Pradesh and the family of BSP MP Satish Chandra Mishra is playing a crucial role in the campaign.

While Mishra has addressed meetings focusing on Brahmins in over 70 districts of Uttar Pradesh, his wife Kalpana Mishra has started addressing meetings of women from the Brahmin community.

Now Mishra's son, Kapil Mishra, has also plunged into the 'win-Brahmin' campaign.

Kapil Mishra is addressing Prabuddha Varg Sammelans (read Brahmin Sammelan) where he urges the youth to vote for the BSP and make his 'bua' (aunt) the chief minister for the fifth time.

'Bua', for the uninitiated, is Mayawati who ties rakhi to Satish Chandra Mishra.

"I do not need any post. It is enough for me that I am the son of Satish Chandra Mishra and nephew of Mayawati. My family and I have got the love and blessings of Mayawati since the past 20 years. My wish is to see that my 'Bua' becomes chief minister for the fifth time," he said.

Kapil also attacked the BJP government on the issue of reservation.

He said, "The BJP government has sold everything to private hands. When these government units will not be there, the existence of reservation and jobs can well be understood." Meanwhile, Satish Chandra Mishra in another meeting attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that "its people ask for votes and then notes in the name of Lord Shri Ram." "On one hand, BJP claims to build a grand temple of Lord Shri Ram, on the other hand it deals with land in the name of Lord Ram," he said and added, "There is a vast difference between the words and deeds of the BJP." Mishra further said that the BJP copies the policies of the Samajwadi Party government.

"The Brahmin community was feeling oppressed under the SP government and now the same community is facing pressure in the ongoing BJP's regime," he added.

He said that the head of the SP government had humiliated his minister Rajaram Pandey.

"He died of a heart attack. Whenever the SP government came to power, riots and killings took place," he pointed out.

"Sixteen per cent is the population of the Brahmin community which is not less. Once you all are united, you will not be humiliated. You have to increase the percentage to win the seat. Similarly, there are 23 per cent Dalit, Muslim and backward castes people in the society. Make brotherhood with them, and get your own government formed with a majority," he stated.
Mumbai, Sep 6 : The demise of Sidharth Shukla has left everyone shocked. He passed away on September 2 at the age of 40. Host of 'Bigg Boss OTT', Karan Johar who also had a link with the late actor as he was part of his movie 'Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania', recalled him.

As the 'Sunday Ka Vaar' episode started, Karan paid tribute to Sidharth who was also the winner of 'Bigg Boss 13'. Sidharth also appeared on 'Bigg Boss OTT' with his rumoured girlfriend Shehnaaz Gill. The tribute was presented in the form of a video of Sidharth Shukla's moments in Bigg Boss 13.

Karan said: "Sidharth Shukla, a face, a name that became an important part of all our lives. The favourite member of the Bigg Boss family, who was a friend to me and countless others from our industry, suddenly left us."

He added: "This is something we are all still finding hard to believe. It is like I am numb, I can't even believe it. Sid was a good son, a great friend and just an amazing guy to be around and be with. His positive vibe and his smile, that smile, won so many millions of hearts. You shall be missed, Sidharth Shukla. We will miss you."

Karan concluded by addressing the audience: "You and I, we all need great strength to carry on the show. But the show must go on."

-- Syndicated from IANS
New Delhi, Sep 6 : Featuring six novels by debutant authors Rijula Das, Krupa Ge, Daribha Lyndem, Shabir Ahmed Mir, Lindsay Pereira and Keerthik Sasidharan, the longlist of 2021 JCB Prize for Literature, which is one of Indian writing's coveted awards, was announced on Monday.

The 2021 longlist includes: 'A Death in Sonagachhi' by Rijula Das; 'What We Know About Her by Krupa Ge'; 'Name Place Animal Thing' by Daribha Lyndem; 'The Plague Upon Us' by Shabir Ahmed Mir; 'Gods and Ends' by Lindsay Pereira; 'The Dharma Forest' by Keerthik Sasidharan; and 'Asoca' by Irwin Allan Sealy.

The Prize was set up in 2018 to enhance the prestige of literary achievement in India and create greater visibility for contemporary Indian writing. According to the statement, this year the longlist was chosen from a wide range of submissions by writers from 16 states writing in multiple languages published between August 1, 2020 and July 31, 2021.

Three Malayalam translations also feature on the list this year. These are: 'Anti-Clock' by V.J. James, translated from Malayalam by Ministhy S.; 'Delhi: A Soliloquy' by M. Mukundan, translated from Malayalam by Fathima E.V. and Nandakumar K.; and 'The Man Who Learnt to Fly but Could Not Land' by Thachom Poyil Rajeevan, translated from Malayalam by P.J. Mathew.

As a reflection of the times, all novels prominently feature themes of self-reflection, duality and morality, says the JCB Literature Foundation.

The list of ten novels was selected by a panel of five judges: Sara Rai (Chair), author and literary translator; Annapurna Garimella, designer and art historian; Shahnaz Habib, author and translator; Prem Panicker, journalist and editor; and Amit Varma, writer and podcaster.

The Longlist will be followed by a shortlist announcement on October 4. The winner of the Rs 25-lakh JCB Prize for Literature will be announced on November 13.

Commenting on the longlist for 2021 and the overall reading experience, Sara Rai, Chair of the jury, observed, "While reading through the great range of books, many of them translations, that were in the running for the JCB Prize 2021, there were certain things that we had in mind -- a cohesiveness of plot and narrative, of structure and texture, metaphor, point of view, and acute angles of invention. We looked for the focused gaze and the unique voice, one in tune with the setting and situation in the book that despite rough edges was particular and at the same time universal." "We were after well-written and well-edited books, those that transformed you in subtle ways by providing a new perspective on contemporary Indian reality even if the work was one of historical fiction. We found that the books on the 2021 longlist not only met these criteria, but also passed the final test -- they were unforgettable and stayed with us long after we had finished reading them." Mita Kapur, Literary Director, says: "What we were looking for in the submissions this year, I think, was a sense of the world beyond ourselves. We reached out to publishers, big and small, across the country, working with books originally in English and translated from Indian languages. The books we received surprised us by showing us multiple ways of living and being, taking us out of the spaces our bodies and minds were confined to. Our continued dedication to look for great literature beyond the narrow confines of genre means that the longlist will have something for every reader." The prize encourages translations and aims to introduce new audiences to works of Indian literature written in languages other than their own.

This annual prize for Literature, celebrating distinguished works of fiction by Indian writers, was previously won in 2020 by 'Moustache' by S. Hareesh, translated from the Malayalam by Jayasree Kalathil, and in 2019 by 'The Far Field' by Madhuri Vijay. Its debut edition in 2018 was won by 'Jasmine Days' by Benyamin, translated from the Malayalam by Shahnaz Habib.

(Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in)
Islamabad, Sep 6 : The Pakistan-Afghanistan Torkham border, the main trade route between the two countries, that also caters as transit trade route for other nations, has seen a major surge in trade activities since the Taliban have taken control of the border operations on the Afghan side.

The trade activities along the border have increased as hundreds of trucks now, cross the border on a daily basis for trade purposes.

"Before the Taliban took control of the border, we used to have many issues. We had to go through a wait for hours and hours with loaded trucks of supplies for clearance to cross into Afghanistan. We had to pay Rs.16,000 to the Afghan security forces as bribe to cross the border. And then had to pay more bribes on every check post from Torkham till Mazar-i-Sharif," said Gul Agha, a truck driver whose daily routine of movement is to carry, tomatoes, fruits, vegetables and other supplies from Afghanistan into Pakistan.

"But now that the Taliban are there, we do not have to give many documents for clearance nor do we have to pay any money. They give us a piece of paper at the border and that is our legal permission to move freely in Afghanistan till Mazar-i-Sharif," he added.

Another trader said that business has doubled since the Taliban have taken over control at the borders.

"Since the time the Taliban has come, in comparison to the previous government, the business has doubled at the Torkham border. Previously, during the previous government rule in Afghanistan, about 70 to 80 vehicles would get custom clearance in 24 hours. Now, more than 300 vehicles come on a daily basis. This has increased our interest in the business," said Faridullah Shinwari, a local trader at the Torkham border.

"We used to face difficulties when clearing vehicles, which would be coming from Afghanistan into Pakistan previously. One vehicle was checked at least four places. After the car got scanned, we would be told to check them. And in that process of repeated checks, lots of time would be consumed. Many times, supplies like vegetables, fruits etc would be left of no use as they would get shabby." When asked about how he feels about the takeover of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Shinwari said that for the moment, lives are coming to ease as thousands of families living along the border on both sides, banks on the trade movements and activities.

However, he demanded that locals who used to travel across the border for work should also be allowed to continue working.

(Hamza Ameer reporting from Ground Zero)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Sep 6 : A special bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana on Monday told the Centre that it is not keen "having a confrontation" with it but its patience is running out on delay in filling up vacancies at key tribunals.

The bench, also comprising justices D.Y. Chandrachud and L. Nageswara Rao said in the backdrop of long-pending vacancies, the tribunals across the country are on "the verge of collapse", some are only working with one-member, and cases are being adjourned by a year. Justice Ramana told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta: "We are upset, we will give you 3-4 days time". The bench clearly told the Mehta to convince the government to fill long-pending vacancies at tribunals by next hearing on September 13.

At the beginning of the hearing, when Mehta asked for adjournment in the matter, the chief justice, denying adjournment, said: "You have no respect for the judgments of this court. You are testing our patience".

Mehta shared a screenshot of a letter addressed to him by the finance ministry on September 6. The ministry said the rules under Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021 are in the process of being finalized and will soon be notified. "The new law has paved the way for filling up of vacancies in the tribunals... The government will ensure that within next two weeks, a decision on appointment to all the tribunals is taken where the Search-cum-Selection Committees have already given their recommendations to the government", said the letter.

However, the contents of the letters did not budge the bench, which rather shot a volley of questions at Mehta, while making critical observations on the Act. Justice Rao questioned the assurance in the ministry's letter regarding filling up of vacancies in the tribunals. He asked Mehta: "The appointments have been pending for over a year-and-a-half. Why were these appointments not made?" Justice Chandrachud said the new Act is the replica of what was struck down in the Madras Bar Association cases. The bench said: "Next time we issue a judgement there will be a new law contrary to the judgement. It's a replica!" Justice Chandrachud noted, names for appointments were cleared by the Intelligence Bureau and then by a committee which included top court judges and senior-level bureaucrats. "No clarity, why they are deleted? We sit together with bureaucrats and made decisions. It is a waste of energy", said justice Chandrachud. Justice Rao said if appointments were not made then tribunals would have to be closed. "Emasculating by not appointing members", he added.

The Chief Justice told Mehta, you never advise government to make legislation after legislation, "this is how bureaucracy functions I understand! But government need to take a call". The Chief Justice further added, "We are not interested in or inviting any confrontation. We are listing it next Monday. By that time see appointments are made".

The Chief justice added, "We are happy with appointment of judges (9 judges to the top court). We do not want any confrontation with the government." He emphasized that Centre should fill up vacancies in tribunals, as it did for the top court.

He told Mehta, "The tribunals have virtually collapsed. Why are you being so particular about the tribunals?" Justice Chandrachud told Mehta that NCLT, NCLAT are critical to the economy, and they are important for rehabilitation of corporate entities. He added that important cases are not being heard because of vacancies and by not appointing members at these tribunals creates a very critical position.

The bench did not record these oral observations of the court order, instead asked Mehta to engage with the government on issue of appointments. Mehta said that he will convey it to the government. The bench told Mehta, "No, no 'conveying' is something else. If you don't want an order from us, you pass the order of appointments".

If orders are not implemented, the top court said it has following options: Stay the Tribunal Reforms Act, close down tribunals, the top court appoints the people to fill up vacancies and initiate contempt of court proceedings.

Concluding the hearing the Chief Justice stressed that the court expects some appointments to be made by Monday.
Bhubaneswar, Sep 6 : The Odisha government is taking all necessary steps to start functioning of the proposed medical college and hospital at Sundargarh from next academic session 2022-23, State Health Minister Naba Das told the Odisha Assembly on Monday.

Making a statement in the House, Das said the medical college being set up with the support of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) will function with 100 MBBS seats while the hospital will have 500 beds.

The State government had signed a memorandum of understanding with the NTPC in December, 2013 to set up this medical college with a preliminary estimation of Rs 350 crore. For this, the State had provided 21 acres of land free of cost, he said.

Following the demand of politicians, intellectuals, lawyers and the general public of western Odisha, the State chief secretary in November last year wrote a letter to the Union health secretary requesting for establishment of a second AIIMS at the infrastructure developed by NTPC for the proposed medical college, the minister informed the House. At present, the State has one AIIMS at Bhubaneswar.

"Later on March 15, 2021, I requested the Union health minister to set up the second AIIMS of Odisha at Sundergarh," he said.

In April this year, the Union health ministry had sent a Central team to make field verification of the proposed medical college and they have expressed satisfaction. The team had raised the requirement of 200 acres of land to set up the AIIMS, he further said.

The minister said the State government can provide required land and financial assistance from district mineral fund (DMF) for establishing an AIIMS.

The State director of medical education and training had also submitted a proposal to the members of the Central team in April last. However, the Union government has not given any reply to this proposal, even after five months, he pointed out.

"If the Centre decides to set up the AIIMS at Sundergarh, the State government will provide all necessary support for it," Das assured.
London, Sep 6 : The US has cash funded the infamous Wuhan lab in China, that is known to deal in deadly viruses and is also the place from where the SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind Covid-19 pandemic, allegedly leaked, claimed a new book.

The book titled "What Really Happened in Wuhan: the Cover-Ups, the Conspiracies and the Classified Research" is written by Australian investigative journalist Sharri Markson.

The book claims that the controversial research to make diseases more potent was backed by Dr Anthony Fauci, US' top infectious disease expert, Markson wrote in The Times.

Markson asserted that the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) was creating a database of potentially lethal viruses with the help of Shi Zhengli, famously known as the 'batwoman', in a lab with poor safety practices and no US oversight.

In March 2018, two years before the pandemic struck the world -- probably from the same city/lab -- US career diplomat Rick Switzer along with his colleague Jamie Fouss, the US consul-general in Wuhan, led a team to inspect the WIV.

Switzer sent a cable to the State Department in April, and made clear how the National Institutes of Health (NIH), headed by Dr Anthony Fauci, was funding research at the Wuhan lab -- which included experimenting with coronaviruses, the Daily Mail reported.

Zhengli was working on China's own version of the Global Virome Project (GVP) -- supposed to be an international collaborative effort to identify within 10 years all of the planet's viruses which have pandemic or epidemic potential in humans.

The "NIH was a major funder, along with the National Science Foundation of China, of SARS research by the Wuhan Institute of Virology," read the cable, according to the report.

"In the last year, the institute has also hosted visits from the NIH, National Science Foundation and experts from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston," it added.

The book noted that despite the US's help in funding and training the lab and its technicians, only few international researchers were welcome to work inside the facility.

"So a laboratory working with the most lethal pathogens known to humankind had effectively cut off collaboration with the international community," Markson commented in the book.

WIV and Zhengli came under intense scrutiny, after coronavirus spread like wildfire throughout the world. Many governments and scientists worldwide suggested that the institute was the source of the Covid-19 outbreak, leading to multiple probes and inconclusive findings.

The US, along with the probe teams of the World Health Organisation has criticised China for not cooperating with the investigation.

However, Zhengli and the Chinese government have denied their role in the origin of Covid-19. They have dismissed the Wuhan lab leak theory as "extremely impossible" and have accused the US of "political manipulation".

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Mumbai, Sep 6 : The trailer of web series 'Nakaab' has been launched. It is an investigative thriller directed by Soumik Sen and stars Mallika Sherawat, Esha Gupta and Gautam Rode in the lead.

Speaking about her character, Mallika said, "This series investigates the hidden nuances of a glamorous industry. I play Zohra who is an inspiring single woman at the apex of the media industry, but her character is mysterious. It's the kind of part I have never explored before and honestly I feel it's the role of a lifetime. 'Nakaab' has crime, drama, secrets, and scandals and is a complete entertainer. However, it was the fantastic mysteriously layered character written by Soumik that made me immediately take up the part." In the show, cop Aditi Amre (Esha Gupta) gets assigned to a high-profile death case of a prime-time television actress Vibha Dutta (Ankita Chakrobarty) who was very close to television czarina Zohra Mehra (Mallika Sherawat). Aditi's monotonous life turns upside down when she starts unfolding intricate details about the case.

As Aditi embarks on this journey with her senior, Pawan Bisht (Gautam Rode), she discovers a part of her own personality that she never knew existed within her.

Playing the role of Sub Inspector Aditi Amre, Esha Gupta said, "What pulled me towards playing this character is that it has immense depth. Investigative dramas or thrillers have been a personal favourite for me, and I found the backdrop of this story really interesting." 'Nakaab' will go live on September 15 on MX Player.
San Francisco, Sep 6 : Apple is expected to launch a new Watch Series 7 next month in larger 41mm as well as 45mm case sizes and now a new report has claimed that the production problems may delay the release of some or all models.

According to Mark Gurman's "Power On" newsletter, the issues in production could lead to one of three outcomes, rather the announcement of the models will be delayed, Apple will release the new models on time but in small quantities, or Apple will announce the models on time but delay the sale to consumers, reports AppleInsider.

However, Gurman believes that an announcement in September will still go ahead, with a mix of limited stock releases for some models.

The Apple Watch Series 7 may feature a smaller "S7" chip, potentially providing more space for a larger battery or other components.

This new chipset will be built from Taiwanese supplier ASE Technology. On its website, ASE Technology confirmed that its double-sided technology will allow for module miniaturization.

Based on previous reports, Apple Watch Series 7 models are expected to debut later this year, with Mark Gurman claiming that Apple has tested thinner display bezels.

The Cupertino based tech giant is also planning to introduce a new lamination technique that reduces the gap between the display and the cover glass, due to this the overall chassis of the Watch may be slightly thicker.
New Delhi, Sep 6 : China's deep influence in East Africa, comprising 13 countries, through its economic presence in the region is getting questioned for debt traps and duplicity, top sources said.

Africa is one of the fastest urbanising continents with pace of migration to urban centres faster than India and China. By 2034, Africa will have the world's largest working age population. It has at least 46 percent of the world's supply of manganese, and 50 per cent of the world's Cobalt reserves are estimated to be in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) alone.

Africa's Coltan resources (short for columbite-tantalites) are also of significant interest to the world; as it is an integral mineral used in the production of electronics, including cell phones.

The fastest growing sub region in the continent is East Africa which comprises 13 countries including several emerging economies such as Ethiopia, Djibouti, Tanzania and Kenya.

China has had a long-standing relations with Africa, having slowly and steadily built up its strategic and economic presence over the years.

"The absence of other major powers in the region, coupled with the internecine conflicts and political instability, has made East Africa a particularly favoured region for China to deepen its influence and establish a stronghold," said a senior government officer.

Over the last two decades, China has established a significant economic presence, and its lucrative economic investment packages, flexible political approach and focused big-ticket development projects under Belt and Road Initiative ostensibly provide a massive opportunity to African countries.

"However, it is an open secret that many Belt and Road Initiative projects in Africa have been made through underhand dealings with unscrupulous elements who may have placed their personal profit above public interest," the officer claimed.

Unfettered by public opinion back home, China has always managed to establish relationships with governments which were actively ostracised by the West.

Reportedly, "almost all projects in Africa have been concluded with opaque and dubious terms".

"The projects are, in all certainty, unable to pass even a basic level of financial scrutiny," the officer said.

As public call for accountability become intense, governments answerable to their citizens are pulling back from China and calling out the unfavourable terms that were thrust upon them in a 'take it or leave it' kind of deal.

"A Hobson's choice to be precise," the officer said.

The spectre of 'Debt Trap' looms real for many African nations as the sheen of Chinese President Xi Jinping's promises wears off and the duplicity of Beijing's intent becomes clear.

According to Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) Agenda, Sub-Saharan African ports play an integral role in the BRI and Chinese investments in East African ports form the backbone of Beijing's 'Maritime Silk Road'.

These investments not only help China gain access to more markets, but also helps Beijing to exert more political leverage, empower People's Liberation Army Navy's security activism and also establish a dependency on Chinese technology and expertise.

The saga of Bagamayo port in Tanzania is one that has left an indelible impression in the region.

"A $10 billion investment in the port has been repeatedly stalled as the China Merchant Holdings company insisted on a 99-year lease," the officer claimed.

The new Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has recently announced re-commencement of negotiations for the development of the port.

This has ignited speculation that China, the project's main investor, is looking to establish an additional dual-use foothold on the East African coast, a move that would greatly enhance Beijing's strategic aims in the region.

With Bagamoyo under control of China, the Mozambique Channel, which is an important route for shipping in eastern Africa, would be easily controlled in war like situations or low intensity conflicts.

The port could be tapped for purposes that go beyond purely commercial endeavoors and may also be used as a ship repair hub for CCP (Navy) or perhaps even more.

Djibouti, another small country in east Africa, owes more than 70 per cent of its external debt to China. Djibouti's location at the Horn of Africa makes the country one of the critical locales for projecting power across Africa and Asia.

The former French colony was once crucial to France's influence in East Africa.

China and Chinese state-owned firms have invested nearly $10 billion in Djibouti's Doraleh Container Terminal and controls majority of the port.

All these have allowed for significant leverage leading to the first overseas Chinese military base being set up in Djibouti in 2017.

Another country facing a debt crisis with China is Kenya. It has already defaulted on its payment for Mombasa port and is on the verge of losing it to the debt trap created by Chinese firms.

With the latest operationalisation of the Lamu port in Kenya, China now has another port facility in the Indian Ocean that it could access without impediments and from where it could project its power capabilities.

Just like Hambantota in Sri Lanka, Djibouti, Bagamoyo, Mombasa and Lamu can be seen as few examples of China's so-called debt-trap diplomacy, wherein China is tailoring its support to the country by answering immediately their expressed needs, but by doing that also trapping them in their net and establishing bonds for life that they would be unable to pay back.

"To put the unequal terms of BRI projects in perspective for the readers, the project contracts invariably have conditions that countries are forced to accept - loans at exorbitant rates, expansive concessions for Chinese agencies to operate and expand at will, long term exclusive unilateral lease and a non-competition clause," the officer added.

The political imperative of showcasing China-Africa relations has also seen many economically unviable projects being taken up under the BRI umbrella.

A prime example for the same is the railway project in Ethiopia, which required significant renegotiation of the loan terms.

Allegedly, China's financing of its BRI projects across Africa is mostly comprised of loans to governments that are both very large and conditioned by signatory's commitments to not fully disclose their terms.

The latest victim being Zambia, which is struggling to repay its debt to China.

"What China is intending to do in Africa is no less than what the Europeans and Americans did in the past. Taking advantage of the weak economy and unstable governments, China has been able to lure these poverty ridden countries into an inescapable trap," the officer said.

The Chinese model in Africa has been distinctly predatory and self-serving - a realisation that is dawning on many African nations today, the officer claimed.

China watchers and BRI commentators have for long asserted that the BRI is only a system of creating access to markets for Chinese goods and the narrative of creation of infrastructure that will boost development of the host nation is at best tenuous.

The African agenda of BRI also has to be seen in a larger context. The Chinese Dream that has been popularised by Xi Jinping hinges on global influence and power.

"This is being obtained blatantly through coercion, belligerence, opacity and duplicity by the Chinese machinery," the officer added.

The economic subjugation of African nations, hegemony and outlandish claims in the South China Sea, interference with legitimate maritime economic pursuits of littoral nations, lack of respect for international norms, belligerence on hitherto peaceful border areas - all point to the treacherous intentions and underpinnings of the Chinese Dream.

"It is, therefore, time that the world calls out the CPC for what they are - a ruthless unscrupulous conglomerate that treats sovereign nations with disdain and disrespect," the officer added.

China views peace, prosperity and regional influence as a zero-sum game, and this has played out again and again on the world stage.

"It is a certainty that a country that shows scant regard for its citizens is unlikely to treat any other nation with equanimity and respect," he said.

And this is becoming clearer every day, with the experience of the nations in Africa.

(Sumit Kumar Singh can be sumit.k@ians.in)
New Delhi, Sep 6 : The Panjshir resistance has denied Talibans claim of having captured the province.

"Taliban's claim of occupying Panjshir is false. The NRF forces are present in all the strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight. We assure the people of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban and their partners will continue until justice and freedom prevails," the National Resistance Front (NRF) said in a tweet.

Taliban fighters have fully captured the very last holdout, Panjshir province, it has been claimed.

Acting minister of culture and information and spokesperson of the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement said that their efforts for the establishment of nationwide security has paid off and the province has been taken by the help of 'Allah' and the support of the people, Khaama News reported.

The defiant Panjshir province has been witnessing heavy conflicts between the Taliban and the resistance forces for the last seven days during which both sides have inflicted casualties.

As per the statement, some of the resistance forces have been killed while others fled the province, the report said.

"We assure the people of Panjshir not to be subject to discriminatory behavior, they are our brothers and will jointly work for the development of Afghanistan", the statement said.

In the last night's conflict in Panjshir province, a key commander of the resistance forces, General Abdul Wodod, and the spokesperson of the forces, Fahim Dashti, were killed.

Earlier, co-leader of the resistance Ahmad Masoud had offered negotiations with the Taliban that were refused by the Taliban.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Sep 6 : Panasonic on Monday launched a new large-aperture wide fixed focal length lens, the LUMIX S 24mm F1.8 (S-S24), as the third addition to the series of four F1.8 large-aperture lenses based on the L-Mount system standard.

Priced at Rs 1,14,990, the lens will be available across Panasonic India brand shops and Panasonic 4K Imaging School starting September 20.

A total of four F1.8 fixed focal length lenses from the LUMIX S Series including 85mm(S-S85), 50mm(S-S50) and the new 24mm(S-S24) lens feature a common size and position of control parts to provide practical advantages in use.

"The LUMIX S 24mm F1.8 is capable of smooth, silent operation to work with the camera's high-speed, high-precision contrast AF system with the sensor drive at max.240 fps. Sensitivity (the amount of focus shift per rotational quantum) can be selected from 90 to 360 degrees by 30 degrees to enable intended focus operation. The LUMIX S 24mm F1.8 also excels in video recording performance with a mechanism that suppresses focus breathing," the company said in a statement.

The LUMIX S 24mm F1.8 is comprised of twelve lens elements in eleven groups including three aspherical lenses, three ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) lenses and one UED (Ultra Extra-Low Dispersion) lens.

With rugged dust/splash-resistant design, one can use the lens in harsh conditions even at 10 degrees below zero for high mobility.
Gorakhpur : , Sep 6 (IANS) The Nishad Party has said that it will now sponsor the education of Sandhya Sahini, the class 11 student who rows a boat in the Rapti river to attend her school daily.

Nishad Party President, Dr Sanjay Nishad said: "She is the next Phoolan Devi as she is full of courage and determination and we will bear the full education expense of the girl and also apply for hostel facility to save her from challenges of reaching school in odd situations." Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, on Sunday, had lauded Sandhya, tweeting: "This girl did not lose her courage despite the difficult situation, failed administration and an uncertain future. Sandhya's courage teaches us a lot." The Congress leader had also shared a screenshot of a media report about Sandhya, who is seen rowing a boat in flood waters to reach her school.
New Delhi, Sep 6 : After signing peace pact with Karbi Anglong on September 4, the Centre and Assam government have been talking to other insurgents groups to surrender their arms to bring them to the mainstream of the society, sources said here on Monday.

According to the sources, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been in touch with the major insurgent groups such as Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA) and United Liberation Front of Asom Independent (ULFA-I) apart from some small outfits too through the state government representative.

The Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma himself has been monitoring the peace talks with these militant outfits, they added.

While talking to media on September 4, after the Karbi Anglong deal was signed, Sarma also indicated that that the state government representative has been in touch with The United Liberation Front of Asom Independent (ULFA-I) chief Paresh Baruah and very soon ULFA could join peace talks with the Centre.

On August 15, this year, he also appealed to the banned outfit ULFA-I Chief Paresh Baruah to come forward to the negotiating table for the dialogue process.

On January 27 last year, the MHA had signed a peace accord with one of the dreaded insurgent groups of Assam -- the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) along with the All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) under which around 1,550 cadres along with 130 weapons surrendered on January 30, 2021.

ULFA is an armed far-leftist separatist organisation operating in Assam. It seeks to establish an independent sovereign nation state of Assam for the indigenous Assamese people through an armed struggle.

The Dimasa tribe is an indigenous, ethno-linguistic community living in Assam and Nagaland. The Dimasa National Liberation Army is a two-year-old militant group based in Assam that announced its launch in April 2019, claiming it was "committed to revamp the national struggle and fight for the liberation of a sovereign, Independent Dimasa Nation".

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on September 4 signed a tripartite 'Karbi Peace Accord' here bringing an end to the decades long agitation and unrest in Assam. The militant groups are -- People's Democratic Council of Karbi Longri (PDCK), Karbi Longri NC Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF), Karbi People's Liberation Tiger (KPLT), Kuki Liberation Front (KLF) and United People's Liberation Army (UPLA).

Describing the peace pact as historic, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said, "The signing of the Historic Karbi Anglong Agreement, the Modi government is committed to resolving the decades-old crisis, ensuring the territorial integrity of Assam".

Reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of "Insurgency free prosperous North East", he said that the government was committed to fulfil all promises made in the accord and also said that the Modi government will welcome any insurgents who want to give up arms and join the mainstream.
Kochi, Sep 6 : After fisheries, coconut and tourism, the Lakshadweep administration has prioritised seaweed farming as the next major development driver of the islands.

A demonstration farming of seaweed was launched in nine inhabited islands of Lakshadweep with the technical support of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Kochi headquartered Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).

The large-scale initiative is in line with a CMFRI study that revealed immense potential for production of quality seaweeds in serene and pollution-free lagoons of Lakshadweep for high-end utilisation like the pharmaceuticals, food and nutraceuticals.

The indigenous red algae, Gracilaria edulis and Acanthophora spicifera are the species being farmed in nearly 2,500 bamboo rafts benefitting 100 families belonging to 10 women self-help groups in different islands.

CMFRI scientist K. Mohammed Koya said the island is known for its unique tuna fisheries and myriads of beautiful corals, reef fishes and other creatures.

"Now the marine sphere of the islands are more likely to be known as the seaweed farming hub of India soon," Koya added.

Recent studies by the CMFRI revealed an unprecedented growth performance of indigenous seaweed species in various lagoons of Lakshadweep with nearly 60-fold growth in 45 days for the species Gracilaria edulis.

Following the early success, the Lakshadweep administration joined hands with the CMFRI for multi-locational trial farming and capacity building of stakeholders.

Thus, experimental-scale trial farming was conducted in the islands of Kiltan, Chetlah Kadmath, Agatti and Kavaratti during 2020-21 with promising results.

"The studies revealed that the island territory has a potential of producing nearly 30,000 ton of dry seaweed per year worth Rs 75 crore by farming only 1 per cent (200 hectare) of its 21,290 hectare lagoon area (inhabited islands only) at the rate of a modest 150 ton per hectare", Koya added.

Terming it as a climate-smart initiative, he further said, "The sea being the major sink of carbon and the seaweeds well-known for its carbon sequestration properties, the farming of seaweed at such a scale would sequester nearly 6500t carbon dioxide per day adding a huge carbon credit to the nation while providing a climate-resilient livelihood to the islanders," said CMFRI scientist.

Providing a sound scientific basis for a sustainable seaweed farming enterprise, the CMFRI and the Lakshadweep Krishi Vigyan Kendra of the CMFRI is conducting further studies for assessing the carrying capacity of the lagoons, spatial mapping of suitable farming sites, standardising farming methods for year-round farming in deeper areas and means to ensure quality seeding materials of indigenous seaweed species jointly with the Lakshadweep administration.
Islamabad, Sep 6 : The fall of Kabul after the withdrawal of the US-backed NATO forces to the hands of the Afghan Taliban has seen different responses from various global powers and players, as they move towards recognition of the Taliban led government setup in what seems to be the only way forward with limited or no other options.

The fall of Kabul and takeover by the Afghan Taliban has on one side seen disquiet response from other countries, who are still trying to understand the shocking topple of the Ashraf Ghani government and the Afghan forces, who literally surrendered to the Taliban, handing them over the control of the country after the withdrawal of the US and NATO forces.

While the confused and uncertain contemplation continues elsewhere; in Pakistan, it seems that the development in Afghanistan has come as a welcome news.

Many Pakistanis are celebrating the fall of Kabul and relating it with what they call, the defeat of the Indian efforts to engage elements and use them to destabilize Pakistan.

The same narrative seems to be shared and echoed by many ministers in the government of Imran Khan in Pakistan, who relate the fall of Kabul with the defeat of Indian influence and its intelligence level investments.

While the celebrations and jubilations seem emotionally driven; the Pakistan government is being cautious in responding and approaching the developing and changing situation in Afghanistan, maintaining that Islamabad will work with any government in Afghanistan, formed as per the will of its people.

Pakistan does understand this very clearly that its alignment with the Taliban is not as strong as it used to be in the past, which is the prime reason why no other country is as concerned with Afghanistan's future with Pakistan.

Pakistan shares ideological, geographical and ethnic propinquity with Afghanistan and is directly in the line of gains and losses that may outpour from Afghanistan.

The biggest gain for Pakistan with the Taliban takeover will be surrounded in hopes that the Taliban will not align with India and support them to use their soil to instigate violence in Pakistan, the claim Islamabad has been making for some time. Another gain would be a stoppage of cross accusations of governments on infiltration of terrorist groups into each other's country through the borders, another argument that was consistently in practice between Islamabad and the previous Kabul administration.

Another important and by far the most pivotal of all is the new alliance of China, Pakistan, Russia, Iran and Turkey that is converging its interests into Afghanistan after the US withdrawal.

Pakistan is eyeing at this opportunity and wants to see a more inclusive government setup in Afghanistan, which should get recognition and global legitimacy in order to pave the way for global investments and economic trade to increase through Pakistan land routes.

While Pakistanis may be celebrating the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan; the Pakistan government is taking small cautious steps with a stronger eye on strategic role in the future of Afghanistan.
New Delhi, Sep 6 : The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a PIL seeking constitution of an international body of experts to examine if the Covid-19 Delta variant could be a synthetic pathogen.

A bench headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud told counsel that a prayer in the petition seeks direction for constitution of an international expert body, which comprises of experts from China. "You must go to the government. We have no jurisdiction on Chinese and US citizens (to be included on this task force)." The bench, also comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Hima Kohli, added: "We will rather focus on managing pandemic in our country than delving into conspiracy theories involving other nations." Justice Chandrachud told the petitioner's counsel that he had the power to move the government, as the government is meant for people. "These are matters of policy," said the top court, as it declined to entertain the plea.

The plea, filed by Mumbai-based researcher and Abhinav Bharat Congress trustee Pankaj K. Phadnis, had also sought to apprise the apex court on the steps taken to prevent Covid third wave and added that the variant first found in India is now the dominant virus strain in the world, bringing condemnation upon India in the eyes of the world.

The plea argued that the Covid tragedy is not yet over, and people are all forced to live under serious restrictions awaiting the third wave. It further sought direction to the Centre to scientifically keep track of any further mutation that might occur in future.
Kolkata, Sep 6 : The controversy over the by-election at Bhabanipur assembly constituency in West Bengal continued as state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said that the party is thinking of moving the court on the issue. The party is taking the opinion of the lawyers and then the final decision will be taken, he said.

Speaking to media on Monday, the state BJP President said, "The state is not allowing local trains to ply. They are not allowing more than 50 guests in a function. They are arresting people who are congregating for some purpose and they are going for the election".

"This double standard cannot continue. Either they will have to say there is no corona in the state or they will have to suspend the polls. There will be a gathering of thousands in the election meeting of Mamata Banerjee. Is there anyone who can arrest them? They will only arrest Dilip Ghosh, Suvendu Adhikari and the BJP supporters," Ghosh said.

"We are taking the opinion of the lawyers and if needed we will move the court. This cannot continue," Ghosh who went to meet a BJP woman supporter in a private hospital in Bidhannagar said. The woman, who is a resident of Durgapur in East Burdwan, tried to commit suicide after she was humiliated when she went to take her vaccine on Sunday.

The election commission on Saturday announced the date for the by-election in Bhabanipur and elections in two other assembly constituencies - Samserganj and Jangipur in Murshidabad district. The elections in these three constituencies will be held on September 30 and the counting is on October 3.

The by-election at Bhabanipur from where chief minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting triggered controversy because the commission, in its notification, mentioned that the by-election in this constituency is being taken as a special case on the request of the government of West Bengal. The commission deferred the polls of 31 other assembly constituencies across the country that are lying vacant because of the pandemic situation.

Earlier, Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari raised the same issue and said, "There is no understanding between the Election Commission and the BJP. Will the Election Commission be able to explain why by-elections are not being held in 31 Assembly constituencies in the country? The state chief secretary Hare Krishna Dwivedi wrote to the election commission that if there is no by-election in Bhabanipur, there will be a constitutional crisis in the state. He can't write that. By-elections are not being held in six more constituencies. What complication is being created for that? We will make this an issue".
Agartala, Sep 6 : Tripura police arrested five people including a Hindutva organisation leader after a 16-year-old Muslim girl tied knot with a Hindu youth remained missing for 45 days, police said on Monday.

Western Tripura's Sepahijala District Superintendent of police Krishnendu Chakraborty said that the police so far arrested five people including Tapan Debnath, a Hindutva organisation leader.

"The girl (a class IX student) from Charilam village following love affairs willingly married to 23-year-old youth Suman Sarkar and converted to Hindu community. The couple remained untraceable since July 24. We hope to detect the girl and his fiance soon as our massive search operations are on. Debnath and his colleague Chandra Sekhar Kar had played active role in the entire development," Chakraborty told IANS.

The police authority on Monday has handed over the case to the Crime Branch.

After the police initially did not take any active action to rescue the girl, her father filed a complaint with the High Court.

The division bench of the Tripura High Court comprising Chief Justice Akil Kureshi and Justice Satya Gopal Chattopadhyay, had directed the police to find out the girl and report to the court at the earliest but the police failed to do this so far.
Mumbai, Sep 6 : Rohit Shetty, who is currently hosting 'Khatron Ke Khiladi 11', says that the show is very special for him and he is happy with the response that this action-based reality show is receiving from the audience.

Talking about the show, Rohit shares: "KKK11 is very special to me, and we tried to amp up the thrill factor with every episode. We have some of the best contestants who have ensured to entertain the viewers with their winning spirit. It makes me really happy to know our hard work is paying off and the audiences are loving this season." Shot during the pandemic in Cape Town, the much-anticipated show has been making headlines because of its daredevil stunts and the winning spirit of each contestant.

'Khatron Ke Khiladi 11' airs on COLORS.
Chandigarh, Sep 6 : Seeing the assembly of a large number of protesting farmers in Karnal for the mahapanchayat on Tuesday, the Haryana government on Monday announced alternative routes on the Ambala-Delhi National Highway 44 to prevent major traffic obstructions.

The government has also directed to suspend mobile internet services in Karnal district from Monday midnight to 11:59 pm on September 7 to maintain law and order.

The mahapanchayat has been convened to protest against the August 28 lathicharge on farmers.

The traffic bound for Delhi from Ambala will be diverted from Pipli in Kurukshetra. Likewise, the traffic to Ambala from Delhi will be diverted from the Pepsi Bridge in Panipat.

"People are advised to avoid traveling on NH 44 on September 7 as the movement of traffic on this highway may remain affected due to the farmers' mahapanchayat," said an advisory issued by Karnal district magistrate Nishant Kumar Yadav.

The farmers will gather at the grain market of Karnal and take out a protest march on NH 44 before proceeding towards the mini-secretariat.

"There is no outcome from the meeting with the Karnal administration," Bharatiya Kisan Union (Haryana) President Gurnam Singh Chaduni told the media in Karnal.

"We will 'gherao' the mini-secretariat as per our plan," he added.

The protesting farmers have been demanding action against the IAS officer who ordered police action on August 28, and those policemen who were involved in the lathicharge on the protesting farmers.

The protesting farmers are also demanding a compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a government job to the next of kin of Sushil Kajal, a farmer from Gharunda who received head injuries in the lathicharge and died later owing to a heart attack.

The farmers are also demanding a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the wounded persons.

The district administration has already imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in Karnal, banning the assembly of public.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Navdeep Singh Virk said the Ambala-Delhi highway might see some traffic disruptions in Karnal district.

"The general public using NH 44 are advised to avoid journey through Karnal town and use alternate routes to go to their destinations on September 7," he said.

"All citizens are being informed about these arrangements in advance so that they are able to plan and modify their journey to avoid any inconvenience," he added.
Mumbai, Sep 6 : The record run in the Indian stock market continued on Monday with the key indices ending at record closing highs.

The BSE Sensex touched a new all-time high of 58,515.85 points, and the Nifty50 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) hit its record high of 17,429.55 points during the session.

Index-heavyweight Reliance Industries (RIL) supported the rise in the market. Shares of RIL on the BSE closed at Rs 2,424.55, higher by Rs 36.30 or 1.52 per cent from its previous close.

At the end of the day's trade, the market capitalisation of RIL stood at Rs 15.37 lakh crore.

Upward movement in the global markets also lifted the domestic indices during the day.

Sensex closed at 58,296.91, higher by 166.96 points or 0.29 per cent from its previous close of 58,129.95 points.

It had opened at 58,411.62 and touched an intra-day low of 58,200.29 points.

The Nifty50 on the National Stock Exchange closed at 17,377.80, higher by 54.20 points or 0.31 per cent from its previous close.

Shrikant Chouhan, Executive Vice President, Equity Technical Research, Kotak Securities Ltd, said: "The market continued its positive momentum and mirrored the up move in other global markets. The Nifty is still maintaining a higher bottom formation which is broadly positive." He, however added that the markets being in an "overbought situation" could trigger a quick intra-day correction if the Nifty trades below the 17,330 support level.

"As long as the index is trading above 17,330 the uptrend texture is likely to continue up to 17,450-17,500 levels. On the flip side, if Nifty trades below 17,330, it could trigger an intraday correction up to 17,250-17,210 levels," Chouhan said.

The top gainers on the Sensex were HCL Technologies, Infosys and Reliance Industries, while the major losers were ONGC, IndusInd Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank.
New Delhi, Sep 6 : Noida-based pubs and resturants are going through a tough time and are struggling to get back on their feet post the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ever since the bars and pubs reopened in the city in June after the seocnd Covid wave subsided, a sharp decline in the number of people visiting the eateries and bars has been reported.

After months, the bars and resturants in Noida were allowed to remain open on Saturdays. However, due to the strict Covid restrictions put in place, people are forced to travel to Delhi and Gurugram for dining outside. The bars and resturants in Noida are allowed to open only till 10 p.m., which has resulted in a sharp decline of diners visiting the eateries.

Vicky Saluja, owner of Noida-based Baby Dragons Bar & Restaurant, told IANS, "The industry is already reeling under the impact of the pandemic and has been severely hit by Covid, but now when the situation has started to return to normal, we are facing massive losses due to the new Covid restrictions in place." "Most guests prefer coming for dinner from 8.30 to 9.30 p.m. But due to the time restrictions, we take the last order at around 9 p.m. This 10 p.m. deadline is tearing our business apart," he said.

"As other states are giving more relaxations in timing, we also expect some extension in the working hours from the government," he added.

Many people from Noida are now driving to neighbouring Delhi and Gurugram for weekend outings and late night parties.

"If restaurants close earlier than the usual time, why will people visit them," Saluja asked.

"We are still running our business despite all the odds. If the government relaxes the working hours up to mid night, we may be able to reverse some losses," he added.

According to the Noida police administration, the entire country is fighting a battle against the Covid-19 pandemic. Section 144 has been imposed in the district from August 31 to September 30 so that the government succeeds in fighting the pandemic.

There is a complete ban on takeaway service by hotels and dhabas from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. This restriction was imposed days after a restaurant owner was shot dead by a food delivery boy in Greater Noida.

The Noida Restaurant Association is unhappy with this order issued by the UP government. However, the restaurant operators are hopeful that some relaxations may soon be announced by the district administration.

Prakash, the manager of 'Our Story Pub' in Noida, said, "Our restaurant starts only after 7 p.m., but now we have to close down by 9 or 10 p.m. What business can we do in just two or three hours?" "We even find it difficult to pay salaries to our staff. People only visit restaurants at night but we are not allowed to remain open after 10 p.m.," said the bar manager.

"Time restriction is a major deterrent for our business," Prakash added.

Now that restaurants and bars are allowed to remain open on Saturdays, the operators say that their appeal to the authorities will be to allow them to remain open on Sundays also, apart from some relaxation in the operating hours.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, Sep 6 : Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and state Health Minister T.S. Singhdeo shared stage after a long time in Raipur, after both the leaders blamed each other for pushing the government into turmoil over the issue of rotational chief ministership in the state.

Singhdeo walked into the function at the Chief Minister's residence in Raipur where the two warring leaders were seen sitting side by side. The Chief Minister had organized the function to celebrate Teeja Poora. Apart from Singhdeo, other ministers were also present at the function.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also invited women spokespersons of the AICC -- Supriya Shrinate, Alka Lamba and Radhika Khera, who were also present at the function. Baghel was also seen dancing at the event.

The Supporters of Singhdeo have been pushing for change for the post of the chief minister, even as the state unit is gearing up for the visit of Rahul Gandhi to Sarguja, which is the stronghold of Singhdeo in the state.

On the issue of rotational Chief Minister, Rahul Gandhi had two meetings last week involving both the leaders. Both Singhdeo and Bhupesh Baghel were present in the first meeting, while the second meeting, on last Friday, took place between Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Baghel but saw no decision being taken on a leadership change.

After the meeting, Baghel said that he has invited Rahul Gandhi to visit the state.

But sources say that the issue is not yet over and the top leadership is likely to talk to Singhdeo before arriving at any decision but for the time being Baghel has got a reprieve from Delhi, but is it permanent or temprory, there is no clarity on that and no official statement has been issued.

Singhdeo who is pushing on the formula of rotational chief minister is maintaining a line that everything is in the purview of the party leadership and whatever decision will be taken by them will be accepted.
Moscow, Sep 6 : Russia's new space station will operate autonomously to a large extent, using artificial intelligence as well as include extravehicular robots, Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin has said.

"The system itself, the station itself with artificial intelligence elements should demonstrate intelligence of the highest level," the Roscosmos chief was quoted as saying by TASS news agency.

He added that robotics should be used aboard Russia's new orbital station.

The new orbital outpost in conjunction with the Zeus nuclear-powered space tug can serve as a prototype for future systems of lengthy inter-planetary flights, he said.

Rogozin said the agency aims to develop the new space station with a higher efficiency factor than that of the current International Space Station (ISS).

In April, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov announced that the condition of the ISS left much to be desired and Russia might focus on creating its own orbital outpost.

"We want to make a station whose efficiency factor will be several orders of magnitude higher than that of the ISS," Rogozin said on the YouTube channel Soloviov Live.

Rogozin also noted that Roscosmos will start deploying the new Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS) in five-six years.

"We are planning to start deploying this station somewhere in five-six years," he said.

"This will be a completely new generation of orbital modules. The new station will feature open architecture and similar modules will replace each other when they use up their service life," Rogozin added.
Jaipur, Sep 6 : Amid the factions running deep in the ruling Congress in Rajasthan, the former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot camp is all busy to show its strength by planting a total of 10 lakh saplings in the desert state on the occasion of his 44th birthday which falls on Tuesday (September 7).

Also, a poster put up in Baran district has become a talking point as many veterans from CM Ashok Gehlot camp are seen greeting Pilot on his birthday. These include Cabinet Minister of Mines Pramod Jain Bhaya, MLA Panachand Meghwal, Nirmala Sahariya among others. Surprisingly, it is yet to be known who put up this poster in the district.

Meanwhile, Pilot's birthday is being celebrated as a major show of strength as his followers this time have announced to plant saplings for two days. A target to plant 5,000 saplings in each constituency has been set, according to which 10 lakh saplings will be planted in the state on Monday and Tuesday.

On Tuesday, many programmes have been organised to celebrate Pilot's birthday which include blood donation among others.

In fact, the Pilot camp has also launched a video titled 'Rajasthan of my dreams' which is the most discussed topic in the state. The Pilot camp is sharing this video aggressively. The 57-second video showcases a developed Rajasthan and connects it with Pilot's dream.

Sources have confirmed that a large number of Pilot supporters will gather at his residence on Tuesday to wish and greet him on his birthday.

Social media handles are running abuzz with pilot's birthday programmes.

Sachin Pilot has been pitching for cabinet expansion to ensure his followers get positions in the government and party organisation. Rajasthan In Charge Ajay Maken has been giving assurances that cabinet expansion will happen soon. However, all deadlines have fallen flat and a deadlock still continues between the two camps in Rajasthan which is being led by CM Ashok Gehlot and former CM Pilot.
Kolkata, Sep 6 : In a big relief to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, the Calcutta High Court on Monday not only stayed three of the five cases against him, but also told the police that no coercive action should be taken against Adhikari without the permission of the court.

The court also asked the police to interrogate Adhikari according to his convenience.

Justice Rajasekhar Mantha directed the police and the CID that no coercive action should be taken against Adhikari without the permission of the court. The court also stayed the investigation proceedings into the death of his bodyguard Subhabrata Chakraborty. Chakraborty allegedly shot himself at the Contai police station in 2018.

The death of Chakraborty took a significant turn when in July this year his wife Suparna Chakraborty lodged a complaint with the Contai police station demanding a probe into her husband's death.

Taking a strong stance against the reopening of the case, Justice Mantha said, "Why did she lodge a complaint three years after her husband's death? Was she sleeping? And why suddenly claim it to be a murder and name Adhikari? The court is worried if it becomes an arrest only to harass Adhikari." Along with this case, the single judge bench also stayed the investigation related to the political clash in Nandigram and a gold chain snatching case in Panskura, both in East Midnapore district.

However, the court allowed the cases pertaining to the threat to a Superintendent of Police when disaster management action was in place and another case of job scam at the Maniktala police station in Kolkata.

The court also directed the police that keeping in mind Adhikari is the Leader of the Opposition, they will have to interrogate him as per his convenience.

Meanwhile, Adhiakri, who was summoned by the CID on Monday in connection with the death of his bodyguard, told the probe agency via e-mail that he would not be able to be present because of his pre-scheduled political programmes.

"This is part of the state government's plan. They are harassing Suvendu Adhikari for no reason. The court verdict is enough to prove this," state BJP President Dilip Ghosh said.
San Francisco, Sep 6 : Misinformation received six times as many likes, shares, and interactions as legitimate news articles, researchers at New York University and France's Universite Grenoble Alpes have found.

The study looked at posts from the Facebook pages of more than 2,500 news publishers from August 2020 to January 2021 and saw publishers with right wing inclinations have a much higher propensity to share misleading information than publishers in other political categories, reports The Washington Post.

"The study helps add to the growing body of evidence that, despite a variety of mitigation efforts, misinformation has found a comfortable home - and an engaged audience - on Facebook," the report quoted Rebekah Tromble, Director of The Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics at George Washington University, who reviewed the study's findings.

The researchers will share the study as part of the 2021 Internet Measurement Conference in November.

"This report looks mostly at how people engage with content, which should not be confused with how many people actually see it on Facebook," said Facebook spokesman Joe Osborne. "When you look at the content that gets the most reach across Facebook, it is not at all like what this study suggests." Back in July, US President Joe Biden said that such social media platforms like Facebook are allowing Covid vaccine misinformation to spread and are "killing people".

In an interaction with the media, Biden directly criticised Facebook.

Asked for a message to social media platforms like Facebook, he replied: "They're killing people... the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, and they're killing people." In May, the social network announced to push down all posts by users who repeatedly share misinformation and fake content across its platforms, as it expands its fact-checking programme to individuals from Pages, Groups, Instagram accounts and domains.

The social network said that the new rule applies on false or misleading content about Covid-19 and vaccines, climate change, elections or other topics, so that fewer people see misinformation on its family apps.

Facebook first came under the scanner of policymakers around the world after allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential elections surfaced.

In India, Facebook has hit on several fake Pages and accounts linked to Congress as well as the BJP but the task at hand is humongous.
New Delhi, Sep 6 : The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has rejected the proposal of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to increase the number of 'casual leaves' from 15 to 28 days, an official said here.

"The proposal of the CRPF has been examined and it has been decided not to agree to the same in the light of the recommendation of the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC)", the Police II Division of the MHA said, adding that it has the approval of the 'Competent Authority'. The copy of the order was maked to all DGs of the CAPF.

Quoting the extract of the 7th CPC recommendations of 2014 on casual leaves, the MHA further reiterated, "Regarding the number of Casual Leave, the Commission is of the view that the present system is working well and need not be altered. As for the case of CAPF for parity with the defence forces is concerned, the Commission notes that CAPF is essentially civilian forces and their service conditions are different from defence forces. Hence parity in terms of number of casual leave cannot be considered. To sum up, the status quo is recommended".

The Ministry had received a request from CAPF on July 16 this year to increase the existing number of casual leaves to 28. With an aim to provide rest, recuperation and quality family time to the forces personnel deployed in some of the harshest locations and difficult climatic conditions across the country, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on December 29, 2019, had directed all CAPF personnel except Assam Rifle which is under the administrative control of the Defence Ministry, to ensure that each personnel gets to spend 100 days every year with his or her family and this system was to be implemented by August-September 2020.

The 100 days leave plan was yet to be made 'fully operational' hence, the MHA recently sent a communication to these forces to update it about the development of software managing transfers and postings of the personnel.

The CAPF includes the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Border Security Force (BSF), the Indo -Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) and Sashtra Seema Bal (SSB), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Assam Rifles.
Kabul, Sep 6 : During the previous regime in Afghanistan, led by President Ashraf Ghani, anti-Pakistan slogans echoed on the streets of Kabul, with Islamabad accused of fomenting violence and instability in the country by supporting, harbouring, and facilitating terrorists groups in their operations.

The Ashraf Ghani government was also rigid with its consistent blame on Pakistan for working towards instability and unrest in Afghanistan.

While Ghani has been ousted from power by the Afghan Taliban and the US-led NATO forces have also left the country in haste, anti-Pakistan sentiments still prevail among the Afghans.

Thousands of Afghan nationals, who have been evacuated from the Kabul airport to foreign countries, as well the ones who are still present inside Afghanistan, do not agree to giving Islamabad an appreciating shoulder tap on its role over the years.

Soon after the Afghan Taliban took over Afghanistan, social media was abuzz with #SanctionPakistan demanding the international community to hold Islamabad accountable on what they called "supporting the Taliban militants and spreading chaos".

"Pakistan has been an ally to the US. Its given its bases to operate drones. It has facilitated NATO forces and the invaders of Afghanistan. And it has also been aligned with the terror groups. It is because of Pakistan that thousands of innocent lives have been lost and this country has remained as war-wracked graveyard for us. How can we appreciate such a country?" said a local resident of Kabul, speaking on the basis of anonymity.

"We have not forgotten the time of the Soviet invasion. We have not forgotten how youngsters were being trained for militancy by Pakistani forces. Today, we are happy that the foreign invaders are gone. They have been defeated. And because Pakistan was an ally to the US and NATO forces, it has been defeated too," said another local.

While many locals express their disregard for Pakistan, there is a healthy number of people who appreciate the country for giving refuge to over 3.5 million refugees for decades.

"Pakistan has been the world's largest facilitator of Afghan refugees. This has to be appreciated. Almost every Afghan here has relatives in Pakistan. So Pakistan is important. Being a neighbour, we expect Pakistan to help Afghanistan in standing back up on its feet," said Amin Khan, a local resident of Kabul, who has family members living as Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

On the other hand, Afghan nationals in many countries have taken out anti-Pakistan rallies. They have accused Pakistan's military establishment and the intelligence agencies for supporting unrest in Afghanistan which has led to the current Afghan Taliban takeover.

"Pakistan has always supported the Taliban. And it became even more evident when Pakistan refused to open its borders and allow Afghans to flee the country in the worst humanitarian crisis," said Mujtaba Mutamaeen, an Afghan national living in Berlin.

While the Pakistan government maintains that it wants an inclusive government in Afghanistan that is established as per the will of the people of the country, a future strategic or development role in Afghanistan may be a much bigger challenge for Islamabad then it is being anticipated.
Gurugram, Sep 6 : Amid the fear of possible third wave of the Covid-19, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Haryana Health Department, Rajeev Arora chaired a review meeting with senior administrative officers, health officials and representatives of private hospitals of Gurugram, Nuh and Rewari in Gurugram on Monday.

The meeting discussed preparedness and prevention against the Covid-19 pandemic briefly.

Arora said that the government has set a target of vaccinating all eligible citizens in the entire state by the end of September, at least with one dose of the anti-coronavirus vaccine.

"In Gurugram the vaccination percentage is 119. Since Gurugram has a floating or migratory population, people keep coming and going, hence the vaccination has been more than 100 per cent," he said.

Arora also instructed Gurugram Civil Surgeon Dr Virender Yadav to send oxygen audit report of all private hospitals registered on the Covid portal to his office within a week. Also, prepare a report on the availability of beds and oxygen cylinders in these hospitals. Apart from this, he asked to keep all types of nozzles required for all hospital oxygen supplies in Gurugram.

"As per the instructions of the state government, 20 per cent of the facilities available in the hospitals like ICU, Oxygen Beds etc, should be reserved for children. Then the emphasis is being laid on mobilizing health facilities for NICU, children, infants, etc in Gurugram," Arora said.

Apart from this, the Sero survey is going to start from September 8 in Gurugram to know the trend of SARS CoV-2 infection among residents.

"Our objective is to estimate the sero-prevalence SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among children aged 6 to 17 years and among adults 18 years and above in the district," said a health official.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Mumbai, Sep 6 : As Maharashtra stands on the brink of a potential "third wave" of Covid, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday fervently appealed to all political parties and the common people to put off all protests and avoid crowds during the upcoming festival season.

Thackeray's plea came barely 72 hours before the state prepares to celebrate the 10-day long Ganeshotsav starting from September 10, albeit in a subdued manner, after all festivities were cancelled in 2020.

"I appeal to all... Let's avoid large public gatherings, political protests, meetings or rallies. Let's prioritise the health and lives of the citizens," the CM said, after a review meeting with the state Disaster Management Department.

Warning that the "third wave" with a variety of new variants of the Covid-19 virus could be "round the corner", Thackeray said if the people don't take it seriously, the state may be forced to pay a heavy price.

"The situation could go out of control in view of the spike in the daily cases, so we must take all precautions from our end and ensure that the 'third wave' doesn't hit us," he urged.

In a special plea to the political parties, the CM said: "I appeal to all, those in the government and in the Opposition... Please exercise precautions now as peoples' lives are more important. Who would like to impose restrictions on festivals or religious celebrations, but the situation is different now." Referring to Kerala which is reporting around 30,000 cases daily, Thackeray said it's a "danger signal" even for Maharashtra, and the "third wave" has severely disrupted lives in other countries like the US and China.

He reiterated that festivals can be celebrated even later, but for that peoples' health and lives must be safeguarded at all costs.

Contrary to expectations, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government has not announced fresh curbs on the Ganeshosav, the state's biggest public festival that witnesses millions on the streets for 10 days.

However, Congress' Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Wadettiwar indicated that certain restrictions are likely to be imposed as there has been a fresh spurt in Covid cases in the state.

Nationalist Congress Party National Spokesperson and Minorities Affairs Minister Nawab Malik exhorted all political parties to heed the CM's appeal in public interest and avoid all events that attract crowds.

However, opposition Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ashish Shelar slammed the MVA leaders asking why all restrictions should be only for the general public when the ruling party leaders were allowed to address huge rallies or public meetings.
Sao Paulo, Sep 6 : Brazil's health regulator has temporarily suspended the use of over 12.1 million doses of China's Sinovac Covid vaccine over fears of the vials being contaminated, media reports said.

Anvisa, the regulator, suspended Sinovac for a period of three months after learning that vials containing the shots were filled at an unauthorised production base, the Washington Post reported. The matter is being investigated.

The Butantan Institute, a Sao Paulo based biomedical centre that has partnered with Sinovac to fill the vaccine for local usage, notified Anvisa about the irregularity, the agency said.

"The manufacturing unit responsible for the filling was not inspected and was not approved by Anvisa," the report quoted Anvisa as saying in a statement, adding: "Thus it is necessary to adopt a temporary measure to avoid the exposure of the population to a possible imminent risk." Anvisa added that it has halted plans to distribute an additional 9 million doses of Sinovac, as they were also filled at a location that was not inspected by the health officials, the report said.

The regulator noted that the suspension is precautionary, and not punitive.

They aim to aceavoid use of irregular or suspect products," Anvisa said. The lack of information about the environment at the production bases, combined with the need for vaccine shots to be made in strictly aseptic settings, persuaded officials to take the measure, Anvisa said.

Meanwhile, Brazil has cancelled deals from vaccine providers in recent weeks including 10 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V and 20 million doses from India's Bharat Biotech, adding to public worries about timely deliveries of second shots for the broader public, the Post reported.

Brazil has been the second worst-hit country by the pandemic after the US, with more than 20 million infections and 580,000 deaths.

According to official figures, Brazil has fully vaccinated 65.6 million people. Some cities in the country are also providing booster shots of the Covid vaccine, even though most people are yet to receive their second jabs, media reports said.
Chennai, Sep 6 : Work on integrating Bharti Axa General Insurance Company Ltd with ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd on multiple fronts has gained speed with the insurance regulator's final nod for the scheme of arrangement between the two players, said senior officials.

In August 2020, ICICI Lombard announced the acquisition of the general insurance business of Bharti Axa General by way of a demerger.

"During the last one year, while applying and getting the regulatory approvals for the deal, we had engaged external consultants for integration of the business, people, and technology. We are on a path to see seamless integration on multiple fronts," ICICI Lombard's Chief Financial Officer Gopal Balachandran told IANS.

He said the action plans that were drawn during the past one year on integration will be put into action.

From September 8 onwards, ICICI Lombard General will be in-charge of Bharti Axa General's business. And from the second quarter onwards, ICICI Lombard will be reporting the consolidated numbers, Balachandran said.

He said that ICICI Lombard will be informing all stakeholders - policyholders, agents and others - of Bharti Axa General informing about the change of ownership and that they would be serviced by ICICI Lombard now.

"The combined ratio (claims plus expenses divided by premium income) of the merged entity stands at 103 per cent. We have to look at bringing that down to 100 per cent in a couple of years time," Balachandran said.

According to him, there will be synergies in productivity, claims operations and other areas so that the combined ratio comes down to 100 per cent.

The 42 per cent operating expense of Bharti Axa General may seem to be high. The expense has been incurred upfront in tying up distribution channels and the benefits will start accruing now.

About the customer churn since the announcement of the deal, Balachandran said Bharti Axa General had retained a large part of its customers.

The general insurance contract is a one year contract and ICICI Lombard will try to retain the customers of Bharti Axa General in its fold and also honour its commitments.

"ICICI Lombard was cautious on crop insurance. Whatever crop insurance Bharti Axa General has underwritten will be taken care of by us," he said.

According to him, retaining the talent of Bharti Axa General is also on the top of the agenda.

"ICICI Lombard is on a growth path. Its market share is about seven per cent and the market share of the combined entity will be about 8.7 per cent. There is good growth potential for the company and also for the employees," Balachandran said.

As many of the about 2,200 employees of Bharti Axa General were earlier with ICICI Lombard and the cultural as well as professional fit is there.

On the integration of the distribution channels, ICICI Lombard will get two major and new bancassurance partners - HDFC Bank and Axis Bank - apart from other corporate agents.

"We had talks with HDFC Bank and Axis Bank. They are interested in continuing with ICICI Lombard as both have an open architecture model," Balachandran said.

In addition, ICICI Lombard will also add Bharti Axa General's 7,700 agents to its fold.

Post integration, ICICI Lombard will mine deeper for more business.

On the product side, both the companies have similar and different products and they have to be synergised.

"Lot of products are common between the two companies. We will look at the products of both the companies and decide which one to retain. In some products the pricing differs. Unique products of Bharti Axa General's will be continued," an official not wanting to be named told IANS.

Balachandran said about Rs 5,500 crore will accrue to ICICI Lombard. The appointed date for the scheme is April 1, 2020.

The demerger and transfer of general insurance business, as envisaged in the scheme, shall be effective within three days from the date of the final approval.

As per the deal, the shareholders of Bharti Axa General will receive two shares of ICICI Lombard for every 115 shares held by them.

Under the terms of the agreement, AXA and Bharti will receive a total of about 35.8 million shares of ICICI Lombard on closing, which would represent 521 million euros, at current market value of the closing price of ICICI Lombard shares on August 21, AXA, the French insurance group, had said in a statement then.

Post the deal, the promoter holding in ICICI Lombard will be 48.11 per cent and public holding will be 51.89 per cent. Both Bharti and AXA will be public shareholders and hence there is no lock-in period.

According to Balachandran, ICICI Bank - the promoter - will bring its holding in ICICI Lombard to 30 per cent in a couple of years time.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)
Bengaluru, Sep 6 : Karnataka Health and Medical Education K. Sudhakar said on Monday that the government is working with a target to fully vaccinate the entire adult population by the end of November.

Speaking to the media after holding a virtual meeting with the DCs and Zilla Parishad CEOs of 23 districts that are lagging in vaccination coverage, Sudhakar said that these 23 district administrations have been given a target to speed up coverage and complete the first dose for all by the end of this month.

"The target has been set to complete both the doses for all by November. Progress and achievement on testing, setting up of oxygen plants and other civil works were also discussed," the minister said.

Last year, the government had allowed the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi despite the high number of Covid cases.

"This year, we have a positivity rate of 0.7 per cent and guidelines have been issued to ensure precautionary measures, especially in public celebrations. We will review the situation district-wise and issue separate guidelines wherever the positivity is more than 2 per cent," the minister said.

"A 12-year-old boy has succumbed to the Nipah virus in Kerala. We have taken strict measures to ensure that the virus doesn't spread here. We also need to be vigilant to prevent the third wave of the pandemic," he added.

Latest updates on Ganesh Chaturthi Festival 2021
Mumbai, Sep 6 : Shares of the National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO) surged to a decade high on Monday due to a millitary coup and political unrest in Guinea, a major supplier of bauxite.

The political instability in the African nation has fuelled supply concerns for the raw material used in production of the metal, which may eventually hike aluminium prices.

Shares of the state-run company surged to decadal high of Rs 102.25 per share on the BSE. At the end of the day's trade, its shares settled at Rs 99.25, higher by Rs 5.40, or 5.75 per cent, from its previous close.

On Sunday, Lt Col Mamady Doumbouya, the head of Guinea's military special forces, announced on national television that his forces have arrested President Alpha Conde, and dissolved the government and national institutions.

The country's borders were closed and its constitution was declared invalid in the announcement.

The development has also caused panic in the aluminium futures market and the futures of the metal on the London Metal Exchange surged to decadal high levels.

Shares of Hindalco Industries also surged during the day. On the BSE, its scrip closed the day's trade at Rs 469.20, higher by Rs 8.30, or 1.80 per cent, from its previous close.

Guinea has the world's largest reserves of bauxite, the ore used to produce aluminum. Containing a content of alumina, Guinean bauxite reserves are estimated at over 40 billion tonnes.
Taliban prides itself in following Islam according to the scriptures and yearns to establish an Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan.

Their narrow vision rests on the claim that the foremost objective of maintaining law and order in the society is possible by following Islamic principles. Yet, they manifest themselves by committing violent acts in order to create fear and assert power.

Relying on the religion to further their agenda of control over the Afghan people, the Taliban is contemptuous to the likes of secularism, freedom of speech, human rights or anything that has to do with democratic ideals which for them are the vestiges of Western influence.

In the previous regime which lasted from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban meted out strict punishments to anyone who went against their interpretation of Shariah rules that were to be followed. They practiced regressive policies which impinged upon the basic rights and freedom of the Afghan people, most particularly the women and the ethnic minorities of Afghanistan like the Tajiks, Hazaras and the Uzbeks.

The Hazaras in particular have been subject to some of the most violent attacks for their ethnicity and Shia faith. They even destroyed the famous Buddha statues in Bamiyan.

It's important to remember that in its thirst to gain control over Afghanistan, Taliban is killing the Muslims in Afghanistan. The Afghan Taliban found its education in Deoband Madrasas located in the Indian subcontinent. Although Taliban finds its influence from the Deoband school, the group also has deep roots in the Pashtun traditions that followed a pre-Islamic tribal code or Pashtunwali.

In their fight against the Soviet Union, it were the US and Pakistan that began pushing the Islamic agenda in Afghanistan. Over a period of time, with Pakistan creating the Taliban, the outfit has mainly sustained itself through narcotics andterror activities which are illegal according to the basic principles of Islam.

And still the Taliban claims to establish an Islamic Emirate. In reality, the brand of Islam that the Taliban practices and wants an ordinary Afghani to follow is merely a means to have absolute control over Afghanistan. Islam promotes tolerance and not compulsion. As such, the Taliban has resortedto a forced ideology and has thrived on it by having a strict control on the Afghani people.

The Deoband School in India has condemned the violent practices that are followed by the Taliban. There is definitely no need to draw a connection between the Afghan Taliban and the Deoband seminary of India. The conditions under which the Taliban emerged cannot be placed onIslam or the theological school they belong to. And placing the Indian Muslims and the kind of religion they follow and Taliban on the same bar is just not right.

Interestingly, with the Taliban back in the picture in Afghanistan, the attention is back on the Indian Muslims too. For the record, it has been reiterated time and again that the Taliban do not have anything to do with the Indian Muslims. Do the Taliban need to be condemned? Yes, by every citizen of India and also the world, not only Muslims.

Harrowing visuals of people desperate to flee the clutches of Taliban having been doing rounds on the internet, social media and television channels for which the Taliban need a strong condemnation from the international community; the onus should not be on the Indian Muslims alone.

Muslims constitute roughly 14 per cent of India's population and are the third largest Muslim population in the world. It is important to remember that Indian Muslims rejected the Islamic state of Pakistan during the Partition and chose the secular state of India and have continuously reposed faith in democratic ideals of the Indian Constitution.

The whole narrative of drawing a connection of Indian Muslims to the Taliban is flawed. When isolated people like Maulana Sajjad Nomani of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) commended the Taliban for taking over Afghanistan, the AIMPLB immediately dissociated itself from this opinion. Except a few isolated cases, the members of the Muslim community do not glorify or sympathise with the Taliban.

Everyone knows very well the harm their medieval practices in the name of Islam are doing, is more to the religion than the practitioners themselves. A handful of radical statements cannot be taken as representative of the whole Muslim community in India.

India has long been a pluralistic society from the start and a lot of it is due to the social movements like the Bhakti and Sufi movements etc. The idea of sharing space binds the people together cutting across sectarian and religious differences.

So, we see a cultural balance and this has been the foundation of Indian Muslims. In India, Islam is also driven by culture, tradition along with theology. There has been an intermingling of cultural practices which have created a cohesive bond of a plural society.

For a Bengali-speaking Muslim or an Assamese-speaking Muslim, their ethnic identity is as important to them as their religious identity. Likewise, it is sometimes a common language which bonds people irrespective of the religion they belong to. There is Kerala Muslim, Tamil Muslim, Bengali Muslim, and so on. All take as much pride in their ethnicity as they identify themselves with their religion.

Some Muslims in India believe that Islam as a religion involves syncretism and others believe in a Puritan Islam with no scope for heterogeneity. There are interpretations in the same faith and differences of opinion too, as what might be right to one might be wrong to the other.

And Indian Muslims respect these differences and opinions that have existed since time immemorial and do not believe in forcefully enforcing the ideologies like the way the Taliban does. Muslims need to reclaim Islam from the clutches of those who give fatwas at the drop of a hat and do not mind hobnobbing with political parties for their interests. What is needed is a more educational and economic amelioration of the Muslim community.

(The views expressed are personal)
Kabul/New Delhi, Sep 6 : Pakistan is campaigning passionately for an "inclusive" government in Afghanistan. From Prime Minister Imran Khan to the garrulous Foreign Minister Shah Muhammad Qureshi and the ever-reticent Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, every Pakistani leader of some consequence is making the pitch for a broad-based government under the aegis of Taliban, which has taken over the war-ravaged country in what was no more than a bloodless fight.

Yet, the Pakistani chorus is met with as much scepticism as disbelief. This is largely because the world has come to see the Taliban and its allies in the splintered militant landscape as the proxies of Paksitan Army's eyes and ears - the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The way the ISI chief has air dashed to Kabul to broker peace amongst the Taliban groups jockeying for positions in the new dispensation has dented Taliban's carefully crafted image. It has deprived it of the room it cherished to deny linkages with Pakistan.

Moreover, within and outside Pakistan, the clamour for an inclusive government is seen as a ploy to ensure key slots for the ISI proxies, like the Haqqanis. But the delay in constituting the new Kabul power structure has invited barbs from stalwarts like Farhatullah Babar.

"Conquerors of Afghanistan haven't yet formed government despite declaring to make it on Friday last. Internal power tussle between Haqqanis, Mullah Baradar the likely cause. Haqqanis must be happy with some visitors visiting Kabul," the veteran politician from Peshawar, which is the gateway to the Talibanised tribal belt of Pakistan, tweeted on September 4. The visitor to Kabul, he was referring to, was Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, the ISI chief.

An Afghan activist, and human rights campaigner, Zarifa Ghafari took a dig at Mullah Baradar himself in a tongue in cheek tweet. "Does Mullah Brother remember (know); he was in a Pakistani prison? And this man (ISI Chief) who he welcomed in Kabul today, was mainly responsible for it? Does he remember that Pakistani soldiers were taking him like an animal with all those chains (from) place to place?" The tweet was loaded by all means. It shows the chasm between today and yesterday in Pakistan-Afghan relations. For the uninitiated in Afghan politics, Ghafari has survived three assassination attempts. She became the Mayor of Maidan Shahr, capital of the Wardak Province in 2019 at a time when there were not many women politicians around. Zarifa was chosen as an International Woman of Courage in 2020 by the US Secretary of State.

Going by the "news" making the rounds in the Afghan capital, the Pakistani embassy has been relaying instructions from Islamabad/Rawalpindi to Kabul on an "hourly basis". In so many words, the Pakistani embassy has become the postman for the leaderships of Pakistan and Taliban.

Hameed's air dash is a clear give away that the remote control has failed to deliver the desired result. Frankly, Gen Bajwa conceded that much in his closed-door security briefing to law makers who were keen to get a hang of the situation, according to a front-page report on the sedate Karachi daily Dawn.

Shorn of all shibboleths, the Pakistani motive is to have an effective control of Kabul airport and even perhaps the Afghan airspace. It has been reported that at present the Turks, friends of the Taliban, are managing the Kabul airport. But that is not considered good enough by Pakistan which wants to scrutinise the fleeing foreign nationals as that will open for it the possibility of harassing amongst others the Indian nationals still left in Afghanistan.

It is not clear what Pakistan means by "border management" - one of the agenda items on Hameed's Kabul visit. Afghanistan and Pakistan have almost an open border which has existed for decades. But there is also a long-standing boundary dispute between the two Islamic "brothers".

The Taliban 1.0 did not accept the British-drawn Durand Line border which is seen as a hindrance in the movement of Pushtuns on either side of the border. The Taliban 2.0 has stuck to the same refrain to the relief of Afghans. The Taliban are Pushtuns though they are not known to adhere to the Pushtun's code of honour.

From media reports, it is clear that Pakistan is dictating to the Taliban as to how it should deal with "pending requests" for evacuation of foreign nationals. It is almost certain that these "requests" relate to nationals of countries in the West and perhaps Indians. Since Kabul airport is not fully operational, the evacuation will have to be through Pakistan.

This is what is enabling Pakistan to dream big on securing global recognition to its Kabul proxy. By becoming a key factor in the departure of foreign nationals stranded amidst chaos in Kabul, Islamabad can put pressure on, nay arm twist, the affected nations to give legitimacy to Taliban 2.0.

Frankly, the Western countries would not welcome the idea of granting recognition to the new Afghan regime solely on the recommendation of Pakistan. For Taliban 1.0 recognition came only from three countries. And now by letting their embassies to function in Kabul, Russia and China may have signaled their tacit recognition but the rest of the world is in a wait and watch mode. The wait is to see if Taliban 2.0 is opposed to being chained by a neighbour which had made such a hue and cry over the American "shackles" in Afghanistan!
Kabul/New Delhi Sep 6 : Taliban celebrated 'Independence Day as the last troop of the US military forces left Afghanistan. But after the Taliban takeover, the average Afghan population faces mounting challenges ahead.

Afghanistan now is experiencing a collapse of administration and economy, rising food prices, restriction on basic freedom and brutalities against women and children. And there is no mechanism to seek redress or appeal, thus creating a hell-like situation for Afghan people.

The humanitarian organisations and non-profits working in Afghanistan have painted a horrific picture of Afghanistan and its people.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a humanitarian catastrophe loomed in Afghanistan. "Almost half of the population need humanitarian assistance. One in three don't know where their next meal will come from.Now more than ever, Afghan children, women & men need the support & solidarity of the international community," he said.

With the withdrawal of the US troops, the economy of Afghanistan has taken a blow as the foreign fund assistance to the country has started receding. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have cut off their finance to the war-torn country as the international community debates over whether to recognise the Taliban government.

IMF has halted Afghanistan's access to its resources including the country's share of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) reserves. The World Bank has expressed concern over Afghanistan's "development prospects, especially for women" and suspended aid disbursements. The World Bank's aid commitment is worth $5.3 billion.

Now, the country is headed toward economic collapse thanks to struggling financial condition, frozen foreign help and lack of recovery roadmap by the Taliban.

In absence of foreign funding, the most serious concern is fast-depleting food stock in the country. According to the United Nations, food supplies for Afghan people will run out by end of September. About 14 million people in the country are staring at severe hunger.

Mary-Ellen McGroarty, the World Food Programme's (WFP) Director in Afghanistan, said, "A humanitarian crisis today of incredible proportions is unfolding before our eyes." The WFP has warned of a serious shortage of food in Afghanistan once winter begins.

"Winter is coming. We are going into the lean season and many Afghan roads will be covered in snow," said Andrew Patterson, the WFP's deputy country director in Afghanistan.

He said the WFP had procured around 27,000 metric tonnes of food for the country so far.

"We need another 54,000 metric tonnes of food to get the Afghan people through to the end of December. We could start running out of food by September," he said.

Afghanistan has witnessed drought this year, which led to a 40 percent decline in domestic food production.6 It has caused food prices to skyrocket. Wheat prices have gone up by 25 percent while many essential ration items have to be imported and purchased at higher rates.

It is adding to child malnutrition in the country, where political and economic conditions are turning worse every passing day. Moreover, first aid supplies including malnutrition kits were stuck at the Kabul airport. Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan, said children aged above five are faced with severe malnutrition. Millions of Afghans are in danger of starvation, he said.

"More than half of Afghan children do not know whether they'll have a meal tonight or not. That's the reality of the situation we're facing on the ground," Alakbarov said.

At the local level too, there is a panic as banks and government offices have remained closed since the Taliban takeover two weeks ago. There are queues of cash-strapped and anxious people outside the banks.

"Afghanistan's banking system is now in a state of collapse, and people are running out of money," said Gazal Gailani, trade and economic adviser at the Afghan embassy in London.

The US would take care of 75 per cent of Afghanistan's civil budget while it paid for the entire military budget. Now the US is gone; the World Bank and the IMF have also suspended financial aid. The European Union and Germany too have cut off economic ties with Afghanistan. With the country's ailing economy, diminishing foreign help and now Taliban steering it, the current situation in Afghanistan threatens to worsen an already devastating economic and humanitarian crisis.
Hyderabad, Sep 6 : Hyderabad police on Monday busted a gang of debit card fraudsters who cheated banks by fiddling with ATMs.

Personnel of the Commissioner's Task Force, South Zone Team, along with Nallakunta police, arrested three members of the inter-state gang and seized 23 debit cards of various banks and Rs 2.11 lakh cash.

The accused, hailing from Delhi and Haryana, allegedly cheated banks by fiddling with ATMs after withdrawing cash to show technical error and then claimed the money from the banks.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar told reporters that the arrests were made during the investigation into four cases registered at Nallakunta and Saidabad police stations of Hyderabad. A case was also registered at Vanasthalipuram police station of Rachakonda police commissionerate.

The accused have been identified as Mohd Iqbal, 27, a resident of Delhi, Ansari, 31 and Mohd Salaim, 31, both residents of Mewat in Haryana.

Iqbal studied Intermediate and was running online business centre at Delhi and having basic technical knowledge. Ansari, an illiterate, was working as a truck driver while Salaim had done a computer Diploma and was working in online centre at Delhi. To meet expenses for their lavish lifestyle and to make easy and quick money, they hatched a plan to commit offences by using debit cards, thereby duping the banks on technical errors.

Explaining the modus operandi of the accused, the Police Commissioner said two of them used to enter an ATM kiosk, and one of the accused drew cash by using the debit card while the second person manipulated the ATM to create a technical error. They spent some time near the ATM and act as if cash is not dispensed. Later, the accused lodge a complaint (through toll free number) that they could not withdraw the cash from the ATM and their transaction had failed. On verification, the bank of the ATM concerned finds the transaction of complainant failed because of technical error during dispensation of cash.

As per the Banking Ombudsman guidelines, the bank operating the ATM has to pay the amount to the customer for a failed transaction. Taking this technicality as an advantage, the accused committed several such offences by using several debit cards and claimed the money from the banks, the police chief said.

The gang was committing the fraud at unmanned ATMs in big cities and towns. The police seized a pen camera, two objects utilised for manipulating the ATM machine and three mobile phones from them.
Bengaluru, Sep 6 : Karnataka's ruling BJP has managed to wrestle Belagavi City Corporation by winning a clear majority in local body elections, but fell short of a majority in Hubballi-Dharwad, whereas Congress suffered a setback in Kalburgi.

However, the BJP is all set to elect its mayoral candidates in all three major city corporations.

The AIMIM of Asaduddin Owaisi marked its arrival in Karnataka by winning one seat in Belagavi and three seats in Hubballi-Dharwad.

The BJP won 36 seats in the 58-member Belagavi City Corporation as both Kannadigas and Marathi-speaking people came together to vote for it. The Congress won 10 seats, while the Maharashtra Ekikarana Samithi (MES), which had wielded influence in local elections for decades, was reduced to two seats. The AIMIM won one of the six seats it contested.

In the 82-member Hubballi-Dharwad city corporation, the BJP won 39, while the Congress bagged 33 seats. The AIMIM sprang a surprise by winning three seats. Independent candidates won in six seats, while the JD-S managed to win only one seat. The BJP is all set to sit at the helm by garnering support from independents to attain the majority of 42.

The BJP is planning to take reins of Kalburgi City Corporation with the help of the JD-S. Kalburgi was considered as the stronghold of Congress as it is the native district of party veteran and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge.

The BJP managed to win 23 seats against the Congress which emerged as the single largest party with 26 seats in the 55-member body. The JD-S managed to win 4 seats.

BJP MLC N. Ravikumar stated that the BJP will get the support of the JD-S and there should not be any doubts.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai congratulated the party leaders for registering a thumping win in the Belagavi City Corporation and putting up a good show in Kalburgi and Hubballi-Dharwad.

The BJP has managed to emerge as a single largest party in Doddaballapur municipality by winning 12 seats, while Congress won Tarikere Municipality in Chikkamaglur district.

Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, however, maintained that the BJP has failed to secure a majority in Hubballi-Dharwad and Kalburgi, which showed that the ruling party has lost the confidence of people.
New Delhi, Sep 6 : The BJP has planned a state executive meetings of its frontal organisations (morchas) to discuss and draw plans for next year's Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

Theses will be the first meetings of the reconstituted team of the frontal organisations. The first such meeting of Uttar Pradesh BJP women's wing was held on Monday in Lucknow. The meetings of the other morchas will be held in the coming days.

There are seven morchas or frontal organisations of the BJP in the state -- women, youth, minority, OBC, SC, ST and farmers. All these units have been asked to hold meetings at the earliest.

A party leader said that these frontal organisations play an important role in reaching out to the different sections of the society.

"Senior leaders of the party, including central leaders, Union and state ministers, will guide the members of the morchas for next year's Assembly polls. Plans for state polls and the role of the respective morchas will be discussed at length," a party insider said.

A two-day state executive meeting of Uttar Pradesh Kisan Morcha will be held in Chitrakoot on September 11 and 12.

The national president of the BJP's Kisan Morcha and Lok Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh, Raj Kumar Chahar, said that two meetings of the Kisan Morcha will be held in Chitrakoot to discuss organisational plans for next year's Assembly polls.

BJP national vice-president and state in-charge Radha Mohan Singh, Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh, state general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal and Chahar will be present in the Kisan Morcha meeting on September 12. On September 11, state office-bearers of the Kisan Morcha will meet.

Amid the unrest among the farmers of Western Uttar Pradesh over the three Central farm laws, the meeting of the Kisan Morcha holds significance as plans to pacify the agitating farmers are expected to be discussed.

The Other Backward Caste (OBC) morcha will hold its state executive meeting on September 18.

Uttar Pradesh BJP OBC Morcha president Narendra Kashyap told IANS that about 800 delegates from across the state will discuss the current political situation in the state and future plans for the Assembly polls.

The OBC community plays an important and decisive role in Uttar Pradesh politics and constitutes over 50 per cent of the total electorate in the state.
Patna, Sep 6 : Around 200 members of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress, were detained by the police in Patna after they headed towards the Raj Bhawan on Monday.

The NSUI members were protesting against the 'irregularities' in the appointment of teachers. The protesters alleged that the education department of the state was directly involved in the irregularities.

"Around 2,500 NSUI members were on their way to the Raj Bhawan to hand over a memorandum to Governor Phagu Chauhan. They were intercepted by the police near the Secretariat. The police also resorted to lathi charge, injuring several NSUI members," said Madan Mohan Jha, president of the Congress' Bihar unit.

"As huge irregularities appeared in the appointment of teachers, we strongly believe that education department selectively picked the candidates who are less eligible and have lesser numbers. Many candidates having good numbers have not got jobs. We demand a thorough probe into the matter," Jha said.

"I also request Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to pay attention to this matter," Jha added.
Shillong, Sep 6 : Protesters from 11 local organisations on Monday organised a unique 'pyndem tari' (knife surrender) rally in Shillong to protest the government's failure in suspending police personnel responsible for the killing of a former militant leader on August 13.

A large number of youths and activists, including women, along with leaders of the "Ka Sur Ki Nongmawlai", an umbrella body of the 11 local organisations, took part in the rally demanding suspension of the police personnel responsible for the killing of militant outfit Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council's former General Secretary Cheristerfield Thangkhiew.

The protesters, carrying locally-made knives and shouting slogans, deposited the knives at Mawlai bus stand after the rally which went around the state capital.

"This is a symbolic protest as the police claimed that they fired upon Thangkhiew in 'self-defence' on August 13 when the slain former HNLC leader attacked the police with a knife. Our protests would continue until the government takes action against the guilty police officials," an activist told the media.

Police officials had earlier claimed that acting on a secret report, the police had gone to Thangkhiew's residence to arrest him in connection with the IED blasts in Shillong and in East Jaintia Hills district headquarters Khliehriat.

Violence has broken out on August 15 following the incident and a police vehicle was also burnt down, and weapons of policemen looted - though they were subsequently recovered from a river.

The Meghalaya government, in wake of the violence that even affected Independence Day celebrations, had ordered a judicial probe into the "killing", and ensuing violence, including stone-pelting and arson, in Shillong.

Demanding a judicial inquiry into the violence, Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui had resigned on August 15.
New Delhi, Sep 6 : The west still faces the threat of 9/11-style attacks by radical Islamist groups but this time using bio-terrorism, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has warned, The Guardian reported.

In a speech to the defence thinktank Rusi marking the 20th anniversary of the 11 September 2001 Al Qaeda terrorist attacks on the US, Blair, who was British Prime Minister at the time, and supported military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, insisted the terrorist threat remained a first order issue, The Guardian reported.

He insisted that "despite the decline in terrorist attacks, Islamism, both the ideology and the violence, is a first-order security threat; and, unchecked, it will come to us, even if centred far from us, as 9/11 demonstrated. Covid-19 has taught us about deadly pathogens. Bio-terror possibilities may seem like the realm of science fiction; but we would be wise now to prepare for their potential use by non-state actors".

On Afghanistan, he stressed "our 'remaking' didn't fail because the people didn't want the country 'remade'. For sure, we could have 'remade' better, but Afghans did not choose the Taliban takeover. The last opinion poll in 2019 showed them with 4 per cent support among the Afghan people.

"They conquered the country by violence, not persuasion. The barrier to 'nation-building' is usually not the people, but poor institutional capacity and governance, including corruption, over many years; and most of all the challenge of trying to build whilst internal elements combined with external support are trying to destroy." Blair does not name the external elements, but he has long believed Pakistan supported the Taliban, the report said.
New Delhi, Sep 6 : The Centre on Monday said that a majority of children's deaths in Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad district occurred due to dengue, as well as scrub typhus, and leptospirosis.

In a letter to UP Chief Secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the central team has found that majority of cases of viral fever and deaths among children in Firozabad were due to dengue, and a few cases were due to scrub typhus and leptospirosis.

He also stated that vector indices were also found to be high with both the house index and container index above 50 per cent in Firozabad.

A team of doctors from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) were sent to probe the deaths of children in Firozabad.

The Central government, in the letter, has suggested some actions to control the dengue outbreak in the district.

Bhushan said that all fever patients should be screened for dengue, malaria, scrub typhus, and leptospirosis. He has also emphasised the need to strengthen ELISA-based testing facilities in the state.

The central team has recommended continuing activities related to fever survey, vector control, and fever camps as per the micro plan submitted by it.
New Delhi, Sep 6 : Union Minister of State for the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Jitendra Singh, on Monday reviewed the progress of highways and roads projects in Jammu and Kashmir.

During the review meeting, the minister asked K.K. Pathak, Managing Director, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), to expedite the pending projects on a war footing.

Pathak on his part assured the minister that all the ongoing projects would be completed in a time-bound manner, though some work got hampered due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the timelines had to be extended.

He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has allocated more than Rs 1,08,621 crore for Jammu and Kashmir, which is the highest ever budget for J&K, adding that it will help in rebuilding the economy, create jobs and will usher in all-round development for the Union Territory.

The minister also underlined that after August 5, 2019, there has been a visible change in every field, whether related to unfinished projects, implementation of centrally sponsored schemes, and infrastructure development and the security situation.

Pathak also informed Singh that work on most of the 17 highway projects with sanctioned cost of over Rs 15,385 crore is going on smoothly. Out of the 17 approved projects, 12 are in Jammu region, and five are in Kashmir region. Out of 12 such projects, six major projects are being executed in Singh's Lok Sabha constituency of Udhampur-Kathua-Doda which include Chenani-Sudhmahadev Road, Goha-Khellani Package 1 and 2 and Goha-Khellani Package 3 that is Khellani Tunnel and the Khillani-Khanabal Package 2.

In March this year, Singh had met Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari for the allocation of funds to enable timely completion of the proposed Chattergala tunnel, which will connect Kathua with Doda.
Kolkata, Sep 6 : Kicking off a fresh battle against West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on Monday asked the Governor not to interfere in the internal matters of the Assembly.

Banerjee was replying to Dhankhar's letter where the Governor had advised the Speaker to uphold the 'dignity of the Parliamentary system'. Though he didn't say much in detail, the letter was regarding the nomination of Mukul Roy as the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of the Assembly.

Speaking to the media, Banerjee said, "I have replied to the letter of the Governor in this regard. I told him that you cannot interfere in the work of the Assembly. The matter of the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee is entirely within the purview of the Speaker. By interfering in this, he is ruining the dignity of the Assembly." "The language that the Governor is using doesn't justify his constitutional position. He should understand the dignity and importance of his position. Hopefully he restrains himself and doesn't interfere in the internal affairs of the legislature," he added.

"I do not understand why the Governor is interfering in the affairs of the Assembly. I hope he will understand the seriousness of the issue and not try to interfere in the work of the Assembly," he said.

The controversy arose after Banerjee nominated Trinamool leader Mukul Roy for the post of the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. Traditionally, the post is offered to the opposition but as Roy had switched camp and joined the Trinamool after winning the elections on a BJP ticket, the BJP claimed the right for the post.

The saffron brigade said that someone from BJP should have been offered the post. The Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, and another MLA Ambika Roy even moved the court challenging the decision. The Trinamool, however, claimed that the matter depended entirely on the Speaker.

This is not the first time that the head of the state and the head of the Assembly have been engaged in a verbal duel. Banerjee had earlier complained to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that the constitutional head of the state did not have the right to interfere in the work of the Assembly.
New Delhi, Sep 6 : The Supreme Court on Monday said private, "patrachar" and second compartment students of CBSE Class 12 board exams can apply for admission to higher studies on a provisional basis, but would have to produce their results, after these are declared, to the institution concerned.

Lawyers, appearing for the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), submitted before a bench headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar that these students can apply for admissions on a provisional basis subject to producing results, which would be declared by the CBSE.

The petitioner's counsel argued that though results for regular students have been declared but results of nearly one lakh private, "patrachar" and second compartment students have not been declared so far.

Counsel appearing for the CBSE informed the bench, also comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and C.T. Ravikumar that results of the private, "patrachar", and second compartment students would be declared by September 30.

The bench noted that these students can apply for relevant courses on a provisional basis and on giving undertaking that results will be submitted to the college/ institution concerned within one week post the declaration.

The UGC counsel submitted that even if the results are not available, the petitioner and similarly-placed students can apply for admission on provisional basis.

The top court was hearing a plea citing delay in the announcement of results of these categories of students, which may lead to denial of admission to them for higher studies.

In July, the top court had refused to entertain a plea seeking reconsideration of its June 22 order, where it declined to interfere with the CBSE assessment scheme for conducting offline exam for such students amid the pandemic.
Agartala, Sep 6 : The Trinamool Congress on Monday organised demonstrations in Agartala to protest against the arrest of a senior party leader in a case related to abetment to suicide.

The police said that Trinamool leader Panna Deb was arrested on Sunday following all lawful norms after her niece "mentioned Deb's name in a note before committing suicide".

A local court sent Deb, who recently quit the Congress and joined the Trinamool, to three-day police custody.

Trinamool leader Subal Bhowmik, while leading the demonstrations, said that the police did not even inform them that a suicide note was found and even the mother and the family members of the deceased girl have denied the existence of any suicide note.

"The so called suicide note reappeared a few days after the suicide of the girl. This is a planned conspiracy to harass the Trinamool leaders by the BJP government," he said.

Bhowmik said the police also did not consult any handwriting or forensic expert before coming to the conclusion that it was actually written by the deceased.

"Panna Deb has been falsely arrested. We would continue our protest until she is released," he added.

A Trinamool statement said that the deceased, a young woman, was reportedly suffering from a mental disorder for the past 14 years.

Her mother, who also took part in Monday's demonstrations, said that the police did not even talk to her once about the incident, the statement said.
New Delhi, Sep 6 : The Centre on Monday recommended various measures to be taken by the Kerala government to curb the Nipah virus outbreak in the state, based on the first report submitted by a central team.

In a letter to state Chief Secretary V.P. Joy, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that an active search for cases needs to be undertaken in the containment area as per the micro plan provided by the central team.

"Both the hospital-based and community-based surveillance needs to be strengthened. Awareness needs to be created among the field formations for early detection of cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome/Respiratory Distress and risk communicated to the public," he said.

Bhushan also asked the state to strengthen contact tracing measures and identify primary, and secondary contacts, as well as prepare a list of high-risk contacts.

All district administrations will have to comply with the accepted norms of home quarantine and there should be an intensive follow-up on such cases, he stressed.

The Health Secretary has also asked the state government to issue alert in nearby districts of Kannur, Malappuram, and Wayanad.

Noting that the Government Medical College, Kozhikode, has been identified as the treatment centre, he said that an adequate number of single room isolation facilities, and negative pressure ICU may be earmarked as stand-by.

He also called for establishing a referral system along with earmarked ambulances and trained staff and to maintain adequate stock of Ribaverin (anti-viral) and Personal Protective Equipments at the district level. He said that the ICMR is exploring the feasibility of getting appropriate monoclonal antibodies for treatment purposes.

Bhushan advised the state government to set up a 24x7 Control Room for daily reporting and sharing information with the media and to initiate coordination with the Animal Health and Wildlife Departments and other field officers to trap and collect samples from fruit bats for virological studies and other associated measures.
New Delhi, Sep 6 : The Supreme Court, hearing a plea in connection with demolition of unauthorised structures in Faridabad's Khori village which came up on 150 acres of Aravali forest land, on Monday orally observed that it is conscious of humanity.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing the residents of the village, submitted before a bench headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar that people whose houses have been demolished are facing hardship, as basic amenities like drinking water, food, toilets, temporary accommodation, electricity and medical facilities were not provided to them.

The bench, also comprising Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, made it clear that rehabilitation will be for those who are eligible.

Gonsalves cited a report prepared by social workers and lawyers, who had visited the demolition site and interviewed the people at temporary shelters. Submitting that there is an urgent need of drinking water, accommodation, food, toilets, health facilities and electricity, he said that authorities' claim regarding temporary accommodation are "absolutely false" and people are waiting for rehabilitation.

Counsel representing the municipal corporation of Faridabad objected to this line of argument, claiming that people have already been provided temporary accommodation, food, and toilets.

As Gonsalves urged the top court to understand the suffering of the people, the bench replied: "We are hearing you fully." It noted that it is examining all aspects, which includes immediate pressing needs, but stressed that it will not provide resettlement at that very place. "Then what was the purpose of removal of these unauthorised constructions," it asked.

Senior advocate Sanjay Parikh, representing some of the petitioners, pressed on deplorable condition at the temporary shelter provided by authorities concerned. At this, the bench observed: "We are also conscious of humanity. It is not the forte of only few." The municipal corporation's counsel submitted fresh and hygienic food is being provided at the temporary accommodation and they are giving Rs 2,000 per family per month for at least six months.

The bench posted the matter for further hearing on September 13.
New Delhi, Sep 6 : The Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala, on Monday launched a portal for National Livestock Mission (NLM) that will increase the effectiveness and transparency in scheme implementation.

The online portal, which has been developed by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) in collaboration with the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, will enable a customised workflow between the state implementing agency (SIA), lenders and the ministry as required under the scheme, a release from the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said.

The Union minister also released a report titled 'Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics - 2020', which contains tabulated data sets giving production estimates for major livestock products like milk, egg, meat and wool.

The launch of the portal and the release of the report took place during a national-level virtual meeting with all state animal husbandry/veterinary ministers under the chairmanship of Rupala.

"This national-level consultation with the state ministers was held after a gap of more than five years," the release said.

Rupala highlighted the special livestock sector package to all the state ministers, which was recently announced by the Government of India for next five years with an outlay of Rs 9,800 crore, leveraging a total investment of Rs 54,618 crore.

Ministers of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, also attended the meeting along with other officials.

The Union Minister informed that as per a recent Cabinet decision, the National Livestock Mission and the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) now have a component of breeder farm entrepreneurs and fodder entrepreneurs.

Under RGM, for breed multiplication farms for production and supply of high genetic merit heifers to farmers, 50 per cent capital subsidy will be made available to the entrepreneurs directly, the release said.
Bengaluru, Sep 6 : Karnataka's Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah on Monday expressed concern over the state government's decision to close down counselling centres for women due to lack of resources.

"This decision is against the interests of women who have experienced harassment and other social injustices. It is unfortunate that such decision is made at a time when atrocities on women are rising in the state," he said, urging Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to withdraw the decision to close down the Santwana Kendras.

Santwana Kendras were established by the Women and Child Welfare Department to provide all forms of assistance under a single roof to women in distress. Run with the help of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), they addressed the immediate concerns of distressed women by giving them shelter, economic assistance, employment, education, and legal assistance.

"Thousands of women have had renewed hope with the help of personal counsellors of the centre. The centres have helped many women with suicidal tendencies and prevented many suicides," Siddaramaiah said.

A total of 71 Santwana Kendras, including all in Bengaluru, have been closed, citing the pandemic-induced financial distress, he noted.

Siddaramaiah demanded that all non-functioning centres must be reopened at the earliest and the decision to close down the remaining functioning centres should be immediately withdrawn.
Patna, Sep 6 : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Monday that the state government is still waiting for the response of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on caste-based census.

"The demand for caste-based census is coming from almost all the states. It will be great if caste-based census is conducted in the country. It will give a clear picture about the number of castes in the country so that we could prepare policies for them accordingly," Kumar said after the 'Janata Darbar' on Monday.

"Now it's up to the Centre to take a decision in this matter. Caste-based census is in the interest of the country. A section of people are saying that it may create discrimination in the society. I personally believe that caste-based census will unite the society," Kumar said.

The earlier caste-based census was conducted 90 years ago during the British era in 1931 and the country has followed the same since then.

The Bihar government had sent a letter to the Prime Minister on August 4, requesting him to give time so that an all-party delegation can meet him and put across their point of view on this issue.

Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of opposition in Bihar Assembly, had sent a proposal to Nitish Kumar to seek a meeting with the Prime Minister. The all-party delegation had met Modi on August 23.

The Centre has already said that it is not in favour of caste-based census in the country.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Little Elli Mae Is Staying Safe and Well, So How About You?: a thoughtful opportunity to discuss the precautions one can take to avoid becoming ill. Little Elli Mae Is Staying Safe and Well, So How About You? is the creation of published author Cynthia Shareen Dobbs, a devoted mother and grandmother who has had a love for writing from a young age.

Dobbs shares, Little Elli Mae has an inspiriting story she wants to share with the whole world. She starts to feel a bit uncertain about the way things are enveloping around her. She now has to face a lot of adversity thats going on in her life. She doesnt understand why she cant do all the fun things she used to do.

After she learns about this perilous virus, her life starts to unravel. Though frightened and confused, she begins to understand its not just her life thats been under attack, its everyones life. She needs answers and reassurance, so she looks for guidance and strength through God and her loving family. She becomes more aware and less fearful of her situation and starts doing what is necessary and important to stay safe and well. She cant wait to get back to her normal, simple life. She cant do this unless everyone else joins her in her struggles. Theres an Elli Mae in all of us, so we all need to take heed and follow her example before its too late. Dont hesitate. Elli Mae thanks you from the bottom of her heart. Its up to you; lets make a start.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Cynthia Shareen Dobbss new book is a lyrical cautionary tale with an encouraging message.

Dobbs writes in hopes of reassuring young readers about the frightening realities of the ongoing pandemic.

View a synopsis of Little Elli Mae Is Staying Safe and Well, So How About You? on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Little Elli Mae Is Staying Safe and Well, So How About You? at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Little Elli Mae Is Staying Safe and Well, So How About You?, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Not for Money: a dynamic examination of the tithing practice from a Christian perspective. Not for Money is the creation of published author Daniel Brian Simmons, a devoted Christian who, along with his beloved wife, live off-grid in tents using solar power for lighting.

Simmons shares, Ideally, there is not a price tag on everything, meaning that it cannot be bought or sold. Not for Money has its Christian born-again author who takes on the topic of money, specifically tithes and free will offerings. It is as a reoccurring dream or thread like theme throughout the book.

The usual four-line poem expressions also touch on the authors dealings with others around him, his selfishness, versus love and service.

If you as the reader do not consider yourself a Christian, this book is for you, neither did the author at one time. If you are a Christian, this book is for you, equally. The scriptures of the Bible accompany many poems as a reinforcement and origin of inspiration. Not for Money enjoys parables.

In conclusion, when Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness, or desert, to be tempted of the devil for the third time, the Bible says:

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

And saith (says) unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt (will) fall down and worship me.

Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt (shall) worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Matthew 4:811

This temptation was nothing less than corruption, an offer to take a short cut to get ahead, a premature undue glory that Jesus saw right through. Speaking the written word of God, Jesus defended His stance that finally rid Him of further temptation. Tragically, for Jesus this meant the cross, the long way, to the permanent glory, securing for us all eternal life.

With the example that Jesus set, and to be followed, How can we ask to be paid money, when we proclaim this most tremendous history, of Jesus courage? The answer is we cannot, and should not anymore.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Daniel Brian Simmonss new book is a collection of thought-provoking poetic musings from the authors spiritual experiences.

Simmonss most recent publication is a compelling and charismatic arrangement of faith-based writings intended to encourage and inspire ones spiritual growth.

View a synopsis of Not for Money on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Not for Money at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Not for Money, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
"Our partnership with Reask is a major step towards our commitment to bring innovative data and insights to the insurance risk market, Shubharoop Ghosh, Vice President of Data Services at ImageCat.

ImageCat today announced an agreement with Reask, a leading science and technology company focusing on natural hazard modeling, to make their HindCyc and DeepCyc global cyclone, typhoon and hurricane probabilistic modeling and event response services available through ImageCats Inhance and FACFinder solutions.

The new relationship will allow ImageCat to leverage Reasks innovative hazard modeling capabilities to deliver cutting-edge risk management solutions across the insurance and reinsurance industry.

Were excited to make our suite of global tropical cyclone modelling solutions available to risk managers across the insurance community via the ImageCat platforms, said Thomas Loridan, Chief Executive Officer, Reask. Providing access to our rapid event response service and probabilistic hazard layers via ImageCat represents a real boost in our ability to support the needs of property insurers, reinsurers, brokers and risk managers worldwide.

Reask offers pre-event, real-time and post-event modeling capabilities for weather-related catastrophes globally. Its HindCyc Event Response Service is widely used by insurance and reinsurance companies to rapidly assess the potential impact of an event on their risk portfolios and operational costs. The service also helps determine parametric insurance coverages when policy triggers involve intensity-based measures from its modeled footprint. The DeepCyc probabilistic hazard model provides high resolution estimates of surface wind speeds for a range of return periods globally.

Our partnership with Reask is a major step towards our commitment to bring innovative data and insights to the insurance risk market, said Shubharoop Ghosh, Vice President of Data Services at ImageCat. Reasks globally consistent, climate conditioned tropical cyclone model was developed using highest resolution global datasets and machine learning technologies and we are very pleased to provide access to this unique product through our platform solutions.

ImageCats flagship exposure product, Inhance, is a ground-breaking solution to exposure data problems and provides a suite of analysis tools to help (re)insurers, managing general agents and brokers visualize their property exposures in terms of completeness, accuracy, and appropriateness.

FACFinder is an exposure aggregation and hazard mapping platform for Facultative Insurance underwriters that allows them to monitor exposure aggregation and perform better risk analysis. It provides a quick and simple way to identify existing risk locations and their exposure to hazards and allows them to understand the impacts of adding new facultative locations to their book of business.

ImageCat has recently launched a new venture Resurances, that will bring platform and data models such as Reasks climate connected Tropical Cyclone models to the insurance market.

To learn more about how Reask can help your business, please join the Inhance September Data Partner Spotlight by registering here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1BlVZAd3RVyYCXBI2Dp0Gw

About Reask: Headquartered in Sydney, Reask is a science and technology company applying cutting-edge data science to natural hazard modeling. By applying machine learning to the development of its tropical cyclone wind field and terrain interaction models, Reask can efficiently simulate a probabilistic view of ground-level wind risk at landfall, including accurate representation of wind field asymmetries as well as the influence of topography and land use in different parts of the world. Visit https://reask.earth.

About ImageCat: ImageCat is an international risk management innovation company supporting the global risk and catastrophe management needs of the insurance industry, governments, and NGOs. As a leading provider of risk and disaster management technologies, ImageCat is highly regarded for cutting-edge products, services, and R&D activities, targeting decision support needs at all phases of the disaster management cycle. Visit http://www.imagecatinc.com
Commissioned by ITV, France Televisions, HISTORY Channel and VPRO, 9/11: Life Under Attack (1 x 90) features previously unheard audio and images: the personal stories told by the people in New York that day who lived through the events and recorded them. Its narrative is driven exclusively by audio and footage from the day. Presented without any interviews, viewers hear what is described as new, compelling and profoundly moving in-the-moment accounts.The worldwide sales, delivered by distribution partner BBC Studios, include not only France Televisions but also ZDF in Germany; Australia (ABC); Italy (Discovery); Denmark (DR); Spain (TVE and Telefonica); Belgium (VRT); New Zealand (TVNZ); Russia (BBC News Russian); Central and Eastern Europe (AMC) and Brazil (Globo Free to Air and Globoplay SVOD).The feature-length documentary is also said to present a unique and compelling account of 9/11 captured by ordinary people who chose to pick up their cameras and get close to the action, weaving together the personal video diaries of a dozen people whose accounts provide an unfiltered telling of events, capturing confusion, comprehension, terror and relief. The film will air on ITV on 9 September at 21:00 and the HISTORY Channel on 11 September at 10PM ET/PT.Commenting on the sales for 9/11: Life Under Attack Zinc Media group director London television Greg Sanderson said: This programme will serve as an important record of one of the most historic days in modern history, captured by those who were in the thick of the chaos as it unfolded. We are therefore delighted it has received such strong interest internationally. Our thorough approach to exploring the minutiae of historical events means our programmes always find audiences throughout the world, particularly those keen for definitive and authoritative reflections on the moments in history which collectively shape our lives.Paul Dempsey, president global distribution, BBC Studios, added: "There is global appetite for in-depth real-world accounts, so it comes as no surprise that this compelling and unique portrayal of 9/11- a historical event that continues to shape the modern world 20 years on - has received significant international interest.9/11: Life Under Attack was commissioned by Tom Giles at ITV, Caroline Behar at FranceTelevisionsTelevisions , Zachary G Behr and Brad Holcman at the HISTORY Channel and Nathalie Windhorst at VPRO . It is executive produced by Greg Sanderson and Karen Edwards for Brook Lapping at Zinc Media Group.
It is a little-known fact that over a century ago, a coalition of labor movement leaders led the charge to extend U.S. citizenship to the people of Puerto Rico. This Labor Day, we should honor the legacy of this hard-fought victory, while recognizing that the 3.2 million U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico today are still being denied full equality, democracy and voting rights over 100 years after becoming citizens of our great nation. This blemish on American democracy can and must be corrected by Congress, and the best way to do so is by passing the Puerto Rico Statehood Admissions Act, H.R. 1522 in the House and S. 780 in the Senate.

During the Spanish-American War of 1898, the U.S. acquired Puerto Rico as a territory. And while it was commonly understood that any territory that was expected to potentially become a state would be granted citizenship and the rights thereof, many in positions of power in the early 1900s opposed citizenship for Puerto Ricans due to racist ideas.

The question of citizenship for new territories came to the Supreme Court in what are now known as the insular cases. The insular cases decreed that territories like Puerto Rico would not be incorporated into the U.S. or their residents be given American citizenship without an act of Congress. The inherent racism of the time was clear in the opinions from the Supreme Court, which stated Puerto Rico was inhabited by alien races, and President Theodore Roosevelt labeling those in the territories as mere savages.

Thankfully, those on the island, particularly labor leaders, did not take this silently.

Santiago Iglesias was a Spanish-born labor organizer in Puerto Rico who later became the islands resident commissioner in Congress and founder of the Puerto Rico Socialist Party (a pro-union party). He joined together with Samuel Gompers, the first president of the American Federation of Labor, to fight for the passage of legislation to grant U.S. citizenship to those living in Puerto Rico.

Through persistent and aggressive advocacy, barely a month before the U.S. entered World War I in 1917 the Jones-Shafroth Act was signed into law granting U.S. citizenship to those who lived and were born in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, despite this change in status, Puerto Ricans continued to live as second-class American citizens without voting representation in Congress, without the right to vote for president and without equal treatment under federal laws. This is why Santiago Iglesias did not stop there. After being elected resident commissioner under a coalition of his Socialist Party with the Union Republican Party, in 1934 the non-voting representative in Congress introduced the very first bill for Puerto Ricos admission as a state.

The second Puerto Rico statehood admission bill was introduced by my great-grandfather Bolivar Pagan, who succeeded Iglesias in Congress and then won reelection to a full term as resident commissioner. The fight for statehood and equal treatment under the law that was waged by labor leaders like Iglesias and my great-grandfather is still going on today.

Puerto Ricos current status as a territory has limited the islands economic development potential by imposing structural disadvantages before it can even begin to compete in the free market. The uncertainty about Puerto Ricos future, which could still technically be made an independent republic, is a systemic risk that limits investment on the island. And the inequality under federal laws and programs means that local wages, income levels, workforce participation rates and the social safety net are all well below stateside standards.

That is why it should surprise nobody that in November 2020, when those on the island went to the polls and were asked if they wanted Puerto Rico to be admitted to the union as a state, the clear majority voted in favor. This vote came on the heels of two others in 2017 and 2012, where voters also rejected the current territory status and favored statehood among the non-territory options.

It is far past time for Congress to act. Our U.S. senators and representatives have the power to fix this century-long injustice. On this Labor Day, lets honor the labor leaders who bravely advocated for U.S. citizenship for Puerto Rico by passing the Puerto Rico Statehood Admissions Act and finally make good on Americas founding promises of government by consent of the governed and equal justice under the law for our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico.
Joe Biden is suffering his worst job approval numbers of his presidency. The messy Afghanistan withdrawal and the COVID-19 spike have bruised his reputation for competence. Bidens standing has deteriorated just as Democrats in Congress are squabbling with themselves over how much they should spend, and how much of his domestic agenda, should be included in its next major bill. With midterm elections a little more than one year away, the Democratic Partys grip on a narrow congressional majority looks increasingly tenuous.

And Republicans want to start banning abortions?

Texas Republicans have lit a political powder keg, with a new law known as Senate Bill 8 effectively banning abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy and incentivizing anyone across the country to sue any Texan who provides an abortion or helps someone get an abortion. After the Supreme Court refused to stay implementation of the law, other Republican-controlled legislatures are considering similar legislation. States with Republican governors eyeing a presidential run in 2024 appear particularly interested.

Whatever your opinion on abortion, you should be able to discern that, as a political strategy, the Texan gambit is an insanely risky bet for Republicans to take  at a time when Republicans dont need to take a political risk.

Abortion is deeply polarizing issue. The political advantage can shift depending on what aspect of the issue is in the spotlight, and how the issue is framed. But generally speaking, legal abortion with some restrictions is the political middle ground. Case in point, the Texas bill bans abortions after a so-called fetal heartbeat is detected. A national 2019 Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that 50% of people supported, and 44% opposed, a ban on abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected. But when the pollster then explained such heartbeats are detected around six weeks into pregnancy and before most women know they are pregnant, the numbers flip: 56% oppose and 38% support.

With Texas Republican leaders enacting the most extreme abortion ban in the country, you might assume they were simply acting on the desires of a decidedly anti-abortion majority. Not so. The continued dominance of the GOP in Texas masks the states bluing trend, driven by an influx of college-educated workers.

A June 2019 University of Texas poll found that 45% of Texas voters consider themselves pro-life versus 39% pro-choice. This past February, the same pollster found that pro-choice voters now held a slight plurality of 41% versus 40% saying pro-life. To drag a state undergoing such significant demographic change into a bitter culture war battle is the definition of political risk.

Keep in mind that Texas will be a battleground state for control of the U.S. House next year. National Republican operatives are eyeing five Democratic-held Texas seats. Most expect the states Republican-led government to aggressively redraw the congressional district lines and tilt the map in their favor. But a new map that creates more Republican-leaning districts by thinly spreading the Republican vote, could make it harder for the GOP to withstand any progressive backlash  which a near-total abortion ban could well produce. To ruin Republicans in 2022, such a backlash wouldnt have to cover Texas from border to border, just in the districts that count.

The Texas law isnt the only abortion-related factor that could impact the 2022 midterms. The Supreme Court had already decided to review Mississippis stayed 15-week abortion ban, and will likely issue its ruling in late June or early July, about four months before the midterms. Upholding the law would require either overturning Roe v. Wade or severely scaling back its enshrinement of abortion rights.

Pro-life Republicans could have waited for the court to rule on the Mississippi law before pursuing additional, more restrictive abortion bans in other states. But they are pursuing an impatient strategy, clearly hoping that enacting more abortion bans now will have a normalizing effect that helps persuade the Supreme Court to take the next step and take down Roe. And if the Supreme Court has five justices determined to repeal Roe regardless of the surrounding politics, then Roe will go.

But the opposite could also come true. A wave of harassing lawsuits might turn the public away from the pro-life cause, spooking the Supreme Court, leaving Roe unscathed and uniting the Democratic base in advance of November 2022.

Republicans have overreached on abortion before. In 2012, Missouris Todd Akin derailed his chances to win a Senate seat when he claimed that rape victims rarely get pregnant because if its a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down. Indianas Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock made a similar gaffe when he defended his position against allowing rape victims to get abortions by saying, I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen. In 2013, Virginia gubernatorial nominee Ken Cuccinelli was hammered for supporting legislation requiring women to get an invasive transvaginal ultrasound before getting an abortion. All lost winnable races.

Of course, midterms almost always go poorly for the presidents party, and a spate of extreme abortion bans  even if theyre unpopular  may not generate enough outrage among abortion rights supporters to help Democrats keep control of Congress.

Still, Republicans are refusing to take the politically safe path. Their desire to outlaw abortion by any means necessary is outweighing any rational political calculus.
Hugh Jackman's father, Christopher John Jackman, died over the weekend, the actor revealed Monday.

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His dad's death coincided with Australia's celebration of Father's Day, which takes place on the first Sunday in September.

In a Twitter post, Jackman described his father's death as peaceful and said that he was an "extraordinary" man.

"In the early hours of Father's Day (AU), my dad peacefully passed away. And whilst there is deep sadness, I'm filled with such gratitude and love," Jackman wrote. "My dad was, in a word, extraordinary. He devoted his life to his family, his work, and his faith. I pray he's now at peace with God."

Jackman's parents moved to Australia from Britain in the 1960s as part of the Ten Pound Poms migration scheme for attracting families after World War II. His father raised five children alone when his mother returned to Britain.

Jackman has previously written about his father on Instagram with deep affection.

"Happy Father's Day to the man who taught me to show respect for others, for education, for being led by your passions," he wrote. "I love you dad!"
Athens, GA (30605)

Today

Cloudy early, then off and on rain showers for the afternoon. High around 85F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Water and the American West

History 310 with Prof. Josh Howe explores the turbulent controversies surrounding the resource that defines half a continent.

History 310, Water and the American West, with Prof. Josh Howe uses the environmental and political history of Americas rivers, streams, reservoirs, and aquifers to introduce students to important issues in water history and contemporary water policy. Students begin by exploring a series of different frameworks for understanding the complex relationships among water, labor, land, and political power as those relationships have changed over time. As they build a deeper understanding of water as a natural, cultural, and political entity, they see the ways in which history has helped to shape the way we allocate and regulate water. Armed with the dual weapons of history and basic legal doctrine, they tackle some of the key issues in 20th-century American water policy, including groundwater, water marketing, and the implications of global warming.

One of the reasons I like teaching environmental history so much is that it enables students to see the physical world around them in new ways, understanding the historical inflections coded into landscapes, material objects, and the ideas associated with them, says Prof. Howe. Studying water in the American west does this so effectively at so many scales, highlighting the human decisions that have influenced the free-flowing waters of the Reed Canyon while at the same time making legible the legal, political, and physical infrastructures that shape American water and land use on a continental scale. It takes some effort for students to get their heads around the legal doctrines that govern the west's water and where those doctrines came from. Once they figure it out, though, they discover they have a powerful set of tools for grappling with the contentious history--and problematic futureof the west's most important resource."

Celebrating a decade at Reed this year, Prof. Howe is associate professor of history and environmental studies, and currently serves as the chair of both the history department and the environmental studies program. He is the author of Behind the Curve: Science and the Politics of Global Warming (University of Washington Press, 2014) and Making Climate Change History: Documents from Global Warming's Past (University of Washington Press, 2017), both books about the political history of climate change that inform an interest in the history of water resources in the American West that has held steady since his first volunteer post stuffing envelopes for Idaho Rivers United at 15 years old.

Tags: Courses Wed Love To Take, Academics, Climate, Sustainability, Environmental
Greenville, NC (27833)

Today

Some clouds and possibly an isolated thunderstorm this afternoon. High 88F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 68F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Cloudy early, then thunderstorms developing this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 82F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Showers and thundershowers this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.
BERLIN  One person was killed and two other were injured in a crash Saturday evening involving several motorcycles on Mill Street, local police said.

Officers were sent to Mill Street near the Route 9 ramp around 6 p.m. for reports of a motorcycle crash, police said.
Every morning, Angelica Mourges visits a neighbor for coffee before starting her day as the education director at Academie Brezou, a school in Cap Rouge, a remote, mountainous area of Haiti near the city of Jacmel.

Its a long way from home for the Torrington native, who graduated from Torrington High School in 2012 and attended Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina. An education major, she expected to find a job somewhere in the U.S. after graduation. But during her sophomore year, she decided to sponsor a child from Haiti, and her view of the world changed.

I wanted to start working and teaching in my sophomore year, and when youre in school, you dont have a lot of money, Mourges said. But I read something about sponsoring a child in another country, and I said, You know what, Im going to do this.

After some research, she learned about an organization called ImMe, which offered information on sponsorship. I saw this little boy and signed up to sponsor him, for $30 a month, to pay for him to go to school, she said.

After graduating from CCU in 2015, she asked for a trip to Haiti as a graduation gift, to meet her sponsored child, Robensley, or Benz for short.

Over that time I was learning more about Haiti, and realizing how close it is, just up the coast of Florida, Mourges said. I went on the trip to Haiti and it was a crazy moment to meet him; it was surreal, to meet him in person. When I came home a week later, I flew from Haiti to Boston for a graduation party with family and friends and my parents.

Food poisoning waylaid her during that visit home. As soon as she recovered, Mourges returned to South Carolina, and decided to go back to Haiti for a longer visit.

I did a lot of research, and got connected with a group, For His Glory Orphanage in Port-au-Prince (the capital), that wanted to start a school there, Mourges said. So I went back and helped get it up and running, as a member, in 2016.

She returned to the U.S. in 2017. At that time, a lot of my friends and other students were applying for jobs, but I decided to take a year off and spend it working in Haiti, she said. I was connected to an English school, Quisqueya Christian School in Port-au-Prince, and I taught there full time and lived there for two-and-a-half years. That was in 2018.

In August 2020, Mourges visited a friend in a rural area, away from the sometimes chaotic and busy life in Port-au-Prince. I spent a week with her and met (people from) Academie Brezou, she said. I was asked to be their education director, and if Id be interested in moving out of the city.

It was a dream come true, she said.

I finished up the semester at the English school, and had a little transition period where I moved up there and learned more about the way of life in the (Cap Rouge mountains) area, she said. Ive been learning the language, meeting the people, and working, since January of this year.

A traditional family

Mourges says she grew up in a traditional family in Torrington. Her parents, Steve and Cheryl Mourges, both work in physical therapy, while her brother Spencer is a nurse at Duke Medical Center and her sister Sydney is a nurse at UTK Medical in Knoxville, Tenn. Her dad is from New York, while her mother was raised in Torrington. The family is Greek on her fathers side, and Italian on her mothers.

The whole familys in the medical profession, but I wanted to be a teacher, Mourges said. We didnt do a lot of traveling, so when I decided to go to CCU, it was a big deal.

When I went to Haiti, my family wasnt shocked that I went to visit my sponsored child, but when I came home, I was sick with food poisoning  I was a mess. My parents were shocked that I wanted to go back. But it wasnt something that was going to happen unless I made the decision. When I got my first job offer, and told them I was going to work as a teacher in an orphanage, my mom said, No way. They didnt think it would happen.

In May, her parents visited her at the school. Now they know Im not coming home. I have a life here; I have friends here. It was good for them to see that, Mourges said.

Academie Brezou

Academie Brezou has about 500 students, whose families pay a fee of $25 a month to send one or more of their children. The school is owned by Life Ansamn, a nonprofit that, according to its mission statement, is partnering with the community of Cap Rouge in the needs of the church, education, job creation, community development and family/health care.

Shes a minority in Haiti, but feels very much at home. The mission trip was all Americans, but when I moved back again, for three months, I was the only American full-time on the ground, she said. I lived in a Haitian guest house, and another couple from Canada lived next door. At the Christian school, there was a mix of Americans, Canadians, some Africans; and every now and then youd meet someone from Europe or another country.

We called ourselves ex-pats, she said with a laugh. Thats sort of dwindled over the years. I have friends from America and Canada here, and we are helping to build up this country. Im part of a great community now.

She also had to learn the French language and its dialects in Haiti. Im still learning it, she said. If Id known, I would have taken French in high school instead of Spanish. There are similarities, but learning French was difficult for me. Being immersed is key. I have a friend helping me translate my English into French, so I can understand it. So I may sound like an American, but as long as they understand me here, its OK.

Why Haiti?

Making the decision to leave the United States to work in an impoverished country was not an easy one for Mourges. She realized there is plenty of need in the U.S., but wanted to do something different.

You always hear in college that you are making a difference, and yes, I make a difference in the U.S., but here, you see so much more, she said. Kids dont have a great home life in Haiti; its not a typical childhood. A lot of them have to work, and take care of the house and their siblings.

Education is a way for children to survive and grow, she said. With their education, they change their lives, she said. Usually, their parents arent educated; my parents were first-generation college graduates, but here, if kids can graduate from high school, they can turn around and not only support themselves, but their parents, their aunts, uncles, cousins and future families. Thats how far an education can go for a person here.

An average income for a working person in Haiti is less than $100 a month, which often supports an entire family. Its crazy how fast in the U.S. we can blow $100, but out here, its totally different, Mourges said. Food, fuel and clothing are the basics, because theres a need versus a want. Are there needs in the U.S. for a lot of us? Not really. The struggles here are so different.

At the school and her nearby home, Mourges collects rainwater for washing. Solar panels provide electricity, but not regularly. Its very hot. A recent earthquake in Port-au-Prince shook the ground and the walls of the buildings in Cap Rouge, hundreds of miles away.

When I come home to visit, I still look the same and talk the same, but not for one second do I miss what people might think, like hot water. I dont think about that, because Im so focused on what Im doing, she said. Those things dont seem to matter as much.

At the school, Mourges is in charge of the education curriculum, and teaches classes. We are K-6, and there are about nine classes of students, she said. Right now were focusing on the elementary grades, but wed like to have all of them, up to 12. We do want to expand.

Sponsorships and donations keep the academy running, with people pledging a monthly donation to a classroom. If eight to ten sponsors donate $30 a month, the money will pay a teachers salary, provide materials for the students and help pay other bills. The families pay $25 a year for each child to attend. All our kids live with family members in the community, Mourges said. They pay about $25 a year, and its better that way. If they get it for free, theyre not going to send their kids. This way, the families take it seriously. Their money goes into the running of the school.

A typical public school in Haiti charges a fee; some ask for $100 a month for tuition, and since the population doesnt make that much in a month, parents have to choose what kids can go, and who has the best chance of finishing. Lots of times its just the boys who get to go, she said.

She encouraged people to consider sponsoring something, or making a donation. Mourges said theres plenty of ways to help at home, too.

What I say to people, if they complain, is that I felt called to help Haiti, Mourges said. If you dont feel that, then help people in America; do something. I was called to help in Haiti.

To learn more about Mourges school or to consider making a donation, visit lifeansanm.org/sponsor-a-class/, or email angelica@lifeansanm.org.
Torrington native Sean Coreys first job out of college was as an associate with international firm Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton, at One Liberty Plaza across from the twin towers.

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Corey was working in the plaza building. First responders were beginning to arrive at the scene, and office employees were advised to leave the area.

As I waited I the crowd at Union Square station to change to the express train, the PA system suddenly sprang to life, Corey recalled. Everyone winced as the ancient loudspeakers accosted us with a spectacular combination of feedback, static and a voice that was made for hailing yellow cabs at rush hour. When he repeated the announcement, I made out the following: There will be no service to Fulton Street on the Brooklyn bound 4-5 because of an incident. No problem - Ill get off at Wall Street instead, I thought, as the woman next to me muttered, Every day its something.

The rest of the ride in was uneventful. ... The train emptied at Wall Street at approximately 9:10. I was debating whether to go latte or coffee-of-the-day as I reached the top of the stairs that led out to Broadway and looked out, Corey said. Smoke. A crowd in the street. Paper and ash everywhere.

I walked half a block up Broadway toward the office to Liberty Park. Clearing the buildings, I saw the south tower completely on fire and I froze. Quickly my mind searched all the back rooms and bottom drawers of my memory, but nowhere did I have any guidance on what to do in this scenario. Everyone else appeared to have the same problem. In Liberty Park and on Broadway, a crowd of people stood watching. Some were talking quietly to the people next to them or on cellphones. No one was panicking. Or leaving.

As I tried to imagine what could have happened, I walked closer to our building and saw two things that shook me out of the trance. First, the north tower came into view and it was also on fire. Second, the security guards were blocking the entrance to our building and were visibly agitated, he said. Certain now that the fires were no accident, I overheard someone saying that there had been two explosions within the past half-hour. Someone else said people were jumping from the towers. The Financial District, which I found somewhat claustrophobic on a good day, suddenly became unbearable.

I walked north through the crowd on Broadway, past the corner of Dey Street where a single line of people covered in white ash was dispersing slowly into the crowd. The line stretched all the way back to the Trade Center. Past Fulton Street, an identical line was arriving and one man stood in tears yelling, Barbara? Barbara? at the people marching towards him on the sidewalk.

Almost everyone being evacuated to the east from the towers was stopping on Broadway. Hugging each other and reporting about friends and co-workers. It had to be close to 9:30, he said. I continued north on Broadway with a growing contingent of people. Progress was slow due to large numbers who congregated on every corner or next to any car with a radio on. EMT vehicles and unmarked black sedans with sirens going full blast frequently parted the crowd. As I walked, I heard people explaining that hijacked planes had caused the explosions.

And then people started screaming. An enormous cloud had covered the whole area. ... Looking south, I saw people many blocks away now running toward us. Someone said the towers had fallen. I thought of the crowd of people at Liberty Park. I turned north and kept walking.

The next day I saw a picture in a newspaper of an enormous cloud of debris exploding out from Broadway and Fulton Street, he said. Again, I thought of that crowd. Are they OK? Someone shouldve known. What if Id stayed?

It was months later before Corey and his co-workers could return to work. He stayed seven more years at the firm before moving to San Diego. He recently returned to Connecticut to visit his mother, Lynne Wilson, and stepfather, David Wilson, who live in Litchfield.
TORRINGTON  A group of about 20 men and women were gathered at Josephs House on Water Street on a recent rainy Wednesday night. Talking and laughing, they all sat down together in the front of the meeting room near the stage, and everyone began to pray.

Many were teenagers who say theyve been touched by the spirit of God and the encouragement of their pastor, Michelle Turnbull, and call themselves disciples.

Were growing and moving forward, Turnbull said. They see a purpose in their lives. Were raising leaders here, who understand that they dont have to let their environment dictate who they are.

Many of them face difficulties at home and find friendship and camaraderie with Turnbulls Living In Faith Every Day Ministries youth group, which started at New Creations church in Torrington two years ago. Before COVID-19, she welcomed up to 40 members three or four times per week.

During the pandemic it quieted down, but theyre coming back now, said Turnbull, who lives in Torrington with her husband, Aaron, and four children. We all kept in contact, and we eventually just started meeting outside on Sundays. We sing, we worship, we pray, we perform. They reach out to people, especially their peers.

Members attend Torrington Middle and High schools, as well as Northwestern CT Community College, and a few mothers came with their son or daughter, and decided to stay.

Turnbulls own journey to become a pastor started when she was a young, single mother raising her children on her own.

I was always in church, but I had a rough time. Theres lots of stuff in my story, like a lot of people; divorce, depression, she said. But I always wanted to help kids who see no way out of their lives. Like them, I used drugs and alcohol to escape my pain, until I found my identity with Christ. I knew I was supposed to do this.

But, she said, she doesnt want her ministry to be about religion. She focuses on the Bibles teachings, helping the young members understand its many meanings.

I want them to truly know God, she said. I want to help them embrace who they are and to know that no matter what, they will be transformed.

Music is a big part of her ministry, along with prayer, self-expression through art, and public outreach. Her own children, Caleb, Jeriel, Ariana and Celestia, love to sing and play instruments. The youth group members all have found ways to connect to their faith by singing, writing songs and performing. The group put on a short concert during the recent Celebrate Belonging event, held to bring nonprofit services to the community at Coe Memorial Park.

I had a vision seven years ago, and I saw a sea of teens and young adults at Coe Memorial Park, she said. I believe somethings coming, and these kids are going to be transformed. They can shift the city. They can change things.

Annalicia Zarada, a student at NCCC, first came to the youth group with a friend.

Id never been to church before, and it was strange to see people praying, she said. But there was a feeling here that I liked  there was something more going on. I stayed.

Anthony Zacarias moved to Torrington from Washington, D.C., two years ago, and had trouble adjusting to the smaller, more quiet town. But before I moved, I was in a bad spot, he said. Home was tough. I was in a tough neighborhood. But when I came here, I felt the love in this group, and I decided to get involved. I feel more of that here than with my family.

Lisa Barbieri joined the group with her daughter Diannas encouragement. Im a Catholic, but church wasnt working, she said. I am learning so much about myself, its exciting. ... Ive also grown closer to my daughter.

Turnbull also offers the members opportunities to learn things such as creating a resume, interviewing for a job, budgeting money and other life skills, to build their confidence and prepare to become adults. They dont always have those skills, and Ive found people who can teach them, she said.

Before 2020, members were volunteering at the Community Soup Kitchen of Torrington, making gifts for the annual Samaritans Purse, which sends holiday gift boxes overseas, and reaching out to the citys homeless.

They want to get back to all of that, Turnbull said. Kids are drowning in depression in Torrington, and social media has put so many into a place where theyre so used to being alone, that theyre afraid to go back out again. We can help bring them out.

Young people are disillusioned easily if theyre unhappy, the pastor said. I believe its up to them to find their purpose in life; they dont have to be stuck. Many of them come from bad home lives, and if they can heal, thats huge. Its all about change, constant change.

Rachel Piedrahita, a senior at Torrington High School, said she found a connection in the group almost immediately. I love music, and I play guitar, and I started coming here, and got so much more, she said. We give our voices to praise God, to lift us out of dark places. I was searching in all the wrong places.

As fall approaches, Turnbull is looking forward to sending the young members out to share their message of faith in the community. She and group leaders Ryann Daquino, Lydia Chittenden, Jackie Shepherd and Annemarie Singleterry provide the members with plenty of activities and work to stay involved and connected.

They need to know that theyre not stuck, that they can change, she said. The question is, what are you changing into? The word of God is transformative, and Ive seen it happen to them. You can be healed, and have joy in your life.

LIFE Minstries meets at Franklin Plaza on Sundays from 3-5 p.m., and can be found at Josephs House at 7 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Email Turnbull at pastormichelle@lifechurchtorrington.com.
Veteran actor-author Anupam Kher has been busy trotting around the US while entertaining fans with his next show Zindagi ka Safar. Recently, as a part of his tour, the actor had the pleasure of staying at the residence of the Indian Ambassador in the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu. The actor took to Twitter and shared a video where he can be seen exchanging pleasantries while thanking the latter for such a wonderful stay.

Anupam Kher in the video expressed his gratitude to the ambassador and said,  This is to personally thank ambassador Tranjit Singh Sandhu for such an amazing time and such an amazing learning experience I had talking to you. It was wonderful to meet people like you all over the world. Thank you so much.

It was a pleasure to stay at #IndiaHouse,official residence of our Ambassador in #WashintonDC. Had an amazing time. Thanks to Hon @SandhuTaranjitS ji & his staff. My chats with the Hon. Ambassador were heartwarming & inspirational! Jai Ho@IndianEmbassyUS #HomeAwayFromHome pic.twitter.com/z2F4yfiior  Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) September 5, 2021

Indian Ambassador in the US responds to Anupam Kher's video

Ambassador in the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu on the other hand, responded to the love and said,  Thank you Anupam for coming and I must also say that I valued all the time that we spent together and I also learned a lot. I hope to see you again whenever you are next time here in Washington DC. It was a pleasure to stay at #IndiaHouse, the official residence of our Ambassador in #WashintonDC. Had an amazing time. Thanks to Hon @SandhuTaranjitS Ji & his staff. My chats with the Hon. The ambassadors were heartwarming & inspirational! Jai Ho @IndianEmbassyUS #HomeAwayFromHome, he wrote alongside the video.

This is not the first time that that the actor was hosted by the ambassador. Earlier, while Anupam was shooting for his next film Shiv Shastri Balboa in the US, he happened to visit Taranjits residence and met the bureaucrat on Independence Day. The actor had documented a video of his visit on Instagram while giving a glimpse of Taranjit Singhs residence in the US. The actor gave a short tour of the bureaucrats house while clicking himself with the Indian national flag and also called it the best flag. Happy Independence Day. Thank you, Hon. Ambassador of India in USA #TaranjitSinghSandhu Ji for inviting me for lunch at your residence # IndiaHouse in Washington. Apart from the delicious lunch It was a really wonderful and learning experience to listen to you talk about our country so passionately! It is diplomats like you who represent India in various countries of the world so brilliantly! Jai Ho! (sic), he wrote then.

IMAGE: ANUPAMKHER/Twitter
After keeping fans waiting for over a year, the fifth season of Money Heist is only gripping fans and making them more impatient about what happens in the end. That was all thanks to the shocking and emotional climax as five episodes hit the web recently, keeping the mystery alive for the remaining five episodes. One of the obvious interpretations after the conclusion of the first segment that fan favourite and one of the pivotal characters, Tokyo was dead, but is there more than meets the eye?

Is Tokyo dead in Money Heist season 5 Part 1? Ending explained

The scenes are unfolding at the Bank of Spain where the robbers have been stuck for over 100 hours since the start of the heist. The war has forced the group to form teams and one among them was of Tokyo, Denver and Manila.

The group battle the Spanish Army, led by Sagasta and his soldiers, who are breaking through the wall. Tokyo's daring attempt prompt the force to fire their snipers in the kitchen, leading to Tokyo being shot five times, in her arms and legs. Denver narrowly misses the bullets and escapes.

With the pain of the wounds, Tokyo realises that she won't be able to escape from the dumbwaiter in the bank's kitchen as it was a six-floor height that she'd find hard to descend due to her wounds. She thus asks Denver and Manila to proceed downstairs and cushion the bottom of the shaft for her descent. The duo successfully reaches and try to drill the hole.

However, the Army enter the kitchen and now are within a threatening distance of Tokyo. Amid her emotional reunion with Rio, who is unable to create a hole big enough to help, she tells Professor that she would be their guardian angel from now on, realising that time was running up for her.

She keeps fighting the soldiers despite the bullet wounds before she gets shot once again. Even in her seemingly final moments, she displays cleverness, as she smiles and opens up a belt of four grenades, leading herself and the Army soldiers to their deaths.

If one goes by the visuals, it would not be wrong to assume that Tokyo indeed died. The chances of her surviving the explosion and her wounds might be minuscule, but with the numerous twists and turns that makers have kept the viewers glued and shocked for five seasons, one might perhaps prefer to wait and watch.

Volume 1 of season 5 of Money Heist is streaming on Netflix since September 3. To know whether Tokyo miraculously survived or the climax portrayed the actual happenings, one will have to wait till December 3 when the second volume, and the last five episodes of the final season stream.
Amid India's vaccination drive, the Centre on Sunday issued a list of guidelines to identify fake COVID-19 vaccines. This comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned of counterfeit doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, the Health Ministry has shared a list of parameters to identify the authentic version of the vaccines that are currently being used for inoculation in India - Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V.

Parameters to check the authencity of Covishield vaccine

The label colour shade on the Covishield vaccine is dark green, as per the approved art work while the colour of the aluminium flip off seal is dark green.

The brand name with trademark is mentioned on the original vaccine

The lettering on the vaccine is printed in special white ink to be more clear and readable. The text font of the Generic name is in un-bold

The SII logo is printed at a unique angle and position which can be only identified by a select persons who are aware of the exact details

The entire label has been given a special texture honeycomb effect which is visible only at a specific angle. To make it foolproof, the honeycomb design has also been altered slightly at certain locations.

Parameters to check the authenticity of Covaxin

There is an invisible UV helix on label which is only visible under the UV light

The micro text hidden in label claims Dots, which is written as Covaxin

In addition, a holographic effect has been given on Covaxin

Parameters to check the authenticity of Sputnik V

As for Sputnik, the imported products are from two different bulk manufacturing sites from Russia, therefore there are two different labels for both these sites. While all the information and design is the same, only the manufacturer name is different.

For all the imported products till now, the English label is only available on the front and back of the carton of 5 ampoule pack while for all other sides, including the primary label on the ampoule, is in Russian.

COVID-19 vaccination in India

According to the Health Ministry, India's cumulative vaccination coverage has exceeded 68.46 crores, as per the data on Sunday. In addition, more than 71 lakh doses were administered in last 24 hours, it said.
A prestigious US organisation will be felicitating two Indian police officers for their contributions in their line of work. Chhattisgarh's Korea district SP, Santosh Singh will be awarded the prestigious IACP 2021 award by the International Association of Chiefs of Police for his efforts towards innovative policing and work in Naxal affected areas.

Apart from Singh, Uttar Pradesh cadre IPS officer Amit Kumar has also been selected for the prestigious award's '40 under 40' category. Officers from six other countries- the United Arab Emirates, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, and South Korea - will also be felicitated.

Korea district SP thanks friends and family for support

A 2011 batch IPS officer and SP of the Korea district in Chhattisgarh, Santosh Singh took to his Twitter handle to share the good news of being selected for the prestigious International Policing award. He thanked his friends, fellow police officers, and seniors for their support. The award is been given for his outstanding contribution during his eight years of service towards innovating, policing, and his efforts in Maoist-affected areas in Chhattisgarh.

Happy to receive prestigious international Policing award, #TheIACP 2021 awards in '40 under 40' category. Thanks @TheIACP! Sincere thanks to friends, fellow policepersons & seniors for generous supports. 40 officers from 6 countries in the list. Pl see:https://t.co/TLO9f5EAJq pic.twitter.com/KXaqQ5LcZ0  Santosh Singh (@SantoshSinghIPS) September 2, 2021

Talking about this achievement, SP Singh said that policing is all about giving a "fear-free" atmosphere to everyone and standing by people during moments of crisis. "It is a big moment not (because) I have been chosen for IACP Award-2021 but because of the fact that our good works have been recognised, which will continue motivating us to serve the people in the best possible manner and without any biases and prejudices," he added. The selected officers will be awarded in Texas in the USA.

SP Santosh Singh's contribution

SP Santosh Singh's contribution to Maoist-affected areas in Chhattisgarh extends beyond just good policing. Apart from getting several Maoists to surrender, and arresting several others, Singh has trained around one lakh children in self-defence as a part of a policing initiative.

This was also a world record after which he was awarded the 'Champions of Change' award by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu in 2018. He also extended his help during the COVID-19 pandemic by supplying essential commodities to people.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: Twitter/PTI)
Copenhagen, Sep 5 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen here on Sunday and discussed issues related to the Indo-Pacific, Afghanistan and European Union's global role.

Jaishankar, who is here on the last leg of his visit to three European nations - Slovenia, Croatia and Denmark - to boost bilateral ties and further strengthen India's cooperation with the European Union (EU), also conveyed greetings and good wishes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Frederiksen.

"Thank PM Mette Frederiksen of Denmark for receiving me today. Appreciate her leadership in taking forward our Green Strategic Partnership. Conveyed greetings and good wishes of PM @narendramodi. Valued her insights and assessments on the key issues of our day," he tweeted.

Jaishankar said he discussed the Indo-Pacific, Afghanistan and EU's global role during his meeting with Prime Minister Frederiksen.

It was Jaishankars first visit to Denmark and the first by an Indian foreign minister in 20 years, according to the Ministry of External Affairs press release issued in New Delhi.

During his stay here, Jaishankar virtually met the members of the Indian community in Denmark and appreciated the image they have built of India.

"Pleasure to meet the Indian community in Denmark, even if virtually. Appreciate the image they have built of India. Confident they will remain an effective bridge between our two countries. Our deepening relations (are) also a reflection of their contributions, he tweeted.

On Saturday, Jaishankar co-chaired the fourth round of the Indo-Danish Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) along with his Danish counterpart Jeppe Kofod.

In a statement issued after the JCM meeting, the External Affairs Minister said what is unique about Indias relationship with Denmark is that Denmark is the only country with which India has a green strategic partnership.

Everybody says build back better, but we also want to grow back greener. And in growing back greener, we think Denmark is a very, very unique partner, because you have strengths and experiences and best practices which are enormously helpful for a country like India at this stage of its development, Jaishankar said.

The two countries went through the Joint Commission which had devised a joint action plan for the next five years, he said.

"We looked at how the joint action plan has delivered even in the middle of Covid, Jaishankar said as he complimented officials on both sides for their work in the last one-and-a-half year to ease all the travel problems. PTI ZH ZH

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
The Kerala government has put out a Nipah management plan, listing health protocol for government and private hospitals. In a statement, Kerala Health Minister Veena George informed that district officials can prepare a separate management plan. "The prime objective is surveillance, testing and treatment of the patients. As part of surveillance, effective contact tracing and quarantine will be done. Treatment protocol will be strictly followed and it will be constantly monitored," the minister said in a release.

The Nipah management plan will be coordinated at three levels - state, district and hospital. The state committee includes Chief Minister, Health Minister, Health Secretary, Chief Secretary, Disaster Management Additional Chief Secretary among others. She also stated that healthcare workers will be given specific training.

Nipah Virus: Health Ministry suggests measures

Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has also recommended measures to be taken to control Nipah virus. In a letter addressed to Kerala Chief Secretary Dr VP Joy, the MoHFW said, "Both hospital-based and community-based surveillance needs to be strengthened. Awareness needs of Acute ENchephalitis Syndrome/Respiratory Distress and risk communicated to the public."

The Health Ministry said that district authorities must locate primary and secondary contacts and prepare line listings of high risk and low-risk contacts. "All high-risk contacts may be moved to quarantine and observed for symptoms," it added.

The Health Ministry further mentioned that the centres treating Nipah virus should have an adequate number of single room isolation facilities, sufficient stock of anti-viral drug Ribavirin, negative pressure ICU and PPE kits. The MoHFW said that it is committed to extending all possible technical support to Kerala in addressing the Nipah Virus problem in an effective manner.

Nipah Virus in Kerala

Kerala's health department has been on high alert after a 12-year-old child from Kozhikode died due to Nipah infection on Sunday. So far. the state has identified 251 contacts of the child. 32 high-risk contacts have also been shifted to Kozhikode Medical hospital.

About Nipah virus

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), Nipah Virus is usually transmitted from animals to humans. In India and Bangladesh, fruit bats are the most likely source of infection, WHO stated. It can spread through contaminated food or directly between people. The virus can cause various illnesses ranging from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory disease and deadly encephalitis in infected persons.

(With agency inputs)
An Air India flight (AI-111), which was bound for London, aborted take-off at Delhi airport after an army of ants was found in the aircraft's business class cabin. Prince of Bhutan was also present on the flight. After the ants were found, Air India changed the aircraft.

London bound Air India (AI-111) flight aborted take-off at Delhi airport after swarm of ants found in business class. Prince of Bhutan was on board. Later Air India changed the aircraft.  ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2021

US-bound Air India flight returns to New Delhi after bat found in business class cabin

Earlier in May 2021, US-bound Air India aircraft was forced to return to New Delhi after a bat flew through the aircraft's business class cabin. According to ANI, the bat was spotted onboard after about an hour in mid-air. Following this incident, the video of the Air India crew and passengers reacting with shock and panic at finding the bat had gone viral on social media.

Air India officials had told the news agency, "AI-105 DEL-EWR returned back to base (Delhi) after departure due to this local standby emergency was declared. On arrival, it was learnt that a bat was seen inside the cabin by crew members. Wildlife staff were called to catch and remove the bat from cabin. The aircraft landed safely at around 3:55 am. Later flight was declared Aircraft on Grounded (AoG)."

Following this incident, the passengers were shifted to another plane. Giving out further details, the Air India officials had said, "The probable reason/cause may be loading vehicles like those for catering because all the time rats/bats come from their vehicle only."

"Air India B777-300ER aircraft VT-ALM operating Flight AI - 105 (Delhi- Newark) was involved in air-turn-back due to bat reported in the cabin by cabin crew after departure. Fuel was jettisoned and the aircraft landed safely at Delhi. After landing fumigation was carried out and a dead bat carcass was retrieved from seat 8DEF area," a senior DGCA official had told the news agency.

(Image: Pixabay)
Responding to Radio Pakistan's tweet on Bhartiya Kisan Union's Kisan Mahapanchayat, Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan termed it more of a 'political gathering' rather than an actual Mahapanchayat. He also slammed BKU leader Rakesh Tikait for being a tool for the country's rival, suggestively Pakistan.

Union Minister slams BKU leader Tikait

Raising questions on Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait, Union Minister and Muzaffarnagar MP Sanjeev Balyan said that farmer leaders need to think about if they need Pakistan's appraisal for their protest against the PM Modi-led Union Government. He reportedly said, "When elections come, everyone indulges in rallies and Uttar Pradesh gets too many rallies. But farmer's leaders need to decide about whether they want prayers from the Pakistan government.

Further, he said, "Those who are India's enemies or oppose us, whether these leaders want to be liked by our rivals like Pakistan. They need to decide for themselves."

Talking about the involvement of other political parties in the farmers' protest, he warned the farmers of getting used by other political parties for their own propaganda. Balyan also criticised the Mahapanchayat and said that it is a political gathering as farmer's issues are not discussed in that gathering. He said that the Mahapanchayat mostly represents the other parties with their banners and flags.

Earlier on Sunday, a Kisan Mahapanchayat was held in Muzaffarnagar, which saw protests against the Centre's farm laws. It also saw participation from many other political parties. Speaking on the same, the BJP leader showed confidence and said that BJP will win in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections again.

Bhartiya Kisan Union on Farm Laws

On Monday, Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait compared the three farm laws with COVID-19 and said that the laws are slowly suffocating the life of farmers, unlike the COVID-19 which kills people instantly. He was responding to the questions raised at the risk of COVID-19 transmission during the Mahapanchayat organised on Tuesday, September 7.

Further, responding to Union Minister Balyan's offer to join BJP, Rakesh Tikait said that he has no intention of joining politics and only looks forward to resolving the issues of the farmers.

(With ANI inputs)

(Image Credits: PTI)
Shiv Sena on Monday hit back at writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar over the latter's comparison between Hindu organisations such as RSS to the Taliban calling it a 'disrespect to the Hindu culture'. In an op-ed in its mouthpiece 'Saamana', Shiv Sena asserted that India was a democratic and tolerant country and could not be compared to the Islamist fundamentalist in any form.

"Nowadays one is comparing anyone with Taliban as the outfit is the biggest threat to society and mankind. Countries like Pakistan and China where democracy doesn't exist are backing the Taliban in Afghanistan because human rights have no place in these countries. But India is a democratic country and respects an individual's freedom so it is erroneous to compare RSS with the Taliban. India is tremendously tolerant in every way," it said.

Shiv Sena backs RSS

Shiv Sena also backed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh calling it a 'nation-building organisation'. It said that the organisation- which only wanted the rights of Hindus to be not suppressed- had never imposed any restrictions on citizens or women of the nation, as was done by the Taliban. It added that in spite of being a Hindu-majority nation, India was a proudly secular country.

"For organisations like RSS and VHP, Hindutva is a culture. They want the rights of Hindus should not be suppressed. Moreover, it has never imposed any restrictions on women's rights. But the situation in Afghanistan is heart-wrenching. Many fled from their own country in fear, the rights of women are being suppressed," the editorial stated.

"Most of the population of the country is secular and respects each other religious views. We cannot accept the 'Talibani ideology'. In spite of the fact that India being home to a majority of the Hindu population, it is a proud secular country," Shiv Sena added.

It also extended support to the call for a public apology by the writer-lyricist. Yesterday, BJP had raised objections over the statements of Javed Akhtar. Maharashtra MLA Ram Kadam had vowed to not allow his films to be screened until he tenders an apology.

What did Javed Akhtar say?

In an interaction with a news channel, Javed Akhtar said that 'Right wing' bodies across the world wanted the same things, be it the Taliban who want an Islamic State in Afghanistan, or organisations in India who want a Hindu Rashtra. Drawing a parallel between the Taliban and 'those who wanted a Hindu Rashtra', he said that people supporting RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal were as 'reprehensible' as the barbaric Taliban.
Windows 11 is about to launch in less than a month and Microsoft is announcing a plethora of updates for improving user's experience. Most recently, Microsoft launched the Edge 93 browser, which comes with two new experimental features: a new menu design and improved scrollbars to bring the browser interface in line with the refined design language of Windows 11.

Microsoft Edge 93's new features

Microsoft has included support for Tab Groups, a feature that exists in the Google Chrome web browser and allows users to add related tabs in a tab group and access them all at once. The feature enables users to work efficiently and switch between tabs with a related purpose without wasting any time. It can be used to group work-related tabs under one group and tabs for personal browsing under another.

Video playback in Picture-in-Picture mode is another new feature that comes along with Microsoft Edge 93. Users will be able to see a toolbar allowing them to view the video in picture-in-picture mode. However, this feature is limited to Microsoft Edge users on macOS. READ | Microsoft launches Windows 11 Insider Preview Build with updates to chats, mails

With the release of Microsoft Edge 93, the Redmond-based company is removing the large title bar while using vertical tabs. Users can enable the setting by going to edge://settings/appearance and then looking under Customize Toolbar for an option to hide or show the title bar. READ | Windows 11 doesn't run on old Intel, AMD chips, but it can still be installed; Here's how

As stated on the Microsoft website, "IE mode on Microsoft Edge will support "no-merge" behaviour. For an end-user, when a new browser window is launched from an IE mode application, it will be in a separate session, similar to the no-merge behaviour in IE11."

Microsoft Edge will support Initial Preferences in a limited number. The feature was previously called Master Preferences. Administrators will have control for this setting and can deploy it before a users open the Edge browser for the first time. READ | Windows 11 system tools: How to check if Windows 11 supports your PC: Step-by-step guide

Microsoft has generated some excitement in the tech world after recently announcing the launch date for its Windows 11 operating system (OS). The OS is expected to charm users with a refreshed design language and several new features. However, the new OS that will hit markets on 5 October, will see some key Windows 10 features missing from its interface.

Image: microsoft.com
SpaceX is all set to launch to orbit its historic first all-civilian human spaceflight mission - Inspiration4 - on September 15. While taking to Twitter, the mission team said that SpaceX and Inspiration4 completed flight readiness review and is on track for launch. The mission will blast off from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A crew of four civilians will strap into a Crew Dragon Spacecraft and they will blast off on a three-day journey around the Earth. SpaceX in February had announced that the charity-driven mission will be commanded by Billionaire Jared Issacman, who is the founder of Shift4 Payment. The Inspiration4 crew  consisting of Mission Commander Jared Isaacman, Mission Pilot Dr Sian Proctor, Medical Officer Hayley Arceneaux, and Mission Specialist Chris Sembroski  are scheduled to arrive in Florida on Thursday to begin final preparations for their mission.

#Inspiration4 and @SpaceX have completed our flight readiness review and remain on track for launch! Read more about launch details and potential timing here: https://t.co/Wj7hSWDOXZ pic.twitter.com/X8L9ZKk8Wl  Inspiration4 (@inspiration4x) September 3, 2021

The exact liftoff time will be determined few days before the launch. According to a press note, the team will narrow the 24-hour launch window down to five hours, taking into account the weather conditions at the launch site, the flight trajectory and at potential emergency landing sites off the Florida coast. Once in the orbit, the crew will then circle the Earth every 90 minutes along a customised flight path.

About the upcoming three-day mission

The Dragon will stay free-flying in orbit and it will not visit the International Space Station, as previous Crew Dragon missions have done. Therefore, the docking port of the capsule has been removed and replaced with a dome window which was inspired by the Cupola on the ISS. The window will provide the crew with incredible views of Earth. After completing the three-day mission, the Crew Dragon Capsule will re-enter Earths atmosphere for soft water landing off the coast of Florida.

The Inspiration4 crew has focused extensively on mission training and preparation, spending the past six months completing a wide range of training activities including centrifuge training, Dragon simulations, observations of other SpaceX launch operations, Zero-G plane training, altitude training and additional classroom, simulation and medical testing, the press release read.

It added, This focused preparation was essential in team development and being ready to execute their role as the first commercial crew to orbit the Earth.

Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that Issacman had purchased the flight as part of an effort to raise millions for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. With this mission, the team aims to send a humanitarian message of possibility while representing a new era for human spaceflight and exploration. Isaacman has donated the three mission seats alongside him to crew members who will represent the mission pillars of leadership, hope, generosity and prosperity, the Inspiration4 website read.

(Image: Twitter/Unsplash)


Amid the heated debate of global warming around the world, researchers from the journal Science have produced a perplexing report which attributed Arctic's warming as a reason for extended periods of extreme winter in the mid-latitudinal areas i.e. regions across the US and Asia. While the statement might sound contradictory, researchers revealed that despite melting of the Arctic twice than the global average rate, winters in the aforementioned areas have intensified since the 1990s.

What causes this dichotomy?

While many activists clash with governments regarding inaction over global warming, the papers released raise a completely different issue. According to the findings, the diminishing of northern glaciers have partly contributed to the amplified nail-biting winters in the northern hemisphere.

The journal reported that the study combined observations and models to demonstrate that Arctic change is likely an important cause of a chain of processes involving what they call a stratospheric polar vortex (SPV) disruption, which ultimately results in periods of extreme cold. Moreover, the observations also revealed that a blanketed SPV disruption that caused wave reflection and stretching of the SPV through out-flowing winds resulted in extremely harsh winters across North America and Asia.

The paper further explained that Arctic Amplification, rapid melting of the Arctic, is both a response to and accelerator of the decline in ice. It stated that the greatest Arctic ice loss last winter coincided with increasing snowfall and snow cover at high latitudes across Europe and Asia from October 2020 through January 2021. As per experts, these events were owed partly to the watering of Arctic glaciers, which increases moisture availability in the atmosphere. However, experts still haven't reached an agreement on whether if the two phenomena are completely interlinked.

What is a polar vortex?

Polar vortex is a term associated with an area that creates a low-pressure zone with extremely cold air. These zones are associated with Earth's North and South poles and are at their strongest during winters. The winds in the vortex generally flow counter-clockwise and keep the cold from leaving the poles. It is the escaping of these winds that results in the SPV disruption.

Image: Pixabay
9th September, 2021

#BJPVsOwaisi

Political temperature in UP rises as Owaisi spars with the BJP and other political parties
Conarky (Guinea), Sep 5 (AP) A Guinean army colonel seized control of state television Sunday and declared that President Alpha Conde's government had been dissolved and the West African nation's borders closed, an announcement that came after hours of heavy gunfire erupted near the presidential palace.

The dramatic developments Sunday bore all the hallmarks of a West African coup d'etat.

After seizing the airwaves, the mutinous soldiers vowed to restore democracy and gave themselves a name: The National Committee of Gathering and Development.

Col. Mamadi Doumbouya sat draped in a Guinean flag with a half dozen other soldiers in uniform alongside him as he read the statement, vowing: The duty of a soldier is to save the country." He made no mention of Conde's whereabouts and it was not immediately known where the 83-year-old leader was after Sunday's attack.

Conde's popularity has plummeted since he sought a third term last year, saying that term limits did not apply to him.

The personalization of political life is over. We will no longer entrust politics to one man, we will entrust it to the people, Doumbouya said, adding that the constitution would also be dissolved and borders closed for one week.

Doumbouya, who has headed a special forces unit in the military, said he was acting in the best interests of the nation of over 12.7 million people. Not enough economic progress has been made since independence from France in 1958, the colonel said.

If you see the state of our roads, if you see the state of our hospitals, you realize that after 72 years, it's time to wake up, he said. We have to wake up. Heavy gunfire had erupted early Sunday near the presidential palace in the capital of Conakry and went on for hours, sparking fears of a coup attempt.

The Defense Ministry claimed that the attack had been repelled but uncertainty grew when there was no sign of Conde on state television or radio.

His reelection in October had prompted violent street demonstrations in which the opposition said dozens were killed. Sunday's developments underscored how he had also become vulnerable to dissenting elements within his military.

Conde came to power in 2010 in the country's first democratic election since independence from France. Many saw his presidency as a fresh start for the country, which has been mired by decades of corrupt, authoritarian rule.

Opponents, though, say he has failed to improve the lives of Guineans, most of whom live in poverty despite the country's vast mineral riches including bauxite and gold.

In 2011, he narrowly survived an assassination attempt after gunmen surrounded his home overnight and pounded his bedroom with rockets. Rocket-propelled grenades also landed inside the compound and one of his bodyguards was killed.(AP) RUP RUP

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Guinea's army staged a coup d'etat on Sunday, 5 September, and took control of the West African country's government. The Guinean special forces also arrested President Alpha Conde before declaring a nationwide curfew.

After hours of heavy gunfire rang out near the presidential palace in the capital, Guinean soldiers informed about the detention of Conde, Ouest France reported. Army Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya announced on state television that the government had been dissolved and declared the constitution invalid. Draped in a Guinean flag with about half a dozen other soldiers flanked at his side, Doumbouya said in his televised address, The duty of a soldier is to save the country...We will no longer entrust politics to one man. We will entrust it to the people.

Governors will be replaced by regional commanders

Though it was not clear how much support the Colonel had within the military but political experts, according to French media, believe that some soldiers are loyal to the detained president, and may attempt to take back control.

Later, Colonel Doumbouya announced the replacement of governors with regional commanders and said that any refusal from them would be considered "a rebellion" against the new Guinean military leaders. Meanwhile, reacting swiftly to the recent developments, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) warned the junta to immediately release the president and added that a refusal to do so would force the regional bloc to invoke sanctions.

International community condemn Guinea coup

International communities, including the United Nations, condemned the military takeover. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote on Twitter, Any takeover of the government by force of the gun is condemnable, and said that he is personally following the situation in Guinea very closely. "I strongly condemn any takeover of the government by force of the gun and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde," Guterres added. Later in the day, US State Department also released a statement and urged authorities in Guinea to avoid extra-constitutional actions that will only erode Guineas prospects for peace, stability, and prosperity.

US State Department Spokesman Ned Price added in a report that the juntas actions could limit the ability of the United States and Guineas other international partners to support the country. As of now, it was not immediately clear whether the junta would release the president or would continue his detention. During the Sunday announcement, the junta did not release any timeline for further actions and concluded the announcement by saying Everything will be fine. When the time comes, we will issue a statement."

(With inputs from AP, Image: AP)
Amid the gloom of the second wave of COVID-19, Australians have discovered many reasons to celebrate Father's Day this year. Unlike the rest of the world, Australians celebrate Father's Day in the first week of September, and this year's Father's Day was special for many as several people got to meet their loved ones after a long haul due to Australias strict COVID-19 containment measures.

Families that lived in New South Wales and Queensland were separated for a long time, as Australia imposed stringent COVID-19 containment measures, enforcing stern border policies to rule out further spread of the virus as the cases continued to explode in New South Wales.

Coolangatta border thronged by people from adjoining NSW & Queensland to celebrate Fathers Day

The sight at the border of Coolangatta filled with people on two sides separated by a plastic border gained different types of reactions from people on social media. With people meeting their family members, their loved ones in person after a long time, people were seen hugging and kissing each other through the plastic border. Many videos and pictures that were shared on social media showed fathers hugging their children, mesmerised by watching their loved ones physically. There was a sense of joy and affection in the air.



Fathers Day in 2021. Families split by the border meet at plastic barriers to celebrate. Hundreds of people lined up along the road, some have tables and chairs @10NewsFirst @10NewsFirstQLD pic.twitter.com/THtAtBy6EL  Johnpaul Gonzo (@JohnpaulGonzo) September 4, 2021

Netizens react to the viral incident

The affection was indeed infectious and was well caught by the netizens, who expressed their reaction on social media platforms. While some appreciated peoples efforts to celebrate the festival, others condemned the act as stupid and disrespecting the barriers. One of the users wrote,  Future generations will look back and think we collectively lost our mind, and our humanity. There is more to life than covid and our leaders seem to have completely lost sight of this.



Future generations will look back and think we collectively lost our mind, and our humanity. There is more to life than covid and our leaders seem to have completely lost sight of this.  Avidreader (@aussieavidread) September 4, 2021

One other user contrastingly slammed the people for their sheer ignorance of COVID-19 guidelines and commented, This is one of the most absurd things I have seen, in an environment of ridiculous decisions being made by ridiculous people!



This is one of the most absurd things I have seen, in an environment of ridiculous decisions being made by ridiculous people!  Rob Paulson (@RobPaulson12) September 5, 2021

The incident has gained varied reactions on the incident as some slammed people for not respecting COVID containment measures, while others believed that there is more to life than COVID. One other user slammed the government for its failure to contain COVID-19 in two years. The user wrote, "Exactly, after two years if this is the best response govt can come up with, the country is doomed. Based on these images - people are done. And have decided to take matters into their own hands. It's pretty clear politicians have lost the plot!"



Exactly, after two years if this is the best response govt can come up with, the country is doomed. Based on these images - people are done. And have decided to take matters into their own hands. It's pretty clear politicans have lost the plot!  Isabella (@thatreviewplace) September 5, 2021



Australia continues to batter the second wave of COVID-19. Records show a large number of coronavirus cases on a daily basis as fear of the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant grows.



Image: Twitter
Amid concerns of China rapidly developing missiles capable of carrying atomic warheads, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged the Xi-Jinping-led nation to join international efforts aimed at limiting the spread of nuclear weapons.

Addressing NATO's Annual Arms Conference for Nuclear Disarmament, Secretary-General Stoltenberg suggested that more countries apart from Russia should be indulged in future missile restriction talks. Stoltenberg at the conference also welcomed the agreement between the United States and Russia to extend the 'New Start' treaty planned at limiting their strategic nuclear weapons.

Thoughts of Jens Stoltenberg on China

Warning that Beijing's nuclear inventory was expanding rapidly, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg mentioned, "As a global power, China has global responsibilities in arms control. And Beijing, too, would benefit from mutual limits on numbers, increased transparency, and more predictability."

Stoltenberg claimed that this step was a foundation for international stability. He added, "China is building a large number of missile silos which can significantly increase its nuclear capability. All of this is happening without any limitation or constraint. And with a complete lack of transparency."

The 1987 INF treaty and its significance to this case.

The United States in 2019 had extracted itself of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces, or INF. The INF required the United States and the Soviet Union to eliminate and permanently foreswear all of their nuclear and conventional grounded ballistic and cruise missiles that ranged anywhere between the 500 to 5500 km mark. As a result of the INF treaty, the US and the Soviet Union destroyed a total of 2692 short, medium and intermediate-range missiles. On August 2, 2019, the US had formally withdrawn from the INF treaty.

While pulling out, the US, in its July 2014 Compliance Report, had blamed Russia for violating the bilateral pact which was also the first Arms Control Measure to ban an entire class of weapons. This included ground-launched cruise missiles with a range between 500 kilometres (310 miles) and 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles).

However, refuting the USA's claims, Russia denied that it had broken the rules. With the collapse of the aforementioned pact, China continued to build objectionable weapons. Moreover, the nation has shown little signs of inclination to join in such arms proliferation discussions.

Image Credits - AP
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday did not respond to a media report claiming that the Taliban has invited China, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, Iran and Qatar to attend the new government formation ceremony in Afghanistan.

China is already coordinating its evolving policy on Afghanistan with its all-weather ally Pakistan and Russia which also share borders with Afghanistan.

Beijing, which has kept its Embassy open in Kabul along with Pakistan and Russia, is awaiting the formation of a government by the Taliban to decide on recognising it amidst firm indications by the US, the UK and other western countries that they will not be in a hurry to endorse the new government in Kabul.

Asked about a media report that the Taliban has invited China and five other countries -- Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, Iran and Qatar -- to participate in the new government formation ceremony in Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said: I have no information to offer at this moment.

He reiterated that China supports Afghanistan forming an open, inclusive, broadly-based government upholding moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies and live in good terms with the neighbouring countries.

China is also keeping a close watch on the Panjshir Valley fighting between the Taliban and the militias of Ahmad Massoud-led National Resistance Front (NRF) which has reportedly delayed the formation of the new government in Afghanistan.

On Saturday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a telephonic conversation with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during which he said that new government in Afghanistan should be open and inclusive, make a clean break with terrorist organisations, and establish and develop good relations with other countries, especially neighbouring countries.

Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, China has been vocal in expressing its concern over the Uygur militants of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) fighting for the independence of Xinjiang, regrouping in Afghanistan under the rule of the Afghan militant group as the volatile province shares a narrow border with the war-ravaged country.

Beijing has already extracted a firm commitment from a Taliban delegation headed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar during a visit to China in July that they will not permit the ETIM to operate from its soil.

China, at the same time, is eyeing the extension of its USD 60 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan besides exploiting the mineral-rich mines there.

The Taliban has already said that China has a big role to play in Afghanistan in the reconstruction of the war-raved country.

China is a big country with a huge economy and capacity. They can play a big role in rebuilding, reconstruction of Afghanistan, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Chinas state-run China Global Television Network in an interview recently.

We have relationship with China and Russia during the past years. We have told them they should not have any concern from Afghanistan, he added.

Image: AP

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As a filmmaker, Shahrbanoo Sadat watched with fascination as Taliban fighters took over her city, and terrified crowds filled the streets.

But as an Afghan woman, she also watched the scene through another prism, and knew the moment had come: it was time to flee.

Relieved, angered and saddened after her family's harrowing escape from Kabul, Sadat is now warning world governments.

"I think the entire world is going to regret this later in the future," she said, speaking about the prospect of foreign governments recognising the Taliban.

She feels Western governments aren't doing enough to defend these things in Afghanistan.

Sadat, whose first film "Wolf and Sheep" won an award at the Cannes Film Festival, and nine family members were among thousands of Afghans brought out by foreign governments before the U.S. military pullout last week.

"I was in the street with 500 people, scared and horrified, running in different directions, and at that moment I saw Taliban raising flags," she said.

"I said to myself, this couldn't be real."

She activated every international connection she had to get permissions to leave, then spent 72 hours in line at the Kabul airport, fighting to get out.

The first night, she said Afghan troops were aggressive, shooting from 6pm until 10am.

So the family tried another gate, waiting in line for hours.

Taliban forces pulled out the corpses of 11 people who had been crushed to death in the desperate crowd, she said.

Once in France, she was taken to an abandoned building in a Paris suburb that the government hastily converted into temporary shelter for those fleeing Afghanistan.

Sadat joined a protest Sunday by aid groups and others demanding that western governments do more to help those left behind and put pressure on the Taliban.

Some Afghans who have been struggling for years to get asylum joined the demonstration, along with those who have recently arrived.

Sadat is worried about relatives who stayed behind.

And about one of her actors who stayed in his native Panjshir province to try to defend Afghanistan's last remaining pocket of resistance to the Taliban, which stepped up its assault on the region Sunday.

The Taliban have sought to recast themselves as different from when they ruled in the 1990s and denied women and girls work and education and banned television and music.

But many are skeptical that will hold true.

Sadat said differences were already palpable before she left.

She described a vendor refusing to sell her ice cream on the street because Taliban fighters stood nearby  themselves enjoying the same ice cream she was denied.

Once her quarantine is up, she plans to join her sister and partner in Germany, and revive work on her latest film, a romantic comedy.

"The international community, they left Afghanistan alone in the 1990s and Afghanistan become the home of terrorists and this will happen again," she said.

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European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has condemned the coup in Guinea. On Sunday, an unverified video surfaced online which showed nine unnamed soldiers surrounding the countrys President Alpha Conde hours after heavy gunfires were heard near the presidential palace. However later, the defence ministry said the coup attempts were thwarted by the National Guards. Notably, the head of Guineas special forces, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, also appeared in the broadcast announcing the takeover.

Meanwhile, the EU official condemned the forceful seizure of power and demanded the immediate release of the Guinean president. Furthermore, he urged all the involved parties to respect the rule of law and the well being of the countrys residents.

According to BBC, the soldiers justified the siege stating that it stemmed from the Conde administrations corruption, mismanagement and poverty. Soon after the alleged takeover, the soldiers announced that the countrys constitution had been dissolved, adding that they will form a new, more inclusive one. The soldiers also announced a new moniker for them- The National Committee of Gathering and Development.

Guinea's President criticised for corrupt system, authoritarian rule

President Conde has faced mounting criticism since he assumed the third term in office, saying the two-term limit did not apply to him because of a constitutional referendum he had put forth. He was re-elected, but the decision called for violent demonstrations on the streets. The Opposition told the media that dozens were killed.

Conde, who is 83, could remain in power until 2030 if he wins again in 2025. He first came to power in 2010 in the country's first democratic election since independence from France in 1958. While few observed his presidency as a fresh start, others claim that Guinea is mired by decades of corrupt, authoritarian rule. Opponents say he failed to improve Guineans' history, most of whom live in poverty despite the country's vast mineral riches. In 2011, he narrowly survived an assassination attempt after gunmen surrounded his residence overnight and pounded his bedroom with rockets. The rock-propelled grenade landed inside the compound while one of his security officers was killed.

Image: AP
Berlin, Sep 5 (AP) German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed full support Sunday for Armin Laschet, the center-right Union bloc's candidate who is hoping to succeed her as chancellor in this month's German national election.

Merkel and Laschet on Sunday toured the town of Hagen and another region in North Rhine-Westphalia state that were badly damaged by flooding in July.

Laschet is also the governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, a western state that is the country's most populous.

Armin Laschet leads this biggest state of Germany very successfully, Merkel told reporters in Hagen.

Somebody who can lead such a state can also lead Germany as chancellor. Germany's parliamentary election takes place on September 26.

Merkel, who led the Union bloc to four election victories, said in 2018 that she would not seek another term. She has presided over the European Union's biggest economy since 2005.

Laschet, who also leads the Christian Democratic Union party, is lagging behind the center-left Social Democrats in the polls.

He has received particularly unfavorable reviews after a series of slips on the campaign trail in recent months.

The Social Democrats' success in the polls is helped by the relative popularity of their candidate, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, who is also vice chancellor in Merkel's coalition government.

At a press conference with Laschet, Merkel said in the next three weeks a full commitment is needed on all levels, both from the government and the campaigners. There are a lot of things we need to do at the same time: there's the coronavirus, the floods and then there is also the election, Merkel said, adding that I think that together we will do it well  and Armin Laschet knows he has my support.(AP) RUP RUP

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The health ministers attending the G20 Global Health Summit arrived in Rome on Sunday, where they were welcomed by the Italian Health Minister.

The ministers of Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Switzerland, South Korea and Argentina could be seen arriving and being greeted by Roberto Speranza.

The forum, which is taking place at the Capitoline Museums, takes on particular significance this year due to COVID-19 and the gathering will focus on continued efforts worldwide to manage the pandemic.

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The Italian health minister has indicated that a meeting of his G20 counterparts could yield a pledge about ensuring COVID-19 vaccines reach everyone in poor countries.

Roberto Speranza told reporters on Sunday, after the opening session of the two-day meeting in Rome, that he hopes the gathering would yield a pact about the challenge to bring vaccines to everyone, including the more fragile populations.

Speranza lamented that there was a deep gap between wealthier countries and poorer ones regarding vaccine distribution. He expressed optimism the Group of 20 nations gathering would result in resolve so that the vaccine is the right of everybody and not just a privilege for few.

Italy currently holds the rotating G-20 presidency.

Speranza also held separate meetings with the health ministers of Britain, India and Russia. On the eve of the gathering Speranza tweeted that only by working together can we guarantee a fairer distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

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Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has announced that it will impose a closure on both West Bank and Gaza Strip starting at 4 pm Monday (local time), hours before the commencement of Jewish New Year - Rosh Hashanah. In a statement, it added that the closure would remain till Thursday midnight (12: 01 am). Notably, the Neftalli Bennett administration has eased up restrictions along with the Gaza blockade in recent days marking a step to ease decades of conflict.

Meanwhile, in a discreet statement, the Israeli military informed that similar closures would also be observed later this month on the Jewish holidays of Yom Kippur (September 16), Sukkot (September 21- 22) and Simhat Torah (September 27 - 29). It is imperative to note that Israel and Gaza share two major crossings- the Erez crossings and Karni crossings-with the latter being used only to transfer cargoes across.

Israel eases blockade

Last Wednesday, the Knesset approved a series of measures easing the blockade of the besieged Gaza Strip but warned that the steps were conditional upon continued preservation of the regions security stability for long term. Israel, along with Egypt, first imposed a blockade on the 140 sq mile sliver of land in 2007 after Hamas occupation. However, in recent times, the Zionist regime has ramped up efforts to ease tensions with the countrys defence ministry, even announcing that it will allow imports of new vehicles, goods and equipment for civilian projects in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that the Neftali Benett administration has allowed the reopening of Israel's main commercial crossing with the Palestinian enclave. Later in a statement, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli defence body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, announced that it has approved expanding the Gaza Strips fishing zone, opening the Kerem Shalom Crossing, increasing water supply to the territory, and increasing the number of Gazan merchants allowed to enter Israel. Notably, the announcement came a day after Israeli officials permitted the import of crucial construction material needed for the Gaza Strips rebuilding in the aftermath of the 11-day war in May.

Image Credit: AP
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, on Thursday, 2 September, expressed "apprehension and horror" over "the terrible wave of murders befalling" the country.

"I have been following in astonishment, apprehension, and horror for a long time, especially in recent weeks and days, the terrible wave of murders befalling our country in general and Arab society in particular. There had been over 100 murders in the country since last September," President Herzog said while addressing the 10th Annual Conference of the Israel Bar Association at the Dan Intercontinental Hotel in Tel Aviv. At least 80 Arabs have been murdered in community violence this year, and over 90 were killed in 2020.

Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet had shared a similar statement, calling gangland crime and violence in Arab Israeli communities a "national tragedy" and asking for the development of a national plan to address the problem.

The "Sanai Unit" is a group of 45 undercover cops

As a result of the escalating violence, an undercover squad was organised in Israel's Arab communities in early August to tackle crime. The "Sinai Unit" is a group of 45 undercover cops tasked with combating organised crime in Arab areas. Despite this, the death toll from murders in Arab communities' continues to climb. There were 96 violent homicides in the Arab community in 2020, compared to 82 so far this year, with fears that the numbers will continue to grow. Last month, Saha Ismail, Education Minister Yifat Shasha Biton's advisor on Arab relations, was shot dead outside his home in Rameh.

According to a recent article by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Israeli police have only solved 23% of Arab murders this year, compared to 71% cases related to Jewish homicides. Arab Israelis accuse the police of mostly disregarding violence in their society, including family honour killings, violence against women, and family blood feuds. They also accuse the police of failing to deal with formidable criminal gangs that frequently engage in bloody territorial fights. They claim that police do nothing to stop violence in Arab neighbourhoods.

Some experts believe that as police crackdowns on Jewish Israeli mobsters have increased over the last decade, organised crime has shifted into Arab parts of Israeli cities where policing and security are inadequate. As a result, Israeli Arab organised criminal gangs have emerged, specialising in weapons trafficking, protection rackets, extortion, drug distribution, money laundering, and blackmail, according to reports.

More police stations built in Arab areas

Commander Ygal Ezra, the head of the newly created Crime Prevention Department for Arab areas, claims that when the police arrive at a crime scene, Israeli Arabs may wash away the blood, remove bullets and video evidence, and hide the perpetrator. According to Ezra, some 700 Muslim police officers have been recruited in recent years, and more police stations have been built in Arab areas of major Israeli cities.

(Inputs from ANI)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro criticized representatives of the opposition as being dependent on the US, a day after negotiations with the government resumed in Mexico.

"When we sit at that table, we understand that we sit with the government of the United States because that Unitary Platform for Unity are politicians who depend on the decisions of the United States, both in times of Donald Trump and in times of Joe Biden," he said.

Government and Venezuelan opposition representatives on Friday continued a dialogue aimed at finding a common path out of their country's political standoff.

The delegates of the government Maduro and the opposition, led by Juan Guaido, were expected to debate issues such as conditions for elections and the lifting of foreign economic sanctions imposed on the government.

In 2019, Guaido rose up to challenge Maduro's rule, quickly winning recognition as Venezuela's rightful leader by the U.S. and dozens of allies although such support has faded.

Less than 10 of the more than 60 nations that once recognized Guaido's self-proclaimed government still maintain that recognition.

During Sunday's interview aired on state television VTV, Maduro said he dreamed of the day "there will be justice and that all these bandits and criminals will pay before the Venezuelan laws."

According to local television reports, Maduro said in Venezuela "dual power" never existed, referring to when Guaido declared himself interim president of the nation.

Maduro has indicated that his delegation will demand the lifting of the economic sanctions imposed on his government more than three years ago by the U.S. and other countries and the freeing of some of Venezuela's assets abroad.

IMAGE: AP

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A female sub-inspector from the Pakistan Police force was allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a man on Sunday, 5 September. According to Dawn, the sub-inspector serves as a gender crime officer in Punjabs Muzaffargarh district. The man, who allegedly abducted and tortured the officer, also tried to sexually assault her. A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against the man.

According to the media outlet, the suspect had coerced the woman to sit in his car, following which he took her to a deserted area near Chaman Bypass. The man repeatedly tried to molest the sub-inspector while also threatening her with his pistol. The sub-inspector sustained injury, said Police spokesperson Waseem Khan Gopang, adding that she has now been shifted to Muzaffargarh District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital.

The suspect involved in the incident has been arrested and the car he used had also been seized, Khan added.

It is to mention that the safety of women in Pakistan has become a big question as everyday incidents of rape, sexual assaults are being reported from different parts of the nation. The government, however, has been silent and not taking any steps to protect the people, the Dawn reported. Even minor girls in Pakistan are reportedly not safe at schools and seminars.

Surge in gruesome incidents in Pakistan

Recently, a seminary principal and a female teacher were booked by police in Rawalpindi after a student accused them of sexually assaulting and torturing her. In another incident, two women travelling in an open auto-rickshaw were assaulted by men in Lahore. Last month, a woman was also sexually assaulted and groped by a crowd of over 400 men while making a Tik Tok video at a park in Lahore.

The assault took place in Lahore's Greater Iqbal Park when the woman was filming a video near Minar-e-Pakistan. However, things turned sour when around 300 people arrived at the location and started assaulting her. They even started tearing away her clothes and then threw her in the air. Belongings, including jewellery, mobile phone, identity card, and some cash, of the woman and her friends were snatched away. Pakistan Police arrested 126 people for their alleged involvement in the sexual assault of the girl on the occasion of the country's Independence Day.

(With inputs from ANI)
As per a Pakistan-based advocacy group, media outlets in the country are reporting far fewer incidences of violence against women in the country's eastern Punjab region. During the first six months of this year, 6,754 women were kidnapped, 1,890 were raped, and 3,721 acts of violence against women were reported in Punjab province, according to Dawn, citing a report from the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO).

Pakistan media understates cases of violence against women

According to the report, 752 incidences of child abuse were reported in the eastern region, while 34 cases of women rape were reported in Islamabad. However, just 27 incidents were covered by the media.

According to the report, Lahore is the most violent district in Punjab, with the highest number of rape, violence against women, kidnapping, domestic violence, and child abuse instances. The SSDO report's data is based on material provided by English and Urdu print media, as well as access to government registered cases.

According to Shahid Jatoi, Director of the SSDO, a more concerning tendency is the absence of enough space in the media for the subject. Earlier this year, the annual report on the country's human rights condition voiced concerns about the plight of women in Pakistan.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) report provided a bleak image of the country's women's rights situation. It addressed a variety of concerns affecting Pakistan's marginalised groups.

According to the research, there is a gender disparity even in subcategories of crime, such as the persecution of religious minorities, with situations such as forced conversions being reported. Other human rights violations that target women include child marriage and honour killings, which, while affecting men as well, are primarily focused on controlling and subjugating women, according to experts.

Cases of rape and abduction of Hindu women in Pakistan

Last month, a teenaged Hindu girl was allegedly raped and abducted in Pakistan's Sindh region, while her parents were violently tortured. Rahat Austin, a Pakistani human rights activist residing in South Korea, stated in August 2021, that a mob led by Muhammad Ali Nawaz stormed the home of a Hindu villager in Salho Bheel, a tehsil in Sindh's Tharparkar region. Nawaz thrashed the man's family, raped his 15-year-old daughter, and later kidnapped her to keep her as a sex slave. The girl will very certainly convert to Islam, he added.

Picture Credit: AP/PTI/RepresentativeImage
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), in a statement released on September 6, Monday, confirmed the report of evacuating 500 Afghan nationals who had once assisted them during the war against the Taliban. According to the intergovernmental military alliance, those who were evacuated from the war-torn country were accommodated at military bases across Europe. Major General Mead, Allied Joint Force Command Naples' Deputy Chief of Staff Plans, in a press statement, said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was committed to evacuate its employees and their families from the Taliban-controlled country.

Till now, 1,20,000 people evacuated from Afghanistan

"NATO is committed to evacuate NATO employees and their families, those people we served within Afghanistan, to a safe and secure environment," said Major General Mead. "This has required the authorisation and activation of the NATO Response Force to establish a forward task force, Task Force Noble, which is an element of logistics, force protection and ability to make sure we support our NATO colleagues." Further, the official said that the organisation was working with allies to provide housing, care and support while arrangements were made for follow-on movement to Allied nations. Also, it informed that more than 1,20,000 people were evacuated in the Allied airlift from Kabul airport as part of the coalition effort.

Desperate Afghans still hope to flee from war-torn country

It is pertinent to mention that the Taliban captured the national capital, Kabul on August 15 after the democratically elected former-President Ashraf Ghani fled from the country. On August 26, two suicide bombers killed over 200 Afghans who flocked at the Kabul airport to flee from the war-torn country. In the deadly attack, 13 US troops were also killed.

Now, a shadow of uncertainty looms over those who were left behind in the war-ravaged nation. Many people are still hoping to leave the nation, but with Kabuls airport not running international flights, their choices are few. According to reports, at least four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people were unable to leave the country for days. However, there was no official confirmation came from the Taliban side.

(With inputs from ANI)

(Image Credit: AP)
Afghanistan's National Resistance Front (NRF) commander, Ahmad Massoud, is safe and will issue a statement soon, according to NRF spokesperson Ali Nazary. "My leader and brother Ahmad Massoud is safe and will be giving a message to our people very soon!" Nazary tweeted.

This comes just hours after the NRF disputed the Taliban's assertion that Panjshir, the country's last resistance stronghold, had been taken. According to the NRF, resistance forces are positioned at all important sites throughout the valley to continue the fight.

Ahmad Massoud safe, says spokesperson

They also told the Afghan people that the fight against the Taliban and their allies would continue. The Twitter account from which the information was transmitted, however, was unverified.

"Taliban's claim of occupying Panjshir is false. The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight. We assure the people of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban & their partners will continue until justice & freedom prevails," NRF tweeted.

Senior Taliban commander killed in Panjshir by resistance forces

Meanwhile, a prominent Taliban commander was killed amid severe combat in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley, marking a significant victory for the resistance forces. Maulvi Fassihuddin, a senior Taliban commander and the group's chief of operations in northeastern Afghanistan, was killed in a clash with the Northern Alliance Resistance Front in Panjshir, according to reports. This comes after the Taliban declared victory earlier in the day.

Reportedly, Fassihuddin, the notorious Taliban commander from Badakhshan, was in charge of managing the insurgency in Badakhshan and larger northeastern Afghanistan as the group chief of operations in Northeastern Afghanistan. Fasihudin's death is a major defeat for the Taliban, who are now engaged in a struggle with resistance troops in Panjshir Valley.

Taliban claims victory in Panjshir; Northern Alliance denies

On Monday, the Taliban declared victory in Panjshir, a resistance stronghold that has yet to be conquered by the insurgents. Taliban Spokesperson Zabihullah stated on Twitter that the province had been totally taken. "Panjshir province, the last stronghold of the mercenary enemy, was completely conquered," tweeted Zabihullah. Images from Panjshir also showed Taliban gunmen standing outside the Panjshir Governor's office with their flag raised.

(with inputs from ANI)

Picture Credit: @AhmadMassoud/Twitter
The Taliban, which now goes by the name 'Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan' on Monday asserted that after the formation of its government in the war-torn country, the constitution of the country will be re-written or amended. The spokesperson of the terrorist group, Zabihullah Mujahid, while speaking to the media, added that once the new government starts working as per the amended or re-written constitution, the intervention of the states in the day-to-day political functioning will not be entertained.

The statement of the Islamic Emirates comes days after it deferred the formation of its government in Afghanistan. The terrorist group cited the struggles involved in forming an inclusive, broad-based government, acceptable to the international community, as the reason for the postponement to this week. Anytime this week, the Taliban government will be formed, and as per sources, it will be headed by Mulla Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Chairman of the Taliban's Political Office in Doha, Qatar.

Panjshir battle continues

Earlier in the day, the Taliban claimed to have 'completely captured' Panjshir, the last province which was not seized by the Taliban. Taking to Twitter, Taliban Spokesperson Zabihullah claimed that: "Panjshir province, the last stronghold of the mercenary enemy, was completely conquered".

            https://t.co/95ySJ5ppo6 pic.twitter.com/CCWKFt0zsb  Zabihullah (..   ) (@Zabehulah_M33) September 6, 2021

However, minutes thereafter, the National Resistance Front of Aghanistan denied the claims and asserted that they were in fact false. Taking to its official Twitter handle, the NRFA revealed that its fighters are still present in all strategic positions across the Panjshir Valley, and are continuing its fight against the Taliban and its 'partners'.

Talibans claim of occupying Panjshir is false. The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight. We assure the ppl of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban & their partners will continue until justice & freedom prevails.  National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (@nrfafg) September 6, 2021

By 'partners', the NRFA meant Pakistan and ISI. Leader of NRFA Ahmad Massoud stated that the Taliban was not strong enough to attack Panjshir, adding that it was now backed by Pakistani drones and helicopters. Massoud stated the Taliban is being supported by ISI Chief Lt. Gen Faiz Hamid from Kabul, who is in Afghanistan to oversee the new government formation led by the Taliban.

It is pertinent to mention here that some of the key NRFA commanders were killed during the recent clashes with the Taliban. These include NRFA spokesperson Fahim Dashty and General Abdul Wudod Zara - Ahmad Shah Massoud's nephew.

IMAGE CREDIT: AP
As the situation is getting grievous by the day in Afghanistan since the hostile takeover by the Taliban, there is very little the global community is able to do besides withholding the legitimacy of the Taliban. As India has decided to adopt a 'wait and watch' strategy, Bangladesh also seems to have decided to follow the Indian approach as the Taliban Government formation in Afghanistan is being delayed over and over again.

Bangladesh I&B Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said his government is also keeping a close eye on the situation in Afghanistan. "It seems too early to say anything as there is no government in Afghanistan," he said while also asserting that stability in Afghanistan is essential for the stability in the region.

Last week, the Taliban leadership had announced that it will make an official announcement of government formation on Friday, which got deferred to Saturday and then further to this week citing issues of inclusivity in government formation.

India has adopted a 'wait and watch' strategy and India's deliberation with the Taliban has been 'limited' as the situation remains fluid in Afghanistan. On August 31, the Taliban delegation met with the Indian delegation in Doha. The meeting occurred at Indian Embassy in Doha at the request of the Taliban. Ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal met with the head of the Talibans political office, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai and demanded that Afghanistan soil must not be used for any terror activities against India while also demanding the safe evacuation of Indians from Afghanistan.

Evolving geopolitical situation due to Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan

Taliban's sudden takeover of Afghanistan has disturbed the geo-political situation in the region along with Pakistan and China diving in to favour the Taliban despite the global condemnation of the terrorist group. Moreover, the Taliban returning to power has led to many experts cautioning the rise of Islamic terror in the South Asian continent with Pakistan at the helm of channelising the radical terror towards the Indian subcontinent.

The Panjshir's Northern Alliance, which has been fighting the Taliban, was attacked by the terrorist group on Monday. National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA) leader Ahmad Massoud on Monday revealed that the Taliban is getting air support from the Pakistan air force and ISI.

Iran has taken umbrage in Pakistan's direct role in the Taliban's offensive against Panjshir. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a strong warning to Pakistan over its involvement in the Panjshir operation in Afghanistan on Monday. Issuing a statement, Iran called the Taliban's military offensive 'truly worrying' and said that it would initiate a probe into Pakistan's role in the attack. Condemning the Taliban attack, Iran said that the 'martyrdom' of the Panjshir commanders is utterly disappointing. The spokesperson was quoted by Tehran Times as saying, "The intervention of Pakistan in the Panjshir attacks is currently under examination."
In the aftermath of an official crackdown that has left staff with no means to operate, Jimmy Lais Hong Kong media company Next Digital Ltd. announced on Sunday, Sep. 5, that it was closing down due to a climate of fear'. In an official statement, the firms board of directors called for the liquidation. The firm that published Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy Apple Daily, has been known for vehement criticism of Xi Jinpings communist regime. On Sunday, next Digitals board of directors created a widespread stir with the announcement that they were quitting and liquidating assets in order to pay the salaries of the staff members and payments to creditors.

The jailed dissenter of the Chinese government, tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment under the draconian National Security Law for unauthorized assembly in 2019. The Board of directors at Lais Next Digital Ltd. in a letter, lambasted the Hong Kong government for bypassing the courts and launching the controversial crackdowns enacting China-imposed national security law. The latter accused China of driving them out of business.

Hong Kong Secretary for Security cited the National Security Law to freeze company bank accounts, including those for Apple Daily newspaper in Hong Kong and its digital operations, board of directors stated in the companys filing. The Secretary for Security further instructed that it would be a crime for the Company to use its funds in other accounts to pay any expenses on behalf of these operations.

Next Digital Chairman Ip Yut Kin and directors Mark Clifford, Louis Gordon Crovitz, and Lam Chung Yan turned in their resignations on Sunday, according to an exchange filing. They asserted that the companys assets and bank accounts were frozen and its top reporters, and editors were detained, and others threatened. The company asked the government to allow the payment for the former staff. Due to the recent crackdown, it could no longer legally pay Apple Dailys staff, including reporters, and has been banned from paying costs of doing business such as buying ink and keeping the electricity on. We have concluded that the best interests of shareholders, creditors, employees, and other stakeholders will be served by an orderly liquidation, which we hope will result in liquidators being allowed by the Hong Kong government to authorize payments that directors were banned from approving, including for creditors and for former staff, the company said.

The Hong Kong government has never indicated which articles published by Apple Daily allegedly violated the National Security Law, the companys filing on Sunday read. This uncertainty created a climate of fear, resulting in many resignations among the remaining staff at the Company in Hong Kong, including those responsible for the regulatory compliance duties of a publicly traded company, it added.

No court order to freeze firm's assets

Next Digital was also prohibited from using assets, despite the fact that there was no court order to freeze them, according to the resignation document. Apple Daily and its digital operations ceased publishing on 24 June 2021 after founder Jimmy Lai, and seven former Next Digital executives, editors, and editorial writers were arrested. The company informed that several parties had expressed interest in acquiring the operations of Apple Daily in Taiwan. There is also value in assets such as the unique intellectual property created since Apple Daily was founded in 1995.
In the aftermath of Guineas coup, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that he was personally following the situation in the western African country. On Sunday, an unverified video surfaced online which showed nine unnamed soldiers surrounding the countrys President Alpha Conde hours after heavy gunfires were heard near the presidential palace. However later, the defence ministry said the coup attempts were thwarted by the National Guards. Notably, the head of Guineas special forces, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, also appeared in the broadcast announcing the takeover.

Taking to Twitter, the UN Chief strongly condemned the military takeover and urged the military to immediately release President Alpha Conde. Notably, the African Union also joined Guterres in condemning the coercive takeover. The current President of the African Union H.E. Felix Tshisekedi and the Chairman of the African Union Commission H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat condemn any seizure of power by force and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde, they asserted in a release. They also called for peace and security in the region.

I am personally following the situation in Guinea very closely. I strongly condemn any takeover of the government by force of the gun and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde.  Antonio Guterres (@antonioguterres) September 5, 2021

Communique conjoint du president en exercise de l'Union africaine & le president de la Commission de l'UA @AUC_MoussaFaki sur le coup d'Etat en #Guinee @ https://t.co/EtbonOhUEI pic.twitter.com/F9apNaDSvG  African Union (@_AfricanUnion) September 5, 2021

According to BBC, the soldiers justified the siege stating that it stemmed from the Conde administrations corruption, mismanagement and poverty. Soon after the alleged takeover, the soldiers announced that the countrys constitution had been dissolved, adding that they will form a new, more inclusive one. The soldiers also announced a new moniker for them- The National Committee of Gathering and Development.

Guinea's President criticised for corrupt system, authoritarian rule

President Conde has faced mounting criticism since he assumed the third term in office, saying the two-term limit did not apply to him because of a constitutional referendum he had put forth. He was re-elected but the decision called for violent demonstrations on the streets. The Opposition told the media that dozens were killed.

Conde, who is 83, could remain in power until 2030 if he wins again in 2025. He first came to power in 2010 in the country's first democratic election since independence from France in 1958. While few observed his presidency as a fresh start, others claim that Guinea is mired by decades of corrupt, authoritarian rule. Opponents say he failed to improve Guineans' history, most of whom live in poverty despite the country's vast mineral riches. In 2011, he narrowly survived an assassination attempt after gunmen surrounded his residence overnight and pounded his bedroom with rockets. The rock-propelled grenade landed inside the compound while one of his security officers was killed.

Image: AP
According to police, flash floods caused by heavy rains submerged over 380 houses and damaged many residential neighbourhoods in Kathmandu in Nepal on Monday. On Sunday night, heavy rain drenched more than 100 locations in Kathmandu. And, teams from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Army rescued more than 138 individuals, according to Sushil Singh Rathore, the Metropolitan Police Office spokesperson.

"Rescue work was carried out at Mulpani settlements on the bank of Manohara River, Kadagari, Teku and Balkhu areas," Rathore said.

The rapid floods have swamped the majority of Kathmandu's human settlements along the river banks. According to officials, 105 mm of rain fell on Kathmandu in four hours. As per the reports, the Metropolitan Police Office said that flash floods have swamped 382 homes. The flash floods inundated areas such as Tankeshwor, Dallu, Teku, Tachal, Balkhu, Naya Buspark, Bhimsensthan, Machha Pokhari, Chabahil, Jorpati, and Kalopul, according to the report. Meanwhile, seven persons were injured on Sunday after being struck by lightning in Betini village, Okhaldhunga district. According to police, the lightning also destroyed a dozen houses.

Flash floods in Bihar due to heavy rainfall

Many areas in Bihar have been entirely flooded in floodwaters due to the state's recent monsoon rains. As a result, schools and institutions are closed, making it impossible for students to study. This, however, does not prevent professors from transferring knowledge to their students. Teachers in Manihari have started holding classes on boats, which is a unique way of teaching students.

Previously, on September 1, the authorities halted rail service between Darbhanga and Samastipur. The Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, has also done an aerial survey of the flood-affected districts, and the state administration is constantly monitoring the situation in the flood-affected areas. A six-member central delegation will tour Bihar's flood-affected villages. Officials from the road transport department, the agriculture department, and health and sanitation officials will be among the team members.

The central team will prepare a report on the damage done to the area and its inhabitants. The final evaluation will be sent to the centre. It is crucial to note that the flood situation has gradually improved in many districts of north Bihar as the water flow from the Kosi and Gandal Barrages has been reduced. Meanwhile, nearly 1500 villages are still dealing with the effects of the floods.

Image Credit: PTI
Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has reportedly established a committee to tackle the border dispute with China in the Himalayan district of Humla, according to an ANI report. After having a brief standoff with India, the southeast Asian country embroiled in a boundary dispute with the Peoples Republic of China in a remote Humla district, close to the Nepal-Tibet border. The border dispute between Nepal and China emerged after China unilaterally constructed 11 cemented buildings in the Nepali territory, which the latter contested.

China has reportedly encroached lands in the Humla district of Nepal, ANI reports, which was earlier dismissed by the former KP Sharma Oli government. The country has now formed a five-member team on Wednesday headed by the Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs. The team, with senior officials from different government agencies and boundary experts on it, is expected to take stock of the border situation with China. The committee will visit the disputed area and will report back to the government, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Gyanendra Bahadur Karki reportedly informed.

"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, Law Minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki was quoted saying by ANI, as he announced the decision of council of ministers. "It should be noted that China had encroached on Nepali land and built nine buildings in Humla last year," he added.

PRC constructed infrastructure

Jeevan Bahadur Shai, a provincial lawmaker of Nepali Congress last year had told reporters that China has encroached on large swathes of land in the Humla district. The PRC had constructed infrastructure on the Nepalese terrain, in Lampcha village (Namkha rural Municipality), bordering Tibet. At the time of former Oli administration, Nepals Ministry of External Affairs had denied the reports even when the Nepalese resentment and protests were held wherein the locals chanted slogans: Stop Chinese Expansionism as tensions flared between two territories over border disputes and encroachments. Sino-Nepal border has been denoted as a controlled border system via an agreement reached in 1960, that led to border treaty of 1961 that demarcation areas between Nepal and China.
The mother of an Islamic State-inspired extremist who stabbed shoppers in a New Zealand supermarket said her son was radicalised by neighbours from Syria and Iraq who helped him recover from an injury.

The attacker, Ahamed Samsudeen, was a 32-year-old Tamil Muslim from Sri Lanka.

He arrived in New Zealand 10 years ago on a student visa, and applied for refugee status on the basis of being persecuted in his home country.

Samsudeen was shot and killed by police, who said five people were stabbed and two injured in last week's attack.

His mother, Mohamedismail Fareetha, said his descent into extremism began after he fell several stories in 2016 while attending university.

"Because he did not have anyone there, it was people from Syria and Iraq who helped him. It looks like they brainwashed him. Then he started posting on Facebook," Fareetha said in a phone interview Saturday with a local TV station from her home in eastern Sri Lanka.

"He changed only after going abroad," she added.

Police first noticed Samsudeen's online support for terrorism in 2016, and the following year he was arrested at Auckland Airport.

He was headed for Syria, authorities say, presumably to join the Islamic State insurgency. He was later released on bail.

"After being arrested in 2017 he talked less with us, it was about once every three months," Fareetha said, adding that two of her other sons "were angry with him and scolded him."

In 2018, Samsudeen was jailed for three years after he was found with Islamic State videos and knives, and the following year, his refugee status was canceled after authorities found evidence of fraud.

Immigration authorities tried to argue he should remain behind bars, but in July, Samsudeen was set free.

Police trailed him around the clock, fearing he would launch an attack, but unable to do more.

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her government will change the laws this month to enhance penalties for terrorist plots.

IMAGE: AP

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
CM Yogi Adityanath Predicts 'UP's Per Capita Income Will Surpass India's In 5 Yrs'

Exuding confidence ahead of UP polls, CM Yogi Adityanath on Sunday predicted that Uttar Pradesh's per capita income would exceed the country's in the next five years. Addressing the 'Pravasi Bhartiya Sammelan' in Varanasi, Adityanath said that the event was a method to change the inferiority perception in the country and the world. UP, currently has a Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Rs. 17.06 trillion, while India is at Rs 222.48 trillion, according to Statista.

Northern Alliance Refutes Taliban's Victory In Panjshir; Assures To Continue Fighting

In a big development amid claims of Taliban capturing Panjshir, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA) on Monday has refuted the reports. Taking to Twitter, the NRFA denied Taliban's claim and stated that it is false. On the contrary, the Resistance Force has revealed that its fighters are still present in all strategic positions across the Panjshir Valley to continue the fight.

Northern Alliance Spokesperson Fahim Dashty Killed In Face-off With Taliban In Panjshir

In a major setback for Northern Alliance, Fahim Dashty, spokesman of the National Resistance Front (NRF) was killed in the Panjshir province during a face-off with the Taliban. Issuing a statement on their Facebook page, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan shared that the head of the office of Ahmad Massoud had lost his life in a battle against the terrorist group. The anti-Taliban front also lost Massoud's nephew General Sahib Abdul Wudod Zara in the battle.

Taliban Claims 'complete Capture' Of Panjshir; Raises Its Flag On Governor House

In a major blow to the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA), the Taliban on Monday claimed capture of the last province in Afghanistan - Panjshir. Taking to Twitter, Taliban Spokesperson Zabihullah claimed, "Panjshir province, the last stronghold of the mercenary enemy, was completely conquered". Visuals from Panjshir, shared by local news agency Asvaka News Agency, show Taliban fighters standing outside Panjshir Governor office and the Taliban's flag raised at the office. Meanwhile, NRFA has refuted these allegations saying, "NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight".

Centre Issues Guidelines To Identify Fake COVID-19 Vaccines, Here's All You Need To Know

Amid India's vaccination drive, the Centre on Sunday issued a list of guidelines to identify fake COVID-19 vaccines. This comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned of counterfeit doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, the Health Ministry has shared a list of parameters to identify the authentic version of the vaccines that are currently being used for inoculation in India - Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V.

Amrullah Saleh Moved To Undisclosed Location After Taliban Attacks Home: Sources

As per sources, Afghanistan 'caretaker' president Amrullah Saleh's house was attacked by helicopters twice amid the Taliban's offensive to capture the Panjshir province. While Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani resigned and fled the country with his associates after the terrorist group stormed into Kabul on August 15, Saleh and Ahmad Massoud have not only stayed put but also managed to keep Panjshir out of its grasp. Sources close to Saleh indicated that he escaped unscathed and has been moved to an undisclosed location.

Ahmad Massoud Claims 'Pakistan Bombing Panjshir' Along With Taliban In Afghanistan

As Taliban intensifies its attack on Panjshir, National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA) leader Ahmad Massoud on Monday, revealed that the terror group is getting air support from the Pakistan air force and ISI. Taking to Twitter, Massoud claimed that the Taliban was not strong enough to attack Panjshir and was aided by Pakistan via drones, helicopters led allegedly Lt. Gen Faiz Hamid from Kabul. The Pakistan ISI chief is currently in Afghanistan to oversee the new government formation led by the Taliban.

Shiv Sena Calls RSS A 'nation-building Group', Hits Out At Javed Akhtar For Taliban Remark

Shiv Sena on Monday hit back at writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar over the latter's comparison between Hindu organisations such as RSS to the Taliban calling it a 'disrespect to the Hindu culture'. In an op-ed in its mouthpiece 'Saamana', Shiv Sena asserted that India was a democratic and tolerant country and could not be compared to the Islamist fundamentalist in any form.

Taliban Stops Evacuees From Leaving Afghanistan; 4 Planes With Refugees, Americans Blocked

Several chartered planes with evacuees have been unable to take off from the Kabul Airport in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover, officials revealed on Sunday. As per sources, four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people from Afghanistan have not been allowed to leave the country. This comes even as the Taliban promises to uphold 'safe passage' for foreigners and Afghans willing to leave the war-torn nation.

India Reports 38,948 Fresh COVID-19 Cases In Last 24 Hours, Active Cases Drop To 4,04,874

In the last 24 hours, India registered 38,948 new cases of the novel Coronavirus, as well as 219 deaths from the infection. According to health ministry data, the overall number of active COVID-19 cases in India has reduced to 4,04,874. On Sunday, 5th September alone, at least 43,903 people have recovered.
Wealthier nations have hoarded at least 500 million doses from their vaccine stock just this month, and the supply to the low-income countries suffers retrenchment due to COVID-19 third booster shots. This stock would surpass one billion by the end of 2021, a new analysis by the firm Airfinity has found. At least 360 million COVID-19 vaccine shots have not been earmarked for donations, the new research by data analytics firm revealed in a report on Sunday, 5 September 2021. The firms analysis considered the availability of supply of COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S, UK, EU, Canada, and Japan. It then predicted the stock going forward and the number of vaccines that could be available to ship to the poor countries.

By the end of the year, nearly 1.06 billion of COVID-19 vaccines will not have been earmarked for donations, the report on Sunday stated. It goes on to add, that the Western countries continue their vaccination programmes for everyone above 12 years old and also proceed with booster shots for their entire population.

While the global vaccine production has scaled up overall, last month production hit a total of 6 billion doses produced to date, the firm said in a press release. Currently, the COVID-19 manufacturers produce nearly 1.5 billion doses per month, and a total of 11.3 billion doses are required to vaccinate the worlds population. Further, in its forecast about the output reach to the poor nations, Airfinity found that less than 15 per cent of what has been pledged thus far has been delivered. G7 countries and the EU have pledged over 1 billion doses, the firm reminded, but the countries have been unable to fulfil their commitments as has been found by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA).

The world has reached a tipping point when it comes to vaccine availability and production, Airfinitys co-founder and CEO Rasmus Bech Hansen said. For large Western countries the challenge is no longer supply, but demand, he added.

Furthermore, Hansen stressed that the global supply chain is successfully increasing production, but the firms detailed analysis report shows that high-income countries have plenty of vaccines coming and this, in fact, should reduce the need for stockpiling. How these stocks are distributed, where they go, and whether they are re-sold or donated is ultimately a political decision. With these numbers, I believe the world has a better basis for making these critical allocation decisions and avoiding wasted doses, he said.

WHO calls for moratorium on third booster shot

Calling out at the shocking inequities in access to COVID-19 vaccines, the World Health Organisation [WHO] Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus earlier last week opposed widespread use of boosters for healthy people for now, as he stressed the need to vaccinate the vulnerable population in the poorer countries. Speaking at a press conference in Berlin in person for the Inauguration of the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, Tedros said that the COVID-19 cases and fatalities reported to WHO declined for the first time in more than two months but it doesnt mean much.

He then asserted that there were many financially backward nations across the world still witnessing steep increases in cases and deaths, particularly due to the lack of vaccines. More than 5 billion vaccines have now been administered globally, and almost 75 per cent of them have been in just 10 countries, WHO chief Tedros reminded. In low-income countries, most of which are in Africa, less than 2 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated, compared with almost 50 per cent in highincome countries, he added.
Russia on Monday said that it will support the new Taliban government and will participate in the inauguration ceremony if it is inclusive, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. He suggested that the new government should also include ethnic groups.

"We want to support the process of formation of a government that will reflect the whole spectrum of the Afghan society, including the Taliban and other ethnic groups apart from the Pashtuns: the Hazaras, the Uzbeks, the Tajiks. Only an inclusive government can ensure a steady transition to a new life," Lavrov said.

He added that if the inclusive government is ensured then Russia is happy to take part in the ceremony with other nations that have an influence on the situation in Afghanistan. Sergey Lavrov also confirmed that Moscow has received an invitation to the ceremony.

Taliban invites Russia and five other countries to attend government formation.

The Taliban, who is in the final stages of building its government in Afghanistan, has invited Russia, China, Pakistan, Turkey and Iran to the ceremony. In a press conference, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that the war has been ended and "they hope to have a stable Afghanistan."

Assuring an 'Islamic and inclusive government', the terrorist organisation warned that if anyone takes arms, they will be considered as the "enemy of the state". The Taliban also said that technical teams from Turkey, Qatar and UAE are working to restart operations at Kabul airport.

China tight-lipped on Taliban's invitation

The Chinese Foreign Minister did not respond to reports of the Taliban inviting them for a government formation ceremony in Kabul. Beijing, which has kept its Embassy open in the Afghan capital along with Russia and Pakistan, said that it has "no information to offer at this moment."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin reiterated that China supports Afghanistan forming an open, inclusive, broadly-based government upholding moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies and live in good terms with the neighbouring countries.

Meanwhile, Pakistan on the other hand has already sent a top spy to help the Taliban in government formation. Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Faiz Hameed also met Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar on Monday. Last month, he was also seen offering prayers with the Taliban leadership.
Amid reports of heavy fighting in Panjshir between Taliban and Resistance forces, Ahmad Massoud has called for a national uprising against the insurgents and Pakistani elements. The National Resistance Front leader said that they would stand and fight against the extremists.

In an audio message on his Facebook page, Massoud confirmed that he is in Panjshir, the last province which is free from the Taliban's clutches and will continue to fight against the terrorists.

In the conflict, Fahim Dashty, spokesperson of the Resistance front and many of Massoud's family members were killed. "Deepest condolences with martyrs and family members," said the son of iconic anti-Taliban fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud.

He further said that the Taliban has not changed and but has become "far more radical than in the past." He has also asked for support from the international community.

"Taliban have become more radical. Taliban are not Afghans, they are outsiders and work for outsiders and their mission is to keep the country isolated from the rest of the world. All Afghans should fight against the Taliban in any form possible. Resistance is still alive," Massoud said.

He also confirmed Pakistan's role in an offensive against Panjshir. In the visuals accessed by Republic Media Network, Imran Khan's administration is seen assisting the Taliban in capturing Panjshir. The visuals show Pakistan helicopters and commandoes bombing Panjshir.

This development comes at a time of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Faiz Hameed's visit to Kabul to aid the terrorist group.

Ahmad Massoud's audio message: Key highlights

Confirms killing of Fahim Dashty

Confirms Pakistan's role in attacks on Panjshir

Calls all Afghans to join the resistance against Taliban and Pakistani elements.

Taliban has not changed but has become more radical than in the past.

Asks International community for support

NRFA refutes Taliban's victory in Panjshir

Amid Taliban's triumph claims in Panjshir, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA) on Monday refuted the reports. Taking to Twitter, the NRFA calls the claims false. The resistance front said that its fighters are still present in strategic positions across the valley. The anti-Taliban front also assured that the fight will continue against the Taliban and its 'partners'.

Talibans claim of occupying Panjshir is false. The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight. We assure the ppl of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban & their partners will continue until justice & freedom prevails.  National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (@nrfafg) September 6, 2021

Earlier, the Taliban had claimed to "completely capture" Panjshir. Taking to Twitter, the group's spokesperson Zabihullah said, "Panjshir province, the last stronghold of the mercenary enemy, was completely conquered."
In a major blow to the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA), the Taliban on Monday claimed capture of the last province in Afghanistan - Panjshir. Taking to Twitter, Taliban Spokesperson Zabihullah claimed, "Panjshir province, the last stronghold of the mercenary enemy, was completely conquered". Visuals from Panjshir, shared by local news agency Asvaka News Agency, show Taliban fighters standing outside Panjshir Governor office and the Taliban's flag raised at the office. Meanwhile, NRFA has refuted these allegations saying, "NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight".

            https://t.co/95ySJ5ppo6 pic.twitter.com/CCWKFt0zsb  Zabihullah (..   ) (@Zabehulah_M33) September 6, 2021

#Breaking

In this photo you can see the Taliban members standing infront of the Panjshir Governor office. They claim that they have full control of the province now. pic.twitter.com/3qnTydkdyN  Asvaka -  News Agency (@AsvakaNews) September 6, 2021

NRFA suffers setback

Earlier in the day, NRFA leader Ahmad Massoud revealed that the terror group is getting air support from the Pakistan air force and ISI. Taking to Twitter, Massoud claimed that the Taliban was not strong enough to attack Panjshir and was aided by Pakistan via drones, helicopters led allegedly Lt. Gen Faiz Hamid from Kabul. The Pakistan ISI chief is currently in Afghanistan to oversee the new government formation led by the Taliban.

On Sunday night, NRFA spokesperson Fahim Dashty was killed in the Panjshir province during a face-off with the Taliban. Along with Dashty, General Abdul Wudod Zara - Ahmad Shah Massoud's nephew - too was killed in action in Panjshir. Meanwhile, Afghan's 'caretaker' President Amrullah Saleh has been moved to a safe place after a helicopter reportedly attacked his house. Massoud has said that if the Taliban withdrew their fighters from Panjshir and Andarab, he will be wiling to hold peace talks.

Taliban claims victory, NRFA refutes

While Taliban has claimed capture of Panjshir, the Northern Resistance's leader Amrullah Saleh confirmed that he is still in Panjshir saying, "The Resistance is continuing and will continue. I am here with my soil, for my soil and defending its dignity". Taliban has cut off the province's electricity and internet and laid a siege by blowing up bridges connecting the province, urging the Resistance to 'surrender peacefully'. Estimating 2,50,000 residents stuck in Panjshir including people who migrated to the Valley after the fall of Kabul, Saleh said that genocide, mass starvation may occur if the United Nations, Red Cross, Red Crescent and other NGOs does not rapidly respond to the overwhelming humanitarian crisis.

The Taliban took over Kabul on August 15 after major cities like Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad and Lashkar Gah fell without resistance as US troops retreat after 20 years from war-torn Afghanistan. The hasty withdrawal of the US troops saw thousands of people attempting to flee from Afghanistan with several clinging to a departing US plane's wheels, leading to them falling to their deaths. The Taliban has finalised its talks for 'peaceful transition' as Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar gears up to lead the new government with Mullah Mohammad Omar's son Mullah Yakub and Abbas Stanekzai pipped to be in his cabinet. The US has completed evacuating over 130,000 Afghans from Kabul, retreating all its troops.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid on Monday confirmed Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Faiz Hameed's meeting with its de-factor leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar as the terrorist group is finalising a government in Afghanistan.

ISI Director-General Hameed reached Kabul last week in an unannounced visit, becoming the first foreign official to reach Kabul since the fall of the Ashraf Ghani administration in mid-August. On August 21, Hameed was seen offering prayers with Taliban terrorists including Mullah Biradar in an unknown location.

In a press conference, Taliban spokesperson Mujahid said that Hameed met with Baradar during his visit to Kabul. He further assured Imran Khan's administration that Afghanistan soil will not be used for anti-Pakistan activities.

Earlier, Pakistani media outlets had reported that a senior delegation led by the ISI chief was in Afghanistan's capital at the invitation of the Taliban, but the insurgent group said that Islamabad has proposed its visit to Kabul.

On Sunday, the Taliban had said that Hameed was in Kabul to improve bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. "This Pakistani official has come to solve Afghan passengers' problems at the border areas, especially in Torkham and Spin Boldak. They wanted (his visit to Kabul) and we accepted," Ahmadullah Wasiq, a high-level Taliban leader, was quoted as saying by TOLO News, reported PTI.

Last week, Pakistan had closed the Chaman border crossing with Afghanistan after the Torkham commercial town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to security threats.

Hameed's visit to Kabul came at a time when the Taliban is facing pressure to form an inclusive government acceptable to the international community. Coincidentally, since the ISI chief's visit, the Taliban has increased its offensive against Panjshir, the last free province in Afghanistan.

Ahmad Massoud confirms Pakistan's role

In an audio message, National Resistance Front leader Ahmad Massoud said that Pakistan is involved with the Taliban in attacking Panjshir. He alleged that Pakistan attacked Afghans in the valley and the international community watched silently.

"We saw yesterday that along with Taliban, there were people from other countries who were fighting with us," Massoud said while referring to Pakistan and ISI forces.

Visuals accessed by Republic Media Network also confirmed Pakistan's role in the Panjshir attacks. The visuals show the Pakistani Air Force's helicopters and commandoes assisting the Taliban in bombing the valley.

Image: Facebook & AP
Declaring an end to the war in Afghanistan, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid on Monday, claimed that the Panjshir is now under its control. Addressing a press conference in Kabul, Zabihullah invited Turkey, China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and Qatar to attend the ceremony for government announcement which will be revealed soon. Assuring an 'Islamic and inclusive government', the Taliban warned Afghans from taking up arms terming them as 'enemy of the state'.

Taliban declares end to war

"The war in Afghanistan is over. Panjshir is now under government control. The NRF militia gave negative answers when Taliban tried to negotiate. We caused no civilian casualties in the takeover," said Zabihullah.

Justifying the Pakistan-backed attack on Panjshir, Zabihullah added, "We tried to solve this issue peacefully. But the people who escaped from Kabul thought they could still fight the Taliban. If anyone wants to create problems, we will handle them as we handled Panjshir. We can't confirm the whereabouts of ex-VP Amrullah Saleh but the hunt is on. Electricity and internet will resume in Panjshir Valley."

Zabihullah also assured that with the help of technical teams from Qatar, Turkey and United Arab Emirates operations will restart at Kabul airport. Urging China to recognise to the new Taliban govt, he added, "The Taliban wants good relations with the world, China is a big economic power and Afghanistan needs its support for reconstruction and development". Assuring amnesty to ex-Afghan soldiers, he said, "The Afghan forces who were trained in the past 20 years will be asked to rejoin the security departments alongside the Taliban forces".

Talking about government formation, he said, "The new Afghan govt which will be announced could be an interim one. Some technical issues are left, we want to do a proper job". Stating that Pakistan repeatedly asked to visit Kabul, the Taliban said that it has assured that no one will be allowed to threaten any country from Afghanistan. He also urged women protestors to stop citing 'sensitive security issues' amid the new govt formation.

Taliban takeover

Earlier in the day, the Taliban claimed capture of the last province in Afghanistan - Panjshir. Taking to Twitter, Taliban Spokesperson Zabihullah claimed, "Panjshir province, the last stronghold of the mercenary enemy, was completely conquered". Visuals from Panjshir, shared by local news agency Asvaka News Agency, show Taliban fighters standing outside Panjshir Governor office and the Taliban's flag raised at the office. Meanwhile, NRFA has refuted these allegations saying, "NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight".

The Taliban took over Kabul on August 15 after major cities like Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad and Lashkar Gah fell without resistance as US troops retreat after 20 years from war-torn Afghanistan. The hasty withdrawal of the US troops saw thousands of people attempting to flee from Afghanistan with several clinging to a departing US plane's wheels, leading to them falling to their deaths. The Taliban has finalised its talks for 'peaceful transition' as Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar gears up to lead the new government with Mullah Mohammad Omar's son Mullah Yakub and Abbas Stanekzai pipped to be in his cabinet. The US has completed evacuating over 130,000 Afghans from Kabul, retreating all its troops.
The Taliban on Monday, 6 September 2021, asserted that it will not allow any country, including Pakistan, to interfere in Afghanistan's internal affairs even as it confirmed a meeting between ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed and the insurgent group's de-facto leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul, amidst efforts to finalise a government in the war-torn country.

Questions were raised over Pakistan's interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs after the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Hameed landed in Kabul on an unannounced visit last week. Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid however said that the group will not allow any country, including Pakistan, to interfere in Afghanistan's affairs.

Lt Gen Hameed was the first high-ranking foreign official to visit Afghanistan since the Taliban's takeover of Kabul last month. During a press conference on Monday, Mujahid confirmed that the ISI chief had met with Mullah Baradar during his visit to Kabul.

The Taliban has assured Islamabad that Afghan territory will not be used against Pakistan.

Earlier, Pakistani media reported that a delegation of senior officials led by Lt Gen Hameed was in Kabul at the invitation of the Taliban, but the insurgent group said that the Imran Khan-led government had proposed his visit. On Sunday, the Taliban said that the Pakistani spy chief was in Afghanistan to improve bilateral relations between Kabul and Islamabad.

Hameed's visit to Afghanistan came amidst mounting pressure on the Taliban to form an inclusive government acceptable to the international community. The insurgent group is struggling to give shape to a broad-based and inclusive administration acceptable to the international community.

Pakistan openly backs Taliban

Pakistan was often accused by the Afghanistan government of giving the Taliban military aid, a charge denied by Islamabad. If the Taliban claims Pakistan has no role inside Afghanistan, what is the ISI Chief doing in Kabul for the last three days remains a mystery.

Besides this, in open support to the Taliban, Pakistan Air Force reportedly bombed the Panjshir Valley on Sunday. Coincidentally, since the ISI chief's visit, the Taliban has increased its offensive against Panjshir, the last free province in Afghanistan.

(With inputs from agency)
Several chartered planes with evacuees have been unable to take off from the Kabul Airport in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover, officials revealed on Sunday. As per sources, four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people from Afghanistan have not been allowed to leave the country. This comes even as the Taliban promises to uphold 'safe passage' for foreigners and Afghans willing to leave the war-torn nation.

US accuses Taliban of holding planes 'hostage'

According to an Afghan official at the Hamid Karzai International Airport, several of the evacuees were Afghans, who had fled their homes and were unable to produce passports and necessary visas to leave the country. However, the top Republican on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee has stated that the evacuees also included Americans who wanted to leave the country. Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas has accused the Taliban of not letting the planes with Americans take off saying that they were effectively holding them hostage." He told Fox News, that a total of six planes were being held at the airport with American citizens and Afghan interpreters on board.

"They've sat at the airport for the last couple of days, these planes, and they're not allowed to leave. We know the reason why is because the Taliban want something in exchange," he explained.

The Taliban had come under serious international pressure after it barred Afghans from leaving the nation, shutting off all routes to the Kabul Airport. After facing flak, the terror group had reopened the Kabul Airport and had promised to allow foreigners, and those wishing to leave Afghanistan a safe passage. It had said that Afghans with passports and visas will be permitted to travel once the country's airports are operational. The UNSC had also called on the Taliban to facilitate the return of people wanting to leave Afghanistan, in its resolution adopted on August 30.

Afghanistan's Kabul Airport has resumed operations and domestic flights between three of its provincial capitals on Sunday. As per Afghanistan's Ariana News, a technical team from Qatar reopened the capitals airport for aid and domestic services on Sunday.

(With Agency Inputs)
In an extraordinary tale of survival, a 72-year-old man went against all odds to survive in a forest for three days. Leonard Barry Weller, a British resident, went on an exploration on Tuesday but never returned, according to ABC news. It was then that his Thai partner Tawee Chaisanrit alerted the authorities, galvanizing a giant rescue operation.

While the search mission was still ongoing, a local hunter came across the British pensioner in a remote part of the forest located in Thailands Khon Kaen province. Speaking to media outlets, Nattapat Tadee, one of the rescuers disclosed that the elderly was asleep on a giant rock formation after climbing atop of it to see a route out. Later, Weller also described his ordeal stating that he did not eat anything but survived for almost 72 hours just by drinking water from a puddle using grass as a straw.

@ukinthailand missing British person near 159/6 Nongtae. Baandong. Ubolratna. Khonkaen 40250 (Thailand) last seen on motor scooter 1300 local 31 Aug he is my dad and called Leonard Barry Weller. pic.twitter.com/0D5ZE7Qcyp  Nathan Weller (@Bazweller) September 1, 2021

Weller is 'wonderfully happy'

A video of the rescue surfaced online and shows Weller, donning an open shirt and shorts, walking out of the forest. Asserting that his feet were sore from cuts, he thanked the rescuers and said that they were doing a good job. He also asserted that he was wonderfully happy to have come out of his nightmare. He also hugged his partner Chaisanrit tightly while his eyes welled up.

Yes, I am wonderfully happy. I have never been so happy in my life, Weller was quoted as saying by AP. My feet are sore, otherwise I am happy. Hot. I just admire the work these people are doing. It makes me cry. They are doing a good job.

Thank you everyone. Thank you to all the teams who kept fighting along with me, Chaisanrit added, holding her hands together in a traditional Thai gesture of respect.

Recently, a similar story of survival featuring a female Alaskan hiker, who traced her way back home two days after she was chased off-trail by bears, went viral and people around the world are praising her. According to Alaska News Source, 55-year-old Fina Kiefer was hiking alone on the 13.6-mile long Pioneer Peak Trail when she had run with a pair of bears. The wild encounter pushed her off her route and she lost contact with others.

Image: AP
On Monday, Abdul Salam Hanafi, the deputy head of the Taliban political office in Qatar, met Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu and discussed bilateral relations in Kabul. This development comes at a time when the Taliban is all set to form its government in Afghanistan. Taliban spokesperson Mohammad Naeem said that the Chinese Ambassador stressed the need to continue providing humanitarian assistance to the war-torn country, reported Tolo News. Last month too, Hanafi had reportedly met Wang Yu. The duo had discussed the security of the Chinese embassy and diplomats, bilateral relations and China's humanitarian assistance.

Taliban invites China and five other countries to attend government formation

In the final stage for building its government in Afghanistan, the Taliban on Monday invited China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey to the ceremony. In a press briefing, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that the war is over and "they hope to have a stable Afghanistan."

China tight-lipped on Taliban's invitation

The China Foreign Minister did not respond to the invitation. Beijing said that it has "no information to offer at this moment." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, however, reiterated that China supports Afghanistan forming an open, inclusive, broadly-based government upholding moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies and live in good terms with the neighbouring countries.

Pakistan top spy throngs Kabul

Pakistan has already sent its officials to Afghanistan to help insurgents in government formation. Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director-General Faiz Hameed also met Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar on Monday. Last month, the ISI chief was also spotted offering prayers with the top Taliban leaders.

Russia may attend Taliban's government formation: Lavrov

Russia on Monday said it may attend the government formation ceremony in Afghanistan if it is inclusive, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"We want to support the process of formation of a government that will reflect the whole spectrum of the Afghan society, including the Taliban and other ethnic groups apart from the Pashtuns: the Hazaras, the Uzbeks, the Tajiks. Only an inclusive government can ensure a steady transition to a new life," he said.

Lavrov also confirmed that Moscow has been invited to the ceremony in Kabul.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson will speak to the parliamentarians on Monday, 6 September about the departure operation done by Britain from war-torn Afghanistan. He took this decision to meet the lawmakers due to allegations on the management of evacuation as well as the inability to anticipate how rapidly the Taliban would take control over Afghanistan. Last month after the withdrawal of the United States and Britain from Afghanistan, the Foreign Minister of the UK, Dominic Raab acknowledged that both nations underestimated the Taliban's ability to gain power.

Criticism faced by Boris Johnson over 'failed' leadership during Kabul fall

Following the evacuation operation, PM Johnson has received harsh criticism from parliamentarians for his "failed management and leadership" during the fall of Kabul. He even conceded that the United States' decision to suspend its Army in Afghanistan has compelled Britain to withdraw their own soldiers.

According to excerpts given by the PM's office, Johnson will address the parliament about the efforts given by the soldiers in the evacuation process. He will further mention that the UK and any other Western nations have not experienced terrorist assault conducted from Afghanistan for 20 years. As per Johnson's office, he will propose in parliament an additional 5 million pounds that is $6.93 million, for financing the charitable organisation, which will assist UK veteran soldiers.

Remarks of British foreign secretary on Taliban

The UK has cleared that it is not yet ready to recognise the Taliban as a government. On Friday, UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab underlined that the UK will not acknowledge a new Taliban administration in the war-torn nation. Raab's statement came as the administration prepared to announce its government in Afghanistan.

On the other hand, Raab emphasised the need to engage with the incoming Afghan administration. He stated that the administration will recognise the value of communicating and maintaining a direct channel of interaction. He further explained that without the support of approximately 15,000 individuals from Kabul, this interaction would not be possible. Raab also recalled the Taliban's promise of not going back to the earlier severe conservative rule that was imposed from 1996 to 2001, the first stint in charge.

On 15 August, the Taliban took over Kabul as the US was in the process of withdrawing its troops from the military conflict. The United States concluded its military operation on 30 August, one day before the self-imposed timeline of 31 August. It has relocated its Afghan embassy to Doha.

(Image Credit: AP)
New York, Sep 5 (PTI) Fours persons of Indian-origin have been killed in the US states of New Jersey and New York after they were swept away by flash floods caused by Hurricane Ida.

Hurricane Ida, which made landfall on August 29 in Port Fourchon, Louisiana, is the second-most destructive hurricane to hit the state on record, only after Hurricane Katrina (2005).

A report in patch.com said 31-year-old Dhanush Reddy from Edison died last week after being swept into a 36-inch storm sewer pipe in South Plainfield, New Jersey.

The report added that South Plainfield Police, Middlesex County Water Rescue Team and Piscataway Police arrived at the scene where officials were assisting motorists in the area of Hadley and Stelton Road and heard cries for help.

Authorities said two men were swept into the pipe, which goes from South Plainfield to Piscataway.

While one of the men was rescued, the other could not be located and authorities found Reddys body in a wooded area a few miles away the day after he drowned.

"Many of the floods victims lived in basement apartments, some of which were subterranean dwellings carved out illegally from larger homes and may have lacked the emergency egress required of legitimate apartments. Comparatively low-cost living spaces, they are a refuge of thousands of the city's poor, even as they are known to be firetraps," a report in The New York Times said.

"Overnight, the basements became traps of water," it added.

The NYT report added that the Ramskriets, a family of four, were in their Queens home when flood water reached their ankles. As they tried to get their things, they heard a collapse and a gush of water shoved them through the pitch-black apartment as the walls caved in. The flood swept the elderly Dameshwar Ramskriets across the home as he clutched for the hand of his wife Tara. I tried to hold on to my wife, and she was trying to hold on to me, he said on Thursday according to the NYT report. But the water pushed me away and I couldnt feel her hand anymore. Tara Ramskriet and her 22-year-old son, Nick, drowned.

Another Indian-origin person, Malathi Kanche, 46, a software designer, was driving home with her 15-year-old daughter on Wednesday when her vehicle halted in waist-deep floodwater on Route 22 of Bridgewater, New Jersey.

Kanche and her daughter held onto a tree as floodwaters pulled them, according to a family friend, Mansi Mago, but the tree fell, pulling Kanche in the torrent.

Initially, officials put Kanche on the list of "missing persons".

She was confirmed dead on Friday, the NYT reported.

A Nepali family who lived in a basement apartment in Queens also died as the storm waters inundated their apartment, leaving them trapped inside.

Mingma Sherpa had frantically called her neighbour Choi Sledge who lived upstairs for help, saying "The water is coming in right now. Get out! Get to the third floor! Sledge had told Sherpa.

The NYT report said that the family did not come upstairs. Sledge called them again and in the brief call, Sherpa told her The water coming in from the window. Sherpa, her husband, Lobsang Lama, and their little boy named Ang all drowned in the storm.

Ida transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone on September 1, killing 65 people across the US, with the majority deaths in New Jersey, New York and Louisiana.

Apart from deaths and damage to the ecology, Hurricane Ida has battered the civic infrastructure in the northeastern states of the US.

The storm has caused at least USD 50 billion in damages, according to official estimates. PTI YAS IND

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday headed to Doha, Qatar and Ramstein, Germany on his first ever diplomatic trip since the Talibans takeover of Kabul. Departing for Doha, Qatar and Ramstein, Germany where Ill have the opportunity to thank our Qatari and German friends in-person for the outstanding support theyve given to safely transit US citizens, Afghans, and other evacuees from Afghanistan, the US secretary of state tweeted on September 6.

Blinken is expected to hold a meeting with Qatari and German counterparts to thank them for their assistance with the massive airlift efforts during the Afghanistan evacuations by August 31 deadline. US military base in Qatar was the first stop for the US military planes as they safely flew out Afghan refugees after the traumatising Talibans siege of the country that prompted the former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in exile. Doha is currently a state leading the Afghanistan diplomatic operations as several Afghans that worked with NATO and US forces await a transfer to the US and other nations.

Departing for Doha, Qatar and Ramstein, Germany where Ill have the opportunity to thank our Qatari and German friends in-person for the outstanding support theyve given to safely transit U.S. citizens, Afghans, and other evacuees from Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/ZQDDiaCJ5y  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 6, 2021

US secretary of states visit overlaps with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austins recent trip to Qatar in a bid to boost diplomatic and security ties. Pentagon spokesperson told reporters that Austin is scheduled to visit Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait as well as Saudi Arabia to discuss Afghanistan and express thanks to the allies, and regional partners and military leaders for their assistance in evacuation efforts of Americans. Austin will reaffirm Washington's "strong defense relationships in the region, the spokesperson reportedly stated.

United States expects 'inclusivity' from Taliban government

Qatar has hosted the Taliban's political office for over 8 years. At the State Department earlier last week, Blinken said, US government continues to maintain channels of communication with the Taliban on issues that are important us, starting with the commitment to let people leave Afghanistan should they choose to do so. Blinken had also told reporters that the Taliban has promised to cooperate in the United States pledge of continuing the evacuation efforts well past the August 31 deadline. Speaking of Taliban, he also said, United States expects "inclusivity" and a government that "makes good on commitments that the Taliban have made," especially regarding freedom of travel.
A Hong Kong media empire founded by pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai has announced it is going into liquidation, citing a draconian national security law imposed on the city by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from , 2020.



All of the directors of Lai's Next Digital resigned on in the wake of the closure of its flagship Apple Daily newspaper in June.



The move came after Next Digital had its assets frozen pending an investigation into charges of "collusion with foreign powers," brought against Lai and senior journalists at the Apple Daily following a raid by national security police on .



The company made the announcement the the Hong Kong Stock Exchange late on .



"The board of directors of Next Digital Limited hereby announces the resignations of all the directors of the Company with effect from 23:59 (Hong Kong time) on ," the statement said.



Ip Yut Kin has tendered his resignation as a non-executive director and chairman of the company, while Louis Gordon Crovitz, Mark Lambert Clifford and and Elic Lam have resigned as independent non-executive directors at the same time, it said.



Trading in Next Digital shares has been suspended since the national security police raid on , and will remain suspended.



"We have concluded that the best interests of shareholders, creditors, employees and other stakeholders will be served by an orderly liquidation, which we hope will result in liquidators being allowed by the Hong Kong government to authorise payments that directors were banned from approving, including for creditors and for former staff," the board members said in a statement accompanying the announcement.



Signage for Next Digital and Apple Daily are seen displayed outside the offices of the the offices of the local Apple Daily newspaper in Hong Kong , June 17, 2021. Credit: AFP 'No other rights are safe'

Next Digital arranged on Aug. 9 to surrender the remaining lease on its former business headquarters in the Tseung Kwan O industrial estate.



"We observe that the events affecting the company and its people following the invocation of the National Security Law occurred despite there having been no trials and no convictions," the Next Digital board members' statement said. "Under this new law, a company can be forced into liquidation without the involvement of the courts."



"As Apple Daily often observed, Hong Kong people have a collective memory of what life was like elsewhere when freedom of speech was denied: No other rights are safe," it said.



The announcement by Next Digital came as Tiananmen vigil organizers the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China refused to cooperate with a request by national security police to hand over detailed information on its finances, membership and activities dating back years.



Alliance vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung said the group wouldn't be cooperating with the Aug. 25 order to hand over confidential documents by Sept. 7, saying it wasn't bound to comply because it isn't an agent of a foreign government under Article 43 of the national security law.



Chow said the Alliance is considering filing a judicial review to challenge that definition.



"Theyre trying to intimidate the people who participate in the social movement," Chow told government broadcaster RTHK.



"And we now clearly say that this sort of intimidation will stop at us. We will not transmit that fear through our compliance," she said.



The police said they would take action against any group failing to comply with such orders, while the security bureau warned that anyone refusing to provide information under the law could face a fine or a prison sentence.



Debating disbanding

Chow said Alliance committee members remain at risk of arrest and prosecution. A plenary meeting of the Alliance will decide whether or not to disband.



A statement issued by the Alliance said nothing in the police letter mentioned the rationale for the allegation that the Alliance is a foreign agent nor clearly indicates the country or organization that is is suspected of acting for.



The letter demanded that records of all activities, expenditures, and contacts with "political parties or any other organizations that pursue political ends outside the territory of the Peoples Republic of China or in Taiwan" be submitted to police by Sept. 7.



"It seems that they are fishing for so-called evidence that Hong Kong Alliance is a 'foreign agent'," the group said.



"Hong Kong Alliance ... refuses to cooperate with such an unreasonable demand [and] refuses to be used by the authorities to spread fear," it said.



It said the Alliance is in the process of considering whether or not to disband.



"The Standing Committee ... decided only by a narrow majority to vote on a proposal to dissolve the organization at a General Assembly," the statement said.



The matter will be put to a vote at an Extraordinary General Assembly on Sept. 25, it said.



More than 100 opposition politicians, activists and protesters have been arrested so far on charges under the national security law, including allegations of secession, subversion and terrorist activities, with more than 10,000 arrested under pre-existing laws for their part in the 2019 protest movement against the erosion of Hong Kong's promised freedoms.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has unveiled plans for a semi-conductor research and development base jointly administered by authorities in the southern province of Guangdong and the formerly Portuguese city of Macau, paving the way for a blurring of the border between the two jurisdictions.



The process will start with the establishment of a "cooperation zone" on the Macau side of Hengqin Island, to be jointly administered by Guangdong and Macau, with a CCP, police, state security police and government presence.



The aim of the zone is to fast-track semiconductor chip designs and other high-tech research and development projects including new energy, big data, artificial intelligence and biomedical industries.



In a plan for a new industrial and residential development at Hengqin, an island south of Guangdong's Zhuhai city, just over the bridge from Macau, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) said greater cooperation was needed with Macau to build homes for its residents and integrate the city's economy with that of Zhuhai and environs.



Hengqin is currently a divided island, with part of its territory leased to Macau and part still administered by Guangdong.



The Hengqin campus of the University of Macau and the Macau jurisdiction of Hengqin port are managed by the Macau Special Administrative Region government authorized by the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress.



They are currently subject to Macau regulation and governance, and are separated from the mainland Chinese side by physical fences.



"By the 25th anniversary of Macaus return to the motherland in 2024, Guangdong and Macau will have discussed, jointly built, managed, and shared systems and mechanisms to run [Hengqin] smoothly," the HKMAO statement said.



Border disappearing

It said some Macau residents already have jobs on the Guangdong side of the fence, and there are already signs of economic integration.



"By the 30th anniversary of Macaos return to the motherland in 2029, the cooperation zone and Macaos economy will be highly coordinated and its regulatory regime deeply integrated," the HKMAO said.



The plan would also support the extension of Macau's light rail service into the Zhuhai urban rail network and nationwide rail services, it said.

Macau journalist Choi Chi Chio said it was unclear how much of the funding for the new project will come from Macau.



"Part of Hengqin is under the jurisdiction of Macau, the so-called first line, where Macau's civil and commercial regulation holds sway," Choi told RFA. "It's a disguised way to weaken the differences between Hengqin and Macau."



"This distinction will disappear at some point in the future, as will the border, and the cultural differences will disappear too," he said. "It's not just about whether Macau has to contribute funding; it's about assimilation."



Joseph Cheng, former politics lecturer at Hong Kong's City University, said a similar scheme is being rolled out on the border between Hong Kong and mainland China, near Shenzhen.



"There are two directors of [the Hengqin] cooperation zone; the governor of Guandong and the Macau chief executive," Cheng said. "This has never happened before."



"But don't forget that the Hengqin cooperation zone is run by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area Construction Leading Group," he said. "If this model is applied to areas of Hong Kong like Qianhai, then it will erode the roles of Hong Kong and Macau in the name of Greater Bay Area integration."



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Chinese regulators have ordered tech giants to "rectify" their business models amid an ongoing crackdown on the private technology sector.



Officials from the Ministry of Transport, the Cyberspace Administration of China and the State Administration of Market Supervision, met with managers from ride-sharing app Didi Chuxing, the food delivery app Meituan and nine other transportation and travel firms on Sept. 1 and ordered them to clean up their act.



"Some platforms have recently been using a variety of vicious methods to compete, including recruiting or enticing unlicensed drivers and vehicles to carry out illegal operations," the Ministry of Transport said in a statement on its official WeChat account.



"Each platform should ... immediately rectify non-compliant behaviors," it said, ensuring that the necessary permits had been obtained for drivers, vehicles and the platform.



"They must not use vicious competition, disorderly expansion to exclude or restrict the competition ... nor pass all of their operational risks on to drivers," it said.



Companies should also ensure that drivers receive "reasonable remuneration" for their labor, and display the amount of commission taken for customers to see.



"It is necessary to unblock channels for drivers to express their demands to avoid the intensification of conflict and the escalation of incidents," it said.



Drivers should also have enough rest time and companies should reduce the commission they take from each ride, it said.



The move comes amid an ongoing crackdown on large, privately owned technology companies, and as ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary Xi Jinping starts to implement measures aimed at achieving "common prosperity," or moderate wealth for all.



Reuters reported that Didi and Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com recently set up unions for their workers, suggesting that workers' rights are increasingly the focus of the CCP's concern with the potential for destabilizing social unrest.



People walk past Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com's autonomous vehicles used to deliver goods to customers, outside a supermarket in Beijing, June 18, 2021. Credit: AFP Boosting the state sector

A Jiangxi-based scholar surnamed Zhu said the overall thrust of the government's regulation appears to be in the direction of nationalization.



"Recently, Beijing has struck some heavy blows against some big companies," Zhu said. "This is not accidental, but a trend that stems from Xi Jinping's policy of boosting the state sector at the expense of the private."



"That is now proceeding at an accelerated pace."



There are growing indicators that the government is also moving towards nationalization of user data and services.



A new data security law that took effect on Sept. 1 lays down strict regulations about what technology platforms must do with data entrusted to service providers by hundreds of millions of users.



Failure to verify the identities of buyers or sellers of data can result in fines of up to U.S.$1.5 million, while organizations and individuals are banned from handing over user data to overseas law enforcement agencies without permission from Beijing.



"Core" data "related to national security, the lifeline of the national economy, major aspects of the people's livelihood, and major public interests", will be subject to stricter scrutiny.



The law took effect after regulators began a probe into U.S.-listed Didi Chuxing, which runs one of China's biggest ride-sharing apps and truck-hailing platform Full Truck Alliance, citing "national security" concerns.



Sharing economy controls

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal in August, the country's stock market regulator plans to block tech firms handling large amounts of sensitive user data from launching IPOs overseas.



Meanwhile, a personal information protection law aimed at setting controls on companies' use of user data will likely take effect in .



And the State Administration of Market Regulation (SAMR) said on Aug. 30 that it would regulate the sharing economy, a sector that includes companies facilitating ride-sharing, bike-sharing, home sharing and even the pooling of battery packs for phones.



Regulators have recently also announced a ban on online gaming by minors outside of designated time-slots on Fridays, weekends and holidays, with weekly gaming limited to three hours.



And the CCP is pushing tech giants to invest in a state-owned "cloud" storage platform, in a direct, and nationalized, challenge to tech giants Alibaba, Huawei and Tencent.



Companies owned by the Tianjin municipal government have been ordered to migrate their data away from commercial cloud service providers to the state-owned alternative, Reuters reported recently.



At the same time, the government is tightening supervision of algorithms used to send tailor-made data, content and advertising to users, banning algorithms that are designed to make users spend large amounts of money, or "disrupt public order."



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The websites of several prominent Western news outlets have been targeted by a pro-Russian influence operation that uses the websites' comment sections to distort public opinion, research conducted in Britain shows.

The study by Cardiff University's Crime and Security Research Institute found pro-Russian comments often receive an unusually high number of favorable responses. These comments in turn are fed back to Russian-language media outlets and used as the basis for stories to suggest Western public approval of Kremlin policies or discontent with Western governments or institutions.

The operation, which the researchers said was ongoing, has targeted 32 media outlets in 16 countries, including The Washington Post and Fox News in the United States, and the Daily Mail, Daily Express, and The Times in Britain.

The Cardiff team said it began examining the comments in April but the operation was just the latest part of a long-running campaign to support Russia's narrative about the end of liberal democracy and the failure of NATO.

Almost 250 stories were found to contain pro-Kremlin or anti-Western sentiments in the comments sections about matters of relevance to Russia since April.

Some articles suggested extensive support in the West for Russia, President Vladimir Putin, or a particular policy. The articles also were published in European countries, particularly Bulgaria, and were further amplified on social-media platforms, including Telegram.

The research found that the operation has recently attempted to exploit the U.S. and British withdrawal from Afghanistan, the BBC reported.

Other news websites targeted include the Le Figaro in France, Der Spiegel and Die Welt in Germany, and Italy's La Stampa, the BBC said.

The research highlights that while social-media sites such as Twitter and Facebook have put more resources into detecting influence campaigns, traditional mainstream sites have fewer security measures to stop people creating multiple, false identities, the director of the Crime and Security Research Institute told the BBC.

The United States has blamed Russian for using social media to interfere in the 2016 and the 2020 U.S. presidential elections and says Russian hackers are to blame for a series of recent cyberattacks. Russia has consistently denied being involved in misinformation operations and cyberattacks.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the research highlighted the threat to democracy from Russian state-backed misinformation on the Internet.

"The U.K. is working closely with international allies to stand up to the Kremlin trolls peddling lies," Raab said.

With reporting by dpa and BBC
MINSK -- Two leading Belarusian opposition figures, Maryya Kalesnikava and Maksim Znak, have been handed lengthy prison sentences for conspiracy in a process the United States called "shameful" amid an ongoing crackdown on pro-democracy activists and groups by authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Kalesnikava was sentenced to 11 years in prison on September 6, while Znak was given 10 years in prison after being found guilty on charges of conspiracy to seize power, calls for action to damage national security, and calls for actions damaging national security by trying to create an extremist group.

Western reaction to the harsh sentences was quick, with the European Union calling them a "blatant disrespect" of human rights, while the United Kingdom decried Minsk's "assault on the defenders of democracy and freedom" and Germany described the sentences as "unjustified."

The two defendants, who are members of the opposition Coordination Council, have rejected the charges, which stem from their calls for protests against the official election results in August 2020, as politically motivated.

Video footage on social media showed the two defendants in a glass cage just ahead of the verdict, with Kalesnikava raising her handcuffed hands and making her trademark heart sign as she smiled for the cameras.

"We demand the immediate release of Maryya & Maksim, who aren't guilty of anything. It's terror against Belarusians who dare to stand up to the regime," opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who was forced from the country over security concerns, said in a tweet immediately following the verdict.

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.

Viktor Babaryka, another senior opposition figure who was convicted in July and given 14 years in prison on similar charges, said on his Telegram channel that the sentences of Kalesnikava and Znak will be appealed.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on September 6 called it a "politically motivated conviction and shameful sentencing" on "bogus" charges.



"These sentencings are further evidence of the regimes total disregard for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Belarus," the top U.S. diplomat said.



He repeated Washington's call "for an end to the campaign of repression against the people of Belarus for exercising their human rights inside and outside Belarus and for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners  including Ms. Kalesnikava and Mr. Znak."



Brussels also was quick to call out Minsk.

"The EU deplores the continuous blatant disrespect by the Minsk regime of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Belarus," an EU foreign-policy spokesperson said in a statement.

Kalesnikava was arrested on September 7 in Minsk by masked men and taken to the Ukrainian border the next day along with two associates. Ordered to cross the border, Kalesnikava refused, tearing up her passport instead. She was then taken back to Minsk and jailed.

German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse told reporters the verdicts were an example of the "ruthless continuation of oppression and intimidation by the Belarus regime against opposition politicians and civil society."

"The German government condemns the unjustified verdict against Maryya Kalesnikava and Maksim Znak and the instrumentalization of the justice system for political repression in Belarus," she said.

The ongoing crackdown started after the presidential election awarded 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 has been jailed or forced into exile.

Several protesters have been killed and thousands arrested during mass demonstrations demanding Lukashenka's resignation. There have also been what human rights groups call credible reports of torture in the crackdown.

"Deplorable that kangaroo court in #Belarus has sentenced two freedom fighters -- Maria #Kolesnikova and Maxim #Znak to 11 and 10 years respectively. Their sentences must be reversed and they must be freed immediately," Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said on Twitter.

Several Western governments and the European Union have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Lukashenka and his regime over the treatment of opposition activists and the independent media.

Still, he has shown no signs of stepping down and maintains the backing of key ally and creditor Russia as the authorities seek to wipe out any remaining pockets of dissent.

After the announcement of the verdict and sentence, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Lukashenka's regime "must halt this repression and release all political detainees."

Kalesnikava was recently shortlisted for the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize, which is awarded each year by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to honor "outstanding" civil society work in the defense of human rights.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
More than 20 years ago, leaders from Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on creating a union state, drawing the two former Soviet republics tightly together. Details, however, have never been agreed on by the two sides.

Now, days before he sits down with his Russian counterpart in the latest of a series of top-level meetings, there are strong signs that longtime Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka may be about to do what he has for years resisted doing: sign a deal that could radically undercut his country's sovereignty once and for all.

On August 31, Belarus's ambassador in Russia announced that all the so-called road maps -- or chapters -- to a union treaty, which Minsk and Moscow have been negotiating on and off for two decades, were nearly ready and could be signed soon.

"We, thank God, have come to the finish line three years later, when only one of the 28 [road] maps remain," Ulazdimer Syamashka said, adding that negotiations could end this week. "I'll think we'll finish ironing out the last one on the 7th."

Lukashenka and Putin's September 9 meeting, in Moscow, is their fifth face-to-face meeting this year. It comes just over a year after Belarus was plunged into turmoil by unprecedented mass protests, the biggest challenge to Lukashenka since he took power in 1994.

Were a final road map to be signed, it would signal a seismic shift in relations between Belarus and Russia, binding them even tighter politically, militarily, and economically, including with a single currency.

"If the integration agreements are signed, it will be a significant surrender on the part of the Belarusian authorities under pressure, which they were unable to resist," political analyst Syarhey Bohdan told RFE/RL's Belarus Service.

This Time, It's Different

Negotiations over a so-called union state have been going on since 1999, when the leaders of Russia and Belarus signed a treaty pledging themselves to such an entity.

Over the years, few concrete details of the content of the negotiations have emerged, with talks occurring behind closed doors, shrouded in secrecy. Analysts say the main disagreements have focused on tax policy, energy prices, and a single currency.

And it's not the first time Lukashenka, or his underlings, have made such announcements, only to back out at the last moment, apparently over fears any such deal would diminish his personal power.

But this time things are different.

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.

Never that friendly to begin with, relations between Belarus and the West have plunged since August 2020 when Lukashenka claimed re-election in a vote the opposition and the West deemed was rigged, like all other elections during his 27-year rule.

When tens of thousands took to the streets to protest, Lukashenka cracked down brutally.

Since then, more than 34,000 people have been detained, hundreds beaten on the streets and in prison, independent media have been shut down, and opposition leaders are either in jail or in exile, including Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, whom the opposition has declared the likely winner of the presidential election.

With the West refusing to recognize the election result and already imposing four rounds of sanctions on Lukashenka, his inner circle, and businesses linked to him, the 67-year-old mustachioed strongman is dependent more than ever for support from Putin.

Russia has for years subsidized the Belarusian economy, in part by allowing cheap crude oil exports to Belarus, which are then refined and sold on to Western markets with a sizable added value.

The Kremlin has provided $1.5 billion in loans and other backing, including possible military aid announced by Lukashenka last week.

That likely will come at a steep cost. Analysts fear the Kremlin is exploiting Lukashenka's vulnerability to extract tough concessions.

In late 2018, Russia suggested that Belarus would have to accept deeper ties if it wanted to benefit from greater economic cooperation. The sides engaged in intense talks throughout 2019, hoping to reach an agreement on 28 so-called road maps by December 2019 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the signing of the union treaty.

"Those 28 union road maps should be understood as a whole, comprehensive annex to the union-state treaty of 1999," said Kamil Klysinski, a senior fellow at the Warsaw-based OSW Center for Eastern Studies. "After the signing of all agreements Belarus will still remain a separate country, formally independent but integrated into the Russian economy and law system on an unprecedented scale," he said in an e-mail to RFE/RL.

But that did not happen and Lukashenka -- who has repeatedly pledged not to cede sovereignty -- allowed street protests against a closer merger to play out in December 2019 without a police crackdown.

As a result, Russia first stopped, then cut, deliveries of crude oil and gas. That escalated tensions, but also led to a further thaw with the West, including with the United States, which made its first crude oil shipment to Belarus in March 2019.

A month prior, Mike Pompeo became the first U.S. secretary of state to visit in more than two decades.

But Lukashenka's postelection crackdown, including the forced diversion in May of a Ryanair flight to Minsk to arrest opposition blogger Raman Pratasevich and his girlfriend, Russian citizen Sofia Sapega, sparked Western outrage, and pushed Lukashenka away from the West and firmly back into the arms of the Kremlin.

High Price To Pay?

U.S. Ambassador to Belarus Julie Fisher, who has been refused a visa to assume her post, told a Senate committee in June that "Lukashenka has been steadily ceding Belarus's sovereignty to Russia for personal gain since he assumed power more than two decades ago," before issuing a dark warning.

"For as long as Lukashenka remains in power, Belarus is under threat of absorption into Russia under the union-state agreement, with dire consequences for the people of Belarus, their voice, their agency their culture, and their identity," Fisher told the Foreign Relations Committee on June 9.

Tsikhanouskaya told the same hearing that Lukashenka was turning Belarus "into the North Korea of Europe: nontransparent, unpredictable, and dangerous."

Lukashenka is adamant any deal would not result in any loss of sovereignty. "Today, we are so educated and smart that without losing the sovereignty of either Russia or Belarus, we can build such relations, which neither federal nor unitary states have," he said in August.

Lukashenka also said the union treaty could be signed in October or November, when the Supreme Council of the Union State is due to meet. "If we finally agree with the Russian president on the 9th, the government will meet on 10-11th, consider and adopt these programs. And then we'll approve them at the Supreme State Council," he said.

Union State Still Far Way Off?

Analysts are skeptical.

"We've all heard many times various statements that integration agreements would be signed in the near future," analyst Andrey Kazakevich told RFE/RL's Belarus Service. "I don't think that any 'road maps' that seriously limit Belarus's sovereignty will be signed, but Russia is using the process to increase its influence over Belarus, which is already quite strong."

After saying all documents would be ready by September 7, Syamashka later said that "some road maps not only require a single intergovernmental agreement, but a whole package of documents."

Harmonizing tax and customs legislation could take up to 2 1/2 years, he said. (In fact, Prime Minister Raman Halouchanka recently said implementing some of the agreements could be stretched to six years, until 2027.)

Klysinski, the analyst, said the ambassador's statement might signal a negotiating ploy by Lukashenka, whom he said had a "very narrow window" and "limited number of tools."

"One of them is his signature on these road maps," Klynski said. "At stake, of course, are energy subsidies (gas and oil prices), new loans and other forms of financial support. I think the task for Syamashka was to gauge Russian reactions, to figure out what Belarus could get for such 'fast concessions' from Minsk."

While Putin was applying pressure in 2019 to get a deal done, he may not be as eager now, given "radical changes" in Belarus since then, political analyst Artsyom Shraybman said. "One can proclaim success in negotiations on deepening integration, but everyone understands that Lukashenka will never agree to become the governor of a Russian province," Shraybman wrote in an analysis for the Carnegie Moscow Center. "And if you force him, it will not be supported by the Belarusian people and will not be recognized by the West, given Lukashenka's problems with legitimacy."

The union treaty is ultimately the final card Lukashenka can play with the Kremlin, making it unlikely for him to relinquish it, Klysinski said.

"A Lukashenka who handed over the most independent asset -- Belarusian independence -- would be much less important to Moscow, and after that the Kremlin could look to replace him with someone more stable mentally and predictable," he said.
A court in Russian-annexed Crimea ordered Crimean Tatar leader Nariman Dzhelyal to be held in custody for two months on September 6 on suspicion of involvement in an attack on a gas pipeline, a charge dismissed by Ukraine as fabricated.



Dzhelyal, deputy chairman of the Crimean Tatar's self-governing assembly -- the Mejlis -- which was banned by pro-Moscow representatives in Crimea after the annexation in 2014, was arrested over the weekend, drawing condemnation from Ukraine and the United States.



Ukrainian authorities said more than 50 people were detained over the weekend as they protested at the arrest of Dzhelyal and four other activists outside the local office of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzheppar on September 6 accused Russian investigators of fabricating charges against those arrested, namely Dzhelyal, Aziz Akhmetov, and Asan Akhmetov, and mistreating them.



"The sabotage affair is fabricated and they [investigators] are trying to force a confession from the Akhtemovs to implicate Nariman Dzhelyal," Dzheppar said.



"There is reliable information that they are being tortured," she said without providing any details.



The Interfax news agency reported that the criminal investigation against Dzhelyal relates to a gas pipeline that was damaged on August 23 in a village near Crimeas capital, Simferopol.



Dzheppar said that the detention of the five men was Moscow's "revenge" for a Kyiv conference dedicated to the "de-occupation" of Crimea that Dzhelyal had taken part in in August. The event had been decried by Moscow as anti-Russian.



In a statement on September 5, the U.S. State Department called on "the Russian occupation authorities" to immediately release Dzhelyal and "at least 45 other Crimean Tatars while accusing Moscow of politically motivated raids and detentions targeting the Mejlis and its leadership.



Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter on September 4 that Russia had "escalated terror in the occupied Crimea" by detaining five people, including Dzhelyal.

Since Russia seized Crimea in 2014, Russian authorities have prosecuted dozens of Crimean Tatars for allegedly belonging to the Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamist group that is banned in Russia but not in Ukraine.



Moscows takeover of the peninsula was vocally opposed by many Crimean Tatars, who are a sizable minority in the region.



Exiled from their homeland to Central Asia by the Soviet authorities under dictator Josef Stalin during World War II, many Crimean Tatars are wary of Russia and Moscow's rule.



Rights groups and Western governments have denounced what they describe as a campaign of repression by the Russian-imposed authorities in Crimea who are targeting members of the Turkic-speaking Crimean Tatar community and others who have spoken out against Moscow's takeover of the peninsula.



Russia took control of Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 after sending in troops, seizing key facilities, and staging a referendum dismissed as illegal by at least 100 countries. Moscow also backs separatists in a war against government forces that has killed more than 13,200 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014.

With reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and AFP
Concerns about safeguarding the rule of law in Hungary and Poland are delaying the European Union's approval of pandemic stimulus plans that could free up tens of billions of euros in assistance, according to a top EU official.



The lingering debates concern the primacy of EU law in the Polish case and basic EU standards in Hungary's case, as other members scrutinize the plans before they are green-lighted.



There is around $29 billion in grants and $14 billion in favorable loans at stake in the Polish plan, and around $8 billion in grants on the line for Hungary.



Both Warsaw and Budapest have lashed out at the holdup as ideologically motivated and unconstitutional.



European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis said EU officials would closely watch an upcoming ruling by Poland's Constitutional Tribunal, while they identified "rule-of-law challenges" that have dragged out the approval process for Hungary.



EU officials have said in the past that their objection in Hungary's case relates to the threat of misuse of funds, but Brussels has also been sharply critical this year of perceived clientelism among media and NGOs favoring allies of national populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban.



Hungary's government has accused Brussels of unfairly blocking the pandemic stimulus funds over a new law to restrict young people's access to information about non-heterosexual lifestyles.



Both the Polish and Hungarian plans were submitted in May but have been extended by the EU executive branch beyond their expected two-month review to seek revisions from Warsaw and Budapest.

Based on reporting by dpa
Russian-American scholar Yevgeny (Gene) Bunin, known for raising awareness over the situation faced by indigenous peoples in China's northwestern province of Xinjiang, says he has been banned from entering Kazakhstan for five years.

Bunin wrote on Facebook that he was refused entrance to the Central Asian state when he arrived there by plane on September 4 from neighboring Kyrgyzstan, where he had stayed for a month "without any problem whatsoever."

According to Bunin, he was informed by a passport-control official that he could not enter Kazakhstan, as he was banned for five years for unspecified reasons, and recommended Bunin speak with the Foreign Ministry for an explanation.

"Congratulations, Kazakhstan, on your path down to authoritarian hell," Bunin wrote.

Locked Up In China: The Plight Of Xinjiang's Muslims Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is partnering with its sister organization, Radio Free Asia, to highlight the plight of Muslims living in China's western province of Xinjiang.

Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov was not available for immediate comment on the situation.

In 2019 and 2020, Bunin was also denied entry to Uzbekistan.

China is a major trading partner in Central Asia, where the authorities and state-controlled media have generally avoided the issue of the internment camps in a bid to smooth relations with Beijing.

Bunin, who holds Russian and U.S. citizenship, is known for his research work focusing on the violation of the human rights of Xinjiang's indigenous peoples -- Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and others.

He is a founder and administrator of the Shahit.biz website that documents thousands of cases of repression by Chinese authorities against indigenous ethnic groups in Xinjiang.

In recent years, many protests by Kazakhs demanding official intervention in the situation faced by ethnic Kazakhs in Xinjiang have taken place.

The U.S. State Department has said that as many as 2 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and members of Xinjiang's other indigenous, mostly Muslim ethnic groups have been confined to detention centers.

China denies that the facilities are internment camps, but people who have fled the province say people from the ethnic groups are undergoing "political indoctrination" at a network of facilities officially referred to as reeducation camps.

Kazakhs are the second-largest Turkic-speaking indigenous community in Xinjiang after Uyghurs. The region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz, Tajiks, and Hui, also known as Dungans. Han, China's largest ethnicity, is the second-largest community in Xinjiang.
Families of victims from Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that was shot down over Ukraine in 2014 have demanded justice from Russia in testimony against four suspects -- three Russians and one Ukrainian -- being tried in absentia over the crash.

MH17 was shot down on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur by a Russian-made Buk surface-to-air missile fired from territory controlled by Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers and crew.

The four suspects -- Russians Sergei Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov, and Igor Girkin, as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko -- are being tried in absentia by a court in The Hague for involvement in the tragedy. Only one of the suspects, Pulatov, is represented by lawyers at the trial.

All four suspects are accused of being key figures among the separatists battling Kyiv.

A team of international investigators concluded in May 2018 that the missile launcher used to shoot down the aircraft belonged to Russia's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade.

Ria van der Steen, who lost her father and stepmother in the crash, was the first family member of one of the victims to testify on September 6.

Quoting the Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, she flat-out accused Moscow of covering up its role in what happened: "They are lying, we know they're lying and they know that we know that they're lying."

The trial is being held in the Netherlands because the plane departed from Amsterdam and 196 of the victims were Dutch.

The Dutch government holds Moscow responsible.

Moscow has denied any involvement in the conflict in parts of eastern Ukraine and has offered several possible theories about how MH17 was blown out of the sky, including that it was shot down by a Ukrainian Air Force jet or by Ukrainian ground forces using a Buk system.

Around 90 relatives, both from the 196 Dutch victims of the crash as well as those from Australia and Malaysia, are expected to address the court in the coming days.

"How would the perpetrators feel if it was their loved ones? How would [President Vladimir] Putin and his corrupt Russian government answer that?" asked Australian Vanessa Rizk, who lost her parents in the crash, via videoconference.

The tragedy caused an international outcry and deepened tensions between Moscow and the West following Russia's seizure of Crimea and support for the militants in their fight against Kyiv's forces after pro-European protests pushed Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych from power.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters
The operator of the controversial $12 billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline says the final section of the link has been welded into place.



The Russian pipelaying vessel Fortuna welded the last of the double pipeline on to a stretch of the pipeline in German waters, the project's operator said, adding this would now need to be welded to a long section in Danish waters to complete the project.



The next step will be the implementation of docking of the section of the gas pipeline running from the coast of Germany, with the section stretching from the waters of Denmark, using the over-water method, Nord Stream 2 said in a press statement on September 6.

The Baltic subsea link will double the gas export capacity of its operator, Russias state-owned energy giant Gazprom, supplying as many as 26 million Western European households with natural gas.



That increase has worried the United States, Ukraine, and others that Europe will become too dependent on Russia for energy supplies, while also denying Kyiv, which has battled with Russia over gas supplies and transit fees for nearly two decades.



Kyiv stands to lose as much as $2 billion a year in fees should the Kremlin reroute all Russian natural gas bound for Europe that currently transits Ukraine through the new pipeline.



Nord Stream 2 still needs to be certified and approved for use. Certification is expected to take up to four months but will only start once all paperwork is complete, which entails checks by the German Economy Ministry and Gazprom.



Nord Stream said in its statement that it hopes to have the pipeline in operation by the end of the year.

With reporting by Reuters and dpa
The president of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, has predicted a massive influx of refugees stemming from Afghan tensions comparable to the migrant crisis that polarized Europe and made his Balkan state a symbol of the political battle over immigration in 2015-16.



"It is possible to expect a new wave of refugees," Pendarovski, who was elected president of his EU candidate country in 2019, told RFE/RL's Balkan Service, "and it will probably be like what we saw in 2015 and 2016 when a million and a half people transited through our territory and throughout this region."



Last month, the United States and NATO allies evacuated tens of thousands of Afghans at risk of Taliban reprisals from Kabul ahead of a complete international troop withdrawal, but tens of thousands of others thought to want out were left behind.



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.

Thousands of Afghans have fled to neighboring Pakistan and Iran as a devastating humanitarian crisis, economic collapse, and the prospect of life under hard-line Taliban rule.



The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that 2021 could see up to 1.5 million Afghans fleeing westward in search of safety and jobs.



Pendarovski told RFE/RL he expected the incoming Taliban government to be "just as cruel" as the mostly unrecognized regime that dominated most of Afghanistan from 1996-2001, and thus spark an influx of refugees to Europe like the one six years ago that was likely to affect the Western Balkans.



The European Union has pledged to step up aid to Afghan's neighbors to help absorb the expected swell in refugees while resisting calls to allow Afghans to be resettled in EU territory.



Refugee numbers sparked regionwide tensions during the European migration crisis in 2015 and 2016 and prompted tough action by Skopje to prevent migrants from using North Macedonia as a transit route on their way to the European Union.



Skopje's countermeasures six years ago included the erection of a fence on the border with EU member Greece as the number of stranded refugees, most of them from North Africa and the Middle East, mounted.



Pendarovski also warned of the recent wave of Euroskepticism, fueled in part by EU-member Bulgaria's use of shared linguistic and cultural histories to effectively block progress on North Macedonia's bid to join the European Union.



North Macedonia, Albania, and Serbia have signed onto an initiative called Open Balkans that aims to fully open their borders to each other's citizens and goods in 2023.



It has gained momentum as EU members have balked at a specific timetable for accession of leading candidates like North Macedonia and Albania.



Pendarovki said Balkan states like his fear being left on the margins of the EU agenda.



"We and the Republic of Albania, too, for various reasons, but treated in a package, are left in the waiting room," Pendarovski said.



He said further requests from Brussels for patience in the Balkans are discouraging to the Macedonian public, which swallowed the contentious Prespa Agreement in 2018 requiring a name change to bow to Greek concerns in hopes of clearing the path to EU membership.



Pendarovski said he worries that "then the dominant mood in our country will not be so opposed to that alternative to membership."



"I'm not saying that alternative is bad, but I would like to see it together with full EU membership," he said.
The ministers for a junior grouping in Romania's centrist coalition will resign on September 7 in a move that opens the door to a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Florin Citu's government, according to a party leader.



Citu sacked his justice minister late on September 1 over a $12 billion community development plan, plunging the EU members governing coalition into crisis.



"Tomorrow morning, our ministers' resignation papers will sit on the premier's table," Save Romania Union (USR) leader Dan Barna said on September 6. "This is a tough decision and...we're not going to have a negotiating night."



Crisis talks last week reportedly failed to achieve a deal to support Citu, the National Liberal Party's candidate for prime minister in December 2020.



The current coalition is made up of Citu's Liberal Party, USR-PLUS, and the ethnic Hungarians group, which jointly control 56 percent of parliament.



Lawmakers are expected to debate a timetable for a no-confidence vote on September 7.



A no-confidence vote would require support from the leftist opposition Social Democrats.



The USR's Barna has said his grouping will seek to revive the current governing coalition "without Citu, as he lost our trust."



Even before the coronavirus pandemic, Romania was struggling with a widening budget shortfall from years of political instability and fiscal largesse.

Based on reporting by Reuters
Well-known Russian journalist Roman Badanin, who stayed in the United States where he and his family were vacationing when his investigative group Proyekt (The Project) was shut down in Moscow in July, has started a new media outlet aimed at exposing abuses by Russian authorities.

Badanin's U.S.-registered The Project, which published a series of well-researched, unflattering, and sometimes embarrassing investigations into Russia's ruling elite, was closed after the Prosecutor-General's Office in Moscow declared it an "undesirable organization" in mid-July.

On September 6, Badanin announced on Telegram that he had started a new investigative group called Agentstvo (The Agency), a thinly veiled reference to Russia's controversial "foreign agents" law that rights organizations say is used by the Kremlin to stifle civil society and independent media.

The Agency "will be involved in investigations, we will try to irritate Russian authorities, but most importantly make it interesting and important for you. The first such investigation will be issued today," Badanin wrote on Telegram. He gave no further details.

The "undesirable organization" law, first adopted in May 2015, was part of a series of regulations pushed by the Kremlin that squeezed many nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations that received funding from foreign sources -- mainly from Europe and the United States.

Badanin was on holiday abroad with his wife and children when The Project was labelled "undesirable" and the outlet's offices were searched on July 15. He said he decided on the spot not to return to Russia.

The raids were seen as part of a wider crackdown ahead of parliamentary elections on September 19 on media the authorities view as hostile and foreign-backed.

In June, police in Moscow carried out searches at the homes of Badanin and other colleagues from The Project hours after it published a report questioning how Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev and his relatives acquired their wealth.

Russia's controversial "foreign agents" legislation was adopted in 2012 and has been modified repeatedly. It requires nongovernmental organizations that receive foreign assistance and that the government deems to be engaged in political activity to be registered, to identify themselves as "foreign agents," and to submit to audits.

Later modifications of the law targeted foreign-funded media.

In 2017, the Russian government placed RFE/RL's Russian Service, six other RFE/RL Russian-language news services, and Current Time on the list.

Earlier this year, Russian courts began imposing large fines against RFE/RL for failing to mark its articles with a government-prescribed label as required by rules adopted in October 2020. RFE/RL is appealing the fines calling them part of "a state-sponsored campaign of coercion and intimidation."
UFA, Russia -- A court in Russia's Bashkortostan region has handed a suspended sentence to a woman for sending a small amount of money to the elderly mother of a jailed opposition activist.

The court in Bashkortostan's capital, Ufa, on September 6 found Ilmira Bikbayeva guilty of financially supporting extremism and handed her a suspended three-year prison term.

Last week, a prosecutor at the trial asked the court to convict the pensioner and sentence her to four years in prison.

The case against Bikbayeva was launched last year after investigators found out that she sent a total of about 6,000 rubles ($82) over several installments to the mother of Airat Dilmukhametov, a prominent opposition activist who was sentenced to nine years in prison on "extremism" charges in 2020.

Bikbayeva, 59, who went on trial in February, pleaded not guilty, insisting that she just wanted to support the elderly woman who was struggling financially and help activists travel to the village of Sunarchi to place a memorial stone there honoring Bashkir national movement activists of the 18th century.

Investigators say the money Bikbayeva sent was used by Dilmukhametov to conduct "extremist" activities.

Rights activists have scoffed at the notion, saying the amount is a little more than one-10th of an average monthly salary in Russia.

In early August, Bikbayeva learned that she had already been added to a federal list of extremists before the court ruled on her case, after she discovered her bank accounts and credit cards had been frozen without warning.

Dilmukhametov, who has insisted that the case against him is politically motivated, was arrested in March 2019 and sentenced to nine years in prison after a court found him guilty of calling on people to violate Russia's territorial integrity and for making public calls for extremism and to support terrorism.

The charge against Dilmukhametov stemmed from a video statement he made in 2018 urging the creation of a "real" federation in Russia with more autonomous rights given to ethnic republics and regions.
DUSHANBE -- Tajikistan's lower chamber of parliament has approved a mass amnesty affecting more than 16,000 people to mark the 30th anniversary of the Central Asian nation's independence on September 9.

Deputy Prosecutor-General Dilshod Talbakzoda, who presented the bill to lawmakers in the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Assembly of Representatives) on September 6, said that of those affected by the amnesty, around 10,700 individuals will be released from penitentiaries or cases against them will be closed.



According to the mass amnesty originally proposed by President Emomali Rahmon, more than 9,500 convicts would be released from penitentiaries of different security levels, probes against some 1,150 individuals will be stopped, and the prison terms of another 5,300 inmates will be shortened.



The presidential service also said at the time the bill was proposed that the amnesty will affect mainly women, individuals younger than 18 and older than 55, disabled people, inmates with serious illnesses, people with state awards, war veterans, and foreign nationals.



The bill still needs to be approved by the parliaments upper chamber, the Majlisi Milli (National Assembly), before Rahmon signs it into law.



It is not clear if the clemency act will affect political prisoners in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic, though previous mass amnesties in Tajikistan have not affected individuals convicted on politically motivated charges.



Individuals sentenced to life in prison, those who committed a crime after receiving a previous pardon, people who committed crimes while serving prison sentences, and inmates who systematically violated prison regulations, will not be included in the amnesty.



Rights groups say Rahmon, who has ruled Tajikistan since 1992, has used the security forces, judicial system, and other levers of power to sideline opponents and suppress dissent.



The last mass amnesty in Tajikistan was announced in October 2019 ahead of the 25th anniversary of the country's constitution that is marked on November 6 each year.
KAZAN, Russia -- Authorities in Russia's Tatarstan region have arrested the son of late Tajik Islamic cleric, an opposition leader, at Tajikistan's request.

Relatives of Barakatullo Ghoziev told RFE/RL on September 5 that a court in Tatarstan's capital, Kazan, had approved his arrest last month.

The Soviet district court in Kazan confirmed to RFE/RL that the 35-year-old was detained for a period of 40 days starting from August 15.

The move came, it said, at the request of Tajik authorities, who accuse Ghoziev of high treason and inciting religious hatred.

The court added that Ghoziev's possible extradition to Tajikistan was pending. Relatives insist that the charges against Ghoziev are groundless.

If extradited to Tajikistan and subsequently convicted, Ghoziev could face up to 25 years in prison.

Ghoziev's father, Said Qyomiddin Ghozi, aka Eshoni Ghozi, a popular Islamic cleric and a leading opposition figure, was kidnapped in the Russian city of St. Petersburg in November 2017 and brought to Tajikistan, where he faced a trial that his supporters and relatives called politically motivated.

He was killed during a prison riot in the city of Vahdat in 2019 while serving a 25-year prison term he was given after being found guilty of inciting hatred, high treason, and public calls to overthrow the government.

His other two sons, Saidmuhammadi and Saidhasan, were sentenced to lengthy prison terms on high-treason charges in 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Saidishoq Boboev of the Civil Committee For Defense Of Political Inmates in Tajikistan told RFE/RL that his group had asked human rights organizations to assist in preventing Ghoziev's extradition to Tajikistan, where, according to Boboev, he would face torture and no chance of a fair trial.
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Ipswich - Joseph David Short, 77, a long-time resident of Ipswich, entered into eternal life on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, following a battle with cancer. Joseph was born in Memphis, Tennessee on May 9, 1944, the son of the late Sammons Short and Gladys (Watkins) Short. He was the husband o
A vehicle is extracted from a hole on Highway 26 near Lucedale, Miss., as cleanup follow Hurricane Ida slammed the state, Troopers have said that both the east and westbound lanes of Highway 26 in George County west of Lucedale collapsed. (WLOX-TV via AP)
A principal who is set to be dismissed from his post claims San Ysidro School District administrators looked into unsubstantiated allegations made against him in two previous jobs.

The San Ysidro school board voted 3-2 Thursday night to authorize the district to dismiss Joel Tapia after the current school year. Board members Antonio Martinez and Irene Lopez voted against the decision.

It is unclear if Tapia, who has been working at the districts office since Jan. 16, will return to Smythe Elementary for the remainder of the school year.

The vote came after dozens of parents, teachers and students urged school board members to keep Tapia as principal of Smythe.

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Tapia attended the meeting at Sunset Elementary School, joined by his wife and toddler son. He received a warm welcome when he arrived, with supporters giving him a standing ovation and cheering his name. Children, meanwhile, ran to him and hugged him.

Following the school boards decision regarding his employment status, Tapia shed some light on the matter that led to his relocation.

He said school district administrators began to look into allegations made against him when he was principal in Chula Vista and Solana Beach after he informed San Ysidro Interim Superintendent Mary Willis that the news organization Voice of San Diego had made a public records request to the Solana Beach School District.

He said the allegations against him in his two former jobs as principal were found to be unsubstantiated.

Tapia said the allegations made when he was principal of Burton C. Tiffany Elementary School in Chula Vista were investigated by school district administrators.

At Solana Vista Elementary School, an employee claimed Tapia made uncomfortable and unwanted attention toward her, Tapia said.

In a letter addressed to San Ysidro school board President Rosaleah Pallasigue and obtained by the Union-Tribune, Tapias wife dismissed the allegations, calling them ridiculous.

Tapia said the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing found no wrongdoing, while his wife, Priscillia Contreras, said in the letter, The state  exonerated him.

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Tapia said he resigned from the Chula Vista Elementary School District in 2015 to pursue the principal position in Solana Beach, then resigned in June 2016 to pursue the post in San Ysidro.

San Ysidro school district officials said reference checks are part of the districts hiring process, but have not said whether that step was taken in hiring Tapia.

Tapia  who has a valid credential to work as a school principal, according to online records  said he was fully transparent about his employment history with former Superintendent Dr. Julio Fonseca, who was at the helm when Tapia joined the district in 2016.

In what became an emotional day for the Smythe Elementary community, parents and students rallied for Tapia outside the campus Thursday morning. They held signs that read, We want our principal back and God bless you, Mr. Tapia. We are praying for your return.

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Just before the school bell rung, the two dozen or so parents and students marched to the school districts office.

Olga Espinoza was among a small group of mothers who showed up to speak out against Tapia. She said he had not taken appropriate actions to protect children like hers who have been bullied.

Hours later, about a hundred parents, students, teachers and community members attended the school board meeting. Almost all turned out to support Tapia.

I come to ask about what direction do you want for our district, Smythe teacher Juanita Nunez told the school board. I would expect that you would want and keep the best educators, the best leaders at our district.

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We need a competent, caring, smart, effective, efficient and a good instructional leader, and we already have him. Its Mr. Tapia.
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Firefly's 100-foot-tall rocket detonated after being launched from California on September 2. The catastrophe has shattered the Texas-based startup's aspirations of launching a rocket into Earth's orbit. This was Firefly's first attempt at launch.

Firefly published a video of their Alpha rocket exploding, as well as the reasons for the termination.

This was Firefly's first mission. It ended in a failed launch, necessitating the spacecraft's destruction before reaching orbit or the ground.

Firefly Alpha Rocket Bursting into Flames

Firefly launched its Alpha rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Los Angeles, California. The rocket took off smoothly at first since it flew over the Pacific Ocean.

However, it began to cartwheel and flipped over before US Space Force authorities ordered the firm to do an emergency abort so that it would not tumble uncontrollably back onto the property or a crowded place. Fortunately, the emergency did not harm anyone.

This year, Firefly is the second space company to lose a rocket. The Verge said Astra, a California-based business that aims to send a rocket into Earth's orbit, is the first space company to lose a rocket.

Science Times also reported last week that Astra attempted to launch its 43-foot-tall rocket into space. The rocket strayed off on its pad and detonated over Alaska's shore.

Firefly Alpha Explains Why Rocket Launch Failed

The major reason for Firefly Alpha's mission and flight being cancelled was an engine failure on four of its Reaver engines. According to a corporate Twitter thread, the engine shut down went well because it cleared the launch pad and got off to a solid start.

We acquired a wealth of flight data that will greatly enhance the likelihood of Alpha achieving orbit during its second flight. In short, we had a very successful first flight.



Here are a few specific notes about the flight: 2/  Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) September 5, 2021

ALSO READ: Deadliest Space Tragedies: 5 Worst Disasters in History of Space Race





However, 15 seconds into the flight, the second of the four Reavers' engines shut down. Firefly said in the same Twitter thread that the machines malfunctioned throughout the event. Engine 2's thrust was insufficient for the mission. Therefore it was turned off.

Although the rocket achieved subsonic speeds, it was not fast enough to reach orbit.

Instead of moving on, the business has opted to shut it down before it causes any harm to the residents who would be affected if it were to return to the ground.

It has lost control as it advances to the next stage of supersonic flight, necessitating the employment of its "self-destruct" button to destroy the spaceship in mid-flight.

Firefly Alpha Rocket Explosion Video

Firefly Alpha also provided a video of its rocket explosion on its official YouTube account. The footage shows the rocket from launch until the moment where it was chosen to kill it. The general public may witness what happened and how the team handled the issue, which was a major emergency.

This also demonstrated Firefly's credibility as a space firm and its willingness to do the right thing. However, it lost them their trip and money. It's worth mentioning that the cargo was made up entirely of private satellites.

Last August, Science Times revealed that NASA's contract with Boeing had been delayed, owing to the Starliner's failure to open its engine valves.

RELATED ARTICLE: NASA Challenger Crew Likely Survived Explosion Before Tragic Crash to the Atlantic Ocean

Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.
BAGHDAD (AP)  French energy giant Total signed mega contracts with Iraq worth $27 billion to develop oil fields, natural gas and a crucial water project that officials said Monday will be key for the oil-rich country to maintain crude output.

The deals were inked Sunday with Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in attendance, according to an Oil Ministry statement.

Total signed contracts with the ministry to develop the Ratawi oil field in southern Iraq, a gas processing hub to capture natural gas from five southern oil fields, and a much needed project to treat Gulf seawater and inject it into reservoirs to maintain oil production levels.

A fourth project was signed with the Electricity Ministry to build a 1,000 megawatt solar power plant.

It is the most lucrative and ambitious deal to be signed by an oil giant in Iraq in years and comes as other international oil companies have taken steps to exit from Iraq's oil sector.

There was no immediate statement from Total.

Iraq urgently needs to develop local gas resources to meet electricity demands, especially during the peak summer months. The country is heavily reliant on Iranian gas and electricity imports, which have been irregular in recent months due to outstanding payments and high demand inside Iran.

In a June interview, Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul-Jabbar Ismail said he was aiming to increase Iraq's gas capacity by 3 billion cubic standard feet by 2025. The development of the gas processing hub would bring Iraq a step closer to that goal. Iraq currently imports 2 billion cubic standard feet to meet domestic needs.

The project entails building a gas complex capable of separating and processing the natural gas associated with petroleum that is extracted from the Ratawi, West Qurna 2, Majnoon, Tuba and Luhais oil fields. Iraq currently lacks the means to capture this gas and it is burned off in the atmosphere. Experts complain that by not effectively capturing this natural gas, Iraq is wasting millions in revenue. Once processed, the gas can be fed to power plants to meet domestic electricity needs.

Iraq has said it plans to eliminate gas flaring in the next two to three years. The World Bank estimates Iraq flares around 16 billion cubic meters of gas per day.

But industry officials and technocrats inside the Oil Ministry said far more urgent for the well being of Iraq's oil industry was the seawater development component of the package of deals.

Oil is Iraq's main industry and accounts for 90% of state revenues. To keep current production rates and meet future targets, water is reinjected into the field to maintain well pressure.

Officials say the signing of the deal was pushed ahead by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi ahead of national elections next month despite reservations from ministry technocrats who harbor doubts that Total is serious about executing the seawater element.

The Oil Ministry and the (state-owned) Basra Oil Company have doubts that Total is serious about the seawater project. They think they will push for the oil field and gas hub projects and delay the rest, said an industry official with knowledge of the contract negotiations. An official with BOC expressed the same concern. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the press.

Industry and ministry officials have warned that adequate water supplies for reinjection is not guaranteed amid shortages and there is no other alternative in place.

The contracts with Total mirrors another multi-project deal that had been under negotiation for years with U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil. But following years of painstaking talks the deal fell through.

The Total deal also comes as other oil companies plan their exit from Iraq. Exxon announced this year it would be selling its shares from West Qurna 1 oil field. The oil minister has also said that British Petroleum will spin off development of the Rumaila oil field, the country's largest.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Shaken by haunting images of surging rivers, flooded roads and subways and other damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, lawmakers from both parties are vowing to upgrade the nation's aging infrastructure network.

As the deadly storm moved from the Gulf Coast through the Northeast, members of Congress said the deluge offered irrefutable evidence that power lines, roads, bridges and other infrastructure are deteriorating even as storms and other extreme weather are strengthening. At least 50 people from Virginia to Connecticut died as storm water from Ida's remnants cascaded into peoples homes and engulfed automobiles, overwhelming urban drainage systems unable to handle so much rain in such a short time.

At least 16 deaths deaths were blamed on the storm in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Global warming is upon us," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. When you get two record rainfalls in a week (in New York City), its not just coincidence. When you get all the changes that we have seen in weather, thats not a coincidence. ... Its going to get worse and worse and worse, unless we do something about it."

Schumer and other lawmakers said the catastrophe is the latest example of why the nation needs the nearly trillion-dollar infrastructure bill passed by the Senate last month. He and other Democrats also are calling for passage of President Joe Biden's $3.5 trillion, partisan rebuilding plan aimed at helping families and combating climate change.

Its so imperative to pass the two bills," Schumer said.

Democrats hope to pass both bills by the end of this month, but action on the bipartisan bill may be difficult until the larger package is ready. Progressives have said they wont support a bipartisan bill without strong companion legislation to advance their priorities.

Biden made a pitch Friday for the bipartisan bill, saying it is going to change things on our streets across the country." He cited the bill's historic investment" in roads, rail and bridges, as well as clean energy, clean water and universal broadband.

Its about resilience," Biden said. Make our roads and highways safer. Make us more resilient to the kinds of devastating impacts from extreme weather were seeing in so many parts of the country."

The plan includes $110 billion to build and repair roads and bridges and $66 billion to upgrade railroads. It also includes about $60 billion to upgrade the electric grid and build thousands of miles of transmission lines to expand use of renewable energy and nearly $47 billion to adapt and rebuild roads, ports and bridges to help withstand damage from stronger storms as well as wildfires and drought.

If we're going to make our country more resilient to natural disasters, whatever they are, we have to start preparing now," said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.

Cassidy, a lead negotiator on the bipartisan bill, has touted the infrastructure legislation as a boon to hurricane-prone states such as his. Im sure hoping that Republicans look around my state, see this damage and say, If theres money for resiliency, money to harden the grid, money to help sewer and water, then maybe this is something we should be for,'" he told CNN.

Ultimately, repair and replacement of roads, bridges and other infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Ida and other natural disasters are likely to be funded by Congress as emergency relief money. But the bipartisan bill will be valuable in providing major investments in future-proofing infrastructure against climate change and extreme weather such as Ida, according to Jeff Davis, a senior fellow at the Eno Center for Transportation, a Washington think tank.

The bill would be the first to devote money for climate resilience, including $17 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers to address backlogs in federal flood control projects.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would receive $492 million to map inland and coastal flooding, including next-gen modeling and forecasts. Another $492 million would go toward improving the resilience of coastal communities to flooding by restoring natural ecosystems.

The legislation also provides $3.5 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help communities reduce the risk of flood damage and $8.7 billion for the Transportation Department to award grants to states to improve resiliency in ports and other coastal infrastructure.

We have to start planning for what the future might hold and do modeling thats going to help us predict what these future risks are going to be, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told Fox News Sunday," calling the increasing frequency of severe storms that intensify more rapidly a new normal" because of climate change. These threats arent going to go away, and we need to start to reduce those impacts.

The U.S. had 22 climate and weather disasters in 2020 with losses exceeding $1 billion each, with eight such disasters this year as of July 9, according to NOAA. Ida and its remnants will likely cost in the tens of billions, analysts say.

Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., said a bipartisan infrastructure bill is needed, but the bill approved by the Senate could harm oil-producing states such as Louisiana by freezing out benefits for states that encourage fossil-fuel production.

The Democratic-only bill is even worse, Graves said, calling it a final nail in the coffin to the offshore oil industry, which is already struggling because of the pandemic and the hurricane.

All this does is benefit Iran," Graves said. It benefits Russia. It benefits China.

In an interview, Graves said he would prefer to use emergency spending to help Louisiana and other states hit by the hurricane. That way, money is tailored to the disaster and based on need, not ideology, he said.

But Ed Potosnak, executive director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, said emergency spending, and even the bipartisan infrastructure bill, is not sufficient to address the threat of climate change.

We have not taken the bold measures we need to protect our families and our way of life and our communities that we cherish," he said.

Potosnak, whose central New Jersey neighborhood was flooded by Ida, said storms are increasing in intensity and frequency, with at least seven 100-year storms in the past few decades.

I hope this storm is a reminder to all our elected officials: This is what climate change looks like,'' Potosnak said. Congress needs to act to match the challenge we face.
ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP)  COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are on the rise again in South Dakota, although hospital officials say they're still holding their own on capacity.

The western part of the state is seeing the biggest spike in numbers, though cases in northeastern South Dakota are also on the rise. The South Dakota Department of Health on Friday reported 230 hospitalizations due to the coronavirus, the highest number since January.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP)  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that people are not bargaining chips, adding the U.S. stands with Canada in calling for the release of two Canadians detained in China for 1,000 days.

Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were detained in China in what many countries label hostage politics after Canada arrested an executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei in 2018 on a U.S. extradition request.

Kovrig, a Canadian diplomat on leave to an international organization, and Spavor, an entrepreneur, were arrested in apparent retaliation. Both have since been convicted of spying in closed Chinese courts  a process that Canada and dozens of allies say amounts to arbitrary detention.

Today marks the 1,000th day of the arbitrary detention of Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig by the Peoples Republic of China (PRC)," Blinken said in a statement. "We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Canada and the international community in calling for the PRC to release, immediately and unconditionally, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig.

He added: The practice of arbitrarily detaining individuals to exercise leverage over foreign governments is completely unacceptable. People should never be used as bargaining chips.

The arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huaweis founder, infuriated Beijing, which sees her case as a political move designed to prevent Chinas rise. The U.S. accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company called Skycom to sell equipment to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions.

Spavor's and Kovrig's relatives and supporters are pushing for some sort of political resolution that could bring them home.

They staged a march in Ottawa on Sunday seeking to replicate the 7,000 steps that Kovrig has tried to walk every day in his cramped jail cell to maintain his physical and mental well-being.

Its an extremely difficult milestone, but one that we want to mark in this way, in part, to honor the strength and resilience that Michael and Michael Spavor have shown, Kovrigs former wife, Vina Nadjibulla, said.

Spavor was sentenced to 11 years in prison on national security charges. China's government has released few details other than to accuse Spavor of passing along sensitive information to Kovrig. Both have been held in isolation and have had little contact with Canadian diplomats.

"We worry about him, but we find strength from all the support we get, said Paul Spavor, his brother.

China says Spavor and Kovrig committed serious crimes against its national security and, although denying a direct link with Mengs case, routinely mention her when referring to the detention of Canadians in the country.

The Chinese Embassy in Canada on Sunday protested comments by Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau referring to arbitrary detention and a lack of transparency in the Chinese judicial process.

Those remarks grossly infringed on Chinas judicial sovereignty and violated the spirit of the rule of law, the embassys statement said.

Three Canadians convicted in separate drug cases were sentenced to death in 2019. In one, Robert Schellenberg had received a 15-year sentence initially that was abruptly increased to death in January 2019 following Mengs arrest.

Canada and other countries face trade boycotts and other Chinese pressure in disputes with Beijing over human rights, the coronavirus and control of the South China Sea. The U.S. has warned American travelers face a heightened risk of arbitrary detention in China for reasons other than to enforce laws.

China has tried to pressure Canada's government by imposing restrictions on imports of canola seed oil and other products.
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP)  The U.N.'s top climate official urged governments Monday to stop their deferral and delay tactics and instead embrace rapid, widespread measures to curb and adapt to global warming.

Amid a season of extreme weather and new temperature records, Patricia Espinosa warned that no nation is safe from the impacts of climate change. Greece on Monday created a new ministry to address the impact of climate change following the country's worst heat wave in decades.

There is not anymore a situation where we can say these are the vulnerable countries and these are the not vulnerable countries," she said.

With less than three months to go before this years U.N. climate summit, Espinosa appealed for governments that have signed up to the 2015 Paris accord to back what she called ambitious, rapid, widespread, transformative efforts to limit global temperature rise and prepare for the inevitable impacts of a warming world.

We need to see that parties move beyond politics of deferral and delay and widen the narrow scope of self-interest, she said.

Espinosa's comments came at the opening of a new floating office for the Global Center on Adaption in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the office a perfect example of how we can adapt to the changing climate, noting that the building is off-grid, carbon neutral, self-sufficient and ready to adapt to future rising sea levels.

Such high-tech facilities are beyond the reach of millions in poorer nations, whose leaders have demanded that developed countries pay some of the costs they face in adjusting to climate change.

The president of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, said he hoped the U.N. climate summit in November would see a commitment for rich nations to double their existing pledge of providing $100 billion a year to developing countries to combat the effects of climate change.

Frans Timmermans, the European Commission vice president, called upon the United States to help meet the $100 billion target  which itself is still $30 million short.

China, one of the world's biggest polluters, should also increase its efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, said Timmermans, whose portfolio covers environmental issues.

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Jordans reported from Berlin

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Follow AP's climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/Climate
London, KY (40741)

Today

Isolated thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. High 77F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers tapering off early with foggy conditions overnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Alex Valdivia began paying more attention to politics over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a homebound 17-year-old, Valdivia started logging into Kern County Board of Supervisors meetings to understand how his community became one of Californias largest hubs for oil drilling.

My neighbor is an oil company where I live, back home in Bakersfield, he said.

His interest in environmental justice led Valdivia to join the Kern hub of the Sunrise Movement, a progressive organization focused on passing a federal Green New Deal. Hes also a policy director at Project Superbloom, a PAC focused on training young people to run for the state Legislature in 2022. And after turning 18 in July, hes excited to cast his first-ever vote in the Sept. 14 recall election.

While the ballot has two questions, he plans to follow Gov. Gavin Newsoms lead: Just vote no on removing the governor and skip the second question on replacement candidates  and has been spreading that message to his close friends, parents and grandparents.

In my circle, I told them all: You know, you gotta get out to vote, said Valdivia, a junior at UCLA studying political science. So at least in my circle, theyre gonna vote. Weve already got our ballots.

In a recall election that will likely be decided by which side turns out its base at the highest rates, young, energized voters like Valdivia represent an important voting bloc for Newsom if he hopes to survive.

Newsom and fellow Democrats are counting on turnout numbers similar to the November 2020 presidential election, when 54% of Californians ages 18 to 29 voted, a jump of 17 percentage points from 2016, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. Young voters, especially those of color, supported Democrat Joe Biden by big margins in decisive swing states. Analysts attribute some of the rise in youth participation last year to the availability of mail-in ballots making it easier to vote, as well as outreach and education.

Still, the youngest eligible Californians are least likely of any age group to register, or to vote.

In a poll released last week by the progressive advocacy group Courage California, 43% of 18- to 29-year-olds surveyed said they would vote no on the recall, 26% said they support the recall and 32% said they are undecided. Among likely voters, however, its a closer race: 45% support Newsom, 36% back the recall and 19% are unsure.

As of July 16, 13% of the 22 million registered voters in California were 25 or younger. The deadline to register to vote and receive a mail ballot for the recall was Aug. 30; there is conditional registration all the way through election day, but you have to request a ballot in person.

With 4 million mail ballots returned as of Aug. 31, only 9% of 18- to 34-year-old voters have cast ballots, compared to one-third of seniors, according to Paul Mitchell of Political Data Inc.

This segment of young voters, with that 40-point Democratic advantage, is going to clearly be the most critical parts of the electorate for the No side to turnout in these last two weeks, Mitchell said in his report.

Turning out active Democratic-leaning young voters is the top priority of the California Young Democrats, the partys official youth caucus, which has mainly been messaging around the governors handling of the pandemic, plus his record on environmental issues, said president Diane Le.

She called the youth vote the margin of victory in this election: Even if you know you dont see a perfect candidate there, you have to think about whats really important, and that is keeping the governor seat blue.

Last week, Newsom spoke virtually to California Young Democrats, urging them to help defeat the recall, which he said was inspired by his embrace of Californias diversity.

I cant impress upon you the importance of your voice at this critical juncture, he said.

The governor also laid out the stark policy contrasts on climate change and the pandemic between himself and GOP front-runner Larry Elder. Ill just tell you honestly: People say hes like Trump, hes to the right of Trump, Newsom said.

Elder has the endorsement of the California College Republicans, the GOPs organizing group on university campuses.

CCR is proud to join the party grassroots in supporting a conservative for Governor. The California College Republicans are proudly socially conservativeWe urge the rest of the Party to join us, and we look forward to electing Larry Elder together, the group said in a press release.

According to communications director Dylan Martin, the group is reaching out to voters through phone banks and door-to-door canvassing, as well as online.

While the political parties focus their attention on registered voters, organizations created to increase youth participation in the 2020 presidential election are now trying to expand the pool of likely young voters in the 2021 recall.

Power CA Action, based in Los Angeles, is focused on outreach to young people of color. Founder Luis Sanchez said over the past two years, his organization has helped to register 70,000 young voters.

I think this generation of young people, especially young people under the age of 25, new voters, theyre really politically active, he said. I would say its one of the most politically active generations, definitely in my lifetime.

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He said the recall is reminiscent of his political coming-of-age in the 1990s, while marching against anti-immigrant measures such as Proposition 187, which was approved by voters in 1994. It banned undocumented immigrants from using public services, but was later found unconstitutional.

I really feel that, you know, weve seen this movie before, Sanchez said.

While many young people might be politically motivated, more education is necessary to transform them into reliable voters, advocates say.

In addition to general voter education, Sanchez said the timing of the recall election, coinciding with the first few weeks of college and high school semesters, presents a challenge to mobilizing young voters.

For founder Laura Brill and the volunteers at The Civics Center, however, classrooms are their main site to engage and educate young people about the voting process and the importance of registering to vote. The Civics Center, based in Los Angeles, will host its third annual High School Voter Registration week in late September.

Voter registration among young people still lags behind all other age groups in California. In the November 2020 presidential election, 64% of 18- to 24-year-olds were registered to vote, according to a report from the Center for Inclusive Democracy at the University of Southern California. And while the voter turnout among eligible 18- to 24-year-olds rose to 48% in 2020, it was still the lowest of any age group.

I think part of the education process is helping young people understand that  in order to get politicians to talk to them, they need to be registered so theyre reachable, Brill said.

To raise awareness among young voters, the secretary of state and nonpartisan California Forward hosted a webinar last week to go through the voter registration process and provide resources and strategies to encourage others to get registered and vote.

Tamara Rasberry, deputy secretary of state for voter outreach and education, said the most difficult part of running the election has been combating misinformation. She said sharing reliable information is important to ensuring all eligible voters can exercise their rights.

If youre 18 years old, a citizen of the United States, you have a vote, she said. Dont let anyone else take that away from you.

Matthew Reagan writes for CalMatters a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
WASHINGTON  The top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee says some Americans who have been trying to get out of Afghanistan since the U.S. military left are sitting in airplanes at an airport ready to leave but the Taliban are not letting them take off.

Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas says there are six airplanes at the Mazar-e-Sharif airport with American citizens on board, along with their Afghan interpreters, and the Taliban are holding them hostage right now.

A worker at the Mazar-e-Sharif airport confirmed several aircraft he believes were chartered by the U.S. are parked at the airport. Taliban have prevented them from leaving, saying they wanted to check the documents of those on board, many of whom do not have passports or visas. The airport official did not want to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject.

McCaul, speaking on Fox News Sunday, says the Taliban have made demands. He gave no specifics but said hes worried Theyre going to demand more and more, whether it be cash or legitimacy as the government of Afghanistan.

He said the aircraft have been at the airport for the last couple days.

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MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:

 Over 24 hours in Kabul, brutality, trauma, moments of grace

 US: Afghan evacuees who fail initial screening Kosovo-bound

 Rescue groups: US tally misses hundreds left in Afghanistan

 US expects to admit more than 50,000 evacuated Afghans

 Afghan women demand rights as Taliban seek recognition

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 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

BERLIN  Germanys chancellor says the country must engage with the Taliban in order to help evacuate Afghans who had worked for them.

Angela Merkel told reporters on Sunday that we simply have to talk to the Taliban about how we can get the people who used to work for Germany out of the country and to safety. She added: They are the ones one needs to talk to now.

She said it was also in Germanys interest to support international aid organizations who are helping improve the humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan. She called it a good signal that the airport in Kabul was re-opened, allowing medical aid into the country again.

Some western countries have been reluctant about talking with the Taliban.

Merkels remarks came after a spokesman for the Taliban told a German newspaper that his group was ready for full diplomatic relations with the Germans, and had forgiven them their past cooperation with the Americans in the country.

Merkel did not refer to his remarks, nor did she talk about establishing any kind of official diplomatic relations.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  Qatar has sent a plane carrying food and medical goods to Kabul, part of an effort to provide badly needed supplies to Afghanistan as the country faces a halt in most Western aid.

Qatars Foreign Ministry said the plane had landed at Kabul airport on Sunday with 26 tons of medical and food aid, the second such shipment in as many days.

The tiny Gulf state of Qatar has taken an outsized role in evacuation efforts as U.S. forces completed their withdrawal from the country last week. Its also expected to play an important political role in what comes next for Afghanistan.

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BERLIN  The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, or ICRC, has arrived for a three-day visit in Afghanistan.

Peter Maurer arrived Sunday and plans to visit medical facilities, rehabilitation centers for victims of violence and disease as well as ICRC staffers.

The relief group said in a statement that Maurer also plans to meet with local Afghan authorities.

Maurer said: Afghans have suffered from 40 years of conflict and they now face years of work to heal and recover. The International Committee of the Red Cross is dedicated to staying here to help that recovery.

The ICRC president also stressed that the future of Afghans relies on the continued investment from the outside world.

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VATICAN CITY  Pope Francis is encouraging countries to welcome Afghan refugees who are seeking a new life.

During his appearance to the public in St. Peters Square on Sunday, Francis also prayed that displaced persons inside Afghanistan receive assistance and protection.

In these tumultuous moments, in which Afghans are seeking refuge, I pray for the most vulnerable among them, I pray so that many countries welcome and protect all those seeking a new life, Francis said.

The pope didnt cite the Taliban or their policies, but added: may young Afghans receive an education, which is essential for human development.

He concluded by expressing hope that all Afghans, whether in their homeland, in transit, or in countries taking them in, may be able to live with dignity, in peace, in brotherhood with their neighbors.

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BERLIN  Angelina Jolie has expressed concern about the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The actress, who is also a special envoy to the U.N.s high commissioner for refugees, told a German newspaper Sunday she doesnt think the incoming government in Afghanistan could simply turn back the clock so that everything would be like 20 years ago. But she still has big worries about the situation for women there.

Jolie told the weekly Welt am Sonntag: Im thinking of all the women and girls who dont know now if they can go back to work or school. And Im thinking of the young Afghans who are worried that they will lose their freedom.

Taliban fighters captured most of Afghanistan last month and celebrated the departure of the last U.S. forces after 20 years of war. The insurgent group must now govern a war-ravaged country that is heavily reliant on international aid.

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BERLIN  A Taliban spokesperson has told a German newspaper that his group wants to establish diplomatic relations with Germany.

Zabihullah Mujahid tells the weekly Welt am Sonntag that we want strong and official diplomatic relations to Germany.

The newspaper reported Sunday that the Taliban also hope for financial support from Germany as well as humanitarian aid and cooperation regarding Afghanistans health care system, education and agriculture.

The German government has been reserved about establishing official ties with the Taliban. Officials say talks are needed to get the remaining former Afghan staffers who worked for the Germans out of the country.

According to the newspaper, Mujahid said it was unfortunate Germany had cooperated with the Americans during the war but that has now been forgiven.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  Some domestic flights have resumed at Afghanistans international airport in Kabul, with the state-run Ariana Afghan Airline operating flights to three provinces.

Shershah Stor, the airlines station manager at the airport, told The Associated Press on Sunday that the flights took place Saturday to western Herat, southern Kandahar and northern Balkh provinces. He said the flights were conducted without a functioning radar system at the airport.

Stor said three more flights are scheduled Sunday to the same provinces.

A team of Qatari and Turkish technicians arrived in Kabul last week to help restart operations at the airport, 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.

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WASHINGTON  The top U.S. military general has thanked members of the 10th Mountain Division for their service in Afghanistan during the evacuation of Americans, Afghans and others over the past several weeks.

Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with military police soldiers at the Rhine Ordnance Barracks in Germany on Saturday.

Standing outside talking to a group, he asked them, You were there for the bombing? Heads nodded and a chorus of voices answered, yes, sir.

A suicide bombing by the Islamic State group near a gate at the Kabul airport more than a week ago killed 13 U.S. service members as well as 169 Afghans who were crowded around the entry, desperate to get on flights out of Afghanistan.

You guys did an incredible job, all of you  Army, Navy, Marines, the Air Force  flying out 124,000 people. Thats what you saved, Milley told the soldiers. He said they showed enormous courage discipline and capability, working together. Its something you should always be proud of... This will be a moment that youll always remember.
This is a scary time for parents.

Children are returning to school as the highly infectious delta variant is sending more younger people to hospitals nationally than at any other point in the pandemic.

While the situation in the Bay Area is not nearly as bad as in hot spots such as Florida or Arkansas, data from the California Public Health Department shows that new cases in children younger than 17 are now outpacing those in people 50 and older.

I get tons of emails from parents every day, said Marissa Glidden, president of the teachers union in Richmond. They all want their children to be in school, but they want to know what they can do to keep them safe.

On top of the routine challenges of getting kids out the door every morning, many families are worried about a new set of hurdles.

Ive gotten two or three letters now that my son has been in contact with COVID at his high school, said Marjorie Sturm, a mother of two in San Francisco. Hes vaccinated, and Im not sure how to react to these letters. If I even have the energy to react.

Heres the latest advice from experts on protecting children, especially those younger than 12 who do not yet have access to coronavirus vaccines, during the delta surge.

What kind of masks should children be wearing in schools now?

We are at a point we need to step up from cloth masks, said Anne Liu, an infectious disease doctor at Stanford University and mother of two.

Experts say cloth masks do not provide enough protection against the delta variant, which is believed to be twice as infectious as the original strain of the coronavirus and transmissible even by people who are fully vaccinated. If your child is in a classroom all day, experts recommend a three-layer surgical mask at minimum.

But double masking may be preferable, even for children who are vaccinated.

If Im sitting in school, I would wear a surgical mask right on my face and a good two-layer cloth mask on top of it, said Dr. Robert Wachter, chief of the department of medicine at UCSF.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is critical that masks fit snugly against your childs face, covering the nose, mouth and chin. Liu emphasizes that any well-fitting mask that a child can tolerate for a long time is better than nothing but agrees with the strategy  especially for older children  of layering a cloth mask with a filter or surgical mask.

Liu said her younger, unvaccinated son usually wears a KN95 mask, which is an alternative to an N95 respirator and widely available in childrens sizes, though its important to look for high-quality options.

If everybodys masked, then that massively lowers the probability of anybody getting infected, Wachter said.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle

How should children navigate lunch and recess?

After sitting dark for more than a year, most Bay Area classrooms were configured to mitigate the spread of the virus with a host of new features, including ventilation systems, hand sanitizing stations and physical distancing markers.

Schools have become like hospitals, said Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease specialist with UCSF. They are doing everything in their power to keep them safe.

The risk of transmission rises between class periods when students are less supervised and more likely to let their guard down.

Our teachers are doing such a good job making sure students are following protocols in the classroom, Glidden said. But once things get casual, like at recess, the students can get in each others faces, and the mask-wearing can get a little sloppy.

Michael Stanton, a clinical health psychologist and professor of public health at California State University East Bay, said the best thing parents can do is lead by example.

You want to model the kind of behavior you want your children to take, he said. Show your child how to fit their masks. Show them how to keep a little distance between people.

Lunchtime can be especially fraught, as children must remove their masks to eat, typically near others.

If the student has the option to eat outside, encourage your child to eat outside, Glidden said.

Children should put the masks back on their faces as soon as they finish eating.

When should you keep your child home from school?

Some families decide to keep children home on days when sending them feels unsafe because of a case at school, even if the child is not in quarantine.

Were certainly going to see cases in the schools, Wachter said. But its very much colored by how much virus is there around in the community.

To a child, being told to stay home might feel punitive, Stanton said.

You want to emphasize the purpose of what youre doing and why youre doing it, he said. Let them know, We are doing this for your safety and to make sure we dont spread COVID.

But the No. 1 thing families should do, Glidden said, is keep their students home when theyre sick. Even if you think its allergies, keep your kid home and get a COVID test.

Families should use at-home rapid antigen tests to confirm whether their students have the coronavirus and are infectious while waiting on the results of a PCR test required to return to school; the over-the-counter tests arent as accurate with asymptomatic cases. That can help prevent spread to family members.

Even if theyre not as reliable as a PCR test, the rapid tests are pretty good at detecting when someone is contagious, Liu said. Their strength is that they are super-fast and super-easy.

The drawbacks of the over-the-counter rapid tests are they are currently hard to find in the Bay Area and range in cost from about $20 to $40, which can be prohibitive for some families.

I dont understand why our schools arent doing weekly testing like Los Angeles and other school districts are doing, Sturm said. Its such an important mitigation strategy that is even paid for by the state. It makes no sense to me.

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.

How can kids stay safe outside of school?

What happens outside the classroom has such an impact on what happens inside the classroom, Glidden said.

That means parents will have to exercise caution outside of school. While routine disinfection of backpacks and shoes is not needed, children should safely remove their masks for cleaning and wash their hands with soap and water when they get home.

Families may also want to think carefully about high-risk activities such as sleepovers and carpools with other families if they are uncertain about their COVID safety.

Limit the contacts. Prioritize the schools. Deprioritize the indoor playdates, Liu said.

Parents may also want to limit indoor activities outside of school, and the adults in the family should make sure they are vaccinated and wear masks in public settings.

Were seeing transmission from parties, events, movie theaters, Glidden said. Remember, young children are unvaccinated. Theyre still vulnerable.

Stanton said being cautious does not mean living in isolation but being smart about how you socialize.

Social contact is incredibly important to children, and we want to make sure theres space for that in some way, he said. We should be replacing those indoor events with outdoor events, where we know its safer. When we look at the benefits of school, some of it is education. But most of it has to do with socialization. Thats why its important to prioritize it.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle

There is no wrong way to do this.

Experts acknowledge that parents are in uncharted terrain with an unpredictable virus and a pandemic that has stretched much longer than anyone expected.

As much as were trying to make this the safest we can, theres no perfect way to do this, Stanton said. We have to be kind to ourselves. It seems very important that we remind ourselves that were doing the best we can.

The delta variant has proved to be a hardier foe than many infectious disease specialists predicted, Wachter noted. Despite the generally cautious behavior of Bay Area residents and a slew of mitigation measures from regional health departments, it may be a while before we emerge from the current surge.

Delta is so incredibly transmissible that unless we get back down to a very low level of cases, I still think its important that people be careful, he said.

The most important thing parents can do is get vaccinated and ensure those around their children are as protected as possible against COVID-19 as well. Stanton said it also helps to stay motivated, look to the future and realize there is a point where we might get past this. And there will be stumbles along the way.

Despite doing everything perfectly, theres still a chance our children can catch COVID, Stanton said. That doesnt mean we failed as parents. We have control over parts of it, but so much of it is random. Were all doing the best we can.

Aidin Vaziri is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avaziri@sfchronicle.com
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  New Hampshire U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas has reintroduced a bill to help small business owners and rural entrepreneurs grow.

New Hampshires small businesses are the backbone of our economy, but half of small businesses are currently unable to access adequate capital when they seek it, Pappas said in a news release last week.
Regarding FDA: Dont use horse drug to fight COVID (Nation, Sept. 3): So its come to this ... after being promoted on right-wing media as a treatment for COVID-19, ivermectin, a drug used as a dewormer for horses, has prompted animal feed stores throughout the country to post warnings to its customers, such as You are not a horse. Its remarkable.

Al Comolli, Millbrae

Open up the streets

Now that the Great Highway has been reopened, how about the rest of the slow streets? These streets were originally closed for people/families who were sheltered at home so they could have a safe (social distance) path to walk or ride bikes. With schools open and many people returning to their workplaces, there is no need to have these streets closed.

Mike Jang, San Francisco

Injudicious court

The party of law and order has unleashed the most egregious unlawfulness and disorder cloaked in legislative gibberish in recent memory. Born out of unlawfulness and disorder, the current Supreme Court wreaks havoc on American life. The three Trump appointees are all illegitimate judges whose illiberal, illegal decisions will impact us all. The Texas abortion law tops it all and begins the long descent into further disorder. Restrictions on voting, immigration, LBGTQ communities, free speech are all under assault and have a willing ear in a very injudicious court. It is ideology not justice that rules the day.

Christine DeLapp, Aptos, Santa Cruz County

Bleak foreshadowing

Regarding Abortion ruling casts cloud over Roe vs. Wade (Front Page, Sept. 3): The Supreme Courts refusal to enjoin the latest Texas antiabortion law (Whole Womans Health vs. Jackson) foreshadows a reversal of Roe vs. Wade or its complete evisceration in the Mississippi case (Dobbs vs. Jackson Womens Health Organization) now pending before the Supreme Court.

I was born and spent my early years in Massachusetts when abortions there were illegal, birth control was prohibited and unmarried mothers were stigmatized. I remember stories about pregnant women sent off ostensibly to visit relatives but really went to New York where abortions were legal. Those without means oftentimes resorted to self-induced abortions by using a coat hanger causing serious injury and even death. The coat hanger became a symbol of self abortions for those women who went to desperate lengths to terminate a pregnancy because they lacked access to an abortion.

Reversing Roe vs. Wade wont change the number of women who will seek abortions, but without Roe vs. Wade, we will just block their access to getting it safely.

Ralph Stone, San Francisco

Devastated by storm

While many fellow Americans are still reeling from the horrendous pictures and news reports of ferocious Ida battering New Orleans and other cities in its destructive path, most New Yorkers had little idea about the destructive power of the Idas remnants that struck the city. Unfortunately, even with a diluted version of Ida, New York Citys teetering infrastructure collapsed like a house of cards, and weve been brought to our knees with the tragic loss of lives due to flooding. This could have been possibly avoided, had it been for a better drainage and sewage system than the antiquated one have.

As the downside of global warming continues to escalate dangerously, I hope we also install better warning systems and embrace action plans to evacuate vulnerable people to safety first and foremost across America. The silver lining to the devastation wrought by the ferocity of Ida is the exemplary courage, bravery and determination displayed by our selfless first responders, paramedics and many unsung volunteers who continue to put themselves into harms way to ensure others remain safe!
This Monday, the head of the Federal Consumer Prosecutor's Office (Profeco) , Ricardo Sheffield , reported that the agency is already proceeding legally against four companies for 'misleading advertising' . These are the airline VivaAerobus , the restaurant chain Vips , the multinational Sony , and the fuel company British Petroleum (BP) .

During the morning press conference of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Ricardo Sheffield singled out the four companies for launching rigged, confusing or false promotions, which ended up defrauding the end consumer.

It may interest you: Misleading advertising: consumer buys an 'ecological' product and it turns out to be a plastic bottle covered in paper

Now let's see what each company is accused of:

British Petroleum

The head of Profeco indicated that the oil company claimed that a tank full of its gasoline would have 42 kilometers more performance, which is false, he said.

We started a procedure against British Petroleum for misleading advertising, because they tell the consumer that they give 42 more kilometers for a tank that you fill with them. This is totally false, there is no way to prove it, it is misleading advertising, that already with our laboratories and in coordination with the customs laboratories, we have determined this assertion cannot be made,  explained Ricardo Sheffield .

Vips

"But it is not the only misleading advertising that we were legally fighting back this weekend," added the attorney.

The Vips restaurant chain, owned by the Alsea group , is accused of launching a very confusing and unclear promotion, which ultimately hurt unsuspecting diners.

There is Vips, who seems to sell us a stuffed chili for 35 pesos, when at 35 pesos he gives the chela if you buy the chili and you don't even know how he is going to give you the chili. This is misleading advertising , the official denounced.

# Newsletter | Profeco issues preventive measures for Viva Aerobus, BP and Vips for misleading advertising.



A class action lawsuit will also be initiated against Sony de Mexico. https://t.co/jmLXiTcXfx pic.twitter.com/WZ2Z6J1BUz - Profeco (@Profeco) September 6, 2021

VivaAerobus

Anyone who has quoted a flight on this airline knows that the final price is much higher than what they use as a hook in their advertisements. You know that after clicking on the VivaAerobus page, you will not see that price anywhere. If you find it and try to buy it, when you are about to pay it turns out that the 50-peso flight now costs 3,000 pesos or more.

For this reason, Ricardo Sheffield pointed out that the airline spread misleading advertising by pointing out that you can fly to any destination for 39 pesos . He highlighted the unrealism of this promotion saying that "not even the Suburban" costs that.

However, with the very small print that cannot be seen, it says 'more TUA' (Airport Use Fee). That is misleading advertising , said the head of Profeco.

Sony

The electronics multinational is accused of promising "very, very low" prices for the first 10 who will buy a certain sound equipment. "However, several weeks before the top 10 had already bought it and they (Sony) continued to mislead the consumer with this advertising," he explained.

In addition to continuing to disseminate the expired promotion, he said that they will take a collective action against Sony "who did not want to continue respecting that discount, despite the fact that it continues to maintain the advertising ."

"Cases of very large companies, which instead of helping consumers after the pandemics and during this crisis, which has affected many, seem to want to abuse to recover quickly," the federal official said.

Finally, Ricardo Sheffield , head of Profeco , invited consumers who have been scammed by these companies to report the number 55 55 68 87 22.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Hundreds of people, some carrying flowers, gathered Monday at Athens Cathedral to pay their final respects to Greek composer and politician Mikis Theodorakis, who was an integral part of the Greek political and musical scene for decades.

Theodorakis, who died Thursday at 96, is lying in state in a cathedral chapel for three days ahead of his burial on the southern island of Crete. His body arrived Monday after a nearly two-hour delay amid a dispute over burial details.

Over the weekend, his family reportedly lifted their objections to him being buried on Crete in accordance with his last wishes. A court had temporarily halted burial plans pending a resolution of the dispute.

Theodorakis' daughter had said earlier that he would be buried near Corinth in the village of Vrahati, where he maintained a holiday home. But a 2013 letter Theodorakis had written to the mayor of the town of Chania in Crete was made public, in which the composer said he wanted to be buried in the nearby cemetery of Galatas, despite his familys disagreement.

Theodorakis was as well-known in Greece for his political activism as for his musical career. He penned a wide range of work, from somber symphonies to popular TV and film scores, including for Serpico and Zorba the Greek.

He is also remembered for his opposition to the military junta that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974, a time during which he was persecuted and jailed and his music outlawed.

Greeces Communist Party said over the weekend that Theodorakis body will lie in state beginning Monday, and a farewell ceremony will be held Wednesday, before the late composer is flown to Crete. The church service and burial will be on Thursday.

Theodorakis had a tumultuous relationship with the Communist Party, known by its Greek accronym KKE, leaving it in the late 1960s, rejoining in the late 1970s and getting elected as a lawmaker with the conservative New Democracy party in 1990.

But he wrote a letter in October to Communist Party Secretary-General Dimitris Koutsoumbas, essentially entrusting him with the funeral arrangements.

Now, at the end of my life, at the time of taking stock, details are erased from my mind and the Big Things remain. So, I see that I spent my most crucial, forceful and mature years under KKEs banner. For this reason, I want to depart this world as a communist, Theodorakis wrote.
Polls over the past week indicate that the Gavin Newsom recall election has turned decisively in the governor's favor, but Democrats are not ready to declare victory yet.

CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash  who is promoting a new limited series podcast titled "Total Recall: Californias Political Circus," which revisits the 2003 Gray Davis election  told SFGATE that national Democrats feel better now than they did a month ago but still are not sure what will ultimately happen.

For the podcast, Bash spoke with former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Davis, Rep. Tom McClintock and other key players in the 2003 recall election. Schwarzenegger and Bash both believe there is more raw anger in California now than there was in 2003, and Bash added that polling may not accurately gauge the enthusiasm gap among Democrats and Republicans that will likely determine Newsom's fate.

Bash spoke to SFGATE in a wide-ranging conversation about the current state of the Newsom recall, her May interview with Caitlyn Jenner, purported "East Coast bias" in media and more.

The conversation was lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

SFGATE: One of the things that's really interesting in the podcast is listening to all of Arnold's sound bites, where you hear him say, "Gray Davis terminated jobs, we must terminate Gray Davis," and some of the stunts that he pulled, and it sounds a bit like some of the things some of the candidates now are doing, like John Cox's various stunts with the bear and and the trash ball.

What's weird is that now, Arnold has gone viral for taking a hard line on being pro-COVID-19 restrictions, he's criticized some of the pro-recall forces, but he's also said people here are upset. When you talked to him, were you able to get a read on how he feels about the current recall?

Bash: He's very, very careful, as you know, to not dig too deep and put his opinion out there because he says he's friends with a lot of the candidates.

However, he's very happy to talk about the atmospherics. One of the things that I found so fascinating was that  because I've been obviously rereading and rethinking about what happened in 2003  there was so much palpable anger back then because of the car tax, because of the blackouts, because of the deficit, because of the recession, and all of those things that helped to conspire to bring Gray Davis down. I think there's even more anger right now, and he agreed with me.

He said it's exactly the same, people are so upset about COVID, and it's not just about the French Laundry from his perspective, but just broadly people are angry about the ramifications of COVID, that their businesses are having trouble, that they're having trouble with schools, that people had to quit their jobs at the height of the pandemic because they had to stay home with their children.

Another huge issue that's making people very angry particularly in the urban areas is homelessness. He said, "Look, I've talked to business owners in Venice Beach who aren't particularly conservative but they don't like the fact that they pay taxes, and they open their door and there are people either fornicating or defecating on their front step." And then the homeless people are aggravated because they feel like they're not being taken care of, and housing prices are through the roof.

With all of those factors right now, Schwarzenegger said it's so similar to what it was back then. The big difference is that Gavin Newsom is not Gray Davis. Gray Davis' poll numbers were really in the toilet and by all accounts, Gavin Newsom's are not even near that low. And also, there's no Arnold Schwarzenegger on the other side of the ballot. Remember, he got almost 50% of the vote out of 135 options to replace Gray Davis. And there's no indication anyone will get anywhere near that even if Newsom is recalled because there's no one overwhelming movie star, even though Larry Elder is doing much better than the other Republican candidates.

SFGATE: So let's talk about Gray Davis for a bit. One of the other things from the podcast that's super striking is how at peace he was with the result. There's one line where he said something along the lines of, "My wife said that if she knew this would be our life she would have campaigned for the recall." There's no way that Newsom, who has always been seen as very ambitious, is going to go down that quietly, right?

Bash: No, no. He's not. But remember, Gray Davis had almost 20 years to heal between then and now. Having said that, one of the things that I frankly loved was finding out how close  genuinely close  Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger are.

They became close pretty soon after that incredibly contentious recall and what I love about it is how much a reminder it is of how politics used to be. That the guy lost, he conceded, and then if the successor needed help he gave help. And that's exactly what happened. We used to take that for granted, but we can't do that anymore in our politics. And it was genuine. Both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gray Davis told me how much they respected and admired and appreciated the friendship of each other. I mean, can you imagine that in today's politics?

SFGATE: For the national coverage of the recall, some have criticized national publications for parachuting in and not picking up on certain things. For example, there was a big push initially where everyone was trying to get Caitlyn Jenner booked when she really didn't have whole lot of traction in the polls at the time, and I know you talked to her.

Some thought the recall was entirely about COVID restrictions and French Laundry when there were other things going on like wildfires, homelessness, blackouts and other California-specific issues. Do you see that criticism as valid?

Bash: This is the reason we need to have viable local news outlets in this country. Nobody knows the politics of a certain city, of a certain county, of a certain state like the people who live there. That's why it's so important that it exists in this country. I think the national media should follow the lead of people like you who are on the ground and are living it and understanding it every moment.

With Caitlyn Jenner, I'll tell you that I have no regrets about doing that interview and it's because it was the first  and frankly the only real interview  she did then. And nobody knew if she was going to be a viable candidate, it was pretty soon out of the gate. She did Sean Hannity, which I'm going out on a limb to say it was not a real hard-hitting interview, and then she did me, and we sat for a very long time and talked about the issues facing California.

That was important because, who knew? She could have been an Arnold Schwarzenegger; nobody knew. And nobody knew what she stood for. And I thought that was a very important interview to do, and I was very glad to do it. I thought it was an important journalistic endeavor for sure.

SFGATE: More largely, do you believe there is an East Coast bias in news? Even beyond the recall, many here think that the national media hasn't paid enough attention to wildfires in the past couple weeks. And while the New York City flooding was very bad and I'm not taking anything away from the floods, it seemed to get a lot more coverage than the Caldor Fire, which threatened the very popular Tahoe area and destroyed more than 600 structures.

Bash: I think that across the board, most news media headquarters are on the East Coast. Having said that, I saw a lot of my friend and colleague Dan Simon really doing fantastic reporting day and night on CNN on the wildfires.

It just so happened that over the past three weeks there has been an unbelievable deluge of news, from Afghanistan to all of the natural disasters, to the political news. But I think we're doing a good job.

SFGATE: Back to the recall, there was a CNN report from about a month ago that national Democrats were really worried about the recall and its implications should something happen to Sen. Dianne Feinstein. As someone who is pretty plugged in with high-level Democrats, how much of that reporting do you think was legitimate worry, or, do you think, an attempt to motivate what was then a pretty apathetic Democratic base?

Bash: That's a really good question. I think probably a combination of both, but that's a very astute question because at the heart of it is getting people to go vote in a recall when you're angry  like the anti-Newsom voters  is not hard. Getting people to go vote for a governor on a random Tuesday in September when you're not particularly passionate for or against is a whole different challenge.

I know that there are genuine concerns among high-level Democrats about what can happen particularly given the fact that it's a 50-50 Senate and you can look what happened to Scott Brown and Obamacare back in the day when Ted Kennedy passed away. There's also a real desire for Democrats to get people out to vote and all you need to do is look at the high gear they've gotten into recently to bring people in, to put ads on the air and do this get-out-the-vote campaign to keep Newsom in his job.

SFGATE: How do those national Democrats feel now?

Bash: They're feeling better, but everybody understands the real anger out there in California and what happens when those who are frustrated are motivated to vote and those who are not necessarily feeling it aren't feeling the pressure to vote to keep Newsom in his job.

They're definitely feeling better when it comes to the polls, but we know that in something as quirky as a recall, the polls aren't necessarily reflective of the passion or lack of passion on the ground. So I don't think anyone's taking anything for granted on the Democratic side.

SFGATE: As someone looking at this through a national lens, what's the biggest thing that's surprised you about this 2021 recall especially after studying 2003?

Bash: I would say at the beginning, how it appeared that Democrats didn't learn the lesson of 2003 until recently. I talked to Arnold Schwarzenegger about this, and one of the things he did say is that he considers Gavin Newsom a friend, and Arnold did not think that they took the threat of the recall seriously enough for a very long time. So now they do, but they didn't for a very long time.

And because I've been so steeped in what happened in 2003, it's surprising to me that it took that long for the Democrats now to realize, "This is a real potential threat," and they should take it seriously.
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP)  Four people were wounded in a shooting at a festival in Missouri, prompting police to use Facebook to urge parents to pick up their children from the event.

Independence police responded to the shooting at the SantaCaliGon Festival Sunday night.
MONTGOMERY, Ala, (AP)  The governing document of Alabama still says white and colored children are prohibited from attending school together. Lawmakers have begun discussing exactly how to remove such racist language from the states Constitution, a document approved in 1901 to enshrine white supremacy as state law.

The Committee on the Recompilation of the Constitution is finally addressing remnants of Jim Crow laws governing segregated schools, poll taxes and other racist measures that were ruled unconstitutional by federal courts in the 1950s and 1960s, al.com reported.

Alabama voters approved the recompilation project in 2020. Lawmakers could the changes next year, and voters would have the final say in 2022 on whether to accept those changes.

It sends a message out about who we are," said Rep. Merika Coleman, D-Pleasant Grove, who chairs the committee and sponsored the constitutional amendment that started the process.

"It is important for us to let folks know we are a 21st century Alabama, that were not the same Alabama of 1901 that didnt want Black and white folks to get married, that didnt think that Black and white children should go to school together," she said.

The framers of the 1901 Constitution made clear their intent was to maintain a government controlled by whites.

The new constitution eliminates the ignorant negro vote, and places the control of our government where God Almighty intended it should be - with the Anglo-Saxon race, John Knox, president of the constitutional convention, said in a speech urging voters to ratify the document.

More than 60 years after the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954 ruled out segregation in public schools, this language remains in Alabama's governing document: Separate schools shall be provided for white and colored children, and no child of either race shall be permitted to attend a school of the other race.

Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, a recompilation committee member, said its important that the constitution does not stand at odds with how Alabama is today.

I think words matter, Garrett said. And I think we need to just clean the constitution up, make it a document that is relevant today. We have a history that were trying to address. And were trying to move from the past to the future. And I think this is an obstacle in many ways."

The committee meets again on Oct. 13 to vote on whether to remove the constitution's authorization of involuntary servitude as criminal punishment, a provision that led to generations of Black men being convicted of trivial offenses and forced into labor on farms and lumber yards and inside coal mines under Alabamas convict-lease system in the 20th century.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  The Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque has begun a program to give buprenorphine to people in jail who are already using it to treat their opioid addictions.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that the buprenorphine maintenance program can provide an average of 22 inmates per day with the medication.
CHESTERTOWN, N.Y. (AP)  Two people were killed Friday night in a head-on crash involving a suspected drunk driver going the wrong way on Interstate 87 west of Lake George in upstate New York, state police said.

According to investigators, a 2017 Mini Countryman was heading northbound in the highway's southbound lanes near Chestertown when it slammed into a southbound Volvo XC70 around 10:30 p.m.
MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP)  Dale Greene grew up in north-central Minnesota, surrounded by wild rice, called manoomin in the Ojibwe language. The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe member says wild rice is an important part of Anishinaabe history and culture.

One of the things that I think is really important in understanding manoomin, and its importance to us today, is understanding that theres a creation story, said Greene.

The story recounts how Ojibwe people migrated to Minnesota from the East Coast to fulfill a prophecy that they would find food growing on the water. That food was manoomin, or the good berry, and it sustained generations of Ojibwe.

Its the the reason that were still here. Its much more than just a plant, said Greene.

In 2018, the White Earth Band of Ojibwe formally recognized the rights of wild rice, setting the stage for the current lawsuit against the DNR.

The suit in tribal court against the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources contends a water use permit for the Enbridge Energy Line 3 pipeline puts wild rice at risk, Minnesota Public Radio News reported.

The White Earth case is thought to be the first to be brought before a tribal court. The DNR responded by challenging the tribal courts jurisdiction in a federal court filing.

The DNR said it is committed to ensuring the complaints are addressed in the appropriate legal venue but would not comment on the specifics of the case.

The 1855 Treaty Authority, consisting of several Ojibwe Bands, also recognized the rights of wild rice. Greene is a member of the Treaty Authority Board. Hes also listed as an expert witness in the White Earth lawsuit.

Its logical to give rights to plants, animals and the natural world, said Greene, because the Ojibwe world view holds that everything in nature is a spiritual being, and there is an acknowledged relationship with humans.

I sometimes call it a covenant, he said. Theyre providing life to us. It just makes perfect sense that its a living, providing, spiritual being, in the form of water or food.

In 2016, the Ho-Chunk Nation in Wisconsin adopted a resolution that said ecosystems have inherent rights including the right to exist and thrive.

In 2018, the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma approved a law granting broad rights to nature, including the right to a climate that is habitable, supports life, sustains culture, and is not disrupted by humans.

At least three other tribal nations have since adopted some form of rights of nature laws.

A few communities across the country from Florida to California to Colorado have also given rights to waterways and ecosystems.

Recognizing the rights of nature is a relatively new movement. In South America, Ecuador ratified a rights of nature constitutional amendment in 2008.

Bolivia and Uganda passed laws defining the rights of nature.

But the movement has gained traction more slowly in the United States.

The movement really is pretty young compared to other rights-based movements, so I imagine in the coming years well see more enforcement in the courts, said Grant Wilson executive director with the Colorado-based Earth Law Center. In the United States were starting to see this in a few cases, including in this current case involving wild rice.

Wilson has worked on a number of rights of nature cases. He said the idea represents a significant shift for traditional U.S. law under which nature is considered property, without rights afforded to people.

The grassroots effort towards the rights of nature is changing paradigms, is changing peoples understanding of our relationship to nature, and I hope will soon result in some very powerful legal victories in the courts, said Wilson.

Those victories might be difficult to achieve since federal and state laws often preempt local rights of nature laws.

Wilson is hopeful tribal nations will have more success enforcing those laws because they are sovereign nations, and less subject to state or federal preemption.

He said many in the movement are closely watching the White Earth case.

I think a success there would also empower other tribes and communities and governments to advance rights of nature cases in other court systems as well, which would really be a boon to the movement.

The courts arent the only avenue for recognizing the rights of nature, said Wilson who sees a nascent movement in several states to enshrine the rights of nature in the state constitution.

He predicts that in 10 years the rights of nature will become a mainstream idea, both socially and legally.
LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. (AP)  President Joe Biden approved major disaster declarations Monday greenlighting federal aid for people in six New Jersey counties and five New York counties affected by devastating flooding last week from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

At least 50 people were killed in six Eastern states as record rainfall last Wednesday overwhelmed rivers and sewer systems. Some people were trapped in fast-filling basement apartments and cars, or swept away as they tried to escape. The storm also spawned several tornadoes.

Biden is scheduled to visit New Jersey and New York City on Tuesday to survey storm damage, the White House said. The storm killed at least 27 people in New Jersey and 13 in New York City.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, touring flood-damaged areas of Lambertville on Labor Day, said Biden's major disaster declaration will allow individuals to receive assistance, including grants for temporary housing and home repairs and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses.

An existing emergency declaration issued last week enabled state, county and local governments to get reimbursed for disaster spending, Murphy said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said an initial assessment found that the storm damaged more than 1,200 homes and caused about $50 million in damage to public infrastructure and property. Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said damage to city infrastructure was estimated at $35 million.

In the Hudson Valley, Metro-North said commuter rail service will return for Tuesday morning's rush hour after crews removed several feet of mud from the tracks and and restoring washed out slopes and ballast. Two of the four tracks on the Hudson line remain out of service for repairs between Riverdale and Tarrytown.

Biden's disaster declarations cover Bergen, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic, and Somerset counties in New Jersey and allow for individual assistance for people in Bronx, Queens, Kings, Richmond and Westchester counties in New York.

Murphy said he would be talking to Biden during his visit to about adding other counties to the major disaster declaration.

Murphy joined state and local officials on a walking tour of Lambertville, passing homes with belongings piled outside as residents spent their Labor Day clearing flood debris, aided at one point by a bulldozer.

The major disaster declaration could help people like Nick Cepparulo, who told Murphy all of his family's first-floor possessions were washed away soon after they got in their car and raced for higher ground.

Well be all right," Cepparulo told reporters after speaking with Murphy. We need a little help getting there.

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Sen. Chuck Schumer and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spent part of the morning touring of storm damage in Queens with Deanne Criswell, the former city emergency management chief whos now administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

One resident greeted de Blasio with an arm on his shoulder and a quip about their flooded homes.

Welcome to Woodside," she said. "We have swimming pools in each house. So you can get your bathing suit on and take a dip with us.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  A lawyer from a prominent South Carolina legal family who found his wife and son shot to death at their home three months ago and was injured days ago when a bullet grazed his head as he changed a tire was taking money from his law firm, the business said late Monday.

The statement from PMPED law firm came hours after Alex Murdaugh said he was resigning and entering rehab.

The PMPED law firm said it will hire an accounting firm to fully review its books. It didn't say how much money might be missing, but said Murdaugh was no longer associated with them in any way.

This is disappointing news for all of us. Rest assured that our firm will deal with this in a straightforward manner. Theres no place in our firm for such behavior, the law firm said in a statement.

Hours before Murdaugh sent out his own statement, saying he regretted decisions he made, but didn't give any details just two days after reporting someone shot at him after his car had a flat tire along a rural road in Hampton County.

The murders of my wife and son have caused an incredibly difficult time in my life. I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret. Im resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle that has been exacerbated by these murders. I am immensely sorry to everyone Ive hurt including my family, friends and colleagues. I ask for prayers as I rehabilitate myself and my relationships," read Murdaugh's entire statement.

The statement came two days after investigators said Murdaugh was able to call 911 after he was hurt Saturday afternoon on Salkehatchie Road in Hampton County.

Alex resigned after being accused of diverting lawyer fees from the firm," said Murdaughs attorney Jim Griffin. "These allegations prompted him to confront a dependency and he voluntarily checked into an in-patient substance abuse rehab facility after being discharged from the hospital today.

The State Law Enforcement Division didn't immediately comment Monday on Murdaugh's statement or the law firm's accusations of missing money.

South Carolina's state police are also the lead agency investigating the deaths of Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and her 22-year-old son Paul on June 7. Both were both shot several times and found outside the family's home in nearby Colleton County, authorities said.

Alex Murdaugh found the bodies of his wife and son after family members said he had been away checking on his mother and ailing father.

A family attorney said Murdaugh was shot at by someone in a pickup truck that first passed by him as he changed the tire and then came back and fired at him.

The family issued a statement Saturday after the shooting saying Murdaugh was expected to recover and asking for privacy.

The Murdaugh family has suffered through more than any one family can ever imagine, it read.

State police have released few details about the June killings, even going to court to fight public record requests.

The Murdaughs are one of South Carolinas most prominent legal families. Alex Murdaugh was a volunteer prosecutor in the same office where his father, grandfather and great-grandfather spent more than 80 years combined as the areas top prosecutors. Other members of the family are prominent civil attorneys.

The current elected prosecutor isn't a family member, but stepped aside last month after citing developments in the case without giving any additional details.

When Paul Murdaugh was killed, he was awaiting trial for boating under the influence causing death in a February 2019 crash that killed a 19-year-old woman. State police have since started looking into the investigation into that crash to see if anyone tried to keep police from charging Paul Murdaugh.

After the Murdaughs deaths, state police also reopened an investigation into a 2015 hit-and-run death of a 19-year-old man in Hampton County. The victims mother said she thought Paul Murdaugh could have been involved.

Authorities havent released any information about why those cases were reopened.

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Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Pediatricians and public health officials say a common respiratory disease that most children can easily deal with is spreading earlier than usual in Wisconsin.

The disease, called respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is common in kids under age 2 and usually results in mild symptoms. But it can be severe in infants and older adults.

The symptoms for RSV are similar to that of COVID-19, so officials say testing for COVID-19 is important so children can stay home if needed.

University of Wisconsin Health pediatrician Greg DeMuri told Wisconsin Public Radio that some children are getting both illnesses at once, which can extend recovery time and make it hard to diagnose what is wrong.

We dont know if that is worse than just COVID alone or just RSV alone. Theres some inclination it might be, and it certainly complicates the situation, said DeMuri.

Cases of RSV usually increase in the winter, but in Wisconsin, RSV cases started climbing in July and have going up ever since. The most current Weekly Respiratory Report from the state Department of Health Services says that as of Aug. 21, 1,630 patients had been tested for RSV and 298 were positive.

DeMuri called this an explosion of infections and said it surprised doctors and public health officials.

Hand-washing and wiping down surfaces is especially important with RSV since its transmitted primarily by touch, DeMuri said.
YAKIMA, Wash. (AP)  A driver accused of killing three people when he ran a red light in Yakima at high speed and crashed into another vehicle has been booked into jail after being released from a hospital.

Kolby Funkhouser, 20, was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of vehicular assault, police Lt. Chad Stevens told the Yakima Herald-Republic. Funkhouser was booked into jail Saturday.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  As the CEO of Madison Boats, Tyler Leeper is highly invested in ensuring the many water bodies that define Madison stay healthy.

Decades of rising chloride levels are threatening more than just Leepers bottom line.

We come down here for dinner, we come down here to recreate, we come down here for exercise, said Leeper, who is also the general manager of Wingra Boats. Our lakes are the center of our community.

Since the 1960s, the lakes and streams shaping the Madison landscape have been getting saltier, with one clear front-runner  Lake Wingra. Wingra, the drainage basin for much of Madisons West Side, has a chloride concentration of over over 100 milligrams per liter. While chloride concentrations in Lake Wingra are just over one-quarter of the state surface water standard, the levels continue to rise, increasing 200% since the 1980s.

The majority of the chloride entering Madison lakes comes from road salt, an issue the city has been trying to address since the late 1970s through reduced salt-use and de-icing alternatives. the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

A lesser-known culprit in the salting of Wisconsin waterways is the common water softener. Allison Madison, coordinator for Wisconsin Salt Wise, said the salt put in water softeners goes straight down the drain to the sewage treatment plant. Most people may assume the sodium and chloride ions are then filtered out, but Madison said the ions are far too small. The only way to remove the ions would be through reverse osmosis, a process that is both financially and energetically expensive. In Dane County, the wastewater treatment plant discharges into Badfish and Badger Mill creeks, which connect to the Sugar River and, eventually, the Mississippi.

It all goes to our water. It is a permanent pollutant so it doesnt biodegrade at all and concentrations are increasing, Madison said. Instead of just putting it down and thinking more is better, we really need to only use salt as needed.

Using salt as needed means upgrading and optimizing water softeners. In Southern Wisconsin, where groundwater is hardened after sitting in limestone, many rely on water softeners. Soft limestone formations dissolve into aquifers, filling water with minerals that calcify and cause buildup on pipes.

Madison said households that want to maintain soft water while reducing salt use should trade out their softener if it is more than 15 years old. Older water softeners are often timer-based, regenerating and emptying the tank after a few days, regardless of how much water is used. Madison said the timer model is highly inefficient, using far more salt and water than necessary.

It would be like emptying your gas tank every Sunday regardless of how much gas is used, you just dump your gas out and you refill the tank, Madison said.

Newer water softeners regenerate based on use. Madison said water softeners can even be calibrated to a specific regional water hardness, using less salt in areas with softer water.

There are also salt-free alternatives, called water conditioners. Conditioners use electric pulses to stop minerals from calcifying, preventing chalky buildup on pipes and glasses.

The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District is currently piloting a water softener efficiency program in the town of Dunn, McFarland and Pleasant Springs Sanitary districts. The program will evaluate residents water softeners and, if necessary, provide a discount on an upgrade. Madison said if the program is a success, it might be expanded to other local sanitary districts.

Despite recent efforts to raise awareness about the impact of water softeners, the issue is still invisible to many, said Casey Hanson, executive director of Friends of Lake Wingra.

You dont experience the direct consequence of what is happening, Hanson said. Chlorides are increasing, but I cant see it, I cant taste it, I dont see all of these dead fish coming up onto the shore.

Madison residents might not feel the direct impacts of increased chloride levels yet, but groundwater infiltration could cause tap water to taste salty in the not-so-distant future.

The journey of aquatic pollutants is often associated with stormwater runoff and sewer systems, but in Lake Wingra, much of the chloride comes from beneath. Salt permeates the soil and enters groundwater, eventually polluting the many natural springs that feed the lake.

Salty soil also means higher chloride concentrations in Madison wells and eventually household drinking water. Salt infiltration has been observed at five of Madisons 22 drinking water wells. Water begins tasting salty to most people when chloride levels reach about 250 milligrams per liter, a threshold Madison Water Utility said Well 14, which serves Madisons West side, could reach in the next 15 years.

While chloride does not impact human health, it can completely alter aquatic life. Madison said chloride can kill zooplankton, the organism that eats algae  including the toxic blue-green algae that frequently shuts down activities on area lakes.

Chloride can also interfere with essential lake processes, Madison said. Several times a year, the top and bottom layers of lakes mix, sending oxygen-rich water from the surface down below. Chloride weighs water down, creating dense low-lying layers that refuse to mix. The interruption of seasonal mixing can create dead zones at the bottoms of lakes where there is no oxygen and little aquatic life.

Not even the citys built environment is safe from the effects of salt. Chloride makes water more corrosive, damaging bridges, roads and the insides of buildings, if its tracked in on shoes.

While Dane County has seen increasing algal blooms and some damaged infrastructure, the more noticeable impacts of salt have yet to come down the pike.

It might be a matter of noticing what that specific canary in the coal mine is for Lake Wingra, but at that point it might be too late, Hanson said. Its like trying to steer a cruise liner  you cant just flip a switch that quick.

Wisconsin Salt Wise is trying to bring the issue of salt to the places it impacts most  out on the water.

Last year, Madison commissioned local artist Hannah Sandvold to adorn an old water softener with an idyllic scene of people boating across Lake Wingra. The art piece, which can now be found at the Wingra Boathouse, included information about rising chloride levels.

Building on the project, Madison collected three used water softeners, emptied the brine tanks and filled the bottoms with just the right amount of concrete. Wingra Boats employees then painted the recycled softeners with the Wisconsin Salt Wise URL and placed them in Lake Wingra. The softeners now resemble buoys, with the Salt Wise website visible right above the waterline.

The hope is that it catches someones eye and theyre curious, Madison said. We need to be talking about salt if we want to start seeing changes.

Changes may need to happen fast. Hanson said Friends of Lake Wingra would like to see the chloride concentration in the lake drop to 40 milligrams per liter, less than half of the current concentration. Reducing chloride concentrations can be difficult as it does not biodegrade. The only hope is to dilute levels through rain and lake outflow.

Tackling chloride will take communitywide advocacy that goes beyond individual watersheds because the flow of pollutants doesnt stop at county or even state boundaries, Hanson said.

It requires a new way of thinking about water, Hanson said. I think theres a general shift happening in the water community where people are trying to break down these silos that they operate in ... realizing theyre all connected.
DETROIT (AP)  Five federal courthouses in eastern Michigan will fully reopen Tuesday for the first time since COVID-19 restrictions were put in place in March 2020.

Lawyers, news reporters, jurors and court spectators will be required to answer questions about their health and have their temperature checked at courthouse entrances. Masks will be required.
BANGKOK (AP)  A nationalist Buddhist monk in Myanmar notorious for anti-Muslim remarks was freed from prison on Monday after charges that he tried to stir up disaffection against the country's previous civilian government were dropped.

The monk, Wirathu, became prominent in 2012 after deadly riots broke out between Buddhists and ethnic minority Rohingya Muslims in the western state of Rakhine. He founded a nationalist organization that was accused of inciting violence against Muslims.

Muslims from other ethnic groups and in other areas also faced disrespect and occasional violence after Wirathu and his supporters launched their nationalist campaign. Time Magazine called Wirathu The Face of Buddhist Terror in a cover story in 2013.

Wirathu and his supporters were also successful in lobbying for laws making interfaith marriages difficult.

Par Mount Kha, another activist monk and friend of Wirathu, confirmed late Monday that the case had been dropped.

I am 100% sure that Wirathu has been released. We welcome his release,  he said.

People Media, an online news site, said it had received confirmation of Wirathu's release from Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for the Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw.

The case was closed and he was released this evening. Even though U Wirathu was released, he is still receiving medical treatment at the Tatmadaw Hospital, it quoted Zaw Min Tun as saying.

No reason was given for dropping the case.

Wirathu had turned himself in for arrest last November after being a fugitive from justice since May 2019, when a court issued a warrant for his arrest under under a section of the penal code that criminalizes comments that bring into hatred or contempt or excite disaffection against the government.

The charge was brought by the Yangon Region government for remarks he made in early May 2019 that included crude insults of Aung San Suu Kyi, who was then Myanmars leader. Her government was ousted in February this year in a military takeover.

Wirathu was able to build upon widespread prejudice in Buddhist-majority Myanmar against the Rohingya Muslims, who are seen as having immigrated illegally from Bangladesh, even though many of their families have lived in Myanmar for generations.

In 2017, attacks by Rohingya militants on police posts triggered a brutal counterinsurgency campaign by the army that caused more than 700,000 Rohingya villagers to flee across the border to Bangladesh for safety.

The Rohingya Muslims plight put the spotlight on Wirathu, who was accused of hate speech, and Facebook shuttered his account in 2018, However, he managed to stay on other social networks and gave speeches around the country. The National Monks Council banned him from giving public talks for a year, but its ruling was not tightly enforced.

Wirathu had a large following and was seen as maintaining close links with the military. But in a video released on social media while he was in prison, he complained bitterly about his treatment by the military-installed government.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Christopher Columbus is getting kicked off Mexico City's most iconic boulevard.

Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced that the Columbus statue on the Paseo de la Reforma, often a focal point for Indigenous rights protests, would be replaced by a statue honoring Indigenous women.

To them we owe ... the history of our country, of our fatherland, she said.

She made the announcement on Sunday, which was International Day of the Indigenous Woman.

The Columbus statue, donated to the city many years ago, was a significant reference point on the 10-lane boulevard, and surrounding traffic circle is  so far  named for it.

That made it a favorite target of spray-paint-wielding protesters denouncing the European suppression of Mexico's Indigenous civilizations.

It was removed last year supposedly for restoration, shortly before Oct. 12, which Americans know as Columbus Day but Mexicans call Dia de la Raza, or Day of the Race"  the anniversary of Columbus' arrival in the Americas in 1492.

When the statue was removed last year, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador noted that it is a date that is very controversial and lends itself to conflicting ideas and political conflicts.

This year is the 700th anniversary of the founding of Tenochtitlan  what is now Mexico City  as well as the 500th anniversary of its fall to the Spanish conquistadores, and the 200th anniversary of Mexico's final independence from Spain.

Most Mexicans have some indigenous ancestry and are well aware that millions of Indigenous people died from violence and disease during and after the conquest .

SheInbaum said the new statue, Tlali, might be ready near the date of Dia de la Raza this year.

The Columbus statue isn't being discarded, but will be moved to a less prominent location in a small park in the Polanco neighborhood. Sheinbaum referred to Columbus a great international personage.


HOUMA, La. (AP)  Allison Smith wasn't thinking about where she'd go next. She'd kept the boxes from when she moved into her 2-bedroom apartment at the Chateau Creole complex a year ago and was planning to fill them with her clothes and other belongings, load them into a U-Haul along with her bed and sofa, and drive it to the closest storage unit she'd found  two hours away. Then she'd think about where to live.

I havent even thought that far, said Smith, as she and her boyfriend packed.

The residents of the apartment complex loaded up moving trucks, packed up what belongings could be salvaged and contemplated what to do next after Hurricane Idas devastating winds and lashing rains rendered what had been home unlivable. For many, there weren't a lot of good options.

Ida swept ashore Aug. 29 and Houma, a town of about 33,000 residents, was the first major population center in its path. Power isn't expected to be restored to the parish until Sept. 29, and that's only for homes and businesses structurally sound enough to take power. Many aren't.

At the apartment complex, shingles littered the parking garage and pink tufts of insulation stuck to the exterior walls. Some of the buildings had lost large sections of siding. In others, the roof decking had ripped off and rain soaked the pink insulation that fell into the apartments below.

When the storm came through, Smith was inside a bedroom in her apartment  K26  videoing the raging storm outside when her ceiling collapsed on top of her. The bedroom is now carpeted with wet insulation above which you can see the building's frame and blue sky. She spent a hot night in her other bedroom slapping away mosquitos. Now she worries another storm will come and ruin what possessions she has left.

She filed a claim with the Federal Emergency Management Agency; they've given her enough money to pay for a hotel for a week  Thats a start  and then she'll figure out her next steps.

Im mentally drained, just exhausted, she said.

At apartment M22, Jordan Howard and his boyfriend had just returned home after evacuating to Texas. They had heard about the complex's damage and that they'd have to move out through other tenants on Facebook but found that their apartment had escaped without any damage.

After making an initial survey their plan was to come back with a moving truck, pack and start over. Before the storm, Howard worked as a front desk clerk at a hotel but said it was now closed. They're weighing what to do next  stay in Houma where Howard has family or start over somewhere else  somewhere with electricity. It was a decision he thought a lot of people might also be making considering how extensive the damage was in Houma.

So many people are going to have to leave, and I dont think a lot of them are going to come back, he said.

When Hurricane Ida swept through Houma, Jason Cole was in his first floor apartment  J17  looking at the damage happening outside. After the storm, he and his son and some other relatives went to Morgan City, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) away, and rented a hotel room. But they had to leave when the hotel gave the room to workers coming to restore the electricity. On the way back, his car broke down and he had it towed back to the apartment complex where a friend was making repairs.

He and his son were currently living with his godchild across the street, but storm damage might force her to move out as well. Cole was also without a job after the hurricane destroyed the shrimping business where he used to be a driver.

He had been able to salvage some clothes from his apartment, and like many in the Houma apartment complex he was trying to figure out what to do. He'd heard from other residents that they had to be out by Tuesday, and he knows how extensive the damage is across town. If nearby hotels do have rooms, he said, they're not doing weekly rates so there's always the concern he'd find a room only to have to move out the next day.

Its just rough, he said. Its rough for a lot of people.

__

Follow Santana on Twitter @ruskygal.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  Police in Kansas City said two people died early Monday in a crash on Interstate 29 caused by a wrong-way driver.

The crash happened just after 5:30 a.m. Monday when a car driven by a 23-year-old woman was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of the interstate, police said. Investigators said the car then collided head-on with another car driven by a 60-year-old man.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP)  A man accused of shooting at a Tucson police officer last month is back in jail after earlier being released without bond.

Zachary Oscar Lee, 26, was released by a Tucson City Court judge on pretrial release with no bond after the suspects arrest last month.
HAMPTON, N.H. (AP)  A New Hampshire man has been honored by the Hampton Police Department for his assistance during an arrest this summer.

Police said in July, Michael Hayden, a member of the New Hampshire State Park Patrol, came to the aid of a police officer who was trying to de-escalate a potential fight brewing in front of the bandshell complex on Ocean Boulevard.
SWARTZ CREEK, Mich. (AP)  There has always been one car Jeff Penrod never forgot about even after decades of being separated from it.

When Penrod was 14 years old, he was given a 1968 burgundy Ford Mustang by his parents who were planning to let him drive it when he turned 17.

The parents had one condition: he had to get all As in school.

At some point, Penrods grades slipped and his parents sold the car because of it.

My dad was one of those people who and still is that if he says something he means it and that was the rule; I had to hold straight As, which I was more than capable of doing and it wasnt like I was being asked to do something absurd, Penrod told The Flint Journal. I was more than capable of holding straight As. I just was a teenage kid. I didnt really care what someone else told me. I was going to do what I wanted to do.

As the years went on, Penrod kept the spare key to the Mustang and held onto it through some big milestones in his life like when he met Brianna, who is now his wife.

When Brianna, 36, and Jeff, 38, first started dating, she noticed the unique key to the classic car and Jeff shared the story of how he used to have a Mustang and the deal that he broke with his parents.

His dad, who is very into classic cars as well, had purchased this Mustang as a father and son project for them to work on together and it was intended to be his first car, Brianna Penrod explained.

After hearing the story, it was on her radar to one day buy the car back for him as a surprise 10-year wedding anniversary and 40th birthday gift, which would have taken place in 2022.

I told him if I was ever given the opportunity, I will buy you this car someday. Im going to find this car for you and I want you to have it back, said Brianna Penrod, adding if her husband had all the money in the world, he would buy back his Mustang first.

Over the years, the couple would occasionally see the car at Back to the Bricks events and local restaurants, but the owner was never nearby.

Eight years ago, Brianna Penrod started saving up money to purchase the car and after an initial slow start she had eventually reached the $10,000 mark three months ago.

I never told him that I had this envelope with several thousand dollars, part of it I ended up putting in the bank a while back, she said.

During this same timeframe, Brianna Penrod reached out to her husbands father to let him know she was planning to buy the car back.

The pair worked together by asking some friends who were police officers to run plates, but they were historic vanity plates and didnt lead anywhere. They also asked around at car shows and diligently tried to spread the message without making a public announcement about it on social media.

They continue to run into dead ends until the owner of the Mustang called Jeffs father in June.

Rick (Jeffs father) texts me and says: when you get a minute, privately call me. And Im like thats super random, but OK, Brianna Penrod said. And I dont get a private minute because I have four kids and I have an audience at all times.

Rick scooped Brianna up in his car after she told her husband she needed to get some groceries from a local store as an excuse to meet up with her father-in-law.

A few years prior, Jeffs dad had asked the owner of the car to reach out to him if he had ever considered selling the classic vehicle.

The time had come and the owner was ready to sell.

Nobody else really knows this but I had been squirrelling away money for years in hopes of ever having this opportunity, Brianna Penrod told her father-in-law as the two were on their journey to the car.

The owner of the car was the same man that Jeffs father had sold it to when his son was 15 years old.

A deal was made and the owner sold the car.

It was so amazing to feel like this time had actually come, Brianna Penrod said. I had dreamt of it and never knew that this was going to be possible.

Brianna said that she was so grateful the owner decided to pick up the phone and call them.

The very next day, on Fathers Day, she gave her husband his beloved Mustang once again.

When I walked outside there sitting in the driveway is the car Ive been looking for or wanting back for 23 years, Jeff Penrod said.

The car enthusiast said the classic ride looked exactly the way he remembered it when he was a teenager.

He became very emotional when he first saw it after all that time, Jeff Penrod said.

In hindsight, it being gone for 20-plus years was probably better for the car, he said, adding theres no way to tell what condition the car could have been in.

Jeff Penrod, his Mustang and Brianna have participated in several Back to the Bricks events during Main Event Week, cruising around like he had planned to when he was just a kid.
ROANOKE, Va. (AP)  The Mountain Valley Pipeline is trying to find it who some of its very public online critics are.

The Roanoke Times reported Saturday that the company filed a subpoena in federal court last month to try to find out who is behind a Facebook group called Appalachians Against Pipelines.

The group established a Facebook page in 2018. That's about the time that tree-sitters began to try to block construction of the natural gas project.

Mountain Valley is asking Facebook to reveal the names and telephone numbers of those who established and maintain the page.

The group says the subpoena is an an effort to intimidate and silence it. Mountain Valley declined to comment.

Mountain Valley's efforts has been criticized by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The nonprofit advocates for privacy and free speech on the internet.

Adam Schwartz, a senior attorney with the San Francisco-based foundation, said the rights of critics to often remain unnamed has been established in the courts. Schwartz said that Mountain Valley must prove to the court that its needs or concerns outweigh the First Amendment rights of the commenters.

The planned 303-mile (488-kilometer) mile pipeline will take natural gas drilled from the Marcellus and Utica shale formations and transport it through West Virginia and Virginia. The project has faced legal challenges from environmental groups. A 75-mile extension into central North Carolina also has been proposed.
TACOMA, Wash. (AP)  A man accused of fatally shooting an ex-girlfriend in 2017 at her Milton apartment has won his appeal after he successfully argued that prosecutorial misconduct deprived him of a fair trial.

The News Tribune reported Monday that a three-judge panel of Division II of the Washington State Court of Appeals overturned his convictions Aug. 31, saying prosecutors committed misconduct in suggesting racist stereotypes to the jury.
BRUSSELS (AP)  NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged China on Monday to join international efforts to limit the spread of nuclear weapons amid concerns that the Asian superpower is rapidly developing missiles capable of carrying atomic warheads.

Laying out his priorities for nuclear disarmament at NATOs annual arms control conference, Stoltenberg said that more countries must be included in future missile restriction talks, not just Russia.

As a global power, China has global responsibilities in arms control. And Beijing, too, would benefit from mutual limits on numbers, increased transparency, and more predictability, Stoltenberg said. These are the foundations for international stability.

Warning that Beijings nuclear arsenal is rapidly expanding, he said China is building a large number of missile silos, which can significantly increase its nuclear capability. All of this is happening without any limitation or constraint. And with a complete lack of transparency.

In 2019, the United States pulled out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces, or INF, treaty, blaming Russia for violating the bilateral pact. It was the first arms control measure to ban an entire class of weapons: ground-launched cruise missiles with a range between 500 kilometers (310 miles) and 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles). Russia denies that it broke the rules.

As the pact fell apart, China continued to build such weapons and it has shown little sign that its inclined to join in such arms proliferation talks.

Stoltenberg welcomed the agreement between the United States and Russia to extend for another five years the New START treaty limiting their strategic nuclear weapons. But he said that more kinds of arms should be added to non-proliferation talks, including new technologies like Artificial Intelligence.
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP)  The Navajo Nation has reported 46 additional COVID-19 cases and no deaths as of Sunday.

The tribe has seen nearly 33,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,414 deaths from the virus since the pandemic began.
NEW YORK (AP)  The October illegal campaign contribution trial of an associate of Rudy Giuliani  and a guilty plea set to occur this week by a second associate  puts a spotlight on Giuliani as a criminal probe of the former mayor and his dealings with Ukraine move closer to a decision on whether he'll face arrest.

A judge last week refused to delay the Oct. 12 trial of Lev Parnas and Andrey Kukushkin on charges that they made illegal campaign contributions to U.S. politicians. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Meanwhile, a review of electronics materials seized in raids on Giuliani continues before prosecutors decide whether his dealings with Ukrainian officials while he worked as a personal lawyer for then-President Donald Trump required him to register as a foreign agent.

A decision on whether to charge Giuliani with a crime is unlikely to occur before a former federal judge finishes the court-appointed task of separating privileged materials from other data pulled from 18 phones taken during raids of Giulianis home and law office earlier this year. Some phones belonged to employees of the former New York mayors firm.

Igor Fruman, a Soviet-born Florida businessman who assisted Giuliani in seeking damaging information about Joe Biden in Ukraine when Biden was running for president, is scheduled to plead guilty on Friday in the illegal campaign contribution case.

Fruman and Parnas worked with Giuliani to try to convince Ukraine to open an investigation into Biden's son, Hunter, over his connection to a Ukrainian energy company. When Parnas was arrested in October 2019, Democrats in the U.S. House were seeking his testimony about his involvement with Giulianis Ukrainian effort.

Giuliani, a Republican, has acknowledged working extensively with the pair in connection with Ukrainian figures but said he had no knowledge of any illegal campaign contributions.

Giuliani, who was widely praised for his actions as New York City's mayor after the Sept. 11 attacks, has insisted his Ukrainian activities were conducted on behalf of Trump, not a foreign entity or person.

Trumps efforts to press Ukraine for an investigation of the Bidens led the House to impeach Trump, though he was acquitted by the Senate.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken in Manhattan rejected a request by lawyers for Parnas and Kukushkin to postpone next month's trial, set to start October 12, until February.

Oetken noted that the trial was set to occur a year after it had been first scheduled and two years after the charges were brought.

Further delay would potentially prejudice the Government in its ability to prosecute this case at trial, and it would undermine the publics significant interest in timely resolution of these charges, he wrote.

Parnas, a Soviet-born Florida businessman who came to the U.S. as a young child, and Kukushkin, a Ukrainian-born U.S. citizen, face trial in a scheme to make illegal campaign donations to local and federal politicians in New York, Nevada and other states to try to win support for a new recreational marijuana business.
MIAMISBURG, Ohio (AP)  A man was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police officers answering a domestic dispute call at his residence, police said.

Chief Charlie Stiegelmeyer of the Miami Township police department said officers were dispatched shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday following a domestic violence call and gunshots were reported at the home minutes later.

Stiegelmeyer said arriving officers could hear the male resident in the garage making threatening remarks such as I'm ready for a shootout." When they knocked at the front door, the man opened the door, said he would shoot them, and immediately opened fire, Stiegelmeyer said.

Police said all three officers returned fire and the man closed the door. A SWAT team was called and tried to contact the man, finally entering the residence shortly before 1:30 a.m. Monday and finding his body in the hallway. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said 41-year-old Frederick Thomas had numerous contacts with police and was a convicted felon not allowed to possess a firearm. Police said a weapon found near him had been fired three times. Police said his wound occurred during the exchange of gunfire with police and was not self-inflicted.

Police said they had been dispatched to domestic dispute calls at the home previously  and in fact, officers were there earlier in the evening on what Stiegelmeyer called a much, much calmer" call. He said officers ended up taking Thomas to a relative's home, but the relative later took him back to his own home.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation was called in to investigate, police said.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Police in Des Moines have arrested a 19-year-old man they say accidentally shot his 14-year-old brother in the face with one of two handguns he had stolen.

The shooting happened Saturday afternoon, when officers were called to a home and found the younger teen with a gunshot wound to the face, television station WHO 13 reported. The boy was taken to a hospital with injuries to an eye that arent believed to be life-threatening.
FLAT ROCK, Mich. (AP)  Organizers on Monday canceled a popular two-day festival that was planned for next weekend, part of the fallout from a gasoline leak in the sewer system that was traced to a Ford Motor Co. factory in southeastern Michigan.

The factory, which makes Mustangs, was no longer releasing contaminants into the Flat Rock system, according to state regulators, but some residents voluntarily agreed to leave their homes. Drinking water lines were not affected.
MOUNT HEALTHY, Ohio (AP)  A man was shot and killed after allegedly breaking into an Ohio home and assaulting an ex-girlfriend over the weekend, authorities said.

The Hamilton County sheriff's office said 33-year-old Gregory Lyle climbed through a window of the Mount Healthy home just before 2:30 a.m. Sunday.
DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP)  A Florida man shot at several people before a six-hour, rooftop standoff with sheriff's deputies, officials said.

The incident began around 8 p.m. Sunday when deputies were alerted to three suspicious" men in an area of Dunedin, which is a suburb of St. Petersburg, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

As the deputies pulled up, one man ran from them and shot at several people as he fled. No one was injured in the shooting, except for the gunman himself, deputies told news outlets.

Myles Abbott, 18, managed to shoot himself in the thigh during the incident, officials said.

He climbed onto a nearby roof and pointed a gun at deputies who were trying to arrest him. The deputies tried to talk to him, but he would not surrender. A SWAT team and negotiator arrived at the scene, and, eventually, Abbott's sister was brought in to help reach out to him. That didn't work either, deputies said.

Some six hours later, deputies used specialized equipment" and bean bag rounds to force him off the roof.

Abbot was arrested on multiple charges including loitering, prowling, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest without violence, records show.

He was taken to a hospital for treatment of his leg wound.

The sheriff's office said Abbott had an outstanding warrant for vehicular homicide.

Deputies also arrested two other people during the incident. Kimoni Anderson, 18, was charged with grand theft of a firearm, carrying a concealed firearm and felon in possession of a firearm. A 16-year-old was also arrested on similar charges.

Jail records did not list attorneys who could speak on behalf of Abbott and Anderson.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Investigators still dont know whats killing songbirds around Indiana and other states  and, experts say, they may never find out.

Researchers started receiving reports of sick songbirds in June. While at first the birds were just found in a handful of counties, reports of the illness quickly spread to more than 70 counties in Indiana and in nearby states.

In the last months, Hoosier birders and bird enthusiasts took down their bird feeders and brought in their bird baths in hopes of stemming the spread of the illness.

In August, the state Department of Natural Resources announced that people could bring their feeders back except for in 13 counties, which include Marion, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks and Johnson counties.

IndyStar spoke with State Ornithologist Allisyn Gillet about what investigators know so far, and what more theyre doing to understand about why songbirds are dying. While the investigation is moving forward, she said it may still be some time before experts know whats causing the illness. If at all.

We still dont have any conclusive results regarding the cause of this mortality and morbidity event, mainly because the tests are taking a long time, Gillet said. We might never really actually get to a conclusive cause.

Heres what you need to know about the illness killing songbirds in Indiana.

The affected birds are showing neurological signs of illness. This includes tremors and stumbling, as well as weakness and lethargy. Many of the birds are also exhibiting swelling and crusty discharge around their eyes.

The illness appears to be primarily affecting songbirds. Commonly affected species include: blue jays, American robins, common grackles, Northern cardinals, starlings, and brown-headed cowbirds.

About 500 sick birds have been found in Indiana, Gillet said, but the amount of affected birds across the country numbers in the thousands.

Birds with these symptoms have been found in Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

The DNR has narrowed down priority pockets of this songbird illness to 13 counties in Indiana, which include: Allen, Carroll, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Lake, Marion, Monroe, Porter, St. Joseph, Tippecanoe and Whitley.

Researchers were able to isolate these priority areas after a few months, Gillet said, because they noticed the majority of reported sick birds were coming from these counties, which happen to center around urban areas.

Gillet thinks the concentration around urban areas might be in part because of a sampling bias  there are just more people to report sick birds in these areas  but also because there may just be more songbirds in this area.

The types of birds being found sick  such as robins, common grackles and European starlings  are species that frequent urban environments. In these areas, theres also likely a higher number of people feeding birds at bird feeders, which could spread the illness if it is a disease, she said.

While the dying and sick birds are showing the same symptoms, the symptoms dont offer a clean explanation as to what is causing the sickness.

Its like visiting a doctor for a runny nose, Gillet said: It could be caused by a cold, but it could also be from the flu or allergies.

And when it comes to the neurological symptoms shown by these songbirds, the list of possible causes is long. This means investigators are testing for a wide range of diseases, parasites, pathogens and exposures.

Its also possible that the illness is being caused by a combination of factors rather than one cause, Gillet said, which adds a layer of complexity to the process.

It might very well be that its a complex array of things that have caused the symptoms that we cannot tease apart, Gillet said. We dont know if there will be an end to the investigation.

So far, researchers have received negative test results for avian influenza, West Nile virus, salmonella, chlamydia, Newcastle disease virus, herpesviruses, Trichomonas parasites and other conditions. The investigators will be also looking into whether exposure to pesticides or vitamin deficiencies play a role.

Almost 100% of the birds who show the symptoms of this illness die from it, Gillet said.

While a rare few may have been nursed back to health by wildlife rehabilitators, she said, overall almost all of the affected birds are dying.

Its unfortunate, but usually birds do not end up surviving after they get these symptoms, Gillet said. The likelihood of them dying is extremely high.

The DNR has said there is no threat to people from this illness, and that it will not affect the overall population of birds or specific bird species in Indiana.

While this songbird illness event is widespread, its not unprecedented. Gillet said notable diseases have also affected Indiana birds in the past.

House finch conjunctivitis, for example, started in the eastern U.S. in the early 90s and spread its way to Indiana in the 2000s. And there is still the presence of West Nile virus in Indiana birds, a disease that also started in the eastern U.S. and spread westward to Indiana.

West Nile virus is monitored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, because it can also be transmitted to humans and has the potential to create inflammation in peoples brains and spinal cords. As of August 2021, there were no known human infections.

Brood X, one of the largest emergences of the 17-year cicadas in the country, reached peak emergence in June, just a few weeks before the flood of reports of sick and dying songbirds.

Though the cicada emergence has ended, researchers are still evaluating whether they played a role in songbirds deaths. Gillet said that investigators are testing cicadas in the laboratory to see whether they could have been contaminated with pesticides or other materials that would have harmed the birds that ate them.

There have been several rumors circulating about the songbird illness.

A common myth is that the expansion of 5G  a high-speed wireless internet network  caused the birds to die.

Theres no evidence that that is the case, Gillet said. It seems highly unlikely, she said, given that 5G has expanded across the entirety of the U.S., but birds have only been dying in certain states. There would also be no reason for the illness to only affect songbird species, rather than all birds, if it were caused by 5G.

Theres no scientific evidence to prove that that particular system has any effect on bird biology, Gillet said.

Another myth posits that its being caused by genetically modified bird seed or bird seed in general: If that were the case, Gillet said, the illness would be found in all birds, and in every area where the birdseed is being used.

A rumor that the birds were infected by COVID-19 has also been disproved, Gillet said, as tests for the disease in the birds have come up negative.

Researchers have noticed a gradual decrease in the illness spreading.

But for now, the investigation continues. Indianas DNR and Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory is working with other state natural resources agencies through an interagency group run out of the National Wildlife Health Center, Gillet said. These members meet to discuss tracking, testing and any breakthroughs on this investigation.

One silver lining out of this incident, Gillet said, is that she and others at the DNR have learned just how much people love birds, with reports and messages of concern flooding in over recent months.

They have a lot of emotional connection to them, she said. Its just heartening to know that thats the way people can connect to nature.

Gillet says she hopes this illness will remind people to be good about bird bath and bird feeder hygiene and the importance of reporting illnesses to aid with bird conservation.

What can Hoosiers do to help?

If you live in Allen, Carroll, Clark, Floyd, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Lake, Marion, Monroe, Morgan, Porter, St. Joseph, Tippecanoe or Whitley County, the DNR asks that you keep your bird feeders and bird baths inside for now.

But if you miss watching birds feed outside of your window, you may still have one option for providing food for them in your yard: plant native plants.

Native plants can be food for birds, or provide habitats for their food, if they eat insects. These plants are also excellent habitats for pollinators such as bees and butterflies, which have been facing substantial population loss in recent decades due to decreased habitat and food.

Its really quite lovely to watch birds actually forage on native plants, because they exhibit more natural behaviors, Gillet said. Planting native in your yard not only benefits the birds that eat the seeds from the plants ... but also a whole variety of other species.

If you dont live in one of these counties, you should still be practicing bird hygiene, Gillet said. You can do this by cleaning your bird feeders and bird baths with a 10% bleach solution every two weeks.

For most recent information about the songbird illness investigation, check online at the DNRs website here.

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Source: The Indianapolis Star
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  Sri Lankas Parliament on Monday approved a state of emergency declared by the president, who said it is needed to control food prices and prevent hoarding amid shortages of some staples.

Opposition lawmakers said the emergency declaration isn't needed because other laws can be used to maintain essential supplies, and the tough emergency rules can be misused to stifle critics.

The emergency law enables authorities to detain people without warrants, seize property, enter and search any premises, suspend laws and issue orders that cannot be questioned in court. Officials who issue such orders are also immune from lawsuits.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared the emergency on Aug. 30. The constitution requires that it be approved within 14 days by the 225-member Parliament, where the governing party has more than 150 seats. The resolution received 132 votes in favor and 51 against.

The government said it has made maximum efforts to use normal laws, but that court cases it filed have been delayed by the pandemic. Governing party lawmakers said the emergency was declared only because other options were not working, and that the government does not intend to use the emergency regulations against opponents.

Sri Lanka has been governed under a state of emergency for much the last 50 years as it went through two Marxist insurrections and a decades-long civil war. Authorities were often accused of using the rules to suppress opponents.

In recent weeks there have been shortages of essential items such as sugar, milk power and cooking gas. The government says the shortages were artificially created by hoarders. The country is also facing a foreign exchange crisis triggered by a drop in tourism and exports, along with heavy loan repayments.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP)  Georgias oldest city is closing out a busy summer with a swarm of tourists over the Labor Day weekend.

Visit Savannah, the city's tourism bureau, predicted 80% of hotel rooms in the area would be booked through the Monday holiday.
RENO, Nev. (AP)  federal judge has denied tribal leaders bid to temporarily block digging for an archaeological study required before construction can begin for a Nevada lithium mine on what they say is sacred land where their ancestors were massacred more than century ago.

U.S. District Judge Miranda Du refused three tribes request for a preliminary injunction blocking the trenching planned to collect samples near the Oregon state line at the site of the largest known lithium deposit in the United States.

The tribes say their ancestors were massacred in the late 1800s at the proposed Thacker Pass site. Lithium is a key component in electric vehicle batteries. Demand for the mineral is expected to triple over the next five years.

Du emphasized in the ruling late Friday in Reno she has pledged to hear and rule on the merits of the case before Lithium Nevada Corp. hopes to begin construction early next year on the mine the U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved in January.

She rejected a similar request in July for a preliminary injunction sought by environmentalists who claim the digging would destroy critical habitat for greater sage grouse, an imperiled ground-dwelling bird.

Du said Friday she was not unpersuaded by the tribes broader equitable and historical arguments. But she said there was no evidence the bureau acted unreasonably, no evidence the mine was planned on an actual massacre site and that the agency has contingency plans if human remains are unexpectedly discovered.

In sum, while the court finds the tribes arguments regarding the spiritual distress that the (digging) will cause persuasive, the court must nonetheless reluctantly conclude that they have not shown sufficiently specific irreparable harm that aligns with the relief they could ultimately obtain in this case, Du wrote in denying the temporary injunction.

The company said the governments review of the plans has included substantial consultation with local tribes that never raised similar concerns, while it spent $10 million on the permitting process for the mine.

The Bureau of Land Management began consultation three tribes in the affected area in October 2018  the Fort McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, Summit Lake Paiute Tribe and Winnemucca Indian Colony.

Three additional tribes  the Burns Paiute Tribe in Oregon, Reno Sparks Indian Colony and affiliated Atsa Koodakuh Wyh Nuwu/People of Red Mountain  filed the lawsuit in July accusing the BLM of violating historic preservation laws by failing to consult with them about an Historic Properties Treatment Plan guiding the initial archaeological dig required before mine construction can begin.

Du said the People of Red Mountain are not a federally recognized tribe so it has no legal standing.

A specific federal permit for the archaeological dig is still pending. But the Historic Properties Treatment Plan (HPTP) approved by the bureau allows a Lithium Nevada contractor to dig two to 25 holes by hand at each of 21 historic sites and seven mechanical trenches at some 40 meters (131 feet) long on .04 acres (.02 hectare) of an area no larger than one-quarter acre (.1 hectare), the judge said.

She acknowledged the tribes consider the entire Thacker Pass area sacred. But she said the National Historic Properties Act does not give the tribes the right to prevent all digging in the entire project area. It merely provides for consultation.

There is no question BLM could have done more here, Du wrote.

However, all that the applicable regulations require is that BLM make ... a reasonable and good faith effort, she said. BLM is not required to consult every Native American tribe on every project it approves."

Du said government field notes from 1868 the tribes presented as evidence of the massacre only describe the scattered remains of Indians generally."

At least as catalogued in the HPTP, none of these sites are burial or massacre sites; they are primarily locations where the tribes ancestors gathered obsidian to make arrowheads, Du said.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP)  A second forensic examination site for sexual assault victims has opened in Tucson.

The Arizona Daily Star reports that the site opened last week at Banner-University Medical Center Tucson. The site is supported by a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Justice Department.

In Arizona, such exams must have been completed by certified sexual assault nurse examiners for evidence from a survivors sexual assault kit to be admissible in court.

Previously, victims of sexual assault who wanted to obtain a medical forensic exam had to go to Tucson Medical Center, where they would be met by a sexual assault forensic examiner affiliated with the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault.

For victims who sought treatment for the assault or related injuries at a hospital other than Tucson Medical Center, having to transfer to another hospital was an additional barrier, and one that could lend itself to re-traumatization of the survivor, experts say.

By staying at one hospital, survivors wont have to fill out two sets of forms, give their information twice or tell their story again.

The Justice Department grant also will pay for the creation of a Sexual Assault Response Team made up of experts who will guide the program to ensure it meets survivors needs.
TUMON, Guam - Passport: check. Coronavirus test: negative. Temperature: normal.

Wearing an N95 mask and face shield, Jimmy Lin lugged his bag full of instant noodles and beachwear out of Guam's modest airport one recent afternoon.

"It feels kind of surreal being here," said the 37-year-old from Taiwan, who owns a ski resort in Japan that he hasn't visited since early 2020 because of travel restrictions. "I used to travel abroad at least every other month, and then suddenly the world was closed on me."

Like thousands of Asian tourists who have visited this American outpost in the Pacific since early this summer, Lin was in Guam to get his preferred coronavirus shots - Pfizer's messenger-RNA doses - under a vaccine tourism initiative designed to offset pandemic losses.

While an increasing number of tourism-reliant countries, such as Italy and Thailand, recognize vaccination records for travel, a vacation abroad remains off-limits for millions of the unvaccinated. Enter Guam, a U.S. territory with ample vaccine supplies and no quarantine restrictions, where more than 80 percent of the eligible population is fully vaccinated. For residents of Taiwan, South Korea and elsewhere, three weeks on a tropical island plus the chance to get doubly dosed equals an opportunity they can't always get at home because of supply shortages and access issues.

"I'm a vaccine snob," said Lin, who got his first Pfizer shot on Aug. 3 through Guam's government-sponsored "vacation and vaccination," or AirV&V, program, paying $100 for one dose. "Here in Guam I can choose the vaccine I want at an affordable price, but back in Taiwan, all I could do was wait for whatever is available, at who knows when."

Around the world, tourism-dependent places have come up with creative ideas to try to jump-start business devastated by the pandemic. Some have sought to lure digital nomads or allowed visitors to quarantine in resorts. Others have tried travel bubbles that have collapsed when new outbreaks have flared.

And while Guam's AirV&V initiative can go only a small way to redeeming lost tourist dollars - more than 1.6 million international visitors graced these shores in 2019 - businesses say it's worth a shot.

"Since the AirV&V program, we have started to see an increase in international guests from Taiwan, Korea and Japan," said Honoka Yamazaki, a planning manager at the high-end Tsubaki Tower, adding that room bookings and sales were up compared with last year.

Some 2,000 visitors from Taiwan, where only 4% of people are fully vaccinated, have visited Guam since the first charter flight on July 6, according to Taiwan's Lion Travel, which operates tour groups to Guam and Palau.

Vaccine tourists book their shots online and often get them at a kiosk in the tourist center of Tumon, home to upscale hotels and luxury shops. Tech companies including TSMC, the world's largest chipmaker, have booked group tours for their employees, who arrive on charter flights and stay in a handful of designated AirV&V hotels.

Malls and restaurants in Guam's tourist hot spots have reopened in recent weeks as more locals have gotten vaccinated. And now, the modest inflow of tourists is encouraging other businesses to follow suit. To keep the arrivals coming, Guam officials have proposed giving a $500 shopping coupon to AirV&V vacationers.

"A full recovery may take a long time, but bringing the tourists back is a vital start to that recovery," said Anna Kao, owner of the beachfront Ocean Villa in Tamuning, a village abutting Tumon. Her guesthouse, which had to close for months in 2020 after a lockdown, reopened before Christmas and has seen more visitors from Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines this summer.

But even here, 1,500 miles from Tokyo and 4,000 miles from Hawaii, the pandemic is never far away.

No sooner had Guam officials eased restrictions this summer than coronavirus cases began to spike again in August. The local government on Monday reinstated mask mandates and social distancing rules. U.S. military facilities - including Naval Base Guam and Andersen Air Force Base - also reimposed mask requirements. Restaurants now require proof of vaccination for dine-in customers and have stepped up checks.

"The pandemic, as you can see, is not going anywhere any time soon," said Brandon Kinsella, a project coordinator for the AirV&V program. But, he said, "there will always be a need for vaccines and a market for travel." Guam, like the rest of the United States, will roll out booster shots in coming weeks.

The new wave of infections has taken away some of the excitement for visitors longing for a sun-and-sand vacation. Some Taiwanese groups visiting Guam for vaccinations are choosing to quarantine themselves in their hotel rooms, emerging only for takeaway food.

"I don't want to get covid when I came here to get vaccinated against the virus," said Richard Chang, a recent retiree from Taipei, who had just received his second Moderna shot at the Hyatt Regency Guam and was clutching his arm at the instruction of a Mandarin-speaking local guide.

Guam has seen other crises before, and eventually recovered.

Accompanying his fiancee for three weeks of vacation and vaccination, Shin Hee-seok, a South Korean scholar, said the delta variant reminded him of the North Korean missile threat to Guam in 2017, which scared many visitors and sent flight and hotel prices plummeting.

"South Koreans have outgrown the fear of North Korean missile threats and are now learning to live with the coronavirus," said Shin, an international law researcher at Yonsei University in Seoul.

South Korea, one of the island's top sources of tourists, is recording more than 1,000 infections a day. And while the outbreak in Guam - population 170,000 - is small compared with those elsewhere, vaccine tourists face other, more prosaic concerns.

"I've done everything that's still open to tourists, from shooting and hiking to jet skiing, kayaking, scuba diving and surfing," Lin, the Taiwanese resort owner, said the night before he headed home in late August, fully vaccinated, and into mandatory two-week quarantine.

"For someone who's used to city life, Guam feels like paradise, but only for the first week or two. If I had to spend longer here, I would probably get bored."

- - -

The Washington Post's Alicia Chen in Taipei contributed to this report.
This story was originally published on KCRA.

Around 500 people so far were told to evacuate after a fire sparked under the Foresthill Bridge in Placer County, officials said.

Called the Bridge Fire, it started around 12:50 p.m. on the Auburn side of the bridge, according to Cal Fire's Nevada Yuba Placer division. The fire is holding steady at 250 acres burned. There is no containment on the fire at this time.

The Placer County Sheriff's Office said evacuation warnings were issued for those along Applegate Road on north Boole Road to the North Fork American River. Warnings were also issued for the North Fork American River on South Bell Road at Musso Road.

The Foresthill Fire Protection District said Lake Clementine has been evacuated, and that there are evacuation warnings issues for the Clipper Gap area. The fire district also said it might announce warnings for the town of Foresthill should the fire move closer to it.

With evacuation warnings, people are not required to leave the area but are recommended to in case fire activity flares up in a threatening way. If you don't leave, officials still urge you to be ready if required to leave immediately.

Visitors in the Auburn State Recreation Area were ordered to evacuate, Cal Fire said.

Around 4:40 p.m., KCRA 3's Brittany Hope spotted a large plume of black smoke.

The fire is now burning on both sides of the bridge. Cal Fire said the fire is spotting across Foresthill Road.

There are nearby structures threatened by the fire but no homes are reported damaged or destroyed, Cal Fire said.

A Cal Fire spokesperson said this has the potential to become a major fire because there are a lot of fuels for the fire to burn and enough wind to carry the flames.

The Foresthill Fire Protection District said both Foresthill Road and Old Foresthill Road are closed to traffic at this time.

There is no threat to the City of Auburn at this time, according to the Auburn Police Department. Officers are assisting other first responders fighting the Bridge Fire.

Nine air tankers, 15 dozers and 30 fire engines are currently fighting the fire, Cal Fire told KCRA 3.

The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said it, along with other regional agencies, have sent a strike team that includes five fire engines to assist.

This is a developing story. Stay with KCRA 3 for the latest.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  A towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, is expected to be taken down on Wednesday as a symbol of racial injustice, more than 130 years after it was erected in tribute to the Souths Civil War leader.

While many other Confederate symbols across the South have been removed without public announcements beforehand to avoid unruly crowds, Gov. Ralph Northam's office is expecting a multitude and plans to livestream the event on social media.

Northam announced plans to take down the statue in June 2020, 10 days after George Floyd died under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, sparking nationwide protests against police brutality and racism. The plans were stalled for more than a year by two lawsuits filed by residents opposed to its removal, but rulings last week by the Supreme Court of Virginia cleared the way for the work to proceed.

Patrick McSweeney, an attorney for the plaintiffs in one of the lawsuits, said Tuesday he had notified the high court that he will ask for a rehearing, but such requests are rarely granted. From 2016 through 2020, the court granted rehearings in just two of the 86 requests it received, said L. Steven Emmert, an appellate attorney who publishes a website focusing on appellate rulings in Virginia.

"The chances are extremely remote, Emmert said.

McSweeney also filed a motion seeking clarification from the court about its order last week, which dissolved an injunction preventing the statues removal. He wanted to known when it takes effect.

Attorney General Mark Herring argued the matter needed no further clarification, saying the court order stated plainly that the prior injunction pending appeal was dissolved immediately.

It was not immediately clear if or when the court would respond.

The imposing, 21-foot (6.4-meter) tall bronze likeness of Lee on a horse sits atop a granite pedestal nearly twice that high in the grassy center of a traffic circle on Richmonds famed Monument Avenue

Virginias largest monument to the Confederate insurrection will come down this week, Northam said in news release on Monday. This is an important step in showing who we are and what we value as a commonwealth.

In Monday's news release, state officials said that preparations for the statue's removal will began at 6 p.m. Tuesday when crews will install protective fencing.

Once the statue is hoisted off the pedestal, it's expected to be cut into two pieces for transport, although the final plan is subject to change, said Dena Potter, a spokeswoman for the state's Department of General Services.

After the statue is taken down Wednesday, crews on Thursday will remove plaques from the base of the monument and will replace a time capsule that is believed to be there.

In Richmond, a city that was the capital of the Confederacy for much of the Civil War, the Lee statue became the epicenter of last summers protest movement. The city has removed more than a dozen other pieces of Confederate statuary on city land since Floyds death.

Tle Lee statue is one of the largest and most recognizable Confederate statues in the country, and its removal is expected to draw large crowds.

Limited viewing opportunities will be available on a firstcome, firstserved basis, state officials said in Monday's news release. The removal also will be livestreamed through the governor's Facebook and Twitter accounts.

The Lee statue was created by the internationally renowned French sculptor Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercie and is considered a masterpiece, according to its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, where it has been listed since 2007.

When the statue arrived in 1890 from France, an estimated 10,000 Virginians used wagons to haul its pieces more than a mile to where it now stands. White residents celebrated the statue, but many Black residents have long seen it as a monument glorifying slavery.

The Northam administration has said it would seek public input on the statues future. The 40-foot granite pedestal will be left behind for now amid efforts to rethink the design of Monument Avenue. Some racial justice advocates dont want it removed, seeing the graffiti-covered pedestal as a symbol of the protest movement that followed Floyds killing.

Lawrence West, 38, member of BLM RVA, an activist group thats been occupying the transformed space at the Lee monument, said he believes the decision to remove the statue was fueled by the work of protesters.

I mean, it hadnt come down before. They (Democrats in charge of state government) had all the opportunities in the world.

West said he would like to see the statue site turned into a community space to cultivate all types of connections between different people.

___

Associated Press writer Sarah Rankin contributed to this report.
MADRID (AP)  Madrids panda family grew Monday with the birth of twin cubs, a boost to the popular species that is considered China's national treasure.

The twins were born to their mother, Hua Zuiba, and father, Bing Xing, a pair of giant pandas on loan from China, the Madrid Zoo announced in a statement.

The births took place with a four-hour difference on Monday morning, the zoo said. Veterinarians were waiting to determine the pairs sex, weight and vital signs. But the zoo statement said the birth had been calmer due to the mother's experience.

Madrid's adult pandas have had four other cubs earlier, including another pair of twins in 2010. They were all sent back to China after a few years in the Madrid Zoo.

In a video released by the zoo, Hua Zuiba can be seen vocalizing while moving into the labor position. A cub appears in just a few seconds, wiggling energetically before the mother takes the newborn with her mouth and licks it while holding it in her lap.

Panda cubs are born without hair and with pink skin, and are completely depend on their mother for at least four months.

China's Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding sent two experts for the births in Madrid, the zoo said, and they will be assisting with the first weeks of breastfeeding.

Conservation efforts, including panda breeding in captivity, have brought the giant pandas from the brink of extinction. The species is now listed by the IUCN conservation group as vulnerable.

There are about 1,800 pandas living in the wild in China and about 500 in captivity worldwide, where twin births are not uncommon. The Beauval Zoo, south of Paris, saw a twin panda birth in August.
National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue is welcomed at the airport (Photo: VNA) The conference, which is being jointly held by the IPU and the Austrian Parliament from September 6-8 in in-person format, is themed Parliamentary leadership for more effective multilateralism that delivers peace and sustainable development for the people and planet.



NA Chairman Hue is scheduled to deliver speeches on the overall topic of the conference and at some discussions, focusing on sustainable development, the response to COVID-19 and post-pandemic recovery.

On the sidelines of the event, the Vietnamese NA leader will have meetings with leaders of the IPU, parliaments of some countries and some international organisations. He will also attend a Vietnam-Austria business forum.

The conference is a new and special mechanism of the IPU, aiming to contribute a common voice to the United Nations on the settlement of global issues. It is held every five years.

NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue meets with the ambassadors to five European countries (Photo: VNA)

Also on September 5 evening, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue met Vietnamese Ambassadors to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Austria and Germany.



He lauded the efforts of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad, including those in Europe, in implementing the vaccine diplomacy, asking the ambassadors to continue to work hard by all means and all channels to bring more COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam.

The ambassadors should exert more efforts to seek more vaccine sources and remove all obstacles in procedures to bring vaccines and medical supplies home as fast and soon as possible, he requested.
Its officially September, but are we forgetting that its local primary election season? Few of us participate in our municipal elections, including the general election this coming November. But even fewer of us know about our primary process, so we hardly participate in that election for local offices, which is Tuesday, Sept. 14.

Why?

Well, for starters, you have to be affiliated with a political party in Connecticut  because we are in a closed primary state. This means that you have to declare your affiliation before the primary election. If we were an open primary state, you could vote no matter what your party.

Your party loyalty matters to the candidates but also to party leaders. As both a politics researcher and a former New Haven Republican Party chairman, I recognize the importance of party affiliation. Primaries are, after all, when party voters make known which candidate they support, and it especially matters if there are multiple candidates on a party ticket.

But in Connecticut, the bulk of voters (41 percent) are either not registered with a political party or they are registered as unaffiliated. Many media outlets and some party leaders suggest that Connecticut voters are in a blue state, but this is actually a leaning Democratic state because many voters are not affiliated with a political party, though they tend to vote for Democratic candidates in Novembers general election.

Interestingly, one does not have to be registered in either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party to participate in a primary election, even though Connecticut Republicans make up 20 percent and Democrats are 38 percent of the electorate. There are other party choices, especially for state and local offices. In some locales, there are Green, Socialist, Libertarian and Working Family Party options. Theres even an Independent Party, not to be confused with being an independent, as some unaffiliated voters tend to misregister. But third parties make up 2 percent to 3 percent of Connecticuts voters.

What matters is that your party affiliation can make a difference for primary elections. All voters, even party-affiliated ones, have the option to ticket-split, or choose a candidate in another party in the general November election. But primaries are critical because theres often many candidates and a few votes can make the biggest difference in choosing a political party candidate. This is especially important in a one-party-dominant municipality because the primary election is essentially the election to vote for the presumed winner before Novembers general election.

Consider, for example Bridgeport and New Haven, where the majority of voters are overwhelmingly Democratic and the primary election is when local legislative and mayoral candidates are decided.

Yet turnout remains lower in primary elections than in general elections. Often, for local races, only 15 percent to 25 percent participate in primary elections and 20 percent to 25 percent in general elections in urban areas and 10 percent to 20 percent more in suburban and rural areas. Presidential races bring out larger voter numbers, usually 55 percent to 68 percent, partly because of the assumption that federal offices matter most and because media outlets focus more on national politics.

But local politics have the most impact at the community level. Being affiliated with a political party and voting in a primary means you help choose which candidate gets to the general election.

So, consider joining a political party  and dont forget that primary elections for local offices are Tuesday, Sept. 14.

Jonathan L. Wharton is associate dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies and teaches political science at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven.
The Mason County Sheriffs Office arrested a 46-year-old Indiana man after a near six-hour man hunt Sunday night in an area near the intersection of U.S. 10 and Brye Road in Amber Township for an alleged felonious assault, domestic violence and illegal entry, according to a press release from Sheriff Kim Cole.

Cole stated deputies responded at 5:30 p.m. Sunday to the parking lot of Home Depot near the intersection of a report of an assault with a machete. His deputies received information that Cooper allegedly assaulted a woman, and when a citizen went to the aid of the woman, Cooper allegedly pulled a knife and a machete and threatened the citizen, a 34-year-old Ludington man.

Cole said Sunday night the woman, 40, of Plainfield, Indiana, was uninjured. The two knew each other, but the exact nature of their relationship was unknown, he said.

As deputies arrived, Cole stated Cooper allegedly fled west from the parking lot. Because he allegedly was armed, deputies set up a perimeter, and the Emergency Response Team was activated and K9 units were requested. Cole said the search was assisted by his deputies going through a shift change, and those deputies who were supposed to end their shift instead searched for Cooper in addition to those deputies starting their shift.

We had cars coming on and heading home, but all responded, Cole said.

The SWAT team and a drone searched the property of an abandoned home and barn on South Brye Road initially, just south of the Holiday Inn Express. Cole said both Home Depot and the hotel were notified of the searched, but he was not sure if either business or others went into a lockdown during that time.

The Mason County Sheriffs Office K-9 unit was joined by fellow units from Newaygo and Oceana counties and two from the Michigan State Police to track Cooper, Cole stated. He was tracked from near Brye Road to near the intersection of First Street and Dennis Road for several hours as night fell.

During the search, Cole urged those who lived within the perimeter of U.S. 10 to the north, Conrad Road to the south, Stiles road to the east and the U.S. 31 freeway to the west to lock their homes and vehicles, stay in their homes and be on the lookout for the man.

Cooper was located after 11 p.m.,and he was arrested without incident, Cole stated. He is lodged in the Mason County Jail. Cooper was also wanted on warrants issued from the Michigan State Police Cadillac Post as well as Indiana for possession of methamphetamine, Cole stated.

The Mason County Sheriffs Office was assisted also by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in tracking Cooper and the Pere Marquette Fire Department in closing roads to setting up the perimeter. Cole also thanked the citizens that called with sightings and information when tracking the suspect. Home Depot also provided water and Hungry Howies provided food for law enforcement during the search.
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Actress Meenakshii Chaudhary recently made her Telugu debut with 'Ichata Vahanamulu Niluparadu'. She already had two more Telugu films signed even before the release of first one and she says that she is clear about always taking up a film which has a strong story.

The actress, who hails from Haryana, made her acting debut with web series 'Out Of Love' and is glad that she started out with a content-driven project.

"My funda to be able to take up a project was always the script and I was lucky enough to get my first film which was content-based. I had a lot to showcase as an actor and not just be a pretty face. So, strong story backing is something that I really love and I am very particular about," the actress tells IANS.

She adds: "I would give that preference and if that's good then the film will also be good. The audience has become very smart today. So, even the bigger actors or everybody is taking the script as a priority. So, if the script is good, the film will be good. I have been fortunate enough to get good scripts at the start of my career."

The actress will next be seen alongside actor Ravi Teja in 'Khiladi' and with Adivi Sesh in 'Hit 2'.

Was there any nervousness about signing two more Telugu films before her first film released in Tollywood?

"Not really," says the actress, who then explains, "Every movie has its own destiny. What I have in control is to not expect anything from any project and do my best. That is something that I will not leave behind. Whatever happens will be a learning experience. Even if things don't go the way you expect them to, you know that you have another day and another chance to prove yourself. So, it's not about being nervous, it's a constant learning process. I am still very new and I need to learn a lot as an actor."

Text: IANS

Images: Meenakshii, Meenakshi Chaudhary
The BNPB's acting spokesperson Abdul Muhari said on Sunday that the flooding occurred on Saturday night after heavy rains caused the rivers of Andau, Kanusuang, and Salu Kadundung to overflow, reports Xinhua news agency.

Jakarta, Sep 6 (IANS) At least 330 people were affected by floods that submerged 90 houses and plantations in Polewali Mandar district of Indonesia's South Sulawesi province, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said.

"The floods also submerged 21 hectares of cocoa plantations and 100 hectares of rice fields, and made two bridges almost collapse with their foundations eroded," said Muhari.

The floods began to recede on Sunday, while officials cleared settlements and streets of garbage.

The Meteorological, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency said heavy rains with lightning and strong winds are possible in the region on Monday.

The BNPB said 13 sub-districts in Polewali Mandar are threatened by moderate to high flooding.

--IANS

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Afghanistan now is experiencing a collapse of administration and economy, rising food prices, restriction on basic freedom and brutalities against women and children. And there is no mechanism to seek redress or appeal, thus creating a hell-like situation for Afghan people.

Kabul/New Delhi Sep 6 (IANS) Taliban celebrated Independence Day as the last troop of the US military forces left Afghanistan. But after the Taliban takeover, the average Afghan population faces mounting challenges ahead.

The humanitarian organisations and non-profits working in Afghanistan have painted a horrific picture of Afghanistan and its people.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a humanitarian catastrophe loomed in Afghanistan. "Almost half of the population need humanitarian assistance. One in three don't know where their next meal will come from.Now more than ever, Afghan children, women & men need the support & solidarity of the international community," he said.

With the withdrawal of the US troops, the economy of Afghanistan has taken a blow as the foreign fund assistance to the country has started receding. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have cut off their finance to the war-torn country as the international community debates over whether to recognise the Taliban government.

IMF has halted Afghanistan's access to its resources including the country's share of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) reserves. The World Bank has expressed concern over Afghanistan's "development prospects, especially for women" and suspended aid disbursements. The World Bank's aid commitment is worth $5.3 billion.

Now, the country is headed toward economic collapse thanks to struggling financial condition, frozen foreign help and lack of recovery roadmap by the Taliban.

In absence of foreign funding, the most serious concern is fast-depleting food stock in the country. According to the United Nations, food supplies for Afghan people will run out by end of September. About 14 million people in the country are staring at severe hunger.

Mary-Ellen McGroarty, the World Food Programme's (WFP) Director in Afghanistan, said, "A humanitarian crisis today of incredible proportions is unfolding before our eyes."

The WFP has warned of a serious shortage of food in Afghanistan once winter begins.

"Winter is coming. We are going into the lean season and many Afghan roads will be covered in snow," said Andrew Patterson, the WFP's deputy country director in Afghanistan.

He said the WFP had procured around 27,000 metric tonnes of food for the country so far.

"We need another 54,000 metric tonnes of food to get the Afghan people through to the end of December. We could start running out of food by September," he said.

Afghanistan has witnessed drought this year, which led to a 40 percent decline in domestic food production.6 It has caused food prices to skyrocket. Wheat prices have gone up by 25 percent while many essential ration items have to be imported and purchased at higher rates.

It is adding to child malnutrition in the country, where political and economic conditions are turning worse every passing day. Moreover, first aid supplies including malnutrition kits were stuck at the Kabul airport. Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan, said children aged above five are faced with severe malnutrition. Millions of Afghans are in danger of starvation, he said.

"More than half of Afghan children do not know whether they'll have a meal tonight or not. That's the reality of the situation we're facing on the ground," Alakbarov said.

At the local level too, there is a panic as banks and government offices have remained closed since the Taliban takeover two weeks ago. There are queues of cash-strapped and anxious people outside the banks.

"Afghanistan's banking system is now in a state of collapse, and people are running out of money," said Gazal Gailani, trade and economic adviser at the Afghan embassy in London.

The US would take care of 75 per cent of Afghanistan's civil budget while it paid for the entire military budget. Now the US is gone; the World Bank and the IMF have also suspended financial aid. The European Union and Germany too have cut off economic ties with Afghanistan. With the country's ailing economy, diminishing foreign help and now Taliban steering it, the current situation in Afghanistan threatens to worsen an already devastating economic and humanitarian crisis.

--IANS

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On Sunday morning, heavy gunfire was heard in the urban commune of Kaloum, downtown Conakry, in Guinea, where the Presidential Palace and several ministerial departments are located, reports xinhua news agency.

Conakry, Sep 6 (IANS) International organisations such as the UN, the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as well as some regional bodies have condemned the military coup in Guinea and called for the release of the West African nation's President.

In the afternoon, Guinea's Defence Ministry said in an official press release that "the Presidential Guard, supported by the defence and security forces, contained the threat and pushed back the group of insurgents".

However, later in the day, Lieutenant-Colonel Mamady Doumbouya announced on national television that his forces have arrested President Alpha Conde, and dissolved the government and national institutions.

The country's borders were closed and its constitution was declared invalid in the announcement.

A video posted on social media showed that Conde was surrounded by a group of armed soldiers, but the capturing time and place of the video remain unclear.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the European Union, the AU and ECOWAS all condemned the coup and demanded that the rebels release Conde.

In a tweet, Guterres said: "I am personally following the situation in Guinea very closely. I strongly condemn any takeover of the government by force of the gun and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde."

The 55-member AU also called for an immediate release of Conde in a statement.

Felix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who is also the current AU chairperson, and Moussa Faki Mahamat, the AU Commission chairperson, further called on the AU Peace and Security Council to meet urgently to examine the new situation in Guinea and to take appropriate measures in the circumstances.

"ECOWAS decidedly condemns this attempted coup d'etat that happened on Sunday," the community said in a statement, demanding the safe release of President Conde and other detained people.

"ECOWAS also demands restoration of the constitutional order in Guinea in order to avoid using sanctions," ECOWAS said.

The Nigerian government on Sunday condemned the takeover of power by force in Guinea.

"The government of Nigeria strongly condemns and rejects any unconstitutional change of government and therefore calls on those behind this coup to restore constitutional order without delay and protect all lives and property," Nigerian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esther Sunsawan said.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell condemned in a tweet the coup in Guinea, calling on the rebels to release President Conde.

In a statement, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price also condemned the seizure of power by the military in Guinea, urging all parties to avoid violence and engage in dialogue.

--IANS

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The decision by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the independent vaccine advisory group, was based on a concern over an extremely rare side effect of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines which causes heart inflammation, and can lead to palpitations and chest pain, the BBC reported.

London, Sep 5 (IANS) The UK's vaccine advisory body has declined to grant approval for inoculating healthy children aged 12-15 years citing lack of sufficient evidence, and has also ceded authority on the decision to the country's top medical officers, according to media reports.

Data from the US, where millions of young teenagers have been vaccinated, suggests there are 60 cases of the heart condition for every million second doses given to 12 to 17-year-old boys (compared to eight in one million girls).

According to the JCVI, as children were at a low risk from the virus the jabs would offer only a marginal benefit and, therefore, there showed "insufficient" evidence to offer mass vaccination to this age group.

Although the vaccine advisers have been under huge pressure, they are "taking a precautionary approach", Prof Wei Shen Lim, chairman of Covid immunisation at JCVI was quoted as saying.

"The margin of benefit is considered too small to support universal Covid-19 vaccination for this age group at this time. The committee will continue to review safety data as they emerge," he added.

The JCVI also noted that the health benefits of jabs for younger teenagers when weighed against possible side-effects were not yet clear.

On Friday, in an unprecedented step, the JCVI passed the decision on to England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and his three counterparts from the UK's devolved administrations, the Financial Times reported.

The response from the medical officers is expected to come back "as soon as next week", the report said, citing people familiar with the process even as political pressure mounts to jab children over 12 as schools return from summer holidays.

The officers are expected to give the green light to a rollout, as Sajid Javid, UK Health Secretary has asked them to take into account "broader educational and societal impacts" than the JCVI's remit permits.

The new decision on a rollout of Covid shots to all 12-15 year olds will also have the involvement of senior leaders in clinical and public health.

"We will then consider the advice, building on the advice from the JCVI, before making a decision shortly," Sajid Javid, the UK Health Secretary was quoted as saying.

A group of 24 countries including France, Italy, Israel and Ireland have already offered the vaccine to all children in this age group

--IANS

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"I have always been fascinated by the astonishing power and beauty of nature. It is this fascination with the unknown, the unexplored and the untouched which draws me repeatedly to these pristine and desolate parts of the planet. I am always looking for the planet as it was before we gnawed away at it and changed it to what it looks like today. I can only try and describe what I saw, although I know I cannot do justice to the amazing spectacles to which I was witness. This photo essay covers three different visits over the last 10 years, the only common thread being 'Pristine'," writes Sakhuja about the exhibition.

The photographs engage with the power and beauty of nature. Sakhuja in his art practice has been fascinated by and is drawn to the unknown, the unexplored, and the untouched, pristine and desolate parts of the planet.

Contemplating on his visit to desert land in Namibia, he writes: "In all my life I have never seen anything as raw, as untamed, and as stunning. The Namib stretches for more than 2,000 km along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia and South Africa, over undulating seas of sand, gravel plains and rocky mountain outcrops. The 'roaring dunes'-- so called because they create a perfect storm of sand and air, begetting thereby a rumble that is as loud as a low-flying plane--are also distinctive to the Namib."

Similarly, the medical professional has this to say about his observations in Arizona and Iceland:

"Today, nearly 200 million years later, these grand canyons, also known as slot canyons because of the thin cracks in the canyon roof which allows in slivers of the blazing Arizona sunlight, are widely accepted to be among the most beautiful, natural architectural features in the world. Slot canyons, typically, are much deeper than they are wide. Some are so narrow that you can touch both walls with your arms outstretched. Others are much wider, like large rooms that suddenly change in shape and size as you twist and turn round the next corner. You have no idea what to expect beyond a few yards. Nature retains her equal ability to surprise and mesmerise."

"Most people would not catch a flight to Iceland in November, in the heart of a full-blown winter that does not seem to distinguish between night and day. And yet there is a certain kind of light, between the enormous storm systems--I was witness to one magnificent display of fire and ice--and large, dark masses of clouds that glower threateningly from the sky."

Calling himself a "full-time eye surgeon, driven by a passion for photography", Sakhuja says, "The truth is that while ophthalmology and photography are all about perceiving light in the best way possible, there are several ways of seeing. Over the years, as I have wielded the camera, I know I have imbued my photographs with my own core. The eye looks through the lens, of course, but it is the mind which impels the finger to trigger the shutter."

"I know that the perfect photograph has never been taken and the perfect eye surgery has never been performed. To have the opportunity to attempt both--I believe I am twice blessed. Every time I venture forth to some remote, untouched part of our planet, I think I have come very close to my own personal quest of taking the perfect photo. I can never click my camera fast enough--I have often thought I saw God in some of these places at least a few times. I know I always leave a little bit of my soul behind."

The online exhibition is on view on www.iicdelhi.in.



(Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in)

--IANS

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"We do not oppose useful negotiations, but the plan and result of negotiations must be the lifting of sanctions against Iran," he said while speaking to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Sunday.

Tehran, Sep 6 (IANS) Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that his country is ready for "useful" talks aimed at lifting sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

This was the second phone conversation between the two leaders within a month.

Besides the nuclear issue, the independence of Iran and France in their policies is a "valuable reserve" that may be used to establish "balanced, strong and stable" ties between the two countries, Raisi told the French President.

Concerning the current situation in Afghanistan, the Iranian president said the US and NATO policy of military intervention has failed, and 20 years of occupation have had no benefit for the Afghan people.

"In the current situation, everyone must help form an inclusive government with the participation of all groups" in the country and let the Afghan people decide their own destiny, he added.

Regarding Lebanon, Raisi expressed Iran's support for the formation of a strong government that can ensure and protect the rights of the Lebanese.

He said Iran would not withhold any humanitarian aid to Lebanon, and voiced Tehran's readiness to cooperate with France for the progress.

For his part, Macron stressed the need to review the ties between France and Iran, and expressed his country's interest in developing its relations with Tehran.

Macron mentioned the Afghan refugees in Iran as well as the problems caused by their presence, and emphasised the need for the assistance of the UN Refugee Agency.

Concerning the situation in Lebanon, Macron expressed France's readiness to cooperate with Iran, along with Hezbollah to help create a strong and efficient government in the country.

Macron also voiced hope that the Vienna talks aiming to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement could resume with the presence of Iran.

--IANS

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Maduro said in an interview with Venezuelan state television on Sunday that the document proposes "the immediate lifting of all commercial, financial, oil, and economic sanctions against Venezuela and the immediate return of all bank accounts, assets, and Venezuelan gold", reports Xinhua news agency.

Caracas, Sep 6 (IANS) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro anoounced that the government delegation participating in talks with the opposition in Mexico had brought forward a document calling for the end of all US sanctions against the country.

The President stated that it is "a legally supported document and also, to a large extent, backed by a set of letters signed by private business associations so that all is returned to Venezuela".

He said that the talks, which resumed on September 3, are following an "agenda of issues" agreed to in the first round of negotiations held in August.

The President stated that during the negotiations, they will have "the greatest amount of patience to seek an agreement for peace, recovery, prosperity, and the well-being of Venezuelans".

Maduro also explained that he understands the dialogue that has been opened with the opposition also involves the US government.

"When we sit at that table, we understand that we sit with the US government, because that platform is the politicians dependent on the opinions of the US," he said.

Norway is also participating in the negotiations, and delegations from the governments of Russia and the Netherlands are also present.

--IANS

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We Founder Circle (WFC)  a startup investment platform, in continuation to its mission to fund early-stage start-ups, has endowed in Vidyakul, a Vernacular after-school e-learning platform. The Bridge round is worth $500K leads by We Founder circle and witnessed participation from other marquee investors including JITO Angel Network and Thinkuvate. The firm intends to use this fund in expanding the Vidyakul team and enhancing the platform functionality.

Gaurav Singhvi Co-Founder, We Founder Circle adds, We have started helping Vidyakul since 2019, and have invested $100K in Jan 2021 as we were very bullish on vernacular eLearning consumer growth. Since he launched the Gujarati language after starting with Hindi, a lot of our investors and local business community were keen to actively work with them. That is how with overwhelming demand from the Gujarati community we are able to reinvest $250K in this round again.

Vidyakul is aimed at providing after-school e-learning for the state board students in vernacular languages. The platform understands that education is best delivered when in ones own language. The edtech startup is currently delivering education in four languages and has already enabled the same for 10 lakh students from 10 States.

The startup has attracted the marquee investors from the Gujarat state that applaud the success of the brand wherein, despite the pandemic it served more than two lakh students from the Gujarat region alone, through its platform. Brand has raised $500K in seed round early this year only.



Tarun Saini- Founder, Vidyakul, said, With the growing internet penetration, the scope of digital learning has widened, and we are exploring the possibilities of the same. E-learning has the capability to address long-standing challenges of  access to quality education, reaching remotest of the areas, student-teacher ratio etc. Wd have made it easier for students by helping them understand concepts in their own language. So far, we are providing courses for 10 boards, and we plan to add more 3 languages and add courses for 3 state boards by end of this fiscal.

Neeraj Tyagi- Co-Founder and CEO, We Founder Circle affirmed EdTech industry has grown multifold in the last one year itself. In India, the industry holds a lot of scopes, and Vidyakuls model is aptly designed to cater to the requirements of the population that actually form the majority. The unique approach to deliver quality education in vernacular languages makes it a go-to platform for students from every region in India. In 2017 the number of regional language internet users surpassed English-speaking users and this number will only grow further, and vernacular-based models will gain more relevance.

He continues, Rural education in India has been the prime focus of the government. Vidyakul, majorly focuses on the BHARAT with a huge content bank of ~100k+ video lectures covering 10+ state boards across Maths and Science. We at JITO Angel Network are proud to be part of Vidyakul and are very confident that the founders will lead the company to great heights. Sunil Kumar SInghvi, Vice Chairman JITO Angel Network.

Ghanshyam Ahuja, Managing Partner, ThinKuvate says, "We like Vidyakul because it is a fast growing "BHARAT" focussed multi-lingual e-learning platform which is enabling teachers to create online courses for students to access quality education at affordable prices in Tier 2 /3 cities in India."
When shopping for triathlon wheels, perhaps nothing has more cool-factor than the composite three spoke design (also called a trispoke). Old timers will recognize the wheel originally created by DuPont, sold under the Specialized brand name, and later sold to Hed. This original wheel was quite fast and lived on for decades  but was designed around narrow 18-19mm tires. Hed debuted a wider version called the GT3 in 2014, but has since discontinued their three spoke line.

You might not know it, but Vision (the aero sub-brand of FSA) has been selling their own three spoke wheel for several years now. They currently sell it in clincher, tubular, and tubeless-ready versions. However, the most recent (and perhaps most noteworthy) update is a disc brake version. The only competition that were aware of includes a disc brake trispoke from Corima, and a 5-spoke from Xentis  both of which can be hard to come by in the United States.



How do you know if a three spoke wheel is right for you? Every manufacturer of such wheels that Ive spoken to has expressed that theyre intended for professionals and top amateurs, riding at high speeds. I take this to mean that they perform best at low yaw angles and with narrower tires than us less-speedy folks might use (I havent received any explanation or direction beyond this from the manufacturers). This is neither good nor bad; its just the design intent of the product. In short, if you are in the middle or back-of-the-pack, a more typical wheel with metal spokes will likely be a faster choice for you.

Like most competitors, the Vision 3 Spoke has an asymmetric design, meaning that it must be installed to your bike in a specific direction. If you look closely at the blade profile

you can see that one edge is sharp, while the other is more rounded. And of course, since this is a disc brake wheel, there is only one direction you can install it at least if you want the ability to stop.

As for the basic specs of the wheel, the tubeless clincher version we received is listed at a weight of 860 grams. It has an internal width of 18mm, an external width of 24.8mm, and a rim depth of 55mm. Vision also sells a tubular version weighing in at 723 grams. We received a front wheel only, but their website shows information regarding freehub compatibility  suggesting that they may be working on a rear wheel version.

Vision did not provide us with a minimum, maximum, or recommended tire size, but a warning sticker on the wheel states a maximum tire pressure of 103 psi (7 bar) with a 25mm tire.

The rim edges have hooks, and Vision doesnt list any restrictions on tire brand or model (i.e. as far as were aware, you can run any clincher or tubeless clincher tire that youd like).

Interestingly, Vision placed the valve hole near one of the spokes perhaps to allow the protruding valve to catch a draft?

Our test wheel came with the Shimano Center Lock disc brake mounting system (their website also shows a 6-bolt version, though no available inventory). Its interesting to note that you must unthread and remove the bearing preload cap in order to install your Center Lock rotor. Also note that it requires Visions lockring thats specific to their axle design.

Vision also sent along their own 140mm Center Lock rotor (160mm is also available).

Vision carbon wheels include rim coverings. They're a nice touch intended to protect from scratches or other light damage when storing your wheels.

They also offer a more robust wheel bag for $81. It holds two road wheels, and includes a shoulder strap and internal pockets.

The Vision 3 Spoke Disc comes equipped with a 12mm axle. They also include a kit with 15mm axle and quick release end caps, covering all possible options currently available in 2021.

Just how fast is this thing? Vision provided the chart above to show drag savings, along with the following translation into 40k time trial performance (at 30mph average speed):



-Vision 3-spoke V2 with 23mm tire averaged 18.4sec faster than Metron 40 with 23mm tire.



-Vision 3-spoke V2 with 25mm tire averaged 16.8sec faster than Metron 40 with 25mm tire.

The Vision Metron 3 Spoke Disc Brake is available now for $1,339 (front wheel only).



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When Joe Biden issued an executive order in July directing the US Treasury Secretary, Attorney General and the chair of the Federal Trade Commission to assess threats to competition and barriers to entry across a range of industries most of the focus was on Big Tech, Big Pharma and Big Telco.

Buried in the detail, however, was the inclusion of a review of the beer, wine and spirits sector that could result in the overhaul of complex structures that date back to the repeal of Prohibition in the US.

The 21st amendment to the US Constitution was ratified in December 1933, repealing the 18th amendment that had established the nationwide prohibition of alcohol.

The Biden administration wants more competition in the US beer, wine and spirits sectors. Credit:Bloomberg

With the end of Prohibition, regulation of alcohol was delegated to individual states and then, in 1935, the US Congress passed new legislation establishing guidelines for the regulation of the production, distribution and sale of alcohol that encouraged the states to prevent vertical integration of the sector.
The EPA report on Perdaman stated the results from the new monitoring program would enable the level of risk of degradation of the rock art from cumulative air emissions from industrial activities to be determined. The EPA also expects that data contributing to interim and final results of the MRAMP, anticipated by mid-2023 and prior to the commencement of the proposal [Perdaman] operations, will facilitate the development of air quality standards, it said. The air quality standards will include environmental quality objectives and environmental quality standards for the purpose of avoiding the cumulative risks of adverse impact of the rock art within the Murujuga Cultural Landscape. Both existing and future emitters at the Burrup should have to meet future air quality objectives developed for cumulative emission sources, the EPA suggested. The independent watchdog also said the state government should come up with a new environmental framework to strategically manage potential cumulative impacts at Murujuga.

Perdaman chairman Vikas Rambal, who was part of the successful bid to build the now-Yara controlled fertiliser plant on the Burrup, said his company needed to review the newly recommended EPA conditions but stated the projects emissions were negligible when it came to impacting the rock art. He said the company had committed to working with traditional owners through the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation through the life of the project. MAC circle of elders and board is fully supporting for the project and which is in line with state policy framework that industry and rock art have to coexist, Mr Rambal said. The urea project is pegged to create 2000 construction jobs and 200 permanent jobs with many of the latter to be based around Karratha. Former CSIRO researcher and Friends of Australian Rock Art member John Black said approving the Perdaman project would be disastrous for the long-term survival of the rock art on the peninsula.

It will accelerate the weathering of the outer brown-black rock crust that is essential for preservation of the rock art, he said. And it will add further to the visual desecration of the Murujuga rock art landscape. Although EPA states there is a lack of full scientific consensus about the impact of pollution on the Murujuga rock art, this ignores the sufficient number of peer reviewed scientific publications that show the rock art is already in danger of destruction. These publications show that the acidity of the rock surface has increased by over 1000-fold since pre-industrialisation of the area. These studies show that the outer rock crust, which is crucial for survival of the rock art, is already being dissolved. The advocate said the release of 353 tonnes of urea particulates from the Perdaman project could have a negative impact. Because the natural rocks on Murujuga contained very little nitrogen, the urea will stimulate the growth of yeasts, fungi, lichens and bacterial, which all produce natural organic acids that are known to dissolve the outer rock crust, Dr Black said.

MAC was contacted for comment. Conservationists fire another shot at Woodside The EPA report singled out the Karratha Gas Plant and Pluto LNG Plant as the two biggest sources of air emissions at Murujuga, prompting a broadside from the Conservation Council of WA. CCWA director Piers Verstegen said the EPAs cautionary approach to emissions with the new urea project stood in contrast to a lack of assessment for the proposed Pluto expansion which would process gas from Woodsides Scarborough development. He said the standard of making sure air emissions did not have an adverse impact on rock art should be applied to existing developments.

We call on the minster and the EPA to undertake a thorough assessment of the Woodside Scarborough and Pluto LNG expansion with this goal in mind, rather than the current approach of allowing the expansion with no assessment of these impacts, Mr Verstegen said. Woodside chief executive Meg ONeill has defended the Scarborough gas expansion in the past saying it contained a negligible amount of carbon dioxide compared to conventional oil and gas reservoirs. Loading Combined with the adoption of best available proven technology in design at Pluto Train 2, these developments will be amongst the lowest-carbon LNG sources globally for Woodsides North Asian customers, she said. A two-week public appeal period regarding the Perdaman projects environmental approvals is open until September 20.

WA Environment Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson will have the final say on the urea plant and will also decide whether any of the other suggestions from the EPA around cumulative impacts are initiated. A spokeswoman for Ms Sanderson said the minister would carefully consider the recommendations from the EPA. Protecting the immensely significant rock art of the Burrup Peninsula is an important shared responsibility and the McGowan government is committed to the Murujuga Rock Art Monitoring Program, she said. Woodside has a proposal for a large-scale solar project to power industry on the Burrup including the new Perdaman urea plant. Credit:Woodside Woodside recently presented a plan to cut emissions from the group, including soon to be acquired BHP assets, by 30 per cent by 2030.
COVID lockdowns have exposed the gender fault lines that still run deeply through Australian families. Maybe dads set up his home office in the spare bedroom, while mum works at the kitchen table near the kids.

Maybe mums dropped a day, or two, of paid work to cope with the extra demands of home-schooling, which, for some reason, appear to have largely fallen to her.

Women in heterosexual relationships are taking on the bigger share of parenting and housework while their partner concentrates on his career.

Without explicitly discussing it  or sometimes even realising it  many Australian couples have fallen back on traditional tropes during this pandemic about how best to divide paid and unpaid work.

In a crisis you get to see who you really are. And what were seeing is how risky it can be to have been deemed the secondary income earner in a family.
Bowen Johnstons mind races with questions. He often cant sit still or concentrate; he is inventive and creative.

Nicky Johnston and her son Bowen, who inspired a new book called The Incredibly Busy Mind of Bowen Bartholomew Crisp. Credit:Joe Armao

His life experience has inspired a new childrens book, The Incredibly Busy Mind of Bowen Bartholomew Crisp, which reveals what its like to live with dyslexia and ADHD. It was written by Paul Russell, a primary teacher, artist, playwright and author, who is also dyslexic.

The book had its genesis at the launch of another childrens book written by Russell and illustrated by Nicky Johnston  Bowens mother.

While speeches were under way, then eight-year-old Bowen was busy creating a masterpiece construction out of the takeaway cups in the room. [Russell] connected immediately with Bowen, he is dyslexic and very creative ... he could see himself in him, says Johnston, who illustrated the new book.
Michael K Williams, the Emmy-nominated actor who played the character Omar Little in the HBO series The Wire, has been found dead in his New York City apartment, police say.

A New York Police Department spokesman said the 54-year-olds body was found in his Brooklyn apartment after an emergency phone call was made to police about 2pm on Monday, local time.

The New York Post reported that Williams died of a suspected drug overdose and drug paraphernalia was found near his body. Williams nephew found him in the penthouse apartment in Williamsburg and called police, the Post reported.

Michael K. Williams, pictured here in 2018, has been found dead in his New York apartment. Credit:AP

Williams grew up in the East Flatbush neighbourhood of Brooklyn, where he said he had never envisioned a life outside the borough. But before he was 30, he had parlayed his love for dance into dancing roles on tours with singers George Michael and Madonna, and then landed his first acting opportunity with another artist, Tupac Shakur.
Opera director Barrie Kosky is living and working in an arts nirvana that shields its talent. The Melbourne-born son of a Richmond furrier has just closed one of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brechts great musical earworms and social critiques on stage in Germanys capital city to almost immediately begin another.

And Australia is about to benefit from Europes effort to support the arts through the pandemic: Koskys striking production of the satirical operatic fairytale The Golden Cockerel, which premiered earlier this year in France, is on its way here in 2022.

Barrie Koskys production of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakovs The Golden Cockerel. Credit:Jean Louis Fernandez

Kosky, 54, has been artistic director of Berlins Komisch Oper (which co-produced Cockerel) since 2012. He says no one lost a job at his company and for 10 months everyone was paid full salary, even if they werent working.

In central Europe, the arts is suffering far less of the financial shock endured in Australia: in February, the German government doubled its emergency pandemic aid for the arts with an additional 1 billion euros, to help cultural organisations and workers survive the second pandemic lockdown.
Water crashing through New York subways, extreme wildfires tearing through California, Greece and Australias own black summer: All media companies, but especially those with populist and tabloid voices, know the power of these images in a world dealing with the catastrophic impact of climate change.

News Corp Australias decision to end its long-standing editorial hostility towards carbon-reduction policies and advocate for the worlds leading economies to hit net zero emissions by 2050 is welcome, but lags far behind a broader shift in the business community and among voters.

For more than a decade, News Corp has cast doubt over the science behind global warming and has attacked federal government efforts to reduce emissions. The negative campaign and promotion of climate sceptics including Peter Ridd  a physicist who has been critical of science linking climate change to coral bleaching on the Barrier Reef  peaked during Australias deadly bushfires almost two years ago. Rupert Murdochs youngest son, James Murdoch, publicly denounced the ongoing denial of climate change before quitting the News Corp board last August, citing concerns about its editorial position.

From next month, the owner of newspapers The Daily Telegraph and The Australian, and 24-hour news channel Sky News Australia, will promote the benefits of a carbon-neutral economy. This comes as world leaders prepare for a critical climate summit in Glasgow later this year. As the Herald has reported, the company will run a two-week campaign advocating for a carbon net zero target to be reached by 2050, which commentators now regard as a minimalist position. The boss of Sky News, Paul Whittaker, said it was not so much a campaign as an exploration of a very complex issue.

The decision to stop wasting time challenging the science makes pragmatic business sense for Rupert Murdochs global media empire in the face of growing international condemnation and pressure from advertisers over its editorial stance on climate change. Despite the companys faded political influence, it may also help Prime Minister Scott Morrison persuade rebel backbenchers in the Liberal/National Coalition to support a zero emissions target.
Sydneysiders should expect a warm and sunny week with temperatures forecast to rise into the high 20s as three-metre waves batter the NSW coast.

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse said little rainfall was expected and maximum temperatures in the city would slowly increase over the coming days.

The waves made for good surfing conditions at Avalon on Monday morning. Credit:Nick Moir

Saturday will be the warmest, broadly anywhere from 26 to 29 degrees across the Sydney Basin during the day, she said.

Then were going to see a change thats going to move through on the weekend.
Since the departure of Julie Bishop from politics, press conferences are rarely fashion moments, but NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk are unexpectedly at the forefront of the latest jewellery trend.

Pearl earrings, regularly worn by the political leaders, are enjoying a resurgence, along with pearl necklaces, with women rewarding themselves for surviving recent lockdown challenges.

Politician in a pearl earring: Gladys Berejiklian; Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Credit:Composite Image: James Brickwood; Matt Dennien

Many customers who have not gone on a big holiday or thrown a big birthday are purchasing pieces to celebrate getting through this year, said Eithne Healy, marketing manager for pearl specialists Kailis Jewellery.

We are seeing women who would have bought entry-level pieces three years ago deciding to buy investment pieces of $2000-$3000, said Kailis general manager Tanya Tindall. Instead of compromising, they are getting what they really want.
Little on day one of the national summit on womens safety made a dint in scepticism about its potential for real action to end our national epidemic of domestic, family and sexual violence against women.

Its timing didnt help.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison spoke about holding men accountable at the National Summit on Womens Safety on Monday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The two-day online event opened days after the Morrison government chose to put into law only six of 55 recommendations in Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins report into sexual harassment in Australian workplaces, Respect@Work.

Not included was its key recommendation, that the Sex Discrimination Act be amended to impose a positive duty on employers to take measures to eliminate harassment and discrimination, though Ms Jenkins said on Monday that only 12 of the reforms needed legislative change and most of them are in train somewhere.
Hundreds of NSW Police officers are being forced into isolation and some have been infected as frontline duties expose them to COVID-19 cases in Sydney and across the state.

With officers deemed close contacts of positive cases spending two weeks isolated, as required by public health orders, the disruptions are adding to the challenges already facing overworked police who have been enforcing pandemic response measures on top of regular duties.

Hundreds of NSW Police are being exposed to positive COVID-19 cases while performing their duties. Credit:Steven Siewert

Of 17,700 officers statewide, up to 400 at any one time have been in isolation and in some cases sick with COVID-19 over recent weeks, according to multiple sources granted anonymity to discuss the internal staffing matters.

While NSW Police is well-resourced, COVID-19 exposure has affected numbers at locations across Sydney, from the south-west to the eastern suburbs, as well as the state crime command squads investigating high-level crime, police sources said.
Three-year-old Anthony AJ Elfalak sat in a creek bed cupping water to his face about 500 metres from where he had vanished while playing with his brothers three days earlier.

Rescuers in a helicopter had spotted his small movements from above. A crew member radioed back the four words AJs family and scores of volunteer searchers had been hoping to hear: Ive got the boy.

Anthony AJ Elfalak when he was found by police. Credit:Police Media

AJs parents, Anthony and Kelly Elfalak, reported their son missing from their home on Yengo Drive at Putty, south-west of Singleton in the Hunter Valley, at 11.30am on Friday. His disappearance sparked a large-scale search for the toddler, who is non-verbal and has autism.

As the search grew, so too did theories about what could have happened to the boy.
Problematic mung beans

Australian mung beans have been blamed for a British outbreak of salmonella poisoning which put as many as 300 people in hospital. A spokesman for the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service said beans prepared for export in a Queensland plant were believed to have been contaminated by dust from a meat-meal manufacturer operating just 30 metres away. It is a major problem, he said.

Regular Shorts

As a Lane Cove bus roared up Military Road, Mosman, about 2 pm yesterday, two schoolboy skateboard-riders (aged 14 or 15), bags slung over shoulders, were hitching a ride behind it, our correspondent reported. About 30 minutes later, as a Taronga Zoo bus travelled along Military Road in the opposite direction, the same boys were again hitching a ride  one of them clutching a small dog.

Dont patronise me, says Mortimer

Steve Mortimer could end his Canterbury career without taking the field against Balmain in Sundays Winfield Cup grand final at the Sydney Football Stadium. Coach Phil Gould, as expected, made Mortimer a fresh reserve when he named his team at Belmore Sports Ground last night. Mortimer publicly pleaded last week not to be patronised by being used as a late replacement with the game won.
Staff at an independent school in St Kilda have been warned they will be stood down if they do not return to campus to teach students on-site at the beginning of term 4 and in any potential future lockdowns.

Cheder Levi Yitzchok, a small school with just over 100 students, told staff in an email on Thursday that anyone who declines to come back on-site next term will have to take unpaid leave and will be replaced.

Cheder Levi Yitzchok school in St Kilda. Credit:Eddie Jim

Due to the high numbers of students in our school who require on-site supervision, our needs and requirements do differ from other schools during this time, principal Rabbi David Rahmani wrote.

The Victorian government is yet to say if students in greater Melbourne will resume face-to-face learning next term, but has ruled out a return in term 3.
Victoria is on track to have 70 per cent of those aged 16 and over inoculated with one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by September 18, an analysis of vaccine rollout data by The Age has found.

Premier Daniel Andrews announced last Wednesday that some lockdown restrictions would ease in Victoria once 70 per cent of the eligible population (those aged over 16) had received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

People queue to be vaccinated at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton on Saturday. Credit:Joe Armao

When Mr Andrews made that announcement, the state was projected to reach target on around September 23, but an increase in daily vaccine doses administered since then means Victoria is now on track to meet the goal sooner than anticipated.

This graph, shows how the state is tracking against the 70 per cent first-dose target:
Climate scientist at The Australian National University Will Steffen said the 2050 aim was far too late and that its necessary to hit net zero by 2040 at the very latest. Emphasising net zero by 2050 is kicking the can down the road, its a form of soft denial and pushes down the urgency and severity of the issue, he said. Credit:Matt Golding Chief executive of ClimateWorks Australia Anna Skabek said she welcomed all support for achieving net zero emissions as soon as possible. But the director of Climate and Environment at the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility Daniel Gocher said the shift was too little, too late and News Corp had not committed to censoring outspoken climate sceptics. The thing thats most telling is that News Corp has always maintained that editors make their own decisions. This new editorial decree would suggest thats not the case, and cements everything weve always suspected which is that they do interfere, he said.

Former News Corp boss John Hartigan said this was not the first time the company had taken a stance on carbon emissions, referring to the companys own push to become carbon-neutral in 2011, and that it was good to see theyre still aiming high. Another former News Corp executive who would only speak on the condition of anonymity suspected the decision was taken to remain relevant to metro and younger audience, saying I doubt they will censor the extremities in their opinion writers, where deranged views will reign uninterrupted. It has little to do with anything other than spin and camouflage. Committee chair Senator Sarah Hanson-Young listening to Sky News Australia chief executive Paul Whittaker appearing via videoconference. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Whittaker and executives from Google, which owns YouTube, gave evidence at the Senates media diversity inquiry on Monday, which was scrutinising Sky News seven-day ban from YouTube earlier this year for breaching the tech giants misinformation policies. YouTube deleted a total of 23 videos from Skys channel on the platform for containing a range of alleged misinformation. Mr Whittaker said Sky had taken down at least 18 videos of its own accord because the tech giants policies were incapable of compliance. But he rejected suggestions by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young the network had broadcast COVID-related lies.

The deleted videos include some promoting the use of drugs hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin as unproven COVID-19 treatments. High-profile broadcaster Alan Jones has repeatedly claimed COVID-19 is not a pandemic in since-deleted videos, including one from May which triggered the YouTube ban. Loading Mr Whittaker said the networks presenters were justified in broadcasting views on hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin in 2020, saying there were worldwide studies into the drugs at the time. The deleted videos included ones titled: Ivermectin caused amazing improvement and another titled There is no good reason to ban two potential COVID cures. At the time of some of these videos in 2020 that have been removed by YouTube, there were 50 studies done worldwide on hydroxychloroquine and the potential efficacy for COVID, Mr Whittaker said. Some of these videos, Senator, were 12 minutes long. Youve got to put them in the full context of everything that was said.

Google Australias director of public policy Lucinda Longcroft said the majority of the 23 deleted videos were removed for breaching its COVID-19 misinformation policies, and two videos were deleted for violating its election integrity policy. She said Sky News had not appealed the deletion of the videos. Loading They have communicated to us private concerns about the process but that they have not refuted the violation of our COVID-19 misinformation policies, Ms Longcroft told the inquiry. She said YouTube began removing misinformation about COVID-19 in March 2020 and expanded its policies to cover misinformation relating to vaccines in October. Sky News was first issued with a warning about its content in December, and then received a strike that prompted a seven-day ban in July. Mr Whittaker said Sky was suspended before it had the opportunity to appeal the ban and described YouTubes misinformation policies as so opaque that it began to self-censor and remove videos to avoid a potential permanent ban.

On July 29, we were informed that we were subject to a strike, and we were given less than 30 minutes notice to be told that we could not upload any videos. So theres no appeal at that time because you are already suspended, Mr Whittaker said. Sky News took the proactive approach of removing a batch of videos all published during 2020 from online platforms to ensure ongoing compliance with YouTubes arbitrary editorial guidelines. In one since-deleted clip from August 2020, co-hosts of the Outsiders program Rohan Dean, Rita Panahi, and James Morrow, who has since been appointed The Daily Telegraphs federal political editor, gave viewers the Outsiders guide to hydroxychloroquine in which they talk up the effectiveness of the unproven treatment. Dean, in a separate clip from September 2020, calls for Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly to resign over his stance that drug was not a proven treatment for COVID-19, saying the jury is in and the jury says categorically hydroxychloroquine saves lives and Australians must be given access to this drug. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, a vocal critic of News Corp, returned for his second appearance at the inquiry and said Google had been left to blow the whistle because the media regulator had failed to act.

What was the Australian Communications and Media Authority doing to earn their salary to allow this to occur? They have a responsibility here under the law because this material is being rebroadcast on free to air television, Mr Rudd said. Loading ACMA chairwoman Nerida OLoughlin said the regulator had received 37 complaints this year about Sky News COVID content, 24 of which were referred to the network for the consideration. The actions of YouTube reflect that they have an algorithm, which monitors content [and] which looks into content. We do not do that, Ms OLoughlin said. She said ACMA operated under a co-regulatory model that gives broadcasters the initial responsibility for addressing complaints, and it would be a matter for Parliament to change that approach if it believed the powers were unsatisfactory.
The love song of critically endangered regent honeyeaters is the lifeblood of the species, but the population has dwindled so low that young birds are losing the tune to their wild melody.

A ray of hope has emerged, however, from a homeschooling program to teach the brilliant black and gold birds to sing their way back from the brink of extinction.

Regent honeyeaters in the Capertee Valley, NSW. Credit:Lachlan Hall

Regents must sing the right song to attract a mate. But their warbling, chattering call is heard so rarely now that young birds are picking up the wrong music lessons and singing songs of other birds - reducing their chances of mating to boost the population.

Taronga Conservation Society behavioural ecologist Ben Pitcher said the organisations captive breeding program had released about 300 birds in recent years.
One of Joe Bidens main justifications for pulling out of Afghanistan was that America needed to concentrate its resources on China. The US, he said, had to win the competition for the 21st century. So hows that going?

Two weeks ago, while Biden was sweating on the evacuation of Kabul, his Vice-President, Kamala Harris, travelled to south-east Asia to affirm American solidarity: We need to find ways to pressure and raise the pressure, frankly, on Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge its bullying and excessive maritime claims.

A new Chinese law empowers the countrys coast guard to fire on vessels sailing through waters it claims. Credit:AP/File

Not fast enough. Just a few days later, while the world was still busy debating the last US humiliation in Afghanistan, Beijing quietly was constructing the next. Thumbing its nose at the US, at its neighbours, at the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. And daring the world to do something about it.

Chinas Maritime Safety Administration announced the unilateral imposition of a new law requiring foreign shipping to give notice before entering any waters that it claims as its own. It purports to apply not only to military but also commercial shipping in all of Chinas territorial waters.
Rome: Italy has asked the EU to allow it to keep producing combustion engines for its supercars.

The EU has proposed laws that would require all cars sold from 2035 to produce zero emissions, effectively banning the engines that produce the throaty roar of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Maseratis.

But Rome has now asked the bloc for an exception to the net zero proposals, arguing the vehicles are a special category that should not be subject to the restrictions.

A 1985 Ferrari Testarossa coupe.

In the gigantic cars market there is a niche, and there are ongoing discussions with the EU commission, Roberto Cingolani, Italys minister for ecological transition, said in an interview with Bloomberg.
Kiev: A court in Belarus has sentenced two leading opposition activists to lengthy prison terms, the latest move in the relentless crackdown that Belarusian authorities have unleashed on dissent in the wake of last years anti-government protests.

Maria Kolesnikova, a top member of the opposition Co-ordination Council, has been in custody since her arrest last September. A court in Minsk found her guilty of conspiring to seize power, creating an extremist organisation and calling for actions damaging state security and sentenced her to 11 years in prison.

Maxim Znak, left, and Maria Kolesnikova, pictured making her signature gesture  a heart formed by her hands. Credit:AP

Lawyer Maxim Znak, another leading member of the Co-ordination Council who faced the same charges, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Kolesnikova, who helped co-ordinate months-long opposition protests that erupted after an August 2020 presidential vote, resisted authorities attempts to force her to leave the country.
Tel Aviv: Israel has launched a massive manhunt in the countrys north and the occupied West Bank after six Palestinian prisoners tunnelled out of their cell and escaped from a high-security facility in the biggest prison break of its kind in decades.

The escape on Monday, local time, marks an embarrassing security breach just ahead of the Jewish New Year, when Israelis flock to the north to enjoy beaches, campsites and the Sea of Galilee. The prisoners appear to have gone into hiding and there was no indication Israeli authorities view them as an immediate threat.

Six prisoners escaped through this hole in the floor of a jail cell at Gilboa prison, just north of the West Bank. Credit: Israels Prisons Service

Palestinians consider prisoners held by Israel to be heroes of their national cause, and many celebrated the escape on social media. Efforts to capture the escapees will likely draw attention to the Palestinian Authoritys security co-ordination with Israel, which is deeply unpopular among Palestinians. There was no immediate comment from the PA, but President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah party praised the escape.

Israeli officials say they have erected roadblocks and are conducting patrols in the area. Israels Army Radio said 400 prisoners are being moved as a protective measure against any additional escape attempts. The radio said the prisoners escaped through a tunnel from the Gilboa prison, just north of the West Bank, which is supposed to be one of Israels most secure facilities.
Samsudeen also looked at a number of video clips online, some of which provided instruction on the use of the knife and footage of attempted decapitation using a hunting knife. Auckland attacker Ahamed Aathill Mohammad Samsudeen. Credit:stuff.co.nz The judgment relates to a hearing in November 2020, when Justice Venning was asked by Samsudeens lawyers to dismiss three charges of possessing offensive weapons. In 2018, Samsudeen was jailed after he was found with Islamic State videos and knives, but was freed in July while he appealed the cancellation of his refugee status. Justice Venning said the police were first alerted to Samsudeen in 2016 when he made a number of online posts on an internet article, including Kiwi Terrorist low life scums killed innocent muslims kids and women.

Samsudeen is also said to have posted: One day I will go back to my country and I will find kiwi scums in my country (its very easy to find) and I will show them  what will happen when you mess with Aathil while Im in their country. If youre tough in your country ... we are tougher in our country scums #payback. Loading A short time later he added: I will fill the enemies with stabbing and cut off their heads violently #EverytimeIBlinkMyEye. About the same time, in 2017, a former contact of his approached New Zealand authorities and told them Samsudeen planned to travel to Syria and fight with the Islamic State. Police monitored Samsudeen and arrested him at the airport in May 2017 as he attempted to board a flight to Singapore.

The police believed he was on his way to Syria. When they searched his room, they found a hunting knife hidden under his mattress. Samsudeen told officers why he had bought the knife. I looked up the law and it said it was okay to have it as long as its kept at home. Those guys come when I wasnt home and moved my passport. I thought someone could come in and kill me. Samsudeen was charged with possession of an offensive weapon and posting objectionable material.

However, his lawyer, Belinda Sellars, QC, argued that because Samsudeen had been at the airport and was planning on leaving the country when the knife was found, he was not technically in possession of the knife. Sellars, now a district court judge, said there was no evidence Samsudeen intended to use the knife for an unlawful purpose. Justice Venning ruled that because Samsudeen had not got rid of the knife and still had the keys to his room, he was in possession of the knife. The issue came down to whether it could be proven he had the knife to commit a crime. Crown prosecutor Henry Steele said Samsudeens internet searches proved he did.

But Justice Venning ruled there was no evidence on the face of it that he planned to use the knife against anyone. There must be a connection between the possession and the circumstances of time, place, or occasion, which is lacking in the present case. The charge was dismissed. Two other charges related to Samsudeens arrest in 2018 when police found a throwing star, known as a ninja star, and the second knife bought at Target Shooter. Again, the Crown argued that Samsudeens online searches showed he planned to use the weapons and he was preparing to perpetrate and attack.

Sellars said the Crowns argument was speculative. Justice Venning agreed and said the injury and torture depicted in the online content were far more extensive and extreme than could be inflicted by the throwing star. However, the judge did allow the Crown to pursue the charge in relation to the second knife. He said Samsudeen had control of the knife in a public place, namely the shop. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said her government will change the laws this month to enhance penalties for terrorist plots.
COLE BAY:---The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset welcomed three professionals as its newest members on August 23rd, 2021. Joining Rotary Sunset are Cheryl Dangleben-York, Jovanka De Randamie, and Alisha Brookes, who were officially sworn in by Rotary District 7020 Governor, Louis Wever, during the clubs general meeting.

- Cheryl York: an Administrator employed by the Parliament of Sint Maarten and sponsored by Rotarian Elisia Lake.

- Alisha Brooks: an Educator employed by NIPA and sponsored by Rotarian Stuart Johnson.

- Jovanka De Randamie: Operations Coordinator employed for Princess Juliana International Airport and sponsored by Rotarian Tamara Leonard.

Following the process of a robust membership plan, all three professionals have been identified as assets to the club and embody the motto of Rotary International, Service Above Self. From the onset, they have made themselves readily available to assist in all projects, attend workshops, meetings, events, and fellowships and the members of Rotary Sunset look forward to serving humanity with them onboard.

Prior to officially inducting the new members, the club invited Lion's Sub District 60B District Governor 21-22, Claudio Buncamper PMJF as its special guest speaker for the evening. DG Claudio led the attendees logged on via Zoom and present at Carl N Sons conference room into a thorough discussion and reflection under the topic, "Membership Satisfaction".

DG Wever officially installed the clubs newest members, and they were then pinned by their sponsor, Elisia Lake, President Norrisa represented Tamara Leonard and Stuart Johnson, respectively at Carl N Sons Conference Room, while all Sunset members and guests from around the world joined in on the celebration via Zoom. President Anatol also delivered an impactful speech highlighting the importance of increasing their Rotary knowledge and being engaged to become a well-rounded Rotarian.

The club would like to congratulate Rotarians Cheryl, Alisha and Jovanka and look forward to their continued lifelong commitment to the club and their community. The club would also like to extend its appreciation to Lion's Sub District 60B District Governor 21-22, Claudio Buncamper PMJF for being an exceptional guest speaker.

The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset meets on the second and fourth Monday of the month at Carl N Sons Unique Inn and Conference Facilities in Cole Bay at 7:30pm. Due to COVID-19, the club currently meets via Zoom ID: 992-348-5801. The club can be contacted via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via the official Facebook page at facebook.com/rotarysxmsunset.
PHILIPSBURG:--- On Thursday, September 2, the Council of Ministers was paid a visit by the Dutch Caribbean Coastguard (DCCG) who rendered an introductory presentation. This comes as a result of Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs visit to the Dutch Caribbean Coastguard during its recruitment day in March 2021. Commander of the Dutch Forces in the Caribbean, Director of the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard, and Commander of the Component Task Group, Brigadier General Frank Boots, was personally present to provide elucidation on, among others, the structure of the Royal Netherlands Navy and the constitutional tasks of the Netherlands Armed Forces in the Caribbean to protect, enhance and support the islands. Also present in the meeting were Captain Mr. R. Levenstone, Major Noordam, Adjudant Lieutenant Goedhart, and spokesperson Ms. S. Clement.



In their supporting role to civil authorities in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, support is provided in the areas of security, public and legal order, disasters and accidents, and support to the Coast Guard. The presentation was concluded with a more detailed focus on the DCCG itself, its future developments, and their current operational events on the island. According to Brigadier General Boots, the DCCG should be considered as the maritime security and safety partner in the Caribbean area and is there for the Dutch Caribbean when in need. Further discussions will take place to be more cohesive with Government and other justice-related entities on St. Maarten. The year report 2020 and year plan 2021 were also part of the documentation received.
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Michael K. Williams, who memorably portrayed Omar Little in The Wire and Chalky White in Boardwalk Empire, has died at age 54. The New York Police Department confirmed to Variety that the actor was found dead on Monday at 2 p.m. inside of his Brooklyn residence.

Williams was a regular on many acclaimed HBO series, including The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, The Night Of and Lovecraft Country, played Leonard on SundanceTV crime series Hap and Leonard and had a recurring role on J.J. Abrams Alias. He also acted in acclaimed films including Inherent Vice, 12 Years a Slave, Gone Baby Gone and The Road.

The actors work often attracted awards attention, including three Emmy nods for outstanding supporting actor in a limited series or movie for his work in When They See Us, The Night Of and Bessie. Hes currently in Emmy contention for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series for his work on Lovecraft Country.

He was also known for his comedy roles, including biology professor Marshall Kane on Community. Though he shot a small role in Solo: A Star Wars Story, his role was cut after reshoots would have required he cut short filming on the Netflix feature The Red Sea Diving Resort.

HBO said in a statement, We are devastated to learn of the passing of Michael Kenneth Williams, a member of the HBO family for more than 20 years. While the world is aware of his immense talents as an artist, we knew Michael as a dear friend who was beloved by all who had the privilege to work with him. We send our deepest condolences to his family for this immeasurable loss.

Williams landed his career-making role in 2002 as Omar Little in The Wire, David Simons critically-acclaimed crime series. One of the series most memorable characters, Omar Little was a sawed-off shotgun-toting Baltimore stickup man. Omar is this dark-skinned outspoken man in the hood who didnt care what anyone thought of him, Williams told the New York Times in 2017. He is everything I wished I could be.

The intensity of his roles often exacerbated his struggles with drugs, he explained in several interviews, and he said he was using cocaine both during shooting of The Wire and The Night Of. The characters that mean the most to me are the ones that damn near kill me. Its a sacrifice Ive chosen to make, he told the NY Times.

In addition to his acting, Williams had also branched out to nonfiction storytelling, notably hosting and executive producing a 2016 docuseries for Viceland called Black Market With Michael K. Williams. Much of Season 2 of the show had been completed prior to his death.

Williams was born in Brooklyn; his mother was from the Bahamas and his father from South Carolina. Raised in the Vanderveer housing projects in East Flatbush, he had already developed a drug problem as a teenager. After getting knifed when he tried to intervene in a fight outside a bar on his 25th birthday, Williams ended up with a large scar across his face. He began getting jobs dancing in music videos for acts including George Michael and Madonna before getting cast in his first film role as Tupac Shakurs brother in the 1996 film Bullet.

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STAMFORD  When Kabul fell to the Taliban last month, former U.S. Army civil affairs officer and city Rep. Ben Lee and his wife reached out to a man Lee had worked closely with when he was deployed to Afghanistan about a decade ago.

The man  who went by the name Safi when he worked as a translator with Lees unit  told them that members of his family were in Kabul and trying to flee.

About 10 extremely chaotic days later, Safis family members were out of Afghanistan, Lee said. Safi, who is a U.S. citizen, told Hearst Connecticut Media that they are now in the United States, but he still has some other family members in Afghanistan.

It was really hard, but finally (we were able to) get them out, and Im so thankful, Safi said.

In the first few days after Kabul fell, Lee got in touch with U.S. Rep. Jim Himes staff. He contacted people he knew who were still in active duty. He spoke to state Rep. Matt Blumenthal, a former U.S. Marine Corps Reserve infantry officer. Lees wife, who has a background in international relations, reached out to people she thought might have connections to the State Department.

It became pretty clear very early on that it was going to be very difficult to get through the gates at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Lee said.

There was no real process, per se, he said. Nothing was published to say, You need to have these 10 documents and, magic, you're through. Really the only thing that was going to automatically get anyone through the gates was a U.S. passport.

Lee said that after a few days, word came that the family was on a list and they would be allowed into the airport. But it took several tries before they finally got through a gate.

During one attempt, the group  Safis wife, his mother, four siblings and the fiance of one of his brothers  spent more than 30 hours waiting outside the airport.

Hardly any food, hardly any water, tear gas, beatings from the Taliban, constant fear of bombings  and they aren't moving because safety is through the airport gates, Lee said.

Safi was in Turkey at the time, communicating with Lee and others who were trying to help. One of those people was Alisha Guffey, who had been in the same unit as Lee. Guffey was in contact with a Marine on the ground the day Safis family finally made it through an airport gate.

We're having to tell them that they basically need to fight for their lives, shove their way through, whatever it takes to get through, said Lee, who became emotional as he recalled that day.

Lee said he would like to think that Safi would have been able to get his family out of Afghanistan even without his help.

Safi served with many other people, and I was only one part of a big team there, Lee said. But I don't know what was the one thing that made the difference. I hope that I wasn't the one thing because I hope that  in the multiverse, there are many different ways where this ends with Safis family safe.

Through Guffey, Lee joined a larger group of veterans and other individuals coordinating evacuations from Afghanistan. One member of the group was Alex Plitsas, the chairman of the Fairfield Republican Town Committee.

As he was helping Safi, Lee began working with John Moses, who had served at the U.S. embassy in Kabul and was trying to get a number of translators, teachers and families out of Afghanistan. Wanting to contribute to the effort, Lee put his experience as a lawyer to use.

Afghans were sending us paperwork left and right, Moses said. Lee would parse all the documents and write the memos needed to move people along in the process.

I joke that I can write fast and decently well enough, said Lee, who works at the firm Clifford Chance. Its just part of the job. And organizing paperwork is part of the job. I'm a professional homework doer.

Lee understates his role, Moses said. The times he did help, it was so critical to us.

Even after Safis family was out of Afghanistan, Lee continued to assist with paperwork. The group ended up helping 68 people leave the country, Moses said, including Safis family.

The cases involved people of all different statuses  SVI approved, SVI in process, Moses said, referring to the Special Immigrant Visas program. A nonprofit called No One Left Behind was key to getting names on manifests.

Lee said it was not only his legal experience but also his military training that kicked in.

You fall in to do the thing  where you can help the best, Lee said. If I can do (paperwork) quickly and well, and that's what the team needs right now, then that's where I'm going to be.

Lee joined the Army after graduating college in 2007. He eventually became a civil affairs officer and was deployed to Kandahar in 2010. Lee said thats where he met Safi, a soft-spoken young man who had become a translator to support his family.

As a civil affairs officer, Lee said his job was to meet as many people as possible, drink as much tea as possible and really be seen and to start understanding what's actually happening on the ground.

Translators were essential to that mission, Lee said, and Safi was the best one working with his unit.

In addition to meeting with local elders, Lee said he was involved in paving roads, building clinics and schools and fixing up a government office during the nearly 12 months he was in Kandahar.

Safis with me every day, every patrol, helping me, translating for me as I'm working out what we have to be doing, Lee said.

After leaving Afghanistan, Lee kept in touch with Safi over the years through social media. Lee was elected to the Stamford Board of Representatives in 2017. A Democrat, Lee represents parts of Springdale and Glenbrook.

A man walked next to me in a dangerous place, and so I promised him that if he was ever in danger, I'd walk next to him, Lee said. And I am very glad to have kept my promise.

brianna.gurciullo@hearstmediact.com
The collective gasp came when United Airlines Flight 175 blew through Tower Two of the World Trade Center. Everyone glued to the television set knew instantly that terrorism and fear had come to American shores. Everything changed. The buoyant optimism of the late 1990s and of the new 21st century ended with the lives of the 2,996 people lost on that iridescently blue-skied morning.

Now, 20 years later, how should we think about that day? The very idea that two decades have passed seems painfully impossible. Those old enough to have witnessed the tragedy will never forget. My students at Central Connecticut State University have interviewed hundreds of people over the years, all of whom remember exactly where they were and how they felt that day and over the weeks, months and years that followed. There is always sadness, hurt and confusion.

The short films students create from the interviews are one way of connecting a generation that is too young to remember 9/11 with those who were forever changed by it. Another way to touch that past is by traveling into New York City to visit the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Its a highlight of learning about 9/11, to relate all that weve read and discussed with the physical place many still call Ground Zero.

There remains a rawness to all of this history, one that my students can only partially understand. This is the inevitable fade of time. We promise to never forget, but its difficult, nearly impossible, for one generation to feel anothers experience. In recent years, some Connecticut schools have stopped commemorating Sept. 11 because todays students were born well after and have no memory of that day.

What most young Americans dont fully appreciate is that, memory or not, the nation and world in which theyve grown up have been irrevocably shaped by 9/11. Even many of the adults who do remember dont fully appreciate the magnitude of how 9/11 has changed America. They instead focus on what I call the tragedy and triumph narrative; that a great tragedy befell the United States, but, like after Pearl Harbor, Americans rose to the challenge and, as FDR said in 1941, strode forward in our righteous might.

But the awful reality is that we didnt. The War on Terror inaugurated by 9/11 has gone terribly. We sent our soldiers off to Afghanistan and Iraq with little more than a thank you for your service. The line among many in the military is we went to war while America went to the mall. At home, we are more divided than at any time since the American Civil War. We no longer agree on basic facts and therefore cant begin to contemplate the truth.

And now, as we ponder the meaning of 9/11, we are again witnessing tragedy, this time in the fall of Afghanistan. America has lost another war. The saddest part is not that it casts a shadow on the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, but that it shines a glaring light on the failure of our foreign policy, of our understanding of history (yes, this is another Vietnam), and of our sullied reputation around the world.

None of this should cause Americans to forget those lost on that tragic Tuesday morning, but we cant isolate the memory of 9/11 from the larger issues that led to it and have followed. Until we face that truth, we will never really move forward.

So, on this day, remember the tragedy that befell our nation, respect those in uniform who serve our nation, but reflect on the fact that as citizens of a democratic nation we all bear responsibility for what the U.S. government does in our name.

Matthew Warshauer is professor of history at Central Connecticut State University.
SCRANTON  Josephine Turner, 91, of Plains Twp., attended La Festa Italiana in Scranton on Saturday with a hankering for porketta.

Its a lifelong favorite of hers and just one sandwich would not do. She got two from the UNICO Scranton Chapter tent that specializes in the old-world delicacy.

I lived in an Italian neighborhood. I was raised and I used to smell these porkettas cooking and I know this is authentic Italian, Turner said of the UNICO porketta. Im going to devour these.

Thousands of people who packed La Festa Italianas second day did their own devouring of all kinds of foods, ranging from pizzas to pastas to pastries, to name a few.

In its 45th year, the annual Labor Day weekend celebration of Italian cuisine and culture held on Lackawanna County Courthouse Square kicked off Friday and continues Monday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The event resumed this year after cancellation last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Picture-perfect weather Saturday brought out large crowds. Visitors swamped sidewalks around the square, as tents in the streets served as al fresco kitchens for cooks and workers to prepare culinary concoctions and dish them out to the masses.

Boiling it all down, La Festa Italiana is all about food, tradition and heritage, said Laura Frank of Harding.

Theres a very wonderful Italian heritage in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, she said. They love to promote it. They love to share it. Theyre very proud of who they are and what they represent, and thats awesome. Thats fabulous.

Her husband, Glenn Frank, polished off a cut of double-crust white pizza from the Arcaros of Pittston tent before moving on to sample some porketta. Laura planned to bring home tiramisu and cannoli.

Stephanie Dosiak of Dallas and Lindsay McNeilan, who also grew up in Dallas and has lived in Ohio for the past decade, got porketta, pasta and double-crust pizza. They finished up with cannoli from the tent of Carmellas of Dunmore and West Scranton.

We always have to end with dessert, said Dosiak, who named her dog, a 3-year-old yellow Lab, Cannoli because his light coat resembles the color of cannoli filling.

Cannoli and lobster-tail pastries were Carmellas big sellers, said owner Eugene Padula.

John and Diane Caruso of Jefferson Twp. in Lackawanna County, both West Scranton natives, always make the tent of Colarussos of Clarks Summit their first stop for cuts of pizza.

Were married 40 years and I cant tell you how long weve been coming here to La Festa Italiana, John Caruso said.

John got two cuts of fresh-tomato and garlic pizza, while Diane favored the traditional red variety.

Excellent. I think its the best pizza I ever had, Diane Caruso said.

Relative newcomers also filled up at the festival.

Terence Walsh of Lynbrook, Long Island, New York, a junior majoring in psychology at the University of Scranton, first visited La Festa in 2019 and this years edition was his second.

On Saturday, he tried pizza fritta for the first time. Given the Italian name of the fried dough delicacy from the Cusumano of Old Forge tent, Walsh expected pizza fritta to be something more along the lines of a typical pizza  with cheese and red sauce. But he was not disappointed in the sugared dough dish.

I just went for it. I dont even know what it is, Walsh said. Its kind of like a zeppole. I was expecting it to be  not this. Its good though.

For a complete schedule and more information on La Festa Italiana, see its website, lafestaitaliana.org, or Facebook page.
Keshia Williams, a certified nursing assistant, said she often struggles to take care of up to 20 residents at a Scranton nursing home.

Its not even considered care at that point, she said. Its inhumane.

Williams, who also serves as a member of the executive board of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, said nursing homes and other health care facilities were short-staffed before but the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the situation. She said more hands on deck are needed.

COVID-19 was not the beginning of this crisis, she said. For decades, we watched as companies cut staffing, forcing caregivers to do more and more with less and less.

She and other members of SEIU have been expressing their support for Pennsylvania Department of Healths proposal to increase Pennsylvanias staffing standard to 4.1 hours of direct care per resident per day. That marks an increase from 2.7 hours as required in the states 25-year-old nursing home regulations.

Williams, who takes care of people with dementia and other illnesses as well as mental health issues, said raising the staffing standard would help ensure nursing home residents receive the proper care.

Throughout the pandemic, she said nursing home caregivers have worked double shifts to cover the schedule to make sure residents had someone to bathe and feed them. They sat with residents when their own families had to be kept away, she said.

We need to have enough staff to make sure we are doing our jobs so we can give these people the care they need and they deserve, Williams said. The work has become overwhelming because you know you cant give your residents the care they need and deserve. Showers and bathing are missed. Meals are rushed.

Karen Gownley, spokeswoman for SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, said workers have been pushing for many years to increase Pennsylvanias nursing home regulations that havent been updated in about 25 years.

Under the current nursing home regulations, she said residents only get 2.7 hours of care per day which is not at all enough to provide quality care.

Elder care experts, including AARP and federal studies, have said that residents need a minimum of 4.1 hours of care per day, she said.

In July, Gov. Tom Wolfs administration and the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced a proposal to update the regulations and change the staffing standard to 4.1.

Revising nursing home regulations is one piece of the administrations ongoing effort to improve care for residents and working conditions for staff in nursing homes, said acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam.

After the announcement, a public comment period followed. SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania circulated a petition in favor of raising the state staffing standard. Nearly 4,000 supporters signed the online petition.

While Wolfs administration sorts through the public comments, Gownley said legislators will start holding hearings about the importance of better staffing.

She expects SEIU members will be part of the hearings.

According to SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, more than 13,000 nursing home residents died from COVID and many workers also lost their lives or became ill.

Matthew Yarnell, president of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, said COVID made it clear that we need to reform our long-term care system.

Its time to focus on solutions that protect residents and those who care for them, Yarnell said.
Ashtabula, OH (44004)

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Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds light and variable.
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Minister of Agriculture Adrian Oros on Monday and Tuesday participates in the informal meeting of ministers of agriculture from the European Union member states, which takes place at Kranj, Slovenia, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) informs in a post on its Facebook page.

The main topic of the meeting is how to strengthen rural-urban dialogue.

According to the same source, on the first day of the event, the ministers of agriculture from the EU member states reviewed examples of good practices in what concerns the connection between the rural and urban areas. They also paid a visit to the Grm Agricultural School and the Grm Biotechnical Secondary School, which is one of the five educational units of the Grm Novo mesto Centre of Biotechnics and Tourism, Agerpres informs.

The second day of the event, which will benefit from the participation of the European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski, will be dedicated to the strengthening of the rural-urban dialogue. The ministers will discuss the role of the rural areas in a society and the challenges facing agriculture in this process.
Approximately 167,500 people, Romanian and foreign citizens, with over 38,100 means of transportation (of which 7,800 trucks) have carried out control formalities through the border crossings nationwide in the last 24 hours, the General Inspectorate of the Border Police (IGPF) informs on Monday.

Approximately 78,000 people were at the entry point with 18,100 means of transportation, and for the exit point there were 89,500 people with 20,000 means of transportation, according to a press release.

The Hungarian border was crossed by approximately 50,100 people and 17,900 means of transportation (2,500 trucks), of whom for the exit point there were approximately 31,100 people with 11,200 means of transportation.

Regarding specific activities, in competence areas - crossing points and the "green frontier" - the border police have identified 54 illegal acts (22 infractions and 32 misdemeanors) committed by Romanian and foreign citizens.

Also, 35 foreign citizens, who did not meet the legal conditions, were denied entry in the last 24 hours, as well as 18 Romanian citizens were denied to leave the country because of various legal reasons, Agerpres informs.
A book of condolences will be available at the Bucharest National Theatre inviting people to pay homage to the late actor Ion Caramitru, whose family decided not to bring the coffin carrying the actor's remains in the lobby of this institution.

Thus, the Bucharest National Theatre informed that, starting on Tuesday, 11.00 am, the actor's fans are invited to the Great Hall to sign in the book of condolences.

"Out of respect for the actor Ion Caramitru's family's wishes the casket with his remains will not be brought to the TNB lobby. The information about the funeral will be brought to the public knowledge as soon as they are communicated to us," the institution wrote on its website, Agerpres informs.

Actor Ion Caramitru, who was the head of the Bucharest National Theatre and also the president of the Theatre Union in Romania (UNITER) died on Sunday, at the age of 79.
The Royal Canadian Air Force Detachment, consisting of approximately 140 airmen (pilots and technical personnel) and six CF-188 Hornet aircraft, begin their enhanced Air Policing mission under NATO command in the next three months, in Romania, together with the airmen belonging to the Romanian Air Force and the F-16 Fighting Falcon and MiG-21 LanceR aircraft.

This is the fifth rotation at Mihail Kogalniceanu of the Royal Canadian Air Force, after those carried out in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Also, the Canadian airmen also performed a mission in Romania, at Campia Turzii, in 2014, shows a Ministry of National Defence release sent to AGERPRES.

Joint air police missions contribute to the development of response and deterrence capacity, as well as to the strengthening of interoperability between the Romanian and Canadian Air Forces, Agerpres informs.

The deployment of CF-188 Hornet aircraft in Romania is part of the implementation of the Action Plan to ensure NATO's operational capability on the eastern flank of the Alliance in both the northern and southern areas and demonstrates NATO's unity and determination in response to environmental security challenges.
Prime Minister Florin Citu and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Ludovic Orban, gave speeches on Monday during the Jewish New Year celebration ceremony, in which the head of the Government spoke about the period of repentance, "practice that can be helpful at any time and to anyone", and Orban said that at present there is "a crisis of values".

Prime Minister Citu reminded that "Israel has been and is an example in terms of vaccination."

"The authorities there have managed to carry out the fastest anti-COVID vaccination campaign, and now they are among the first countries to offer the third dose of vaccine to the population. The Romanian state is truly the friend of the Jewish people and of Israel," Citu added, Agerpres informs.

At the same time, he referred to the introspective dimension of the holiday and the importance of the family.

"I know that for you there will be a period of 10 days of repentance. It is a practice that can be helpful anytime and to anyone. Like any holiday, it is a time to reunite the family and to be close to your loved ones and please believe me that it is very important for us to be with our family as much as we can, so whether you like it or not, I will give you a piece of advice: spend time with your loved ones and make their presence a celebration for you and your presence a celebration for them", pointed out the Chief Executive.

The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Ludovic Orban, spoke in his speech about "the terrible years we are living".

"I confess my deep emotion at this call to introspection and moral regeneration, and I feel that Romanian society, like all of humanity, must find the resources to respond properly. The terrible years we live in, these years in which we see old and new forms of intolerance, hatred, violence, we must mobilize and unite. (...) I am worried and I know that you share my concern, all these signs of a moral decomposition that threatens us in many directions," he said.

He also referred to the history of Romania. "What is even sadder is the fact that for a long time in the modern history of Romania the political elites have been late in recognizing the rights of the Jewish communities and I express my most sincere regret for this error," Orban said.

The ceremony on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah, the celebration of the Jewish New Year, is organized at the Coral Temple in Bucharest by the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania.
Prime Minister Florin Citu said on Monday, about the tensions inside the ruling coalition, that "we must stop the statements and sit down to the dialogue table."

"I have said that it is sad to see the coalition partners with AUR [Alliance for the Union of Romanians], an extremist party. Now I see that the coalition partners want to be with PSD [Social Democratic Party] as well. I remember that together we took to the streets against the justice legislation amended by PSD. I think we need to stop the statements and sit down to the dialogue table, because these statements do not do any good," said the prime minister, who was attending an event at the Choral Temple synagogue in Bucharest.

Also on Monday, Citu had a meeting with President Klaus Iohannis, Agerpres informs.

"The solution is the same one that I presented way back at the beginning, dialogue. I am still willing to continue the dialogue. I believe that only a right-wing coalition can lead Romania today, the coalition with which we set out. We just have to sit down at the table and talk (...). The conclusion is the same one that the President reached this weekend, which I also reached - the only solution for Romania is a right-wing coalition, this right-wing coalition," said Citu.
The transition to zero emission energy sources comes with high costs and if it is done too abruptly, people will find individual solutions that will be more polluting than the fossil fuels they are designed to replace, Environment Minister Tanczos Barna said on Monday at the Romanian Energy Symposium - SIREN 2021, organized by the Romanian National Committee of the World Energy Council between September 6 - 8, 2021.

"Everything we do and everything that will happen in the coming decades will be analyzed in the light of environmental protection. Environmental protection costs, and this cost must be bearable. The most important question for Romania is: how will this transition to zero emission energy surces take place? Of course, this revolution entails huge opportunities, but everything related to environmental protection costs and will cost increasingly more. It's not necessarily about service bill costs, although these days we see this happening too. The costs reside in the necessary investments, in setting the priorities of the national, European or private funds, even if in the end these investments too will be included in the price of the products. Someone has to bear this cost," said the Environment Minister.

In Romania this transition will be much harder than in other states, he cautioned, Agerpres informs.

"We start with over 3 million households that still use fossil fuel for heating. We cannot simply switch in December to a non-fossil system, actually to a non-existent system. We won't be able to switch in 2 to 5 years from fire wood to electricity, which we see is very costly, and the systems need to be developed in all respects. This transition requires funding," Tanczos continued.

In addition to renewable energy projects, the transition to zero emissions also involves a change of mentality, the Environment Minister stressed.

The Romanian National Committee of the World Energy Council (RNC-WEC) organizes between September 6 - 8 the Romanian Energy Symposium 2021 - SIREN, which is to host relevant debates on the transition of the Romanian energy sector to the targets Romania has committed to as a EU member state.
Prime Minister Florin Citu on Monday stated that the government meeting scheduled for Tuesday will be held regardless if the ministers from USR PLUS (Save Romania Union and Freedom, Unity, Solidarity Party) will resign or not.

Asked if the government meeting, with an agenda focusing on the budget revision, was to be held for sure, regardless if the coalition ministers would resign or not not he said: "Of course."

The head of the Executive is attending an event at the Choral Temple in the Capital City, Agerpres informs.

According to the Executive's website, the government meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 2.00 pm.
Senate Deputy Chair Alina Gorghiu says that, according to the votes in the sitting of Parliament's leadership, a request from the National Liberal Party (PNL) for the signatures affixed to the motion of censure against Prime Minister Florin Citu being checked should be forwarded to the Statutes Committee.

"We consider that the 9-7 vote means that the request must be taken up by the Statutes Committee. I regret that Mr Orban is setting the pace for USR-AUR [Save Romania Union - Alliance for the Union of Romanians] by abstaining from vote. If the request is not forwarded to the Statutes Committee, PNL, in the first joint sitting of the standing bureaus will rediscuss the request," Gorghiu said on Monday.

A request from the PNL Senate floor leader Daniel Fenechiu for the signatures affixed to the motion of censure being checked was registered in Parliament on Monday, Agerpres informs.
President Klaus Iohannis sent a on Monday message on the occasion of the Rosh Hashanah - Jewish New Year celebration.

On this occasion, he congratulates the leadership and members of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania, and sends them the warmest wishes of health, prosperity and spiritual joy.

"Rosh Hashanah places under the auspices of divine blessing the actions and projects of the Jewish communities, in the spirit of solidarity, charity, care for others, for the service and fulfillment of the common good. Each new beginning gives us the chance to rediscover our spiritual roots, to cultivate with their help dialogue, cooperation, trust and generosity, in order to strengthen the bridges that connect us, in the family and in society. May the celebration of Rosh Hashanah give you confidence that together we will overcome the difficulties of the period we are going through and illuminate your path to a future of peace and prosperity. 'Shana Tova'!," says the head of state in the message, according to the Presidential Administration, Agerpres informs.
President Klaus Iohannis will pay an official visit to the Swiss Confederation on Thursday, at the invitation of his counterpart, Guy Parmelin, the Presidential Administration informed.

According to the quoted source, the visit takes place within the constant bilateral dialogue at a high level in recent years, as well as in the context of this year's 110th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Romania and the Swiss Confederation.

During the visit, the two heads of state will have political consultations. Among the topics on the agenda of the two presidents' talks are the consolidation of the bilateral relationship, including economic cooperation, with an emphasis on investment, with Switzerland ranking 10th among the investors in Romania, as well as sectoral cooperation, Agerpres informs.

"From the perspective of the European agenda, cooperation to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the framework of relations between the European Union and the Swiss Confederation, as well as the Swiss contribution to the Union's cohesion fund, respectively making operational the second Swiss financial tranche, aimed at reducing economic and social disparities in the Union, will be tackled," shows the Presidential Administration.

The discussions will also include current issues of international policy, with a focus on political and security developments in the Eastern Neighborhood of the European Union, in the Western Balkans region, as well as Romanian-Swiss cooperation within international organizations.
Save Romania Union - Party of Liberty, Unity and Solidarity Alliance (USR PLUS) reproaches Prime Minister Florin Citu not allocating the necessary money to Health, but that, according to the latest version of the budget revision, he would allocate 2.5 billion lei for mayors and "local barons" through the Reserve Fund.

"Florin Citu continues the series of abuses. After approving the national robbery of 50 billion lei from the Romanians' money to buy support in the party, the current prime minister goes further and allocates more money for mayors and barons. More precisely, four times more. According to the latest version of the budget rectification, 2.5 billion lei will be allocated for the Budget Reserve Fund at the disposal of the Prime Minister, from which money is paid for local mayors and barons," reads a USR PLUS release.

According to the same source, Florin Citu increased this amount from 597 million lei, initially, to 2.5 billion lei, Agerpres informs.

"This while, in the midst of a pandemic crisis, Florin Citu refused to allocate the necessary funds repeatedly communicated by the Minister of Health, Ioana Mihaila, at the revision of over 5 billion lei for the payment of staff, the financing of patients' health programs and for ambulances and medicines, justifying that 'there is no more money' and that he can give 'up to 2 billion lei.' Moreover, Florin Citu refused to allocate 10 million lei from the Budget Reserve Fund for vaccinating children against tuberculosis, tetanus, polio, measles and diphtheria on the grounds that the Ministry of Health did not explain the urgency of this expenditure," the release reads.
USR PLUS (Save Romania Union, Freedom, Unity, Solidarity Party) co-chair Dan Barna informs that the ministers representing this political alliance will leave the Florin Citu Cabinet and they will submit their resignations on Tuesday morning.

He brought these clarifications during a press conference at the Parliament Palace, which he held alongside all the USR PLUS ministers and MPs.

"Florin Citu knows and he's entirely responsible for dynamiting this coalition," said Barna, Agerpres informs.

He also said that the USR PLUS representatives were also bothered by the fact that during the meeting of the Standing Bureaus the signatures on the motion of censure were challenged.

A meeting of the National Bureau of USR PLUS took place on Monday, at the Parliament Palace, with the agenda including the topic of the resignation of the ministers.
Wizz Air airline is cancelling or delaying several scheduled flights between Romanian and Italian airports on Tuesday due to an unforeseen strike by the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, the airline said in a press statement on Monday.

Flights will not be allowed in Italy between 13:00hrs and 17:00hrs local time, a situation that is beyond the control of the airline, Wizz Air points out.

The cancelled flights are Suceava - Rome Ciampino, departure at 10:20hrs, Rome Ciampino - Suceava, estimated time of departure 13:10hrs; Cluj-Napoca - Venice Treviso, estimated time of departure 10:40hrs; Venice Treviso - Cluj-Napoca, estimated time of departure 13:00hrs; Craiova - Rome Ciampino, estimated time of departure 10:50hrs; Rome Ciampino - Craiova, estimated time of departure 13:10hrs; Bucharest - Pisa, estimated time of departure 09:05hrs, and Pisa - Bucharest, estimated time of departure 12:00hrs, Agerpres informs.

The delayed flights are Satu Mare - Rome Fiumicino, estimated time of departure 12:05hrs; Bucharest - Rome Ciampino, estimated time of departure 11:00hrs; Rome Ciampino - Bucharest, estimated time of departure 13:40hrs; Catania - Cluj-Napoca, estimated time of departure 13:35hrs; Bacau - Turin, estimated time of departure 11:10hrs; Torino - Bacau, estimated time of departure 14:20hrs; Catania - Bacau, estimated time of departure 14:00hrs; Bacau - Catania, estimated time of departure 16:55hrs.

The Rome Fiumicino - Satu Mare flight, estimated time of departure 09:35hrs, will take off as scheduled.

Wizz Air makes every effort to operate as many flights as possible and reduce delays, the company says.

Passengers with bookings affected by the delays or cancellations will be automatically refunded 120% of the original fare in airline credit. They can also opt for a 100% cash refund to their original payment method or the chance to rebook for free
SAN FRANCISCO  In June, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, one of the nation's largest and most influential unions, vowed to make organizing the Amazon.com workforce a top priority.

Two months later, details of the Teamsters' ground game are starting to take shape. While organizing workers is the ultimate aim, the short-term strategy is one of disruption.

Over the past year, the Teamsters have raised concerns about Amazon at local government meetings in at least 10 communities, leading to the scrapping of projects and the rejection of a tax break, as well as resolutions calling on the company to meet local labor standards, according local union leaders.

From Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Oceanside, California, the Teamsters are popping up in city halls around the country, joining forces with community groups as they seek to persuade local officials to ask more of the tech giant or reject its expansion plans outright. They are training members at logistics companies on how to talk to Amazon drivers about the benefits of unionizing. In New York, the Teamsters weighed in on an antitrust bill passed by the state Senate that would make it easier for regulators to pursue companies for anticompetitive conduct, and they have also backed antitrust bills in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Over the next month, nurses and other health care professionals who for one reason or another dont want to get vaccinated will be fired from their jobs at Mercy, BJC and other local hospitals. More than 20 national hospital chains have adopted a similar philosophy. South City, on the other hand, is following the lead of some rural hospitals in Missouri, in areas with low-vaccination rates, where they are actually using their lack of a mandate as a recruitment tool.

The result is that the population South City Hospital serves  generally high in poverty and in an area of the city where vaccination rates have been low, particularly among African Americans  will be entering a hospital where the health care workers may or may not be vaccinated.

At least some employees at South City Hospital, who spoke with me on condition of anonymity, are concerned about this policy. But not all of them. One woman who works there, who said she is vaccinated, said she agrees with the philosophy and hopes the hospital uses it to recruit employees.

Its a personal choice, she says.
At the time no one had a personal computer or extensive training, so youd spend lots of sleepless nights just waiting for the computer to spit back the data, he added.

By 2010, new software allowed mapmakers to generate thousands of possibilities in a fraction of the time. Florida, Idaho and Utah were some of the first states to purchase these online redistricting tools as well as allow the public to use them and submit maps.

Idaho Deputy Secretary of State Jason Hancock said the reapportionment commission there in the previous cycle looked at every public map that was submitted.

To what extent, I dont know, Hancock said. There may have been nuggets of ideas in some of those different maps that they picked up and incorporated in some of the maps that they ended up approving.

Idaho plans to again provide an online version of its redistricting software this year.

Florida Republican state Sen. Ray Rodrigues, who chairs his states Senate Reapportionment Committee, said his panel has not decided whether the software lawmakers are using for redistricting will be made available to the public. He said they will be taking map submissions, but it is too early in the process to know how those will be used.
I dont know the reasoning behind that, to be completely honest, she said in regard to the end-of-year firings. Asked if she knew whether it was an attempt to bust the union, she said, I do not.

Netsch, spokeswoman for the Missouri Democrats, blamed the end-of-year firings on the cyclical nature of campaigns.

It is normal for the state party to downsize after an election cycle, as it has for decades, she said.

Hunt noted one of the unions goals was to end the churn and burn cycle among party workers. She said staff members were given no guidance on their future employment following the 2020 election.

We just kept working and so we had no idea that we were going to be fired, certainly not so unceremoniously, Hunt said.

Hunt said cleaning house at that point was a poor choice, leaving end-of-year tasks unfulfilled.

As the finance director, it was my job to fundraise, Hunt said, calling end-of-year efforts a massive deal.

She criticized current public-facing work  such as news releases and emails  coming from the party.
NEW YORK  Millions of jobless Americans lost their unemployment benefits on Monday, leaving only a handful of economic support programs for those who are still being hit financially by the year-and-a-half-old coronavirus pandemic.

Two critical programs expired on Monday. One provided jobless aid to self-employed and gig workers and another provided benefits to those who have been unemployed more than six months. Further, the Biden administrations $300 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit also ran out on Monday.

Its estimated that roughly 8.9 million Americans will lose all or some of these benefits.

While the White House has encouraged states to keep paying the $300 weekly benefit by using money from the stimulus bills, no states have opted to do so. Many states, including Missouri, even opted out of the federal program early after some businesses complained that they couldnt find enough people to hire. The data have shown minimal economic benefits from cutting off aid early in those states.

Economists Peter McCrory and Daniel Silver of JPMorgan found zero correlation between job growth and state decisions to drop the federal unemployment aid, at least so far. An economist at Columbia University, Kyle Coombs, found only minimal benefits.
Thats extremely powerful. And thats what the science should be doing, said USGS hydrologist Robert Jacobson, who works on the program.

But they knew less about the sturgeon. Sturgeon are among the oldest fish species on earth, evolving some 70 million years ago. They have a ridged back and shovel nose and can grow to almost 6 feet, weigh 85 pounds and live to 100. Much of the programs first decade of research investigated their basic biology. How often do they spawn? Where in the river do they live? How do they grow?

Program scientists devised a plan to figure it out: They would catch sturgeon, whisk them to the banks, cut them open and insert a finger-sized tracking device. Underwater microphones, called hydrophones, could detect the chips up to a quarter-mile away. And each tracker emitted a pattern specific to its sturgeon.

Researchers also installed sensors along the river banks to log sturgeon as they passed, even detecting depth and body temperature, providing clues to habitat, migration, spawning and more.

Then, in 2011, record floods swept down the Missouri. Levees broke. Farms and properties were covered in water.
Schmitts actions come as Missouri hospital leaders are raising the alarm about an increase in the number of children hospitalized with the coronavirus and asking adults to protect children by getting themselves vaccinated and wearing a mask.

What are these top officials and governors thinking? Well, not clearly, thats for sure. Its well known that political ambition can cloud the mind. And politics appears to be front and center on all three of their minds.

Both governors are up for reelection next year with the possibility of seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2024. Schmitt is a candidate for the Republican nomination for Missouris open U.S. Senate seat. All are offering up their radical ideas to the extreme right-wing base of their party.

Several polls indicate just how far these politicians are out of step with voters.

A Kaiser Family Foundation national poll found that 63% of parents of school-age children say unvaccinated students and staff should be required to wear masks while in school.

A recent Axios-Ispos poll found that 66% of Americans oppose and only 33% support state actions that prohibit local officials from implementing mask requirements.
Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
DUBAI, UAE, Sept. 6, 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 2374pr@thinkmarkets.com

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SOURCE ThinkMarkets
SHANGHAI, Sept. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WuXi AppTec ("the Company") is pleased to announce that Morgan Stanley Capital International ("MSCI") has upgraded its MSCI ESG Rating to AA. The Company also received outstanding scores in the areas of "corporate governance" and "product safety and quality". This new rating reflects WuXi AppTec's commitment to incorporating environmental and social responsibilities into the company's business strategies and operations.

MSCI, the world's largest index provider, issues ESG ratings for over 2,800 companies each year to help global institutional investors evaluate their ESG risk management capabilities and investment values. The upgrade of WuXi AppTec's ESG rating to AA is an important recognition on the company's focused attention to ESG initiatives and affirms the company's long-term investment value.

As an enabler for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries, WuXi AppTec places significant importance on promoting all aspects of ESG in its operations including corporate governance and behavior, product safety and quality, human resource development, environmental protection, and corporate social responsibility.

WuXi AppTec has integrated ESG into all aspects of its corporate governance by establishing an ESG Committee, ESG Office and ESG Working Group, forming a top-down ESG management structure covering the Board of Directors, senior management and various functional departments. The new MSCI Rating acknowledged that under the supervision of the Board of Directors, WuXi AppTec has formulated detailed policies, such as its Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and Responsible Marketing Policy, to further strengthen the standardization of sustainability efforts across the company. The MSCI Rating also recognized WuXi AppTec's efforts to improve quality trainings and audits, including annual quality trainings for all key suppliers and robust initiatives to strengthen product safety and quality performance.

"We welcome MSCI's recognition of WuXi AppTec's accomplishments in important ESG areas," said Edward Hu, Vice Chairman of WuXi AppTec and Chairman of WuXi AppTec's ESG Committee. "ESG work is integral to our efforts to provide quality, reliable and valuable products and services to our partners, meet evolving regulatory requirements, and ensure customer satisfaction."

WuXi AppTec is committed to continuously improving its ESG performance by further refining its policies and practices, and by strengthening information disclosure procedures.

As a global corporate citizen, WuXi AppTec remains steadfast in its commitment to patients, customers, investors, employees, and communities to operate in a sustainable way both today and in the future.

Additional information about MSCI's rating can be found hereESG Ratings - MSCI

* THE USE BY WuXi AppTec OF ANY MSCI ESG RESEARCH LLC OR ITS AFFILIATES ("MSCI") DATA, AND THE USE OF MSCI LOGOS, TRADEMARKS, SERVICE MARKS OR INDEX NAMES HEREIN, DO NOT CONSTITUTE A SPONSORSHIP, ENDORSEMENT, RECOMMENDATION, OR PROMOTION OF WuXi AppTec BY MSCI. MSCI SERVICES AND DATA ARE THE PROPERTY OF MSCI OR ITS INFORMATION PROVIDERS, AND ARE PROVIDED 'AS-IS' AND WITHOUT WARRANTY. MSCI NAMES AND LOGOS ARE TRADEMARKS OR SERVICE MARKS OF MSCI.

About WuXi AppTecWuXi AppTec provides a broad portfolio of R&D and manufacturing services that enable companies in the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries worldwide to advance discoveries and deliver groundbreaking treatments to patients. As an innovation-driven and customer-focused company, WuXi AppTec helps our partners improve the productivity of advancing healthcare products through cost-effective and efficient solutions. With industry-leading capabilities such as R&D and manufacturing for small molecule drugs, cell and gene therapies, and testing for medical devices, WuXi AppTec's open-access platform is enabling more than 5,200 collaborators from over 30 countries to improve the health of those in need  and to realize our vision that "every drug can be made and every disease can be treated." Please visit: http://www.wuxiapptec.com

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SOURCE WuXi AppTec
USS Croaker (Wikimedia Commons)

(Tribune News Service)  Editor's note: This story was drawn mostly from the files of the Submarine Force Library and Museum in Groton, Conn., and the archives of The Day.

On a crisp December day in 1987, a decaying submarine was pushed into the Thames River channel by tugboats and towed away by a Navy salvage ship.

That quiet departure closed the book on a saga unlike any in the seafaring annals of southeastern Connecticut. Most of the states submarine stories are triumphant, like Nautilus' North Pole voyage, or tragic, like the loss of the Thresher.

But this story ends in simple failure. It's the tale of a doomed attempt to preserve the past that was spurred by determination and undone by money.

"Does anyone know the name of the submarine that was on the river 30 years ago?" a reader asked. "I remember touring it but can't remember the name."

The name was USS Croaker, and it helped win World War II, sinking 11 enemy ships. But unlike its contemporaries, immortalized by their Pacific adventures, this submarine was defined by what happened to it later.

In Croaker's biggest battles, it didn't launch torpedoes but was a bystander to clashes over its fate as a museum ship.

The fanfare that attends the launch of a submarine was absent on Dec. 19, 1943, the day Croaker slid down the ways at Electric Boat's Victory Yard, where Pfizer is now. Wartime urgency had made launches commonplace.

EB was building submarines at a furious pace. The shipyard launched two in one day in October 1943, then repeated the feat a month later. Croaker's was the 25th and final launch of the year, which averages out to one every other week.

The following August, Croaker (SS-246) was seven days into its first patrol when a warship came into view off Japan. The crew fired torpedoes and waited. When an explosion was heard, the captain yelled, "We hit him!"

The grim sounds of a ship breaking up followed, and a blurry periscope photo shows the Japanese cruiser Nagara going down by the stern. As it disappeared, Croaker rushed off to avoid depth charges.

Three more sinkings followed, and Navy Secretary James Forrestal called the crew "unrelenting, daring and tenacious" when he awarded them the Navy Unit Commendation. Croaker dispatched another seven ships on five later patrols.

After the war it sat in Groton, out of commission, for five years. Then, with submarine technology advancing on several fronts, the Navy converted Croaker and six other Gato-class boats into "hunter-killers" for anti-submarine warfare, the wave of the future.

Croaker emerged from its 1953 conversion so changed it no longer looked like one of the "fleet boats" that had humbled the Japanese navy. Instead it became an artifact of a Cold War moment that was soon overtaken by the nuclear era.

Stricken from the Naval Register in 1971, Croaker seemed to have reached the end of the line.

But its next chapter hadn't even begun.

Frank Scheetz was born in West Virginia and never made it past sixth grade, quitting school to work in a coal mine. In 1942 he joined the Navy and did six submarine war patrols. When he left the service after 21 years, he stayed in Groton, where he had spent most of his Navy career.

With a blunt, no-nonsense demeanor and the kind of smarts that don't come from books, Scheetz, a contractor and developer, built houses, started businesses and made money. A shopping plaza on Route 12 still bears his name.

In 1972 Scheetz set his sights on a big prize: the New London train station, set to be torn down. He wanted to create a transportation center and made an offer for the building, which was rejected.

Meanwhile, someone else floated the idea of turning the station into a submarine museum. Scheetz made that plan his own and again tried to buy the building. He also offered to lease City Pier and dock an old submarine there.

New London was lukewarm on the idea, but a fire had been lit under Scheetz. His goal became a submarine tourist attraction to honor the Silent Service in which he had served. He formed a group called the Submarine Memorial Association and, in 1974, pitched his plan to Groton.

By then he had a specific boat in mind: Croaker, still in storage at the sub base.

Groton was receptive, but opposition to specifics came in from all sides. Environmental officials feared the impact of fill at the dock site. City voters nixed the sale of a building. Even the Submarine Veterans of World War II were against charging admission and worried Croaker would become an "eyesore."

"Anybody who objects to this memorial is throwing rocks at the American flag," Scheetz said.

When he chose a different site off Thames Street just north of EB, things fell into place. On July 27, 1976, Croaker was floated down the river to its new home. But the sub, on loan from the Navy, needed thousands of dollars' worth of work.

After nearly a year of scraping, painting and replacing parts, Croaker opened to the public in May 1977. For the first time, the Submarine Capital of the World had a submarine on display. That summer, 40,000 people visited, fulfilling the old sailor's dream.

World War II subs were a hot item. As the conflict receded and wartime boats were scrapped, the dwindling number of survivors became prized as portals to the past, even if they hadn't seen combat. A photo taken in Groton just after the war shows six decommissioned subs, including Croaker; five were destined to become memorials.

On July 4, 1969, one of the five, Drum (SS-228), was dedicated in Mobile, Ala., the first wartime sub open to the public. As the Navy jettisoned its remaining diesel boats in the early 1970s, many found second lives as museum ships. Today, 16 U.S. subs from the war remain, including six built by EB.

Groton was in the market early for one of them. In 1958 the town's chamber of commerce tried to secure Flasher (SS-249), which also appears in that postwar photo. The Navy promised it to the Subvets, but the group couldn't raise enough money. They still managed to get the conning tower before the boat was scrapped, and today it's the centerpiece of the National Submarine Memorial at Bridge and Thames streets.

Croaker had been open barely a month when Scheetz began another quest on Groton's behalf: Nautilus, the first nuclear submarine, which was near the end of its service life. His goal was to bring it home and dock it next to Croaker. But the Navy wanted it in either Washington or Annapolis, Md.

At a politically opportune moment, Scheetz assembled a save-the-Nautilus coalition that included power brokers as high up as the vice president of the United States. But he again faced opposition from the Subvets, who felt putting the landmark vessel next to Croaker would only line Scheetz's pockets.

"I'm getting damn tired of people saying that Frank Scheetz is trying to make money off the Nautilus," Scheetz said. But for the sake of unity he reluctantly declared his support for a berth near the sub base, where the historic ship ended up in 1985.

Scheetz helped win the battle for Nautilus, but it may have cost him the war for Croaker.

A stern letter Scheetz received in September 1986 listed six problems Navy inspectors had found with Croaker that "require your immediate attention," including a pronounced list to port. The words "severe deterioration" were used repeatedly.

The sticking point was ongoing replacement of the deck. Scheetz was using fiberglass; the Navy wanted teak, which was 10 times as expensive.

Since the Nautilus had returned, Croaker's attendance was down, and money was tight. To fund the repairs, Scheetz proposed renting the boat to the University of Connecticut as an off-season laboratory. But when the Navy greeted the idea with silence, he told them to come repossess their submarine.

Croaker's decade as a Groton tourist attraction ended on July 23, 1987, as tugs nudged it across the river to a temporary berth at the Naval Underwater Systems Center at Fort Trumbull. The previous day, Scheetz was asked if he would be there to watch the move.

"I don't think so," he said. "I don't go to funerals."

With Croaker's fate up in the air, New London and Norwich briefly considered claiming it. Groton weighed a plan to put it on land near the National Submarine Memorial. Town officials were still talking about that in December when a salvage ship towed the sub to Virginia for winter storage. But when the projected cost of the land berth doubled, interest dried up. Six months after Croaker had departed, Groton gave up trying to get it back.

"We already have our memorial," a town councilor said. "I don't think that having more is necessarily better."

That's the end of the story but not the end of Croaker. The Navy, which might have used the boat for target practice, instead found a taker.

In late 1988, Croaker was towed to the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park in Buffalo, N.Y., where it was fully restored. Alongside a cruiser and a destroyer, it's been there uneventfully ever since.

These days, the old submarine is well past its time in combat, in the Pacific and especially in Groton.

(c)2021 The Day (New London, Conn.)

Visit The Day (New London, Conn.) at www.theday.com

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In March, a Chinese military satellite appeared to spontaneously disintegrate in orbit, leaving a trail of debris high above the Earth. If China knew anything, it wasnt saying. Did the propulsion system explode? Was there a collision with some of the space junk thats accumulating in orbit? Or did something a bit more conspiratorial happen? The mystery persisted until last month, when an astronomer at the Center for Astrophysics announced the answer. Yunhai 1-02, as the satellite is known, collided with a piece of junk leftover from a 1996 Russian rocket launch.

It was the first major smashup in Earth orbit since 2009. It wont be the last. Thanks to cost-saving advances in rocket and satellite technologies, more countries and companies are preparing to launch more stuff into orbit than ever before. As they do, the risk of collisions will only rise. The good news is that space junk is one of the rare problems where geopolitical adversaries and corporate rivals should find common cause. At least, thats the hope.

Scientists and policymakers have been worrying about space junk  the dead and unwanted craft left behind in the finite space of Earth orbit  for decades. A paper published in 1978 posited one grim scenario. As satellites proliferated, so too would collisions; each collision would in turn produce debris that made further collisions more likely. The result could be a belt of space junk so dense that it would make certain low-Earth orbits unusable. The study generated intense interest at NASA, which set up an Orbital Debris Program Office to deal with the problem.

In 1995, the agency issued the worlds first set of debris-mitigation guidelines. Among other things, it proposed that satellites be designed to reenter Earths atmosphere within 25 years of mission completion. Other spacefaring countries and the United Nations followed with their own guidelines. But urgency and compliance were lacking, partly because the world hadnt yet experienced a destructive collision between spacecraft and debris.

That would soon change. In 2007, China launched a ballistic missile at one of its old weather satellites, producing the largest cloud of space debris ever tracked. Two years later, a nonfunctional Russian communications orbiter collided with a functioning one operated by Iridium Satellite LLC, producing almost 2,000 pieces of debris measuring at least 4 inches in diameter. Any of those fragments could inflict potentially catastrophic damage in a collision.

Since then, the situation has only gotten more precarious. More than 100 million pieces of space junk are now orbiting the Earth. Although the vast majority are the size of sand grains or smaller, at least 26,000 hunks are big enough to destroy a satellite. As more entities seek to access orbit for scientific and commercial purposes, the likelihood of a collision is growing fast. About 4,000 operational satellites are now in orbit; in the years ahead, that number could rise to more than 100,000.

None of this is news to the worlds spacefaring nations, which are well aware of how space junk could affect their research operations (including the threat posed to astronauts aboard the International Space Station). Companies including SpaceX are building constellations of new satellites that will be vulnerable to debris of all sorts. As Earth orbit becomes an increasingly important arena for military competition, theres also the risk that collisions could be misinterpreted as something other than an accident.

So what can be done? For one thing, some old-fashioned bridge-building between spacefaring nations would help. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, negotiated during an earlier space race with little input from China, is badly in need of an update. In particular, provisions that grant countries permanent property rights to their objects in space may complicate efforts to clean up debris. Could China unilaterally remove a defunct Russian satellite  potentially containing valuable intellectual property  if its own equipment was at imminent risk? Greater clarity on such questions could help boost trust and cooperation.

Next, NASA should fund research into debris-removal technologies  those recently demonstrated by Astroscale, a Japanese startup, offer a promising example  and consider partnerships with companies developing them. The U.S. should also seek to expand the Artemis Accords, a framework for space cooperation that includes (so far) 11 other countries. As more nations join, debris-mitigation protocols, such as a requirement to specify which country has responsibility for end-of-mission planning, should become routine.

None of these steps can be taken soon enough to prevent the next satellite smashup. But over time, they should help to make space a place where countries and companies collaborate, not collide.

Bloomberg Opinion columnist Adam Minter is the author of Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade and Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.
In this image made from video, unidentified soldiers patrol near the office of the president in the capital Conakry, Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021. (AP Photo)

CONAKRY, Guinea  Guinea's new military leaders sought to tighten their grip on power Monday after overthrowing President Alpha Conde, ordering the soldiers from his presidential guard to now join the junta forces and barring government officials from leaving the country.

After putting the West African nation back under military rule for the first time in over a decade, the junta already had dissolved the National Assembly and the country's constitution. On Monday, regional military commanders replaced Guinea's governors as the junta solidified its control.

Junta President Col. Mamady Doumbouya said the new military regime would not pursue vendettas against political enemies, but he also instructed the officials he'd summoned from Conde's deposed government to turn over their passports immediately.

"There will be no spirit of hatred or revenge. There will be no witch hunt," said Doumbouya, 41, addressing officials in a red beret and dark sunglasses beside a throng of armed soldiers. "But justice will be the compass that will guide every Guinean citizen."

"For former members of the government, travel outside our borders will not be allowed during the transition," said Doumbouya, who had led the Guinean army's special forces unit before seizing power Sunday. "All your travel documents and vehicles must be handed over to the general secretaries of your former departments."

The military junta has refused to issue a timeline for releasing Conde, saying the 83-year-old deposed leader still had access to medical care and his doctors. The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS, though, called for his immediate release and threatened to impose sanctions if the demand was not met.

Conde's removal by force Sunday came after the president sought and won a controversial third term in office last year, saying the term limits did not apply to him. State television showed the junta being greeted by jubilant Guineans, some of whom chanted "Freedom!" at the passing military convoy in the streets.

While the political opposition and the junta both sought Conde's ouster, it remained unclear Monday how united the two would be going forward.

In its first comments since the coup, the longtime opposition National Alliance for Change and Democracy party said Sunday's government overthrow "carries the hope of a new beginning for our nation." But the party also encouraged the military rulers to rapidly establish the rule of law.

It also was unknown Monday just how much support the junta leader had within the larger military. As the commander of the army's special forces unit he directed elite soldiers but it was still possible that others who remained loyal to the ousted president could mount a countercoup in the coming hours or days.

In announcing the coup on state television, Doumbouya cast himself as a patriot of Guinea, which he said remained poor despite decades of independence from its former colonizer, France. Observers, though, say the tensions between Guinea's president and the army colonel stem from a recent proposal to cut some military salaries.

Conde's 2010 election victory  the country's first democratic vote ever  was supposed to be a fresh start after decades of corrupt, authoritarian rule and political turmoil. Opponents, though, said Conde, too, failed to improve the lives of Guineans, most of whom live in poverty despite the country's vast mineral riches of bauxite and gold.

The year after Conde's first election he narrowly survived an assassination attempt when gunmen surrounded his home overnight and pounded his bedroom with rockets. Rocket-propelled grenades landed inside the compound and one of his bodyguards was killed.

Violent street demonstrations broke out last year after Conde organized a referendum to modify the constitution. The unrest intensified after he won the October election, and the opposition said dozens were killed during the crisis.

In neighboring Senegal, which has a large diaspora of Guineans who opposed Conde, news of his political demise was met with relief.

"President Alpha Conde deserves to be deposed. He stubbornly tried to run for a third term when he had no right to do so," said Malick Diallo, a young Guinean shopkeeper in the suburbs of Dakar.

"We know that a coup d'etat is not good," said Mamadou Saliou Diallo, another Guinean living in Senegal. "A president must be elected by democratic vote. But we have no choice. We have a president who is too old, who no longer makes Guineans dream and who does not want to leave power."

Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Babacar Dione in Dakar, Senegal, contributed.
In this 2018 photo, Danny Fenster works out of his van that he made into a home/office in Detroit. The parents and brother of an American journalist who has been detained in Myanmar for 100 days are vowing to never stop working to secure his release. (Fenster family photo via AP)

BANGKOK  A court in Myanmar on Monday extended the pretrial detention of Danny Fenster, an American journalist in the military-led Southeast Asian nation who was arrested in May.

Fenster was detained at Yangon International Airport on May 24, as he was about to board a flight to go to the Detroit area in the United States to see his family. He is the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, an online magazine based in Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city.

"Danny's next trial date is set for September 20," said his lawyer, Than Zaw Aung. "The court held a video conference with Danny Fenster this afternoon and he is healthy, according to the clerk from the court."

Fenster has been charged with incitement for which he could be sentenced to up to three years' imprisonment. The charge against him does not make clear specifically what he is accused of doing.

Court hearings in Myanmar have been held by video for several months since a new wave of the coronavirus began ravaging the country. Lawyers do not take part in the video remand hearings but are informed afterward of their results.

Fenster has told his lawyer he fears he has COVID-19, though the authorities at Yangon's Insein Prison have denied he is infected.

"We are very disappointed at the repeated delays in Danny's case," Frontier's Editor-in-Chief Thomas Kean told The Associated Press. "Because of these delays he has now been in prison for more than 100 days and also had very little contact with his family or his lawyer. We know he has done nothing wrong and we are hopeful the case will soon be withdrawn so he can finally go home to his family."

The military-installed government that took power in February in Myanmar  also known as Burma  has tried to silence independent news media by withdrawing their licenses and by arresting dozens of journalists.

"We remain deeply concerned over the continued detention of U.S. citizen Danny Fenster who was working as a journalist in Burma," State Department spokesman Ned Price said last week after Fenster marked his 100th day in detention.

"Journalism is not a crime. The detention of Daniel Fenster and other journalists constitutes an unacceptable attack on freedom of expression in Burma. We continue to press Burma's military regime to release Danny immediately. We will do so until he safely returns home to his family."
Maria Kolesnikova, the last remaining protest leader still in Belarus, at the opening of her trial on charges of undermining national security, conspiring to seize power and creating an extremist group, in Minsk on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021. (Ramil Nasibulin, Belta, AFP, Getty Images/TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  Belarus jailed a key opposition leader for 11 years, close to the maximum term, intensifying a crackdown on pro-democracy activists days before President Alexander Lukashenko travels to Moscow for talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Maria Kalesnikava, 39, who ripped up her passport to stop security agents expelling her from Belarus, was convicted of conspiracy to seize power and of leadership of an extremist organization at a closed-court hearing in the capital Minsk on Monday. Maksim Znak, 40, a lawyer who worked in the opposition campaign to challenge Lukashenko at last years presidential elections, was sentenced to 10 years on the same charges. Both had spent almost a year in detention.

Kalesnikava became a prominent public face in opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskayas election campaign and was one of the leaders of protests that erupted against Lukashenkos claim to have won with 80% support. More than 30,000 protesters were detained in violent police crackdowns amid allegations of torture in prison. Hundreds remain in jail.

We demand the immediate release of Maria & Maksim, who arent guilty of anything, Tskihanouskaya said on Twitter. Its terror against Belarusians who dare to stand up to the regime.

The convictions follow the sentencing of former banker Viktor Babariko, who was barred from running in the election, to 14 years in prison in July. Hes now working as an oven stoker in the bakery of a labor penal colony, his lawyer Natalya Matskevich said on Twitter.

The European Union said Kalesnikava and Znak were among more than 650 political prisoners in Belarus jails and called for their immediate release. The bloc will continue its efforts to promote accountability for the brutal repression by the Belarusian authorities, it said in a statement.

While the U.S. and the EU refused to recognize the election result and imposed sanctions in response to the violence, Russia has backed Lukashenko as the Kremlin draws Belarus more tightly into its political orbit.

Lukashenkos trip to see Putin on Thursday will be their sixth bilateral meeting since the disputed elections and the two leaders have also had multiple phone conversations, according to the Kremlins website. They plan to give a joint news conference and observe military drills Russia and Belarus are holding this month.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.

Visit bloomberg.com .

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In this Sept. 24, 2017 file photo a German flag flutters over the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany. (Michael Probst/AP)

BERLIN  Germany has protested to Russia over attempts to steal data from lawmakers in what it suspects may have been preparation to spread disinformation before the upcoming German election, the Foreign Ministry in Berlin said Monday.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse said that a hacker outfit called Ghostwriter has been "combining conventional cyberattacks with disinformation and influence operations," and that activities targeting Germany have been observed "for some time."

She said that, ahead of Germany's parliamentary election on Sept. 26, there have been attempts  using phishing emails, among other things  to get hold of personal login details of federal and state lawmakers, with the aim of identity theft.

"These attacks could serve as preparations for influence operations such as disinformation campaigns connected with the parliamentary election," she told reporters in Berlin.

"The German government has reliable information on the basis of which Ghostwriter activities can be attributed to cyber-actors of the Russian state and, specifically, Russia's GRU military intelligence service," Sasse said. It "views this unacceptable activity as a danger to the security of the Federal Republic of Germany and for the process of democratic decision-making, and as a severe strain on bilateral relations."

She said Germany calls on the Russian government to end such activity immediately, and has made that demand directly to Russian officials  most recently during a meeting on Thursday and Friday of a German-Russian working group on security policy, at which German deputy foreign minister Miguel Berger raised the issue with Russia's deputy foreign minister.

Sasse wouldn't comment on the extent of the cyberattacks or possible damage, saying only that they "are of course completely unacceptable, and that the German government reserves the right to take further measures."

In mid-July, the head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency said that since February his agency had seen activity focusing on phishing attempts on the private email accounts of federal and state lawmakers and their staff. But he said that very few of those attempts were successful, and in cases where they were successful it appeared little damage had been caused.

Germany's concerns about Russian interference have extended to the activities of state-funded broadcaster RT, whose online-only German-language service has for years emphasized divisive issues such as migration and the restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Chancellor Angela Merkel recently denied during a visit to Moscow that her government had exerted political pressure to block the station's request for a regular broadcast license, which was turned down last month by authorities in neighboring Luxembourg.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Monday accused Germany of trying to suppress the channel, claiming that "it says what the German media dare not say."

In the Sept. 26 vote, Germany will elect a new parliament that will determine who succeeds Merkel. She is not seeking another term after nearly 16 years in charge. The outcome is wide open, with polls showing the main parties fairly close together.

Daria Litvinova in Moscow, and Frank Jordans in Berlin, and contributed to this report.
Presiding judge Hendrik Steenhuis, center, waits for Ria van der Steen, who lost her father and stepmother in the MH17 crash, front right, to give testimony in court in the trial of four men charged with murder over the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, at Schiphol airport, near Amsterdam, Netherlands, Monday Sept. 6, 2021. (Peter Dejong/AP)

SCHIPHOL, Netherlands  Since her father and stepmother died in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17, Ria van der Steen has been dealing with feelings of hate, revenge, anger and fear.

She is not alone. Seven years later, Sander Essers still feels guilty about the death of his brother. And for Peter van der Meer, Father's Day has become the one of the most horrible days of the year, following the loss of his three daughters aged 12, 10 and 7 in the crash.

"I'm a father without children, a childless father," he said in an emotional speech. "It has been so for seven years, and for all the years to come."

Finally, relatives of the 298 passengers and crew killed on July 17, 2014, when a Buk missile blew the Boeing 777 heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur out of the sky above conflict-torn eastern Ukraine, are having their say in court.

Under Dutch law, the relatives are allowed to make a victim impact statement to the court, without being asked questions. About 90 people plan to do so over the next three weeks, some speaking via live video links from other countries.

"I think probably next to the verdict, it is one of the most important days for the family members, because they can speak to the court, but through speaking to the court, they speak to the suspects and also to the responsible people wherever they are hiding," said Peter Langstraat, a lawyer representing victims' relatives. "So this is a form of communication with the people who are responsible for this disaster."

Van der Steen was the first to speak Monday, telling the court about the psychological consequences of the tragedy on her life.

All dressed in black in the courtroom at Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, van der Steen spoke at length about the nightmares that woke her up screaming and of the impossible goodbye to her loved ones.

"I had to say my goodbye to them so often," she said. "The question is: How many times can you say goodbye? And when is goodbye forever?"

Van der Steen said she began to have nightmares soon after learning about the death of her relatives, who had been on their way to holidays to Borneo. In her dreams, she walked across fields in Ukraine looking for her father to let him know he had died.

"I saw the wreckage, bodies, personal effects," she recalled, "I could not stop crying until I woke up screaming."

After first being told it would not be possible to identify the bodies of her loved ones, van der Steen finally learned that her father had been identified thanks to a tiny piece of bone of his hand.

"Happily, we received news soon after that a small piece of bone of (my stepmother) Neeltje was found and that she, too, was identified," said van der Steen, recalling how shocked she was when presented with the two small bags of bones.

"I knew it was them, but emotionally I did not want to accept it," she told the court.

Essers said his brother Peter called him about 20 minutes before boarding the plane.

"In a gloomy voice he said to me, literally: "Sander I'm afraid that I'm not going to come back alive.' Later he said: 'We're flying over a war zone.' He was dead scared and asked me urgently whether or not he should board the plane."

Essers said he felt he should reassure his brother.

"I often suddenly feel that I am partly to blame for his death," he said.

The trial opened in March 2020 and progressed through a long series of preliminary hearings before lawyers began discussing the merits of the case in June. The complex case is expected to continue into next year.

After a years-long painstaking international investigation, prosecutors charged four suspects  Russians Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Oleg Pulatov as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko  with multiple counts of murder for their alleged involvement in shooting down the flight.

"To the perpetrators, seven years ago, you broke up my family in the worse way imaginable," said Vanessa Rizk, testifying remotely from Australia. Vanessa and her brother James lost their parents in the crash.

"Seven years on, I am determined that you will never, ever break my spirit and capacity to live and love, just as my parents would have wanted me to," she said.

Prosecutors say the plane was shattered in mid-air when it was hit by a Buk missile system trucked into Ukraine from a Russian military base. Russia denies any involvement in the downing.

None of the suspects has appeared in court and only one  Pulatov  has lawyers representing him at the trial. They have said he denies the charges.

"They are lying, we know they are lying and they know that we know that they are lying," said van der Steen, saying that she was quoting the late Soviet dissident novelist Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

Last week, investigators appealed to Russians to come forward with information about the deployment of the missile that investigators say downed the plane.
Polish security forces surround migrants stuck along with border with Belarus in Usnarz Gorny, Poland, on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. (Czarek Sokolowski/AP)

WARSAW, Poland  Poland's parliament voted Monday to uphold the state of emergency along the border with Belarus that was declared last week amid migration pressure.

The vote came after Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told lawmakers that the country faces a threat from Russia and Belarus as he sought support for the state of emergency, which was declared last week by President Andrzej Duda  a step unprecedented in the country's post-communist history.

Morawiecki told the parliament that the defense of the Polish borders is the responsibility of the state, and that "in Moscow and Minsk scenarios are being written" that threaten Poland's security and sovereignty.

Poland, Lithuania and Latvia  the three European Union nations that border Belarus  accuse Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of pushing migrants from Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and elsewhere into their countries illegally. They call it an act of "hybrid war" against their countries in revenge for EU sanctions.

Morawiecki and other officials have defended the state of emergency also by noting that Moscow will begin large military exercises in Russia and Belarus later this month.

The state of emergency allows the authorities to prevent journalists and other civilians from operating within 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) from the border with Belarus. Some lawmakers accused the government of using it to limit the rights of journalists to work, and citizens the right to obtain information, from the border.

Tomasz Siemoniak, deputy leader of the main opposition party, Civic Platform, said there was no doubt that Poland has external opponents seeking to weaken it, a threat he said should never be taken lightly. But the former defense minister argued there was no justification for the state of emergency now. He accused the ruling authorities of using it to distract from rising prices, scandals and problems in the health system.

Morawiecki said at an earlier news conference that migrants trying to enter into Poland illegally from Belarus are being provided with food and money by the Belarusian security services.

While thousands of migrants have been pushed back or put in closed centers for immigrants, the main focus for weeks has been around 30 people stranded on the Poland-Belarus border.

The International Organization for Migration in Geneva said it is deeply concerned about the "dire conditions" they are in, saying they are facing "extremely harsh conditions, with limited access to drinking water and food, medical assistance, sanitation facilities and shelter."

"Prolonging this unacceptable situation poses a grievous threat to the migrants' lives and health," the IOM said.

Polish officials pushed back strongly against the view that the migrants are victims deprived of humanitarian aid. In Warsaw, the Polish authorities released images which they said showed Belarusian security forces providing the migrants with food, clothes and transport by car. Some appeared to show officials from the Belarus Red Cross, which visited them last week.

Blazej Pobozy, a deputy interior minister, said it was a "false narrative" to view the people at the border as "poor, hungry refugees who do not get help from anywhere."

Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said most who crossed into Poland illegally are Iraqis who traveled by plane from Baghdad to Minsk. He said there was also a group of Afghans who have lived for years in Russia and were now offered access to the EU.

The fate of the group has raised concerns among some in Poland who accuse the government of being inhumane. Poland has deployed soldiers to the border, reinforced it with razor wire and refused to let the group apply for asylum.

With Russia beginning military exercises this month, Morawiecki said "we have not had such a tense situation for 30 years."
In this Aug. 25, 2021, file photo, armored vehicles are seen in Panjshir Valley, north of Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban said on Monday, Sept. 6, 2021, they have taken control of Panjshir province north of Kabul, the Afghan capital. The province was the last holdout of anti-Taliban forces in the country and the only province the Taliban had not seized during their sweep last month. (Jalaluddin Sekandar/AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan  The Taliban said Monday they seized the last province not in their control after their blitz through Afghanistan last month, overrunning forces who had opposed their takeover.

Thousands of Taliban fighters charged into eight districts of Panjshir province overnight, according to witnesses from the area who spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared for their safety. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that the province, which is north of the capital, was now held by their fighters.

We tried our best to solve the problem through negotiations, and they rejected talks and then we had to send our forces to fight, Mujahid told a news conference in Kabul later Monday.

The resisting forces were led by the former vice president, Amrullah Saleh, and also the son of the iconic anti-Taliban fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud. Experts had doubted that the holdout efforts could succeed long-term against the Taliban, whose rapid advance through Afghanistan met little resistance in the final days of Americas 20-year war in the country.

The U.S. withdrew its last troops a week ago and ended a harrowing airlift to evacuate Western citizens and their Afghan allies that was marred by scenes of desperation and horrific violence.

During that evacuation, thousands of people descended on Kabuls airport, hoping to flee the country because they feared what the Talibans rule might hold, given their history of repression, particularly of women. At one point, an Islamic State suicide bomber targeted the crowds, killing 169 Afghans and 13 American service members.

Many people are still hoping to leave the country, but with Kabuls airport not yet running international flights, their choices are few. In the countrys north, officials said Sunday that at least four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people have been unable to leave the country for days. But there were conflicting accounts about why.

The U.S. is under pressure to help the remaining Americans and green card holders leave the country, and it has promised to work with the new Taliban rulers do that  but it has given no timeframe.

An Afghan official at the airport in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif said that the would-be passengers were Afghans, many of whom did not have passports or visas, and thus were unable to leave. Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters, he said they had left the airport while the situation was being sorted out.

But the top Republican on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee said that the group included Americans and that they had boarded planes but the Taliban were not letting them take off, effectively holding them hostage. Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas told Fox News Sunday that American citizens and Afghan interpreters were being kept on six planes.

He did not say where that information came from, and it was not immediately possible to reconcile the two accounts. The State Department has said it has no reliable way to confirm information about such charter flights.

But the U.S. has helped a family of four American citizens to flee through an overland route, according to American official. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly due to the sensitivity of the matter, would not give details of the evacuation or say which country they went to.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are traveling to the Persian Gulf and Europe this week to discuss Afghanistan.

President Joe Biden was asked Monday night as he returned to the White House whether he would recognize the Taliban government. Thats a long way off. Thats a long way off, he said.

Meanwhile, the Taliban say they are working to repair Kabuls airport, where only domestic flights have resumed and just during the day for now. Mujahid, the groups spokesman, told reporters Monday that American soldiers destroyed equipment before departing, including the critical radar system. The U.S. has said troops destroyed military equipment but left equipment useful for running a civilian airport, like fire trucks.

Technical experts from Qatar and Turkey have begun repairs, though its not clear when the airport will be up and running.

The Taliban have pledged to allow anyone with the proper legal documents to leave the country  and several countries have said they are watching closely to see if the new rulers make good on that pledge. The Taliban have generally promised to govern more moderately than when they were last in power in the late 1990s and became global pariahs for their harsh interpretation of Islamic law and restrictions on women.

Still, experts did not think the anti-Taliban fighters in Panjshir, the last holdout province, had much of a chance, even given the areas geographical advantage.

Nestled in the towering Hindu Kush mountains, the Panjshir Valley has a single narrow entrance. Local fighters held off the Soviets there in the 1980s and also, for a brief time, the Taliban a decade later under the leadership of Massoud.

Massouds son Ahmad called for an end to the fighting on Sunday. The young British-schooled Massoud said his forces were ready to lay down their weapons but only if the Taliban agreed to end their assault. Late on Sunday dozens of vehicles loaded with Taliban fighters were seen swarming into the Panjshir Valley.

In a second statement Monday, a now-defiant Massoud accused the Taliban of attacking even as they were ready to agree to a cease-fire. He vowed to fight on, urged Afghans to join in their battle against the Taliban and chastised the international community for giving the Taliban a platform by opening negotiations with them.

There has been no statement from Saleh, Afghanistans former vice president who had declared himself the acting president after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Aug. 15 as the Taliban reached the gates of the capital.

The whereabouts of Saleh and the young Massoud were not immediately known Monday.

Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, sought to assure residents of Panjshir that they would be safe  even as scores of families reportedly fled into the mountains ahead of the Talibans arrival.

There is no need for any more fighting, Mujahid said at the news conference. All Panjshir people and those who live in Panjshir are our brothers and they are part of our country.

The Taliban had stepped up their assault on Panjshir on Sunday, tweeting that their forces overran Rokha district, one of the largest in the province.

Mujahid also told reporters that the Taliban would announce a new government within days  one that would be inclusive, he said, without elaborating. Once the government is formed, members of the former Afghan army and security forces would be asked to return to work to form an army with Taliban fighters, he added.

Asked what rights women would have under the Taliban, Mujahid promised all women would eventually be asked to return to their jobs.

The Taliban have claimed unspecified security reasons are behind the current slow pace of return of Afghan women to their workplaces and also behind restricting women to their homes, unless accompanied by a male guardian. But many who remember their previous rule are skeptical.

___

Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez in Istanbul and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
A long line of people waiting to be fed in New York City during the Great Depression. (Franklin D. Roosevelt Library/National Archives and Records Administration)

The nature of work has undergone a lot of changes during the pandemic. Millions of office workers began working from home; the service industry has struggled to get workers to come back, and some businesses, like Kickstarter, are now experimenting with four-day workweeks  without reducing salaries. In Congress, Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., has introduced legislation to make a 32-hour workweek standard.

This Great Reassessment of labor feels revolutionary. But we have been here before. In 1933, the Senate passed, and President Franklin Roosevelt supported, a bill to reduce the standard workweek to only 30 hours.

Americans have worked hard, perhaps too hard, since the Colonial era. English and other European colonists often had to work longer and harder on farms here than in the Old World, and a philosophy of working from sunrise to sunset prevailed, according to the Economic History Association. The Massachusetts colony even passed a law requiring a 10-hour minimum workday.

Enslaved people, whose labor profits were stolen, generally worked 10-16 hours a day, six days a week. Some studies estimate that when slavery ended, the hours African Americans spent working fell by 26-35%.

In the 1830s, workers in manufacturing were on the job roughly 70 hours a week, often in horrendous and even deadly conditions. By the 1890s that had dropped to about 60 hours. This period also saw the rise of labor unions, the creation of Labor Day as a national holiday, Grand Eight Hours Leagues and the motto Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what you will. At that time, what you will did not include Saturday; workweeks were generally six days with only Sunday off.

The eight-hour day picked up in popularity in the decades preceding the Great Depression. Federal workers, railroad workers and Ford Motor Co. employees all moved to eight-hour shifts. CEO Henry Ford first instituted a six-day, 48-hour workweek for male factory workers in 1914, according to History.com. In 1926, a five-day, 40-hour workweek was extended to all employees, along with a pay raise. Ford argued that his employees were more productive in fewer hours; critics were skeptical they could be productive enough to make up the difference.

Then came the stock market crash, the Great Depression and record-high unemployment. After an underwhelming response from President Herbert Hoover, he faced New York Gov. Franklin Roosevelt in the 1932 election. Shorter work hours was a major issue among voters, and both candidates had ideas, according to historian Benjamin Hunnicutt in his book Work Without End: Abandoning Shorter Hours for the Right to Work.

Roosevelt, a Democrat, pushed federal legislation to establish shorter work hours  something he had already done at the state level in New York  while Hoover backed voluntary share-the-work drives. The idea was that if workers had shorter hours, no one would be unemployed, even if everyone ended up making less money, though unions were also pushing for a decent federal minimum wage.

After Roosevelt won the election but before he took office, Sen. Hugo Black, D-Ala., introduced a bill backed by the American Federation of Labor to temporarily shorten the workweek drastically, to only 30 hours  six hours a day, five days a week. For a while, it had Roosevelts support, and he began negotiating with business leaders behind closed doors; if they would shorten the workweek to 30 hours voluntarily, then he would go easy on antitrust reforms, he said, according to Hunnicutt.

As soon as Roosevelt took office on March 4, 1933, he called Congress into a special session  what would become its most productive streak in history. Over the next 100 days, Roosevelt and his Cabinet guided more than a dozen major bills through the House and Senate, stabilizing the banking system, regulating Wall Street, subsidizing farmers and getting relief checks into the hands of the unemployed.

Amid this flurry, on April 6, the Senate passed Blacks 30-hour week bill 53-30 in a bipartisan vote. Supporters claimed it would create 6 million jobs, The Washington Post reported. It was expected to pass the House, and Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins was publicly supportive.

Business leader were up in arms. Instead of looking at the increase in leisure as inevitable or as potentially beneficial, Hunnicutt wrote, they feared that if workers got a taste of a 30-hour week, they would never want to go back, and the law would become permanent. Men of industry held emergency meetings in Chicago and Philadelphia, and Perkins, who also supported a federal minimum wage, was flooded with messages of opposition.

Meanwhile at the White House, as Roosevelt worked on a comprehensive recovery plan, he began to turn against the 30-hour week. What if, rather than sharing available work, there was just more work? As the plan for a massive public-works program took shape, support for the 30-hour week collapsed. Instead, Roosevelt used the threat of it as leverage to get industry leaders to agree to ban child labor, set a modest minimum wage and limit the standard workweek at 40 hours, Hunnicutt wrote.

The resulting National Industrial Recovery Act was a triumph, but one that didnt last. Two years later, in May 1935, the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional in a decision that so angered Roosevelt he threatened to expand the court.

In 1938, the minimum wage, 40-hour week and child labor ban returned in the form of the Fair Labor Standards Act. This time, Perkins asked Department of Labor lawyers to draft a law that had a better chance of passing judicial scrutiny. And they had another ace in their sleeve  a few months earlier, Roosevelt had nominated his first justice for the Supreme Court. He chose Hugo Black.

For decades, the 40-hour week has endured, but it didnt seem like it would in the beginning. As Joe Pinsker of the Atlantic pointed out in June, many economists once assumed we would be working fewer than 40 hours by now. In 1956, even then-Vice President Richard Nixon predicted a 32-hours, four-day workweek in the not too distant future.

It hasnt happened yet. In fact, in a 2014 Gallup poll, half of full-time employed respondents reported working 41 hours or more per week; 18% said they worked more than 60. Only 8% said they worked 39 hours or less.
Crews wrap a baby dolphin that got stranded in a lake because of a Hurricane Ida. Veterinarians determined the dolphin was OK, and it was released back into the Gulf of Mexico. (Facebook)

(Tribune News Service) A young dolphin trapped in a Louisiana retention pond since Hurricane Ida was released back to the ocean this week.

The Slidell Police Department posted a video compilation of the Sunday morning rescue at the Schneider Canal, which it said took a massive group effort led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The rescue involved getting the dolphin out of the pond and to a research organization to be examined before being released.

The video shows rescuers using a large net to corral the dolphin then carrying it out of the water using a tarp.

The dolphin was then put in a tank of water in the back of a truck to be taken to the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, Miss., and checked out by veterinarians. The video shows the dolphin getting a law enforcement escort to the institute.

Veterinarians later determined the dolphin was OK, and it was released back into the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, police said.

The IMMS said the juvenile dolphin got separated from its pod during Hurricane Ida, which made landfall in southeastern Louisiana as a Category 4 storm on Aug. 29. It then got pushed into the retention pond by rising waters caused by Ida on Aug. 30, the institute said.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has warned residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida that other wildlife may have been displaced by flood waters or driven into unfamiliar habitats as they sought higher ground, including residential areas.

LDWF urges citizens to minimize contact with animals while they seek temporary refuge from their flooded home range, the agency said. Wild animals not posing a threat to humans should be left alone and should not be fed. Feeding wild animals will encourage those animals to remain in the vicinity of a new food source when they should be allowed to find natural habitat and food sources on their own.

The IMMS said it attached a satellite tag to the dolphin before it was released into the wild Sunday.

IMMS will be tracking the dolphins location through the satellite transmissions, the organization said. Thanks to everyone for their support and concerns!

(c)2021 The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

Visit The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) at www.newsobserver.com
Jeff Clark stares into the abyss of Florida's unemployment reclaim system from the kitchen counter of his Safety Harbor, Fla., home. Millions of Americans are stranded in a bureaucratic nightmare, still waiting for benefits they are owed. (Elizabeth Djinis, Tampa Bay Times/TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  For millions of Americans, the Labor Day weekend brings the end of federally funded emergency unemployment benefits and a lurch into the uncertain economic recovery.

Then there are those stranded in a bureaucratic nightmare, still waiting for benefits they are owed.

Laura Ulrich, 59, was laid off in January from her job managing the distribution of coins in the Baltimore area for an armored car company. She spent the past week hoping that a summer of contacting officials in Maryland was going to bear fruit and more than $14,000 in unemployment insurance would finally land.

Its becoming so frustrating. Its wearing on me. Its wearing on my blood pressure. I can just feel it, Ulrich said.

On Saturday, after Bloomberg News raised her case with the office of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, $11,200 finally landed in her bank account.

Ulrichs happy moment came after months of frustrating encounters with a vital but occasionally cruel pillar of the economic safety net, experiences shared by many of the 8.4 million Americans who remained unemployed in August. Their ordeal highlights how the debate over whether supplemental benefits have kept people home and held back the job-market recovery often misses just how difficult securing aid in the first place can be for applicants.

According to U.S. Treasury data, the government has spent more than $830 billion on unemployment insurance from the onset of the COVID-19 crisis through Sept. 1.

State agencies that handle these payments have long suffered from antiquated systems and a chronic lack of staffing. The pandemic made it worse with the massive influx of people who lost their jobs and a wave of alleged fraud that led states to freeze numerous claims  including Ulrichs  pending review.

In the year to June 30, according to Department of Labor data, 58% of claims nationally resulted in a first payment within the 21 days required.

Not much has changed since June. Im not seeing a lot of states meeting that benchmark yet, said Michele Evermore, a senior policy adviser at the labor department.

In Florida, 58,000 unemployment accounts were frozen over the summer after a data breach resulted in personal details being leaked. State officials said all verified accounts affected have been unlocked. As of Sept. 1, 47,288 claims more widely were still awaiting verification, according to Floridas public data dashboard.

Maryland has paid out 41% of claims within 21 days over the past year, according to federal data. Frustration over delays led activists to sue the state.

The Unemployed Workers Union, the group leading the lawsuit, has collected more than 5,000 complaints from people caught in the backlog, according to Sharon Black, one of the organizers. A spokesman for Hogan, Michael Ricci, said 20,795 unemployment claims were still pending as of this week. He blamed delays on the states strict procedures to verify applications.

In Georgia, the median age of appeals filed by claimants was 322 days, or more than 11 months, at the end of June, according to researchers at the Southern Poverty Law Center. The state Department of Labor is working seven days a week processing appeals, but it will likely take months to clear the backlog, said spokeswoman Kersha Cartwright.

It really just pushes people into desperation, said Wingo Smith, a regional policy analyst at the SPLC, which has sued Georgia on behalf of residents waiting for benefits.

Ulrich, in Maryland, is experiencing it firsthand. Frustrated with her inability to get anyone on the phone after her claim was wrongly flagged for fraud, she took to email. Every few days, she responded to a generic state government address from which a woman named Angela had first emailed her in May. In recent months, her messages became a log of her distress.

What is the update? I will kill myself and make it very public. I want my earned money now! Ulrich emailed July 1.

Is this a scam? she asked July 12.

Why am I not able to get a response or my monies due me? she said July 20. I hope no one you know is forced into poverty by their government.

To Evermore, who before joining the Biden administration worked as an advocate for reform of the unemployment system, cases like Ulrichs illustrate the need for a long-delayed makeover of unemployment insurance, or UI.

To really fix things we need comprehensive UI reform and 10 years of effort, Evermore said.

The administration has labeled it a priority, but its prospects remain unclear. Many Democrats would like to enshrine expanded benefits for all workers. Republicans are opposed.

One problem hanging over the debate has been what state and federal officials say has been a huge amount of fraud in the unemployment system  although firm data on that is hard to come by. Senior Republicans in Congress have asked the Government Accountability Office to come up with a definitive reckoning of the fraud by the end of 2021.

Because of the fraud concerns, states are now re-examining unemployment claims approved early in the pandemic and reversing decisions. They are also sending out bills for overpayments to an untold number of beneficiaries, discussions of which have consumed social media groups for unemployed workers in recent weeks.

The resulting self-perpetuating bureaucratic mess will take at least a year to clear nationally, said Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow at the think tank Century Foundation. The unemployment system remains akin to an assembly line that just cant handle the volume, Stettner said. If you put too many things on it, the whole thing breaks.

Until the pandemic, Tiffany Longo made a good living as an independent contractor installing epoxy floors in commercial building and residential garages in Maryland.

The work disappeared in the spring of 2020 and has been slow to reappear, said Longo, 35.

Last May, her benefits under the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program were cut off after her account was wrongly flagged for fraud.

Longo eventually made it through an identity verification process only to discover that her account was subject to another review likely to take weeks for missing a deadline to re-submit proof of her past employment.

Why did she miss the deadline? Because her account had been locked as a result of the fraud flag.

She wants to use the more than $8,000 she is owed to pay back loans to friends and family and as working capital to buy the supplies she needs to actually do her job. In the meantime, shes cobbling together a living. She spent Wednesday playing a juror in a mock trial at a downtown Baltimore hotel. It paid her $200.

Im doing anything and everything, Longo said. But Im not just going to sit home and wait.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.

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The moon illuminates the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue Friday, June. 5, 2020, in Richmond, Va. (Steve Helber/AP)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  A towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Va., is set to come down on Wednesday, more than 130 years after it was built as a tribute to a Civil War leader who is now widely seen as a symbol of racial injustice, state officials said Monday.

"Virginia's largest monument to the Confederate insurrection will come down this week," Gov. Ralph Northam said in news release on Monday. "This is an important step in showing who we are and what we value as a commonwealth."

The imposing, 21-foot tall bronze likeness of Lee on a horse sits atop a granite pedestal nearly twice that high in the grassy center of a traffic circle on Richmond's famed Monument Avenue.

Gov. Ralph Northam announced plans to take down the statue in June 2020, 10 days after George Floyd died under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, sparking nationwide protests against police brutality and racism. The plans were stalled for more than a year by two lawsuits filed by residents opposed to its removal, but rulings last week by the Supreme Court of Virginia cleared the way for the statue to be taken down.

In Monday's news release, state officials said that preparations for the statue's removal will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday when crews will install protective fencing.

After the statue is taken down Wednesday, crews on Thursday will remove plaques from the base of the monument and will replace a time capsule that is believed to be there.

In Richmond, a city that was the capital of the Confederacy for much of the Civil War, the Lee statue became the epicenter of last summer's protest movement. The city has removed more than a dozen other pieces of Confederate statuary on city land since Floyd's death.

As one of the largest and most recognizable Confederate statues in the country, the removal of the Lee statute is expected to draw large crowds.

Limited viewing opportunities will be available on a firstcome, firstserve basis, state officials said in Monday's news release. The removal will also be livestreamed through the governor's Facebook and Twitter accounts, both of which have the handle of @governorVA.

The Lee statue was created by the internationally renowned French sculptor Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercie and is considered a "masterpiece," according to its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, where it has been listed since 2007.

When the statue arrived in 1890 from France, an estimated 10,000 Virginians used wagons to haul its pieces more than a mile to where it now stands. White residents celebrated the statue, but many Black residents have long seen it as a monument glorifying slavery.

The Northam administration has said it would seek public input on the statue's future. The 40-foot granite pedestal will be left behind for now amid efforts to rethink the design of 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 Floyd's killing.

Lawrence West, 38, member of BLM RVA, an activist group that's been occupying the transformed space at the Lee monument, said he believes the decision to remove the statue was fueled by the work of protesters.

"I mean, it hadn't come down before. They (Democrats in charge of state government) had all the opportunities in the world."

West said he would like to see the statue site turned into a community space "to cultivate all types of connections between different people."
Wallace N. King, 97, Guy Prestia, 99, and Francis C. Turner, 102, were admitted to the Legion of Honor for participation in the liberation of France in World War II. (Screen capture from YouTube)

SAEGERTOWN, Pa. (Tribune News Service)  A 102-year-old Saegertown resident received Frances highest honor when he was one of three western Pennsylvania residents admitted to the Legion of Honor.

Francis C. Turner was recognized for his participation in the liberation of France as a member of the Armys 17th Armored Engineers Battalion in World War II. French Consul General Francois Penguilly bestowed the honor on Turner and two other veterans of World War II who fought to liberate France  Guy Prestia, 99, of Ellwood City, and Wallace N. King, 97, of New Wilmington.

Susan Benninger of Saegertown, Turners daughter, attended the ceremony with him but said that as a child in the 1960s she knew little of his wartime exploits.

When I was in high school, and of course we were watching Vietnam, I said something about the war, Benninger recalled this week, and my mother told me he was a highly decorated soldier.

When Benninger asked her father about his experiences, he told her that she didnt need to know about them. Accompanying her father on military reunion trips, particularly in the years since her mothers death in 2008, Benninger has become more familiar with his accomplishments.

Turner, who enlisted prior to the war and completed Officers Candidate School in mid-1942, participated in the North African Campaign and later landed in Normandy three days after D-Day, according to a brief biography prepared by Eric P. Montgomery, a friend of Turners who helped to coordinate the Legion of Honor ceremony. As the Allied Forces battled their way across France, the 17th Armored Engineers Battalion cleared the way for advancing infantry by sweeping for and disabling mines left behind by enemy forces.

Montgomery, who also attended the Legion of Honor ceremony at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum, was impressed by both the event and the men it recognized.

The ceremony was truly reflective of the duty and honor each of these men carried with them during the war, Montgomery said in an email to the Tribune.

The unit continued through northern France, entering Belgium after the liberation of Paris, and later taking part in the Battle of the Bulge. Turner was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for actions during his units entry into Germany, according to Montgomerys biography. The citation that accompanied the medal describes Turners efforts in leading a mine-sweeping part prior to a tank attack while enemy patrols were active in the area. When additional efforts were needed shortly after dawn, the citation states, Turner and one mine detector operator cleared the additional gaps in full view of the enemy.

Born in Centerville, Turner attended Penn State University after the war and married Mary-Jean Alice Lilly Turner of Saegertown in 1948. The couple relocated to Tunkhannock, west of Scranton, in the late 1960s and Turner pursued a career as an extension agent, continued in the Army Reserves until retiring as a major in 1979, and stayed busy with a wide variety of activities, particularly his decades of involvement with Rotary. Turner moved to Saegertown in late 2018 to be closer to Benningers family, Benninger said.

You cant find anybody that was more engaged in his community, she said of her father.

mcrowley@meadvilletribune.com

(c)2021 The Meadville Tribune (Meadville, Pa.)

Visit The Meadville Tribune (Meadville, Pa.) at meadvilletribune.com
The Ministry of Health says it is focussing on increased surveillance testing in healthcare, border, quarantine and essential workers to help stamp out Aucklands delta Covid-19 outbreak.

This is the plan going forward following the Government's announcement that Auckland will remain in Alert Level 4, while the rest of New Zealand moves to Alert Level 2 at 11.59pm tonight.

At Monday's post-cabinet media standup, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Level 2 would not be the same as last time.

Mask wearing is mandatory in public places, along with mandatory record keeping at bars, restaurants, cinemas, churches, and close-contact venues like hairdressers. Read more here.

People are also urged to be tested if they have cold or flu symptoms, anywhere in New Zealand.

Covid-19 testing at the beginning of the outbreak focussed heavily on those who had contact with cases, were symptomatic or who had been in locations of interest.

"Now that the situation is changing, so is our approach to testing," says Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.

"We are seeing that in the falling testing numbers. Mondays testing numbers of 4750 tests processed is our lowest figure since the outbreak.

"Fewer new locations of interest and the lockdowns impact on effectively stopping the spread of all respiratory illnesses have greatly reduced demand for testing.

"At this stage in the outbreak, our goals are to improve our confidence there is no undetected community transmission and to protect the rest of the country from possible Covid-19 leakage from the Auckland region.

"There are three key actions that will support achieving these goals," says Bloomfield.

First, health services will maintain a network of testing sites available across Auckland to ensure timely access for treatment, including for our Maori and Pasifika communities.

Auckland DHBs will continue to move some of our testing centres to areas where weve seen cases in the previous few days  particularly in South and West Auckland.

Let me reiterate the most important thing for anyone in Auckland, and of course particularly anyone who is travelling out of Auckland, is to stay home if they have any Covid-19 related symptoms and get tested.

The Ministry will be working closely with relevant employers to support their essential workers in not coming to work if unwell and waiting for a Covid-19 test result.

Second, there will be more regular surveillance testing for healthcare workers whove cared for or worked in units with Covid-19 patients. This will involve both immediate testing and ongoing surveillance testing.

"In addition, there will be a move to twice weekly testing for all workers in Auckland quarantine facilities.

"And third, government agencies will also be working closely with employers who have workers who are crossing the Auckland boundary to put in place weekly testing of these workers.

"This is part of our overall efforts to fully control and end this Delta outbreak over the next few weeks. The Ministry has started working with its partner agencies on engaging with employers and industries whose workers are affected.

"Because this is surveillance testing, people will not be required to stand down or stay at home while awaiting their result  unless of course they have symptoms. There is no cost for essential workers who get a test for this purpose."

While the Ministry of Health, and partner agencies, are still working through the details, the key point is that essential workers crossing the Auckland border will be expected to have a test each week and be able to show proof of this, says Bloomfield.

"Health and partner agencies are finalising how proof of testing will be provided to essential and other workers, which is likely to be an email or text message confirming that a person has had a test in the last 7 days.

"There will be spot checks at the border to ensure people are getting this weekly test done."

There are around 3000 essential workers crossing the Alert level boundary every day out of an estimated 220,000 essential workers in Auckland.

Bloomfield says this additional testing will provide the assurance that travel is being done safely and prevent leakage of Covid-19 virus out of Auckland.

Nasopharyngeal swab testing is available at community testing sites around Auckland or at GP practices and urgent care clinics.

Go to the Healthpoint website (https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/) for testing locations in your area.

Saliva based testing will become available as an option over time.

"Finally, we will continue to adapt and target our wastewater testing to complement our other measures.

"That includes increasing the catchment size of the sampling; making more regular much of the sampling and concentrating on any sites where cases have been detected  as we should get negative results once all cases have been moved to quarantine facilities."

These measures will start from 11.59pm Thursday, September 9, leaving time for people to get or arrange testing over the next two days.

I know were asking a lot of Aucklanders at the moment, and I recognise that these additional testing requirements might be inconvenient and indeed unwelcome for many.

I want to reiterate how important it is, and that the sole purpose is to ensure that we stamp out this Delta outbreak and Auckland can move down Alert Levels as quickly and as safely as possible.

Thank you to Aucklanders for everything youve done to date  it is making a difference, so lets see it through.


Wa Lee is a farmer who sells at the Tahlequah Farmers Market. She has learned how to grow American vegetables, which are different from the produce she grew up with in Laos.
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A hot potato: Theres no arguing that phones are expensive gadgets. With many costing over $1,000, most people expect to keep them for many years, but security patches and updates only last a limited time. The German government thinks consumers should get a better deal and wants the European Union to require a seven-year period for both security updates and affordable replacement parts.

The EU is currently proposing that manufacturers be required to offer five years of security updates for their devices. German publication Heise writes that Germany believes this isnt long enough and is pushing for a seven-year mandatory period for patches and affordable replacement parts.

Unsurprisingly, tech advocacy group DigitalEurope, whose members include Samsung, Apple, and Google, isnt as keen on the proposals. It wants the current standard of three years of security updates for mobiles, which most Android manufacturers offer, to remain in placeSamsung recently extended this to four years, while Apple usually offers five years. It also wants the spare parts requirement limited to displays and cameras.

Holding onto phones for seven years should benefit consumers beyond the financial implications. Some users continue to stay on older operating systems long after they stop receiving security patches, leaving the handsets vulnerable to attacks. Moreover, the policy should lessen the environmental impact that comes from constantly upgrading to new devices.

Android Police notes that those living in Europe might not want to get too excited just yet. Germany is in the middle of an ongoing election right now, and this could be a rare case of politicians making promises they never keep once elected. But even if it doesnt come to pass, the EUs five-year rule could go into effect in 2023.
In brief: As with some many industries, DRAM manufacturers had a profitable 2020 thanks to the increased demand for laptops and desktops, a result of so many people suddenly working and learning from home. Sitting on top of the pile was Kingston, again, which grabbed a massive 78% of the entire market.

According to TrendForces report, notebook shipments increased by 26% YoY in 2020. That, combined with a jump in desktop shipments, meant a corresponding increase in DRAM demand. Module revenue was up about 5% YoY to $16.9 billion, improving on the $16.1 billion from 2019.

Kingston, maker of the HyperX brand, dominated the list of top manufacturers. The $13.2 billion in DRAM module revenue it generated in 2020 equated to a market share of 78%. Despite increasing its revenue by about 2% YoY, Kingston lost some market share last year compared to 2019, albeit by just -2.33%. TrendForce writes that the company adopted a relatively conservative sales strategy during 2020 in response to uncertainties in the pandemic-influenced market.

For comparison, second place Adata Technology managed $540 million in revenue, taking just 3.19% of the market. The Taiwanese companys revenue from DRAM module sales to was up 47% YoY, thanks to the move to WFH, distance learning, and its entry into the gaming segment. But it didnt experience the largest yearly growth; that honor went to Shenzhen-based Kimtigo, whose module business grew 50%, helping it jump from sixth place to fourth.

The only company in the top ten that saw its revenue shrink was Smart Modular Technologies. TrendForce puts the -7.10% YoY decline down to the fact it sells most of its products in the US and South American countries such as Brazil, locations that have been hit hardest by the pandemic.
The big picture: For years, companies have been trying to optimize the hiring process by automating as much of it as possible, but in doing so they've come to a point where a lot of viable job candidates get rejected because of extensive use of automated hiring software, which is considered convenient and less biased than humans. But while most hiring managers acknowledge the issue, the reliance on screening software is so high that many aren't willing to look for alternative ways to solve the problem.

Automation is changing our lives in more ways than we can imagine, but sometimes it fails to deliver on its many promises. At a time when companies are struggling to find skilled workers, many potential candidates never seem to make it past the first stage of the hiring process -- getting their application of CV selected from an immense pile.

According to a study published by the Harvard Business School, employers may have pushed automation too far in the quest to process job applications faster and more efficiently.

The software systems that do things like sourcing and filtering candidates, managing the application process, performing background checks, and scheduling interviews can be of great help, but it also makes millions of potential candidates invisible to recruiters.

There are, of course, other factors that make it difficult for people to find employment, but the study explains that automated hiring software powered by machine learning and natural language processing has the biggest impact by far. No less than 75 percent of US employers use these systems, compared to 54 percent and 58 percent, respectively, in countries like Germany and the UK. In the case of Fortune 500 companies, researchers found that practically all of them use automation extensively in their hiring process.

Lead author Joseph Fuller told the Wall Street Journal that some of these automated systems often filter out candidates based on poorly-chosen, broad, or irrelevant criteria, and typically exclude from consideration those who would only need some additional training to fit the desired role. Examples include hospitals that look for references to computer science in the CVs of candidates for a nursing or data entry job, and retail stores that reject people who apply for a store clerk position but don't list "floor-buffing" as one of their skills.

A wide majority of employers -- 88 percent -- acknowledge the issue, but most wouldn't go back to a more traditional recruiting process. Instead, they believe the automated systems can be improved over time. A notable exception is Amazon, who has hired over 450,000 people since the start of the pandemic, and initially ran into issues with automated hiring software. In the meantime, the global recruitment technology market is set to reach $3.1 billion by 2025, almost double the size it had just a few years ago, so this is the new reality -- one where you can't get through the front door at a company because an algorithm and not a human recruiter decided you were not a good fit.
Volkswagen has revealed its ID Buzz electric vehicle, and it is soon coming to bring the Argo AI for its self-driving system to mobilize the car even without human intervention.

The concept van will soon be unveiled at the Munich Auto Show, but Volkswagen has already showcased it earlier this Sunday, with the vehicle's full glory.

The German automaker has already pledged to stop selling internal combustion engine (ICE)vehicles or fuel-powered cars in Europe by 2025. This is a massive move by Volkswagen, especially as they prove to be a massive growing company into the EV industry, coming from its background with ICEs like GM.

Volkswagen ID Buzz Reveals Ahead of Munich Auto Show

The car company could not get more excited in showcasing their latest vehicle to the public, as it proceeded to bring the ID Buzz for everyone to see ahead of its supposed showcase in the Munich Auto Show. According to Road Show, the bus is coming, and it gives on a modern take on an old classic, which has a fuel engine.

Supposedly, the vehicle would be revealed later than Sunday, but the company has decided to show the world of its upcoming family van, which can haul plenty of passengers and cargo. Moreover, the EV brings something unknown to the public before, and it is with its Self Driving system from a partner company.

The ID Buzz would replace the long list of multi-purpose vehicles from the company, composing of the VW Transporter, VW Crafter, and of course, the Volkswagen Kombi or VW Bus.

The main inspiration of the vehicle is the popular "hippie transporter" of the early 1960s, known as the VW Kombi or Bus, which has become a global icon.

Read Also: Electrify America Could A New $1 Billion Partner: Why Is VW Selling A Stake Of Its Company?

Volkswagen Argo AI

According to Argo AI's Ground Truth Autonomy press release, it has partnered with Volkswagen to bring its SDS or self-driving system for the ID Buzz. This would help power the vehicle's autonomy and bring a safe driving experience that would integrate well with the technology present today.

Argo is known to power several Ford vehicles in the country, and it is also the system that was utilized by the German company for its EV needs. This was used instead of developing one's self-driving feature, which would have been a lengthy and expensive venture for Volkswagen.

It did not go down the path of Tesla and GM, which aims to produce self-grown autonomous driving software for its EVs.

Volkswagen EVs

The ID Buzz is only one of the many upcoming electric vehicles which the German manufacturer has planned for the company. It already has the ID.3 and ID.4 on its lineup, and it would soon expand to more ventures, focusing mostly on where Volkswagen is strong and popular.

Related Article: Electrify America Confirms Additional Charging Stations: Volkswagen's EV Fast-Charing Network's Size Could Be Doubled

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Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Welsh government has been reported to have broken data protection laws at least 300 times in less than three years.

According to a report by the BBC, documents that have been breached include "personal sensitive data" as well as criminal allegations. Only 11 of the 300 data breaches have been reported to the UK data watchdog.

The Welsh government has since assured that the data breaches have already been acted upon.

Welsh Government Broke Data Protection Laws

The Welsh government has broken data protection laws over 300 times since 2019, per a BBC report.

According to the BBC, some of these data breaches involved a supposedly secure government website.

The Welsh government has since assured that it "takes data protection obligations seriously and carries out an internal reporting process."

Which Documents are Affected?

Of the 300 data breaches, 11 have been reported to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The ICO is considered the UK's data watchdog. The data breaches that have been reported to the ICO include:

An April 2021 care home inspection report that contains sensitive personal data published on the Care Inspectorate Wales website.

A March 2021 safeguarding inquiries court report containing personal data that was emailed to the wrong service users.

"Personal sensitive data that also included criminal allegations" that were published on August and September 2019 on the Planning Inspectorate's appeals casework portal.

According to the BBC report, the subject of the data of three of the 11 cases reported to the ICO was offered fraud prevention protection. The details were then flagged in the National Fraud Database so that companies can see that the person "is at risk of impersonation and take extra steps to ensure they are protected."

Per the ICO, if you think that you are a victim of a data breach, you must first contact the organization involved first. If the victim is not satisfied with the handling of the matter, then he or she may come to the ICO.

"The organisation must assess the seriousness of the incident and whether it poses any risk to the rights and freedoms of people. If they decide not to report it, they must be able to say why," said the ICO, as quoted in the BBC report.

Related Article: Worried About Privacy Breaches? Here Are Cybersecurity Tips To Lock Out Intruders

Welsh Government Takes Action Against Data Breaches

According to the BBC report, 33 staff members of the Welsh government have been "referred to the human resources department, with disciplinary action or the 'underperformance procedure' used with some." Informal action has been taken against other staff members.

Sixty staff members were also made to repeat data protection training, while some were asked to turn off the auto-fill option in their Outlook emails.

"Desk instructions, relevant policy documents and guidelines have been reviewed and updated" by the Welsh government, which employs around 5,500 full-time staff.

Also Read: How To Prevent Data Breaches In The Cloud

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isabella James

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Image from Unsplash Website) Montreal Restaurant Owners Experience Difficulties Adapting Digital COVID-19 Vaccine Passports

Some Montreal restaurant owners are coming out explaining their difficulties with adapting to the new digital COVID-19 vaccine passports. The pass limits aspects of public life, just like restaurant dining, for people who have not yet been fully COVID-19 vaccinated and came directly into effect on September 1, 2021.

Businesses Struggle with Vaccine Passport Implementation

Businesses that are considered non-essentials, just like restaurants, are now expected to verify the vaccination status of their patrons. According to GlobalNews, some restaurants, however, are experiencing difficulty in verifying the vaccination status of their patrons and adjusting to the new reality.

Some of these restaurants, just like the owners of Le Petit Vibe restaurant located on Cote-des-Neiges Road, have just decided to close the dining room as well as revert to take-out only for all of their clients. Edward Chaillard, co-owner of Le Petit Vibe, explained that it is actually just more of a question of not really believing in asking people or even being forced to ask people regarding their information.

Restaurant Owners Experience Drop in Business

Other owners who have reportedly also closed their dining rooms note that it is just too expensive to hire an extra staff in order to police the passports, as a number of them told Global News that they are also considering doing take-out only. Owners that have larger dining spaces, who have not yet closed, point to some other challenges that they have experienced ever since the day that the actual passport came into effect.

Peter Sergakis, a bar and restaurant owner, noted that their business, ever since the very first day, was down by a whopping 20%. On top of everything, he reportedly said that he also has problems finding employees to do the checks and that the actual enforcement is costing him.

Logistical Problems with COVID-19 Vaccine Passports

He also reportedly pointed out that they still have to buy telephones for the employees to be able to check the passports. He noted that the employees do not want to use their own personal phones, which he stated "is normal." As of the moment, there is much concern over the Delta variant as health officials are now warning that it could eat on the victims' lungs.

The official Quebec government has reportedly put in place a 15-day grace period before all of the penalties will be imposed. Business owners note that they hope things will become easier by then, as some of them are still currently struggling.

Read Also: Australian Government Tests Facial Recognition Application to Implement During Quarantine Measures

Quebec Vaccine Passport

An article by the CBC notes that Quebec's official vaccine passport means that there is a new element that is added to the everyday interactions in the province. Business owners and residents reportedly still have a number of questions and concerns regarding how the system works.

As of September 1, 2021, digital or even paper proof of adequate vaccination is going to be required across Quebec in order to help take part in quite a long list of activities. This includes going to restaurants, gyms, and bars. Learn how to store your digital COVID-19 vaccine card here.

Related Article: COVID-19 Mortality Predicted by This Enzyme? New Study Claims Most Deaths Have It on Their Blood Samples

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Written by Urian B.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The debate on multilateral taxation, where are we now?

As an October deadline approaches for the OECD what is the state of the debate on multilateral tax and when can we expect a resolution.

It has been nearly two years since the OECD/G20 published their initial proposals to address the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy. The objectives of this initiative are to reduce base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) and to create a framework to support multinational corporations to pay taxes where their profits are generated rather than where their headquarters are located.

The OECD estimates that corporate tax avoidance costs countries over the world around $100-240 billion annually, which is equivalent to 4-10% of global corporate income tax revenues. This occurs mostly due to differences between countries tax systems.

techUK has consistently supported a multilateral solution for the taxation of the digital economy. This is a significantly more effective way to tax companies in the modern economy versus national digital services taxes which have resulted in serious trade disputes, do not resolve profit shifting and penalise companies for achieving growth by utilising digital services.

Recent developments:

After many years of negotiations, on 5 June 2021, the G7 Finance Ministers met in London to agree the principles of a two Pillar global solution to update the global tax system.

Pillar 1: The largest and most profitable companies, with at least a 10% profit margin; would see 20% of any profit above the 10% margin allocated to market jurisdictions. Therefore, these companies will be required to pay taxes in the countries where they have operations. This pillar also includes a series of additional measures, among the most prominent is the removal of national digital services taxes (DST).

Pillar 2: Proposes a global minimum corporation tax of 15% which will operate on a country-by-country basis.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak described the agreement as 'historic' and appreciated the collective leadership of the G7, adding that this new tax framework has the potential of creating a fairer tax system fit for the 21st century".

The proposal also seeks to remove uncoordinated unilateral mechanisms to tax the digital economy, such as national digital tax services. techUK has long advocated for a multilateral scheme over national digital taxes and following the G7 agreement the Chancellor reaffirmed his commitment to remove the UK Digital Service Tax (DST) once a Pillar One solution is in place.

Following this, on 1 July 2021, the OECD/G20 published an Inclusive Framework (IF) Statement on a two-pillar solution to address the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy. This statement includes key parameters and an expected timeframe for the two pillars solution, as well as providing further information on some of the most anticipated elements of the pillars. At the end of their meeting in Venice on July 10, the G20 Finance Ministers endorsed the statement and encouraged those jurisdictions who had not yet signed the agreement to do so.

As of 31 August 2021, 134 of the 139 countries and jurisdictions have signed the statement on the new two-pillar solution to reform international taxation regulations for the digital economy.

Whats next for the multilateral tax reform?

Participant jurisdictions in the discussions have set an ambitious schedule for the end of the negotiations. This includes a deadline of October 2021 for completing the remaining technical work on the two-pillar strategy, as well as a 2023 implementation plan.

Although the proposal has achieved widespread support, there are still substantial technical and political challenges that jeopardise the two-pillar solution's implementation.

The United States: The US - which made the tax debate a priority during the Biden administration - expressed strong support for the two-pillar solution, particularly the second pillar, since the Global Minimum Tax plan is seen as a step toward achieving its aim of establishing a "foreign policy for the middle class".

However, a surge in Republican opposition to the proposals in recent months has complicated the US president's position, as international tax treaty reforms in the US usually need a two-thirds majority in the Senate, currently evenly split between Republicans and Democrats.

The EU: Tensions in the EU have arisen as Ireland is one of five countries (out of 139) that has not signed the OECD/G20 framework. With a low corporation tax strategy, the country has experienced strong economic results in the past. In the last week of August, on a visit to Ireland, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that he will not pressure Ireland to sign the agreement, but he stressed that the proposed multilateral tax framework makes sense in terms of cooperation. It makes sense in terms of the EU".

Other EU nations that have not signed the agreement are Estonia and Hungary, both of which have significant opposition to a Global Minimum Tax, making it more difficult for the EU to have a unified position on the agreement by October.

China: with a standard corporation tax rate of 25% (which is reduced to 15% for some qualifying high-tech companies), China signed the agreement as having "ample room" to absorb a global minimum tax and only expressed concerns on tax sovereignty issues.

As the negotiations come to a conclusion, techUK will continue to closely monitor the debate on multilateral taxes for the digital economy, working closely with the OECD and the UK government to provide input and feedback from our members.

A previous call to action by techUK and other tech sector trade associations for a global agreement can be found here. If members have further questions about techUKs tax work, please reach out to [email protected]
The Louisiana death toll from Hurricane Ida rose to 13 when a 74-year-old New Orleans man perished, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Sunday.

Edwards also said a potential tropical storm system that sparked concerns Saturday has diminished.

"They don't see much chance for development as of today," the governor said, citing weather forecasters. "We are very thankful for that."

Six days after major hurricane, Louisiana officials bracing for possible tropical disturbance As if Louisiana hasnt had enough of tropical weather this summer, Gov. John Bel Edwards was told Saturday that the states residents need to 

The disturbance is continuing to move north and east across the Gulf of Mexico with its eye on Louisiana.

"It does have the potential to bring some rain to coastal Louisiana and southeast Louisiana by the way, which we don't want and don't need," Edwards said, adding that hurricane season continues and a significant storm could strike while the state is still recovering from Ida.

The governor made his comments after viewing some of the damage in hard-hit St. James and Assumption parishes.

Residents of St. James are expected to remain without power until Sept. 17 and Assumption until Sept. 22, according to Entergy officials.

74-year-old man dies of heat exhaustion in the wake of Hurricane Ida; death toll up to 13 A 74-year-old New Orleans man has died of heat exhaustion due to the lack of power after Hurricane Ida, according to the Louisiana Department 

Edwards was joined at the St. James Parish emergency operations center by 2nd District U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, state Sen. Ed Price, D-Gonzales and state Rep. Ken Brass, D-Vacherie.

Edwards said the New Orleans man died of heat exhaustion and a lack of oxygen during the power outage.

"Heat is a major factor right now," he said. "That is especially true in areas without power. Please take advantage of cooling shelters if you can. ... Your yard probably needs to be cleaned. It all doesnt have to be cleaned today."

The governor urged caution with generators. "Run you generator if you have them but do so safely," he said.

Edwards said four of the 13 deaths stemmed from carbon monoxide, and 82 people have been taken to emergency rooms because of the poisoning.

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Hurricane Ida struck on Aug. 29.

133,000 households qualify for $500 hurricane aid checks, officials say Federal officials have paid $66 million to Hurricane Ida survivors who sought $500 checks for food, water and other urgent needs, FEMA officia

Edwards said 597,371 customers  and far more people in those households  remain without power after a high of 1.2 million outages at the peak of the blackout.

"We know there are a lot of people out there hurting," he said.

In other updates, 380,000 people have applied for assistance from FEMA  the Federal Emergency Management Agency  and federal officials have paid out about $165 million.

Also, 36,000 state residents in parishes that qualified have applied for temporary roofs, known as blue roofs or blue tarps, that are assembled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the direction of FEMA.

There is no charge for the roofs and Assumption Parish was added to the list Sunday.

Edwards said about 11,000 unemployment claims stemming from the storm have been filed and, starting Monday, applicants can do so by calling 1-866-783-5567.

A total of 8,406 National Guard members are in the field, including the entire Louisiana National Guard.

The State Fire Marshall has examined about 45,000 homes, so far, with about 7,000 suffering major damage and 1,900 destroyed.

Louisiana's bayou region lost over 200 hospital beds in Ida, creating 'bottleneck' elsewhere With roofs torn off, windows busted and elevator shafts broken, hospitals in southeastern Louisiana lost 200 to 300 hospital beds in the after

A total of 3,560 Hurricane Ida survivors are staying in 23 state and local shelters.

Carter said officials know it is hot, and an especially trying time for those with disabilities.

"We have to remain calm and know that help is on the way," he said.
Gucci, Bulgari and the company behind Cartier and Montblanc claimed more than $10 million combined in JobKeeper while also making multimillion-dollar profits, putting increased pressure on the federal government to produce a list of the schemes top claimants.

Some of the worlds largest luxury retailers have grown their profits while pocketing millions in JobKeeper subsidies, according to financial records filed with the corporate regulator, with many of them growing their earnings through the pandemic.

Luxury brands such as Gucci and Cartier have pocketed millions in JobKeeper while hiking their profits. Credit:Bloomberg

JobKeeper, at $88 billion, is the single largest economic support program ever put in place by a federal government. It was introduced in March last year as the country went into nationwide lockdown.

Under the scheme, businesses received $1500 a fortnight per employee to cover the cost of their wages. To qualify, businesses had to say they would suffer at least a 30 per cent fall in turnover, however, analysis by the Parliamentary Budget Office has shown at least $13 billion was paid to firms that ultimately recorded an increase in revenue.
Doctors are urging Victorians not to wait for the Pfizer vaccine, warning that many people who have had blood clots or strokes still wrongly believe the AstraZeneca vaccine is unsafe for them.

On a day when Victoria recorded 246 new coronavirus cases, the highest number since August last year, Health Minister Martin Foley revealed that most people who are sick with COVID-19 in Victorian hospitals had not received any vaccine, despite being eligible.

People queue at the Royal Exhibition Building vaccination centre in Carlton on Saturday. Credit:Joe Armao

General practitioners say there is still a lot of misinformation about who cannot get the AstraZeneca vaccine, meaning vulnerable people with underlying conditions that put them at much higher risk of dying of coronavirus were unnecessarily waiting for the Pfizer vaccine.

They say the number of people who could not have the locally manufactured AstraZeneca jab for medical reasons was actually very small.
A man has faced court, charged with murder after a stabbing death at a caravan park in Dandenong South on Saturday night.

Police were called to the park on South Gippsland Highway, south-east of Melbourne, about 10pm on Saturday over reports of an altercation between several people.

Police are investigating a death in Dandenong South. Credit:Paul Rovere

Police found a 41-year-old man with life-threatening stab wounds. The man died at the scene.

Jeremy Newell, 25, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries under police guard. He was charged with murder on Sunday night by homicide squad detectives.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has returned to Canberra from a brief visit to his family in Sydney after gaining an exemption from health authorities to cross the border with NSW.

With state borders closed across the country, Mr Morrison needed approval from the Australian Capital Territorys Chief Health Officer to make the visit after being in Sydney for Fathers Day on Sunday.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison travelled to Sydney from Canberra. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The arrangement allowed him to return to Parliament House on Monday morning to join Social Services Minister Anne Ruston at a summit on womens safety and to speak with national security officials face-to-face for a cabinet committee meeting.

Flight radar websites showed that one of the Royal Australian Air Forces business jets, a Dassault Falcon 7X, flew from Canberra to Sydney on Friday in a 25-minute flight and returned to Canberra early on Monday morning.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says there has not been enough progress when it comes to attitudes towards women and domestic violence.

There was still a culture that justified or excused gender inequality and drove violence against women, he said, and responsibility for that fell on every Australian.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison: We have to do better and strive to be better. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Right now, too many Australian women do not feel safe and too often, they are not safe, and that is not OK. There is no excuse, and sorry does not cut it, Mr Morrison told a two-day womens safety summit.

As Prime Minister, I have a responsibility. Every Australian has a responsibility. Parents, schools, sports clubs, the media, every government, has a responsibility. And we have to do better and strive to be better.
Tuesday is shaping up as the big day for another attempt at an internal coup against Victorian Liberals leader Michael OBrien and the insurgencys leaders Matthew Guy and Tim Smith are risking more than their frontbench positions in the spill.

As both men made their exits from shadow cabinet on Monday they risked a serious hit to their take-home pay if their attempt to roll OBrien fails.

Guy and his offsider both take home around $214,000 a year in their positions in their respective jobs as opposition finance and planning spokesmen. Stepping onto the backbench means they both stand to lose about $27,000 each in annual salary top-ups and expense allowances.

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If they fail to knock off OBrien this week, the rebel leaders are unlikely to be welcomed back to the front bench and will have to scrape by for the foreseeable future on their basic MPs wage of $187,000.
Beijing: The German ambassador to China, Jan Hecker, has died, Germanys Federal Foreign Office announced on Monday.

In a short statement the Foreign Ministry said Hecker, Merkels former foreign policy adviser, had died only a few days after taking up his new office.

It is with deep sadness and dismay that we have learned of the death of the German ambassador in China, Professor Dr Jan Hecker, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

Our thoughts in these moments are with his family and the people close to him.

The ministry gave no further details as to when Hecker, 54, died nor where.
London: Former British prime minister Tony Blair has warned the West needs to prepare itself for terrorist organisations using bioweapons as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.

Speaking to the defence think tank RUSI ahead of the two-decade anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Blair said that attacks with bioweapons were no longer science fiction.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair addressing the RUSI think tank on Monday. Credit:RUSI/YouTube

COVID-19 has taught us about deadly pathogens, Blair said on Monday.

Bio-terror possibilities may seem like the realm of science fiction, but we would be wise now to prepare for their potential use by non-state actors.
About nine hours later, around 4.30am, Riley returned to the home, laying out glowsticks to create a path leading to the house to draw officers into an ambush, Judd said. Loading By chance, a lieutenant far in the distance, heard popping noises and immediately put the agency on active-shooter mode, bringing all state and local law enforcement in the area to the scene. Following the sounds of gunfire, authorities arrived at the home and found Rileys white truck ablaze and an unarmed Riley outside, dressed in camouflage. Riley immediately ran inside, where authorities heard another round of gunfire, a woman scream and a baby whimper, Judd said.

Officers tried to enter the front of the house, but it was barricaded. When they circled to the back, they encountered Riley, who appeared to have put on full body armor including head and knee coverings and a bulletproof vest. Authorities exchanged heavy gunfire, before Riley retreated back into the home, according to the sheriff. Everything fell silent, Judd said, until a helicopter unit alerted authorities on the ground that Riley was coming out. He had been shot once and was ready to surrender. Meanwhile, officers heard cries for help inside the home, but were unsure whether there were additional shooters and feared the home was booby-trapped. A brave sergeant rushed in and grabbed an 11-year-old girl who had been shot at least seven times. She told deputies there were three dead people inside, Judd said, adding that she was rushed into surgery and was expected to survive.

Deputies sent robots into the home to check for explosives and other traps. When it was clear, they found the unidentified mother and baby, Gleason and the family dog all dead from gunshot wounds. The babys grandmother was also found dead in a home out back. Authorities did not say if or how Gleason was related to the other people in the home. They begged for their lives and I killed them anyway, Judd said Riley told them during an interrogation, adding Riley was playing mind games during the interviews with detectives. Authorities declined to say how many times the victims had been shot or where they were in the home, but said they were all hiding and huddling in fear. Authorities said Rileys girlfriend of four years, who he also lived with, had been cooperative and was shocked, saying he was never violent but suffered from PTSD and had become increasingly erratic. She said he had spent the previous week on what he called a mission from God, stockpiling supplies that he said were for Hurricane Ida victims, including $US1000 worth of cigars.

Prior to this morning, this guy was a war hero. He fought for his country in Afghanistan and Iraq, said Judd. And this morning hes a cold-blooded killer. Riley, who had no criminal history, also told authorities he was on methamphetamines. His vehicle had also been stocked with supplies for a gunfight, authorities said, including bleeding control kits. While being treated at the hospital, Riley jumped up and tried to grab an officers gun. They had to fight with him again in the emergency room, Grady said, before he was ultimately tied down and medicated. He is expected to recover and will be transferred to jail to face charges.
Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Founder of Labor Day

More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The First Labor Day

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Labor Day Legislation

Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states  Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York  created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

A Nationwide Holiday

The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday  a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television.

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership  the American worker.
U-Haul Introduces Armored War Rigs For Californians Trying To Flee State's Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland

Report reprinted with permission from TheBabylonBee.com

CALIFORNIA - September 2021: To help meet the demand of millions of people desperately trying to escape the dark, ravaged wasteland of California, U-Haul is introducing a new product in its moving van line-up: the War Rig. These weaponized, armored moving vehicles will ensure you and your belongings stay safe during the long and perilous journey out of the state.

"We knew it was time to introduce some more serious vehicles to our fleet," said local U-Haul franchise owner Glax Destroyer, who manages 12 locations in Southern California. "We brought in the War Rig to supplement our completely depleted fleet of moving vans. With everyone leaving in droves, we don't have much left. We're pretty much salvaging old trucks from the junkyard and then adding armor plating and mounted weapons."

Sources confirm that each War Rig will comfortably seat a traditionally-sized California family of one person. They boast a fuel economy of 6 miles per gallon of guzzoline, which the U-Haul location will provide.

"I live! I die! I live again!" cried one patriarch as he led his family through the desert and toward Arizona in one of the new U-Haul War Rigs. "Witness me!"

Mr. Destroyer encourages customers to come early to secure their rigs before his power goes out and everything bursts into flames.

To read the original story on TheBabylonBee.com website, and more excellent satirical commentary CLICK HERE.
Van Buren, AR (72956)

Today

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable.
Homayoun Khamosh talks on the telephone with a customer about the Afghan elections outside of his market, Pamir Food Mart, in Little Kabul area of Fremont, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2004. Residents of Little Kabul comprise the nation's largest concentration of Afghan emigres.
1920 Republican Vice Presidential nominee, Governor Calvin Coolidge of Massachusetts. In the background is Senator Warren Harding, who was elected President. Marion, Ohio, June 30, 1920.
Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, left, visits with Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, right, in the Senate Chamber at the Texas Capitol, in this 2015 file photo.
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DuBois, PA (15801)

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Isolated thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 72F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies. Scattered thunderstorms this evening. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Oneonta, NY (13820)

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Scattered thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 78F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain...mainly in the evening. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Melanie joined The Daily Times in the early 90s and has served as the Life section editor since 1993. A William Blount and UT alum, Melanie is generally the early arriver who turns on the lights in the newsroom.

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12- to 15-Year-Olds May Override Parents Decision on Vaccine: UK Minister

If the UK government proceeds to give the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to all 12- to 15-year-olds, the young teens may be able to give consent even if their parents say no, a minister said on Sunday.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was approved in June for use on children over 12 years old by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The Moderna vaccine was approved for children over 12 years old last month by the MHRA, but it has not yet been given to children in the UKs vaccination programmes.

Ministers are yet to decide on whether or not to offer the vaccine to 12- to 15-year-olds, pending advice from the four nations chief medical officers.

The governments independent advisory body on vaccination and immunisation has advised against offering the vaccine to healthy 12- to 15-year-olds on health grounds, but the chief medical officers are tasked with consulting other experts and consider the matter from a broader perspective.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi told Sky News on Sunday that he could give that assurance, absolutely that parents consent will be sought if the government pressed on with its vaccination plan.

But in a separate interview, Zahawi suggested the parents decision could be overridden.

The NHS is really well practised in this because theyve been doing school immunisation programmes for a very long time, the minister told Times Radio when asked what would happen if a child doesnt want the vaccine despite parents consent or the other way around.

So what you essentially do is make sure that the clinicians discuss this with the parents, with the teenager, and if they are then deemed to be able to make a decision that is competent then that decision will go in the favour of what the teenager decides to do.

Zahawi did a number of interviews on Sunday morning on COVID-19 vaccine-related issues. Asked about his own opinion on vaccinating healthy teens, the minister said if the recommendation from the chief medical officers is to vaccinate, then it absolutely is the right thing to do, but he told the BBCs The Andrew Marr Show he did not want to predetermine that.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised against offering the vaccine to healthy 12- to 15-year-olds on Friday, saying the benefits are marginally greater than the potential known harms but there is considerable uncertainty regarding the magnitude of the potential harms.

The margin of benefit, based primarily on a health perspective, is considered too small to support advice on a universal programme of vaccination of otherwise healthy 12 to 15-year-old children at this time. As longer-term data on potential adverse reactions accrue, greater certainty may allow for a reconsideration of the benefits and harms. Such data may not be available for several months, the JCVI said in a statement.

It also added that, unlike this age group, the 16- to 17-year-olds were advised to get one dose of the vaccine because they can give informed consent.

The Epoch Times reached out to NHS England, which declined to comment before the government makes its decision on mass vaccination of 12- to 15-year-olds.

PA contributed to this report.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the number of COVID-19 vaccines approved for children over 12 years old. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
A Cradle of Civilization: The Home

We Americans have long celebrated the idea of home. Think of Dorothy clicking her heels together in The Wizard of Oz while saying the magic incantation that will return her to Kansas: Theres no place like home! Theres no place like home! Remember that line from the song Home, Sweet Home: Be it ever so humble, theres no place like home!

We may romanticize home, but meanwhile, we move from one place to another more than almost any other people in the world. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the average American changes residences about 12 times during his lifetime. I counted up the times Ive picked up stakes and came up with 21 relocations.

Home Made

Despite all of this shuffling about, we create a home, in part, with the things we carry with us. We may move from an apartment in Manhattan to a townhouse in Phoenix, but we begin to make that empty and alien space into a home as soon as we unload our furniture and belongings from the moving van. The breakfront that once belonged to a great-grandmother, a bookshelf built by an uncle, an old sofa thats just as comfortable as ever: They transform the new and the strange into the familiar.

In my case, my books also help convert wherever I live into a home. These volumes surround me even as I write these words, old friends and new, some unvisited for years, some lying even now on the floor or table beside me, all beloved, all a part of who I am.

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Were you to visit my home today, which I rent from my daughterI act as a caretaker as wellyou might wonder about the blocks, Lincoln logs, and Playmobil figurines arranged in a village on the floor in the den. You might assume the grandchildren are here (they arent) or that in my spare time, I play with the toy soldiers and cowpokes (I dont). Nowhen the grandkids returned to Pennsylvania a month ago, they begged me to leave the fort and village intact, and Ive done so.

Those toys arent in my way, and, as one visitor remarked, I think it adds a certain ambiance to the place.

That comment about ambiance may well be true, but that log cabin and block fortress with its mounted riders and armed guards bring my grandchildren to mind. Every day, I remember the excitement on their faces during the villages construction and hear their voices as they tell stories about these plastic figurines.

Home is where love lives. In my home right now, love lives in the little village on the floor of the den.

Time and Place

Sometimes home is where we once lived.

Adults who grew up in the same house and town or city understand this idea. A man who was born and raised in the small community of Boonville, North Carolina, surrounded by cousins and close friends, left after college to work in Baltimore. He has a house there, a wife and children, and a good job, but even at age 40, should someone ask him, So wheres home? he may pause before replying.

His address may be in Baltimore, but a part of his heart is 400 miles south in Boonville.

So how can we tell if our place of residence is a home?

Whether we live in a farmhouse built by our great-grandparents, an apartment in Queens, a cottage in Charleston, or a newly-constructed home in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., that looks like the other 50 houses in the neighborhood, theres a simple test that tells us whether were living in a home.

Its Friday evening, the end of a rough week, and you get out of the car, go to the front door, insert your key in the lock, and step inside. You close the door, carry your bags of groceries to the kitchen or your briefcase to the study, and find yourself shrugging off the day along with your coat.

And thats when the magic begins. You may scarcely notice it, but when you closed that door, you shut out the world. You pour yourself a glass of wine, talk over the day with the family, and help make supper. If youre alone, you open a can of soup and watch the evening news or sort through the mail while the soups heating up on the stove. Its routine, sure, but you feel safe here in this abode of warmth and cheer, this little citadel of civilization. Here you are, alone or with loved ones, in a place of comforts as familiar to you as your face in the mirror.

And there you have it.

Youre home.
Afghan resistance movement and anti-Taliban forces take rest as they patrol on a hilltop in Darband area in Anaba district, Panjshir province on Sept. 1, 2021. Panjshir remains the last major holdout of anti-Taliban forces led by Ahmad Massoud, son of the famed Mujahideen leader Ahmed Shah Massoud. (Ahmad Sahel Arman/AFP via Getty Images)

Afghan Resistance Says Taliban Claims of Victory in Panjshir Valley Are False

The anti-Taliban resistance group National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA), on Sept. 6 pushed back against the terrorist groups claims of victory in the Panjshir Valleythe last Afghan province holding out against the group after it seized control of Kabul on Aug. 15.

Talibans claim of occupying Panjshir is false, the NRFA wrote on Twitter. The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight. We assure the ppl [sic] of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban & their partners will continue until justice & freedom prevails.

The resistance groups statement came shortly after Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Sept. 6 said the terrorist group had complete control of Panjshir province, located north of Kabul.

With this victory, our country is completely taken out of the quagmire of war, the spokesman said.

Photos of Taliban fighters in front of the Panjshir governors office have been shared by the Taliban. The office is located at the entrance of the valley.

Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the opposition group resisting Taliban forces, hasnt yet released a statement on the matter. On Sept. 5, he said on Facebook that he welcomed proposals from religious scholars for a negotiated settlement to end the fighting.

The NRF in principle agree to solve the current problems and put an immediate end to the fighting and continue negotiations, Massoud, the son of a former anti-Soviet fighter, said in the Facebook post.

To reach a lasting peace, the NRF is ready to stop fighting on condition that Taliban also stop their attacks and military movements on Panjshir and Andarab, Massoud said, referring to a district in the neighbouring province of Baghlan.

Afghan resistance movement and anti-Taliban forces stand on the back of a pickup truck as they gather in the Abshar district of Panjshir province, on Aug. 28, 2021. (Ahmad Sahel Arman/AFP via Getty Images)

Prior to the Talibans latest statement, Fahim Dashti, a spokesman for the NRFA, said that the Taliban is spreading propaganda and trying to spread disinformation.

The resistance forces are ready to continue their defense against any form of aggression, he said.

Another spokesperson for the resistance group told Al Jazeera on Sept. 5 that they had captured hundreds of Taliban members, adding that their forces surrounded thousands of terrorists loyal to the Taliban in Khawak Pass and that the Taliban had abandoned vehicles and equipment.

Also speaking to the Qatari-owned broadcaster, Fahim Dashti said that 1,000 Taliban members were killed, wounded, or captured in clashes.

It comes amid reports of heavy fighting continuing for days, with each side claiming it inflicted significant numbers of casualties. Multiple reports of drone attacks on NRFA fighters circulated on social media in the early hours of Sept. 6; The Epoch Times hasnt been able to independently verify these accounts.

The Taliban, which swept through the country ahead of the final withdrawal of U.S.-led forces on Aug. 31, were unable to control the valley when it ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

Jack Phillips and Reuters contributed to this report.
After Blanket Denial of Religious Vaccine Exemptions, California Nurses Hire Attorney

A group of Pomona Valley Hospital nurses and other health care workers has hired an attorney in response to an emailed form letter they received from hospital administrators denying their requests for religious exemptions from the states COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The Epoch Times obtained a copy of the Aug. 31 blanket email, which gave employees until three days prior to the Labor Day holiday to comply by providing additional information to substantiate their religious exemption applications.

We received your COVID-19 vaccine religious exemption request. After thorough review of your request, we are informing you that the Hospital has concluded that the request should be denied on the grounds that it does not establish a sufficient basis for granting an exemption from the vaccination requirement, the form letter denial reads.

If you wish to provide additional information for us to consider, you may do so, but we are most interested in hearing from you in your own words how your religious beliefs conflict with the Hospitals vaccination requirement.

According to the states Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), an employer may require employees to receive a Food and Drug Administration-approved COVID-19 vaccine as long as the employer complies with the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA).

That means, in mandating vaccinations, the employer must provide reasonable accommodation on the basis of disability or sincerely held religious belief or practice; they cant discriminate against or harass employees or job applicants on the basis of their disability or religion; and they cant retaliate against anyone for engaging in a protected activity (such as requesting a reasonable accommodation).

An attorney told The Epoch Times that some hospitals vaccine exemption denials are based on faulty legal grounds.

Tom, an attorney whose name has been changed to protect his identity, was previously advising nurses and other health care workers pro bono regarding vaccine exemptions. He now represents employees at Pomona Valley Hospital and sent a letter on Sept. 3 to officials at the hospital requesting that they abide by employment laws or face lawsuits by each plaintiff.

He noted that while many health care organizations are processing religious and medical vaccine exemptions in line with DFEH, FEHA laws, and Title VII protection, many others arent, which he believes is a clear violation of employee rights.

On March 4, Californias DFEH released updated COVID-19 guidance (pdf) addressing several open questions regarding employee vaccination under California law. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provided similar guidance on how mandatory vaccination programs could comply with federal law.

The case is pretty clear, that a sincerely held religious belief of an individual is just that, Tom told The Epoch Times. The exemptions are not reliant on confirmation or affirmation from a pastor or priest or from some spiritual leader. You dont have to testify to the frequency of attending services. Some of the questions employers are including in the applications are very intimidating and theyre designed to make employees think that they dont even have a belief or that they cant defend their beliefs.

So, there are two things going on. One is theres an actual intentional effort to intimidate and coerce people to not even submit an exemption request by asking questions of employees that are overbroad and irrelevant to this analysis. The second effort is to deny the exemption once theyre submitted, saying they want more information, or its denied again as a form of harassment and intimidation. It throws so many obstacles at employees and makes it hard for them that they just give up and cave in to these mandates.

Employees wishing to apply for religious or medical exemption at Pomona Valley Hospital had initially been required to submit the hospitals exemption form by Aug. 30, even though the state mandate for vaccines doesnt take effect until Sept. 30.

Pomona Valleys exemption form reads (pdf):

All Employees, Members of the Medical Staff, and Volunteers working at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (PVHMC) are required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by September 30, 2021. This requirement is aligned with the State of Californias Public Health Officer Order of August 5, 2021.

An Associate may be entitled to an exemption for the following reasons: 1. The Associate is excused from receiving any COVID-19 vaccine due to qualifying medical reasons, per the most up-to-date COVID-19 vaccine guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); or 2. The Associate is declining vaccination based on religious beliefs. To request an exemption, an Associate must complete the following required forms and submit no later than Monday, August 30, 2021: COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Declination Form [and] Medical Verification of Request for Exemption for Qualifying Medical Reasons from COVID-19 Vaccination Form [or] Religious Belief Exemption Supporting Statement Form.

All requests for medical exemptions will be submitted for a confidential panel review, which will follow CDC. The panel will include Physicians and an Occupational Health Services (OHS) representative; you or your physician may be contacted for more information. All requests for religious belief exemptions will be submitted for a confidential Committee review. The Committee shall consist of religious leaders, a Physician, and an OHS representative.

Associates who meet criteria for exemption will be considered unvaccinated. There is no exemption from testing if unvaccinated.

Awaiting a Response

We are asking that Pomona Valley respond to each application individually, on a case-by-case basis, Tom told The Epoch Times. Each of the individuals we are representing submitted Pomona Valleys COVID-19 Vaccination Declination Form with the information requested therein. More information is not necessary or required by lawit is a clear overreach and attempt at coercion and intimidation.

In its guidance for employers, the DFEH notes that accommodating sincerely held religious beliefs and practices may be achieved through job restructuring, job reassignment, or modification of work practices, but that segregating an individual based on religion generally isnt reasonable.

As with disability accommodations, employers may exclude employees from the workplace if they show that an accommodation imposes an undue hardship.

I cant imagine they are ready to fire or otherwise allow 200-plus staff members [to] walk off the job, Tom said. Operationally, that would be very difficult, but more importantly, patient care would be put at risk. The optics in that scenario would be pretty bad.
Tusitala Toese, a member of the Proud Boys, in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 22, 2021. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/AFP via Getty Images)

Antifa Member Accused of Shooting Proud Boys Member in Daylight Clash

A member of the far-left, anarcho-communist Antifa network allegedly shot a member of an opposing group over the weekend during a clash in Washington state.

Tusitala Toese, known as Tiny, was struck in the foot on Sept. 4 in Olympia, according to photographs, video footage, and city officials.

Toese is a leader in the Proud Boys, a right-wing group that has engaged in violence, and whose national leader was recently sentenced to time in prison after pleading guilty to crimes in Washington, D.C.

The shooting came during clashes between the Proud Boys and members of Antifa, a far-left network of groups whose members have repeatedly assaulted people, attacked law enforcement, and set fire to buildings.

Antifa members planned to disrupt an anti-COVID-19 vaccine protest in the area but were confronted by Proud Boys members blocks away from the demonstration, one independent reporter said. Video footage showed Antifa members retreating, with Proud Boys members pursuing them.

The same groups had clashed in Portland, Oregon, two weekends prior.

A verbal altercation preceded the shooting, Olympia City Manager Jay Burney said in a statement.

A member of one of the groups then produced a handgun and fired several shots, and a member of the other group was struck in the ankle, he said.

The city is aware that one of the groups was reported to be the Proud Boys and the other was part of the Antifa network.

The shots were fired in broad daylight on a city street. No police officers were visible when the shooting occurred.

The Olympia Police Department said in a brief statement that it is investigating; the probe includes a review of security camera footage, according to Burney. Toese was taken to a hospital and his injury was not deemed life-threatening. He is said to be cooperating with authorities. Police asked anyone with information to contact them.

In a statement, the Proud Boys said Toese was shot by an unknown member of the communist group Antifa while he and other Proud Boys were protecting men, women, and children who were attending an anti-mask and forced vaccination rally to end tyranny imposed by Washington Governor King Jay Inslee.

The group urged its members not to engage in any retaliatory actions at this time.

Antifa-linked accounts on social media, meanwhile, celebrated the shooting.

Someone make sure the comrade who shot Tiny is ok and buy them dinner, one wrote.

Another urged whoever recorded footage of the shooting not to release it.

This person is already fighting a Reinhoel [sic] situation, lets not add doxxing and retaliation to their list of worries, she wrote.

Michael Reinoehl, a member of Antifa and the suspect in the slaying of a Patriot Prayer supporter in Portland in 2020, was shot dead while resisting arrest.

William Barr, the U.S. attorney general at the time, said the tracking down of Reinoehl, who was wanted for murder, was a significant accomplishment in the ongoing effort to restore law and order to Portland and other cities.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg during Question Time in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on June 02, 2021. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

Australian Economy Must Diversify Away From China: Treasurer

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has given an update on Australias economy, saying it has weathered Beijings economic coercion and is encouraging businesses to continue diversifying away from the China market.

The treasurers comments come just days after former Prime Minister Paul Keating wrote a scathing op-ed critical of the Morrison governments handling of bilateral ties.

Frydenberg told the Australian National Universitys Crawford Leadership Forum on Sept. 6 that the current global environment was very different from those faced by previous Australian governments.

Those that advocated The End of History in the early 1990s have been proven wrong, the treasurer said referencing political scientist Francis Fukuyamas book, The End of History and the Last Man (1992), claimed that with the fall of the Soviet Union, humanitys evolution would end with free-market capitalism and democracy being the main form of government in the world.

Frydenberg said that a more confident and assertive China was the differentiating factor, as well as its willingness to use its economic weight as a source of political pressure.

He added that while the Soviet Union was largely isolated from the rest of the world, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was heavily integrated.

Almost 130 countries now have China as their largest trading partner. This combination of economic weight, global integration and assertiveness poses new and significant challenges for many countries around the world, he said.

Heightened strategic competition is the new reality we face. Now and likely into the future, he added. Our task is to prepare for and manage this competition.

Since April last year, Australia has weathered an ongoing trade coercion campaign from the CCP after Foreign Minister Marise Payne called for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19.

Australias Foreign Minister Marise Payne at the State Department in Washington, on July 27, 2020. (Al Drago/Reuters)

The move drew a sharp rebuke from the Chinese Ambassador to Canberra Cheng Jingye, who warned of potential action against Australias trading relationship with China.

In the following months, the CCP implemented a series of bans, suspensions, or regulatory hurdles targeting coal, wine, beef, barley, lobster, timber, lamb, and cotton exports to the country.

It is no secret that China has recently sought to target Australias economy, Frydenberg said.

Our economy has also proven to be remarkably resilient, he said. I am not downplaying the impact of Chinas actions. They have hurt specific industries and regions, significantly in some cases.

The result has been a drop of $5.4 billion in trade exports over the year to the June quarter. However, over the same period, exports of those goods to the rest of the world have increased by $4.4 billion, according to the treasurer.

Many have worked hard to access the lucrative Chinese market. This has brought great benefits to them and to Australia overall. And they should continue to pursue these opportunities where they can, he said. But going forward, businesses also need to be aware that the world has changed. And that this creates greater uncertainty and risk.

In this respect, they should always be looking to diversify their markets, and not overly rely on any one country. Essentially adopting a China-plus strategy, he added.

The China-plus strategy is the principle of building on the strengths of the existing China relationship to engage with other countries economically and in trade.

In the same way that governments are investing in economic resilience. So too, should Australian businessesfrom cyber risks to supply chains and everything in between.

The treasurers speech comes after former Prime Minister Keating continued an ongoing narrative critical of Prime Minister Scott Morrisons handling of relations with Beijing.

Australia is a continent sharing a border with no other state. It has no territorial disputes with China. Indeed, China is 12 flying hours away from the Australian coast, yet the government, both through its foreign policy incompetence and fawning compulsion to please America, effectively has us in a cold war with China, he wrote in the Australian Financial Review.

Keating was an international advisor to the state-owned China Development Bank.
Police patrol at Parliament House in expectation of anti lockdown protesters in Melbourne, Australia on Sept. 5, 2020. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Australian State Bans Public Display of Nazi Symbols

Victoria will be the first Australian state to ban public displays of Nazi symbols, including the Nazi swastika, under proposed changes that are set to expand the states anti-vilification laws.

The state government confirmed the move on Sept. 2 with legislation expected to be introduced into the Victorian parliament during the first half of 2022.

This follows a parliamentary inquiry in April that recommended a ban on extremist insignia and propaganda following a rise in neo-Nazi activity.

All forms of hate are unacceptable and have no place in Victoria, Victorias Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said in a statement. [E]xpanding our anti-vilification laws to protect more Victorians sends a clear message that this vile behaviour will not be tolerated.

A Nazi swastika is seen graffitied on the front of the Victorian State Parliament, Oct. 1, 2012 (AAP Image/David Crosling)

The proposed changes will not include the use of Nazi symbols for educational or historical purposes, according to a government statement.

Additionally, it was not clear whether the proposed changes would encompass other uses of the swastika by Eastern faith groups, which for thousands of years have recognised the symbol as one of divinity and spirituality, such as those in the Buddhist and Hindu traditions.

The Epoch Times sought comment from the Victorian Multicultural Commission but did not receive any at the time of publication.

Opposition police spokesman David Southwick welcomed the announcement saying that Victoria police and local communities have for years been powerless in stopping the Nazi swastika from being used as a tool to spread hate.

More recently we have seen a rise extremist nationalist and racist individuals and groups and this ban will go a long way to take away the symbol that they hide behind, Southwick added.

A protester performs a Nazi salute at the Shrine of Remembrance during an anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne on Sept. 5, 2020. (William West/AFP via Getty Images)

In August, Australias spy chief Mike Burgess said half of Australias domestic terrorism caseload came from far-right groups that promote acts of violence. For instance, neo-Nazi group National Socialist Network was reported to have posted images on social media of members posing in front of a burning cross.

They look like everyday Australians, and theyre not openly showing their true ideology and not openly showing their violent beliefs or their use of violence, which they believe is justified, Burgess told The Age.

However, research fellow Morgan Begg from the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) said the proposed changes will impede freedom of speech.

The proposal would give vast powers to the human rights bureaucracy to regulate and censor the opinions of mainstream Australians, Begg said.

Dara MacDonald, also from the IPA, told a public hearing (pdf) in March 2020 that people who hold an abhorrent view will still hold them regardless of whether the law stipulates it or not, and suggested the use of education to inculcate young people, rather than a top down approach whereby people are told what can and cannot be said or done.

According to a government statement, the proposed anti-vilification laws will also cover gender identity, sexual orientation, HIV status, and disability. This follows a state inquiry put forward in March that found the states Racial and Religious Tolerance Act legislation to be under-utilised and not effective in promoting racial and religious tolerance and providing redress to victims of vilification.

Vilification will also be easier to prove for people seeking justice through the courts, the state government said.

Planning is underway on the best way to make these changes, with some recommendations requiring the government to change laws and others needing input from the Victorian communitysuch as community groups that experience vilification.

AAP contributed to this report.
Belarusian opposition figures Maria Kolesnikova and Maxim Znak, charged with extremism and trying to seize power illegally, stand inside a defendants' cage as they attend a court hearing in Minsk, Belarus, on Sept. 6, 2021. (Ramil Nasibulin/BelTA/Handout via Reuters)

Belarus Protest Leader Kolesnikova Sentenced to 11 Years in Jail

KYIVMaria Kolesnikova, one of the leaders of mass street protests against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko last year, was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Sept. 6, the state-run Belta news agency and the Belarusian opposition reported.

Kolesnikova, 39, was detained after ripping up her passport to prevent Belarusian security forces from deporting her in a standoff at the Ukrainian border in September.

The musician-turned-politician became one of the faces of the mass opposition movement during the August 2020 presidential election, which the protesters say was rigged to extend Lukashenkos grip on power.

Lukashenko, who has denied electoral fraud, has been in office in the former Soviet republic since 1994 and has faced fresh Western sanctions since launching a violent crackdown on his opponents.

Kolesnikova and another senior opposition figure, Maxim Znak, were charged with extremism and trying to seize power illegally. Both denied wrongdoing and Kolesnikova called the charges absurd.

Znak was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Footage from the Sputnik Belarus channel showed the two in a glass cage ahead of the verdict. Kolesnikova raised her handcuffed hands to make her trademark heart sign and smiled for the cameras.

Belarusian opposition politician Maria Kolesnikova, charged with extremism and trying to seize power illegally, gestures inside a defendants cage as she attends a court hearing in Minsk, Belarus, on Sept. 6, 2021. (Ramil Nasibulin/BelTA/Handout via Reuters)

Maria & Maksim are the heroes for Belarusians. The regime wants us to see them crushed & exhausted. But lookthey are smiling & dancing, said exiled opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Twitter. They knowwe will release them much earlier than these 11 years. Their terms shouldnt frighten usMaksim and Maria wouldnt want this.

The trial, which began last month, was closed to the public on national security grounds. The circumstances of the case, the investigators, and the witnesses were not disclosed. Dozens of people came to the court building on Sept. 6, according to several videos circulating on social media.

Kolesnikova was among tens of thousands of people detained after the protests began.

She was one of three women, all political novices, who joined forces to front last years election campaign against Lukashenko after higher-profile male candidates were barred from standing.

Viktor Babariko, one of the men who tried to stand against Lukashenko, was jailed for 14 years in July.

By Matthias Williams
Residents wait a worker picking up debris in Passaic, NJ., from their flood damaged home in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, on Sept. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Biden Approves Disaster Funds in New York, New Jersey After Ida Flooding

President Joe Biden has approved disaster funds for New York and New Jersey in the wake of last weeks flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, according to the White House in a statement released on Sept. 6.

The disaster funds were released by the federal government to the two states on Sept. 5, according to the statement, after upward of nine inches of rain fell in some areas, triggering widespread flooding.

The Presidents action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Bronx, Kings, Queens, Richmond, and Westchester, the statement reads. 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.

The White House also announced that Biden approved a disaster declaration to provide funding to the New Jersey counties of Bergen, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic, and Somerset.

Utility workers work among debris from flood damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida in Manville, N.J., Sept. 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Around 50 people died across six states amid heavy rainfall in the wake of the hurricane, which made landfall days earlier in Lousiana as a Category 4 storm, officials told The Associated Press. Thirteen were killed across New York and 27 died in New Jersey, authorities said.

Over the weekend, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat who recently assumed the governors position after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned, said in a statement that about $50 million in damage to infrastructure and public property was caused by the storm.

The White House said Biden is scheduled to tour the areas that were hard-hit in New York and New Jersey on Sept. 7.

A car flooded on a local street as a result of the remnants of Hurricane Ida, in Somerville, N.J., on Sept. 2, 2021. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP Photo)

Vehicles are underwater during flooding in Philadelphia on Sept. 2, 2021, in the aftermath of downpours and high winds from remnants of Hurricane Ida that hit the area. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)

In New Jersey, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, a Democrat, lambasted New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, also a Democrat, for allegedly allowing Hudson County to be left off the disaster declaration. The floods were responsible for damages totaling $35 million, Fulop wrote on Twitter on Sept. 6.

It is absolutely crazy/shameful that Hudson County was not included in this list, the mayor wrote. We got the storm as bad as any NJ county with higher density in population. I urge you to work with our federal reps to fix this.

And just days after Ida, more heavy rain is expected to hammer southeastern Louisiana and New Orleans, as the area still grapples with widespread power outages.

Storms capable of producing two to three inches of rain in a pretty short period of time were saturating New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana and Mississippi and were expected to continue into the evening, National Weather Service meteorologist Lara Pagano said, Reuters reported.

The storm claimed at least 13 lives in Louisiana. More than 500,000 customers in the state remained without power on Sept. 6, according to the PowerOutage.us website, which tracks power outages.

Reuters contributed to this report.
BMW CEO Oliver Zipse visits the BMW vaccination centre as the German car manufacturer starts to provide coronavirus disease vaccinations for staff, in Munich, Germany on June 7, 2021. (Andreas Gebert/Reuters)

BMW CEO Expects Chip Supply to Remain Tight for Another 6 to 12 Months

MUNICHBMW expects supply chains to remain tight well into 2022, Chief Executive Oliver Zipse said on Monday, squashing hopes that a painful shortage of crucial semiconductors will end soon.

I expect that the general tightness of the supply chains will continue in the next 6 to 12 months, he said at the IAA Munich car show.

Zipse, who like other car executives is battling lower production due to a lack of semiconductors, said he saw no issues in the long-term, adding that the automotive industry was an attractive client for chipmakers.
California Concedes Allowing Union Recruiters to Trespass Is Unconstitutional

After six years of litigation and a Supreme Court ruling, California has acknowledged that a state law that allowed labor unions to trespass on private property to recruit workers was unconstitutional.

Commentators say the ruling is likely to have major repercussions for labor and property law well beyond agribusiness, which brought the litigation. The Cato Institute, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case, called the high court ruling the biggest Supreme Court win for property rights in a long, long time.

On Sept. 1, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California formally ruled that the state cant enforce the union access rule without paying just compensation to the property owners for temporarily taking the use of their property away from them. Judge Dale Drozd endorsed a final stipulated judgment agreed to by the litigants.

The California rule, known as Title 8, Section 20900(e) of the California Code of Regulations, allowing labor organizers to disrupt businesses for hours every day for one-third of the year to recruit new members, was invalidated by the Supreme Court in a 63 vote. The ruling in the case, Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid, came on June 23.

The Supreme Courts ruling in this case was a clear victory for property owners, and the district court has now solidified that win, Wen Fa, an attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm headquartered in Sacramento that argued the case, said in a statement.

Our clients, as well as every other agricultural business in the state, can now run their businesses without the threat of unions trespassing on their property and disrupting their workplaces.

The California-based petitioners in the case were Cedar Point Nursery, a strawberry farm in Dorris, and Fowler Packing Co., in Fresno, which produces grapes and mandarin oranges. Together, they employ about 3,000 people. The lead respondent was Victoria Hassid, a Democrat, in her capacity as head of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board.

After the Supreme Courts decision was remanded to the district court, counsel for the parties got together and decided that the best way to proceed is to propose a joint judgment for the court to enter, Fa told The Epoch Times in a separate follow-up interview after the district court acted.

The judgment gave petitioners what we wanted in our complaint and I think it was the necessary implication of the Supreme Courts decision, he said.

Both parties agreed that there was really no room to litigate it further, and that there should just be a proposed stipulated judgment giving the plaintiffs what they had wanted in this case, and thats what the parties did.

What that means in practice, is that the access regulation is unconstitutional for all agricultural businesses in California, so therefore, the union organizers cannot come on to the property of agricultural businesses for three hours per day, 120 days per year, and businesses will be permitted to engage in their productive use of their land, which is to grow crops and goods for Californians and for Americans.

The regulation runs afoul of the U.S. Constitutions takings clause, Fa said, because it provides no mechanism for compensation, but whether it could be made constitutional by adding such a mechanism is an open question.

Unions remain free to keep recruiting members, he said.

This case says nothing about the ability of union organizers to tell workers about what they believe to be the benefits of union membership and let workers make their own decisions, Fa said.

What this decision says is that they have no right to come on to the private property of agricultural businesses for the purpose of soliciting workers to join the union, [without] at the very least  providing just compensation.

This is a huge win for property rights. Its already having an enormous effect on property rights cases across the country.

There are many cases involving property rights that have filed notices about this case, saying that this affects other cases across country, other property rights, Fa said.

Indeed, left-wing legal commentators are worried that Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid could undermine antidiscrimination laws, fair housing laws, and health and safety regulations affecting businesses.

According to Erin Mayo Adam, an assistant professor of political science at Hunter CollegeCity University of New York, the ruling is based in logic that could later be applied to a host of government regulations of businesses.

Cedar Point Nursery is consistent with  recent antilabor opinions and a sign that the Supreme Court is returning to an era characterized by judicial opinions that curtailed workers rights, Adam wrote in an op-ed in The Washington Post in July.

Slates Mark Joseph Stern described the Supreme Courts ruling as a crushing blow to organized labor, which often relies on workplace access to safeguard workers rights.
Voters cast their votes in person at a poll station in Arcadia, Calif., on Sept. 4, 2021. (Linda Jiang/The Epoch Times)

Californians Begin In-Person Voting for Governor Recall Election

Many counties in California on Sept. 4 began early in-person voting for the upcoming recall election to remove Democratic governor Gavin Newsom, which is set to take place on Sept. 14.

The ballot for voters has only two simple questions:

1) Shall GAVIN NEWSOM be recalled (removed) from the office of governor?

2) If the governor is recalled, who do you want to replace him?

If 50 percent or more of the voters vote yes on the first question, the recall is successful and Gov. Newsom will be removed from office. The replacement candidate who gets the most votes is elected for the remainder of the term of office (through Jan. 2, 2023).

If the majority of the voters vote no on the first question, Gov. Newsom will remain in office.

Mike, who arrived at a poll station in Arcadia, California, in the early morning of Sept. 4, said he believes Newsoms policies are the root cause of the worsening situation in California.

I hope we can get some fair and conservative changes, he told The Epoch Times, The cost of living here is ridiculous.

Mike also noted that the homelessness problem and safety in the local area are both deteriorating. Absolutely it starts with the governorhis laxed approach to the no-bail system, the people that hes choosing, he said. I dont know what their progressive agenda is, but its definitely not working from the start; its only going to spiral into something worse.

Rhonda Lynn, who is against the various restrictive policies the governor implemented during the pandemic, also wants to recall Gov. Newsom.

I believe that Gavin Newsom needs to be recalled. He put a lot of Mom-and-pop out of business, while the big companies who kept remaining in business made a huge profit, she said. And now youve got a lot of people who cannot work and have no money, because of him.

Some other voters hope Newsom will stay. One of them, who chose to remain anonymous, told The Epoch Times that he believes many accusations against Newsom are false.

Some Californians started the Recall Newsom petition as a grassroots campaign in June last year. Many residents signed the recall petition because they opposed Newsoms lockdown policies in response to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus outbreak (commonly known as the novel coronavirus), which included early release of 76,000 prison inmates.

California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber announced on June 23 that with more than 1.7 million signatures collectedsurpassing the 1.5 million thresholdthe recall would move forward.

This is the second time a recall has been triggered in California. Previously, Democratic governor Gray Davis was recalled in 2003 and replaced by Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The California Secretary of States Office stated that every voter in California will receive a mailed ballot for this special election.

Besides the vote-by-mail option, voters can cast their votes in person at a polling place. Fifteen counties in California opened early voting centers on Sept. 4.
Two navy sailors raise Taiwan's national flag during an official ceremony at a shipyard in Su'ao, a township in eastern Taiwan's Yilan County, on Dec. 15, 2020. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

China Sends Bombers, Fighter Jets Into Taiwans Air Defense Zone

TAIPEI, TaiwanChina sent 19 military aircraft into Taiwans air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Sept. 5, continuing its aggressive posturing toward the self-governing island, which scrambled jets in response.

The incident has drawn concern from current and former U.S. officials.

The incursion involved 10 J-16 multi-role fighter jets, four SU-30 fighters, four H-6 bombers, and one Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, according to Taiwans Ministry of National Defense. In response, Taiwan scrambled its own military aircraft to monitor the Chinese aircraft, and activated missile systems to track the Chinese jets.

It was the third straight day that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) decided to fly its aircraft into Taiwans ADIZ. China sent four military aircraft on each of the two days prior to Sept. 5. The previous large-scale incursion occurred on June 15, when Beijing flew 28 military aircraft into the islands ADIZ.

An ADIZ is a publicly declared area next to a states national airspace, in which approaching foreign aircraft must be ready to submit their identifiers and location. The area allows a state the time to judge the nature of the incoming aircraft and take defensive measures if needed.

The Chinese regime has undertaken similar incursions over the past year in an effort to intimidate the democratic government in Taiwan and coerce the Taiwanese public into accepting CCP rule.

Beijings warmongering attitude toward Taiwan was evident in an article published by Chinas hawkish state-run media Global Times. The article argued that the latest aircraft incursion, which it called a routine drill, showed the Chinese militarys overwhelming advantage over Taiwans armed forces.

The article claimed that, as a result, such a power gap between the two sides would allow the Chinese communists in Beijing to safeguard territorial integrity, even if foreign forces interfere.

Beijing seeks to impose its rule on Taiwaneither through war or other means to undermine the islands democracybecause the regime sees the island as a part of its territory. Taiwan, a de facto independent country, has diplomatic relations with 15 nations and maintains informal ties with others, including Japan and the United States.

The United States must always stand with Taiwan and for freedom, wrote former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on his Twitter in response to the latest incursion.

Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) also took to Twitter, saying that the U.S. Senate must press the Biden Admin to adopt a stronger posture to prevent foreign aggression.

Communist China & other adversaries will continue to probe the resolve of the U.S. & our allies after Bidens debacle in Afghanistan, he added.

In March, Hagerty told The Epoch Times sister outlet NTD that the United States cannot backslide on China under the Biden administration. He added that China has been aggressive and predatory from a military standpoint, from a diplomatic standpoint, and from an economic standpoint for so many years.

The regime in Beijing has exploited the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan to feed its anti-U.S. propaganda, with the intention to undermine American leadership around the world. The Global Times state mouthpiece has published a number of articles arguing that the United States would abandon Taiwan just like it had done to Afghanistan.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki reaffirmed U.S. commitment to Taiwan during a briefing on Aug. 17.

We stand by, as is outlined in the Taiwan Relations Agreement  We stand by partners around the world who are subject to this kind of propaganda, she said.

While Washington ended its diplomatic ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing in 1979, it has maintained a robust relationship with the island based on the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). The act authorizes the United States to provide the island with military equipment for its self-defense.

Tsai Shih-ying, a legislator from Taiwans ruling Democratic Progressive Party, told local media on Sept. 6 that the latest incursion showed the importance of increasing the islands military budget to enhance its self-defense.

Kelly Craft, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, recently criticized the CCP for having exploited the deaths of U.S. servicemen and women and Afghan citizens to cast doubt on the U.S. commitment to Taiwan.

Shame on them. Shame on them for using the lives of brave men and women as propaganda. I am here to assure you that they [CCP] are wrong. I am here to assure you of my belief in the firm U.S. commitment to Taiwans defense, Craft said.

She made the remarks during the annual Ketagalan Forum: Asia Pacific Security Dialogue on Aug. 31. The event, held virtually this year, was co-organized by Taiwanese think tanks and Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Without Taiwan, we lose the Pacific. We are, after all, a Pacific nation and cannot afford to cede our fate to communist China, Craft added.

If Taiwan is lost, we lose too.

On Aug. 16, President Joe Biden said a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan would allow the United States to focus on more pressing issues, including dealing with communist China.

Our true strategic competitorsChina and Russiawould love nothing more than the United States to continue to funnel billions of dollars and resources and attention into stabilizing Afghanistan indefinitely, Biden said.
Chinese Silenced After Family Die Following Vaccination

Chinese authorities have pressured and silenced citizens whose family members have died after getting vaccinated against COVID-19, according to families inside China.

At least two people who received Chinese-made vaccines died after receiving the shotsone in just two daysin Chongqing, Sichuan Province, China, over the past two months. Authorities have since monitored their close contacts and accused one outspoken family of leaking state secrets.

Footage from an on-site surveillance camera shows Chinese citizen Cai Hua fainting 10 minutes after taking a vaccine at the community health service center on July 13. She died three weeks later, according to her sister, Cai Bangying.

Bangying told The Epoch Times that she has been investigating the cause of her sisters death. On Aug. 14, Bangying received a call from the district police, who forbade her from posting anything online related to Huas death and vaccination.

Two days later, police found Bangying and knocked on her door during late hours. Early on Aug. 23, a female police officer surnamed Cui appeared at the entrance of her apartment building with several unidentified individuals.

According to Bangying, the footage recorded that Hua fell to the ground at 7:15 p.m. and was sent to the hospital 20 minutes later, as witnessed by medical staff and onlookers nearby.

The family filled out an application form in mid-August requesting an authorized diagnosis and appraisal, but they havent yet received a response.

An application form filled out by Cai Bangying requests an investigation into her sisters death, which occurred just after she was vaccinated. (Courtesy of Cai Bangying)

The government ought to take responsibility for whatever they are responsible for, Bangying said. It was caused by vaccination.

Chinas top epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan declared during a summit on July 31 in Guangzhou, China, that China-made doses were effective and very safe, and said Chinese vaccines are 100 percent effective in preventing intensive care admission.

The municipal health commission of Chongqing didnt respond to requests for comment by press time.

State Secrets

A Chongqing citizen of Yuzhong district died on July 16, two days after he showed side effects following vaccination at a local hospital.

His son, Xiao Fubin, posted on the internet that his father died 32 hours after receiving the vaccine, despite emergency rescue efforts, calling on state authorities to take responsibility.

As soon as his message reached the media, state security found Xiao, claiming that he was suspected of leaking state secrets, a trusted source told The Epoch Times.

A medical worker administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a resident at a community health center in Wuhan, China, on June 21, 2021. (Getty Images)

According to the source, roughly five more people in Chongqing have died following vaccination, but the families cell phones are being monitored and tracked by local authorities.

They are not comfortable talking about it, worrying that their friends and relatives will be implicated, the source said.

The mayor of Huaibei municipal government said on Aug. 19 that China aimed to achieve vaccination coverage for 1.1 billion by the end of October, in a bid to win the Peoples War, state-run media said. The report has since been deleted from the internet.

Normal human considerations are negligible in a so-called case of war, Sean Lin Xiaoxu, a former virology researcher at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, told the Chinese language NTD, sister media outlet of The Epoch Times, on Aug. 25.

During the program, China commentator Qin Peng said that [in wartime], a death toll is just a number, or the price you have to pay.
Comic Fuquan Johnson, Two Others Die in Possible Fentanyl-Laced Cocaine Overdose in Venice Beach

VENICEComedian Fuquan Johnson and two other people died after apparently overdosing on cocaine laced with fentanyl at a home in Venice, and comedian and model Kate Quigley was in critical condition, according to

multiple reports Sept. 5.

Firefighters and paramedics were dispatched at 12:04 a.m. on Sept. 4 to a home in the 200 block of Carroll Canal, where three people were pronounced dead at the scene and another person was rushed to an area hospital, according to Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The three fatalities were later identified as Johnson, 43, of North Hollywood; Natalie Williamson, 33, of Los Angeles, and Enrico Colangeli, 48, of Medford, Massachusetts, according to the Los Angeles County coroners office. Johnson was a standup comedian and writer for Comedy Parlour Live.

I love you Fuquan Lateef Johnson! #FuFacts RIP, actor and director Damien Dante Wayans tweeted Sunday.

TMZ, which first reported the story, said Quigley lived next to the residence that was the location of the 911 call, and all the victims appeared to have ingested cocaine laced with fentanyla powerful opioid blamed for up to millions of overdose deaths across the United States over the last several years.

Autopsies will be conducted on all three victims.
Taliban terrorists stand guard outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport after the U.S. military's withdrawal, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 31, 2021. (Khwaja Tawfiq Sediqi/AP Photo)

Congressman: At Least 500 Americans Stranded in Afghanistan, Contradicting White House Estimates

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), whose office has been working to evacuate two elderly U.S. citizens from Afghanistan, said its likely that about 500 Americans remain stranded in the country, a figure thats at odds with estimates provided by White House officials.

Unless we continue and get the rest of our American citizens, and all those otherwise eligible out, we wont have done our job, Issa told The Associated Press (AP), confirming the number.

When including the family members of U.S. citizens, Issa said the number of people stranded in Afghanistan could be as high as 1,000.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) stated to the news agency that the Biden administration needs to provide the full number of those left behind in the South Asian nation.

The problem is, it doesnt include families, he said. Theyre lowballing the numbers.

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain told CNN on Sept. 5 that he believes around 100 Americans remain inside Afghanistan, while President Joe Biden said last week that about 100 to 200 U.S. citizens remained. The final U.S. military evacuation flight was carried out from the Kabul airport one week ago, officially ending the 20-year-long U.S. involvement in the country.

We believe its around a hundred. Were in touch with all of them who weve identified on a regular basis, Klain, a top Biden deputy, told CNN.

Some U.S. citizens and Afghan nationals are coming out of Afghanistan by land travel, he said.

He noted that the White House is continuing to work on efforts to get them out by air as well. Were going to continue to move those [Special Immigrant Visa holders] out of the country.

Other than Issa, some veteran-led rescue groups told AP that the estimate that no more than 200 Americans were left behind is too low.

Mike Jason, who runs a rescue operation known as Allied Airlift 21, told the news outlet that he believes the figure is far higher, saying its also misleading because it doesnt include family members of Americans trapped there. Alex Plitsas, an Iraq War veteran whos part of a rescue network known as Digital Dunkirk, said that in one day, he received calls from six Americans stuck in the country earlier this week and that none registered with the U.S. Embassy.

The White House figure could be off by hundreds, Plitsas, a former intelligence officer in Afghanistan, told AP.

Those names are starting to trickle out now, he said. I expect that number to rise significantly.

Before the Afghan government and army full collapsed and the Taliban took over the country, White House officials estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 Americans were in the country. Biden said last week that more than 120,000 people, including Afghans and Americans, were evacuated from the Kabul airport.

Representatives for the U.S. State Department didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.
A section of Mississippi Highway 26 is damaged, Two people were killed and at least 10 others were injured when seven vehicles plunged into the deep hole on the dark rural two-lane highway, which collapsed after Hurricane Ida blew through Mississippi, in the Crossroads community, Miss., on Aug. 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Crash Victim Recalls Terror After Mississippi Road Collapse

LUCEDALE, Miss.A teenager said she could hear the terrifying sounds of other vehicles crashing aroundand on top ofthe pickup truck where she and her mother were trapped after the truck plunged into a dark, muddy pit when a Mississippi highway collapsed during torrential rain brought by Hurricane Ida.

I saw a black hole, then I blacked out and I woke up and my mom was leaned over toward me. She was choking on her blood and she couldnt breathe or anything, 16-year-old Emily Williams of Wiggins, Mississippi, told WLOX-TV in a video call from her hospital room.

Williams managed to sit her 39-year-old mother, Amanda Williams, upright and stop her from choking. But, she said, she could still hear the chaos outside her familys truck.

I remember hearing a car coming and then I heard a crash and I heard an engine going from a car because it was on top of us, Emily Williams said. It didnt really move us really much, but then I heard the screeching of another cars tires. I heard people screaming and then it crashed.

Two people were killed and nine were injured late Monday when seven vehicles plunged, one after another, into a deep hole where a section of the two-lane Mississippi Highway 26 collapsed outside Lucedale. The Mississippi Highway Patrol initially said 10 were injured, but later released a list of nine names.

Amanda Williams also remains hospitalized.

Layla Jamison of Lucedale, a 17-year-old senior at George County High, was in the car that landed on the Williams truck. Emilys aunt, Shanna Bordelon, said Jamisons car landed without crushing the cab where Emily and Amanda sat.

Emily Williams said waiting in the collapse zone for help was terrifying.

In all honesty, I was ready to give up, she said. I was like, Were not going to make it out of here. No one is going to find us. Everybody is just going to keep piling in.

Emilys father arrived, and she said once she heard him screaming from above, she knew she would be rescued. She is recovering from a torn colon, a broken leg and other injuries. Still, she said: I feel so lucky.

Mississippi Highway Patrol Cpl. Cal Robertson said some of the vehicles ended up stacked on top of each other as they crashed into the abyss, which opened up in an 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.

An official looks at the deep hole on Mississippi Highway 26 in the Crossroads community, on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

State troopers, emergency workers and rescue teams responded to the crash site about 60 miles northeast of Biloxi, to find both the east and westbound lanes collapsed. Robertson said the hole removed about 50 to 60 feet of roadway, and was 20 to 30 feet deep.

The vehicles were later lifted out by a crane. A drone video published by the 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.
Deep in the Hearts of Texas Babies

Commentary

In the matter of a new Texas law banning abortions six weeks after gestation, when a fetal heartbeat can usually be detected by vaginal ultrasound, suppose the headlines had been different? Instead of words like most restrictive in nation (The Wall Street Journal) and Supreme Court refuses to block Texas law (The Washington Post), along with four stories splashed across the front page of The New York Times that seemed to be written from the perspective of pro-choice writers, what if the headlines had instead reflected another point of view that took the side of babies and the women who carry them?

Those headlines and stories might have read: Supreme Court decides to protect babies, recognizing Thomas Jeffersons writing about endowed life coming from God. Or, if thats too long for headline writers, how about Supreme Court takes side of the unborn? Might that have changed the perception about abortion by people who are on the fence, or conflicted? Information, including sonograms for abortion-minded pregnant women, has been shown to change minds. So has compassionate counseling and adoption services at pregnancy help centers.

Much has changed since 1973 when a court majority found in Roe vs. Wade that a penumbra was hidden in the Constitution, which translated into a right to privacy so that a woman could legally terminate her pregnancy without interference from anyone, including the father. Since that ruling, the right to an abortion has been extended to include second-trimester abortions and to cover babies born alive after an attempted abortion.

Gov. Ralph Northam (D-Va.), a pediatrician, has suggested that a baby who survives an abortion should be kept comfortable and resuscitated and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother. Does this not infanticide?

The definition of penumbra is revealing: the partial or imperfect shadow outside the complete shadow of an opaque body. If that sounds unclear when applied to the Constitution, thats because it is. Then-Justice Harry Blackmun, who used the word, clearly was not a textualist in the way Antonin Scalia was. It appears he read his own bias into the Constitution when he could find no justification for abortion elsewhere.

Judges reading into the Constitution their own biases, even prejudices, has long been a problem. It is a power the Founders never intended the courts and especially the Supreme Court to have.

The Texas law will still be challenged in other ways, as will a Mississippi law the Supreme Court has decided to hear this fall. That law, if passed, would ban most abortions after 15 weeks.

National Right to Life, which tracks figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Guttmacher Institute, estimates there have been more than 62 million abortions since 1973, and the number of abortions each year has been steadily declining.

Many women have said they regretted their decision to have an abortion, many uphold that difficult decision. It seems we long ago shifted from doing what might be best for others to doing what was best for self, perhaps a reflection of the spirit of the modern age.

Abortion and refusing to take personal responsibility for ones actions have contributed to a general coarseness and disrespect for life at all stages as witnessed by the shooting sprees regularly occurring in Chicago and other major cities. The Texas and Mississippi laws seek to reverse, or at least slow down the process of squandering human life.

The question remains: Is abortion the cause of our increasingly decadent culture, or a reflection of it?

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Avoiding lawsuits may seem necessary for doctors and hospitals, but patients should be aware of its effects on health care. (Beloborod/Shutterstock)

Defensive Medicine

It may be more than just costly

HT was a 27-year-old woman who was having some pelvic pain, nothing really bad, and it sounded like cramping due to her period. Could be endometriosis, but thats for another story. The problem is that when I was called by the ER doctor to go see her, she told me that the lab tests were normal and the CAT scan was negative as well as the pelvic sonogram. I asked the doctor, was the pain that bad you ordered a CAT scan? Her response was very typical, Everyone with pain gets a CAT scan.

The now-defunct U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment defined defensive medicine as when doctors order tests, procedures, primarily (but not necessarily) because of concern about malpractice liability.

According to a 2018 article in the Journal of Hospital Medicine defensive medicine was estimated to cost $45 billion annually, even more when you include overall liability costs. This is only an estimate, since its very hard to quantify what medicine is defensive. A lot of what we as physicians do can easily be excused as being thorough, just in case. And sometimes we do it at the patients request.

I went down to see HT. She was a lovely young woman who thought she may have had an ovarian cyst. She was visiting from out of town and didnt know what to do. I reassured her, she was fine, gave her some ibuprofen, and sent her on her way. Never mind the question of why she felt she needed to go to an emergency room at two in the morning. The real question is, why did she get a CAT scan?

Research findings on the risks of too many CT scans are a little conflicted in their analysis. Some studies show a theoretical increase in potential future cancer cases from the roughly 70 million CT scans done yearly in the United States. There are some studies claiming such fears are exaggerated. In 2016, Medical News Today reported there was no evidence that CT scans, X rays cause cancer while other studies suggest the risk is low. My point here is not to argue whether or not CT scans can potentially cause harm, it is to say, why get one if you dont need it? That is the point of defensive medicine.

A 2014 paper in JAMA Internal Medicine highlights that 28 percent of orders for CAT scans in a three-hospital review were for defensive medicine. In that same article, it mentions a 2008 survey of Massachusetts internists who reported that 27 percent of CAT scans, 16 percent of laboratory tests, and 14 percent of hospital admissions were ordered due to liability concerns.

There is an even more interesting report from the results of a survey in Pennsylvania of 800 physicians published in the Annals of Medical and Health Science Research in 2013. It revealed that 92 percent of physicians were found to be ordering imaging tests and diagnostic measures for assurance. That is a polite way to say defensive medicine. In 2010 Gallup and Jackson Healthcare found 73 percent and 92 percent of private practice physicians, respectively, admitted practicing defensive medicine.

What really drives this defensive medicine, and is it really bad? The answer is mixed.

In 2015, the National Health Interview study found 25 percent of women who had a yearly screening mammogram were informed that they had dense breast tissue.

The FDA ruled that in March 2019, radiologists must inform patients who were getting screening mammograms if they were found to have dense breast tissue. The real problem here, other than the government getting involved when they shouldnt, is what does dense breast tissue mean? Now the official written reports we as physicians get state that they have dense breast tissue, and they add dense tissue can make it difficult to find a small cancer.

Some radiologists even add on the report to consider getting an MRI. Not only are there no guidelines as to what is recommended, but some radiologists also advise additional costly testing. This is defensive medicine. I am guilty of this as well. Now when a patient of mine has such a report, I offer them a breast ultrasound and document it was offered. I do tell them very openly that this is defensive medicine and I document their decision.

I am sure all of you have noticed that when you go to see your physician or nurse practitioner, he or she is looking at the computer or laptop. Rarely do they look up at the patient. Its all about data entry and clicking on the appropriate box. I admit that Im old, and even though I carry a small laptop, I leave it on the counter in the exam room and talk with my patients looking directly into their eyes. I jot down notes on paper and later transfer them to the computer. The laptop is for reference to old labs or imaging results if I need them for discussion.

A 2016 study from Annals of Internal Medicine, called Allocation of Physicians Time in Ambulatory Practice: A time and motion study in 4 specialties, stated that for each hour doctors give direct clinical facetime to patients, approximately two further hours are spent on electronic records and desk work in the clinic day.

Maybe we physicians practice defensive medicine because we have such limited time to spend with our patients and its easier to order a test than to take the time to think through if its really needed. Thats only a part of it, the real reason is we know we can be sued for almost any bad outcome. Bad outcomes usually arent malpractice, but tell that to the busy ER doctor at two in the morning when you are constipated and you decide you want them to treat you like its a life-and-death emergency.

As Hippocrates guides us to pledge, I will prescribe regimen for good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone.

That simple oath can sure get complicated.
An oil slick seen south of Port Fourchon, La., on Sept. 2, 2021. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

Divers Identify One-Foot Broken Pipeline as Source of Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico

Divers searching for the source of an ongoing oil spill in the wake of Hurricane Ida that appeared in the Gulf of Mexico have identified that broken one-foot diameter pipeline displaced from a trench on the ocean floor.

Talos Energy, the Houston-based company currently paying for the cleanup, said in a statement issued Sunday evening that the burst pipeline does not belong to them.

In a statement to the BBC, Talos Energy said the company will continue to work closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and other state and federal agencies to identify the source of the release and co-ordinate a successful response.

Divers also identified two additional four-inch pipelines in the area that are open and apparently abandoned, The Associated Press reported. The companys statement did not make clear if oil was leaking from the two smaller pipelines, but satellite images reviewed by AP on Saturday appeared to show at least three different slicks in the same area, the largest drifting more than a dozen miles eastward along the Gulf coast.

AP first reported Wednesday that aerial photos showed a miles-long brown and black oil slick spreading about 2 miles south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana. The broken pipe is in relatively shallow water about 34 feet deep.

Talos said the rate of oil appearing on the surface had slowed dramatically in the last 48 hours and no new heavy black crude had been seen in the last day.

So far, the spill appears to have remained out to sea and has not impacted the Louisiana shoreline. There is not yet any estimate for how much oil was in the water.

Despite stating it was not responsible for the oil in the water, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman said Talos Energy had hired Clean Gulf Associates to respond to the suspected spill.

The company has had two 95-foot response vessels on location as they attempt to contain it and recover oil from the waters surface. Clean Gulf is a nonprofit oil-spill response cooperative that works with the energy exploration and production industry.

Its workers have placed a containment boom in the area to mitigate further spread of the oil. The companys vessels are also running skimmers that can remove oil from the water. The Coast Guard said only about 42 gallons had been removed so far.

A view of flood-damaged buildings are seen as President Joe Biden (not pictured) inspects the damage from Hurricane Ida on the Marine One helicopter during an aerial tour of communities in Laffite, Grand Isle, Port Fourchon, and Lafourche Parish, La., on Sept. 3, 2021. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool via AP)

Coast Guard experts were monitoring reports and satellite imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to determine the scope of the spill, the spokesman said.

After AP published the photos, the Environmental Protection Agency tasked a specially outfitted survey aircraft to fly over that refinery on Thursday, as well as other industrial sites in the area hardest hit by the hurricanes 150-mph winds and storm surge.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality said a state assessment team sent to the Alliance Refinery observed a spill of heavy oil 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.

State environmental officials said there was also no estimate yet available for how much oil might have spilled from the Phillips 66 refinery.

Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana on Aug. 29 as a powerful Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour.

The U.S.death toll has risen to over 60 while hundreds of thousands of Americans were left without power.

In New York, 17 people died from the storm, four in Westchester County and the rest in New York City, Reuters reported, while a spokesperson for New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed 27 people had died and four people are still missing.

In Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards said 13 people had now died in the state, one more than he reported Saturday, while in Pennsylvania the storm has killed at least four people, and Connecticut and Maryland each reported a death.

President Joe Biden approved New Jerseys emergency disaster declaration late Sunday, and has made similar approvals for states including Louisiana and New York.
Emerging Pandemic Risks Come From Engineered Viruses in Chinese Labs, Not the Jungle or Bat Caves

Commentary

It is essential that we refocus our capabilities on the demonstrably highest probability source of the next global pandemic: genetically-engineered viruses that are being increasingly created in labs in China.

Aggregating Disparate Information

Over the course of late-2019 to the present, humanity has experienced the most disruptive series of events since World War II. However, unlike the World War II period, many of those affected remain bewildered and lacking access to even fundamental information regarding the origin, current status, or what success even looks like in this situation. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the strategic environment in the Asia-Pacific, caused massive economic hardship, and generated domestic chaos across multiple systemically important nations in Asia, the Middle East, and the West. Over the course of this period, there are several previously disparate pieces of information that, when logically aggregated, generate a clear signal from what is otherwise a sea of undefined noise.

COVID-19 Relevant Patent Filings Since 1998

Dr. David Martin is the founder and chairman of M-Cam, the worlds leading international intangible asset underwriter that specializes in innovation finance, trade finance, and intangible asset finance. Since 1998, Martin and his team have developed a unique database and other related data assets focused on patent activity that is directly related to coronaviruses. The M-Cam team conducted a disciplined and comprehensive study that reviewed coronavirus-related patent filings since 1998. Martins findings, all of which can be independently verified through publicly available patent databases, are astonishing.

Fundamentally, Martin has clearly demonstrated that the virus that causes COVID-19 is neither genetically nor clinically novel in any sense and has not been so in over 20 years. He and his team also identify, isolate, and assess an April 19, 2002 U.S. patent filing (U.S. Patent Number 72279327) that clearly demonstrates that American researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill literally engineered the SARS virus. For some historical context, the first officially identified case of the alleged SARS outbreak in China was in Guangdong Province in November 2002.

A man wearing a mask to protect himself from SARS, walks by a news headline at a newsstand on a street in Hong Kong, in May 2003. (Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images)

The patent record itself shows that SARS is not a natural progression of a zoonotic (animal origin) modification of coronavirus. In other words, Martins research suggests that the patent record demonstrates that the first SARS virus may not have originated in nature. The April 2002 U.S. patent describes the bioengineering work as producing an infectious, replication-defective coronavirus that was specifically targeted for human lung epitheliumthat is a description of SARS. Martin notes that this patent lays out the fact that these researchers knew that the ACE receptor, ACE2 binding domain, the S1 spike protein, and other elements could be synthetically modified in laboratory settings. This could be done using existing gene sequencing technologies (even back in 2002) to utilize computer code to turn this genetic sequence into a pathogen or an intermediate host of a pathogen.

This work was funded in its critical early stages in the United States under the scientific rationale that this SARS virus could be a vector to distribute a universal HIV vaccine, the lifelong (and still unrealized) pipe dream of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden and the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. However, it was also noted by these scientists that this same exact research had bioweapons applications as well.

Serious Lab Security Incidents Occur Much More Often Than We Think

Dr. Marc Lipsitch of Harvard has been at the forefront of systematically identifying and determining the risk of high-risk pathogen research in quantifiable, and therefore independently verifiable, terms. His works cover various open-source case studies of serious errors made in advanced Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) and even Biosafety Level 4 (BSL4) settings in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, and China.

Lipsitchs work has also revealed that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) receives on average two reports per week regarding serious incidents pertaining to Select Agents (high-risk biomaterials that pose clear risks to public health) from labs in the United States alone.

If this is the general rate of these events in the United States, it is not an unreasonable or unfair assumption that this rate also likely remains (at a minimum) consistent in China as well. This is due to the (at least officially) globally consistent engineering, lab management, and other related protocols and standards of BSL3 and BSL4 labs. It should also be noted that many of Chinas leading scientists who engage in multiple forms of high-risk pathogen research have been trained in the United States with some even having worked inside the CDC before returning to China.

When considering Martins patent-based evidence that the SARS virus was likely initially created in a laboratory in 2002, the above-mentioned statistic becomes problematic. This U.S. patent filing combined with multiple linked scientific publications enabled critical knowhow to become globally accessible for the first time. Also problematic is the fact that the lead researcher on this patent, Dr. Ralph Baric, has an extensive track record of joint research and publications with like-minded Chinese counterparts, including Dr. Shi Zhengli from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, amongst multiple others.

Advances in Reverse Genetics Have Rendered Engineered Coronaviruses Indistinguishable From Natural Origin Coronaviruses

Dr. Xiaoxu Sean Lin, a former U.S. Army Officer and biodefense expert, has determined that recent advances in reverse genetic engineering technologies, such as those that have been developed by Dr. Shi Zhengli and a range of her Chinese and international collaborators, render synthetic lab-created coronaviruses indistinguishable from coronaviruses originally found in nature. The implications of these developments are difficult to overstate. For one, this injects a fundamental degree of uncertainty and unreliability into the countless investigations that are occurring across the world that seek to determine the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Members of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of COVID-19 leave the Hubei provincial center for disease control and prevention, in Wuhan, China, on Feb. 1, 2021. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Secondly, these advanced technologies enable a strong degree of plausible deniability in the event of a lab leak when engineering synthetic coronaviruses, conducting gain-of function experiments on previously-natural coronaviruses, and/or other high-risk pathogen research. The use of these technologies in laboratory settings has traditionally been confined to a relatively finite number of research groups in China and several Western countries. However, my colleague and I have recently identified a broader diffusion process that appears to be underway within China itself. Continuous monitoring, risk assessment, and the development of concrete response options must be an absolute priority.

Many Other Naturally Occurring Zoonoses Pose Serious Risks to Human Health, but Most Are Not Human-to-Human Transmissible

Billions of dollars continue to be spent on government- and NGO-administered infectious disease surveillance and control programs in frontier environments across the world, and in the tropics in particular. These funds are often justified on the grounds that these programs represent an early warning detection system to rapidly identify and prevent global pandemics. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is particularly active in this domain and has previously worked extensively in China. However, SARS-CoV-2 appears to have flown right past them.

This is not to suggest that the infectious disease surveillance and control work done by the USAID and others is not valuable. However, it must be noted that the majority of zoonotic pathogens that infect humans with the highest statistical frequency, such as malaria, dengue, scrub typhus, melioidosis, leptospirosis, and others are not transmissible between humans. Therefore, they do not pose a high risk of causing a global, or even regional, pandemic.

A Targeted Early Warning System Must Be Developed

The fact pattern outlined in this piece leads to an inescapable fact-based conclusion. We have spent billions with countless dedicated clinicians, scientists, and others working tirelessly to protect public health. However, we do not presently have a global pandemic risk surveillance system that corresponds to the current threat environment let alone the new rapidly emerging one. It is essential that we recalibrate and refocus our capabilities on the demonstrably highest probability source of the next global pandemic: synthetic viruses that are increasingly being created in labs in China. American and other Western scientists were fundamental in the early stages of this process, but they have now been relegated to the sidelines. This structural shift needs to be broadly recognized and directly acted upon immediately.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Health workers speak with Mauricette, a 78-year-old French woman, after she received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the country, at the Rene-Muret hospital in Sevran, on the outskirts of Paris, France, on Dec. 27, 2020. (Thomas Samson/Pool via Reuters)

EU Evaluating Whether to Recommend COVID-19 Boosters

The European Unions drug regulator said it is now evaluating whether to recommend COVID-19 booster shots, according to a statement posted Monday.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said its evaluating the use of another dose for the vaccine to be given six months after the second dose among individuals aged 16 and older.

Additional doses should already be considered for people with severely weakened immune systems as part of their primary vaccination, said the agency in a statement, asserting that the vaccines provide protection against hospitalization and death.

The agency did not say whether the booster dose would be effective at preventing transmission of COVID-19. Studies published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published last month revealed that vaccines may not prevent transmission of the virus.

It is important to distinguish between booster doses for people with normal immune systems and additional doses for those with weakened immune systems, the EMA added. Some studies report that an additional vaccine dose can improve the immune response in immunocompromised individuals, such as organ transplant recipients whose initial responses to vaccination were low. In such cases, the option of administering an additional dose should be considered already now.

And now, the EU regulator said it will work on providing a booster to older and frail individuals, namely those living in long-term care facilities and nursing homes.

Should boosters be rolled out en mass across Europe, it is sure to prompt criticism from the World Health Organization (WHO), which has frequently called on the EU and the United States to place a moratorium on developing booster shots in favor of providing COVID-19 vaccines for poorer nations.

In the United States, federal health officials in August said theyve targeted Sept. 20 as the date to roll out boosters for most Americans.

During an update on Sunday, Biden administration COVID-19 adviser Anthony Fauci said that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will most likely approve boosters made by Pfizer, then Moderna, before Sept. 20.

We were hoping that we would get the, both the candidates, both products, Moderna and Pfizer, rolled out by the week of the 20th. It is conceivable that we will only have one of them out, but the other would likely follow soon thereafter, Fauci said on Sunday in a CBS News interview.

Pfizer, he said, has submitted its data already and likely would meet the deadline. After that, Modernas booster would likely be approved by the FDA. He made no mention of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, which uses an adenovirus rather than mRNA technology.
Chow Han Tung (L), vice chairwoman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, and other group members attend a news conference in Hong Kong, on Sept. 5, 2021. (Kin Cheung/AP Photo)

Group Behind Hong Kongs Tiananmen Vigil Denies Foreign Ties

HONG KONGThe group behind the annual Tiananmen Square memorial vigil in Hong Kong said Sunday it will not cooperate with police conducting a national security investigation into the groups activities, calling it an abuse of power.

Police notified the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China last month that it was under investigation for working for foreign interests, an accusation the group denied.

This is a really bad precedent of the national security [police] abusing the power by arbitrarily labeling any civil organization as a foreign agent, Chow Han Tung, vice chairwoman of the alliance, said at a news conference called to address the police investigation.

The alliance strongly denies that we are any foreign agents, Chow said. We are an organization that was founded during the 1989 democratic movement, it was founded by the Hong Kong people.

Chow Han Tung, vice chairwoman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, second left, and other group members attend a news conference in Hong Kong, on Sept. 5, 2021. (Kin Cheung/AP Photo)

The investigation is part of a broad suppression of Hong Kong civil society following mass pro-democracy protests in 2019. Authorities have tightened control over the city with a sweeping national security law imposed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that effectively criminalized opposition to the regime. The law and other changes have forced several civil organizations to disband or seen their leaders arrested.

The annual candlelight vigil honors the students who died when the military of the CCP violently suppressed massive pro-democracy protests in Beijings Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.

Authorities responded in the afternoon to the groups announcement with a warning and reiterated they needed information about certain foreign agents although they did not name anyone specifically.

The citys Security Bureau said in a statement that not handing over information could lead to fines or imprisonment.

Hong Kong had been the only place under the CCPs control allowed to hold such a commemoration, and in past years, tens of thousands of people gathered in Victoria Park to honor the dead. Smaller crowds gathered this year and in 2020 despite police banning the vigil, citing coronavirus restrictions on public gatherings.

People hold LED candles to mark the anniversary of the military suppression of a pro-democracy student movement in Beijing, outside Victoria Park in Hong Kong, on June 4, 2021. (Kin Cheung/AP Photo)

Police had asked the alliance to hand over any information about groups they had worked with overseas or in Taiwan, as well as contact information. They did not mention what specific incidents prompted the investigation.

Chow said the alliance has not been able to reach a consensus on whether to disband. It plans to hold a general meeting on Sept. 25 to discuss the matter again.

In August, the prominent Hong Kong Civil Human Rights Front, made up of a slew of member organizations, said it could no longer operate and chose to disband. The group organized large protests in 2019.

More than 100 pro-democracy activists have been arrested under Hong Kongs national security law, which outlaws subversion, secession, terrorism, and foreign collusion to interfere in the citys affairs. Many other activists have gone into exile abroad.

Critics say the law restricts freedoms Hong Kong was promised it could maintain for 50 years following the territorys 1997 handover to the CCP from colonial Britain.
A voter rides away after casting his ballot in the 2019 federal election, in Dartmouth, N.S., on Oct. 21, 2019. (The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan)

How Political Polls Can Be Skewed

News Analysis

Although those with a keen interest in the federal election pay close attention to polls, political scientists and pollsters say poll questions, available answers, and skewed headlines can mislead voters.

Continual opinion polls throughout election campaigns help candidates, parties, and political strategists to gauge support and adjust their approach accordingly. However, poll results released to the public may also affect what voters themselves do, according to Tom Flanagan, a political science academic who led various candidate and party campaigns.

Polling results can have an effect by encouraging strategic voting in multi-party races, Flanagan told The Epoch Times.

Current polls showing the Conservatives in the lead may well encourage some [NDP supporters] to hold their noses and vote Liberal. Im sure there is some political science literature on this, but strategic voting is hard to study because people dont like to give straight answers about voting for a second choice.

The professor emeritus from the University of Calgary said its in pollsters financial interest to have accurate poll results because credibility leads to clients. Even so, pollsters may fail.

Pollsters are human beings with political views of their own. No matter how hard they try to be objective, their personal commitments might colour their choice of questions and the wording. But I dont think they consciously aim to distort their findings; theres just no payoff in it.

University of Lethbridge political science professor Geoffrey Hale agrees most pollsters try to get it right, but for those that fail, its hard to conclude why.

Pollsters can display a house bias, although how much is methodological and how much is torque is open to interpretation by those who study such things, Hale said in an interview.

There have been a few companies this fall that havent been too careful in this regard. Poll aggregation  may have methodologies that project certain assumptions about the unfolding of a race, which may or may not pan out in reality but which can [influence voter perception and behaviour] when combined with the editorial stance of a particular newspaper.

Given how far off the polls were regarding the Progressive Conservatives upset win in Nova Scotia last month, pollsters who want to protect their reputations should stay in the field as close as possible to election day to catch last-minute shifts, Hale said.

Challenges for Pollsters

Mario Canseco, president of Research Co., told The Epoch Times that large regional fluctuations are more likely when the sample size is small. He said polls of 1,000 voters achieves a reasonable +/- 3.1 percent confidence interval at a national level, but do less well regionally.

Lets say you have 150 people in B.C. and about 110 in Alberta, that will bring a margin of error that is closer to seven or eight percent, depending on the population, Canseco told The Epoch Times.

Sean Simpson, vice president of public affairs at Ipsos, said asking the right people in the right numbers is foundational to accurate results.

The first key is in reducing sources of sampling error, which is making sure that we are talking to a sample that reflects the population that were studying, he said.

Simpson said Ipsoss national polls are careful to maintain representative counts of regions, sex, and educational level. Pollsters who fail, he says, get samples that are highly skewed, and then which require very significant weighting in order to essentially manufacture the representative sample.

Even a demographically accurate and large sample can be challenged by varying rates of voter turnout, Simpson said, with this election having the added complication of COVID-19.

We know from our polling for Global News that one in four Canadians say that they dont feel safe going to vote in person.

Canseco said some clients approach pollsters with very specific ideas on the question to be asked and the answers to be made available, but a pollster with integrity must insist on a proper approach.

It has to be the right question.  You shouldnt really load the questionnaire in a way that makes people side with whatever youre saying.

He recalls when with a previous employer, a political opponent of then-Conservative federal finance minister Jim Flaherty proposed a poll question on the 2006 decision to tax income trusts.

I remember saying, Theres no way we can ask this. Its a very lengthy preamble, the question is wrong. Youre essentially putting a bunch of words in peoples mouths, he said.

Two weeks later, the client found another company to ask the question.

Sometimes you turn people down, and  data collection agencies will say, Thats fine. Well ask whatever you want because we have a quota to fill. And its bad for the reputation of the entire industry.

Media Misrepresentation

Some pollsters say the media can also misuse poll results in the way they interpret them to the public. Simpson finds political pundits to be especially prone to this problem.

If one partys polling more and everybody [else] is down two points, then theyre making firm conclusions trying to explain why we see that, [yet] it really doesnt matter whether a [political] person did this or said that, he explains.

Effectually speaking, its all a fluctuation.  Sometimes its just a random sampling error because youre never conducting the perfect poll.

Canseco said partisan voters sometimes protest the headline pollsters use in their press releases. What bothers him more is when the media combines a poor poll question with a misleading headline.

Theres people out there who are well known who will put out a question that doesnt have undecideds or allows people to just say A or B. And then the headline will say, 70 percent of Canadians feel this way. Well, what happened to the other 30 [percent]? Are they undecided? Did they choose something different? he said.

If the data is not properly gathered, then it gets reported as if its real, then its definitely problematic.
Naval vessels from the United States, Japan, India, and the Philippines conduct formation exercises and communication drills in the South China Sea in May 2019. (Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force/U.S. Navy)

JapanTaiwan Security Talks: Something New and Significant

Commentary

Change comes slowly in Japanespecially when it involves national defense. But sometimes, something happens that causes one to raise an eyebrow.

On Aug. 27, two Japanese Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) politicians, both defense specialists, held virtual security discussions with two counterparts from Taiwans ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

This was a firstand an eyebrow-raiser.

The following commentary discusses the significance of the talks and possible future developments in the JapanTaiwan defense relationship.

How Important Are JapanTaiwan Security Talks?

The fact those talks took place is important in its own right. Japan is showing a backbone, as such talks would have been unthinkable five years ago. Tokyo has had basically no security relationship with Taiwanfor fear of angering China. But now, Japanese LDP politicians are meeting (even if virtually) with Taiwanese counterparts to talk security and national defense. And the Japanese government was very public about it and made no effort to hide or to downplay the talks.

Also, there was no public opposition in Japan. Indeed, earlier opinion polling on regional defense topics (including Taiwan and China) suggests that the Japanese public would regard the JapanTaiwan talks as necessary, if not commonsensical.

But might one say that its just a couple of LDP politicians and not real diplomats talking? Thats true. But they still had approval from the Suga administration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has always had a pro-China faction. And Japanese industry and business interestsnotoriously willing to placate China to assure market accesscouldnt stop the talks either. In fact, there are signs that Japanese officials might be prioritizing security interests over economic and commercial interests.

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Ashigara (DDG 178), foreground, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108), and the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) transit the Philippine Sea on April 28, 2017. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Z.A. Landers)

Whats Motivating the Japanese Side?

Japan is afraid. And at long last, theres a broad enough realization in official and political circles that Taiwans defense is Japans defense. If Taiwan comes under Chinese control, Japans defenses will be outflanked. And Chinas naval and air forces operating from Taiwan will be able to cover Japans eastern approacheseffectively surrounding Japan.

Also, Chinese forces can cut the South China Sea sea lanes through which much of Japans commercial traffic (including energy supplies) flows. In early September, Beijing announced that certain classes of foreign ships entering Chinese waters will come under direct Chinese supervision. Beijing claims most of the South China Sea (and the East China Sea) as its own. And one day, Beijing will enforce the lawas Tokyo well knows.

Many in Japan (especially in military and defense circles) have long understood Taiwans importance, but now the threat to Japan is so widely recognized that it cant be avoided or ignoredeven if thats the preference of Japanese officials for handling difficult issues.

Japan also realizes that if the United States steps in to help Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, the U.S. bases in Japan will be targeted. So one way or another, Japan will be involved in the fight.

Is this leaning toward Taiwan by Japan likely to be a long-term thing?

Yes.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen called for a security relationship with Japan a couple of years ago. That idea went nowhere, owing to Japanese reluctance. However, now we might have seen the first step toward that end. The LDP and DPP politicians agreed to hold regular talks going forward. Regular government-to-government security discussions are a logical next step.

The Japanese also have a visceral sense of the danger from China that always sits in Japanese psyches, which comes from 2,000 years of history and being close neighbors. And Japan isnt psychologically able to accept a lesser role in the JapanChina relationshipat least not voluntarily.

How could a JapanTaiwan defense relationship play out in the near future?

Theres plenty of potential regarding how that relationship progresses. It just takes a little imagination and nerve on Japans part.

At this point, Japan is probably thinking about how it can do something that sends a message but doesnt go too far. However, Japan is also looking to see what the United States does toward Taiwan and will likely calibrate and act accordingly.

The most likely JapanTaiwan military cooperation in the near term is to exchange liaison officers (in other words, defense attaches) and also have defense officialsuniformed and civilianhold meetings on different topics, such as intelligence sharing. We might also see Taiwan military officers invited to attend events, schools, and courses in Japan and vice versa.

The idea of Taiwan Navy ships and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force or the Taiwan Air Force and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force brushing elbows operationally perhaps isnt for the immediate future. But if the United States takes the lead and breaks the ice by ending 40 years of isolating the Taiwan military, Japan just might join in as well.

And if the Chinese keep scaring the hell out of everyone, its more likely that the Japanese will be moved to act faster than currently imaginedeven without seeking U.S. approval. It often takes a crisis to motivate Japanand China is fast becoming such a crisis.

A type 094 Jin-class nuclear submarine Long March 15 of the Chinese Navy participates in a naval parade in the sea near Qingdao, Shandong Province, China, on April 23, 2019. (Mark Schiefelbein/AFP via Getty Images)

HADR Cooperation Between Japan and Taiwan?

One announced outcome of the Aug. 27 meetings was to have Japanese and Taiwanese coast guards cooperate on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR).

Thats a good idea and a useful starting point.

One would have to be exceedingly churlish to object to the idea of saving livesas Beijing no doubt will.

HADR training and response has a practical real-world applicability, and in Taiwan and surrounding areas, theres no shortage of natural disasters every year. Japan and Taiwan can start with planning meetings, then move to tabletop exercises, field exercises, and actual bilateral and multilateral responses to actual disasters.

Bringing the U.S. Coast Guard into this initiative from the start is a good ideafor political purposes as well as for the resources and expertise that the United States can add.

But at some point, the respective militaries will need to join the mix. The militaries are the ones that actually conduct HADR operations. Coast Guards can do some limited humanitarian relief activities, but not the full-blown HADR operations needed after a tsunami or a typhoon.

HADR is a good way to work up to military-to-military cooperationinvolving Taiwan, Japan, the United States, and other free nations.

Overall, the recent talks potentially open many doors. Taiwan is willing. Its up to Japan to move things along. Hopefully, they will. And the United States should help them out, if needed.

Will Japans policy toward Taiwan and China change after a new prime minister is selected?

Not if the prime minister is from the LDP. But if the opposition somehow wins, things will get interesting. The Japanese opposition has its share of China accommodationists who are eager to try policies that have already failed repeatedly. And Beijing might also be tempted to test a new administration in Tokyo.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Live Q&A: Taliban Holding Americans Hostage at Airport; Biden Unveils Plan for Future Pandemics

The Taliban is being accused of holding Americans hostage at an airport in Afghanistan, and not allowing them to leave the country unless demands are metthat the United States give full recognition to the Taliban. And in other news, the Biden administration unveiled a plan to prepare the United States for future pandemics, with $65 billion in funding.

In this live Q&A with Crossroads host Joshua Philipp, well discuss these stories and others, and answer questions from the audience.

Were being heavily censored by Big Tech. Our solution? Create our own independent platform free of censorship.

Join us today on EpochTV. Weve got a country to save: http://epochtv.com/Crossroads

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Los Angeles City Council Considers Developing Facilities for Homeless to Store Belongings

Homeless people in Los Angeles may soon be able to store their possessions in small-scale shipping storage facilities on city-owned properties such as parking lots and vacant parcels.

The Los Angeles City Council voted on Aug. 31 to pursue a motion that directs city officials to look into options for funding the program, and for five different storage facility locations across the city, and to report back to the council in 60 days.

The motion, initially filed by Councilwoman Nithya Raman and seconded by Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, said the inability to move or store large possessions or a large quantity of possessions may make it difficult for homeless people to leave their encampments for shelter, especially when most shelters limit the number of belongings to two suitcases.

The motion stated that the inability to secure or transport a large quantity of possessions can make it far more difficult to leave a tent or encampment  creating obstacles to seeking work, making appointments to see case managers or moving elsewhere even if a location has become hazardous.

The city council previously worked with the nonprofit organization Chrysalis to create temporary storage spaces. One location opened in Downtown Los Angeles in 2015, and two more opened in Skid Row and Echo Park in 2020.

The storage facilities, called The Bin, are warehouses with between 1,000 and 1,500 bins each. The bins are 60-gallon sanitized plastic garbage bins. Once registered, people are assigned a bin and a bin card, and can store any items they wish, except for illegal material, illegal substances, and weapons. People can store or retrieve items from their assigned bins anytime between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. MondayFriday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

During the Aug. 31 meeting, the city also approved a similar item introduced by Councilman Bob Blumenfeld to develop a pilot storage program in District 3 to potentially use a commercial locker to store belongings.

Blumenfeld said that when he introduced the motion five months ago, he was trying to solve the specific problem of one person, who was staying in a shelter and had several expensive tools but kept returning to the streets because he didnt have enough room to store them in the shelter.

There is an importance to a persons belongingswhat they need to survive, or treasured memories, Blumenfeld said during the meeting. Sometimes a persons possessions, knowing they can get it stored, is the key to someone accepting shelter or housing when they might be on the fence about it. If they know their stuff can be secured, then they can take that step and leap into housing.

Chrysalis and Councilmembers Raman and Harris-Dawson didnt respond to a request for comment by press deadline. The Bin Downtown LA declined to comment.
Afghans board a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport plane during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Afghanistan, on Aug. 22, 2021. (U.S. Air Force via Reuters)

Michigan Prepares for Influx of Afghan Refugees

Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer has rolled out the red carpet for Afghan refugees and state and non-profit agencies are preparing for the influx.

Now, as Afghan families flee violence and political persecution, it is our duty and honor to welcome them  The State of Michigan embraces the opportunity to welcome Afghan families as they find a new home to begin their lives, said Whitmer in a statement released on August 20.

Whitmer said that a network of State of Michigan departments and agencies across Michigan are gearing up to ensure the Afghan immigrants have the support they need to succeed.

The first-term Democrat governor, who is running for reelection in 2022, did not say which state departments and agencies are gearing up. Nor did Whitmer say exactly what they are doing, or how many Afghan refugees they expect to receive and serve.

It is also unclear if the Whitmer administration will restrict the Afghan refugees accepted into Michigan to those who assisted American forces during the 20-year war, along with their families.

The Epoch Times asked the Governors Office for specific answers to these questions, but has not as yet received a reply.

The U. S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) estimates that 80,000 Afghans helped the United States military or were affiliated with Americans in the country, and most of them have family members who are at risk of retaliation by the Taliban.

The Biden administration launched in July Operation Allies Refuge, a program designed to evacuate Afghan helpers, who have been issued a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) in recognition of their service.

In addition to those helpers who have applied for Special Immigrant Visas, USCRI says that there are hundreds of thousands of Afghans seeking to escape Taliban rule.

On August 16, Mihaela Mitrofan, of the Michigan non-profit philanthropic organization Samaritas, announced on Detroits WXYZ TV that her agency is scaling up to serve 500 Afghan refugees.

With financial assistance from the federal government, Samaritas helps refugees find homes, employment, education, interpreters, language classes, and other resources. It provides foster care and therapeutic foster care for unaccompanied refugee minors. It also provides legal services to refugees at a nominal fee.

Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County (JFSWC) has helped resettle refugees for 28 years. The organization posted a statement on its website addressing the present refugee situation, which reads, The urgency and critical nature of this work is at a level that we have not seen before.

In the statement the JFSWC declared it is prepared to receive anyone referred to Washtenaw County by the U. S. State Department.

JFSWC helps immigrant families with groceries, housing, learning English, applying for government benefits, and registering for school.

Several other Michigan refugee resettlement organizations have stated in interviews with Detroit-area media that they are hiring case managers, case aides, medical case managers, interpreters, and drivers to handle the expected influx of Afghan refugees.

To date, the Michigan non-profits are uncertain of the number of refugees they will be called upon to deal with.

According to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), 18 million Afghans are already in dire need of humanitarian assistance, out of a population of 39 million.

According to the U. S. Census Bureau, in 2019 Michigan had nearly 700 residents who were born in Afghanistan. The states refugee relief agencies report receiving many calls from these people seeking help for their relatives still in Afghanistan.

In a Sept. 1 online posting, the United Nations Refugee Agency, through the IRC, estimated that since the beginning of August, the number of displaced persons in Afghanistan has grown to 550,000.

The IRC estimates there are 82 million displaced persons in the world today.

As the United States receives thousands of Afghan refugees, Mexico has also stepped up to help.

The IRC has launched a rapid emergency response in Mexico to support 175 Afghan evacuees who arrived on August 31, as well as other Afghans who will be arriving in the country, according to the above Sept. 1 online posting.

It is unclear if Mexico will be the final destination of Afghans deplaning there.

A 2020 study by the Migration Policy Institute found the destination country of choice for the vast majority of the worlds refugees is the United States.

Emails received by The Epoch Times from Borderless Magazine, a publication advocating for open borders, characterize the present era as an Age of Migration.

However, receiving, caring for, and resettling refugees has become big business in the United States in recent years.

For example, financial statements (pdf) for BCS, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, prepared by the accounting firm Plante & Moran, show the organization spent $25 million in total expenses for refugee and immigrant services in 2017. The figure grew to $35.9 million in 2019.

Salaries paid by BCS for refugee and immigrant services grew from $10.5 million in 2017 to $15.3 million in 2019.

In 2019, BCS had a total revenue of $138.5 million. It has 38 home offices in 36 states plus Washington D. C.*

*See also Bethanys 2017 Financial Statement (pdf).
Mooncakes Can Pose a Biosecurity Risk to Australia: Agriculture Minister

Australian biosecurity officers are checking mooncakes and other gifts from overseas for biosecurity concerns as the Mid-Autumn festival approaches.

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud is advising importers and consumers to check the biosecurity rules before finalising gift orders. The fact sheet is also available in Chinese and Vietnamese.

Australia has strict biosecurity conditions to ensure goods do not carry pest and disease risks that could impact our agricultural industries and environment, Littleproud said. In the lead up to and during Mid-Autumn festival, there is an increased likelihood of some potentially risky items being sent here.

All mooncakes with meat fillings, particularly pork, are not allowed to be brought into Australia as pork has the risk of carrying African swine fever that would devastate the domestic pork industry if introduced.

Those with fresh fruit or vegetable fillings, including pomelo, star fruit, and taro, also pose a biosecurity risk to local agriculture.

Plant products such as fresh fruits and vegetables could bring exotic pests and diseases such as citrus canker into Australia, Littleproud also said.

Mei Xin mooncakes. (Samira Bouaou/Epoch Times)

Any gifts, including mooncakes that do not meet Australias strict biosecurity laws, will be destroyed or exported out of the country.

You can avoid disappointment and delays by ensuring your friends and family overseas also know what isnt permitted into Australia, Littleproud said.

Mooncakes commercially prepared and packaged, with egg yolk, or with chocolate filling are allowed into the country but must be declared.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is an important occasion for family members to get together to admire the bright moon and enjoy mooncakes. It has a history of over 3,000 years, dating back to moon worship in the ancient Shang Dynasty. (Jane Ku/Epoch Times)

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is one of the most important traditional holidays celebrated by many Asian communities worldwide.

It is associated with an ancient legend about the story of the moon lady, Change.

It is celebrated every year on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. This year, it falls on Sept. 21.

Families will gather together and feast, enjoy coloured lanterns of many shapes and sizes and admire the full moon.

Friends and family will also gift each other mooncakes, the most quintessential gift associated with the holiday.

The most common mooncake fillings include lotus seed paste or red bean paste with salted egg yolk, but mooncakes can come in a variety of fillings to suit the consumers taste.
Personnel work on a Seahawk helicopter as a full moon rises behind them on the flight deck of the USS San Jacinto on March 18, 2003. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Navy Identifies 5 Sailors Killed in California Helicopter Crash

The U.S. Navy on Sunday released the names of the five sailors who died when their helicopter crashed off the coast of Southern California during a routine flight on Tuesday.

The five sailors, all crew members of the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8, were identified as Lt. Bradley A. Foster, 29, a pilot from Oakhurst, California; Lt. Paul R. Fridley, 28, a pilot from Annandale, Virginia; Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class James P. Buriak, 31, from Salem, Virginia; Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Sarah F. Burns, 31, from Severna Park, Maryland; and Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Bailey J. Tucker, 21, from St. Louis, Missouri.

Their bodies all remain missing.

After days of search-and-rescue efforts, the Navy declared the sailors dead and switched to and recovery operations, which are currently ongoing.

On Aug. 31 at 4:30 p.m. local time, an MH-60S Sea Hawk assigned to the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron crashed into the Pacific Ocean about 60 nautical miles off the coast of San Diego, the U.S. Navy 3rd Fleet said. Just before the crash, it had been aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier before carrying out routine flight operations.

The MH-60S helicopter typically carries a crew of about four, and is used in missions including humanitarian disaster relief, combat support, and search and rescue.

Navy officials said that a sixth crew member aboard the aircraft at the time of the crash was rescued and was in stable condition.

Five sailors on the aircraft carrier also suffered injuries during the crash, the 3rd Fleet said on Facebook earlier. As of Tuesday, they were all in stable condition.

The 72-hour search and rescue operation for the five missing crew members was conducted by the Navy and the Coast Guard and involved 34 search and rescue flights, over 170 hours of flight time, with 5 search helicopters and constant surface vessel search, Navy officials said on Saturday.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, the Navy said.
New Gender Pay Equity Law Will Negatively Impact Female Workers: Scholar

The federal governments new gender pay equity law will have the opposite effect and actually hurt the real interests of female workers, a scholar says.

The Pay Equity Act, which came into effect on Aug. 31, mandates federally regulated employers with 10 or more workers to come up with a pay equity plan within three years.

Labour Minister Filomena Tassi said the act, which received royal assent in December 2018, means women will be paid equally for work of equal value and is a significant step forward towards reducing the gender wage gap. According to Statistics Canada, for every dollar earned by a man, a woman earns 89 cents.

Matthew Lau, whose research includes fiscal policies and employment regulations, has a different take on it. He told The Epoch Times that the pay equity law will have the effect of increasing the costs of hiring women for federally regulated employerswhich include the federal public service and federally regulated private companies.

For example, the business would need to use resources to prove to the federal government that their female employees are not underpaid relative to men, said Lau, an adjunct scholar at the Fraser Institute and fellow with the Montreal Economic Institute.

Since the increased costs to employers come without any compensating benefit, the effect would be to discourage those employers from hiring women.

Labour Minister Filomena Tassi speaks with the media following a cabinet meeting in Ottawa on March 10, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

Lau argues in a recent article that the decades-old fallacy of the benefits of government regulation in protecting workers still persists. He refers to a public lecture given by acclaimed economist Milton Friedman at the University of Chicago in 1977, where Friedman advocated restoring the free market in the United States as the greatest defence against becoming over-governed. During the Q&A session, a female audience member challenged him on his opposition to gender pay equity laws.

Friedman responded that the actual effect of requiring pay for equal work will be to harm women.

He explained that if womens skills are higher than mens in a particular job or are recognized to be higher, the law does no good, because then they will be able to compete away [anyway] and can get the same income.

And if their skills are less for whatever reason  and you say the only way you are able to hire them is by paying the same wage, then you are denying them the only weapon they have to fight with, he said, referring to the weapon of competition.

Such laws also make it easier and cheaper for employers who are sexist to discriminate against women, Friedman added.

If you say to them, you have to pay the same wage no matter whether you hire women or men, and here is Mr. sexist pigit doesnt cost him anything to hire men instead of women, he said, noting that what you actually want is to make it costly to him to exercise his prejudice.

When you try to get equal-pay-for-equal-work laws, what you are doing is reducing to zero the cost imposed on people who are discriminating for irrelevant reasons, said Friedman.

Milton Friedman, recipient of the 1976 Nobel Prize in economic sciences, speaks during a White House event in Washington on May 9, 2002. (Getty Images/Alex Wong)

Under the Pay Equity Act, which will be phased in over the next three years, failure to comply would mean a $30,000 fine for employers with up to 99 staff and a $50,000 fine for larger companies.

The law will also make it more costly to hire a woman than to hire a man when both are equally competent and demand the same salary, due to its requirements to provide free womens sanitary products, Lau said.

Tassi said in late July that the government has consulted with experts about providing free sanitary products to female employees in the workplace, and that its committed to moving forward after speaking with labour and employer groups over the summer and fall.

The government first outlined the proposal in May 2019, but it wasnt until last October that labour officials decided to re-examine the issue after the government was presented with a petition.

Lau said the policy will achieve the opposite result, similar to gender pay equity laws, as it would increase the costs of hiring women, thus effectively discouraging employers from doing so.

In the long run, whatever benefits women get in terms of free hygiene products would be more than offset by the reduced willingness of federally regulated employers to provide them with jobs, he said.

A briefing to Tassi by labour officials estimated it would cost federally regulated employers over $1 million to provide free hygiene products, based on an annual per-employee cost of almost $60 and assuming a 50 percent take-up rate.

A 100 per cent take-up rate would put the cost closer to $2.3 million annually.

Lau argues that a competitive labour market can better protect employees from exploitation in the workplace than government regulation can.

In a competitive market, employees who are not paid what they are worth can walk out the door to a competing firm. As long as the compensation workers demand does not exceed their productive output, competing firms would find it profitable to hire them, he said.

There is widespread agreement among economists that competition is effective in protecting workers from being exploited or underpaid by employers.

With files from The Canadian Press
Armed police patrol the area around Countdown LynnMall after a mass stabbing incident in Auckland, New Zealand, on Sept. 3, 2021. (Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)

New Zealand Supermarket Chain Temporarily Removes Knives From Shelves After Terror Attack

New Zealand supermarket chain Countdown has temporarily removed knives from all of its shelves after an ISIS-inspired knife-wielding terrorist wounded seven people at a mall in Auckland.

Kiri Hannifin, Countdowns general manager of safety, said in a statement on Sept. 4 a day after the attack that the company had decided to temporarily pull all knives and scissors from its shelves while it considers whether it should continue to sell them.

Last night, we made the decision to temporarily remove all knives and scissors from our shelves while we consider whether we should continue to sell them. This is in no way a reflection on our customers, but an act of support for our team. We want all of our team to feel safe when they come to work, especially considering the events of yesterday, she said.

Hannifin added, Our thoughts are with our customers who were injured and their families. We would also like to thank the emergency services for their support of our customers and team yesterday.

Police respond to the scene of an attack carried out by a man shot dead by police after he injured multiple people at a shopping mall in Auckland, New Zealand, on Sept. 3, 2021. (Stuff Limited/Ricky Wilson via Reuters)

Another supermarket giant, Foodstuffs New Zealand, which owns the New World, Pakn Save, and Four Square chains, has also removed sharp knives from sale following the attack.

Our thoughts are with the Countdown team and customers injured and affected by the terrible event at Lynn Mall yesterday, Foodstuffs NZ head of corporate affairs Antoinette Laird told the New Zealand Herald on Sept. 4.

Everyone deserves to be able to go to work and visit essential services like the supermarket safely, she continued. While we consider the event and take some time to review the safety of our customers and staff, Foodstuffs stores have removed sharp knives from sale.

A Countdown spokesperson told The Epoch Times: Well work through a discussion on next steps  [there is] no timeframe, were focused on our team right now.

The Epoch Times has contacted a spokesperson from both Countdown and Foodstuffs for comment.

New Zealand officials confirmed on Sept. 4 that 32-year-old Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen was the attacker behind last weeks devastating events.

Samsudeen, an ethnic Tamil Muslim from Sri Lanka, had arrived in New Zealand 10 years ago on a student visa seeking refugee status, which was fraudulently obtained in 2013.

Police were monitoring Samsudeen at the time of the attack over Facebook activity in which he had posted support for terror attacks and violent extremism. They shot him dead within about a minute after he entered the Countdown supermarket and picked up a knife on display, but he had already stabbed five people. Two more shoppers were injured in the melee.

The undercover officers who were just outside the supermarket sprang into action when they saw shoppers running and heard shouting, police said.

On Monday, New Zealand police confirmed that four of the victims remain in hospital, with three of those in ICU.

The four victims currently in Auckland Hospital following the terrorist attack at Aucklands LynnMall on Friday are now all in a stable condition. Three remain in ICU, however one of them is expected to be moved to a ward today, Police Assistant Commissioner Investigations Lauano Sue Schwalger said in a statement.

This is really positive news and we are continuing to work closely with the victims and their families to ensure they are well supported at this extremely difficult time, Schwalger added.

New Zealands prime minister said late on Saturday that her government had been trying for years to deport Samsudeen over security threats and also sought to keep him out of the community while legal deportation options were considered.

Shortly after arriving [in new Zealand] he made a claim for refugee status. Immigration New Zealand declined this claim in 2012, but he appealed to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal and was successful. He was granted refugee status in December 2013, Prime Minister Arden said in a statement.

In 2016, the terrorist came to the attention of the police and the NZSIS. In the course of these investigations, Immigration New Zealand were made aware of information that led them to believe the individuals refugee status was fraudulently obtained. The process was started to cancel his refugee status, and with it, his right to stay in New Zealand, she continued.

In February of 2019, Immigration New Zealand cancelled his refugee status. He was served with deportation liability notices. In April, he appealed against his deportation to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal. He was still in prison at this time, and facing criminal charges. For a number of reasons, the deportation appeal could not proceed until after the conclusion of the criminal trial in May 2021.

Arden noted that officials had determined they were unable to detain Samsudeen while he waited for his appeal and he was subsequently released but was under around-the-clock police surveillance.

His case was still pending when he carried out Fridays attack.
No Matter the Election Outcome, Small-C Conservatives and Classical Liberals Are on the Losing End

Commentary

No matter which party wins the 2021 election, small-c conservatives and classical liberals will lose. Progressives and a complicit mainstream media establishment have created an environment where any leader who deviates from their worldview is labelled as extreme. If a leader stands up for civil liberties, they are castigated as wanting to put the majority at risk for the sake of a minority. If a leader tries to keep their personal views to themselves, they are accused of being fanatics with a hidden agenda.

Elections are no longer about the exchange of ideas and policies. They are now races where leaders fall over each other to land in an inoffensive, progressive, mushy middle ground created by the establishment.

In 2019, Andrew Scheer fell victim to the hidden agenda card. While the Conservative Party had nothing in their policies that would usher in any form of social conservatism, they werent decrying it either. Scheer wouldnt expand on his personal views and refused to condemn social conservatism in general.

The media were relentless, as were the Liberals. Scheer couldnt get through a press conference without being questioned on his personal views. In refusing to play ball on the matter, Scheer invited political rivals and pundits to fill in the blanks on his behalf. He was painted as a person with a hidden agenda who would surely regulate abortion and reverse same-sex marriage rights despite there being utterly no real evidence of this. It was made abundantly clear that for one to personally hold socially conservative views is a disqualification for office as far as the establishment was concerned.

Erin OToole is taking a different approach in this election. Whenever it looks like he is about to be accused of deviating from the progressive establishment narrative, he flip-flops and embraces the progressive point of view.

OToole has been reticent on embracing vaccine passports for months. After weeks of browbeating from the media and activists on the issue, he is now proposing a national vaccine passport system. While he is still claiming that he opposes mandatory vaccination for civil servants, he is proposing an aggressive testing system which would likely prove so uncomfortable and awkward that it would morph into a full mandatory vaccination scheme.

OToole won his leadership by promising his conservative base in no uncertain terms that he wouldnt support a carbon tax. He has since released a plan for a carbon tax.

OToole vowed to defund the CBC. Now he wants to review the national broadcaster.

In their official campaign platform, the Conservatives made it crystal clear that they would be repealing Trudeaus sweeping legislation banning a number of firearms. OToole has now come out in complete contradiction of his own platform and is stating that he would not repeal the legislation.

While the Conservative Party was making strong gains in the polls during the first half of the campaign, they are now appearing to be in total retreat from their own policies and principles. They dont even try to defend their position when the media turns their attention to a policy. They simply reverse course.

One of the most damning poll results on Canadian leaders recently was one that found most Canadians felt that Justin Trudeau would say anything to get elected. I suspect that number is shifting toward OToole as his campaign cant seem to get out of reverse gear. It must be exhausting for his candidates to have to keep track of which principles they are supposed to be abandoning day by day. People want to see strength in leadership and if OToole keeps backing off on things, I suspect that many uncertain voters will simply go back to the devil they know.

With flip-flops building up and a list of high-spending and intrusive policies, the Conservative Party under OToole is quickly becoming indistinguishable from the Trudeau Liberals. Is this indeed the only way to win? Is it impossible to gain votes through standing up for positions when the legacy media labels them as controversial?

In two short weeks, we will know whether OTooles gambit to chase progressive policies will pay off or not.

Standing up for individual rights, property rights, and small government simply isnt considered to be a winning strategy anymore.

It is clear now though that no matter which party wins, conservatives will be the losers.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A baby sits in a basket on his way home after shopping for spring festival couplets in Chengdu of Sichuan Province, China, on Jan. 16, 2009. (China Photos/Getty Images)

Black Market Baby Trafficking Organization Exposed by Civilian in China

A civilian exposed Chinas black market involving the trafficking and selling of newborn babies under the guise of adoption after a year-long voluntary undercover investigation.

According to The Paper, a Chinese state-owned digital newspaper, a civilian played a critical role in the anti-trafficking effort. The civilian, Zhengyi Shangguan, joined a baby trafficking WeChat group disguised as a barren woman who desired a daughter. After prolonged undercover work, Shangguan gradually gained the trust of the middleman and was later considered to be a suitable buyer.

There were about 100 members in the WeChat group, consisting of people from various cities and provinces in China. Due to WeChats sensitive vocabulary recognition, the group often disbands and reassembles itself. New members must clearly state their needs or be removed from the chat group.

Shangguan was able to identify the encrypted terms used by the group to avoid vocabulary detection. For example, the slang bao represents baby. The English letter S represents sending for adoption, and L represents acceptance of adoption. The two English letters corresponded to selling and buying.

On June 11, Shangguan received an encrypted message on WeChat suggesting that a baby girl would be available, followed by a phone conversation. The party that reached out to Shangguan was Ms. Zhu, one of the alleged orchestrators.

Zhu said the baby girl was expected to be delivered around July 20 at a hospital, and the price would be $17,000. She then guaranteed the babys health with a clean genetic history and offered to be there for the entire delivery process. To further dispel buyer worries, Zhu also suggested that payment could be made on the delivery day, but only cash would be accepted.

In addition, Zhu repeatedly stated that a birth certificate was not recommended because it could easily be obtained afterward. However, if requested, the birth certificate would be an additional $6,000. She explained that getting a birth certificate at the time of delivery would require the birth mother to use the buyers identity to register the baby, which is not ideal because if the birth mother knows who the buyer is, she may decide to look for her child in the future. According to Zhu, it would be worrisome to know the birth mother could find her child one day.

After thorough communications, Shangguan learned the entire delivery process and transaction details: A pregnant woman is usually admitted to the hospitals delivery room in the morning. For the next three days, the newborn will be looked after by the nurses and screened for diseases and defects. After the examinations are completed, the baby is ready to be discharged. Upon discharge, the nurses will hand the baby directly to Zhu. After collecting payment, Zhu then passes the baby to the buyer along with a consent to adoption letter signed by the birth motherthen the transaction is complete.

Zhu appeared to be detail-oriented in her operations and even provided the buyer tips in advance. She suggested that its best to pretend to be pregnant months before the transaction occurs. Otherwise, friends and neighbors might question when a child suddenly appears. It may cast a shadow in the childs future if not done properly, Zhu said, according to Beijing-backed media ifeng.

To ensure smooth operations, Zhu claimed that she had connections in the local hospitals and that doctors and nurses generally turned a blind eye. You have to spend what you have to spend to make things work, Zhu added, and suggested that there are other staff that are part of the operation.

Zhu claimed to have graduated with a masters degree and was formally a teacher. After remarrying, she was unable to conceive and started her 10-year-journey to have a child and accidentally entered the business of trafficking. The middleman in the WeChat group once helped her get a surrogate, and the two became partners.
Photographer Captures the Awesome Power of Draft Horses in Her Dramatic Equine Action Shots

One Dutch photographer was inspired to take pictures on the beach, where capturing her dogs in action sparked her interest. She later took portraying that interest to another level entirely, photographing huge horses in dynamic shots.

Christina Merks affection for photography was handed down to her from her father when she was a child. He had a darkroom that first kindled her passion; she would also sometimes pose as her dads model.

And as a child, she was also very fond of horses and rode them often.

I love nothing more than capturing horses in action, Merk told The Epoch Times. Their strength, beauty, and freedom is the most beautiful thing there is.

Portraying the strength displayed by these powerful animals through her lens is her biggest challenge, she said, adding that horses are fast and big, and capturing that correctly is her ultimate aim.

Rather than photographing fiery, excitable, smaller breeds, Merk prefers photo-shooting cold-blooded horses (breeds that are cooler in temperament), such as large draft horses and Friesians, which also make shooting a breeze.

The movement of a Fries is royal and the appearance of a draft horse is beautiful, she told the newspaper. They are cool in their heads and not easily nervous.

Merk prefers to take photos of horses in natural settings. She photo-shoots both wild horses in the Netherlands as well as domesticated ones, first asking permission from their owners. The photographer, who also works as a hearing-care professional, doesnt use a tripod and prefers a Nikon D850. She uses Nikkor 70-200 2.8 and Sigma 105 1.4 lenses.

I always photograph the horses with a fast shutter speed and my lens wide open, so aperture 1.4 or 2.8, she shared.

The photographer creates her signature dreamy, often dark, and dramatic effects in her photos using post-processing techniques in Adobe Lightroom, which helps bring out the regal power and sublime beauty of the equine animals. She displays her work on Instagram and on her website.

The photographer loves long walks and photographing the natural environment. I love to look for wildlife in nature and capture it unnoticed, she said.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
A student walks around the University of New South Wales campus in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Academics, Students to Be Taught to Identify Foreign Interference on Campus: Report

Australian university staff and students will be taught how to recognize foreign interference threats on campus and report them to authorities under newly proposed rules.

The changes have been put forward as part of the new foreign interference guidelines for universities. They are intended to strengthen their ability to counter influence from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald.

As part of Australias increasing vigilance against the threat of the CCP, the guidelines say staff and students will receive training on, and have access to information about how foreign interference can manifest on campus and how to raise concerns in the university or with appropriate authorities.

Those involved in international research collaborations will also be taught how to recognize, mitigate and handle concerns of foreign interference, due to security concerns around stolen research.

The Epoch Times has not seen the proposed guidelines.

The rules were drafted by the Universities Foreign Interference Taskforce (UFIT), which was established in 2019 to provide universities better protection in four areas: Cyber Security; Research and Intellectual Property; Foreign Collaboration; and Culture and Communications.

It comes after Human Rights Watch published a report that highlighted how students from China remained under the surveillance of the CCP, despite being in a democratic country outside of China.

In response, Education Minister Alan Tudge wrote on Twitter that the government would update its foreign interference guidelines with the recommendations from the report in mind.

Education Minister Alan Tudge speaks during a media conference at Parliament House on Sept. 4, 2020, in Canberra, Australia. (David Gray/Getty Images)

University leaders and government officials are still in the process of discussing the details of the rules, how they would be effectively implemented, and concerns around consequences for universities if they fail to implement them.

Universities have reportedly been pushing back against some efforts to fight the threat of foreign interference. A plan to require all academics to declare their membership of overseas political parties faced heavy backlash, causing UFIT to back down on the proposal.

However, Labor Senator Kim Carr described the plans as a gross overreach in privacy.

We havent had an explanation as to who this information is being collected for and for what purpose, Carr told the Sydney Morning Herald. Who gets access to it? Is it subject to freedom of information laws?

In a parliamentary inquiry in March, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) said universities were vulnerable to hostile foreign intelligence services.

The threat will come at the institution and the students through different ways, depending on what theyre afterinformation, or to shape the environment so that it doesnt do things that are counter to that nations interest, ASIO Director-General of Security Mike Burgess said, noting that one country in particular was highly active.

Across the board, espionage and foreign interference is at a height that we have not seen since the height of the Cold War. It is a significant security risk that does need to be managed effectively by this country and the research and university sector, Burgess said.
Portland, Oregon, Mayor Ted Wheeler speaks to the media at City Hall in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 30, 2020. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Portland to Ban Travel to, Trade With Texas in Protest of New Anti-Abortion Law

City officials in Portland, Oregon, plan to ban travel to Texas over the southern states recently enacted anti-abortion law.

Portlands City Council is scheduled to vote Sept. 8 on an emergency motion that would ban the city from procuring goods or services from Texas, in addition to blocking city workers from traveling there.

The ban will be in effect until the state of Texas withdraws its unconstitutional ban on abortion or until it is overturned in court, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said in a statement.

The Portland City Council stands unified in its belief that all people should have the right to choose if and when they carry a pregnancy and that the decisions they make are complex, difficult, and unique to their circumstances.

The Texas law, which went into effect on Sept. 1, requires doctors to try to detect a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed. If a heartbeat is detected, doctors are prohibited from ending a pregnancy, unless they deem not doing so would threaten the pregnant mothers life.

Abortion providers say between 85 percent and 90 percent of all abortions in Texas are blocked by the new law.

State officials arent allowed to enforce the provisions. Instead, private citizens can bring lawsuits against doctors who allegedly violate the provisions or people who allegedly aid and abet illegal abortions.

This law does not demonstrate concern for the health, safety, and well-being of those who may become pregnant, Wheelers office said. This law does not recognize or show respect for the human rights of those who may become pregnant. This law rewards private individuals for exercising surveillance and control over others bodies. It violates the separation of church and state. And, it will force people to carry pregnancies against their will.

In addition to Wheeler, the council is made up of commissioners Jo Ann Hardesty, Carmen Rubio, Mingus Mapps, and Dan Ryan. All are Democrats.

Texas Sen. Bryan Hughes, a Republican who was the chief sponsor of the new law, Senate Bill 8, didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

The Republican-controlled Texas Legislature approved the bill, which was signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, earlier this year.

Abortion providers sued over the law, but the measure remains in place for now after the Supreme Court ruled the providers didnt carry their burden to get a preliminary injunction.

Two lower courts, however, have blocked Texas Right to Life and persons affiliated with the group from suing certain doctors or people under the law.
A Prison guard stands at the Gilboa prison in Northern Israel on Sept. 6, 2021. (Sebastian Scheiner/AP Photo)

Prison Break: 6 Palestinian Terrorists Escape High-Security Facility in Israel

Israeli forces launched a massive manhunt on Sept. 6 following the prison break of six highly dangerous Palestinian terrorists serving at a maximum security facility.

The fugitives, five Islamic Jihad members and former senior commander Zakaria Zubeidi of the Israeli-designated terrorist group Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, escaped from Gilboa prison, located in the north of the country, through a tunnel dug beneath their cells drainage system.

Israel Prison Service (IPS) Chief Arik Yaakov said the escapees appeared to have accessed passages formed by the prisons construction after opening the hole from their cells toilet floor.

Six prisoners escaped by means of an opening that was discovered in their cell, the IPS said in a statement, calling it an extremely rare breakout.

Four of the men were serving life sentences for capital crimes.

Palestinian commander of the Israeli-designated terrorist group Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades Zakaria Zubeidi is carried on the shoulders of supporters in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Dec. 30, 2004. (Ammar Awad/Reuters)

According to various local media reports, the fugitives were reportedly between the ages of 26 and 49 and were jailed for being involved in attacks on Israel about two decades ago.

Northern District Police Commander Shimon Ben Shabo said authorities are urging residents in the area to exercise increased vigilance, but no extra security advisories were put in place.

There is no reason to change your routines, but there will be large numbers of troops within the cities of Afula and Beit Shean and in other towns, Shabo said in a statement, The Times of Israel reported. I do request additional awareness of anything suspicious.

Israeli officials said theyve erected roadblocks and are conducting patrols in the area. Israels Army Radio stated that 400 prisoners are being moved as a protective measure against any additional escape attempts.

Video footage of the hole through which a prisoner escaped was shared widely on social media, suggesting a scene from the iconic prison break film The Shawshank Redemption, in which Portland banker Andy Dufresne, the main character, escaped to freedom through a sewer pipe after passing through a hole he dug in his cells wall.

In this photo provided by Israels Prisons Service, a hole in a floor is seen after six Palestinian prisoners escaped from the Gilboa prison in Northern Israel on Sept. 6, 2021. (Israeli Prisons Service via AP)

Israels prime minister, Naftali Bennett, called the escape a grave incident that required a maximum effort response by Israels various security branches. He said he was receiving constant updates on the prison break, which occurred just hours before Israel was to mark the Jewish New Year.

Palestinian terrorist groups swiftly praised the breakout.

This is a great heroic act, which will cause a severe shock to the Israeli security system and will constitute a severe blow to the army and the entire system in Israel, said Daoud Shehab, a spokesman for the Islamic Jihad.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Researchers uncovered a pattern of comments supporting Russia that are then used to distort the picture of public opinion in the West. Undated file photo. (Tim Goode/PA)

Pro-Russian Trolls Target Reader Comments on Western News Websites: UK Study

Pro-Kremlin trolls have been systematically manipulating the comment sections of Western news websites to spread propaganda and disinformation, a group of UK researchers has found.

Researchers from Cardiff University say they have found evidence that 32 prominent media outlets across 16 countries have been targeted, including the UKs Daily Mail, Daily Express, and The Times of London, Americas Fox News and The Washington Post, French newspaper Le Figaro, Germanys Der Spiegel and Die Welt, and Italys La Stampa.

The study was carried out by the Open Source Communications Analytics Research (Oscar) programme at Cardiff University, which is partly funded by Britains Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO).

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: This report highlights the threat to our democracy of Russian state-backed misinformation on the Internet. The UK is working closely with international allies to stand up to the Kremlin trolls peddling lies.

The researchers identified 242 news stories under which provocative pro-Russian or anti-Western statements were posted. These comments were then fed back to Russian-language media outlets and used as the basis of stories on Western public opinion.

The Russian-language reports, using headlines such as Daily Mail readers say and Readers of Der Spiegel think, suggest there is extensive support among Western citizens for Russia or President Vladimir Putin. These stories were spread to audiences in Central and Eastern Europe, most prominently in Bulgaria.

These fake readers comments have also been picked up by fringe media and websites with track records of spreading so-called disinformation, some of which have been linked by Western security services to Russian intelligence agencies.

Professor Martin Innes, leader of the research team, said the websites of traditional media outlets are more susceptible to manipulation than social media platforms.

As mainstream social media platforms have become more alert to the risks of foreign state influence operations, so disinformation actors and propagandists have been seeking new vulnerabilities in the media ecosystem to exploit, Innes said.

He said many Western media websites have no security measures in place to prevent, deter, or detect such manipulative activity, and trolls have been able to easily switch between personas and identities.

One suspected disinformation account had 69 location changes and 549 changes of name since its creation in June last year, the study found.

On some commenting platforms that allow other users to vote on posts, researchers observed that pro-Kremlin comments repeatedly received an unusually high number of up-votes compared with other messages.

Innes said it is vital that media companies running participatory websites are more transparent about how they are tackling disinformation and more proactive in preventing it.

PA contributed to this report.
Supporters of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor march to mark 1,000 days since the Canadians were arrested in China, during a protest in Ottawa on Sept. 5, 2021. (Reuters/Blair Gable)

Rally Marks 1,000 Days Since China Detained Two Canadians

Supporters of two Canadians accused of spying and held in Chinese prison for 1,000 days rallied on Sept. 5 to demand their release.

Businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig were detained in December 2018, shortly after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, on a warrant from the United States.

Last month, a Chinese court sentenced Spavor to 11 years in prison for espionage. Meng is waiting verdict on her U.S. extradition request after the hearing wrapped up in a British Columbia court last month.

Vina Nadjibulla, wife of Michael Kovrig, speaks with Canadas Minister of Foreign Affairs Marc Garneau during a march to mark 1,000 days since Kovrig and Michael Spavor were arrested in China, during a protest in Ottawa on Sept. 5, 2021. (Reuters/Blair Gable)

Several hundred people gathered at a park in Ottawa, with some wearing white shirts printed March for the Michaels, 7,000 steps for freedom, carrying banner #bringthemhome.

Every day in his cell, Michael Kovrig walks 7,000 steps to keep his mind and body healthy. Michael Spavor uses yoga, meditation, and exercises to stay strong, the families wrote on a Facebook page seeking support for the event.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has called a snap election for Sept. 20, is trailing his main opponent, Conservative Party leader Erin OToole, who has demanded a tougher approach against China.

We have to deal with the communist leadership in China, as it is not as Mr. Trudeau may have hoped it was. Hes always been out of step with respect to our interests and our values. So Ive said Canada will be a leader on human rights again, OToole told reporters in Vancouver on Sept. 4.

Trudeau, when asked about criticism that his government had not done enough to free the two Michaels, said on Sept. 5 when dealing with citizens in trouble abroad, we use all the tools at our disposal, usually not shouting in the public square.

He said that government over the past 1,000 days has put forward all the different range of tools to put pressure on the Chinese government to return the two men.

We will not rest until the two Michaels are once again home with their families, he told reporters.

Canadas Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau, who joined the rally, said in statement that years have been cruelly stolen from both men and their families.

This must stop. Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor must come home, the statement added.

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
The dome of the U.S. Capitol on Aug. 8, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Rally to Demand Justice for Jan. 6 Political Prisoners Planned for US Capitol

A group seeking the release of hundreds of people accused of committing crimes in Washington on Jan. 6 is planning to hold a rally at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 18.

The rally is being organized by Look Ahead America, a nonprofit group that says it advocates for disaffected Americans who are ignored by both political parties and the government.

More than 600 people have been charged with a range of crimes for alleged actions in early January at the U.S. Capitol, when protesters and rioters breached the building, interrupting a joint session of Congress.

Many of those charged remain in jail pending trial, even some who arent accused of carrying out acts of violence.

Were demanding justice for the Jan. 6 political prisoners. Were demanding justice for the people who had their lives destroyed by the FBI, rounding them up like terrorists, when they committed no crimes of violence or simply [were] aggressively exercising their First Amendment rights, Matt Braynard, founder and executive director of Look Ahead America, told The Epoch Times.

Were protesting the denial of bail, the denial of medical care, the denial of access to attorneys to nonviolent protesters who have still been held by the federal government now going on nine months.

The Justice for J6 rally is also aimed at pushing back against the narrative that there ever was an insurrection, said Braynard, who once worked for former President Donald Trumps campaign and has said he was inspired by Trump to create the nonprofit.

Some of the people in prison awaiting trial on charges linked to Jan. 6 have said they went to the Capitol at Trumps behest, with a subset blaming him for what they did.

Trump was impeached by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives while still in office for allegedly inciting an insurrection; he was acquitted by the Republican-held Senate. Republicans repeatedly pointed out that Trump repeatedly urged people on Jan. 6 to remain peaceful when they went to the U.S. Capitol.

Braynard wrote to federal law enforcement officials in January to urge them to drop all charges against nonviolent protesters from Jan. 6. In that letter, he emphasized that he supports the prosecution of people who became violent or destroyed property.

Protesters walk around in the Rotunda after breaching the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Conservative legal activists and Republicans in Congress have been among those decrying the treatment of some charged in the Jan. 6 breach, arguing that its been much harsher than what was meted out to people charged in the riots of 2020.

Over the summer, a group of Republicans tried entering the jail where many of the prisoners are being held, but were denied access. Multiple defendants have said they were beaten by guards, while others have alleged different forms of abuse. The D.C. Department of Corrections didnt immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the claims.

Organizers of the upcoming rally put an estimated attendance of 700 on permit applications, although they expect that number could grow to a few thousand.

No prominent attendees have yet been announced.

U.S. Capitol Police erected fencing around the U.S. Capitol after Jan. 6 and kept it up for months, finally removing it in July. The agency said the removal was based on the current threat environment and enhancements to its response capabilities.

Reports citing anonymous sources stated that due to security concerns over the Sept. 18 rally, the fencing could be put back up. Braynard said officials hadnt discussed that possibility with him.

The U.S. Capitol Police declined to respond directly to the reports, though the agency stated that its aware of the planned protest.

We are closely monitoring September 18 and we are planning accordingly, U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger told The Epoch Times in an email. 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.

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said the agency will be fully prepared for the events planned for later this month.

As with all First Amendment demonstrations, MPD will be monitoring and assessing the activities and planning accordingly with our federal law enforcement partners. MPD will have an increased presence around the city where demonstrations will be taking place and will be prepared to make street closures for public safety, she said.

Some reports stated that members of the Proud Boys and other groups that had members charged in connection to Jan. 6 are expected to attend. But the Proud Boys urged members not to show up.

We arent going and you shouldnt either, the group stated in a recent post on Telegram.
Reshoring: What Companies Consider for Moving Production to US

From the onset of the pandemic to fluctuations in cost and efficiencies, a growing number of companies have been thinking about bringing their overseas operations closer to home.

Among North American manufacturers, 83 percent state they are likely or extremely likely to reshore, according to the 2021 State of North American Manufacturing Annual Report by Thomas, an industrial sourcing platform. That percentage is significantly up from March 2020, when 54 percent of manufacturers reported that they were considering taking steps to reshore.

Shifting operations to the United States could spark an influx of funds and jobs throughout the country. If manufacturers that have plans to reshore take on at least one domestic supplier, the change could inject up to $443 billion into the economy, per the 2021 Thomas report. Before making any moves, however, it can be helpful to weigh the pros and cons of a reshoring decision.

Total Costs

When comparing offshore and onshore locations, its important to keep a picture of the whole cost in mind, experts say. It can be easy to overestimate potential savings from overseas operations by 20 to 30 percent if companies focus on price rather than actual offshoring costs, according to the Reshoring Initiative. The total cost of ownership includes expenditures such as transportation, intellectual property risks, and inventory carrying costs, Katie Hodge, content director at Generator Magazine, an independent magazine for electric generators and battery-powered stations, told The Epoch Times.

Transportation expenses can vary greatly within the United States, depending on the location of raw material sources and where finished goods are shipped. Given truck driver and equipment shortages, as well as environmental tendencies, it may be beneficial to investigate alternative forms of transportation, such as rail, Hodge said. Utility services also have rates that can be very different in one spot versus another. Power prices can range from about 4 cents per kWh to over 12 cents per kWh, a difference of millions of dollars per year for major customers, Hodge said. Water quality and availability fluctuate heavily, and companies will find rates and capacity levels vary significantly from one location to another.

While creating goods within the United States could save companies money on import taxes, other costs like labor and real estate could make the overall price go up higher. Robin Brown, CEO of custom pin supplier Vivipins, believes producing in China is better for his business. It is still inexpensive to do so even if tariffs are applied to imports coming into the U.S., he told The Epoch Times.

Packaging Requirements

The way consumers view a product can greatly sway their purchasing decision. If packaging is a key component to drive sales, youll want to anticipate how relocation could impact a products final look. Various countries have different packaging regulations, so make sure youre following them, Adam Wood, co-founder of RevenueGeeks, a website which evaluates selling products, told The Epoch Times. Recognize that in some locations, packaging must comply with sustainable standards, and that packaging is an important aspect of your marketing strategy. Many developed countries, for instance, require warning labels to be placed on cigarette packages.

Inventory

For products that dont typically change or require customization, it may make sense to keep production overseas. This often only works, however, if these items arent needed for emergencies and can be held in inventory for extensive lengths of time. Offshore operations require more inventory, Dr. Lisa Lang, owner of ReshoringMFG, told The Epoch Times.

Products that have customized components or need to be changed more frequently might do better closer to home. Inventory carrying costs and obsolescence are known concerns but less obvious are the impact on agility, Lang said. With operations overseas, three to six months lead time may be needed to make a single change. With domestic processes, companies could keep lower levels of inventory, follow through on adjustments quickly, and customize components more easily.

Employee Differences

Several decades ago, U.S. manufacturers spotted lower wages in other economiesa significant lure to shift operations to these less expensive areas. Recently, however, pay rates have increased in many developing countries, diminishing the potential savings. Furthermore, When it comes to taxes and employment, many countries and areas have distinct rules, Gerrid Smith, chief marketing officer at Joy Organics, told The Epoch Times. The United States has rigorous rules for employee safety through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In Mexico, there are several distinct authorities in charge of employee safety, each with its own set of standards that can be conflicting, Smith said.

Regardless of where business operates, experts say companies have to meet regulatory requirements for workers, and its worth carrying out an exercise to forecast potential worker scenarios before making a decision. Companies may find that in the United States, with its higher wages and employee safety standards, the overall cost of production remains lower than in other places, due to the shorter distribution routes and increased agility they will gain.

You cant afford to ignore these regulatory requirements, as they have an impact on everything from employing personnel in each country to properly completing your tax reports, Smith said, whose company currently operates within the United States.
People eat breakfast at a restaurant that's advertising that they're hiring in Annapolis, Md., on May 12, 2021. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Delta Variant Threatens Survival of Already Insecure Restaurants

The U.S. restaurant industry has been steadily recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic since February, although recent employment data show that restaurant owners face challenges ahead.

Restaurants and bars lost 42,000 workers in August following several months of strong jobs growth, the latest sign that the industry is wrestling with the Delta variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus and a persistent shortage of labor.

Michael Haskett, owner of M.B. Haskett Delicatessen in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, said he feels lucky because his business had a pretty good summer thanks to the patio that allows outdoor seating at his establishment.

But with growing concerns over the Delta variant, he believes the next few months are going to be pretty tough, especially in his state, where it gets extremely cold.

Hasketts business hasnt fully recovered from the initial shock of the pandemic. The restaurant is only open half of the hours that it was open before the virus struck, and the severe labor shortage is the restaurants largest bottleneck.

The sign now hiring has been on the window for a year and a half. People just dont apply. I dont know, its tough to find workers, Haskett told The Epoch Times.

He hopes to expand his restaurants service and start serving dinners again, but hiring two additional cooks has been extremely challenging throughout the summer. He also needs to hire more servers and dishwashers.

Im cooking, he said. Im not just sitting down in the office. Im on the line, washing dishes, taking garbage out.

As with many small-business owners, Haskett raised salaries to attract more people. His cooks now earn 20 percent more on average compared to salary levels before the pandemic, he said. But offering higher wages hasnt really solved the staff shortage problem that he and many other restaurant owners are facing in the city.

Employment at restaurants and bars in the United States is still 1 million jobs below pre-pandemic levels. More than 90,000 restaurants and bars closed over the course of the pandemic, according to the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC), a trade group founded in 2020 to save local restaurants affected by the pandemic.

The Delta variant threatens to push more small businesses into permanent closure, according to the group.

Businesses are at the end of their rope. The virus is surging, summer weather is ending, and months of debt are piling up, Erika Polmar, executive director of the IRC, said in a statement.

Those restaurants need urgent government support to tackle financial challenges and pay competitive salaries to maintain their employees, she said.

The IRC is calling on Congress and the Biden administration to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund as the programs funding fell far short of demand, critics say.

There are dining restrictions in nearly a third of the states in the country. Restaurant reservations have also plummeted recently, with states such as New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland seeing a near 50 percent drop in bookings compared to 2019 levels, according to the IRC.

And a recent survey by the National Restaurant Association shows that 60 percent of adults have changed their dining habits due to the Delta variant.

A restaurant table sits empty along a street in New York City, on Aug. 19, 2021. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Surprisingly Weak Jobs Report

The Labor Departments closely watched jobs report on Sept. 3 shows that U.S. employers added only 235,000 jobs in August. The report shocked analysts, as it was far below the consensus forecast of 733,000.

Restaurants and bars, which had been one of the job creation engines over the past several months, were a major disappointment in August. The sector saw its first downturn in eight months.

Employment in retail, another hard-hit sector, also declined by 29,000 in August, with the majority of losses coming from food and beverage stores.

U.S. job openings reached an all-time high of 10.1 million in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with the hospitality industry, which consists of restaurants and bars, accounting for 14 percent of the available jobs.

Fouad Alsharif, owner of a deli and the Italian restaurant Biricchino in New York City, is looking to expand his business. And September is one of the busiest months of the year for his restaurant.

Everybodys back from vacation. We are looking to double or triple our business, Alsharif told NTD Business.

But he needs to hire more people.

Nobodys interested in the work, and its just really ridiculous, Alsharif said.

Many small business owners have been complaining about the unemployment benefits offered by the federal government. The supplemental benefit, introduced during the pandemic, is seen as one of the factors that have contributed to the severe U.S. labor shortage.

The enhanced $300 unemployment benefit expired on Sept. 6. According to Goldman Sachs economists, termination of the federal benefit could help hiring numbers in the coming months. The economists predicted in June that ending the benefit could boost job growth by more than 400,000 nationwide in September alone.

However, its still unclear whether restaurants will benefit from that growth.

This is the period of the great reevaluation, said Sara Gordon, vice president at The Adecco Group, the worlds second-largest human resources provider.

I think now more than ever, workers are thinking about how they want to rejoin the workforce than when they want to rejoin the workforce.

The Delta variant poses risks, especially for restaurant workers, Gordon noted, and people who previously worked in restaurants and bars are learning additional skills to expand their career options.

Theyre, quite frankly, being a little bit picky because there is so much opportunity out there, she said.
Rigidly Configured Recruitment Software Contributing to Broken Hiring System: HBS Report

Automated resume-scanning software that is inflexibly configured and overlooks potentially suitable workers is a major factor contributing to a broken hiring system in the United States, according to a new report from Harvard Business School (HBS).

The HBS report (pdf), released Sept. 4, provides insight into Americas labor market dynamics, including the widely reported mismatch between the more than 10 million job openingsa record highand the more than 8.4 million unemployed actively looking for work.

Business owners have been complaining about not being able to find enough workers and having to raise pay to attract new hires. At the same time, swaths of willing and available workers remain not visible to recruiters, who have become increasingly reliant on automated software that is inflexibly configured and filters out large numbers of viable candidates, according to the report.

Companies are increasingly desperate for workers. As they continue to struggle to find people with the skills they need, their competitiveness and growth prospects are put at risk, the reports authors wrote.

At the same time, an enormous and growing group of people are unemployed or underemployed, eager to get a job or increase their working hours. However, they remain effectively hidden from most businesses that would benefit from hiring them by the very processes those companies use to find talent.

Hidden workers, according to HBS, include people without traditional qualifications, caregivers, veterans, relocating partners and spouses, and those with physical disabilities.

The HBS study identified a number of factors contributing to the labor market disconnect, including a widening training gap and failure to recognize and elevate the business case for hiring hidden workers. But automated resume-scanning software is a major one, with 88 percent of employers surveyed for the study saying that qualified high-skills candidates were vetted out of the recruitment process because they didnt match the exact criteria in the job description, with that number rising to 94 percent for middle-skills workers.

Automated systems are a foundation for hiring processes, with more than 90 percent of employers surveyed for the HBS report indicating they use platforms such as the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and the Recruiting Management or Marketing System (RMS) to assist recruiters. One problem, according to the study, is that these systems are configured to rely mostly on negative filters, such as an employment gap or lack of a college degree, to exclude applicants.

While employers may infer that applicants who have those attributes are undeserving of consideration, applying an affirmative logic would seem a more logical approach for seeking talent, the authors argued. Configuring systems to identify applicants with the specific skills and experiences associated with fulfilling the core requirements of the role would promise to be more efficient.

This problem is compounded by outdated job descriptions, which, rather than being reassessed and drafted from scratch, are often larded with legacy requirements and nice to have attributes rather than a focus on a limited list of must-have skills and experiences that correlate to performance in the role.

Other tweaks to recruitment processes that could help businesses hire and unemployed workers find jobs include targeting specific segments of hidden workerssuch as veterans, caregivers, and the disabledwhile establishing new metrics for evaluating talent acquisition, such as attrition rates and the time it takes for a new employee to achieve expected levels of productivity.

Already, companies that have shifted their recruitment processes to focus on hidden workers are reporting bottom-line benefits, according to HBS. Such firms reported being 36 percent less likely to face talent or skills shortages relative to companies that didnt target hidden workers while indicating that such workers outperform their peers across such criteria as attitude and work ethic, productivity, engagement, attendance, and quality of work.
Sky News Boss Lambasts YouTube for Suspension, Opaque Guidelines

Claims that Sky News Australia is spreading COVID-19 misinformation are frankly ridiculous, according to CEO Paul Whittaker, who issued a stinging criticism of video-sharing giant YouTube, at a parliamentary inquiry on Monday.

Fronting the Standing Committee on Environment and Communications, Whittaker questioned why the Google-owned tech giant could be an arbiter of content.

There is no expectation that our viewers agree with every opinion expressed by every host, guest, or panellist, he said. But it now appears commonplace to discredit any debate on contentious issues as misinformation.

YouTubes actions make clear that it is not a neutral platform, but a publisher selectively broadcasting content and censoring certain views, while allowing videos that are patently false, misogynistic, and racist to proliferate, Whittaker said.

Why does a tech giant, YouTube, and faceless, nameless individuals backed by an algorithm, based in California, get to decide that holding governments and decision-makers to account is misinformation? Why do they get to decide what is and isnt allowed to be news? he said.

Paul Whittaker, CEO of Sky News Australia appearing via video link at a parliamentary inquiry into media diversity on Sept. 6, 2021 (Screenshot)

The committee is investigating the state of media diversity and concentration in Australia.

The inquiry was launched following a petition spearheaded by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to investigate the influence of Rupert Murdochs News Corporation.

In early August, YouTube suspended Sky News for one week for allegedly posting COVID-19 misinformation, issuing a first strike against the 24-hour news channelakin to a warning under its three strikes policy.

Lucinda Longcroft, Google Australias director of government affairs and public policy, told the inquiry earlier that the tech giant enforced its own code on COVID-19-related content, claiming to work with health and media authorities to combat false and harmful content.

Where there are videos that, without further context, assert that those drugs [ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine] are effective we remove them because of the danger and medical harm that could be caused to users, Longcroft said.

Over 5,000 dangerous and misleading videos were traced to Australian IP addresses and removed by YouTube between February 2020 to March 2021, including 23 videos posted by Sky News.

Longcroft said Sky News content was removed due to violations of the code as well as two breaches of political integrity guidelines.

However, Whittaker countered by saying that it was in the public interest for alternative drugs to be discussed, especially because no vaccines were available last year.

A woman with a smartphone walks past a billboard advertisement for YouTube in Berlin on Sept. 27, 2019. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Sky News Australia strongly supports vaccination. Any claims to the contrary are false and a blatant attempt to discredit and harm our news service, he said. Its a scientific debate that continues to this day.

The CEO also said YouTubes review process lacked transparency and was incapable of compliance.

Unlike other publishers policies, YouTubes process for review and removal of content lacks transparency and a clearly articulated process which affords channel operators the opportunity to address concerns or to challenge an assessment prior to a suspension occurring, he said.

He claimed Sky News had attempted to seek confirmation from YouTube on whether historical content would trigger any further action but said no response was given.

With no transparency provided, Sky News took the proactive approach of removing a batch of videos all published during 2020 from online platforms to ensure ongoing compliance with YouTubes arbitrary editorial guidelines, Whittaker said, noting it was not an admission of failure to comply with YouTubes regulations, but merely an attempt to navigate opaque polices.

He also raised comparisons with authoritarianism.

If were saying that YouTube is the model that we want our regulator to abide by. That means we are saying they should be able to shutdown a major TV network with 30 minutes notice, with no complication, no explanation, no written justification, no procedural fairness. That to me sounds more like authoritarianism or a totalitarian state, rather than a liberal democracy.

Silhouettes of mobile device users are seen next to a screen projection of YouTubes logo in this picture illustration taken March 28, 2018. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters)

Whittaker said it was beyond debate that YouTube should be deemed a publisher that selectively edited content for political and commercial reasons.

But unlike traditional media it does not accept any of the regulatory or legal burdens that being deemed a publisher carries with it, he said, calling for vigorous debate on treating YouTube as a publisher.

Sky News has uploaded over 50,000 hours of content on YouTube and has garnered over 1.98 million followers.

The channel has consistently covered updates on global efforts to track down the origins of COVID-19, some of which were initially dismissed as conspiracy theories, however, other news outlets have since recognised the viability of these explanations.
Taliban fighters stand guard as they check commuters at a road checkpoint in Kabul on Sept. 4, 2021. (Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images)

Some 100 US Citizens Still Remain in Afghanistan, White House Official Estimates

Some 100 American citizens still remain in Afghanistan following the U.S. military withdrawal and many of them want to stay, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said on Sunday.

During an appearance on CNNs State of the Union, Klain said that the U.S. government is in touch with all of the Americans still left in the country who have been identified on a regular basis.

We believe its around a hundred, Klain said. Obviously, were hopeful that in the coming days that the Qataris will resume air service out of Kabul. And if they do, were obviously going to look to see if Americans can be on those flights.

We are going to find ways to get them, the ones that want to leave, to get them out of Afghanistan, he told host Dana Bash. We know many of them have family members, many of them want to stay. But the ones that want to leave, were going to get them out.

Klain added that the Biden administration is also working to evacuate additional Afghan allied personnel with Special Immigrant Visas (SIV). The SIV program was created to protect Afghan allies who risked their lives helping U.S. troops in the country.

Earlier on Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the department was in constant contact with U.S. citizens still in Afghanistan.

Most of the remaining American citizens are dual nationals whose home is Afghanistan and whose extended families live there. So its no surprise that deciding whether or not to leave the place they call home is a wrenching decision, he said.

Klains remarks come nearly a week after the United States withdrew all American troops from the country to meet President Joe Bidens self-imposed Aug. 31 deadline. Immediately after the last U.S. military plane departed Afghanistans Hamid Karzai International Airport, the Pentagon said that hundreds of Americans seeking evacuation had been left in Afghanistan.

Biden earlier in August vowed to keep U.S. troops in the country until all Americans who wished to leave had been evacuated.

The U.S. military objective in Afghanistan was to get everyone out, including Americans and our Afghan allies and their families, Biden told ABC News George Stephanopoulos in an interview on Aug. 18.

Meanwhile, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) told Fox News on Sunday that the Taliban terrorist group, which seized control of Kabul on Aug. 15, are stopping six airplanes carrying Americans and Afghans from departing the Mazar-i-Sharif airport in Afghanistan.

The Taliban is holding them hostage for demands, he said, noting that the Department of State has cleared these flights, and the Taliban will not let them leave the airport.

The top-ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee didnt elaborate on the Talibans demands, but he said it is turning into a hostage situation and said the terrorist group will not gonna allow American citizens to leave until they get full recognition from the United States of America.

The Epoch Times has contacted the Biden administration and the Department of State for comment.
An Afghan refugee girl, fleeing the Afghan capital Kabul, stands on the tarmac after disembarking from an US air force plane upon their arrival at Pristina International airport near Pristina on Aug. 29, 2021. (Armend Nimani/AFP via Getty Images)

State Department Says It Cannot Confirm If Taliban Is Holding American Planes Hostage in Afghanistan

The U.S. Department of State said it cannot confirm whether six planes holding American citizens are being held hostage by the Taliban in a northern Afghanistan city.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Fox News on Sunday that the planes are being held hostage for demands right now, although he did not provide many details.

A spokesperson for the State Department, in response, said it doesnt have the ability to confirm the veracity of McCauls claim, noting that it has no information on the ground in Afghanistan after U.S. Embassy staff and the U.S. military departed the country last month.

Because the United States has no personnel in the country or air assets, the agency doesnt have a reliable means to confirm the basic details of charter flights, including who may be organizing them, the number of U.S. citizens and other priority groups on-board, the accuracy of the rest of the manifest, and where they plan to land, among many other issues, a State Department spokesperson told The Hill.

We understand the concern that many people are feeling as they try to facilitate further charter and other passage out of Afghanistan, the spokesperson continued.

The State Department will now still hold the Taliban to commitments it made to allow people to depart Afghanistan after the U.S. pullout, according to the spokesperson

Taliban members stand guard as they check commuters at a road checkpoint in Kabul on Sept. 4, 2021. (Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images)

As with all Taliban commitments, we are focused on deeds, not words, but we remind the Taliban that the entire international community is focused on whether they live up to their commitments, the State Department spokesperson added.

The agency has not responded to several requests for comment from The Epoch Times.

The final U.S. evacuation flight out of Afghanistan was commissioned last week, marking the end of the 20-year-long conflict that was triggered by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The Biden administration, including the State Department, has received unprecedented blowback over how the evacuation and pullout were carried out.

After the U.S. military mission ended, some Americans and Afghan collaborators were left inside Afghanistan, administration officials have said.

On Sunday, White House chief of staff Ron Klain, a top deputy to Biden, told CNN on Sunday morning that about 100 Americans are waiting to be evacuated.

We believe its around 100. Were in touch with all of them who we have identified on a regular basis, Klain remarked. Obviously, were hopeful that, in the coming days, the Qataris will be able to resume air service out of Kabul. And, if they do, were obviously going to look to see if Americans can be part of those flights. We are going to find ways to get them  the ones that want to leave, to get them out of Afghanistan.
President Joe Biden delivers remarks after touring the Cambridge neighborhood affected by Hurricane Ida, in LaPlace, Louisiana, on Sept. 3, 2021. Biden has attributed the severity of storms like Ida to the climate crisis. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Statistical Method Used to Link Climate Change to Greenhouse Gases Challenged

A new study in Climate Dynamics has criticized a key methodology that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) uses to attribute climate change to greenhouse gases, raising questions about the validity of research that relied on it and prompting a response from one of the scientists who developed the technique.

The new studys author, economist Ross McKitrick, told The Epoch Times in an exclusive interview that he thinks his results have weakened the IPCCs case that greenhouse gases cause climate change.

The methodology, known as optimal fingerprinting, has been used to link greenhouse gases to everything from temperature to forest fires, precipitation, and snow cover.

McKitrick compared optimal fingerprinting to the way law enforcement officers use fingerprinting to identify criminals.

[They] take this big smudge of data and say, Yeah, the fingerprints of greenhouse gas are on it, he said.

McKitrick said the optimal fingerprinting research he criticized, 1999s paper in Climate Dynamics Checking for model consistency in optimal fingerprinting, is a cornerstone of the field of attributionthe branch of climate science focused on identifying the causes of climate change.

But according to McKitrick, the authors of that paper, Myles Allen and Simon Tett, made errors in the steps needed to validate their strategy.

When you do a statistical analysis, its not enough just to crunch some numbers and publish the result and say, This is what the data tell us. You then have to apply some tests to your modeling technique to see if its valid for the kind of data youre using, he said.

They claimed that their model passes all the relevant testsbut there are a couple of problems with that claim. The first is they stated the conditions wrongthey left most of the relevant conditions out that youre supposed to testand then they proposed a methodology for testing that is completely uninformative. Its not actually connected to any standard testing method.

Their framework, McKitrick said, also assumes that a major chunk of climate change has to be attributable to greenhouse gasesso using that to prove greenhouse gases lead to climate change is meaningless.

Youre dependent on climate model data to construct the testand the climate model already embeds the assumptions about the role of greenhouse gases, said McKitrick. You cant relax that assumption.

McKitrick, who explained his results in more technical detail at JudithCurry.com, said the IPCCs attribution of climate change to greenhouse gases is largely based on the 1999 paper or closely related research with the same problems.

Myles Allen, co-author of the 1999 paper McKitrick challenged, responded to McKitricks paper in an email to The Epoch Times.

Fully addressing the issues raised by this paper might have made some difference to conclusions regarding human influence on climate when the signal was still quite weak 20 years ago, Allen said.

He said the signal is now much stronger, whether one uses his 1999 technique or the simpler method employed at GlobalWarmingIndex.org. He also said that newer methods, including one in his own 2003 paper, have superseded the method from 1999.

To be a little light-hearted, it feels a bit like someone suggesting we should all stop driving because a new issue has been identified with the Model-T Ford, Allen said.

McKitrick responded to Allens argument in an email: Even if it were true that [Allens method] is no longer used and people have moved on to other methods, [given] its historical prominence, it would still be necessary as a scientific matter for Simon and Myles either to concede their paper contains errors or rebut the specific criticisms.

And the reality is the climate profession hasnt moved on. The IPCC still discusses the Optimal Fingerprinting method in the AR6 and relies on many papers that use it.

While Allen argued that his later 2003 paper superseded his 1999 paper, McKitrick responded that the 2003 paper, along with other more recent methods that Allen identified, has all the same problems.

McKitrick also argued that the method at GlobalWarmingIndex.org may have the same issues as Allens 1999 paper in large part because both studies cite a 1997 study from Klaus Hasselmann, which, McKitrick said, proposes the same method.

Thus by Myles own examples, AT99 is still central to the attribution literature, McKitrick said.

Allen argued that McKitricks criticism of his use of a climate model is misguided, as his 1999 method may actually be overly conservative in attributing climate change to human influence.

According to Allen, standard climate models may yield results in which the amount of statistical noise, and thus uncertainty, is overstated.

This rebuttal, McKitrick said, does not address the core problem I point out, which has to do with testing for errors in their fingerprinting calculations.

Allen and McKitrick also sparred over a specific statistical test in the 1999 paper, with Allen saying McKitrick had greatly overstated its importance and McKitrick countering that it is the only such test researchers have used in this context.

Attribution researcher Aurelien Ribes, whose papers were among those Allen claimed had superseded the 1999 research, declined to comment on the paper in detail in an email to The Epoch Times, though he said he had looked at an earlier version of it.

I do not expect a very large impact in terms of attribution results, said Ribes, a climate change researcher at Frances National Centre for Meteorological Research.

He said that some of his own research wasnt dependent on fingerprinting. He also said that certain attribution findings, such as on global mean temperature, are very robust.

But another expert, Richard Tol, believes much of McKitricks criticism is on the mark.

McKitrick is right, said Tol, a professor of economics at the University of Sussex and a professor of the economics of climate change at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, in an email to The Epoch Times.

Tol said that Allen and Tetts attempt to address a widespread statistical issue had made things worse, not better.

To top it all off, many people have since used the method proposed by Allen & Tett, he said.

The implications are unclear. Many of the papers that use the fingerprinting method to detect the impact of climate change are simply wrong.

That does not mean that climate change is not real or that its effects cannot be attributed to greenhouse gas emissions. It means that many of the papers that made such claims will have to be redone.
A man sits at his shop selling dry fruits at Khari Bouli market of Old Delhi on Sept. 3, 2021 (Venus Upadhayaya/Epoch Times)

Tales of Exodus, Fear, and Hope Told at Indias Biggest Afghan Dry Fruit Market

NEW DELHIThere is nostalgia in every nook and corner of old Delhis Khari Bouli dry fruit market that is the biggest wholesale outlet of Afghan dry fruits in India.

Being the capital from where the Mughals ruled pre-colonial India, the market has centuries-old relations with Afghanistan and dry fruits have particularly ruled the trade.

After the partition of India in 1947, dry fruit traders migrated from the major markets of the Afghan dry fruit trade of undivided India, from the cities of Peshawar and Quetta (now part of Pakistan), and set up their businesses in Khari Bouli.

Out of $507 million (3,700 crores) worth of imports from Afghanistan to India, fruits and nuts alone contributed $315 million (2,300 crores) in 2020-21, according to Indias Union ministry of commerces trade database.

Almost a mile through the crowded lanes of Chandani Chowk that overlooks the ramparts of the Red Fort, from where India declared its independence, the Khari Bouli market is lined with unending rows of shops selling dry fruits and spices, some of them spilling into the streets with hawkers and vendors trading under the sun, unmindful of the constant high-decibel noise and aromas from everywhere.

Pawan Deep Singh, 23, sits just at the entrance of his shop, cross-legged, reclining on a wall with pictures of garlanded Sikh gurus above his head and an array of dry fruits displayed in the front, while a big billboard in the street declares Kabul Di Hatti, meaning a shop from Kabul in the Punjabi language.

The shop Kabul Di Hatti of Pawan Deep Singh, a wholesale retailer of dry fruits in the Khari Bouli market of old Delhis Chandani Chowk area on Sept. 3, 2021. Singhs family fled from Kabul 40 years ago. (Venus Upadhayaya/Epoch Times)

My grandfather and forefathers were from Kabul. Forty years ago, my father came to Delhi. My grandfathers relatives were already killed. Due to threat to our lives, we fled Afghanistan, said Singh, whose family had a ration shop and a home at Karte Parwar in Kabul.

When Singhs family fled, they had to leave everything, including their homewhich they couldnt sellbehind.

Life is most precious, he said.

Singhs father did odd jobs first, and gradually, they started their own retail outlet of dry fruits.

People like Afghan dry fruits because they are pure. People have a notion that the oil is extracted from the American almonds before they are sold into the market, said Singh, adding that with the Taliban takeover, the AfghanistanPakistan borders were closed, which boosted dry fruit prices due to fear of uncertainty.

The Taliban closed all imports and exports to India and shut down the two transit routes via Pakistan through which trade occurred, according to Aug. 20 reports in Indian media.

Near Singhs shop, the Khari Bouli market branches into many small lanes that run into dingy markets with small and large shops of various kinds of food products. On the opposite side, a board on the top of a gate announces Ishwar Bhavan.

Pawan Deep Singh shows the picture of his father and grandfather on his mobile phone at Khari Bouli market in old Delhi on Sept. 3, 2021. They fled from Kabul 40 years ago. (Venus Upadhayaya/Epoch Times)

Inside a narrow and dimly lit lane leads to wholesale retailers of dry fruits, some of which come only from Afghanistan. In his shop, Singh points out black resin or Kali Darakh.

Traders in Ishwar Bhavan list figs (Anjeer), Golden resin (Abjoosh), Green resin (kishmish), Khumani (dried apricot), pistachios (Pishori Pista), and more than 10 varieties of almonds as the favorites from Afghanistan. They told The Epoch Times that around 85 percent of the total dry fruits in the market come from Afghan farms.

Yogesh Agarwaals forefathers were wholesale retailers of dry fruits in Khari Bouli since 1942. They supply dry fruits across India.

Agarwal sat in his shop called the Drotley in Ishwar Bhavanwhile an Afghan man in a gray cotton Afghani suit sat inside his shop chatting on the phone, hiding his face from the camera. Agarwal says the man is a dry fruit trader.

Only when the relationships between the two countries completely stop will there be a problem. The problem was around Kabul. Dry fruits come mainly from Kandahar, and they are safe according to Afghan traders, said Agarwal.

Until the Wagah border between India and Pakistan is open, things will work out, he said.

Agarwal was responding to fears of a complete halt to trade between India and Afghanistan, as happened when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

After the ouster of the Taliban, India and Afghanistan signed the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) in 2003 that allowed India to provide 50 to 100 percent duty concessions on various Afghan products, including specific dry fruits.

Since then, trade has increased several-fold and traders from both sides have traveled to each others cities. In particular, the number of Afghan traders living in Khari Bouli has increased, according to the Hindustan Times, an Indian newspaper.

In the aisle where Agarwaal sat in his shop, toward the far end, a billboard says Afghani. Meanwhile, traders sitting near the street pointed out a staircase leading to rooms upstairsa guesthouse that accommodates Afghan traders.

Many Afghan traders want to set up their own shops and offices, but as of now, they bring the dry fruit samples and fix the price, following which local traders import their dry fruit. The Afghan traders stay in the market till the consignment is sold, and they receive the payment, Kapil Gulati, who runs a firm called Kandhar Trading, told The Hindustan Times.

A man sells dry fruits at the Khari Bouli market in Chandani Chowk locality of old Delhi on Sept. 3, 2021 (Venus Upadhayaya/Epoch Times)

The aisles from Ishwar Bhavan are so narrow and dingy that only one person can walk through them at a time, yet a constant flow of men loading and unloading dry fruits went with a mechanistic speed.

At Ravi traders, two workers speedily loaded Afghani resins from their shop for order, while a man sitting at a tiny shop next door that sells only cloves was glued to his mobile phone.

This is peak season, the time when we receive the fresh crop of dry fruits from Afghanistan. After the current crisis in the country, the biggest problem is the collapse of banking services due to which we cant do the financial transactions with traders there. Also, we are unable to carry out the necessary paperwork, as many officials in the Afghan government are still not working, said Gulati.

Some traders from Afghanistan, who were in the market for business, have got stuck in Delhi after the Taliban took over the country.

Traders said the market hasnt been affected that much by the border shutdown and the political uncertainty in Kabul because India now imports dry fruits from other countries as well, such as the United States, Chile, and Peru.

However, Dr. Ajay Sahai, director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organisation, told India Today that if routes dont open, Indian traders will have to look for alternate suppliers.

We are keeping an eye on the developments in Afghanistan. Imports from there come through the transit route of Pakistan. At the moment, the Taliban has stopped the movement of cargo to Pakistan, so imports have virtually stopped, he said.
Negar Masoomi, a female Afghan police officer who was brutally murdered in front of her family in Ghor on Sept. 4, 2021. (Courtesy of Negar family/CNN)

Taliban Accused of Executing Pregnant Afghan Police Officer in Front of Family

The Taliban terrorist group has been accused of killing an 8-month pregnant policewoman in front of her family over the weekend, according to witnesses.

The incident comes amid mounting concerns and reports of repression against women in Afghanistan under the Talibans rule.

A spokesperson for the group denied the accusations while speaking to the BBC, adding that an investigation into the murder is ongoing.

We are aware of the incident and I am confirming that the Taliban have not killed her, our investigation is ongoing, spokesman Zabiullah Mujaheed said.

Relatives of the victim, who has been identified by her sister as Negar Masoomi, said she worked at a local prison in Ghor, a central Afghan province.

On Sept. 4, three armed Taliban terrorists reportedly forced their way into the house where the family lives, tied everyone up, and searched the house before executing Masoomi with a knife.

They killed our mother before our eyes. They killed her with a knife, Mohammad Hanif, the son of the victim, told a local CNN reporter in Ghor. The motive for her death is currently unclear.

The Taliban has previously promised they would not seek revenge on former enemies and assured they will respect womens rights and grant amnesty to those who fought them in the past.

Mujaheed repeated the terrorist groups amnesty promise for those who worked for the previous administration and shifted the murder down to a personal enmity or something else.

When the Taliban was in power last time between 1996 and 2001 prior to a U.S.-led military operation two decades ago that ousted the group, they banned women from the workplace and nearly all women were mostly confined to their homes. They also forbid women from leaving the home unaccompanied and forced them to cover their entire bodies.

In recent weeks, the Taliban has urged employed Afghan women to temporarily stay indoors until fighters of the terrorist group are trained in respecting and dealing with women.

Women gather to demand their rights under Taliban rule during a protest in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sept. 4, 2021. (Kathy Gannon/AP Photo)

Our security forces are not trained [in] how to deal with womenhow to speak to women, a spokesman for the group, Zabihullah Mujahid, told reporters at a press briefing on Aug. 24, referring to some fighters in the group.

Over the weekend, Taliban terrorists in camouflage fired weapons into the air, bringing an abrupt and frightening end to a protest in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, by women demanding equal rights from the new rulers.

The womens marchthe second in as many days in Kabulbegan peacefully. Demonstrators laid a wreath outside Afghanistans Defense Ministry to honor Afghan soldiers who died fighting the Taliban before marching on to the presidential palace.

As the demonstrators reached the presidential palace, a dozen Taliban terrorists ran into the crowd, firing in the air and sending demonstrators fleeing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Afghan resistance movement and anti-Taliban uprising forces personnel patrol along a road in Rah-e Tang of Panjshir province on Aug. 29, 2021. (Ahmad Sahel Arman/AFP via Getty Images)

Taliban Claims Victory in Panjshir Valley, Last Holdout Area in Afghanistan

The Taliban on Monday again claimed victory in the Panjshir valley, where resistance fighters have held out against the terrorist group, although resistance fighters have said they still control strategic positions in the area.

With this victory, our country is completely taken out of the quagmire of war, chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Monday, according to reports.

The last nest of the enemy, Panjshir province, was completely conquered, he wrote in a Twitter post. We assure the honorable people of Panjshir that they will not face any discriminatory treatment. They are all our brothers, and we will work for one country and one common goal. With the recent efforts and this victory, our country is completely out of the vortex of war.

In a news conference on Monday, Mujahid also said that Afghanistan should move towards stability and end all wars in the country.

The Taliban, he said, is very sensitive about insurgencies. Anyone who tries to start an insurgency will be hit hard. We will not allow another.

Over the weekend, there were reports of heavy fighting in the valley. Both sides claimed they had captured fighters belonging to the other group and inflicted heavy casualties on one another.

Afghan resistance movement and anti-Taliban forces take rest as they patrol on a hilltop in Darband area in Anaba district, Panjshir province on Sept. 1, 2021. (Ahmad Sahel Arman/AFP via Getty Images)

The anti-Taliban National Resistance Front (NRF) in Afghanistan made similar comments on Monday, with spokesman Ali Nazary telling CNN the resistance is still all over the valley. And the leader of the movement, Ahmad Massoud, added that in no way military pressure on us and our territory will lessen our resolve to continue our fight and urged all Afghans to join a general uprising against the Taliban.

Talibans claim of occupying Panjshir is false. The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight. We assure the people of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban and their partners will continue until justice and freedom prevails, the NRF said to CNN.

The whereabouts of Massoud and fellow resistance leader Amrullah Saleh, the former Afghan vice president, are not clear. A report from Al Jazeera claimed that Saleh fled to nearby Tajikistan.

For decades, Panjshir has been a hotbed for resistance fighters who battled against the Taliban and the Soviet Union before that. Massoud is the son of famed resistance fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud.

The final days of Americas 20-year conflict in Afghanistan were marked by a harrowing airlift at Kabuls airport to evacuate tens of thousands of peopleAmericans and their allieswho feared what the future would hold, given the Talibans history of repression. When the last American troops pulled out on Aug. 30, though, many Americans and Afghans were left behind, drawing significant bipartisan criticism against the Biden administration.
Teaching True American History

Commentary

In his eloquent and prophetic January 1989 farewell address to the nation (pdf), President Ronald Reagan gave us a somber warning, saying: If we forget what we did, we wont know who we are. Im warning of an eradication of the American memory that could result, ultimately, in the erosion of the American spirit.

Thirty-two years later, those words have become sadly true. With the continued erosion of the teaching of history and civics in our nations schools and universities, Americans have become increasingly ignorant of our nations founding principles. Entire generations now have no understanding of how our government works, what powers it rightly has, or how it can justly use those powers. They are also woefully ignorant of the sacrifices made to preserve our history and freedoms.

And, if history is taught, its a version that attacks and distorts our American memory, focusing only on Americas failings instead of its triumphs. Our children have been told to mistrust the motives of our nations Founding Fathers, seeing them as villains instead of heroes. Instead of gratitude for their courage and sacrifice, they now have disdain for them.

The result is the American crisis in which we presently find ourselves. We are a nation that lacks gratitude, for our history, our culture, and for each other. A huge number of our fellow Americans not only despise the foundational values of our culture, they even despise the idea of extending basic civility toward others, regardless of their views; thus, the poisonous well that is American discourse in 2021.

As Reagan warned us, our nation is in great peril because we have forgotten what we have done, and we have no idea of who we are.

Nevertheless, those who have presented distorted and historically inaccurate depictions of our nations history, such as the 1619 Project and its manifestations, are only escalating their efforts to divide America, rather than unite our nation around shared principles and purpose. Yes, America isnt perfect, and we have engaged in some egregious thingsparticularly the sins of racism and slaverybut we can still recognize our imperfections while celebrating the legacy bequeathed to us by those who founded our nation.

As Benjamin Myers, former poet laureate of the state of Oklahoma and a professor at Oklahoma Baptist University wrote: There is a battle in the Western world over the continuation of Western civilization, a battle between those who would remember because they understand that memory sustains civilization and those who would forget for the very same reason. One side offers continuity based on a rich cultural inheritance. The other side offers capitulation into darkness and barbarism.

But theres hope that we can still turn away from the dark view of our past that is presently being promoted and taught, and back toward the light that illuminates the entire truth about Americathe good and the badand does so in a balanced and truthful manner.

The genesis of this new effort started with the release of the 1776 Project last year by the Trump administration. Now, Hillsdale College, which spearheaded this effort, is releasing the 1776 Curriculum, a package of American history and civics materials for K-12 students.

Katherine OToole, Hillsdales assistant provost for K-12 education said: Our curriculum was created by teachers and professorsnot activists, not journalists, not bureaucrats. It comes from years of studying America, its history, and its founding principles, not some slap-dash journalistic scheme to achieve a partisan political end through students. It is a truly American education.

This is what our children should be being taught. This history, if properly taught, will likely result in a country that is grateful for our freedom, for the sacrifices made to preserve that freedom, and for our fellow citizenstreating all with dignity and respect.

Hillsdale President Larry Arnn perhaps put it best when he said last year: To present the young people with a full and honest account of our nations history is to invest them with the spirit of freedom.  Depriving the young of the spirit of freedom will deprive us all of our country. It could deprive us, finally, of our humanity itself. This cannot be allowed to continue. It must be stopped.

I couldnt agree more. Lets restore our appreciation for our freedom, humanity, and our nation by once again teaching future generations the true history of America. The 1776 Curriculum is a critical first step in such a restoration.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A still image taken from CCTV video shows Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg in court, where he was sentenced with a death penalty for drug smuggling, in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China, on Jan. 14, 2019. (CCTV via Reuters)

The Third Michael

Commentary

Canadians, and the world, have learned a lot about what passes for law in China following what is widely believed to be a hostage taking by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Two Canadians were incarcerated almost three years ago: Michael Spavor, a businessman who ran a travel and cultural exchange business between China and North Korea, and Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat working for the International Crisis Group, a transnational, pro-peace think tank with headquarters in Brussels.

The two Michaels, as theyre known, were arrested by Beijing shortly after Canadian authorities detained Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of Chinese telecom giant Huawei, at the behest of the United States. The Michaels, held virtually incommunicado with limited consular visits and for the most part unable to see lawyers or their family, were then tried in secret courts run by the CCP. Spavor on Aug. 10 was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 11 years in prison in a decision preordained by the Communist party, as had been predicted months earlier by Guy Saint-Jacques, former Canadian ambassador to China. Kovrig awaits a decision on the charges of espionage against him. Their trials were perfunctory affairs, over in a matter of two hours in Spavors case and one day in Kovrigs. We dont know if they were allowed to call any witnesses in their defense, or much else about what rights, if any, they were allowed to exercise.

As egregious as Beijings treatment of the Michaels has been, its treatment of a third, lesser-known CanadianRobert Schellenbergis, if anything, even more outrageous, and even more revealing of the sham that passes for Chinas justice system.

Schellenberg was apprehended on drug-trafficking charges in China in 2014, found guilty at a court in Dalian and received a 15-year sentence on Nov. 20, 2018. But his fortunes became far more perilous 11 days later, on Dec. 1, 2018, when Meng was arrested at Vancouver International Airport.

Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, leaves home to attend her extradition hearing at B.C. Supreme Court, in Vancouver, on Aug. 10, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)

Schellenberg, who has proclaimed his innocence all along, appealed the 15-year sentence, thinking he had nothing to lose, since under Chinese law an appellants sentence cannot be increased without new evidence. The CCP made an exception for him, and to make sure the world appreciated that this was no longer a routine drug-trafficking case, its State Council Information Office invited the international press to Dalian to observe the appeal hearing.

Instead of a normal appeal-court process, in which an appeals court simply reviews the existing written evidence, Schellenbergs appeal court held a hearing on Dec. 29, declared after 20 minutes of deliberations that the original sentence was overly lenient and obviously inappropriate, and sent the case back to the original court for a retrial.

It took the Dalian Procuratorate only one day to produce and submit the so-called supplementary indictment to the court after the retrial order had been made, stated Mo Shaoping, whose law firm represents Schellenberg. Just 16 days later the court tried Schellenberg again and announced the death penalty right after the trial, on Jan. 14, although no new evidence was presented.

Chinas legal fraternity was so alarmed by these departures from Chinas formal laws and precedents that numerous members took the unusual step of immediately rebuking the powers that be. The following day, on Jan. 15, Zhang Jianwei, law professor at Tsinghua University, commented on social media that increasing the penalty through spurious reasons is a violation of the principle of no increase of sentence on appeal.

Zhangs criticism was echoed the same day by He Weifang, law professor at Peking University, who said, In this country, administrative officials can make wrong decisions and diplomats can blatantly lie, but if judicial organs also take part in such a farce, succumbing to external interference and treating the law like a toy, thats really a despairing and perilous situation.

And the next day by numerous others, including lawyer Ma Gangquan, who noted that in less than a day, deftly and expediently, Chinas justice system retried Schellenberg, determined him guilty and sentenced him to death on the spot. Chinas justice system then timed its next decision in the Schellenberg sagaits rejection of his appeal of the death sentencefor maximum effect, the day before Spavors conviction and sentencing.

The case of Schellenberg, the third Michael, the third hostage, shows that China may be willing to put a Canadian to death in order to coerce the Canadian government into abandoning its own legal system and release Meng prior to Canadas legal system playing out. As this case becomes better known, it will prove a wake-up call for Westerners who have assumed that China has a functioning legal system, to the detriment of the CCP.

Tsinghua Universitys Zhang may have best described the long-term fallout: At the moment when China and Canada is locked in a diplomatic row, such a judicial re-sentencing rouses the suspicion that the judiciary in China is merely a servant of politics, and it hurts the international perception of China being a country governed according to the law. As such, there is more to be lost than gained. You may think you are doing good for the country, but you are in fact ruining it.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Patricia Adams Patricia Adams is an economist and the President of the Energy Probe Research Foundation and Probe International, an independent think tank in Canada and around the world. She is the publisher of internet news services Three Gorges Probe and Odious Debts Online and the author or editor of numerous books. Her books and articles have been translated into Chinese, Spanish, Bengali, Japanese, and Bahasa Indonesia. She can be reached at patriciaadams@probeinternational.org.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street to deliver a statement on Afghanistan in the House of Commons in London on Sept. 6, 2021. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

UKUS Alliance of Fundamental Importance Despite Afghan Fiasco, Johnson Says

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sept. 6 he believes passionately in the fundamental importance of the UKs alliance with the United States, despite recent events in Afghanistan.

Johnson made the comment in the House of Commons after Conservative former Cabinet minister Dr. Liam Fox urged him to reject those voices calling for the UK to pull back from the U.S. and seek alternative alliances elsewhere.

NATOs disorderly withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover have damaged trust in the United States and led to calls in Europe for a reassessment of the trans-Atlantic alliance.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Sept. 4 that the upheaval in Afghanistan should be a wake-up call for the European Union.

He said Europe cannot rely anymore on the protection of the United States and the EU should be more ambitious on defense and global leadership.

Fox rejected such calls as isolationism.

Surely, the right response is to stick closely to our U.S. friends, remind them that in the era of globalization, our economic and security interests will be threatened beyond our borders, that the U.S. is a force for good in the world and that greater isolationism can only put us all in greater danger, he said.

Johnson replied, I passionately agree with what he has just said about the fundamental importance of our alliance with the USA.

Addressing members of Parliament earlier, the prime minister defended the UKs 20-year involvement in Afghanistan.

If anyone is tempted to say that we have achieved nothing in that countryor still tempted to say that we have achieved nothing in that country in 20 yearstell them that our armed forces and those of our allies enabled 3.6 million girls to go to school, tell them that this country and the Western world were protected from al-Qaeda in Afghanistan throughout that period, and tell them that we have just mounted the biggest humanitarian airlift in recent history.

Johnson has said the UK will do everything possible to help Afghans who have worked for the UK military and the UK government.

More than 8,000 Afghan former staffers and their family members were among the 15,000-plus people evacuated by the UK since Aug. 13.

But Johnson confirmed that 311 people entitled to resettlement under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are still in Afghanistan.

Johnson said his government will use every economic, political, and diplomatic lever to hold the Taliban to its promise to provide safe passage for anyone who wishes to leave the country and to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming an incubator for terrorism.

PA contributed to this report.
Flags lining the front lawn of the "Palais des Nations," which houses the United Nations Office in Geneva, on Sept. 15, 2015. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

UN Will Continue Sending Aid to Afghans, Taliban Says After Meeting

The United Nations has promised continued humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan after meeting with the Taliban, a spokesperson for the terrorist group said on Sunday.

The U.N. delegation promised continuation of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, saying he would call for further assistance to Afghanistan during the coming meeting of donor countries, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on Twitter following a meeting with the U.N. Under-Secretary-General for humanitarian affairs.

The IEA [Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan] delegation thanked the U.N. delegation, assuring them of cooperation and provision of needed facilities, he added.

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen attends a press conference in Moscow on July 9, 2021. (DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)

According to a U.N. statement on Sundays meeting, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths reiterated the humanitarian communitys commitment to deliver impartial and independent humanitarian assistance and protection to millions of people in need.

Griffiths also emphasized the critical role of women in the delivery of aid, and called on all parties to ensure their rights, safety, and well-being, said Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, noting that he called for the protection of all Afghan civilians.

Mr. Griffiths expressed his solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, Dujarric said. Now more than ever, the people of Afghanistan need the support and solidarity of the international community,

More meetings on the matter are expected in the coming days, the statement added.

The United Nations hasnt recognized the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan, as opposition forces of anti-Taliban fighters continue their negotiations with Taliban leaders from the Panjshir Valley.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last month that the Talibans desire for international recognition is the Security Councils only leverage to press for an inclusive government and the respect for rights. Meanwhile, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said that the U.N. is not in a place yet where we are prepared to recognize the Taliban.

Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world, has been plunged into crisis by the abrupt end of billions of dollars in foreign aid following the collapse of the Western-backed government and the Talibans take over of Kabul last month.

Many Afghans were struggling to feed their families amid severe drought well before the Taliban terrorist group seized control of the capital on Aug. 15, and millions may now face starvation with the country isolated and the economy unravelling, according to aid agencies.

Henrietta Fore, the head of the U.N. childrens agency, UNICEF, said last week that she anticipates the humanitarian needs of women and children to increase over the coming months.

Millions will continue to need essential services, including health, lifesaving vaccination drives against polio and measles, nutrition, protection, shelter, water, and sanitation, Fore said in a statement.

She added: In recent years, significant strides have been made on increasing girls access to educationit is vital that these gains are preserved, and advocacy efforts continue so that all girls in Afghanistan receive a quality education.

Shaheen added on Twitter that the Taliban assured the U.N. delegation of cooperation and provision of needed facilities.

The United Nations is expected to convene an international aid conference in Geneva on Sept. 13 to help avert what Guterres called a looming humanitarian catastrophe.

We need the international community to stand together and support the Afghan people, Guterres said on Twitter over the weekend in announcing the conference.

Guterres previously said that nearly half of Afghanistans roughly 40 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Understanding the Constitution: Can the 25th Amendment Be Used to Remove Biden?

Commentary

Congress proposed the Constitutions 25th Amendment in 1965, and state legislatures ratified it in 1967. Because of widespread doubts about President Joe Bidens mental condition, the amendment has gained attention as a potential vehicle for transferring his authority to the vice president.

The 25th Amendment has four sections. Section 1 states that when the presidency becomes vacant, the vice president becomes president, rather than merely acting president. Section 2 outlines how to choose a replacement when the office of vice president becomes vacant. That procedure has been used twice, resulting in the appointments of Gerald Ford and Nelson Rockefeller.

Section 3 describes how a president declares himself unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, how he devolves power to the vice president, and how he retakes the reins once the disability has passed. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush both used this procedure before surgery.

Most relevant to the Biden case is the last section of the 25th AmendmentSection 4. It states how to deprive an incapacitated president of authority without his consent.

There are no direct precedents helping us to interpret Section 4, because it has never been used. In explaining how it works, therefore, Ill draw on general principles from other areas of the law, including constitutional law.

Beginning the Power-Stripping Process

The first part of Section 4 identifies the people who initiate the power-stripping process:

Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide 

Congress has never designated such other body. That leaves the vice president working with a majority of the presidents cabinet. For fun, Ill call this group the Cabal.

Thats a unique group. It isnt part of any branch of government. The Constitution empowers it directly. But its one of many people and agencies outside the normal branches of government to whom the Constitution assigns specific tasks. The courts call those tasks federal functions. Other federal functions are exercised by state legislatures and governors, amendment conventions, and the Electoral College.

To begin the power-stripping process, the Cabal must transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, according to the amendment.

That means the Cabal must send a written message directly to the most important House officer, the speaker, and to the second most important Senate officer, the president pro tempore. The reason the Senate president isnt notified is that the vice president (one of the senders) is also the Senate president.

Well call that message the accusation. It must state that the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. This means mental or physical incapacity. During the administration of President Donald Trump, some of Trumps opponents suggested employing the 25th Amendment against him because they were horrified at some of his decisions. But this would have been an abuse of the process. The 25th Amendment wasnt designed to settle political disagreements.

In the case of Biden, claims of incapacity are better grounded. Theyre based on his age, manner of speaking and acting, apparent inability to grasp material, and the vacant look he sometimes wears. Whether those constitute sufficient evidence is a different question.

The Procedures Continue

Once the speaker and president pro tempore receive the accusation, the amendment tells us that the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

That occurs before the president has any chance to respond, and if hes unconscious or otherwise unable to communicate, he wont respond.

On the other hand, if hes conscious and able to communicate, he may retort, Im fine! Heres the amendments text:

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office 

At that point, the Cabal may force a hearing in Congress:

 unless [the Cabal] transmits within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue.

When trying the case, Congress doesnt sit as the national legislature. Like the Cabal, it exercises a special federal function. Section 4 lays down a tight schedule for the performance of this function. Congress must assembl[e] within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble.

In other words, they have three weeks.

Next, the amendment states that Congress may determine by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.

Constitutional precedent dictates that a two-thirds vote means two-thirds of those present and voting, a quorum being presentrather than two-thirds of the entire body. In a Senate of 100 members with 90 voting, 60 are required for a finding of incapacity.

If Congress finds the president to be incapacitated, then the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.

Is the 25th Amendment Practical Against Biden?

Could this procedure be used against Biden? If he became and remained unconscious or was unable to communicate, the answer is yes. But as long as hes conscious and able to communicate, I think the practical answer is no.

There are two problems with using the 25th Amendment against a conscious and communicative president. The first is that the amendment is heavily stacked in his favor: The Cabal consists of his nominees, and he can fire all of them, except for the vice president. If the matter does go to Congress, he wins if he can persuade one-third-plus-one members of either House to support him. He also wins if Congress cant meet the amendments tight schedule for reaching a decision.

As Poorly Drafted as Other Great Society Measures

The other problem is that part of Section 4 is seriously ambiguous. It creates uncertainties that discourage using its procedure. The sad fact is that the 1965 Great Society Congress was as sloppy in drafting the amendment as it was in creating its notoriously harmful social programs.

The ambiguity is this: Although we know the president loses his powers when the accusation is sent, we dont know how soon he can regain them. You can read the text in three ways:

The president resumes his powers as soon as he says Im fine and retains them until (and if) Congress rules against him.

He resumes them as soon as he says Im fine, and then almost immediately loses them when the Cabal responds, No, youre not fine.

He doesnt resume them until the Cabal fails to respond in four days, he wins the congressional hearing, or Congress doesnt reach a timely decision.

There are arguments for and against each of those interpretations. The first interpretation allows the duly-elected president to serve, rather than permitting a (mostly) unelected Cabal to dispossess him before it proves its case. On the other hand, it enables the president to abort the entire process by firing the cabinet members who signed the accusation before they have a chance to respondat which point, theyll no longer be cabinet members, but only private citizens.

Congress could have cured this by designating a Cabal not controlled by the president, but has never done so.

The advantage of the second interpretation is that it dispossesses the president only if the Cabal takes a second look. The disadvantage is that it turns the presidents authority off, then on, then off again.

The third interpretation is supported by the amendments statement that if Congress decides against the president, the Vice President shall continue to discharge powers as acting president. But that seems to contradict the amendments earlier statement that the president resumes authority once he or she says Im fine. And in documents that grant power, a provision appearing earlier in a document usually overrules an inconsistent provision appearing later.

Robert G. Natelson served as a law professor for 25 years and is a senior fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence at the Independence Institute in Denver. Hes the author of The Original Constitution: What It Actually Said and Meant and of the recent scholarly article, Federal Functions: Execution of Powers the Constitution Grants to Persons and Entities Outside the Federal Government, 23 U. Penn. J. Const. Law 193 (2021) (pdf).

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A 'We're Hiring!' sign is displayed at a Starbucks on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles on June 23, 2021. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Unemployment Benefits Expire for Millions of Americans on Labor Day; White House Wont Extend

More than 7 million people across the United States lost their pandemic unemployment benefits as of Labor Day, and the White House isnt planning to extend the program.

The emergency federal jobless benefits of $300 per week were a key provision of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in March 2020 and were extended by Congress in subsequent legislation. Those benefits were slated to end on Labor Day, coming weeks after the expiration of a federal eviction moratorium.

The Sept. 6 expiration date was part of a congressional deal made earlier this year to extend the federal jobless aid. Also earlier this year, about two dozen Republican-led states moved to end the enhanced unemployment benefits early, arguing that the program creates a disincentive for Americans from joining the workforce.

Jared Bernstein, who sits on the White House Council of Economic Advisers, told The Associated Press in a report published Sept. 5 that $22 trillion economies work in no small part on momentum and we have strong momentum going in the right direction on behalf of the American workforce.

The Biden administration has no plans to reevaluate the unemployment benefits, he said.

Department of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made similar statements last month, arguing that the U.S. labor force was ready for the benefits to end.

The temporary $300 boost in benefits will expire on September 6th, as planned, Yellen and Walsh wrote (pdf) in a letter to the chairs of House and Senate committees in August. As President Biden has said, the boost was always intended to be temporary and it is appropriate for that benefit boost to expire.

Overall, the economy is moving forward and recovering, Walsh told the AP in a separate interview. I think the American economy and the American worker are in a better position going into Labor Day 2021 than they were on Labor Day 2020.

Left-leaning lawmakers in the Democratic Party are now urging the Biden administration to revive the pandemic-related benefits.

We need to extend the expanded UI for millions of unemployed workers because this crisis isnt over. People are not only dealing with COVID surges; theyre dealing with impacts of climate change, from extreme flooding in my district to heat waves and fires in the West, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), a member of the left-leaning Squad, told news outlets in a statement over the weekend.

According to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Sept. 3, 235,000 jobs were created in August, representing a dramatic decline from the 1.1 million jobs created in July and below experts predictions of 733,000 jobs.

The COVID-19 Delta variant was flagged as the main reason why fewer jobs were added to the economy last month, President Joe Biden said after the numbers were released by the agency.

White House officials didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
(L) Michael Spavor, director of Paektu Cultural Exchange, talks during a Skype interview in Yanji, China, on March 2, 2017. (R) Michael Kovrig, an adviser with the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based non-governmental organization, speaks during an interview in Hong Kong on March 28, 2018. (AP photo)

US, Canada Demand Release of 2 Michaels on 1,000th Day of Arbitrary Detention in China

The United States and Canada on Sept. 5 both called on Beijing to immediately release two Canadian citizens, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who have been detained in China for 1,000 days in what many countries are labeling as hostage politics.

Spavor and Kovrig were arbitrarily detained by the Chinese regime shortly after Canada arrested Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018 on a U.S. extradition request.

The arrests of the two Canadians have widely been seen as retaliation against Canada for the arrest of Menga Chinese national who is the chief financial officer for Huawei and the daughter of its founder, Ren Zhengfei.

Both Kovrig and Spavor have since been convicted of spying in closed Chinese courtsa process condemned by Canada and dozens of allies, including the United States.

Today marks the 1,000th day of the arbitrary detention of Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig by the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a Sept. 5 statement. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Canada and the international community in calling for the PRC to release, immediately and unconditionally, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig.

The practice of arbitrarily detaining individuals to exercise leverage over foreign governments is completely unacceptable. People should never be used as bargaining chips.

People are not bargaining chips. Today, on Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrigs 1,000th day of arbitrary detention by the Peoples Republic of China, we stand with our Canadian allies at @CanadaFP in calling for their immediate and unconditional release.  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 6, 2021

The arrest of Meng infuriated Beijing, which sees her case as a political move designed to prevent Chinas rise. Meng is accused of misleading HSBC bankers about Huaweis business dealings with Iran-based company Skycom Tech Co. Ltd.a move that put HSBC at risk of violating U.S. trade sanctions against Iran. Both Meng and Huawei have denied the charges.

Canadas Minister of Foreign Affairs Marc Garneau said in a Sept. 5 statement that the country and he strongly condemn the lack of a transparent legal process.

Both men are being arbitrarily detained, Garneau said. Years have been cruelly stolen from both men and their families. Despite this, they have shown integrity and courage throughout this terrible ordeal.

Arbitrarily detaining foreign citizens is unjust and immoral. Sixty-six countries endorsed the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations earlier this year and call for an end to this practice and for the release of all individuals detained for diplomatic leverage.

Statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs on 1,000 days since Michael #Kovrig and Michael #Spavor were arbitrarily detained in China https://t.co/qVpt22GFcN pic.twitter.com/qgKiLfNNMy  Foreign Policy CAN (@CanadaFP) September 5, 2021

Spavors and Kovrigs relatives and supporters are pushing for some sort of political resolution that could bring them home.

They staged a march in Ottawa on Sept. 5, seeking to replicate the 7,000 steps that Kovrig has tried to walk every day in his cramped jail cell to maintain his physical and mental well-being.

Its an extremely difficult milestone, but one that we want to mark in this way, in part, to honor the strength and resilience that Michael and Michael Spavor have shown, Kovrigs former wife, Vina Nadjibulla, said.

On Aug. 11, a Chinese court sentenced Spavor to 11 years in prison. Kovrigs trial was conducted in March. It isnt clear when hell be sentenced.

Beijing has rejected the suggestion that the cases of the Canadians in China are being influenced in response to Mengs case in Canada, although the Chinese regime has warned of unspecified consequences unless Meng is released.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Why Employees Are Your Smartest Long-Term Investment

How investing in people yields holistic benefits to both a company and its clients

In business, there are what I call microquakes and macroquakes, The former are low-intensity events, rarely felt beyond their epicenter (the place of business or area in which it occurs). These might include, say, electrical fires, theft, and pipe burstsevents that are causes for interruption, but are generally infrequent and bring no damage to life and little to no damage to the propertys foundation. These are also rarely felt by employees or customers. Microquakes, in short, are simply small inconveniences to be dealt with and moved past, with minor (if any) interference to overall operations.

On the other hand, we have macroquakes. The size and intensity of these events are tectonically significant, meaning business direction, objectives, strategies, and tactics can often shift as a result. They may come in the form of a global health crisis, a market collapse, significant natural disasters, supplies or workforce shortages, war, changes to trade policy, industry-shifting innovations, and so on. These influence the survivability of a company and are true drivers of operational change.

When looking at companies that have survived cross-generationally, such as Mars Inc., history has shown that most transformational business decisions were driven by macroquakes. For example, in 1929, at the onset of the Great Depression, the founders of Mars Inc. decided to relocate and open a full-production plant in Chicago, and moving with them were close to 200 essential staff members. Despite widespread economic instability, but now with a more centralized location (and railroad access), the Mars business boomed. In fact, it was so successful during this time that in 1930 the company brought the iconic candy bar SNICKERS to market, and two years later, 3 MUSKETEERS. Both were, of course, great successes.

Recognize People Excellence as an Asset

As leaders navigate microquakes and macroquakes, and even as they focus on developing and harmonizing long-term business strategies for operational excellence, there is an equally important component on which success lies: people excellence. Its basic concept is that both operational and business performance can improve by enhancing human capital, which is the stock of individual knowledge and attributes  including resourcefulness and creativity.

Related: 11 Proven Ways Young Entrepreneurs Can Retain Employees

Investing in human capital is one of the best ways a company can sustain itself, remain competitively innovative and produce greater economic output. A few examples of organizational investments in such include incentives to advance in education, technical or on-the-job training, career pathing systems, increased compensation, and mental and emotional well-being programs.

These areas are of particular importance in the pet healthcare space, as patient outcomes are hinged on how well equipped a care provider is and how each hospital functions as a holistic system of care. Relevant associated questions might be, How prepared is the technician to assist in a particular procedure? or, Are we, as an organization, providing opportunities needed and desired by employees to grow in education and roleare our clinicians supported on the practice floor as well as emotionally? These are issues we need to address as leaders aiming to create sustainable change for our people and for the future of the industry, which continues to face challenges posed by shortages of trained and qualified professionals.

While top-down macro-level systems are important in cultivating an empowered and fulfilled workforce, there are other tangible and non-tangle ways companies can invest in their people.

Foster an Environment of Continuous Learning

In Michael J. Gelbs 2000 book, How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day, he remarked that the root of da Vincis creative genius was his unrelenting quest for continuous learning. I believe this to be true for all innovators and forward-thinkers, and it should not stop at the end of a textbook chapter, a residency, or a certification program. Learning should be fluid, with each new day bringing new lessons and teachers. Even when we hit the pinnacle of our careers, we should still be continuously absorbing, and improving. However, for employees to feel open to learning and sharpening skills, there must be a culture of openness and communication: a free to fail environment. Small ways to begin fostering that may include organizing a book share or challenging workmates to offer new facts on a breakroom knowledge board. Assign one sticker to one employee vote, signaling they learned something new, and at the end of the competition the person who supplied the most impactful information is rewarded.

Related: 6 Ways to Keep Your Employees Learning At Work

Provide Tools Needed to Sharpen Skills

As Abraham Lincoln once said, Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe. The task here (chopping down the tree) is an employees responsibility, and the employee is the axe. Ultimately, it is up to the company to provide the tools needed to sharpen that axe: skillsets required to perform duties. This support could be in the form of hands-on mentorship programs, continuing education stipends or tiered skill compensatory systems, like those offered by CareerTrax.

Start With Why?

In Simon Sineks 2011 book, Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, he contends that inspiration is one of the main ways to influence human behavior. The same reason an employee feels compelled to do the work he or she does (their why), despite personal sacrifice, is the same motivating factor that will fuel a desire to continuously improve. For example, most veterinary professionals pursue careers in the field because they care deeply about animal well-being. To provide pets with the highest quality care (to deliver on this purpose), these professionals must be adequately educated and trained on the most up-to-date treatments, procedures, and technologies. Leaders must develop a storyline that will resonate and remind employees of their why, while simultaneously fostering a culture of learning and offering tools to advance them.

Related: Why Everything You Know About Employee Engagement Is Wrong

Investing in people not only allows each employee to thrive both personally and professionally, it also propels companies forward in innovation and operational growth. By taking these steps, leaders can create sustainable and impactful change for their companies, clients and their most valuable stakeholders: employees.
Why Gratitude Is the Best Marketing Plan Ever

There's a caveat to this

If youve ever spent any time on LinkedIn over the past year, youll find it stuffed with search queries looking for the best marketing and client acquisition programs. Instead of another cookie-cutter corporate messaging strategy filled to the brim with buzzwords, imagine if our marketing plan focused on a very simple practice: gratitude. Studies show that gratitude is a major win-win for both the giver and receiver.

However theres a caveatit has to be authentic.

So now what? Its all well and good to talk about gratitude as a concept or an idea, but its only effective if its practiced with intent. Where do we start?

1. Start a Gratitude Inventory List

Gratitude is something that can be practiced in any moment of the day, for any reason at all. But, if were trying to cultivate a mindful attitude of gratitude towards other people, then it can help to have a list. A simple list of names with email addresses or phone numbers will do (its also nice to have contact info handy to keep you consistent.) An additional tip is to include a picture of the person on your gratitude list. Simply seeing their face triggers emotions and memories, and can help us take action towards letting them know how we feel.

Your gratitude inventory can be broken down by category or what type of gratitude you want to express, like people you want to thank or even a certain list of people you admire but have never told.

Related: The Biological Reason to Practice Gratitude

Keeping a gratitude journal or jotting down things you are thankful for throughout the day can be a great way to keep your perspective positive.

(Thought Catalog/Unsplash.com)

2. Set Simple Gratitude Goals

The goal here is not to create yet another mindless to-do list item on your endless list of things to get done. Its to create clear, simple reminders for yourself to express your gratitude in an organized manner while bringing an intent to be thankful to the table. The people in your life are extremely special and you likely have dozens that would love to hear something as simple as a heartfelt thank you, or I was thinking of you recently and

Look for opportunities to thank. But dont thank people disingenuously. Genuine, real thanks is what people remember. Put yourself in their shoes. Remember how it feels when YOU get a genuine thank you note. Theres nothing like it in the world, right?

3. Write Handwritten Notes (and Consider Thoughtful Gifts!)

Almost all communication is digital these days. The Covid pandemic simply sped up forces that were already transforming our world. Globalization, the ever increasing power of technology to connect us with apps like Zoom, Slack and Microsoft Teams and enforced distancing has meant that its harder than ever to build real human connections with prospects, clients and even people we care about and love.

In my experience, writing handwritten thank you notes is a powerful way to cut through the noise and give people a tangible, physical sign of your honest thanks. Kids these days might say thats old school, but human beings naturally like to receive an acknowledgement that someone went above and beyond sending a text or an email.

Two professors from the University of Chicago and UT Austin demonstrated that people sending notes underestimated how pleasantly received theyd be and overestimated how awkward sending a real, tangible note would be.

Related: Why Gratitude Makes Leaders More Effective

4. Communicate the Results of Your Gratitude Outreach With Your Team

Share all the positive feedback, comments, and emails you receive from your gratitude outreach and have one day when the team can talk about who they are sending thank you notes to, ideas for other gratitude initiatives, and positive outcomes. It feels good and those vibes will inspire and motivate the team towards next weeks gratitude campaign. Results will start to compound.

If you dont come together and share, the positivity becomes siloed. This is a huge point thats often missed and causes your acts of gratitude to become a one-time thing, rather than a consistent practice thats ingrained into your business. Share your gratitude stories and how people responded to you. All of these specific details have the potential to ignite your team internally and get the positive energy flowing.

I like the idea of Thankful Thursdays personally. Folks tend to be in great moods on Thursdays with the weekend fast approaching, and you can build on that by designating it as your day to send thank you notes, share gratitude with your team and tell stories about how gratitude impacted your clients lives in a positive way.

An attitude of gratitude may relieve stress, which in turn may lead to better health. (michaelhelm/Shutterstock)

5. Recognize Others Who Are Practicing the Gratitude and Thankful Outreach Philosophy

Building a tribe of gratitude practitioners not only feels good, but can lead to meaningful business results. More often than not, people that have honed in on gratitude as a priority tend to have strong, vibrant networks of other fantastic people they have deep relationships with. How many times have you met someone with a huge network, but they all tend to be shallow relationships?

Seeking out other gratitude practitioners is the best way to exponentially grow the effectiveness of your gratitude marketing plan.

The best part about the whole gratitude campaign is that in the end, youll discover it was never about winning more deals or more revenue for your company. Expressing gratitude is one of the most profound ways of enjoying your life and any business outcomes are just the cherry on top. After all, robust relationships are not only the key for success in business, but the biggest factor in living longer, more fulfilling lives.

Related: How to Practice Gratitude as a Business Skill
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  At least four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people seeking to escape the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan have been unable to leave the country for days, officials said Sunday, with conflicting accounts emerging about why the flights weren't able to take off as pressure ramps up on the United States to help those left behind to flee.

An Afghan official at the airport in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif said that the would-be passengers were Afghans, many of whom did not have passports or visas, and thus were unable to leave the country. He said they had left the airport while the situation was sorted out.

The top Republican on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, however, said that the group included Americans and they were sitting on the planes, but the Taliban were not letting them take off, effectively holding them hostage." He did not say where that information came from. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the accounts.

The final days of America's 20-year war in Afghanistan were marked by a harrowing airlift at Kabul's airport to evacuate tens of thousands of people  Americans and their allies  who feared what the future would hold, given the Talibans history of repression, particularly of women. When the last troops pulled out on Aug. 30, though, many were left behind.

The U.S. promised to continue working with the new Taliban rulers to get those who want to leave out, and the militants pledged to allow anyone with the proper legal documents to leave. But Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas told Fox News Sunday" that American citizens and Afghan interpreters were being kept on six planes.

"The Taliban will not let them leave the airport, he said, adding that hes worried theyre going to demand more and more, whether it be cash or legitimacy as the government of Afghanistan. He did not offer more details.

The Afghan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said it was four planes, and their intended passengers were staying at hotels while authorities worked out whether they might be able to leave the country. The sticking point, he indicated, is that many did not have the right travel papers.

Residents of Mazar-e-Sharif also said the passengers were no longer at the airport. At least 10 families were seen at a local hotel waiting, they said, for a decision on their fates. None of them had passports or visas but said they had worked for companies allied with the U.S. or German military. Others were seen at restaurants.

The State Department has no reliable way to confirm information about such charter flights, including how many American citizens might be on them, since it no longer has people on the ground, according to a U.S. official. But the department will hold the Taliban to their pledges to let people travel freely, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The small airport at Mazar-e-Sharif only recently began to handle international flights and so far only to Turkey. The planes in question were bound for Doha, Qatar, the Afghan official said. It was not clear who chartered them or why they were waiting in the northern city. The massive airlift happened at Kabuls international airport, which initially closed after the U.S. withdrawal but where domestic flights have now resumed.

Searing images of that chaotic evacuation  including people clinging to an airplane as it took off  came to define the final days of Americas longest war, just weeks after Taliban fighters retook the country in a lightning offensive.

Since their takeover, the Taliban have sought to recast themselves as different from their 1990s incarnation, when they last ruled the country and imposed repressive restrictions across society. Women and girls were denied work and education, men were forced to grow beards, and television and music were banned.

Now, the world is waiting to see the face of the new government, and many Afghans remain skeptical. In the weeks since they took power, signals have been mixed: Government employees including women have been asked to return to work, but some women were later ordered home by lower-ranking Taliban. Universities and schools have been ordered open, but fear has kept both students and teachers away.

Women have demonstrated peacefully, some even having conversations about their rights with Taliban leaders. But some have been dispersed by Taliban special forces firing in the air.

Among the promises the Taliban have made is that once the country's airports are up and running, Afghans with passports and visas would be allowed to travel. More than 100 countries issued a statement saying they would be watching to see that the new rulers held to their commitment.

Technical teams from Qatar and Turkey arrived in recent days and are working to get the civilian airport operational.

On Saturday, state-run Ariana Airlines made its first domestic flights, which continued on Sunday. The airport is without radar facilities, so flights are restricted to daylight hours to allow for visual landing, said official Shershah Stor.

Several countries have also been bringing in humanitarian supplies. The Gulf state of Qatar, where the Taliban maintained a political office since 2013, is making daily flights into Kabul, delivering humanitarian aid for the war-weary nation. Bahrain also announced humanitarian assistance deliveries.

Meanwhile, the Taliban stepped up an assault on the last remaining pocket of resistance being led by fighters opposed to their rule.

The anti-Taliban fighters in Panjshir province, north of the Afghan capital, are being led by former vice president Amrullah Saleh, who has appealed for humanitarian aid to help the thousands of people displaced by the fighting.

A senior Taliban spokesman tweeted Sunday that Taliban troops had overrun Rokha district, one of largest of eight districts in Panjshir. Several Taliban delegations have attempted negotiations with the holdouts there, but talks have failed to gain traction.

Fahim Dashti, the spokesman for the group that is fighting the Taliban, was killed in a battle on Sunday, according to the group's Twitter account. Dashti was the voice of the group and a prominent media personality during previous governments.

He was also the nephew of Abdullah Abdullah, a senior official of the former government who is involved in negotiations with the Taliban on the future of Afghanistan.

Saleh fled to Panjshir after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani quit Afghanistan as the Taliban marched on the capital. The fighters' lightning blitz across the country took less than a week to overrun some 300,000 government troops, most of whom surrendered or fled.

___

Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez and Tameem Akhgar in Istanbul and Ellen Knickmeyer in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.
NORWALK  As Norwalks police chief at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks, Harry Rilling sent officers to greet residents returning from the New York on the train, dispatched officers to ground zero and later toured the rubble himself.

Twenty years later, now Norwalks mayor, Rilling said he remembers that day like it was last week.

Rilling was at the New England Police Chiefs Conference in Old Saybrook, watching the news after the first plane struck the North Tower.

I was riveted to the TV. It was confusing, maybe it was an accident, but furthest thing from my mind at that point was this was an act of terrorism, Rilling said. But when I saw the second plane had hit, we knew what it was. I immediately packed my things and headed for home.

Later that day, Rilling dispatched a group of officers to Norwalks two Metro-North train stations, so passengers coming back from New York were greeted with a safe, reassuring presence.

On Sept. 12, some of Norwalks police officers went to ground zero, helping the New York Police Department navigate the traffic jams created by the attack and its aftermath, Rilling said.

We offered any help we could give them, Rilling said. Mostly what they needed at that time was assistance with traffic control and establishing a perimeter to keep people away from ground zero.

The Norwalk officers stayed about 24 hours and then were told they should return to Connecticut, he said.

He spent the following days considering preventative moves and other communities or buildings that could pose potential targets, averaging about four hours of sleep each night.

Rilling, like the rest of the city, soon learned of the 14 Norwalk residents who died in the attack on the World Trade Center: Paul Dario Curioli, Ronald Gilligan, Edwin John Graf III, William C. Hunt, Thomas E. Hynes, Adam J. Lewis, Edward Francis Teddy Maloney III, Cesar A. Murillo, Robert Walter Noonan, James Matthew Patrick, George E. Spencer III, Derek James Stakevicus, Bradley H. Vadas and John Bentley Works.

The Norwalk residents were among the nearly 3,000 people who died that day in the attacks.

About a week after the towers collapsed, Rilling and two of his captains were among the local police officials the NYPD commissioner invited to see the operation setup surrounding the destroyed buildings.

It was a very terrible experience to see the pile of rubble, Rilling said. I dont know how else to explain this, but once a person smells death, they never forget that. I had certainly had that experience and when you got to ground zero, it was permeated with that.

While there, the NYPD officers and chiefs present each had a personal story of Sept. 11 to tell, Rilling said.

They all wanted to tell their story, it was almost like it was cathartic, they had to get it out, Rilling said. They showed us the staging area, they showed us what was going on. Every one of them told us where they were at the time and what their response was and what they experienced.

In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Rilling, like other area police officials, added safety measures to their regular patrols.

Norwalk officers checked each schools parking lot during the night to ensure no suspicious vehicles or bags were left near the buildings prior to the school day. Trucks were no longer allowed to park under highway bridges.

Terrorism is designed to disrupt and cause confusion and to take down an economy and so they would try to do that one thing that would have the greatest impact, Rilling said.

Even today, barriers around outdoor events and crowds prevent cars from driving into those gathered  a safety measure added after the 9/11 attacks, he said.

Rilling toured the country about two years after Sept. 11, 2001, teaching courses designed by the Department of Homeland Security on weapons of mass destruction.

On one occasion, he was set to teach in Maine. The Department of Homeland Security had him fly into the airport in Boston  the same place the plane hijackers left from.

That was surreal, Rilling said. Its like we are in the same place they started from. It was really strange.

In the two decades since the World Trade Center fell, Rilling retired from the police force, was elected Norwalks mayor, navigated the coronavirus pandemic and is seeking a fifth term.

He sits in the same office he once responded to on Sept. 11, 2001, having returned from Old Saybrook to convene with then-Mayor Frank Esposito.

Its also the same office where former Mayor Alex Knopp presided over planning the ceremonies to honor the Norwalkers who died at the World Trade Center.

Knopp, campaigning for mayor at the time of the attack, toured the rubble in January 2002 as mayor elect. The United States Conference of Mayors, of which Knopp participated, held its annual convention in New York that year.

They took busloads of mayors, including Mayor (Dannel) Malloy of Stamford and myself, Knopp said. They took us in a bus to ground zero. I remember some of the wreckage seemed to be smoking from the demolition and repair work that was going on.

Knopp used an influx in federal homeland security money to fund police overtime, ensuring residents felt safe and checking for any signs of another attack, particularly along the railroad tracks.

Because of our proximity to New York City we were always wary, Knopp said.

Following the attack, the country engaged in a lengthy war in Iraq and Afghanistan, where Norwalk lost one of its own, Wilfredo Perez Jr., an army specialist stationed in Iraq. Perez was guarding a childrens hospital when a grenade blast killed him.

Knopp, who knew the Perez family prior to the loss, attended Perezs funeral in New York.

That loss of his life was a stunning tragedy for the city that came after 9/11, Knopp said. I was very affected emotionally.

After the attack on the Twin Towers, many local police departments and governments, Norwalk included, shifted to preventative rather than reactionary measures.

Despite strain caused on the city and its leaders in the aftermath of 9/11, Knopp said Rilling as mayor went through more with the coronavirus pandemic.

I always thought that there was probably nothing that could surpass 9/11 in terms of a national event affecting Norwalk, but certainly the pandemic has far surpassed 9/11 in terms of its tragic impact on the city, Knopp reflected.

abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com
Governor claims Sandbox tourism brings B1.6bn to Phuket

PHUKET: The Phuket Sandbox scheme will continue, Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew has confirmed, claiming that the project has so far generated an estimated B1.6 billion for the economy.

COVID-19Coronaviruseconomicsdisasters

By The Phuket News

Monday 6 September 2021, 03:49PM

From July 1 to last Saturday (Sept 4) a total of 346 flights had arrived in Phuket, bringing 28,197 Sandbox tourists, Governor Narong told Deputy Army Chief Gen Nattapol Nakpanich during a ZOOM conference yesterday (Sept 5), reported the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket).

Of note, Gen Nattapol also serves as chair of an ad hoc committee of the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) in Bangkok.

Of those 28,197 Sandbox tourists, 88 had been confirmed as infected with COVID-19, Governor Narong continued, adding that 67 of those had recovered.

The top 5 tourists, not including Thais, were from the United States of America (3,721), followed by the United Kingdom (3,470), Israel (3,153), France (2,262) and Germany (2,247), Governor Narong said.

So far 10,492 Sandbox tourists had already returned home, and 17,705 had completed their 14-day stay in Phuket and had traveled to other provinces of Thailand, he added.

Just 4,963 Sandbox tourists remained in Phuket, Governor Narong said yesterday.

However, the Sandbox scheme had already injected more than B1.634bn into the economy, Gov Narong noted.

The Governor presented a breakdown of Sandbox tourists spending, as follows:

Accommodation - B565 million Buying tourism products and services - B376 million Food and beverage purchases - B350 million Medical and health services - B229 million Other expenses - B114 million

The B1.634bn spent by tourists nourishes and drives the economy, as well as having the effect of spreading economic benefits to various sectors both directly related to tourism, such as hotels, restaurants, passenger transport, and so on, and other businesses that are supply chains supporting the tourism industry, such as agriculture, industry, energy, among others, Governor Narong said.

The multiplier effect as income is re-spent throughout the economy could generate as much as B3.818 million for the economy, he added.

As for the number of SHA+ nights booked, the number of bookings from July to September totals 484,427 room nights, Governor Narong continued.

The overview of the implementation of the Phuket Sandbox plan can still go forward, he assured.

Disease control in the area is currently being carried out in the province by proactively inspecting the risk areas and risk groups, such as migrant workers at workers camps, people in the fishing industry, and sea gypsies, among others, which have seen the number of infected people in the province increase over the past week, averaging 200-250 new infections [a day], Gov Narong explained.

When an infected person is found, they must be brought into the treatment system immediately, he said.

The report announcing that the Sandbox scheme has already generated B1.6bn for the island follows former Phuket MP Anchalee Vanich Tephabutra last Thursday (Sept 2) reporting that the average monthly income across Phuket stood at B1,961  a figure she described as plunging people into acute poverty.

This number is considered lower than the poverty line in Thailand, she added.

The devastation to peoples incomes across the island was made clear by Dr Chayanon Pucharoen, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at the Prince of Songkla University (PSU) Phukets Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism, who in March this year was asked to present his understanding of the economic situation in Phuket to Deputy Prime Minister Jurin Laksanawisit.

The news was not good.

The central governments We Travel Together campaign was able to generate B1.5bn for the province, Dr Chayanon reported at the time.

However, that did not prevent the number of unemployed people in Phuket rising to about 64,000.

The average income had fallen to only B1,900 per person per month, he said.

Asked whether Ms Anchalees assessment of the monthly average income of just B1,961 (about US$60 a month) was accurate, Dr Chayanon told The Phuket News today, The situation has not changed.
Phuket sours on Sandbox

PHUKET: The private sector in Phuket is urging the government to fully reopen the island by Dec 1, saying the move can bring in more than B210 billion in tourism-related revenue in just three months.

COVID-19Coronavirushealthtourismeconomics

By Bangkok Post

Monday 6 September 2021, 08:49AM

Guests walk past a hotel swimming pool in Phuket on Aug 14, 2021 as tourists take advantage of the

The call came as businesses in Phuket realised that they wont be able to survive with the island only partially reopened under the Phuket Sandbox scheme, reports the Bangkok Post.

Only over 20,000 tourists have come over the past two months since the Phuket Sandbox was launched, said Nanthida Atiset, vice-president of Phuket Tourism Association.

We cant continue this way. Hotels are suffering losses.

What we need is freedom day on Dec 1.

Along with the president of Phuket Tourism Council Thanet Tantipiriyakit, Ms Nanthida led local business associations to submit their proposal for the islands reopening, under a new campaign called Phuket Freedom Day.

Under the proposal, all businesses on the island will fully resume, with all residents of the island returning to their usual way of life while remaining safe from COVID-19 by observing public health guidelines.

With domestic travel adapted to a new normal, the province will be able to attract some 3.5 million tourists who will come between December and March next year  about half the number of tourists in the same period before the pandemic  bringing in some B210bn in tourism-related income.

All target groups on the island should receive a third booster jab for the reopening to succeed. Meanwhile, tourists would be required to show proof of vaccination and/or undergo a rapid COVID-19 antigen test prior to entering, the groups said in their proposal.

The proposal was designed to follow the United Kingdoms model for reopening, which required 90% of target groups within the population to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Ms Nanthida said.

To achieve the goal, she said, Phuket will need to roll out more jabs. About 400,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will have to be procured, along with 70,000 of the Pfizer vaccine for interdermal injections  which require 20% of the usual dose required for a booster shot, but confers equal immunity against the virus.

She cited the result of a study in the Netherlands which showed the technique was as effective as the intramuscular injection method, in which a full dose was administered.

Vachira Phuket Hospital is conducting a trial on intradermal injections, using 20% of the usual amount of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on those who have already received two shots of the Sinovac vaccine, according to the groups.

So far, 76.5% of Phukets population have been vaccinated against COVID-19, while up to 87.1% of the elderly population and 70% of those with underlying medical conditions have been inoculated, said the report.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, from July 1 until Aug 31, 26,400 foreign tourists visited Phuket under the Phuket Sandbox programme, which has generated B1.6bn in tourism related income.

Among these tourists were 3,647 Americans, 3,437 Britons, 3,141 Israelis, 2,174 French and 2,159 Germans, according to the Immigration Bureau.

As for those tourists who want to return to their home countries at the end of their visits but couldnt leave Thailand due to new COVID-19 protocols imposed by airlines, Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew said the province is trying its best to help.

In some cases, tourists werent aware that their airlines require proof of a negative COVID-19 test, which usually takes at least 48 hours to issue, leaving them stranded at the airport, he said.

We are compiling updates to help tourists, he said.
This Just In

Bucks gives prisoners H.O.P.E.
Today

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 87F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
In June I wrote a letter mentioning a literal, personal Satan who deceives us, and that he works more effectively if we do not believe he exists. To some that may have been laughable.

But from what people are saying and accepting, it is no joke. Our society is soaked in lies, and the sooner one realizes it and turns to God for the truth, the better.

Jesus said in the Bible book of John, Chapter 8, There is no truth in him he is a liar and the father of lies. What lies does the Devil promulgate?

The first deception is that the Bible is called a myth, implying it is full of fables, and that it is a composite writing of many authors with an agenda rather than the Word of God transmitted faithfully by the Holy Spirit though men we recognize like Moses or Isaiah or the apostle Peter.

Another lie is that evolution is scientific and therefore true. Do you yourself scientifically observe things coming together or falling apart? Do you believe that over a short period of time things go to pieces but that if you add millions and billions of years to the process the whole direction is reversed? Can rocks eventually become life formations, then sea creatures, then animals walking and flying, then slowly become human with physiological and intellectual complexity? Who invented evaporation to lift water from the oceans and dump it on land so things can grow  mindless evolution?

If you have been overwhelmed by so called science on the matter, see answersingenesis.org. and type in the search bar evidence of a young earth or browse the website.

But there are plenty more deceptions in our world today. For example, you are only a man or a woman based on how you feel inside, not what your bodys design shows you; the baby in the womb is no different from a kidney or liver; rock music is fine for worshipping God; our U.S. constitution demands a full separation of church and state; we need to defund police departments nationwide because a handful of African American men and women lost their lives from policemen. Then there is teaching sweeping our schools that a core principle of our nation is racism and slavery. All of these are lies.

How about the term Covid 19 vaccines? They are not vaccines since they dont provide immunity. Look up vaccine in a dictionary. After I went into the hospital following my second vaccination of Moderna, (I got long-lasting atrial fibrillation soon after mine), the hospital workers told me that being injected doesnt prevent getting the virus, but only limits the symptoms. I hadnt heard that from a politician or from the news!

My point isnt to distrust everyone. We cannot function without trust. But with the prevalence of lying in our society, we evidence that we are distancing ourselves from God, no longer hearing or fearing Him, and are thus being more strongly influenced by the Devil.

Romans Chapter 3 says, Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar. Lets find in Gods word the truth and listen to Jesus words as He says in John 8, If you continue in My word, the truth will make you free.

Michael Fox is an Alton resident who wishes to share a biblical perspective on current events
CONFLUENCE TOWER  Hartfords new home away from home had a successful first season this summer.

Steady and good, said 5 Diamond Campgrounds general manager Susie Sweetman.

Located in the shadow of the Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower, 5 Diamonds welcomed nearly 450 campers this season. Sweetman said the campers were primarily people who have temporarily relocated for work.

We house a lot of people who are coming into the area and working, Sweetman said. Its centrally located for St. Louis area workers and refinery workers.

So far people from 39 states have stayed at 5 Diamonds since it opened in October. Its 49 camping spots include water, sewer, electricity and wifi service, with prices starting at $30 per night.

The facility has no pool or showers, but it is close to many tourist destinations for those who want to see the Riverbend areas sights.

A walk through the campground over the Labor Day weekend showed that campers seemed to make themselves right at home with grills, childrens toys, satellite dishes, American flags and the other trappings of home.

Sweetman said theyd like to add more camping sites to 5 Diamonds in the future.

Theres a real need for this, she said. There are a lot of people that bring their campers to work. Everybody fills up and they cant find places to go.

Its a community service, Sweetman said. People are trying to make their living and it has brought an economic impact to Hartford and the surrounding area because we are housing quite a few people who buy gas, food and other things here.

For more information, visit www.5diamondcampgrounds.com
Scranton, PA (18503)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning. Thunderstorms likely during the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 83F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm this evening, then some lingering showers still possible overnight. Low 62F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Cloudy early with peeks of sunshine expected late. High 76F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Low 66F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Dacia has unveiled its latest all-new family car for 2022.

Called the Jogger, it will become the cheapest seven-seat car you can buy in Britain, with prices for the crossover expected to start from 13,000 - less than half the price of existing seven-seat models on the market.

It will also become the first Dacia to offer hybrid technology, though not until 2023.

Dacia's new seven-seater: The Jogger is the newest - and longest - model in the budget-friendly car maker's range. It will be priced from around 13,000

Exact pricing and specifications for British-spec models will not be announced until the end of this year, though in Europe it is claimed to start from 15,000.

Converted, that works out at 12,900, which will easily make it the least expensive seven-seat model on the market.

Skoda's Kodiaq is among the cheapest new seven-seat cars on the market currently, though the roomy SUV starts from 29,585 in basic 'SE' trim in the UK - potentially more than double the price of the Jogger, depending on the Dacia entry price point.

It will use a stretched version of the 'CMF-B' platform that underpins the award-winning Sandero supermini as well as the Renault Clio and Captur.

Bosses say the new model will blend 'estate car practicality, MPV spaciousness and SUV styling'.

The Jogger uses the same platform - and styling - as the latest Sandero supermini

 Slide me  The Jogger will cost around half the price of most seven-seat models on the market. The rearmost two seats car be removed entirely

Britons will be able to place orders from November with first deliveries arriving in early 2022

Measuring in at 4,547mm, it will become the longest Dacia model on sale.

But despite its rugged looks and 200mm of ground clearance, it will only be sold with front-wheel drive.

This will retain the Duster SUV's unique selling point of being the only four-wheel drive Dacia in its range of models.

Inside, the Jogger has three rows of flexible seating.

The middle row can split 60:40 and be flipped forwards while the rearmost pair of seats can be fully removed. This provides van-like carrying space if required.

With all seven seats in place, there's only 160 litres of boot space. That's enough for a small weekly shop.

But with the third row chairs taken out, boot capacity rises to a capacious 708 litres, making this an ideal family wagon even if you only need to fill five seats.

Dacia says the boot floor with the rear seats not in use can accommodate a pram or a childs push bike without disassembly and adds that 'hikers can easily transport a full kit and that of their friends' as the budget Romanian brand pushes its appeal to leisure enthusiasts.

 Slide me  The two back rows can be folded upwards to provide more space, though they do no fold flat into the floor

Dacia says the Jogger's arrival will reinvent the seven-seat car market, making large models for bigger families more accessible

 Slide me  With all seven seats in place, there's only 160 litres of boot space. That's enough for a small weekly shop. But with the third row chairs taken out, boot capacity rises to a capacious 708 litres, making this an ideal family wagon even if you only need to fill five seats

There are some limitations though. Not least the fact none of the chairs fold flat into the floor or can be slid forwards and backwards.

This is part of Dacia's efforts to keep manufacturing costs low to offer affordable pricing to customers.

It does have 24 litres of storage space in compartments spread conveniently throughout the cabin - a much-needed feature of any vehicles used to transport children.

This includes a generously-sized seven-litre glovebox, deep door pockets front and rear, 1.3-litre lidded storage area within the centre console and six cup holders in total.

Despite the raised ride height, roof bars and chunky design, the Jogger will only be sold with front-wheel drive. That means the Duster SUV will continue to be the only all-wheel drive Dacia on sale

Lots of optional extras will be made available, many of which are aimed at attracting leisure enthusiasts

In terms of powertrains, it will use one of three Renault engines already shared across the French parent brand's range of cars.

The entry motor will be a turbocharged 1.0-litre three cylinder that produces 108bhp linked to a six-speed manual gearbox.

Dacia will also continue to provide a Bi-Fuel LPG variant using the same 99bhp Bi-Fuel engine that appears in the Sandero. Its addition of a 40-litre LPG tank gives the Jogger a combined 'official' maximum driving range of 621 miles and up to 37.1mpg.

Finally, a hybrid - not due until 2023 - will combine a 1.6-litre petrol engine with two electric motors, a small 1.2kWh battery and automatic 'box.

This hybrid variant should be able to complete very short journeys in electric-only mode. A plug-in hybrid version is unlikely to follow.

In terms of powertrains, it will use one of three Renault engines already shared across the French parent brand's range of cars. One will be a hybrid for the first time in Dacia's history

Inside, it shares its cabin with the Sandero supermini. Three infotainment interfaces are available across ranges, with top-spec versions getting an 8-inch touchscreen and navigation

Dacia says there is 24 litres of storage compartments dotted around the Jogger's cabin to make it the ideal family car

Inside, the Jogger will have the modern interior upgrade already featured in the latest Sandero.

Cheapest versions will come with a 'Media Control' interface, which is a smartphone cradle and docking station that turn your device into the control unit for the radio and navigation.

Mid-grade models get a 'Media Display', which adds four speakers and an 8.0-inch touchscreen - though without sat nav. If you want the latter, you will need to upgrade to 'Media Nav', which brings wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as well as six speakers.

Denis Le Vot, Dacia's chief executive, said the brand is 'reinventing the seven-seater family vehicle'.

'This latest versatile addition embodies the brands outdoor spirit, always ready for adventure,' he explained at its launch ahead of the Munich Mobility Show, which started this week.

'It exemplifies Dacia's commitment to make mobility accessible to all, and that includes large families.

'The Dacia Jogger will also be Dacias first hybrid, because mobility, be it in or out of town, must be available for everyone.'

The Jogger will be available to pre-order in the UK in November 2021, with first deliveries expected in the first quarter of 2022.
Superdry has sued Asos in the High Court claiming the online giant copied its 'Osaka' branding on T-shirts and sweatshirts.

In court documents seen by the Mail, the company highlighted five items on the Asos website, including Asos, Topman and New Look branded clothes, which use the word Osaka.

Copy: In court documents, Superdry highlighted five items on the Asos website, including Asos, Topman and New Look branded clothes, which use the word Osaka

Asos was asked to remove the 'identical' items from its website and, when it allegedly refused, Superdry sued.

'It is clear that the product is designed to reproduce the look of Superdry's goods to mislead customers,' it said, adding that Asos acted 'flagrantly' by continuing to list items with the branding.

Superdry boss Julian Dunkerton yesterday came under fire for using his fuel-guzzling private Cessna 525C jet for a family holiday and a work trip  despite his aim to make Superdry 'the most sustainable fashion brand on the planet'.

The company said he offset the carbon.
The Morrisons bidding war is set to be decided in a dramatic auction showdown 'within weeks', the Mail understands.

The Takeover Panel is expected to begin talks with the two bidders and the Morrisons board as soon as this week to draw a line under the three-month battle and end the 'great uncertainty' suffered by the business, its employers and suppliers.

The panel hopes to get a consensus between the board and the private equity bidders  Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) and Fortress  over the format of the auction.

Summit: The Takeover Panel is expected to begin talks with the two bidders and the Morrisons board

The bidding war became public in June and the CD&R bid of 285p per share, posted at the end of last month, will now push the process into its fourth month.

A source said: 'The panel will shortly be speaking to various parties ready for an auction in the middle of this month. Having such an extended offer period creates great uncertainty for the company.'

Fortress and CD&R could continue to bid in the run-up to the auction date, and the bid elected by the board could still go to a shareholder vote in early October.

This is the date set for investors to vote on the 7billion offer from front-runner CD&R, which has received the backing of the board.

The only way an auction will now be avoided is if Fortress, declines to come back with a higher bid, which would be likely to hand CD&R victory. An auction would probably give the two parties between one and five days to bid, with the highest offer recommended by the board at a shareholder vote.

The prospect of a higher bid means the business could overtake Sainsbury's as Britain's second largest supermarket by market capitalisation.

The Bradford-based grocer's 7.02billion market capitalisation, at Friday's close, was less than 1 per cent behind Sainsbury's 7.08billion valuation, and the market expects the bidding for Morrisons to go higher still.

Three months ago, Morrisons was worth just 4.3billion and Sainsbury's 6.3billion.

CD&R is expected to publish its scheme document this week, repeating pledges to protect jobs and the structure put in place by the Morrison founding family.

On Thursday Morrisons will announce interim results, with profits of around 240m.
The FTSE 100 enjoyed a positive start to the week, closing up 48 points to 7,187, while the FTSE 250 ended the day up 53 points to 24,248.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will push through a rise on national insurance contributions of at least 1 per cent to fund social care despite strong opposition from Conservative MPs, the Mail understands.

The UK's leading business trade organisation, the Confederation of British Industry, is urging the Government to take urgent action to tackle the shortage of workers, warning that labour supply problems could last up to two years.

Pan-Asian chain Wagamama, which is owned by The Restaurant Group (TRG), has revealed difficulty in hiring chefs across a fifth of its restaurants as the sector battles amid a 'perfect storm' of supply chain woes and staff shortages.

More than 11,000 second-home owners in England have flipped their properties to become holiday lets since the start of the pandemic, to capitalise on soaring demand for staycations, according to new research.

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Households across the South East may be a little nervous to learn that an Australian investment bank known as the 'Vampire Kangaroo' has gained control of their water supply.

Sydney-based Macquarie Group earned its colourful nickname after developing a reputation for buying companies, loading them with debt and sucking out as much money from them as possible.

Last month, its asset management arm snapped up a majority stake in Southern Water from its parent Greensand Holdings for more than 1billion.

Sydney-based Macquarie Group snapped up a majority stake in Southern Water from its parent Greensand Holdings for more than 1bn

Assurances were trotted out that the deal would benefit Southern Water's 4.7m customers in Sussex, Kent, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight  freeing up 2billion to invest in fixing pipes, pumping stations and sewers.

'Good news for our customers, the local environment and the regional economy,' declared Ian McAuley, chief executive of Southern Water, which had just been fined a record 90million for dumping billions of litres of raw sewage off the north Kent and Hampshire coasts.

But McAuley may struggle to convince many households they will be better off with Macquarie, given what happened the last time it controlled a major water company in Britain.

It is just four-and-a-half years since the firm's toxic, debt-fuelled 11-year stewardship of Thames Water came to an end.

Macquarie's ruthless pursuit of profits for shareholders, allied with poor customer service and an aversion to paying tax, prompted critics to call it the 'Vampire Kangaroo'.

Many might argue it deserved its nickname. Over the course of just over a decade in charge of Thames Water, Macquarie paid out almost 3billion in dividends while amassing debts of more than 10billion.

It also paid almost no corporation tax in the UK, exploiting a complex  but legal  corporate structure using subsidiaries in tax haven the Cayman Islands.

Meanwhile, Thames Water customers' water rates jumped to help fund the controversial 4.2billion Thames Tideway super sewer.

Macquarie finally cashed out in 2017, leaving the utility firm saddled with debt as it sold its final stake to Canadian pension fund Omers and the Kuwait Investment Authority for an estimated 1.35billion.

Just months later, the Environment Agency prosecuted Thames Water for pumping raw sewage into the Thames and other rivers between 2012 and 2014.

Macquarie has fiercely rejected the 'Vampire Kangaroo' tag, arguing it invested billions in infrastructure while it ran Thames Water.

Macquarie is run by Shemara Wikramanayake (pictured), who was born in London to Sri Lankan parents and emigrated to Australia at the age of 13

But water regulator Ofwat made it clear that 'very profound changes' would be required at Southern Water, and that Macquarie should not use private equity-style tactics to bolster its dividends.

They may not know it, but motorists have also had a run in with Macquarie, which built the M6 toll road between Birmingham and Cannock in Staffordshire on a mountain of debt in 2003.

That same year a senior executive was forced to quit after it emerged he had boasted to investors that 'we can put the tolls up by whatever we like'.

A few years later Macquarie secured a huge refinancing deal, loaded it with more than 1bn in debt and pulled 390million out of the business.

The toll subsequently shot up from 2 for a car, to 5.50.

Macquarie offloaded the loss-making M6 toll road a few years ago to another Australian company, IFM Investors.

With this track record, it is hardly surprising there were howls of protests from MPs  led by former business secretary Sir Vince Cable  when Macquarie got its hands on the Green Investment Bank in 2017 when it was privatised by Theresa May's government.

Cable described Macquarie as the 'worst kind of company' to run a fund set up to invest in the UK's transition to renewable energy, arguing it was 'notorious for pursuing short-term profitability at the expense of long-term sustainability'.

In fairness to Macquarie, Cable's worst fears have not been realised  at least so far.

The rebranded Green Investment Group has become one of the largest renewable energy infrastructure investors in the world.

But this has still rankled with critics such as Cable, who said it was never meant to be a global enterprise and was established to promote renewable energy in the UK.

Not everyone takes such a dim view of Macquarie.

Part bank, part infrastructure investor, it is one of Australia's most successful corporate exports and has become a darling of the stock market for delivering attractive returns.

The firm, which made a record 1.6billion profit last year, likes to keep a low profile. But it describes itself as the largest infrastructure manager in the world, with 108billion of assets to its name  including ports, airports and wind farms.

It is also one of the largest direct foreign investors in Britain, owning offshore wind farms, as well as Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports. If you travel by train, there's a good chance it is owned by Macquarie.

With offices in the City, Macquarie has other strong links with the UK. It is run by Shemara Wikramanayake, who was born in London to Sri Lankan parents and emigrated to Australia at the age of 13.
The takeover of a Welsh graphene maker could be blocked after Kwasi Kwarteng intervened on national security grounds.

The Business Secretary has ordered an investigation into an attempt to buy Perpetuus Advanced Materials by a company called Taurus International and a Chinese scientist.

Documents released by the Government show that the importance of the technology Perpetuus makes has raised question marks about the sale.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has ordered a probe into an attempt to buy Perpetuus Advanced Materials by a company called Taurus International and a Chinese scientist

There are also concerns about Aberystwyth university's former academic Zhongfu Zhous -whose contract ended last year- involvement in the merger.

It is the second national security intervention Kwarteng has launched in a matter of weeks after he waded into the sale of Ultra Electronics to Advent International last month.

Advent, through its British group Cobham, is trying to buy the submarine-hunting kit maker for 2.6billion.

The Competition and Markets Authority will now have until February to prepare a detailed report on the potential takeover of Perpetuus  and the Secretary of State will then make a decision.

Few details about the deal have been released so far.

Taurus International Ltd was registered last year by a property businessman called Victor Gembala, according to records on Companies House.

Zhou was educated in China at the prestigious University of Science & Technology in Beijing, where he gained a PhD in 1998.

After years of research at other institutions  including Oxford  he moved to Aberystwyth in 2010.

He is listed as being Perpetuus chief nanotechnology specialist.

It is not clear how much Taurus and Zhou are offering for Perpetuus or how the deal has been structured.

But the companys strategic significance has been underlined, as at least a quarter of a particular type of graphene technology and services supplied in the UK come from Perpetuus.

Stronger than steel and thinner than paper, Graphene is widely expected to become a key super-material of the future.

It is made of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in hexagons  making it the first 2D material.

Graphene can have a wide array of applications, many of which are still being uncovered, such as in smartphones and tablets, solar cells, semiconductors and in inks to harden materials.

Swansea-based Perpetuus graphene has previously been used to strengthen tyres.

But the companys most recent accounts show it has been developing graphene tech that could be used in batteries.

This could be crucial to the UK setting up so-called gigafactories that will produce batteries for electric cars and other machinery. In the year to March 2020, Perpetuus racked up a loss of almost 1million.
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Partly cloudy this morning with thunderstorms becoming likely this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 86F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.


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IDA AFTERMATH

Red Cross to keep Norristown shelter open for Ida recovery
For a brief and happy moment this summer, members of coworking spaces from Albany to Newburgh were able to take off their masks. People were newly vaccinated and regional COVID-19 rates were low.

We got to say hello to each other for the first time, says Judy Tallerman, owner of CoWork Kingston. The experience was short-lived. Now we are back to wearing masks.

Thirty minutes south at One Epic Place in New Paltz, its a similar scene. After a summer in which the co-owners were able to relax (i.e. suggest but not enforce handwashing) theyve instituted mandatory measures like masking again.

We are now pretty much where we were in the beginning of COVID: mask wearing in all common areas, unless in a private space or at your own desk, laments co-owner Nicole Langlois.

PLUS: $72,000 for broadband? How one womans quest to wire her Catskills home launched a coworking business

Members arent complaining. While the first wave of the pandemic nearly decimated local coworking spaces, including CoWork Kingston and Beahive in Beacon, a strong summer has helped them rebound.

It has been our busiest summer ever, says Langlois, crediting a winning combination of Hudson Valley visitors as well as newly remote working residents. Both are seeking distraction- and family-member-free space outside the home (or hotel room) to work from home.

Now, despite the delta variant driving new infections in New York and around the country, even among the vaccinated, membership is steady  and growing  at local coworking spaces, businesses report.

When COVID gets worse in the city, we get busier here. We thought delta was going to stop members from coming, but it did exactly the opposite, says Tallerman. It caused people to leave the city, which means we have new people joining weekly.

That said, the majority of CoWork Kingstons members are locals using the space as home base. While many members have ample room to work at home, quirks of country living can hinder productivity.

A lot of people move up here with the idea they could buy a farm. They were New Yorkers and bought something way out and they are realizing now they dont have great internet service or that it goes down a lot, says Tallerman.

One Epic Place provides reliable WiFi, plus ethernet and a virtual station with microphone, lighting, and a high-res camera for presentations to a clientele that has shifted some.

A lot of people coming from out of town and staying in Airbnbs that arent equipped for them to do their business, notes Robbins, adding that their core membership remain small business owners plus remote workers interested in their versatile business model: full time or flex time individual offices, conference rooms, treatment rooms for things like massage therapy and a lawn for outdoor working or community hangs.

Gray areas for coworking safety guidelines

Beahive

Determining precautionary protocols has been tricky for coworking spaces. It was clear they had to shut down during the first surge in March 2020, and when they were allowed to reopen. But other than that, its not totally obvious what regulations govern coworking spaces, which dont technically fall into a business category.

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One Epic Place has reached out to the state for guidance, and mostly follows Ulster County executive Pat Ryan, New York State, and the CDC to set rules for the space.

It was a real struggle last year as we arent an office with employees. We arent a hotel. There is no clear guidance. I was following guidelines. I was following WeWork for example, says Scott Tillitt, owner of Beahive, which has coworking spaces in Beacon, Albany, and Newburgh. At all locations, masks currently remain optional  for now.

When the mask mandate was lifted earlier this year for vaccinated people, Tillitt polled his members, who pay from $30 for a community membership up to $350 monthly for a private dedicated space, about their COVID comfort level.

What do you want to do? Are you comfortable for vaccinated members not wearing masks? Tillitt recalls his questions. A few members wanted more reassurance that those who were not wearing masks truly were vaccinated, so he had members privately share their vaccination status with him.

Most of our members are vaccinated people, and we have enough space to walk around without a mask. Beacon is tighter, but Newburgh is a main open space aside from private offices and low traffic. Its not like a grocery store with steady traffic, not like a school with hundreds of kids, he explains.

Waiting to see how delta evolves before switching back to a mask mandate is not hurting business. In fact, Tillitt is slated to open a new Beahive in Poughkeepsie in March of next year.

Mandatory masking has not hurt the coworking spaces who proscribe it, either. There are waitlists for private offices at CoWork Kingston and One Epic Place, which is expanding to a neighboring building to add more room. They currently have availability for drop-in guests as well as a variety of coworking memberships ranging from $120 to $560 a month.

Tallerman would love to accommodate more members, too, but is running into another COVID reality: We are short staffed right now. We are looking to hire, she says. While we are short staffed, we allow dailies with proof of vaccination as long as we can handle it staff-wise.
As you plan leisure travel for this fall, there are new opportunities to save on sunny destinations like Southern California, Las Vegas and South Florida thanks to low fares with Frontier and Southwest.

This weeks airline news also includes the debut of Alaskas new SFO Lounge and Deltas new chef-led in-flight menus.

Keep reading to discover the latest airline news for the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Courtesy of Alaska Airlines

Alaska opens new SFO Lounge

Alaska Airlines has opened a new Alaska Lounge at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), the second largest to date in their portfolio. The 9,200-square-foot space highlights Bay Area amenities and menus.

Our eight lounges redefine the guest experience and offer a calm oasis for every type of traveler including kid-friendly spaces, peaceful nooks, local wine or beer and tasty, locally sourced bites, said Sangita Woerner, senior vice president of marketing and guest experience at Alaska Airlines.

The new SFO lounge features a full bar with complimentary Bay Area craft brews on tap, wines from local vineyards and a staffed espresso bar. Regional treats include Ghirardelli chocolates, custom travel-themed cookies by Oakland Fortune Cookie Factory and a new sourdough toast cart, featuring San Franciscos famous sourdough from The Acme Bread Co.

Additional lounge features include a new childrens play area and a gallery wall featuring fine art designed by local artists. Travelers looking to experience the new Alaska Lounge can do so by purchasing a day pass, becoming a Lounge member or flying first class with Alaska.

courtesy of Delta Air Lines

Delta introduces top restaurant favorites

Delta recently reintroduced fresh and hot meals in select coast-to-coast markets, and the airline is now adding acclaimed culinary favorites from San Francisco-based Souvla and New York Citys Union Square Events (USE).

Delta passengers may have already been introduced to Danny Meyers Union Square Events menu, with select items on board since 2013. Seasonal favorites include selections like braised short ribs with cheesy twice baked potatoes and spinach and goat cheese frittatas served with bacon and hash browns.

Union Square Events will be served in Delta One and First Class on flights from New York-JFK to Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco while Souvla will be served in Delta One and First Class on flights from San Francisco to Boston and New York-JFK.

Its never been more important to deliver moments of enlightened hospitality by developing meals that bring together just the right amount of familiarity and creativity, said Tony Mastellone, division president of USE. We know USE and Delta share the same vision of providing excellent service and delicious dining experiences, and that common vision helps us achieve the best customer experience.

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AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Frontier fall fare sale

Book by September 2 to save up to 80% on airfare with Frontiers fall fare sale. Use promo code SAVE80 to save on travel dates now through December 15, 2021.

The discount is valid on roundtrip travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Sample roundtrip fares include Seattle (SEA) to Las Vegas (LAS) for $30 and Seattle to Denver (DEN) for $72.

Charles Dharapak/AP

Southwest low-fare finder

Southwest is currently offering one-way flight deals from Seattle (SEA) for as low as $58. Guests may use the Southwest low-fare finder to seek the latest deals.

The lowest one-way fares on offer right now include Seattle to Boise (BOI) for $58, while $59 flights are available Seattle to Oakland (OAK), San Jose (SJC) and Sacramento (SMF).

Other low-fare deals include Seattle to Chicago (ORD) for $97, Seattle to Albuquerque (ABQ) for $108 and Seattle to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) for $114.
ALBANY  The city of Albany will pay a man who was wrongly convicted of murdering a college student over two decades ago $5.75 million  what is likely one of the largest settlement payouts in the city's history.

The settlement to Carl H. Dukes will be paid in installments, and the citys Board of Estimate and Apportionment is scheduled to approve an initial $2 million payment at its meeting on Friday.

Dukes, 44, and Lavell Jones were exonerated of killing 23-year-old Erik Mitchell in 1997 and released from prison in 2016.

Their release came after Albany County District Attorney David Soares moved to reopen the case and, following a months-long investigation with Albany police, joined defense motions to overturn their convictions, which were ultimately vacated.

Dukes and Jones, who was killed in a motorcycle crash in June on Long Island, always maintained their innocence and accused city detectives of coercing them into signing incriminating statements.

The lawsuits, filed in 2017, claimed a culture of corruption, contending Albany police fabricated evidence and used coercion to obtain incriminating statements, as well as witnesses that were infused with a contrived theory and details detectives obtained from the crime scene.

Named as defendants in the federal lawsuits were the city of Albany and six former detectives who helped obtain the written statements that led to their convictions in two separate trials, resulting in sentences of more than 30 years to life in prison for the February 1997 shooting death of Mitchell, a University at Albany student.

Unfortunately this alleged wrongdoing from nearly a quarter-century ago and similar situations across the nation have shaped how law enforcement agencies have changed their interview procedures, said David Galin, a spokesman for city Mayor Albany Kathy Sheehan.

Galin pointed at police reforms embarked under Sheehans tenure, noting Albany Police have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to help prevent this type of alleged wrongdoing from occurring by installing new technology to record every interview and enhancing training to ensure interviews are conducted in line with national standards.

Yet the city didnt admit liability in the settlement, which was signed on Friday by Dukes, his counsel and a city representative, according to a copy of the settlement obtained by the Times Union.

Paying out the first installment of $2 million does not require Common Council approval because the city is using some of its fund balance to pay for it.

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Its unclear how the city will pay the remaining $3.75 million. If the city does need to borrow money to make the remaining payments, it will need to get approval from the Common Council.

Mitchell was shot point-blank in the head in the vestibule of his basement apartment on Clinton Avenue.

Police at the time said Dukes, Jones and another man killed Mitchell after they went to the apartment to silence a witness in an earlier robbery.

Dukes and Jones agreed at the time to admit they committed an unrelated 1996 robbery at Mitchell's apartment that was initially part of the same indictment that wrongfully accused them of the murder.

In 1997, Albany police had alleged Dukes and Jones murdered Mitchell to keep him from testifying about the robbery the year before. But in 2015, Jeffrey J. Conrad confessed to the murder and provided details previously only known by police.

Jones signed his written confession following two sleep-deprived days in custody during which he was interrogated by city detectives. Dukes signed his confession in a courthouse conference room where he was grilled by two detectives while his attorney waited outside, in part, under the belief they wanted to question his client about a robbery.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Divers at the site of an ongoing oil spill that appeared in the Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Ida have identified the apparent source as one-foot diameter pipeline displaced from a trench on the ocean floor and broken open.

Talos Energy, the Houston-based company currently paying for the cleanup, said in a statement issued Sunday evening that the busted pipeline does not belong to them.

The company said it is working with the U.S. Coast Guard and other state and federal agencies to coordinate the response and identify the owner of the ruptured pipeline.

Two additional 4-inch pipelines were also identified in the area that are open and apparently abandoned. The companys statement did not make clear if oil was leaking from the two smaller pipelines, but satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press on Saturday appeared to show at least three different slicks in the same area, the largest drifting more than a dozen miles (more than 19 kilometers) eastward along the Gulf coast.

The AP first reported Wednesday that aerial photos showed a miles-long brown and black oil slick spreading about 2 miles (3 kilometers) south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana. The broken pipe is in relatively shallow water, at about 34 feet (10 meters) of depth.

Talos said the rate of oil appearing on the surface had slowed dramatically in the last 48 hours and no new heavy black crude had been seen in the last day.

So far, the spill appears to have remained out to sea and has not impacted the Louisiana shoreline. There is not yet any estimate for how much oil was in the water.

The Coast Guard said Saturday its response teams are monitoring reports and satellite imagery to determine the scope of the discharge, which is located in Bay Marchand, Block 4. Talos previously leased Bay Marchand, Block 5, but ceased production there in 2017, plugged its wells and removed all pipeline infrastructure by 2019, according to the company.

The area where the spill is located has been drilled for oil and gas for decades. Federal leasing maps show it contains a latticework of old pipelines, plugged wells and abandoned platforms, along with newer infrastructure still in use.

With the source of the oil unclear, Talos hired Clean Gulf Associates to respond to the spill. Clean Gulf, a nonprofit oil-spill response cooperative that works with the energy exploration and production industry, has had two 95-foot vessels at the scene of the spill since Wednesday attempting to contain and recover crude from the water.

The Bay Marchand spill is one of dozens of reported environmental hazards state and federal regulators are tracking in Louisiana and the Gulf following the Category 4 hurricane that made landfall at Port Fourchon a week ago. The region is a major production center of the U.S. petrochemical industry.

The AP also first reported Wednesday on images from a National Atmospheric and Oceanic Survey that showed extensive flooding and what appeared to be petroleum in the water at the sprawling Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery located along the Mississippi River south of New Orleans.

After AP published the photos, the Environmental Protection Agency tasked a specially outfitted survey aircraft to fly over that refinery on Thursday, as well as other industrial sites in the area hardest hit by the hurricanes 150-mph (240-kph) winds and storm surge.

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The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality said a state assessment team sent to the Alliance Refinery observed a spill of heavy oil 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.

State environmental officials said there was also no estimate yet available for how much oil might have spilled from the Phillips 66 refinery.

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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.
Q: Is there any discussion about reducing the speed limit on Route 9 with all the new homes and roads? Going north, the speed limit is 45 mph until around Century House, when it increases to 55 mph, which means many people are going 60-plus. Although there are middle turning lanes, making a right turn is absolutely frightening because traffic is barreling. We live off Preston Drive (Boght Fire Company) and although the speed limit changes to 55 just before, cars, trucks and school buses are constantly running the red light because they are going too fast to stop. We have noticed the same thing happening at the other lights up to the bridges into Halfmoon.



While 55 mph was suitable before, it is becoming increasingly dangerous with added traffic and cars turning in and out of new developments.

Sharon Rivet, Latham

A: The state Department of Transportation has no current plans to lower the speed limit on this stretch of Route 9, according to Bryan Viggiani, public information officer for the DOT.

Concerns about motorists violating speed limits and running red lights can be brought to the attention of law enforcement, he added.

Speeding enforcement: During a recent Speed Awareness Week enforcement campaign from July 31 to Aug. 8, police issued 23,087 speeding tickets and 37,746 tickets for other violations.

The bulk of the tickets  32,170  were for other violations, while 1,380 were for impaired driving and 1,185 were for distracted driving. Another 2,359 tickets were issued for seat belt violations.

According to preliminary data from University at Albanys Institute of Traffic Safety Management and Research, unsafe speed was a contributing factor in 314 fatal crashes in 2020, up 36 percent from 230 in 2019. Those 314 crashes resulted in 365 deaths.

Troy Schenectady Road: Watch for weeknight lane closures on Troy Schenectady Road between Rensselaer Avenue and Gaffers Court and on the ramps to and from Interstate 87 at Exit 6. The DOT is conducting resurfacing. Closures will start Tuesday, Sept. 7, and should continue through early October.

There will also be periodic full overnight closures of the on-ramp to the northbound Northway. During these closures, a detour using the southbound Northway will be posted. Workers will also upgrade sidewalk ramps on that stretch weekdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

State Route 9: State Route 9 will be reduced to one lane in each direction from just north of the State Route 67 roundabout in Malta to just north of the Avenue of the Pines in Saratoga Springs weekdays starting Tuesday, Sept. 7. Workers will be resurfacing from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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On days when the Saratoga Performing Arts Center is holding an event, lanes will reopen by 3:30 p.m.

Work should be completed by early November.

State Route 156: The State Route 156 bridge over the Beaverdam Creek in Berne will be closed starting Tuesday, Sept. 7, to facilitate a deck replacement project. A detour following Albany County Route 254 and State Route 443 will be posted. Properties along Route 156 up to the bridge closure will still be accessible for local traffic.

The bridge is expected to reopen to passenger vehicles and school buses by mid-November, but truckers should follow the posted detour until further notice. The project is set to be completed by the spring of 2022.

Have a question about transportation in the Capital Region? Email gettingthere@timesunion.com and include your name, town and phone number or tweet @abigail_rubel.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  As patients stream into Mississippi hospitals one after another, doctors and nurses have become all too accustomed to the rampant denial and misinformation about COVID-19 in the nation's least vaccinated state.

People in denial about the severity of their own illness or the virus itself, with visitors frequently trying to enter hospitals without masks. The painful look of recognition on patients' faces when they realize they made a mistake not getting vaccinated. The constant misinformation about the coronavirus that they discuss with medical staff.

Theres no point in being judgmental in that situation. Theres no point in telling them, You should have gotten the vaccine or you wouldnt be here, said Dr. Risa Moriarity, executive vice chair of the University of Mississippi Medical Centers emergency department. We dont do that. We try not to preach and lecture them. Some of them are so sick they can barely even speak to us.

Mississippi's low vaccinated rate, with about 38% of the state's 3 million people fully inoculated against COVID-19, is driving a surge in cases and hospitalizations that is overwhelming medical workers. The workers are angry and exhausted over both the workload and refusal by residents to embrace the vaccine.

Physicians at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the only level one trauma center in all of Mississippi, are caring for the sickest patients in the state.

The emergency room and intensive care unit are beyond capacity, almost all with COVID patients. Moriarity said its like a logjam with beds in hallways, patients being treated in triage rooms. Paramedics are delayed in responding to new calls because they have to wait with patients who need care.

In one hospital in Mississippi, four pregnant women died last week, said state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs. Three of the cases required emergency C-sections and babies were born severely premature.

This is the reality that were looking at and, again, none of these individuals were vaccinated, Dobbs said.

Moriarity said its hard to put into words the fatigue she and her colleagues feel. Going into work each day has become taxing and heartbreaking, she said.

Most of us still have enough emotional reserve to be compassionate, but you leave work at the end of the day just exhausted by the effort it takes to dredge that compassion up for people who are not taking care of themselves and the people around them, she said.

During a recent news conference, UMMCs head, Dr. LouAnn Woodward, described the toll of the low vaccination rate on health care workers.

We as a state, as a collective, have failed to respond in a unified way to a common threat, Woodward said.

As the virus surges, hospital officials are begging residents to get vaccinated. UMMC announced in July that it will mandate its 10,000 employees and 3,000 students be vaccinated, or wear a N95 mask on campus. By the end of August, leaders revised that policy, vaccination is the only option.

Moriarity said this surge has taken a toll on morale more than previous peaks of the virus. Her team thought in May and June that despite Mississippis low vaccination rate, there was an end in sight. The hospitals ICUs had few COVID patients. Then cases surged with the delta variant of the virus, swamping the hospital.

Numbers of total coronavirus hospitalizations in Mississippi have dipped slightly, with just under 1,450 people hospitalized for coronavirus on Sept. 1, compared with around 1,670 on Aug. 19. But they are still higher than numbers during previous surges of the virus.

In the medical centers childrens hospital, emergency room nurse Anne Sinclair said she is tired of the constant misinformation she hears, namely that children cant get very ill from COVID.

Ive seen children die in my unit of COVID, complications of COVID, and thats just not something you can ever forget, she said.

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Its very sobering, continued Sinclair, who is the parent of a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old and worries for their safety. I just wish people could look past the politics and think about their families and their children.

To deal with overflow COVID patients, Christian relief charity Samaritans Purse set up an emergency field hospital in the parking garage of UMMCs childrens hospital.

The hospital is treating an average of 15 patients a day, with the capacity for seven ICU patients.

Nurse Kelly Sites, who has also treated COVID patients in hotspots like California and Italy, said its heart wrenching to know that some of the severe cases could have been prevented with the vaccine. Many patients are so sick they cant talk. Nurses walk around with scripture verses on duct tape on their scrubs and will recite them to their patients.

Samaritan's Purse is an international disaster relief organization with missions spanning multiple continents. Sites has responded to 20 missions, in Haiti, the Philippines, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other places.

To respond to the United States is quite surreal for us, she said. Its a challenge because usually, home is stable. And so when we deploy, were just going to the disaster. This is the first time where home is a disaster.

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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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This story was first published on Sept. 5, 2021. It was updated on Sept. 7, 2021 to correct the spelling of dredge in Dr. Risa Moriaritys quote in paragraph 10. It also corrects the story to say that while UMMC had few to no COVID-19 patients in its ICUs in May and June, the hospital still had other patients there. Lastly, the AP had previously reported that Dr. LouAnn Woodward fought back tears as she described the toll of the states low vaccination rate on health care workers. While Woodward used strong language, she was not fighting back tears.
MILTON  There is a new wrinkle in the beleaguered restoration of Town Hall. The $1 million project has been pushed beyond its allotted budget by another estimated $500,000.

That became clear on Wednesday when town officials opened bids for the final phase of work on the Geyser Road building. The bids for four contracts  general contracting, plumbing, HVAC and electrical for the brick buildings interior  jumped to three times more than the estimated $265,000 remaining in the budget for repairs.

At first glance, we are over budget, Supervisor Benny Zlotnick said after the bid opening. We can re-bond or increase the bond with a board resolution and public referendum, if need be. But I think we will wait and see how far over budget we are. Obviously, we will need to see the final numbers and see how far over we are.

The town board, which will discuss the matter at its board meeting on Wednesday, could also reduce the scope of the interior work or draw from its unallocated fund balance, Zlotnick said.

Regardless, this new complication adds to the list of headaches  all caused initially by a leaky roof, which has plagued the original 1967 structure and its 1980s and '90s additions for more than a decade.

While the roof was finally repaired last spring, at a cost of $735,000 of the $1 million the town bonded for the project, getting to this point has caused animosity among some town board members who argue the town is overspending and not considering the future. The project has also caused upset with the towns senior citizens who have been displaced from their gathering place at Milton Community Center for the past 18 months because town officials and 25 employees have relocated there. And its caused consternation among residents who feel the whole thing has been poorly handled.

But Zlotnick defends it all and takes responsibility, saying the problem has existed since Supervisor Frank Thompson was in office and that something needed to be done.

Zlotnick traces the trouble to one winter about dozen years ago when ice accumulated on the roof. Workers chopped and removed the ice, poking holes in the roof along the way. That led to about 116 patches that always didn't hold, and perpetual leaks, he said.

Both (former supervisor) Scott (Ostrander) and I had to put up a bucket or trash can on our desk when it rained because it leaked right over our desk, Zlotnick said.

Despite discussions to repair the roof during terms of supervisors Dan Lewza and Ostrander, nothing was done. Action to finally fix it was spurred when town building inspector William Lewis condemned town hall in March 2020, citing black mold.

The move was controversial as two reports, one from the town's health officer and another from an independent inspector, stated there was no black mold present.

But with at least one employee complaining of mold-induced headaches, Zlotnick went along with condemning the building and moved the employees to the Milton Community Center, displacing nearly 100 seniors who gathered in the building that was constructed for their use.

It was the start of the pandemic and senior centers were closed across the state. Thus, it was not much of a problem. Yet when the seniors wanted to get back into the center, they couldnt. With the next phase of the town hall project not scheduled to be complete until Dec. 23, they are anxiously, and in some cases angrily, waiting.

I get asked every week, 'When are we going home?'  said Linda Elmer, president of the Ballston Area Seniors. We want to get back into our house. We are going on a year and a half.

This is especially upsetting as Zlotnick, Elmer said, promised her the town would be out by the end of the summer in 2020.

Ive been going to the board meetings and complaining for months, Elmer said. No one even looks at me.  I dont know what to do to make it go faster.

Shes not the only one complaining. John Olenik, a former candidate for supervisor who frequently voices his concerns about town officials actions, is angry over the town hall restoration for another reason. When the town officials and employees abandoned the building, no one thought to turn on the heat. In December, the pipes burst, ruining carpets, walls, ceiling tiles and insulation.

Quick Response came into clean the mess, but its insurance claim for the clean-up, a cost of $40,000, was denied by New York Municipal Insurance. The insurance company cited a clause that noted it doesn't pay claims in a vacant or unoccupied building unless: you have taken reasonable steps to maintain heat in the building.

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Im totally disgusted, said Olenik who spent his career as an insurance executive. Its infuriating. This goes back on one word: incompetence, enormous incompetence.

Councilwoman Barbara Kerr has always argued that MJ Engineering and Land Surveying, the firm leading the project, was too expensive; the town has already paid $161,160 to the firm, surpassing a $100,000 estimate for its work. She believes the town should hire another engineer.

Developer John Munter, who sat on the facilities committee when the town officials first moved into the Community Center, also thought MJ was charging too much. He was also appalled that the town was making a $1 million commitment to a roof repair that could have cost about $100,000 and been completed in 12 to 15 months.

In a letter to the board, he called the town's plans makeshift and a reckless investment with no positive outcome.

I explained to them the remediation information that I had about repairing the roof, Munter said recently. No one would listen to reality. After two weeks, I resigned from the committee.

Kerr, who was among those who didnt want to shutter the town hall back in March 2020, said that all the time and money spent on the town hall is not worth it as the building doesnt fit the towns needs.

We dont have any long-term plans, Kerr said. We are putting $1 million in a building that is inadequate for our needs. We have outgrown it. We need a workable space but we dont have a long-range plan for the building or an addition.

Zlotnick understands everyones anger and frustration but said the work had to be done because maintenance on the property had been neglected for years, leading to today's higher repair costs.

Even if we didnt move out, the roof worked needed to be done, he said. How could it have been done with people in the building? We tore off the roof and there were a couple of days of open sky. And mold had to be eradicated. The whole building needs to be cleaned up and torn apart. We couldnt do it room to room.

He also said he understands that people are unhappy with how things are progressing and said that on Wednesday, the town board will discuss the bids.

"I think we have done the best job we possibly could," Zlotnick said. "This whole thing could have been avoided with a minimum of maintenance and upkeep. ... It's what was needed to be done and we are going to do it."
POESTENKILL  The four Democrats running for the Rensselaer County Legislature district that includes the town want more action by state and county officials to protect residents from PFOA contamination in drinking water found in local homes and at Algonquin Middle School.

Test results showed last week that at two residences tests for PFOA in well water came back above the maximum 10 parts per trillion standard set by the state for the chemical which is considered to cause cancer and other diseases.

Democratic candidates Sally Lauletta, Jennifer Massey, Bob Poitras and Jack Rogers issued a joint statement saying, Protecting the health of our residents, including students and staff at Poestenkills Algonquin Middle School, and keeping PFOAs out of our drinking water are absolutes. We are putting our children at risk. This is unacceptable.

Republican County Legislators Roby Bayly and Tom Grant said the county is working to uncover more information and is reaching out to residents about the middle school.

Were testing the area to see how big of a plume it is. Were intending on doing more testing, Bayly said.

Well get more information and follow the science. There will be periodic updates, Grant said.

Bayly and Grant are running for re-election with fellow GOP incumbents County Legislators Kelly Hoffman and Leon Fianco. The Democrats and Republicans are facing off for four-year terms in District 2 which includes Poestenkill, North Greenbush and East Greenbush. The district has four legislators.

Rensselaer County has worked with the state Department of Health and Department of Environmental Conservation on investigating the contamination. The two test results about the state standard of 10 ppt came back from 10 homes that had their drinking water tested.

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The county has delivered water to the impacted homes. The county has promised to expand its testing in the area around the middle school. The Averill Park Central School District shut drinking water off at the school in January after tests showed PFOA results at 12 ppt. The source of the PFOA contamination at the school and in the surrounding neighborhood has not yet been established.

PFOA is an acronym for perfluorooctanoic acid and is a variant of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. PFOA contamination has been major environmental issue in Rensselaer County since 2014 when PFOA contamination was discovered in municipal drinking water supplies and private wells in the towns of Hoosick and Petersburgh and the village of Hoosick Falls.

The four Democrats called on the county and state departments to take similar action in Poestenkill as to what was done in Hoosick, Petersburgh and Hoosick falls. This includes providing free bottled water to residents; to circulate information about the situation in Poestenkill, the state should test additional wells, test the blood of any resident whose home has tested positive for PFOA, intensify the investigation to locate the source of the contamination, install filters at the school and in homes, conduct a study to connect the school and homes to the town water system and created a program to inform the public.

Previously, County Public Health Director Mary Fran Wachunas said the county is contacting property owners and promised the investigation would continue and residents in the area would be updated.
ALBANY  On April 30, 2011, Jah-Lah Vanderhorst plunged a knife into the heart of fellow teenager Tyler Rhodes in Hoffman Park in front of dozens of witnesses, including one with a cellphone camera that captured the killing.

Prosecutors called it murder. A jury convicted Vanderhorst of first-degree manslaughter. Acting Supreme Court Justice Daniel Lamont, handed Vanderhorst the maximum 25-year-sentence for the conviction, which was upheld on appeal.

And that appeared to be the end of the case - until July 2019. That's when state Supreme Court Justice Peter Lynch agreed to reduce the convicted killers sentence in half to 12  years. Vanderhorst, 16, at the time he fatally stabbed Rhodes, 17, can be eligible for release from prison as soon as Jan. 12.

On Wednesday, an Albany County prosecutor will try to convince five judges on the state's second-highest court to reverse Lynchs ruling and reinstate the 25-year sentence for Vanderhorst. The defendant, now 27, is in Washington Correctional Facility in Comstock.

The arguments will be among the cases heard starting at 1 p.m. at the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court, Third Department, in Albany. Presiding Justice Elizabeth Garry and Justices Molly Reynolds Fitzgerald, Christine Clark, Sharon Aarons and John Colangelo will hear the case.

"It's all in God's hands, like I said back in July 2019," Stacey Rhodes, Tyler Rhodes' mother, told the Times Union on Friday.

"My family will never be the same," she said. "We just live differently. Our hearts that were once whole with Tyler's Love, smile, hugs, conversations and presents will never heal completely. So many milestones Tyler missed because of Jah-Lah's actions on April 30 2011."

Vanderhorst's co-defendant, Dhoruba Shuaib, 29, who blocked Rhodes' movements in the park and tripped him, is serving a 21-year sentence, also for first-degree manslaughter.

On Friday, Stacey Rhodes questioned why Vanderhorst, who stabbed her son, would serve less than 11 years in prison while Shuaib serves 21.

"That doesn't make sense to me," she said.

Lynch imposed the new sentence for Vanderhorst after Vanderhorst and a lawyer, Thomas Gabriels, argued that Lamont had failed to consider Vanderhorst as a "youthful offender," for which Shuaib was too old. Such a status allows defendants between 16 and 19 to plead guilty, serve no more than four years in prison and have their cases sealed.

In October 2013, New York's top court, the Court of Appeals, said judges must consider it for eligible defendants. At the time of Vanderhorst's sentencing in August 2012, judges were not yet required to consider the status.

Prosecutors for District Attorney David Soares and Lynch have clashed many times since Lynch, a former Albany County deputy public defender and well-respected defense attorney, was elected to the bench in 2012 at the county level. He was elected to Supreme Court in 2018.

In a 62-page brief, Assistant District Attorney Vincent Stark argued that from the outset, Lynch was "dead-set on re-sentencing the defendant." Stark suggested the judge's "willful actions foreshadowed a pre-ordained result."

Stark said once a defendant begins a sentence, a trial judge such as Lynch cannot change, suspend or interrupt it unless the sentence was illegal. The Third Department upheld Vanderhorst's conviction and sentence in 2014.

"(Lynch's) move to impose a substantially lower sentence (substituting its own sense of justice for that of the judge who sat through the original trial) is particularly galling in light of the fact that the original sentence was upheld by this court against a challenge that it was harsh and excessive," Stark stated in the June 30 memo.

Stark highlighted Lynch's criticism of prosecutors, probation officials and prison authorities in his sentencing ruling. In sentencing Vanderhorst, Lynch was unmoved by Vanderhorst's 12 disciplinary violations in prison, including five violent incidents. The judge said they were "claimed violations" affirmed by correction officers.

"It is clear from the record that (Lynch) took a personal interest in this case beyond what the duty of a detached, neutral

arbiter requires," Stark told the appellate court. He said Lynch brushed aside established law and disregarded the rulings of no fewer than three other courts, including this one, and it ignored clear and unambiguous procedural rules.

Vanderhorst's appellate attorney, Danielle Neroni, stated in her 22-page brief that when Lynch scheduled the re-sentencing of Vanderhorst, prosecutors could have objected to the proceeding but did not.

"Clearly, the People thought that the court had jurisdiction to proceed in this manner and just because the judge has imposed a

sentence that is less than what they wanted, they should not now be allowed to complain," she stated.

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Neroni's brief cast Vanderhorst as a victim of Rhodes' bullying. She said in 2011, the state's justice system was not looking at youths as it is 2021. Neroni said her client contests "each and every point made" by prosecutors in their appeal and "respectfully submits that (Lynch) was correct in (his) ruling."

Stacey Rhodes had made her concerns evident at the re-sentencing.

I am painfully aware you didnt preside over the trials in this case - and the way you talked about this case scares me," she told Lynch. "It scares me that justice was served for my son and it may be undone here today.
CHATHAM, Mass. (AP)  Theres no ominous music, no telltale fin breaking the surface as the powerful silhouette of a great white shark glides alongside the small tour boat off Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

Michael Simard crouches low and points a finger in the direction of the roughly 10-foot (3-meter) predator cruising in the glassy water below.

The 48-year-old construction foreman from Cambridge, Massachusetts, glances back at his partner, Penny Antonoglou, who dutifully pulls out her smartphone while he holds the pose. Smile. Click.

Its awe-inspiring, really, Simard said after the tour, where they spotted at least six great whites. I didnt realize how graceful they were. It does put it into perspective that this is their element, and we just share it with them.

Three summers after Cape Cod saw two great white shark attacks on humans  including the states first fatal attack since 1936  the popular tourist destination south of Boston is showing signs its slowly, tentatively embracing its shark-y reputation.

A small but growing group of charter boat operators are offering great white shark tours in a region where whale and seal watching excursions have long been a tourist rite of passage.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, a prominent nonprofit shark research organization, is among those that have jumped into the shark ecotourism game. It's also renovated its Shark Center, a family-friendly museum showcasing its research into the local shark population, and is building another educational outpost set to open next summer in the bustling tourist center of Provincetown.

Elsewhere, local shark-themed merchandisers are reporting brisk businesses, even as the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted parts of the regions tourism industry. Cape Cod hosts about 4 million visitors a year, who bring in more than $1 billion in tourism spending and support thousands of jobs.

It feels like were on the trajectory of it being a point of pride for Cape Cod, said Patrick Clarke, owner of the jewelry company Cape Clasp, of the regions white sharks. A lot of the initial fear and hysteria was the fear of the unknown, but were learning more and more about them every year.

Clarke makes a range of jewelry featuring whales, turtles and other marine life, but says the shark-themed pieces  specifically a bracelet made from marine-grade cord held together by a great white shark-shaped sterling silver clasp  are consistently his top sellers.

In Chatham, a hub of the local shark tourism industry, a company that started selling popular stickers of Cape Cod in the shape of a great white shark some seven years ago has taken off as the local shark population has also come into its own.

Kristina Manter says Cape Shark, the apparel company she co-owns with her boyfriend, opened a brick-and-mortar storefront on Main Street last summer to sell a range of hoodies, sweatpants, T-shirts and other clothing adorned with the logo.

Were not just popping up because we saw the tourism. Weve been around because weve loved the sharks and believed in their conservation, Manter says. It just kind of fell together perfectly.

Theres no definitive tally for how much shark-related tourism contributes to the roughly 65-mile (105-kilometer) peninsula's economy, but its growth is helping stretch the tourist season into the fall, as peak shark sightings happen in August and September, says Paul Niedzwiecki, CEO of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.

Indeed, dozens of beaches have temporarily closed in recent weeks after sharks were spotted as close as 30 feet (9 meters) from some of the Cape's most famous stretches of sand. Shark researchers say they expect to be out tagging and observing the predators into November, if the weather permits.

Several years ago, there was a concern that it might have a negative impact on tourism, Niedzwiecki said. But weve been working to educate people about sharks and what weve actually seen is no negative impact.

Mike Bosley, who captained the shark tour Simard and Antonoglou took last month, hopes shark watching tours can bring a different perspective to the local shark discourse.

Theres always been sharks, but there hasnt always been the opportunity to interact with sharks in this fashion, said Bosley, whose Dragonfly Sportfishing started offering shark tours in earnest this summer in between its regular fishing and whale watching excursions. Theyre part of our ecosystem.

Since the 2018 attacks, Cape officials have invested in better training and equipment for lifeguards and first responders to keep beachgoers safe as great white sharks migrate in ever larger numbers to feast on the regions bountiful seal population.

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But a group of concerned residents, vacationers and other advocates have formed a nonprofit to push for more sophisticated and proactive shark safety measures, such as undersea detection, land-based warning systems and drone surveillance.

Local surfers, meanwhile, have taken to arming themselves with shark repellents, including personal devices that emit electrical fields that supposedly deter but don't harm sharks.

Concern about great whites is growing elsewhere in New England, especially after a New York woman was fatally bitten by one in Maine last July, becoming the first person to die by shark attack in the state. Dozens of marine organizations and state agencies from Rhode Island to Canada formed a consortium to collaborate on shark research in response.

Greg Skomal, a state marine biologist currently studying the hunting patterns of the Cape's great whites, says shark tours could prove beneficial, so long as they continue to be done responsibly.

There are currently no licensing or registration requirements for the tours, but those and other regulations should be considered if more join the fray, he said.

The state banned the use of bloody chum, decoys and other bait to lure sharks in 2015, meaning the kinds of shark cage diving operations that are common in Australia, South Africa and other shark-rich destinations arent allowed in Massachusetts waters, unless theyre more than 3 miles (5 kilometers) offshore, where state jurisdiction ends.

Were very sensitive to activities that alter the sharks' natural behavior, said Skomal. We dont want six (tours) following a single shark into shallow water near swimming beaches.

Like most operations, Bosleys Dragonfly Sportfishing generally stays hundreds of yards (meters) off shore, in water more than 8 feet (2.4 meters) deep.

But it's a relatively costly outing: The nearly three-hour tours, which rely on an overhead spotter plane to locate sharks, range anywhere from $1,600 to $2,500 per boat, and the vessels typically carry six passengers at most.

Antonoglou, a 47-year-old civil engineer, says the eye-opening experience is worth the expense.

When people think of great whites, they think of Jaws,' but its not like that at all, she said. Its pretty cool that we know theyre out there. The populations are thriving, and I think its a great asset for the Cape.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP)  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that people are not bargaining chips, adding the U.S. stands with Canada in calling for the release of two Canadians detained in China for 1,000 days.

Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were detained in China in what many countries label hostage politics after Canada arrested an executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei in 2018 on a U.S. extradition request.

Kovrig, a Canadian diplomat on leave to an international organization, and Spavor, an entrepreneur, were arrested in apparent retaliation. Both have since been convicted of spying in closed Chinese courts  a process that Canada and dozens of allies say amounts to arbitrary detention.

Today marks the 1,000th day of the arbitrary detention of Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig by the Peoples Republic of China (PRC)," Blinken said in a statement. "We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Canada and the international community in calling for the PRC to release, immediately and unconditionally, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig.

He added: The practice of arbitrarily detaining individuals to exercise leverage over foreign governments is completely unacceptable. People should never be used as bargaining chips.

The arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huaweis founder, infuriated Beijing, which sees her case as a political move designed to prevent Chinas rise. The U.S. accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company called Skycom to sell equipment to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions.

Spavor's and Kovrig's relatives and supporters are pushing for some sort of political resolution that could bring them home.

They staged a march in Ottawa on Sunday seeking to replicate the 7,000 steps that Kovrig has tried to walk every day in his cramped jail cell to maintain his physical and mental well-being.

Its an extremely difficult milestone, but one that we want to mark in this way, in part, to honor the strength and resilience that Michael and Michael Spavor have shown, Kovrigs former wife, Vina Nadjibulla, said.

Spavor was sentenced to 11 years in prison on national security charges. China's government has released few details other than to accuse Spavor of passing along sensitive information to Kovrig. Both have been held in isolation and have had little contact with Canadian diplomats.

"We worry about him, but we find strength from all the support we get, said Paul Spavor, his brother.

China says Spavor and Kovrig committed serious crimes against its national security and, although denying a direct link with Mengs case, routinely mention her when referring to the detention of Canadians in the country.

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The Chinese Embassy in Canada on Sunday protested comments by Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau referring to arbitrary detention and a lack of transparency in the Chinese judicial process.

Those remarks grossly infringed on Chinas judicial sovereignty and violated the spirit of the rule of law, the embassys statement said.

Three Canadians convicted in separate drug cases were sentenced to death in 2019. In one, Robert Schellenberg had received a 15-year sentence initially that was abruptly increased to death in January 2019 following Mengs arrest.

Canada and other countries face trade boycotts and other Chinese pressure in disputes with Beijing over human rights, the coronavirus and control of the South China Sea. The U.S. has warned American travelers face a heightened risk of arbitrary detention in China for reasons other than to enforce laws.

China has tried to pressure Canada's government by imposing restrictions on imports of canola seed oil and other products.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Polands parliament voted Monday to uphold the state of emergency along the border with Belarus that was declared last week amid migration pressure.

The vote came after Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told lawmakers that the country faces a threat from Russia and Belarus as he sought support for the state of emergency, which was declared last week by President Andrzej Duda  a step unprecedented in the country's post-communist history.

Morawiecki told the parliament that the defense of the Polish borders is the responsibility of the state, and that "in Moscow and Minsk scenarios are being written" that threaten Poland's security and sovereignty.

Poland, Lithuania and Latvia  the three European Union nations that border Belarus  accuse Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of pushing migrants from Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and elsewhere into their countries illegally. They call it an act of hybrid war against their countries in revenge for EU sanctions.

Morawiecki and other officials have defended the state of emergency also by noting that Moscow will begin large military exercises in Russia and Belarus later this month.

The state of emergency allows the authorities to prevent journalists and other civilians from operating within 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) from the border with Belarus. Some lawmakers accused the government of using it to limit the rights of journalists to work, and citizens the right to obtain information, from the border.

Tomasz Siemoniak, deputy leader of the main opposition party, Civic Platform, said there was no doubt that Poland has external opponents seeking to weaken it, a threat he said should never be taken lightly. But the former defense minister argued there was no justification for the state of emergency now. He accused the ruling authorities of using it to distract from rising prices, scandals and problems in the health system.

Morawiecki said at an earlier news conference that migrants trying to enter into Poland illegally from Belarus are being provided with food and money by the Belarusian security services.

While thousands of migrants have been pushed back or put in closed centers for immigrants, the main focus for weeks has been around 30 people stranded on the Poland-Belarus border.

The International Organization for Migration in Geneva said it is deeply concerned about the dire conditions they are in, saying they are facing extremely harsh conditions, with limited access to drinking water and food, medical assistance, sanitation facilities and shelter.

Prolonging this unacceptable situation poses a grievous threat to the migrants lives and health, the IOM said.

Polish officials pushed back strongly against the view that the migrants are victims deprived of humanitarian aid. In Warsaw, the Polish authorities released images which they said showed Belarusian security forces providing the migrants with food, clothes and transport by car. Some appeared to show officials from the Belarus Red Cross, which visited them last week.

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Blazej Pobozy, a deputy interior minister, said it was a false narrative to view the people at the border as poor, hungry refugees who do not get help from anywhere.

Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said most who crossed into Poland illegally are Iraqis who traveled by plane from Baghdad to Minsk. He said there was also a group of Afghans who have lived for years in Russia and were now offered access to the EU.

The fate of the group has raised concerns among some in Poland who accuse the government of being inhumane. Poland has deployed soldiers to the border, reinforced it with razor wire and refused to let the group apply for asylum.

With Russia beginning military exercises this month, Morawiecki said we have not had such a tense situation for 30 years.

___

Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
On Labor Day as we celebrate working people and all they do; we also take note that at no other time in recent memory has it been so vitally important to be able to have a voice in the workplace.

The COVID-19 pandemic not only highlighted how many workers we rely on, it proved how badly we need unions in this country so that workers have the freedom to speak up at work without fear of retribution and to be able to collectively bargain for better pay, benefits and working conditions.

Everyday workers are the ones who got us through the pandemic. In addition to law enforcement, firefighters, doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel, they are the caregivers and educators, the grocery store, construction, postal, food service and sanitation workers. They are the food delivery workers, the bus, subway, and train operators and essential government employees.

They are the workers we all depend on, the ones who had no choice but to hope and pray they would get through each day as the pandemic raged through our communities. They are the workers who dont have the option of working from home. They were then, and continue to be, the true heroes of our time.

Fortunately for many of them, they belong to a union and have a voice at their workplace to speak up about health and safety concerns. They were able to demand personal protective equipment and can negotiate for better wages, benefits and working conditions.

It was through the collective power of unions that we secured passage of critically important worker protections, including paid time off for vaccines, unemployment and death benefits, and the NY HERO Act. The act establishes workplace safety protocols that are being developed by the Department of Labor to address COVID-19 today as well as future communicable disease events.

But far too many workers lack that voice in the workplace.

For far too long corporations have had the upper hand, often going to extreme lengths to make it more difficult for workers to form unions.

And that is why as we celebrate working people on Labor Day, the entire labor movement supports passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (the PRO Act). It is a generational opportunity to change the power dynamics and create balance between employees and their employer, rebuild our economy fairly and help close racial and gender wage gaps.

The PRO Act would level the playing field by streamlining the process for reaching a collective bargaining agreement once a union is formed; institute penalties for employers that violate workers rights; make workplaces safer, and much more.

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On average, workers covered by union contracts earn 11.2 percent more in wages compared with their nonunionized peers. Unions raise wages for women and reduce wage disparities for people of color. More than nine in 10 workers covered by a union contract have access to employer-sponsored health benefits, while only 68 percent of nonunion workers can say the same.

It's no wonder that more workers are coming together and demanding leverage. We have seen workers across all sectors and industries vote in favor of organizing to collectively bargain for something better. A new Gallup Poll found that public approval of unions has risen to 68 percent, the highest since 1965, and research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows that nearly 60 million people would vote to join a union today if given the opportunity.

More and more workers understand that a union contract is the single best tool to close racial and gender wage gaps, and to ensure dignity and due process for all workers, regardless of our race, religion, ethnicity, culture, or sexual orientation. Simply put: The PRO Act will make Americas economy work for working people.

President Joe Biden has urged its passage; the House has answered that call. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York co-sponsor the bill. Now we need their colleagues to follow their lead to rebuild our economy fairly.

So on this Labor Day, we should all remember that as a state and as a country, we can build back better with unions by ensuring passage of the PRO Act.

Mario Cilento is president of the New York State AFL-CIO.
Farmington, WV (26555)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. A few storms may be severe. High 77F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early - fog may develop overnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Authorities say two Ohio residents were injured when they were run over by a boat in an east Tennessee lake
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[September 06, 2021] Build Intelligent Cloud-Network Based on IPv6+ for Digital Transformation in the Asia Pacific region

BANGKOK, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Asia Pacific Target Network Conference themed "Consolidate Elastic Target Network, Unlocking New Digital Value" concluded online last Friday. Around 500 professionals from government agencies, standards organizations, enterprises, carriers, and industry mainstream vendors attended this conference hosted by Huawei. At this conference, Huawei worked with leading regional operators such as PLDT, Telkom Indonesia, Globe and CMI etc., to discuss the latest trends, standards progress and innovation capabilities of "IPv6+". Hank Chen, President of Router Product Line at Huawei delivered the keynote speech on "Build Intelligent Cloud-Network Based on IPv6+ for Digital Transformation". In his keynote speech, Chen addressed that the intelligent cloud network built based on "IPv6+" capabilities will promote the digital development of individuals, enterprises, and households and enable carriers to succeed in business. With the rapid development of the digital economy, carriers' ICT infrastructure has become the foundation for digitalization. In Asia Pacific region, more and ore enterprises are accelerating their digitalization process, with the growth rate of their cloud spend exceeding 34%. The migration of individual users to the new generation mobile networks has been accelerated. The average DoU has increased by over 70% in the past year. Both home broadband services and private lines are developed to be interactive. The traffic of high-value services such as HD video and remote office services are increased by 10 times. The comprehensive development of fixed and mobile services will bring huge opportunities to carriers. The enterprise business is the biggest and most important opportunity while individual and home services are the cornerstones of carriers' revenue stability.



Carrier networks face many challenges, both for enterprise and consumer users. Traditional networks face challenges such as ultra-broadband evolution, refined operation, and reactive O&M to meet the requirements of massive user bearing. Production networks will also face problems such as slow cloud network splitting and provisioning, challenge service SLA assurance, and e-commerce O&M. To overcome these challenges, a new-generation cloud network with more converged transport, deterministic experience, and intelligent O&M features must be built. Huawei's all-scenario integrated bearer solution and NetEngine series routers enable carriers to develop enterprise, individual, and home services.

The NetEngine series intelligent routers provide a full-service platform. The aggregation, metro, and backbone networks provide 400GE ultra-broadband capability with optimal power consumption per bit, implementing low-carbon IP networks. Chen highlighted that the IP industry is undergoing a huge change. The FMC and cloud-driven network architectures from connection-centric to cloud-centric, which further expands the connectivity and connection range of IP networks. Industry should be more active in practicing application deployment of "IPv6+" capabilities, and promote the development of the "IPv6+" industry by using massive applications in mobile bearer, enterprise, smart healthcare, smart education, and smart home scenarios, helping carriers to accelerate the construction of cloud network capabilities and inspire the digital potential. SOURCE Huawei

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[September 06, 2021] Global Sources Fall 2021 Show Series is Reopening in October in Hong Kong with a new show paradigm

HONG KONG, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Sources announces the return of its Fall 2021 Show Series from October 25 to 27, 2021 at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong. The series, which comprises eight shows, including Global Sources Consumer Electronics, Global Sources Electronic Components, Global Sources Mobile Electronics, Global Sources Smart Home & Appliances, Global Sources Home & Kitchen, Global Sources Tech Gifts, Global Sources Lifestyle, and Global Sources Fashion, is designed to meet the sourcing needs of the global consumer market and facilitate quality international consumer product industry synergy and transaction. The Fall 2021 Show Series in Hong Kong is scheduled to feature 1,000 quality suppliers and showcase over 20,000 professional, innovative products. Among them, the Global Sources Consumer Electronics show will feature audio & video equipment, computer products & peripherals, among a comprehensive range of consumer electronics products; while Global Sources Mobile Electronics will cover mobile devices, wearables, mobile accessories, and audio products. Smart home products and security products will be showcased at the Global Sources Smart Home & Appliances show, and Global Sources Home & Kitchen will bring in a rich array of home decor, everyday household items, tableware, kitchen utensils, and Christmas and festive supplies. Last but not least, the Global Sources Lifestyle and Fashion shows will feature fashion apparel& accessories, sports, outdoor and leisure items, and health and personal care products.



A brand-new trade show paradigm: traditional trade show + private buyer/supplier interaction + Show Ambassador service In response to the strong sourcing demand of the market, the Fall 2021 Show Series will launch a special new trade show format  the Private Product Demo Session. Selected VIP buyers will be invited to meet each participating supplier company in a private, face-to-face meeting. Through this model, buyers can see and physically feel the products and quickly give feedback on their intent for business cooperation. Suppliers, meanwhile, can fully demonstrate their new products and supply capabilities and seize business opportunities on the spot.

To ensure exhibitors can reach buyers in their target markets effectively despite the prevailing international travel restrictions, not only will the Fall 2021 Show Series provide hotel arrangements for cross-border suppliers, it will also launch the "Show Ambassador" service. This service allows suppliers who are unable to travel to still participate in the show, and contact their buyers, worry-free. The first post-pandemic show "The Global Sources Hong Kong Show Series has always been an important platform for building international trade cooperation and is recognized by UFI (the global association of the exhibition industry) as one of the world's premium professional sourcing shows. As a leader in the show industry, Global Sources has the obligation and need to take the first step at this moment to organize the first post-pandemic show, to help suppliers and buyers in the market who have not been able to conveniently and effectively conduct international trading business for the past one and a half years catch up on the missed opportunities. At the same time, to help global buyers search for the latest innovative electronics technology products and hot lifestyle and fashion items. Ultimately, to contribute to the recovery and stable development of the global economy," said Hu Wei, Chief Executive Officer of Global Sources. Global Sources will also invest 3 million US dollars to invite local buyers from major international sourcing offices, brand owners, merchandisers, institutions, and representative offices of foreign enterprises in China, making Global Sources Fall 2021 Show Series a high-quality trade show. More than 10,000 buyers are expected to visit the Show, which will encourage buyers and sellers to explore more business opportunities. Registration and show details are available at GlobalSources.com. About Global Sources Global Sources is an internationally recognized B2B sourcing platform that has been driving global trade for over 50 years. The Company connects authentic buyers and verified suppliers worldwide with tailored solutions and trusted market intelligence through trade shows, digital platforms, and magazines. Global Sources pioneered the world's first cross-border B2B E-commerce web site GlobalSources.com in 1995. The Company has over 10 million registered international buyers and users. Press Contact  Global Sources Cecilia Liu

Tel: (852) 2814-5580 / 9498-3548

E-mail: cecilialiu@globalsources.com SOURCE Global Sources

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[September 06, 2021] Iran - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Sydney, Sept. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of BuddeComm report outlines the latest developments and key trends in the telecoms markets. - https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Iran-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW

To address this, the government introduced a device registration scheme, and bolstered the capacity for domestically manufactured mobile phones.



Operators have invested in broadening the reach of their LTE networks, which has increased network capacity and improved the quality of mobile broadband services. The country is also looking to 5G, with services having been launched by MCI and MTN Irancell in early 2021. The sector is still hamstrung by the paucity of spectrum, though the government is addressing this with plans to auction spectrum in the 3.5GHz band for 5G use.





Iran is keen to grow its Irans digital economy and the National Internet Network (NIN) is pivotal to Irans fixed broadband infrastructure plans and overall Smart City progress.





From a broad perspective, Iran offers significant opportunities for growth in the telecoms sector. The country has one of the largest populations in the Middle East, and there is a high proportion of youthful, tech savvy users hving considerable demand for both fixed and mobile telecom services.









BuddeComm notes that the outbreak of the pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains all around the world. During this time, the telecoms sector to various degrees is likely to experience a downturn in mobile device and ICT equipment production, while it may also be difficult for network operators to source necessary equipment or manage workflows when maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure.







Overall progress towards 5G may also be postponed or slowed down in some countries.





On the consumer side, spending on telecoms services is likely to be impacted by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes. It is largely unknown what the long-term impacts will be as the crisis develops.





In addition, the report 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.





This BuddeComm report explores Irans telecoms sector in further detail along with analyses of the market, key industry statistics, and information on the key developments and major players.







Recent developments:



MTN Group confirms plan to exit Iran;

Regulator awards spectrum in the 2.3GHz band to MCI and MTN Irancell;

Legislation is passed transferring TCIs fixed network assets to the government;

Network operators begin offering national roaming to improve services in rural areas;

TCI allowing infrastructure sharing of its fibre network with competitors;

Iran implements its 6th Development Plan through to end-2021;

Report update includes telcos operating 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.

Companies mentioned in this report include:





Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI), Mobile Communications Iran (MCI), MTN Irancell, Tamin Telecom (Rightel).





Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Iran-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW

Nicolas Bombourg: nbombourg@budde.com.au Europe office: +44 207 097 1241 Oceania Office: +61 280 767 665

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[September 06, 2021] PhosAgro Welcomes European Commission Decision to Further Limit Maximum Levels of Cadmium Content in Foodstuffs

MOSCOW, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PhosAgro welcomes the decision by the European Commission (EC) to further stiffen cadmium limits in a range of foodstuffs in the European Union. Regulation 2021/1323 amending the annex to Regulation 1881/2006 has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The new document reduces by at least half the previously established maximum allowed concentration of cadmium in foodstuffs in the EU market. The expanded list of food products affected by the new restriction on cadmium content includes 66 items. This decision was made following an analysis of the long-term data on cadmium content in foodstuffs in the EU, together with an increasing array of data confirming the negative impact of this toxic substance on health, including the development of serious diseases such as cancer. In the preamble to the regulation, the EC refers to the conclusion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that cadmium accumulates in the body over time and may cause renal dysfunction. The EFSA also found that a number of subgroups, and especially children, are at risk of exceeding the tolerable intake of cadmium by about twofold. Irina Bokova, the Chair of PhosAgro's Sustainable Development Committee, said: "Limiting toxic elements such as cadmium in food is a necessary step towards reducing risks to human health and the environment, and to ensuring sustainable agricultural development. At PhosAgro, we are confident that the updated regulation is a positive step for the entire industry on the path to accomplishing our global goals." PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev said: "PhosAgro pays particular attention to ESG issues. A key element of the Company's strategy to 2025 is sustainability, which entails PhosAgros contribution to solving global issues, including ensuring food security and improving the health of the world's population".



"We are pleased to see that the global community and the agricultural industry are paying increasing attention to issues of food security and human health protection, which has resulted in the EU's restriction on cadmium and other harmful impurities in food and its authorisation of voluntary eco-labelling of fertilizers that do not contain concentrations of cadmium or other heavy metals that are hazardous to human health and soils. "PhosAgro's main objective is to ensure that farmers can access these products. PhosAgro fertilizers easily meet the most stringent environmental and quality requirements for applying the EU green label. This enables European agricultural producers to make an informed choice in favour of eco-efficient mineral fertilizers so that the crops they grow and the food they produce are safe for consumers."

The text of the decisions of the European Parliament and the European Council can be found here. About PhosAgro PhosAgro (www.phosagro.com) is one of the world's leading vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producers in terms of production volumes of phosphate-based fertilizers and high-grade phosphate rock with a P 2 O 5 content of 39% and higher. PhosAgro's environmentally friendly fertilizers stand out for their high efficiency, and they do not lead to the contamination of soils with heavy metals. The Company is the largest phosphate-based fertilizer producer in Europe (by total combined capacity for DAP/MAP/NP/NPK/NPS), the largest producer of high-grade phosphate rock with a P 2 O 5 content of 39%, a top-three producer of MAP/DAP globally, one of the leading producers of feed phosphates (MCP) in Europe, and the only producer in Russia, and Russia's only producer of nepheline concentrate (according to the RAFP). PhosAgro's main products include phosphate rock, more than 50 grades of fertilizers, feed phosphates, ammonia, and sodium tripolyphosphate, which are used by customers in 102 countries spanning all of the world's inhabited continents. The Company's priority markets outside of Russia and the CIS are Latin America, Europe and Asia. PhosAgro's shares are traded on the Moscow Exchange, and global depositary receipts (GDRs) for shares trade on the London Stock Exchange (under the ticker PHOR). Since 1 June 2016, the Company's GDRs have been included in the MSCI Russia and MSCI Emerging Markets indexes. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/phosagro-welcomes-european-commission-decision-to-further-limit-maximum-levels-of-cadmium-content-in-foodstuffs-301369672.html SOURCE PhosAgro

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[September 06, 2021] Storytel appoints Johan Stahle and Mark Pasternak as Head of Product and Head of Technology

STOCKHOLM, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Storytel appoints Mark Pasternak as Head of Technology and Johan Stahle as Head of Product. Together they will lead Storytel's tech teams and the development of the company's platform, products and customer experience. Johan Stahle comes from an entrepreneurial background leading product development and scaling digital business in the fintech and management consulting sectors. Johan is the co-founder and former Chief Product Officer of the Nordic fintech company Dreams and has also been Expert Engagement Manager at McKinsey. "I love the energy, focus and the fast pace of entrepreneurial companies. I look forward to building on Storytels existing successes and expansion to readers and listeners across the globe. Being a product led company means constant product development with the customer experience in focus - and that will be my mission going forward," says Johan Stahle, Head of Product at Storytel.

Mark Pasternak has more than 20 years of experience in the tech industry and has worked in senior leadership roles across well-known and leading Nordic tech and media companies. Mark's experience includes leading product and platform teams as Director of Engineering at Schibsted Media Group and Epidemic Sound.

"A strong collaboration between product and tech is key in all development processes and I am confident that me, Johan and Storytel's talented tech teams will form a really strong line-up to bring about the best product decisions and drive innovation. Attracting and retaining top talents is an essential part of staying ahead of the competition and delivering cutting edge functionality, so I feel privileged, happy and spurred to join and lead Storytel's awesome technology teams," says Mark Pasternak, Head of Technology at Storytel.

Mark Pasternak and Johan Stahle report to Storytels CEO Jonas Tellander, who temporarily also steps in as acting Chief Development Officer following Jorgen Gullbrandson stepping down from the position in August.

"I am very happy to welcome Mark and Johan to Storytel. Their experience from technology- and innovation-driven companies and advanced tech leadership make them the perfect choice to take Storytel to the next level as our trajectory of expansion continues across the world, including the constant development of the best customer experience," says Jonas Tellander, founder and CEO of Storytel. "I also want to extend my warmest gratitude and appreciation to Jorgen Gullbrandson, who has been instrumental in these recruitments and I wish him all the best on his new entrepreneurial venture".

FNCA Sweden AB is the company's certified adviser. FNCA can be reached at info@fnca.se or +46 8 528 00 399.

For more information, please contact:

Dan Panas, Head Global Communications & PR

Tel: +46 70 186 52 90

Email: dan.panas@storytel.com

About Storytel

Storytel is one of the world's largest subscribed audiobook and e-book streaming services and offers listening and reading of more than 700,000 titles on a global scale. Our vision is to make the world a more empathetic and creative place with great stories to be shared and enjoyed by anyone, anywhere and anytime. Storytel's streaming business is conducted under the brands Storytel and Mofibo. Storytel's publishing business area is carried out through the audiobook publisher StorySide and acclaimed Nordic publishing houses such as Norstedts, People's and Gummerus. Storytel operates in 25 markets around the globe and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/storytel/r/storytel-appoints-johan-stahle-and-mark-pasternak-as-head-of-product-and-head-of-technology,c3410308 The following files are available for download:







https://news.cision.com/storytel/i/storytel-recruits-johan-stahle-and-mark-pasternak-as-head-of-product-and-head-of-technology,c2950947 Storytel recruits Johan Stahle and Mark Pasternak as Head of Product and Head of Technology



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[September 06, 2021] Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS Reigns as Malaysia's Number 1 Private University in THE World University Rankings 2022

SERI ISKANDAR, Malaysia, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) is the top ranking private university in Malaysia according to the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2022 release, and successfully placed as second among Malaysian universities. In the latest rankings, the university has improved its position across three metrics, namely citations, research and international outlook. For the first time, UTP has broken into the 501-600 band, rising from its previous band of 601-800. This is by far the university's highest achievement since its debut in 2017. "This chievement is one of the testaments that UTP is very determined in delivering its commitment towards all our stakeholders especially our parent company PETRONAS, students, parents, sponsors and collaborators.



"UTP will continue its significant momentum as a leading university among our international peers by re-engineering our research strategic focus resulting in better impact on publications, by producing niche and value adding commercial applications and by converging more strategic partnerships with universities and industries within the region. As part of the PETRONAS group, we also see significant opportunities by aligning our initiatives to support PETRONAS' current and future businesses as well as its sustainability agenda. We hope this will elevate our business outlook and strengthen our financial sustainability which will be crucial for the university's future," said UTP Vice Chancellor, Professor Ts. Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib. "I wish to thank PETRONAS for the strong and unwavering support and to my team for their continuous dedication, hard work and perseverance which have taken us this far. Also, to the UTP community, namely our students and parents, for being with us in this journey through thick and thin," he added.

UTP has continuously cemented its position as the best private university in the country, proven through consistently being ranked in the world and the nation rankings and ratings such as THE, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), Malaysia Research Assessment Rating System (MyRA) and Rating System for Malaysian Higher Education (SETARA). Notably, in the THE Asia University Rankings 2021, UTP is ranked 111th while for THE Young University Rankings 2021, the university is positioned at 134th. Meanwhile for QS, UTP is ranked 70th in the QS Asia University Rankings 2021. It is also ranked 230th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021, where both its Petroleum Engineering and Mineral Engineering subjects are ranked in the Top 50 and the first in the nation. Furthermore, UTP has retained its six-star rating (the highest performance level) in MyRA for its research development and commercialisation programme. In addition, the university has achieved a six-star or outstanding status in SETARA for its teaching, research and services. SOURCE Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP)

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[September 06, 2021] UST intensifies focus in Australia; Appoints Matthew McCormack as Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Sept. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UST, a leading digital transformation solutions company, today announced the appointment of Matthew McCormack as the Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). In his new role, McCormack will lead the expansion and growth of the company and champion UST's vision of 'Transforming Lives' in the region. He will focus on unlocking value for organisations by leveraging the power of digital technologies across Australia and New Zealand. The US-headquartered global company UST, backed by Temasek, a global investment company headquartered in Singapore, recently announced its hiring of over 10,000 new people this year across the globe, including Australia and New Zealand, with digital proficiencies and key skills in Digital Transformation, Cybersecurity, Cloud Infrastructure, Java, Data Science & Engineering, Application Development and Modernisation, AI/ML, Automation (RPA/IPA). Krishna Sudheendra, Chief Executive Officer, UST, said, "Matt's deep knowledge of the Australian and New Zealand markets, along with his ability to align business objectives, technology investments, and customer outcomes, will be the cornerstone of our accelerated growth in the market. His appointment reflects our focus as we rapidly expand our business across the region. UST is helping our clients into faster adotion of digital transformation, which in turn will help them with faster time to market in new product offerings, expand their business, and improve their revenue and margins."



"Matt brings to UST deep expertise in strategy and operations and building a high performing consulting business. Matt joins us at a time when we are investing heavily in the ANZ market and bringing our solution capabilities from across the globe to benefit our customers in the region. Matt will lead our business expansion, client relationships, talent growth, industry and academia partnerships, brand building, and social impact initiatives in Australia and New Zealand. I look forward to working closely with Matt as we take the business forward," said Alexander Varghese, Chief Operating Officer, UST. Prior to joining UST, McCormack led some of the region's largest digital transformations, building diverse teams across APAC to support clients to design, build, and scale, meaningful experiences to transform their organisations. His experience across a broad range of industries includes banking and finance, logistics, education, telecommunications, government, and defence.

Commenting on his appointment, McCormack said, "I see a huge potential for UST to be the market leader in the human-centered digital transformation space in Australia and New Zealand, especially with the breadth and depth of offerings and the global partnership ecosystem UST has built over the past 22 years." "For me, joining UST is more than seeing the potential in its people, products, and platforms. It is about the importance of purposetransforming livesand how it is embedded in the DNA of the company. UST's focus on positive social impact deeply resonates with me, and offers an ideal environment to incubate and reinvigorate meaningful careers of top-performing talent," McCormack added. McCormack holds an Honours degree in Psychology and Anthropology, a Master's in International Management, and a Master's in Business and IT Strategy. Prior to joining UST, McCormack was with Cognizant as Head of Consulting for Cognizant Digital Business and Technology across Asia Pacific and Middle East markets. About UST For more than 20 years, UST has worked side by side with the world's best companies to make a real impact through transformation. Powered by technology, inspired by people, and led by our purpose, we partner with our clients from design to operation. Through our nimble approach, we identify their core challenges and craft disruptive solutions that bring their vision to life. With deep domain expertise and a future-proof philosophy, we embed innovation and agility into our clients' organisationsdelivering measurable value and lasting change across industries and around the world. Together, with over 26,000 employees in 25 countries, we build for boundless impacttouching billions of lives in the process. Visit us at ust.com. Media Contacts, UST:

Tinu Cherian Abraham

+1 (949) 415-9857

Neha Misri

+ 91-9972631264

media.relations@ust.com Media Contacts, U.S.:

S&C PR

+1-646.941.9139

media@scprgroup.com Media Contacts, U.K.:

FTI Consulting

UST@fticonsulting.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1422658/UST_Logo.jpg

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[September 05, 2021] IPv6+ Accelerates Carriers' Target Network Development in Asia Pacific

BANGKOK, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Asia Pacific Target Network Conference themed "Consolidate Elastic Target Network, Unlocking New Digital Value" concluded online on Friday. Around 500 professionals from government agencies, standards organizations, enterprises, carriers, and industry mainstream vendors attended this conference hosted by Huawei. At this conference, Huawei worked with leading regional operators such as PLDT, Telkom Indonesia, Globe and CMI etc., to discuss the intelligent target network architecture and highlight the value of the transport network. Hank Chen, President of Router Product Line at Huawei delivered the keynote speech on "Build Intelligent Cloud-Network Based on IPv6+ for Digital Transformation". In his keynote speech, Chen addressed that the intelligent cloud network built based on "IPv6+" capabilities will promote the digital development of individuals, enterprises, and households and enable carriers to succeed in business. The comprehensive development of fixed and mobile services will bring huge opportunities to carriers. The enterprise business is the biggest and most important opportunity while individual and home services are the cornerstones of carriers' revenue stability. "Industry should be more active in practicing application deployment of "IPv6+" capabilities, and promote the development of the "IPv6+" industry by using massive applications in mobile bearer, enterprise, smart healthcare, smart education, and smart home scenarios, helping carriers to accelerate the construction of cloud network capabilities and inspire the digital potential," said Hank Chen. ETSI ISG IPE Chairman Latif Ladid and IETF IAB member Robin Li delivered keynote speeches focusing on the global IPv6 development trnd, IPv6 technological innovation system, IPE industry alliance and the latest progress of IPv6+ standards.



In his speech themed "Accelerating IPv6 Innovation and Crossing the Digital Divide," Latif echoed participants such as Huawei's idea that IPv6 will be widely applied to services such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and 5G, which implementing Internet of Everything. He said that IPv4 addresses are about to be exhausted and the IPv4 resources in Asia-Pacific countries are becoming increasingly tight. IPv6 is the right choice for future development of IP network. Currently, countries around the world have issued IPv6 policies to promote IPv6 development. As the scale of IPv6 deployment continues to expand, IPv6 will be widely applied to services such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and 5G, which implementing Internet of Everything. IPv6 technology innovation includes protocol innovation and AI innovation to provide service assurance that meets different requirements and intelligent connection of everything.

In October 2020, ETSI established the ISG IPE Alliance to promote full connectivity of IPv6 on everything and promote the commercial success of IPv6 technologies. Currently, more than 60 members which including carriers, vendors, and academia, have joined the IPE to build IPv6 only target network and build a fully connected digital world. In the keynote themed "IPv6+ Standards and Industry Progress" by Robin Li, the IETF IAB member said that services drive IP evolution. From Native IP to MPLS, IP networks have entered the IPv6+ era. It is recommended that the evolution and deployment of IPv6+ standard in three phases: In phase 1.0, basic SRv6 capabilities are provided. In this phase, basic features such as SRv6 VPN, SRv6 TE, SRv6 FRR, and end-to-end protection are involved. The basic functions of SRv6 and the intelligent management and control system are used to implement network programmability, simplify the network, and support efficient end-to-end cross-domain resource coordination. In phase 2.0, the new network service capabilities for 5G and Cloudification era are provided. In this phase, standards mainly involve service quality assurance, such as network slicing, In-situ Flow Information Telemetry, and BIERv6 which provide differentiated experience assurance. SRv6 combines network slicing, in-flow detection, and SDN intelligent management and control to implement enterprise-level multi-purpose, accurate service performance detection, and differentiated assurance of high-quality service experience. With the widely deployment of SRv6, the impact of the header length has gradually becomes more prominent, and SRv6 compression becomes a hot topic in current research and standards. In 3.0 Phase, application-aware network (APN6, Application-aware IPv6 Networking) innovations and standards are built to implement refined operation based on application-based differentiated channels. In this phase, networks are adjusted based on intents to achieve the goal of highly autonomous networks. "Today's investment in IPv6+ standards, especially SRv6, will bring fruitful results to carriers in the Asia Pacific region," Robin Li calls on carriers and suppliers such including Huawei to build a SRv6 industry ecosystem, promote IPv6+ standards, and continuously explore future-oriented IP target network. "IPv6+" is a comprehensive capability upgrade of the IPv6 technology system. It is based on "re-enhancement" of the IPv6 technology system, "re-innovation" of core technologies, "re-improvement" of network capabilities, and "re-upgrade" of the industry ecosystem. IPv6+ provides more open technologies and service innovations, more efficient and flexible networking and service provisioning, better performance and user experience, and more intelligent and reliable O&M and security assurance which enabling IP network upgrade and innovation. The emergence of IPv6+ will bring more development and space for carriers in the Asia Pacific region. SOURCE Huawei

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[September 05, 2021] Network 2025 Enabling APAC Business Success

BANGKOK, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Asia Pacific Target Network Conference themed "Consolidate Elastic Target Network, Unlocking New Digital Value" concluded online on Friday. Around 500 professionals from government agencies, standards organizations, enterprises, carriers, and industry mainstream vendors attended this conference. At this conference, Huawei worked with leading regional operators such as PLDT, Telkom Indonesia, Globe and CMI etc., to discuss the intelligent target network architecture and highlight the value of the transport network. On the first day of the conference, Gary Lu, President of Network Marketing & Solution Sales Department at Huawei delivered the keynote speech on "Network 2025, Enabling Business Success". In his keynote speech, Lu addressed that the future is still full of "uncertainty". Facing those uncertainties, he called on the ICT industry need to work closely to enable future deterministic business success through Network 2025. Delta variant, once again casts a shadow of uncertainty to the world. According to a 3rd party survey, 68% of business leaders take "economic uncertainty" as the biggest risk. The ICT industry is also facing the challenges of uncertainty. Networks are impacted by the pandemic. Network traffic, traffic direction and service requirements are more difficult to predict. The uncertainty of business and network directly raises two questions: "What business should I invest in?" and "Where is the most valuable place should I invest first?" "Fortunately, we have seen joint efforts by governments, industry organizations, and carriers around the world to cope with the future uncertainty by leveraging the certainty of ICT development," said Lu. Fiberizaion, enterprise cloudification and industry digitalization will accelerate 1 to 3 years earlier than before. More countries, organizations, and carriers have proposed mid to long term strategic objectives for green ICT energy conservation and emission reduction.



NetX2025, GUIDE TO THE Future, Network is the Cornerstone On this background, Huawei proposed the "NetX2025, GUIDE TO THE Future". NetX2025 uses the GUIDE model: Gigabit Anywhere, Ultra-Automation, Intelligent Multi-cloud Connection, Differentiated Experience, and Environmental Harmony to guide the network construction, plan target network together with carriers, and use the certainty of ICT infrastructure to better cope with future uncertainties, helping carriers to achieve business success and green sustainable development.

Network is the cornerstone of NetX2025, network architecture is the basis for supporting services. A good architecture design can save money. How the network should evolve to embrace the coming of future business? There has four principles can be considered as guideline for carriers' target network evolution: Fiber Infrastructure: Optical fiber is the foundation of the entire network. Based on fiber grid planning toolkit, it will achieve full-service development in the next 20 years at the optimal cost, covering as much target users as possible with shortest fiber distance and fulfill the service access requirement for home broadband, enterprise, and mobile services together with high value users. Management of passive network as always, is one of the most important requirements of FBB networks. In the legacy network, fiber resources are invisible and unmanageable. With Huawei's Quick Digital ODN solution, these problems can be resolved. Passive network becomes visible, greatly improving the accuracy and efficiency of fiber resource O&M. All Optical-Base: The optical network is the main artery of the entire network. To ensure the healthy development of the network, the main artery must be: congestion free, low latency, and high reliability. 3D-Mesh backbone evolution, OTN to high value metro/edge sites and enable ASON are the three requirements to determine the evolution directions of the optical network and allow carriers to monetize SLAs differentiation. Converged IP Bearer: The future IP architecture must be simplified, elastic, and intelligent. IP network evolution needs to be carried out from the following aspects: (i) a simplified fabric architecture, (ii) build a full-service, congestion-free platform with 100GE ready at the access layer and 400GE ready at the aggregation/core layer, and (iii) enable SRv6 at the A and Z nodes, seamlessly connect with the MPLS network and achieve minute-level TTM. Based on link values, enable SRv6 hop-by-hop, gradually realize entire network automatic optimization and end to end deterministic experience assurance. Intelligent Management, Control and Analysis Platform: A "Smart Brain" is also needed on top of network devices to help us achieve our vision of autonomous driving network. This "Smart Brain" will be a platform that integrates network management, control, and analysis. 3 phases of evolution: openness and easy integration, network automation, and intelligent O&M. Over the past year, with consistently explored the evolution of the target network with global partners hand in hand, Huawei deeply understand that how complicated the FBB network is from planning to construction, the digital platform plays a very important role for target network evolution to bridge business and network construction. Huawei's digital platform is based on our long-term accumulated experience in the industry and its capability has improved significantly over the past years. More scenarios are supported, such as AirPON Faster ROI, Network Energy Efficiency assessment. "Network 2025 precisely links network planning, network investment, service development and business success. Facing the uncertainties, let's work closely to achieve future deterministic business success through Network 2025," said Gary Lu. SOURCE Huawei

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[September 05, 2021] GoodWe honored with Pakistan Top Brand PV 2021 Award for inverter manufacturers - fueling an accelerated transition to Pakistan carbon neutrality

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GoodWe is pleased to announce that, following feedback from PV installers from around the globe, GoodWe was listed as the top inverter brand in eight countries (Pakistan, Netherlands, Australia, Poland, Spain, South Africa, Brazil and Vietnam)- a new industry record. GoodWe stands out from many inverter brands in terms of brand recognition, customer preference and global market distribution. Pakistan has always been a key strategic market for GoodWe. Since entering the Pakistan market in 2018, it has set up an integrated service system for pre-sale, in-sale and after-sales and a nationwide distribution network. GoodWe inverters offer reliable operation and excellent performance and are well recognized by customers worldwide. GoodWe's philosophy is to alwys create win-win partnerships with customers by identifying and integrating the most advanced components and techniques available while offering an unparalleled after-sales service. Technological innovation is GoodWe's main core competence. With an in-house R&D team of approx. 500 employees in two R&D centers, GoodWe can offer a comprehensive portfolio of products and solutions for residential, commercial and utility scale PV and storage systems, ensuring that performance and quality go hand-in-hand across the entire range.



GoodWe has now obtained the EuPD award for 5 consecutive years in the Netherlands. Besides EuPD, GoodWe is the only inverter brand to have won the prestigious TUV Rheinland award for five consecutive years and, in 2020, GoodWe was confirmed as the world's leading supplier of storage inverter with a 15% market share. GoodWe is committed to providing differentiated solutions for Pakistan customers, hopes to provide users with more diverse energy solutions, to create and meet the broader energy demand. GoodWe is ready to fly with the country to higher heights of service, quality and excellence.

About GoodWe: GoodWe is a world-leading PV inverter and energy storage solutions manufacturer and is listed as a public limited company on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (Stock Code: 688390). With an accumulative delivery of more than two million inverters and installation of 23GW in more than 100 countries and regions, GoodWe solar inverters have been used in residential and commercial rooftops, industrial and utility scale systems and range from 0.7kW to 250kW. More information is available at www.goodwe.com. SOURCE GoodWe

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[September 06, 2021] Candid acquires PR and corporate communications agency Coopr

AMSTERDAM, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Candid announces today that communication agency Coopr is joining the Candid platform. The founders, Jody Koehler and Jos Govaart, will join as partners of Candid and at the same time will continue as the management of Coopr. With this latest acquisition, Candid is taking the next step in bringing together all marketing and communications disciplines into a fully integrated platform for advertisers. Coopr was founded in 2009, is based in Rotterdam and Antwerp and works for well-known clients such as adidas, Coca-Cola, Coolblue, LinkedIn and TikTok. Coopr will continue to operate as an autonomous agency under its own name within the Candid platform. "By joining the Candid platform, we retain our individuality, but we can immediately deepen and broaden our offer and at therefore offer our clients more integrated and other disciplines", say owners Jody Koehler and Jos Govaart. "In addition, the correlation between PR and other communication disciplines is more relevant than ever. Good brand ideas are most credibly propagated through PR efforts." By becoming part of the Candid platform, Coopr can now also shape its ambition with regard to further internationalization with a London branch in the not too distant future. Ruud Wanck, CO of Candid: "Coopr is an absolute premium brand in the field of PR and corporate communication. Their entrepreneurial spirit fits in perfectly with our platform strategy in which we bring together strong and distinctive agencies into an integrated platform. Within Candid, agencies retain their own culture and identity, but our clients always have direct access to our services across the full range of the marketing and communication profession. With the acquisition of Coopr, we now also have a leading agency within our platform in the  increasingly important  field of PR and corporate communication."



This expansion fits in seamlessly with Candid's ambitions to grow. Through acquisitions of media agencies STROOM, M2Media and BBK media, digital agency Online Company and digital experience agency Havana Harbor, social media expert Daily Dialogues, advertising agency XXS, global brand design specialist Millford and marketing innovation agency Cogonez, Candid became the largest independent marketing and advertising platform in the Netherlands. More acquisitions will follow this year, both at home and abroad. "With the addition of a high-quality agency like Coopr, we are once again demonstrating the growth ambitions and the abilities of our platform," says Candid founder & chairman of the board Gerard Ghazarian. About Candid platform:

We unify the creative and strategic powers of, amongst others, the media agencies Stroom and M2Media, the digital agencies Online Company and Havana Harbor, the social media expert Daily Dialogues, advertising agency XXS, marketing innovation agency Cogonez and brand identity specialist Millford. In the past years, Candid has become the first fully integrated communication platform in the Netherlands. We unify the skills, cultures and identities of these strong, independent, specialized agencies in a single platform and let them cooperate optimally, driven by our candid culture of transparency and our T-shaped organization. By doing so, Candid supplies marketing and communication solutions that are inspired by data, enabled by technology and driven by creativity. But above all, they realize growth for our clients. About Coopr: Coopr is a communications agency, specialized in three areas of expertise, which are inextricably linked: Brand PR, Corporate Communication and Content Marketing. We enable organizations to communicate better, more effectively, more creatively and more honestly. We help them determining the best story at the right time and through the right channel. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1608691/Candid.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/candid-acquires-pr-and-corporate-communications-agency-coopr-301369559.html SOURCE Candid

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[September 06, 2021] Easy Group Announces to Build a Strong Quarter

Canada's vaccination program has been successful by many measures but with the uncertainty of the future, many educational institutions are opting to leave their options open. As students begin heading back to campus, Easy Group Inc. is looking to build a strong quarter. The company announced its plan for the coming semester on Aug. 19 in an open symposium. The programme takes into account the current and future online and in-person learning environment and provides academic support for students in a universally specialized curriculum to support academic success. "Regardless of whether students are learning on-campus or off-campus, they still need help." said Alex Guo, principal of UTSG Campus at Easy Edu. "Over the past year we have learned to be as innovative as the technologies that surround us. We needed to learn what people were using, how they interacted and what made the most comfortable when learning." "In the fall, we are really hoping tat more and more universities and colleges will be open for business as usual." Alex Added. "We will be ready to serve students no matter what happens. "



"There was a time when online learning and online studying was seen as being on the fringe- online diplomas or degrees were looked down upon. Covid-19 has actually been a catalyst in a sense- helping us to get to where were headed anyway- a technological world where quality education can be delivered and received from anywhere in the world!" Alex explained. "Maintaining academic integrity is our always and only choice. In terms of our developing trend and market share, Easy Group's only choice is to be a defender of academic integrity," expressed Dongyu Mao, Easy EDU Director of Academics. "It is without a doubt that our growth largely stem from our most stringent academic standards and academic persistence."

About Easy Group Inc. Easy Group Inc. was founded in Toronto in 2014 as a best in-class tutoring service for international students. Easy Group has 3 pillars that guide its mission: Integrity, Inclusivity and Innovation. For more information, please visit: https://www.easygroup.ca/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210906005041/en/

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[September 06, 2021] Ian MacArthur appointed new CEO of Sagittarius

LONDON, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Remarkable Group (Remarkable Group International) has appointed Ian MacArthur as the new CEO of Sagittarius, a top 50 UK digital agency, a specialist in digital customer experience and Sitecore platinum partner. MacArthur joined Sagittarius in 2018 as its Director of Global Digital Strategy, later becoming the agency's Chief Experience Officer, and assumed responsibility for sales, marketing and client services functions. In his new role as CEO, he will oversee the company's growth in the UK, US and Middle East. Leading the charge on new client wins including Liontrust, Cooke Optics, ICIS and Saga - MacArthur says of his appointment: "It's an honour to be given the guardianship of Sagittarius from the original founders and previous CEOs, Paul Stephen and Nick Towers. Sagittarius has a long history in helping reat brands shape their destiny online through creating experiences that convert and, as a creative leader that obsesses over my customer's customer, I'm thrilled to take that same winning mindset and apply it to our own growth story."



Bringing nearly 30 years of experience, MacArthur has held senior roles across client brands, consultancies and agencies. From large NGOs such as NSPCC/ChildLine, where, as CMO he led the FULL STOP Campaign, through to advising commercial brands like Apple and Nike. MacArthur has been recognised in The Guardian's Future 50 to watch, The Drum's Digerati and BIMA HOT 100. He has also won a raft of awards and multiple Grand Prix for his groundbreaking use of digital in advertising, design, marketing and customer experience.

Outside of work, he continues his passion for supporting causes as co-chair of the British Interactive Media Association's charity council. Sagittarius was formed in 2010, and counts five offices globally. In 2020 Sagittarius co-founders, Nick Towers and Paul Stephen, created the Remarkable Group, focused on connected digital experiences and digital transformation. Commenting on the appointment, Nick Towers, Remarkable Group CEO, said: "We are really excited for Ian and his team to be taking the reins at Sagittarius. Ian has been a part of the senior leadership team for some time now, and has used that time to build a deep understanding of our clients, their needs and how to deliver great work and experiences that convert for them. We know he will do great things at the helm of Sagittarius."

About Sagittarius Sagittarius is an award-winning digital agency that helps brands create high-converting digital experiences. We optimise web experiences and use data-lead decisions to power up your CRO, content, and UX, to deliver impressive ROI on your technology investment. We specialise in Sitecore as a complete or composable DXP platform, along with our Sitecore optimisation consultancy and training academy. https://sagittarius.agency/ Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1608339/Sagittarius_Ian_MacArthur.jpg

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[September 06, 2021] Hyundai Motor Presents Carbon Neutral Commitment at IAA Mobility 2021

Hyundai Motor commits to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045

Hyundai's holistic approach focuses on three pillars: clean mobility, next-generation platforms and green energy

Hyundai to stop selling internal combustion engine vehicles in Europe , starting in 2035

, starting in 2035 At IAA, Hyundai showcases concepts for upcoming BEV model, all-electric robotaxi, and artistic displays on hydrogen value chain to visitors and digital attendees SEOUL, South Korea and MUNICH, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor Company today announced its commitment to become carbon neutral by 2045 at IAA Mobility 2021. Hyundai's integrated strategy to achieve carbon neutrality rests on the following three pillars: clean mobility, next-generation platforms, and green energy. Hyundai is showcasing the full breadth of its electrified vehicle lineup and latest solutions to progress with positive energy at this year's IAA taking place from September 6 to 12 in Munich, Germany. "Under our company's vision, Progress for umanity, Hyundai Motor is determined to do the right thing for the world," said Jaehoon (Jay) Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. "Climate change is an undeniable challenge that needs everyone's utmost and urgent attention. Hyundai Motor commits to become carbon neutral in its global products and operations by 2045, and we will make investments in cleaner transportation and greener energy solutions to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all."



IAA visitors can locate Hyundai Motor's boothwhere the company is exhibiting BEV concepts, all-electric robotaxi model, and artistic displays on hydrogen value chainin Hall A1, Messe Munich. IAA Visitors can reach the event's various locations via Hyundai's Blue Lane service, offering the opportunity to experience the brand's latest clean mobility vehicles, including IONIQ 5, NEXO, Kona EV, and Elec City Fuel Cell bus.

Hyundai's demonstration at IAA is available digitally as well. The press conference video is uploaded on Hyundai Motor's Worldwide YouTube channel. "With a new location and a live-digital hybrid format, this year's IAA is very different from previous events, and we are very happy that we are participating once again as an exhibitor," said Michael Cole, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Europe. "We are excited to be sharing our future company vision, which goes beyond automotive mobility. On top of this, we are outlining our roadmap to enable a carbon neutral society, which is imperative as the future of the planet is at stake." For more information, please visit

https://www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en/company/newsroom.release.all Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1608875/image_1.jpg

PDF - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1608876/PDF.pdf

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[September 06, 2021] Chairman of the Board Of Avia Solutions Group Gediminas Ziemelis: Does better governance for aviation's sustainability mean better financial rewards?

LONDON, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- To discuss sustainability in the aviation industry the conversation also needs to address the subject of governance. According to a sustainability report from the ICSA (International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation) aviation emissions amount to 2.1% of the global share, however, when non-CO2 emissions are introduced into the equation aviation contributes an estimated 4.9% to the overall global warming problem. While the figures may seem daunting, the question needs to be asked; is the aviation sector being over-vilified at a time when governance regarding sustainability in the industry has never been so focused? Major stakeholders in the aviation sector are being faced with the need to comply with the long-term decarbonisation goals being set by governments. But it seems that the governance of these goals is a moveable feast, with global governmental regulations still to be unified. Even before the Paris Agreement on climate change came into force, aviation  a traditionally conservative industry  had already set in motion its own proactive governance to halve CO2 emissions by 2050; a figure which later matched the Paris Agreement's goal to limit global temperature rises to below 20C. Additionally, in 2016, and working as a united body, the ICAO decided to adopt a market-based global measure for aviation emissions  CORSIA, the Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation. The scheme, it is envisaged, will allow the aviation sector to cut its CO2 emissions by 2.5 billion tons between 2005 and 2035. This target will be reached through US$40 billion investment in carbon-reduction products backed by solid governance procedures. The pre-emptive attention being paid to governance on sustainability right across the industry only serves to strengthen stakeholder and investor confidence in the future of aviation. Good governance also creates an environment equipped to identify, and profit from changes within the industry. Already, investors are actively pursuing opportunities with businesses that promote sustainability in aviation backed by proper governance procedures. It has been established that the sustainable aviation fuel market alone will be worth $15,307 million by 2030, a hugely significant increase from $66 million in 2020. Since the onset of the global pandemic, government support for airlines and the aviation industry has varied from country to country. In most countries, priority support and preferential treatment have been given to many 'naional carriers' and larger airlines, which will most likely lead to these companies enjoying a bigger share of the market. However, if governments apply real governance, and aviation stakeholders are given strong financial incentives to meet emissions and CO2 reduction targets, an investment-friendly environment will be established.



Good governance will help ensure that sustainability-backed 'Green Finance', and accelerated efforts to reach the set targets will require vast capital investment. For investors, Green Finance offers the benefits of investment diversification and potential yield benefits arising from the governance driving sustainability. Already, thanks to good governance, Etihad has secured a $111 million sustainability-linked loan to invest in biofuels, green buildings, waste management and other green issues.

The Royal Schiphol Group issued a 750 million green bond for investment in sustainable buildings across the airports it manages in the Netherlands. While Etihad also sold $600 million worth of Islamic bonds to finance the replacement of its old fleet along with investment in sustainable aviation fuel research. In the case of the Etihad Islamic Bond deal, the coupon payments are dependent on the airline achieving a reduction in CO2 emissions of 17.8% across its fleet in comparison to 2017 levels. Other examples of good governance in sustainability include the E7 billion support package for Air France by the French Government, a deal reportedly conditional on the airline cutting its carbon emissions and making a reduction in domestic flights. Under the conditions of the bailout package, Air France is banned from competing with high-speed TGV trains across a selection of routes taking less than 2.5 hours. The deal would see Air France losing approximately 18 slots per day from Paris Orly Airport while offering benefits to its competitors by allowing them to increase their operations and ensure the stability of airfares and increased customer choice. Along with the constant striving to reduce emissions and improve fuel efficiency, other aviation sectors are also being influenced towards sustainability through good governance 'cross-pollination'. Improved ground operations, more sustainable infrastructure, and a wide range of other sustainability measures and incentives are being courted by an ever-growing number of investors. The implementation of good governance procedures means that an organisation is well-placed to respond to an ever-changing environment. To fully understand the change that is happening throughout the aviation industry requires commitment, vision, leadership, and access to resources, all of which can only be born from adherence to good governance at every level of the industry. For media inquiries: Vilma Vaitiekunaite

+370 686 16336

vilma.vaitiekunaite@aviasg.com About Gediminas Ziemelis: Throughout a business development career spanning more than 24 years, Gediminas Ziemelis has established over 50 start-ups and green-field investments in various industries such as IT, media, luxury furniture, pharma, clinics, agriculture, and across other industry sectors. At present, these companies are either owned by PE "Vertas Management", or have previously been sold and are now components of other sizeable organisations. Gediminas Ziemelis is the founder and chairman of Avia Solutions Group - a leading global aerospace services group with almost 100 offices and production stations providing aviation services and solutions worldwide. Spanning his career to date, G. Ziemelis has received many prestigious awards and industry recognitions. In 2016, G. Ziemelis received a prestigious European Business Award in recognition of his visionary business management and development skills. The same year, under his leadership, Avia Solutions Group was named a national public champion in the category of Entrepreneurship, earning a spot in the top 110 European businesses. Twice  in 2012 and again in 2014  Ziemelis was acknowledged as one of the top 40 most talented young leaders in the global aerospace industry by the leading USA aerospace magazine 'Aviation Week'. Over his career, Gediminas Ziemelis has taken part in many impressive business ventures. Between 2014  2017, he personally supported and consulted Chinese Banks (including ICBCL, CMBL, and Skyco Leasing) concerning financing aircraft sale-leaseback transactions where the total value was more than US$ 4 bn. Between 2006  2019, Avia Solutions Group Chairman executed successful IPOs of 4 companies at OMX and WSE, oversaw many public bonds issues, along with the raising of public capital worth more than US$ 400 M. His total net worth is US$ 1.1 bn, according to local business media. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1608952/Avia_Solutions_Gediminas_Ziemelis.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1039700/Avia_Solutions_Logo.jpg

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[September 06, 2021] Moviebook Showcases Full-Stack Solutions for Industrial Digital Transformation at CIDEE 2021 in Shijiazhuang, China

SHIJIAZHUANG, China, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Moviebook, a leading AI-powered intelligent video production infrastructure and service provider, is exhibiting a series of solutions which enable various industries including retail ecommerce and media to achieve automatic production, digital management, visually multi-dimensional and interactive presentations among others, at the 2021 China International Digital Economy Expo (CIDEE 2021) in Shijiazhuang, Hebei from September 6 to 8, 2021. The miniature digital factory, located at the center of Moviebook's exhibition area, is an intelligent manufacturing base for digital commerce. It is reflective of the Company's strategic blueprint for retail digitization. As a representation of all terminals on the production line and their layout, the factory model demonstrates the whole automatic production process of digitized products, with an introduction from staff about the production cycle. This wholly immersive and interactive experience gives the audience a deeper understanding of the technologies involved in the production process and Moviebook's technological strengths. Additionally, building on its self-developed automatic editing and generation system, Moviebook can generate life-like virtual persons in a low-latency, smooth and efficient manner. These virtual persons can perform tasks as accurately and fluently as their physical counterparts, delivering a realistic viewing and interactive experience. Last but not least, Moviebook is exploring ways to advance personalized learning with the assistance of intelligent video production and digital twin technologies. The Company endeavors to automatically build virtual teaching scenarios and quickly share quality educational resources, therby contributing to China's educational reform.



An executive at Moviebook commented, "By digitizing all links and disrupting traditional models of human-intensive production, our solutions will help industries cut costs and increase efficiency, innovate application scenarios, improve user experience and create new business models in the process of industrial digital transformation. Ultimately, Moviebook will contribute to the high-quality development of the digital economy." Take retail, the most closely connected industry to consumers, for example. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the retail industry has come to rely on digital technologies more than ever. To service retail's digital upgrading, Moviebook has developed its Automatic Digital Twin (ADT) engine by fusing AI technologies with digital twin technology. With its ADT engine and its leading intelligent manufacturing base for digital commerce in China, the Company provides ready-to-use solutions customized for different scenarios by digitizing products and stores, allowing for a try-before-you-buy online experience, and enabling digital marketing as well as digital customer service. As a result, the whole industrial chain spanning from production to after-sales service can be visualized. The ADT engine and the digital factory are becoming the infrastructure for developing digital commerce.

Currently, Moviebook's solutions have been adopted by multiple sectors and continue to deliver benefits such as enhancing efficiency, lowering costs and optimizing management. Gradually, a virtuous cycle of the industrial chain embracing automatic production, digital management and commercialization is taking shape. As the Company proceeds to develop and iterate the fusion of AI and digital twin technologies, it is further tapping relevant industries' potential for automatic production and commercialization, hence laying a solid foundation for future industrial development. CIDEE 2021, co-sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the People's Government of Hebei Province, was unveiled in Shijiazhuang, Hebei on September 6. As the only national digital economy exhibition in China, CIDEE 2021 aims at advancing the integration between digital and real sectors of the economy, facilitating the development of the digital sector, and enabling the digital sector to become a new engine of China's high-quality economic growth. About Moviebook Moviebook, a leading AI-powered infrastructure and service provider of intelligent video production, aims at empowering monetization capacity for clients from media, retail, education, and culture through intelligent vision. Building on technological advantages in fields of computer vision, computer graphics among others, Moviebook significantly improves the production efficiency of visual content and innovates ways of presenting and interacting with such content. By applying AI technologies to videos, Moviebook is pioneering a wide variety of application scenarios for intelligent video production technologies. For more information, please visit http://www.moviebook.cn/about/index View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/moviebook-showcases-full-stack-solutions-for-industrial-digital-transformation-at-cidee-2021-in-shijiazhuang-china-301369685.html SOURCE Moviebook

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[September 06, 2021] Verne Global Acquired by Digital 9 Infrastructure plc

Verne Global, provider of sustainable data center solutions for high intensity computing (registered as Verne Holdings Limited), today announced that it has been acquired by Digital 9 Infrastructure plc (D9), the newly established investment trust that invests in a range of digital infrastructure assets which deliver a reliable, functioning internet, in a deal valued at approximately 231 million in cash. UK-based D9 is focused on providing resilient digital infrastructures that are integrated with green and cleaner power in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 9, to "build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation." The acquisition of Verne Global, which operates a 100 percent renewable powered data center campus based in Iceland, reaffirms this strategy and, together with D9's recent subsea investment in Aqua Comms, accelerates the investment trust's ambition to decarbonise digital infrastructure by increasing access to data centers in areas where there are abundant supplies of clean energy. Verne Global's 40 acre data center campus has been designed from the ground up to provide highly specialist data center services for organisations running high intensity compute workloads, including AI, machine learning, high performance computing (HPC) and supercomputing. Iceland's stable energy grid ensures Verne Global can provide these customers with long-term price visibility, while the local climate supports free cooling 365 days a year. Its services are backed by a highly expert team of data center engineers, which offers round-the-clock support from Verne Global's Keflavik campus. Dominic Ward, CEO of Verne Global, said: "We are absolutely delighted to become part of the Digital 9 Infrastructure platform. Its mission to support and develop highly-resilient digital infrastructures that fuel innovation, but are also sustainable and inclusive, resonates tremendously with Verne Global's own business objectives. What Verne Global has achieved over the last decade is a fantastic accomplishment and is a great acknowledgement of the exceptional team that we have. We are hugely grateful for the support that we have had from our prior shareholders - Welcome Trust, Stefnir, Novator Partners, and General Catalyst Partners - to this point. As we look forward, we are now hugely excited to be working with D9 and believe that we have the perfect partner to help power our future."



Commenting on the Verne Global transaction, Thor Johnsen, Head of Digital Infrastructure at Triple Point, D9's Investment Manager, said: "Data centers form a key part of the digital infrastructure backbone. Verne Global's existing Icelandic based data center assets represent some of the cleanest, lowest carbon footprint data centres, globally. This is another key step to support decarbonising the data center industry. For society to meet key decarbonisation goals, we need to look for ways to shift energy consumptive activities to areas of surplus renewable energy. The digital infrastructure industry has an increasing energy footprint, particularly data centres, which need to become more energy efficient and green. However, as an industry we should not expect to just rely on carbon offsets in markets which are already struggling to meet carbon targets, but we need to attract data centre demand to areas where there are robust sources of renewable power.

We are thrilled to add the Verne Global platform to the growing D9 portfolio. Together with the D9 subsea investment in Aqua Comms, we are pursuing further fibre network opportunities to improve connectivity into the Nordics, enabling data center users reliable and low cost access to the vast renewable and low cost energy resources of Iceland and the Nordics." Birgir Mar Ragnarsson, Managing Partner at Novator Partners LLP, one of the original investors in Verne Global, said: "When we founded Verne Global in 2007 with our friends at General Catalyst, we had the ambitious goal of building the first green data center in the world that would serve the global enterprise market. We saw Iceland as the best place for high intensity compute, using 100 percent renewable energy, free cooling, long term energy contracts and a tech savvy, highly educated workforce. "Now close to 15 years later, we are super proud to say that we achieved our goal thanks to the brilliant team at Verne Global and our co-investors from the Welcome Trust and Stefnir. Verne Global is already a clear winner as a green sustainable data center serving global customers, and now has the opportunity to grow even further under new ownership. We congratulate D9 with their acquisition and look forward to following Verne Global's future." ENDS About Digital 9 Infrastructure plc: Digital 9 Infrastructure plc is a newly established, externally managed investment trust which invests in a range of digital infrastructure assets which deliver a reliable, functioning internet. "Digital infrastructure" refers to the critical infrastructure required for the internet to operate and, essentially, refers to everything from fibre networks that connect continents, businesses and homes (the very "backbone" of the internet), to the data centres that organisations use to house their critical networks of computer and storage resources, and to the towers and small cells that carry data traffic wirelessly to the end user. The Company is focused on the provision of Digital Infrastructure integrated with green and cleaner power in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 9: "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation". The Company's portfolio will comprise future proofed, non-legacy, scalable platforms and technologies including (but not limited to) subsea fibre, data centres, terrestrial fibre, tower infrastructure and small cell networks (including 5G). The Investment Manager is Triple Point Investment Management LLP ("Triple Point") which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, with extensive experience in asset and project finance, portfolio management and structured investments. The Investment Manager's digital infrastructure team has a proven track record of over US$2 billion of infrastructure investments and, in addition, benefits from a panel of digital infrastructure industry experts with deep knowledge, relationships and involvement in a combined US$250 billion of digital infrastructure transactions. The Company's Ordinary Shares were admitted to trading on the Specialist Fund Segment of the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange on 31 March 2021. For more information, please visit www.d9infrastructure.com. About Verne Global Verne Global delivers data center solutions for high intensity computing, engineered for optimal high performance compute and built upon 100% renewable energy. Our clean grid and stable climate cuts costs and energy usage, and our expert team provides on-site, around-the-clock support to maximise performance and flexibility for customer workloads. Founded in 2012, our Icelandic data center campus powers some of the world's most innovative and demanding industries, including financial services, earth sciences, life sciences, engineering, scientific research and AI. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210906005076/en/

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[September 06, 2021] Analytics Insight Announces 'The 10 Most Innovative Intelligent Automation Solution Providers in 2021'

Analytics Insight has announced 'The 10 Most Innovative Intelligent Automation Solution Providers in 2021' in its August-September magazine issue. The magazine recognizes ten trailblazing intelligent automation providers who are using technology to accomplish a wide array of workplace routines. By automating previously time-consuming and largely manual tasks, these companies help employees to focus on higher-value work. They avail organizations to achieve intelligent automation faster and assist them to make more insightful decisions. These companies are redefining automation and breaking new targets of quality, efficiency, and flexibility. Here is the list of the top ten innovative intelligent automation providers that made the list in 2021. Featuring as the Cover Story is Quale Infotech, a leading end-to-end IT consulting and implementation company, with a laser focus on Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Quale started with a vision to be a customer-oriented digital services firm. The company has adhered to that aim and strived to be the partner of choice for its customers. The issue features Nine A Business Connect and Botminds as the Companies of the Month.



Nine A Business Connect (9A): Nine A Business Connect uses technology to simplify business, create long-term value, and enable connected life. The company helps organizations in digital transformation with an immersive experience. 9A has been providing efficient technology solutions to solve real-world problems of enterprise customers while encouraging innovation. Botminds: Botminds is a revolutionary intelligent document process automation platform that allows enterprises to liberate their employees from tedious tasks like reading documents and extracting information from them. Botminds is the world's first unified no-code intelligent document processing (IDP) and process automation (IPA) platform.

Other honourable companies include: Excelledia Ventures: Excelledia Ventures supports businesses of all sizes and ambitious founders, who push the edge of what is possible. The company aids organizations and leaders with their expertise and drives them to tackle major global issues. Grooper: Grooper was built in 2015 from the ground up by BIS, a company with 35 years of continuous experience in developing and delivering document automation technology. Grooper is an intelligent document processing and digital data integration solution. Kenmei: Kenmei is a European company founded by telecom and software experts, specialized in data analysis and mobile network automation through artificial intelligence. The company is known for its ADELE solution, which stands for Autonomous Decisions and Learning. Roots Automation: Roots Automation is a Digital Coworkers-as-a-Service company, offering pre-trained bots or Digital Coworkers. These bots come pre-programmed with the knowledge, skills, and experience required to perform a variety of roles. Santa Marta AB: Santa Marta AB is a Swedish company created in 2020 to provide business process automation from the cloud. The company's main product, Laura, digitizes any process by flexibly communicating with other applications and human beings. Syntiant: Syntiant is enabling customized voice experiences at the edge, across multiple products and use cases including wake word, command control, and event detection, free from cloud connectivity, ensuring privacy and security. V2R Limited: V2R Limited is a financial services company that provides financial accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, procurement processes, management accounting, and program project services. The company utilizes specialist skills to reduce the delivery costs, etc. "Intelligent automation is becoming a big part of our work routine, streamlining tasks at greater speed and scaling what's humanly possible. In this issue, Analytics Insight aims to recognize and celebrate intelligent automation solution providers that are helping the world deliver cognition similar to the human brain," says Adilin Beatrice, Senior Analyst at Analytics Insight. Read the detailed coverage here. For more information, please visit https://www.analyticsinsight.net/. About Analytics Insight Analytics Insight is an influential platform dedicated to insights, trends, and opinions from the world of data-driven technologies. It monitors developments, recognition, and achievements made by AI, big data, and analytics companies across the globe. The Analytics Insight Magazine features opinions and views from top leaders and executives in the industry who share their journey, experiences, success stories, and knowledge to grow profitable businesses. To set up an interview or advertise your brand, contact info@analyticsinsight.net View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210906005204/en/

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[September 06, 2021] United Kingdom - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Sydney, Sept. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of BuddeComm report outlines the latest developments and key trends in the telecoms markets. - https://www.budde.com.au/Research/United-Kingdom-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW

9% year-on-year. This was despite gains in subscriber numbers in some of the key growth areas of the market, particularly broadband, as well as increases in voice and data traffic brought about by the long periods of lockdown that were in force throughout the country for much of the year. Those upswings were offset by sharp drops in ARPU resulting from an increased preference for bundling, more competitive pricing, and a reduction in roaming revenue due to Covid-19-related restrictions on overseas travel.



The telco markets gradual downward trend masks what has otherwise been a tumultuous period for UK industry in general. The full impact of the double-whammy that the country experienced with both Covid-19 and Brexit hitting at around the same time is still far from clear. The OECD found that the UK suffered far more than other G7 countries due to the combined effect of these two major events, however early economic indicators into 2021 suggest that the country has the resiliency and ability to fight back thanks, in part, to the relative success of the Covid-19 vaccination progam that has allowed much of the UK population to return to work sooner than its neighbours.







The government is committed to maintaining a strong and competitive telecommunications environment. In policy and in pounds, the industry is receiving a high level of government support for rolling out broadband throughout the country. There is a particularly strong push to extend coverage into more rural and remote areas, with a national Full Fibre broadband access target in 2033. One of the additional downsides to the UKs withdrawal from the EU, however, is that the country no longer has access to the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which previously provided much of the cash for the development of broadband. The UK government must instead fund its fibre-broadband initiatives using internal resources.



Key Developments:

International roaming charges to be reintroduced for travel to Europe.

By the end of 2020, 38% of UK homes were able to get gigabit-capable broadband. Ultrafast coverage (greater than 300Mb/s) reached 61% of premises.

Openreach will stop selling copper-based products to fibre-connected premises from September 2021.

Eutelsat launched a UK-wide satellite broadband service in December 2020 via its Konnect satellite, offering data rates up to 100Mb/s.

The government acquired a 45% stake in OneWeb, following the UKs exit from the EU and the country no longer being part of Europes Galileo satellite positioning system.

OneWeb launched its first set of satellites in December 2020, aiming for services to be made available across the country by the end of 2021.

Liberty Globals Virgin Media and Telefonicas O2 were merged in a JV to form Virgin Media O2, in the process creating a major competitor to BT.

Blocks of spectrum in the 700MHz and 3.6GHz bands were auctioned in March 2021, strengthening 5G deployment.

This report includes the regulators market data reports to Q1 2021, telcos financial and operating data updates to June 2021, Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, assessment of the global impact of Covid-19 on the telecoms sector, and other recent market developments.

Companies mentioned in this report:

British Telecom (BT), KCom, Virgin Media O2 (VMed O2), Hutchison Three (H3), EE, Vodafone, Liberty Global, Telefonica, Ericsson, Virgin Mobile, Openreach, Eutelsat, Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), COLT, Dixons Carphone Group/Carphone Warehouse, TalkTalk, Sky, OneWeb.

Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/United-Kingdom-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW

Nicolas Bombourg: nbombourg@budde.com.au Europe office: +44 207 097 1241 Oceania Office: +61 280 767 665

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[September 06, 2021] Syria - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Sydney, Sept. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of BuddeComm report outlines the latest developments and key trends in the telecoms markets. - https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Syria-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW

Although over the years the major mobile service providers Syriatel and MTN Syria have endeavoured to restore and rebuild damaged networks, the operating environment has been difficult. Following disputed demands for back taxes, MTN Group in July 2021 confirmed that it could no longer operate in the country, and planned to sell its majority stake in MTN Syria to the other shareholder Tele Invest.



Telecommunication services in Syria are highly regulated. Although urban areas can make use of the network built and maintained by the government-owned incumbent Syrian Telecommunications Establishment (STE), many underserved remote areas in the countryside are obliged to rely on satellite communications. The domestic and international fixed-line markets in Syria remain the monopoly of the STE, despit several initiatives over the years aimed at liberalising the market.









Mobile broadband penetration in Syria is still quite low, despite quite a high population coverage of 3G networks and some deployment of LTE infrastructure. This may provide potential opportunities for growth once infrastructure and economic reconstruction efforts make headway, and civil issues subside.







BuddeComm notes that the outbreak of the pandemic 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.





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.







Key developments:



MTN Group confirms its decision to exit the Syrian market, citing the difficult operating environment.

Civil unrest continues to disrupt telecom services, particularly in rural and remote areas which can be difficult to access.

Emergency Telecommunications Cluster aid network operating in Syria to provide emergency internet connectivity and telecom services.

Report update includes operator data to Q2 2021, ITU market data for 2020, recent market developments.

Companies mentioned in this report include:





Syrian Telecommunication Establishment (STE), MTN Syria, Syriatel.





Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Syria-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW

Nicolas Bombourg: nbombourg@budde.com.au Europe office: +44 207 097 1241 Oceania Office: +61 280 767 665

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[September 06, 2021] Newron Receives Fourth Tranche from Financing Agreement with European Investment Bank (EIB)

Newron Pharmaceutical S.p.A. ("Newron") (SIX: NWRN, XETRA: NP5), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for patients with diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system, announces that it has received Tranche 4 under its financing agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) that was signed in October 2018 and comprises up to EUR 40 million, subject to achieving a set of agreed performance criteria. The EIB loan is backed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the central pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe. Tranche 4 consists of EUR 7.5 million and will primarily be used to support the Company's development programs in diseases of the central nervous system. The first three tranches of the loan totaling EUR 25 million were received by Newron in 2019 and 2020. In connection with Tranche 4, EIB has received arrants entitling it to purchase up to 151,344 ordinary shares of Newron at an exercise price of EUR 9.25 per share.



About Newron Pharmaceuticals Newron (SIX: NWRN, XETRA: NP5) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for patients with diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. The Company is headquartered in Bresso near Milan, Italy. Xadago/safinamide has received marketing authorization for the treatment of Parkinson's disease in the European Union, Switzerland, the UK, the USA, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Japan and South Korea, and is commercialized by Newron's Partner Zambon. Supernus Pharmaceuticals holds the commercialization rights in the USA. Meiji Seika has the rights to develop and commercialize the compound in Japan and other key Asian territories. Newron is developing evenamide as the potential first add-on therapy for the treatment of patients with positive symptoms of schizophrenia. For more information, please visit: www.newron.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210906005234/en/

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[September 06, 2021] C4G3 - A Unique Crypto Asset, Tracks Top Performing Meme Tokens

Ibadan, Nigeria, Sept. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Without a doubt, meme coins such as DOGE, Akita, and SHIBA have outperformed almost all of cryptos blue chips and are here to stay. Now that the mid cycle correction is over, and the bull market is back in full swing, more and more investors are looking to invest in this lucrative, yet unique side of crypto- the next 10x meme coin.

However, that is easier said than done, and requires hours of research into projects, reading TG chats, seeing if the DEVs are based and anxiously waiting for the next medium post to anticipate for the next pump or dump. Weve all been there; life is tough for the average everyday trader and investing in meme tokens can be risky despite all the potential crazy profits. What if theres an index fund for meme tokens? Wouldnt that make life so much easier? Thats where the team at C4G3, and their revolutionary solutions steps in. C4G3s first product is the C4GE Meme Index (CMI), which is governed by the $C4G3 token. As a pioneer, the $C4G3 token marks the beginning of a new era of meme tokens where they hold value as real assets. At its core, the C4G3 Meme Index is a digital asset and tracks the top performing meme tokens; four op meme tokens and a stablecoin.



For example, $C4G3

$DOGE

$SHIBA INU

$DOGELON

$USDC

The CMI will track meme token projects that have good long-term goals and show a commitment to ongoing maintenance and development. $C4G3 holders are owners of the protocol. What this means for the average investor is that they will have the benefits of enjoying the gains from the meme tokens of crypto, without having to do the laborious research that goes behind researching projects. What this also means is that it will allow entry of newbies into the crypto market, while at the same time enjoying the benefits and rewards that comes with investing in meme coins. The experienced researchers and members of the C4G3 team have achieved a great launch so far; the contract for the $C4G3 token has already been audited and certified by Solidity and has been listed on multiple exchange sites such as UNISWAP. Now with its liquidity locked, and listed on Coingecko, marketing for C4G3, and its governance token $C4G3, will take place. About C4G3 C4G3 (CAGE) will be the first of its kind. Our aim is to build around an existing protocol that has been accepted by the community, transforming from an ordinary meme to a meme with a store of value. The C4G3 ecosystem is a complete Index platform for meme tokens. The Meme Index portfolio includes top performing meme tokens in the cryptoverse with 20% equal weight. For More Visit Website: https://cag3.io/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cag3_io

Telegram: https://t.me/c4g3Index

Dextools: https://www.dextools.io/app/ether/pair-explorer/0xfe2743bcc93033d92c91f7998c44b112325c8ce2

Github: https://github.com/C4G3M4ST3R Media Contact 

Name: Abubakr Oladipo

Email: masters@cag3.io







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Apropos for lunchtime, a new approach to the Kansas City restaurant biz offers us a peek at the future that no longer requires dinner reservations.



To wit . . .

WELCOME TO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF KANSAS CITY RESTAURANTS WITH NO PUBLIC DINING AREAS!!!

Let's do a quick bit of math/science here . . .

Eating at restaurants is overrated. The service is usually lousy and the food is ALWAYS overpriced.

A TKC pandemic axiom . . .

IF all future restaurant food is just slop poured into Styrofoam boxes to bring home THEN the nicer places no longer have and average and the pandemic just turned every establishment into fast good.

Advantage: Broke-ass people who know how to cook i.e. your mom.



And so . . .

Whist this "new normal" might bring sadness for some middle-class denizens who enjoyed faking their importance to wage slaves . . . The evolution of restaurants offers a welcomed change for those frustrated souls who never quite understood the public's fascination with watching strangers eat.

Check the "Perfect Village" chef quote . . .



I love restaurants, but Covid has definitely showed us that it's hard to have a full capacity restaurant. It's hard to staff, he said. We strategically built this restaurant without a dining room, which I think Covid dictated.  We can handle it all with a very small team. We have four people on our staff and were able to facilitate a full dinner in full restaurant-style meals.



Scratch Gourmets multi-pronged business model includes catering; private dining and events at the restaurant, such as seven-course wine pairing dinners; and hot, refrigerated, or frozen meals to-go that can be ordered the day of or days in advance. Although the restaurant opens at 10 a.m., hot meals have a limited pickup window, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. For those who want to linger, theres a small outdoor patio.



Having a private dining room is strategic during Covid-19. It gives diners the experience of leaving the house while also easing health-related concerns about being in large groups, he said. The dining room can house parties as small as four or as large as 22.

Read more behind a somewhat worthwhile paywall via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .
With respect to hottie Denise and her talents, the new hotness is sharing health info with strangers.

And let's not talk about privacy concerns given that anybody who carries around a mobile phone has forfeited any self-righteous indignation given that our lil' pocket computers are nothing more than not-so-advanced digital tracking devices.

Accordingly, here's the money line in order to facilitate playing doctor with your boss . . .

"A background check and screening company, asked 3,000 people about a variety of issues related to COVID-19 in the workplace. It found of the people who responded from Missouri, 58% supported the idea of requiring workers to disclose their vaccination status. The company said 57% of people from Kansas agreed with the idea.

"More than 40% of those respondents said they are more concerned about working with an unvaccinated coworker than someone with a lengthy criminal record.

"The survey also determined that 42% of people who responded believe they should have the right to take legal action against their employer if there are a lack of safeguards in place on the job."

Nevertheless, it's still probably best to WAIT and maybe RETHINK asking female co-workers questions about their health and/or last gyno-visit.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .
With so many newsletters, social media political pundits and higher prices for news subscription fees Kansas City still seems woefully under-informed about the inner-workings of local government.



To wit . . .

DID YOU KNOW KANSAS CITY IS WORKING TO PROPOSE ANOTHER BILLION DOLLAR SEWER TAX INCREASE VOTE?!?!



It's okay if you didn't know, it's the kind of humiliating not-so-fun fact that's typically hidden from view and doesn't make for likeable social media fodder.



To be fair, we picked up the hint about the impending tax increase push given that Mayor Q is bragging about sidewalk improvements today much to the chagrin of his followers who seem skeptical at best.



Remember that not so long ago naive Kansas City taxpayers approved "GO Bonds" that not only promised better sewers but also sidewalk improvements along with lollipops and free unicorn rides for any adult gullible enough to believe 12th & Oak election hype.



And now it's time for Mayor Q had his reluctant council colleagues to pass another tax on Kansas City residents.

First and foremost they'll fight against any reporting which accurately indicates this is, in fact, a tax increase.

Last time around Mayor Sly threatened voters and claimed without GO Bonds water rates would spike.

Surprise . . . Water rates are still rising along with a bevy of other city fees.

Let's not even bother to mention the property tax spikes from across the street . . . Courtesy of the Jackson County courthouse.

Even worse . . . It doesn't seems like Kansas City voters achieved a lot of progress in the previous GO BOND tax increased passed in 2017.

And so we ask . . .

WILL KANSAS CITY SUCKERS TAXPAYERS APPROVE YET ANOTHER SEWER TAX INCREASE?!?



With no organized anti-tax opposition . . . An easy victory is likely.

Read more about the initial language of the pitch via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .

Ordinance #210593 - Providing for submission to the qualified voters of the City for their approval at an election called for November 2, 2021, the question of authorizing the issuance of sanitary sewer revenue bonds of the City in the principal amount of $1,000,000,000.00 for the purpose of rehabilitating, improving and extending the sanitary sewer system of the City, including acquiring necessary land and rights of way, in order to provide for its continuing operation and to maintain compliance with federal, state and judicial requirements; directing the City Clerk to notify the responsible election authorities of this election; declaring the City's intention to set rates; declaring the City's intention to reimburse itself from revenue bond proceeds for bond related expenditures; recognizing this ordinance to have an accelerated effective; and establishing an effective date for the voter authorization.



You decide . . .


The Kansas politico was recently forced to make excuses for a controversial group that has suffered more than its share of money problems.



Despite earning MILLIONS in donations . . . Here's the money line from Kansas Attorney General candidate Kris Kobach . . .



The essence of it is that We Build The Wall has very limited funds right now to bring the ledger up to balance or close to balance, Kris Kobach, Kansas former secretary of state, general counsel for the organization, told U.S. District Judge Randy Crane during a video status conference hearing Thursday morning in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas Court in McAllen. The hearing was held via Zoom online due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.



The controversial organization, which is the subject of other lawsuits, had asked Crane for 90 days to find a new lawyer.



It might be expensive and few of us have the assets right now to cover a retainer. So we are willing to let counsel step aside but we would like a fairly generous bit of time to find local counsel and also perhaps have a picture of what it involves, Kobach said.



But during the quick, 6-minute hearing, Crane retorted: This case just keeps getting delayed and delayed; 90 days seems like a long time.



Finding a lawyer I dont think is a big problem. I think finding a lawyer who is willing to risk not getting paid is probably the issue here, Crane said.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .
After a great deal of reporting this morning . . . The upshot is that we all kind of knew this festival is/was a disaster in the making given that COVID has killed the ability of people to behave in public.



On the bright side, there are no reports of a homicide in the aftermath.

And so, here's a description of the chaotic scene just for posterity . . . And today's confirmation that the Kansas City metro can't have anything nice . . .

According to police, four juvenile victims were injured and transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries at about 11 p.m.

There were around 15 shots fired and people were immediately evacuated and the festival shut down.

Several officers were stationed around the festival and in the carnival area specifically, but there are a lot of exits, which made finding the suspect difficult, according to Taylor.

"Independence police spokesperson Officer Jack Taylor mentioned that the department chose social media to ask parents to pick up their children because it's the easiest way to reach people and there were many unaccompanied young people at the carnival that needed to be picked up. "Don't bring your kids up here and drop them off, don't let them be unsupervised and you stay up here with them, make sure there's a responsible adult with them," he said.

"He said there will likely be an increase in security Monday, as the festival enters its final day. He emphasized that people should still feel safe enough to get out and enjoy the festival."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link collection . . .

Four juveniles hurt in shooting at SantaCaliGon festival grounds, Independence police says INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - The Independence police department is trying to identify a suspect in a shooting at the SantaCaliGon festival ground Sunday night. According to police, four juvenile victims were injured and transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries at about 11 p.m. What led to the shooting is still under investigation and the [...]

4 injured in shooting at SantaCaliGon Festival Independence, Missouri, police are investigating a shooting in the carnival area at the SantaCaliGon Festival Sunday night.Police responded to the shooting around 11:00 p.m. Sunday. Police said four juveniles were shot. All were taken to the hospital and have non-life-threatening injuries.

Scanner audio of SantaCaliGon Days shooting chronicles efforts by police and EMS to help victims and control the scene INDEPENDENCE, MO (KCTV) -- Scanner audio from the opening minutes of a shooting that injured four juveniles at SantaCaliGon captured early efforts by responding officers and emergency medical crews to help victims, seek the suspect, and control a festival that hosted thousands of people on Sunday.

4 juveniles shot at SantaCaliGon Days in Independence INDEPENDENCE, MO (KCTV) --- Four juveniles were shot late Sunday evening at the SantaCaliGon event in Independence. All of the victims are expected to survive, according to police. Shortly after 11 p.m. on Sunday night, Independence police used social media to urge families to pick up their children from the festival.

Developing . . .


Thanks to all the amazing travelers from all over the world, Arigato Japan has been able to share culinary adventures with over 29,000 happy guests since 2016, and has consistently received a 5/5 rating on Tripadvisor and Google, with more than 1800 positive reviews.



Even during these difficult times for inbound companies around the world, the Arigato Japan team has been staying persistent and is doing its best to continue to spread its love for Japan offering Online Experiences with local hosts, as well as training programs for guides and consulting services.



"The team at Arigato Travel and especially myself and our founder (my partner) Anne Kyle are so grateful for this award and the support of our guests over the these last difficult months. We have loved connecting online and are eagerly waiting for the time when borders reopen and we can again welcome people to Japan.



We have loved learning more and creating amazing online travel experiences. We have seen how much they can help future visitors prepare as well as open up the world of adventure to people everywhere. We will continue to create and share online, in-person and other exciting Japan related programs in the coming year.



We want to thank everyone for this award, it means so much! Also we want to say that our team has been amazing during this challenging time and we love them! They bring all the spirit of life-long learning, sharing and storytelling that make a great experience. They are the heart and soul of all we do. We can't wait to connect with new travelers in the coming months and years!" - Lauren Shannon, GM and partner at Arigato Japan.



For travelers who plan to visit Japan when borders reopen, Joining a food tour with Arigato Japan is a great option! You will not only be able to make delicious memories, but you'll also learn more about Japanese culture and customs in general, discover hidden spots, and hear interesting stories that only locals know! You can also keep your travel dreams alive while you wait for your future adventure on one of the 8 online experiences they offer: sharing local insider knowledge, area history, tips and travel planning advice before you come.
Johnstown, PA (15901)

Today

Isolated thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. A few storms may be severe. High 76F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Johnstown, PA (15901)

Today

Thunderstorms likely. A few storms may be severe. High 78F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.
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Sponsored By: Dorsett Automotive
Canton, GA (30114)

Today

Cloudy early, then off and on rain showers for the afternoon. High 78F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
If your PCR test results are delayed, the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) have asked affected persons to contact them for assistance.

They've stated priority will be given to results that are delayed by more than 48 hours.

For persons with a landline in their hotel room, you can call (246) 628-4150 or contact your hotel reception team and ask them to contact the BTMI with your information.

The following information is required when you contact them:

- Name of property from which person(s) are quarantining

- Name of guest(s) in quarantine

- Was the PCR test for arrival or departure?

- Date on which guest(s) arrived in Barbados

- Date on which test was taken in Barbados

- Location from which test was taken (e.g. airport, paragon military base, wildey gymnasium, etc)

"On behalf of team Barbados, we apologize for the inconvenience caused and look forward to hearing from you," BTMI said in its statement.

If you are unable to get through to the BTMI via the above method, there are a few other methods you can try:

1. Send an email to the COVID-19 Hotline:

traveltest@visitbarbados.org

covid19hotline@barbados.gov.bb

2. Send a private message to the Ministry of Health on Facebook:

Edited: 05 September 2021, 20:34
Hi All, I have planned Paris visit from 9-26 Oct 2021 from India. The only point which is getting me jittery is the 72 hours RTPCR test at Paris before boarding the flight to India. The following are the main confusion areas:

1. Do foreign citizens also have to mandatorily register in Doctolib App?

2. Can I just walk in to any clinic (of course with Passport and Return Ticket as a proof) and get the COVID Test Done?

3. Are the reports available in Hard Copy as well? (apart from the Soft Copy which will be mailed to us)

Any help/contacts/information will be much appreciated. I will be staying in the area close to Chatelet Metro station.

Cheers !

Arkaprabho Ray
Hello again.

I have been nailing down the details of my trip to Switzerland at the end of October, and was wondering if the Swiss Travel Pass, Half card or pay as i go. I found the SBB pricing to be a bit confusing when looking at route pricing, to try and compare which option is cheaper. For the most part i wont be taking special scenic trains, although i may try one that is still operating i have yet to decide.

Ill be in Switzerland 7nights/8days. I like the travel pass because it covers many Museums, I'm not quite sure how to value that savings on average.

So far my routes are Zurich- Bern, Bern - Montreaux. The Chocolate train excursion, then back to Bern, Bern-Murten, and from murten i haven't quite decided where to go This route covers my first 3 days.

Id like to see what scenery is available at this time of the year, id love to see Castles, museums , and of course culinary and culturally interesting places.

I was thinking from murten then to go to Lucerne, then who knows where yet.

So ill be doing a fair amount of train rides, but mostly normal trains.

Any suggestions on what might be a better value option would be appreciated.

Thank you all I'n advance!
We have just returned from a week in Valletta and can reassure that the center of town is wall-to-wall restaurants, all with outside tables.

We were there last week in Aug and still got a table pretty much anywhere we stopped, so even quieter next week.

Unless it is a restaurant in a 5* hotel, no need to book, simply stroll around and stop where you fancy.

We found great value on most food, especially Pasta, with home made Lasagne at between 6.5 - 8 Euros.

Enjoy!
You checked the cost of one way hire and taking car on Hurigruten?

It would be more logistically efficient and cheaper to hire a car in western Norway and returning to same place, then Hurigruten up north from Bergen and hiring a car there. That would also save you a lot of backtracking.Fly home from the north.

I guess from Aberdeen that Stavanger is convenient, but I would normally recommend Bergen as entry.

From entry point do a round trip of the fjords. Order winter tyres for the car as they are not normally fitted before 1st November in cities. Yoo should be fine with studless winter tyres if you are used to winter driving. A skid pan course is fun and is part of driver training in Norway.

Late October means relatively short daylight hours, and possibilty of snow on mountain crossings. Not the best time for a road trip but doable.
It doesnt really matter which coast you choose in November, it's winter when we advise avoiding the east and south coasts because of strong prevailing south easterly trade winds (particularly July and August)

Weather is good everywhere in November, the beginning of summer with daytime highs of 30C.

I haven't found humidity or heat to be an issue then and we never had much rain until mid December.

If you want shops etc head to the west coast hotels near Flic en Flac. Some of the ones in the north west are a fair distance to Grand Baie.

An exception is Trou aux Biches in the north west.

Northern hotels are good location wise but the beaches are small and some which are actually in Grand Baie like Veranda Grand Baie and Beachcomber Le Mauricia are very small and face the bay and not the ocean.
Good for: Local cuisine

Dining options: Breakfast, After-hours, Lunch, Reservations

Neighbourhood: Marylebone

Description: The new generation of Ponti's Italian Kitchen was established in 1963. The Ponti family originates from Piacenza in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, and are passionate and committed to the exceptional food of the region. Dishes are simply prepared using the freshest quality ingredients, with a generation's twist on traditional classics. Provenance is a key part of the menu, with several dishes denoted with the DOP logo, the official mark which certifies that the products are genuine speciality products from the region. So, the Parma Ham is from Parma and nowhere else. Ponti's Italian Kitchen is proud to receive the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence award 2012 & 2013, for consistently achieving outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor. Approximately 10 percent of restaurants listed on TripAdvisor receive this prestigious award that honours hospitality excellence.
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Windows: Internet Explorer , Mozilla Firefox , Google Chrome . Mac: Safari .
Good for: Groups, Child-friendly, Local cuisine

Dining options: Lunch, Breakfast, Dinner

Description: Door County, Wisconsin's most well-known restaurant, established in 1949. From May through October, look for the live goats on the roof, on top of an authentic Swedish log building. Inside, there's a traditional Swedish atmosphere and Scandinavian food specialties, all served by waitresses in dirndls. After dining, visit Al Johnson's Butik, featuring a beautiful selection of Scandinavian products, including clogs, Swedish linens, books, clothing, jewelry, decorative items, books and housewares. Open May - October, 6 AM - 8 PM, And November - April, 7 AM - 3 PM.
Re: You will need to show negative Covid test before entering DR

77. Re: You will need to show negative Covid test before entering DR

Slyguy, think long and hard before booking Cuba. We were there a few years ago at the Paradisus Royal section. Ocean is magnificent, service is fantastic but the food was so disappointing. I'm really not a foodie but when finding decent things to eat for breakfast is challenging, it sucks.

Every few years, we go back for the beach but then remember why it took us a few years to go back. All holidays are nice but ...

Read reviews carefully. It seems that some chains receive more staples than others. I don't think that all chains are equal on the food and alcohol distribution list, but that is just my opinion.

Missing my travels so much!
As Greece has some 200 inhabited islands, ferries are a necessity for inter-island transport for both the locals and the tourist/traveller.

Always keep in mind that a lot of ferryroutes are designed for the needs of the local inhabitants. Be it for administrative, medical or other reasons, for them a ferry (big or small) is often the only way to get to the administrative capital of their region, to a hospital or visit family. Ferry routes that connect to smaller islands are often/mainly dependant on the PSO (Public Service Obligation) regulation. It means that they only exist because the ferry company receives a financial compensation/subsidy from the government because routes to the smaller islands are mostly not profitable. Needless to say that there are fewer ferries to small islands than there are to the mainstream islands.

Understanding the ferry routes

The Greek islands are divided in groups (Archipelagos). The Ionian islands (between Greece and Italy), the Cyclades, the Sporades, the Dodecanese (the string of islands along the Turkish coast from Rhodes up to Samos), the North Aegean islands (from Chios to Samothraki), the Saronic islands. Besides that, there are a few that dont belong to a specific group, Crete and Evia (Euboia).

Many ferry routes mainly start from the 3 major ports (Piraeus, Lavrio and Rafina) around Athens and serve in general 1 specific group of islands. Ferry routes to the NE Aegean and the Dodecanese have often a stop at 1 of the Cyclades islands so its possible to switch there to another route. And as usual there isnt a general rule without exceptions. The Ionian and Sporades islands have no ferry connection to one of Athens ports. There are also no ferryroutes from the islands in the Aegean Sea to the islands in the Ionian Sea and the Saronic Gulf. Furthermore there are no ferrys between the Sporades (Skiathos, Skopelos, Alonissos, Skyros) and other island groups.

Note also that you probably wont find a ferry route that serves all of the Cyclades as this group of islands is devided in 4 parts.

Timetables

All major companies mostly publish their schedules for a longer term. The publishing of the schedules for Spring, Summer and Autumn mainly starts around New Year. These schedules usually run till 31 October. There are mostly different schedules fort he week before and after the Greek Orthodox Easter. From 1 November the winterseason for ferries starts and that is normally till 31 March. The reason for these dates is the Greek law on coastal shipping. Companies that want to put a new ferry on a route or want to incorporate a new route in their schedules are (in theory) obliged to do so 1 year in advance and can only start with the new ferry or new route after 31 March. In the summer period the ferrys are also obliged to have more crew on board compared to the winter period. Between November and April is also the time that the ferrys go in drydock fort heir annual inspection and maintenance.

Smaller and local ferry companies have the tendancy to publish their schedules at a later time and sometimes only a few weeks or even days beforehand.

There are some websites that combine all schedules from the different companies what makes them very usefull search engines to see what different ferries there are between destinations.

The main 3 websites are:

Each of these 3 have their advantages.

On GTP you can find a listing of departures/arrivals on a certain day on a specific island or from a specific port. Or you can search for all ferrys between 2 destinations for a whole month.

Openseas allows to backtrack in time and see what ferries there were on a specific date in the past between 2 destinations.

Ferryhopper also gives the price of the cheapest ticket on every ferry between 2 destinations on any given day. It also allows to see indirect routes if no direct route available.

Note that on these websites you will only find the ferrys when the ferry companies have published their timetables and/or opened them for bookings.

Ticket prices

Ticket prices are fixed prices for a year and dont change. Unless a new government tax comes into operation during the year. And even then, the ferry companies are mostly not applying it but deduct it from their gain on every single ticket. There are different ticket categories depending on the type of vessel (highspeed <-> conventional ferry). Tickets for highspeed ferrys can cost double the price than those for a conventional ferry.

On highspeed ferries there are mainly 3 categories, from economy to business. Mind you that, except for only a few, you cannot sit/go outside on highspeed ferries.

On conventional ferries there is economy (also called Deck), numbered airseat, business, cabin. A Deck/Economy ticket gives acces to (of course) the outside decks and the common lounges. Numbered airseats are in different lounges but also available to Deck/Economy holders, as long as the seat is not reserved. Business class is often (mostly) in the front of the ferry with a panoramic view and a waiter service and only accesible for passengers with a business class ticket. Also passengerst hat have booked a cabin can use the business class.

Cabins are divided in OUT and IN and by number of berths. OUT is on the side of the ferry, so there is a (small) window. IN is in the middle of the ship. As an example, the term 2 Berth IN as 2 Berth means a cabin inside for 2 with 2 beds. 3Berth OUT as 2 Berth means the cabin is at the side of the ferry, it has 3 beds but you can book it for 2 people. No 3rd person will then use that cabin.

Buying/booking a ticket

One of the most asked questions is: Do I need to book in advance?. Well, thats something thats up to everyones personal comfort level.

For instance, 99% of Greeks using the ferry never book in advance. Neither do experienced island hoppers. But there are a few periods in the year that it can be wise to book in advance: The days before/after the Greek Orthodox Easter & the days before/after 15 August.

A day its not wise to book a ferry for is 1st of May. In many countries, this day is known as Labour Day. In Greece its usual Strike Day.

A common advise is to book through the website of the company you will be travelling with. In case of any mishaps (strike, mechanical problem, extreme bad weather, ), it will be easier to communicate directly with the company than through a 3rd party or a broker.

With some companies you will still have to obtain the paper ticket in a local travel agency. Allthough over the last couple of years a lot of companies now offer e-tickets and online check in. When you need to obtain the paper ticket in a local travel office, all you need is the confirmation mail with the booking reference you received after booking.

Remember that there are no tickets for multiple destinations. When on an island hopping tour, you need a separate ticket for every leg of your journey.

Boarding a ferry

Boarding starts roughly 1 hour before departure in the ports where the ferry starts his route. In ports along the route it depends how long the turnaround time is. That can be 10 minutes but also 20 minutes. Its fairly easy, just queue up at the designated spot in the port and once one of the ship officers gives the go-ahead, go on board presenting your boarding card. With Deck/Economy tickets, seats are on a first come, first served basis.

When boarding there is absolutely no need to drag your heavy suitcases all the way up on the ferry. On every ferry there is a designated space for luggage on the (car)deck where you board the ship. Every destination on the route of the ferry has usually a designated rack. Crewmembers are standing by to direct you to the luggagerack of your destination. On some ferrys this luggage space is in a closed area, on others not. Passengers are not allowed onto the cardecks during the voyage, but general advice is to keep valuables in your handluggage and take it with you tot he passenger decks..

When boarding or disembarking just join the controlled chaos that starts whenever a ferry is mooring.

Problems (Strike  Extreme bad weather - Seasickness)

As in every transport sector, a problem can always arise. Be it a strike, a mechanical problem with a ferry or extreme bad weather to name a few. And some people feel seasick more quickly than others.

In general, ferrys that start their journey in one of the main ports of Athens are most affected by a strike. Smaller interisland ferries are very rarely affected. The last couple of years, the major companies have the tendancy to design one/some of their route(s) in such a way that a/the ferry on that route stays overnight on one of the islands along the route. That way this ferry can start the normal routine. But if it goes to a mainland port, it most certainly will not leave again from there till the strike is over.

The port authorities can order ferries to stay in the port when the weather is (very) bad. Mostly they take the measure when the wind reaches gale forces (above 10 Bft). Some of the small highspeed ferries will even stay in port with 8Bft winds. Also the captain can decide that entering/mooring in a port is too dangerous with extremely bad weather and continue the trip. This is also one of the reasons that highspeed ferries are only performing between April and the end of October.

For people that are prone to seasickness: Try to avoid small highspeed ferries and look instead for big (slower) conventional ferries. The fact that you can walk or sit on the open air deck(s) helps a lot. Remember that only some of the big highspeed ferries have a (small) open deck.

Island hopping

Avoid to book non-refundable accommodation as long you are not sure there is a ferry to your destination on the day you want to travel. In general, owners of small businesses will not make a big problem if you have booked and afterwards come tot he conclusion there is no ferry on that specific day and you need to shift your stay back- or forward for a day. But its better better to prevent than to cure.

Note that island hopping takes time to move from one place to the other. Every time you move you have to:

- Check in/out of your accommodation

- Transfer to/from the port

- Wait for the ferry (and delays can/do happen)

- And there is of course the ferrytrip itself.

So a transfer between 2 islands with a ferry trip of 2 hours can easily be an accommodation-to-accommodation trip of a few hours.

Happy travels.
Neighbourhood: Central Area/City Area

Description: The English House, By Marco Pierre White is a one-of-a-kind restaurant and bar interior that combines the best of Straits Chinese and classic Singapore shophouse design elements indigenous to this part of the world, with whimsical English touches that are an homage to Whites culture. The menu of elevated British comfort food, in particular, reflects the restaurateurs philosophy. I think food should be food. Generous, hearty, delicious, he says. Im not in the business of gastronomy, Im in the business of selling a night out. And I want The English House to be a place where the atmosphere, service and food come together, creating a memorable experience.
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NORFOLK, Va. (AP)  When negotiations failed to produce a new contract at a Volvo plant in Virginia this spring, its 2,900 workers went on strike.

The company soon dangled what looked like a tempting offer  at least to the United Auto Workers local leaders who recommended it to their members: Pay raises. Signing bonuses. Lower-priced health care.

Yet the workers overwhelmingly rejected the proposal. And then a second one, too. Finally, they approved a third offer that provided even higher raises, plus lump-sum bonuses.

For the union, it was a breakthrough that wouldn't likely have happened as recently as last year. That was before the pandemic spawned a worker shortage that's left some of Americas long-beleaguered union members feeling more confident this Labor Day than they have in years.

With Help Wanted signs at factories and businesses spreading across the nation, in manufacturing and in service industries, union workers like those at the Volvo site are seizing the opportunity to try to recover some of the bargaining power  and financial security  they feel they lost in recent decades as unions shrank in size and influence.

We were extremely emboldened by the labor shortage, said Travis Wells, a forklift driver at the Volvo plant in Dublin, Virginia, near Roanoke. The cost of recruiting and training a new workforce wouldve cost Volvo 10 times what a good contract would have.

In addition to 12% pay raises over the six-year contract, the Volvo deal provided other sweeteners: Many of the union workers will be phased out of an unpopular two-tier pay scale that had left less-senior workers with much lower wages than longer-tenured employees. All current workers will now earn the top hourly wage of $30.92 after six years. And by holding out as long as they did, the workers achieved a six-year price freeze on health care premiums.

Volvo conceded that it's had difficulty finding workers for the Virginia plant but says it offers a strong pay and benefits package that also safeguards our competitiveness in the market.

The improvements achieved by the Volvo workers in Virginia provided a case study of how union workers may be gaining leverage as companies scramble to find enough workers to meet customer demand in an economy that's been steadily recovering from the pandemic recession.

The growing demand for labor has also benefited lower-paid workers at restaurants, bars and retailers. But the financial gains for union workers mean that a category of jobs that have long been seen as supportive of a middle-class lifestyle may now be moving closer to that realty.

Chris Tilly, a labor economist at UCLA, said the shortages among burger-flippers and cashiers is notable because those low-end jobs more typically have a labor surplus.

But there are also shortages," Tilly noted, at higher skill levels  including jobs where there are chronic shortages like nurses, machinists and teachers.

In Ventura County, California, 37 transit workers voted in July to join the Teamsters. They plan to negotiate with management to seek higher pay and eliminate split work shifts. Ruby McCormick, a bus driver who voted to join, said the booming job market was a big factor in her decision.

Several years ago, before I came on to the company, there was an attempt to have the union, but it was voted down, she noted. This time, we actually passed by a landslide.

For years, companies in most unionized industries have commanded an upper hand. During the slow, grinding economic recovery that followed the 2008-2009 Great Recession, they negotiated concessions and held down pay raises. Rising health care costs further diluted wages.

By contrast, this recovery has produced an unexpected labor shortage and given many workers more bargaining power than theyve had since the 1980s, when the Reagan administration set a tone of hostility toward unions, and manufacturers began moving many jobs overseas, said Susan J. Schurman, who teaches labor studies at Rutgers University.

Schurman noted that the current worker shortage has compelled many employers to raise pay.

Typically, when they have to do that to hire somebody, they kind of have to do it to keep the people they have," she said. "So you get kind of an across-the-board wage effect."

Unions may also be benefiting from frustration among working class Americans over wages that, adjusted for inflation, have been stagnant for decades. That discontent helped drive President Donald Trump's 2016 election victory, particularly in states in which auto and steel industries once thrived  as well as the outsize support for Sen. Bernie Sanders, who ran for president as a Democrat.

They simply have not benefited from the economy over the last three decades, Schurman said of many American workers. That anger is going to go somewhere. And if I were a union organizer right now, Id be really excited.

During the contract talks with Volvo Trucks, workers felt more confident about demanding a better contract because other jobs were open, noted Mitchell Smith, regional director for the UAW in the South.

President Joe Biden, who has frequently vowed to help create good-paying union jobs," has also appointed a more worker-friendly National Labor Relations Board to settle disputes with employers.

An expanded footprint could help unions organize in places where they havent been welcome before. Citing growing interest in membership, the 1.4 million-member Teamsters union says its organizing unit is eyeing Amazons vast warehouse and distribution operations. Much is at stake for the Teamsters. Amazon is expanding its own distribution network, striking at the unions heart  transportation and package workers  and relying less on United Parcel Service, the largest employer of Teamsters members.

Martin Rosas, a union leader for the United Food and Commercial Workers in Kansas and parts of Missouri and Oklahoma, said that meat packing workers seized the opportunity created by the labor shortage and the dangers of COVID to negotiate pay increases for some skilled positions.

Still, to gain major victories on a widespread scale, unions will need much more time. Last year, there were only eight strikes involving 1,000 or more workers, said Joseph A. McCartin, a Georgetown University history professor who studies labor unions. From 1960 to 1980, a period when organized labor commanded far more influence, the average annual total, McCartin said, was 282.

The Labor Department reported in January that the percentage of workers who were union members rose 0.5 percentage point last year to 10.8%. And that was due mainly to fewer union workers losing jobs during the pandemic than nonunion workers. Union membership has fallen from 20% of the work force in 1983, the last year for which comparable data is available.

Lagging wages have been a sore point for unions for years. Worker productivity has grown faster than average pay for four decades, McCartin noted, with the benefits going disproportionately to executives and corporations, not rank-and-file employees.

The very emergence of organizing efforts," he said of unions, is likely to prod employers to try to get ahead of the curve by offering incentives intended to take the wind out of organizing efforts.

That said, some experts say it's far from clear that any leverage that workers may now be gaining will endure. As the economy began to emerge from the pandemic, businesses were opening faster than people were returning to work. But Tilly, the UCLA professor, suggested that the job market is likely to slow in the coming months  and once it does, workers may lose some bargaining power.

As long as the economy is growing  and growing at a relatively vigorous pace  thats going to continue helping workers, and for that matter dealing unions a better hand, too, Tilly said. But we are not necessarily in a new era thats going to look exactly like it has for the last few months.

____

Krisher reported from Detroit.

___

Follow AP coverage of how the coronavirus pandemic is transforming the economy at: https://apnews.com/hub/changing-economy
Like all of you, we are sick and disgusted with COIVD. We all have COVID burnout.

However, COVID is not done with us.

In the last month alone there were more than 9,000 new COVID infections in Connecticut. On one recent day in the United States there were 155,000 new cases and 1,266 people died.

These are avoidable deaths. This doesnt have to happen. These are horrible losses for families. These people are young and old. Our intensive care units are filling up again. Our pediatric intensive care units are filling up. Our children are at risk.

Our 14-year-old went to an introductory program for high school on Friday. She was incredibly excited and nervous. She very much wants to be back at school after more than a year of virtual classes. She truly missed the socialization. She wore her mask.

Let us share with you the activities (all well-intentioned).

She sat next to other students  right next to them, in the bleachers in the gym, where there was no distancing, social or otherwise. They had a series of icebreaker activities to encourage the kids to get to know each other. This included high fives, fist bumps, telling each other their stories, group hugs to burst balloons, and giving each other a massage. Masks went up and down. Whenever people spoke, especially the teachers and their assistants, they would take their masks off. About 20 percent to 30 percent of the students were wearing their masks below their chins. This was an indoor event.

This was a potential super spreader event.

There was no distancing. There was physical contact. Masks were inconsistently used.

As physicians and parents we are overwhelmed by the thoughtlessness of our schools at this truly dangerous time.

We know people are concerned about their child losing a year developmentally, educationally, socially. We are much more concerned about our daughter losing her life. We can make up a year; we cant make up a life. The delta variant is spread extremely easily by vaccinated and unvaccinated alike. Each potentially exposed child in school can bring that virus home to innumerable family members and friends, many of whom are quite vulnerable to serious complications.

It is well past time for us to take this infection seriously again. It is time to offer a virtual option to those who are uncomfortable sending their children to school due to the inability of the school to protect their children from infection.

Many may say that the level of distancing is not practical when all of the children are attending classes, walk in the halls, etc. A virtual option means having smaller classes, making it safer for those who attend school in person, and will give comfort to those families that can support in-the-home schooling.

Stratford, like many communities, is again in a red zone even before the school year begins. There are children about to be placed at serious risk for long-term and serious illness, as well are their at-risk family members at home. Parents are given assurances, but those assurances are false in the case of COVID and the delta variant, with regard to the reality of distancing, consistency in masking and ventilation/barriers in the classroom. The measures being taken are demonstrably inadequate.

Please reach out and mobilize. We need to get our Board of Education to rethink their strategies. We need to reach out to our mayor and representatives. Reach out to the governor. We need to demand a remote option. We need to act before there are more avoidable, preventable deaths.

Dr. Barbara Weber-Chess and Dr. David Chess live in Stratford.
Did you know public consumption of alcohol is against the law? Well it is during an SOE! But
Over the past day, September 5, four ceasefire violations by the armed formations of the Russian Federation were recorded in the Joint Forces Operation area in eastern Ukraine.

In particular, the enemy opened fire from easel antitank grenade launchers near Zolote-4 (59km west of Luhansk); grenade launchers of various systems and small arms  outside Vodiane in the Sea of Azov area; easel antitank and automatic easel grenade launchers and small arms  in the area of Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol)," the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

Ukrainian soldiers opened fire in response to the enemy shelling.

There were no combat losses among Ukrainian defenders over the past day.

The Ukrainian side of the Joint Control and Coordination Center (JCCC) informed the OSCE SMM about all violations by the Russian-occupation troops, using the established coordination mechanism.

As of 07:00 on September 6, no ceasefire violations were recorded.

Ukrainian soldiers control the situation in the JFO area to repel and deter the armed aggression of the Russian Federation.

ish
At dawn on September 6, Russian occupation forces bombed a residential area in the northern outskirts of Zaitseve.

Thats according to the press service of the Joint Forces Command, Ukrinform reports.

"On September 6, at about 4:20, Russian-led armed groups flew a UAV which dropped two improvised explosive devices on the northern outskirts of a residential area in the Zaitseve settlement, Donetsk region," the statement says.

One of them didnt explode, the Command notes.

The IEDs are believed to have been 3D-printed and contained 500 grams of a C4 explosive, as well as cassettes filled with up to 6mm steel balls.

According to the press service, over the past week, Russia-controlled armed groups have used UAVs five times, grossly ignoring reports filed by Ukraine within the established coordination mechanism. This led to the shelling of Ukrainian defense positions with weapons proscribed by the Minsk agreements.

All violations were duly recorded and documented by the Ukrainian side to the Joint Ceasefire Control and Coordination Center, while the relevant notes were forwarded to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission and pre-trial investigation bodies of Ukraine, the press service said.

As Ukrinform wrote earlier, during the past 24 hours, on September 5, the invaders four times violated the ceasefire. No casualties in Ukrainian Army ranks were reported.

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In autumn, Ukraine makes a number of payments on its external debt, while its gold and foreign exchange reserves are full.

Oleh Ustenko, the Ukrainian presidents economic adviser, said this on the air of Dom TV channel, Ukrinform reports.

"Gold and foreign exchange reserves are full - they contain more than USD 30 billion. This is actually over five months, almost six months of our critical imports, which is twice the norm necessary for us to say that the country is in a stable financial situation in terms of external payments," Ustenko stressed.

According to him, Ukraine's September payments can be called large-scale, but there is no reason for concern.

He also stressed that Ukraine will raise the possibility of receiving new funds from the IMF during the visit of the IMF mission to Kyiv, which is expected this month.

As for the new possible funds that we should receive from the International Monetary Fund, you remember that there was a more than successful conversation between President Zelensky and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. An agreement was reached: in September, literally in the coming days, we expect the IMF mission to arrive in Kyiv," Ustenko said.

In this context, he emphasized that Ukraine, in fulfillment of its obligations, strengthens the independence of the National Bank and intensifies efforts in the fight against corruption. The relevant initiatives will soon be considered by the parliament.

Ustenko noted that during the visit of the IMF mission to Kyiv, the issue of granting the next tranche will be brought up at a meeting of the Board of Directors.

"We believe that everything has been done on our part. The IMF mission will be in Kyiv, and we can raise the issue of Ukraine at a meeting of the Board of Directors. We also expect EUR 600 million - what is known as macro-financial assistance from the European Union - until September 14," the presidents adviser said.

As reported, Minister of Finance of Ukraine Serhiy Marchenko suggested that the current 18-month Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) could be extended for six months.

On June 9, 2020, the IMF approved a new 18-month SBA for Ukraine worth about USD 5 billion with the immediate disbursement of USD 2.1 billion as the first tranche.

The virtual mission for the first revision of the SBA ended in mid-February with no recommendation for a second tranche.

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As of September 6, Ukraine registered 12,784 agreements on the purchase and sale of agricultural land, Ukrinform reports, referring to the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food.

According to the ministry, 4,822 notaries submitted applications for access to the State Land Cadastre.

The total number of applications is 5,482. Of these, 4,845 applications were approved, whereas 632 were rejected.

According to the ministry, 27, 810 hectares of agricultural land have been already sold throughout Ukraine since July 1. The largest areas of farmland were sold in Kirovohrad region (3,329.2 ha), Kharkiv region (3,320.7 ha) and Poltava region (2,903.5 ha). In terms of the number of concluded agreements, the leaders are Kyiv region (1,156 agreements), Poltava region (1,123 agreements) and Kharkiv region (1,108 agreements).

As reported, Ukraine officially launched the land market on July 1. Until 2024, only Ukrainian citizens will be able to buy agricultural land - up to 100 hectares per person. The issue of selling land to citizens without Ukrainian citizenship and foreigners will be decided only in a nationwide referendum.

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Charge dAffaires of Ukraine in China Zhanna Leshchynska participated in the opening ceremony for the China Beijing International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS-2021, Beijing, September 2-7) at the invitation of the Beijing Peoples Government.

This was reported by the press service of the Ukrainian Embassy in China.

The participants were greeted online by Xi Jinping, President of the Peoples Republic of China, who underlined the importance of opening up more trade in services with other countries. His speech was followed by addresses of other officials and leaders of the Communist Party of China as well as heads of foreign governments and honorable guests.

On September 5, the Embassy of Ukraine organized and hosted 3rd Ukrainian Investment Forum for the Chinese entrepreneurs within CIFTIS 2021, which was focused on the IT and digitalization sectors this year.

The Forums main goal was to spread the information on investment opportunities of Ukraine, highlighting priority spheres of economy for foreign investments, as well as informing the businesses about current state of play in trade and investment cooperation between Ukraine and China.

In the course of Ukrainian Investment Forum, the embassys representatives made thematical speeches and gave presentations and videos on such topics as Ukraines IT overview, Investment opportunities into infrastructure of Ukraine, and Agricultural sector potential of Ukraine.

CIFTIS is regarded as a central platform in China for international trade in services. It is organized by the Ministry of Commerce of PRC and Beijing Peoples Government with the support of the World Trade Organization, UNCTAD, and OECD.
The heads of key U.S. ministries will visit Ukraine by the end of the year to implement agreements in the fields of energy, climate, and economy.

Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna said this on the air of Savik Shuster's Freedom of Speech TV program on Friday evening, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"A structural dialogue is being initiated. Key U.S. ministers will visit Kyiv by the end of the year to implement agreements on energy, climate, economy, and commercial cooperation in accordance with agreements for USD 3 billion," Stefanishyna said.

According to her, the visit of President Volodymyr Zelensky to the United States had restarted relations between the two countries.

The Deputy PM also stressed that the United States recognized Ukraine as a key ally in Eastern Europe in terms of security and stabilization of democratic transformations in the post-Soviet countries.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is on a working visit to Washington. He met with U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday, September 1. Zelensky's visit to the U.S. is to end on Sunday, September 5.

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The results of the United States visit of the Ukrainian delegation headed by President Volodymyr Zelensky have exceeded expectations.

Thats according to Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to the head of the President's Office and speaker for the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group for Donbas settlement, who spoke on the air of the Dom TV channel, Ukrinform reports.

"We managed to realize more than we, ourselves, planned. That is, we have achieved the maximum. This was a normal working visit, whose results have exceeded our own expectations," Arestovych said.

The adviser went on to highlight the most important points of the trip.

"First thing is that for the first time over many years, Ukraine didnt come as a petitioner. That is, we didnt say "save us or help us," but called out a problem, a sore spot, and named options for joint action to address the problem or move forward in a specific political direction. Some expected it would be a client coming to his patron, as people often say. In fact, its a partner coming to a partner. This is one of the most significant achievements," said the speaker for the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG.

Secondly, the final Joint Statement on the Strategic Partnership between Ukraine and the United States makes no mention of Minsk agreements on Donbas settlement.

"You might have noticed that the Minsk agreements werent brought up either during Merkel's visit to Washington, or during Zelensky's trip. This means a very important thing. Its not that we are abandoning Minsk Agreements. This means that the Russian Federation and the Kremlin leadership are failing in push through their version of Minsk agreements, in which they have long tried to persuade the West  collectively and individually ... This sends a very strong signal to Moscow that their policy of imposing a one-sided perspective of Minsk agreements has failed," Arestovych stressed.

The eleven points of the Joint Statement on the Strategic Partnership between Ukraine and the United States are devoted, among other things, to developing military cooperation, which is also related to the situation in the east of the country.

"This is about sharply enhancing cooperation between our intelligence communities: information exchange, interaction, and joint operations. For example, we will be receiving intelligence in much larger amounts than before, including in real time. This significantly increases our ability to ensure early warning and work toward specific goals, if such need arises, the adviser said.

The agreement contains concrete steps both countries are expected to take, serving as a sort of a roadmap for partnership in various areas, from energy to defense, industrial development, strengthening contacts, increasing trade, and so on.

A road map is drawn, which shows that were moving for a common purpose, which is about democracy opposing authoritarian regimes, Arestovych noted.

In addition, during the visit, Ukraines defense giant Ukroboronprom inked contracts worth $2.5 billion.

"There will be joint production of weapons and military hardware, which has never been the case. There will be an increase in military aid, lethal or non-lethal arms supplies, as well as cybersecurity, the official explained.

He also reminded that a special secure line between will be set up for the two presidents to be able to remain in constant contact for consultations.

Besides, the Commission (for the Ukraine-U.S. Strategic Partnership) is being revived. Recall, there was once a Gore-Kuchma Commission, where permanent representatives addressed plenty of issues concerning seven to nine areas, and it worked very effectively. It dealt with package investment in the Ukrainian economy, arms and military hardware development, energy security issues, construction of new nuclear units, and so on. Everything will be decided within this Commission, including part of the plan, which the president presented as Ukraines transformation, Arestovych summed up.

As reported earlier, from August 31 to September 2, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky was on a working visit to the United States lasted. On September 1, he met with U.S. President Joe Biden. As a result of the visit, the parties agreed on $60 million assistance to the Ukraine Army for the purchase of U.S. military equipment; $45 million in humanitarian aid for Donetsk and Luhansk regions; $12.8 million on combatting COVID-19; and $463 million for the protection of democracy, human rights, and reform development.

Photo: White House

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Verkhovna Rada Deputy Speaker Olena Kondratiuk will represent Ukraine at the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, the Ukrainian parliament's press service has reported on Facebook.

According to the report, the second session of the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, organized under the auspices of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, will be held in Vienna on September 7-8.

"World Conferences of Speakers of Parliament are held every five years. The official delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, headed by Vice Speaker Olena Kondratiuk, will take part in the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament for the first time since 2005," the report reads.

Topics of discussion during the plenary meetings of the conference will be the issues of achieving sustainable development and human well-being, environmental protection and the impact of climate change on the economy.

In addition, the challenges and consequences of COVID-19, countering disinformation, gender equality and non-discrimination against women and girls, ensuring the transparency of parliaments and their role in global governance will also be discussed.

The joint declaration of the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament is to be adopted following the plenary meetings.

"Our participation in the conference will demonstrate that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as an institution is aware of and shares the need to unite international efforts to address current issues on the global agenda and increase the role of parliaments in resolving crises," Kondratiuk said.

As part of the visit of the Verkhovna Rada deputy speaker to Austria, bilateral working meetings with the leadership of European parliaments are also planned.

According to Kondratiuk, the key purpose of her visit and participation in the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament is to use this platform and a series of bilateral meetings to report on Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine, the occupation of Crimea and parts of Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

"I will be talking about the need to maintain and strengthen sanctions against the Russian Federation and counter Nord Stream 2, grant Ukraine without delay a NATO Membership Action Plan, as well as real economic, energy, investment and defense capabilities and guarantees to deter Russian aggression, which is a security challenge to Europe and international law," Kondratiuk said.

She also said that the newly created Crimea Platform with the participation of 46 countries should have an active parliamentary dimension.

"We will actively use all opportunities, measures and connections within the Inter-Parliamentary Union to ensure that Crimea Platforms are established in all parliaments of Europe and the world, which share the values of human rights and the inviolability of basic principles of international law," Kondratiuk said.

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Turkey is monitoring the recent developments regarding the detention of First Deputy Speaker of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Nariman Celal and four other Crimean Tatars, and expects their release as soon as possible.

This was said in a statement by Ambassador Tanju Bilgic, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, Ukrinform reports.

"We are following the developments with concern and expect that Nariman Celal and the four other Crimean Tatars detained with him will return to their homes and families as soon as possible," the spokesperson said.

As Ukrinform reported, on September 3 and 4, Russian occupation authorities in Crimea conducted mass raids in Crimean Tatar households and made a number of detentions. In particular, Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Nariman Celal and four other Crimean Tatars  Aziz Akhtemov, Asan Akhmetov, Shevket Useinov, and Eldar Odamanov  were detained. Their whereabouts were unknown to their relatives, lawyers, or human rights defenders. On September 4, relatives of the missing and lawyers gathered near the FSB building in Simferopol. More than 40 people were detained trying to find out the whereabouts of five Crimean Tatars.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expressed a strong protest in connection with the repeated illegal searches and detentions in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

The Ukrainian government called the Kremlins move a reaction to the launch of the Crimea Platform initiative, and demanded that all detainees be immediately released.

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Verkhovna Rada Chairman Dmytro Razumkov has said that he sees no grounds for dissolving the parliament.

He said this at a briefing in the Verkhovna Rada on Monday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"There is Article 90 of the Constitution of Ukraine, which clearly provides for the possibility of the early termination of the powers of the Verkhovna Rada. If there is at least one of the three norms for the dissolution of parliament, we will talk. As of today, none of them has been implemented," Razumkov said.

Razumkov said the reasons for the early termination of the powers of the parliament included the absence of a coalition or the parliament's failure to hold plenary meetings within 30 days. He stressed that this had never happened during the entire term of the Verkhovna Rada of the ninth convocation. According to the current rules of procedure of the Verkhovna Rada, one MP is enough to open a parliament sitting, he said.

"The third [reason for dissolving parliament] is related to the unformed government, according to colleagues. Article 10 of the law on the Cabinet of Ministers states that it is legitimate if two-thirds of members of the Cabinet of Ministers have taken an oath before the Verkhovna Rada," Razumkov added.

He also expressed hope that participants in this process would not mislead the president and would not push him to violate the current legislation, especially the Constitution.

First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk earlier said in an interview with the Ukraine 24 television channel that formal reasons for the dissolution of parliament "existed and exist."

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Ukrainian Defense Minister Andrii Taran has met with a delegation of the U.S. Congress to discuss the importance of assisting Ukraine in building its air defense and missile defense capabilities, as well as further joint decisions of the U.S. administration and Congress that will help restore Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's press service has reported.

According to Taran, the Ukrainian side considers the current visit of a highly respected delegation of the U.S. Congress as an important signal of bipartisan support by U.S. parliamentarians for the agreements reached during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's working visit to the United States. Taran recalled that a number of bilateral agreements in the field of defense between Ukraine and the United States were signed last week.

"Our state receives tangible and important assistance from the United States at all stages: from the formation of a vision of a promising model in building and strengthening the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to comprehensive support for the development of their capabilities. It is in this context that U.S. parliamentarians were given substantiated proposals on Ukraine's most urgent needs in strengthening its capabilities to deter armed aggression by the Russian Federation," the press service quoted Taran as saying.

According to the report, the communication was detailed and highly professional, as the U.S. congressional delegation consisted of parliamentarians representing committees on national security, defense and intelligence.

According to the press service, members of the delegation included Senators Lindsey Graham, John Barrasso, Ben Sasse, Thomas Tuberville, and Congressman William Timmons.

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Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and EBRD Managing Director for Eastern Europe and the Caucasus Matteo Patrone have discussed support for reforms in Ukraine.

The meeting between the two took place on September 6, the government's press service reported.

Shmyhal stressed that reforms in Ukraine are an important and necessary tool for achieving sustainable progress. Therefore, the Government of Ukraine is ready to continue all the ongoing reforms, he said.

"This year and next year, we are planning to focus on public administration reform, improving the investment and business climate, privatization and corporate governance reform, coordinating the green course, and continuing land and anti-corruption reform. In addition, we are launching new reforms: the introduction of the second level of the pension system, as well as the development of the stock market," Shmyhal said.

He stressed that the introduction of the second level of the pension system in synergy with the development of the stock market was extremely important to Ukraine.

Shmyhal thanked the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the significant and systematic support provided for reforms in Ukraine.

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A U.S. Congress delegation, led by Senator Lindsey Graham, has honored the fallen defenders of Ukraine during its visit to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the ministry's press service has reported.

According to the report, the foreign delegation was acquainted with the memorial complex built to honor Ukrainian defenders who died in combat, performing their military duty, during peacekeeping operations in hot spots around the world and during the Anti-Terrorist Operation and the Joint Forces Operation in eastern Ukraine.

"High-ranking American guests were told that this is the only place in our country where the names of fallen servicemen have been collected and forever inscribed in history, and the memory of every soldier who gave their lives defending our statehood and independence is preserved here," the statement said.

The U.S. Congress delegation and Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister for European Integration Anatolii Petrenko honored Ukraine's defenders who fought for the freedom and independence of Ukraine from the insidious Russian occupier and laid flowers to the Stela with the Bell of Memory.

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From next Monday, September 13, a yellow level of epidemic threat may be introduced across Ukraine due to the growing COVID-19 incidence.

This was stated by Health Minister Viktor Liashko who spoke with Ukraine 24, Ukrinform reports.

"Today we had several government meetings and conferences, which clearly show that Ukraine has already exceeded the indicators that can switch the country from a green level of epidemic threat to a yellow one. We have filed a motion from the Ministry of Health to the Cabinet, which will consider our appeal, and, most likely, next Monday Ukraine will move to the yellow level of epidemic threat. Additional restrictions will be set, provided for the yellow level and related primarily to mass events," he said.

The minister reminded that the transition to the yellow zone is set to cover the whole country, and in the future, each region, depending on the incidence rates, will be assigned to certain zones individually. Currently, Liashko noted, there are no grounds for putting any region into a red zone with maximum restrictions.

With the yellow level of epidemiological threat introduced, public transport shall operate with no additional restrictions, while another rule provides for normal operations of educational facilities provided that 80% of staff are vaccinated, Liashko explained.

"If this rule isnt met, schools switch to online mode. For the yellow level, those who got with the first vaccine dose (are allowed  ed.), and for the red level  a full vaccination course is mandated," said Liashko.

The minister added that vaccination is currently the only means of protection against a severe or moderate course of coronavirus disease, calling on citizens to be vaccinated to prevent the health care system from overloading.

Currently, according to him, the weekly number of hospitalized patients varies between 6,000 and 6,500, while 11% of beds with oxygen supply are occupied, and 65% of all hospitalized persons require oxygen therapy.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, as of September 6, a total of 2,298,307 COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Ukraine, of which 773 were reported in the past day.

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During today's court hearing in the MH17 downing trial, Presiding Judge Hendrik Stoenhuis said the ruling is expected to be issued in 2022.

The court is now unable to name an exact date for the verdict to be handed down as it remains unclear how long the consideration will take, according to Ukrinform's own correspondent.

However, possible dates are September 22 and December 22, 2022.

As Ukrinform reported, more than 90 family members of those killed in the MH17 crash - nationals of the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Canada  will have the floor in court.

Read also: Ukraine at OSCE again calls on Russia to recognize responsibility for downing of MH17

According to the preliminary schedule, court hearings will take place on September 7, 10, 13, 14, 16, 21, 23, and 24 of this year.

Background

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over occupied area of Donetsk region on July 17, 2014. There were 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board. All of them died.

The international Joint Investigation Team reported that the plane had been shot down from a Buk missile system that belonged to the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces stationed in Kursk.

On June 19, 2019, the JIT named four suspects believed to be involved in the transportation and combat use of the Buk missile system, from which MH17 flight had been downed. Three of them are Russians: Igor Girkin (Strelkov), former colonel in Russia's FSB intelligence service and former so-called "defense minister" of the self-styled "Donetsk People's Republic"; Sergey Dubinskiy, general (at the time of downing  colonel) of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and head of the self-proclaimed "Main Intelligence Directorate of the Donetsk Peoples Republic"; Oleg Pulatov, lieutenant colonel of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. The fourth suspect is Leonid Kharchenko, a Ukrainian civilian, who fought on the side of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic."

In March 2020, the District Court of The Hague began the consideration of the case over the downing of Flight MH17.

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 UNHCR

Honorable Mr. President, Honorable Members of the Parliament, Honorable Ms. Deputy Minister,

Thank you for your invitation to UNHCR to stand before the Committee during todays hearing and present its views on the Draft Law.

UNHCR has already shared with the Ministry its comments on the Draft Law, as submitted for public consultation in June, and we are satisfied to see that some of our comments were taken into account and are reflected in the Draft Law that was submitted before the Committee.

In parallel, in the Draft Law as submitted to the Committee, there are some changes in comparison to the text that was submitted for public consultation in June.

More specifically, we would like to comment the following:

The Draft Law includes some provisions that we consider as positive, including:

safeguards for renewal of residence permits for persons granted subsidiary protection who failed to comply with the deadline and the acceptance of the cohabitation agreement for civil partnership for the issuance of residence permits (Article 17 para. 1 and 4 respectively),

ensuring health coverage for unaccompanied minors pending the execution of a return decision and until they reach adulthood (Article 19),

extending the validity of international protection applicant cards from 6 months to 1 year (Article 21 para. 1).

In parallel, there are several provisions which, in UNHCRs view, raise concerns. More specifically:

1. Regarding return procedures (Article 1-7): It derives from the proposed provisions that the competent authorities may, in case of rejection of an application for international protection, issue a return decision based on the provisions of L. 3386/2005 on deportation and not based on those of L. 3907/11 which transposes EU Return Directive 2008/115/EC.

This, in our view, leads to the reduction of safeguards for persons who may be in need of international protection, including asylum seekers whose asylum applications have been rejected on admissibility grounds but not assessed on the merits.

The above is not in line with Directive 2008/115, as Article 2 para. 2(a) of the Directive allows to exclude from its scope only of those persons who have irregularly crossed the border and only in case they have not subsequently obtained an authorisation or a right to stay.

In UNHCRs view, it is evident that this provision does not concern applicants for international protection, that is persons who, after having irregularly crossed the border, have submitted an application for international protection, as these persons, by submitting their claim, have a right to stay according to the national and European legal framework.

Consequently, UNHCR recommends to clarify in the Draft Law that, in any case, L. 3907/11 and the Return Directive and not L. 3386/2005 is applied for the return of persons whose asylum application are rejected.

2. Regarding Article 40 which is a provision that has not been included in the draft law submitted for public consultation:

UNHCR would like to highlight that there should be adequate safeguards to avoid criminalisation of those who provide humanitarian assistance to refugees and migrants, including people in distress at sea, according also to the Commissions Recommendation (EU) 2020/1365 of 23 September 2020 on cooperation among Member States concerning operations carried out by vessels owned or operated by private entities for the purpose of search and rescue activities C/2020/6468).

In our view, it is important to state explicitly in the Draft Law that the provision concerns only maritime space and not coastal or other areas and that a non-affection clause on the duty deriving from international law (Article 98 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)) on provision of assistance to persons in distress at sea is added.

3. UNHCR would like to express its concern on the proposed abolition, by Article 20 of the Draft Law, of the possibility for the competent authorities assessing asylum claims, to provide an attestation of non-removal (for humanitarian reasons), following a rejection decision, in cases where return would breach the international obligations, in particular the principle of non-refoulement, as this principle derives from international human rights instruments.

In UNHCRs view this possibility should be maintained and the competency should remain with the authorities that assess asylum applications, as these authorities are best placed to assess the possible respective violations specifically because they are the authorities who have assessed the asylum claim.

4. Regarding Article 16 para. 1 of the Draft Law: This provision which was also not included in the Draft Law submitted for public consultation, defines as Deciding Authority for revocation of status of international protection, the Directorate of Returns and Revocations of the Asylum Service. This amendment combined with the amendment inserted with Article 41, according to which this Directorate may be staffed with non-civil personnel, will lead to assessment of international protection needs by staff not familiarized nor trained with the content of international protection, as required by Article 4 of the Directive 2013/32/EU.

In light of the above, UNHCR suggests that it is specifically provided in this provision that only qualified personnel of the Asylum Service will be entrusted with the assessment and decision on revocation cases.

5. Regarding Article 16 para. 2 of the Draft Law: UNHCR considers that the possibility not to grant refugee status when the applicant is considered to constitute a danger to the national security of the country or a danger to the community, introduces additional grounds for exclusion from international protection and thus this provision risks substantive distancing from the framework of the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.

6. Lastly, UNHCR recommends that the proposed amendment of Article 17, which introduces a fine amounting to EUR 150 in the event of unjustifiably overdue applications for the renewal of residence permits, is not maintained.

UNHCR considers that the application of this provision may create disproportionate consequences for beneficiaries of international protection and seriously compromise the enjoyment of rights attached to a valid residence permit.

Thank you for your attention,

UNHCR Representation in Greece, 31 August 2021

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Students attend a science lesson at St. Michaels secondary school in Tongogara Refugee Camp in Chipinge, Zimbabwe, on 26 April 2021.  UNHCR/Zinyange Auntony

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is calling for an international effort to guarantee secondary education for refugee children and youth, as levels of school and university enrolment remain critically low.

The call comes as UNHCR launches its 2021 Education Report, Staying The Course: The Challenges Facing Refugee Education. The report highlights the stories of young refugees around the world as they try to keep learning in an era of unprecedented disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Secondary school should be a time of growth, development and opportunity. It increases the job prospects, health, independence and leadership of vulnerable young people, and they are less likely to be pressured into child labour.

Yet according to data gathered by UNHCR in 40 countries, the gross enrolment rate for refugees at secondary level in 2019-2020 stood at only 34 per cent. In almost every country, the rate trails that of host community children.

The pandemic is likely to have undermined refugees chances yet further. COVID-19 has been disruptive for all children, but for young refugees  already facing significant obstacles to getting into school  it could dash all hopes of getting the education they need.

Recent progress made in school enrolment of refugee children and youth is now under threat, said UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi.

Confronting this challenge requires a massive, coordinated effort, and it is a task we cannot afford to shirk.

UNHCR is calling on states to guarantee the right of all children, including refugees, to access secondary education, and to ensure they are part of national educational systems and planning.

In addition, states hosting large numbers of displaced people need assistance in building capacity: more schools, appropriate learning materials, teacher training for specialised subjects, support and facilities for teenage girls, and investment in technology and connectivity to close the digital divide.

The data also shows that from March 2019 to March 2020, gross enrolment rates for refugees at primary level stood at 68 per cent.

Enrolment in higher education was at 5 per cent, a 2-point rise year on year and a gain that represents transformational change for thousands of refugees and their communities. It's an increase that also offers hope and encouragement to younger refugees facing daunting challenges to accessing an education.

Yet this level remains low when compared to global figures, and without a major increase in access at secondary level, the 15by30 target set by UNHCR and partners  15 per cent of refugees enrolled in higher education by 2030  will remain out of reach.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
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Many synagogues across the country will mark the Jewish High Holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur virtually as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. In some settings, as in this September 2020 photo of the main sanctuary of Temple Judea in Coral Gables, Fla., virtual services will be held instead of in-person services. This September 2020 photo provided by Danielle Spiegelman shows the main sanctuary of Temple Judea in Coral Gables, Fla., with cardboard cutouts of congregation members when there were no in-person services due to COVID-19. Im crushed emotionally that were not able to be in-person, said Rabbi Judith Siegal, whose Temple Judea will hold only virtual services for the holy days as the pandemics upsurge buffets South Florida in 2021.
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Milledgeville, GA (31061)

Today

Cloudy skies this morning followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. High 82F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 06th Sep, 2021) ABU DHABI, 6th September, 2021 (WAM) - "Projects of the 50", the UAE governments far-reaching economic, social and developmental initiative that was announced at a press conference in Dubai on September 7, has reached more than 229 million people around the world through print, digital and social media channels.

The initiative was launched by a number of a ministers and senior government officials to set the national priorities for the next 50 years, with a bold agenda to drive foreign direct investment, boost trade with key global partners, develop a knowledge economy, and attract investors, highly skilled professionals and innovative, ambitious projects to the UAE.

The announcement received coverage in local, regional and international media, reflecting the UAEs status as a global city that champions innovation and excellence  and seeks open exchange with countries across the world. Within 24 hours of the launch, "Projects of the 50" was the subject of more than 490 articles across 25 countries, garnering widespread media coverage in leading international media brands and agencies, including Reuters, AP, Washington Post, ABC News, Financial Times, Telegraph, Bloomberg, The Financial Times, ABC News, The Independent (UK) and The Mail Online.

Bloomberg underlined the initiatives contribution to the nations strategic goals: "The UAE  which has been the middle Easts commercial capital for more than a decade  will work on comprehensive economic agreements with countries showing high potential for growth.

.. Its also easing visa restrictions to try to attract foreign talent."

For its part, Reuters highlighted the opportunities provided by the new residency laws. "The new green visa for skilled workers will have more flexibility for sponsoring family members and will allow more time to find a new job after one employment ends."

Taken together, Bloombergs coverage was responsible for more than 6.8 million impressions, with Al Bayan leading the way in the Arabic-language media with 3.5 million impressions. Between them, the articles published across the world generated more than 9,100 engagements.

On social media, the campaign received more than 3,600 posts from around the world. The hashtags "#Projects_Of_The_50" and its Arabic equivalent were the most commonly used in reference to the campaign. The majority of the posts, more than 3,000, originated in the UAE, but there was strong interest in the US and regional countries such as Egypt.

"Projects of the 50" also generated widespread interest in India, a key trading partner with strong historic and cultural links with the UAE. The articles carried on NDTV and The Indian Express, both of which led with the new "green visa" status of residency that is of particular interest to the Indian business and investment community, all garnered well in excess of one million impressions.

"Projects of the 50" will is set to remain in the international news throughout September as further initiatives will be released by the UAE government.
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Marseille, Sept 6 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Sep, 2021 ) :Newly armed with voting rights, indigenous peoples have come to the world's leading conservation congress meeting in the French city of Marseille both hopeful and wary.

They have demands, and will not go quietly into the night, their representatives say.

"It makes no sense for consultants and companies to come to teach us how to protect what we have always successfully protected," said Jose Gregorio Diaz Mirabal of COICA, which represents more than two million indigenous people across nine Amazon nations.

Their boldest proposal is for a measure to ensure that 80 percent of the Amazon is declared a protected area by 2025.

The reasoning is simple.

"Half of [tropical] forests, and 80 percent of biodiversity" in the world are found in indigenous territories, said Peter Seligmann, a veteran conservationist who set up an NGO -- Nia Tero (Our Land) -- run in part by indigenous leaders.

Walter Quertehuari is a leader of the Wachiperi people in southeastern Peru. His commune in the Amarakaeri reserve is recognized on the IUCN Green List for its work in protecting biodiversity.

Unable to attend the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) meet in person due to Covid restrictions, Quertehuari reminded participants by videolink that his people have safeguarded more than 400,000 hectares of forest for more than 15 years.

By staving off the deforestation taking place all around them, he explained, his people have not only protected a crucial biodiversity hotspot but prevented planet-warming CO2 from leaching into the atmosphere.

Now it's time for a payday.

"We are talking about how carbon credits from the reserve can be sold," he told the IUCN's first Indigenous Summit.

Paying to restore or maintain healthy forests in order to fight climate change is not a new idea, and has been embedded in the UN climate convention for many years.

But such initiatives have been plagued with accounting and oversight problems, and some environmentalists say the concept is fundamentally flawed.

"There are indigenous communities that say: 'As soon as you put a monetary value on a tree, someone is going to want to cut it down, because that's the story of our relationship with Westerners'," said Seligmann.

But "indigenous communities have the right to self-determination," he added.
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The Hague, Sept 6 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Sep, 2021 ) :The families of 298 people killed in the shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014 demanded justice from Russia on Monday as they testified in the Dutch trial of four suspects.

People who lost close relatives in the crash of the Malaysia Airlines plane said they could not truly say goodbye to their loved ones until those responsible had been brought to book.

International investigators say a Russian-made missile fired from territory in eastern Ukraine held by pro-Moscow rebels brought down the Boeing 777, but Russia has denied all involvement.

Ria van der Steen, who lost her father Jan and stepmother Nell, said she was quoting from the Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn: "They are lying, we know they're lying and they know that we know that they're lying." "I am full of feelings of revenge, hate, anger and fear," said Van der Steen, who was the first to testify.

"I know they are dead and I will not see them again, but I can't put an end to this process of saying goodbye, certainly not until those who are responsible for their deaths are found to be guilty for what they have done.

" Russian nationals Oleg Pulatov, Igor Girkin and Sergei Dubinsky, and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko are all being tried in absentia for murder. Only Pulatov has legal representation.

Australian Vanessa Rizk whose parents Albert and Maree were travelling back on the doomed plane from a European holiday, said the perpetrators "deserved punishment for their heinous actions." "How would the perpetrators feel if it was their loved ones? How would (President Vladimir) Putin and his corrupt Russian government answer that," she said via livestream from Australia.

Her brother James echoed her theme, saying their parents had become victims of a conflict they had no part in.

"The misinformation from Russia, the lack of involvement from Russia, and their denials baffles me," he said.
Kabul, Sept 6 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Sep, 2021 ) :Resistance forces holed up in the Panjshir Valley against the Taliban have called for a ceasefire, a statement from their leaders said, after reports they had suffered heavy losses at the weekend.

The National Resistance Front said late Sunday it "proposes that the Taliban stop its military operations in Panjshir... and withdraw its forces. In return, we will direct our forces to refrain from military action."
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Washington, Sept 5 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Sep, 2021 ) :A prominent South Carolina lawyer whose family has deep roots in regional law enforcement has been shot in the head, just months after his son and wife were mysteriously murdered, authorities said.

The lawyer, Alex Murdaugh, was changing a tire on the side of a country road when someone in a truck drove past, then returned and fired at him, his lawyer, Jim Griffin, told The New York Times.

Murdaugh, 53, survived and was airlifted to a hospital, where he was able to describe the attack to his brother, media reports said.

The sheriff's office in coastal Hampton County confirmed the shooting and said it was investigating.

The attack came three months after Murdaugh returned home one day to find his wife, Maggie, and son Paul, a 22-year-old college student, shot to death in their estate in the village of Islandton, in the state's southwest.

No arrests have been made in that June 7 case, and prosecutors said recently that they still have no suspects.

But the Murdaugh family's long history in law enforcement has drawn intense attention and fueled speculation in the months since the shootings.

Alex Murdaugh's father, grandfather and great-grandfather all served as top regional prosecutors.

One line of speculation surrounding the double murder related to the fact that Paul Murdaugh, at the time of his death, was awaiting trial on charges stemming from a boat crash that killed a 19-year-old woman.

Reports conflicted as to whether Paul Murdaugh was driving the boat at the time.

Following the roadside attack on Alex Murdaugh, the family issued a statement, the Island Packet newspaper reported.

It read: "The Murdaugh family has suffered through more than any one family can ever imagine. We expect Alex to recover and ask for your privacy while he recovers."The shooting has added to the family's deep sense of shock, lawyer Griffin said.

"It makes us all wonder what the hell's going on," he told the Times.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi Monday held a meeting with Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and exchanged views on political and governmental affairs

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Sep, 2021 ) :Minister for Foreign Affairs Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi Monday held a meeting with Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and exchanged views on political and governmental affairs.

The chief minister informed the foreign minister about the ongoing development schemes in different areas of Punjab.

The minister appreciated the performance of the Punjab government led by the Chief Minister.

Qureshi said progress and stability was top priority of the government.

He said the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan was determined for progress and prosperity of the country.
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VIENNA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th September, 2021) Austria will send 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to Iran, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said on Monday.

Austria has already donated vaccines to Ukraine, Lebanon, Tunisia, Georgia as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"I am pleased that Austria is supporting the people of #Iran with 1 million doses of #AstraZeneca #vaccines against #COVID19. Every shot counts in our worldwide fight against the pandemic - we cannot afford any white spots on the global vaccination map," Schallenberg said as quoted by his ministry on Twitter.

Iran is witnessing a rise in daily COVID-19 cases, with over 27,000 infections logged on Monday. The situation is coupled with a slow vaccination drive, with only roughly 10% of the population vaccinated.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Doha on Monday for crisis talks with the Qataris after the Taliban claimed to have full control over Afghanistan

Doha, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Sep, 2021 ) :US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Doha on Monday for crisis talks with the Qataris after the Taliban claimed to have full control over Afghanistan.

Shortly before landing, an official disclosed that four Americans had left Afghanistan with Taliban knowledge, in the first departures arranged by Washington since its chaotic military pullout.

The four US citizens left by land and were greeted by US diplomats, said the senior official, without specifying to which country they crossed, adding that "the Taliban did not impede them".

Blinken, accompanied by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, is the most senior US official to visit the region since the Taliban's lightning takeover of Afghanistan on August 15.

He was not due to meet any of the Taliban's Doha representatives but State Department official Dean Thompson said Washington would continue to engage with the Islamist group "to ensure our messaging with them is clear".

"We are thankful for Qatar's close collaboration on Afghanistan," the State Department said ahead of Blinken's arrival in Doha at 1500 GMT, seen by an AFP correspondent.

Blinken's team praised Doha's "indispensable support in facilitating the transit of US citizens, embassy Kabul personnel, at-risk Afghans, and other evacuees from Afghanistan through Qatar".
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th September, 2021) EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has condemned the coup in Guinea calling on the rebels to release President Alpha Conde.

"I condemn the seizure of power by force in Guinea and call for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde. I invite all actors to act with respect for the rule of law, the interests of peace and for the well-being of the Guinean population," Borrell wrote on Twitter.

On Sunday, the Guinean authorities said that the presidential palace had been attacked by rebels, who said that they had captured the country's president, Alpha Conde. The coup leader, Mamady Doumbouya, announced the dissolution of the government as well as the abrogation of the constitution and the closure of the border.

Later, Doumbouya said that the president was staying with the rebels in a safe location and had been examined by a doctor.

The rebels also declared a nationwide curfew in the country and said they were replacing local governors and prefects with soldiers.

A meeting of Guinean cabinet ministers and other top officials will reportedly be convened by the rebels on Monday morning.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) condemned the coup in Guinea on Sunday and demanded that the rebels release the country's president. ECOWAS has called for the restoration of constitutional order in Guinea and threatened the rebels with sanctions.

Incumbent President Alpha Conde won his controversial third term in office in last year's election in Guinea, following his decision to amend the constitution to allow himself the third consecutive presidential term. This sparked unrest in the country even though the constitution was changed through a national referendum.

Supporters of Guinea's rebellious military took to the streets of the capital of Conakry after the coup d'etat on Sunday, according to local media reports. People in the streets were chanting slogans praising the military.
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MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th September, 2021) EU economy and finance ministers have approved the recovery and resilience facility (RRF) plans of Ireland and the Czech Republic, Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission executive vice-president, said on Monday.

"Czechia and Ireland recovery plans [were] approved today by the EU finance ministers," the commissioner told a presser after an informal video conference of EU economy and finance ministers.

With the use of the RRFs, the EU will be able to "revitalize" its economy and build a better future for its citizens, Andrej Sircelj, Slovenia's finance minister, said during the press conference.

After Monday's approval of the plans, formal decisions are to be adopted by the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) on Wednesday.

RRFs are recovery plans each EU member state proposes to the European Commission. The total budget allocated for those plans is 672.5 billion Euros ($798 billion). RRFs are considered to be a key instrument of the Next Generation EU recovery package, which is meant to assist the COVID-19 recovery efforts of members states. ECOFIN has already approved the recovery and resilience proposals of 18 member states.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th September, 2021) The Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group (banned in Russia) has shelled the Idlib de-escalation zone, leaving one Syrian soldier killed and another injured, the deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria said on Monday.

"One Syrian soldier was killed and one more was injured in artillery fire by terrorists targeting the government forces in the settlement of Maaret Moukhos of the Idlib province," Rear Adm. Vadim Kulit stated.

In total, Nusra terrorists have shelled the de-escalation zone 24 times in the past day.
Afghan ex-Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who declared himself caretaker president, has arrived in Tajikistan for a short-term visit to conduct negotiations regarding the platform for potential talks with the Taliban (terrorist organization, outlawed in Russia), a source in Kabul told Sputnik on Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th September, 2021) Afghan ex-Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who declared himself caretaker president, has arrived in Tajikistan for a short-term visit to conduct negotiations regarding the platform for potential talks with the Taliban (terrorist organization, outlawed in Russia), a source in Kabul told Sputnik on Monday.

"Saleh is in Tajikistan on a short-term visit for negotiations to provide a platform for possible negotiations with the Taliban," the source said.
The Taliban (terrorist group, banned in Russia) have extended an invitation to German Chancellor Angela Merkel to visit Afghanistan, spokesperson for the group Zabihullah Mujahid told German tabloid Bild in an interview

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th September, 2021) The Taliban (terrorist group, banned in Russia) have extended an invitation to German Chancellor Angela Merkel to visit Afghanistan, spokesperson for the group Zabihullah Mujahid told German tabloid Bild in an interview.

"We talked with German representatives and their special envoy visited our political office in Doha. I am sure that they conveyed our message to Mrs. Merkel ... We want to create a completely safe environment here, in Afghanistan  one that will be accepted by all countries and which the heads of states and governments believe in. You should visit us, and Angela Merkel will be welcomed very warmly. We will be very happy to see you," Mujahid said.

The spokesman added that Taliban aim to establish official relations with Berlin.

"Firstly, we would like to have a good relationship with Germany. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan [self-given name of Taliban's political system in Afghanistan] will be the desired government for all Afghans, and so, we want the German government to have the best diplomatic relations with our new government.

Secondly, we would like for Germany to support and help us in the humanitarian sphere as much as possible. We also need help in healthcare, education and infrastructure. We believe that the German government can aid us," Mujahid said.

On Sunday, Merkel said that it was important that Germany engaged in talks with Taliban adding that "they are now those who are to be addressed." The chancellor added that Germany wanted international humanitarian organizations to be able to work on improvement of the situation in the country.

On August 31, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that Germany was ready to resume diplomatic operations in Kabul which were suspended after the Taliban took control of the capital on August 15.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Monday condemned the lengthy prison sentences handed to Belarusian opposition figures Maria Kolesnikova and Maksim Znak by a Minsk court, and urged President Alexander Lukashenko's government to release all political prisoners

LONDON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th September, 2021) UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Monday condemned the lengthy prison sentences handed to Belarusian opposition figures Maria Kolesnikova and Maksim Znak by a Minsk court, and urged President Alexander Lukashenko's government to release all political prisoners.

"The sentencing of Maria Kolesnikova and Maksim Znak shows the Belarusian authorities continuing their assault on the defenders of democracy and freedom. Lukashenko's regime must halt this repression and release all political detainees," Raab said in a statement released by the Foreign Office.

The minister also argued that "locking up political opponents will only deepen the pariah status of the Lukashenko regime."

Kolesnikova and Znak were senior members of the Belarusian opposition's coordination center that was created during the August 2020 presidential election. On Monday, they were sentenced to 11 and 10 years of imprisonment, respectively, on charges of creating an extremist group, subversion, and conspiracy to seize power.
Dozens of relatives of the 298 victims of Malaysian Airlines flight 17, shot down over rebel-held eastern Ukraine in 2014, will begin giving testimony on Monday at the murder trial of four fugitive suspects accused of carrying out the attack.

The aircraft was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was hit by what international investigators and prosecutors say was a Russian surface-to-air missile.

Three Russians and a Ukrainian citizen, all suspected of having key roles in the separatist forces, are on trial for murder. Moscow has refused to extradite those in Russia and denies all responsibility. The Dutch government holds Moscow responsible.

The plane crashed in a field in territory held by pro-Russian separatists fighting against Ukrainian forces.

The court has scheduled three weeks to hear the relatives speak and will also review around a hundred written statements provided by other family members.

Ria van der Steen will be the first of 90 relatives from eight countries who will be allowed to address judges and defense lawyers about the impact of the crash on their lives.

After years of collecting evidence, a team of international investigators concluded in May 2018 that the launcher used to fire the missile belonged to Russia's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade.

The fugitive suspects have been on trial for a year and a half. Only one sent lawyers to represent him so the case is not considered to be entirely tried in absentia under Dutch law.

Proceedings moved to a critical stage in June when prosecutors began presenting evidence and will start calling witnesses.
Army officers on Sunday staged a coup in Guinea. Here are some key dates in the history of the troubled west African country since independence from France in 1958.

1958: Independence

On October 2, 1958, Ahmed Sekou Toure declares independence, a few days after a referendum rejected membership in a Franco-African community proposed by then French leader Charles de Gaulle.

Sekou Toure is elected president in January 1961. The country turns socialist in 1967.

Toure in power for 26 years

The "father of independence" becomes a Third World hero but turns into an iron-fisted ruler who is blamed for the disappearance of about 50,000 people, according to human rights groups. Hundreds of thousands flee the country.

1984-2008: Conte's rule

On April 3, 1984, a week after Toure's death, a military junta takes power led by Colonel Lansana Conte. He puts down a coup attempt in 1985 and a deadly army mutiny in 1996.

Conte is elected president in 1993 and reelected twice in votes disputed or boycotted by the opposition.

In early 2007, massive protests against the "Conte system" are put down, claiming more than 180 lives, according to humanitarian groups.

2008 coup

On December 23, 2008, soldiers seize power in a bloodless coup the day after Conte died of an undisclosed illness at age 74.

The government swears allegiance to the junta led by Captain Moussa Dadis Camara.

In September 2009, security forces open fire at a stadium where thousands of opposition members are holding a rally.

At least 157 people are killed and around 100 women are raped.

In December, junta chief Camara is wounded as his top aide shoots him in the head.

2010: Alpha Conde, first elected president

In January 2010, transitional President Sekouba Konate signs a deal with Camara, setting up a presidential election.

On November 7, Alpha Conde becomes Guinea's first democratically elected president.

He survives unscathed when soldiers attack him at his home in the capital Conakry on July 19, 2011.

He is reelected on October 11, 2015, after polls marred by violence and fraud allegations.

2013: Ebola epidemic

An epidemic of the hemorrhagic disease Ebola breaks out that will last until 2016 and claim more than 2,500 lives.

Conde's third term

Starting in October 2019, the prospect of a third term for Conde sparks fierce opposition, with dozens of civilians killed during protests.

A new constitution adopted on March 22, 2020, after a referendum boycotted by the opposition allows Conde to run for a third term.

Conde is declared the winner of a presidential vote on October 18, 2020, as top challenger Cellou Dalein Diallo and other rivals cry foul.
South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday hailed the placement of his jailed predecessor Jacob Zuma on medical parole as opposition and other groups suspected it was a political move and demanded answers.

Just 60 days into his 15-month jail term for defying an order to answer questions before graft investigators, prison authorities announced Sunday that the 79-year-old politician was placed on medical parole.

Zuma was hospitalized a month into his incarceration, at a facility outside the prison, under the care of military medics. He remains there and his illness remains a closely guarded secret.

The decision coincided with a meeting of the ruling African National Congress's National Executive Committee.

"We welcome this," Ramaphosa said in a televised briefing to mark the end of the meeting. "We would like to wish him a quick recovery as he is restored back to his home to be with his loved ones."

But the granting of parole has angered opposition and civil society groups, which suspect it was a politically inspired move and want answers.

"It's extremely suspicious," John Steenhuisen, leader of the largest opposition Democratic Alliance, told AFP. "This is a political decision, not a medical decision."

He and other opposition figures have vowed to force the prisons to publish details outlining the steps taken to reach the parole decision.

Mmusi Maimane, leader of pressure group One South Africa movement, said the action demonstrated that "if you are politically connected, the inside of the prison is not a place for you".

But a prisons official insisted the decision was above board and based on doctors' conclusions.

"Mr Zuma does require a great deal of medical attention" and met the criteria for medical parole, the official said, while declining to disclose Zuma's illness.

Lawson Naidoo, head of a civic group, the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution, said "the timing of the announcement, apart from coming on a Sunday afternoon, does raise questions because... Mr. Zuma would have been eligible for parole in a few weeks' time, having served the minimum requirement for a 15-month jail sentence."

The news came just three days before the resumption Thursday of Zuma's long-running corruption trial over an arms deal dating back more than two decades.

Last month, the trial was postponed to September 9, pending a medical report on his fitness to stand trial.

"Given Mr Zuma's elongated Stalingrad strategy in terms of avoiding having to answer charges of fraud and corruption related to the arms deal, it would come as no surprise to anyone if this medical parole is now going to be used... as a pretext to say he is not fit to stand trial," he said.

Another opposition group, ActionSA, complained that the parole pointed to a "criminal justice system (that) treats the most powerful amongst us with kid gloves and allows them to evade justice and accountability at the first opportunity".
The Taliban said road links to Panjshir valley are now open, and food and other supplies can now be transported. Soon after declaring they had taken over the valley and ended remnants of resistance against their rule, the group said electricity, cellphone and internet services would be restored soon.

Thank God that we do not have civilian casualties in our fight to capture and conquer Panjshir, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a press conference in Kabul on Monday.

The Taliban have taken over the provincial capital and the governors compound in the valley and shared videos of their fighters in the capital.

Meanwhile, in an audio message on his Facebook page, resistance leader Ahmad Massoud said his forces are still present in Panjshir and will continue to fight the Taliban.

Earlier in the day, pro-resistance Twitter accounts claimed their fighters retreated to the mountains to regroup but that they will continue to fight.

Last night, we had to make a hard decision in the face of furious enemy attacks and depleted amunations (sic), said their Twitter message posted Monday afternoon. Make a last stand in Bazarak and risk the total elimination of our leadership, or retreat to higher ground in order to continue the resistance. We choose the latter.

Last night we had to make a hard decision in the face of furious enemy attacks and depleted amunations. Make a last stand in Bazarak and risk the total elemination of our leadership or retreat to higher ground inorder to continue the resistance. We choose the latter. #Panjshir  Resistance 2.0    (@AFG_Resistance) September 6, 2021

Another message, posted at the same time, said their leaders were safe and in good spirits.

We are on a terrain that we know and best suits the next chapter of our resistance. We know what we are doing! This was expected! the tweet said.

We don't fight for governor's compound or Panjshir. We fight for freedom and the freedom of all #Afghanistan. Everyone is safe and in good spirits. We are on a terrain that we know and best suits the next chapter of our resistance. We know what we are doing! This was expected!  Resistance 2.0    (@AFG_Resistance) September 6, 2021

Massoud is the son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the Northern Alliance leader who successfully resisted Taliban rule in the 1990s and was nicknamed the Lion of Panjshir.

Mujahid said those in the resistance who wanted to return to a normal life in Afghanistan were welcome, but efforts to undermine the new Taliban regime would be considered sedition and dealt with accordingly.

He said work for the formulation of a new Taliban government was complete, but the announcement was delayed since some technical issues remained.

The new ministers, the Taliban spokesman said, might be considered acting ministers to give the government the flexibility to enact changes if needed. He also assured journalists that Taliban chief Hibatullah Akhundzada was alive and would appear in public soon.

Akhundzadas public absence has given rise to rumors of his death. Taliban founder Mullah Omar had been dead for two years before news of his demise leaked in 2015.

Mujahid also asked women and men to refrain from protesting while the country was going through a transition.

Why are you protesting at a time when the new government has not taken over yet? We have seen the protests by women. We are trying, and we hope to resolve their issues as soon as possible, he said.

On Saturday, Taliban fighters in Kabul forcefully broke up a protest by a group of women demanding equal participation in the government. Protesters said the Taliban beat some of them with the butt of their guns, leaving them bloodied, as seen on their social media videos and testimonies.

Rabia Sadat one of the todays protestor in #Kabul beaten by Taliban.#Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/1s3El4TZHW  Zaki Daryabi (@ZDaryabi) September 4, 2021

Mujahid said gatherings of people could become a security issue.

As you saw, the Kabul airport had a lot of chaos, and then there were horrible attacks there in which foreigners also died, he said.

A suicide bomb blast at the airport last month, as thousands of Afghans were clamoring to enter the premises in hopes of getting on one of the U.S. or European evacuation flights, left at least 169 Afghans and 13 Americans dead.

The attack was claimed by Islamic State Khorasan Province, the regional chapter of IS. It was considered the first big challenge for the Taliban, who had promised that no terrorist group would be able to use Afghan soil against any other country under their watch.

In Mondays press conference, Mujahid also promised swift restoration of the Kabul airport with the help of Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

I want to assure you that the airport will be ready for flights soon, Mujahid said, pointing out that some local flights from Kabul to other Afghan cities had already resumed but work was needed to repair the radar system that he claimed was damaged, along with some other equipment, by U.S. forces before they left.

Hinting at Taliban foreign policy going forward, especially at the Talibans interest in the Chinese One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, Mujahid said given its economic might, China could play a very important role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

The CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) project is important for entire Asia, including Afghanistan. If the CPEC route goes through Afghanistan, we would cooperate, Mujahid said.

CPEC is an arm of the OBOR project, which links northwest Chinas Xinjiang province through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea. China has hinted it wants to extend the project to central Asia.

Mujahid also responded to questions on the visit to Kabul over the weekend of Pakistans intelligence chief, General Faiz Hameed, the first senior foreign official to visit the Afghan capital since the Taliban takeover.

He said the visit was focused on Pakistans concerns over multiple jail breaks during the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan and the release of prisoners involved in militant attacks in Pakistan.

According to Mujahid, Kabuls security would now be handed over to the Taliban in uniform. Discussing the fate of the former Afghan security forces and military, the Taliban spokesman said they will be merged with Taliban fighters into security forces for the new government.
The Taliban announced Monday they had conquered the northern Panjshir Valley, ending the only armed resistance to their rule in Afghanistan.

This victory brings an end to the war across the nation and paves the way for a peaceful life and prosperity in an atmosphere of independence, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.

There was no immediate reaction from the opposition forces, known as the National Resistance Front and led by commander Ahmad Massoud.

The Taliban claimed the victory hours after Massoud said he welcomed proposals from religious scholars for holding peace talks with the Taliban if they pull back their forces from his native Panjshir.

Ahmad Massoud made the offer through a post on his organizations Facebook page on a day when Taliban forces claimed they had fought their way into the provincial capital, Bazarak, after seizing the rest of the province.

Multiple sources also confirmed the killing of the NRFs official spokesman, Fahim Dashty, along with Massouds cousin, General Abdul Wudood, during Sundays fighting.



The National Resistance Front is ready to stop the war immediately in order to achieve stable peace, if the Taliban group ends its military attacks and movements in Panjshir and Andarab, the Facebook post quoted Massoud as saying. Andarab is a district in the neighboring Baghlan province and sits at the entrance to Panjshir.



Massouds statement came in response to reports in Afghan media that said a council of religious scholars had called on the Taliban to accept a negotiated settlement to end the fighting.

Panjshir is the last remaining area of armed resistance to the Talibans rule since they captured the other 33 Afghan provinces, including the capital, Kabul, last month in a lightning blitz as Western-trained government forces collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.



But a week later the NRF, which comprises members of U.S.-trained Afghan security forces and local tribal militias, retook Andarab and two other adjoining districts in Baghlan.



The Taliban denounced the attack as a breach of their general amnesty for all members and politicians of the ousted Afghan government. They repeatedly had urged NRF leaders to surrender their arms and find a negotiated settlement to the security crisis.



The talks eventually broke down, with each side blaming the other for their failure, prompting the Taliban to stage a major offensive several days ago that retook the lost ground.



The advances also paved the way for the Taliban to assault and enter Panjshir, home to the countrys Tajik ethnic minority and located north of the capital, Kabul.



In social media posts, Taliban officials, responding to the conditional offer of talks, said their forces were pressing ahead with the offensive to clear Panjshir of the armed resistance, adding that fighting was ongoing inside Bazarak.

The claim could not be verified from independent sources, and both the adversaries have issued inflated details about their gains since the fighting broke out.



Massouds father successfully defended the province when the Taliban ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.



Taliban government



The lack of control over all of Afghanistan has apparently prevented the Taliban from announcing a new government.



The Islamist group is under international scrutiny to deliver on pledges that their system of governance will represent all Afghan ethnic groups and respect human rights, particularly those of women, unlike their previous exclusive hardline regime in Kabul.



On Saturday, small groups of women activists took to the streets in Kabul and in parts of western Afghanistan, demanding respect for their rights and representation in the new government.



Taliban fighters broke up a rally of about a dozen women in the capital to stop them from heading to the presidential palace.



Footage circulating on social media showed demonstrators, who had been confronted by armed Taliban fighters, covering their mouths and coughing, with one woman saying the security guards had used tear gas to disperse the rally.



They also hit women on the head with gun magazines, and the women become bloody, said one of the demonstrators who identified herself as Soraya.



Taliban blocking protest by beatings and tear gas: unfortunately, this is pretty much on brand for a group that relies on brute force to suppress dissent, tweeted Patria Gossman, associate Asia director for Human Rights Watch.



The Taliban imposed a brutal justice system and banned women from work and prevented older girls from receiving an education when the fundamentalist group previously seized power in Afghanistan.



Taliban leaders, however, have promised to install an inclusive government in Kabul that they say will allow women to work and receive an education within the framework of Islamic law, or Sharia. Many Afghans doubt the reliability of their pledges.



"It will be an inclusive strong central and sustainable system or government, Bilal Karimi, a member of the Talibans cultural commission, told VOA on Friday.
At least four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people seeking to escape the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan have been unable to leave the country for days, officials said Sunday, with conflicting accounts emerging about why the flights weren't able to take off as pressure ramps up on the United States to help those left behind to flee.

An Afghan official at the airport in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif said that the would-be passengers were Afghans, many of whom did not have passports or visas, and thus were unable to leave the country. He said they had left the airport while the situation was sorted out.

The top Republican on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, however, said that the group included Americans and they were sitting on the planes, but the Taliban were not letting them take off, effectively "holding them hostage." He did not say where that information came from. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the accounts.

The final days of America's 20-year war in Afghanistan were marked by a harrowing airlift at Kabul's airport to evacuate tens of thousands of people  Americans and their allies  who feared what the future would hold, given the Taliban's history of repression, particularly of women. When the last troops pulled out on August 30, though, many were left behind.

The U.S. promised to continue working with the new Taliban rulers to get those who want to leave out, and the militants pledged to allow anyone with the proper legal documents to leave. But Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas told "Fox News Sunday" that American citizens and Afghan interpreters were being kept on six planes.

"The Taliban will not let them leave the airport," he said, adding that he's worried "they're going to demand more and more, whether it be cash or legitimacy as the government of Afghanistan." He did not offer more details.

The Afghan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said it was four planes, and their intended passengers were staying at hotels while authorities worked out whether they might be able to leave the country. The sticking point, he indicated, is that many did not have the right travel papers.

Residents of Mazar-e-Sharif also said the passengers were no longer at the airport. At least 10 families were seen at a local hotel waiting, they said, for a decision on their fates. None of them had passports or visas but said they had worked for companies allied with the U.S. or German military. Others were seen at restaurants.

The small airport at Mazar-e-Sharif only recently began to handle international flights and so far only to Turkey. The planes in question were bound for Doha, Qatar, the Afghan official said. It was not clear who chartered them or why they were waiting in the northern city. The massive airlift happened at Kabul's international airport, which initially closed after the U.S. withdrawal but where domestic flights have now resumed.

Searing images of that chaotic evacuation  including people clinging to an airplane as it took off  came to define the final days of America's longest war, just weeks after Taliban fighters retook the country in a lightning offensive.

Since their takeover, the Taliban have sought to recast themselves as different from their 1990s incarnation, when they last ruled the country and imposed repressive restrictions across society. Women and girls were denied work and education, men were forced to grow beards, and television and music were banned.

Now, the world is waiting to see the face of the new government, and many Afghans remain skeptical. In the weeks since they took power, signals have been mixed: Government employees including women have been asked to return to work, but some women were later ordered home by lower-ranking Taliban. Universities and schools have been ordered open, but fear has kept both students and teachers away.

Women have demonstrated peacefully, some even having conversations about their rights with Taliban leaders. But some have been dispersed by Taliban special forces firing in the air.

Some signs of normalcy have also begun to return. Kabul's streets are again clogged with traffic, as Taliban fighters patrol in pickup trucks and police vehicles  brandishing their automatic weapons and flying the Taliban's white flag. Schools have opened, and moneychangers work the street corners.

Among the promises the Taliban have made is that once the country's airports are up and running, Afghans with passports and visas would be allowed to travel. More than 100 countries issued a statement saying they would be watching to see that the new rulers held to their commitment.

Technical teams from Qatar and Turkey arrived in recent days and are working to get the civilian airport operational.

On Saturday, state-run Ariana Airlines made its first domestic flights, which continued on Sunday. The airport is without radar facilities, so flights are restricted to daylight hours to allow for visual landing, said official Shershah Stor.

Several countries have been bringing in humanitarian supplies. The Gulf state of Qatar, where the Taliban maintained a political office since 2013, is making daily flights into Kabul, delivering humanitarian aid. Bahrain also announced humanitarian assistance deliveries.
2019 Five Eyes Summit in California (Photo: Rights reserved).

The United States, leader of the Five Eyes Communications Interception and Tracking Group (along with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom), wishes to bring other countries into this intelligence-sharing alliance.

Following the signing of the Atlantic Charter (1941), the United States and the United Kingdom set up a system of intercepting communications among the Axis powers which they perpetuated in 1946 with the UKUSA Agreement. In 1948, Canada was added, followed by Australia and New Zealand in 1956, constituting the Five Eyes (FVEY).

Subsequently, they were backed by a second tier (ie not on a par with the Five) made up of Denmark, France, Norway and the Netherlands. Then, they formed a third tier with Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Sweden. Finally, a fourth tier has emerged with episodic participation by South Korea, Israel, Japan and Singapore.

With a view to intercepting all communications inside Russia and China, the US House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services has come up with the idea of upgrading the status of Germany, South Korea, India and Japan. The Five Eyes would thus become the Nine Eyes.

The architecture of this system has only been known since the 2013 revelations made by Edward Snowden (now a political refugee in Russia). This "whistleblower" has also shown that the system was being used by the Five Eyes to spy not only on foreign powers, but also on their own citizens. He further exposed the existence of five surveillance programs:

 Prism (monitor and record internet communications with the complicity of the main internet providers);

 Tempora (retrieval of communications via submarine cables);

 Muscular (monitoring of international database transfers);

 Stateroom (monitoring of local communications from embassies and consulates in violation of the Vienna Convention);

 XKeyscore (global data processing).

The Five Eyes is not a national system, but a supranational one. They elude the laws and constitutions of their own countries. They constitute de facto a power greater than that of their own heads of state and government combined. Contrary to popular belief, the citizens of the Five Eyes are today the populations under the greatest surveillance in the world, to a far greater degree than the Russian or Chinese populations.
Working as a flight attendant previously afforded Mitra Amirzadeh the freedom to explore the world -- taking her from her home in Florida to destinations including Kenya, France and Spain.

As the pandemic spread, the perks of Amirzadeh's job diminished. Now restricted to domestic US flights, her work involves navigating not only the fear of catching Covid-19, but also the recent uptick in disruptive passengers.

"I'm dealing with a lot of babysitting, which I never counted on doing," Amirzadeh, who works for a low-cost US airline, tells CNN Travel. "The actual children on board behave better than the grown adults do."

This summer, unruly passenger behavior seems to have reached new heights. In one incident, a passenger punched a Southwest flight attendant and knocked out two of their teeth. Video also circulated of a passenger getting taped to their seat after they reportedly punched and groped Frontier Airlines flight crew.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it has issued more than $1 million in fines to unruly airline passengers so far in 2021.

US flight attendants tell CNN Travel say the stress of the situation is taking its toll.

Susannah Carr, who works for a major US airline, says unruly incidents used to be "the exception, not the rule." Now they're "frequent."

"I come in expecting to get push back. I come in expecting to have a passenger that could potentially get violent," she says.

Amirzadeh says flight attendants across US airlines are just "over it."

Allie Malis, a flight attendant for American Airlines, says air crew are "exhausted -- physically and emotionally."

"We've gone through worrying about our health and safety, worrying about our jobs -- now [we are] worrying about our safety in a different way."

The rise of air rage

Pre-pandemic, the issue of unruly passengers was becoming increasingly omnipresent -- data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) suggested incidents rose from 2012 to 2015, while whole conferences were dedicated to the problem.

This increase was often linked to cabins getting fuller, with increased security checks and processes adding to tension.

In 2019, Malis, who is also the government affairs representative at the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, a union representing American Airlines air crew, spoke to CNN Travel about the decrease of personal seat space. She said her union believed it is "strongly correlated and in a large part to blame" for the rise in incidents.

Alcohol is also an often cited contributing factor -- travelers drink at the airport and board the plane without crew realizing how inebriated they are. When it all kicks off at 30,000 feet, it's too late.

That said, it has always been hard to get an exact handle on whether passengers have actually become more unruly. Not every airline that's part of IATA submits data, and not every airline records every instance of unruly behavior, while separate FAA data recorded oscillating numbers of investigated incidents between 1995 and 2019.

There have been suggestions that incidents just started to feel more ubiquitous in recent years because social media means videos of badly behaved passengers spread like wildfire.

But while FAA data might show fluctuating figures for much of the past 20 years, in 2021, incidents seem to have skyrocketed. In 2019, 146 investigations were initiated by the FAA. So far in 2021 that number is 727.

Covid-19 seems to have exacerbated an already existing issue to an unprecedented degree, at least in the US.

Amirzadeh recalls the silent flights of spring 2020. People were too fearful to even look at other passengers or air crew, she says, let alone cause conflict.

By summer 2020, travel had recommenced and reports of in-flight disruptions were back. Masks -- not yet mandated by the FAA, but enforced by some airlines -- were becoming a sore topic among some travelers.

In recent months, unruly behavior has reached new heights.

"It just seems like every next incident is getting a little bit more extreme, things you just would have never imagined last year," says Malis.

"As a flight attendant, it's really hard to imagine yourself being in a position that requires duct taping a passenger to their seats for the safety of everyone else on the plane, yet this is something that has happened numerous times in the last few months."

Malis says she feels like incidents have been on a steady rise since the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. It also involved disruptive behavior on planes and led to the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) International -- which represents American flight attendants at 17 airlines -- stating rioters should not be allowed on flights home.

"I think the insurrection was kind of an eye-opening experience," Malis says. "What do you do when you have multiple incidents happening on the plane at the same time with only four crew members?"

A survey by the AFA released in July of this year found that, of the 5,000 flight attendants surveyed, 85% said they'd dealt with unruly passengers in 2021.

Disruptive passengers had used sexist, racist and/or homophobic language, according to 61%, while 17% said they'd been victim of a physical attack this year.

"I thought I had seen or done or heard at all," says Amirzadeh, who has flown for six years and previously worked in customer service.

"But as I've learned the past 18 months, that is definitely not the case, I am seeing, hearing and doing things I never thought in my life I would ever be doing."

Flying during Covid-19

Many incidents are linked with mask non-compliance, which the flight attendants who spoke to CNN Travel say has been an issue throughout the pandemic.

Even though it's now FAA-mandated and federal law, the wearing of masks remain the cause of the majority of inflight issues. In a press release dated August 19, the FAA says it had received approximately 3,889 reports of unruly behavior by passengers since January 1. Of those reports, 2,867 were passengers refusing to comply with the mask mandate.

"In the beginning, I would sympathize and say, 'Hey, you know, I get it, it's hot, I'm hot. I'm wearing it too -- I need you to wear it too. Can we please work together?'" says Amirzadeh.

"But here we are, it's been a year and a half, you're wearing them everywhere. And we're not the only ones that are asking you to wear them -- every train station, every bus, every airline..."

Carr says she thinks the problem is that mask-wearing is sometimes viewed as a political issue in the United States.

"The mask issue was less about public health and it was more politicized in the beginning. And that is something we're still dealing with today," she says.

Amirzadeh says fraught mask-related interactions often come as a result of passengers removing their face covering to eat or drink, and then keeping it off. It's one of the reasons she thinks alcohol shouldn't be served on planes currently.

Carr agrees and also questions the availability of to-go drinks at the airport.

Still, not serving alcohol can be the cause of issues too -- as Malis has found on board American Airlines, which continues to ban alcohol in its main cabins on board most flights.

"On some of my flights it's caused people to get upset, because they do want to feel like they have a right to have a drink -- but at the same time [...] if you're getting so upset because you can't have a drink right now, that's the exact reason we're kind of afraid to give you one, that kind of erratic behavior," says Malis.

For some passengers, travel may feel more stressful and anxiety-inducing in the age of Covid. Carr suggests this -- and the stresses we've all been under during the pandemic -- are a contributing factor to the rise in incidents.

"We've been isolated for the last 18-plus months," she says. "So I think some of the social graces have kind of been put on the back burner, as far as what's acceptable in public and on an airplane."

Malis wants passengers to realize that the stresses and anxieties they might be feeling about traveling in the age of Covid-19 are also shared by many crew, even if they seem like "a very accessible punching bag."

"We've been putting ourselves on the front line, and quarantining from our families," she says. "We're doing our job, we're not the reason your flight got canceled, we're not the reason you're frustrated."

The ubiquity of events on social media also leads Malis to suggest there could be a "copycat factor."

To reverse this, Amirzadeh says it's important for people to realize that the passengers who've gone viral are paying the price.

Dealing with incidents

Flight attendants are safety professionals trained in dealing with everything from a medical emergency to a potential terrorist incident.

"We're not here to serve you a Coke, we're here to save your life," is how Amirzadeh puts it.

But there's the concern, she says, that dealing with unruly passengers could prevent crew from dealing with other issues on board.

"We are the people that are going to give you CPR, we're the people that are going to give you the Heimlich maneuver, we are the people that are going to put out the fire. But we might miss those things if we're too busy arguing with someone else about putting their mask on."

Malis says dealing with unruly passengers is a team effort -- if a passenger seems to have taken against a particular flight attendant, another crew member stepping in could calm them down.

Carr says she keeps tabs on mask-wearing from the moment travelers step onto the plane, and will first offer a friendly reminder.

If someone continues not to comply, there are several warning steps culminating in the traveler getting handed a card stating that if they continue, they'll be reported to the airline and could lose travel privileges.

As Amirzadeh points out, a flight attendant can't force someone to wear a mask.

"But I can let him know that if he doesn't, then I hope that wherever we're landing is his final destination, because his return ticket's going to be canceled, we're going to file a report with the FAA, and you could face fines, and other legal ramifications."

Flight attendants are also able to take self defense classes organized via the Transportation Security Administration.

"I think more and more flight attendants need to start taking some self defense classes and need to be prepared to protect themselves and that's a sad thing," says Amirzadeh.

On January 13, 2021, the FAA signed an order directing a stricter legal enforcement policy against unruly airline passengers, promising a zero-tolerance campaign.

Any passenger who "assaults, threatens, intimidates, or interferes with airline crew members" could face fines of up to $35,000 and prison time.

The FAA also recently launched a public awareness campaign, which includes a video, as well as some social media memes.

The agency has also asked US airports to ensure law enforcement on the ground deals with reported inflight incidents, as well as consider issues associated with to-go alcohol.

The AFA flight attendant union is pressing for the zero tolerance policy to become permanent.

"It's also important that the Department of Justice is prosecuting some of these events," says Carr. "These unruly passenger events have been so egregious, flight attendants have been attacked, and injured [...] in situations like that, it's important that they're facing criminal prosecution and that's something that needs to be publicized as well."

Malis also suggests there should be further coordination between airlines to ensure passengers banned from one airline can't board other US carriers.

Carr and Amirzadeh are both members of the AFA flight attendant union, while Malis is involved in the American Airlines' union.

They say flight attendants have been sharing stories with their unions and their private networks -- across carriers -- providing support and solidarity.

The AFA union is offering employee assistance via therapy sessions.

"There are certainly flight attendants that definitely need a break physically, mentally, and emotionally. But right now, the staffing is not there to support any type of voluntary leave option," says Malis.

State of the travel industry

After a difficult year of furlough and redundancies, flight attendants are concerned that the dual effect of Covid-19 and unruly passengers could see aviation grind to a halt again.

Carr says one of the joys of her job has always been supporting passengers on their travels -- whether they're heading on a long-dreamed-of vacation, traveling under difficult circumstances or anything in between.

"I love this industry and my coworkers and having the traveling public back is wonderful," she says. "But the pandemic is far from over. That is a reality. Covid-19 and the variants are still taking lives."

The last thing Carr and her colleagues want to see is travel stalling again.

"We are doing everything we can to keep passengers safe on board and keep travel going, but without the support of the traveling public -- without people taking those necessary steps to mitigate the spread, and help get a handle on this pandemic -- we could be facing travel closing again, which would be horrible."

The-CNN-Wire

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The number of overdose related deaths increased significantly in the last year.

WAAY-31 spoke with a local non-profit on how COVID is making an impact on those numbers.

We spoke with the president of "Not One More Alabama" and she told us COVID has forced many people to isolate more often that not.

While that may be great for some, it's not for those dealing with severe substance abuse issues.

"Often when people go through that that change of becoming somebody who is living a sober lifestyle, they have to find a new circle of people to be in their world," said Patty Sykstus.

Patty Sykstus works with "Not One More Alabama" to connect people who need help.

She told us we averaged around 700 overdose related deaths in Alabama in 2019.

But, in the last year, that number has increased to a little more than 1,000.

"We're just seeing a lot more people just seeking information, seeking knowledge, seeking understanding of ways they can help their loved ones," said Sykstus.

Sykstus says the opposite of addiction is connection, and that's been ripped away from several people because of COVID.

"Some people will completely change their whole community of people that are surrounding them to the degree that they can, so that community becomes a huge part of their life and a huge part of their recovery support. With covid, for a lot of people, that was just pulled right out from underneath them," she said.

With the rise of COVID cases, most places are doing things virtually now, but Sykstus says it's actually brought even more people together.

"You learn that you're not alone and that there's a whole community of people out there dealing with the same issues you are. As you're building up that courage or just desire to be able to communicate and participate, you have that forum to do that," she said.

Syskstus says if you ever want or need help, there's plenty of ways to get it, especially in Huntsville.

It's just a phone call or website click away.

The organization is hosting its "End Addiction" walk this year, on Saturday, September 18th, after not being able to have one last year.

If you want to learn more about how you can find help or be apart, click here.
3.7 million Italians over 50 still not vaccinated says Sileri.

Compulsory covid vaccinations "must remain the last resort" - said Italy's deputy health minister Pierpaolo Sileri - "but in the meantime we will have to convince all these millions of people to get vaccinated and it will take an enormous effort because the No Vax, idiots, have done enormous damage, spreading lies."

Sileri, in an interview published in Italian newspaper of record Corriere della Sera on Sunday, cited the World Health Organisation estimate that covid-19 could result in 236,000 more deaths in Europe between now and 1 December, due to rising infections and stagnating vaccination rates.

"That is another 30,000 in our country. And do you know the reason? There are 3.7 million Italians over 50 who are not yet vaccinated, they have not even received the first dose" - said Sileri - "And with these numbers, if the virus does not stop, after the fourth wave we could also have the fifth."

Sileri said that a "face to face autumn campaign" is required, involving family doctors and pharmacists, to "convince the doubters."

"Unfortunately there are also many No Vax doctors who instill doubts. They should be thrown out quickly" - said Sileri, adding - "And politicians from all parties should go on TV and say: the vaccine saves lives."

Green Pass

Sileri said that the Green Pass "must be extended, in the public and private sectors", describing the digital certificate - which shows that people have been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from covid-19 - as "very effective."

Sileri's comments come after Italian premier Mario Draghi confirmed last week that the government is considering making covid-19 vaccinations obligatory for everyone, once the vaccines get full approval by European and Italian regulators.

Health minister Roberto Speranza also said in recent days that Italy would begin giving third doses of the covid vaccine to people with the most fragile immune systems later this month.

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.

Cover image: Turin covid vaccination centre. Photo credit: MikeDotta / Shutterstock.com.
Man accused of stealing winning scratch card stopped before he left Italy.

A tobacconist who allegedly stole a winning scratch card in Naples was apprehended by police at Rome's Fiumicino airport before boarding a flight to the Canary Islands.

The 57-year-old man is accused of stealing a scratch card worth 500,000 from an elderly customer at the shop where he worked, after the lady asked staff to double-check the winning numbers on Friday.

An employee used the official ticket reading machine to confirm that the pensioner had indeed won half a million euro, before passing the ticket to the manager, identified in the media as Gaetano Scutellaro.

However, as soon as he got his hands on the winning ticket, Scutellaro is alleged to have grabbed his helmet and sped away on his motorbike.

With Scutellaro then uncontactable and a police search underway, the jackpot winner reportedly asked lottery authorities to block the ticket to prevent its proceeds from being accessed.

Italian media reports that Scutellaro stopped in Latina, a seaside town between Naples and Rome, to open a new bank account and take out an insurance policy, telling the bank that the winning ticket was his.

While in Latina he also reportedly bought a plane ticket for Fuerteventura before being blocked by border police in Fiumicino after booking the flight using his real name.

However the man was not in possession of the winning ticket at the time of being detained, telling police he had deposited it in the bank.

Scutellaro asserts his innocence, claiming that the ticket is his and declaring his intention to sue the elderly customer for slander, reports Rome newspaper Il Messaggero.

The case continues.
But two problems come to mind when looking at this large capital allocation. First, itll take two to three years for those factories to come on stream, by which time the current shortage will be ameliorated, with a drop in prices a likely result. Chinas lack of self-sufficiency in the equipment, materials and software required to build chips will further complicate capacity expansion.Second, Chinas dream isnt to be a global powerhouse in components that brush water off your car. It wants to design and make the chips that drive a vehicle autonomously. In June, Beijing anointed Vice Premier Liu He to be its new chip czar, in a move that highlights just how seriously President Xi Jinping takes the task of creating a leading semiconductor sector at home. Despite pumping at least $51 billion into two separate funds since 2014 to help domestic players catch up with overseas rivals, theres been little progress in closing the gap.For that you need engineers to be focused on leading-edge and niche products that sell for hundreds of dollars, not mass-market components that go for pennies. Chinese EV player Xpeng Inc., for example, uses artificial intelligence chips from U.S. designer Nvidia Corp. that sell for up to $999 apiece, while parts that control a cars display cost $1. TSMC makes Nvidias best semiconductors; SMIC produces items like screen controllers, among other less-advanced products.
Among advanced countries, Britain is a laggard. While you can have cancer treatments or a brain tumor operated on in the National Health Service, families have to pony up the funds to provide care for relatives with dementia or other long-term illnesses, often selling their homes or giving up jobs to provide the care themselves. The result is at least 1.5 million people have unmet care needs, though the real number is probably much higher. That also poses a huge burden on the NHS since hospital beds are often taken by patients who lack a safe place in which to be discharged. A 2016 National Audit Office report put the cost to the NHS of such bed-blocking at up to 1 billion pounds ($1.4 billion) a year.
And yet speed freaks shouldnt fret. Advanced electric cars can accelerate from 0-60 mph in under three seconds (though driving them at very high speeds for long periods can drain the battery faster). China and Europe are investing heavily in high-speed railways, an area where regrettably the U.S. still lags behind. E-bikes and electric scooters are also gaining in popularity. And judging by the number of electric flying taxis companies listing shares this year, emission-free heli-commuting will be possible soon too. Even new supersonic aircraft like those touted by Boom Technology Inc. might arrive one day, assuming we can find a way to produce enough sustainable or synthetic fuel.
Its hard to know. One theory is its part of Xis ambition to serve a third term as president, a possibility now that the decades-old system of term limits has been overturned. Thatd be easier if hes popular. Another possibility is that these measures have long been on Xis agenda, but other things got in the way. After his 2017 speech, China became embroiled in a broad trade war with the U.S. Then once a deal was reached, the pandemic hit. Now hes got a clearer path to put the ideas into action. Ahead of its 100th anniversary in July, the Communist Party declared the completion of a long effort to create a moderately prosperous society. That opened a door for Xi to set the pursuit of common prosperity as a new guiding principle. (Forecasts from Bloomberg Economics suggest China could become the worlds biggest economy as soon as 2031.) Also, several of Chinas tech behemoths are now bigger than the largest state-owned enterprises, and their founders have amassed incredible wealth, which may seem politically threatening to the Communist Party.
American Ninja Warrior (NBC at 8) The finals are in Las Vegas and the ninjas face up to eight obstacles, and for the first time in finals history, competitors have to decide between an upper-body obstacle or a balance one.
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A technique Duchin relies on, which she and others have called the method of ensembles, works by randomly creating tens of thousands of maps drawn according to whatever priorities the computer is given. The result is a collection  or ensemble  of thousands of maps that mirror the much larger number (often trillions upon trillions) of maps that could be drawn in the same jurisdiction under those priorities.
Navy identifies sailors killed: The U.S. Navy has identified five sailors who died when a helicopter crashed last week in the Pacific Ocean off Southern California. They were Lt. Bradley A. Foster, 29, a pilot from Oakhurst, Calif.; Lt. Paul R. Fridley, 28, a pilot from Annandale, Va.; Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class James P. Buriak, 31, from Salem, Va.; Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Sarah F. Burns, 31, from Severna Park, Md.; and Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Bailey J. Tucker, 21, from St. Louis. The MH-60S crashed on Aug. 31 about 70 miles off San Diego during what the Navy described as routine flight operations. Five sailors aboard the aircraft carrier were injured but were said to be in stable condition. The Navy declared the sailors dead on Saturday following days of search-and-rescue efforts. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Algeria arrests suspected members of separatist group: Algeria has arrested 27 suspected members of a separatist group that the government has declared a terrorist organization, after an attack in two northern towns, police said Monday. They said the 27 were suspected of belonging to MAK, a group that seeks independence for the Berber-speaking Kabylie region. Morocco's support for MAK was one of the reasons cited by Algeria in cutting diplomatic relations with the kingdom late last month. Police said several members of the security forces were injured when they intervened to protect citizens and their properties during attacks in the northern towns of Kherrata and Beni Ourtilane.
While some previous attempts by GOP state leaders to outlaw abortions have failed, Texass bill may provide other legislatures a blueprint to pass legal scrutiny. The law was designed to turn away pre-enforcement challenges in federal courts and allows private citizens to bring suit against abortion providers or anyone who aids or abets the procedure. Abortion providers say the ban effectively eliminates the guarantee in Roe v. Wade that people have a right to end their pregnancies before viability and that states are barred from imposing undue burdens on that decision.
Cetinje is a town where some 90% of the people are against the Serbian Orthodox Church, where there is hate towards everyone who is not Montenegrin, Vucic said in Belgrade. This is not a real hate, its hate that is induced by certain politicians in Montenegro, so it was quite logical to expect what happened there.
I just dont really think these [provisions] are going to have the suppressive effect that opponents think that they will, Snead said, pointing to Democrats criticism of part of the bill that would require Texans to provide one of a range of forms of identification to apply for mail ballots or attest to the fact they did not have one.
The E.U. deplores the continuous blatant disrespect by the Minsk regime of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Belarus, spokesman Peter Stano said in a statement. He said the charges were unfounded. The EU also reiterates its demands for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in Belarus, he said.
Germanys intelligence service warned in July that there had been intensive attacks by the Ghostwriter group since February, speculating that it could be preparing for hack and leak operations in which information is stolen to be published later on, either in its original form or including falsifications.
Charlene Thomas, 73, passed away while at the Daviess Community Hospital, Sept. 8, 2021. She was born April 23, 1948, in Washington, to Eugene Matteson and Eileen (Best) Matteson. Charlene was a homemaker who loved to play the piano, enjoyed genealogy, and liked to play cards and board games
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The timing of News Corps campaign, which is expected to include a 16-page spread, coincides with the United Nations Climate Change Conference in November, where British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has encouraged wealthy nations to increase their emissions reduction ambitions. The switch in editorial position will likely attract global attention, particularly in America, where Murdochs media outlets, such as Fox News, have also been accused by Republican politicians of undermining global efforts on climate change. Mr Murdoch, now 90, also remains an influential figure in British politics, mainly through his newspapers, The Sun and The Times. But his eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch, who is the co-executive chairman of News Corp, is more involved in the newspaper business than his father. Sky News host Andrew Bolt is one of several News Corp employees to express climate change scepticism in recent years. Credit:Justin McManus Both the British government and United States President Joe Bidens administration have made direct pleas to Prime Minister Scott Morrison in recent weeks to commit to a net zero target by 2050 and consider increasing its 2030 target of reducing emissions by 26-28 per cent on 2005 levels. Senior government sources with knowledge of internal negotiations between Mr Morrison and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, whose ascension as Nationals leader in June threatened to derail plans, are yet to reach an outcome, but both parties remain hopeful they will get what they want. Sources say increasing the 2030 target also remains an option.

Mr Morrison has subtly shifted his rhetoric on emissions reductions since his shock May 2019 victory, with the government now on the verge of adopting the once highly contentious target. Mr Joyce has been clear that he will not commit to greater targets of the 2050 deadline unless there is some form of protection or compensation for industries based in regional Australia, primarily agriculture. Loading The Morrison government has been privately briefed on News Corp plans by management, but both parties say there has been no collusion on the campaign. A government source not authorised to speak on the record said it was a welcome development, but simply a corporate decision by the company. Newspapers within the News Corp stable have for years taken aim at policies that reduce carbon emissions and have been widely viewed in political circles as contributors in the downfall of prime ministers Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull. Leading up to the 2019 election, The Daily Telegraph described Labors climate change policy under then leader of the opposition Bill Shorten as Carbon Bills Green Whack and the lunchbox tax. However, sources within the organisation say the business is also feeling pressure from its major advertisers and its efforts to attract a greater subscriber base for some of its premium content.

Increasingly, leading corporations such as Woolworths, Macquarie Group and Telstra are pushing their green credentials. Even some mining companies have backed in net zero by 2050 as a growing number of banks, insurers and institutional investors accelerate moves to divest coal assets and pledged not to make new investments in the industry, over concerns about fossil fuels contribution to global warming. News Corporations own global environmental targets now include reducing its fuel and electricity emissions 60 per cent by 2030 on a 2016 base year, reduced supply chain carbon emissions 20 per cent by 2030 and hit net zero by 2050. Emily Townsend said the News Corp bushfires coverage was "dangerous and damaging to our communities". Credit:Nick Moir People familiar with the companys inner workings deny any editorial shift was designed to support or give cover to a particular political leader or to convince the public to change their mind. They say News Corp executives and editors have changed based on what the readers believe and want. Data shows climate change policy is increasingly important to Australians. An exclusive survey, conducted for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age by research company Resolve Strategic in June, found the majority of Australians want the federal government to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

The organisations climate coverage has also been a sensitive topic within its ranks, with former commercial finance manager Emily Townsend, firing off an all-staff email following her resignation last year, accusing the organisation of a misinformation campaign filled with irresponsible and dangerous coverage of the national bushfire crisis. News Corp Australias executive chairman, Michael Miller said at the time he understood Townsends concerns, but did not agree with them. Loading News Corp does not deny climate change or the gravity of its threat, Miller said. However, we  as is the traditional role of a publisher  do report a variety of views and opinions on this issue. However, the editorial position of the papers has slowly shifted since. After James Murdochs criticism, the NT News ran a front page with the headline: Now is the time to discuss climate change. Editorials in The Daily Telegraph and The Australian were more moderate, advocating for the climate change debate to be taken forward.
The flow of dividends from company balance sheets to shareholder bank accounts pulled the ASX down sharply on Monday morning.

The benchmark S&P/ASX200 fell as much as 1 per cent in the first hour, but recovered to close 5.6 points higher, or 0.1 per cent, at 7528.5 points.

Fortescue Metals was the main anchor, dropping as much as 11.3 per cent to a nine-month low of $18.50. The iron ore miners market capitalisation fell by $7 billion after it locked in $6.49 billion worth of dividends, or $2.11 per share, with about $2 billion going to founder Andrew Twiggy Forrest.

Ex-dividend dates weighed on several other stocks, including a 2.5 per cent drop in ASX Ltd, a 4 per cent drop in Viva Energy, and a 2.7 per cent drop in Ramsay Health. But gold miner Northern Star managed to close 18 higher at $9.94 after going ex-dividend by 9.5.

Burman Invests Julia Lee: Dividends are going to be a big factor on the ASX this month as shown by Fortescue going ex dividend today.

Chief investment officer at Burman Invest, Julia Lee, said dividend dates were going to be a feature all month.

September is a month of dividends and today the big one is Fortescue, Ms Lee said.

Add into the mix the weakness we have seen in iron ore prices in Asia today, it is down 5 per cent.

The weaker ore price saw BHP shares falling 0.5 per cent and Rio dropped 0.8 per cent.

Lithium miner Pilbara Minerals fell 5.3 per cent after Mineral Resources sold down a 5.4 per cent stake for $328 million.

Ms Lee noted the re-opening trade was still in focus with gambling stocks like Crown Resorts and Aristocrat Leisure closing higher.

And international university placement specialist IDP Education soared to new all-time highs of $32.96 a week after major shareholder Education Australia announced it sold 15 per cent of shares on issue. Its remaining 25 per cent holding would be split among its university shareholders.

But, gold miners had a positive session after the safe-haven reached a four-week high on Friday after US jobs data missed expectations. Evolution Mining was up 4 per cent, Ramelius Resources gained 2.9 per cent, and Newcrest Mining up 2.6 per cent.

Banking stocks turned positive late in the day, except Westpac, despite the ongoing drag of lockdowns in Victoria, the ACT and New South Wales, which are all seeing rising COVID-19 case numbers.
SES Chief Inspector Simon Merrick said one of the 385 volunteers who had joined the search reached the boy and put a hand on his shoulder. He stated that he turned towards him with a massive smile on his face that he will not forget, he said. AJ was wrapped in their shirts before the ambulance arrived. NSW Ambulance paramedic Gerry Pyke described the boy as a little survivor. For little AJ, everything was on his side, he said. He persevered, he had a will to survive and he certainly showed that.

He was very, very thankful. You could see that in his eyes. The special operations paramedic said AJ had some lacerations on his lower legs, his temperature was most likely helped by him sitting in the water, and he had a bit of nappy rash after not being changed in three days. The boy was hungry when he woke and ate three slices of pizza and a banana. He was taken to Maitland Hospital as a precaution and to check for any infections, including after drinking from possibly contaminated water. The family believed the boy had been kidnapped, as he rarely left his mothers side, and claimed they had seen a white ute driving by their rural property about the same time AJ disappeared. On Sunday, police seized a ute as part of their investigations.

But NSW Police released a statement at 11.45am on Monday saying the boy had been found. Missing three-year-old boy Anthony AJ Elfalak has been located a short time ago, police said. Asked whether AJ had been in the bush for the whole of the three days, NSW Police Superintendent Tracy Chapman said: That would be our assumption at this point in time. Superintendent Chapman said the boys movement, of drinking, had drawn the attention of PolAir.

A PolAir helicopter pilot locates missing three-year-old boy Anthony AJ Elfalak in a creek bed on Monday morning. Credit:NSW Police She said the investigation would continue, to understand whats occurred over the past three days, and noted another property was searched on Sunday after a community member reported some sounds and noise, that person felt may have been a child crying or screaming. There were celebratory cheers from volunteers, family members hugged and laughed, and one emotional relative was on her knees after police told her helicopters had found AJ. Thank you everyone, thanks God, thank you for whoever prayed for us. Thank you for everyone who support [sic] us, thank you every much, everyone was good and kind, she said.

The woman said AJ and his three brothers were always together. One of the brothers, Michael, told Nine News he was feeling great about finding AJ. At first I thought we will never find AJ, but then I was like, No, the helicopters will find him because the helicopters are very high up, they can see anything,  he said. Hes stronger than me and Patrick. Weve never walked without someone ... AJs the bravest baby we ever have had. Godfather Alan Hashem said the past three days had been extremely emotional and he had heard AJ had been found alive when a journalist raised it at the daily COVID-19 press conference at 11am.

I almost skied down the hill, he said. On the fourth day, you start to think the worst. AJs aunt Mirolla Sawan said she had slept on a pool table because the house had been filled with volunteers. Ms Sawan extended her thanks to NSW Police, the SES and other volunteers who had searched tirelessly for AJ. At 2am, I was looking out and saw flashing lights. Our SES workers, they took [the search for AJ] personally, she said. I think now is a time of reflection. We are tired, no one has slept. At the end of the day  our boy is back.

Mr Elfalak described the outcome as a miracle. Hes amazing, he said. The guys just grown feet now, I think he just wants to explore 700 acres. The search for missing toddler AJ Elfalak. Credit:Nine News I just want to thank [the team], NSW Police, the detectives, SES, ambos, the horses, everyone. Its crazy, Ive never seen anything like it ... I was just hearing from family members what was going on, You guys are famous ... Im not famous, I just want to find my son, thats all I want to do. This is our oasis getaway  we dont want issues with anyone, we dont want to lose kids.

Earlier on Monday, Mr Hashem, told Nines Today that there was missing CCTV footage from the time that AJ disappeared and the family believed without a doubt he had been abducted. I installed cameras on that post right there, Mr Hashem said, pointing upwards. Theres footage missing, unexplained. [It was there for] days before, days after, but not during the time. [We believe that he was abducted] for the simple reason that he is on the spectrum of autism ... Hes always quite afraid and very attached to his Mum ... and hes never wandered. Superintendent Chapman said as part of their rural crime strategy, those living remotely are encouraged to have CCTV, as its easy for people to access the area without too many neighbours noticing. I dont understand what has happened with some footage however its subsequently part of our inquiries still, she said.

Loading Mr and Mrs Elfalak moved to the Hunter property with their four sons in June for a three-month stint after Mr Elfalaks work as a plumber dried up during Sydneys lockdown. Mr Hashem lives on the farm next door. Mr Hashem described the day AJ vanished as a typical afternoon. The mother was preparing lunch, I was assisting, sitting on the hammock ... the kids were outside playing. The two eldest boys, Michael and Patrick, were in charge of looking after their brother, although their father was also outside fixing one of the quad bikes, he said. The eldest boy needed to go to the bathroom. [He took] AJ who he was babysitting at the time while the Mum was preparing the lunch, and he left him just inside the dining area. After a few minutes the boys come out and entered through the other part of the house, and the mother goes, Wheres AJ?

The familys initial search didnt locate the boy. They reported his disappearance to the police and said they observed a white ute driving slowly down Yengo Drive about the time they noticed AJ had disappeared. We didnt think much of it [at the time], Mr Hashem said. Police confirmed on Sunday evening that they had seized a ute from a property at Bulga, a village which is about 78 kilometres north-east of where the child was last seen. They also seized CCTV footage from a service station at Colo Heights, which is about 40 minutes drive south of Putty towards Sydney, and investigated an abandoned house about one kilometre away from the family farm. Trail bikes, sniffer dogs, horses, helicopters and police divers scoured the remote 650-acre farm, which has 15 dams flanked by dense bushland, over the weekend. One of the dams was drained by an excavator on Sunday morning, while Mr and Mrs Elfalak spent the day searching their property in a private helicopter. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was asked about reports the boy had been found at her 11am press conference on Monday. I dont know if thats the case, but if it is, I would be absolutely delighted. I mean, I think all of us have been crossing everything to make sure AJ is brought back safely. And if thats the case, its much-needed good news in otherwise difficult circumstances, she said.
Melbourne social media personality Nadia Bartel and three other women have been fined $5452 each for breaching COVID-19 rules after a video shared on social media appeared to show them snorting a white powder at an illegal gathering.

The footage, which was posted accidentally on her business partner Ellie Pearsons Instagram story, shows Ms Bartel snorting a line of the powder from a dinner plate while surrounded by a group of friends.

A video of Nadia Bartel snorting white powder was uploaded to Instagram.

Victorias COVID-19 rules restrict any social gatherings inside or outside the home.

Victoria Police on Monday confirmed four women  a 36-year-old Windsor woman, a 32-year-old Richmond woman, a 33-year-old Pascoe Vale woman and a 35-year-old Strathmore woman  had been fined $5452 each for gathering at a Richmond address on Thursday, from about 4pm.
A Taliban soldier stands guard as passengers disembark on arrival from Kandahar, at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday. Credit:AP Meanwhile in northern Balkh province, at least four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people seeking to escape the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan have been unable to leave the country for days, officials said, with conflicting accounts emerging about why the flights werent able to take off as pressure ramps up on the US to help those left behind to flee. An Afghan official at the airport in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, the provincial capital, said that the would-be passengers were Afghans, many of whom did not have passports or visas, and thus were unable to leave the country. He said they had left the airport while the situation was sorted out. Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to reporters, he said they had left the airport while the situation was being sorted out. The top Republican on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, however, said that the group included Americans and they were sitting on the planes, but the Taliban were not letting them take off, effectively holding them hostage. Representative Michael McCaul of Texas told Fox News Sunday that American citizens and Afghan interpreters were being kept on six planes. McCaul did not say where that information came from and it was not immediately possible to reconcile the two accounts.

The final days of Americas 20-year war in Afghanistan were marked by a harrowing airlift at Kabuls airport to evacuate tens of thousands of people  Americans and their allies  who feared what the future would hold, given the Talibans history of repression, particularly of women. When the last American troops pulled out on August 30, though, many were left behind. Representative Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas, did not explain where his information on the matter came from. Credit:Bloomberg The US promised to continue working with the new Taliban rulers to get those who want to leave out, and the militants pledged to allow anyone with the proper legal documents to leave. Loading Experts had doubted that resistance to the Taliban in Panjshir, the last holdout province, could succeed long-term despite the areas geographical advantage. Nestled in the towering Hindu Kush mountains, the Panjshir Valley has a single narrow entrance. Local fighters held off the Soviets there in the 1980s and also the Taliban a decade later under the leadership of Massoud.

Massouds son Ahmad had issued a statement Sunday, calling for an end to the fighting that had been blistering in recent days. The young British-schooled Massoud said his forces were ready to lay down their weapons but only if the Taliban agreed to end their assault. Late on Sunday dozens of vehicles loaded with Taliban fighters were seen swarming into Panjshir Valley. Loading There has been no statement from Saleh, Afghanistans former vice president who had declared himself the acting president after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on August 15 as the Taliban reached the gates of the capital. The Taliban subsequently entered the presidency building that day. The Talibans lightning blitz across the country took less than a week to overrun some 300,000 Afghan government troops, most of whom surrendered or fled. The whereabouts of Saleh and the young Massoud were not immediately known.

In his statement, Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, sought to assure residents of Panjshir that they would be safe  even as scores of families reportedly fled into the mountains ahead of the Talibans arrival. We give full confidence to the honorable people of Panjshir that they will not be subjected to any discrimination, that all are our brothers, and that we will serve a country and a common goal, Mujahid said in his statement. The Taliban stepped up assault on Panjshir on Sunday, tweeting that their forces had overrun Rokha district, one of largest of eight districts in the province. Several Taliban delegations have attempted negotiations with the holdouts there, but talks has failed to gain traction. Fahim Dashti, the spokesman for the anti-Taliban group, was killed in battle on Sunday, according to the groups Twitter account. Dashti was the voice of the group and a prominent media personality during previous governments.
Singapore: Like the vast majority of people living in Singapore, Kirsten Moench and her husband Ingo havent left the south-east Asian city-state since COVID-19 brought international travel to its knees in March last year.

But this weeks opening of a travel lane for vaccinated travellers between their home country, Germany, and Singapore  the first such corridor between Asia and Europe since the pandemic began  has suddenly changed the landscape for them.

Ingo and Kirsten Moench have booked tickets on a Singapore-Frankfurt flight for vaccinated passengers.

They were planning to fly back this month anyway to visit family in Aachen, near Germanys borders with the Netherlands and Belgium, but now will not need to quarantine when they return to Singapore.

Im extremely excited about it ... I think its a great thing, said Moench, the head of external communications at the German European School Singapore.
Wilmington, DE (19810)

Today

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 89F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low around 70F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
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WSU Hosts 27th Families Alive Conference

September 2, 2021

OGDEN, Utah  Weber State Universitys Department of Child & Family Studies will host the 27th Families Alive conference, an online three-day event focused on strengthening and improving relationships, Sept. 16-18.

Families Alive has provided members of the Weber State community with insights on children, households and families for decades, said Dan Hubler, Child & Family Studies associate professor and conference chair. Attendees range from professionals in the human services and education fields, university students and community members who want to learn more about helping households and families to thrive.

This years conference theme is Communities Collaborating to Thrive. Author, educator and activist Peter Lovatt, also known as Dr. Dance is one of two keynote speakers. Lovatt is the co-creator of Movement in Practice, a technique for using movement to enhance the human experience. He also established the Dance Psychology Lab, where he studies how movement changes the way people think and solve problems. The community can watch him in action during a free pre-recorded Boogie on the Brain session, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. by clicking this link: Families Alive.

Public speaker, corporate trainer and author Gale Gorke will also join the conference for a keynote address. Gorke is a veteran public school educator who spent 40 years using brain-based learning principles to inspire and motivate students. A kinesthetic, or tactile learning expert, her motto is, The best way to learn is through play. Gorke leads Kids Kan, an international organization that specializes in curriculum design.

The keynote speakers will join other local and national family and education experts to speak during breakout sessions in three categories: community partners and professional development; social and emotional development; and families and households thriving together. Topics include building relationship skills, developmental parenting, relationship science and more.

Registration is open to all, and prices vary depending on credit. For currently enrolled WSU students registered for 12-17 credit hours, the cost is $30.

The Families Alive Conference is sponsored by the Department of Child and Family Studies in collaboration with the Jerry & Vickie Moyes College of Education and O.C. Tanner Corporation.

To view a full schedule of events or to register for the conference, visit continue.weber.edu/familiesalive.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
Laughter and screams filled the air in Princeton, IN on Sunday as they continued their 135th Labor Day celebration.

The festivities kick-started Friday and will continue through Monday.

Gary Fitz, a volunteer for the event says he's thankful to spend time with the community over the holiday weekend.

"Labor day is like, you come out here and you see people that you haven't seen for a year or years," said Fitz. "I walk around out here and it's hey how are you doing I haven't seen you for the last couple of years, well in a lot of cases we haven't seen anybody in the last couple years so that's kind of nice to be able to renew those friendships."

The largest labor day celebration put on by union members in Indiana the festival offered a variety of activities for people to take part in.

A rummage sale, car show, and demo derby were just some activities people took part in.

But a fan favorite for many kids like, Scotty Ciggers were the rides.

"We were like upside down for like 5 seconds and then we started going back down," said Ciggers.

The food was also a fan favorite for some who attended the event.

"I couldn't help it, I mean a corn dog kept calling me so I had to, you know," said Fitz.

As the fair comes to an end after Monday, officials look forward to bringing it back next year.
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Still rather warm and humid with partial sunshine and a late-day shower or thunderstorm..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. Few showers and thunderstorms possible.
A helicopter flies over Wrights Lake while battling the Caldor Fire in Eldorado National Forest, Calif., on Wednesday, September 1.
A public health nurse in Colorado took empty COVID-19 vaccine vials and made them into beautiful art, paying tribute to her fellow healthcare workers.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said that some hospitals in the US are nearing full capacity.
Quincy, IL (62301)

Today

Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High 81F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Willmar, MN (56201)

Today

Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High 76F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms later during the night. Low 62F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
WINNIPEG - RCMP in northern Manitoba have issued a warning about greenish-tinged tablets which they believe are linked to several overdoses and one death in recent days.

WINNIPEG - RCMP in northern Manitoba have issued a warning about greenish-tinged tablets which they believe are linked to several overdoses and one death in recent days.

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Police say the illicit pills are circulating in the areas of the Bunibonibee Cree Nation and Kisematawa First Nation and are known locally as "green beans."

A bag of green tablets are seen in an undated police handout photo. RCMP in northern Manitoba have issued a warning about greenish-tinged tablets which they believe are linked to several overdoses, and one death, in recent days. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-RCMP, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

They resemble an oxycodone tablet, police say, and could contain fentanyl.

Police are warning anyone in the communities to immediately and safely dispose of any illicit drug.

They're also asking anyone with information to call them, or Crime Stoppers.

They have released a photo showing examples of the tablets, although they warn they may not be exactly as shown.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2021.
BERLIN (AP)  A major maritime industry association on Monday backed plans for a global surcharge on carbon emissions from shipping to help fund the sector's shift toward climate-friendly fuels.

FILE - In this June 30, 2021 file photo a container ship leaves the Port of New York and New Jersey in Elizabeth, N.J. A major maritime industry association on Monday backed plans for a global surcharge on carbon emissions from shipping to help fund the sector's shift toward climate-friendly fuels. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, file)

BERLIN (AP)  A major maritime industry association on Monday backed plans for a global surcharge on carbon emissions from shipping to help fund the sector's shift toward climate-friendly fuels.

The International Chamber of Shipping said it's proposing to the United Nations that all vessels trading globally above a certain size should pay a set amount per metric ton of carbon dioxide they emit.

Environmental groups welcomed the proposal to the the International Maritime Organization, a U.N. body, but cautioned that it doesn't specify what carbon price would be supported by the group, which represents commercial shipowners and operators covering over 80% of the world merchant fleet.

We will know they are serious about real progress when they embrace a level of ambition consistent with what climate vulnerable island nations have already proposed, said Aoife OLeary, director of global transportation at the Environmental Defense Fund.

Doug Speirs | Uplift A weekly review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe that is delivered to your inbox each Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The shipping industry is estimated to account for nearly 3% of the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving global warming and projected to rise significantly in the coming decades.

The Marshall Islands and the Solomon Islands, two nations with large shipping fleets whose territories are severely threatened by climate change, have suggested a carbon levy starting at $100 per ton.

This proposal sets out how to practically create a market-based measure for the global shipping industry, in order to quickly move towards an effective price," said Guy Platten, the secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping. Rather than make guesses for PR purposes, we want to come to a number that will decarbonize the sector without disenfranchising huge proportions of the developing world on the way.

The group said it opposed piecemeal regional measures, such as those proposed by the European Union, and called for the money generated from the levy to go into a climate fund that would subsidize clean alternatives such as hydrogen until they come competitive with conventional fuels.

___

Follow APs coverage of climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-change
WASHINGTON (AP)  Shaken by haunting images of surging rivers, flooded roads and subways and other damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, lawmakers from both parties are vowing to upgrade the nation's aging infrastructure network.

President Joe Biden talks with Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and as Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., left, listens as Biden arrives at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, La., Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, to tour damage caused by Hurricane Ida. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP)  Shaken by haunting images of surging rivers, flooded roads and subways and other damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, lawmakers from both parties are vowing to upgrade the nation's aging infrastructure network.

As the deadly storm moved from the Gulf Coast through the Northeast, members of Congress said the deluge offered irrefutable evidence that power lines, roads, bridges and other infrastructure are deteriorating even as storms and other extreme weather are strengthening. At least 50 people from Virginia to Connecticut died as storm water from Ida's remnants cascaded into peoples homes and engulfed automobiles, overwhelming urban drainage systems unable to handle so much rain in such a short time.

At least 16 deaths deaths were blamed on the storm in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Global warming is upon us," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. When you get two record rainfalls in a week (in New York City), its not just coincidence. When you get all the changes that we have seen in weather, thats not a coincidence. ... Its going to get worse and worse and worse, unless we do something about it."

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, residence pick up food and ice at a distribution center Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in New Orleans, La. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Schumer and other lawmakers said the catastrophe is the latest example of why the nation needs the nearly trillion-dollar infrastructure bill passed by the Senate last month. He and other Democrats also are calling for passage of President Joe Biden's $3.5 trillion, partisan rebuilding plan aimed at helping families and combating climate change.

Its so imperative to pass the two bills," Schumer said.

Democrats hope to pass both bills by the end of this month, but action on the bipartisan bill may be difficult until the larger package is ready. Progressives have said they wont support a bipartisan bill without strong companion legislation to advance their priorities.

Biden made a pitch Friday for the bipartisan bill, saying it is going to change things on our streets across the country." He cited the bill's historic investment" in roads, rail and bridges, as well as clean energy, clean water and universal broadband.

Its about resilience," Biden said. Make our roads and highways safer. Make us more resilient to the kinds of devastating impacts from extreme weather were seeing in so many parts of the country."

Residents of Peck Ave in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York use buckets to remove water from their basement apartment, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in New York. The remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped historic rain over New York City, with several deaths linked to flooding in the region as basement apartments suddenly filled with water and freeways and boulevards turned into rivers, submerging cars.(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

The plan includes $110 billion to build and repair roads and bridges and $66 billion to upgrade railroads. It also includes about $60 billion to upgrade the electric grid and build thousands of miles of transmission lines to expand use of renewable energy and nearly $47 billion to adapt and rebuild roads, ports and bridges to help withstand damage from stronger storms as well as wildfires and drought.

If we're going to make our country more resilient to natural disasters, whatever they are, we have to start preparing now," said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.

Cassidy, a lead negotiator on the bipartisan bill, has touted the infrastructure legislation as a boon to hurricane-prone states such as his. Im sure hoping that Republicans look around my state, see this damage and say, If theres money for resiliency, money to harden the grid, money to help sewer and water, then maybe this is something we should be for,'" he told CNN.

Ultimately, repair and replacement of roads, bridges and other infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Ida and other natural disasters are likely to be funded by Congress as emergency relief money. But the bipartisan bill will be valuable in providing major investments in future-proofing infrastructure against climate change and extreme weather such as Ida, according to Jeff Davis, a senior fellow at the Eno Center for Transportation, a Washington think tank.

The bill would be the first to devote money for climate resilience, including $17 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers to address backlogs in federal flood control projects.

A man looks at a vehicle flooded as a result of the remnants of Hurricane Ida in a parking lot in Somerville, N.J., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would receive $492 million to map inland and coastal flooding, including next-gen modeling and forecasts. Another $492 million would go toward improving the resilience of coastal communities to flooding by restoring natural ecosystems.

The legislation also provides $3.5 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help communities reduce the risk of flood damage and $8.7 billion for the Transportation Department to award grants to states to improve resiliency in ports and other coastal infrastructure.

We have to start planning for what the future might hold and do modeling thats going to help us predict what these future risks are going to be, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told Fox News Sunday," calling the increasing frequency of severe storms that intensify more rapidly a new normal" because of climate change. These threats arent going to go away, and we need to start to reduce those impacts.

The U.S. had 22 climate and weather disasters in 2020 with losses exceeding $1 billion each, with eight such disasters this year as of July 9, according to NOAA. Ida and its remnants will likely cost in the tens of billions, analysts say.

Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., said a bipartisan infrastructure bill is needed, but the bill approved by the Senate could harm oil-producing states such as Louisiana by freezing out benefits for states that encourage fossil-fuel production.

The Democratic-only bill is even worse, Graves said, calling it a final nail in the coffin to the offshore oil industry, which is already struggling because of the pandemic and the hurricane.

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All this does is benefit Iran," Graves said. It benefits Russia. It benefits China.

In an interview, Graves said he would prefer to use emergency spending to help Louisiana and other states hit by the hurricane. That way, money is tailored to the disaster and based on need, not ideology, he said.

But Ed Potosnak, executive director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, said emergency spending, and even the bipartisan infrastructure bill, is not sufficient to address the threat of climate change.

We have not taken the bold measures we need to protect our families and our way of life and our communities that we cherish," he said.

Potosnak, whose central New Jersey neighborhood was flooded by Ida, said storms are increasing in intensity and frequency, with at least seven 100-year storms in the past few decades.

I hope this storm is a reminder to all our elected officials: This is what climate change looks like,'' Potosnak said. Congress needs to act to match the challenge we face.
CHATHAM, Mass. (AP)  Theres no ominous music, no telltale fin breaking the surface as the powerful silhouette of a great white shark glides alongside the small tour boat off Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

A white shark swims across a sand bar, seen from a shark watch with Dragonfly Sportfishing charters, off the Massachusetts' coast of Cape Cod, on Friday, Aug. 13, 2021 . Cape Cod is slowly embracing its shark reputation, three summers after the popular vacation destination saw its first great white shark attacks in generations. A growing group of charter boat operators are offering shark tours to complement the region's whale and seal watching excursions. (AP Photo/Phil Marcelo)

CHATHAM, Mass. (AP)  Theres no ominous music, no telltale fin breaking the surface as the powerful silhouette of a great white shark glides alongside the small tour boat off Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

Michael Simard crouches low and points a finger in the direction of the roughly 10-foot (3-meter) predator cruising in the glassy water below.

The 48-year-old construction foreman from Cambridge, Massachusetts, glances back at his partner, Penny Antonoglou, who dutifully pulls out her smartphone while he holds the pose. Smile. Click.

Its awe-inspiring, really, Simard said after the tour, where they spotted at least six great whites. I didnt realize how graceful they were. It does put it into perspective that this is their element, and we just share it with them.

Three summers after Cape Cod saw two great white shark attacks on humans  including the states first fatal attack since 1936  the popular tourist destination south of Boston is showing signs its slowly, tentatively embracing its shark-y reputation.

A small but growing group of charter boat operators are offering great white shark tours in a region where whale and seal watching excursions have long been a tourist rite of passage.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, a prominent nonprofit shark research organization, is among those that have jumped into the shark ecotourism game. It's also renovated its Shark Center, a family-friendly museum showcasing its research into the local shark population, and is building another educational outpost set to open next summer in the bustling tourist center of Provincetown.

Elsewhere, local shark-themed merchandisers are reporting brisk businesses, even as the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted parts of the regions tourism industry. Cape Cod hosts about 4 million visitors a year, who bring in more than $1 billion in tourism spending and support thousands of jobs.

It feels like were on the trajectory of it being a point of pride for Cape Cod, said Patrick Clarke, owner of the jewelry company Cape Clasp, of the regions white sharks. A lot of the initial fear and hysteria was the fear of the unknown, but were learning more and more about them every year.

Clarke makes a range of jewelry featuring whales, turtles and other marine life, but says the shark-themed pieces  specifically a bracelet made from marine-grade cord held together by a great white shark-shaped sterling silver clasp  are consistently his top sellers.

In Chatham, a hub of the local shark tourism industry, a company that started selling popular stickers of Cape Cod in the shape of a great white shark some seven years ago has taken off as the local shark population has also come into its own.

Kristina Manter says Cape Shark, the apparel company she co-owns with her boyfriend, opened a brick-and-mortar storefront on Main Street last summer to sell a range of hoodies, sweatpants, T-shirts and other clothing adorned with the logo.

Were not just popping up because we saw the tourism. Weve been around because weve loved the sharks and believed in their conservation, Manter says. It just kind of fell together perfectly.

Theres no definitive tally for how much shark-related tourism contributes to the roughly 65-mile (105-kilometer) peninsula's economy, but its growth is helping stretch the tourist season into the fall, as peak shark sightings happen in August and September, says Paul Niedzwiecki, CEO of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.

Indeed, dozens of beaches have temporarily closed in recent weeks after sharks were spotted as close as 30 feet (9 meters) from some of the Cape's most famous stretches of sand. Shark researchers say they expect to be out tagging and observing the predators into November, if the weather permits.

Several years ago, there was a concern that it might have a negative impact on tourism, Niedzwiecki said. But weve been working to educate people about sharks and what weve actually seen is no negative impact.

Mike Bosley, who captained the shark tour Simard and Antonoglou took last month, hopes shark watching tours can bring a different perspective to the local shark discourse.

Theres always been sharks, but there hasnt always been the opportunity to interact with sharks in this fashion, said Bosley, whose Dragonfly Sportfishing started offering shark tours in earnest this summer in between its regular fishing and whale watching excursions. Theyre part of our ecosystem.

Since the 2018 attacks, Cape officials have invested in better training and equipment for lifeguards and first responders to keep beachgoers safe as great white sharks migrate in ever larger numbers to feast on the regions bountiful seal population.

But a group of concerned residents, vacationers and other advocates have formed a nonprofit to push for more sophisticated and proactive shark safety measures, such as undersea detection, land-based warning systems and drone surveillance.

Local surfers, meanwhile, have taken to arming themselves with shark repellents, including personal devices that emit electrical fields that supposedly deter but don't harm sharks.

Concern about great whites is growing elsewhere in New England, especially after a New York woman was fatally bitten by one in Maine last July, becoming the first person to die by shark attack in the state. Dozens of marine organizations and state agencies from Rhode Island to Canada formed a consortium to collaborate on shark research in response.

Greg Skomal, a state marine biologist currently studying the hunting patterns of the Cape's great whites, says shark tours could prove beneficial, so long as they continue to be done responsibly.

There are currently no licensing or registration requirements for the tours, but those and other regulations should be considered if more join the fray, he said.

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The state banned the use of bloody chum, decoys and other bait to lure sharks in 2015, meaning the kinds of shark cage diving operations that are common in Australia, South Africa and other shark-rich destinations arent allowed in Massachusetts waters, unless theyre more than 3 miles (5 kilometers) offshore, where state jurisdiction ends.

Were very sensitive to activities that alter the sharks' natural behavior, said Skomal. We dont want six (tours) following a single shark into shallow water near swimming beaches.

Like most operations, Bosleys Dragonfly Sportfishing generally stays hundreds of yards (meters) off shore, in water more than 8 feet (2.4 meters) deep.

But it's a relatively costly outing: The nearly three-hour tours, which rely on an overhead spotter plane to locate sharks, range anywhere from $1,600 to $2,500 per boat, and the vessels typically carry six passengers at most.

Antonoglou, a 47-year-old civil engineer, says the eye-opening experience is worth the expense.

When people think of great whites, they think of Jaws,' but its not like that at all, she said. Its pretty cool that we know theyre out there. The populations are thriving, and I think its a great asset for the Cape.
Joe Sobol, owner of Big Easy Construction in New Orleans, has bad news for homeowners who've been calling about roofs damaged by Hurricane Ida or to get an update on renovations that were scheduled before the storm ripped through the area.

Shannon Lation checks on her home destroyed by Hurricane Ida, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021, in Lafitte, La. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Joe Sobol, owner of Big Easy Construction in New Orleans, has bad news for homeowners who've been calling about roofs damaged by Hurricane Ida or to get an update on renovations that were scheduled before the storm ripped through the area.

The job will cost a lot more than usual  and take much longer, too.

Ida slammed into the Gulf Coast  then took its destruction to the Northeast  at a time when building contractors were already grappling with severe shortages of workers and depleted supply chains. The damage inflicted by Ida has magnified those challenges.

The struggle to find enough skilled workers and materials will likely drive up costs, complicate planning and delay reconstruction for months.

My expectation," said Ali Wolf, chief economist at the real estate research firm Zonda, is that it only gets worse from here.

Consider that Lake Charles, Louisiana, 200 miles west of New Orleans, still hasnt recovered from the damage left when Hurricane Laura tore through the area a year ago.

The challenges facing construction companies stem from what happened after the nation endured a brutal but brief recession when the viral pandemic erupted in March 2020: The economy rebounded far faster and stronger than anyone expected. Businesses of all kinds were caught off-guard by a surge in customer demand that flowed from an increasingly robust economic recovery.

Workers and supplies were suddenly in short supply. For months now across the economy, businesses have been scrambling to acquire enough supplies, restock their shelves and recall workers they had furloughed during the recession.

Nathan Fabre checks on his home and boat destroyed by Hurricane Ida, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021, in Lafitte, La. "We lost everything," said Fabre about the destruction of his home. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Construction companies have been particularly affected. Among building executives Zonda surveyed last month, 93% complained of supply shortages. Seventy-four percent said they lacked enough workers.

And that was before Ida struck.

Natural disasters do cause a strain on building materials, reconstruction materials and on labor," Wolf said. "The difference today is that the entire supply chain has been battered even before Idas occurrence. You really have all these things hitting at the exact same time. Frankly, the last thing the supply chain needed was extra strain.

A result is that the cost of materials and supplies has been surging. Combined prices for windows, doors, roofing and other building products jumped 13% in the first six months of this year, according to Labor Department data. Before 2020, by contrast, such aggregate prices would typically rise a bit more than 1% annually, on average, in the first six months of a year.

Prices for steel mill products were up more than twofold in July from a year earlier. Gypsum products, which are needed for drywall, partitions, ceiling tiles and the like, were up 22%.

Henry DEsposito, who leads construction research at the real estate services company JLL, said the toughest challenge in rebuilding now is the delays in acquiring drywall, glass, steel, aluminum and other materials.

A lot of the materials that you would need for any project and especially something this urgent  youre not able to get on site for weeks or months, DEsposito said.

Sobol, in the course of his career, has ridden out some of the biggest hurricanes to strike Louisiana, including Betsy in 1965, Camille in 1979, Katrina in 2005 and Ida last week. On Friday, he received a text from a client who had hired Big Easy for home renovations. The client wanted to know whether the initial cost estimate still stood.

I said, You can probably add 10%,' "Sobol said.

An apartment building in Houma, La., that was damaged by Hurricane Ida is seen, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021. The storm caused such extensive damage to the buildings in the complex that residents have to move out. (AP Photo/Rebecca Santana)

And now the project will likely take nine months instead of six.

Were having to jump through hoops," said Robert Maddox, owner of Hahn Roofing in Boyce, Louisiana, 200 miles northwest of New Orleans. Were having to pay more for labor. Were having to pay more for supplies. Were having to bring supplies in.

The insurance companies that are footing the bill for many of the hurricane repairs, Maddox said, can pose an additional burden.

Ive spent more time fighting with insurance companies over prices than I did roofing houses," he said.

Jacob Hodges, co-owner of a family roofing business in Houma, Louisiana, complains that shingles are in such short supply that its hard to buy them in the same color consistently. One day, theyre available only in black; the next day, only gray.

Hodges takes what he can get. So do his customers, who are desperate to have their roofs patched up or replaced after the storm.

Then theres the labor shortage.

Among workers in short supply are framers, who build, install and maintain foundations, floors and door and window frames; carpenters; electricians; plumbers; and heating and air-conditioning specialists.

Workers  they have the power, said Wolf, the economist at Zonda. They can go where they can make the most money. So if you need access to workers, youre going to have to pony up.

Maddox said typical pay for roofers has soared 20% over the past year or so. Some can earn $400 a day.

If you dont pay them, he said, someone else will.

In normal times, demand for their services was so uneven that roofers often split their time working for different contractors.

Now, we all need them, Hodges said.

Making matters worse, the power is still out in many places, gasoline is in short supply and the Gulf Coast weather is sweltering.

With nowhere to stay, workers involved in reconstruction have to drive in from afar. Maddox said he has roofers commuting in from Lake Charles, a three-hour drive from the hurricane zone.

Were losing half our time driving, he said.

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He wishes that hotels that have running water would reopen  even without electricity  so that workers would have a place to stay.

Those guys dont mind cold showers, he said.

Weighing the magnitude of the hurricane damage against the shortage of supplies and workers, Hodges envisions a prolonged, grinding period of reconstruction from Ida.

To get everything back like it was," he said, "youre talking ... well, well probably be working on this this time next year.

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Wiseman reported from Washington, Veiga from Los Angeles.
UNDATED -- The resurgence of COVID-19 this summer and the national debate over vaccine requirements have created a fraught situation for the United States' first responders, who are dying in larger numbers but pushing back against mandates.

Performer Dionisia Valle, 82, dressed as a clown, poses for a photo during the National Circus Day celebration in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, amid the new coronavirus pandemic. Chiles Culture Minister set the stage for the first circus performances with a ringside public since the beginning of the pandemic quarantine measures as the South American country looks to fully roll back almost all COVID-19 related restrictions (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

UNDATED -- The resurgence of COVID-19 this summer and the national debate over vaccine requirements have created a fraught situation for the United States' first responders, who are dying in larger numbers but pushing back against mandates.

Its a stark contrast from the beginning of the vaccine rollout when first responders were prioritized for shots.

The mandates affect tens of thousands of police officers, firefighters and others on the front lines across the country, many of whom are spurning the vaccine. That is happening despite mandates consequences that range from weekly testing to suspension to termination  even though the virus is now the leading cause of U.S. law enforcement line-of-duty deaths.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 132 members of law enforcement agencies are known to have died of COVID-19 in 2021. In Florida alone last month, six people affiliated with law enforcement died over a 10-day period.

Despite the deaths, police officers and other first responders are among those most hesitant to get the vaccine and their cases continue to grow. No national statistics show the vaccination rate for Americas entire population of first responders but individual police and fire departments across the country report figures far below the national rate of 74% of adults who have had at least one dose.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

A man picks up food delivery at a checkpoint of a street cordoned off for the lockdown order in Vung Tau, Vietnam Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. Over 20 million Vietnamese students start a new school year on Monday, many of them on virtual classrooms as more than half of the country is in lockdown to contain a COVID-19 surge. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)

 European Union regulator pondering whether to recommend Pfizer booster shots for 16 and older

 Two anchors of COVID safety net ending, affecting millions in US

 Volunteers help poorest survive Thailands worst COVID surge yet

 Hospitals in crisis in Mississippi, the least-vaccinated US state

 Want to attend Hamilton? Not unless you meet virus protocols

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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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A policeman hands back the travel permit to a commuter after checking at a street checkpoint in Vung Tau, Vietnam on Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. Over 20 million Vietnamese students start a new school year on Monday, many of them on virtual classrooms as more than half of the country is in lockdown to contain a COVID-19 surge. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)

HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

AMSTERDAM  The European Medicines Agency says it has started an expedited evaluation on whether to recommend use of a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech.

In a statement Monday, the EU drug regulator says it is considering whether a third dose of the vaccine should be given six months after people over age 16 have received two doses to restore protection after it has waned.

EMAs experts are carrying out an accelerated assessment of data submitted by Pfizer and BioNTech, including results from an ongoing research trial in which about 300 healthy adults received a booster dose about six months after their second dose.

Pfizer has already submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administer for authorization of a third dose and the U.S. government said last month boosters would likely be available in late September. Israel has already started administering booster doses and the plan is under consideration in other countries for vulnerable populations, including France and Germany.

The Amsterdam-based agency said it expects to make a decision in the next few weeks.

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DETROIT  Five federal courthouses in eastern Michigan will fully reopen Tuesday for the first time since COVID-19 restrictions were put in place in March 2020.

Fourth grader Han Binh Cuong attends a lesson via virtual classroom in Hanoi, Vietnam Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. Over 20 million Vietnamese students start a new school year on Monday, many of them on virtual classrooms as more than half of the country is in lockdown to contain a COVID-19 surge. (AP Photo/Binh Huy)

Lawyers, news reporters, jurors and court spectators will be required to answer questions about their health and have their temperature checked at courthouse entrances. Masks will be required.

Courthouse employees who have not been vaccinated will be required to share the results of two weekly COVID-19 tests at their own expense.

The court is doing everything in its power to make sure that everyone who uses our facilities are protected, said Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood.

The main courthouse is in downtown Detroit, but there are other federal courthouses in Flint, Bay City, Ann Arbor and Port Huron. Remote video access will be provided for some hearings in civil lawsuits. But nearly all criminal cases will be conducted in person at the courthouses.

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SANTIAGO, Chile  Chiles Public Health Institute has approved the Chinese-developed Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for children older than 6, though the health minister must approve the plan before shots enter arms.

The panel of senior physicians, including presidents of the associations of pediatrics and infectology, analyzed a Chinese study of 500 children aged 3 to 17, all of whom produced antibodies. A similar study of 4,000 children is being organized in Chile.

Brazils health regulatory agency, however, recently rejected a similar request by Sinovac, and asked for data involving a larger study.

A visitor wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walks near the display of the Seoul logo during a lunch break at a park in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Chile already had authorized vaccinations for children as young as 12, though only with the Pfizer vaccine. Supply shortages have stalled that effort.

Chilean officials plan to vaccinate 15.2 million of the countrys 19 million people. So far they have given a full double dose regimen to 86% of those now eligible. The country last month also began giving AstraZeneca booster shots to fully vaccinated people people older than 55.

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ROME  Life expectancy for men in some of Italys worst-hit provinces in the pandemic dropped by more than four years.

ISTAT, Italys national statistics bureau, in a report on Monday said that compared with 2019, nationwide life expectancy for those born in 2020 dropped by 1.2 years.

In 2020, the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the sharp increase in the risk of mortality that derived from it abruptly interrupted the increase of life expectancy at birth that had marked a trend up to 2019, ISTAT said.

The pandemic first erupted outside Asia in northern Italy, and much of the north reeled with confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the initial wave of cases. In the northern provinces of Bergamo, Cremona and Lodi, life expectancy for men decreased by some 4.3 to 4.5 years. For women in those provinces, the reduced expectancy ranged from 3.2 to 2.9 years.

For a child born in 2020, male life expectancy nationwide is 79.7 and female life expectancy is 84.4, ISTAT said.

Pupils and teachers stand to sing the Turkish national anthem before the first classes as they arrive back at Cankaya Primary School in Turkish capital Ankara as schools reopen after 18 months' closure due to COVID-19, Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. The Turkish government has decided to reopen schools and colleges in the country of 84 million - one of the world's youngest with 18 million students.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

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PHOENIX -- A program announced by Arizonas Republican governor last month giving private school vouchers to students whose parents object to school mask requirements has seen a surge of applications.

More than 2,700 applications have been started or completed in less than two weeks. Thats twice as many as can be funded with the $10 million in federal coronavirus relief cash earmarked for the program.

Gov. Doug Duceys plan will give $7,000 a year to each student to pay for private school tuition.

School voucher opponents worry they will permanently get vouchers and some Republican lawmakers say they hope thats the case.

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ROME  Italys health minister says a two-day meeting of his G-20 counterparts yielded resolve to help poor nations obtain more COVID-19 vaccines.

Minister Roberto Speranza told reporters in Rome on Monday that achieving that includes vaccine production in less developed nations. The goal is to bring vaccines to every corner of the world, said Speranza. He described the meetings unanimous final document as a departure point.

Security officers and airport workers receive boxes of Moderna coronavirus vaccine after their arrival at the airport in Nairobi, Kenya Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. 880,320 doses were delivered forming the second of two shipments totalling 1.76 million doses which were donated by the U.S. government via the COVAX facility, according to the U.S. embassy in Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Stronger nations, starting with the G-20, are committing to more resources and to sending vaccines to the more vulnerable countries, he said, adding that efforts like COVAX need to be strengthened.

We want to build on conditions so that production can be brought to the countries. Its not enough merely to transfer doses, Speranza said.

COVAX is an international mechanism created in part to share vaccines so that poorer wouldnt have to rely on donations. But in some cases, wealthy nations have received doses through COVAX.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Danish health authorities say they are offering jabs in supermarkets as they are aware of differences in the vaccination pattern even though more than 80% of people over 12 have had two shots of vaccine.

It is especially young people who have not received the first jab, said Soeren Brostroem, head of the Danish Health Agency.

On Saturday, vaccines will be offered in two of Denmarks largest supermarket chains, Bilka and Foetex, No appointments are needed.

We want to ensure that the offer of vaccination is as accessible as possible, so that, for example, it is possible to get a shot while shopping, Brostroem said, adding there are many young people working in retail.

A man, who received the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, walks outside the church of the Virgin Mary, during a vaccination roll out, in the town of Archanes, on the island of Crete, Greece, Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. Greece has begun administering vaccinations for COVID-19 outside churches. It's a pilot program that was recently announced by the government as a means of encouraging more people to get the shots. Mobile National Health Organization units began administering shots Monday in a church yard in the town of Archanes near the city of Heraklion on the southern island of Crete. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

Denmark has a target of reaching 90% of people above the age of 12 by Oct. 1.

As of Sept. 10, the digital pass  a proof of vaccination or a negative test which was required to enter nightclubs  becomes the last COVID-19 safeguard to fall.

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PRISTINA, Kosovo --- Kosovos Health Ministry said it has received half a million Pfizer vaccines Monday sent from the United States.

Kosovos 1.8 million people have faced a surge in new infections during the last month. On Monday there were 28 deaths and 489 new cases.

The ministry said it had received 503,100 Pfizer shots from the United States through the COVAX program. It strongly called on people older than 16 years old to take the jabs as the only way to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

About 17% of Kosovo's people have gotten both shots of the vaccine so far.

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Pupils and parents arrive back at Cankaya Primary School in Turkish capital Ankara as schools reopen after 18 months' closure due to COVID-19, Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. The Turkish government has decided to reopen schools and colleges in the country of 84 million - one of the world's youngest with 18 million students.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

SEOUL, South Korea  South Koreas daily increase in coronavirus infections has exceeded 1,000 for the 62nd consecutive day as officials are raising concerns about another viral spike during this months Chuseok holidays, the Korean version of Thanksgiving.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said more than 940 of the 1,375 new cases reported Monday were from Seoul and the nearby metropolitan region, where a rise in infections have been linked to the reopening of schools and people returning from summer vacations.

While the virus has slowed outside the capital area in recent weeks, KDCA official Kim Ki-nam said transmissions could worsen nationwide during the Chuseok break, which starts on Sept. 20, a time when millions usually travel across the country to meet relatives.

Officials are enforcing the countrys strongest social distancing rules in the greater capital area, where private social gatherings of three or more are banned after 6 p.m. unless all are fully vaccinated.

A slow vaccine rollout has left less than 35% of South Koreans fully vaccinated as of Monday.

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HANOI  About 23 million Vietnamese students have started a new school year, most of them in virtual classrooms, amid a COVID-19 lockdown to contain a virus surge in the country.

Since April, when the latest wave of the virus spread in the country, Vietnam closed down schools and education institutes in pandemic areas and move learning activities to online platforms.

Millions of students spent their summer break at home as more than half of the country is in lockdown. In hard-hit provinces, schools have been converted into quarantine facilities and field hospitals.

In Ho Chi Minh city, the epicenter of Vietnams worst virus outbreak, teachers and students observed a minute of silence to pay tribute to those who died of COVID-19 and honor front-liners before opening classes Monday.

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand  Most of New Zealand will move out of lockdown Tuesday except for the largest city of Auckland, which will remain in the strictest type of lockdown until at least next week, the government announced Monday.

The nation has been battling an outbreak of the delta variant of the coronavirus since last month. All recent cases have been found in Auckland, including 20 that were found on Monday.

There have been a total of 821 cases found in the outbreak. The government is pursuing an unusual strategy of trying to eliminate the virus entirely.

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JERUSALEM -- Israel says it will soon reopen its gates to foreign tour groups  even as it battles one of the worlds highest rates of coronavirus infections.

The countrys Tourism Ministry on Sunday said it will begin allowing organized tour groups into the country beginning Sept. 19.

Tourists will have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, present a negative PCR test before their flight and undergo both PCR and serological testing upon arrival. Visitors would have to quarantine in their hotels until the test results come back -- a process expected to take no more than 24 hours.

Tourists from a handful of red countries with high infection rates -- including Turkey and Brazil -- will not be permitted to visit for the time being.

Israel launched a similar program in May after vaccinating most of its population early this year. But the program was suspended in August as the delta variant began to spread.

In recent weeks, the country has begun administering booster shots to anyone who was vaccinated over five months ago.
SARATOGA, Wyo. (AP)  The North Platte River in southern Wyoming has been so low in places lately that a toddler could easily wade across and thick mats of olive-green algae grow in the lazy current.

Exposed rocks and aquatic plants are seen alongside the North Platte River at Treasure Island in southern Wyoming, on Tuesday,Aug. 24, 2021.The upper North Platte is one of several renowned trout streams affected by climate change, which has brought both abnormally dry, and sometimes unusually wet, conditions to the western U.S. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver)

SARATOGA, Wyo. (AP)  The North Platte River in southern Wyoming has been so low in places lately that a toddler could easily wade across and thick mats of olive-green algae grow in the lazy current.

Just over two years ago, workers stacked sandbags to protect homes and fishing cabins from raging brown floodwaters, the highest on record.

Neither scene resembles the proper picture of a renowned trout fishing destination, one where anglers glide downstream in drift boats, flinging fly lures in hope of landing big brown and rainbow trout in the shadow of the Medicine Bow Mountains.

But both torrent and trickle have afflicted storied trout streams in the American West in recent years amid the havoc of climate change, which has made the region hotter and drier and fueled severe weather events. Blistering heat waves and extended drought have raised water temperatures and imperiled fish species in several states.

In the Rocky Mountains, the attention is on trout fishing, a big part of both the United States' $1-billion-a-year fly fishing industry and the region's over $100-billion-a-year outdoor recreation industry.

It seems the extremes are more extreme, said Tom Wiersema, who's fished the upper North Platte as a guide and trout enthusiast for almost half a century.

Some years, Wiersema has been able to put in and float a section of river about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of the Colorado line all summer. This year, Wiersema hasn't bothered to float that stretch since late June, lest he have to drag a boat over wet, algae-covered rocks.

Thats what the river is at that point. Round, slippery bowling balls, he said.

Low water exposed rocks on the bank of the North Platte River at Six Mile Gap in southern Wyoming, on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021.The upper North Platte is one of several renowned trout streams affected by climate change, which has brought both abnormally dry, and sometimes unusually wet, conditions to the western U.S. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver)

In nearby Saratoga, population 1,600, leaping trout adorn light posts and the sign for Town Hall. The North Platte gurgles past a public hot spring called the Hobo Pool, and trout fishing, along with the fall elk hunt, are big business.

Phil McGrath, owner of Hacks Tackle & Outfitters on the river, said low flows haven't hurt his business of guided fishing trips on drift boats, which launch from deeper water in town. The fishing has been excellent, he said.

You want to go easy on the little guys in the afternoon, he urged a recent group of customers who asked where they could wet a line before a guided trip the next morning.

It's basic trout fishing ethics when temperatures get as high as they were that day, 85 degrees (29 Celsius), and water temperatures aren't far enough behind.

The problem: Water above 68 degrees (20 C) can be rough on trout caught not for dinner but sport  and release to fight another day. Low water warms up quickly in hot weather, and warm water carries less oxygen, stressing fish and making them less likely to survive catch-and-release fishing, especially when anglers don't take several minutes to release fish gently.

As air temperatures soared into the mid 80s and beyond this summer, Yellowstone National Park shut down stream and river fishing from 2 p.m. until sunrise for a month. Montana imposed similar hoot owl restrictions  so called because owls can be active early in the morning  on fabled trout rivers including the Madison flowing out of Yellowstone.

Low, warm water prompted Colorado for a time to impose voluntary fishing restrictions on the Colorado River's upper reaches  even as spasms of flash floods and mudslides choked the river and closed Interstate 70.

In rivers like the upper North Platte, which flows north out of Colorado, low water runs not only warm but slow and clear, cultivating algae. Mats of algae can collect insects while offering trout shade and cover from predators, but they're also a symptom of warm and stressful conditions, said Jeff Streeter, who guided on the upper North Platte before becoming a local representative for the fishing-oriented conservation group Trout Unlimited.

"Where that threshold is, Im not sure. I worry about it a little bit, he said.

Phil McGrath, owner of Hack's Tackle and Outfitters, stands in a doorway at his store alongside the North Platte River in Saratoga, Wyoming, on Tuesday,Aug. 24, 2021. The upper North Platte is one of several renowned trout streams affected by climate change, which has brought both abnormally dry, and sometimes unusually wet, conditions to the western U.S. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver)

Like Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming didn't order anglers to stop fishing. Such an order was unlikely to have much benefit, Idaho officials decided.

Wyoming's rivers would be difficult to monitor for enforcing closures because temperatures fluctuate widely throughout the day and from riffle to hole, said David Zafft, fish management coordinator for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

Drought and heat  beneath skies smudged by wildfire smoke  also have varying effects from one big Western river to the next. Many are dammed, including the North Platte as it begins a 100-mile-wide (160-kilometer-wide), 180-degree loop through a series of reservoirs that serve farmers and ranchers in Wyoming and Nebraska.

The largely predictable, cold flows out of Seminoe Reservoir make the North Platte's Miracle Mile section just upstream of Pathfinder Reservoir a trout fishing paradise.

Upstream of Seminoe, however, the river is more subject to the vagaries of nature. For trout fishing, mountain snows are at least as important as rain patterns in warmer months but expectations based on decades of snowpack records have come under doubt.

"Things have changed too much and too rapidly, said Zafft. We are in the midst of figuring out how this climate is going to impact our snow, our runoff and temperatures. I dont think we can really answer those questions yet.

Records going back to 1904 back up Wiersemas suspicions about extremes on the upper North Platte.

In 2011, high flows smashed all previous monthly averages for June and July. The 2019 flood was the worst by a more than 20% margin over the 1923 runner-up.

Yet since 2000, the river has had eight of its lowest-flowing Augusts on record. They included the sixth-lowest in 2012, 12th lowest in 2018, and third-lowest in 2020.

August 2021 verges on the 10 lowest on average. Mountain snow last winter and spring was about normal, but the ground was so dry from last year that much of this year's melt soaked in without contributing to the flow.

The pattern is becoming more common in the West, said David Gochis, a hydrometeorologist with the Boulder, Colorado-based National Center for Atmospheric Research.

"A greater fraction of the snowpack, even if it's an average snowpack year, is just going into replenishing the water in the landscape  in the shallow aquifer, in the soils  versus that water fully filling up the soils and then filling up the streams," Gochis said.

Yet no heavy rain might not be all bad for the river's trout, given a massive 2020 wildfire that charred a vast area just east of the upper North Platte, in Medicine Bow National Forest.

In July, a mudslide in a burn area just 50 miles (80 kilometers) away in Colorado killed three people and clogged the Cache la Poudre River with silt. That hasn't happened on the North Platte, but the West's ever-hotter wildfire seasons are a threat to trout populations, said Helen Neville, senior scientist with Trout Unlimited.

Fire is of course a natural process and something to which Western trout and salmon are well-adapted to, but the scale and intensity of recent fires may be pushing beyond their natural resilience in some cases, Neville said by email.

Climate change is especially worrisome for cutthroat trout, which unlike brown, rainbow and brook trout are native to the Rockies, according to Neville.

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What's in store for the North Platte will depend on future rain, snow and melt patterns, not to mention ever-growing human demand for water. McGrath, the fly-fishing guide and tackle store owner, didn't doubt climate change is at work and that it's human caused. But he didn't seem to be losing sleep over it.

If the world continues to get warmer, is trout fishing going to get worse? Yeah, of course. Trout is a cold-water animal, right?" said McGrath. "But is this going to happen tomorrow? No."

___

Follow Mead Gruver at https://twitter.com/meadgruver

___

Follow APs complete drought coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/droughts.
OTTAWA - Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole maintained his commitment Sunday to keep a Liberal ban on so-called "assault-style" weapons in place, as he attempted to distance himself from the firearms lobby.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole speaks to the media in Ottawa, Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. Canadians will vote in a federal election Sept. 20th. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

OTTAWA - Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole maintained his commitment Sunday to keep a Liberal ban on so-called "assault-style" weapons in place, as he attempted to distance himself from the firearms lobby.

O'Toole broke with the party's platform a day earlier, explicitly saying he would maintain a May 2020 Liberal cabinet order that banned 1,500 makes of semi-automatic firearms.

The online version of the Conservative platform had changed as of Monday evening. While the promise to repeal the order-in-council remains in the document, a footnote has been added promising that "all firearms that are currently banned will remain banned."

"For the sake of openness and transparency, we have kept the original language in the platform and added a footnote to clarify the position as Mr. O'Toole stated," Chelsea Tucker, a campaign spokeswoman, said Monday night.

Earlier in the day, Conservative candidate Rob Morrison, who is running in British Columbia's Kootenay-Columbia riding maintained that the promise to repeal the Liberal ban had not changed.

Asked about that post, O'Toole responded, "I'm the leader" before repeating that he would keep the restrictions in place while his party conducts a review of Canada's gun classifications system.

"What I committed to is keeping everything in place now, the status quo, so that people know we can focus seriously on public safety and security, actually go after the illegally smuggled firearms, which are the cause of many of the shootings we see in the cities, and have a completely independent public process to fix the classification system," he said.

Questions about the Conservative party's gun policy have dogged O'Toole since he said he would maintain a ban on "assault weapons" during a French-language debate Thursday.

O'Toole repeated that statement in the following days while remaining evasive about whether he was talking about the May 2020 cabinet order or 1977 bill that banned fully automatic weapons, saying on Saturday that voters could look in the party platform to "fill in the blanks."

Those questions have also provided ammunition for the Liberal Party and gun control advocates who allege O'Toole has close ties to the gun lobby.

O'Toole's campaign manager, Fred DeLorey, is a former lobbyist for the National Firearms Association and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has accused O'Toole of having a "secret deal" with the pro-gun groups.

But O'Toole said Monday that the National Firearms Association is doing "nothing" for the Conservative party: "There is zero quid pro quo."

O'Toole said he is trying to show Canadians he can "put public safety first by maintaining restrictions in place, and taking the politics out of classification."

"I don't like to see law-abiding people like farmers and hunters demonised by the Liberal government," he added.

In a March 2020 survey of Conservative Party leadership candidates conducted by the NFA, O'Toole said he supported withdrawing several gun laws, including the one introduced in 1977, and said he would conduct a line-by-line review of the Firearms Act.

At a campaign event in Welland, Ont., Trudeau accused O'Toole of "pretending" to have reversed his position.

"Instead of coming clean with Canadians, Erin O'Toole is using coded language, weasel words to try to make his position on military-style assault weapons sound reasonable. It's not. You can't promise one day in your platform to repeal our assault weapon ban and then the next day, pretend that you're going to lead consultations in partnership with the gun lobby," Trudeau said. "That's not leadership, that's bowing to the fringe politics that want to take back Canada."

"Assault" or "assault-style" firearms are colloquial descriptions, and what falls into either category is debated among gun users.

Groups that advocate for stricter gun control say they're not impressed with O'Toole's policy change.

In a joint statement, Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns, the Canadian Anti-Hate Network and Danforth Families for Safe Communities, said O'Toole's Sunday statement left them "further alarmed."

"Mr. OToole has not committed to maintaining the assault weapons ban, nor has he committed to enshrining the ban in legislation and preparing to buyback the now-prohibited guns," the groups said.

They said they're also worried about a promise in the Conservative platform to consult with gun owners and manufacturers in the proposed review.

"There is no such mention of survivors, physicians, women, anti-hate researchers, scientists, or academics," the groups said.

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When asked about the issue, O'Toole said in French that all interested groups would be consulted.

The pro-gun-control groups said they're also worried about O'Toole's promise to repeal Bill C-71, which increased background checks for gun owners, created certain record keeping requirements for gun sellers and tightened gun transportation rules.

While O'Toole has maintained that commitment, on Monday he said he supports some elements of that law, including the expanded background checks, but has concerns about the record-keeping requirement, which he described as a "backdoor registry."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2021.



This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
HAMILTON - NDP leader Jagmeet Singh took aim at his Liberal rival on Monday, pledging to implement supports for workers that he said Justin Trudeau previously promised but failed to deliver during his terms as prime minister.

New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh gets his picture taken as he is presented with a t-shirt in support of Indigenous children and residential school survivors during an election campaign stop in Hamilton, Ont., Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. The three main party leaders are promising better working conditions and more benefits for Canadian workers along with additional support for businesses during election campaign events on Labour Day. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

HAMILTON - NDP leader Jagmeet Singh took aim at his Liberal rival on Monday, pledging to implement supports for workers that he said Justin Trudeau previously promised but failed to deliver during his terms as prime minister.

Speaking at a Labour Day campaign stop in the traditional NDP stronghold of Hamilton-Centre, Singh highlighted the party's commitment to $10 universal child care, as well as a $20 minimum wage and 10 days of paid sick leave for federally regulated workers.

Flanked by orange-clad supporters, including members of the United Steelworkers union, he said the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed shortcomings in the worker support system and the need for change.

He said that while Trudeau has made paid sick leave a campaign promise, he didn't pass the measure through Parliament after Singh repeatedly pressured him to do so.

"Despite demanding this so many times, Mr. Trudeau said no, only to say in this campaign that he's promising to get it done," Singh said. "That is the height of cynical politics to deny something 22 times, when it was needed most, and then to promise it in the middle of a campaign."

Singh said the Liberals have also long pledged more affordable child care but have failed to follow through.

The Liberals, Conservatives and New Democratic Party are all pitching competing child-care visions in this election campaign, with an eye to bringing down costs for families.

Trudeau's government introduced a national daycare program in its April budget to cut fees down to an average of $10 a day within five years. The Liberals have also inked child-care deals with eight provinces and two territories before the election campaign got underway.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole, meanwhile has promised to create a new refundable tax credit that could pay eligible families up to $6,000.

Singh reserved his attacks on the issue for Trudeau, accusing him and his predecessors of inaction on the file.

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"Liberals have been promising child care for 30 years. Three decades. Kids that need child care have grown up and have kids of their own, and there's still no child care," he said.

While the NDP's child care plan would cover all Canadians, the party's proposed higher wage and paid sick leave wouldn't cover workers who fall under provincial jurisdiction.

But Singh said he would encourage the provinces to follow suit. He said non-federally regulated workers, such as those employed in the service sector or in warehouses, are among the most critical and often the most poorly paid.

"One of the ways that we can deal with this is show leadership at the federal level," Singh said. "And we would encourage provinces, of course it's not in our jurisdiction, but that doesn't mean we can't show leadership, that doesn't mean we can't encourage moving forward with better wages."

Worker supports were a key focus for the other campaigns as well on Monday. The federal Liberals are promising legal protection for businesses asking for proof of COVID-19 vaccination from staff and customers, while O'Toole repeated a promise to double the Canada Workers Benefit to $2,800 for individuals, or $5,000 for families if elected on Sept. 20.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2021.
With the last U.S. forces having left Afghanistan, President Joe Bidens decision to press ahead with the American withdrawal has prompted the first major foreign-policy crisis of his presidency. The harrowing pictures after the bombing attack at Kabul airport were the result of a desire on behalf of Biden to draw a line under a war he never truly believed in and shift the direction of American foreign policy away from under the long shadow of the war on terror as it nears its 20th anniversary.

Opinion

With the last U.S. forces having left Afghanistan, President Joe Bidens decision to press ahead with the American withdrawal has prompted the first major foreign-policy crisis of his presidency. The harrowing pictures after the bombing attack at Kabul airport were the result of a desire on behalf of Biden to draw a line under a war he never truly believed in and shift the direction of American foreign policy away from under the long shadow of the "war on terror" as it nears its 20th anniversary.

In short, Biden is trying to ensure that an ongoing response to the events of 9/11 is not the major cause of U.S. action abroad.

The U.S. president has been rightly criticized for presiding over an ill-thought-through pullout that took international allies and the Afghan people themselves by surprise. But the logic behind his decision rests on his longstanding belief that the war in Afghanistan was never winnable. As the foreign policy analyst Edward Luce put it, "There is no elegant way to quit a war you have lost."

The U.S. has poured US$1 trillion into training the Afghan National Army over nearly two decades. Successive administrations have been frustrated by the levels of incompetence and corruption at the heart of Afghan politics. Mindful of this  and aware of the overwhelming historical record that demonstrates Afghanistans imperviousness towards the imposition of external military rule  Biden decided enough was enough.

Of course, Bidens predecessor, Donald Trump, originally signed a deal with the Taliban that had agreed to the withdrawal of U.S. forces in February 2020. Yet in order to understand why Biden went ahead with this deal, we must understand two things: first, his track record opposing many key elements of the war in Afghanistan; and second, the wider foreign policy overhaul he is trying to engender.

Bidens track record on Afghanistan

When asked in 2014 where he felt his vice presidents greatest impact had been, president Barack Obama replied, "On the foreign policy front, I think Joes biggest influence was in the Afghanistan debate." Just a week before their inauguration in January 2008, president-elect Obama sent Biden on a fact-finding mission to Afghanistan to assess the state of the war the new administration was going to inherit.

Biden immediately became the "in-house pessimist" on Afghanistan and sought ways to minimize American involvement. After receiving commanding officer General Stanley McChrystals request for additional troops in Afghanistan in August 2009, Obama spent the next two months chairing 10 formal meetings in which key members of the administration, including Biden, discussed a review of the Afghan war strategy.

In these meetings, Biden received the active encouragement of Obama to argue the case for an overt counter-terrorism approach to Afghanistan. This emphasized the targeted killing of Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders. It contrasted with the counter-insurgency option preferred by Obamas defence secretary, Robert Gates, and secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, which emphasized nation-building as a prelude to a reduction in violence. Biden and Gates clashed repeatedly over Afghanistan, especially over the need to inject a "surge" of troops into the country, which Biden opposed.

Yet this was an argument Biden lost. Obama set the course for a "surge" in Afghanistan of 30,000 additional troops in 2009. Yet this did not stop Biden from continuing to question the progress being made. The following year Biden publicly stated that the U.S. would be "totally out" of Afghanistan by 2014. This prompted Gates to accuse Biden of disloyalty by actively working to show that the president "had been wrong  and that the war on the ground was going from bad to worse."

All of this reveals a mindset that, according to one of his former policy advisers, Biden has "consistently since at least 2008 believed that the U.S. was throwing good money after bad in Afghanistan." This withdrawal may be shocking, but it is not a surprise if we look at Bidens consistent skepticism toward what was achievable.

Implications for US foreign policy

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By withdrawing from Afghanistan so determinedly, Biden has firmly pressed the "reset" button on American foreign policy. He is keen to show that the "war on terror" era, as established by George W. Bush in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, is over. Biden has no patience for open-ended nation-building exercises undertaken by US soldiers prosecuting counter-insurgency operations. His mission is to recalibrate US foreign policy priorities for the century ahead and break free of a response to a terrorist attack from 20 years ago.

Of course, terrorists will still threaten US national interests, including the Islamic State affiliate inside Afghanistan, ISIS-K, whose hitherto fractious relationship with the Taliban may develop into something more mutually beneficial. On the other hand  as the Kabul airport attack demonstrates  they could prove to be an unruly actor, independent of Taliban control. The capacity for ISIS-K to capitalise on the situation is big. Future Taliban-ISIS-K relations will be of huge significance for the future of Afghanistan.

But the focus on violent non-state actors has now been displaced in the broader realm of international relations by the return of great power politics. Responding to the military and political fallout from the rise of China is now the only game in Bidens town. Indeed, the US vice president, Kamala Harris, has been undertaking a tour of Asia while the Kabul crisis unfolded, during which she ramped up the rhetoric on China. The direction of travel for American foreign policy for the next few years is already clear to see.

Bidens old sparring partner on Afghanistan, Bob Gates, famously took a swipe at the 46th US president in his memoirs for being "wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades". The jury is still out on whether Biden will be on the right side of history for ending Americas "forever war" in Afghanistan  but at least he cant be accused of inconsistency on the issue.

Andrew Mumford is a professor of war studies at the University of Nottingham.

This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca.
MY husband and I grew up in families that hunted wild game, mainly moose, for our primary meat source. So, it is no surprise that our children grew up hunting and eating wild game. Now our six-year-old grandson is learning the importance of our interconnectedness to our four-legged relative, the moose, and to the land.

Opinion

MY husband and I grew up in families that hunted wild game, mainly moose, for our primary meat source. So, it is no surprise that our children grew up hunting and eating wild game. Now our six-year-old grandson is learning the importance of our interconnectedness to our four-legged relative, the moose, and to the land.

This fall, my husband was out hunting by himself. I worried from the moment he left until the time he returned. Why? I thought about Jacob Sansom and his uncle Maurice Cardinal, Metis-Cree hunters who were found shot to death beside their vehicle while out hunting in March near Glendon, Alta. Two men from the area have each been charged with two counts of second-degree murder. Sansom and Cardinal, like my husband, were exercising their constitutionally recognized right to hunt for food.

So when my husband, Eugene, left that afternoon, I worried. When he returned, he told me that while he was hunting, a farmer approached and asked him what he was doing there, that his cows were grazing on that land. My husband replied that it was Crown land, his ancestors traditional territory, where they have hunted for generations. "I am not here hunting your cows. I am here hunting moose, and I have a treaty right to hunt."

I should not fear for my husbands safety when he hunts for food. I dont want to worry about the racism my grandson will endure if we fail to pave a better path.

I get frustrated sometimes that too many Canadians still dont understand First Nations treaty rights. At contact, our ancestors welcomed our white relatives and agreed to share the land  with conditions. Those conditions, negotiated with the Crown, include the constitutionally recognized right to access the land for food, as well as many other entitlements such as a right to education and health care. These rights have been reaffirmed many times by the courts. In other words, we all  Indigenous and non-Indigenous  have a responsibility for treaty relationships.

In the Indigenous worldview, we do not own the land. We are stewards of the land, our Mother Earth. How can we own our Mother? Rather, we respect and protect our Mother. That same respect is offered to our four-legged relative, the moose. If we kill a moose for food, we offer tobacco to its spirit because we believe it gave up its life so we have life, in the cycle of life. My husband and I are teaching our grandson about this spiritual connection and responsibility so he will have the same respect for the land, the animals, the fish, the insects and the waters, just as our ancestors taught us to respect the land and our other relatives.

This brings me to another story. (Having learned from elders, I know story is a powerful means of sharing life experiences and lessons.) A few years ago, I facilitated a talking circle about truth and reconciliation with a group of retired University of Alberta professors. I spoke about the importance of the land and our collective relationship to the land. As we moved into a round of conversation, one man said, "I need to go back and talk to my grandson. I told him we left the land to move to urban centres. But I was wrong."

The discussion had helped him see we are all "of the land" and need to rekindle that individual connection toward our collective relationship to the land.

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That Indigenous worldview  our interconnectedness to each other as human beings and our collective connectedness to the land  is often misunderstood or not recognized. This contributes to ongoing racism, marginalization and oppression.

This fall, Treaty 8 Grand Chief Arthur Noskey, whose treaty area includes parts of Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan and N.W.T., told the Toronto Star that a lot of resentment toward First Nations could be eased if Canadians understood history beyond a European perspective, including what the treaties mean. He was speaking in light of the fisheries dispute in Nova Scotia and leaked recommendations suggesting lessons about residential schools be removed from Albertas kindergarten-to-Grade 4 curriculum.

It is important that non-Indigenous Canadians learn about Indigenous peoples history and rights and counter continued attempts to erase them. I encourage you  your organizations, your church groups, your chambers of commerce  to become educated. Read books, take online courses, watch TED talks, build personal and professional relationships with Indigenous communities and organizations. Ask yourselves how you can implement the 94 calls to action outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

We all have a responsibility to educate ourselves for this relationship to be balanced, to the benefit of all of us.

Patricia Makokis is an educator and consultant; she considers herself a servant leader, working for the people. She is co-producer of two educational documentaries: Treaty Talk: Sharing the River of Life and Treaty Walk: A Journey for Common Ground. She lives on the Saddle Lake Cree Nation.

 Troy Media
If you have heard about or seen your Muslim neighbors fasting, then what they are observing is Ramadan. Muslims believe that the Quran was first revealed to Prophet Muhammad during the month of Ramadan.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and lasts either 29 or 30 days. During Ramadan, Muslims observe a fast from sunrise to sunset each day, so they wake up early to share food before the sun appears and end it in later in the evening.

In the 12-month Gregorian calendar used in much of the world, the timing of Ramadan can vary from year to year. The dates depend on when the new crescent moon is visible.

The fasting, as scholar Mohammad Hassan Khalil explains, is a way for Muslims to be conscious of God. It is also meant to help them understand what it is like to be poor.

The fasting ends with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr. Muslim communities often organize large feasts for breaking the fast that are known as Iftaar (literally, breakfast) at which people from all religions are welcomed. Ive often attended Iftaar feasts in India.
Finding solutions to complex challenges. For Good.

This article has been published in the print and online edition of the Daily Maverick.

We inhabit a global context characterised more sharply than ever before by unpredictability, the proliferation of risk, the emergence of complex problems, and the unreliability of social institutions to regulate our world sufficiently. We can predict the future challenges of the 21st Century, and we know that they will be immense.

Its been more than a year since the Covid-19 pandemic irrevocably changed the way we live, work, engage, and teach. Amidst this new reality, structural, political and socioeconomic challenges persist in South Africa  loadshedding remains a way of life, infrastructural deterioration threatens development, we are plagued by crime and violence, inequality and poverty malign the most vulnerable in society, climate change is wreaking havoc in many countries, and Covid-19 threatens the public health sector and peoples employment, prospects, and wellbeing.

Yet the current zeitgeist also presents opportunities, and the time is now ripe to galvanise our collective strengths towards addressing complex challenges, and to find long-lasting solutions that will benefit generations to come.

Research-intensive universities play a key role in generating, sharing and disseminating the knowledge required to drive global change, competitiveness and economic growth. But our universities must also serve as the catalyst for promoting the capacity for innovation in society. This needs to be reflected in the conceptual agility of our graduates, the acuity of insights arising from our research, and very importantly, in the novel ways in which the resources of the University are brought to bear on the compelling challenges of the era.

It is at our universities, for example, that we should interrogate the infrastructural frustrations around energy, water, roads, hospitals, schools and buildings and  importantly  present research-based solutions of how to overcome these issues. Intermittent electricity and water supply, potholes in the roads, lengthy waits at hospitals, sewage in rivers, weeds along railway tracks, access to universal healthcare  based on research, what are the practical steps that should be taken immediately to change policy, and to kick-start action?

Vulnerable South Africans are adversely affected by and through the economic reality in which they find themselves, often a sobering indictment of the complicated interplay of politics, economics and people in power. Yet, the ructions caused by the pandemic provide us with an opportunity to hit the reset button, to reconsider our core values and spending priorities, and to address South Africas social ills whilst conferring dignity. We need solutions backed by research to drive life-affirming and empowering policies.

I am encouraged every day by the world-class research and innovation emanating from South Africa  whether it is the photographing of black holes in outer space, the identification of COVID-19 variants, the devising of biomedical engineering devices to enable people to live a better quality of life, reimagining the way vaccines and lifesaving drugs can be delivered in future, or thinking deeply about how our brains can solve problems.

As a major player in higher education in Africa (and, increasingly, globally), South Africa would be remiss not to continue interrogating the role and relevance of research-intensive universities in the country and on the continent. How can higher education, teaching and learning, research and innovation, remain relevant and advance the public good? We are at a point where we need to consider the kind of society that we want to create, based on research and the new knowledge architectures developed in the Global South.

For almost 100 years, Wits has played a vital role in shaping our city and nation by addressing current challenges and innovating for our future. We must leverage this past and our location to develop Wits as one of the leading research, innovation and solutions hubs in Africa. We need to nurture the next generation of scholars and develop a talent pipeline par excellence. We must channel our knowledge and scholarship into innovative technologies, to find solutions, and use it to influence policy. Above all, we must ensure that it advances the public good.

Universities often flourish in flux and it is now time for research-intensive universities like Wits to catapult into a new realm, to step up and to collaborate with strategic partners across the public and private sectors, the academy and civil society, to develop solutions based on excellent research from the Global South, for the good of humanity.

Professor Zeblon Vilakazi is the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Witwatersrand. Read more at www.wits.ac.za/curiosity/. This article was first published in Daily Maverick/Business Maverick.
Tensions between China and Australia have taken a $4 billion toll on the important trading partnership, but Canberra says its economy has proven "remarkably resilient" as other countries moved to fill in the gaps.

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Monday claimed the Chinese government has failed to seriously impact the country's economy through a series of punitive measures on exports. The trade dispute has escalated since April 2020, when Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an international inquiry into the origins of Covid-19.

"I am not downplaying the impact of China's actions. They have hurt specific industries and regions, significantly in some cases. Nevertheless, the overall impact on our economy has, to date, been relatively modest," Frydenberg said at the Australian National University. "This is perhaps surprising to many."

While trade between China and Australia fell by about 5.4 billion Australian dollars ($4 billion) in the first half of 2021, compared to the previous year, Frydenberg said that loss had been mostly made up by a 4.4 billion Australian dollar ($3.27 billion) increase with the rest of the world.

Frydenberg also accused Beijing of trying to exert "political pressure" through its actions  some of Canberra's strongest comments yet on the year-long dispute. He said Australia was "on the front line" of a new era of strategic competition between the United States and China, adding it was "no secret" that Beijing had tried to damage Australia's economy over political grievances.

In the wake of Morrison's comments on Covid-19  a politically sensitive subject for Beijing  a wide range of Australia exports to China including barley, beef and coal began to encounter obstacles. Some items were subject to anti-subsidy investigations and lengthy customs delays. In March, the Chinese government announced tariffs of up to 218% on Australian wine, intensifying a dispute over the industry.

CNN Business has reached out to the Chinese government for a response to Frydenberg's speech. In November 2020, the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused Australia of making "a series of wrong moves" in its relationship with China, delivering a list of 14 grievances to the Australian media which included "incessant wanton interference" in China's approach to Hong Kong and Taiwan.

China is Australia's largest trading partner by far in terms of exports and total value of trade. The trade between the two countries was valued at more than 250 billion Australian dollars ($185 billion) in the 2019/20 financial year, more than three times as much as the second largest trading partner, Japan.

But Frydenberg on Monday said that other buyers have stepped in to fill the gap left by China in some important industries. In one example, the Australian treasurer said that while exports of coal to China had fallen by 33 million tons in the past year, exports to other international buyers had risen by about 30.8 million tons.

"Australian coal, that otherwise would have gone to China, has found buyers in other markets including India, South Korea and Taiwan," he said, adding that Australian barley had found a new market in places such as Saudi Arabia. The Chinese government placed tariffs of up to 80% on Australian barley in May 2020.

Frydenberg said that Australia also had lucrative relationships with the United States, Japan and South Korea. He said China was ranked sixth for foreign direct investment into Australia.

The treasurer said while he still hoped for a "constructive relationship" with China where both countries benefited, he warned Australian businesses that they needed to be aware that "the world has changed."

"This creates greater uncertainty and risk. In this respect, they should always be looking to diversify their markets, and not overly rely on any one country. Essentially adopting a 'China plus' strategy," he said.

The-CNN-Wire

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Students do exercises in the playground at the Primary School Affiliated to the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, on June 1, 2020. [For China Daily/Zhu Xingxin]

Top Chinese authorities suggested on Friday the integration of students' health education and all-round developments of moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetics and labor education.

According to the joint circular issued on the Ministry of Education's website, China must make maintaining the health of its youth the number one priority, as well as be responsible to every single student primarily through prevention, intervention, and problem-oriented principles.

The circular calls for the establishment of a comprehensive education, service, and management process that is both from the people and for the people.

In order to construct a powerful nation in education and meet the criteria of a healthy China, all schools should achieve basic modernization in areas such as public sanitation, physical education devices, and health awareness by 2035, it said.

The health knowledge, methods, views, awareness, and self-regulation capabilities of students should be one of the primary focus, said the circular, adding that starting from elementary schools, China aims to foster green, healthy, and civilized school culture on a national scale.

Schools and experts must assume primary responsibility to implement mandatory and elective health courses in both lower and higher education. At least 4 credits of physical and healthy education courses per semester should be given to all elementary and middle school students, it said.

In addition, at least 20 minutes of physical exercises should be given to elementary and middle school students before the first class, the circular said, demanding one hour of PE activities should be ensured for students both during and off school times every work day.

The circular also suggested measures to improve students' mental health and pressure coping skills and enhance the education and training of students in recognizing the value of life, establishing self-esteem, and maintain positivity.

The series of promotions are implemented primarily due to parental and schools' concern of minors' health in China. In 2019, the Ministry of Education stated that the national rate of passing standard physical examination with a positive result among students age 6 to 22 was only 23.8 percent.

While the rate was higher than previous, the rate for students in higher education did not change at all. Problems such as nearsightedness and obesity are still serious concerns among many students and calls for better government interventions and policies.

(Source: chinadaily.com.cn)
BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua)  Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 32nd Congress of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS), which opened in Shanghai on Monday.

In his letter, Xi noted that aeronautical science and technology is one of the fields that has developed most rapidly since the 20th century and had the greatest impact on human life and production.

"The world today is undergoing a profound scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, and aeronautical science and technology is facing unprecedented development opportunities," he said, adding that it is necessary and promising to carry out global cooperation in aeronautical science and technology.

Xi expressed hope that this congress will play an active role in promoting global aeronautical science and technology cooperation and bring more benefits to people around the world.

The 32nd Congress of the ICAS is hosted by the ICAS and organized by the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

(Source: Xinhua)
The Okavango River is the 4th longest river system in Southern Africa and the 9th longest in Africa. It flows for about 1,600 kilometers from its source in the highlands of Angola to the Okavango Delta in Botswana. This transboundary river is known as Rio Cubango in Angola and derives its name from the Kavango people of Namibia. Scottish explorer and missionary David Livingston was the first European to discover the Okavango River and reached the delta in 1849. The river drains three countries, Angola, Namibia, and Botswana, and is one of the few rivers whose waters do not enter an ocean or sea. The swampy inland delta is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Africas Seven Natural Wonders.

Elephants in the Okavango River.

Major Features

The Okavango River is Africas 9th longest river system, flowing southeastwards for about 1,600 kilometers between central Angola and northern Botswana. This river does not flow into a sea. Instead, it forms a swampy delta at its mouth in the Kalahari Desert known as the Okavango Delta. Okavango flows parallel to the Cuito River (its largest tributary) and the two rivers confluence at Dirico on the Angola-Namibia border. It discharges an average of 475 cubic meters of water per second and drains an area of approximately 530,000 square kilometers in Angola, Namibia, and Botswana.

River Course

Okavango River forming the Popa Falls in Namibia.

The Okavango River rises at an elevation of 1,300 meters above sea level in the Bie Plateau in central Angola, where it flows as Cubango River. Then it flows southwards to Mumba, where Cutato River joins on the left bank. From the Mumba gauging station, the river begins to flow southeastwards and is joined by two tributaries, Cuchi and Cuetei, just above Caiundu gauging station. It continuous southeastwards towards Namibia and receives Cuatir River from the left. The Cubango River then forms part of the Angola-Namibia border and is joined by the Kwito River, its largest tributary, at Dirico to form the larger Okavango River. The river enters Namibia briefly and crosses the Caprivi Stripe into Botswana. Okavango begins to widen up as soon as it crosses into Botswana. About 117 kilometers into the country, it spreads out to form the swampy Okavango Delta. The river transports over 25 million kilograms of suspended sediments into the delta annually.

Okavango Delta

Visitors riding a traditional mokoro boat to view wildlife on the Okavango River in the Okavango Delta.

The Okavango Delta is a swampy delta in the Kalahari Desert in northern Botswana. The delta forms when the Okavango River reaches an endorheic basin, located at an altitude of 930-1,000 meters, and its size fluctuates between 6,000 and 15,000 square kilometers. The Okavango River pours about 11 cubic kilometers of water into the delta annually, with all the water lost through transpiration and evaporation. Between June and August, the delta swells about three times its normal size. The flooded delta attracts numerous animals, creating one of Africas greatest wildlife concentrations.

Aerial view of the Okvango Delta ecosystem.

Water Conflict

Okavango is an important river for the two riparian countries (Botswana and Namibia). However, the rivers use is a source of possible conflict between the two countries. Namibia, which has already constructed a 300-km-long water canal, plans to divert part of the river flow to resolve its drought crisis. But, Botswana, which depends on the Okavango for water and tourism income, insists it will be costly for the country to lose any extra water from the delta since the river already loses 97% of its water to evaporation. In 1994, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola established a commission to advise on the best way to share the river and its resources.
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Ambulance service urges people to stay safe in the heat with temperatures set to soar to 27C in Wrexham

The warm weather will be making a brief return with temperatures set to reach 27C on Tuesday.

Current forecasts for Wrexham show that tomorrow and Wednesday will be the warmest days of the week  around 10C higher than the September average.

Tomorrow will see highs of around 27C by late afternoon whilst Wednesday will reach 26C.

These temperatures will drop on Thursday with a return to around 21C and some rain on the forecast.

Ahead of the two days of warmer than average weather for the time of the year, the Welsh Ambulance Service is urging the public to is take precautions to protect themselves from the heat.

The Trust is already experiencing significant demand for the time of year, with 4,316 calls to 999 over the weekend  roughly one call every 40 seconds.

Warm weather generates an increase in calls to people with breathing difficulties, so the Trust is asking the public to take extra precautions to prevent falling ill.

Lee Brooks, the Trusts Director of Operations, said: Extremely high levels of demand continue today, so we need the publics help to ensure that the pressures we face are not exacerbated by the weather.

Hot weather means your body has to work harder to keep its core temperature to normal levels, and this puts extra strain on your heart, lungs and kidneys.

This means that you can be at greater risk if you have a pre-existing heart or respiratory condition, like asthma or angina.

Its really important to keep cool and stay hydrated, and if youre out and about, please look after yourself and those with you.

If you do fall victim to the sun, take one of our NHS 111 Wales symptom checkers for bites and stings, breathing difficulties, hay fever and sunburn  itll help you determine the best course of action.

Protecting yourself in the heat

 Drink lots of water  its important to keep hydrated as you lose more fluid than you take in during hotter temperatures

 Keep out of the sun  its best to stay in the shade between 11am-3pm when the sun is at its hottest

 Wear sun cream and sunglasses  apply a sun cream of at least factor 30 that includes UVA protection and make sure your sunglasses have UV protection lenses

 Loose clothing  wear light, loose fitting cotton clothes along with a hat

 Look out for others  keep a check on those vulnerable to the effects of heat, especially the elderly, young children and babies and those who have a heart or respiratory condition such as asthma

 Never leave babies, young children or animals in a parked vehicle  temperatures can soar very quickly in a parked car, and children under two are particularly at risk of getting heatstroke or heat exhaustion

The Trust has also seen an increase in the number Covid-19 related calls for the fourth consecutive week  from 237 calls the week commencing 09 August 2021 to 293 calls last week, the week commencing 30 August 2021.

Inevitably this has meant that more of its staff are off work too  122 (four per cent) road and control room colleagues as of today (Monday).

As Wales enters a new school year, the Trust is asking the public to continue to take precautions to stop the spread of the virus.

Lee said: With the re-opening of schools comes increased interactions, so its important that the public continue to play their part to halt a further spread.

The Covid-19 vaccine remains the best line of defence to protect yourself and others and also helps to reduce your risk of getting seriously ill or dying from Covid-19.
Firefighters from Wrexham called to small fire in the open in Caergwrle

Firefighters have been called to a fire in Caergwrle.

Thick black smoke was seen from the Llay area earlier today, with reports of a fire in the local area.

One crew from Wrexham attended the incident at Rhyddyn Hill, Caergwrle at 10:09am this morning.

A spokesperson for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said that firefighters attended a small fire in the open and dampened down the area around the fire.

The stop message for the incident was received at 10:53am.
Rossett Roman villa dig underway in history-changing project

Wrexham Council say a project and working partnership between Wrexham Museum and the University of Chester (UoC) has the potential to alter our understanding of Roman north-east Wales and north-west England.

Starting last week a 21 day dig is now underway that will see the recently discovered remains of a Roman villa situated on the outskirts of Wrexham excavated. This is the first Roman villa to ever be discovered in north-east Wales and it is hoped that it will give a glimpse and new insight into the areas Roman past.

The site was discovered through the cooperation of local metal detectorists who found Roman material at the site, this sparked a remote sensing survey which revealed clear evidence of a buried structure.

Fieldwalking at the site also yielded artefacts from the late 1st century to the early 4th century AD, suggesting that the villa was occupied for the majority of Roman rule in Britain.

The identification of a villa here would suggest that the pattern of Roman rural settlement is more typical of the rest of the Province than was previously thought.

Volunteers will work on excavating the site under the expert guidance of project leads Stephen Grenter of Wrexham Museum and Dr Caroline Pudney, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Chester.

A public open day will be held on the 18th September and site tours will be organised for pre-booked groups  note that the site is on private land and visits to the site will only be available via organised tours or pre booking onto the open day via the Eventbrite ticketing website.

Councillor Hugh Jones, Lead Member for People at Wrexham Council and the local Member for the Rossett ward said: The history of Roman Chester just over the border is well known and well documented. There is still much to learn about life in our part of Wales during the same period. Hopefully this dig, as well as other recent finds in the area such as the Rossett Pig will shed new light on how we lived during that period.

Senior Lecturer in Archaeology and Programme Leader for BA Archaeology at the University of Chester, Dr Caroline Pudney said: Were thrilled to begin the excavation and answer questions this remarkable find has raised about the character and intensity of Roman settlement in the region.

With this being the first Roman villa of its kind structurally attested in north-east Wales, it is a really exciting excavation to be overseeing.

In fact, very few Roman villas have been identified in north-west England, north Wales and the Marches, particularly when compared with the central belt of England and south Wales. However, this project points to more substantial activity and dwellings existing in this area than previously understood.

We look forward to challenging and adding to our knowledge of the area during the Roman period, alongside our colleagues from Wrexham Museum, and giving our students, local schools and the wider community opportunities to be part of this history-changing project.

Further details on how to book tours will emerge shortly.

The project has received funding from the Roman Research Trust and through the Welsh Government Rural Communities  Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.
On Sunday, August 22, the World Socialist Web Site hosted an online event featuring leading scientists from around the world. It discussed the realistic and achievable measures that must be taken to eradicate the coronavirus, stop the wave of death and end the pandemic. Its aim was to provide the public with the information and knowledge it needs to initiate a broad-based and determined world-wide popular movement to end the pandemic and reclaim the future.

For a global strategy to stop the pandemic and save lives!

This event featured distinguished scientists who have been in the forefront of the global fight for eradication: Professor Yaneer Bar-Yam, Professor Michael Baker and Dr. Malgorzata Gasperowicz. It was moderated by World Socialist Web Site Editor David North.

More information about the event is available here.
The vote last weekend by around 800 members of the Scottish Green Party to approve an agreement with the Scottish National Party (SNP) government opens, for the first time, the corridors of state power to the environmentalist party in Scotland.

The deal follows the SNPs landslide election victory earlier this year which left the party one short of an overall majority. Aided by the Greens eight seats (seven with the parliaments presiding officer position now taken by a Green member of the Scottish parliament), the SNP under First Minister Nicola Sturgeon can muster a safe working majority.

By accepting a cooperation agreement and shared policy document, Working Together to Build a Fairer, Greener, Independent Scotland, the Greens are entering into an effective coalition with the SNP, in power since 2007.

By accepting a cooperation agreement and shared policy document, Working Together to Build a Fairer, Greener, Independent Scotland, the Greens have entered into an effective coalition with the Scottish National Party.

The terms of the agreement grant the SNP the Greens support for a second Scottish referendum, the Scottish budget and in any no confidence votes. In return, the Greens have secured a couple of junior ministerial positions, supervised by the SNP. Green co-leader Patrick Harvie is now Scotlands minister for zero carbon buildings, active travel and tenants rights while Lorna Slater holds responsibility for green skills, the circular economy and biodiversity. Neither are in the Scottish government cabinet. Both parties have agreed a no surprises rule, each agreeing to keep the other informed of their plans.

Scottish government tweet announcing Green co-leader Slater as a minister

By eschewing the term coalition, the Greens hope to put some distance between themselves and the SNPs most reactionary policies.

No one should be taken in by this. The Greens are helping the SNP advance its independence strategy for Scottish capitalism while providing a nominally left cover for its offensive against the working class. The agreement, which will see the Greens underwrite the SNPs right-wing agenda, confirms the partys character as a pro-capitalist, pro-imperialist representative of the upper middle class.

Key features of the policy document include:

A pledge to secure a referendum on Scottish independence after the Covid crisis during the current parliamentary session, due to end by 2025, along with moves to increase the powers available to the Scottish parliament in the meantime and open Scottish government offices in North and Central Europe. Both parties support Scottish independence. First Minister Sturgeon has repeatedly claimed the election result gives a mandate for a new independence poll, despite support for independence hovering consistently at only around the 50 percent mark.

Minimal measures towards climate targets based on reduced car use, rail electrification, increased rail freight and alternate fuels. These are contradicted by ongoing road building projects which will be subject to normal statutory assessment and business case processes.

Targets on alternative energy generation, more insulated homes, and the decarbonisation of our energy system. This amounts to more onshore wind turbines and a draft of a credible pathway to achieving the 2030 [climate] targets merely for consideration. The agreement hardly mentions oil beyond noting that the parties do not entirely agree on the role of the oil and gas sector hardly surprising given that the SNP's slogan for decades was Its Scotland's Oil and that the SNP has offered tacit support to corporations for further development of the potentially vastly lucrative Cambo oilfield off the Shetland isles.

The policy document calls for a national strategy for economic transformation, as yet unwritten, which will include a vision for reinvigorating Scottish manufacturing and heavy industry, supporting Scottish supply chains and creating high-quality jobs. In reality, this will be a recipe for the Greens bending over backwards to help the SNP ensure that Scottish-based capitalists are able expand their profits on the basis of a low wage, low tax economy.

In 2016, the Scottish government launched a Sustainable Development Commission to explore the prospects for the Scottish economy, post-independence. A 2018 report from the commission called for rapid increase in productivity, population growth and low welfare spending to overcome the funding gap that a newly independent Scotland, deprived of UK taxes, would confront. The report, to which many sections of business contributed, called for a national strategy based on attracting investment, high levels of exports and labour flexibility.

In local governments in the rest of the UK, the Greens have enforced attacks on the working class no less brutally than their Labour and Tory counterparts. In Brighton, home of the Green Partys sole elected MP Caroline Lucas and a Green minority council from 2011-2015, the party imposed an 11 percent increase in council tax, 37 million of spending cuts, and pay cuts of up to 4,000 for refuse workers. In Bristol, Green deputy mayor Gus Hoyt helped preside over 91 million of cuts and an explosion of homelessness in the city.

A few derisory provisions are outlined in the SNP-Green policy agreement to address inequality and poverty, including some form of rent controls, postponed till after the next election, and a miserly 20 a week Scottish Child Paymentagain only available by the end of the parliamentary session. Proposals for a National Care Service and a review of social care, after Covid-19 devastated the sector, do not touch private ownership of care homes and make empty calls for ethical commissioning and fair work. The primary purpose of these minimal measures is to bolster the case for independence, after which, because of the vast economic uncertainty of the project, all bets are off, and all promises worthless.

The agreement also sets out an annex of excluded matters on which the parties have agreed to politely disagree, and which can be added to as necessary. The exclusions list SNP policies which the Greens would prefer not to talk about but which, by sharing power, they are implementing or preparing.

These include:

The future of green ports, the SNPs twist on the Conservative governments policy of freeportsinvestment and export locations offering companies low or no taxes, fewer regulations and cheap labourwith minimal restrictions added in Scotland for the most egregious forms of exploitation.

The Scottish governments direct financial support to the aerospace, defence and security sectorsone of the unmentionables of Scottish political life. Arms and security companies operate major facilities for BAE and Babcock international, both of which build warships, and Leonardo, which builds missiles and radar systems. First Minister Sturgeons constituency includes the large Govan shipyard in Glasgow, currently building Type 26 frigates for the Royal Navy. The SNP has long supported production of large numbers of frigates to confront Russian warships.

Scotlands commitment to membership of NATO following independence. This is prefaced with the assurance that both parties believe that Scotland should be an independent, outward-looking country, playing a full part in an inclusive, rules-based international system, indicating that the Greens will continue to turn a blind eye to the SNPs ongoing and critical daily collaboration with British imperialisms military operations and its aspirations for military independence.

The role of Gross Domestic Product measurements, and economic principles related to concepts of sustainable growth and inclusive growtha nod to the Greens reactionary anti-growth politics, which holds the expansion of humanitys productive forces responsible for the social and environmental destruction caused by the capitalist system of production.

The Greens alliance with the SNP brings them fully into line with the reactionary role their counterparts have played internationally for decades. Wherever a Green Party finds itself in a position of power, it inevitably proves itself a committed party of capitalist government. This is especially the case in Ireland and Germany, where the Greens have imposed brutal austerity and became the foremost advocates of military interventionism.

In Ireland, the Green Party formed a coalition with Fianna Fail in 2007, which responded to the global financial crisis the following year by imposing successive punitive emergency budgets. These measures, designed to pay for state bailouts of the banks, led to wage and benefit cuts, tax hikes and large-scale redundancies for broad sections of working people.

In Germany in 1998, the Greens entered into a coalition with the Social Democrats to form a government at the federal level. Green Party Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer was in the forefront of the campaign for the first international combat mission by the German army since the Second World Waras part of the NATO bombardment of Serbia. In the ongoing federal elections, the Greens advance a militarist programme for German imperialism, investing in the military so that rifles shoot, in the words of the partys candidate for Chancellor, Annelena Baerbock.

The role of the Greens in government will be no less filthy in Scotland. The securing of a right-wing majority government in favour of independence makes more urgent the building of the Socialist Equality Party and its perspective for a joint struggle of the British and international working class against national divisions, militarism and austerity, and for socialism.
More than 200 faculty at Appalachian State University, in Boone, North Carolina have called on university administration to move all courses online until vaccination rates increase and test positivity rates decline on campus and across the surrounding area.

Watauga County, where ASU is located, is currently under a state of emergency and 216 cases have been reported among students and staff since the beginning of classes in mid-August. As of today, only 52 percent of the student population, and 89 percent of staff are reported to be vaccinated. According to public data available on the universitys COVID dashboard, case positivity rates have surged to the highest they have ever been during the pandemic since classes began last month. Though university testing is limited and only encompasses cases reported through university services, positivity rates have risen from 10.4 percent to 10.5 percent during the last week of August.

Although the pandemic is quickly approaching the same level of severity as last winter, the university administration has removed most, if not all safety measures it previously put in place to prevent community transmission. Although the mask mandate is still in place for classes and indoor settings, there is no social distancing in classrooms, where students are packed closely together. Previously, campus dining facilities were socially distanced and to go options were offered with minimal contact. Other safety measures, such as the covering up of personal water fountains to prevent indirect transmission of the virus, have all been removed.

Students wear masks on campus at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

The administration permitted famous country artist Luke Combs to perform on campus, Saturday, September 4, attracting 32,000 people to Boone, a gathering that is almost double the towns 17,000 residents. This super-spreader event, where most attendees did not wear masks while they are in town, threatens an even greater surge of the pandemic across Watauga County.

In response to these events, the faculty petition was sent to Chancellor Sheri Everts on August 26 via email, requesting that the university move all classes online until vaccination rates reach 70 percent, and community transmission declines to 5 percent. The petition garnered 214 signatures and called on university administration to: rise to meet this moment through courageous, compassionate, and moral decisions in the interest of the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff, and community.

However, Chancellor Everts is continuing to push forward with in-person classes. In the most recent COVID-19 Update, sent to all students and staff over email, Everts reiterated: At this time, there are no plans to move the universitys in-person classes online. The key to managing the severity of the impact is the COVID-19 vaccine, as vaccinated individuals are less likely to contract COVID-19, and for those who do, the vaccine reduces the severity of the illness, lowers the stress on our medical system and allows the university, our community and our state to remain open and fully functional.

Though the vaccine is a useful tool, it has been proven by recent events, as well as peer-reviewed scientific studies, that it alone, alongside masks, will not prevent the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. The variant is too transmissible and vaccine resistant for vaccinations alone to stop the virus. A recent theoretical model by Dr. Malgorzata Gasperowicz at the University of Calgary estimated that with 64 percent of the population fully vaccinated and assuming the vaccines have 60 percent efficacy against the Delta variant, the R (reproduction) number would likely remain at the highly elevated 3.7. Her model found that only through the combination of vaccinations and public health measures including lock-downs would the R number be reduced to 0.86.

Recent data from Duke University, just three hours from Boone, also shows that vaccines alone are not enough. Although Duke boasts the highest vaccination rate among major North Carolina universities and is requiring all students and staff to receive their shot by October 1, last week 349 students and 15 employees tested positive for the virus. All but eight were fully vaccinated. Students are also tested on a weekly basis and those who are unvaccinated are required to take a test twice a week. In contrast, current safety measures at Appalachian State as well as vaccination rates do not begin to measure up to those of Duke University.

Students, faculty, staff and the broader community must be warned: as long as classes remain in-person, regardless of the vaccination rate, the outbreak will continue to accelerate. The demand for a 70 percent vaccination rate among students, though admirable, must be raised to 100 percent and even then, classes must be moved online for the safety of all students and staff until the virus is brought fully under control. Continuing with in-person classes under present conditions presents a grave danger to the Boone and Appalachian State community.

Under present conditions it is not a question of if, but when students and staff fall ill and die. One student, 19 year old Chad Dorrill, has already died due to the administrations reckless actions. The continuation of in-person classes amid the rampant spread of the virus is a callous disregard to his memory.

In this struggle, Appalachian State staff are not alone. All across the country and internationally, students, faculty and staff are beginning to fight back against the unsafe reopening of schools, universities and workplaces. Just this week, students and staff at the University of Michigan have begun to circulate a petition and have threatened to go on strike over the continuation of in-person classes. Staff at Syracuse University in New York are also threatening a walkout and faculty at UNC Chapel Hill are circulating a petition to move classes online.

To fight back against the pandemic and implement a genuinely scientific public health strategy, faculty and students are beginning to stand up against the reckless reopening of schools and workplaces across the country. The World Socialist Web Site, the Socialist Equality Party and International Youth and Students for Social Equality are actively assisting workers, teachers, and faculty in these efforts by helping form rank-and-file committees, independent of the trade unions and the Democratic Party across all workplaces. Appalachian State students, faculty and staff must begin to organize upon and expand the demands laid out in last weeks petition and join the fight against the dangerous conditions caused by the reopening of schools across the country!

Faculty and staff interested in learning more about setting up a rank-and-file committee should contact the WSWS and the education newsletter. For those interested in more information about the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, the youth section of the Socialist Equality Party, click here.
The management of Deutsche Bahn (DB), the German government and the media are pulling out all the stops in their campaign to end the ongoing strike by train drivers. The strikers, for their part, are determined to continue their struggle.

This was confirmed last Friday at two large rallies of the German Train Drivers Union (GDL) in the cities of Nuremberg and Essen. The strikers left no doubt the drivers are prepared to ensure their demands are met.

Strike meeting in Essen on 3 September 2021 (Photo: WSWS) Caption: Striking train drivers in Essen (Photo: WSWS)

GDL leader Claus Weselsky was due to speak in Nuremberg, but instead had to attend the Hessian Regional Labour Court, which was ruling on an appeal lodged by Deutsche Bahn aimed at making the strike illegal. In a first judgement last week, the court threw out the motion by DB.

The second judgement on Friday also rejected the injunction against the walkout demanded by the DB executive. The Frankfurt labour court had rejected the initial motion on the grounds that it was not possible in summary proceedings to determine whether or not the strike was pursuing unlawful aims.

The regional labour court also examined the accusation that the train drivers were engaged in an illegal action in support of other rail employees. Deutsche Bahn is intent on dividing the striking train drivers from other groups of workers and thereby grant sole representation of drivers to its own company union, the Railway and Transport Workers Union (EVG).

Striking railway workers were clear about the management strategy and stressed to the World Socialist Web Site that they will not allow themselves to divided.

At Essen central station, young railway workers, freight train shunters and a maintenance man explained to the WSWS why their demands were more than justified: We keep the shop running ... When the trucks were barely running during the European lockdown, who was transporting and distributing goods? Exactly: the railways, us! We were the ones putting toilet paper and disinfectant on the shelves.

Work in freight transport is performed seven days a week and around the clock, so a higher wage is more than justified. It is also a myth, they said, that there is no passenger contact in freight. A locomotive goes through several hands in one day, we work closely with colleagues, including in the workshop. What they lack above all is recognition, they said.

One driver reported: I drive tank wagons, for example, with isopropanol and sodium hydroxide solution, which is disinfectant. During the day, and a shift lasts nine and a half hours for me, I drive up to 55 wagons, sometimes 85 during the high point of the pandemic. I check, shunt and drive out there on my own in my remote-controlled locomotive. Thats a responsibility for which we want to be paid accordingly.

Management has not acknowledged their sacrifices, he said. The ones up there [management] get everything spoon-fed and we are supposed to get nothing? At the same time, recognition should not be limited to mere applause and warm words. I have a whole basement full of thank-yous. I want to see something on my pay slip.

A colleague from the workshop reported that he, too, had been busier than normal during the lockdowns. More journeys, after all, also means more maintenance work and more repairs. I am on shifts and have postponed my holidays. In addition to the long shifts, many workers also have a long commute: I drive 180 kilometres to work and back every day, and my colleague drives 140 kilometres.

The strike is not only about the wage percentages, they said. It is also about shift scheduling, in particular, the shifts the company is allowed to assign to you depending on the order situation and demand, and irrespective of ones usual shift plan. The company now plans to double the percentage of such shift changes from 20 percent of annual shifts to 40 percent. This in turn means even less weekends off.

The strikers are also not prepared to accept the attack on the company pension under any circumstances. We need the company pension. You can't live on a state pension in Germany anymore.

While the train drivers were explaining to our reporters, a passer-by approached the group to support the strikers. Go through with it! he urged them. Don't let them wear you down. He himself works in the public sector, he said, and had long since quit the service trade union, Verdi. I support you, he continued. You can strike for five months for all I care.

The willingness of train drivers, railway workers and other employees to fight is why the railway executive is so vehemently against the strike. Millions of workers are frustrated and outraged as shift work and overtime become more and more unbearable, pay is declining while the prospect of unemployment and poverty pensions increases. They are all looking for a way to fight back.

This is why the railway board, backed by the federal government, is attacking the strike so provocatively. Train drivers and rail workers are on the front line representing millions of workers. The railways and the government want to make an example of train drivers and conductors.

After yesterdays court ruling against Deutsche Bahn, the company is examining whether it can sue the GDL for damages for the strikes. This was relayed by a spokeswoman for the railway in Frankfurt yesterday. The government also supported railway management and sees no need to change the recently-introduced contract bargaining unity law, which mandates that companies bargain only with the largest unions among their workforce. In the case of the railroad industry, this is Rail and Transport Workers' Union (EVG), which has signed off on a pay freeze and is crossing the picket line during the strike. Labour Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) as well as Vice-Chancellor and the SPDs candidate for chancellor in the current election campaign, Olaf Scholz, both said they intended to retain the law.

According to news reports, GDL leader Claus Weselsky said after the ruling in Frankfurt that he was ready to resume negotiations. He said he and the GDL were interested in reaching an agreement.

The Socialist Equality Party's statement on the strike stresses: The entire history of the labour movement shows that only an indefinite strike can bring the opposing side to its knees. Weselsky, however, categorically rejects such an option. Instead of appealing to the broad mass of workers, Weselsky relies on the right-wing German Civil Service Federation, to which the GDL belongs.

The statement goes on to say: To lead the struggle against the offensive of DB management and the ruling class, new organisations of struggle must be built that are independent of the unions and their officials in workplacesaction committees controlled by workers and accountable only to them.
Last weeks humiliating departure of the remaining western troops from Kabuls Hamid Karzai International Airport brought an ignominious end to the two-decade-long American imperialist conquest and occupation of Afghanistan. The US and its NATO allies spent well over $2 trillion on propping up Washingtons puppet regime in Kabul, yet once deprived of Pentagon combat support it collapsed like a house of cards before the Taliban advance. This was because the Afghan masses identified it with all the venality and brutality of the neocolonial subjugation of their countrytorture and dragnet arrests; government of, by, and for a corrupt elite; the wanton killing of civilians in drone and other air strikes.

Bitter recriminations have erupted in the US political and military-security establishment over who lost Afghanistan. In Berlin and Paris, the US defeat in Afghanistan is being marshalled as a fresh argument for why Europes imperialist powers must expand their military might and gain the means to act independently of and, if need be, in opposition to Washington.

However, outside Washington and Wall Street, the collapse of the Kabul regime has arguably dealt no imperialist ruling elite a bigger blow than Canadas.

Canadian soldiers fire an M777 155mm Howitzer field artillery gun (Image Credit: Wikipedia/Spc. Keith D. Henning Public Domain

Given Canadian imperialisms dependence on the eight-decade old, Canada-US military-strategic alliance to pursue its own global interests and ambitions, any serious geostrategic, military or economic reversal for Washington would roil it. But if Americas Afghan debacle has delivered so smarting a blow to its junior partner to the north, it is because the Canadian ruling classwith the support of the entire political establishment, whether avowedly left or right, federalist or Quebec sovereignistwas itself heavily invested in the Afghan war.

Over the course of two decades, Canadian imperialism expended vast amounts of blood and treasure in waging war in Afghanistan and sustaining the neo-colonial Kabul regime.

The Afghan war was the largest Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) military deployment since the Korean War, and ultimately became its biggest and longest since World War Two. Some 40,000 Canadian troops served in Afghanistan, 158 CAF personnel were killed, and more than 100 subsequently committed suicide. Among the foreign occupiers, only the United States and Britain lost more troops in the Afghan war than Canada. Government estimates place the total cost of the 12-year Canadian military intervention in Afghanistan, which began in 2001 and concluded only in 2014, at more than $18 billion. Ottawa provided the Kabul regime a further $3.6 billion in international assistance during the two-decade US occupation, with Afghanistan remaining the largest or one of the largest recipients of Canadian aid in every year since 2014.

Reviving militarism and putting paid to the myth of Canadas peacekeeping vocation

US imperialism seized on the 9/11 terrorist attacks as a pretext to launch a war in Afghanistan for which plans were already far advanced. Its goal was to stake claim to the immense oil and gas reserves of Central Asia, which prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union had been off-limits to the US oil giants, and to establish new military bases from which to project US power in Asia, above all against Iran, China and Russia.

In joining and assuming a major role in the Afghan war Canadas ruling elite had two aims.

First, it wanted to demonstrate to Washington that Ottawa remained a reliable partner under conditions where American imperialism was unleashing unprecedented levels of military violence around the world in a desperate bid to offset the erosion of its economic predominance. Fears within the Canadian ruling class that China and Mexico were rapidly diminishing Canadas hitherto unchallenged role as Americas foremost economic partner were compounded by the actions Washington took after 9/11 to thicken the Canada-US border, thereby threatening the enhanced economic ties that had developed under the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement.

Canadian big business and its political representatives also seized on the Afghan war as a means to adopt and overcome popular opposition to a more aggressive and militarist foreign policy. Since the 1960s, successive Canadian governments had cast Ottawa as a peaceful force on the world stage, focused on multilateral diplomacy and its special vocation for peacekeeping. This was always a fraud. Canada was a premier member of NATO and NORAD, a frontline state in the preparation for nuclear war with the Soviet Union throughout the Cold War, and readily joined the US-led wars against Iraq and Yugoslavia in 1991 and 1999. The UN peacekeeping missions the Canadian Armed Forces led or staffed were all sanctioned by Washington in furtherance of imperialist interests.

But by the early 2000s, with the US intent on establishing a new world order and tensions deepening between the major powers, the pacific claims that the Canadian ruling elite used to cloak its predatory interests and ambitions came to be seen as a hindrance. As John Manley, then the Foreign Minister in the Chretien Liberal government and now the chairman of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, remarked in 2001 at the outset of the CAFs assault on Afghanistan, If you want to play a role in the world, theres a cost to doing that. General Rick Hillier, who commanded NATO forces in Afghanistan in 2004 then served as Canadas Chief of Defence Staff for three years, was blunter still. Were not the public service of Canada, he declared. We are the Canadian Forces, and our job is to be able to kill people.

And kill people they did. Canadian Armed Forces personnel participated in the fall 2001 invasion of Afghanistan; fought alongside US forces in southern Afghanistan in early 2002; helped guard Kabul for several years; then as Taliban resistance hardened, fueled by popular anger over the occupation forces slaughtering of thousands of civilians in air raids and the malevolent character of the US-installed neo-colonial regime, assumed a major role in fighting the US-NATO war.

In 2005, the Canadian intervention escalated dramatically, when Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin agreed to double the troop deployment to Afghanistan to 1,200 and that the CAF would assume command of the counter-insurgency war in Kandahar province, a centre of Taliban resistance. This was part of a quid pro quo with Washington that freed up more US troops to fight in Iraq and was meant to make amends for Chretiens eleventh-hour decision to not join the 2003 invasion of Iraqalthough, as George W. Bushs Canadian emissary, Paul Cellucci, would subsequently admit, Canada would do far more militarily to support the US war in Iraq than most members of the coalition of the willing.

The CAFs Kandahar campaign featured house to house raids, and the capture and detention of suspected militants. In reality, Canadian troops swept up anybody they came across and brutalized them. In May 2006, the newly elected, Stephen Harper-led Conservative government extended the Kandahar combat operation to 2009. In early 2008, it prolonged it again through 2011, and would continue to deploy hundreds of troops to Afghanistan to train Afghan army and national police forces till 2014.

While Canadian forces engaged in bloody combat and perpetrated war crimes in Afghanistan, the political establishment used the war as the backdrop to promote militarism and reaction, issuing declarations of bloodlust and whipping up of Islamophobia in the name of the war on terror. Meanwhile, the Toronto Stars Rosie DiManno, Christie Blatchford of the National Post, and a host of other embedded journalists churned out reports celebrating the valour and self sacrifice of the CAF. This thuggish imperialist propaganda was aimed at acclimatizing the population to war and, above all, at intimidating the wars opponents into silence.

In 2007 at a ceremony commemorating the World War I Battle of Vimy Ridge, Harper declared, Canadians did not go to war then, nor will we ever, to conquer or to enslave. Canadian soldiers were simultaneously proving him a liar, delivering captives to be tortured by Afghan security forces and committing other crimes which Harper would later stop at nothing to conceal.

As its role in the Afghan war expanded, so did Canadian imperialisms ambitions, its appetites whetted by the possibility that it could gain access to Afghanistans abundant resources for Canadian energy and mining companies. Canada placed more than 15 advisors in various offices of the Kabul government, including the office of President Karzai. In an action that attested to the militarys growing reach and power, this Strategic Advisory Team (SAT) was established by the CAF, not the civilian federal government. Bragging about the influence they had, Rob Ferguson, one of the SATs members, asserted at the time, No other country is as strategically placed as Canada with respect to influencing Afghanistans development. These advisors reported directly to Ottawa, directing Afghan government policy in its dealings with other states, the World Bank and aid agencies. (See: Canadas colonial-style, embedded Afghan advisers subject of bureaucratic squabble in Ottawa )

Canadas Afghan war crimes and the crisis of Canadian democracy

The imperialist subjugation of Afghanistan entailed horrific, criminal violence. Crimes had to be covered up with lies. For these lies to stand unchallenged, basic bourgeois democratic norms had to be subverted.

In 2009, Richard Colvin, a Canadian diplomat formerly posted to Afghanistan, revealed that from at least 2006 Canadian troops had handed over hundreds of Afghans to the puppet state security services, the NDS, or to American forces, who subjected them to torture as standard operating procedure. This included rape, electric shock, beatings and sleep deprivation.

The extent of these crimes remains shrouded in secrecy to this day, thanks to the sabotaging of their investigation by the Harper Conservative government, on the one hand, and the fecklessness of the parliamentary opposition on the other. Harper prorogued parliament for the second time in a year in December 2009 for the explicit purpose of preventing information discovered by Colvin from reaching the public. When the government was forced to release documents pertaining to the CAFs mistreatment of Afghan detainees, in response to the Speakers ruling that it had violated parliaments core constitutional rights, it conducted a massive document dump and otherwise took steps to subvert a serious investigation. (See: Canadas military seeks to cover its tracks following damning report on Australian war crimes in Afghanistan )

The Tories brazen cover-up was facilitated by the connivance of the opposition parties, who agreed to farm the issue out to a specially vetted committee with only limited access to the documents and whose members were legally barred from say anything about their contents without the consent of the government, senior bureaucrats and the military.

The reality is that none of the parliamentary parties wanted the truth about Canadian war crimes to see the light of day. The Liberal Party, having launched the Afghan bloodbath, continued to support the brutal occupation throughout. The Quebec sovereignist Bloc Quebecois was also a full-throated supporter of the Afghan war, as it has been of all Canadian imperialisms foreign interventions since its founding in 1991, and joined with Harper and his Conservatives in exploiting it to promote Islamophobia.

The trade union-backed NDP, which voted in favour of the war but uttered rhetorical criticisms of the conflict from time to time, showed where its loyalties really lay in the fall of 2008, when it agreed to serve as junior partners in a Liberal-led coalition government committed to waging war in Afghanistan through 2011. The coalition was ultimately aborted because Harper, supported by the most powerful sections of Canadian capital, staged a constitutional coup, shutting down parliament, via prorogation, to prevent the opposition parties from exercising their right to bring down the government.

On August 27, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh issued a statement lamenting the heart-breaking loss of life and calling on the Trudeau government to work with its allies in support of peace, women, and security in Afghanistan. Yet the NDP, like the Canadian imperialist bourgeoisie it serves, has a highly selective concern for womens rights and peace. It was, after all, this very same NDP that voted unanimously in 2011 to back NATOs savage air bombardment of Libya, an operation that claimed tens of thousands of civilian lives. The top Canadian military commander of that mission frankly acknowledged that Canadian fighter jets functioned as al-Qaidas air force.

This savage record of Canadian imperialism is a taboo subject in the current federal election campaign. To discuss Canadas real role in the wars of the past quarter century would expose the responsibility it shares with the US and its European NATO allies for the destruction of entire societies and promotion of Islamist forces that have produced disaster for the peoples of Central Asia and the Middle East. Even the Taliban, which is now pilloried by the entire Canadian political establishment as beyond the pale, emerged out of American imperialisms criminal use of the Afghan people in the 1980s as cannon fodder in its drive against the Soviet Unionoperations which entailed mobilizing and arming Islamist forces, al-Qaida included, and which Ottawa fully endorsed.

The determination of all the establishment parties and the corporate media to cover up Canadas war crimes in Afghanistan, and its decades-long record of imperialist savagery and criminality is not just a matter of burying past crimes. It is part of the preparation for new ones.

Leading strategists for Canadian imperialism are already penning op-eds and policy papers arguing that the lesson of Afghanistan is that Canada must become more active and aggressive on the world stage. Bemoaning the US retreat from Afghanistan, Hugh Segal, former chief of staff to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, argued in an August 24 Globe and Mail column that Canada must seek to lessen the impact of American caprice by exapand(ing) the size of our military and combat deterrence against potentially hostile powers such as Russia, China, Iran or North Korea.

Canadas ruling elite is intent on maintaining the fiction that the Afghan intervention was motivated by a fight for democracy and the protection of women and girls because these threadbare arguments will be required to promote further imperialist aggression in the not-too-distant future. In this regard, one only needs to point to the incessant anti-China propaganda campaign in the Canadian media and political establishment, which portrays Beijing as a threat to the liberal world order and serial violator of human rights and freedom of speech. Irrespective of which party or coalition of parties holds power after the September 20 election, Ottawa is committed to lining up squarely behind the Biden administrations bipartisan diplomatic, economic, and military-strategic offensive against Beijing, an offensive whose logical culmination is a catastrophic global conflagration.
The Liberal-National Coalition government suddenly unveiled a bill last Thursday to stop the release of any minutes from the self-proclaimed bipartisan National Cabinet that has been effectively running the country by decrees since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit Australia 18 months ago.

Prime Minister Scott Morrisons government is facing growing hostility over its demand for the reopening of schools and all workplaces as the Delta variant-driven disaster worsens in Australia. It is seeking to stop any public scrutiny of the proceedings of the National Cabinet, which is pushing the corporate drive to live with the virus, regardless of the predicted thousands of deaths.

The National Cabinet is a completely unconstitutional cabal formed by Morrison and the state and territory government leadersmostly from the Labor Partyon March 13 last year. That was just as demands emerged among teachers, industrial workers, health workers and other working people for shutdowns and other essential safety measures to protect public health and lives.

National Cabinet meeting in 2020 (Source: Wikipedia)

The governments bill is a brazen attempt to defy and overturn an August 5 ruling by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) that the National Cabinet is not a genuine cabinet and therefore its minutes and records are not exempt from release under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.

The bill seeks to shut down not only all future FOI applications for National Cabinet documents, but also those already filed. That includes some 50 more such requests made by independent Senator Rex Patrick, who took the case to the AAT.

The AAT decision potentially cleared the way for members of the public to apply to obtain the documents of this body and also those of the medical sub-committees that provide the health advice that Morrison and the other government leaders invariably invoke to justify decisions to reduce safety restrictions.

Federal Court Justice Richard White, a presidential member of the AAT, ruled that: The mere use of the name National Cabinet does not, of itself, have the effect of making a group of persons using the name a committee of the Cabinet. Nor does the mere labelling of a committee as a Cabinet committee have that effect.

The decision underscores the lack of any constitutional, let alone democratic, basis for this body, which functions as a de facto national coalition government.

White concluded that the National Cabinet was not even created by Morrison with the authority of the federal cabinet, as the government claimed. Instead, it was simply established by joint agreement at a meeting involving Morrison and the state and territory leaders.

At that March 15 meeting, the Labor representatives all agreed with Morrison to cloak their proceedings in secrecy, even going beyond protection from the FOI Act. Minutes obtained as a result of the AAT case, show that they adopted longstanding conventions of collective responsibility and solidarity and strictly confidential discussions and documents.

In other words, the Labor government leaders formed a pact with Morrison and their Liberal-National counterparts to be bound by solidarity and confidentiality undertakings, essentially forming a bipartisan front.

They also agreed to extend this shield of secrecy to two sub-committees. One was the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), led by the federal, state and territory chief medical officers, that supplies the official health advice for the government leaders to invoke to justify their edicts.

The other was the little-known National Coordination Mechanism, operated by the Department of Home Affairs, that works with business leaders and other stakeholders to ensure a consistent approach to managing the impacts of this pandemic beyond the immediate health issues.

Far from opposing the governments bill, the federal Labor leadership swiftly referred it for inquiry by the Senate finance and public administration committee. That means that for many months at least, all FOI requests for National Cabinet documents will be frozen.

In an attempt to present Labor as a defender of transparency, the shadow attorney-general, Mark Dreyfus, said the Australian people have every right to be kept informed about what is being done in their name and not be fobbed off by Morrisons secrecy and spin.

But Dreyfus left open the likelihood that Labor will ultimately join hands with the Liberal-National government on the bill, as Labor has done on every other measure during the pandemic.

The reality is that the Labor state and territory leaders are parties to the secrecy and spin. That is a central aspect of the partnership they have maintained with the Morrison government throughout the COVID-19 disaster.

This legislation is a second major attack on basic democratic rights launched in the past week by the Coalition, in league with the Labor Party, to try to stifle the renewed opposition in the working class to being exposed by governments to the current surge of COVID-19 infections and deaths, for the sake of corporate profit.

The tabling of the bill follows the rapid ramming through parliament of anti-democratic laws to de-register all political parties unless they have a member in parliament or can submit a list of 1,500 members in just three months, by December 2. These laws could strip the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and 35 other registered parties of the right to stand candidates under their party names in the looming federal election, which is due by May at the latest.

The bill underscores the necessity for workers and youth to support the SEPs campaign to demand the repeal of the anti-democratic laws and to become electoral members of the SEP to ensure it retains its registration in order to advance the fight for a socialist program against the pandemic and the capitalist profit system itself.
House Republicans have taken a number of steps this week aimed at disrupting the work of the House Select Committee established to investigate the January 6 attack on Congress, including the role of President Trump and other top Republican leaders in preparing and directing the assault.

The latest actions were touched off by letters sent Monday to at least 30 telecommunications and social media companies, including Apple, AT&T, Facebook, Parler and Verizon, asking them to preserve records that might be sought for the investigation into the January 6 coup attempt.

The letter, co-signed by chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi) and vice chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming), cited records from April 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021, indicating that at least some of these records will be subpoenaed by the committee. The list of individuals covered by the request has not been made public, but it reportedly includes at least a dozen Republican members of Congress.

Representative Kevin McCarthy. (Image credit: C-SPAN)

The information sought would not include the content of the communications, but rather who called whomconnections that could be quite revealing, particularly in the days leading up the assault on Congress and on January 6 itself.

A group of ultra-right Republicans, including Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar of Arizona, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Matt Gaetz of Florida, were in regular touch with fascist groups like the Proud Boys and the Oathkeepers during months between the election and January 6, when the results of the Electoral College vote were to be certified by Congress.

There were reports of representatives giving guided tours of the Capitol a few days beforehand to people later arrested on January 6essentially helping them carry out reconnaissance for the upcoming attack.

During the attack itself, Boebert was live-tweeting the movements of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, one of the main targets of the attackers, who stormed her offices, chanting Nancy, Nancy, while her staff barricaded a conference room in terror.

If any Republican representatives were in direct communication with the rioters during the attack, they could face felony conspiracy charges, as well as expulsion from their seats in the House.

That no doubt accounts for the vehemence with which McCarthy responded to threat of subpoenas. He issued a denunciation Tuesday of what he called attempts to strong-arm private companies to turn over individuals private data. He told the tech companies not to cooperate with any requests for information from the House Select Committee, warning that otherwise a future Republican House majority, perhaps after the 2022 elections, would not forget.

This was a direct attempt to block the functioning of a committee established by a majority vote in the House of Representatives. McCarthy had previously sought to prevent the committee from functioning by naming die-hard Trump supporters like Jim Jordan of Ohio to serve on it. When Pelosi rejected Jordan and Jim Banks of Indiana, McCarthy responded by pulling all Republicans off it, except for the anti-Trump Republican Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, selected by Pelosi.

The Select Committee issued statement in response to McCarthys threat, saying, Weve asked companies not to destroy records that may help answer questions for the American people. The committees efforts wont be deterred by those who want to whitewash or cover up the events of January 6th, or obstruct our investigation.

Congressional committees regularly subpoena private data held by telecommunications and social media companies. The only difference in this case is that the request includes data relating to members of Congress. It also includes data of executive branch officials in the Trump administration, including Trump himself, who was in regular contact with the fascist groups, either directly or through intermediaries like his long-time political crony Roger Stone.

In a follow-up action, McCarthy and other top Republican leaders are discussing the expulsion of Cheney and Kinzinger from the Republican caucus. Cheney was actually the chair of that caucus, the number three position in the leadership, until earlier this year, but she was voted out and replaced with Elaine Stefanik of New York as a result of her public condemnation of Trump over the January 6 coup attempt.

On Thursday, McCarthy gave an interview to a local television station in his California district, in which he claimed that investigations by the FBI and the Senate had already cleared Trump of any responsibility for the January 6 attack.

This is a declaration of unmatched cynicism, since McCarthy himself stood on the floor of the House of Representatives January 13, during the debate on Trumps second impeachment, and said that Trump bore responsibility for the attack but that impeachment was the wrong remedy.

Since then, however, McCarthy has abased himself before Trump and his fascist acolytes and tried to demonstrate his abject loyalty to the would-be dictator.

His statement Thursday only had one fig leafhe cited the bipartisan report of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, headed by Democrat Amy Klobuchar, which limited its examination of January 6 to the security failures at the Capitol and did not address the role of Trump at all, thanks to Klobuchars cave-in to the Republicans on the committee.

As for the FBI, no report has actually been issued, only a leak to Reuters which claims that the FBI exonerated Trump, without addressing any of the factual questions involved. There is no indication that Trump has ever been interviewed by any federal agency about his actions on January 6, when he addressed a rally of thousands of supporters outside the White House, directed them to the Capitol, then watched with satisfaction as they broke into the building and sought to block certification of his election defeat.
Fifteen million more people have died during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to historical norms, according to a recent report by the Economist. This figure is more than three times the reported COVID-19 deaths, which stands at 4.6 million people.

Many people who die while infected with SARS-CoV-2 are never tested for it, and do not enter the official totals, the editors write. Conversely, some people whose deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 had other ailments that might have ended their lives on a similar timeframe anyway. And what about people who died of preventable causes during the pandemic because hospitals full of COVID-19 patients could not treat them? If such cases count, they must be offset by deaths that did not occur but would have in normal times, such as those caused by flu or air pollution.

A patient carried on a stretcher in Rome, Italy (Photo: Alessandra Tarantino / AP)

The capitalist nations were warned repeatedly by scores of national and international public health agencies that such an event was more than certain. Every means was within their capacity to employ all resources to have checked the spread of the infection in its initial phase and brought the pandemic to an abrupt end.

Instead, the financial oligarchy have squandered every opportunity to end the suffering of billions of people by further enriching themselves through massive transfers of wealth only to force workers back to workplaces. This policy has given free rein to the virus to not only spread into every corner of the planet, but to constantly mutate into more virulent forms. It has been the policy of herd immunity that has culled such a massive number of people under the false auspices of the cure cant be worse than the disease. In fact, as the Economist report indicates, the disease has taken a horrific toll on the international working class, orphaning and impoverishing untold millions.

As the Economist report states, the wide range in figures stems from the complex nature of ascertaining data from national and subnational levels. Delays in reporting deaths, specifically confirming COVID-19 and COVID-related deaths and attributing the cause of death, make the statistics imprecise but offer an appropriate ball-park figure. Among the globes 156 countries with one million or more people, the Economist only managed to obtain data on total mortality from 84. Among these, some have only reported these figures once to their national registries.

Table 1 - COVID-19 deaths vs Excess deaths by global region. Data was sourced from the report in the Economist.

As the table above indicates, the estimate of excess deaths in regions like Asia and Africa are 700 to 800 percent over official COVID-19 deaths. This stems from the implementation of herd immunity policies while lacking the resources to care for the infected. Additionally, lack of reliable reporting of COVID-19 cases and delays or the omission of tracking of those that have died has led to this stark disparity in figures.

The impact of the pandemic on India has been, by far, most calamitous. The surge of the Delta variant in the spring across the country accounts for a significant number of excess global deaths over the last five months. Although there had been only 171,000 COVID-19 deaths reported in mid-April, the excess deaths at the time were ten times higher, at 1.6 million. Since then, even though only 270,000 additional COVID-19 deaths have been reported, the excess deaths have climbed 2.7 million, reaching 4.3 million.

Additionally, countries like Indonesia had very deadly forays by the virus, seeing the reported COVID-19 death toll surge as health care systems became inundated in a matter of days. With supposedly 135,500 COVID-19 deaths, the excess deaths stand at 500 percent higher, with 800,000 estimated deaths.

South Africa has been pummeled by repeated waves of infections. After having faced the Beta variant of the coronavirus, they are now dealing with another strain designated as C.1.2, which is demonstrating an unusually high number of mutations and mutation rate. Though the officially-reported number of COVID-19 deaths is over 80,000, there have been close to a quarter-million excess deaths, a figure three times higher. However, the excess deaths compared to COVID-19 deaths across many nations in Africa indicate a severe undercounting. Excess deaths in Nigeria are 6,400 percent higher. In Ethiopia, it is 3,500 percent. Egypts is 1,400 percent, and in the Congo, a little more than 1,000 COVID deaths have been reported. However, the excess deaths are above 130,000, or more than 12,000 percent. Despite reports of Africa being spared during the pandemic, this critical analysis suggests otherwise.

Estimated economic cost of COVID-19 Crisis. Source JAMA.

Even in regions like Europe and the US with more robust reporting systems and detailed documentation of death certificates, because of the social crisis and ensuing chaos created with overburdened health systems during repeated waves of infection, excess death estimates are far above official COVID-19 deaths reported.

By the end of July, excess deaths in the United States had plummeted even below their historical norms, and cases of COVID-19 and deaths had approached lows not seen since March 2020, when the pandemic first surged across the country.

But as the US state and federal governments implemented a bipartisan policy of reopening schools, COVID-19 cases have rapidly climbed, with COVID-19 deaths having most recently exceeded the seven-day average of over 1,500 per day. Excess deaths, too, have catapulted, reaching 3,000 per day. That means that excess deaths are now twice those of the official COVID-19 death tolls. In all, the cumulative COVID-19 deaths, according to their tracker, currently have reached close to 650,000, and excess deaths are 820,000, or 30 percent higher.

It is staggering to conceive that when in July the country could have heeded the warnings made by epidemiologists about the deadliness of the Delta variant and imposed a comprehensive elimination strategy to prevent any further COVID-19 related illnesses, instead, in one short month it is facing, perhaps, its worst ordeal with the virus.

Daily global estimated excess deaths and official COVID-19 deaths. Source: The Economist

In summing up their analysis, the Economist report states, Measured by excess deaths as a share of the population, many of the worlds hardest-hit countries are in Latin America. Although Russias official death tally suggests that it has protected its citizens tolerably well, its numbers on total mortality imply that it has in fact been hit quite hard by COVID-19. Similarly, we estimate that Indias death toll is actually in the millions rather than the hundreds of thousands. At the other end of the table, a handful of countries have actually had fewer people die during the pandemic than in previous years.

Even as the pandemic surges to new heights, capitalist governments have no intention to raise a single finger to bring this pandemic to an end. The present course they have set the world on will also see new and more deadly strains of the coronavirus emerge that will perpetuate the pandemic, leading to untold millions more deaths. Avoiding this catastrophe requires a political intervention by the working class, armed with the demand for the complete and total eradication of COVID-19.
Documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by the Detroit Free Press reveal the Michigan governments criminal responsibility for failing to investigate and shut down the radiation-emitting bone lead testing on Flint residents. Without any oversight or regulation by the state for 18 months, beginning in August 2019, testing for lead contamination was not conducted in a medical facility, but in the local Flint law offices of New York-based law firm, Napoli-Shkolnik.

In a shocking revelation, a report issued by the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) states the devices were administering dosages 48 times over the accepted limit: The reported dose equivalent to the skin of 48.5 millisievert exceeds the limit of 1 millisievert (100 mrem).

When health violations are uncovered at a restaurant, the facility is immediately closed. However, the state made no attempt to protect the health and well-being of Flint residents or inspect the Napoli-Shkolnik devices for a year and a half.

The Flint Water Plant

Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmers administration allowed thousands of Flint residents to unknowingly subject themselves to radiation from an X-ray XRF fluorescent hand-held scanning device manufactured for detecting metals and other elements in inanimate objects, such as scrap metal. The devices are explicitly not approved for use on humans according to Thermo Fisher, the manufacturer.

The bone lead test is a major part of the paltry $641.25 million Flint water settlement for the victims of the lead-in-water poisoning which was triggered by the bipartisan decision to switch to Flint River water in April 2014 without any corrosion control. Thousands of residents were poisoned by lead that leached from the systems pipes and have suffered innumerable negative health effects in what is one of the worst social crimes in American history. The citys drinking water was rendered unusable, forcing residents to rely on bottled water while they continued to pay some of the highest water bills in the country.

Lead poisoning in the blood dissipates after 30 days but remains in the bones for decades. Lead bone testing is included in the settlements language. Erroneously described as voluntary by Attorney General Dana Nessel, the bone lead test is the way for residents to receive higher compensation. Without the tests, the remuneration is capped at only $1,000 per household for most residents.

The FOIA report includes documents from the MIOSHA office within the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. They show that the governments first inspection of the bone scanning operation at the Napoli law office was not conducted until March 23, 202118 months after the bone scanning began!

The states silence and inaction became impossible after Dr. Lawrence Reynolds submitted a court filing February 26, 2021 raising grave concerns about the safety and efficacy of the radiation-emitting device. He also noted the two devices being used by Napoli had never been registered with the state. Dr. Reynolds is a Flint pediatrician and former CEO of Mott Childrens Health Center.

The court submission prompted Napoli to register the two devices at the end of February. An email sent March 18, 2021, from the State of Michigan to Napoli acknowledges that their application for registering the bone scanning devices was received and that the devices were registered and certified.

The state of Michigans Radiation Safety Section (RSS) however did not inspect Napolis offices until March 23, 2021. Two weeks later, on April 9, John Ferris, MIOSHA physicist supervisor, sent the following email to the Napoli law firm:

Please describe the dose levels to the individual being irradiated and how the dose levels were determined and please provide any supportive documentation such as copies of your research projects that evaluated dose levels for this particular use of the hand-held x-ray fluorescent machines. Are the machines are (sic) being used (including the results of the scans) as part of a medical research project?  [Emphasis added]

To ask at this point if a medical research project is taking place is not credible and is an insult to the Flint population. It is implausible that the state, which is the major party in the Flint water settlement, was unaware of the bone scanning. It is written into the language of the settlement and is included in the compensation grid. How was it possible that registration was granted for two radiation-emitting devices without inquiring about how they were used?

Furthermore, the Napoli law firm aggressively marketed itself and the bone lead test to sign up thousands of clients beginning in July 2018 when African American actor Hill Harper was featured in Flint television infomercials. Al Sharpton went to the city in the fall of 2018 and reportedly signed up 5,000 clients for Napoli. Benjamin Crump, known for representing the families of African American men and women brutalized and killed by the police, held two rallies in Flint with Napoli in fall 2019 advertising free bone scans if they signed up with the law firm. The settlement provides 32 percent for lawyers fees from each award, making it highly lucrative to sign up clients who will get larger awards if the bone scan test demonstrates lead contamination.

On May 4, 2021, a week after all the bone lead testing ended on April 27, as stipulated in the settlement agreement, a letter from the State to Napoli referred to the March 23 inspection of the x-ray facility noting the items of non-compliance and requesting a deadline to comply by May 30. The letter also noted that if the non-compliance issues were remedied in a timely fashion, there would be no penalties: the Department has found it efficient to work with registrants to ensure the safe use of x-ray machines without the need to issue civil penalties.

Other non-compliance issues included the lack of finger or wrist radiation monitoring devices for the scanner operators, nor was there an on-site Michigan-licensed physician. None of those scanned, including at least one pregnant woman, were informed that radiation was being emittedmeaning that there was no informed consent.

The MIOSHA report also noted that no shields or protective measures were provided to residents, nor were there any signs advising people of the use of radiation equipment. Other serious non-compliance issues included the absence of automatic shutoff timers that terminate the exposure after a preset interval. Adding insult to injury, Napoli submitted a 40-page Flint -XRF Analyzer- Radiation Safety Manual which appears to have been produced in May 2021, well after thousands had been herded into their law offices and were unknowingly subjected to unacceptable levels of radiation.

In July 2021, Assistant Attorney General Margaret Bettenhausen told US District Judge Judith Levy at the public Fairness Hearing that the inspection of Napolis office by MIOSHA only required several minor changes to procedures, including some signage issues. Her statements at the hearing were made on behalf of Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel and should be viewed as nothing less than bald-faced lies.

Meanwhile, a deposition of Thermo Fisher was to have taken place last Thursday but was postponed. Judge Levy has not yet ruled on a motion submitted by Dr. Reynolds to hold an evidentiary hearing with a neutral radiation expert, before ruling on the present language of the water settlement.

The Democratic Party administration of Governor Whitmer as well as that of former Governor Rick Snyders Republican administration who oversaw the switch to the toxic Flint River, and the Obama administration which joined in the coverup, are all responsible for harming the population and should be criminally prosecuted.

Justice for the people of Flint will not be secured through the capitalist courts or by appealing to the politicians from either capitalist party. They are all beholden and accountable to the financial oligarchs, who have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by pursuing a herd immunity policy that has resulted in 660,000 preventable deaths in the US alone, repeating on a mass scale their homicidal hostility and indifference to the working class population of Flint.

The vast resources of society must be marshaled to meet the needs of Flint residents as part of a united fight of autoworkers, teachers, health care workers and logistics workers in the US and internationally. This requires a political struggle by the working class for socialism against the capitalist system.

We urge those who agree to form an independent Flint Workers Action Committee which will be affiliated with the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees and will fight for what Flint residents need to be made whole.
Over the weekend, the Louisiana Department of Health ordered the immediate closure of seven nursing homes that packed their residents into a warehouse last week ahead of Hurricane Ida to ride out the storm. Seven patients died since they were moved, and five of the deaths have been classified as storm-related fatalities, officials said in a statement.

According to a state order prohibiting the return of the patients to the nursing facilities, officials that visited the warehouse observed conditions that have caused great concern and may cause a danger to the public life, health, and safety. When a team of state health inspectors arrived Tuesday to investigate the warehouse, the nursing homes owner demanded they leave immediately.

Health officials reported several people were hospitalized after facing squalid conditions inside the warehouse. Department spokesperson Aly Neel said generators had failed and the warehouse was inundated by stormwater. Officials said people were laying on mattresses on the floor, without food or clean clothes, and a strong odor of feces permeated throughout the building.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Ademir Sava fills his truck with gas after waiting in line for six hours Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, in New Orleans, La. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

The health department reported the patients were evacuated to the warehouse on Friday, August 27, ahead of Idas landfall in Louisiana on August 29. State officials learned of the horrid conditions after landfall and found inadequate care for those who needed it the most.

The seven nursing homes are operated by Bob Dean, a commercial developer that owns multiple facilities across Louisiana. According to ABC News, Deans nursing homes had received poor federal ratings. Medicare.gov gives six of the seven nursing homes the lowest possible rating, and five of the locations were penalized for poor quality of resident care.

Meanwhile, one week after Ida made landfall, more than 598,000 households in Louisiana were still without power Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us. Across the state, the utility company Entergy reported 24,308 distribution poles had been damaged or destroyed, 29,084 spans of wire down, and 5,742 failed transformers and 212 transmission structures that had been destroyed by Hurricane Ida.

In New Orleans, the extended power outage, now in its second week, is so unbearable that the city has begun evacuating vulnerable residents to powered shelters in northern Louisiana and Texas. The city began a shuttle bus program Saturday, which picks up people from the city convention center in charter buses.

Hurricane Ida has so far claimed the lives of fourteen people across Louisiana, including four deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Some of the areas in Louisiana that were hit hardest by Hurricane Ida could be without power for several more weeks. Entergy, which provides electric service to more than 1 million customers, estimated that power will be restored to most of its customers by Wednesday, but warned the parishes of Lafourche, Terrebonne, and part of Jefferson may not have electricity until September 29.

A fuel shortage has exacerbated the situation for those who could not or did not evacuate ahead of the storm. Many gas stations do not have power or are out of fuel; those that do have power see people waiting in long lines for hours. People are desperate to fuel their vehicles to leave the region or use their cars air conditioning to escape the sweltering heat. Others need gas to keep their generators running at home. Police reported a man was shot and killed while confronting a man who cut the line at a gas station in Metairie, just outside New Orleans.

Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard reported Saturday it was responding to a sizable oil spill, which is ongoing, in the Gulf of Mexico. The spill is leaking from a source underwater at an offshore drilling rig two miles south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana where Ida made its landfall. The Associated Press initially published aerial photos of a miles-long brown and black oil slick on Wednesday.

The spill is still growing and appears to be spreading out to sea. Officials do not have an estimate for how much oil was in the water, but the AP reported that satellite images appeared to show the oil slick drifting more than a dozen miles eastward along the Gulf Coast. The publication of photos of the spill prompted the Environmental Protection Agency to begin flying a specially outfitted survey aircraft over industrial sites hardest hit by the storm.

The current death toll from Ida stands at 71 with 51 people reported dead in the northeastern US after the hurricanes powerful remnants brought record rainfall, devastating floods, and tornadoes to the region.

Wednesday night was the first time the National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for New York City. The citys entire subway system was shut down overnight. Water flooded numerous stations and even got into trains filled with passengers. Flood waters rushed into basement apartments in Queens, killing 10 people, including Ang Lama, Mingma Sherpa and their two-year-old son Lobsang Ang. In Westchester County, one person died after being caught in a flash flood and attempting to flee their car. That persons spouse, who was with them at the time, is now missing.

Rescue teams spent hours Wednesday using boats to reach people stranded by floodwaters in Pennsylvania. At least one tornado rolled through the southern part of New Jersey, ripping the sides off some homes, and turning others into rubble. The death toll in that state has risen to 27, and four people are still missing.

In Montgomery County, Maryland, officials said 19-year-old Melkin Cedillo drowned as storm waters quickly flooded his apartment complex. About 50 other apartments were flooded and 150 residents were displaced.
Well over 1,050 Nabisco workers are on now strike against the multinational food corporation Mondelez, formerly Kraft. The pressure from workers to strike was so great that the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers union (BCTGM) was forced to allow strikes to go forward across all Nabisco production facilities. Nabisco workers in Oregon, Illinois, Colorado, Virginia and Georgia are currently struggling against horrific working conditions.

One striking Chicago worker informed the World Socialist Web Site that theyre forcing us to work 16 hours to do this job. Were short-staffed. We dont get bonuses. They made us work through the pandemic16 hours every day. Workers have had to work nearly every weekend, pay higher premiums and co-pays on health insurance, and accept permanent pension freezes.

Portland, Oregon Nabisco workers had been working without a contract for months before BCTGM Local 364 acceded to workers demands for a strike. Nabisco workers in Richmond Virginia had been working without a contract since May before a strike was called August 16.

Nabisco workers on strike (Source: BCTGM/bctgm.org)

Mondelez is seeking to impose a four-year contract that would place newer workers on a two-tier health care plan, implement an Alternative Work Schedule (AWS), and severely limit overtime pay.

In a further provocation, Mondelez cut off health care benefits from striking workers and their families on August 31.

When asked about working throughout the pandemic workers described terrifying conditions. One said, We had a whole line get sick, the Belvita line. We said, How about you just shut the plant down so we can all quarantine? But they didnt do that. They didnt tell us who got sick. We had to assume. We learned from our coworkers who were sick and we had to tell each other.

The BCTGM union has ensured that management workers are employed under very different conditions. April Flowers-Lewis, a BCTGM steward speaking to the organization More Perfect Union, explained that employees in human resources and management have weekends off, and enjoy eight-hour days. This is an effort by Mondelez to divide workers and has been totally unopposed by the union. The fact that BCTGM has allowed for such massive disparities is an indictment of this pro-corporate union.

The union has sought to scapegoat Mexican workers for the elimination of jobs while not lifting a finger in 2016, when hundreds of Nabisco employees were laid off. That same year, plants in New Jersey and Georgia were also closed without the union even threatening a strike. While falsely portraying workers in Mexico as the enemy, in reality, Mexican and US workers are facing very similar conditions, and are pitted in common battle against the same billionaires.

The fact that US Nabisco workers have been forced to work 16-hour shifts, without overtime pay or weekends off, in hot bakeries and in the middle of a pandemic that is ripping through the population, is an exposure of the bankruptcy of the BCTGM.

When finally forced to call a strike, the union only allowed one workplace at a time to walk out and only when it was understood that Nabisco workers were ready to strike with or without the unions permission.

Frito-Lay workers in Topeka, Kansas under BCTGM walked out on strike after rejecting four consecutive contract agreements that had been endorsed by the union. After a 20-day strike, the BCTGM forced through a contract that met none of the workers needs or demands.

During the strike, various pseudo-left organizations have professed support for the workers, but in fact have lined up with the union bureaucrats against the workers. The Portland DSA for example has done nothing to warn Nabisco workers about the unions plans to sell out the strike. In fact, they have shown up at the Portland strike location every Saturday since the strike began primarily to bolster the credibility of the BCTGM, an organization that works hand in glove with Mondelez corporate management.

April Flowers-Lewis, again speaking to More Perfect Union, voiced her elemental feeling of solidarity with Mexican workers, stating, and theyre paying them (Mexican workers) less, and working harder as well, which is not fair to them as well. The BCTGM is not only hostile to Mexican Nabisco workers, but is actively attempting to place the blame for the terrible working conditions in the US on the shoulders of Mexican workers.

Instead of seeking common cause with Mexican workers against Mondelez, the BCTGM has called for a reactionary and nationalist boycott of Nabisco products that are made in Mexico. This divisive strategy plays into the hands of management under conditions where a multinational corporation such as Mondelez can move production to any corner of the globe.

Moreover, the content of backroom negotiations between Mondelez and the union are being kept hidden from workers. Workers are not only being kept in the dark, but are receiving such meager strike pay that they have been forced to use sites such as Gofundme to make ends meet.

The BCTGMs nationalist orientation plays into the hands of the company. This is not a struggle between Mexican workers and US workers. This is a fight to organize the working class internationally against an international capitalist class.

Nabisco workers face a struggle on two fronts, against Mondelez and the BCTGM. It is only by forming independent rank-and-file committees, controlled democratically by the workers themselves, that Nabisco workers can organize a real fight. These committees should draw up demands based on the needs of workers. They must broaden the struggle, reaching out to their Mexican working class brothers and sisters and Mondelez workers globally as well as fellow food industry workers across the US.
The COVID-19 outbreak in New South Wales (NSW), centred in its capital Sydney, has seen the number of people admitted to hospital, after infection from the Delta variant, surge by 42 percent in a week. There are now 1,071 COVID-19 patients in NSW hospitals, with 177 people in intensive care,including three children and 62 requiring ventilation

Hospitals in the densely-populated south-west and western regions of Sydney, where 80 percent of all cases of COVID are locatedWestmead, Liverpool, Blacktown and Nepean Hospitalsare bearing the brunt of the crisis.

In the last week of August, Blacktown, Westmead and Nepean turned away COVID patients arriving by ambulance for 24-hours, and Ambulance NSW had its second-ever status three alert, meaning the service was unable to meet demand.

Liverpool Hospital [Photo credit: Sydney South West Area Health Service]

The present crisis of the hospital system reveals the criminality of government plans to fully open the economy and learn to live with the virus, beginning in October.

Nurses at Westmead Hospital told the Sydney Morning Herald that there was a strong sense of hopelessness as COVID cases continued to be admitted to the hospital.

An anonymous COVID-19 ward nurse said they were being told the health system is coping, when its just not. As the numbers go up you lose more and more hope.

Another anonymous ICU nurse said about 30 percent of the staff in the unit had been transferred from private hospitals, as well as paediatric intensive care and operating theatres, yet it was still short-staffed.

There are patients who, because of their level of acuity, need to be nursed one to one, but are being doubled to two patients to one nurse. This is quite dangerous. Nurses are burnt out, no one wants to do overtime. There are no casuals to replace them, she said.

Nepean Hospital intensive care specialist Dr Nhi Nguyen explained the implications of the Delta variant for his hospital: What has worried us over the last few weeks is the increasing number of patients who are admitted to intensive care. They are younger, they are staying in intensive care for longer and they are needing care that cannot be provided anywhere else on the wards. There are those who are on breathing machines and on heart/lung machines.

In response to the crisis, Health Minister Brad Hazzard said much time had been spent by health authorities last year, to ensure NSW hospitals had substantial capacity to deal with a COVID-19 surge, including quadrupling the number of ventilators and training hospital staff to work in the ICU.

However, the Saturday Paper reported that the health workforce furlough crisis in NSW and the neighbouring state of Victoria is now seven times worse than the national situation on August 10. Moreover, although states have substantially increased their numbers of ventilators since the outbreak of the pandemic, they do not have the healthcare staff to operate them, and those they do have are in danger of exposure and being quarantined.

In the last week of August, the number of ICU patients in NSW represented 14 percent of the entire states currently staffed and open 863 ICU beds. Although the NSW government is physically capable of expanding this number to 2015 ICU beds and ventilators, it has just a fraction of the staff available to run them. Data prepared for the national cabinet shows that just 328 extra nursing staff are available for bedside ICU care, enough to add only about 164 ICU beds.

So far there have been 131 COVID-19 deaths in the current NSW outbreak, including 12 at Liverpool Hospital alone. More than 100 infections have been acquired in public hospitals, while patients were attending for other conditions.

These infections, known as C-19 HAIs (COVID-19 Hospital Acquired Infections) plagued a number of Melbourne hospitals during 2020, resulting in 84 fatalities.

The lessons of that experience have clearly not been drawn by NSW authorities. Not only patients, but also staff can be the victims, with ongoing infections in hospitals resulting in a significant impact on staff, not only those infected, but the many forced to undergo mandatory quarantine as well.

Two clusters at Nepean Hospital, including Nepean Mental Health, have recorded infections in a total of 38 patients, 9 staff and 5 deaths. St George Hospital has recorded a total of 7 patients infected, 2 staff and 2 deaths, Canterbury Hospital 22 patients infected and 5 deaths and at Cumberland Hospital, a mental health facility in Sydneys west, there have been 12 patients infected and 1 death.

An anonymous St George Hospital worker told Nine Media that staff had raised concerns about patients being admitted to emergency without being COVID tested.

Theatre staff, including anaesthetists, registrars, neurosurgeons and nurses, are now isolating because of emergency patients who were not swabbed on admission and found to be positive after people were exposed to them, they said.

NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA) general secretary, Brett Holmes, told ABC Radio, 1,000 of the states health care workers are in isolation at any one time, as a result of being exposed to COVID. He added that Many are exhausted. Its long days wrapped in plastic, with respirators or surgical masks on. Their intensive care units are often full, their wards are filling up, and the emergency departments are under enormous pressure.

Despite being well aware of the dangerous conditions facing health workers, the health unions have refused to mobilise their members in opposition to such dangerous conditions. Instead, they have worked to suppress the emerging struggles by workers in the sector.

In June, when nurses and midwives undertook industrial action, in at least 30 hospitals across NSW, in response to understaffing, unsafe conditions and pay cuts, the NSWNMA sought to keep them divided by calling for strikes in different hospitals, across different times and days. The stoppages were shut down without any of the health workers demands being met. The NSWNMA used the current surge as the pretext for suspending industrial action altogether.

Moreover, the decades-long rundown of the public hospital system, under governments both Labor and Liberal, was carried out with the cooperation of the health unions.

No confidence can be placed in governments or the trade unions to secure the safety of health workers, their patients and families. The present crisis, and the response of the unions, speaks to the urgent need for health workers to take matters into their own hands and establish rank-and-file committees, independent of the unions, run by workers themselves and committed to the fight to mobilise health staff everywhere, to demand a massive increase in funding to the sector, safe working conditions and decent pay.
Labor Day is being celebrated in the United States today under conditions of a devastating resurgence of the pandemic and a growing movement of workers to break free of the corporatist trade unions.

On Labor Day 2020, the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the US had just surpassed 190,000. One year later, the death toll is over 660,000, with total cases over 40 million. Due to the spread of the Delta variant and the back-to-school policy, spearheaded by the Biden administration, the number of hospitalizations for children 17 and under has increased fivefold since June. At least 76 children have died from the disease since July 22 alone.

In his official Labor Day message, Biden said, After more than a year in which essential workers made extraordinary sacrifices and carried our Nation on their backs, this Labor Day we see more clearly than ever that we must build an economy that responds to the needs and aspirations of working people.

The extraordinary sacrifices of workers in the form of mass death are the product of the deliberate decision, supported by both the Democrats and Republicans, to subordinate the lives of millions to the demands of the corporate and financial oligarchy.

Now, Biden is honoring American workers by overseeing the elimination of federal unemployment benefits for millions of jobless workers, beginning today. This includes the $300-a-week federal payment to 7.5 million unemployed workers who have already exhausted their state benefits and will get nothing. The cutoff occurs right after the Supreme Court overturned the moratorium on evictions, threatening as many as 11 million households in the coming months.

The reopening of schools and the whip of hunger and homelessness are aimed at driving millions of workers back into dangerous workplaces to produce the profits needed to finance the bailout of the corporations and the banks. The Federal Reserve continues to pump over $120 billion a month into the financial markets, which has fueled the meteoric rise of the stock market and a 62 percent increase in the wealth of Americas billionaires since the beginning of the pandemic.

Whatever Bidens rhetoric about building an economy for everyone, American workers are laboring longer hours, producing more and earning less, in real terms, than they did in 1979. A report for Labor Day 2021 produced by the Economic Policy Institute found that net productivity had grown 59.7 percent from 1979-2019, while a typical workers compensation grew by only 15.8 percent.

This historic reversal in the position of the working class has only been accomplished with the assistance of the AFL-CIO and other trade unions. After suppressing strike activity for four decades, the number of major strikes called by the unions last year fell to eight, the third lowest level since 1947.

In his Labor Day statement Biden claimed, Over the years, the Labor Movement has won many battles: establishing the 40-hour work week, integrating workplaces, eliminating child labor, securing health and safety protections for workers, and countless other victories.

Bidens mythical description of the unions is completely at odds with reality, and he knows it. The unions long ago abandoned the eight-hour day, basic health and safety and other protections. The United Auto Workers, United Steelworkers and other unions routinely enforce 10- and 12-hour workdays in the factories. At auto parts maker Dana, Inc., mandatory overtime has forced many workers to labor 84 hours a week. One worker, 60-year-old Danny Walters, died from a seizure after collapsing on the assembly line at the companys Dry Ridge, Kentucky plant.

While the unions have spent decades forcing workers to accept the destruction of every gain won through bitter struggle, for the past year and a half they played a critical role in forcing tens of millions to work amidst the pandemic.

The Biden administration is currently relying on the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to send millions of teachers and students back into COVID-infected schools. In her own Labor Day statement, AFT President Randi Weingarten touted the AFTs Back to School for All campaign, which, she wrote, involved a get-out-the-vote-style campaign in support of in-person learning Thats caring, fighting and showing up in action.

Weingarten, who makes $500,000 a year for her services to the ruling class, exuded indifference to the fate of teachers and children alike from the reopening of schools. The Delta variant, she wrote, has thrown us a curveball. A curveball! Weingarten could not even mention the number of teachers and other workers who have died and are dying from the pandemic, as it would only expose her own role in supporting the criminal policies of the entire ruling class.

Let us provide the figures for her: At least 1,600 active and retired K-12 educators and personnel have died of COVID-19, including at least 181 school personnel since July 1, 2021. While exact figures are hard to obtain, more than 3,500 healthcare workers have died, 500 meatpacking and food retail workers and hundreds of transit workers, including 156 in New York City alone.

The past 18 months could hardly provide a more devastating exposure of the role of those who claim that the official unions are workers organizations. The promotion of the AFL-CIO by the Democratic Socialists of America and other pseudo-left organizations is aimed at strengthening a labor police force comprised of upper-middle-class executives to isolate and suppress the class struggle.

But the working class, which is fighting not just for improved wages and conditions but to save lives, is coming into a direct conflict with these corporatist syndicates.

Over the last week, thousands of Dana workers have repudiated a contract proposal brought back by the UAW and USW. Workers at many factories have rejected the deal by a 9-to-1 margin, with workers in Toledo, Ohio unanimously defeating it by 435 to 0. The UAW and the USW, for their part, have refused to call a strike and are forcing Dana workers to work on Labor Day to stockpile parts for the company.

The overwhelming repudiation of the union-backed contracts at Dana follows the rebellion against the UAW and six-week strike by Volvo Trucks workers in Dublin, Virginia. It also follows the 1,006-to-45 vote against the United Mine Workers contract by Warrior Met Coal miners in Alabama earlier this year and the stubborn resistance of nurses in Worcester, Massachusetts, on strike for six months.

There is a growing movement of workers to establish genuine organizations of working-class struggle, rank-and-file committees independent of the trade unions.

At Dana, workers in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri and other states have formed the Dana Workers Rank-and-File Committee to coordinate their struggle and win the support of far broader sections of the working class. At Volvo, the struggle was sustained and led by a rank-and-file committee, established with the assistance of the World Socialist Web Site.

This is the form through which the class struggle must and will develop. Nor are these conditions unique to the United States. A growing movement of train workers, autoworkers in India and the UK, bus workers in Ireland, miners in Chile, and all sections of the working class internationally, is striving to break free from the shackles of the nationalist and pro-capitalist unions.

The challenge facing workers in the US and internationally is to unify their struggles into a common offensive against the ruling class policy of death, inequality and exploitation. In May, the International Committee of the Fourth International initiated the formation of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees. Workers throughout the world must take up as an urgent task the building and expansion of the IWA-RFC!
Three Vancouver, Washington public schools were put into lockdown this past Friday after roughly 50 Proud Boy militia members and anti-mask protesters attempted to enter Skyview High School with a maskless student, in violation of public health guidelines. In addition to Skyview High School, Alki Middle School and Chinook Elementary were placed on high alert and locked down due to the fascist threat. Video recordings showed Proud Boys chanting USA while waving American flags and wearing their trademark yellow and black shirts, with the groups motto F--k Antifa displayed on their chests. Despite members of the group being recorded massing on school grounds, in breach of the law, local police apparently made no attempt to disrupt the fascist rally and appeared to look on approvingly. As of this writing, no arrests have been reported and no charges have been filed.

In a report from Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), private security guards, who denied the Proud Boys entry into the school, said some of the women aligned with the Proud Boys accosted female students, calling them derogatory names.

Writing to OPB, Pat Nuzzo, a communications director for Vancouver Public Schools (VPS), said the lockdown was instituted as a safety precaution. VPS school board President Kyle Sproul told OPB that the lockdown was needed to ensure student safety. Sproul added that protesting at our school campuses and disrupting the school day is not in the best interests of students.

Proud Boys attend a rally at Freedom Plaza, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

In addition to the Proud Boys, members of the far-right Patriot Prayer militia group also took part in the provocation at Skyview High School. The rally itself was organized online by Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson, who falsely claimed in online posts building for the event that students who did not wear masks would be arrested if they attempted to go to school.

This is not the first time far-right Patriot Prayer members have tried to enter restricted spaces in order to violently pursue their agenda.

Last December, Gibson and fellow Patriot Prayer leader Chandler Pappas, in a prelude to the January 6 attack, lead a group of approximately 100 as they stormed the Oregon state Capitol in Salem in an attempt to disrupt a special legislative session.

While the Proud Boys were joined by a few parents from other schools protesting the mask mandate, students at the school organized an impromptu counter-protest in which they distributed masks and held up signs supporting public health measures aimed at containing the spread of the coronavirus. A 16-year old student named Lucas told OPB, All the learning gets disrupted. We have to sit down quietly, not make noise, and we were hunkered down in our classrooms for around an hour to an hour-and-a-half.

The very next day, a group of Proud Boys rallied approximately 100 miles north, in Olympia, Washington, in opposition to COVID-19 public health restrictions. The group attacked counter-demonstrators and journalists, assaulting independent journalist Alissa Azar. In a disturbing social media clip, Azar can be heard screaming as Proud Boys spray her with bear mace and shove her to the ground.

Following the assault on Azar, Proud Boy brawler Tusitala Tiny Toese was reportedly shot in the leg. Olympia police say they are investigating the shooting of Toese. No arrests have been made as of this writing.

In another assault on journalists carried out by far-right elements, on August 28 in Traverse City, Michigan, Record-Eagle reporter Brendan Quealy was attacked by anti-vaccine and anti-mask protesters while covering their rally at a public park. Quealy told police that two men shoved and pushed him before punching him in the face for recording audio at the rally. The attack is still being investigated by the Grand Traverse County Sheriffs Office.

The hands-off approach taken by local police towards the violent militia groups and their supporters mirrors the lax treatment Proud Boys members encountered when confronted by US Capitol Police during the January 6 attack on the Capitol. The assault, spearheaded by Proud Boys militia members, was aimed at blocking congressional certification of the Electoral College vote and officially recognizing Joe Biden as the president-elect.

Dozens of members of the group are facing some of most serious charges levied by federal prosecutors in connection with the attempted coup, but dozens more Proud Boys who participated in the attack and in subsequent violent rallies have yet be arrested. The far-right foot soldiers are deeply intertwined with the Republican Party and the capitalist state. Members of the group have admitted to being FBI informants and enjoy close relations with Republican Party operatives .

The incident in Washington state was not the only time last week when far-right elements attempted to storm schools in opposition to public health measures meant to stem the spread of the pandemic. The day before the Proud Boys rally in Vancouver, Washington, three Arizona men entered the Mesquite Elementary School in Tucson carrying zip-ties and attempted to perform a citizens arrest on Principal Diane Vargo for having the temerity to enforce masking and quarantine mandates.

No injuries were reported and the three men left the school after police were called.

Forty-year-old Rishi Rambaran, the father of one of the children instructed to quarantine, was identified as one of the men who stormed the school. He is the only person arrested in connection with attack.

Another attacker who was identified is Kelly Walker, who live-streamed the incident on Instagram. According to The Daily Beast, Walker owns a coffee shop in Tucson that describes itself as Tucsons hub of freedom and delicious coffee. The shop recently hosted a Freedom Talk event for Republican Party operative, convicted felon and far-right commentator Dinesh DSouza. In October, the coffee shop is planning on hosting former Space Force Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Lohmeier.

Lohmeier was relieved of his command earlier this year after he appeared on a podcast promoting his self-published book, which warns of an impending white genocide. Lohmeier claimed that a neo-Marxist agenda was being advanced in the military, cloaked in Critical Race Theory, with the ultimate aim of overthrowing the US government and replacing it with a communist dictatorship.

Fascists feel empowered to harass and intimidate educators, journalists and students because they have been allowed to by sympathetic police departments and have the support of Republican Party politicians. During a rally last Sunday, a Republican candidate for governor of Pennsylvania, Steve Lynch, evoked applause from the audience when he advocated removing by force school board members who adhere to masking and quarantining guidelines.

Im going in there with 20 strong men, he said. Im going to speak in front of the school board and Im going to give them the option, they can leave or they can be removed. And then after that we are going to replace them with nine parents and we are going to vote down the mask mandates that evening. This is how you get stuff done, forget writing your legislators, forget it. They are not listening. You gotta do something.

Lynch added, When I see criminals trying to take my rights and my beautiful children and everything they are going to do, youre going to have to take my life. Theres no way, Ill die on this hill.

At a school board meeting in Buncombe County, North Carolina in early August, Hitler admirer, Trump co-conspirator and Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn railed against woke, liberal government officials for imposing a mask mandate. Cawthorn, who recently threatened a second coup attempt, called mask-wearing psychological child abuse and accused board members of muzzling children.

While Republicans, working closely with their fascist militia allies, threaten violence against any who adhere to minimum public health guidelines, the Democrats and their trade union toadies do nothing to protect teachers and students, not only from the coronavirus, but from fascistic attacks as well. The Vancouver Education Association, the union that claims to represent Vancouver teachers, has yet to post anything on its website or on social media pages condemning the fascist rally on Friday.

On September 18, militia groups and Republican Party officials plan to hold a rally in Washington D.C. whose central demand will be the release of those imprisoned for participating in the fascist insurrection on January 6.

The Justice for J6 rally is being organized by former Trump campaign employee Matt Braynard, who organized similar rallies earlier this summer, as well a July event outside the Washington D.C. Central Detention Facility in support of the imprisoned fascist insurrectionists. While no speakers list has been unveiled as of this writing, Texas Republican and coup supporter Louie Gohmert intimated to CNN last month that he might speak at the event in support of militia members who have been so badly mistreated.

So we havent given up, added Gohmert.
Millions of children returned to school in England yesterday for the first full week back after the summer break, amid warnings from scientists over the rapid spread of COVID-19.

The infection rate in the UK among all age groups is currently 26 times higher than it was this time last year, and rising. Over 41,000 people tested positive for the virus yesterday, taking the total for the last week to 263,885 cases, a 12.2 percent increase on the week before. There were 6,573 people admitted to hospital in the last week, a 3.7 percent increase, and 789 deaths, over 110 a day.

Yesterdays case number took the official total in the UK during the pandemic to over 7 million. Case numbers are likely far higher. The ZOE Covid Symptom Study, working with Kings College London, reported an estimated 57,322 daily cases last weeka 10 percent increase on the week before.

Pupils at Covid test station as they entered their new secondary school for the first time at Wales High school, Sheffield, England, Friday, Sept. 3, 2021. Fewer measures are in place in schools than during last term, with bubbles and masks no longer in use in England and Wales, while Northern Ireland has also scrapped social distancing requirements. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

An estimated 30 percent of these cases were among double-vaccinated people, with lead scientist Professor Tim Spector commenting, weve seen evidence that the protection provided by vaccines is wearing off. This confirms the findings of a major study by Oxford University last month which found waning levels of vaccine efficacy over time for both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer jabs.

The infection rate among childrenwith 30 times more casesis even more elevated compared to last year than it is for the general population. In the week to August 28, there were more than 300 Covid cases per 100,000 among five to 15-year-olds, compared to 10 in 100,000 in the same week in 2020.

These numbers will skyrocket in the next few weeks, as children spend hours a day in schools with no requirements for mask wearing, distancing or contact tracing. The bubble system, albeit limited, has been scrapped and no provisions made to improve ventilation. The vast majority of children are still unvaccinated.

Dr David Strain, senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School, told Sky News, The summer holiday acted exactly as a firebreak would. What were now expecting is the rates to pick up and the R number to jump to about 1.7basically doubling in case numbers on a weekly basis.

Professor John Edmunds, a member of the governments scientific advisory group for emergencies (SAGE) cautioned that there was a long way to go if we allow infection just to run through the population, thats a lot of children who will be infected and that will be a lot of disruption to schools in the coming months.

Primary school pupils return to a school in Bournemouth, England on Monday September 6, 2021 (WSWS Media)

A report published by SAGEs Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling subgroup on August 27 predicted: Schools will represent a high proportion of remaining susceptible individuals and it is highly likely that exponential increases will be seen in school-attending age groups after schools open.

Infections have already surged in Scotland, after schools reopened several weeks earlier there and in Northern Ireland. A further 7,065 new coronavirus cases were reported Monday in Scotland. Case rates specifically among the under-15s in Scotland have trebled. In the last week, over 400 pupils at both Larne High School in Northern Ireland and St Ninians High School in Kirkintilloch, Scotland were reported absent due to Covid.

The rapid spread of infection will expose millions of children to the risk of debilitating Long Covid and severe illness and hospitalisation, with the longer-term health implications still unknown. School workers, even if vaccinated, can still contract the disease with serious consequences and will be exposed to extremely high levels of the virus. These risks are especially grave for the clinically vulnerable.

High infection rates in schools will also contribute to a dangerous worsening of the pandemic in the wider population.

Imperial College London pandemic modeller Professor Neil Ferguson has warned that he expects the return of English schools to lead to a significant surge. He added that if daily cases are allowed to climb above 100,000 there would be significant demands on the health system.

This would coincide with the extreme pressures placed on the National Health Service (NHS) annually in the colder months, which this year are preceded by a summer crisis.

Dr Nick Scriven, former president of the Society for Acute Medicine, explained last week: I think it is fair to say we are currently facing an unprecedented summer workload that feels more like the worst winter pressures most of us can recall.

We are seeing vast numbers of patients with non-Covid illness alongside the steady admission rates of those still very poorly with Covid.

The types of illnesses we are seeing are typical of winter weather as in a lot of respiratory infections, especially in paediatrics, but also a lot of people where the lack of access to primary and secondary care during the last 18 months could now be contributing to them needing hospital admission.

Current president Dr Susan Crossland added: This is a deeply concerning time as we are in uncharted territory here with a summer crisis consisting of so many different problems with no end in sight and the daunting prospect of an extremely busy and difficult winter.

We know many hospitals are at bed occupancy levels well over the safe limit of 85 percent, with some at more than 95 percent, at this point of the year and we know we have worse to come.

The ambulance service received a record number of calls in Julyclose to one millionand of callouts for life-threatening conditions82,000. In August, ambulance trusts in the North East, East, South Central and South West regions of England had to call in support from the Army.

Multiple hospitals in the last two months have been forced to declare black alerts due to patient numbers and a shortage of staff and resources, meaning they are struggling or unable to deliver comprehensive care and patients safety is at risk.

NHS Confederation leader Matthew Taylor described the summer as being like a mid-winter crisis, saying we are running hot and you cant do that forever.

The criminally unsafe return to school has been backed by a major government propaganda campaign. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has pledged to move heaven and earth to make sure that we arent in a position of having to close schools, insisting we want to see children back in the classroom; we dont want to see the same level of disruption [i.e., children exposed to the virus self-isolating].

On August 26, the BBC reported, A campaign on radio, social and digital media to reassure parents and pupils it is safe to return to school in England has been launched by the government. The BBC have lent their own services to this offensive.

Williamson and the Tory government can count on the backing of the Labour Party and the trade unions, both of which support the reopening even as they admit schools will become a cauldron of Covid, in the words of shadow schools minister Peter Kyle.

Where the unions criticise the governments actions, they frequently do so from the Tories own perspective of minimising disruption, not of protecting workers and children. Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said late last month that the governments management of the return to school was a recipe for chaos, and the government cannot once again allow a situation to develop in which attendance unravels, and children experience yet more disruption.

At most, the unions call for inadequate mitigation measures such as the reimplementation of masking, but even these are made as lame appeals to the government to act.

National Education Union joint general secretary Kevin Courtney has politely recommended, Government should support leaders in secondary schools and colleges in weighing up the case for continuing to require staff and students to wear face coverings around the premisesincluding potentially in classroomsand on dedicated school transport, particularly in areas with high case rates. He has asked Williamson to help schools consider face coverings from day one of term, alongside social distancing where possible, and special consideration for vulnerable staff.

The only political organisation which represents school workers, parents and students fighting for the elimination of the virus through a combination of school and workplace closures, rigorous testing and tracing and a series of public health measures, as well as vaccination, is the Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee. We call on all those in education who agree with this programme to contact the Committee today.
On Thursday, a group of Stanford University Resident Assistants (RAs) announced that they were going on an indefinite strike after the university failed to address their concerns and demands regarding COVID-19 safety. Student workers are demanding, among other things, virtual staff training to reduce the spread of COVID-19, compensation for a two-week mandatory training program, and greater student control and input over dormitory policies on campus.

The strike is part of a growing movement among students, staff and academics at campuses nationwide against the unsafe reopening of in-person classes. Lecturers at University of Michigan are currently threatening strike action over unsafe classrooms.

The group, Student Collective Action Against Residential Education (SCAARE), had threatened to strike Wednesday in an email sent to the university administrators. The decision to threaten a strike came after an RA caught COVID-19 at mandatory in-person training for RAs in the lead-up to the fall semester.

Sanford University (Image Credit: StanfordGSC/Twitter)

The university had put some 500 student workers in a single room for the all-day event. A few days later all of the RAs attending were notified in an email that one of them had tested positive for COVID-19. While all student RAs are mandated to be vaccinated, the Delta variant can spread much more easily than earlier variants among vaccinated people, especially months after their second dose.

In the letter addressed to the university, the student workers stated, We cannot care for our residents when you are actively forcing us into conditions that directly threaten our emotional and physical health.

It continued, Particularly for those of us who are immunocompromised, you have forced us to make an impossible choice: either we risk attending another potential superspreader event, or we remain untrained as you continue to refuse to provide a hybrid or virtual option for staff training. The letter was signed by over 100 RAs.

RAs at most universities and colleges are usually fellow students who receive a small amount of compensation, either in the form of lodging or a financial sum, in exchange for performing a wide variety of services for the University in the student dormitories. This often includes crisis management, helping students with mental health issues or medical problems, event hosting, and general assistance and management in student living quarters.

The students concern over the spread of COVID underscores the even deeper issue: classes should not be open for in-person learning in the first place. Many classes on the Stanford campus have hundreds of students. According to Stanfords website, the university is also not placing any restrictions on nonstudent events unless they have more than 5,000 people and are held indoors, a measure that allows large and lucrative conferences hosted at the institution to continue.

Stanford University responded to the strike threat by making one day of the two-week mandatory RA training program online. Student workers, however, rejected this offer as inadequate. Only an estimated 150 student workers showed up to the online training, after the announcement of the beginning of the strike. There are an estimated 28 student dormitories on campus where the RAs are on strike.

Another demand of the Stanford RAs is that they receive financial compensation for the two-week training they undertake. Currently Stanford RAs get paid $11,400 a year and do not receive free room and board from the university. Not only is room and board far higher than this, $16,433 a year, but this sum is entirely inadequate for the costs of living in the Stanford area of Palo Altoone of the most expensive places to live in the United States.

Often those participating in RA programs are those students who do not have the financial means to easily attend college and are trying to work to make it possible. Students are demanding they get paid $18 an hour for the training period.

One anonymous Stanford RA who spoke to ABC 7 stated, were essentially paying to work. They also expressed their fear of retaliation from the university, saying, Im very very fearful, I am only one [person], and Stanford is this huge elite institution.

Over the last month, colleges and campuses across the United States have gone back to in-person instruction for the fall semester, sending hospitalization rates beyond the peaks from last winter. In the San Francisco Bay Area, where Stanford is located, significant outbreaks have occurred in several counties despite high vaccination percentages. Contra Costa County, for example, has a 7-day average of COVID cases of 563 (as of September 4th), not far below the January peak of 680. Alameda County, where the city of Oakland is located, has gone from an average of 35 cases per day in June to 441 cases per day in the latest data. Santa Clara County, where Stanford is located, has gone from 35 cases per day in June to about 500 todaythe worst outbreak since the winter months.

Across the San Francisco Bay, at the University of California, Berkeley, cases have spiked even though the campus has forbidden nonvaccinated students on campus. The weekly average among students have increased nearly sixfold to 65 since the beginning of August.

The outbreaks throughout the San Francisco Bay Area speak to the bankruptcy of a vaccine-only mitigation approach to COVID-19. While vaccines are a necessary part of any comprehensive eradication strategy, leading virologists and epidemiologists have stressed that COVID-19 could be eradicated in a matter of weeks through a combination of universal vaccinations, testing and contract tracing and a shutdown of schools and nonessential industries.

This is why the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE), the youth section of the Socialist Equality Party, calls for an end to all in-person instruction. The virus can and should be eradicated. The necessary public health measures, however, will only be taken on the basis of a broad, scientifically informed, movement of the international working class to fight for these critical measures and stop the virus.

We call on Stanford RAs and all university students and faculty who want to fight against the unsafe return to in-person learning to contact the IYSSE and the World Socialist Web Site today to get involved in the fight.
25 years ago: Former Clinton partner jailed in Whitewater scandal

President Bill Clinton speaks at Coast Guard Group Miami Beach Dec. 11, 1997. (Image Credit: USCG photo by PA1 Jeff Hall)

On September 9, 1996, Susan McDougal, a former business partner of Bill and Hillary Clinton in the Whitewater real estate investment, was sent to prison for contempt of court after she refused to answer questions about her relations with the Clintons before a grand jury investigation into the Whitewater affair. McDougal denounced special prosecutor Kenneth Starr, claiming he had pressured her to implicate Bill Clinton in return for leniency.

No one has asked me not to tell this story, she told the press. Its just that I cant trust them. Theyve always wanted something on the Clintons. Theyve always asked me to tell something for any deal theyve offered me. Its not something I can be a part of.

McDougal and her ex-husband James were the Clintons partners in the Whitewater development. Susan McDougal kept records of the venture during the mid-1980s before turning management over to Hillary Clinton in 1987. Starrs questions focused, however, not on these financial dealings, but on whether Clinton had testified truthfully in her trial on charges of fraud.

Susan McDougal was convicted and sent to prison for receiving an illegal $300,000 loan in the 1980s from a federally backed fund headed by former Little Rock Judge David Hale. Starrs prosecutors claimed that Bill Clinton, then governor of Arkansas, lobbied for the loan, and that part of the loan was used to retire his Whitewater debts.

The loan was part of a complex scheme engineered by James McDougal to sustain his failing Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan and other real estate developments. There was no evidence that any of the funds went to Whitewater or that either of the Clintons profited from or was aware of the arrangement. The flimsy case nonetheless served as the launching pad for the five-year-long campaign of political destabilization waged by right-wing groups against the White House, ultimately culminating in the impeachment of Clinton in 1998.

50 years ago: Attica prisoners rebel against guards

Attica state prison

On September 9, 1971, prisoners being held in the Attica Correctional Facility in Attica, New York rioted against the prison guards and took control of a large portion of the prison. The inmates took a number of guards as hostages and issued demands for improvements to their barbaric living conditions.

The prison uprising in Attica followed a rebellion inside the Manhattan Detention Center, called the Tombs, about one year earlier. Many of the leaders in the Tombs uprising were sent to Attica to be held in solitary confinement after it was suppressed.

Adding to the unrest in the prisons, Black Panther George Jackson was shot and killed in a botched escape attempt from San Quentin prison in California on August 21, just weeks before. Jackson was one of the Soledad Brothers who was the target of frame-up charges for the murder of a prison guard because of his embrace of anti-capitalist and anti-racist politics.

Conditions in Attica were abysmal. At the time of the riot, the prison held 2,243 inmates despite being designed for a maximum of just 1,200. Prisoners were regularly abused by the guards. Black inmates, who were over 50 percent of the prisons population, complained of intense racism from the all-white guard staff. Guards would only allow black inmates to work the least desirable and lowest paid prison jobs.

The riot broke out after a relatively minor scuffle between two inmates. When guards intervened to bring the prisoners back to their cells, a larger brawl broke out that involved fighting between prisoners and guards. Initially the guards restored order and took the inmates involved to solitary confinement. Fearing backlash and punishment from the guards, inmates rebelled en masse.

The riot spread, quickly involving about half of all inmates, who took control of one of the prison yards, two walking tunnels, and the prisons central control room. They held 42 prison guards and other employees as hostages.

Prisoners elected a committee to issue demands to New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller. The demands included better medical treatment, fair visitation rights, improved food quality, religious freedom, higher wages for inmate jobs, and an end to physical abuse from the guards. They also called for the removal of the prison warden and an assurance that there would be no retaliation against prisoners for the riot.

While Rockefeller led the prisoners along with negotiations, he began preparing a raid to take the prison back with brutal violence. On September 13, a force of prison guards and New York State police retook the prison by throwing gas grenades and indiscriminately firing shotguns, killing 29 prisoners and nine of the hostages.

75 years ago: US Secretary of State delivers Cold War speech in Germany

Secretary of State James Byrne

On September 6, 1946, US Secretary of State James F. Byrnes delivered a speech in Stuttgart, Germany, outlining plans for an extended American military presence in Europe and marking a further deterioration in relations with the Soviet Union.

The speech was one of the first major statements of US post-war policy in Germany. In it, Byrnes effectively disavowed earlier assurances that the American armed forces would remain in Europe for only two years following the end of World War II in 1945, instead signaling an indefinite troop presence.

Byrnes also distanced the Truman administration from previous plans for the large-scale dismantling of German industry, which had been aimed at preventing the country from again becoming a significant military power. He declared the US intended prosperity and unity for Germany and would oppose any attempts to carve out parts of it, including the Ruhr and the Rhineland, for annexation.

Under conditions in which the country was still divided into US, British, French and Soviet-controlled zones, he called for rapid economic and political unification. Contrary to previous assurances to the Soviet and Polish authorities, Byrnes also stated that the boundary of Germanys eastern border was yet to be finalized.

The remarks were widely viewed as being directed against the Soviet Union. Occurring amid a sharp clash between the US and the Stalinist bureaucracy over access to the Turkish Straits, they were an assertion of American imperialisms plans for a preeminent role in postwar Europe. The speech also implicitly suggested that German development under the guidance of the US and other imperialist powers would result in prosperity, whereas a turn to the Soviet Union would lead to the further immiseration of the population.

100 years ago: British premier sets limits to Irish Independence

Eamon de Valera

On September 7, 1921, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George declared that there was no question of negotiating the complete independence of Ireland from the British Empire. Ireland could have no more than commonwealth status, in which the British government made foreign policy decisions.

Lloyd George called a halt to the exchange of diplomatic notes between the British cabinet and representatives of the Irish Dail, the nationalist parliament dominated by Sinn Fein. In particular, the prime ministers letter addressed the attempts by the leader of the Irish negotiators, Eamon de Valera, to sever all connections with Britain.

The British government and the Irish nationalists had declared a truce in the brutal war, known as the Irish War of Independence, that had raged since 1919, and had opened up negotiations in July.

Lloyd Georges letter said in part: To decline to discuss a settlement which would bestow upon the Irish people the fullest freedom for national development within the empire can only mean that you repudiate all allegiance to the Crown and all membership in the British Commonwealth. If we were to draw this inference from your letter, then future discussion between us could serve no useful purpose, and all conferences would be in vain.

The British proposed a conference for September 20, which they canceled in light of de Valerias intransigence.

Nevertheless, a section of Sinn Fein supported an agreement of this sort and obtained a slim majority in favor of it in the Dail. The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed in December, on the conditions that Lloyd George wanted, which included the separation of Northern Ireland from the south, with six northern counties remaining under direct British control.

The new 26-county polity in the south was called the Irish Free State. Its declaration caused a split in the Irish nationalist movement and the beginning of the Irish Civil War of June 1922 to May 1923.
Here is some background information on terror attacks involving vehicles used as deadly weapons by radicalized individuals or terror groups.

Facts

Al Qaeda's Yemeni branch encouraged its Western recruits to use trucks as weapons. A 2010 webzine article, "The Ultimate Mowing Machine," called for deploying a pickup truck as a "mowing machine, not to mow grass but mow down the enemies of Allah."

In September 2014, ISIS spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani called for lone wolf attacks using improvised weaponry, "If you are not able to find an IED or a bullet, then single out the disbelieving American, Frenchman or any of their allies. Smash his head with a rock or slaughter him with a knife or run him over with your car or throw him down from a high place or choke him or poison him."

Timeline

March 3, 2006 - Mohammed Taheri-azar, an Iranian-American, drives an SUV into an area crowded with students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Nine people sustain minor injuries during the attack, which Teheri-azar later says is retribution for the killing of Muslims overseas. He is convicted of attempted murder in 2008 and is sentenced to 33 years in prison.

October 22, 2014 - A 3-month-old girl and an Ecuadorian tourist are killed when a driver swerves into a crowd at a light rail station in Jerusalem. The driver, Abdel Rahman al-Shaludi, is shot and killed by police. Israeli media reported he published militant writing on Facebook and supported Hamas, a fundamentalist Islamic group that has conducted attacks in Gaza and the West Bank, but his family denied he supported Hamas or any terror organization.

July 14, 2016 - After a Bastille Day fireworks display in Nice, France, a man drives a 20-ton rental truck into the crowd, striking and killing 86 people. The attacker, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, 31, a Tunisian national, drives nearly a mile on the beachfront promenade before he is shot and killed by authorities. French officials say Bouhlel seemed to become radicalized "very quickly" by ISIS propaganda before the attack. He also suffered from mental illness, according to his father.

November 28, 2016 - At Ohio State University, 11 people are injured when a student, Abdul Razak Ali Artan, 18, carries out a car and knife attack. A campus police officer shoots and kills Artan, whom police believe was inspired by ISIS and the radical cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki.

December 19, 2016 - A Tunisian man drives a tractor trailer into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people. In the wake of the attack, authorities conduct a manhunt for Anis Amri, 24, throughout Europe. He is shot and killed by police in Milan, Italy, four days after the attack. Hours after Amri dies, ISIS releases a video of him pledging allegiance to the terrorist group.

March 22, 2017 - A man drives an SUV into a crowd on the sidewalk along the Westminster Bridge in London, killing at least four. After ramming the car into a barrier outside the House of Parliament, the driver exits the vehicle and stabs a police officer to death. The attacker is then gunned down by a police officer. The assailant, Khalid Masood, 52, of West Midlands, reportedly had a criminal record and may have had connections to violent extremism, British Prime Minister Theresa May says.

April 7, 2017 - Four people are killed when a truck drives into pedestrians on a busy street in the center of Stockholm, Sweden, before crashing into a department store. A fifth victim dies from her injuries three weeks later. The attacker, Rakhmat Akilov, a 39-year-old from Uzbekistan, admitted to carrying out a "terrorist crime," his lawyer says. Akilov is later sentenced to life in prison.

June 3, 2017 - Eight people are killed in two terror attacks in central London before police shoot three suspects dead, the Metropolitan police say. The violence begins when a van swerves into throngs of pedestrians on London Bridge. The suspects then jump out of the van and proceed on foot to nearby Borough Market, a popular nightlife spot, where witnesses say they produce knives and slash indiscriminately at people in restaurants and bars. At least 48 people are taken to hospitals, according to the London Ambulance Service.

June 19, 2017 - Just after midnight, a van plows into a group of pedestrians who had attended late-night prayers at London's Finsbury Park Mosque, killing one man and injuring 11 people. The driver is arrested at the scene for attempted murder and further held on suspicion of terrorism offenses. The suspect is later identified as Darren Osborne, 47, a resident of Cardiff in Wales, according to multiple UK media outlets. Osborne is later sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 43 years.

August 16-18, 2017 - At least 13 people are killed and about 100 are injured on August 17 after a van plows through a crowd of people in a popular tourist district in Barcelona, Spain. Two suspects are arrested, but the driver gets away, according to police. ISIS' media wing, Amaq, issues a statement claiming responsibility, saying that the attackers are "soldiers of the Islamic State." On August 18, in Cambrils, a coastal city around 100 kilometers from Barcelona, five attackers drive an Audi A3 into several pedestrians, killing one. The attackers are shot and killed by police. A house explosion on August 16, in Alcanar, south of Barcelona, is also believed to be connected to the attacks.

September 30-October 1, 2017 - On September 30 in Edmonton, Canada, a man purposely strikes a police officer with a white Chevrolet Malibu before jumping out of the vehicle, stabbing the officer several times with a knife and fleeing on foot. There is an ISIS flag in the car, which is later seized as evidence. Just before midnight that same day, a police officer stops a U-Haul truck at a checkpoint and recognizes the driver's name as similar to that of the Chevrolet's registered owner. The U-Haul truck then speeds off toward downtown Edmonton. During the chase, the truck deliberately attempts to hit pedestrians in crosswalks and alleys, injuring at least four pedestrians. Abdulahi Hasan Sharif, 30, a Somali refugee, is later charged with five counts of attempted murder, dangerous driving, criminal flight causing bodily harm and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

October 31, 2017 - Eight people are killed and almost a dozen injured when a 29-year-old man in a rented pickup truck drives down a busy bicycle path near the World Trade Center in New York. The captured suspect is identified as Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov. Authorities found a note near the truck used in the incident, claiming the attack was made in the name of ISIS, a senior law enforcement official said.

July 29, 2018 - Four cyclists - two Americans, a Swiss man and a man from the Netherlands - are killed and three others are injured when they are run down by a car in southern Tajikistan. The car's occupants leave the vehicle and begin attacking the cyclists with knives. A day later, ISIS claims responsibility for the attack.

August 14, 2018 - A car crashes into security barriers outside the UK's Houses of Parliament during the morning rush hour, injuring several people. The driver is arrested on suspicion of terrorist offenses. He is later identified as Salih Khater, a 29-year-old UK national who emigrated from Sudan.

August 18, 2020 - Police in Germany arrest a 30-year-old man after a series of motorway incidents in Berlin. Six people are injured in what prosecutors say is a "suspected Islamist act."

The-CNN-Wire

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VINCENNES, Ind. (WTHI) - One local Wabash Valley community is honoring its veterans in a special way.

This labor day weekend, the Indiana Military Museum hosted its 13th Annual "Salute to the Veterans of World War II."

Dozens of community members came to pay tribute to our local veterans. Community members came to see live battle re-enactments, experience authentic military camps, learn about World War II history, and pay tribute to local veterans.

The museum curator says this event is the perfect way to honor all World War II veterans who served our country. But, he also says, this museum is a special gem in the Wabash Valley, which pays tribute to all of our local veterans every day of the year.

"It's probably one of the ten best comprehensive military museums in the whole country and it's right here in Southern, Indiana," Jim Osborne, the museum curator, said.

The Indiana Military Museum is open every day from 10 AM to 4 PM.

Organizers say they are planning another special tribute to Vietnam Veterans on October 9th.

To learn more and visit the museum, click here.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - On Friday at 9:30 p-m, 47-year-old inmate Stephen Dwayne Cannada was found unresponsive at the United States Penitentiary.

Officials say, responding staff initiated life-saving measures and emergency medical services (EMS) were soon called to the scene.

Mr. Cannada was soon pronounced dead by EMS personnel.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was notified and no staff or other inmates were injured, and at no time was the public in danger.

Mr. Cannada was sentenced in the Eastern District of Texas to a 99-month sentence for possession with intent to distribute Methamphetamine. He had been in custody at USP Terre Haute since September 3, 2021.
VERMILLION COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - The rise in COVID-19 cases across the nation and the Wabash Valley prompted one local school to revise its protocols.

The South Vermillion Community School Corporation held an emergency meeting to determine a new social distancing plan.

Starting Tuesday, all students, staff, and visitors will be required to wear masks indoors.

The school board cites a rise in student cases and quarantines as the reason for the shift in policy.

"We weren't currently in a mask mandate. It was simply encouraged, and the number of quarantined students and staff has risen dramatically over the last couple of weeks," Superintendent Dave Chapman said.

Several parents attended the meeting, with a majority in favor of the mandate. One parent said her students struggled to learn while in quarantine.

"It's hard. I've had two of my kids quarantined. Both of them were very emotional. My oldest daughter cried because e-learning is very difficult for her. That interaction with a teacher, face to face, is what helps our children learn better than online," Michelle Wilson said.

The impact of a new executive order

Last week, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed an executive order that impacts schools that have a mask mandate in place. It's unclear if this order impacted the South Vermillion decision.

It says if schools and daycares have mask requirements and those requirements are "consistently followed" all day, students, staff, and teachers do not have to quarantine "who are close contacts and aren't showing symptoms of COVID-19."

See the exact wording of the orders below:

The measure will allow for schools and day cares to modify quarantine provisions if the facilities adhere to the following orders and guidance set by IDOH:
The Taliban have claimed victory in Afghanistan's Panjshir province, with a spokesman saying the region had been "completely conquered" following two weeks of fierce fighting with a resistance group.

Panjshir was the last remaining hold-out among Afghanistan's 34 provinces to resist the Taliban. If the claim is true, it would mean the Taliban now control every Afghan province.

However, the National Resistance Front in Afghanistan (NRF), an anti-Taliban group which has been battling the militants' offensive in the Panjshir Valley, denied the claim, with spokesman Ali Nazary telling CNN: "The resistance is still all over the valley."

In reference to the Taliban offensive, NRF leader Ahmad Massoud said Monday that "in no way military pressure on us and our territory will lessen our resolve to continue our fight."

Call for a national uprising

In a long message on his Facebook page, Massoud also appealed to Afghans, whether in or outside the country, to join "a general uprising for the sake of honor, freedom and pride of our country." Massoud also called for international support for his cause.

Photos and videos shared widely on social media showed the white flag of the Taliban hoisted between buildings in what appeared to be the Panjshir governor's office in the provincial capital of Bazarak. CNN cannot independently verify the image.

"The last nest of the enemy, Panjshir province, was completely conquered," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a tweet. "We assure the honorable people of Panjshir that they will not face any discriminatory treatment. They are all our brothers, and we will work for one country and one common goal. With the recent efforts and this victory, our country is completely out of the vortex of war."

Mujahid later told a news conference that the province "which was the last place of our enemy has been cleared completely last night," adding that there were no civilian casualties in the last few days and "all weapons have been captured."

Although it did not deny the center of Panjshir had fallen to the militants, the NRF said earlier in the day that other areas in Panjshir remained under its control.

"Most of Bazarak district and all the side valleys are controlled by the NRF," Nazary said.

"Taliban's claim of occupying Panjshir is false. The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight. We assure the people of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban and their partners will continue until justice and freedom prevails," the NRF said.

The claim comes after a weekend of intense fighting in the Panjshir Valley, with heavy casualties reported.

NRF leader Massoud said in a Facebook post on Sunday he is in support of clerics in the capital Kabul who have called for an end to the fighting and was ready to talk once the Taliban withdrew troops from Panjshir and the neighboring district of Andarab.

There's been no official Taliban response to Massoud's proposals.

In his Facebook post on Monday, Massoud said he had lost family members in the fighting in Panjshir,

Massoud added that the NRF accepted the appeal of religious leaders to end the fighting, but the "Taliban showed their identity and showed that they have no belief in Sharia."

"The Taliban started attacking us which resulted in the killing of a large number of our countrymen including my family members," he said.

Massoud said that what was happening in Afghanistan would make the country "backward, dark, far from any kind of culture and art and unity as well as an Afghanistan that is in total isolation from the rest of the world."

Earlier, Taliban spokesman Belal Kareemi told CNN the group's militant fighters had taken all districts of Panjshir province except for the capital of Bazarak and Rokha districts, which remain under NRF control. But resistance fighters appeared to rebut the Taliban's claims.

Panjshir is a strategic slice of mountainous terrain rich with precious mineral resources around 90 miles (144 kilometers) north of Kabul, and has a long history of resisting the insurgent group. In the late 1990s, it was a center of resistance against the Taliban during their rule.

For two weeks the NRF, a multi-ethnic group that includes former Afghan security force members and reportedly numbers in the thousands, has continued the fight against the Taliban following the militants' almost-complete takeover of Afghanistan.

The NRF said its spokesmen Fahim Dashty and General Abdul Wudod Zara had been killed.

On Sunday, Taliban spokesman Kareemi claimed the enemy had suffered "heavy casualties," including among their commanders, and that the Taliban hope to be able to "clear Panjsher as soon as possible." Taliban fighters are currently advancing toward Rokha and Bazarak, Kareemi added.

Before his death, NRF spokesman Dashti appeared to rebut the Taliban's claims, tweeting that the Paryan district of Panjshir was "completely cleared" of the Taliban.

"At least 1,000 terrorists were trapped due to the cutting of their way out. All the attackers were either killed, surrendered or captured by locals with help from resistance fighters as they fled and retreated. Many of these prisoners are foreigners and most of them are Pakistanis," Dashti said.

CNN has not been able to independently verify the overall casualty figures in the latest rounds of fighting.

Taliban pledge humanitarian staff safety and security

The United Nations said in a statement on Sunday that Taliban authorities "pledged that the safety and security of humanitarian staff, and humanitarian access to people in need, will be guaranteed and that humanitarian workers -- both men and women -- will be guaranteed freedom of movement."

It comes after UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs Martin Griffiths met with Taliban co-founder and deputy leader Mullah Baradar and other senior Taliban figures in Kabul to reiterate the UN's commitment to humanitarian aid there.

"In this meeting, Mr. Griffiths reiterated the humanitarian community's commitment to deliver impartial and independent humanitarian assistance and protection to millions of people in need," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said in a statement.

The UN said Afghanistan "faces a looming humanitarian catastrophe" fueled by conflict, drought and hunger. Half the country's population -- 18 million people -- need humanitarian assistance to survive and the situation will become more acute as a severe drought, the second in four years, will further contribute to hunger in the months ahead, according to Dujarric.

On Sunday, aid planes from Qatar and Bahrain arrived in Kabul, transporting more than 50 tons of medical aid and food products to the country.

This is the second shipment of aid to arrive at Kabul airport from Qatar since the US troop withdrawal from the country in late August. The first shipment arrived Saturday, with a plane transporting some 17 tons of aid, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement.

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ALICEVILLE, Ala. (WTVA) - Two men are dead after a shooting in Pickens County on Saturday.

Sheriff Todd Hall said deputies and other law enforcement officers responded to a call about shots being fired on Franconia Road in Aliceville.

Michael Walker arrested in Pickens County, Alabama. Source: Pickens County Sheriff's Office. Michael Walker arrested in Pickens County, Alabama. Source: Pickens County Sheriff's Office.

When they arrived, they found two men dead outside of a home.

Officers were able to locate and arrest a suspect, but the investigation is still ongoing.

Aliceville Police Chief Tonnie Jones identified the suspect as Michael Walker, 40, of Aliceville.

He faces two counts of capital murder.

Michael Walker is accused of killing his two brothers Raymond Walker Jr., 45, and Cedric Walker, 43, Jones later confirmed.
TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) - One Tupelo woman accused of shooting a man in the leg turned herself into police Sunday afternoon.

The male victim told police he got into an argument with his girlfriend outside of a home on Lakeview Road where 24-year-old Madison Lee Miles took out a gun and shot him.

He has since been released from the hospital.

Miles is charged with aggravated assault.
SOMERVILLE, Ala. (AP)  Authorities have identified the victim of a deadly house fire in northern Alabama.

The Morgan County coroner says 53-year-old Dennis Dwayne Malone of Somerville was killed in the blaze early Monday morning.

WHNT-TV reports that the fire happened on East Upper River Road in Somerville.

Malone's body was found inside the home after the blaze was extinguished.

Morgan County sheriff's officials said the cause of death and how the fire started remained under investigation on Monday.

Somerville is just southwest of Huntsville.
Charleston, WV (25311)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. High 77F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Clarksburg, WV (26301)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. High around 80F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early with fog developing overnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Conway: Disappearance at Dahlia View is an Observational Thriller Coming to Xbox This Year From the Studio Behind The Occupation
Arnold Schwarzenegger

Dave J Hogan/Getty

Arnold Schwarzenegger has more thoughts to share on the California gubernatorial recall election that will wrap up next week, nearly 20 years after he became governor under similar circumstances.

The actor-turned-politician-turned-actor, 74, sat down for a recent interview with CNN's Dana Bash for her new podcast Total Recall: California's Political Circus, which premieres Wednesday, in which he compared the situation surrounding his own recall election win in 2003  when he ousted Gray Davis  to the state of California today.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, will face voters in a special election set to take place Sept. 14, though mail balloting is already underway, after a Republican-led campaign gathered enough signatures to require a recall.

Newsom is being challenged in the second attempted recall to reach an election in California, the first of which took place in 2003, when Davis lost to Schwarzenegger.

RELATED: Arnold Schwarzenegger Tells People Who Refuse to Get Vaccinated or Wear Masks: 'You're a Schmuck'

Schwarzenegger, who is the most recent Republican governor of California, told CNN he believes Newsom's possible recall comes in "exactly the same atmosphere as when I ran."

He linked Davis' unpopularity in 2003  largely over persistent blackouts and power issues  to current issues with the state government and the conservative-fueled ire at Newsom, who has also been criticized over his handling of COVID-19.

Polling shows residents are divided in their approval of Newsom's job performance, but he has argued there's "too much at stake in this moment" if Republicans replace him.

Governor Gavin Newsom

AGUSTIN PAULLIER/AFP via Getty California Gov. Gavin Newsom

Schwarzenegger explained on CNN that "People talk about blackouts, people are not happy with education, people are not happy with what's going on with the inequality in the state. It's out of control, the situation, and this is why there's anger ... so it's the same anger."

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When Bash pointed out that "there's no Arnold Schwarzenegger on the other side of the ballot," the Terminator star replied, "Newsom can hope  and figure out how to be Arnold Schwarzenegger for a second. Even as a Democrat, I don't know."

Schwarzenegger, who is friends with Newsom as well as others in the recall race, did not offer any official endorsements in the special election but did tell Bash, "There are people in the race that have some really good answers and that have some good solutions."

RELATED: Arnold Schwarzenegger Reflects on 2003 Recall Election Win, Shares Advice for Gov. Gavin Newsom

He added, "They will figure it out. The day is going to come very soon  the chips will fall in that particular case in the way they may, and so be it."

The New York Times reports that 80 candidates initially planned to challenge Newsom in the election but only 46 ended up submitting paperwork to appear on the ballot by the July deadline.

Among the challengers are former mayor of San Diego Kevin Faulconer, Republican state assemblyman Kevin Kiley, State Board of Equalization member Ted Gaines and reality star and former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Caitlyn Jenner

Jim Bennett/WireImage; Robin Marchant/WireImage From left: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Caitlyn Jenner

RELATED: Gov. Gavin Newsom Admits He's 'Worried' About Recall Push but Insists Politics to Blame, Not COVID Response

Not long after Jenner announced her candidacy in April, Schwarzenegger appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, where he told the host "anyone has a chance" in the recall election because "the people are dissatisfied with what's going on here."

"The key thing about all of this is it doesn't matter if it's Caitlyn or anyone else  you have a clear vision of where you want to go, what are the kind of changes you want to make and why are you qualified to become governor," he continued. "That's what you have to convince the people. All the other stuff is all nonsense, because the press will attack you no matter who you are. They attacked me. But then in the end I won, so that was the main thing."
Dukaan, a one-year-old Bangalore-based startup that enables merchants to set up online stores and sell products digitally, said on Monday it has raised $11 million in a new financing round as it looks to broaden its offerings and deepen footprints in the South Asian market.

The new financing round, a pre-Series A, was led by New York-headquartered 640 Oxford Ventures. Venture Catalyst, HOF Capital, Old Well Ventures, LetsVenture, 9Unicorns, and existing investors including Lightspeed Partners and Snow Leopard Ventures also participated in the new round.

Ritesh Agarwal of Oyo and Carl Pei of Nothing also invested in the new round, said the startup, which has raised over $17 million to date and is now valued at $71 million.

Dukaan provides individuals with no-code tools to set up digital presence. The process is straightforward and quick. First you verify your email address or phone number and then you write your business or store name. And thats it. Your digital store has been created, said Suumit Shah, co-founder and chief executive of Dukaan, in an interview with TechCrunch.

Once they have set up the store, they can manually add the inventory they have and start selling to their customers. For merchants operating in the grocery space, Dukaan also allows them to take pictures of their inventory and automatically logs them into the digital store. The startup also helps these merchants accept digital payments.

Dukaan, which is Hindi for a shop, is largely tapping into Indias massive neighborhood market. More than 100 million Indians work in what is locally more popular as kiranas. These stores, in many cases, have been operational for decades.

A slide from Dukaan's deck to investors, shared by one with TechCrunch. The startup is already engaging with several investors to raise its Series A round. Image Credits: Dukaan

In recent years, scores of firms including Reliance, Amazon and Flipkart have attempted to disrupt their business -- to little to no success. In fact, most of these firms are now increasingly exploring ways to engage with these merchants.

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But the way Dukaan has been developed, it can also be used by restaurants trying to get online, or teachers who are looking to set up digital presence. The startup said it has facilitated over 1.5 million transactions to date.

All these digital stores, by default, get a mydukaan.io website, which they distribute among their customers and friends. This has helped our startup gain more recognition in the market, said Shah.

The startup's eponymous offering charges individuals or businesses as little as 6,999 Indian rupees, or $95, per year for its services. It also offers some premium plans such as Dukaan Infinity -- which helps businesses conduct marketing on Facebook and Google and helps them rank better on Google search -- and Dukaan Enterprise for big businesses.

Retail chain Big Bazaar and German personal care brand Nivea are customers of Dukaan Enterprise. "In the case of Nivea, they have scores of distributors across the country. Now they are getting their distributors to sell the vast majority of their inventories to stores through Dukaan to bring more efficiency to the system," he said.

There is a massive white space opportunity to service the commerce needs of Indias 100 million+ small businesses and the Dukaan team with its strong product orientation and deep knowledge of the small business user is ideally positioned to lead the creation of new categories of commerce businesses in India," said Akshay Bhushan, partner at Lightspeed, in a statement.

Dukaan plans to deploy the fresh funds to build its own payments gateway and also develop plugins to integrate with delivery firms and their aggregators, said Shah. "So far the story has been about helping people with creating their stores. Now we are working on how to help these people with more things," he said.

"We are aiming to have 2 million to 3 million monthly transacting stores on the platform in the next 12 months and also reach $10 million in annual recurring revenue in that timeframe," he said.
Film Movement has acquired U.S. rights to Italian director Mario Martones The King of Laughter (Qui Rido Io) ahead of its world premiere Tuesday in competition at the Venice Film Festival.

The film, being sold internationally by Italys True Colours, toplines Toni Servillo (The Great Beauty) as popular and prolific early 20th century Neapolitan actor and playwright Eduardo Scarpetta.

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In 1904, at the height of his popularity, Scarpetta took a great risk: he staged a parody of La figlia di Iorio, a tragedy written by the greatest Italian poet of the day, Gabriele DAnnunzio. After all hell broke loose, Scarpetta ended up being sued for plagiarism by DAnnunzio himself. It was the beginning of the first copyright lawsuit in Italy, and a draining experience for Scarpetta and his family. It was also a challenging time that he overcame with an act worthy of a great thespian.

Film Movement is planning a limited theatrical release of King of Laughter in select U.S. cities, according to True Colours head of sales Giulia Casavecchia, who negotiated the deal with Film Movement president Michael Rosenberg at the Venice market. We are delighted that we made this sale ahead of the films Venice premiere, Casavecchia said. Lets hope it bodes well for the six other Italian titles we are selling here.

The King of Laughter is produced by Italys Indigo Film with backing from Rai Cinema, and in co-production with Spains Tornasol.

Film Movement previously handled the U.S. release of the restored version of Martones drama Troubling Love (Lamore molesto), an Elena Ferrante adaptation that launched from Cannes in 1995.

Since then, however, Martone has become a Venice veteran. He was in competition on the Lido recently in 2018 with Capri Revolution and then again in 2019 with The Mayor of Rione Sanita, a contemporary adaptation of the play about organized crime by late Neapolitan playwright Eduardo De Filippo. However, neither of those pics got a North American release.

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The King of Laughter will go on theatrical release in Italy Sept. 9 via RAI Cinemas 01 Distribution unit.

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On Netflixs hit crime drama Money Heist, Tokyos various lives have less to do with reincarnation and everything to do with reinvention.

And as the first half of Season 5 came to an end, fans got a better understanding of her origin story  before she died  in Episode 5, which was titled, Lives Many Lives. For instance, when Tokyo was robbing restaurants with her old boo Rene (which we saw in flashbacks), her name was simply Silene. And after their penultimate heist, Silene and Rene ran away to Portugal and partied it up until the money ran out.

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Knowing they would need to nab enough dough to retire, Rene went against his previous hesitations and said they should rob a bank. Silene agreed and said they could run away to Tokyo with the money and live happily ever after. (So, thats why shes named Tokyo.) That was not meant to be, obviously, and a security guard shot and killed Rene.

Silene fired back, killed the guard and lived on the lam until the Professor took her in and showed her a smarter and more disciplined way of stealing. (Or, as the Professor put it, being born again.) It was in her new life with the Professor and the other Dali-masked bandits that Tokyo met and fell in love with Rio.

The two had a swell life living on an island not far from Panama after their successful Royal Mint of Spain heist. That is, until Tokyo got bored and parted ways with Rio, causing the crap storm that led them to the rapidly imploding Bank of Spain heist where theyve been trapped inside for 100-plus hours.

Money Heist, Denver and Manila

The latest unraveling included Tokyo, Denver and Manila being cornered in the kitchen where they had to fight for their lives against the Spanish Army. The cast-iron stovetop brought them some much-needed cover and Tokyo was even able to throw back Gandias grenade and take out one of the soldiers (replete with a Wilhelm yelp).

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When another soldier drilled holes in the meat freezer, Tokyo shot through one of the holes and wounded him. But by doing that, she stepped outside of the snipers blind spots and they opened fire and wounded her. Around this same time, Stockholm sobered up long enough to alert the Professor, Denver, Manila and Tokyo there was a dumbwaiter shaft they could escape through.

A bloodied Tokyo decided to sacrifice herself and shoot at the Army until Denver and Manila were safe on another floor. Of course, Denver wouldnt hear of it. He said hed already lost his father Moscow in the first heist and he refused to lose his sister in the second.

Money Heist, Tokyo and Denver

Tokyo, who had been nursing her wounded arm, was touched. But she also knew she had to make them leave, so she told Denver and Manila to throw a bunch of pillows and fabrics down the shaft and shed climb down and fall the rest of the way.

The pair listened and split, and Tokyo started shooting to hold off the Army. Midway through, Rio  who had been drilling through the ceiling above him to get to Tokyo one floor up  finally broke through. Sadly, Rios escape hole was only large enough for Tokyo to look him in the eyes and say farewell.

Outnumbered and outgunned, Tokyo accepted her fate and also said goodbye to the mentor who had helped her start a new life. Youve always been my guardian angel, she told the Professor through her headpiece. Now its my turn to be yours. And with that, the soldiers riddled Tokyo with bullets.

Right before she died, Tokyo had one more mission to complete. When Gandia came over to shoot her in the head, she winked at him and showed him her hand, which was full of grenade pins. If she had to die, Tokyo was going to take the shows worst villain with her, and with one big, dramatic explosion, thats exactly what she did.

Damn, now thats how you end a midseason finale. Sis will be missed.

What did you think of the Money Heist Season 5 midseason finale and are you worried for the Professor now that Sierra has a pair of cuticle cutters? Grade the season so far in our poll and drop your thoughts in the comments.

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When it comes to exploring relationships, Ingmar Begmans iconic television series-turned-movie Scenes from a Marriage is still as relevant today as it was when it first aired almost fifty years ago. Which is why, when showrunner Hagai Levi (In Treatment, The Affair) was first approached about re-making the series, which plays out of competition at the ongoing Venice Film Festival, by Bergmans youngest son Daniel, he promptly said Yes before immediately wondering What am I going to do?

Why [remake it]? was the biggest question, Levi tells Variety.

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The problem with the original, Levi confesses, is that he felt quite alienated from protagonists Johan and Marianne. [Johan] is an asshole and hes a chauvinist and he is cold and youre not supposed to [like him], he says. While the woman  she was very weak, dependent.

And I didnt know what to do with it, he says frankly. I cannot put on a screen a character that [audiences] cannot identify with.

Six and a half years after first receiving Daniels email, Levi finally came up with the solution  and an answer to his original question  when he hit upon the idea of swapping the lead characters sexes. In Bergmans version it is the male character, Johan, who betrays his wife Marianne and upends their lives; in the HBO version it is Mira (played by Jessica Chastain) who walks out on her bewildered husband Jonathan (played by Oscar Isaac).

Swapping the sexes of the adulterer and the wounded spouse both modernised the story and made the characters more relatable. It keep[s] the structure, the story, but it creates suddenly a totally different reality, Levi says.

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The change also made the villain (ostensibly now Mira) more ambiguous. In the original, there is a more direct ascent and descent of two characters, says Michael Ellenberg, an executive producer on the HBO series. In Levis version, Mira declines in certain ways but she grows in others. And same with Jonathan.

Ellenberg, a long-time Bergman fan, also has his own answer as to why the time was ripe for a remake (although he quibbles with the term remake.) Theres remakes and then theres adaptations, he says. And no one questions doing Macbeth every 10 years, right?

What seemed exciting was to take the same DNA, same material, and see what resonates now and what doesnt, Ellenberg continues. Whats changed in the world between men and women and husbands and wives and whats the same from that era.

Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain and Hagai Levi in Venice for the premier of Scenes From a Marriage

The biggest change, of course, is the ubiquity of divorce. In the 1970s it was still fairly rare and Bergmans series (later turned into a film) was blamed for spiking divorce rates across Europe (although his film may have been a symptom of the new phenomenon rather than a cause.) With divorce no longer a taboo, Levi says he was minded to take the opposite view from Bergman when it comes to the topic of separation, one encapsulated in a scene between Jonathan and his religious mother, who matter-of-factly addresses its downsides.

I wanted to talk about the price of separation not about the price of marriage, says Levi, who has himself been through a divorce. The fact that youre locked in marriage  its not so true anymore. But what is true is this unbearable lightness of separation. People are just leaving and moving on, because this is the society we live in. I mean, if you change your iPhone every year, why not change your spouse?

And I wanted to say something about that, he continues. Isnt it too easy in a way, considering the traumatic event which is divorce, which is separation? If its a promise that theyre giving us of just go with your heart [] isnt it too shallow a little bit? Because the price is quite high.

In an effort to present Jonathan and Mira as everyman characters, Levi also took the unusual step of breaking the fourth wall at the beginning or end of each episode, giving the audience a glimpse of Isaac or Chastain as they walk onto set and into their roles. It was a very late decision, says Levi of the device, which gives the series a theatrical edge.

As Ellenberg says of the show, which is almost entirely set in Jonathan and Miras family home, the filmmakers wanted the audience to feel as though youre in the room, youre seven feet away  its almost inappropriate how close you are to these peoples lives as youre watching them.

When I came to America, started walking around the set, meeting with the actors, and I felt there is some kind of theatrical feeling in it, says Levi, who is Israeli. And also, you know, I felt that Im not American, this is not my culture, its not my language, I cannot pretend that I came to tell a very specific story about this couple from Boston or whatever. I felt its much more abstract in that way. I wanted to say something about a couple from no matter where or when, and I felt I needed a kind of device to say, Hey, this is not about [a specific couple]  its more of a fable.

It was, he said, also a way of acknowledging the pandemic era (the crew and occasionally cast appear briefly in masks) as well as reminding viewers that the show is an homage to something else thats been done before.

Levi was, unsurprisingly, acutely aware of his predecessor throughout the process. Bergmans son Daniel is an executive producer on the show and the Bergman estate was also involved in its making. I sent them the scripts, they had the notes, and I sent them the cuts, says Levi. I felt, you know, their voice was there, it was always important for me. (Ellman says: [Levis] approach to this, emotionally, had the right blend of reverence and terror.).

Given that Levi left The Affair over creative differences, was he worried he would run into similar issues on Scenes From a Marriage, which had even more stakeholders in the form of Bergmans heirs, fans and estate? Quite the opposite, says Levi. First of all, I did this one with HBO, which I feel so at home with and [with whom] I have the most creative freedom. So, that was different. And the fact that I directed it myself and wrote it myself. But mainly, you can see that this is actually the style I like, this is the way I want to approach [it]. The Affair went to a different direction. This time I could really fulfil my own taste of how to do things.

If anything, the input of the legendary Swedish directors descendants was reassuring. I felt that Bergmans spirit was floating somewhere and keeping an eye on me, smiles Levi. Which was okay.

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Wales will be able to call on support from its South Asian community when a new fans group attends Wednesdays World Cup qualifier against Estonia for the first time.

Amar Cymru has been launched to give the South Asian community a voice in the national team, with the groups formation fully backed by the Football Association of Wales.

Jalal Goni formed Amar Cymru  which translates to My Wales and resonates with the South Indian, Bangladeshi and Punjabi communities  and told the PA news agency: I saw an FAW equality banner at a game about getting national ethnic groups to support Wales.

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Youd seen dots around the ground, but not enough when you consider Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham are multi-cultural cities.

We had consultations with people of South Asian heritage to see if the interest was there to watch Wales and it clearly was.

People were buzzing to be part it after Euro 2016, they could see the rise of Wales with players like Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey and wanted to be part of it.

Youd see people from the South Asian community wearing Wales shirts on the streets but they did not go to the stadium to watch the team.

Amar Cymru members came together to support Wales at Euro 2020 this summer (PA)

The safeguarding was not there in the old days and the stigma of abuse that some fans suffered had stayed attached to them.

Neath-born Goni, who now lives in Cardiff, says he had his own hurtful experience of watching Wales as a teenage fan.

I remember going to the Millennium Stadium for a game against Italy in 2002 and singing the national anthem, Goni said.

I was told to sit down by a supporter because its not your anthem.

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I was pleased people around me called him out for saying that, but I still felt hurt by that comment because I feel Welsh first and Bangladeshi second.

You put it down to one narrow-minded person, but you would never tell your parents about that because you knew theyd never let you go to watch Wales play again.

Amar Cymru members met at a Cardiff restaurant to watch Euro 2020 action when the group was launched in June.

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The Estonia game will now provide the first stadium matchday experience for many South Asians.

The rise of Wales over the last decade due to players like Aaron Ramsey (left) and Gareth Bale (right) have encouraged the South Asian community to support the national team (Marco Iacobucci/PA)

Our culture is we dont go to pubs, but we had 38 people at a restaurant for a Wales game at the Euros, Goni said.

We can build our culture showing our support for Wales in our own way.

We have created a WhatsApp group to message fans and we are looking to bring more females on board.

Our hope is that if one new fan at the stadium enjoys the experience then he or she will probably go back and tell 10 people in the community about how good it was.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Adult film actor Ron Jeremy leveraged the novelty of his celebrity to meet and often isolate women whom he raped and sexually assaulted, using the same tactics for years, according to grand jury testimony from 21 women that was unsealed Saturday.

Wouldn't it be funny if we got a picture and an autograph from him? one woman, identified only as Jane Doe 8, said she remembered telling her friend when they saw Jeremy in 2013 at a West Hollywood bar and grill. He would sexually assault her minutes later, testified the woman, one of several who said their attacks came in the same small bathroom.

I was like, wow, you know, this is Ron Jeremy, I mean, I was kind of impressed. Im like hes  I dont want to say celebrity, but you know, he kind of was, said another woman, Jane Doe 7, when Jeremy came to the door of the Hollywood hotel room she was sharing with friends, where the porn actor would rape her soon after, according to her testimony.

Jeremy, 68, whose legal name is Ronald Jeremy Hyatt, pleaded not guilty to more than 30 counts of sexual assault, including 12 counts of rape, when the Los Angeles County grand jury returned an indictment against him on Aug. 25. He has been in jail since his arrest in June 2020. His attorney, Stuart Goldfarb, has said he is innocent of all the charges" and they would prove it. An email seeking further comment from Goldfarb on Saturday was not immediately returned.

Nicknamed The Hedgehog, Jeremy has been among the best-known and most prolific performers in the porn industry for decades, and became a recognizable pop cultural novelty through reality shows, public appearances and music videos. He has long been a magnet for seekers of autographs and selfies, which is how most of the women and girls aged 15 to 51 he is accused of assaulting first met him.

Some didn't even recognize him initially, but they came into his orbit because of the air of fame around him. A woman whom Jeremy is charged with sexually assaulting when she was 15 in 2004 said she approached him at a rave he was hosting in Santa Clarita, California.

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I didn't know who he was, but I just  everyone told me he was famous so I was excited to meet a celebrity," said the woman, now 33, known as Jane Doe 5.

After they met, he invited her backstage, where he asked her if she wanted to see something cool, then lifted her in the air, put his hand under her skirt and molested her, she said.

Many women described Jeremy using the same methods in the same places.

He was a popular regular at the Rainbow Bar and Grill on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, where he had permission to use the employee bathroom.

He would lure women there by offering to show them the kitchen where the restaurant made its famous pizzas, or by telling them he knew a bathroom they could use when the public restrooms were closed after last call.

He would follow them into the small space, lock the door behind them, use his considerable size to block them from leaving, then rape them or engage in other sexual assault, several women testified.

Jane Doe 8 said that before her assault, she told Jeremy they were staying at the Loew's Hollywood Hotel but did not tell him the room number.

He appeared at the door the next day.

I have connections all over this town, she remembered him saying when she asked how he found them. She had not told her friend, Jane Doe 7, about the assault, and failed in her attempts to get her out of the room, where Jeremy would rape her, according to their testimony.

Several women said Jeremy asked them to write a note about their experience on a napkin or scrap of paper in what prosecutors called an attempt to gain evidence of consent after the fact. The women, under duress and looking to get away, often complied.

Jeremy also gave some victims cash after the attacks for what prosecutors said were similar reasons.

He just out of nowhere just tossed money at me, said a woman who got a $100 bill from Jeremy after she said he raped her in 2019 in the Rainbow Bar and Grill's bathroom.

The woman's boyfriend and brother had warned her to stay away from Jeremy earlier in the evening when she asked who he was, but she took a picture with him anyway when she saw several others doing it.

She testified that she got into the car with them holding the cash and said, "This came from that guy you guys told me to stay away from. He just raped me in the bathroom."

The woman went to the police about an hour later, becoming one of the few who reported their assaults immediately. Some said Jeremy's status as a porn performer kept them from going to the authorities for years.

He's a celebrity and what he's known for is having sex with people on camera for money, said Jane Doe 7, who like many of the accusers came forward only after Jeremy was arrested last year. I thought there is no way anyone is going to believe me, and I just wanted to get out of there and forget all about it.

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Associated Press writer Kathleen Foody contributed to this story from Chicago.

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton
Communist China has relentlessly pursued economic growth for decades, creating more billionaires than the U.S. and lifting 800 million people out of poverty but leaving 600 million more to live on $150 a month.

Now, President Xi Jinping is planning what some experts say would be a dramatic about-face, trying to restructure Chinese society by cracking down on the country's newly minted super-rich and redistributing wealth more evenly among the population of 1.4 billion.

The drive involves plans to "regulate excessively high incomes" and "encourage high-income people and enterprises to return more to society," according to a readout of Xi's comments at a meeting of the Chinese Communist Party by the state-run news agency Xinhua.

While his slogan of "common prosperity" was hardly new among Chinese leaders, Xi's speech last month was the starkest example of his apparent plan for a reshaped society.

Some experts say that, for the party, a self-preservation rationale is behind the goal of better income equality. For years the Communist Party has staked its legitimacy on growth that has outpaced that of any other major economy; now that it is slowing, it may feel it has to offer a new promise: equality.

Image: Chinese Women view the bags they bought at a Louis Vuitton flagship store Shanghai, China. (China Photos / Getty Images file)

"China's government is aware that both domestic and international audiences are watching," said Austin Strange, an assistant professor of politics at the University of Hong Kong. "This is an opportunity to portray itself as a forward-thinking government that cares about its citizens, including those near the bottom of the wealth distribution."

As part of the Communist Party's sweeping vision for the future, the government has enforced a regulatory crackdown against Chinese tech giants that sent Western financial markets into a spin.

But the efforts extend beyond the economy, including limiting video gaming hours for minors to trying to stamp out a fan culture in which teenagers "blindly idolize celebrities," as the hawkish, party-controlled newspaper Global Times put it last week.

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The message resonates with Cao Xinyin, 19, a college student in Beijing whose demographic  university-educated urbanite  the Communist Party is eager to keep on its side.

"Common prosperity means that everybody can live a high-quality life," she said. "People will live a healthier life, be better behaved, have a happier mood and will be more likely to pursue and realize their dreams."

Others aren't convinced.

Shaun Jiang, 28, the former owner of an education company in the southwestern city of Chengdu that recently closed, said common prosperity was little more than a political slogan, lacking "a clear road map and feasibility."

Either way, Xi's attempts to control the market are unprecedented, said Bill Bikales, a New York-based economist who spent years in China working on economic policy at various U.N. agencies.

"It's quite an extraordinary situation," he said. "What's surprising is the extent to which Xi thinks that the role of the market can be restricted and restricted and restricted again."

Political legitimacy at stake

Xi's latest effort at state intervention might seem unsurprising for a one-party communist state. But since the 1970s, China has turned away from the Marxist zeal of Mao Zedong and embraced reforms that opened up its economy and helped transform it into the global powerhouse of today.

Image: An apartment building in Chongqing, the largest municipality in southwest China. (Zhou Zhiyong / AP file)

More than 800 million people have been lifted out of extreme poverty since 1978, according to the World Bank, and more than half the population is considered middle-class. There were 1,058 billionaires living in China last year compared to 696 in the U.S., according to the Hurun Report, a Shanghai-based organization that tracks China's wealthy population.

But although forecasts predict that China's economy could overtake the U.S.'s in size as early as 2028, the country also has one of the highest levels of income inequality of any major world economy.

About 600 million people  almost twice the U.S. population  live on the equivalent of about $150 a month, Premier Li Keqiang said last year.

Jiangnan Zhu, an associate professor of politics at the University of Hong Kong, said, "The wealth disparity has been quite serious in China."

China was the only major country whose economy expanded last year, having largely eliminated the coronavirus after it was first detected there in late 2019. But in recent years there has been an overall slowdown in the country's stratospheric economic growth, which had been a "crucial pillar of the Chinese Communist Party's political legitimacy," said Strange of the University of Hong Kong.

Ryan Hass, a senior fellow at the Washington think tank the Brookings Institution, said that now that "the era of breakneck economic development is over, the Chinese leadership is shifting its focus toward improving quality-of-life issues as a new source of performance legitimacy."

Meanwhile, Beijing is under growing criticism from abroad over a wide range of issues, including its increasing military activity around Taiwan, its tightening grip on Hong Kong and its treatment of Uyghur Muslims, which the U.S. and others have described as genocide.

Image: A child eats a snack in her temporary 290 square-foot studio flat in Hong Kong. (Anthony Wallace / AFP via Getty Images)

Some tech giants have responded to the government's regulatory crackdown by promising cash for philanthropic social programs.

One of China's largest companies, Tencent Holdings Ltd., has pledged $15 billion for a raft of initiatives, covering the environment to education and rural reform to technological assistance for senior citizens. Tencent said the move was a direct response to "China's wealth redistribution campaign."

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., another Chinese tech giant, pledged a similar amount Thursday.

Along with a revamped taxation and welfare system, Xi may be planning to use those types of large charitable donations as a central driver for his reforms, said Vivian Zhan, an associate professor of politics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

The Communist Party has "many policy tools to regulate big companies and mobilize resources from them for redistribution and other policy goals," she said.

But the common prosperity drive still faces other challenges, such as corruption, the eradication of which has been the focus of a yearslong campaign by Xi. More than 60 percent of Chinese people still believe corruption is a big problem, according to Transparency International, a nonprofit organization based in Berlin.

"Common prosperity is a good idea, nice to hear but difficult to realize," said Qin Guiying, 52, who used to work as a farmer in Sichuan province but now works at a car wash in Beijing.

"The main problem is corruption of local officials," she said. "I think the rich people will remain rich, while the poor will remain poor because of corruption."
Afghanistan refugees walking at dawn. Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty

An American citizen and their family fleeing Afghanistan were helped across the border by the US, according to the Associated Press.

The group fled the Taliban-controlled country via an "overland" route.

Biden administration officials say "around 100" Americans remain in Afghanistan after the US pulled out troops.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The Biden administration confirmed that it helped with an American citizen and their family members escape from Afghanistan to a neighboring country using an "overland route," according to an Associated Press report on Monday.

The evacuation was the first reported time that a US family has been assisted in their escape across a land border since American military planes last left the country on August 30.

The unnamed official wouldn't give any specific details of the escape route, including the neighboring country in which the evacuees arrived, to protect its viability for future missions, the AP reported.

American embassy officials met the group at the Afghanistan border. An overland evacuation meant the group would've arrived at the border on foot or in a vehicle.

Five countries border Afghanistan including Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and China. The disputed Kashmir region claimed by both India and Pakistan also borders Afghanistan.

America has embassies in all but one of those countries, Iran. Given the tense state of affairs between the US and Iran, it's likely the overland escape would've been carried out to one of the more friendly countries to the US.

A tweet from Rep. Ronny Jackson confirmed that four US citizens from Texas were evacuated, including young children, citing the "first successful ground evacuation since the US left Kabul."

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Airlifting additional US citizens out of Afghanistan has proven difficult following the official end of the US' presence in the country. Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas on Sunday warned of what he called a "hostage" situation at Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport in northern Afghanistan as six planes were prevented from leaving.

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"In fact, we have six airplanes at Mazar-i-Sharif Airport, six airplanes, with American citizens on them as I speak, also with these interpreters, and the Taliban is holding them hostage for demands right now," McCaul, the Republican leader on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Fox News Sunday.

Also on Sunday, White House Chief of Staff Ronald Klain told CNN's "State of the Union" that "around 100" US citizens remain in Afghanistan and that the Biden administration is in touch with all American citizens that have been identified in the country. "We are going to find ways - the ones that want to leave - to get them out of Afghanistan," Klain said.

It's not the first time that the US has had to go to extreme measures to get its citizens out of hostile Middle Eastern and South Asian countries. In 1980, the Central Intelligence Agency working with the Canadian government flew American diplomats using assumed identities out of Iran following the 1979 Iran hostage crisis.

Afghan refugees have been fleeing to their country's borders in attempts to seek asylum in neighboring countries, with the BBC reporting large masses gathering at Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossings. Pakistan and Iran have declined to accept additional Afghan refugees, the British news outlet reported.

The Taliban flag now flies over the Afghanistan border, including at a crossing near Chaman, Pakistan.

A Taliban flag flies at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. -/AFP/Getty

Other Middle Eastern and European countries are taking a hard line on migration across their borders in the wake of the US withdrawal. Turkey is reinforcing its border with Iran using three-meter tall concrete slabs, according to the Guardian, while Greece recently completed a 25-mile wall on its border with Turkey, according to CNN.

And at the border of the European Union in Poland, soldiers have constructed a makeshift border of barb fencing with neighboring Belarus to stop the rising tide of migrants from countries including Afghanistan and Iraq, according to Reuters.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Black conservative radio host argued that slavery was legal and slave owners deserve compensation

Conservative radio host and politician Larry Elder said during a July 18 appearance on Prager Universitys The Candace Owens Show, that an argument could be made in favor of reparations for slave owners whose legal property was taken from them after the Civil War.

WESTMINSTER, CA  SEPTEMBER 04: Republican recall candidate Larry Elder addresses the Asian Rally for Yes on Recall at the Asian Garden Mall on September 4, 2021 in Westminster, California. The Conservative talk show host is the Republican front-runner in the race to overthrow the governor in this years special recall election on September 14, ahead of next years regularly scheduled gubernatorial vote. Westminster is known for its predominantly Vietnamese population. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

Elder, 69, sat down with Owens, a conservative talk show host and author, to share views on the current state of race relations and why the Black community plays the victim card, as reported by Insider.

During their conversation, Elder and Owens, who are both Black, touched on the topic of reparations, which are commonly advocated for by Black activist groups as a way to mitigate the financial repercussions of slavery by transferring federal funds and other resources to Americas Black communities.

Elder, however, argued that enslaved individuals were legally deemed property at the time. He noted that slave owners and their estates are owed compensation for the human property they lost following the end of the Civil War and the passage of the 13th amendment which partially abolished slavery after 1865.

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When people talk about reparations, do they really want to have that conversation? Like it or not, slavery was legal, Elder said. Their legal property was taken away from them after the Civil War, so you could make an argument that the people that are owed reparations are not only just Black people but also the people whose property was taken away after the end of the Civil War.

The conversation began when Owens, known for using her platform to spread misinformation, incorrectly stated that the United States was one of the first countries that banned the slave trade.

The U.S. was actually one of the last to do so, according to PolitiFact.

In response, Elder said that the United Kingdoms government compensated slave owners with substantial amounts of money after they lost their property. This was a major reason why the U.K. never fought a battle like the Civil War in America, Elder argued.

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Per the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery, after the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 was passed in the U.K., former slave owners received 20 million in compensation from the British Slave Compensation Commission.

You look at the amount of money adjusted for todays dollars, its a great deal of money that the former slave owners got, which is one of the reasons they didnt fight a war, Elder speculated, providing no further evidence to verify the claim.

Elder, who is in the midst of a campaign to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom in the states recall election, has been in the news recently following accusations made by ex-fiance Alexandra Datig who claimed Elder verbally and emotionally abused her.

In August, Datig told Politico about an alleged incident in 2015 where Elder took a .45 pistol out of a bedroom nightstand in an act of silent scorn and anger while the two were arguing.

Datig called it a Phil Spector moment, referring to the infamous record producer who shot and killed his girlfriend, Lana Carson, in 2003. At the same time, she added, Im also very fearless and, having grown up around guns, I didnt take it seriously.

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Elder issued a statement denying any wrongdoing, as published by The Los Angeles Times and on social media.

I have never brandished a gun at anyone, he tweeted. I grew up in South Central; I know exactly how destructive this type of behavior is. Its not me, and everyone who knows me knows its not me. These are salacious allegations.

theGrios Biba Adams contributed to this report.

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The post Larry Elder argues slave owners are owed reparations during appearance on Candace Owens show appeared first on TheGrio.
Sep. 6Atlanta is among a list of 19 U.S. cities the State Department says will resettle Afghans who worked with the U.S. armed forces as translators or interpreters in Iraq or Afghanistan, according to U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.

In a Facebook post, Warnock said he's confident Georgians will welcome their "Afghan brothers and sisters with open arms and hearts."

"To all who are resettling in Georgia  we look forward to building a brighter future with you," the post reads.

It is so far unclear whether any of the resettlements would take place in other areas of metro Atlanta, including Cobb County.

Ike Reighard, president and CEO of Marietta-based MUST Ministries, said his organization reached out to the office of U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, last month as the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan ramped up, "to see if MUST could play any type of role in helping with the resettlement of people and just providing basic things for those families that pretty much left with the clothes on their backs."

As of now, Reighard said he's not sure how many, if any, Afghans or families will be resettled locally, but he said he's waiting to hear whether or not some people from the "planeloads of children" that left Afghanistan and landed in another country temporarily will be resettled in the Cobb area.

"At this stage, we've not had a confirmation that anyone is coming in, but we're certainly ready to step in and help in every way we can in such a crisis type of situation," he said.

Reighard said his organization is able to offer help with food, clothing, finding jobs and securing housing, which he said, "is tough as it is," given a lack of affordable housing.

Capt. Alan Abernathy, a spokesman for Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, said there are no plans for "vulnerable Afghans to travel through" the base.

A Cobb County spokesperson said county officials did not know whether refugees were expected to come to parts of Cobb and had not discussed the matter.

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Federal and state officials, as well as officials with nonprofits assisting with resettlement, did not respond to requests for comment on whether refugees would come to Cobb.

In an interview with the MDJ last month, Gov. Brian Kemp said he would be open to taking in Afghans who worked with U.S. forces during the 20-year war there but said he would "have to learn much more about" plans to resettle other Afghan refugees in the U.S. before making a decision on whether he'd take them in the state.

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff also weighed in on the issue in a news conference in Marietta last month, saying he didn't believe resettlement of Afghans who worked with U.S. forces would be a partisan issue.

"There's overwhelming support among the American public for ensuring that those Afghans who served alongside our military personnel have the opportunity to evacuate," Ossoff said. "The vetting must be robust of those who will resettled in the United States. I think there's broad bipartisan support for supporting our allies."

Inspiritus, one of the resettlement agencies in Atlanta that contracts with the U.S. State Department to help resettle asylum seekers says it is preparing to resettle 150 Afghans in Atlanta and 50 in Savannah in the next six months.

The International Rescue Committee, or IRC, likewise says it is preparing to welcome "hundreds of Afghan arrivals" to Atlanta in the coming months and has already taken in 20 people over the last two weeks.

In a statement on the organization's website, IRC Executive Director Justin Howell said the nonprofit sees the resettlement as "a marathon and not a sprint."

Other Georgia nonprofits, including in Savannah, have reported they are prepared to take in thousands of refugees in coming years.

Follow Thomas Hartwell on Twitter at twitter.com/MDJThomas.
Yankton, SD (57078)

Today

A few clouds from time to time. High around 80F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

A mostly clear sky. Low 67F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
Greensboro, NC (27407)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 86F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
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Private sector lender Axis Bank has announced a charter of policies and practices that are favourable for its customers and employees from the LGBTQIA community, as part of efforts to encourage "diversity, equity and inclusion" in its work environment.

The lender said its policies will ensure account holders from the LGBTQIA+ community people are able to nominate their partners in their bank accounts.

Customers will also be able to open joint savings and term deposit account with their same sex partner, Axis Bank said while announcing 'ComeAsYouAre' charter of policies and practices for employees and customers from the LGBTQIA+ community.

On the human resource (HR) front, employees will be allowed to list their partners for mediclaim benefits irrespective of their gender, sex or marital status.

Employees can also dress in accordance with their gender/gender expression, it said, adding with this it has aligned with the bank's wider "Environmental, Social, and Governance" commitments.

"Axis Bank, in line with its 'DilSeOpen' philosophy, today announced #ComeAsYouAre, a charter of policies and practices for their employees and customers from the LGBTQIA+ community.

"With these initiatives, Axis Bank becomes one of the first banks in India to take such steps to promote and implement diversity, equity and inclusion," it said in a release.

Notably, the Supreme Court in a historic judgement in September 2018 decriminalised all sexual relationships between consenting adults in private.

The country's third largest private sector lender said it recognises that employees could have a gender or gender expression that's different from their sex assigned at birth.

Effective from September 20, 2021, customers will be able to opt for these measures and can add 'Mx' as a title.

Customers who are gender non-binary, gender fluid or transgender persons will have the option of choosing their title from the option of 'Mx' in their savings or term deposit account.

Employees from the LGBTQIA+ community will be able to use a restroom of their choice. The bank said it has initiated all gender restrooms at its large offices.

Rajesh Dahiya, Executive Director, Axis Bank, said: "At Axis, we have put our focus on diversity, equity and inclusion that respects and recognises the importance of distinctive life journeys and several identities that extend beyond the paradigms of gender. This for us is as much about the invisible markers as it is about the visible ones."

"It is our belief that it fosters a culture of innovation and leverages the multiple talent pools that exist in a rich demography like ours," he said.

Axis Bank said it is focussing on creating equitable processes and policies that allows it to create space for everyone to thrive.

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Kolkata: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday (September 6) said that although he favoured not fielding a candidate against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur by-poll, the final decision would be taken by the All India Congress Committee (AICC).

Earlier today, media reports suggested that the party is unlikely to contest the by-poll.

I had opined that as a gesture of courtesy Congress should not field anyone against the incumbent CM. It was my personal view then. Now that by-election has been announced, we have to think afresh. AICC will take the final call, Chowdhury was quoted as saying by ANI.

The Election Commission has announced the date for the by-elections for three Assembly constituencies including Bhabanipur, Samsergunj and Jangipur. The voting in these three constituencies will be held on September 30 and counting is scheduled for October 3.

The TMC has announced that the party chief Banerjee would contest from Bhabanipur seat. She had lost to BJPs Suvendu Adhiakri in Nandigram in the recently concluded polls.

Notably, Banerjee recently met Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi where they emphasized on Opposition unity to take on the BJP.

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New Delhi: Assam schools for class 12 and colleges reopened from Monday (September 6) in compliance with COVID-19 protocols. The new standard operating procedure (SOP) also mandated the capacity of a classroom to be not more than 30 students. The step has been taken to maintain social distancing measures in the classroom.

Mahamai Dutta, a student from Higher Secondary, told ANI, "It feels good to be back after so many days. Meeting my friends and coming to classes after so long. Everyone should wear a face mask, keep a sanitizer, follow the other protocols along with taking the classes."

Another student, Kaushik Rabha, further said, "The online classes are not that good. In this offline mode, we can interact with the teacher which is good for us."

Assam, however, reported 321 new Covid cases during the last 24 hours, as per a bulletin issued by the state government on Sunday. During the same duration, 372 people recovered from the infection while 6 people succumbed to the deadly virus.

There are currently 4,999 active Covid cases in the state, the bulletin says.

A total of 5,91,980 Covid cases have been reported in the state so far, out of which 5,79,935 have recovered from the infection while 5,699 have succumbed to the disease.

Last week, southern state Tamil Nadu also opened its schools for Classes 9-12 where students were provided masks and sanitizers at the entrance of the school and proper social distancing was maintained.

In Karnataka also, schools reopened for students of classes 6 to 8 on Monday, by following strict COVID-19 protocols and standard operating procedures (SOP). The schools have been reopened in taluks where COVID-19 positivity rate is below 2 per cent, as per the government directions.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister BC Nagesh reportedly said that the government decided to reopen schools after approval from the state's technical advisory committee on COVID-19.

(With Agency Inputs)

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Lucknow: Ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, the BJP started its 'prabuddh sammelan' (meeting of intellectuals) in 18 cities on Sunday (September 5, 2021), with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressing a meeting in Varanasi.

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya held one such meeting in Kanpur, while UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh addressed a gathering in Ayodhya.

During his meeting in Ayodhya, Singh alleged that former prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1966 had ordered firing on saints who had gathered around Parliament, while the Samajwadi Party in 1990 had ordered firing on the devotees of Lord Ram in Ayodhya.

"These bullets were fired on India's culture and ideology of nationalism. Entire India reposes its faith in Lord Ram. Lord Ram resides in each and every bit of this place. After Independence, the Congress government had refused the existence of Lord Ram. The then Congress government did not accept Ram Setu. The terms like Hindu terror were coined," Singh claimed.

ALSO READ | Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath imposes ban on meat, liquor trade in Mathura

State general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal addressed a meeting in state capital Lucknow.

Meanwhile, the national general secretary of the BJP's Mahila Morcha Indu Bala Goswami highlighted the importance of women in strengthening the organisation.

"We have to take the organisation's message to the masses, and bring back the party to power in the state," she said here.

Goswami held detailed discussions with Morcha members on work done by the Centre and the state government for women.

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New Delhi: Ahead of the festive season, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday (September 6, 2021) warned that the third wave of COVID-19 is at the doorsteps and that everyone can celebrate the festivals later. The Shiv Sena leader also appealed to political parties to immediately stop agitations, meetings and other programmes to avoid crowding.

"We can celebrate festivals later. Let us prioritise the lives and health of our citizens. The situation can go out of hand in view of the spike in daily cases," the Maharashtra CM said in a statement.

He added, "Who would like to impose restrictions on festivals and religious programmes? But people's lives are important."

Thackeray said that the upcoming festive days were crucial and challenging and that the onus is on political parties to ensure things do not go out of control.

He also added that the 'third wave of COVID-19 is at our doorsteps'.

ALSO READ | BJP's 'Jan Ashirvad' rallies posing big risk to people as COVID third wave threat looms large: Uddhav Thackeray

"Kerala is seeing a spike of 30,000 cases daily. This is a danger signal and if we don't take it seriously, Maharashtra will have to pay a heavy price," Thackeray added.

This is to be noted that Maharashtra reported 4,057 coronavirus cases on Sunday, which took the state's total infection tally to 64,86,174. There were also 67 fresh fatalities that pushed the death toll to 1,37,774.

Meanwhile, India recorded 38,948 new COVID-19 cases and 219 deaths on Monday. The country's overall caseload has now increased to 3,30,27,621 while the death toll stands at 4,40,752.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Delhi Police on Saturday and Sunday prosecuted over 90 people for drunk-driving after restarting breathalyser tests a year after stopping the practice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While talking to ANI, Muktesh Chander, the Special Commissioner of Police, said, "We had to stop testing people for alcohol levels when Covid broke out because this required being in close contact with the driver. Now since Covid cases have reduced and people are out to enjoy, it is important to keep a check."

"We will use disposal pipes for breathalyzers with a new one being used every time," added Chander.

A senior traffic police officer said that it was their duty to prevent people from driving in an intoxicated state since people had started their outings, parties and dining.

ALSO READ | Is that Niagara falls? Twitter users ask after video of water flowing over Delhi over-bridge surfaces

Another police officer added, "The crowd is back at the bars and pubs mainly because cases have gone down, so we thought of checking people for drunk-driving in the city. All Covid safety precautions are being taken. All officers at the checkpoints have been asked to keep an adequate number of breath analyser pipes, hand sanitisers and masks."

(With ANI inputs)

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A new guideline issued by the Director General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA) has caused a lot of worries for the residents of D-6 society in Delhis Vasant Kunj. The DGCA has issued a directive to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and asked for the reduction of the height of buildings and structures in four apartments--Ganga, Yamuna, Narmada and Saraswati.

On August 26, the DGCA gave an order to submit identified obstruction around the Indira Gandhi International Airport after a detailed survey by the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).

Delhi: DGCA's order to DDA for reducing height of 4 towers in Vasant Kunj's D-6 society leaves residents worried "We were not consulted during meetings. DDA is guilty in this matter. We'll file an appeal. There are many loopholes in order,"says Abhay, RWA President, Yamuna tower pic.twitter.com/44GuQKu41q  ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2021

"DIAL forwarded the list of buildings and structure determined as forming Obstacles Limitations Surfaces (OLS) of IGI airport based on a survey conducted in the year of 2016 to this office including of buildings and structures at Ganga, Yamuna, Narmada and Saraswati apartments as obstacle penetrating the Inner Horizontal Surface (IHS) against their permissible top elevation," DGCA's final order read.

Based on the final order of DGCA, DDA has issued notice to the concerned department regarding a reduction in the height of the top four apartments of the building.

"Final order issued by DGCA to reduce the height of the said 15 numbers of towers to permissible limits within 60 days of issue of the notice or file appeal to DGCA within 60 days. This is for your kind information and further necessary action please," DDA's notice read.

The residents of the said four apartments are worried after the final order of DGCA and DDA. The local Resident Welfare Association (RWA) is aggressively opposing the order and preparing an appeal to DGCA and DDA. The RWA has shown dissatisfaction against the order as to how a final order can be passed without consulting residents.

"We have bought the house with hard-earned money. How can the authority pass the order unanimously? We will appeal before the authority and if they do not listen to us, then we will approach the Supreme Court," said Abhay More, President of RWA.

"These towers were constructed after DDA got No Objection Certificate (NOC) and now other authority of same government said that there is a need to reduce the height of the building. What is the fault of the people living here who have filled crores of rupees in a flat? Reducing the height is also compromising the safety of the building as there are water tanks, fire tanks and elevators attached to the top of the building," Ashok Pai a retired IFS said.

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Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday (September 6) extended the interim bail granted to 82-year-old poet-activist Varavara Rao till September 25.

The court said that Rao, who is an accused in the Elgar Parishad case and is out on interim bail on medical grounds in February, need not surrender to Taloja prison authorities till September 25.

The court adjourned the matter till September 24 for the next hearing.

Rao was scheduled to return to judicial custody on September 5. But, last week, the activist, through lawyer R Sathyanarayanan and senior counsel Anand Grover, filed an application seeking extension of the bail.

Rao had also sought permission to stay in his hometown Hyderabad while out on bail, saying he found living in Mumbai and accessing health facilities here unaffordable.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is conducting a probe into the case, opposed Rao's plea for the extension of medical bail and to shift to Hyderabad from Mumbai, saying his medical reports did not indicate that he suffers from any serious medical ailment.

In its affidavit filed before the HC on Monday, the NIA said, "The medical reports filed by the applicant do not disclose any major ailment which necessitates him to take treatment at Hyderabad, neither it forms a ground for further extension (of bail)."

The NIA, in its affidavit, further said the Taloja prison, located in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, had adequate health care facilities and Rao can be provided with the "best medical facilities" there.

The probe agency also said Rao should not be granted bail extension and should not be allowed to shift to Hyderabad as he is accused of committing a "serious" offence.

The HC agreed that Rao needn't surrender till September 25, but added that he must continue adhering to the bail conditions until then, including staying within the jurisdiction of the Mumbai NIA court.

The activist contended that if he returned to custody in the Taloja prison, which was not equipped to cater to his medical problems, his health would certainly deteriorate and he might die.

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New Delhi: Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday (September 5, 2021) hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that he will lose the election if he contests from Gujarat.

"The Prime Minister will lose the poll if he contests from Gujarat. They [BJP] have destroyed Gujarat. They have converted it into a police state," the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader told a news channel.

Tikait was speaking after attending the 'Kisan mahapanchayat' in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar where thousands of farmers had gathered to protest against the Centre's controversial farm laws. The event was organised by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) at the Government Inter College ground in Muzaffarnagar.

"The mahapanchayat of September 5 will make the Yogi-Modi governments realise the power of farmers, farm labourers and supporters of the farm movement. The Muzaffarnagar mahapanchayat will be the biggest ever in the last nine months," the SKM had said in a statement.

Rakesh Tikait said that these meetings will be held across the country.

"We have to stop the country from getting sold. Farmers should be saved, the country should be saved; business, employees and youth should be saved--this is the aim of the rally," he said.

Famous faces like Medha Patkar and Yogendra Yadav were also seen on the dais.

This is to be noted that farmers have been protesting since November last year against the three newly enacted farm laws: Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

The measures, introduced last September, allow farmers to directly sell their produce, outside government-regulated wholesale markets, to big buyers. The government says this will unshackle farmers and help them get better prices. Farmers, however, say the legislation will hurt their livelihood and leave them with scant bargaining power against big private retailers and food processors.

Farmer leaders and the Centre have also held several rounds of talks but the impasse remains.

Farming, notably, is a vast sector in India that sustains almost half of the country's more than 1.3 billion people and reportedly accounts for about 15% of the country's $2.7 trillion economy.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: The Haryana Police has tightened its security arrangements in view of the call for gherao of Karnal Mini Secretariat on Tuesday (September 7, 2021) made by several farmers' organisations to protest against lathicharge. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Navdeep Singh Virk said that the primary objective of these arrangements is to maintain public peace and order, prevent any kind of violence and facilitate the functioning of traffic and public transport systems.

IGP Karnal Range and all district Superintendents of Police (Karnal Range) have been directed to take necessary preventive and precautionary measures to maintain law and order and peace in Karnal and adjoining districts.

"All measures would be taken to contain any kind of untoward incidents and safety of citizens," Virk said.

He added that DGP Haryana PK Agrawal himself reviewed the preparedness of the police for the proposed farmers protest in a meeting held with Karnal Range IGP and SPs on September 4.

"Police are fully alert over the gherao call and all security measures have been beefed up to prevent any untoward incident. In addition to making all arrangements, close coordination is also being maintained with civil administration for handling the law and order situation," he said.

This is to be noted that the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, which is heading the farmers' agitation against three farm laws, has given a call for gherao of the secretariat demanding registration of an FIR against those officers who had allegedly ordered a lathicharge on agitators during their protest against a BJP event in Karnal on August 28.

Meanwhile, the ML Khattar-led government has ordered a suspension of mobile internet services in Karnal district to stop the spread of misinformation and rumours through social media. The mobile internet services in Karnal district have been suspended from 12:30 pm on Monday to Tuesday midnight. The district administration has also issued prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC, banning the assembly of five or more people, and a traffic advisory with planned route diversions.

According to a Haryana police advisory, main National Highway No 44 (Ambala-Delhi) may also see some traffic disruptions in the Karnal district on Tuesday.

(With agency inputs)

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Patna: Around 200 members of the National Students` Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress, was detained by the police in Patna after they headed towards the Raj Bhawan on Monday.

The NSUI members were protesting against the `irregularities` in the appointment of teachers. The protesters alleged that the education department of the state was directly involved in the irregularities.

"Around 2,500 NSUI members were on their way to the Raj Bhawan to hand over a memorandum to Governor Phagu Chauhan. They were intercepted by the police near the Secretariat. The police also resorted to lathi-charge, injuring several NSUI members," said Madan Mohan Jha, president of the Congress` Bihar unit.

"As huge irregularities appeared in the appointment of teachers, we strongly believe that the education department selectively picked the candidates who are less eligible and have lesser numbers. Many candidates having good numbers have not got jobs. We demand a thorough probe into the matter," Jha said.

"I also request Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to pay attention to this matter," Jha added.

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New Delhi: The National Board of Examinations (NBE) will release the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) PG Admit Card 2021 on today (September 6, 2021). Once released, the candidates will be able to download their hall ticket at the official website of NBE- nbe.edu.in.

A total of 1,74,886 candidates, who have registered for NEET PG 2021 exam, are eagerly waiting for the board to release the hall tickets. NEET-PG 2021 is the eligibility-cum-ranking examination for admission to various MD/ MS/ PG Diploma courses of the 2021 admission session.

NEET PG 2021 admit card: Steps to download

Step 1: Visit the official website NBE- natboard.edu.in

Step 2: Click on the NEET PG 2021 admit card link on the homepage

Step 3: Enter required credentials

Step 4: Click on submit option

Step 5: Your admit card will appear on your screen

Step 6: Download the admit card and take a printout for future reference

Admit Cards issued earlier for examination on 18th April 2021 shall be treated as null & void. Fresh admit cards shall be issued on NBEMS website nbe.edu.in on 6th September 2021, read the official notice on PG Admit Card 2021.

"Candidates shall be provided with a protective face shield, face mask and sanitizer sachets individually at test centres. NBEMS shall encourage to follow the COVID Appropriate Behaviour at all times during the conduct of the test. Candidates are advised to refer to the NBEMS notice dated 09.04.2021 for detailed instructions regarding adherence to COVID Appropriate Behaviour at test centres," the official notice added.

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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India will on Monday hear a petition seeking rescheduling the NEET-UG 2021 exam to a later date.

It is to be noted that the National Testing Agency (NTA) would be conducting the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, NEET 2021 on September 12, 2021.

The plea would be heard by a three-judge bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar and also comprising Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice CT Ravikumar.

NTA on September 3 had clarified to the bench that the students would be allowed to appear for the examination, irrespective of the fact that CBSE Results would not be declared by then.

Noting the same, the bench had pointed out that the relief claimed was unnecessary. The case was listed for hearing today.

Filed through Advocate Sumanth Nookala, the plea calls for quashing the July 13 public notice scheduling National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-Undergraduate exams on September 12.

It termed the public notice as manifestly arbitrary and in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution of India.

Furthermore, the petitioner has urged the court that a direction may be issued for shifting the medical entrance exam to a suitable date soon after the ongoing board/other competitive exams.

A three-judge bench comprising Justice AM Khanwilkar, Justice Hrishikesh Roy, and Justice CT Ravikumar will hear the matter today.

NTA officials have, meanwhile, advised students to focus on their preparation since there is no clarity yet on the reschedulling of the exam.

NTA and the Ministry of Education have further clarified that delay in the examination is not possible as it would set back the admission process by another two months. Furthermore, the logistical concerns cannot be ignored.

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NEW DELHI: In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India on Monday rejected a writ petition filed seeking directions for rescheduling of NEET-UG 2021 examination to a date after the declaration of the CBSE compartment, private, correspondence exams.

The examination will be held as per schedule on September 12, the Supreme Court said. "NEET will not be postponed,'' the Supreme Court said as it turned down a plea for postponing the NEET examination scheduled for September 12.

We will not entertain this petition. We do not want uncertainty. Let the exam continue, a bench comprising Justice AM Khanwilkar, Justice Hrishikesh Roy, and Justice CT Ravikumar added.

Supreme Court declines to entertain a petition seeking orders to relevant authorities for rescheduling or deferring the NEET UG- 2021 exam pic.twitter.com/RWLGtc2eRg  ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2021

It is to be noted that the National Testing Agency (NTA) had announced that it would be conducting the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, NEET 2021 on September 12, 2021.

NTA on September 3 had clarified to the bench that the students would be allowed to appear for the examination, irrespective of the fact that CBSE Results would not be declared by then.

The non-declaration of results will not stop the students from appearing in the exam, and results will only be required during the counselling, the NTA has said.

Filed through Advocate Sumanth Nookala, the plea calls for quashing the July 13 public notice scheduling National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-Undergraduate exams on September 12.

It termed the public notice as manifestly arbitrary and in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution of India. Furthermore, the petitioner had urged the court that a direction may be issued for shifting the medical entrance exam to a suitable date soon after the ongoing board/other competitive exams.

NTA officials had advised students to focus on their preparation since there is no clarity yet on the reschedulling of the exam.

NTA and the Ministry of Education had earlier further clarified that delay in the examination is not possible as it would set back the admission process by another two months. Furthermore, the logistical concerns cannot be ignored.

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Coimbatore: The District Collector of Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore denied that a case of Nipah virus was found in the city.

He said one Nipha case has been reported in Kerala's Calicut which was misreported in the media.

He said, in Coimbatore "we are taking all necessary precautions in the border".

This is a wrong information. One Nipha case has been reported in Calicut,Kerala. In Coimbatore we are taking all necessary precautions in the border, I have told on record.@ANI may immediately delete the tweet to avoid any panic through this misinformation. https://t.co/SbFGZXiaH7  District Collector, Coimbatore (@CollectorCbe) September 6, 2021

"The health department has issued some instructions including how to identify Nipah, Zika, or Dengue virus. Patients with high body temperature will have to undergo certain procedures and health check-ups," DC GS Sameeran was quoted as saying by ANI.

Sameeran said that the people coming from Kerala to Tamil Nadu will have to go through 13 checkpoints and that people with negative RT-PCR reports will be permitted to enter the state.

Speaking about the procedures taken by the district administration to tackle the imminent third wave of COVID-19, the Collector, said, "We do not have to fear any virus, if anyone experiences any symptoms, they should immediately contact the nearest public health centre. We are creating awareness at schools, colleges, and public places. We will avert the third wave of COVID-19."

Earlier, on September 5, the Central government had rushed a medical team to the Kozhikode district of Kerala as the state reported the first death due to the Nipah virus.

The team also visited the house of a boy who died of the Nipah virus and collected samples of Rambutan fruits from the nearby vicinity to identify the source of infection.

Furthermore, the Centre has advised the locals to follow immediate public health measures including active case search in the family, families, village, and areas with similar topography (especially Malappuram), active contact tracing (for any contacts) during the past 12 days.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nipah Virus is caused by fruit bats and is potentially fatal to humans as well as animals. Along with respiratory illness, it is also known to cause fever, muscular pain, headache, fever, dizziness, and nausea.
Islamabad: Pakistan President Arif Alvi on Monday (September 6) said that his country was fully cognisant of the developments in its neighbourhood and prepared to thwart any plot hatched to hamper peace in the region.

Alvi, in his message to the country on the occasion of Defence Day, pledged to continue supporting the people of Kashmir.

The day began with a 31-gun salute in Islamabad and 21-gun salutes in the provincial capitals, reported Radio Pakistan. A change of guard ceremony was held at the Naval Headquarters in Islamabad in the morning to pay tribute to the armed forces.

Pakistan was fully cognisant of developments in its neighbourhood and committed to securing peace and "prepared to thwart any plot hatched to hamper peace" in the region, Alvi said. The President said that Pakistan would never back away from its principled stand on the Kashmir issue.

Prime Minister Imran Khan also paid tributes to the soldiers. He said that India will have to give the Kashmiris their due right to self-determination under the UN Security Council resolutions.

India has asserted that Jammu and Kashmir "was, is and shall forever" remain an integral part of the country. New Delhi has also told Islamabad that issues related to Jammu and Kashmir are its internal matter and the country is capable of solving its own problems.

Pakistan observes September 6 as the Defence and Martyrs Day to mark the anniversary of the 1965 war with India.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (September 6) said that India is administering 1.25 crore Covid vaccines daily which is higher than the population of several countries, congratulating Himachal Pradesh for making significant progress in administering the first dose of vaccines to 100% of the population.

The Prime Minister interacted with healthcare workers and beneficiaries of the Covid vaccination programme in the state through a video conference.

He said, "Amid COVID-19 pandemic, Himachal Pradesh has become one of the favorite destinations among youngsters to continue work in 'work from home mode." "The Centre will come up with an online platform for self-help groups. With the help of this platform, women can sell their products across the world," he added.

Interacting with Dr Rahul, posted at the Dodra Kwar Civil Hospital in Shimla district, PM Modi said that 10 per cent of the expenditure can be saved if all 11 shots in a single vial are used while administering Covid vaccines. "Teams were deployed to visit every house to spread awareness about virus and vaccination," says Dr Rahul.

Present on the occasion, Himachal CM Jairam Thakur said that the state has made significant progress in administering the first dose of vaccines to 100% population, adding "We aim to administer 2nd dose to all by Nov 30."

Notably, Union Minister and MP from Hamirpur, Anurag Thakur and BJP national president and MP from Jhandutta, JP Nadda, were also present during the PM Modi's interaction with healthcare workers and Covid vaccination beneficiaries in Himachal Pradesh, via video conferencing.

(With Agency Inputs)

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New Delhi: The Uttarakhand Government on Monday (September 6, 2021) extended the ongoing COVID-19 curfew in the state till September 14. The step was taken to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Earlier on September 1, the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government had announced the extension of the curfew till September 7. This is to be noted that for entry from other states, a certificate of two doses of COVID-19 vaccine has to be produced. In the absence of this certificate, entry will be allowed only on an RTPCR negative report of not more than 72 hours old.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Uttarakhand currently has 389 active coronavirus cases. The state has so far seen a total of 3,35,323 recoveries and 7,388 deaths.

Meanwhile, India saw 38,948 new COVID-19 cases and 219 deaths, the health ministry informed on Monday morning. With this, the overall caseload has now increased to 3,30,27,621, while the death toll stands at 4,40,752.

The country also registered 43,903 recoveries which took the total number of recoveries to 3,21,81,995. The active caseload currently stands at 4,04,874.

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New Delhi: A central team that was sent to Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh to investigate the cause of viral fever and deaths among children has observed that the majority of cases are of dengue and a few are of scrub typhus and leptospirosis.

Firozabad district has recorded 51 deaths, mostly of children, and hundreds of hospitalisations in over a fortnight and the viral fever has now spread to neighbouring Mathura and Mainpuri districts.

Based on the observations of the central team, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan in a letter to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary has recommended screening of all fever patients for dengue, malaria, scrub typhus and leptospirosis.

Bhushan highlighted the need to strengthen ELISA-based testing facilities and suggested that activities related to fever survey and vector control be continued under a micro plan submitted by the central team.

In a letter to UP chief secretary, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan says a Central team has found that majority of cases of viral fever & deaths among children in Firozabad district are due to dengue, a few cases of scrub typhus & leptospirosis; suggests follow-up measures pic.twitter.com/KTkixGUDZx  ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2021

He also recommended that surveillance should be strengthened with the implementation of the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) in the district in coordination with the central surveillance unit at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and that entomological activities be strengthened and continued according to standard guidelines and SOPs of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP).

He also recommended augmenting isolation beds and admission facilities in the district hospital of Firozabad and neighbouring districts and organising a short reorientation of all doctors at primary health centres and community health centres.

Services of experts on infectious diseases from King George's Medical University and similar institutions may be utilised for this purpose.

"You may recall that a central team comprising National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) officials was sent to Firozabad to investigate the cause of fever outbreak and deaths among children and suggest suitable recommendations for containment of this outbreak. The central team has observed that the majority of cases are due to dengue, while a few are because of scrub typhus and leptospirosis," Bhushan said in the letter.

He further suggested intensifying awareness activities by the district administration.

The NCDC has deputed two epidemic intelligence service (EIS) officers in the district for a period of 14 days and they will assist the district in strengthening its outbreak response, Bhushan said.

A district official had said that over 100 people with fever were admitted to the district hospital on Sunday. The hospital had over 400 patients on Sunday, the official added.
Kota: A 24-year-old army jawan allegedly ended his life by hanging himself from a tree in Kota district of Rajasthan on Monday, three days after his fiance killed herself, police said.

Pappu Yadav, who was attached with the Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army and posted in Dehradun, came home on leave, the police said.

According to the police, Yadav was depressed since his fiance died by suicide at her house. He had got engaged to the woman, a resident of Chittorgarh district, around three years ago.

On Monday morning, Yadav went to the fields near his home in Deolikalan village in the Chechat police station area of the district and hanged himself from a tree.

Chechat police station SHO Rajendra Meena said there was no suicide note on the body.

The body was handed over to the family after postmortem, the police officer said, adding further investigation into the matter was underway.

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Bengaluru: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka received a shot in the arm in the elections to the three municipal corporations by getting a clear majority in Belagavi, emerged as the single largest party in Hubballi-Dharwad and finished a close second in Kalaburagi.

In the Doddaballapur City Municipal Council election in Bengaluru rural district, the BJP emerged as the single largest party while Congress got the absolute majority in Tarikere Town Municipal Council in Chikkamagaluru district.

An elated Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who dubbed the election results as a clean sweep in favour of his month-old government in the 'sample test', said the BJP will come to power in all the three municipal corporations. The elections took place on September 3 and the results were announced on Monday.

According to the Karnataka State Election Commission officials, in the 58-seat Belagavi, the BJP won 35, Congress 10, Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) one and 12 independents.

In 82-seat Hubballi-Dharwad municipal corporation, BJP won 39 seats, Congress 33, AIMIM 3, JD(S) 1, independents six. In Kalaburagi municipal corporation, the elections took place for 55 seats, out of which Congress won 27, BJP 23, JD(S) 4 and independent one seat. In 31-seat Doddaballapura CMC in Bengaluru rural district City, the BJP won 12 seats, Congress 9, JD(S) 7 and three independents. In Tarikere TMC in Chikkamagaluru, Congress won 15 seats, seven independents and one BJP.

Speaking to reporters, a jubilant Bommai said, "This was almost like a sample test after one month of my taking charge of the office. Out of the three, we have got a clear majority in two municipal corporations and in the third also we are in the close race but we are going to make a majority there also."

He said all the three corporations will have BJP mayors. Bommai congratulated the BJP ministers, MLAs and leaders who toiled hard for the elections in Belagavi.

"For the first time in history, the BJP is holding the majority and we will have our own mayor. The MES would have controlled it otherwise," the Chief Minister said.

He said this was a good sign for the government as well as Karnataka. Bommai said Hubballi-Dharwad had been the BJP's fort for a long time while the party is breaking ground in Kalaburagi.

"It's a clean sweep and a drubbing to the Congress. It also shows that the people have faith in the new government," Bommai said.

Going by the indications given by Bommai, the BJP, JD(S) and an independent may join hands in Kalaburagi, a BJP insider claimed.

He also did not rule out the possibility of a breakaway group of Congress emerging to support the BJP. However, the JD(S) state president H K Kumaraswamy said the issue of any coalition with anyone has not yet been discussed in the party and only the seniors in JD(S) will discuss and decide.

The BJP state chief Nalin Kumar Kateel expressed his gratitude to the voters for showing confidence in the BJP government in Karnataka.

"People have reposed faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and have increased our responsibility," the party state president said.

Speaking about Belagavi where for the first time the BJP came to power, Kateel said due to various factors, independents were in power.

"For the first time people have chosen the BJP and welcomed the nationalistic ideology and the achievements of the BJP government," Kateel told reporters.

Former chief minister and opposition leader Siddaramaiah said his party Congress had never expected the current outcome in Belagavi, where Congress won only 10 seats while the BJP got the majority. Regarding Hubballi-Dharwad, he said Congress had expected more seats. According to him, local body elections are influenced by local factors and it does not indicate results of upcoming local body elections in other places.

These elections are not influenced by State or national issues, Siddaramaiah told reporters. He added that the BJP got majority in Belagavi and Congress in Kalaburagi.

Pointing out that nobody got majority in other corporations, the Congress veteran said, "This is not Congress' loss but a warning to BJP."

He also dismissed the BJP's claim that it was its victory.

"Nalin Kumar Kateel is under the illusion that people have favoured BJP. This is totally absurd. BJP has not won majority in any corporation except Belagavi and whatever they have got is because of their money, muscle and political power," Siddaramaiah said.
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena, which shares power with the NCP and Congress in Maharashtra, on Monday backed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and said that poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar's recent comments comparing the Sangh Parivar to the Taliban was "completely wrong".

How can you say those who favour the concept of a Hindu Rashtra are of Talibani mindset? We don't agree with this," an editorial in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said.

In the Saamana editorial, the Shiv Sena said, "We won't accept madness in the name of Hindutva."

In the Saamana op-ed, Shiv Sena hit back at the writer-lyricist's comparison between the RSS to the Taliban calling it a 'disrespect to the Hindu culture'. The Shiv Sena asserted that ''India was a democratic and tolerant country and could not be compared to the Islamist fundamentalist in any form.''

The Sena article also described the RSS and other affiliated bodies as ''nation-builders.''

Javed Akhtar had recently told a news channel that right-wing outfits all over the world have an uncanny similarity. "Just like the Taliban want an Islamic State, there are those who want a Hindu Rashtra. These people are of the same mindset - be it Muslim, Christian, Jews or Hindus," the lyricist said without naming the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

BJP MLA and state party spokesperson Ram Kadam had strongly condemned Javed Akhtar's remark. The legislator from Mumbai said no film involving Akhtar will be allowed to be screened in the country until he apologises to Sangh functionaries over his comments.

Meanwhile, the security was beefed up outside the residence of writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar in Mumbai.

Adequate police bandobast was placed outside Akhtar's residence near the ISKCON Temple in the Juhu area, a Mumbai police official said, adding that security personnel, including women constables, were deployed outside the lyricist's home.

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Mumbai: Superstar Akshay Kumar on Monday flew back to the country after his mother Aruna Bhatia was admitted to a hospital here.

Kumar was in the UK shooting for his upcoming movie "Cinderella", produced by Vashu Bhagnani and directed by Ranjit M Tewari, sources said.

"He flew back to the country this morning as his mother is unwell. She is currently in the hospital. He was shooting for 'Cindrella' in the UK.

"He has taken permission from the Bhagnanis (producers) and has come here," the sources said.

The 53-year-old actor's mother is reportedly admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Hiranandani Hospital.

However, there is no clarity about her illness.

On the work front, Kumar was most recently featured in Tewari's spy thriller "Bell Bottom".

He will next be seen in films like "Prithiviraj", "Sooryavanshi", "Bachchan Pandey", "Atrangi Re", "Ram Setu" and Raksha Bandhan".
New Delhi: Veteran actress Neetu Kapoor celebrated her late husband Rishi Kapoors birthday with his life-size cutout along with Randhir Kapoor, Shatrugan Sinha, David Dhawan, Rumi Jaffery and others. Rishis son, Ranbir Kapoor however was missing in the pictures. Rishi would have turned 69 years old on September 4.

Neetu Kapoor took to her Instagram stories on Sunday (September 5) to share photos from the celebration. In one of the pictures, Neetu can be seen smiling and posing with the life-size cutout of Rishi Kapoor along with filmmaker Rumi Jaffery and his wife Hanan Jaffry. Thank you @hananjafry @rumyjaffery for celebrating his birthday you both are all HEART, Neetu captioned the photo.

In another picture, a large white frame has Celebrating Chintuji written on it. It is surrounded by beautiful floral and candle decorations.

The birthday cake however was the star of the celebration. It was decorated with everything that the late actor loved. A whiskey bottle, the Twitter logo, a bowl of mutton curry, nag champa incense sticks, a guitar and the cover of his autobiography 'Khullam Khulla' made it to the top of the cake that was captioned, Happy Birthday Chintu.

A video was also shared by Neetu Kapoor in which everyone gathered for the celebration sang Happy Birthday for Rishi Kapoor. The video was reposted by a paparazzo account. Check it out.

Earlier, Neetu Kapoor shared a long post on Instagram along with a picture of herself with Rishi Kapoor from New York City, where the latter was undergoing cancer treatment. I learnt a lot from Rishi Ji during our last few traumatic years in NYC .. how we celebrated when his blood counts were high .. we dined shopped laughed .. in his lows we just stayed home watched tv ordered in amazing food n still had some wonderful moments in hope that the next round of chemotherapy he would be better, wrote the 63 years old. Crediting her husband for teaching her to be hopeful and strong and enjoy each moment of life, she continued, hope n being strong is what he taught me .. value each day .. we all miss him today !!! I can picture him how excited he would have been for his 69th birthday !! Im sure he is celebrating with his family up there Happy birthday Kapoor Saab.

Rishi Kapoor succumbed to death on April 30, 2020, after a two-year battle with cancer. His last film, Sharmaji Namkeen - in which actor Paresh Rawal replaced him - will soon be released.
NEW DELHI: Former Bigg Boss contestant and actress Sambhavna Seth has hit back at Gauahar Khan, who recently slammed her and a few other celebrities for leaking out personal details of late actor Sidharth Shukla's family members before the media. The actress took to social media and shared a series of tweets, giving a befitting reply to Gauahar for questioning about her act.

Sambhavna tweeted, "We being celebs were concerned as fans too to know about @itsSSR family and friends at his funeral.. Same way @sidharth_shukla fans were also glued with tv sets to know what his family and friends are going through. They have all the right to know what is happening inside & giving a general insight to his fans through media or social media is not a crime unless you are leaking inside video or pictures. Which i didnt. Those who are becoming over smart with their tweets were also scrolling there social media feeds to know what was happening there.."

"And those blaming me for making a vlog of it, first of all go and watch my full vlog keeping your jealousy aside. I didnt show even single pic or video from there. Like your daily job is blaming. Mine is vlogging same as acting/dancing," she added further.

"Because I find it better to capture my unfiltered feelings myself and post it on my youtube channel than paying paparazzis like others to follow me at gym, shopping malls and funerals. I am my own representer dear chaps & chicks. So chill," Sambhavna tweeted in a series of posts.

We recently saw Gauahar blasting the celebrities who were seen giving information about Sidharth's family and the condition of his close friend Shehnaaz Gill after his death. Sidharth's last rites took place on September 3 and several celebrities visited Mumbai's Oshiwara crematorium ground and later the 'Balika Vadhu' actor's residence to pay their condolences to his family. Soon after the funeral, some of the celebrities who had visited Shukla's house, were seen giving bytes to media as to what was happening inside the house.

Upset over this breach of privacy at this crucial time, Gauahar too had slammed those celebrities for divulging personal details of Shukla's family members. "Any one who has met a grieving family ,should not give out details .Really sad to see people giving interviews about family members n sharing details .Stop !Please stop ! If Uve gone to pay ur respect dont come out n become a khabri and add to the low standard of journalism..," she wrote.
New Delhi: Sidharth Shuklas family has released its first official statement thanking everyone for their unconditional love for the actor and requesting privacy to allow them to grieve their huge loss. The Shukla family also thanked the Mumbai Police for all their support after the actors untimely death.

Heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has been a part of Sidharth's journey and showered him with unconditional love. It definitely doesn't end here as he now resides in our hearts forever! Sidharth valued his privacy, hence we request you to allow our family the privacy to grieve. A special Thank You to the Mumbai Police force for their sensitivity and compassion. They have been like a shield, protecting us and standing by us every minute of the day! Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Om Shanti - The Shukla Family, read the statement issued by the family on Monday (September 6).

Sidharth Shuklas family is also organising a prayer meeting for the late actor today at 5 pm, which the fans can also join in virtually. In the prayer meeting, Sister Shivani and the Brahma Kumaris will bless the late actors soul. BK Yogini Didi will conduct a meditation session.

Actor Karanvir Bohra shared the news on his Instagram and wrote, Let's all come together today at 5pm for special prayers and blessings for our friend #sidharthshukla organized by his mother #ritaaunty and his sisters #neetu and #preeti and sister #shivanididi @brhamakumaris_bk #seeyouagain on the other side bro.

The Bigg Boss 13 winner died on September 2 after reportedly suffering a massive heart attack. His last rites were performed on September 3 and was attended by numerous celebrities like Shehnaaz Gill, Karanveer Bohra, Rahul Vaidya, Disha Parmar, Rahul Mahajan, Asim Riaz, Aly Goni, Arti Singh among others.
New Delhi: Before visiting your bank branch this week, you must note down the list of important days during which banks will remain closed. Banks are going to be closed for 5 days this week, starting Wednesday, September 8.

However, it must be noted that the bank holidays vary in various states as well not observed by all the banking companies. Banking holidays also depend on the festivals being observed in specific states or notification of specific occasions in those states.

Here is an elaborate list of bank holidays falling this week. Check out the list.

08 September 2021: Tithi of Srimanta Sankardeva

09 September 2021: Teej (Haritalika)

10 September 2021: Ganesh Chaturthi/Samvatsari (Chaturthi Paksha)/Vinayakar Chathurthi/Varasiddhi Vinayaka Vrata

11 September 2021: Ganesh Chaturthi (2nd day)

11 September 2021  Second Saturday

12 September 2021  Weekly off (Sunday)

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has mentioned some days when the banking operations will remain closed in the month of September 2021, although online banking activities will continue to work.

Reserve Bank of India places its Holidays under three brackets --Holiday under Negotiable Instruments Act; Holiday under Negotiable Instruments Act and Real Time Gross Settlement Holiday; and Banks Closing of Accounts.

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#mute
New Delhi: Bigg Boss OTT host filmmaker Karan Johar choked while paying tribute to late actor and Bigg Boss 13 winner Sidharth Shukla in the Sunday Ka Vaar episode. Sidharth Shukla's sudden death on September 2 at the age of 40 has shook his family, friends and fans. The cause of his death is yet to be ascertained.

An emotional Karan, who judged Sidharth Shukla in Jhalak Dikhla Jaa season 6 and later cast him in his film Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania remembered Sidharth and called him the favourite member of the Bigg Boss family while a video clip from the late actors Bigg Boss journey was playing in the background.

Sidharth Shukla, ek aisa chehra, ek aisa naam jo hum sabki zindagi ka ek ahem hissa ban gaya tha. Bigg Boss family ke favourite member, jo mere hi nahi balki humari industry ke anginat logon ke dost, achanak hum sab ko chhod ke chale gaye (Sidharth Shukla, a face and name that became a vital part of our lives. The favourite member of the Bigg Boss family, and a friend not only to me but also to countless others from our industry, has suddenly left us), said Karan.

He further added, This is something we are all still finding hard to believe. It is like I am numb, I cant even breathe. Sid was a good son, a great friend and just an amazing guy to be around and be with. His positive vibe and that smile won so many millions of hearts.

Karan finished his tribute by saying that the millions of fans of Sidharth are proof that he was an immensely popular and lovable person.

You shall be missed Sidharth Shukla. We will miss you. You and I, we all need great strength to carry on the show. Even Sid would have want this that the show must go on, KJo concluded.

Sidharth Shukla had also appeared on Karan Johar hosted Bigg Boss OTT with rumoured girlfriend Shehnaaz Gill for the weekend episode.
Kochi: If you are driving on Indian roads you can never get bored as youll find funny and quirky lines written behind trucks, autos and other vehicles. But one autorickshaw got international attention as it had the name of the world-famous Brazilian lyricist and novelist Paulo Coelho written on it.

The autorickshaw from Kerala has Paulo Coelho The Alchemist written on its back. While Paulo Coelho' is written in English, The Alchemist is written in Malayalam.

The photo of the autorickshaw gone crazily on viral that it reached the Author himself to which he took on Twitter and thanked for the picture.

Kerala, India (thank you very much for the photo), wrote Paulo Coelho.

Kerala, India (thank you very much for the photo) pic.twitter.com/13IdqKwsMo  Paulo Coelho (@paulocoelho) September 4, 2021

Since being shared the Tweet has garnered over 23k likes and hundreds of replies from users expressing their love for the book 'The Alchemist.'

ALSO READ: Madhya Pradesh farmer grows red ladyfinger that costs Rs 800 per kg, heres why

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New Delhi: Abhishek Banerjee, TMC MP and nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here on Monday for questioning in a money laundering case linked to an alleged coal pilferage scam in the state, officials said.

Banerjee, 33, arrived at the office of the central agency at Jam Nagar house in central Delhi just before 11 AM.

"I am ready to face investigation and I will cooperate with the agency," he said.

The investigating officer of the case will record Banerjee's statement under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), officials said.

Abhishek Banerjee represents the Diamond Harbour seat of West Bengal in the Lok Sabha and is the national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

The ED has filed a criminal case under the PMLA after studying a November 2020 FIR of the CBI that alleged a multi-crore coal pilferage scam related to Eastern Coalfields Ltd mines in the state's Kunustoria and Kajora areas in and around Asansol.

Speaking to reporters at the Kolkata airport on Sunday, Banerjee had said that he would get himself hanged if any central agency can prove his involvement in any illegal transaction.

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KABUL: After days of fighting, the Afghan National Resistance Front finally collapsed after the Taliban took full control of Panjshir province in northeastern Afghanistan on Monday.

The Taliban have taken complete control of Panjshir province, the last area in Afghanistan being held by resistance forces, the Islamist militant group`s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid was quoted as saying by media reports.

With this, the Afghan Taliban now control the entire 34 provinces of the country. Pictures on social media showed Taliban members standing in front of the gate of the Panjshir provincial governors compound.

However, the resistance leaders have denied the Taliban capturing the Panjshir province. "Talibans claim of occupying Panjshir is false. The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the Valley to continue the fight. We assure the people of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban & their partners will continue until justice & freedom prevails,'' the Afghan National Resistance Front was quoted as saying by Zee Media.

Talibans claim of occupying Panjshir is false. The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight. We assure the ppl of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban & their partners will continue until justice & freedom prevails.  National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (@nrfafg) September 6, 2021

There was no immediate word from Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the opposition group resisting Taliban forces. The Afghan National Resistance Front had on Monday admitted that another senior member of their group, General Abdul Wudod Zara has been killed during the standoff between rebel forces and the Taliban.

General Wudod was the nephew of Panjshir resistance leader Ahmad Massoud. Some reports also claim that Amrullah Saleh has moved to a safe place after a helicopter attacked his house, Samaa News reported.

The developments came soon after Afghan resistance force spokesperson Fahim Dashti was reported dead by various Afghanistan media.

"Regretfully, The National Resistance of Afghanistan lost two companions in the holy resistance against oppression and aggression today. Fahim Dashty, NRF spokesperson, and General Abdul Wudod Zara were martyred. May their memory be eternal," the Afghan resistance front was quoted as saying by the Samaa News.

A day earlier, Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the resistance forces in Afghanistan`s northeastern province of Panjshir said resistance forces are ready to cease fighting and start negotiations if the Taliban leave the province, Sputnik reported on Sunday.

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 war over Panjshir province escalated from Friday night.

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Kabul: In a huge setback to the Afghan Resistance Front, its spokesman Fahim Dashti and a few others were killed in the ongoing fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan`s northeastern province of Panjshir.

Afghan Resistance Fronts spokesman and a well-known journalist Fahim Dashti was killed in fighting in Panjshir province on Sunday," TOLO News reported citing a source from the region.

"Fahim Dashti, a spokesman of the Resistance Front and a well-known journalist, was killed in fighting in Panjshir province on Sunday," reports TOLOnews citing a source from Panjshir  ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2021

Fahim Dashti was a senior member of the Jamiat-e-Islami party and a member of the Federation of Afghan Journalists. It was also reported that General Abdul Wadud, a close aide of Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the resistance forces in Afghanistan`s northeastern province of Panjshir, was also killed in the fighting in the Panjshir Valley.

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 developments came after the war over Panjshir province escalated from Friday night and reports have emerged that the Valley may collapse soon. However, resistance forces have denied such claims, The Khaama Press reported.

In view of the setback, Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the resistance forces in Afghanistan`s northeastern province of Panjshir, on Sunday said resistance forces are ready to cease fighting and start negotiations if the Taliban leave the province.

Massoud also added that the National Resistance Front is committed to peacefully resolving differences with the Taliban in accordance with the principles of religion and morality.

He welcomed proposals from religious scholars for a negotiated settlement to end the fighting. Ahmad Massoud, head of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA), made the announcement on the group`s Facebook page. Earlier, Taliban forces said they had fought their way into the provincial capital of Panjshir after securing the surrounding districts.

"The NRF in principle agree to solve the current problems and put an immediate end to the fighting and continue negotiations," Massoud said in the Facebook post.

"To reach a lasting peace, the NRF is ready to stop fighting on condition that Taliban also stop their attacks and military movements on Panjshir and Andarab," he said, referring to a district in the neighbouring province of Baghlan.

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New Delhi: With the recent and sudden withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban have managed to completely take over the country after overwhelming the Afghan Security Forces. Other than a sporadic and hasty resistance being put up in the Panjshir valley, the entire county is under the administrative control of this feared terrorist organization.

Governing and running a country is very different from operating a terrorist organization, and not only do the Taliban lack the experience to run a whole nation, but they are also lacking in funds that will be required to rebuild the war-torn country after decades of brutal civil war.

The Taliban will also require funds to pay its fighters and future bureaucrats and this is one of the first major problems facing the terrorist organization.

Afghanistans illicit drug trade may have been able to support the Taliban in the last few years but the Taliban are desperately searching for new forms of finance to sustain their rule.

Owing to its reputation as a brutal terrorist organization many international institutions to which countries would normally look for financial aid have refused the Taliban, like the International Monetary Fund.

In addition, many western countries that have for years suffered under Islamic terrorism are not likely to even acknowledge the Taliban government, much less agree to send it aid.

The Taliban can look towards some of its closer neighbours like Iran and Pakistan, which have in the past been allies but both countries do not have the financial resources to assist the Taliban.

It is with this background that that one nation has announced that it is willing to lend financial support to the Taliban and also provide it legitimacy by acknowledging the Taliban government.

The only means of financial support left for the Taliban is China. China has announced that it is more than happy to assist the Taliban as it tries to govern and tries to rebuild Afghanistan.

On 23rd August China stated that it wished to play a positive role in Afghanistan. While the entire world is clamouring for nations not to fund the militant government in Kabul until the Taliban curbs its hardline religious policies, only China has come out and offered support to the terrorist organization.

China has also come out to state that it intends to cooperate with Iran towards the reconstruction of their mutual neighbour, Afghanistan.

In a meeting between Chinas foreign minister Wang Yi and newly appointed Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, both countries blamed the US for the current predicament of Afghanistan.

China has also added that it wished to play a constructive role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. China has been wary of establishing ties with Iran, only in March this year did China elevate their relationship with Tehran to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

The two countries also came together to announce a 25-year agreement that incorporates several planned projects. Iran has grown much closer to China and has expressed its desire to expand ties with Beijing in all fields, and the result of this deepening friendship can be seen in the willingness of China and Iran to cooperate to provide aid to the Taliban.

The Taliban have also been highly receptive to Chinas assistance. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has openly admitted that the Taliban hope to primarily rely on funds from China to maintain their operations and activities.

The Taliban spokesperson also stated that 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,.

But why will China be willing to invest in the Taliban The answer is that there are multiple reasons and multiple benefits that China has to gain from a presence in Afghanistan and filling the void that the US and other western countries left.

Firstly, the Afghan market is infinitesimally insignificant in China. Instead, China wishes to acquire rights to a large number of natural resources and rare Earth minerals in Afghanistan.

Chinas intention in this regard is made even clearer by a statement made by Taliban spokesperson regarding how thanks to the Chinese, Afghanistan will be able to back into operation rich copper mines that had been closed off previously.

Another advantage of the Chinese presence in Afghanistan is that China will be able to increase its global influence by expanding its Belt and Road Initiative into Afghanistan.

The China Pakistan Economic Corridor alone is worth $62 billion and China plans to extend the corridor into Afghanistan to gain access to Central Asia.

Another part of Chinas plan is to use its newfound closeness with Iran and establish transport routes and an oil pipeline from Iran via Afghanistan. Going through Afghanistan rather than other Central Asian countries presents a clear advantage for Beijing as several Central Asian countries are in Russias backyard and are developing relations with the US, Europe, even India.

Afghanistan provides a direct link to Iran without having to go through several countries.

Afghanistan also has several key political advantages for China that make the political goals as important as the economic goals. First, Chinas help to the Taliban most likely depends on the clause that the two countries do not interfere in each others internal affairs.

For China, this means that the Taliban will not use Afghanistan soil to export terror and extremists into China and will also turn a blind eye towards the genocide of Uyghur Muslims being committed in Chinas Xinjiang region.

For the Taliban, it means that China will overlook all of the groups horrendous human rights abuses unless it involves Chinese citizens or interferes with Chinese interests.

In this way, the Taliban is Chinas perfect partner- dysfunctional and dependent on China, and at the same time happy with whatever assistance China can provide.

In addition, Chinas engagement with the Taliban can also serve as an example of how China supports foreign regimes, with few questions asked as long as Chinas interests are looked after.

Chinese presence in Afghanistan comes with great economic and political benefits for Beijing. The Chinese were courting the Taliban back in June, even before they had taken over the country.

Beijing, while it claims to respect the rights of the Afghan people, seems to have no qualms about supporting a well-known Islamic terrorist organization as long as its interests are met.

On top of that, China has been fighting supposed Islamic terrorism and separatist forces in Xinjiang but still was eager to join forces with an Islamic extremist organization.

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New Delhi: After days of struggle to hold on to the Panjshir valley, the Northern Alliance seems to have lost the battle to the Taliban. The Taliban have announced that they have taken full control of the valley. However, the victory has raised questions on the involvement of Pakistan which has clearly supported the Taliban from the beginning.

Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Monday (September 6) discussed the fall of Panjshir and the role played by Pakistan in it.

Many people around the world had their hopes on the Northern Alliance that perhaps they could take on the Taliban. But now, that last hope has been shattered. Many fighters and leaders of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan lost their lives fighting the Taliban.

A little while ago, Iran has expressed grief over the martyrdom of the leaders of the Northern Alliance in one of its statements and said that it will investigate the role of Pakistan in this war. There should be an international inquiry into whether Pakistan was involved in helping the Taliban capture Panjshir.

In Panjshir, the battle was going on for the past several days. Many leaders of the Northern Alliance claim that their fight against the Taliban is still going on and that they have not backed down.

However, the pictures which have come from Panjshir show that Panjshir has been captured by the Taliban. The Taliban fighters entered the Governor's House of Panjshir where they raised the flag of Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan.

Northern Alliance spokesperson Fahim Dashty was killed in the Taliban attack. He was not only the voice of the Northern Alliance but was also a very famous journalist of Afghanistan. He was fighting against the Taliban for many years.

Dashty was also the nephew of Abdullah Abdullah, one of the tallest leaders of Afghanistan who is currently in talks with the Taliban in the formation of the new government.

The top leader of the resistance front, Ahmad Massoud, has said that he will fight against the Taliban till the end. Massoud has made a serious allegation on Pakistan. He has said that the Pakistan Army is helping the Taliban in Panjshir.

The leaders of the resistance forces have said that Pakistans drones are being used to carry out attacks in Panjshir.

Since Pakistan cannot directly send its Air Force to attack, they are using drones. These drones, which are capable of aiming accurately, are being used to drop bombs in Panjshir.

Incidentally, chief of Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed on Saturday reached Kabul where he met with the Taliban leaders. The ISI chief is said to have asked Taliban leaders to give the Haqqani network a greater role in the new government. The visit certainly raises questions on Pakistans involvement with the Taliban.

Pakistan has, however, denied that its army was present in Panjshir. But the world knows the track record of the country. Even when the Kargil war started in 1999, for many days Pakistan did not admit that its army was involved. But when India gradually put forth hard evidence before the world, Pakistan had to admit they were lying.

Pakistan is doing the same thing in Panjshir. Its footprints are clearly 'visible' in the Talibans win over the resistance forces.

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Panjshir: Rubbishing the Talibans claim that they have captured the last Afghan hold-out province of Panjshir, the National Resistance Front (NRF) of Afghanistan on Monday said that their fight against Taliban will continue.

The Fronts leaders said that the resistance forces are present at all strategic positions across the Panjshir Valley to continue the fight. They further assured the people of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban and their partners will continue until justice and freedom prevails.

The information was shared through the unverified Twitter account of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan.

"Taliban`s claim of occupying Panjshir is false. The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight. We assure the people of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban & their partners will continue until justice & freedom prevails," the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan said in a tweet.

Talibans claim of occupying Panjshir is false. The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight. We assure the ppl of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban & their partners will continue until justice & freedom prevails.  National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (@nrfafg) September 6, 2021

Earlier, the Taliban has claimed the capture of the Afghan province of Panjshir. "Recent efforts to ensure complete security in the country have also brought results, and the Panjshir province has come under the full control of the Islamic Emirate (the name used by the Taliban)," said Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid, as quoted by Sputnik.

This comes hours after Panjshir resistance spokesperson Fahim Dashti was reported dead in a clash with the Taliban on Sunday.

After the fall of Kabul on August 15, Panjshir province remained the only defiant holdout where resistance forces led by Ahamd Masoud, the son of late former Afghan guerrilla commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, were fighting the Taliban.

The geography has witnessed heavy conflict between the warring sides in the past four days and both parties are claiming to have inflicted heavy casualties.

Panjshir has been the stronghold of the National Resistance Front, led by Ahmad Massoud and former Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who declared himself caretaker president.

On Sunday, Massoud said that he was ready to cease fighting and start negotiations if the Taliban abandoned the province. Both sides claimed to have the upper hand in Panjshir but neither could produce conclusive evidence to prove it.

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Bandar Seri Begawan: Myanmar`s military rulers have agreed to an ASEAN call for a ceasefire until the end of the year to ensure distribution of humanitarian aid, Japan`s Kyodo news agency said, citing the envoy of the southeast Asian bloc to the crisis-torn nation.

Following a coup in February, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been trying to end violence in Myanmar, where hundreds have been killed, and open a dialogue between the military rulers and their opponents.

The envoy, Erywan Yusof, proposed the ceasefire in a video conference with Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, and the military had accepted it, he told the agency.

"This is not a political ceasefire. This is a ceasefire to ensure safety, (and) security of the humanitarian workers" in their effort to distribute aid safely, Erywan said, according to Sunday`s report.

"They didn`t have any disagreement with what I said, with regards to the ceasefire," it quoted the envoy as saying.

Erywan had also passed his proposal indirectly to parties opposed to rule by the military, it added.

A military spokesman did not answer calls from Reuters to seek comment. In an interview with Reuters on Saturday, Erywan said he was still negotiating with the military over the terms of a visit he hoped to make before late October and had sought access to ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"What we are calling for now is ... for all sides to undertake a cessation of violence, especially with regards to the distribution of humanitarian assistance," he said.

ASEAN nations and dialogue partners had pledged $8 million in aid for Myanmar, he added.

The military seized power after alleging irregularities in an election swept by Suu Kyi`s National League for Democracy party. International monitors and the electoral commission at the time said the army accusations were wrong.

ALSO READ: Democratic world must group together to fight against China's overt, covert operations: Experts

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Gender bias and sexual harassment of women is not an unknown thing in South Asian countries. Women keep facing prejudices and difficult work conditions in this part of the world. In a shocking incident in Pakistan, a female sub-inspector has been abducted and sexually assaulted by a man on Sunday.

"A female sub-inspector who serves as a gender crime officer in Punjab's Muzaffargarh district was allegedly kidnapped and tortured by a man who also tried to sexually assault her, it emerged on Sunday," the Dawn reported.

A First Information Report (FIR) has also been filed against the man. The suspect coerced the woman to sit in his car and took her to a deserted area near Chaman Bypass. He repeatedly tried to rape the sub-inspector while threatening her with his pistol.

Police spokesperson Waseem Khan Gopang informed that the sub-inspector has been shifted to Muzaffargarh District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in an injured state. "The suspect involved in the incident has been arrested and the car he used had also been seized," he added.

The safety and security of women have become a big question in Pakistan as everyday incidents of rape, sexual assaults are being reported from different parts of the country, the Dawn reported.

Despite the increasing number of cases, the government is silent and not taking any steps to protect the people. Even the minor girls are not safe at schools and seminaries. Recently, a seminary principal and a female teacher of a seminary were booked by police in Rawalpindi after a student accused them of sexually assaulting and torturing her.

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Kabul: An Afghan policewoman was shot dead by the Taliban in front of her family in Ghor province, an Afghan journalist informed in a tweet. Nigara was 6 months pregnant and was shot in front of her husband and children, the journalist informed.

On Sunday, a Sputnik correspondent reported, Women started buying head and body coverings out of fear that the Taliban would hunt down and beat them up if they were seen without hijabs or burqas, something similar to what used to happen in the country in the 1990s.

These developments came a few days after dozens of Afghan women held protests in Herat demanding rights and female representation in the government formation after the Taliban took control of the war-ravaged country.

ALSO READ | 600 Taliban fighters killed as heavy fighting continues in Afghan holdout province of Panjshir

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.

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.

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London: Prime Minister Boris Johnson will address lawmakers on Monday (September 6) about Britain`s withdrawal from Afghanistan, amid criticism of the handling of the evacuation and failure to predict how quickly the Taliban would sweep through the country.

The United States and Britain withdrew from Afghanistan last month, and Johnson`s foreign minister Dominic Raab has admitted that both countries misjudged the Taliban`s capacity to seize control. The Taliban took Kabul on Aug. 15.

Johnson has faced stinging criticism from lawmakers for intelligence and leadership failures over the fall of Kabul, and he has admitted that the decision by the United States to withdraw left Britain with little choice but to pull its own forces.

Some who served in Afghanistan have spoken of their anger and grief about what has happened, and Johnson will say that, despite the Taliban`s rapid return, the efforts of a 20-year campaign were not in vain.

"Thanks to their efforts, no terrorist attack against this country or any of our Western allies has been launched from Afghanistan for twenty years," Johnson will say in a speech to parliament when it returns from summer recess, according to extracts released by his office.

"They fulfilled the first duty of the British armed forces - to keep our people safe."

Johnson`s office said that he would announce an additional 5 million pounds ($6.93 million) in funding for charities that offer support to veterans.

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DOHA: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived on Monday in Qatar where he will seek support to evacuate Americans and at-risk Afghans left behind in Afghanistan. A senior State Department official told reporters on Blinken`s flight that Washington has facilitated the safe departure of four more Americans overland from Afghanistan.

"This is the first overland evacuation facilitated by the State Department," the official said, adding that the Taliban were aware of the operation and did not impede safe passage of the individuals.

The official did not name the country they transited to.

Dubbed as a "thank you" tour to Qatar and Germany, who were instrumental in helping Washington evacuate thousands of people out of Kabul, Blinken will meet with senior Qatari and German officials. In Germany he will also co-host a ministerial meeting on Afghanistan.

Qatar has emerged as the main mediator between the Taliban, who swept into Kabul on Aug. 15, and Western countries following the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Departing for Doha, Qatar and Ramstein, Germany where Ill have the opportunity to thank our Qatari and German friends in-person for the outstanding support theyve given to safely transit U.S. citizens, Afghans, and other evacuees from Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/ZQDDiaCJ5y  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 6, 2021

Doha said on Saturday it has reopened Kabul airport for humanitarian aid and domestic flights in coordination with the hardline Islamist group. Other international flights are expected to resume soon, it added.

Daily flights have been scheduled from Doha to Kabul to deliver aid.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is travelling to the Gulf on a separate trip, will also visit Qatar on Tuesday. Austin's visit also includes Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.